Chapter 9: I'm Just Here for the Drama

"Your Majesty, your humble brother only wishes to take up his fief as soon as possible. Even if it is not in the Suzhou-Hangzhou region, I have no complaints; I only beg for your imperial mercy." Zhu Quan prostrated himself on the ground, pleading bitterly.

Zhu Di hesitated. In his heart, he would have found it acceptable to settle Zhu Quan anywhere. However, Zhu Quan was wild by nature and harbored resentment toward him. To place him in a local region raised the fear that he would recruit old subordinates and raise private armies to disrupt the stability of the province.

History would prove that Zhu Di’s judgment of character was quite accurate, though perhaps a bit late in its realization. The lineage of the Prince of Ning would not find their opportunity to rebel until the Zhengde reign, only to run headlong into Wang Yangming and see their efforts thwarted before they even began.

Xu Jingchang saw the opening. "Your Majesty, the Prince of Ning is not only your own brother but also a meritorious hero of the Jingnan Campaign. Furthermore, he possesses great ambition and extraordinary talent. Keeping him in the capital allows you to consult with him on state affairs and resolve difficult problems. As the saying goes, when brothers are of one mind, their strength can cut through metal. I firmly believe that we must not agree to the Prince of Ning’s departure. I hope Your Majesty will see the wisdom in this."

Jian Yi thought to himself that this boy, Xu Jingchang, was truly full of devious schemes. This effectively tethered the Prince of Ning; as long as he did not leave for his fief, he would do less harm to the common people.

Jian Yi added, "Your Majesty, I share the same view."

Zhu Di pondered for a moment and smiled. "Seventeenth brother, let’s do this: you shall reside in the capital for now. The former mansion of the Duke of E is quite suitable; I shall bestow it upon you."

Zhu Quan was furious. He could have been a king in his own domain, yet he was forced to remain in the capital as a mere guest. He absolutely loathed Xu Jingchang and Jian Yi. But at this moment, what could he do? He regretted ever joining Zhu Di in the Jingnan Campaign.

Zhu Di paused, feeling a pang of guilt for treating the Prince of Ning this way. But as the Son of Heaven, he could not afford to be indecisive or hesitant.

"Enough about the Prince of Ning. What about the Danning Regional Military Commission? What are your plans for it?"

The Danning Commission was located beyond the Xifeng Pass, not far from Tongliao. As everyone knew, it was a critical position, shielding Beiping and connecting to Liaodong. It was the very front line against the Mongol tribes.

Zhu Yuanzhang had stationed the Prince of Ning, Zhu Quan, there with eighty thousand armored troops and six thousand chariots—a massive stronghold in the frontier with formidable strength. It was precisely for this reason that Zhu Di had to drag him along to launch the Jingnan Campaign.

But the problem followed: Zhu Di had taken all the troops from the Danning Commission, leaving it a barren wasteland.

Zhu Di sighed. "When my Imperial Father established the Danning Commission, he didn't have time to relocate commoners there. To support tens of thousands of troops, he had to transport grain from the south via canal and sea, exhausting all efforts to barely maintain it. Now that the troops have been brought south, the resources required to rebuild the Danning Commission are immeasurable. The world has just endured a great war; the people are impoverished, and the treasury is empty. There is truly no way to maintain it. Relocating the Danning Commission is a necessity. But to abandon the territory that my father worked so hard to conquer so easily... I am not reconciled!"

Jian Yi nodded repeatedly. Given the current strength of the Great Ming, it was indeed impossible to maintain the Danning Commission, but such a valuable piece of land could not simply be thrown away.

"Your Majesty, I was just speaking with the Court of Transmission Envoy, Xu. He seems to have a way to handle this. You might want to hear his thoughts."

Zhu Di was surprised. "Jingchang, you have an idea?"

Xu Jingchang thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I suspect the Danning Commission still has its administrative structure; we cannot simply hand it over to the Uriankhai Triad. First, we must appoint some officials and draft a detailed handover process... taking ten or twenty years to complete it. Of course, that is what we tell them; dragging it out for thirty, fifty, or even a hundred years would be even better. Furthermore, I suspect the Uriankhai Triad is not a monolithic entity. Even though we have withdrawn, as long as we provoke infighting among them, they will eventually come begging for us to return. Does Your Majesty not agree with this logic?"

Zhu Di’s brow twitched, and he suddenly laughed. "Divide and disintegrate, keeping them in check with one another. Jingchang, your strategy is excellent!"

Xu Jingchang smiled subtly. Of course it was good. Great Britain had used it for eight hundred years. We can retreat, but we must create some trouble. Leaving them trapped in internal strife would leave them no time to create chaos for the Ming. Moreover, once they were locked in combat and the Ming had recovered its national strength, rebuilding the Danning Commission would be a natural progression.

Zhu Di weighed the options and smiled. "Jingchang, I am handing the matter of the Uriankhai Triad to you. Show me your true ability and handle this properly, so the entire court can see that my eye for talent was not wrong."

Xu Jingchang nodded. "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost to ensure this is handled flawlessly."

Xu Jingchang withdrew, and Jian Yi also took his leave to return to the Ministry of Personnel. Zhu Di sighed with relief and returned to the inner palace to see Empress Xu.

When the two met, Zhu Di explained the situation. Empress Xu frowned. "Your Majesty, the Uriankhai Triad is of great consequence. How could you so easily entrust it to Jingchang? If the boy fails to handle it well, will there not be endless future trouble?"

Zhu Di smiled helplessly. "I have no one else to use. You say the Danning Commission was built by my father’s hard work and cannot be lost. But for the past four years, the cavalry of the Uriankhai Triad has followed me through life and death, fighting on the front lines and performing great deeds. Neither Qiu Fu nor Zhu Neng can bring themselves to take action against them. As for the civil officials, they are full of Confucian principles but few are loyal, and they are incapable of handling such matters."

Hearing her husband, Empress Xu was resigned. "Your Majesty, if you put it that way, I will not argue. But this nephew of mine is the hope of the Xu family. You must look after him well; if anything happens to him, I will not stand for it! I originally wanted him to be a Left Chief Commander, but you had to listen to Master Yao and make him a Court of Transmission Envoy—a mere third-rank official, far too small."

Zhu Di was left speechless. In terms of rank, the Left Chief Commander was not low, but in terms of actual power, how could it compare to the Court of Transmission Envoy? The Empress surely knew this; she was simply seeking benefits for her nephew.

"Alright, don’t worry. Your nephew is mine as well. Besides, I still owe his father; how could I treat him poorly? Even if this boy pokes a hole in the sky, I will carry it for him!"

Only then did Empress Xu seem slightly satisfied.

Three days after Xu Jingchang took charge of the Uriankhai Triad, Zhu Di was preparing to ask about the situation when he found Zheng He approaching in a panic.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! They are fighting!"

"Fighting? Where? Who?" Zhu Di asked in alarm. Could it be the remnants of Jianwen causing trouble?

Zheng He panted, "It is the Uriankhai Triad! The Vice Commanders of the Uriankhai Guard, Tolu Hucha’er and Haerdai, along with Anchu and Tubushen of the Fuyu Guard, and Hulabanhu of the Taining Guard—they are all fighting! Each guard has mobilized its troops, and they are slaughtering each other right outside the capital's camp. Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng have already led troops over to strictly guard the perimeter and prevent it from spreading to the capital. I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict immediately; otherwise, a great disaster will occur."

Hearing this, Zhu Di could no longer sit still. He quickly dressed and donned his armor.

"Where is the Prince of Han? Tell him to come as well."

Zheng He said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? A few days ago, you and the Empress severely punished the Prince of Han; he is currently at home recovering from his injuries!"

Zhu Di’s brow twitched. "A real man, and he cannot even endure this much suffering? Tell him to crawl here immediately and follow me to suppress the rebellion."

Zheng He had no choice but to comply. A moment later, Zhu Gaoxu arrived, also clad in armor and mounted on a horse. If one looked closely, however, one would see his buttocks were not touching the saddle; he was using the strength of his legs to hover slightly, avoiding contact. Fortunately, Zhu Gaoxu was skilled enough that he could still sit steadily on his horse even in such a state.

Zhu Di saw this and took a deep breath. "Let’s go. Follow me."

They led their troops outside the city, joined up with Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng, and went directly to the military camp.

By this time, Xu Jingchang had also arrived, strolling along. With him were the Minister of Personnel, Jian Yi, the Minister of Revenue, Xia Yuanji, and several other high-ranking officials in red robes.

The leaders of the Uriankhai Triad, who were leading the fight, were also there. These were all veterans who had followed Zhu Di in the Jingnan Campaign and were very familiar with Qiu Fu and the others. They were filled with killing intent; Anchu had a wound on his face, and an arrow was stuck in Haerdai’s shoulder.

Zhu Di’s eyes burned with rage. "What is the meaning of this? You dare to start a massive brawl outside the capital? Do you want to be the death of me?"

Tolu Hucha’er stepped forward and bowed. "In reply to Your Majesty, this matter must be asked of the Court of Transmission Envoy, Xu. He insisted that the three guards take turns holding power. I was a Marshal during the Yuan Dynasty; why should I be treated the same as them?"

Anchu, hearing this, exploded in fury. "Old thief, don’t bring up the past! During the Jingnan Campaign, we were at the forefront, charging into the fray—why should we not hold power?"

Hulabanhu also gritted his teeth, glaring at them. The leaders of the three guards were at daggers drawn, looking as if they were about to fight again.

Only Xu Jingchang stood there with his hands behind his back, looking completely innocent: "I am just a bystander; this has nothing to do with me."