The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Carpenter Prince!

November 21st, Wenhua Hall.

The lecture to be given today was on Mencius, Book 2, Part 2, and was given by Sun Chengzong. The original lecture was titled "He who rejoices in the people's joy, the people will also rejoice in his joy."

The memorial was delivered to the Crown Prince's palace last night.

After reviewing the document, Zhu You drew a tiny red circle next to the character "民" (people).

When Sun Chengzong entered the hall, he glanced at the sermon and remained silent.

Officials were arranged on both sides according to their rank. Fang Congzhe sat firmly in the chief seat, with Liu Yizhu and Han Kuang to his right. The hall was packed with officials from the Six Ministries, lecturers from the Hanlin Academy, and censors from the Censorate. The charcoal braziers inside were burning brightly, and everyone had changed into thick winter clothes. However, the stuffy heat inside the hall was not solely due to the charcoal fire.

Zhu Youxiao sat upright on the eastern side of the throne, in the position of the crown prince, while Zhu Youjian knelt respectfully on a mat three steps behind him.

Nine-year-old Zhu Youjian also came to listen to the lecture today.

This was the proposal made by Fang Congzhe half a month ago that "members of the imperial family should receive the same teachings," which Zhu Youxiao had not rejected.

Sun Chengzong unrolled his book and began to speak, his voice booming like a bell. He spoke steadily and calmly, quoting from the Book of Documents, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Book of Han, every word within the scope of his prepared discourse. When he reached the sentence "the people also rejoiced in their joy," he paused slightly, but continued his lecture after a brief pause.

Several elderly scholars in the hall exchanged glances quietly.

Sun Chengzong had a habit during his lectures that he would pause at certain points to express his true thoughts. Today, however, he paused once but did not offer any commentary.

Little did Zhu Youxiao know, as he sat upright, his fingers subtly moved within his sleeve.

After the lecture, as per custom, the Crown Prince could ask questions if he had any doubts after the lecture was over. Usually, this step was just a formality at the lectures, and the Crown Prince would simply say, "What you say is very true, I have learned a lot," and then the lecture would end abruptly.

However, Zhu Youxiao did not say this polite remark today.

He rose from his seat and faced Sun Chengzong, offering a standard greeting.

"Sir, you just said 'the people also enjoy their happiness.' I have a small matter that I don't understand. I would like to ask you and the other lecturers to help me calculate it."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Fang Congzhe slightly raised his long eyebrows, the teacup lingering at his lips. Liu Yizhu and Han Kuang exchanged a glance, Han Kuang shaking his head almost imperceptibly. He was unaware that Liu Yizhu had already prepared a draft of the Donglin Party's proposal, which had been repeatedly revised over the past half month, hidden in his sleeve.

Zhu Youxiao took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and presented it to Wang An, who was standing beside him. Wang An respectfully presented it to Sun Chengzong's desk.

"The Ministry of Revenue has allocated 30,000 taels of silver to the Puhe stronghold in Liaodong." Zhu Youxiao's voice was not loud, but everyone in the hall heard it clearly. "These 30,000 taels were transferred from the Ministry of Revenue's treasury in the capital and sent to the Puhe Thousand-Household Office. They passed through several hands along the way, which I have already listed for you."

"From the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of War, then through the Jiliao Governor-General's Office and the Liaodong Military Commissioner's Office, then through Shenyang Guard, and finally to the Puhe Thousand-Household Garrison."

"Six in total."

He paused slightly.

"Each time a hand passes through the process, 10% is deducted. Is that too much?"

No one in the hall responded.

A newly appointed Hanlin scholar in the back row, unfamiliar with the intricacies of court politics, slightly moved his lips, subconsciously about to reply, "One percent is not too much." Before he could finish speaking, an older Hanlin scholar next to him lightly stepped on the top of his boot under the table, and the scholar swallowed his words.

"If each of the six paths retains one-tenth, how much will be left when they reach the Pu River?"

Still no one answered.

"I have already calculated it. Of the 30,000 taels allocated to Puhe, only 15,900 taels remain, less than half." Zhu Youxiao looked around. "Puhe has 1,120 soldiers. At a monthly infantry pay of 1.5 taels, how many months will 15,900 taels be enough to pay them?"

Sun Chengzong stared intently at the account paper, his eyes lowered, without ever looking up.

Fang Congzhe finally placed the teacup back on the table, his movements slow and gentle, and did not pick it up again.

Zhu Youxiao waited for about five breaths, then suddenly chuckled.

"I know you all are capable of calculation. Although mathematics is a minor skill, which is why the Hanlin Academy disdains it," he said slowly, "this problem is by no means unsolvable."

He emphasized, "In truth, once the details are clear, it's hard to speak of it."

Upon hearing this, an elderly scholar in the second row, who was secretly sketching numbers with a charcoal pencil, breathed a sigh of relief, loosened his grip, and the charcoal pencil fell deep into his sleeve pocket.

Zhu Youxiao paused for a moment, then turned to Sun Chengzong.

"Sir, let me ask one more question. This is the estimate I made for everyone: 'Leave 10% for each dish,' which is already a very low estimate. When it actually reaches the bottom, will that amount actually be left?"

Sun Chengzong finally raised his head.

The former Ministry of War official, who had personally gone to Liaodong to verify troop numbers, now had a face ashen as cast iron: "Your Highness, please forgive me, I dare not make a rash judgment."

"Sir, you truly do not wish to speak plainly in this hall," Zhu Youxiao directly took over the conversation for him, "I will not make things difficult for you, sir, I will speak personally."

Wang An stepped forward, took out two rolls of paper from the wooden box, and spread them out on the imperial desk.

The first document is a troop strength comparison of Naipu River. The left side lists 3,087 men, the middle side lists 1,213 men actually present, and the right side lists only 804 men capable of drawing a bow and donning armor. Below these numbers are densely packed the sampling dates, the names of the registered centurions, and their signatures.

"Three thousand and eighty-seven." Zhu Youxiao placed his finger on the first column and slowly slid it to the right, "One thousand two hundred and thirteen."

Slide again.

"804".

He stopped talking.

These three figures weighed heavily on us, heavier than any impeachment memorial.

The second image is an armor designation. The left side indicates the standard armor plate thickness is two fen (a unit of length), while the right side indicates the replacement armor plate thickness in Liaodong is one fen and six li (another unit of length). The side is filled with batch numbers and the names of the supervising officials in tiny regular script, pointing directly to Zhou Yingqiu, the acceptance officer of the Ordnance Bureau.

When the name Zhou Yingqiu suddenly came into view, Fang Congzhe's eyelids twitched slightly. He didn't move, nor did he look directly at Zhu Youxiao. Instead, he picked up his teacup and slowly skimmed off the foam. There was no tea left to skim off, so he circled his fingertip around the rim of the cup twice before putting it down.

Zhu Youxiao also ignored the Grand Secretary.

He walked slowly to the imperial desk, bent his index finger, and made a few very slow gestures on the right side of the nail plate of the second picture.

The difference between two cents and one cent and six cents is only four cents.

It is almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.

But this four cents is the thin layer of skin between the soldiers on the front lines and the Later Jin cavalry!

"The roster lists 3,000, but only 1,200 actually arrived, leaving a shortfall of 1,800 salaries. Who has claimed the pay?"

He then pointed to the second diagram.

"The standard thickness is two-tenths, but the actual thickness is one and a half-tenths. Where did the missing four-tenths of a centimeter of pig iron go?"

He didn't ask any more questions.

The officials in the hall stood solemnly in their court robes, and not a single one uttered a sound.

Zhu Youxiao turned his attention back to Sun Chengzong.

"Sir, you just said 'the people also enjoy their own happiness,' and I was just about to ask you a question," he said, emphasizing each word, "those eight hundred soldiers at Puhe who can draw their bows and wear armor, are they not considered people?"

Sun Chengzong gripped the corner of the table tightly with his fingers.

"Are their lives precious or not?"

Sun Chengzong's head was as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he couldn't lift it at all.

He spent half his life studying and serving in the government, and for decades he spoke of "the people are the most important," but in the end it was nothing more than empty words and grand principles. Until half a month ago, he went to Puhe in person, counted the 804 faces of the living people, remembered 173 faces of bare feet standing in the snow, and saw 29 faces of frostbitten and ulcerated skin.

Those faces were pressing against my heart at that moment.

In front of the entire court and the scriptures he had devoted his life to, he was unable to answer.

The interior of the hall was like stagnant water.

Zhu Youjian knelt on the back seat, his body stiff. His mind rapidly pieced together the remaining information from the training institute's ten-day report on Puhe, the fragmented armor brought back by Mr. Sun, and even the image of the old tenant farmer of the imperial estate kowtowing. All these tangled threads had somehow come together in this net of today.

Zhu Youjian gripped the fabric of his sleeve tightly with his fingertips. He hesitated, unsure of what to say, only knowing that his elder brother stood proudly here today to deliver this overwhelming evidence to the faces of all the officials in their crimson robes.

The one who broke the silence was Liu Yiju.

"Your Highness's words are truly thought-provoking!"

Liu Yiju suddenly stood up from his seat and bowed deeply to Zhu Youxiao. He pretended not to see Han Kuang's shake of the head earlier. The document in his sleeve had been prepared for half a month, every word of which was incisive. If he didn't reveal it now, when would he?

"I have been in the cabinet for over a year, and I am constantly worried about the Liaodong situation. If the accounts Your Highness has presented today are true, I dare to say that, given the meticulousness of the Eastern Palace Academy's accounting, there is no falsehood. Since the accounts are so shocking, this matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded slightly, having already anticipated what was to come.

As expected, Liu Yizhu's tone suddenly changed.

"However, those lost along the way should be thoroughly investigated, and the local Liaodong region should not be let off lightly either! General Xiong Tingbi has been stationed in Liaodong for over a year, and of the three thousand troops in Puhe, only twelve thousand remain. Moreover, their armor is thin and their weapons are crude. How could he, being on the front lines, not know this?"

Liu Yizhu's voice suddenly rose: "To know and not report is to deceive the emperor! To cooperate with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue in compiling registers every year is tantamount to being an accomplice! The dignified Grand Coordinator sits comfortably in Liaoyang City, yet he is helping the corrupt officials in the capital to fabricate registers and cover up their schemes. Your Highness, how can such treacherous and vile tactics be used to guard the Liaodong frontier!"

The atmosphere inside the hall was suddenly revived.