The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

The capital city, Deshengmen.

On this day, Zhu Houzhao personally saw Jiang Bin, Xu Tai, and Zhang Yong off on their journey to the west. Apart from them, only Yang Yiqing, the Minister of Personnel, was invited to attend the ceremony.

Clearly, Zhu Houzhao still trusted Yang Yiqing in many matters and tried to get Yang Yiqing to help him negotiate peace in the court so that he could fulfill his ideal of personally leading an expedition.

Meanwhile, among the onlookers, Qian Ning, with an air of smug satisfaction, watched the departing procession with an air of triumph, feeling utterly pleased with himself.

"Commander Qian, are we really going to make that brat Ning Fan our young master? Zhang Yong came to see me yesterday, and he seemed to have a lot of opinions about what you're doing. He thinks you're making a fool of yourself." Zang Xianli stood behind Qian Ning and expressed his concerns.

Qian Ning didn't answer, but instead asked, "Has the imperial edict transferring Qian Ning and the young prince of Ning to the Northwest been issued yet?"

Zang Xian said, "We have already sent it by express horse. The official post station has also been expedited in delivering the documents to ensure that the imperial edict reaches the two of them."

"That's fine then. We haven't even entered the capital yet, have we?" Qian Ning didn't seem too keen to explain to Zang Xian.

Zang Xian quickly said, "Won't we lose the support of the people if we do this? After all, supporting a young master would harm the interests of too many people, and it might affect your prestige."

Qian Ning said angrily, "A bunch of short-sighted fools, haven't they thought about their own future?"

"What do you mean?" Zang Xian asked, looking puzzled.

"Didn't they consider that His Majesty might suddenly pass away one day, leaving him without an heir or a successor? Who would then decide on the succession? Do I really have to say such disrespectful things outright?" Qian Ning was furious.

I must share my profound thoughts with those short-sighted warriors.

Did I, Qian Ning, get to where I am today simply by flattering and bootlicking? Could I have done it without some ability and foresight?

Zang Xian asked, "Isn't it too far?"

Qian Ning said with a dark face, "Let's not talk about distant examples. Just look at the late Emperor Xiaozong and the late Emperor Xianzong. Which one of them didn't suddenly die in his prime? If that day really comes, do you think the people in the court won't retaliate against us and make us suffer?"

"This... Commander Qian, aren't you worrying too much? Right now, what they care about more is that you supported a member of the royal family from a foreign land to come to the capital, which has taken away everyone's interests," Zang Xian said earnestly.

Qian Ning said, "Who said we were going to support him as the young master? We're just going to have him adopted under His Majesty's name. He won't be given any authority. It won't make any difference whether he's here or not in the capital. The strange thing is, the Ming Dynasty doesn't have any princely fiefs enfeoffed around the capital. If something goes wrong, we won't even have anyone to temporarily fill the vacancy!"

Zang Xian seemed to understand something and asked, "So, this kid was just pulled out to fill a quota? He'll only be useful when...a major upheaval occurs?"

"Otherwise what?" Qian Ning sneered. "Having a member of the imperial clan in our hands, especially one who was once adopted by His Majesty, means he can rightfully become our puppet, used by us. Then, we can decide who to support. But without this member of the imperial clan, we'll be at their mercy, leaderless in crucial moments!"

Zang Xian nodded and said, "That seems to make some sense, but why does it have to be the Prince of Ning?"

Qian Ning said irritably, "Because none of the other princes are in such a hurry to send their sons to the capital. And what difference does it make which prince's mansion these sons come from, whether it's the Ning prince or someone else? We can also get some benefits from the Prince of Ning, so that he can keep sending gold and silver treasures to the capital. Isn't that what you want?"

"Oh, I understand now, you've made the most long-term plan!" Zang Xian said with a look of surprise.

It was as if he had suddenly had an epiphany.

However, he immediately thought of a question and asked, "If His Majesty understands the crux of the matter, won't he think you... have ulterior motives?"

Qian Ning said, "Isn't everything I've done for His Majesty?"

"Huh?" Zang Xian thought to himself, "They can actually abuse their power for personal gain so openly? And even do it under the guise of doing what's best for the emperor?"

Qian Ning sighed, "Leaving aside the fact that His Majesty wants to personally lead the expedition and needs a member of the imperial clan in the capital to reassure the people, shouldn't His Majesty also consider the future? What if His Majesty falls seriously ill, and the ministers use His Majesty's poor health as an excuse to bring a close member of the imperial clan to the capital to be groomed as the crown prince? If His Majesty doesn't agree, and the ministers stage a coup to install their desired emperor, how will you deal with that?"

Zang Xian looked alarmed and said, "Yes, if Emperor Jing had had an heir back then, or if he had adopted a child earlier, he wouldn't have ended up like that!"

Qian Ning said, "That's why I'm taking precautions. After all, even a dragon can make a mistake. Of course, once this Ning prince arrives in the capital, he'll just be a bargaining chip in our hands, so there's nothing to worry about! I also helped that kid Jiang Bin fight for a title this time. Once he gets it, he should be thanking me even more!"

Historically, Jiang Bin was not granted the title of Earl of Pinglu until after the Battle of Yingzhou in the twelfth year of the Zhengde reign.

Under the guise of acting in Jiang Bin's best interests, Qian Ning directly expelled Jiang Bin from the capital, which he considered a complete victory.

……

……

The ship was still heading north that day.

Tang Yin, in a bad mood, hid in the cabin and refused to come out. Zhu Yi, carrying the imperial edict he had just received, went to see him.

"His Majesty is transferring me to Xuanfu?"

Upon seeing the contents of the imperial edict, Tang Yin was instantly wide awake, feeling restless and uneasy, as if sitting on pins and needles.

Zhu Yi laughed and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Tang, on your opportunity to make a name for yourself in the Northwest. After returning to the capital, you will surely be highly regarded by the Emperor and rise to great heights like a phoenix spreading its wings!"

Tang Yin looked at Zhu Yi with a strange expression and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't they transfer you there too?"

"I'm just an extra."

Zhu Yi chuckled and said, "Look at this imperial edict. The military commander is Jiang Bin, and the supervising eunuch is Zhang Yong, but there is no mention of the military commander, the Censor-in-Chief. Even the governor of Xuanfu has no authority to interfere in this war. Isn't this clearly a way to make you, as a civil official accompanying the army, carry out this war? As for me, I'm just a nobody, just following you around to gain seniority."

Tang Yin said, "How can you understand it like that? A military officer? A censor-in-chief? I don't even have an official title."

Zhu Yi continued laughing, "Not now, but you'll have one when you return to the capital, won't you? If you achieve merit in resisting the Tatars, His Majesty can grant you the official position of Chuanfeng, and you'll be able to fulfill your wish of entering the court as an official? And even rise through the ranks!"

Tang Yin frowned and said, "What qualifications do I have?"

Zhu Yi said, "Why aren't you qualified? Your military achievements are your greatest asset, and besides, you're a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination)! In the Ming Dynasty, there were countless Juren who became officials, and many even rose to the ranks of the court. They could all reach the positions of Vice Minister and Minister with just a Juren degree, so why can't you? Wasn't this exactly what you were striving for when you painstakingly took the Jinshi (the highest level of the imperial examination)?"

"I……"

Upon hearing this, Tang Yin was instantly speechless.

If you have no desire for fame or fortune, then why were you hired by Prince Ning in your later years?

Pretending to be virtuous?

It's impossible to install!