The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Carpenter Prince!

It was early winter.

Inside the warm pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, the silver charcoal burned more than twice as brightly as it had in autumn. The cloisonné enamel basins were piled high with animal-shaped charcoal, making the entire hall feel as warm as springtime. Emperor Taichang, wearing a thick, bright yellow cotton robe, leaned back on his imperial couch, flipping through memorials. He would often read a few before wearily rubbing his temples.

Zhu Youxiao sat upright to the side, serving him with pen and ink, sorting the question books for him, and still arranging them into three stacks according to their importance and urgency.

After reading a memorial from the Ministry of Revenue, Emperor Taichang casually put down his pen and closed his eyes to rest for a while.

"My frail body gets a terrible headache from reading too many official documents."

His tone was casual and almost as if he were complaining that the charcoal fire was a bit too dry today.

Zhu Youxiao did not dare to reply, but only lowered his head and continued to look through the notebook in his hand.

Emperor Taichang then said in a low voice:

"These days, having you by my side sorting through memorials for me has saved me a lot of trouble."

Zhu Youxiao gave a soft "hmm".

"You have already reviewed some of the questions beforehand and made annotations in red ink. When I look at them again, I already have a good grasp of the questions, which saves me a lot of trouble."

Emperor Taichang spoke casually. But Zhu Youxiao knew perfectly well that this was not a praise of the emperor's benevolent father and filial son, but rather a prelude.

A man like Emperor Taichang never rushed when it came to laying the groundwork for his next move. Having been trapped in the quagmire of the Eastern Palace for thirty years, the art of foresight and patience was ingrained in his very being, becoming second nature.

As expected, Emperor Taichang paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"I've been thinking that from now on, all the memorials sent by the Office of Transmission will first pass through your hands. You can read them through first, pick out the ones that are of great importance, and just make a few comments on the rest of the trivial ones. When I look at them again, I will only look at the important ones that you have picked out."

Zhu Youxiao's hand, which was flipping through the question book, suddenly stopped.

He suddenly looked up and glanced at Emperor Taichang.

Emperor Taichang's gaze remained calm and composed, as if he were discussing a trivial matter that he had already planned out.

Right to read on behalf of another.

The document first passed through the hands of the Crown Prince.

This was no longer simply "flipping through the examination papers for his father"; it was the first step in the Crown Prince's substantive involvement in the review process. Once the examination papers passed through the Crown Prince's hands, he made marks on them, and Emperor Taichang would review them according to the marks. In effect, the Crown Prince was filtering information for Emperor Taichang.

The person who filters information is the one who controls the agenda. Anyone who helps the leader organize documents knows that what the leader reads and what they don't read is not decided by the leader, but by the person organizing the documents.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

Emperor Taichang grunted in response, as if waiting for something.

Sure enough, the next sentence followed.

"However, there is one more thing."

Emperor Taichang's tone remained as casual as ever, so casual that it was as if he were talking about how bland the imperial meal was today.

"After this document has passed through your hands, select the ones that you will present to me and have someone make a list of them and send it to the Grand Secretariat for Grand Secretary Fang to review."

Zhu Youxiao's fingers, which were tucked into his sleeves, tightened slightly.

"There's no need to hand over the original document; just give him a list of items so he has a general idea of ​​what I've been looking at these past few days."

Emperor Taichang stared at him intently, a faint smile floating in his murky eyes.

"Fang Congzhe has held the position of Grand Secretary for seven years. There are few matters of state, big or small, that he hasn't heard about. Now that all the memorials to the throne have passed through your hands first, if he were to become completely blind to them, he would certainly feel uneasy. If the Grand Secretary is uneasy, he will lose his composure when carrying out his duties and cause trouble."

Zhu Youxiao lowered his head and turned a page of the examination paper, his face as calm as still water, revealing not the slightest clue.

"Your subject understands."

Emperor Taichang nodded slightly and closed his eyes again.

The warm pavilion fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional crisp crack of the glowing red charcoal.

As Zhu Youxiao flipped through the question book, his mind was already racing like a windmill.

He's secured the right to review documents on behalf of others. This is the biggest move he's made since transmigrating. From now on, all imperial edicts will pass through his hands first, giving him an advantage in information. He'll see who's saying what, who's doing what, and who's accusing whom—he'll be there before anyone else.

But this move has a lingering problem.

Fang Congzhe also gained the right to know.

Fang Congzhe also knew which examination papers the Crown Prince had looked at. He also knew which examination papers the Crown Prince had selected to show Emperor Taichang.

Fang Congzhe could see the starting move of every single move the Crown Prince made.

If you propose a system, Fang Congzhe can tell what you're promoting just by looking at the list of missing question sets. If you want to protect someone, Fang Congzhe can tell who you're protecting just by looking at the list of missing question sets.

Previously, Fang Congzhe could not see the Crown Prince's hand; the Crown Prince operated from behind the scenes, able to advance and retreat at will.

Fang Congzhe will see it later.

The Crown Prince and Fang Congzhe stared at each other.

Emperor Taichang kept both men under his watchful eye, ensuring that neither could become too powerful or cause them any trouble.

This is the art of rulership.

It wasn't the Crown Prince's imperial strategy, but Emperor Taichang's.

Those who have been trapped in the quagmire of the Eastern Palace for decades have not learned how to be an emperor, but how to make their subordinates wary of and watch each other.

Zhu Youxiao finished flipping through a book of questions and placed it steadily in the first stack.

Sweet with a hint of bitterness.

It was truly sweet, and truly bitter.

Eat up.

…………

After another half-cup of tea time, Emperor Taichang opened his cloudy old eyes again.

He looked intently at Zhu Youxiao, his lips moving as if he had something to say, but he was also weighing whether or not he should speak.

In the end, he broke the silence.

"I have been the crown prince for a full thirty years."

Zhu Youxiao's hand, which was holding the pen, froze for a moment.

Emperor Taichang's gaze passed over the palace buildings and landed outside the window. Outside the window was the deep and austere courtyard of the Qianqing Palace, where a few withered yellow leaves were scattered on the gray imperial bricks. A gust of north wind swept them away like rootless duckweed.

"Thirty years. For most of my life, all I've done is wait."

His tone was as light as a whisper, as if he were recounting a past event.

"We waited for the late emperor's summons, for the cabinet's message, and for the Directorate of Ceremonial to deliver the decree. We waited for thirty years, only to be met with this frail, sickly body."

Emperor Taichang slowly withdrew his desolate gaze from the window and stared intently at the Crown Prince before him.

"You are different."

Three words that carry immense weight.

Zhu Youxiao gripped the memorial tightly with his fingers, unconsciously tightening his grip even more.

Emperor Taichang did not speak further. He closed his eyes as if uttering a single, heartfelt sentence, as if it had exhausted all his energy and strength for the day.

The warm pavilion fell silent once more.

The charcoal in the brazier popped with a "crack".

Zhu Youxiao lowered his head and continued to peruse the memorials on his desk.

But he couldn't even decipher a single word in the tiny characters on the test paper.

For thirty years, he was the crown prince, and all he did was wait.

Emperor Taichang didn't fully explain the depth of his grief and sorrow in those words, nor did Zhu Youxiao need him to reveal it.

In the 48th year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Shenzong passed away. Emperor Taichang, after exhausting his efforts, finally ascended to the throne.

But less than a month after he sat on it, he almost got sent to the underworld by a red pill.

Thirty years of waiting, only to be rewarded with a mere twenty-nine days on the dragon throne.

If it weren't for his sudden appearance as a time traveler who stopped the poison, Emperor Taichang's life would have been summed up in four words: waited, and died.

Zhu Youxiao coldly turned a page of the memorial.

He will never wait.

He didn't have thirty years to waste. The magnificent empire of the Ming Dynasty, spanning 20,000 miles, wouldn't wait; the soldiers in Liaodong, enduring the freezing cold, wouldn't wait; and the women and children counting their coins at the grain shop wouldn't wait either.

Not a moment. Not even a day.

…………

Return to the Eastern Palace.

The half-carved wooden horse on the emperor's desk still sat quietly. All four legs were complete, and the two ears on the horse's head were also shaved round. Now, only the final water polishing was needed.

Zhu Youxiao lifted the corner of his robe and sat down. He found a fine piece of sand and patiently polished it little by little.

Grinding from horse's head inch by inch to its tail, from its four thick legs to its two bald, round ears. Fine wood shavings fell softly onto the rosewood tabletop, pure white, like a thin layer of fresh snow.

He spent almost half an hour polishing it before finally holding it up to his eyes for a closer look.

It's really ugly.

Its legs were a bit too thick and clumsy, its ears were round and somewhat dull, and the proportions of its head and body were even more mismatched, making it look exactly like a fat horse that had eaten too much.

But this thing stands firmly. Its four legs are as solid as cast iron, firmly planted on the table. Even if you push it hard with your finger and it wobbles a couple of times, it still won't fall over.

Zhu Youxiao gently placed the wooden horse on the corner of the table and stared at it intently for a long time.

It's been almost two months since I transmigrated here.

The medicine inspection system was implemented, the Liaodong military pay was inspected openly, the matter of protecting Xiong Tingbi was temporarily stabilized, and the cabinet's authority to review documents was firmly grasped. Sun Chengzong was won over, Fang Congzhe was subdued, and Emperor Taichang was still alive and well.

The wooden horse I carved for my younger brother is finally finished.

Four legs, two ears. Not pretty, but it can stand.

Just like all the deadly moves he painstakingly devised in this Ming Dynasty.

It doesn't look good; the way they eat is extremely unsightly.

But it can stand firm.

…………

The next morning.

When the nine-year-old Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, rushed into the Eastern Palace, he immediately saw the fat wooden horse enshrined on the imperial desk.

The boy, barely a teenager, immediately forgot all about imperial rituals and rushed forward, grabbing the child and examining him closely for a long time, his dark eyes shining with an astonishing light.

"Brother! Was this specially carved for Youjian?"

"Um."

"Your Majesty's cooking is truly superb, it looks so delicious!"

She was clearly ugly beyond belief. But her fifth brother insisted she was beautiful, so she must be beautiful.

Zhu Youjian happily hugged the wooden horse and ran around the side hall twice, repeatedly imitating the shouts of the imperial horse eunuchs: "Giddy up! Giddy up!"

In his haste to run, he tripped over the threshold at the palace gate and nearly fell headlong off with his horse. Luckily, the eunuch Liu Shun, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and caught him.

Zhu Youjian ran back, panting, and held the fat horse high in front of Zhu Youxiao, asking as if presenting a treasure:

"Brother, now that you've carved it, have you given it a name?"

Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment.

"Let's call it Xiaoming."

"Xiao Ming?" Zhu Youjian tilted his head, his eyes full of confusion. "Why is a wooden horse named Xiao Ming?"

"Xiao Ming is an excellent name."

Zhu Youjian grinned, seemingly understanding but not quite, and without delving deeper, he turned around, hugged the wooden horse, and ran off again, full of joy.

"Giddy up! Xiaoming! Giddy up!"

Zhu Youxiao sat upright in a large rosewood chair, quietly watching his young fifth brother hug the wooden horse named "Xiao Ming" and run freely in the palace of the crown prince.

The sun shining outside the window is shining brightly.

The bright early winter sun shone through the carved window frames, spreading its rays across the gleaming gold-brick floor, bringing a sense of warmth reminiscent of surviving a catastrophe.

…………

On the same day. Cabinet office.

Fang Congzhe calmly accepted a list from the person from the Ministry of Justice.

The list was densely filled with tiny characters, listing all the memorials that the Crown Prince had reviewed that day. The handwriting was that of Wang An, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the Directorate of Ceremonial's vermilion seal was prominently displayed at the end.

Fang Congzhe read it word by word, but his deeply lined old face showed no trace of joy or anger.

It's just a list of practice questions.

But this seemingly insignificant page meant that from now on, Fang Congzhe would have a clear understanding of what books the Crown Prince read each day.

The master of the Eastern Palace was also very clear that he knew Fang Congzhe inside and out.

Fang Congzhe folded the list neatly and gently placed it on the corner of the table.

Then, he slowly took out the yellowed old paper with several officials' names written on it from his large sleeve pocket, unfolded it, and placed it on the table next to the brand-new list.

Two sheets of paper. One is the old set of rules, and the other is the new set of rules.

The lines drawn on the old paper still represent the same dead end, and the key point in the formation at the very center is still just a baseless rumor.

The list on the new paper, however, was written in black and white, with each stroke clear and distinct.

Fang Congzhe stared intently at the two thin sheets of paper with his cloudy eyes, sitting there for a very long time.

After a long while, he carefully folded the old paper along the original crease and put it back into his sleeve pocket.

The newly delivered list was left in the most conspicuous corner of the desk. Because another one would arrive as scheduled tomorrow, and the day after.

He slowly picked up the blue-and-white porcelain teacup beside him and took a sip.

It has a smooth and warm taste.

The tea was still hot.