The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Carpenter Prince!

The inner cabinet office of Wenhua Hall.

The sky outside the window was still dark. Xu Yiqing lifted the curtain and went inside, her shoes bringing in a thin layer of frost.

On the desk lay a copy of an urgent report from the Ministry of War, forwarded by the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs last night. The signature of Zhang Yun, the Deputy Chief Clerk, was left in the lower right corner. During the time Wang An had been on sick leave, Zhang Yun had been handling this matter for him at the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.

Fang Congzhe had already read the book twice.

He received word of the report in the middle of the night. The inscribed arrow at the wooden gate of the Puhe outpost, with the six characters "For the Crown Prince of the Southern Dynasty" on the shaft, had already spread throughout the Office of Transmission, and by 5 a.m. today, the six departments were already discussing it in the corridors.

He put down the newspaper, took out a fine brush from the pen holder, and dipped it in ink.

The number nine was written on the draft ticket.

"A wise and experienced ruler should govern the country with compassion, not suppression."

After writing it down, he blew on it, then tucked the receipt into the copy of the newspaper and pushed it back onto the desk along with the case file.

"Send it back to the Directorate of Ceremonial."

Xu Yiqing took the file with both hands, tucked it into his sleeves, and bowed respectfully.

Fang Congzhe did not immediately dismiss him, but tapped the edge of the table lightly with his knuckles.

"There are still two tasks to complete."

"Please speak, Your Excellency."

"The training institute's ten-day report has been submitted today. Please flip through the third column for me."

Xu Yiqing should be the one.

Fang Congzhe added, "Make a separate copy of the several memorials from Liaodong that the Crown Prince reviewed last month."

"All of them?"

"All of them."

Xu Yiqing bowed again, lifted the curtain, and went out.

Fang Congzhe leaned back in his chair. The five words "appeasement is better than suppression" were on the report, but he himself might not have taken them seriously. The arrow was already driven into the wooden door, and the matter of appeasement or suppression could not be decided by these five words. But once these five words were written, no matter what the Crown Prince did, what the Cabinet discussed, or what the Emperor decided, Fang Congzhe would always stand behind the word "mature and experienced."

As for how the Crown Prince will act, he still wants to see.

…………

Side hall of the East Palace.

Just as Zhu Youxiao put down his teacup, Liu Shun entered the room carrying a scroll of manuscripts.

"Your Highness, the report that Grand Secretary Fang received last night has been drafted this morning."

Zhu Youxiao took it, glanced at the nine-character receipt, and didn't move his lips.

"A wise and experienced ruler should govern the country with compassion, not suppression."

The nine characters were written with utmost precision, perfectly balanced, and not a single word touched upon the actual situation in Liaodong. Fang Congzhe passed the buck back to the Qianqing Palace. Whether to appease or suppress was entirely up to the Emperor. If the Emperor approved, it would be considered the Grand Secretary's maturity; if the Emperor disagreed, it would be that the Grand Secretary had "done his best."

After seven years of skillful maneuvering, not a single word has become unfamiliar.

Zhu Youxiao placed the copy back on the table without picking up his vermilion pen.

He realized what was going on last night in the corridor. The first step, according to the rules, was never to submit a note himself. Although the provocative arrow was aimed at him, the report had already been forwarded to the cabinet for drafting; the next step was to wait for the official border report from Xiong Tingbi's military command. The Ming dynasty established that if the border was attacked, the military commander would have to report it. If he, as the acting Crown Prince, overstepped his bounds before that border report reached the capital, he would be handing Fang Congzhe the handle of the "Crown Prince's embezzlement" weapon.

We can wait, but we can't just sit idly by.

"Liu Shun".

"This servant is here."

"Go to the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs."

Upon hearing the words "Directorate of Administration," Liu Shun slightly raised his eyelids. The Crown Prince usually bypassed the Ministry of Justice and went directly to the Directorate of Administration to retrieve his memorials, a practice established by the Grand Tutor Sun during his previous trip north.

"Go and copy three things." Zhu Youxiao tapped the edge of the table with his finger: "The original report from last month about the 17th Army that froze to death in Puhe, the troop quota for Puhe this year, plus the three border reports from Commander Xiong."

"Should we use the original transcript or an abridged version?"

"Make an exact copy. Not a single stroke or line may be omitted."

"This servant understands."

Zhu Youxiao then said, "On your way out, make a detour to the Imperial Medical Academy. Ask Chief Physician Liu which physician wrote Eunuch Wang's prescription today, and whether any ingredients were changed. Just ask, don't leave any details."

"This servant understands."

Liu Shun turned to leave, but was stopped again.

"Take the road outside Donghua Gate. It was changed every other day."

Liu Shun responded softly and left the hall.

Silence returned to the hall. Zhu Youxiao did not pick up the engraving knife, but simply turned the nine-character ticket over and ironed it flat with the edge of his palm twice.

…………

It was midday in Hejian Prefecture, Zhili Province.

The inspection team's mule cart stopped to rest at the foot of the stone steps of the post station. Wang Tiezhu tied the skinny donkey to the base of a locust tree and bent down to brush the snow off the corner of his coat.

The postmaster came out to greet them.

This man was nearly forty years old, wearing a worn blue cotton jacket, with an old copper waist tag hanging from his waist. His face was full of eager smiles as he went straight to greet Wang Chengen.

"Steward Wang, you must be tired from your journey. The room is ready, the hot water is boiling, and there's a pot of mutton soup simmering on the stove. Please wash your face first."

After exchanging a few polite words, Wang Chengen was led into the main room.

Wang Tiezhu squatted down, pretending to adjust his boot buckles.

As the postmaster stepped aside to let the guest pass, the waist token at his waist swayed slightly. There was a knife mark on the edge of the token, worn slightly dull, and beneath the mark was a layer of hand sweat and oil, an old mark.

Wang Tiezhu glanced sideways and memorized the shape of the mark.

Behind the woodshed at Chenhewan Post Station, there was a piece of blue cloth that had been torn off. That night, he had sneaked into the woodshed and torn off a piece the size of a fingernail, which he still kept in his sleeve. There was a very fine, dark line on the corner of the cloth, just like the knife marks.

The methods were all employed by the same group of people.

He straightened up, brushed the snow off his boots, and without saying a word to Liu Danian, simply lowered his head and followed him into the back corridor's side room.

…………

Night falls in the west room.

Zhang Shenyan lifted the curtain and entered Wang Chengen's room alone, closing the door behind him.

"Master Wang."

"Imperial Censor".

Zhang Shenyan sat down but did not drink the tea. He stared intently at a cold, lifeless candle on the table for a long time before finally speaking.

"Once the imperial decree was issued, the winds shifted at the Censorate."

Wang Chengen looked up.

Which way is the wind blowing?

"The group that was supposed to check the list earlier received a letter this morning and then backed down." Zhang Shenyan paused for a moment. "The other group started digging up old accounts, saying that since the pension money for the 17th Army of Puhe was paid through the imperial treasury, the Ministry of Revenue had no choice but to 'check it'."

"Who is being checked?"

"Investigate who sent the money."

Wang Chengen paused slightly in the teacup he was holding.

"Is the censor's statement still a leak?"

Zhang Shenyan stood up and bowed, but did not answer.

"It seems that Mr. Wang has only just begun to get into character."

Wang Chengen saw him out, then turned back and flicked the candle a little brighter. The red invitation from the Duke of England's mansion remained at the bottom of the table, untouched.

…………

Night falls in the side hall of the East Palace.

When Zhu Youjian entered carrying the letter box, a thin layer of snow had settled on his shoulders.

"elder brother."

How many today?

Three.

Zhu Youjian placed the three slips of paper on the table one by one and stepped back half a step respectfully.

Zhu Youxiao took the top one first.

"At the end of this day, the two scholars took the initiative to discuss the old accounts of the Grand Canal transport from the thirty-fifth year of the Wanli reign, arguing for half an hour. Mr. Chen listened without saying a word."

Zhu Youxiao's eyes flickered very slightly.

Just a few days ago, those two scholars were arguing fiercely about whether mathematics should be included in the main section, but today they actually agreed to discuss the old accounts of the Grand Canal transport from the thirty-fifth year of the Wanli reign. They finally accepted the question Chen Wenju posed last time, which involved 243,877 taels, 2 mace, and 5 fen.

The waters of the Grand Canal transport in the thirty-fifth year of the Wanli reign were far more complex than the question itself. The fact that these two scholars were willing to get involved now suggests they must have sensed the changing winds behind their actions. Chen Wenju remained silent, composed and unwavering.

Zhu Youxiao placed the paper on the left side of his desk.

the second one.

"Eunuch Wang is still ill today. Imperial Physician Lin continued the prescription, adding an ingredient, Ophiopogon japonicus."

Zhu Youxiao paused slightly on the two characters "Mai Dong" with his finger.

Ophiopogon japonicus moistens the lungs, and when combined with the other herbs, it is a common remedy for winter coughs. The last prescription from Imperial Physician Lin did not include Ophiopogon japonicus; its addition today clearly indicates a more severe cough.

It's time to go and visit them.

The third one.

"Today, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs forwarded a memorial to the emperor, and my younger brother asked if we should make a copy for my eldest son."

Zhu Youxiao picked up his brush and wrote seven characters on the back of the paper.

"Here, and two more packets of Ophiopogon japonicus as a gift."

After writing, he folded the paper and handed it back to his younger brother.

"You go there yourself."

Zhu Youjian was taken aback.

"Under the corridor of Qianqing Palace?"

"In the corridor. Do not enter the warm chamber. Give the invitation and medicine to the gatekeeper, Xiao Su, and have him pass it on to Da Ban. Tell him I sent you to deliver it on your way."

Holding the note and the phrase "under the corridor," Zhu Youjian understood a bit. The night before, his elder brother had personally placed the lung-nourishing pills in his elder brother's palm, saying, "Take care, elder brother." This time, it was his nine-year-old brother's turn to run the errand himself. In this exchange, both layers of affection were conveyed.

"I understand."

Zhu Youjian carried the letter box out of the palace, his steps light and steady.

…………

Duty officer at Wenhua Hall. Early in the day (亥初).

Xu Yiqing lifted the curtain and entered. He was untouched by the falling snow, clearly having circled back from the corridor of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

"Grand Secretary."

"speak."

"The Crown Prince went to the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs to retrieve the files this afternoon."

Fang Congzhe did not look up.

"What was adjusted?"

"The original report from last month regarding the 17th Army that froze to death in Puhe. Also, the three border reports from Commander Xiong."

Fang Congzhe gently placed the tip of his pen on the edge of the inkstone.

"Where's the troop quota?"

"It's been adjusted too."

Fang Congzhe remained silent.

Xu Yiqing added, "Another matter. I have read through the third column of today's ten-day report from the training institute as instructed by the Grand Secretary."

"Are they bringing up old scores from the Wanli era's canal transport again?"

"Yes."

Fang Congzhe nodded.

"Place the draft of the newspaper from this morning, along with the sample of the document from the Ministry of Personnel, on my desk."

"I need it immediately?"

"immediately."

Xu Yiqing withdrew.

Within half an incense stick's time, five more sheets of paper appeared on the table.

At the bottom was a copy of the local gazette, along with a draft slip that read "Old and wise in governing the country, should be appeased, not suppressed." Above it were three transfer slips from the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs: the original memorial regarding the death of Puhe due to freezing, the current year's troop quota list, and Xiong Tingbi's three previous border reports. The person transferring the files in all of them was listed as "Liu Shun of the Eastern Palace." The top one was a copy of today's ten-day report from the training institute, with a corner folded out by Xu Yiqing in the third column.

Fang Congzhe lined up the five sheets of paper in the same order.

He did not pick up the vermilion brush, nor did he dip it in ink.

After these five old sheets of paper, he reached out and pulled out the top sheet of the stack of plain white Xuan paper on the edge of the table, laid it flat behind it, and left space for the sixth sheet.

The sixth one has no words written on it.

Outside the window, the fine snow falls silently; under the eaves, the water clock drips two drops in quick succession.

Fang Congzhe leaned back in his chair, his gaze lingering on the white paper for a long time.

The draft of the Tangbao newspaper was his doing, the transfer of files was done by the Crown Prince, and the Xunbao newspaper was copied by the training institute. These three things originally went their separate ways, but today they collided on his desk, creating a situation where it was perfectly logical which way they went.

Xiong Jinglue's report from the border region is almost here in Beijing.

That blank sheet of paper was waiting for this.