Chapter 1291: Zhao Jin's Shandong

They would rather report in error than dare conceal anything — otherwise, when the reckoning came afterward, far too many people would die. This was a rule handed down from the Jiajing reign, when the Grand General Qiu Luan bribed Altan Khan of the Tümed, concealed the true state of battle, and falsely reported military achievements. When the truth came to light afterward, it became a major case — many died, and the web of implication spread extremely wide. The court kept a very tight watch on military intelligence from the border garrisons; once concealment was discovered, the punishment was severe and heavy.

What they had thought was a heaven-shattering, earth-cracking catastrophe turned out to be a false alarm. Yet the response of the border troops from Ji Garrison and Liao Garrison was truly chilling. Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong had spent several years reorganizing things over there, and this was the result — it made everyone involved look very bad. Wang Zaijin's judgment, on the other hand, proved remarkably accurate, which raised people's regard for him considerably. And so his promotion into the Grand Secretariat as Minister of War met with no obstacles and was swiftly accomplished.

Whether Sun Chengzong lost face or Wang Zaijin gained esteem mattered little in the current situation. The Tianqi Emperor's already faltering body could finally hold out no longer. After vomiting blood from shock and fury that day, he never again appeared in the audience halls and pavilions of the court.

But the Tianqi Emperor did not become as indolent as he had been right after his enthronement. Instead, he summoned eunuchs and civil officials to discuss and administer state affairs in his bedchamber. The Tianqi Emperor could walk a little while supported by others, but most of the time he could only lean against the bed, and occasionally, in front of his ministers, he had to lie down and rest.

In the past, someone would inevitably have raised the issue of ritual propriety, but in these times when sovereign and ministers shared adversity, such pointless disputes and bickering had greatly diminished. Everyone calmly busied themselves with matters of great importance. Though each person said His Majesty would soon recover, even the Tianqi Emperor himself did not believe such words. The figure of Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, could already be seen in the court assemblies now — the young prince merely stood to the side, listening.

They had originally thought him a prince destined to die peacefully of old age in his fief; no one imagined he would have such fortune, possessing the fate of an heir apparent. It seemed he was about to soar into the heavens in a single bound.

The members of the Grand Secretariat were not particularly worried about this Prince Xin. Back when the Tianqi Emperor was still the heir apparent and being tutored by Sun Chengzong, Zhu Youjian had often sat in on the lessons, and he deeply revered the upright and solemn Sun Chengzong. As for Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou, a little investigation made it clear to everyone: Prince Xin had always held the "pure stream" faction in extremely high regard. It was only that the pure stream officials had never bothered with a mere prince, so there had been no contact. As for Wang Zaijin, he seemed to have lost all concern for power and position, so naturally he did not care about such things either.

The ones truly on edge were the eunuchs of the inner court. From Wei Zhongxian on down, none of the powerful and influential senior eunuchs had any ties to this Prince Xin. This was only natural — the glory and wealth of eunuchs rested solely on the Son of Heaven they personally served. Consorts and heirs apparent did not count, let alone a mere prince. Yet it was common knowledge that Prince Xin Zhu Youjian harbored a bone-deep hatred for the eunuch faction, believing that the Ming Dynasty had fallen to such a state entirely because of the havoc and chaos wrought by these castrated inner officials.

"Myriad Years Lord, the edict appointing Sun Chuanting as Grand Coordinator of Datong has already been dispatched. As per the wishes of Grand Secretary Sun and the others, the edict specifically highlights the new policies and discretionary authority, permitting this Sun Chuanting to implement the Xuzhou rebel methods in Datong and Shanxi, in order to observe their effectiveness," Wei Zhongxian reported.

The Tianqi Emperor nodded, glancing at his younger brother Zhu Youjian beside him. All he hoped now was that this young, hot-blooded brother could learn more, so as not to be thrown into chaos upon ascending the throne. He would not be like himself, able to enjoy the leisure of carpentry. There was another thing that worried the Tianqi Emperor: he himself had many interests — he was fond of beautiful women, fond of woodworking, fond of all manner of entertainments — while his own full brother had practically no hobbies at all, always believing that the sages' books and classics contained all great principles. He had heard that in the prince's residence, those old Confucian scholars had tutored him into some very bad habits.

Over on the other side, Wei Zhongxian continued his report: "After Xiong Tingbi was released, he wept with gratitude and resolved to loyally serve the nation..."

"I have already reported this to my Imperial Brother," Prince Xin Zhu Youjian said coolly. Wei Zhongxian bowed deeply. The expressions of the others in the room did not change, but subtle shifts flickered in their eyes. Prince Xin's attitude already spoke volumes.

The Tianqi Emperor, leaning back, smiled wryly and said in a weak voice: "The matter of selecting and promoting young, promising talents must be handled as quickly as possible. In the current situation, if we do not make exceptions in appointments, I fear they will all go to offer their services to Xuzhou."

The ministers and eunuchs all bowed in assent. Even Prince Xin Zhu Youjian agreed. The scholar-officials of the Great Ming were the core, the backbone; they were the true substance of this dynasty. Without their support, this Great Ming would cease to exist. The Mongols on the steppe, the Jurchen beyond the passes — however great their threat, the Ming sovereign and ministers never worried about the scholars' choice, for those were stinking barbarian tribes dwelling in bitter cold and remote lands. The gentry naturally understood whom to choose. But Xuzhou was different — he too was a child of Huaxia, and located in the very heartland of the realm. As long as Xuzhou offered sufficient terms, it was hard to say how people would choose. In truth, everyone more or less understood: many had already made overtures to Xuzhou, some of them even of noble and weighty status.

Having said all that needed to be said, the Tianqi Emperor dismissed everyone from his bedchamber, leaving only Prince Xin Zhu Youjian. This act, too, would surely spark rumors inside and outside the palace — that His Majesty's most trusted and favored Eunuch Wei had not been kept behind to attend him; there must be something peculiar about this.

After Wei Zhongxian left, the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youjian was about to speak when he began to cough. Prince Xin Zhu Youjian hurriedly brought a bowl of warm water and helped his elder brother drink. Flecks of blood could be seen on the handkerchief from the Tianqi Emperor's coughing; Zhu Youjian's eyes reddened.

"... You must treat the inner officials a little better. I hear you are also very harsh with the attendants who serve you — that Cao Huachun and the others are all in constant fear and trembling?" the Tianqi Emperor asked gently.

Prince Xin Zhu Youjian was first stunned, then realized that every stir of wind and stir of grass in his princely residence was reported by Wei Zhongxian's spies to the Tianqi Emperor. This made Zhu Youjian unable to suppress the emotions in his heart, and he said indignantly: "Imperial Brother, the affairs of our Great Ming have all been ruined by these castrates. Your younger brother truly dares not draw close to such petty men... In a situation like the present, Imperial Brother should recall upright and pure ministers and strive for a revival. These inner officials and petty men are still far too involved!"

Hearing these words, the smile on the Tianqi Emperor's face vanished, replaced by a cold sternness. Prince Xin Zhu Youjian knew he had misspoken and stood there with bowed head and folded hands, motionless. The Tianqi Emperor stared at his younger brother; the cold sternness on his face turned to disappointment, and the disappointment to helplessness. In the end, he merely sighed softly and said in a gentle voice: "Fifth Brother, what eunuch faction, what pure stream — they are all servants and ministers of our Zhu family. What is righteous and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong? Those who are loyal to our Zhu family, who handle affairs and carry out duties for us — they are right, they are righteous. Those who do not do so are wrong, they are evil."

Because only the two brothers were present here and now, and because the Tianqi Emperor had always cherished and been close to this younger brother, Prince Xin Zhu Youjian hesitated only a moment before arguing: "Imperial Brother, the eunuch faction brings calamity to the state and suffering to the people. They dismiss the pure stream, letting the affairs of state deteriorate. To say nothing else — if not for the eunuch faction's extortionate taxes and levies, how could the great chaos in Shandong and the popular uprising in Xuzhou have been provoked? If not for the eunuch faction's incompetence and collusion with bandits, how could the repeated joint campaigns against the rebels have ended in great defeats, bringing the state to such a pass!"

Listening to Prince Xin Zhu Youjian's impassioned speech, the Tianqi Emperor was speechless for a moment. After a silence, he asked: "Have you ever considered who told you all these words? Who spoke them?"

This question left Zhu Youjian momentarily stunned. The Tianqi Emperor shook his head and said: "The scholars can write and speak. Naturally, they will not curse themselves; they will only push all the blame onto others. When have you ever seen the inner officials make any arguments..."

Seeing Prince Xin Zhu Youjian's expression, the Tianqi Emperor did not continue, but changed the subject: "Right now, young and promising officials are being exceptionally promoted everywhere. Although these men are all disciples and sons of the great ministers at court, since the grace originates from the sovereign, if you skillfully win them over, you can still harvest a group of loyal ministers. These will be your fundamental core."

"Imperial Brother, Imperial Brother's health will surely improve. Please, do not speak such inauspicious words. Your younger brother is terrified." These words made Prince Xin Zhu Youjian's tears flow. He knelt on the ground and repeatedly kowtowed.

"Leave us for now. I am a little weary. Summon the imperial physician and Wei Zhongxian and the others in." The Tianqi Emperor's face showed exhaustion. He gestured for Prince Xin Zhu Youjian to withdraw. Zhu Youjian hastily retreated and left. The exchange just now had filled Prince Xin with trepidation and fear.

Watching his younger brother withdraw, the Tianqi Emperor felt somewhat helpless. Back then, no one had ever imagined this day. A prince did not require much education — and as a result, his younger brother had grown into such a pure and naive disposition. Those Confucian scholars who only knew how to preach the grand principles of the sages truly deserved to be killed. Yet thinking this far, the Tianqi Emperor smiled wryly to himself. No one was to blame; teaching a prince was supposed to be done this way. He only wondered how much his younger brother could learn.

The Tianqi Emperor felt a wave of weariness wash over him. Drowsy and muddled, he wanted to sleep. Before drifting off, a smile surfaced on his face. No matter what, this realm and its altars would certainly not perish in his own hands...

When Zhao Jin led his great army back to Shandong, everything was completely different from when they had first arrived. Around the time they had seized Linqing and advanced north, the whole of Shandong had more or less harbored doubts. This Zhao Jin of Xuzhou, relying on just over twenty thousand troops, had actually entered Northern Zhili, had actually dared to confront the court's nearly one hundred thousand troops head-on, had actually dared to openly rebel. No matter how fierce his Xuzhou soldiers were, there was no precedent for such a lopsided victory of the few over the many. Even the most optimistic people had held reservations.

And so, although Patrolman Li of Linqing and his son were the chief heroes who had helped Zhao Jin take Linqing, after the Zhao family army entered Northern Zhili, many local figures of importance deliberately distanced themselves from the Li family, lest any mishap lead to a later settling of accounts. Even the two reinforced regiments of the Zhao family army garrisoned in Linqing were treated very coldly.

But all of this changed after the Zhao family army returned in triumph. The local gentry and strongmen, currying favor and cozying up, practically broke down the Li family's doorstep. Young men volunteering for the army and supplies for the troops piled up at the encampments of the two garrison regiments. Everyone knew that, whatever happened elsewhere, for the past few years, Shandong's surname had been Zhao.

Thanks to "Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Xi Shua Shua, Qi San Wen, Duan Yi Chen, Feng Zhong Long Wang," several old friends, for their gifts. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you all.