Chapter 1499: Factions Within the Court

1499. Chapter 1499 — Factions Within the Court

It was precisely because the new dynasty's religious administration was so strict that the Western faith's missionary work in China had progressed at a crawl, drawing sighs of lament from many a missionary.

"Your Highness, please be at ease. During the earlier construction of the defensive works, your servants were constantly vigilant to prevent Western missionaries from infiltrating the craftsmen to proselytize. After a few were discovered, they were all severely punished. The craftsmen who remain are mostly here for the wages our dynasty offers and have no interest in spreading their faith." The Duke Defender of the Realm cautiously replied to the Imperial Noble Consort's question. "From now on, your servants will continue to monitor them carefully in their work; we will absolutely not allow the Western faith to spread unchecked here."

"That is good." The Imperial Noble Consort set her mind at ease. "The new dynasty has just been founded, many institutions are not yet perfected, and the nation's gates are still open. That is why Western missionaries are flocking here in droves. Sooner or later, we must tighten the channels by which Western missionaries enter China, so they understand that the Middle Kingdom is not a place they can set foot in as they please…"

"Western missionaries must be blocked, but relying on blockades alone will not do. If we make things too severe and no Westerners can enter at all, then it will become a maritime ban." The Emperor suddenly spoke up at this point. "For the Middle Kingdom to stand firm in the world, it must embrace diversity and draw on the strengths of others. If we enforce a maritime ban like the former Ming, would that not be blinding ourselves? What benefit would that bring the nation? Besides, governing a realm is about letting the common people live and work in peace, ensuring they at least have food and clothing. If the people are well-fed and well-clothed, they will naturally be devoutly loyal to our dynasty. If the people across the land are left without food or clothing, then even if you ban the foreign faith, will the other faiths not rise up in rebellion?"

The Emperor's words were somewhat stern, but everyone understood they were not directed at the Imperial Noble Consort; rather, he was indirectly instructing the princes, so no one interjected.

"Your son understands," the Crown Prince nodded repeatedly. "My teacher has also said that governing a realm is first and foremost about governing the people. As long as the people have no worries about food and clothing, when the granaries are full they will naturally know propriety, and in their hearts they will recognize the court's civilizing influence."

"That makes sense. This teacher of yours is not bad — a rare one who is not pedantic." The Emperor nodded.

"Ai, let's eat quickly. We've been so busy talking, the dishes are nearly cold." Seeing that everyone had been chatting for a long time, the Empress simply urged them to finish the family banquet first.

Soon, the family banquet within the Hall of Mental Cultivation came to an end. After the Duke Defender of the Realm's family joined the imperial family in admiring the night scenery of the palace, they took their leave and departed. The heir, Xu Hecheng, was originally the Crown Prince's attendant and by rights should have continued to serve at the Crown Prince's side. However, due to the New Year holiday, the imperial family had already released him to go home. The plan was for him to accompany the Crown Prince and his father to survey the terrain outside the capital after the New Year.

By regulation, they naturally could not stay overnight in the palace. However, the Duke Defender of the Realm's family did not leave the palace and return home directly. The Duke first stopped by the Grand Secretariat to check in. Only after confirming that the Grand Secretariat was already on holiday, that most of the grand secretaries had already gone home, and that the Chancellor had left him no further instructions did the Duke Defender of the Realm take his wife and children home together.

After the fall of the former Ming, many of the luxurious mansions and estates of noble relatives in the capital were confiscated by the new dynasty. Many of these residences were then granted by the Emperor to various high officials for their use. Earlier, seeing that the imperial family was still living in such humble conditions, everyone had felt too embarrassed to move into those mansions. But the Emperor had forced them to relocate into these residences on the grounds that "our dynasty will never mistreat its high officials." As one of the new dynasty's top meritorious nobles, the Duke Defender of the Realm's family had naturally been allocated a residence of a former Ming noble relative, one of considerable scale and excellent appointments.

It had to be said, the Grand Secretariat's enthusiasm for building the Emperor a detached palace was probably driven in part by a sense of guilt — they felt it was truly inexcusable that they, the high officials, lived so well while the imperial family lived so humbly.

After the Duke Defender of the Realm's family departed, the imperial family also chatted amiably among themselves about domestic matters for a while. Then the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince to the imperial study in the western warm chamber of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, as if he had some matters to instruct him on.

The moment the Crown Prince was called in and faced his father alone, a sudden unease rose in his heart, because his father's expression had become extremely stern, completely devoid of the relaxed affability he had shown during the family banquet.

"Father… may I ask… may I ask what matter you have summoned your son alone for?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"How do you think you performed at yesterday's council?" After a moment of silence, the Emperor suddenly asked the Crown Prince. "Did you gain anything from it?"

So it has finally come to testing me… Upon hearing his father's words, the Crown Prince actually breathed a sigh of relief.

When he had sat in on the state affairs council, he had anticipated that his father would certainly test him afterward on what lessons he had learned. His father had simply waited until today to ask.

"In reply to Father, your son has many reflections." He quickly lowered his head and voiced all the thoughts he had been mulling over. "Knowledge gained from books ultimately proves shallow. Only after sitting in on a state affairs council for the first time did your son realize that state affairs are so bewilderingly complex… Even for the single matter of the punitive expedition against Japan, there are so many links to consider, requiring the assembly of all the ministers to determine every detail from top to bottom in advance. Father has truly labored greatly."

"Warfare is a matter of the state. Once troops are mobilized, heaven and earth are shaken. No one knows how much wealth and material resources must be expended from top to bottom, so naturally one must proceed with caution; not a single link can be neglected. Other state affairs are naturally the same. Whether civil administration or fiscal policy, all have far-reaching implications — how could they be as simple as they appear?" The Emperor nodded impassively. "Therefore, you must observe more and learn more. You must understand everything that can be understood, so that you will not be deceived by others and can manage state affairs yourself."

"Your son understands." The Crown Prince nodded. "Your son has already obtained the appendix to the council minutes and the handwritten notes of the Count of Xingyang. In this period, your son will certainly study them in detail and first gain an understanding of the military operations against Japan as quickly as possible. That will also make it easier for your son to go to Goryeo later to oversee rear-area affairs."

"Learning from paper alone is not enough; you must also practice yourself. But fortunately, you are the Crown Prince, so there will naturally be people to diligently assist and teach you. As long as you do not presume upon your status, you can always learn well." The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince steadily. "Any other reflections?"

"There is also…" The Crown Prince hesitated, as if choosing his words. Finally, he mustered his courage, raised his head, and spoke. "Father, your son felt that the high officials sometimes engage in pointless quarrels. For example, the two uncles, the Duke of Yong and the Duke of Cai — their argument seemed to have little reason behind it, did it? In the end, it devolved into a clash of personal pique, and they quarreled so fiercely… Your son feels it is necessary to curb pointless quarrels driven by personal pique in the court, so as not to lose the dignity of high officials… and to prevent the officials from gradually prioritizing personal pique over right and wrong, thus repeating the disastrous factional strife of the former Ming…"

He had indeed summoned great courage to say this, because his words were in fact obliquely hinting that the great quarrel in the council hall carried the taint of factional strife between civil and military officials. These were heavy words, and not necessarily ones that would please his father. But after deep consideration, the Crown Prince had decided to speak them anyway, to offer forthright remonstrance to his father and fulfill his duty as a son.

"Furthermore, in your son's view, those several uncles are all capable ministers, and their loyalty is beyond doubt. It is just that, holding high office, they cannot swallow their pride, and so they sometimes quarrel over personal pique. Father need only give them a word or two of guidance, and they will naturally exercise restraint in court in the future, so that such fierce quarrels will not erupt again." Then, the Crown Prince poured out all the thoughts in his heart in one breath. "These are some of your son's reflections after this council. If there is anything I have said that is incorrect… I beg… I beg Father to instruct me…"

However, contrary to expectations, after hearing the Crown Prince's bold and forthright remonstrance, the Emperor's expression as he looked at the Crown Prince did not become angry — nor, of course, did it show joy. Instead, it was an extremely peculiar expression, as if he wanted to say something but did not know how to begin to tell the Crown Prince.

"Father…?" The Crown Prince's heart tightened slightly, and he boldly ventured the question.

"You… you… how should I put this!" The Emperor was silent for a moment, and finally let out a long sigh. "To say you haven't thought about it — you've thought quite a lot, and your mind is fairly nimble; you know how to phrase things. To say you have thought about it — the places your thoughts have gone are all wrong, missing the point entirely, and even less capable of satisfying me…"

Father is not satisfied with my answer! The Crown Prince's heart gave a thump.

"Your son was merely voicing some of his own thoughts. If there is anything incorrect, I beg Father to point it out…"

"Well, you are still young; this is not your fault. Those teachers of yours are, after all, just teachers — one cannot demand they understand much more than that…" After another moment of silence, the Emperor sighed again. "With the lessons of the former Ming before us, it is beyond reproach that your teachers have taught you to guard against factional strife. However, if you say that those uncles of yours quarreled so fiercely over some trivial personal pique, then you are underestimating them."

"Father… does Father mean to say that the uncles were not quarreling merely over the ownership of those gold and silver mines, but over something else?" The Crown Prince was even more astonished. "Was their intention something other than what it seemed?"

"Of course it was over the ownership of the gold and silver mines, but it was also over something else. You sit in a high place, so you must see things clearly." The Emperor swept his gaze over him, seeming somewhat dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's performance. "There is one thing you said that was correct — their personal pique has been accumulating for a long time. Today was merely finding a pretext to quarrel."

Prompted by the Emperor, the Crown Prince sank into deep thought. Only after a moment did he raise his head, a look of dawning shock on his face.

"Father… is Father saying that those several uncles… those several uncles were quarreling over the division between civil and military, arguing over whether civil officials or military officers rank higher?"

"Naturally so." The Emperor remained impassive. "Did you not see it yourself? The civil officials stood on the side of civil officials, and the military officers stood on the side of military officers — all speaking for their own people. This was not a quarrel of personal pique; this was a quarrel of factions…"