Chapter 42 Between glasses of wine
The banquet, which should have ended with both the host and the guests having a great time, was interrupted by Zhu Qizhen's sudden order. The six people looked at each other, vaguely having a bad premonition, and the original drunkenness disappeared in an instant.
It stands to reason that one is confused after drinking. Suddenly summoning the ministers who usually need to discuss government affairs at this time may mean that there is something important that he wants to conceal.
As expected, only Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen were allowed to interfere in government affairs in the palace, and the rest of the palace people had already left.
Yang Shiqi, the current chief minister of the cabinet, suddenly felt something was wrong. He exchanged a glance with his long-time colleague Yang Pu, and they already had a tacit understanding.
No matter what Zhu Qizhen mentioned, find a way to get around it first.
Zhu Qizhen was a little dizzy from drinking, but he was still thinking about the military examination. Fortunately, Wang Li had already brought tea. Zhu Qizhen rinsed his mouth and felt that he was much more conscious. He said, "I summoned you here because I have a decree to be issued. It has been prepared long ago. Please take a look."
After Zhu Qizhen finished speaking, Wang Zhen had already handed the draft plan for the military examination prepared by Zhu Yuhuan to the six people.
Hearing Zhu Qizhen's words, their previous ominous premonition was confirmed. The six people looked at each other and had to follow Zhu Qizhen's request to look through the article in their hands. Yang Pu quickly glanced through it and felt that the writing style was somewhat familiar, but it was not quite the same as the author he expected.
This document was written in exceptional detail and meticulousness, and all the measures were very well written. In addition to simply referring to the old precedents left over from the past martial arts examinations, it was also improved on this basis. For example, actual combat tests, sandbox simulations, and two-player or multiplayer battles were added. The regiments that had already begun building the city walls were also brought in, in an effort to screen out students with real talent. At the same time, these military officer candidates were given the same treatment as civil officials, such as increased subsidies, improved status, and even a martial arts school was opened in the Imperial College, undoubtedly in the hope of increasing the number of talents recruited.
But precisely because of this, the military examination was difficult to implement.
Zhu Qizhen's expectation for the military examination was to select and train more military generals. More importantly, Zhu Qizhen's selection was to bypass the nobles and open up another way.
This was not a good thing for the military heroes who had followed Zhu Di in the Jingnan Rebellion. When there were more people, competition would arise. The family fortune that their ancestors had worked so hard to earn was to be divided up by outsiders, who originally belonged only to the circle. No one would be willing to do that.
Not to mention the opposition from the military heroes, even if these voices of opposition were ignored, it would be difficult to advance such a policy by force.
People who become officials through studying look down on people who become officials through practicing martial arts. Most officials in the court believe that military officers are rude and disrespectful. However, this document clearly elevates military officers to the level of civil officials. These prejudices alone are enough to extinguish the flames of war.
Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu exchanged glances before Yang Shiqi asked Zhu Qizhen veiledly, "I, your humble servant, would like to ask Your Majesty, have the Empress Dowager Cihui and Princess Shunde reviewed this document?"
Now the mother and daughter are nominally assisting in the administration. Needless to say, Empress Dowager Cihui is more benevolent than the Grand Empress Dowager, but she has never revealed much wisdom and rarely interferes in state affairs. Apart from some lenient women's strategies, Empress Dowager Cihui almost never asks about state affairs. Even Empress Dowager Sun, when she was choosing a husband for Princess Changde, also intervened.
Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that Yang Shiqi was asking about the eldest princess's opinion rather than the empress dowager's opinion.
When Zhu Qizhen heard him mention Zhu Yuhuan, he coughed lightly and said, "This document was written by the Princess and copied by the Imperial Household Department."
After the banquet and drinking, Zhu Yuhuan used the excuse of being drunk to return to the palace to rest. Zhu Qizhen had Zhu Yuhuan's documents and was full of confidence, but he never expected that Yang Shiqi would mention these two people.
Yang Pu then felt that it was natural. If it was written by Zhu Yuhuan himself, he would be able to tell it at first glance, and there would be no need for Zhu Qizhen to point it out.
Yang Shiqi did not show any hesitation as Zhu Qizhen had expected. Instead, he continued, "The banquet has just ended, and several rounds of wine have passed. We are already old. It is really inappropriate to talk about state affairs after being drunk."
Zhu Qizhen, of course, understood that this was Yang Shiqi's excuse, but he didn't take it seriously and said, "The military examination involves the border, it is extremely important and cannot be delayed. The cabinet needs to give me a plan as soon as possible."
Yang Shiqi continued, "Precisely because this matter is of such importance, we must be even more cautious and absolutely not act hastily. Your Majesty, as the ruler of a mighty nation, must understand the late emperor's repeated instructions to us: government affairs must not be changed overnight. A comprehensive plan must be prepared before implementation, so as not to disrupt the foundations of the nation."
If Zhu Yuhuan were here, he would definitely complain. Zhu Zhanji did say the first sentence, but it mainly meant that officials should have political credibility and not be fickle. What Yang Shiqi said afterwards was completely an excuse.
It's just that Zhu Yuhuan is older and is familiar with Zhu Zhanji's countless political decrees, while Zhu Qizhen is too young and lacks Zhu Zhanji's knowledge. Even though he knows that Yang Shiqi is deliberately obstructing him, he can't say it directly, "My father would never say such a thing." For a moment, he couldn't utter a word.
Since Yang Shiqi, the oldest man, said so, the others had nothing to say.
Especially Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu, who was afraid that people around him would remember him, stood there silently, like a wooden sculpture.
Among the six people present, only Zhang Fu had a relationship with the military officer. Once Zhu Qizhen decided on this matter, Zhang Fu would inevitably need to stand up and express his position, even though Zhang Fu had already voluntarily handed over his power after abandoning Jiaozhi in the early years of Xuande.
To be fair, Zhang Fu didn't care about this. After all, his son Zhang Zhong had a leg disability, and as long as he could inherit the title, he would have no worries about food and clothing. An officer's position was useless to his son. As for the rest of the people, Zhang Fu naturally didn't care.
The abandonment of Jiaozhi had already proved the current situation of the royal family. Peace and stability were the goals of the Ming Dynasty. He was unwilling to say anything more. He only hoped that he could die peacefully and that his children and grandchildren could inherit the title smoothly. The struggles within the court, the more he said and the more mistakes he made, other than making him feel disheartened, what other purpose would there be?
Although Zhang Fu was reluctant to admit it, he also understood that he was old and the only thing he could do was to reduce his presence and not become a thorn in the eyes of the past, present, and future emperors.
Yang Pu knew that Yang Shiqi's words required great courage, so he immediately followed up with, "'What is said is public, and what is said is public. What is said is private, and the king does not accept private opinions.' How can such a major event as the military examination be decided by just a few words from us? We should gather the wisdom of all and learn from their strengths."
Although Yang Ji was restrained by his father and could no longer commit murder and arson, the witness at the time had been detained in the imperial prison, and it was unknown whether Empress Dowager Zhang had explained the matter to the emperor.
Once Zhu Qizhen made this matter public, Yang Shiqi would become a dough that Zhu Qizhen could knead and flatten at will.
Yang Pu knew that Yang Shiqi had said these words at great risk. As a close friend of his for many years, Yang Pu certainly could not sit idly by.
Zhu Qizhen saw that they all made sense, and his face, which was already slightly flushed due to drunkenness, now turned completely red.
Wang Zhen, who was standing nearby, caught Zhu Qizhen's displeasure and immediately spoke up, "Your Majesty issued this decree for the sake of the people's livelihood along the border. Without good generals, how can a country be strong and its people prosperous? I beg you, my Lords, to refrain from shirking your responsibilities and delaying."
Zhu Qizhen felt a little proud now. He looked around and said, "I want your answer now."
Everyone looked a little embarrassed, even Zhu Qizhen's teachers Cao Nai and Ma Yu did not directly express their support for the emperor.
They couldn't say whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but there was no doubt that it would offend people, and no one wanted to take on such a task and cause trouble for themselves.
Seeing no one speaking, Hu Yi finally spoke, "There's one thing Lord Yang said that wasn't wrong. Since this is a matter of public affairs, Your Majesty's dismissal of Empress Dowager Cihui and Princess Shunde is indeed inappropriate. It's too sudden to discuss government affairs today, and since the military examination involves military officers, it's probably inappropriate for us to just discuss it on paper. It would be better to leave it for later. I've also summoned Minister of War Wang Ji and others to come in and discuss this. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
His words quickly defused the somewhat tense atmosphere and also revealed Zhu Qizhen's thoughts. Zhu Qizhen left these six people to discuss the matter after the banquet. In addition to wanting to implement the matter as soon as possible, he also wanted to skip more people and directly achieve his own goals, and let the cabinet take the blame.
Everything was agreed upon by the cabinet and the regents. Just as Wang Zhen nearly entered the palace through Donghua Gate today, it was the cabinet and the regents who failed to stop him, so the responsibility lies with them. As for the young emperor, he was simply deceived by Wang Zhen and was naturally not at fault.
Hu Yi usually keeps a low profile and never speaks rashly about Zhu Qizhen's decisions. Therefore, he has a good relationship with Zhu Qizhen, and his words sound much more "fair" to Zhu Qizhen.
It was also indirectly telling Zhu Qizhen that it was not so easy to fool these cunning people in the cabinet.
At this point, Zhu Qizhen understood that his plan had completely failed. He could only grit his teeth and admit it, saying, "I understand. You can withdraw."
On the other side, Zhu Yuhuan returned to the palace under the pretext of being drunk. She first lay drunkenly on the bed and let Han Guilan help her change clothes.
After changing into comfortable and clean clothes, Zhu Yuhuan had already sobered up a lot. He left only Han Guilan and Huai En to serve in the hall, and allowed the others to go back and rest, as they did not have to take turns on duty tonight.
Zhu Yuhuan wiped his face with a handkerchief. His eyes, which had been a little tired, were now sparkling, and the drunkenness from the banquet was long gone.
Han Guilan took the handkerchief she had used and handed the hot tea to Zhu Yuhuan, saying, "Guilan will go to the kitchen and heat up some soup for Your Highness to relieve his fatigue."
Zhu Yuhuan waved her hand and said, "I'm not drunk." She realized that her words, coming from someone who had been drinking, didn't seem credible. She added with a smile, "Your Majesty is going to meet with the elders to discuss state affairs. What am I doing here? I might as well use the excuse of being drunk to leave early."
Han Guilan naturally understood that although Princess Shunde was known as the "assistant in government", given Zhu Qizhen's temperament, if Zhu Yuhuan took the initiative to intervene too much, Zhu Qizhen would probably be the first one to not tolerate Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Yuhuan sat at the table, one hand on his chin, and asked Huai En to tell Han Guilan what happened at the banquet. Seeing that she seemed to be thinking about something, he said, "Do you think His Majesty's request can be successful?"
Han Guilan and Huai En looked at each other and said, "I'm afraid it won't work..."
When Zhu Yuhuan was writing the document for the military examination, Han Guilan and Huai'en were by her side. They knew the contents of the document very well and knew that this matter was much more complicated than suppressing a rebellion and disaster relief, and the rewards were too slow and too little. It was not something that Zhu Qizhen could implement by just casually discussing it with a few cabinet ministers and regents. Just the idea of normalizing the military examination like the civil examination was something that no one knew how many people would oppose.
These elders are not fools, how could they possibly do such thankless tasks? Such things can only be done by lone ministers, loyal ministers, and upright ministers.
Han Guilan finished speaking her mind, then continued, "It's just that... although this matter has many difficulties, it's not a bad thing for the country. If there really is a chance to realize it..."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but smile when he heard this, and then asked, "Do you think this can't be accomplished?"
Han Guilan pondered for a moment, then said sincerely, "If these officials are unwilling, and no one works diligently, even if the decree is issued, it will not succeed. What's the point of issuing such a useless decree?"
Huai En, who was standing by, understood what was going on and said, "Your Highness means... even if the elders and the ministers disagree, Your Majesty still has to issue this decree?"
"Your Majesty is in dire need of men right now. Regardless of their abilities, the most important thing is their willingness to fight for Your Majesty." Zhu Yuhuan played with his long hair draped over his chest and said, "This is precisely what these officials who have lived in luxury in the capital for years cannot do. No matter how the cabinet tries to stop them, Your Majesty will persist in his opinion. As for the extent to which the decree will be implemented..."
Zhu Yuhuan looked up at the two of them and said, "For Your Majesty, this matter itself is not that important."
Both of them understood the implicit meaning of Zhu Yuhuan's words.
Zhu Qizhen did not have the authority of his elders, and was still young, so he always felt that he was unable to cope with these old ministers. Therefore, what he really needed was someone who could help him and negotiate with the cabinet. Zhu Yuhuan alone was not enough, and the more such people there were, the better.
Huai En had seen similar scenes with Jin Ying and Wang Zhen before, so he didn't look surprised. Han Guilan, on the other hand, was a little surprised and asked, "Will this work?"
Zhu Yuhuan sneered and said, "No matter how Your Majesty and the ministers compete, the emperor will always be the emperor. This will not change. Unless..."
Zhu Qizhen could not suppress this group of ministers, and these ministers were not close to Zhu Qizhen. None of them dared to be as "straightforward" as Zhu Zhanji and the Three Yangs.
The "benevolent" policy of Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji has come to an end, and the struggle for power and profit should be put on the "open stage".
Han Guilan said with some regret, "Your Highness wrote the document so carefully, it's such a shame to waste it like this..."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little amused when he heard this and said, "It's hard to say whether it's a waste or not."
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