Huangming

Chapter 274 The Emperor's Schemes, the Warring States Game

The 25th day of the fifth month of the first year of the Tianqi reign.

The city of Beijing was shrouded in sweltering heat; even the old trees within the palace walls drooped listlessly, and the cicadas' chirping carried a hint of restlessness.

Zhu Youxiao moved the place where he reviewed memorials to Qionghua Island in Beihai Park, Xiyuan.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Without the ice from the ice cellar to keep it cool, the warm room was like a steamer; even holding a red brush felt too hot.

Initially, he planned to go to Wanshou Palace to escape the summer heat. It was where the Jiajing Emperor had lived for a long time. Located by Taiye Pond, it was densely wooded and had always been known for its coolness.

But once they moved in, they discovered that the palace, which had weathered more than fifty years of storms, was no longer the magnificent place it once was.

Although the main hall still stands, the painted beams are mottled and faded, revealing the dark wood underneath.

Several pillars were badly damaged by termites; wood chips would fall off at the slightest touch.

What made Zhu Youxiao most uncomfortable was that the windows in the palace were closed all year round, and the air was filled with a lingering musty smell, mixed with the smell of cinnabar left by Emperor Jiajing when he was making elixirs, which always made people dizzy.

After only three days, Zhu Youxiao could no longer bear it and simply moved to Qionghua Island in Beihai.

Of course, Qionghua Island was only a temporary stop. After the autumnal equinox and the summer heat dissipated, they would have to move back to Qianqing Palace.

After all, the Qianqing Palace was the proper place for emperors to govern.

In truth, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty had it tough. The emperors of the Yuan Dynasty before them could go to Shangdu to escape the summer heat, and the emperors of the Qing Dynasty after them could go to the Chengde Mountain Resort to spend the summer, staying for months at a time. How carefree they were!

In contrast, if the emperor had dared to leave the capital to escape the summer heat, the impeachment memorials from the censors would have piled up on his desk.

For example, Emperor Zhengde went to Xuanfu Town to escape the summer heat and stayed there for three months, which prompted all the officials to kneel down and remonstrate.

With the borders still unsettled and the national treasury short of funds, Zhu Youxiao had no reason to provoke a contest with the civil officials over such a trivial matter.

However, not being able to leave the palace didn't bother Zhu Youxiao.

The scenery on Qionghua Island is quite beautiful.

The main hall, Guanghan Hall, stands majestically in the heart of the island, surrounded by ancient cypress trees that block out the sun; the other halls are scattered like stars, some built against the cliffs, others by the water, each with its own exquisite design.

The most eye-catching of them all is the Yingzhou Square Pot.

This palace has quite a history. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was where Kublai Khan conducted his summer government. After several renovations, it has now been transformed into a two-story waterside pavilion: the base of the columns on the ground floor is directly immersed in Taiye Pond, and cool air rises from underwater; the upper floor has been expanded with a suspended corridor, from which one can enjoy a panoramic view of the lotus blossoms and willows of Taiye Pond.

At this moment, in the main hall on the first floor of Yingzhou Fanghu, Zhu Youxiao was bent over a long table reviewing memorials.

There weren't many items on the desk, just an inkstone, a few red brushes, and stacks of neatly arranged memorials.

Unlike the oppressive atmosphere of the East Warm Pavilion in the Qianqing Palace, this place is well-ventilated on all sides. The water vapor from Taiye Pond mixed with the fragrance of lotus flowers wafts over, and even the air has a moist coolness, making it much more comfortable than the East Warm Pavilion.

Here, even ice is used sparingly; there is only a small ice box about half a foot square next to the table, containing a few pieces of crushed ice, which is enough to dispel the summer heat.

Zhu Youxiao knew very well that the palace had always been extravagant in its use of ice. In the summer, the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace alone would consume thousands of catties of ice a day. This ice had to be stored in the ice cellar in the twelfth lunar month. The transportation and guarding of this ice required manpower and resources. In total, the cost of ice alone was enough for a middle-class family to live on for half a year.

Nowadays, in this Yingzhou Fanghu, thanks to the natural coolness of the water, ice can be saved by more than half, which can be considered a small matter of "saving money".

Zhu Youxiao stretched, picked up the top envelope, and raised an eyebrow when he saw the private seal of "Tianjin Coastal Defense Guerrilla Mao" on the cover.

Unseal the wax, unfold the letter, and Mao Wenlong's powerful handwriting leaps off the page.

The secret report detailed his arrangements after arriving in Tianjin: verifying the number of ships with Chen Qiyu, inspecting naval drills, and contacting Zhang Pan and others in southern Liaoning...

His words exude a decisive and efficient spirit.

At the end, he bluntly made several requests: he asked the court to allocate 30,000 shi of grain from the imperial granary, 500 three-barreled muskets from the Bureau of Armory, and 300 warhorses from the Court of Imperial Stud.
"At least one of them dares to speak up."

Zhu Youxiao had a smile on his lips.

These items were numerous and valuable, but compared to the gains from the surprise attack on Hetu Ala, they were insignificant.

He immediately picked up a vermilion brush and wrote in the blank space of the secret memorial: "All requests are approved. The Ministry of Revenue shall allocate the grain and fodder within five days, the Bureau of Armory shall send the firearms by special personnel, and the Court of Imperial Stud shall send three hundred warhorses immediately. Minister Mao may act according to the circumstances, without having to ask for permission for everything, just seek success."

After writing it, he summoned his personal eunuch: "Immediately send this memorial to the Directorate of Ceremonial for stamping, and then forward it to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, urging them to handle it quickly."

"In addition, send a few more Imperial Guards to accompany Mao Wenlong."

In his previous life, Mao Wenlong was known for his tendency to claim credit for others' work. For example, after the fall of Liaodong, Mao Wenlong reported an average of 20 victories a year in Dongjiang Town, and beheaded a total of "tens of thousands".

This is clearly a case of falsely claiming credit; most of those killed were Liaodong civilians and Koreans who were falsely accused of being enemies in order to obtain the reward money.

We must not let this bad habit develop.

I can reward those who have rendered meritorious service, but you cannot claim credit for others' work.

That would cross Zhu Youxiao's bottom line.

After the eunuchs left, Zhu Youxiao placed the approved secret memorial aside and turned his gaze back to the remaining memorials on his desk.

There were letters concerning disaster relief in Shaanxi, letters concerning military pay in Liaodong, and several letters from censors impeaching local officials for embezzlement. He had to review each and every one of these matters.

However, just as Zhu Youxiao picked up another memorial concerning salt permits in Jiangnan, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Wei Chao, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, strode in with a cautious smile on his face and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Fu requests an audience."

Zhu Youxiao paused slightly in his hand holding the vermilion brush, and his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

In fact, when I read the secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard this morning, I already knew that Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, had arrived in the capital this morning and was temporarily staying at the Tenth Prince's Mansion.

He had assumed that his uncle, having traveled a long way, would rest at the palace for a day or two, but he hadn't expected him to be in such a hurry, going straight to the palace without even taking a break. He hoped that the Prince of Fu, weighing several hundred pounds, wouldn't be worn out by the journey.

"Let him in."

"Slave, you obey!"

Wei Chao bowed and withdrew. Not long after, heavy footsteps and heavy breathing were heard outside the hall.

Everyone looked up and saw an unusually obese figure struggling to move into the hall.

It was none other than Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun.

By the time the prince reached the steps of the main hall, he was already panting heavily, and even his voice was wheezing.

"Your subject... Your subject, Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, respectfully wishes Your Majesty... lasting health!"

After saying that, he tried to kneel down, but his fat body was too cumbersome, and it took him a couple of struggles to finally lie down on the ground.

"Uncle, please rise quickly and take a seat," Zhu Youxiao said loudly, gesturing to Wei Chao.

A eunuch had already brought over a specially made large round chair.

Compared to the small stool that almost collapsed when Prince Fu came last time, this chair is more than a foot wider, and the seat is covered with a thick brocade cushion, making it look much more stable.

But as Zhu Changxun shifted his body and sat down, everyone couldn't help but secretly gasp in astonishment:

His round body almost filled the entire seat, the armrests on both sides were squeezed inward, and his thick buttocks could barely sink halfway down, with the rest of his flesh hanging off the edge of the chair. Coupled with his face, which was flushed from holding his breath, he looked even more comical than when he was kneeling earlier.

Zhu Changxun, however, paid no heed to these matters. He had barely settled in when he spoke urgently, his voice trembling slightly with breathlessness: "Your Majesty, during my journey south, I have persuaded Prince Chu to return to the capital in a few days. However… regarding my return to Luoyang…"

In order to get the emperor to let him return to his fiefdom, Zhu Changxun really risked his life this time.

He traveled from Beijing to Wuchang and back, covering thousands of miles in a single month.

This also includes the time spent in Wuchang persistently persuading the King of Chu, who had always avoided trouble, to agree to enter the capital.

Although most of the journey was by the Grand Canal, the arduous travel and the bumpy ride almost broke his 300-pound body.

"I've lost at least twenty pounds on this journey!"

Zhu Changxun slapped his thigh, his tone full of self-praise, as if losing twenty pounds was a tremendous achievement.

Zhu Youxiao looked at his belly, which showed no signs of shrinking, and suppressed a smile, knowing exactly what was going on.

This royal uncle probably counts the few meals he missed on the road as weight loss.

"Returning to Luoyang is not urgent for now. Besides persuading the Prince of Chu to come to the capital, what else did you see or hear on your trip to the Prince of Chu's residence?"

Zhu Changxun's fat face sagged, and a hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes.

Sure enough, returning to Luoyang smoothly wasn't so easy.

But he dared not reveal the slightest hint of it, and quickly straightened his body, putting on a sincere expression: "Your Majesty, I saw it with my own eyes in Wuchang, and the Chu Prince's mansion is truly extravagant beyond measure!"

He deliberately lowered his voice, speaking with a touch of exaggeration: "The threshold is carved from white marble, the artificial hill in the courtyard is made from rare stones transported from Taihu Lake, and even the maids wear gold bracelets! I've heard that the Prince of Chu's collection of antiques and calligraphy alone could fill three rooms. The people of Wuchang all curse him, saying that the Prince of Chu's mansion levies countless exorbitant taxes, with the salt tax alone being 30% higher than elsewhere, making life unbearable for the people!"

This statement was half true and half false, but every sentence led to the claim that "King Chu was rolling in wealth."

He had a clear plan in mind: the more he exaggerated the wealth of the King of Chu, the more interested the emperor would be in squeezing that money out of him, and the closer he would be to the target of five million taels.

"Oh?"

Zhu Youxiao indeed perked up, his previously drooping eyelids lifted, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"So, the King of Chu can afford it? How much is he willing to pay?"

Upon seeing this, Zhu Changxun was overjoyed and quickly replied, "After pestering him for several days, he finally relented. The Prince of Chu is willing to offer one million taels of silver! In addition, there are five thousand acres of fertile land outside Wuchang City, twenty thousand shi of grain, and ten grain transport ships! I only ask that Your Majesty can thoroughly confirm the 'false king case' so that he can peacefully remain the Prince of Chu."

Zhu Youxiao's eyes flickered slightly.

One million taels?
The King of Chu had been managing Wuchang for decades and had accumulated millions of taels of wealth, but he was not willing to easily part with one million taels.
Could it be that this fat man is exaggerating to get by and try to fool us first?

He suddenly curled the corners of his mouth and looked at Zhu Changxun with a half-smile: "If the Prince of Chu arrives in the capital and cannot produce one million taels, or if the amount is insufficient after conversion, the difference... can be made up by the Prince of Fu's mansion."

"what?"

Zhu Changxun felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water. His bright eyes instantly dimmed, and his thick chin trembled, almost causing him to slide off the chair.

He almost lost his life on this trip south. If he has to pay out of his own pocket to cover the losses, wouldn't that be a double loss?
But then he thought, if the King of Chu dared to play tricks, he had plenty of ways to deal with him, since he had leverage over the King of Chu.

He gritted his teeth, his fat face turning bright red: "Your Majesty, rest assured! If he dares to play tricks, I will expose all his crimes in Wuchang, including forcibly taking women and hoarding weapons! At that time, let alone one million taels, it will be enough to confiscate his Chu Prince's mansion! I will go and keep an eye on things right away, and I guarantee not a penny will be lost!"

Zhu Youxiao chuckled inwardly at his flustered appearance, but remained outwardly calm, instead softening his tone: "It's good that you have such good intentions, Uncle. Here's what we'll do: if the Prince of Chu can really come up with one million taels, I'll give you one hundred thousand taels; if he's willing to come up with two million taels, I'll give you two hundred thousand taels as a reward for your hard work, Uncle."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changxun's eyes lit up instantly.

One hundred thousand taels?
This is much faster than collecting rent in Luoyang!

He immediately forgot his urgency to return to Luoyang, and his fat face broke into a wide grin: "Your Majesty is wise! I will go and urge the Prince of Chu to send the silver over obediently!"

His mind was racing with calculations: he had a pretty good grasp of the King of Chu's situation, and squeezing two million taels out of him wasn't impossible. That way, he could both meet the emperor's quota and reap some benefits—a perfect win-win situation!

Prince Fu failed to notice that Zhu Youxiao, watching his excited retreating figure, had a cold glint in his eyes.

Using a greedy Prince Fu to intimidate other princes is a profitable deal, as it both enriches them and incites them to fight amongst themselves.

Let Prince Fu play the role of a traitor to the vassal state!
ps:
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(End of this chapter)