Chapter 23 Killing the Invisible
The hall was completely silent, and Zhu Qizhen was the first to speak. "Sister once patrolled the border with the army and personally supervised the troops to suppress the rebellion. She is quite knowledgeable about military affairs. Besides, it's just a case of poor command, which doesn't count as military intelligence."
When the emperor said this, Empress Dowager Zhang also said, "I asked you to stay. There's no need to make a fuss."
Her original intention was to keep Zhu Yuhuan to explain to Zhu Qizhen the matter of building the gate tower of the capital, but who would have thought that it would happen to be military affairs. Fortunately, it was not a big deal, so it would not be a bad idea for Zhu Yuhuan to listen to it.
Zhu Yuhuan then followed what the two said and said, "Huanhuan understands."
It is one thing that Zhu Qizhen and Empress Dowager Zhang asked her to listen, but it is another thing that she should not have listened and did not express any reaction after listening.
After the incident was exposed, Empress Dowager Zhang finally had time to speak earnestly to Zhu Qizhen, "Your Majesty, you must be prudent in your actions. No matter how big the matter, you must not lose your dignity as the Son of Heaven. You must learn to remain calm and composed. If even the ruler of a country is impulsive, his subjects will only become more anxious and uneasy."
Zhu Qizhen became furious when he saw the military report. His father Zhu Zhanji had only led 3,000 elite troops to raid the Uriankhai.
Now, the border troops failed to wipe out the dying Adai, and they had clearly chased him to Yuer Lake. The enemy had not yet attacked, but the border troops were in disarray, and Du Commander An Jing was the first to retreat, causing the morale of the troops to collapse, making a fool of themselves in front of their own doorstep.
In contrast, Zhu Qizhen was furious and naturally did not care about the so-called majesty of the emperor. He just wanted to tie An Jing up immediately and kill him in front of him to vent his anger.
After being taught such a gentle lecture by Empress Dowager Zhang, Zhu Qizhen was at a loss for words and opened his mouth to say something.
Zhu Yuhuan, who was standing by, naturally saw this and said, "Your Majesty has come all the way here, please sit down and talk first."
Zhu Qizhen came to his senses and saw that the female official had moved the chair over. He couldn't openly contradict his grandmother, so he had to sit down obediently and said, "Grandma, you are right."
The palace maid brought more tea to help Zhu Qizhen catch his breath.
Empress Dowager Zhang continued, "Since we've driven the enemy back beyond the Great Wall, the losses within the city must be insignificant. Our top priority now is to clarify responsibilities. Besides Commander-in-Chief An Jing's ineffective participation in the battle, the main generals should also bear responsibility. How could they lead such incompetent men into battle, thus undermining the morale of the entire army? It's clear that they were often slacking off and making random excuses during daily military training. Otherwise, how could such a mess have occurred?"
Zhu Qizhen was much calmer after being enlightened by Empress Dowager Zhang, and said, "Grandma is right."
Empress Dowager Zhang was relieved to see him calm down. She then said, "An Jing must be dealt with. As the commander-in-chief, he is so afraid of fighting that he deserves a demotion. Furthermore, the commander-in-chief should be reprimanded for his inappropriate leadership. For such a minor matter, the Ministry of War can appoint an assistant minister to deliver the order. The Emperor need not take it to heart."
Empress Dowager Zhang could tell at a glance that Zhu Qizhen was quite interested in military affairs, but he was still young, and there was no one in the imperial family who could lead him in battle. Of course, Empress Dowager Zhang tried her best to stop him. A country, after all, is a family. For a family to prosper, it needs dedication and unity. But for a family to fail, it's not easy to defeat them from outside. They can just go around and around, and before they know it, they'll be ruined.
According to Empress Dowager Zhang, as long as the bandits had been driven out and were no longer disrupting the daily lives of the border residents, that was sufficient. A full-scale attack would not only waste manpower and resources but also cause unrest on the border, a "losing money for publicity" move that would not be worth the effort.
Zhu Qizhen, however, disagreed. The construction of the city gate had not been going smoothly recently, and now such an embarrassing thing had happened. He felt more and more that none of these officials were reliable. They were clearly taking advantage of his youth and fooling him like a fool.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan continued, "Grandma, An Jing caused our army's defeat, inevitably sacrificing many soldiers. This is the first crime. Now the border troops are waiting for Your Majesty's punishment, and people are inevitably uneasy, all because of An Jing. This is the second crime. If An Jing is let go so easily, it will inevitably lead to border officers not feeling ashamed and everyone following suit. This is the third crime. If Adai leads the Tatars south again, without a clear decision on how to deal with them, I am afraid the border troops will be unwilling to fight. Therefore, we need to deal with the culprit now to calm the troops."
Her words seemed to be just an analysis of the situation, but the implication was clear.
An Jing will die.
Zhu Qizhen had already been thinking about killing this disgraceful fellow, An Jing. When he heard that Zhu Yuhuan shared his opinion, he immediately agreed and said, "Sister, you're right. If we don't punish An Jing, won't the border troops think the emperor doesn't know how to reward or punish?"
What Zhu Yuhuan said was reasonable. Empress Dowager Zhang didn't care about the life and death of a commander-in-chief. She did so to establish the emperor's majesty.
Empress Dowager Zhang said, "Very well, let's proceed as you say." She looked at her grandson and praised him, "It's very good that the Emperor can think before making decisions. Once a decree is issued, it must not be acted rashly or impulsively. It must be carefully considered."
Zhu Qizhen responded yes obediently.
Empress Dowager Zhang knew that he hadn't fully understood, but now her grandson understood the emperor's majesty better than anyone else. She didn't know what to say, so she simply said to Zhu Qizhen, "Cai Xin is old, and the repair of the city gate can't be delayed any longer. It would be better to find someone else to supervise the construction."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen asked, "Grandma, do you have a candidate in mind?"
Empress Dowager Zhang nodded slightly and said, "When the late emperor was alive, he appointed the eunuch Ruan An to repair the moat and Tongji River. The emperor also appointed Ruan An to develop water conservancy projects. Why not summon him back to the capital to complete the project as soon as possible? What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Repairing the city gates of the capital is a royal affair that concerns the people. If the repairs cannot be completed in time, it will be a waste of one thing and embarrassing another. Zhu Qizhen certainly hopes that it can be completed as soon as possible.
Zhu Qizhen had some impression of it and said, "I think I also helped my sister repair the garden of the princess's mansion?"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "That's right. I've been staying at the Princess's Mansion for a few days now, and I think the garden is very well maintained."
Zhu Qizhen didn't quite understand this, but he knew that the Ministry of Works had dragged on for so long without any results, and had even sent out the army to capture the escaped craftsmen, which was really embarrassing. The most urgent thing was to finish the project, so he said, "Let's do as grandma said. After that, I will issue an imperial decree to summon Ruan An back to the capital. If there are any unfinished projects, they will be handed over to the officials who left the capital with him to finish them."
Zhu Yuhuan sat aside and listened, and could almost imagine Xu Yun's happy look as he showed off his skills.
Empress Dowager Zhang then instructed, "We must pay close attention to the matter of the craftsmen's escape. Internal troubles are no less serious than external ones, and they must be handled properly." As she spoke, she glanced at Wang Zhen and said, "Wang Zhen, you must also pay more attention to this matter on a daily basis. If you deceive your superiors or your subordinates, I will not forgive you."
Wang Zhen quickly said, "Yes."
Seeing that Empress Dowager Zhang looked a little tired, the brother and sister retreated together.
The two of them walked out of the Renshou Palace together. Since the palaces of the two Empress Dowagers were not far away, the brother and sister walked there together.
The siblings were originally walking one after the other. Zhu Qizhen slowed down his pace and walked forward side by side with Zhu Yuhuan. He looked at Zhu Yuhuan seriously for a long time and finally said, "Sister, you went to stay at the imperial farm for a few days. You seem to be in better spirits."
Zhu Yuhuan had been in the capital for the past few years, and he was often seen there every day. The only time he went out was when he was suppressing the rebellion, and he returned to the palace shortly after entering the capital. It was never like this time, when he was clearly in the capital but had not yet entered the palace, which made Zhu Qizhen feel a little uncomfortable.
"Your Majesty, are you asking about the Imperial Farm?" Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "Your Majesty, rest assured. The Imperial Farm is well managed. I've also allowed them to convert some of the grain into cloth. They can keep it for their own clothing, or take it to the market and trade it for other things. It's similar to how my father converted his salary into banknotes."
Of course, Zhu Yuhuan would not exchange food for useless waste paper.
"Cloth?" Zhu Qizhen thought for a moment and said, "Is it the cloth from Xihe Royal Farm?"
"Yes, there are many idle women in the prefectures and counties of Jiangnan. We can recruit women to work in the weaving factory. These women already rely on their needlework to support their families. Working in the factory is easier than working at home. They can also develop various colorful and patterned fabrics." Zhu Yuhuan saw that Zhu Qizhen was curious and said, "These are cotton fabrics for ordinary people to wear. They are far inferior to Lu silk and Hangzhou satin. If Your Majesty finds it interesting, I will have it sent to the palace later for Your Majesty to take a closer look."
Zhu Qizhen didn't care about the quality of the cloth. He was just interested in the cloth factory Zhu Yuhuan mentioned. He said, "I remember there were machines in Xihe Royal Farm? Are they the same as the big waterwheel in Wunong Temple?"
"We'll also set up a factory in Changping. The water power there is much better than Fengrun's this time. It's perfect for developing water power. We can then recruit people from outside the farm to work here and improve the facilities within the manor." Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "Once the factory in Changping is completed, Your Majesty can visit the manor under the guise of hunting."
Zhu Qizhen's eyes lit up when he heard this and he said, "That makes sense! When Dad was still alive, he took us hunting in Nanhaizi. Of course, I can go to Changping too."
Zhu Yuhuan simply warned: "Your Majesty, hunting is not just for fun, but also to inspect the people's situation and prevent officials from deceiving their superiors and subordinates. You can't always think about fun."
"I see." Zhu Qizhen chuckled and said, "Sister, how come you look more and more like those old men? The only difference is that you haven't grown a beard yet."
Zhu Yuhuan was amused by his words and asked, "Could it be that Brother Zhen is annoying me?"
Zhu Qizhen remembered what Zhu Yuhuan had said and said, "Of course not. My sister was specially left behind by my father to accompany me. She is not like those old men, standing there stiffly and aggressively..." As he spoke, he couldn't help but wrinkled his nose, obviously thinking of the way the Three Yangs looked when they spoke.
When Zhu Yuhuan heard him mention Zhu Zhanji, she just smiled lightly. Wang Zhen, who was standing by, felt a chill for no reason when he heard her laugh.
Zhu Yuhuan said, "Your Majesty is now older and more knowledgeable. It's time for you to start handling state affairs yourself, just like today. Although the ministers of state are old and not as bold as they used to be, they are experienced in handling government affairs and their opinions are worth listening to."
Zhu Qizhen had no good feelings towards the three of them. He snorted, "I think they're just like grandma said, only concerned with their own safety. They try to muddle through everything they encounter, and they're so unfaithful to the country!" He thought of the conversation in the hall just now and said, "Grandma was also fooled by this group of people. Fortunately, the regent was not here just now, otherwise they would have all supported grandma and let her go so easily."
After all, Zhu Qizhen is only eleven years old now, and his words and actions still retain some childishness.
Zhu Yuhuan followed up on Zhu Qizhen's words and coaxed him, "Grandma was very pleased to hear that Your Majesty was able to comment on national affairs today. Otherwise, we wouldn't be the only family to make such a decision. This shows our trust in Your Majesty."
Apart from that, the border had not been lost, it was just that a few people failed to do their job, which made things look bad, so this matter could be big or small. If Zhu Qizhen wanted to kill them, then let him do it.
Zhu Qizhen was quite proud after hearing this and said, "I just discussed the matter of handling the accountability with grandma, and my sister also felt that An Jing should be killed, which shows that I am not wrong."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He said, "Your Majesty is decisive in killing and punishing, and he clearly distinguishes rewards and punishments. I am so pleased. My father in heaven would surely be very pleased to see Your Majesty grow so much."
Zhu Qizhen felt better when he mentioned his father. He suddenly thought of something and said, "Grandma said she would send a minister to issue an imperial decree, but the minister of war might not be able to convince the public. Sister, how about sending the Minister of War, Wang Ji?"
Zhu Yuhuan knew he wanted him to help come up with a reason, just like he had discussed with Empress Dowager Zhang earlier, so he said, "That's fine. As Grandma said, the border troops' defeat this time wasn't just due to An Jing's poor command. I'm afraid there are also problems with military discipline and daily training. This is a good opportunity to rectify military discipline and correct military law. Besides Wang Ji himself, Abji'an's son Toghto Boluo is also accompanying him. He can protect Wang Ji and teach the border troops how to deal with the Tatars. Moreover, the Alutai family has some prestige in the Tatars. If we want to attack the Tatars next year, we can let Toghto Boluo recruit the Tatar tribes and use them for our own purposes."
Zhu Qizhen was somewhat surprised when he heard Toghto Boluo's name. He said, "I heard that my sister has a good relationship with him. Aren't you afraid that he will escape back to Tatar?"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled faintly and said, "Abuji'a is still recuperating in the capital, relying on Miss Xu to keep him alive. He has not made any achievements to repay the late emperor and Your Majesty. Tuotu Boluo is a very filial man and would not abandon his father and run away. If Your Majesty gives him a chance, both father and son will be deeply grateful and swear to serve their country until their death."
"I see." Zhu Qizhen nodded in agreement and said, "Sister is the one who has the solution. No wonder Dad keeps asking why she's not an outsider."
Zhu Yuhuan thought that it was easier to kill outsiders, and they could be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye. It was indeed better to be an outsider.
Zhu Yuhuan just smiled slightly and said, "Then I must strictly abide by the rules between monarch and minister from now on."
"It's not good to be an outsider." Zhu Qizhen curled his lips and couldn't help but reach out to hold Zhu Yuhuan's hand, saying: "Grandma always treats me like a child and trusts those ministers too much. If even my sister becomes an outsider, who can I talk to?"
Zhu Yuhuan stopped, held Zhu Qizhen's hand, and said seriously: "Don't worry, I'm always here."
Zhu Qizhen felt much more cheerful after hearing her assurance. He asked Zhu Yuhuan, "What fun things are there in the imperial farm in Changping? Is it the same as in Fengrun?"
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "There are many interesting things to do in the countryside, and I also met an interesting little girl. I will tell you about it after Your Majesty has dealt with state affairs."
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