Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 247 So embarrassed I dug my toes into the ground

Cao Bianjiao was later regarded as the fiercest general of the late Ming Dynasty, and he is still known for his bravery in the modern era. The History of Ming Dynasty even wrote a biography for him. Ma Xianglin, on the other hand, is always overshadowed by his mother's brilliance.

In Zhu Youjian's view, Ma Xianglin's martial prowess was inferior to Cao Bianjiao's. However, through his years of interaction with Ma Xianglin, Zhu Youjian understood that he was not a person who spoke without reason. Since he dared to say that he could defeat Cao Bianjiao, he must have his reasons.

She didn't cherish her family when she was at home, but cried after getting married. It's clear that Zhu Huiti's relationship with Zhang Yan was much better than her relationship with her own brother. After returning to the palace, she hugged Zhang Yan and cried loudly.

When Zhu Youjian saw this, he thought that Cao Bianjiao was a beast in human form who had abused the princess. He immediately shouted that he wanted to find this scoundrel and avenge his sister.

"Did he hit you?!" Zhu Youjian asked.

Zhu Huiti shook her head in bewilderment.

"So he's taken another concubine and neglected you?!" Zhu Youjian said in a deep voice.

"No!"

"Could it be my fault that I didn't build you a princess's residence?!" Zhu Youjian wondered.

Zhu Huiti shook her head like a rattle drum.

"Then why are you crying?!"

"Oh dear, this is a matter between us girls, so don't ask too much. Don't worry, if Hui Ti is bullied, I will tell you. Your Majesty, you should go out first!" Zhang Yan pushed Zhu Youjian's waist with both hands, her head against his back, and pushed him out.

"Wanwan, do you know why our sister is crying?!" Zhu Youjian asked, still unwilling to give up. Boys and girls are both human beings, is there really such a big difference?
Unexpectedly, Wanwan pouted and said, "How would I know about matters concerning girls?!"

Her words nearly drove Zhu Youjian to a mental breakdown. He stood there, stunned, watching Sun Shiwan's high ponytail swing as she walked away, leaving him alone, bewildered in the wind.

Zhu Youjian discovered that his harem was indeed quite divided. Although it wasn't to the point of fighting, the Sun sisters seemed to be somewhat isolated. It was also possible that the two of them had actively isolated others. After all, one of them was teasy and the other was becoming more and more dignified and had an incomparably strong aura. They didn't look like they were being bullied at all. It was good that they weren't bullying others!
Zhu Huiti's return to the palace was like a pebble dropped into a lake; she became a tool for the concubines to stir up gossip, and even Empress Zhou joined in this large-scale gossip event.

Despite the repeated instruction from Zhu Youjian and Zhang Yan, Empress Zhou ultimately failed to stand up for herself. Expecting her to become more assertive was out of the question; perhaps this was simply her nature, something she was born with and no one could change.

However, her non-assertive personality wasn't entirely without its advantages. Other concubines enjoyed spending time with her, which greatly reduced the traditional rift between concubines and the empress. As a result, her life wasn't too miserable.

They chatted as they pleased, but Zhu Youjian did not want his princes and princesses to grow up under the care of women in the inner palace. He could not allow them to use the children to compete and gossip in front of them.

This time, Zhu Youjian took the initiative to take the three little ones away, leaving the space to the group of women. After taking a stroll, they left the Shenwu Gate in the north of the city and arrived at the Jingshan Camp.

Inside the Jingshan camp, five hundred new warhorses with robust builds and glossy coats were brought in. Cao Bianjiao arrived early, while Ma Xianglin, who lived in Jingshan, surrounded the horses, stroking each one with perverted, drooling expressions.

“Brother Ma, Commander Ma, brother, my good brother,” Cao Bianjiao coaxed, “You White-Spear Soldiers are clearly infantry, so what do you need horses for? I still remember the glory of your White-Spear Soldiers vividly today! What are cavalry? Two years ago, the Jurchens had several thousand cavalrymen, and you chased them so far that they had nowhere to escape. It’s clear that cavalry are useless!”
These stupid beasts eat and poop a lot, and they're always sick. If we didn't have a dedicated veterinarian, they'd probably just be meat for us! Don't try to take these horses from me; let me have them. I'll ride them and slaughter more Jurchens to avenge your White-Clad Soldiers!

He both humbled himself and subtly threatened them, saying that even if the White-Spear Soldiers took the horses, they wouldn't be able to keep them alive, and that giving them to them would be a waste. He also played the emotional card, proposing to help the allied forces take revenge and to share a common hatred against the enemy.

Zhu Youjian happened to see this scene, and he almost burst out laughing. These words wouldn't be funny if others said them, but when Cao Bianjiao, this brute, said them, they became quite comical.

Cao Bianjiao is still young, and like Ma Xianglin, he has elders protecting him. With his uncle acting as his external brain, Cao Bianjiao doesn't like to use his brain, so he hasn't shown the qualities of someone who can stand on his own yet.

In fact, Zhu Youjian himself was no different. He could use a bunch of old men in the court, and he was too lazy to think deeply about what he did. He usually just did whatever he was told. As long as he had a goal, he would ask the old men for their opinions before deciding whether to do it. How to achieve it was not his concern.

Whether through force, coercion, inducement, exchange of benefits, or mutual compromise, achieving a goal or implementing a policy in practice is certainly not easy.
The gentry and the powerful are a united force, and the common people are both honest and cunning. As the subjects of governance, they are naturally opposed to the managers and have a natural distrust of officials. It is not easy to get the people to cooperate.

The military is even more difficult to deal with. In theory, as long as the soldiers are fed and rewards and punishments are clear, the army can be strengthened. However, feeding the soldiers is a very difficult task, because there are also countless bloodsucking worms parasitizing the soldiers in the army. Anti-corruption in the army is also a highly difficult and dangerous task.

Fortunately, "no matter how bitter the Northern Liang was, it couldn't be as bitter as persimmons." Being an emperor, you don't need to think so much.

Ma Xianglin was a whole year older than Cao Bianjiao, and of course he wasn't so easily fooled. While their White-Spear Army was primarily composed of infantry, they also had a small number of cavalry responsible for communication and scouting; besides, he was nicknamed "Little Ma Chao," so why couldn't he dream of owning a Xiliang iron cavalry?
However, one cannot refuse a smiling face. Since the prince consort was so polite, Ma Xianglin also bowed respectfully and said, "General Cao, the ownership of these warhorses still depends on our actions!" He also cleverly invoked the emperor's authority, "This is His Majesty's order. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to exchange them privately here, would it?"

Cao Bianjiao was somewhat disgruntled upon hearing this. Unlike Zhu Youjian, he did not underestimate Ma Xianglin. Although Ma Xianglin had fought less in battles now, he was still a seasoned veteran on the battlefield in Cao Bianjiao's eyes! When Ma Xianglin was a teenager fighting desperately on the battlefield, Cao Bianjiao could probably jump up and still not reach the opponent's knee.

The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic states that when a man reaches the age of 48, his tendons and bones are strong and his muscles are full and robust. At this time, his kidney qi, kidney essence, and liver blood are still at their peak, his bone density is the highest, his resistance to injury is the strongest, his fascia has the best elasticity and toughness, and his muscles are full and powerful. This is the "golden peak" of strong tendons and bones, and Ma Xianglin happened to be at the peak of a military general.

Cao Bianjiao was in his early twenties. He went to the battlefield in his teens and suffered many losses because of his lack of strength. Most of these losses were inflicted on him by his uncle. Whenever Cao Wenzhao couldn't argue with him, he would beat him up under the guise of martial arts training! Of course, this lack of strength was relative, only among a small group of top-notch generals.

He could charge with a lance and lift his enemies off their feet, so his strength was considerable; crushing ordinary people would be a piece of cake. Moreover, Cao Bianjiao felt that he had gained a lot of weight thanks to his wife's care, and now he wasn't afraid to fight his uncle anymore. In fact, he was already capable of defeating his uncle.

At the end of the year, he fought his uncle again. By then, he clearly felt he could defeat his opponent, but he deliberately revealed a weakness, allowing his uncle to win. After that battle, Cao Wenzhao refused to spar with him again and became much more polite to him.

Cao Bianjiao sighed inwardly; with his uncle's discerning eye, he hadn't been fooled after all. In short, Cao Bianjiao felt he had been strengthened, and the advantage lay with him!
Neither of them would give in, so they could only stare at each other. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of bright red. It wasn't Zhu Youjian, who rarely wore bright yellow or red clothes; he usually wore dark colors. It was the python robe of the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who liked this kind of flamboyant style.

Zhu Youjian didn't care; the clothes were a gift from his carpenter brother, and he wouldn't be so petty as to fuss over a piece of clothing. Wang Chengen, on the other hand, was much more low-key. The emperor preferred simpler clothes, and he followed suit, going against the emperor—wasn't that just asking for trouble?!
What Wang Chengen could understand, Wei Zhongxian naturally understood as well, but his job required him to be somewhat arrogant and domineering. He didn't know how much he envied Wang Chengen, but he also knew that his own era had been buried along with the late emperor.

Although the current emperor is benevolent and still employs him, he is no longer the powerful and influential Ninth Prince he once was. In today's Ming Dynasty, there is only one emperor!

Wei Zhongxian generally wouldn't come to the Jingshan camp. Firstly, to avoid any taboos, and secondly, because he had some psychological trauma from the White Guards, who didn't listen to him anyway, so why bother coming here to make a fool of himself?

Now that Eunuch Wei has arrived, how far away can the Emperor be? The two turned around together, their movements, though unrehearsed, were exceptionally synchronized: "Your subjects Cao Bianjiao and Ma Xianglin greet Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian looked at the two of them with a strange expression. It felt like a close family member suddenly saying "hello" and "thank you." While there was nothing wrong with it in terms of etiquette, it still made him feel uneasy and uncomfortable. These two—one the imperial son-in-law, the other the head of the personal guard—were far too familiar!
"Alright, alright, no need for formalities, rise. Let's start the fight!" Zhu Youjian said, speechless.

At this moment, a clear female voice rang out: "Your Majesty, I, Zhang Fengyi, acting commander of the White-Spear Army, pay my respects!" Zhu Youjian's expression changed slightly upon hearing this: It's all over! When Qin Liangyu led her troops back to Shizhu, she took five thousand men with her and left three thousand soldiers behind. He had completely forgotten about it!
"General Zhang, please rise," Zhu Youjian said somewhat guiltily. "What 'acting commander' sounds bad! I hereby appoint you as 'commander of the White Spear Northern Guard,' to lead the three thousand White Spear soldiers in the capital. For the time being, you shall be stationed at the main camp in the northern suburbs of the capital!"

However, Zhang Fengyi showed no joy. She had been standing, but now she knelt down with a thud and replied, "Your Majesty, I thank you! But I have come here to report important matters to Your Majesty."

"Go on," Zhu Youjian said, swallowing hard.

"We, your humble servants, have traveled three thousand li to come to the aid of the Emperor. Now that the rebel forces have temporarily subsided, the other armies that came to the aid of the Emperor have gradually withdrawn to their respective garrisons. Only our troops remain in the capital. His Majesty previously decreed that our three thousand White Spear Soldiers should remain in the capital, but we do not know why!"

"Recently, our military supplies have run out. We sent people to the Ministry of War to apply for military pay, but we were told: 'Our troops are not regular troops under the imperial court. We must raise our own military pay. The Ministry of War will not be responsible for it.' Although we are soldiers of the local chieftains, we have always fought bravely and have never failed the emperor's grace!"

"Back in our homeland of Shizhu, our troops cultivated the land in peacetime and served in the army in wartime. Thanks to the local light taxes and corvée labor, we were able to support ourselves. Now, stranded in the capital, we have neither an inch of land to cultivate nor any property to rely on. The soldiers are facing difficulties even with food and clothing. If the court does not pay the army, our three thousand brave men will be left to guard the capital empty-handed. I fear we cannot hold out for long. At best, the soldiers will suffer from hunger and cold and desert; at worst, there may be a mutiny!"

We, your humble servants, dare not presume to ask for a generous reward. We only hope Your Majesty will consider our loyalty in traveling a thousand miles to aid our troops, and remember the hardships endured by our soldiers guarding the capital. We humbly request that the Ministry of War allocate military pay according to regulations to alleviate this urgent crisis. We will, of course, faithfully fulfill our duties, serve to the death in the capital, and live up to Your Majesty's trust!

"Stop talking, stop talking!" Ma Xianglin glared at his wife, gesturing repeatedly.

He thought his wife was there to watch him "fight" and cheer him on; she hadn't told him beforehand that there was such a thing going on.

Zhang Fengyi also held an imperial title. Zhu Youjian had casually granted her permission to enter and leave the palace. She had submitted a report before coming to the Jingshan camp, which was approved by Sun Shiwan. Sun Shiwan considered it just a routine family visit and didn't take it seriously. Zhu Youjian didn't review it carefully when he reviewed it either, and simply signed and stamped it without thinking. Now, problems have arisen.

It wasn't that there was a problem with letting Zhang Fengyi in. Even if Zhu Youjian had read it carefully, he would still have let her in. So Sun Shiwan's approval was very accurate, which was in line with Zhu Youjian's habits. She would review such trivial matters casually, but she would bring out important matters separately to remind the emperor. This was her daily work.

The problem is that after going through this process, Zhu Youjian hadn't even considered the matter, so Zhang Fengyi's appearance felt abrupt to him. Laziness in governance, laziness that caused problems! The interference of the empress in politics would make the ministers furious, but Zhu Youjian wasn't completely oblivious. He knew what he was doing, he just didn't care.

This mishap wasn't due to interference in politics by the harem. Sun Shiwan was in cahoots with him and didn't have any obvious ulterior motives. She was just his assistant and not even a political ally. After all, she hadn't directly contacted any officials outside the court. She had power, but no way to monetize it, and she herself hadn't tried to pursue it in that direction.

Zhu Youjian's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot because he realized he had been fooled by a group of civil officials, including Zhu Xieyuan!
Zhang Fengyi's White-Spear Soldiers did not receive military pay, and he should indeed bear the biggest responsibility for this, as it was his negligence. However, so much time has passed, and Zhang Fengyi must have submitted numerous reports, yet he remained unaware of this matter until Zhang Fengyi personally came to him and brought it to the Emperor's attention. This raises a significant issue, indicating that the ministers were tacitly restricting his military power.
"If I were to say that I didn't want to pay you your salaries, but that I simply didn't know about this matter, would you believe me?!" Zhu Youjian said softly.

"Your Majesty is wise and without fault. It seems that there are treacherous officials in the court causing trouble and deceiving Your Majesty!" Zhang Fengyi said dryly, clearly still angry.

"It's been over a year without any food or pay. How have you managed to survive all this time?!" Zhu Youjian sighed softly and asked.

“We killed a lot of Jurchens. At first, we received a reward, and we were all waiting for His Majesty’s orders, so no one cared about the lack of military pay. Besides, we have always raised our own military pay.” Zhang Fengyi said with some resentment, “Then, the money ran out, and we waited for His Majesty’s orders for a long time.”

The imperial court wasn't completely ignoring us. They didn't pay our military salaries, but according to the regulations during the period of defending the emperor, they provided us with food so that we wouldn't starve. Yang Sichang, the Left Vice Minister of War, replied to us, "His Majesty has made his own arrangements and told us not to rush him."

"With enough food, we won't go hungry, but with festivals and celebrations approaching, our soldiers are thousands of miles from home, longing for their families. They have no money to buy festive items, and the camps are desolate and miserable, causing much resentment among the soldiers. Therefore, I have dared to come before Your Majesty to beg you to do justice for our soldiers!"

"Ma Xianglin, you too! Such a big thing happened to your wife, and you didn't even tell me. You can't do this again!" Ma Xianglin suffered an undeserved disaster, and Zhu Youjian, in order to ease his embarrassment, shared the blame with him.

"Your Majesty, I obey!" Ma Xianglin replied with a bitter face. Yang Sichang was right, after all. Who knows what Your Majesty is thinking? Everyone thinks you have your own plans!
"This matter was due to my negligence, and I am guilty in every way, the blame lies with me... Wei Zhongxian?"

"Chen is here!"

"Go to the inner treasury and withdraw silver. Pay the soldiers of the White-Spear Army eighteen months' worth of military pay at the standard of three taels of silver per person per month. Also, send an additional thirty thousand taels of silver as a reward for the Lantern Festival. General Zhang can distribute it as he sees fit. Now, go and do it immediately!" Zhu Youjian said solemnly.

"Yes, sir!" Wei Zhongxian bowed respectfully and quickly left.

"Commander Zhang, do you think my arrangements are appropriate? Do they meet your expectations?"

“Your Majesty is wise! I am guilty, please punish me!” Zhang Fengyi said.

"I forgive you for your crime!"

The matter was brought to a close, but the worry on Zhu Youjian's brow remained. He ordered Ma Xianglin and Cao Bianjiao to continue their contest. The two leaped onto their horses, and the battle raged fiercely, but Zhu Youjian kept his head down and barely watched. He no longer had much interest in watching their competition.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?!" Zhu Youjian felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He turned around and saw that it was Wanwan calling him.

Wanwan looked at him with a worried expression and said softly, "Your Majesty, perhaps things are not as you think, but just a misunderstanding? Even Your Majesty can make oversights, so how can you be sure that Grand Secretary Zhu did not make an unintentional mistake?"

"That's right! If there's anything, just talk it out face to face and ask clearly. Why be suspicious?!" Zhu Youjian had figured it out at this moment.

"I'm fine, thank you, Wanwan!" Zhu Youjian put his arm around Sun Shiwan's shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.

"Eek! How embarrassing!" Three little heads popped out from behind Zhu Youjian.

Wanwan was a seasoned veteran, but with so many spectators around, she still blushed with embarrassment. She pushed Zhu Youjian away in disgust and looked down at the ground, searching for a crack.

"Father, even Ugly wants a kiss!"

"Okay, okay!" Zhu Youjian smiled and gave her a kiss.

“Even an ugly child needs a kiss from Mommy!” she said, tugging at Sun Shiwan.

"What are you kissing for? I think you're asking for a beating!"

Ugly Shrinks its Neck and runs away in a flash. After running five meters, it turns back and says, "Fine, I won't kiss you then! Humph! Father is good, Mother is bad!"

(End of this chapter)