Di Ming

Chapter 236 Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince!

The four prime ministers looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness.

Your Majesty is far too concerned about money. Not only does he tightly control the imperial treasury, but he also keeps a close eye on the silver reserves of the Ministry of Revenue, the Changying silver of the Court of Imperial Stud, and the Jieshen silver of the Ministry of Works. He is also very interested in the silver of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue.

His Majesty even frequently inquires about places where it is profitable to generate wealth, and a few years ago he even levied the Opium Tax.

Over the years, Your Majesty has used various pretexts and methods to extort money from the outer court, enriching your private coffers at the expense of the national treasury. Who in the court and among the people is not talking about this?
Zhu Yin was away fighting a war and had previously handed over a batch of captured gold and silver, which pleased His Majesty greatly. It is said that the emperor praised Zhu Yin in the palace as a loyal and filial minister. This time, however, he received another victory report but did not see the amount of captured gold and silver in the report, which made him somewhat anxious.

It was as if they had won a battle and were entitled to receive gold and silver.

Is this true?

Wang Xijue's face immediately darkened, and he looked coldly at Gao Huai, "Why are you asking this? Is this something a eunuch like you should be asking?"

Gao Huai's smile froze, thinking to himself, "This isn't the question I asked; it's the question Grandpa wanted to ask."

"Mr. Wang..." Gao Huai gave an awkward smile, "Mr. Wang probably didn't understand. It was Grandpa who asked about the spoils this time..."

The four Grand Secretaries all wore indifferent expressions upon hearing this. Couldn't Your Majesty ask about something more important? What time is it? Even though Zhu Yin has won two great victories, Prince Qing and Bo Bai have not yet been captured, and the Northwest is still in danger of spiraling out of control. Couldn't Your Majesty ask about military affairs and provisions?
Your Majesty has not held court for several years, and the cabinet often goes months without seeing your presence, which is to be expected. But now that such a momentous event has occurred, shouldn't Your Majesty resume court assemblies and banquets?
However, no.

Wang Xijue finally lost his temper, "Go back and tell His Majesty that there is no money! War is about spending money, not making money!"

Gao Huai dared not contradict the Grand Secretary, and his fair face immediately turned bright red.

Shen Yiguan coughed, his expression unreadable, and said, "Eunuch Gao, go back to the palace and report to the Emperor that this great victory was fought in the desert, and that Huoluochi's stronghold was not captured, so there was no gold or silver. However, Zhu Yin captured tens of thousands of warhorses, which are worth over ten thousand taels of silver. With so many warhorses, the Ministry of War and the Court of Imperial Stud have saved on their expenses."

Zhao Zhigao glared at Gao Huai. "Do you understand? That's the meaning. Report back to the Emperor truthfully. If the court demands gold and silver as spoils after a victory, who will dare to lead an expedition in the future? We can't set that precedent."

Zhang Wei said, "As palace officials, you bear a heavy responsibility in serving the Emperor. You should advise him to fulfill his duties and not belittle yourselves as mere servants. Do you understand?"

Gao Huai opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Zhang Wei frowned, "Reply to my question!"

"Yes, yes." Gao Huai could only smile apologetically and accept the order, quickly leaving Wenyuan Pavilion without daring to stay any longer.

Although he was favored by his grandfather, he was not a powerful eunuch in the Directorate of Ceremonial, so how could he dare to challenge the cabinet ministers?

Shen Yiguan smiled calmly and said, "Why should the Grand Secretary get angry with such people? Expecting them to advise the Emperor is like trying to find a horse in the water. The Grand Secretary is determined to make the Emperor like Yao and Shun, and to be loyal to the country, but there is no need to rush it."

Wang Xijue shook his head: "Am I angry with the eunuchs? I'm just warning them not to get carried away. The fact that they can provoke His Majesty into asking for money shows that they treat matters of state as child's play. How can I not reprimand them?"

The Grand Secretary coldly uttered a sentence before sitting down again, "Jianwu, what kind of honorary official or meritorious official is Zhu Yin now? You are his teacher, you should know that."

He knew, of course, that it was just to emphasize that Shen Yiguan was Zhu Yin's teacher and to warn Shen Yiguan not to let personal matters interfere with public duty.

Shen Yiguan knew what was going on and smiled, "His honorary title has been promoted to the third rank of Zhongyi Dafu, and his meritorious official title is... the fourth rank of Zanzhi Shaoyin."

Wang Xijue nodded: "Then convey this to the Ministry of Personnel. This time, all those who have been awarded merits will be promoted to the third rank, those who hold honorary titles will be promoted to Tongyi Dafu, and those who hold meritorious titles will be promoted to Zizhi Shaoyin. The cabinet has decided this way, and the Ministry of Personnel will not have any objections."

Shen Yiguan sipped his tea, a half-smile on his face, and remained silent. Zhao Zhigao, however, spoke.

“Prime Minister, I think this is inappropriate.” Zhao Zhigao said calmly, “The Ministry of War officials have not yet verified the merits, and the great victory has only been reported. How can we immediately award merits? It seems a bit too hasty.”

Although he said that, it wasn't his main point. He continued:

"Even if it's just to boost morale, rewarding merits now would be enough to confer a count title if such great merits could be verified, but to only be granted a third-rank official title and a meritorious rank is rather stingy, isn't it?"

Wang Xijue's face immediately darkened.

He was so eager to reward Zhu Yin for his achievements that he couldn't even wait for the Ministry of War to send someone to verify them, which certainly wasn't because he loved Zhu Yin.

Instead, they intended to appease Zhu Yin with a minor official title and honorary rank of the third grade, a small reward for his great achievements. After all, if word of such a great achievement spread, many would assume that Zhu Yin would be granted a noble title. Recognizing his merits in advance would actually suppress the speculation surrounding a potential noble title.

For Zhu Yin, the earlier he was rewarded, the easier it was for him to be manipulated and treated poorly.

This was his method of suppressing Zhu Yin. After all, Zhu Yin was too young, and even if he made great contributions, he couldn't be rewarded too generously.

Zhao Zhigao was well aware of Wang Xijue's thoughts, which is why he did not approve of immediately awarding Zhu Yin merits, citing the fact that the Ministry of War had not yet completed the verification of merits.

Wang Xijue sneered, "How could that be enough to confer a title? Brother Mao, you're exaggerating. Wang Yangming was conferred the title of Earl because he quelled the rebellion of Prince Ning. What about Zhu Yin? He only won a few battles, but the rebels are still causing trouble in the Northwest. How can they be compared?"

Zhao Zhigao and the others disagreed.

It's true that Wang Yangming quelled the rebellion of Prince Ning, but what was the quality of Prince Ning's army? A rabble.

Zhu Yin was facing the Tartars.

Since his departure from the border, he has won one victory after another, recovered the Hetao region, pursued the rebel army into the desert, and killed and captured tens of thousands of people. Can't such military achievements be compared with Wang Yangming? If Zhu Yin could quell the rebel army and deal with Prince Qing, he would be qualified to be ennobled.

Wang Xijue said, "The Ministry of War verified the merits of the previous great victory at Wuliangsuhai without any errors. There was no false reporting or concealment whatsoever. It is clear that Zhu Yin's report of merits was based entirely on solid evidence. This great victory was also reported jointly, so of course it cannot be false. Even if the Ministry of War has not verified the merits yet, I believe it to be true."

"In that case, it would be better to commend our achievements as soon as possible, boost morale at the front, and strive to quell the rebellion sooner. Suppressing the rebellion a day earlier would save the national treasury ten thousand taels of silver. Suppressing it a month earlier would save hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Even to reduce expenses, we should commend our achievements as soon as possible."

He had already decided to award the prize ahead of schedule. On the one hand, it was indeed to boost morale and quell the rebellion as soon as possible; on the other hand, it was to prevent public opinion from suggesting that Zhu Yin would grant him a title.

Shen Yiguan glanced at the three men and said calmly, "The Grand Secretary is right. Commending merits in advance can boost morale and encourage the soldiers to work harder to quell the rebellion as soon as possible. However, how to conduct the commendation is a matter for discussion."

“I believe that, based on Zhu Yin’s military achievements, a count title is certainly sufficient. However, the rebellion has not yet been quelled, and there is no guarantee that the rebellion will not end in defeat after initial victory. In our dynasty, the conferment of titles requires a court discussion and recognition of merits, and has never been done so hastily. Therefore, this proposal to confer a title is inappropriate.”

Wang Xijue couldn't help but shake his head and sneer, feeling quite helpless at Shen Yiguan's cunning.

Who said anything about bestowing titles? Zhao Zhigao just mentioned it casually, and I just casually refuted it. How did it become a discussion about bestowing titles?
However, Shen Yiguan fabricated a proposal for granting a title out of thin air with just a few words, and presented it as a serious matter, confusing the issue and using it against him.

This person is so adept at manipulating things that he's practically a villain.

Wang Xijue remained calm, trying to guess Shen Yiguan's thoughts, his expression growing even colder.

As expected, Shen Yiguan continued, "While the proposal to confer titles is indeed outdated, since we are going to reward merits ahead of schedule, we cannot do it perfunctorily. Given Zhu Yin's merits, promoting him from a minor official to Tongyi Dafu and from a meritorious official to Zizhi Shaoyin is really too lenient. Not only will it be difficult to convince the public, but it may also damage morale and backfire. In order to quell the rebellion as soon as possible, the Grand Secretary should also be rewarded with generous rewards. However, conferring titles is too heavy. If we have to choose between the two, it would be better to add the title of Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince."

"Zhu Yin was originally the Crown Prince's tutor, so in principle he should also be appointed as the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince." Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince!

Wang Xijue was not surprised at all. He had guessed that the position of Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince was probably Shen Yiguan's target.

Although the title of Third Young Master of the Eastern Palace is merely a nominal one without any real power, it is a prestigious and respected honorary title. Moreover, the position of Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince is a second-rank official!

If Zhu Yin had been granted the title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, his qualifications would have been completely different. With this title, even at a young age, Zhu Yin could easily have been appointed as Vice Censor-in-Chief or Vice Minister.

However, in all fairness, given Zhu Yin's military achievements, he was absolutely qualified to be awarded the title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. From Zhu Yin's perspective, Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent was indeed the most suitable title at present. It would be beneficial to his career and something he could easily obtain.

After saying this, Shen Yiguan picked up his teacup again, letting Wang Xijue digest his words.

Zhang Di nodded and said, "Zhu Yin is already a fourth-rank Vice Censor-in-Chief, and has only been in office for a little over two months. It is really not appropriate for me to be promoted further. Conferring a title would be too hasty. So let's just give him the honorary title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. That would not be a bad treatment."

Zhao Zhigao, however, echoed Shen Yiguan, saying, "It's still unfair. In my opinion, even a minor official post could be promoted to the second-rank official position of Zishan Dafu..."

"Alright," Wang Xijue could no longer hold back and spoke up, "That's too much! Just adding him to the rank of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent is already excessive. But since you all think so, then add him to the rank of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and have the Ministry of Personnel submit a memorial to the throne."

It was his idea to award the merits ahead of time, but in the end, he, as the Grand Secretary, could not stop Zhu Yin from being promoted to Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent.

There was no way around it; Zhu Yin's military achievements were simply too dazzling. He was also Shen Yiguan's disciple and the Crown Prince's tutor. As long as the rewards were distributed fairly, adding the title of Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince wouldn't be unreasonable. With Shen Yiguan around, he had no reason to stop it.

So be it. As long as I remain the Grand Secretary, I will eventually find fault with Zhu Yin, demote him a few ranks, and banish him from the capital.

The Grand Secretary did not object further, so Zhu Yin's appointment as Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince was a foregone conclusion.

Next, the Ministry of Personnel submitted a memorial, and the emperor issued an edict.

.........

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival, a day considered extremely unlucky.

The Zhu family mansion, which occupied the entire Caomao Hutong, was filled with five or six hundred people, all celebrating the festival with wine.

Artemisia was planted everywhere in the mansion, and portraits of Zhong Kui were hung.

In the herb garden of the east courtyard, six-year-old Ning Qingchen ate zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) while playing with a colorful snake, casually observing the herbs filling the garden.

This herb garden was originally called Fushu Garden. Now, Ning Qingchen has renamed it the Herb Garden, where he has planted hundreds of kinds of medicinal herbs.

Zhu Yin has been on his expedition for over two months, and Ning Caiwei has been at sea for two months as well. The vast Zhu mansion is now run by the six-year-old second daughter, Ning Qingchen.

With the head housekeeper Jin Yunniang helping her manage, she was able to keep the Zhu family mansion, which had five or six hundred people, in perfect order.

Ning Qingchen no longer had the character "王" (king) drawn on her forehead with cinnabar, nor did she wear the Ai Hu (tiger-like amulet) on her body. This was because she disliked her pet snake.

After Ning Qingchen finished eating a zongzi, she took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and then a maid brought her a teacup for rinsing her mouth.

The second daughter rinsed her mouth, a snake wrapped around her wrist, and examined each of the precious herbs in turn.

Even the most beautiful flowers in the garden paled in comparison to the exquisitely beautiful girl.

This girl is really beautiful, but she has a somewhat sinister look to her, like a person transformed from a wicked spirit of herbs.

Approaching twenty, Jin Yunniang approached the Hundred Herbs Garden and finally found Ning Qingchen under a peony bush. She said, somewhat amused and exasperated:
"Second Madam, Mr. Li and the others all want to go back. They say you have greatly inspired them, and they have benefited immensely from this past month. They want to return to teach and pass on their knowledge, correcting their past mistakes..."

"No." Ning Qingchen peeked her little head out from under the peony, her eyes innocent and pure, but her smile held a hint of mischief as she said in her childish voice:

"They came to my house, were treated to good food and drink, and even encouraged, and now they want to leave after receiving such benefits? Isn't it good here?"

"The entire Qingnang Academy was allocated to them for residence. They eat the same food as me, and they have a large group of housekeepers to serve them. Why are they leaving? Heh."

“Sister Yunniang, tell them that living here can prolong their lives, at least by ten or eight years.”

Jin Yunniang said, "Second Madam, these are all renowned doctors in the land. You went to great lengths to invite them, and they and their disciples stayed for over a month. They hit it off immediately with you, and it's quite a story. But now that they want to return to their hometown, Second Madam, you won't allow them to leave and have them all locked up in Qingnang Courtyard. Isn't that house arrest?"

"Won't they blame us when the lord and lady return?"

"Would Little Tiger be angry?" Ning Qingchen shook his head. "Little Tiger would be angry if I let Li Shizhen and the others go. To tell you the truth, the reason I didn't allow them to leave is because I'm waiting for Little Tiger to come back and see them in person. Besides, I need their help to build the medical school. Yunniang, those old guys are cunning and shrewd, so don't let them get away. And their disciples are all promising talents, so don't let them go either."

“Second Madam,” Jin Yunniang said with a smile, “I went to the Qingnang Academy to check the food just now, and Li Shizhen’s young disciple, relying on his pretty face, fawned over me, saying that his teacher wanted to go back as soon as possible to revise the Compendium of Materia Medica, and was so eager to return that he couldn’t delay even for a day. He hoped that I would let them leave through the back door. He said that as long as I let them leave, he would thank me handsomely when he came to the capital again in the future.”

"Could I agree to that? Of course not. When I was seven, a pretty boy tricked me out of two fish with very sweet words. I will never believe him again."

Ning Qingchen sneered, "What an ungrateful old bastard! A renowned doctor indeed! I've been their teacher for over a month. How much have I taught them? How many secrets have I revealed to them? They've benefited so much, yet they don't think of repaying me. All they want is to leave as soon as possible, hoping to take advantage of me and leave without a trace, right? Heartless!"

Jin Yunniang said, "They are in a hurry to go back, probably because they really want to revise the medical book as soon as possible, not because they are ungrateful."

Ning Qingchen nodded. "I know, but I just can't let it go! Go tell them that I'm treating them to dinner tonight and have something to say to them."

Jin Yunniang nodded. "Oh, just received news that the lord has defeated the Fire Red and made great contributions. Second Madam, are you relieved now? The lord is the reincarnation of a star lord, of course he is protected by all the gods and will turn bad luck into good. Nothing will happen to him."

"Really? The little tiger won again?" Ning Qingchen beamed, patting her chest. "Then I can finally relax and get a good night's sleep. Pass the word down that everyone gets a month's salary to celebrate!"

Ning Qingchen was in high spirits when she noticed a maid peeking in from the garden gate.

"What are you doing sneaking around like that! Get in here!" Ning Qingchen said in a soft and cute voice.

The maidservant hurried in, bowing respectfully, and said, "Reporting to Second Madam, a guest has arrived at the gate. She says she is Jin San Niang, the most famous foot-binding woman in Beijing, known as the 'Golden Lotus Master,' capable of binding three-inch golden lotuses without fail. She heard from somewhere that Second Madam hasn't bound her feet yet, and has come eagerly. She says that Second Madam is already six years old, and foot binding is too late, but she still has a way..."

"What kind of maggots are you chewing on!" Ning Qingchen's face was icy cold. "When did I ever want to bind my feet! Get out of here right now! How annoying! If you dare to report this kind of thing again, you can forget about staying in the Zhu family!"

The maid gave a wry smile, "Second Miss, you don't know, that Golden Lotus Saint Hand has a background. She's the Empress Dowager's woman!"

PS: One can speculate why the Empress Dowager sent Jin San Niang, the Golden Lotus Master, to the Zhu family to bind Ning Qingchen's feet.

(End of this chapter)