Huangming

Chapter 147 Jade Cauldron Ceases Cooking, Cloud-like Official Pays Homage to the Emperor

By the time we returned from the Beijing garrison, it was already getting dark.

Zhu Youxiao had been busy all day, and his stomach was growling. He immediately ordered Huang Hua to serve him a meal.

The dinner served by the imperial kitchen was exquisite, with both hot and cold dishes prepared with ingenuity.

Among the cold dishes, the amber-colored frozen trotters are the most exquisite: the forelegs of three-year-old wild boars from Taihu Lake are simmered over a low fire of pine wood for twelve hours, the bones are removed but the shape is left intact, and then amber-colored frozen jelly made from plum sauce and trotter glue is poured over them and placed in an ice chest to chill for half a day.

When it is cut, it is crystal clear and trembles like solidified fat. When it enters the mouth, it has the wonderful feeling of "the first snow meeting warmth".

The hot dishes are even more ingenious, with the "Braised Dragon Spitting Flames" being a masterpiece of culinary skill: the tenderest tenderloin from the snowy plains of Liaodong is carefully selected, sliced ​​into paper-thin pieces, and laid on vermilion-colored Yuhua stones presented as tribute from Nanjing. Once the stone stove is heated to a deep red, twenty-year-old Shaoxing rice wine is poured over it, and instantly blue flames soar three feet into the air, the aroma of wine mingling with the fragrance of meat, reaching straight to the palace beams.

The venison curled slightly in the flames, reaching a perfect medium-rare. The serving eunuch quickly picked it up with silver chopsticks and presented it to the emperor, still sparkling with fire.

This method of cooking fresh food over a high flame is so amazing that even seasoned gourmets in the imperial court, accustomed to delicacies, can't help but marvel at it.

The change in diet was thanks to the previous reorganization of the inner court.

When Zhu Youxiao reorganized the inner court, he focused on reforming the Imperial Kitchen, replacing all the eunuchs there with trusted eunuchs. In particular, he established the Imperial Kitchen, selecting skilled cooks from the common people to enter the palace, while the original imperial chefs were all dismissed and sent back to the common people.

People need food to survive; you'll get hungry if you don't eat for a day.

If he can't even guarantee the problem of food, then he definitely won't last long as emperor.

After a simple dinner, Zhu Youxiao prepared to work late into the night.

He looked at Wei Chao, who was serving beside him, and asked, "The Left Vice Minister of War and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud have not yet arrived?"

Zhu Youxiao summoned the two men before he had his meal, but they hadn't arrived yet.
It's obvious they didn't work overtime properly!
Seeing the emperor's slightly displeased tone, Wei Chao broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this servant will go and urge him immediately."

"Go quickly!"

Zhu Youxiao picked up his brush, preparing to review the memorial. The vermilion brush in his hand hovered above the memorial, the ink gathering at the tip of the brush as if about to drip.

The image of those weak warhorses from the Beijing garrison's military review today flashed before his eyes again: those short horses, less than four feet tall at the shoulder, struggled to carry cavalrymen in full armor, let alone charge into battle.

The Jurchen cavalry is eyeing us menacingly outside the Great Wall. Are we really going to send Ming soldiers to their deaths on such shoddy horses?

"This isn't a warhorse, it's clearly a donkey pulling a millstone!"

The emperor suddenly slammed the vermilion brush down onto the inkstone.

The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was standing by his side, trembled in fright, but then heard the emperor mutter to himself, "If the horse administration is neglected, how can the army be established? If the military strength is weak, how can the country be defended?"

To improve the army's combat effectiveness, restructuring the horse administration is essential.

The explosive power and endurance of warhorses are indeed the key to victory or defeat in a battle between two armies.

When charging into battle, a fine steed can leap several meters in an instant, breaking through enemy lines in a flash; when on a long-distance raid, a strong horse has endurance and can achieve victory from a hundred miles away.

A fine steed can help soldiers slay generals and seize flags; a poor horse may lead to the defeat of the entire army on the battlefield.

Therefore, as the ancients said, "Horses are the first priority of soldiers and the foundation of the army."

In addition to fighting, horses have other uses!
In this era without mechanical power, horses were the lifeblood that kept the empire running.

The short, sturdy draft horses shouldered the heavy responsibility of logistical transport: the heavy cannons of the machine gun battalion, weighing thousands of kilograms, could only reach the front lines thanks to these silent laborers.

Without enough horses, even the best firearms can only be used to defend the rear and become scrap metal.

Even more fatally, the Ming Dynasty's postal system was entirely built on horses.

From military reports from the nine border regions to grain shipments from Jiangnan, from officials going to their posts to urgent military situations, everything relied on the fast horses of the post stations traveling day and night.

If the horse administration is neglected, this 40,000-mile post road will become a dead end, and the empire's decrees will be unable to be implemented.

As Wang Qiong said, "The horses used for relaying messages are like the blood vessels in a human body. If the blood vessels are blocked, the limbs will be useless."

The rectification of the horse administration is of utmost urgency!
While waiting for the Left Vice Minister of War and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, Zhu Youxiao could not waste any time, so he had to calm down and review the memorials.

Upon opening the first memorial, Zhu Youxiao frowned slightly.

This is a memorial submitted by the Celestial Master's Mansion of the Zhengyi Sect at Longhu Mountain:

Your subject Zhang Xianyong respectfully reports:

Your Majesty, I am old and frail, and unable to shoulder the responsibilities of the Celestial Master, lest I hinder the great cause of spreading the Daoist teachings. My eldest son, Yingjing, diligently studies scriptures and talismans, and possesses both virtue and talent; he is fit to succeed as Celestial Master. I humbly beseech Your Majesty's grace to grant him the mandate to succeed to the teachings, so as to reassure the hearts of the Daoist community.

After reading it, Zhu Youxiao fell into deep thought.

"Tell me about the Zhengyi Sect."

The Wei Dynasty played a significant role in getting Zhang Xianyong's memorial to the emperor.

There was no other way; once the benefits were received, there was no choice but to work.

Now, when the emperor asked Wei Chao about the Zhengyi Dao sect, Wei Chao slowly replied:
"Your Majesty, Zhang Xianyong is the fiftieth Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain. His original name was Zhang Xianzhu. During the Wanli era, when he accompanied his father to the court, Emperor Shenzong valued him highly and changed his name to Xianyong. As for Longhu Mountain..." After listening to Wei Chao's words, Zhu Youxiao had a certain understanding of the history and current situation of Longhu Mountain.

The reason why Longhu Mountain was able to submit a memorial directly to the emperor was because the Celestial Master of the Zhengyi Sect of Longhu Mountain was an officially recognized religious leader.

The Ming Dynasty continued the Yuan system, recognizing Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain (Zhengyi School) as the orthodox leader of Taoism, and granting him the title of "Zhengyi Successor True Man" (rank of second grade), which was hereditary.

The Celestial Master can appoint abbots of Taoist temples throughout the land (subject to filing with the Ministry of Rites) and preside over national sacrificial rites (such as the rain-praying ceremony during the Wanli reign).

It had considerable influence among the common people and also among the upper class. Emperor Shizong was a Taoist emperor, and during the Jiajing era, Longhu Mountain was prominent for a time.

However, the emperors who followed were not fond of Taoism, and Emperor Shenzong even favored Buddhism and belittled Taoism, leaving Longhu Mountain in a very awkward situation for a time.

Zhang Xianyong preferred to live a secluded life of cultivation, so he hoped to relinquish his religious duties and bestow upon Zhang Yingjing the Heavenly Master's Seal and Sword, so that he could create a separate quiet room for cultivation and practice.

Taoism
Perhaps we can make use of one or two of these.

Zhu Youxiao's eyes flickered, but he was already thinking about reforming Taoism.

He immediately said to Wei Chao, "Order the cabinet to draft an edict summoning Zhang Xianyong and his son Zhang Yingjing to the capital for an audience with the Emperor!"

Wei Chao was taken aback, his expression changing.

Does Your Majesty, like Emperor Shizong, also believe in Taoism?
Wei Chao thought about it again and realized that it was indeed possible.

After all, the current emperor looks too much like Emperor Shizong when he was young.

In terms of political maneuvering and handling affairs, they are practically cut from the same cloth.

He quickly accepted the order and said, "This servant will go and do it right away."

However, after taking a step, he stopped and asked, "Your Majesty, should Zhang Xianyong's request be approved?"

Zhu Youxiao shook his head and said, "Drag it out."

Many of the memorials submitted to the emperor were not approved.

Many memorials requesting the hereditary succession of princes and heirs to the throne often took ten or twenty years to be approved.

Whether or not the emperor approves it depends on his mood and the skill of his subordinates.

"My slave understands."

Wei Chao looked puzzled, realizing that there seemed to be something wrong with his previous thoughts.

Does Your Majesty revere Taoism or not?
He was somewhat unsure of the emperor's thoughts, so he slowly withdrew and sent the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial to inform the Grand Secretariat to draft an imperial edict.

While processing Zhang Xianyong's memorial, a eunuch came in to report that Zhang Jingshi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and Xue Zhen, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, had arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

"Let them in."

Summoned by the emperor, Zhang Jingshi and Xue Zhen entered the East Warm Pavilion with great trepidation.

The reason they arrived so slowly is because they had already gone straight home.

Zhang Jingshi was holding his newly acquired concubine, discussing the ways of men and women, and the two had already made love when a servant informed the emperor that he had been urgently summoned.

It almost scared him so much he became impotent.

Xue Zhen, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was also quite startled by the sudden summons.

The two were drenched in sweat, kneeling on the steps with their buttocks sticking up high.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Jingshi (also known as Xue Zhen, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud), respectfully wish Your Majesty a long and peaceful reign!"

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said, "I am well, please rise! Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two men rose shakily, but dared not sit down.

Seeing the two men's tense expressions, Zhu Youxiao didn't want to waste any more time and went straight to the point, asking, "I reviewed the troops at the Beijing Garrison today, and the soldiers certainly had a lot of flair. However, most of the warhorses they rode were small. Why is that?"

really!

His Majesty's sudden summons is not a good thing.

Zhang Jingshi immediately shifted the blame, saying, "Your Majesty, although matters concerning horse administration fall under the Ministry of War, most of the work is handled by the Court of Imperial Stud. For specific details, Your Majesty can consult the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud."

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhen nearly ground her back teeth to powder.

Normally, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud needs the approval of the Ministry of War to do anything, so why is it that when it comes to His Majesty, the Court of Imperial Stud is in charge of everything?

What kind of non-stick pan is this?
PS:

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(End of this chapter)