Di Ming

Chapter 208 "It's my turn to log on!"

February of the 20th year of the Wanli reign.

This year is the Year of Ren Chen, and another batch of scholars have come to the capital to take the imperial examinations, making Beijing even more bustling. In various inns and restaurants, many scholars from other places are discussing the upcoming metropolitan examinations.

When discussing the competition, one topic is always unavoidable: Zhu Yin, the prodigy champion from three years ago!
Inside the Furun Restaurant, a slightly tipsy scholar, his face filled with longing, said:
"Mr. Zhihu passed the provincial examination at the age of eleven and became the top scholar in the metropolitan examination at the age of twelve. He was immediately appointed as a sixth-rank Hanlin lecturer after being announced at the Golden Hall. How remarkable he was!"

"Zhu Lang of Jiangzuo, his spirit is fragrant. Although he is young, he is called 'Master' by the common people instead of by his name. The glory of us scholars passing the imperial examination is probably unprecedented and unparalleled for Master Zhihu. He is truly someone to aspire to."

He's right. Nowadays, when people talk about Zhu Yin, they often refer to him as "Mr. Zhihu" or "Zhu Lang of Jiangzuo," and very few people call him by his given name.

Zhu Yin's reputation was simply too great.

At the age of twelve, he achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, a sign of national prosperity. He was also the tutor of the eldest prince. These combined identities endowed Zhu Yin with a mysterious aura, inspiring both respect and awe. The common people throughout the land avoided mentioning Zhu Yin's name as if it were their own parents'.

Many superstitious people even worship Zhu Yin, building shrines in his honor to pray for blessings.

Today, there are Zhu Lang Ancestral Halls and Zhihu Temples in Jiangnan, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong; Sanyuan Temple in Beizhili; and Shentong Temples in Guanzhong, Hedong, Henan, and Shandong. Even in Yunnan and Guizhou, there are Zhihu Gong Temples.

Although these were licentious shrines that the government did not recognize, there were too many licentious shrines in the Ming Dynasty, and local governments were too lazy to manage them.

Another scholar said, “Three years ago, during the imperial examination of the year Jichou, I failed. However, I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Zhihu. He was as beautiful as jade and as refined as an immortal. His words were kind and his spirit was pure. He impressed everyone who saw him and made them feel ashamed of their own inferiority. It is evident that he achieved the highest honors in all three categories at the age of twelve. He was born with a special spiritual energy, extraordinary and blessed with great fortune. Ordinary scholars could never compare to him.”

“I also know Mr. Zhihu.” The third scholar put down his wine cup, slightly drunk, and said: “The white clouds drift leisurely, the spring water flows gently, the Wei and Jin styles are serene, and the stars and moon shine brightly.”

"As for his character, he is gentle and kind, with a refined and elegant demeanor. Anyone who meets him will realize that the mellowness of a gentleman and the talent of a virtuous man have nothing to do with age. It is remarkable that he has achieved the sixth rank at such a young age, and no one dares to object to it."

But then a guest at the next table turned around and interjected, "Gentlemen, you've only just arrived in the capital, so you probably don't know yet. Mr. Zhihu is no longer a Hanlin Lecturer."

"At the end of last month, he received an excellent rating in the Hanlin Academy's evaluation, an excellent rating in the Censorate's evaluation, and an excellent rating in the Ministry of Personnel's review. With three excellent ratings, he was promoted to the fifth-rank Hanlin Academy Reader and concurrently served as the Left Tutor of the Left Spring Palace. But everyone knows that Mr. Zhihu is only fifteen years old this year."

"At this rate, he might become a minister in his twenties, or even a prime minister."

Another scholar with a Shanxi accent said, "Of the four Grand Secretaries in the cabinet, Grand Secretary Shen was Mr. Zhihu's mentor, and Grand Secretaries Zhao and Zhang also admire him. Only Grand Secretary Wang is said to dislike him."

"The officials in the court also mostly praised Mr. Zhihu for his outstanding talent at such a young age. Even His Majesty is said to be fond of Mr. Zhihu."

A young man of about twenty years old, sitting in a corner of the restaurant, smiled slightly upon hearing the words of the other candidates.

He is Luo Yan, one of Zhu Yin's students and a veteran member of Huya.

He knew, of course, that the current Wanli Emperor did indeed favor his lord.

However, this was bought with silver. Rather than saying the emperor liked the lord, it would be more accurate to say the lord was willing to spend money, secretly offering tens of thousands of taels of silver annually to the imperial treasury in the name of the tutor's trading company. In addition, various local specialties and rare objects were secretly presented as gifts during festivals.

The emperor initially disliked his lord, but the emperor was fond of money. Seeing how generous his lord was with gold and silver, how could the emperor not see his filial piety? He gradually came to like his lord.

As for the officials in the court, the eunuchs in the palace, and even Consort Zheng's confidants, many of them had taken money from the lord and received benefits from him.

As a result, the lord's popularity in the palace and the court grew better and better.

Money plus intelligence—you can't go wrong! How much money has your wife spent in Beijing these past three years? Two or three hundred thousand taels!

Four years ago, he was tasked with leading four of his oldest students, Fan Yi'an, Li Xuancheng, and Le Zhengyuan, to establish a branch of Huya in Beijing: Beiliao.

Over the past four years, with a large sum of money and the guidance of its lord, Beiliao has become a secret intelligence agency with seven or eight hundred professional and elite spies.

Beiliao now has family members in all sorts of places, including the Imperial Palace, the government, ministries, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, the nine border towns, the Governor's Office, the Twenty-Four Offices, Mongolian tribes, Jurchen tribes, Korea, Japan, etc.

Including the Nanliao branch, which was responsible for the southern provinces, Southeast Asia, Zhoushan, and Annam in Myanmar, the Records Office had more than a thousand elite spies.

It can be said that there is no one in the world who understands the affairs of the world better than our lord.

The Records Office (Tiger Fang) is certainly not just for intelligence gathering.

The bandits of Hebei and Shandong, the horse bandits of Guanzhong and Hedong, the treacherous generals of Henan, the hooligans of the capital, the gangsters of Jiangnan, the canal gangs, the sand bandits of the borderlands... many of these underworld forces are also related to Huya.

The teacher's wife established many department stores and freight stations all over the world, recruiting more than 10,000 people.

The major coal mines in Xuzhou and Yanzhou along the canal have been in operation since last year, and more than 10,000 strong and capable miners have been recruited.

The management rights of Nanhaizi were also contracted out to the teacher's wife. Although it seemed like a losing proposition to give the palace 20,000 taels of silver as a bonus every year, the thousands of households in Nanhaizi were in the hands of the teacher's wife and Beiliao.

Although the trading companies of today are very low-key and their names are scattered, they are involved in all kinds of businesses, including milk candy, department stores, jade, coal mines, maritime trade, smelting, pharmaceuticals, restaurants, brothels, tea, grain, and silk.

Its commerce extends far and wide, reaching as far north as the northern frontier, as far south as Southeast Asia, as far east as Japan, and as far west as the Western Regions. It employs tens of thousands of people.

People only know that our lord is a Hanlin scholar who has passed the imperial examinations three times in a row, but they don't know the power and wealth that our lord and his wife secretly control.

Luo Yan was thinking this when he heard a scholar continue speaking:
"I heard that the Crown Prince is in a difficult situation, and it is thanks to Mr. Zhihu's help that the Crown Prince was able to continue his studies. The Crown Prince has been studying for three years, and His Majesty has repeatedly wanted to stop his studies. Mr. Zhihu submitted a memorial to the throne to strongly advise against it, which is why the Crown Prince was able to continue his studies."

Another person shook his head and said, "Once is acceptable, but a third time is not. Although Mr. Zhihu is loyal to the country and wholeheartedly dedicated to upholding the foundation of the nation, His Majesty has always wanted to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one in favor of the younger. How can Mr. Zhihu change His Majesty's will? I heard that His Majesty may once again ban him from studying at the Imperial Academy. This time, he may really not be able to escape it."

Another person sighed, "In that case, Mr. Zhihu, as the tutor of the eldest prince, has truly devoted himself to his duties."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yan's expression turned slightly cold.

Indeed, in the past three years, the Emperor has twice considered halting the eldest prince's studies. This was due to Consort Zheng's influence.

In reality, the emperor had already frivolously and privately designated a crown prince.

He was Zhu Changxun, the son of Consort Zheng.

The emperor swore before Buddha that he would make Consort Zheng's son the heir apparent, and even wrote down the imperial edict in black and white, which he put in a box for Consort Zheng to keep.

Consort Zheng wished for the immediate death of the eldest prince and his mother, subjecting them to all sorts of humiliation in the palace. The emperor also disliked his eldest son, not summoning him for half a year at a time.

The third prince, Zhu Changxun, was summoned twice a day so that he could pay his respects to the emperor morning and evening and enjoy his company.

If it weren't for the fact that the emperor had spent a lot of money privately and had twice submitted public memorials to remonstrate, and that the court officials had also tried to stop him, the emperor would have stopped the eldest prince from studying long ago.

But this time, it's hard to stop it.

Because the emperor swore to Consort Zheng that he would suppress all officials and resolutely stop the eldest prince from starting his studies.

If the intelligence remains unchanged, the emperor will issue an edict in early March this year, ignoring all advice.

But that wasn't what Luo Yan should worry about. What he was worried about was intelligence from Japan.

Earlier this month, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Taiko of Japan, sent a letter to the King of Joseon, claiming that he wished to use Joseon as a route to attack the Ming Dynasty. The letter was extremely arrogant, stating:

"...Since ancient times, life has been less than a hundred years. How can I remain here in melancholy? I wish to borrow a route through your country, directly enter the Ming Dynasty, and assimilate all four hundred provinces into my customs, so that I may implement my royal rule for countless years to come. This has always been Hideyoshi's ambition..."

The Toyotomi clan also attempted to destroy the Ming dynasty and then move the so-called emperor of Japan to Beijing, while they themselves would reside in Ningbo.

According to intelligence, this was not merely a ploy to deceive the enemy, but also a genuine attempt to conquer the Central Plains.

The King of Joseon rejected Toyotomi Hideyoshi's unreasonable demands, but did not immediately prepare for war. The king and his ministers simply sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty, while internal factional struggles continued.

At present, Toyotomi Hideyoshi has mobilized more than 300,000 troops, half of whom will remain in Japan and the other half will prepare to cross the sea to attack Korea!
Now, an army of 160,000 Japanese pirates has gathered at three ports, forming a formidable force.

It is estimated that by the end of April at the latest, the Japanese pirate army will land in Korea.

Such a major matter could not be ignored by the imperial court.

Another piece of intelligence came from Ningxia Town. The Mongol general Bo Bai and his son, along with the Han general Liu Dongyang, were preparing to launch a rebellion.

The plan was to first kill Governor Dang Xin, then General Zhang Weizhong, and then occupy Ningxia.

The rebellion orchestrated by Bo Bai and others was actually forced upon them by Dang Xin, the governor of Ningxia.

This intelligence came from a few days ago. The Bo Bai father and son, along with Liu Dongyang, may have already made their move.

Compared to these two major events, whether the eldest prince is suspended from school is no longer important.

The lord received intelligence and planned to obtain the title of Vice Censor-in-Chief, take over as Governor of Ningxia to suppress the rebellion, and at the same time, persuade Qi Shaobao, the General of Jizhou, to take command, with the father and son working together to quell the rebellion in one fell swoop.

In this way, the lord can not only be rewarded and promoted, but also begin to have civil officials command troops.

Luo Yan pondered how to use intelligence and espionage to help his lord complete his plan.

Luo Yan drank a cup of tea and was about to leave the restaurant when he heard someone mention his teacher's wife. Luo Yan immediately sat down again.

The man said, "Mr. Zhihu's fiancée is the daughter of a wealthy merchant. She is very charitable, but I heard that she has big feet and is known as Ning the Big-Footed, which is not very attractive. But Mr. Zhihu has never abandoned her."

"Everyone in the capital knows that Mr. Zhihu's luxurious mansion occupies the entire Straw Hat Alley, and the Zhu family has a large number of servants and lives a life of luxury. Where did the money come from? Of course, it wasn't from embezzlement or bribery, but from his fiancée Ning Dajiao's money."

Another person laughed and said, "Mr. Zhihu is an upright man and would never embezzle. With Mrs. Big-Footed as his sugar daddy, even if he were penniless, he could still live a life of luxury. This isn't just being a kept man; it's real ability. Indeed, a woman with big feet, especially the daughter of a merchant, wouldn't be considered very respectable, no matter how rich she is. But Mr. Zhihu didn't break off the engagement; his heart remained unchanged despite wealth and status. He is a man of great loyalty and righteousness."

The third person nodded and said, "Mr. Zhihu is fortunate that he is willing to marry Ning Dajiao, even though she spends her money. With Ning Dajiao's money, Mr. Zhihu can wholeheartedly serve the court without any worries and can remain honest and upright for the rest of his life." Luo Yan was furious when he heard them speak ill of his teacher's wife like this. However, his expression remained unchanged, and he showed no intention of refuting them.

Secret agents must never act impulsively!
Then another person said, "You all need to watch your words. Although Madam Ning is a merchant's daughter, she is still Mr. Zhihu's fiancée and will one day be a Lady of Imperial Decree. She is no ordinary woman. Don't you think that among the millions of women in the world, who can marry someone who has passed the imperial examinations three times in a row? This Madam Ning must be a woman of great fortune and luck. You keep calling her 'Big-Footed Ning' all the time. Is that polite?"

……

Da Shi Yong Fang, Cao Mao Hutong.

Straw Hat Alley is bordered by Chang'an Street to the north and Qipan Street, where the central government offices are located, to the east. Not only is it very close to the imperial city and government offices, but it is also a rare quiet place amidst the hustle and bustle.

Straw Hat Alley is an old alleyway that is hundreds of years old. The alley is lined with ancient trees and has a quiet and secluded atmosphere.

Straw Hat Hutong may sound unrefined and it's not a large place, covering just over a hundred acres, but it's one of the best-located hutongs in the entire city of Beijing.

Since the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, the owners of Caomao Hutong have all been either rich or noble, and there have been no ordinary people among them.

During the Jiajing era, Caomao Hutong was bestowed upon a grand eunuch, who built a luxurious mansion there. Later, the former owner fell from grace and could not maintain his family fortune, so the enormous mansion was bought by Zhu Yin for more than ten thousand taels of silver.

Over the past three years, Ning Caiwei and Zhu Yin have meticulously renovated and remodeled the mansion, making it even more magnificent and a renowned residence in Dashi Yongfang.

Ning Caiwei only spends a small portion of the year in Beijing. The rest of the time she's either in Qingqiao, Jiangning, on Daishan Island, or busy on business trips elsewhere.

Ning Qingchen lives in Beijing most of the time, but sometimes she goes back to Jiangning with her sister.

Zhu Yin was a Hanlin Academy Reader, a proper official in the capital, and also Zhu Changluo's teacher, so he certainly didn't have much freedom.

He has been staying in Beijing for the past three years.

Fortunately, there was Caiwei, who would represent him to visit Daishan Island every year, inspecting overseas territories in the name of the wife of the Jinghai Army.

For the past three years, Zhu Yin has been either teaching Zhu Changluo in the palace or participating in the compilation of books at the Hanlin Academy to earn his qualifications. He has been working on this for three years, from the age of twelve to fifteen, and has finally become a young man.

Last year, Zhu Yin's teacher, Shen Yiguan, performed the coming-of-age ceremony for him. In a way, Zhu Yin was now an adult.

Last year, Grand Secretary Shen Shixing retired to his hometown. Zhu Yin, who had been preparing for this, secretly helped Shen Yiguan enter the cabinet. After several rounds of recommendations from the Nine Ministers, Shen Yiguan was promoted to Minister of Revenue and Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, entering the cabinet to assist in governing the country.

Hai Rui was old and resentful that the emperor refused to attend court and favored Zheng. In the autumn of the year before last, he resigned as Left Censor-in-Chief in anger and returned to his hometown of Qiongzhou.

Zhu Yin sent people to take care of him, and they were very attentive.

When Wanli's feigned attempts to retain Hai Rui failed, he bestowed upon Hai Rui the title of Junior Tutor, recognizing him as a veteran of three reigns, a man of great merit and high moral standing.

When Qi Jiguang regained command of the Jizhou Garrison, the morale of the former Qi Family Army troops in Jizhou was greatly boosted. With the financial support of Ning Caiwei, Qi Jiguang maintained two thousand personal guards and launched several expeditions beyond the Great Wall to conquer the Mongols.

Unbeknownst to the imperial court, Qi Jiguang had begun to emulate Li Chengliang, vowing never to relinquish military power so easily again.

Zhu Changluo had been Zhu Yin's student for three years and had developed a deep bond with him. He was very dependent on Zhu Yin and had made great progress in his studies.

Xu Wei served as the governor of Jingzhou (Luzon) for three years. Zhu Yin had secretly sent a message to recall him, intending to have Shang Yang succeed him as governor of Jingzhou.

...

On February 20th, Zhu Yin returned to Caomao Hutong from the Hanlin Academy and immediately discussed important matters with Ning Caiwei, Shang Yang, and others.

Inside the painted hall, fifteen-year-old Zhu Yin had a face as handsome as jade, eyes as bright as stars, a graceful figure, and a refined air. His hair had long since been tied up with a jade hairpin, and although he still retained a childlike innocence, his brows could not conceal his vigorous and heroic spirit; he was truly a handsome and dashing figure.

Three years of service in the Hanlin Academy made Zhu Yin increasingly refined and dignified.

Fifteen-year-old Ning Caiwei had already turned fifteen last year. Although she still retained a childlike innocence, she had fully blossomed into a beautiful young woman, with exquisite features and graceful bearing. She exuded an air of authority rarely seen in other young girls.

The two have reached the age to get married and have decided to hold their wedding this fall. However, they have decided to wait until they are eighteen to consummate their marriage.

Seeing the young couple, Shang Yang couldn't help but admire them, thinking they were a perfect match, a match made in heaven.

Zhu Yin cut to the chase, saying, "The eldest prince may be suspended from his studies by the emperor. No one can stop him this time. Since he doesn't want me to teach the eldest prince anymore, I will go to Ningxia to supervise the army as a way of expressing my dissatisfaction."

“My lord,” Shang Yang said, not surprised, “Ningxia is a murky place. Even if you were to go to supervise the army, you should go with Commander Qi. If the court doesn’t allow Commander Qi to be the commander, you cannot go. A son of a noble family should not sit under a dangerous roof.”

"With your current official position, my lord, you could serve as a governor and military supervisor. However, if you become a governor, it will be difficult for you to become a Hanlin scholar and future prime minister."

Zhu Yin was certainly aware of this.

The Imjin War will break out soon. In order to take control of the situation in Korea, we must first demonstrate our military prowess in Ningxia.

Going to Ningxia to supervise the military is the first step.

The civil officials who supervised the military in the Ming Dynasty were mainly of four levels: governor-general, governor, imperial inspector, and military commissioner.

The status of officials in the capital and local officials differed greatly, as did the prestige of their positions.

By "gold content," Zhu Yin meant career prospects in officialdom.

Zhu Yin is now a high-ranking official in the capital, a fifth-rank Hanlin Academy Reader-in-Waiting, and concurrently serving as Left Advisor. This is a true candidate for prime minister. Being sent to a post outside the capital is generally considered a demotion, even if one is promoted three ranks.

Therefore, the position of military supervisor of the military affairs department is definitely not a consideration.

Generally, those who are promoted several ranks and sent to military posts outside the capital are only seventh-rank censors, or seventh-rank officials, or sixth-rank officials.

The lowest rank for a military commissioner was a fifth-rank official, or even a fourth-rank official. But even so, being transferred from a censorate to a military commissioner was not considered a promotion.

What about the even higher-ranking Imperial Inspector and Military Supervisor?
The Imperial Inspector was a seventh-rank official, which was two or three ranks lower than the Military Commissioner. However, the Imperial Inspector had much more power than the Military Commissioner. As an imperial envoy dispatched from the capital, the Imperial Inspector's position was far more prestigious than that of the Military Commissioner. Therefore, the Imperial Inspector's supervisory rank was actually higher than that of the Military Commissioner.

The problem is, Zhu Yin was a fifth-rank Hanlin official, the most prestigious official position in the capital. How could he be appointed as an imperial inspector? It was completely against the rules.

In this way, only two levels of military supervisors remained: the military supervisor of the governor-general and the military supervisor of the governor.

The so-called prime minister and military supervisor both belong to the high-ranking position of governor-general and military supervisor.

In the Ming Dynasty, military supervisors at the level of governor-general usually held the titles of vice censor-in-chief or even right censor-in-chief!

The Vice Censor-in-Chief is already a high-ranking official in the court.

Moreover, the prestige of the Censorate is second only to that of the Hanlin Academy. The Vice Censor-in-Chief, a third-rank official, is as prestigious as the Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, a fifth-rank official.

He was definitely superior to Zhu Yin, a fifth-rank scholar.

Given Zhu Yin's current rank and seniority, even if he were a prestigious Hanlin scholar or a Beijing official sent to a post outside the capital, he would not be qualified to be a governor-general.

He was at least five years short of the required qualifications. Therefore, Zhu Yin had no hope of becoming the highest-ranking governor-general or military supervisor.

That leaves only the second-ranking governor and military supervisor.

As was customary, governors in the Ming Dynasty were usually given the additional title of Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Zhu Yin's title of Hanlin Academician (a fifth-rank official) was slightly more prestigious than that of Vice Censor-in-Chief (a fourth-rank official).

It's definitely within reach, but it's a bit of a letdown.

Giving up a fifth-rank scholar position to become a governor with the additional title of Vice Censor-in-Chief was actually a demotion.

He continued to serve as a scholar-in-waiting, and it was almost certain that he would enter the cabinet and become a prime minister more than ten years later.

But if one were to become a governor, it would be difficult to enter the cabinet even after twenty years.

For civil officials, staying in the Hanlin Academy was undoubtedly the best career path. However, if they valued practical achievements and preferred to get things done, becoming a provincial governor was also a good option.

An ambitious man like Zhu Yin would certainly not sit in the Hanlin Academy compiling books, history, or drafting imperial edicts.

For him, being sent to a remote area was more suitable for stirring up trouble. Once he had accumulated enough merit, returning to the capital to serve in the court would be a different story.

Zhu Yin, Ning Caiwei, Shang Yang, and others discussed until the second watch of the night before finally adjourning to rest.

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei returned to the inner room and saw Ning Qingchen, who was already six years old, drawing a picture.

Ning Qingchen wore a pair of horned buns, and her delicate features made her look exceptionally beautiful.

Her expression was serious, even a little stern. It made her look even cuter.

"Dr. Ning, what are you drawing?" Zhu Yin asked with a smile, patting her little head.

"Forceps," Ning Qingchen said without looking up, "This is a great invention that changed the fate of pregnant women in the Ming Dynasty."

"With the widespread adoption of forceps delivery technology, the maternal and infant mortality rates can be reduced tenfold!"

"Little Tiger, I'm six years old now. It's my turn to log on!"

(End of this chapter)