Chapter 182: Cabinet

In the eighth year of Hongwu, the ninth day of the eighth month.

Although Yingtian Prefecture had entered autumn, the morning and evening winds carried a hint of coolness.

But at noon, Wenhua Hall was still very hot.

Zhu Yong sat by the window, cradling a tea cup in his hand; the tea had long gone cold, and he did not drink it, just holding it while watching Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao lay his head on the desk, marking memorandums one after another.

His left hand pressed the paper, his right hand held a brush dipped in Cinnabar, marking a few characters, turning the page, then looking at the next volume.

His movements were smooth, like an inexhaustible machine.

Only his eye sockets were still sunken, and his complexion remained pale.

The imperial physician said that Crown Prince's constitution was deficient and needed nurturing, at least for a year.

Zhu Biao listened, nodded, turned his head and ordered the memorandums to be taken back to Wenhua Hall.

"Elder brother," Zhu Yong said.

"Hmm," Zhu Biao replied without looking up.

"Take a rest for a while."

"There are twelve more; I'll rest after finishing them."

Zhu Yong set down the tea cup, stood up, walked over, and folded the memorandums in front of Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao looked up, helplessly saying, "Second brother…"

"The imperial physician said you need a year of nurturing, yet you've only had half a month," Zhu Yong said.

"Half a month is enough."

"Not enough."

Zhu Biao sighed, set down his brush, leaned against the chair back, and rubbed his brow.

Zhu Yong said nothing, just standing there.

The two brothers faced each other for a while, and Zhu Biao finally yielded.

"Alright, Elder brother, rest for a quarter hour," Zhu Biao said.

Only then did Zhu Yong sit back down.

Zhu Biao lifted the tea cup; the tea was cold as well.

He didn't mind, took a sip, and stared out the window, lost in thought.

Outside, the phoenix tree leaves in the courtyard had already begun to turn yellow.

A few early‑falling leaves were whirled by the wind, spinning on the ground.

"Second brother," Zhu Biao suddenly said.

"Hmm."

"Tell me, is Elder brother really useless?"

Zhu Yong frowned, "Elder brother says that again."

"It's not a lament, it's the truth," Zhu Biao said, shaking his head.

He set down the tea cup, his gaze falling on the stack of memorandums on the desk.

"Great Ming is expanding, and the territories were conquered by you, Second brother—north, east, west, south… everywhere needs governance."

"Newly established prefectures and counties need officials, newly annexed peoples need settlement, newly repaired waterways need patrols, and newly built city walls need inspection."

"Father is the Emperor, a master of war and governance, but Father is old now, his vigor can't keep up."

"I am the Crown Prince, only in my twenties this year; I've spent years studying, have been marking memorandums for several years, yet I still feel… insufficient."

"Not fast enough, not steady enough, not thorough enough."

"Each day when I open my eyes, hundreds of matters await me; if any task is delayed, the subordinates suffer another day, and if any task is mishandled, Father's and Imperial Mother's faces lose another point of favor."

"Second brother, tell me, how can Elder brother rest?"

Zhu Yong remained silent, offering no reply.

He began recalling the fragmented memories of his previous life.

He felt that some of them were hazy.

Those fragments were like behind a veil of mist, vague; it took great effort to grasp even one or two.

In the end, he still recalled one matter.

In the original history, Fifth Prince Zhu Di later became Emperor.

When the Fifth Prince ascended the throne, he accomplished a great deed.

He established a new bureau, called… Cabinet.

Zhu Yong knit his brows, straining to think.

Cabinet… Six Ministries… draft proposals… approve in red.

Right.

"Elder brother," Zhu Yong suddenly said.

Zhu Biao turned his head to look at him, "Hmm?"

"I recalled something," Zhu Yong said.

"What matter?"

Zhu Yong did not rush to answer.

He closed his eyes, piecing together those vague fragments one by one.

"Elder brother, tell me… why must you do everything yourself?"

Zhu Biao was startled, "What?"

"Review the memoranda, oversee the Six Ministries, investigate cases, set regulations—why is it all you doing alone?" Zhu Yong opened his eyes and looked at him, saying.

Zhu Biao chuckled: "I'm the Crown Prince; if I don't do it, who will?"

"There are so many officials below—Ministers of the Six Ministries, vice ministers, Imperial Censors," Zhu Yong said.

"Their departments each handle a piece of work, but in the end it all has to be consolidated to me," Zhu Biao said.

"Then let them consolidate."

Zhu Biao didn't understand.

Zhu Yong scratched his head, trying hard to turn the fragments in his mind into words.

"Let me use an analogy: in war I lead three thousand Longxiang Army in a charge against ten thousand enemies; I can personally kill two hundred, what about the remaining nine hundred and eighty?"

Zhu Biao said: "The department commanders split the troops and encircle."

"Right, the department commanders are under me; I allocate troops to them, each fights a front, but after they finish fighting, do they still have to obey my command?"

Zhu Yong nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment then continued: "Because you are the commander‑in‑chief; you set the strategy, they execute."

"That's right, elder brother; you are the commander‑in‑chief, the Six Ministries, the Censorate, the Tongzheng Office, the Dali Temple… they are all your department commanders."

Zhu Yong said.

Zhu Biao seemed thoughtful.

"Now you are the one leading the troops of each department commander; you have to personally count heads, inspect swords and spears, check formations—so even if you can fight, you'll die of exhaustion."

"You should…"

He paused, pulling that word from the fragments of his memory.

"You should set up a… bureau."

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up.

"Bureau?"

"Hmm, it's… it's to select a few capable civil officials, let them first review the Memorandum; instead of directly approving, they read it and write a note summarizing what the matter is and how to handle it, then stick it at the end." Zhu Yong explained with a smile.

"Then you look again; with their notes you can instantly know what the matter is without having to ponder from scratch; if you think they wrote correctly, you approve with 'OK'."

"If it's written incorrectly, you revise it, then tell them why it's wrong, perhaps have them rewrite…"

"This way you save effort, and they can learn to handle tasks."

Zhu Biao listened quietly, his gaze growing brighter.

"Also…"

Zhu Yong took a sip of tea and continued: "The Six Ministries each manage their own affairs; sometimes the Ministry of Revenue's matters involve the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War's matters involve the Ministry of Personnel."

"The subordinates pass the buck, pushing it around, and in the end it lands on your desk."

"Mm, that's common." Zhu Biao nodded.

"Then have the bureau staff specialize in this: when a matter of one ministry involves another, they coordinate; once coordinated, they write the result as a note for you."

"If coordination fails, they write the differences clearly, and you decide," Zhu Yong said.

"This way you won't have to shuttle messages between the various offices."

Zhu Biao was silent for a long while.

Then he stood up, walked to Zhu Yong, and solemnly said: "Second brother, who taught you this?"

Zhu Yong chuckled: "Hehe… no one taught me; I came up with it myself."

Zhu Biao looked at him.

That gaze was too deep, so deep that Zhu Yong felt a shiver.

"Elder brother…"

"Second brother, do you know what that whole set you just said is?" Zhu Biao said softly.

Zhu Yong pretended to be clueless: "What?"

"It's the authority of the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of Qin and Han, the Middle Secretariat of Tang and Song—the role is exactly this." Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Yong blinked and said: "Oh."

Zhu Biao stared at him: "Second brother, you really don't know?"

Zhu Yong scratched his head and said: "I just think, elder brother is too tired, I want to let you rest."

Zhu Biao was silent.

He knew the second brother had secrets.

Those pills, those blueprints, those 'immortal dream' things he never explained.

And in recent years, he fought north and south, from Kaiping to Helin, from Bu Yu Er Hai to Changbaishan, to Han City, to Wa Country, to the Western Regions.

From an unknown lowly soldier he rose to become Great Ming's King Wu and Grand General Zhenglu.

The Imperial Father never asked where those things came from, nor did the Imperial Mother.

Zhu Biao also didn't ask.

He only knew this was his twin brother, a sibling lost for fourteen years and only now found.

"That's enough."

But now, he suddenly wanted to know a bit.

How many things does this simple‑minded second brother still have in his mind that I don't know?

"Elder brother?" Zhu Yong couldn't help but call out.

Zhu Biao came back to his senses.

They didn't ask further, only smiled and said, "Second brother, does this method of yours have a name?"

Zhu Yong thought for a moment, dredged that word from the depths of memory and said, "Cabinet."