The timing wasn't right, or perhaps the Ming Dynasty needed to wait until a more opportune time to plan these matters. After all, the Indochina Peninsula was far too important, and Zhu Yunying couldn't possibly be indifferent to it.
After Chen Di left, Zhu Yunying's face fell. Some things seemed to be going well. However, as an emperor, he also saw some shortcomings, and he had to think more about things at this time.
Song Zhong was hastily summoned, and this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard seemed a bit confused. However, he didn't find it strange at all. He was the head of intelligence and an absolute confidant of the emperor, so it was perfectly normal for him to be summoned by the emperor.
But as soon as he arrived at the Wuying Hall and knelt down to pay his respects, a memorial was practically thrown at his face.
This caused Song Zhong to break out in a cold sweat. The emperor was making no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction, indicating that something was beyond his control and comprehension. Song Zhong couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
Zhu Yunying glanced at Song Zhong, who was crawling on the ground, and snorted coldly, "Look at what you've done!"
Song Zhong hurriedly picked up the memorials from the ground; he was indeed somewhat flustered. However, he was also confused, unsure of what he had done to displease the emperor.
At this point, instead of brooding over it, we should quickly examine the memorials to find the answer. Once we understand the situation, we might be able to find a solution, instead of kneeling in fear and endlessly reflecting and pondering like this.
After quickly glancing at the memorial, Song Zhong broke out in a cold sweat. He understood, of course, why the emperor was so displeased.
These memorials concerned matters in Southeast Asia, specifically the actions of Ma Sanbao's fleet. However, under normal circumstances, these memorials were submitted to the Court of State Ceremonies, the Ministry of Rites, and possibly even the Office of Transmission before reaching the Emperor's desk.
That's indeed the procedure, and there's really nothing to say about it; it's the normal process for submitting memorials. If these memorials were found in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office, it would certainly be a capital offense, namely, the Embroidered Uniform Guard hoarding memorials, etc.
But the situation is different now. This happened in Southeast Asia. The Embroidered Uniform Guard hasn't heard a thing, or rather, they haven't gathered any intelligence yet, but the people in the Ministry of Rites know about it, and maybe many people in the court know about it too.
As the emperor's eyes and ears, and as an intelligence organization tasked with gathering information from overseas, the Embroidered Uniform Guard truly failed in its duty this time. Judging from the few words in the memorial, the Ming fleet's movements were quite significant, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard should have known about these events in advance.
This time, Song Zhong knelt even more respectfully, drenched in sweat, and no longer felt he had been wronged. The emperor's extreme displeasure seemed perfectly understandable, given the serious blunders the Embroidered Uniform Guard had indeed made.
Zhu Yunying snorted coldly, clearly displeased. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is my eyes and ears. Now that I'm deaf and blind, I need others to inform me before I can know anything. Isn't that reasonable?"
Song Zhong could only kowtow, filled with fear and trepidation, "Your subject knows his crime, your subject deserves to die ten thousand times!"
"Ten thousand deaths?" Zhu Yunying was displeased and stood up directly in front of Song Zhong. "If this happens again, you don't need to plead guilty. Just go to the imperial prison! I trust you all so much, and this is how you handle your duties?"
What else could Song Zhong say? At this point, all he could do was kowtow repeatedly. There was no point in trying to argue; he only needed to confess his guilt. Arguing would only further displease the emperor.
In truth, Song Zhong understood the emperor quite well. Although he had been severely reprimanded, the matter was essentially minor; it was merely a warning from the emperor. Song Zhong didn't need to worry about being punished by the emperor for this matter; the emperor wasn't that harsh.
It's likely that the Embroidered Uniform Guard did accomplish some things during this period, and things went smoothly for a while, which led to some oversights. They messed things up, so it's understandable that the emperor was unhappy.
However, it's true that serving a king is like walking on thin ice. They found oil palm seedlings and seeds, found the Kunlun slaves to plant the trees, and even found some cassava, etc. These are all great achievements.
But now, just because he messed up some tasks, or rather, didn't do his best in some matters, the emperor has come to punish him. No amount of merit seems to be able to offset some mistakes.
At this point, Song Zhong probably felt a bit aggrieved, but he probably had no other choice.
Because that's just the emperor's personality; merit is merit, and demerit is demerit. Often, the emperor rewards merit and punishes demerit. He doesn't seem to approve of the idea of offsetting merit against demerit.
It was necessary to give Song Zhong a warning. Zhu Yunying would not punish Song Zhong for such a matter, nor would he doubt the competence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard because of it.
But who could blame him but the emperor? He saw the shortcomings of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in this incident, and he saw that Song Zhong and his ilk had become somewhat arrogant. If he didn't give them a warning at this time, he certainly wouldn't feel at ease.
Song Zhong was essentially granted a pardon; after being reprimanded by the emperor, he was able to escape unscathed.
Song Zhong himself felt he had become more cautious, no longer as complacent as before after achieving successive victories. Perhaps it was because, back at the yamen, he needed to give his subordinates a warning. He had been punished by the emperor; his men shouldn't expect an easy time either.
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