Top Scholar

Chapter 502 Dragon Tiger Class in Session (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The throne in the Leopard Chamber and Dragon Tiger Hall was now empty.

Grand Secretary Li Dongyang, standing on the platform before the steps, delivered a rousing lecture to the newly appointed scholars on the principles of loyalty to the emperor:
"Loyalty to the ruler is indeed a matter of course, a fundamental human obligation. The so-called 'ruler and subject' refers to the ruler being the master of the land, the root of the state, and the hope of the people. His Majesty is wise and valiant, with the ambition to realize a grand plan. Since ascending the throne, he has appointed virtuous and capable officials with diligence and dedication, working tirelessly day and night. Although he wishes to relax in the Leopard Chamber, he always keeps the country and its people in mind. Such a wise ruler deserves the utmost loyalty from his subjects..."

When the emperor was not present, Zhang Yong served as the representative, supervising education on behalf of Zhu Houzhao.

He stood behind the curtain and whispered to his teaching assistant Su Lu, "I heard that Gu Dayong made things difficult for you when you arrived?"

"It's nothing." Su Lu said casually while quickly taking notes in class, "When civil officials come to the territory of eunuchs, how can they not feel uncomfortable? It's normal for them to let the dogs bark a couple of times."

Zhang Yong couldn't help but laugh and said, "You little monkey, are you barking like a dog when you're cursing Gu Dayong?"

"No," Su Lu smiled slightly. "I was talking about dogs. How can a person bark like a dog?"

"Hmph, you guys even called him a castrated pig," Zhang Yong spat. "That blockhead didn't even realize it at first."

“That’s not what I said,” Su Lu chuckled. “Besides, I don’t want my fellow students to fall out with Uncle Shi’s side.”

“That’s what I think too.” Zhang Yong suppressed his smile and said in an even softer voice, “The general consensus in the palace is that the Dragon Tiger Class is training eunuchs among civil officials, just without the actual incision.”

"Is that what they think?" Su Lu scoffed. "Think what you want."

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Just like you said, everyone resents overstepping their bounds.” Zhang Yong sighed softly. “It’s impossible to expect eunuchs to happily relinquish their power.”

“Yes, people like Uncle Shi who are sensible and know when to advance and retreat are extremely rare.” Su Lu nodded.

“So, there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll try to persuade Gu Dayong. But I can’t push him too hard. Liu Jin is putting a lot of pressure on us, and our family still needs him,” Zhang Yong said softly.

"An expert factory?" Su Lu asked.

“Yes, so Gu Dayong must be on my side. Nephew, please bear with me.” Zhang Yong said, “At least if the two of us join forces, Liu Jin will have something to fear.”

"Understood." Su Lu nodded.

"But don't worry, when it comes to important matters, Uncle Shi will still not be on his side," Zhang Yong reassured him.

"I'm not worried," Su Lu said with a smile. "We men are all in this together."

“That’s right!” Zhang Yong said happily, “The Emperor really likes this class, especially the many lessons on loyalty to the Emperor that you arranged.”

“Absolutely.” Su Lu nodded: “We’re part of the Imperial Party.”

"Mm-hmm." Zhang Yong gave a thumbs up. "Nephew, your awareness is boundless, you have a bright future!"

~~
Inside the main hall.

Li Dongyang's lecture on loyalty to the emperor lasted for half an hour, filled with praise and flattery, but finally, near the end, he revealed a tiny bit of his true colors:
"Your Majesty's adoption of 'following the original intention of our ancestors' as the standard for our ancestral teachings is truly enlightening and enlightening! This old minister dares to extrapolate from this that loyalty to the emperor cannot be achieved by blindly obeying and flattering... Such behavior may appear to be loyalty, but in reality it misleads the emperor and is the act of a treacherous minister! In the end, it will deceive Your Majesty's ears, corrupt the court, and is truly a great act of disloyalty!"

"Therefore, a truly loyal minister should take loyalty to the emperor as his foundation and righteousness as his guiding principle. If the emperor is virtuous, he should assist him; if the emperor errs, he should correct him. He should strive to make the emperor like Yao and Shun, and relieve the people from their suffering. He should align himself with the heart of the holy ruler and the ancestors, and comfort the people's desire for good governance. Together, he should protect the Ming Dynasty's foundation and ensure its long-lasting prosperity! Strive for it! Strive for it!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The newly appointed scholars were deeply impressed.

Su Lu couldn't help but secretly admire him. The Grand Secretary was truly skilled; he could make the most of even the smallest things! He completely followed the Emperor's wishes while still expressing his own attitude... This way, he neither angered the Emperor nor failed to fulfill his duties as Grand Secretary.

“Look, everyone wants to stir up trouble whenever they get the chance,” Zhang Yong chuckled, “Even your master’s grandfather is no exception.”

"It doesn't matter, everyone getting involved is the same as no one getting involved." Su Lu laughed nonchalantly, "The so-called imperial party wants to replace the civil officials, of course they don't want that."

"Competing with eunuchs for jobs and replacing civil officials with new ones, it seems that building an imperial party for the emperor isn't so easy after all," Zhang Yong sighed.

"Nothing in this world is easy." Su Lu remained optimistic: "Just do your best and leave the rest to fate."

"Mm." Zhang Yong nodded. "It's good that you tried your best."

~~
After a short break following the end of the imperial examinations, Wang Ao, a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, explained court etiquette to the newly appointed scholars. Having compiled the *Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty*, Wang Ao was the most suitable person to give the lecture.

"Upon entering the court, all of you must first be familiar with court etiquette. This is the foundation of court order, and all conduct must follow it without error. Now, I will explain the ceremonies and prohibitions to you clearly: "The first and fifteenth days of the lunar month are the grand ceremonies, with the strictest rituals—the Emperor ascends the Fengtian Hall, wearing a leather cap and robe; all officials wear official robes and enter the palace at the sound of three drumbeats. Dukes, marquises, and officials of the first and second ranks enter through the east and west corner gates to wait, while officials of the third rank and below first stand in a horizontal line within the Danchi (a type of platform), and after the three tolls of the bell, high-ranking officials enter their positions in order..."

After giving a general explanation, he went on to describe and demonstrate in detail the etiquette of standing, bowing, ascending steps, and responding to questions, and then ordered the newly appointed scholars to practice each step meticulously.

"When presenting a memorial, one should bow deeply and state one's name as 'Your subject, so-and-so, reports this memorial,' keeping one's words concise and to the point. One should answer only when asked by the emperor, and refrain from speaking recklessly unless asked. Even when receiving an audience in the Leopard Chamber, though less solemn than in the imperial court, one must still observe proper etiquette—one should perform four bows upon seeing the emperor, stand with hands at one's sides and bow, and not be disrespectful simply because one is close to the emperor..."

Once the Zunlong lesson was completed, the morning's classes ended. As a disciple of the Emperor, he was provided with lunch, and the food was surprisingly good.

Four people sat at a table, served two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup, with two steamed buns for each person. What was even more remarkable was that the hot soup and rice were quite delicious, completely unlike the standard served at the Imperial Kitchen.

Because lunch was personally overseen by the British Duke...

Seeing everyone praising the food, Su Lu couldn't help but give the old man a thumbs up, "Making 350 people eat well and be full is a real skill!"

The Duke of England stroked his beard and laughed happily: "Hehehe, I've attended too many ceremonies and learned a lesson... either don't manage the meals, or if you do, make sure the food is good, otherwise thousands of people will curse your mothers. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things and make sure everyone eats and drinks well, so that they'll remember the Emperor and us for years to come."

"On behalf of everyone, I thank you, Your Excellency!" Su Lu clasped his hands in thanks.

"Hehe, easy, easy. This is all I can do." The Duke of England smiled, his eyes crinkling.

~~
After the lunch break, the Tiger Strategy course continued at 1-3 PM, still taught by Grand Secretary Li Dongyang. Zhu Houzhao, on a whim, also came to listen to the lecture.

The topic assigned to Li Dongyang by the emperor, or rather Su Lu, was "An Overview of the State of the Ming Dynasty".

This time, Li Dongyang didn't indulge the emperor at all and spoke the absolute truth.

"Your Majesty has set the topic as 'An Overview of the State of the Ming Dynasty.' I dare not embellish the situation; what I will say today is the true state of the court today."

"I'll make you tell the truth." Zhu Houzhao sat reclining on the dragon throne, propping his chin up with one hand, and laughed. "Those present are all court officials; how could I possibly hide anything from them?"

"As you command." Li Dongyang didn't even need to look at the lecture notes; he spoke with resounding force, each word carrying immense weight.

"Let's start with the lifeblood of the nation—finance. In our dynasty, the annual tax revenue from summer and autumn taxes in the two capitals and thirteen provinces is about 26.68 million shi (a unit of dry measure), but various expenditures have long been insufficient to cover the deficit. The largest portion of this is the salaries of the imperial family and officials, which account for more than 40%!"

"So many?" Zhu Houzhao exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes. Your Majesty and all of you will know after I do a simple calculation,” Li Dongyang said slowly and clearly.

"Among the imperial clan, there are thirty princes, each receiving an annual stipend of 7,000 shi of grain; two hundred and fifteen dukes, each receiving a stipend of 1,000 shi; and the remaining 2,700 generals from the Zhenguo General to the Fengguo Lieutenant, with annual stipends ranging from 800 to 150 shi. The total stipends for the imperial clan require 8,274,800 shi of grain."

"There are also the salaries of officials—more than 24,000 civil officials and more than 100,000 military officials, with a total salary of 2.6 million shi (a unit of dry measure) for both civil and military officials."

Li Dongyang said in a heavy tone, "These two items alone require 10,874,800 shi of grain in its original form! And that doesn't even include the portion that is converted to silver... Even if we use paper money and goods to offset the cost, it will still require more than one million taels of silver."

"That really adds up to more than forty percent..." Zhu Houzhao muttered under his breath, "I can understand supporting officials, but why support those distant members of the imperial clan?"

"Adding to the expenses of the border troops' monthly rations, the royal palace's ceremonial guards, official utensils, and seasonal rewards, the annual expenditures have long exceeded the annual income. Currently, the Taicang granary only has 886 taels of silver in military reserves, and the grain reserves are insufficient for three months' needs..." Li Dongyang said sadly.

“Wait, are you sure you didn’t misspoke? After ‘eight hundred and eighty-six’…” Zhu Houzhao rudely interrupted Li Dongyang: “Isn’t the ‘ten thousand’ missing?”

The newly appointed scholars also looked at Li Dongyang, sharing the same thoughts.

"Your Majesty, there is no 'ten thousand' at the end, it is eight hundred and eighty-six taels." Li Dongyang said with a bitter smile, "It's only April, and the two million taels of silver that were delivered to the Taicang treasury at the end of last year have already been exhausted. I don't know how to cope with the remaining six months."

"What do you do when things get out of hand?" Zhu Houzhao asked in shock.

Originally intended as a lesson for his students, the emperor himself gave them a proper lesson first.

"Two words: I owe you." Li Dongyang said, his voice choked with emotion.
"More than ten prefectures of the imperial clan have long been without their stipends, and five or six out of ten officers and soldiers in the garrisons are in arrears with their monthly rations. The military pay for the border troops has been in arrears for half a year, and the salaries of officials and scholars in various provinces are also frequently deducted. It can truly be said that 'the country has no surplus grain, and the prefectures have no surplus silver.' If a border emergency suddenly breaks out or a famine occurs frequently, the court will have no means to manage the situation, Your Majesty..."

He paused, then said with deep sorrow, "Unfortunately, since the beginning of this year, there has been no rain across the country. Nine provinces, including the southern capital, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi, are suffering from drought. The drought is even more severe in the two capitals, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, and Guizhou. The summer harvest is doomed to fail. The tragic scene of starving people everywhere and refugees filling the roads is right before our eyes!!"

(End of this chapter)