Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 198 Empress Dowager Jiang's Kindness
"Have the spies of the Annamese bandits gone missing?"

Upon hearing this news, Zhu Houcong curled his lip in disdain: "They're just putting on an act. Let them be!"

Just by listening to the way they were addressed, you can tell that from beginning to end, the Ming Dynasty was unwilling to call the other party an envoy, but rather a spy, whose fate was self-evident.

Furthermore, news came from the Guangxi front that in Annam, leaders such as Vu Van Yuan, Nguyen Nhan Lien, and Le Canh Meu each commanded tens of thousands of troops, occupying their own territories and fighting against the Mo family. This also explains why the old scoundrel Mo's posture has become increasingly humble.

Beset by internal and external troubles, this treacherous minister who murdered the emperor and usurped the throne was finding it difficult to withstand the pressure from the Ming Dynasty at such a young age.

In fact, when the mobilization of troops and supplies in Guangdong and Guangxi was not going smoothly, the Ming army did not dare to start a war rashly.

The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs.

Zhu Houcong did indeed want to use military victories to gain immense prestige, implement new policies, strengthen the nation, and consolidate imperial power, thereby creating a virtuous cycle.

However, if the campaign against Annam fails, the responsibility for rashly launching a military campaign will inevitably be a huge blow to prestige.

So, regarding whether to go to war, Zhu Houcong initially remained completely silent. Later, he quietly pushed forward by bestowing the name "Mingwei" upon the emperor, eventually reconciling the opinions of all parties and deploying troops on the border.

Every step was taken with room for maneuver.

You could say they were extremely cautious, or you could say they were afraid of losing, fearing that failure would mean bearing the greatest responsibility.

Fortunately, the officials who had been pardoned in the Li Fuda case had returned to the Six Ministries. Many of them were talented, such as Mao Bowen, the Vice Minister of War, who proposed a strategy of using coercion as the primary means and military action as a secondary means.

The Ming Dynasty, eyeing Annam with covetous intent, stationed its troops on the border, allowing Annam to wage war, and then, at the opportune moment, intervened to crush the Mo family's puppet regime in one fell swoop.

This has one advantage: the purpose of this campaign was not to help the Lê dynasty restore its kingdom, but to restore the territory of the Yongle dynasty and take back Jiaozhi.

With this goal in mind, Mo Dengyong was certainly an enemy of the Ming Dynasty, but the local powerful families who raised the banner of the Lê clan were also obstacles to the subjugation of Giao Chi.

If they can suffer repeated defeats and become severely weakened, that would be the best outcome for the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Houcong adopted this strategy.

They naturally paid no attention to Mo Guangqi and his group.

With a wave of his hand, the newly appointed Vice Commander Sun Weixian silently withdrew. Zhu Houcong then reviewed several more memorials, spending a considerable amount of time on the list of newly appointed candidates for the metropolitan examination from the Ministry of Rites.

What was placed on the Emperor's desk was naturally the list of those admitted after the names had been hidden. There were nearly three hundred people, and Zhu Houcong couldn't possibly read them all. He only paid attention to those who were at the top of the list. Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "Yixinhui! Yixinhui! This boy's judgment is remarkable!"

It's not a big deal if someone is just at the top of the class, or even becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination. The imperial court has never lacked top scholars, and the Hanlin Academy is full of child prodigies in various subjects.

But now, among the top ten, four members of the Yixin Society stand out.

Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes slightly.

Previously, Haiyue was unwilling to recruit members extensively. On the surface, he urged them, but in his heart he was very satisfied, feeling that the other party knew his limits and was not as ambitious as others, who couldn't wait to develop and expand their own power after seeing the emperor's favor.

The results of trying Yixin were gratifying; his judgment of people was indeed excellent.

But now it has been discovered that this person is not refusing to develop the Yixin Society; on the contrary, his methods are far more sophisticated.

The talented scholars in the Hanlin Academy were one thing, but those students in the Imperial Academy were all exceptionally talented.

How many members did the Yixin Society have? Now they're all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)?
Oh, there seems to be one that isn't.

That's not important; such achievements are already terrifying. Imagine if they were to maintain this for another ten years...

Zhu Houcong became wary.

It seems we can't be too relaxed just because the other party is young.

Having noted this down, and after reviewing the other memorials, Zhu Houcong stood up to relax, then checked the time: "Prepare the carriage for Ciren Palace!"

This is to pay respects to Empress Dowager Jiang.

Whether he first entered the Forbidden City or later overcame all opposition and seized imperial power, Zhu Houcong would greet his mother every morning and evening without fail, rain or shine.

Sometimes he would stay for an hour or two, and the time he spent with his mother always brought him the most peace of mind.

But there are other reasons for these days.

Upon arriving outside Ciren Palace, Zhu Houcong raised his hand to stop the palace maids from entering to report. Listening to the women's conversation outside, a look of joy involuntarily appeared between his brows.

After the conversation came to an end, Zhu Houcong went inside. Sure enough, he saw two other women in Empress Dowager Jiang's palace. One of them was plump and radiant, and she smiled as she saw him enter: "Your Majesty!!"

Another woman, with a beautiful face and extremely respectful demeanor, knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty!"

"My beloved concubine, you may dispense with the formalities!"

Zhu Houcong quickly helped the woman in front of him. This was his favorite concubine, Lady Yan, who was now pregnant with the emperor's child.

When he gave up Taoist practice, he was vaguely worried that it might hinder his ability to have children. It wasn't until his concubines became pregnant that he was completely at ease.

Now we just hope that Lady Yan can give birth to a prince, grow up safely, and inherit the vast land of the Ming Dynasty.

The other person was also a frequent visitor to the palace. Zhu Houcong was very grateful for her help in saving the emperor's life, and said with a smile, "Princess Li, you may rise."

Li Yuying stood up, stepped aside, lowered her head and looked meek, her whole demeanor like the fading brushstrokes in a traditional Chinese ink painting, trying to minimize her presence.

Being able to appear in Empress Dowager Jiang's palace from time to time was already enough to achieve her goal. Doing too much would be counterproductive, so during this period, she remained in a state of listening more and speaking less, being cautious in her words and actions.

This won over Empress Dowager Jiang, and with her pleased, the other noblewomen naturally wouldn't make things difficult for her. Furthermore, since there were no conflicts between them, they actually developed many friendships.

The same was true at this time. Seeing that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was overjoyed at the pregnancy in the harem, Li Yuying said some flattering words of blessing, and then made no mention of the topics that had disturbed the mood, such as Annam. She gently helped Yan Shi away.

Watching the two women walk away, Zhu Houcong couldn't help but nod: "At the time of the Li family's downfall, it was truly remarkable that a woman could brave hardships and travel thousands of miles with such courage and responsibility. Moreover, she combined strength and gentleness, and acted appropriately. Well done!"

Empress Dowager Jiang smiled and said, "Her skillful handling of the situation is probably due to Hemingway's guidance. She listens to Hemingway very much, and what she talks about most in front of me is that talented scholar from the Imperial Academy!"

Zhu Houcong raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Haiyue taught him this too? He certainly knows how to train people!"

Empress Dowager Jiang knew her son best, and upon hearing this, she immediately said gently, "Did Hemingway upset my son?"

"That's not true..."

Zhu Houcong never hid his likes and dislikes from his mother: "But when the list of candidates for the new imperial examination came out, half of the people selected by Haiyue were in the top ten. I have to admit that I underestimated this man's abilities before!"

Empress Dowager Jiang certainly didn't think her son was overly sensitive or suspicious. Instead, she felt sorry for the heavy burden he bore in the previous dynasty. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Hemingway is a man of integrity and loyalty. I don't think he will let my son down, just as he wouldn't want to let down Lady Li."

"The two of them..."

Zhu Houcong was slightly taken aback. He wasn't surprised that the two had feelings for each other, after all, Li Yuying was outstanding in appearance. However, his opinion was surprisingly consistent with Lu Bing's, which he thought was just a fleeting affair. He subconsciously asked, "Is Li willing to be Haiyue's concubine?"

Empress Dowager Jiang was displeased and glared at her son: "How can she be a concubine? My son just praised Lady Li. How could you think of her in such a despicable way?"

"Ok?"

Zhu Houcong immediately became curious: "Hemingway wants to marry her? This...this can't be!"

Princess Annam's marriage was not her own choice. It was impossible for a scholar from the Ming Dynasty to marry such a person. Was she supposed to become a son-in-law in Annam? That was simply a fantasy.

Now that Annam is on the verge of collapse, at least the Le family is gone. A princess of a fallen kingdom is even less valuable, with no help from her maternal clan. She is not even as good as a common merchant, who at least has money and connections.

With Haiyue's promising future and Jian's favor with the Emperor, if he were to marry, not only the six ministers but also several Grand Secretaries would be willing to give their daughters in marriage, making him an impeccable choice for a son-in-law.

There's no reason to marry a princess from a foreign land, no matter how much affection there is. This is why Zhu Houcong subconsciously thought that Li Yuying was willing to be a concubine.

"What? My son doesn't like that other girl?"

This time, Empress Dowager Jiang feigned displeasure: "Don't forget, Lady Li once saved my life!"

Zhu Houcong quickly smiled apologetically: "How could I forget? How could I forget? She is the best young woman in the world, and marrying Haiyue is his blessing!"

Empress Dowager Jiang sighed softly, "This child is a pitiful person. Her family was killed, and she traveled thousands of miles to my Great Ming. She can't go back to Annam either, and now she is all alone. I have actually had this idea for a long time. Today, I will ask His Majesty to do me a favor and adopt her as his goddaughter."

Zhu Houcong was stunned for a moment, but after thinking about it, he immediately asked, "Not to join the imperial clan?"

Empress Dowager Jiang said, "I will not be included in the imperial clan."

Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes again: "And then betroth Haiyue?"

Empress Dowager Jiang said, "There's no need for an arranged marriage. It would prevent those scholars from treating him like a prince consort and restricting him in every way. However, I am willing to act as a member of Lady Li's family and make a decision for her this time!"

"Okay! Okay!"

Zhu Houcong clapped his hands and laughed: "Mother always helps her child in this way. This plan is brilliant!"

Scholars and officials not only had their own family backgrounds, but also the influence of their maternal families after marriage, forming a complex web of relationships. Zhu Houcong particularly disliked this kind of intertwined relationship.

Haiyue has already demonstrated extraordinary talent, even surpassing that of ordinary noble families. If she were to marry the Empress Dowager's adopted daughter, she would inadvertently become entangled with the royal family.

Yes, Zhu Houcong really liked this kind of interdependent relationship.

Although he was not officially the emperor's son-in-law, the literati would certainly have some complaints, which was a stain that the emperor wanted, and since the other party had accepted it voluntarily, there was no need for any further criticism.

Seeing her son so delighted, Empress Dowager Jiang finally sighed softly: "Priceless treasures are easy to find, but a loving husband is hard to come by. I only hope that this good boy can find a good marriage!"

(End of this chapter)