Chapter 66 The Emperor's Troubles

Zheng Bangcheng increasingly felt that He Chong'an was a rare talent, and resolved to make a major effort to recruit him.

He Chong'an quickly interrupted, saying, "Uncle Zheng's affairs are my affairs. To serve Uncle Zheng, what benefits could I possibly ask for? Besides, I have already obtained the greatest benefit."

"What benefit?" Zheng Bangcheng asked.

"Preparing for the examination half a month earlier than others. I must enter the Xianyang Palace Academy."

He Chong'an was extremely confident about this.

He Chong'an didn't care at all about literature-based examinations. He figured he would have about a month of study time, which was more than enough for him to take first place. If he didn't have this kind of capability, how could he have become a strategist for a major figure in his school? His foundational writing skills were definitely up to par.

For someone with solid writing fundamentals, Classical Chinese texts were a piece of cake.

If he were taking the imperial civil service examinations, it might be a bit difficult.

However, the examinations for military nobility had always been more lenient.

As for martial arts and physical skills:

It seemed that because He Chong'an had experienced transmigration, his physical fitness was exceptionally good. Coupled with the fact that the He family had so many top-tier instructors giving him last-minute guidance, he wouldn't lose too many points.

He Chong'an wasn't just confident in himself.

Most importantly, he was confident in others.

Among the noble scions in the capital today, actually very few practiced martial arts year-round. Most of them just crammed at the last minute—who should be afraid of whom?

"Good." Zheng Bangcheng pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind. "I will go see His Majesty right now."

Having served as an imperial bodyguard commander by the Emperor's side for many years, he still possessed this bit of political connection.

"No, first go to the Bureau of Military Affairs to pay respects to the Duke Defending the State. Protocol must still be observed," He Chong'an said. "Suffer all the grievances first. Uncle Zheng, do not forget that you were assigned to the Bureau of Military Affairs by His Majesty."

The implication was that the Duke Defending the State suppressing Zheng Bangcheng was not merely suppressing Zheng Bangcheng himself, but rather slapping the Emperor in the face.

Zheng Bangcheng's eyes lit up: "Brilliant, truly brilliant."

Sunlight filtered through the glass, casting its rays upon a branch of red plum blossoms.

The red plum branch was placed in a nearly transparent, solid white porcelain vase. Wearing his reading glasses, the Emperor gently snipped a twig with a pair of scissors, then stepped back a few paces to look. The sunlight washed over the red plum blossoms like water, making even the white porcelain vase seem to glow.

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction.

"Your Majesty, this subject has disgraced you." Upon entering the door, Zheng Bangcheng knelt directly on the black brick floor.

"Very well." Somewhat disappointed, the Emperor put down the scissors and said, "Speak if you have business."

"This subject received orders to enter the Bureau of Military Affairs, but Military Commissioner Niu assigned this subject to wait in the palace. This subject has no objections, thinking that being a bit closer to Your Majesty is also a good thing."

"As for the various affairs of the Xianyang Palace Academy, I was told not to worry about them. This subject figured that since I have never handled practical matters in all these years, following the established precedents of the past is also fine."

"Yet, this subject has racked his brains, wishing to serve the imperial court and Your Majesty. Finally, I discovered a problem and devised a method. When I went to pay respects to the Duke Defending the State, the Duke he—"

"He—"

"What about him?" The Emperor had no patience for Zheng Bangcheng's stammering.

"He said this subject was making a fuss over nothing."

"This subject regards the Duke Defending the State as an elder. Even if my ideas had any inappropriate aspects, he should not have insulted me thus. This subject—"

"Enough nonsense. What is your method? Present it." The Emperor just wanted to yawn: Wasn't this just complaining behind someone's back? He had seen too much of this bureaucratic behavior. He wished he could skip the foreplay and get straight to the meat of the matter.

Moreover, he felt Zheng Bangcheng was still young after all, and his acting skills needed practice. Watching him was awkward.

For the sake of Zheng Wannian, the Emperor chose to see through the act without exposing it.

However, when he opened Zheng Bangcheng's memorial and gave it a cursory glance, he thought to himself inwardly: "Brilliant."

The Emperor had far too much experience in political struggles. At a single glance, he saw through Zheng Bangcheng's intentions.

The justification was upright and aboveboard, leaving others with no grounds for criticism. Along the way, it won over the middle and lower-tier nobility in the capital.

The Emperor actually knew very well that it was not easy to make a living in the capital, and it was very hard for scions of many middle and lower-tier noble families to make a name for themselves. Furthermore, among the peerages of the Great Xia, very few were hereditary without reduction; most were like the He family, dropping a rank with each successive generation.

This gave many nobles a tremendous sense of crisis.

They wanted to perform meritorious deeds, climb upward, and prevent the decline of their households.

And the Xianyang Palace Academy was the supreme channel for nobles to enter officialdom. If it were opened up to them, they would undoubtedly rush for it. As beneficiaries of the Zheng family's policies, leaning toward the Zheng family in the future would become a natural consequence.

"With this single move, the Zheng family will firmly establish its footing in the Bureau of Military Affairs."

Yet, paradoxically, the Emperor began to hesitate.

"Is it really good to let them go on fighting like this?"

Emperor Jiachen was actually very conflicted.

Ever since he had walked a circle between life and death, Emperor Jiachen felt that all things in the world were mere illusions.

Father and son were illusions, husband and wife were illusions, the realm was an illusion, and the world was too.

The youthful ambition of building eternal military glory had long since vanished like smoke.

As for the affairs of the court, he didn't want to manage them; seeing them was a nuisance.

He didn't want to manage them, but he couldn't afford not to.

That was why he had formulated his current policy: maintain stability above all else. As for other matters, procrastinate whenever possible; whenever a conflict could be suppressed, suppress it. Patching things up day after day, year after year.

How could the Emperor not know about the various trials Zheng Bangcheng encountered upon entering the Bureau of Military Affairs?

He had tacitly allowed it.

He had given Zheng Bangcheng an opportunity, but Zheng Bangcheng was incompetent, so he couldn't be blamed.

But now, Zheng Bangcheng seemed to have become competent. The intensity of the future struggle between the two factions would escalate, and heaven knows how much chaos and trouble would ensue.

The time he would have to spend dealing with state affairs in the future would increase.

This would interfere with his regimen of preserving his health and longevity.

This was also the idea Emperor Jiachen had consistently upheld over the years.

Over all these years, what matter could possibly be concealed from Emperor Jiachen's eyes?

He simply chose not to look.

Whenever he was forced to handle a matter, his guiding principle was always to prioritize whatever saved the most trouble.

The matter right now seemed to intensify the conflict between the two factions once again, which did not align with this principle.

Yet Emperor Jiachen also understood in his heart: "The founding nobility, the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Imperial Guards—indeed, they are due for an overhaul."

He was well aware that the Eight Founding Dukes were merely seasoned bureaucrats, by no means military generals capable of leading troops in battle, nor did they possess the ability to integrate military forces across the four quarters.

This problem was not discovered only today.

One could even say that when Emperor Mingzong reformed the Bureau of Military Affairs, he had already anticipated it, and perhaps even intended it to be so.

Herein lay a very realistic question.

Did the Bureau of Military Affairs need a renowned general at its helm?

Many national defense ministers in later generations originated from civil service backgrounds, and the principle was the same.

Because the Eight Founding Dukes sat in the Bureau of Military Affairs on the strength of their ancestors' legacy, their influence in the military was limited, and even that influence had faded considerably. They had to rely on the central government and imperial authority to command the deterrent awe needed over the generals below them.

They would never rebel.

Because they lacked the capability to do so.

But what if someone else were put in their place?

Take Zheng Wannian, for example.

A renowned general forged in the fires of warfare like Zheng Wannian naturally had his own core faction of followers. In the hearts of these followers, there was only the Prince of Nanhai, Zheng Wannian, not the Emperor.

This wasn't a question of whether Zheng Wannian harbored rebellious intent; rather, it meant he possessed the ability to rebel.

Zheng Wannian would never become the Military Commissioner.

In the position of Military Commissioner, absolute loyalty outweighed capability.