Chapter 62: Upheaval in the Capital

West Garden.

Beside the Taiye Pond.

This imperial lake, initially constructed by adapting to the local terrain and later expanded, lay with a calm surface at this moment.

Only in the distant reed clusters did a few waterbirds linger.

At the fishing platform on the west side of the Chongzhi Hall and the Banana Garden.

Zhu Zaici, the current Crown Prince of the Great Ming Eastern Palace, who had not appeared in public for five days, was holding a fishing rod, leaning against a chair on the bank.

His gaze had already swept across the lake surface several times.

Perhaps due to the steadily rising temperature, the fish were not biting very well today.

Feng Bao served close by, carefully watching his surroundings.

He truly found it rather difficult to understand.

Why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had willingly accepted the Emperor's punishment.

And why, with the outside world in such an uproar over the past few days, could he still sit here with such unruffled composure...

Fishing?

Seeing that he was once again heading for a day of catching nothing, Zhu Zaici reluctantly secured his fishing rod and cast a sideways glance at Feng Bao.

A slight smile appeared on his face.

"Sitting alone by the pond like a crouching tiger,"

"Nourishing my spirit beneath the green shade."

"When spring arrives, I shall not speak first,"

"Which insect dares to make a sound!"

With that,

he let out a cold snort, an uncontainable sharpness gleaming in his eyes.

Feng Bao hurriedly bowed and stepped forward, glanced at the Heir Apparent, and immediately plastered a smile on his face. "What a magnificent poem, Your Highness!"

Though he himself was a read man, he had never heard this verse before.

It must undoubtedly be something His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had been inspired to compose after sitting here fishing day after day.

Zhu Zaici looked at Feng Bao, an expression of resolute determination surfacing on his increasingly mature adolescent face. "No matter how noisy the commotion outside, when all is said and done, some things are simply beyond their power to change."

Such as the struggle between imperial authority and ministerial power.

It has never been anything more than the west wind overpowering the east wind today, and the east wind overpowering the west wind tomorrow.

Ask the vast earth, who holds the reins of power?

How could the outcome ever be decided by a single game?

Before the Meridian Gate.

The hundred officials were struck with astonishment.

They raised their heads one after another to look at Huang Jin standing atop the city gate tower.

At his gesture, the crowd had no choice but to drop to their knees.

"We, your ministers, await the imperial decree."

Huang Jin cast a sideways glance at Zhu Qi beside him.

He harbored few reservations toward this commander of the Eastern Palace guards.

In a low voice, he instructed, "Commander Zhu, you must follow and serve His Highness well from now on."

Zhu Qi subconsciously nodded.

Huang Jin then turned back to look down from the city gate tower, speaking in a loud voice.

Framed and amplified by the endless palace walls, his voice carried far and wide.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims:"

"I take note of the saying in the *Book of Rites*: 'Jade that is not cut cannot be made into a vessel; a man who does not study cannot know the Way.' The Heir Apparent is the foundation of the ancestral state; in supervising the nation and pacifying the military, he must first thoroughly master the principles of government."

"Crown Prince Zaici, of tender years yet exceptionally gifted, with a divine intelligence bestowed by Heaven, has already mastered the principles of statecraft through the Classics Lectures. However, governing a country relies not merely on the study of phrases and sentences, but must be grounded in practical affairs."

"From this day forth, let all memorials and reports submitted by civil and military officials both inside and outside the capital be fully copied and sent to the Eastern Palace Secretariat."

"The regulations are as follows:..."

The voice of Huang Jin, Director of the Directorate of Ceremonie, echoed continuously.

Yet,

the officials before the Meridian Gate fell into a profound silence.

At this moment,

though silent, some felt joy in their hearts while others harbored anxiety and dread.

Zhang Zhi even wept tears of joy; the stifled grievance of several days instantly transformed into tears, yet his face was wreathed in smiles.

As for Lü Ben and the others, they felt as though they were kneeling on needles.

However, Huang Jin's voice did not stop.

"First, reviewing memorials to observe the sentiments of the people: the memorial reports from the Six Ministries and various Courts, as well as the memorials from all provinces, shall be copied in yellow silk by the Six Offices at the hour of *Chen*, and delivered to the Eastern Palace for review at the hour of *Si*. The Crown Prince may write in vermilion ink in the margins: 'This proposal is appropriate or not' or 'This strategy is workable,' and present them to Me every night for My personal inspection. Following the precedent of Emperor Renzong supervising the nation during the Yongle era, all matters concerning the Ministry of Revenue's finances, the Ministry of Punishments' judicial cases, and the Ministry of War's border affairs must be annotated item by item. The Hanlin scholars shall review them once every five days, and they shall be recorded in the *Record of the Eastern Palace's Governance Observations* for the archives."

Lü Ben, whose heart had already been gripped with tension, abruptly raised his head to look up at the city gate tower.

The face of this Grand Secretary was now as pale as iron.

The Crown Prince personally making vermilion annotations on memorials!

This was already elevating the Crown Prince to the handling of major national military and political affairs!

Where was this merely observing governance?!

The Emperor's intentions were as clear as day!

"Second, attending court assemblies to comprehend the balance of power: on the first and fifteenth days of every month, the Crown Prince shall have a seat set up beneath the throne in the Wenhua Hall to observe the hundred officials reporting and responding on crucial matters. In the past, Emperor Xuande instructed Emperor Yingzong: 'Administering politics is like watching a game of chess; one must observe the interplay of black and white.' Now, I command the Grand Secretaries, after the court assembly, to lecture on the *Ten Questions on Statecraft*, analyzing the pros and cons, and elucidating gains and losses."

"Third, questioning officials on governance to hone exceptional talent: on every ninth day of the month, the senior officials of the Nine Ministries and the censorate officials shall take turns on duty in the East Veranda of the Wenhua Hall. The Crown Prince shall interrogate them using the *Twelve Matters of Statecraft*: first, how to equalize taxation in the commutation of tribute grain; second, how to clear hidden and occupied lands in military agricultural colonies; third, how to make coastal defense garrisons deter foreign barbarians... The Supervisorate of Instruction shall record the responses into the *Collection of the Crown Prince's Inquiries on Governance*, to be compiled by the History Office at the end of the year. Anyone who dares to be perfunctory or shirk their duties shall be immediately impeached by the censors."

Madness!

Before the Meridian Gate, an uproar had already broken out.

Even though Huang Jin had not yet finished reciting the imperial decree, the crowd was in disarray.

Who could have imagined

that the Crown Prince, who had clearly been punished with five days of suspended lectures and self-reflection in the Qingning Palace, could now seize the supreme power of the central government in a single stroke?

Although the imperial decree stated only that the Heir Apparent was to observe governance, supervise the state, and question the hundred officials,

considering that the Emperor was devoted to Daoist cultivation and profound mysteries, residing deep within the West Garden and refusing to see officials,

this was undoubtedly laying the foundation for the Crown Prince to exercise actual ruling power!

Impossible!

It was utterly impossible!

Lü Ben, Wen Yuan, and others had faces as pale as wax at this moment.

Yet Huang Jin continued to speak.

"Fourth, participating in vital state affairs to solidify the foundation of the state: all urgent border reports and memorials concerning natural disasters may be reviewed by the Eastern Palace alongside Myself. When the garrison reports from the Three Borders of Xuanfu and Datong arrive, the Crown Prince is commanded to draft disposition strategies; when local offices memorialize to impeach corrupt officials, the Crown Prince shall examine and select personnel for surveillance; all powers and responsibilities pertaining to the trial opening of the maritime trade shall be under the full supervision and accountability of the Crown Prince. Imitating the precedents of King Cheng seeking counsel from the Duke of Zhou and Emperor Zhao of Han discerning the false letters concerning the Prince of Yan, I shall revise them with a vermilion brush, demonstrating the subtlety of imperial strategy."

At this point,

the Eastern Palace Heir Apparent was virtually able to intervene in almost all military and political affairs of the Great Ming Dynasty.

"I hereby specially decree that Zhang Juzheng, the Eastern Palace counselor on state affairs, shall lecture on three passages from the *Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance* every ten days, and must select and thoroughly explain the Rule of Wen and Jing in the Han dynasty, the Prosperity of Kaiyuan in the Tang dynasty, and the Governance of Renzong and Xuanzong in Our own dynasty; Huang Jin, Director of the Directorate of Ceremonie, and Feng Bao, Managing Eunuch of the Eastern Palace—if any memorial copies are delayed or altered, they shall be cast into the imperial prison. Furthermore, I bestow upon the Crown Prince a vermilion-annotated edition of the *Ancestral Instructions of the Hongwu Emperor*; whenever there are doubts in state affairs, he may consult the Founding Emperor's imperial annotations in the margins."

"In the past, the Duke of Zhou assisted King Cheng and established the rites and music, while Huo Guang aided Emperor Zhao and pacified the conspiracy of Yan. Today, I dare not compare myself to the sages of old, but I only wish that the Crown Prince: when he ascends the throne in days to come, he will naturally be able to make sovereign decisions independently, bringing peace and clarity to the universe!"

The reading of the imperial decree finally concluded here.

At the Meridian Gate, atop the city gate tower,

Huang Jin looked down at the thousands of faces below, a mere smile touching his lips.

"Proclaim this to all within and without the realm, that all may hear and know."

"Respect this."

The Director of the Directorate of Ceremonie, who alone wielded power over the inner court, had arrived silently with the imperial decree and now departed just as quietly with his retinue.

However,

below the city gate tower,

an utter uproar met the eye.

Everyone wore expressions of utter shock and astonishment.

At this moment,

there were those who rejoiced and those who sorrowed.

Every family had its own concerns.

Yet,

suddenly,

a resounding burst of laughter rang out.

It was Zhang Zhi, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet!

At this moment,

the Grand Secretary's laughter seemed as though it would shatter the glazed tiles of the imperial city.