Zhu Ci thought back for a moment and remembered that the Internal Procuratorate was responsible for the construction of princely estates, though it seemed now that its responsibilities had expanded.
He looked at Ma Shiying, who was making his submission, then at the unmoved Li Fuguo, suddenly finding the situation quite interesting.
The eunuch leader had no interest in such matters, but the Grand Secretary was desperately trying to grant the eunuchs more power.
Zhu Ci had already realized that Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng had been clinging to the eunuch faction all along to counter the Donglin Party. Li Fuguo did not seem to be on the same side as Ma Shiying, yet he also did not seem to have much interaction with the leader of the Donglin Party, Gao Hongtu.
Was he merely dependent on imperial power like the Jinyi Guard, or did he have other ulterior motives?
Zhu Ci observed Zhu Yousong while lost in thought; he naturally hoped the Construction Bureau would take over this matter. Currently, the Armament Bureau was barely under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works, so perhaps a connection could be made.
Of course, the most important thing was that he also wanted to learn about the construction of defensive facilities and such. This broken regime had only lasted for a single year, but this year also included the time it took for the Qing army to advance on Nanjing, which meant that war would break out before that.
However, Zhu Ci did not express an opinion; his current status was not yet high enough to speak freely on such matters.
Zhu Yousong turned his head to look at him and asked, "Does the Crown Prince think it is more appropriate for the Construction Bureau to be responsible, or the Internal Procuratorate?"
Zhu Ci's heart skipped a beat, his mind began to think involuntarily: What did he mean by asking this? Was he testing whether I was close to the Donglin Party or the Grand Secretary's Party? How should I answer to satisfy this tyrant?
His mind raced, but he said without any hesitation, "I know nothing about either of these locations. I will follow whatever Father Emperor decides. This project shouldn't be troublesome; the only thing to keep in mind is to leave space for placing the firearms."
No matter how much he craved the blueprints for the rockets, he could not reveal his curiosity regarding firearms, nor could he make decisions on his own.
This was the line Zhu Ci had drawn for himself; the time pressure was real, but it was also true that the Zhu Yousong before him was even more terrifying than the Qing army.
Zhu Yousong then said, "Then let the Construction Bureau handle it."
Ma Shiying was somewhat surprised; he glanced at Li Fuguo and said no more.
Zhu Ci saw his expression and guessed that he was likely wondering whether Zhu Yousong intended to support the Donglin Party.
However, Zhu Ci felt that Zhu Yousong likely lacked the intelligence for that; his choice of the Construction Bureau likely had only one reason: the Construction Bureau spent the imperial treasury's money, whereas the Internal Procuratorate spent its own private coffers.
Because the Ministry of Revenue contains a large number of Donglin Party members, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Zhu Yousong to use the state's funds for his own pleasure, the money in his own pockets cannot sustain him for long. Naturally, he must find ways to "increase revenue and reduce expenditure."
Once the matter was settled and the sky had grown dark, Zhu Ci and Ma Shiying left Wenhua Hall together.
After stepping outside, Ma Shiying suddenly asked, "It seems Your Highness is quite interested in cannons?"
Author's Note:
----------------------
Zhu Ci: Using advanced firearms to fuel factional strife, I'm truly speechless. *Cat secretly touches a birdlock musket. jpg*
Next update tomorrow at noon~
Chapter 12
Zhu Ci's heart skipped a beat, he began to reflect on whether his words and actions had been too obvious.
In an instant, he judged that if Zhu Yousong wasn't playing the fool to eat the tiger, he wouldn't have been able to tell.
As for why Ma Shiying could tell.. Having survived in the imperial court for so many years, everyone was sharper than the last; his level of skill might not even be worth mentioning in front of them.
Zhu Ci smiled slightly and said, "I have some interest, but I mostly looked into it because of this gambling game; otherwise, it feels like something is missing when it's just real combat."
Ma Shiying smiled, his expression remaining impassive, said, "This old official knows little about cannons, but he knows a thing or two about fireworks. This gambling game shouldn't actually use cannons; fireworks and firecrackers would be more appropriate. What does Your Highness think?"
Zhu Ci gave an ambiguous response, "Indeed, but this is my first time encountering this kind of gambling game; the rest will likely depend on how the Construction Bureau builds it."
Ma Shiying shook his head and said, "I'm afraid this gambling game won't be ready before the New Year. What a pity. If it could be completed before then, it could serve as a New Year's gift for His Majesty."
Many thoughts flashed through Zhu Ci's mind, but ultimately, his face was filled with confusion. "It's only just the beginning of the tenth month, so there are still two months left. This isn't even a massive project; how could it not be completed?
Ma Shiying smiled faintly. "Your Highness, just wait and see."
Tsk, die, you riddle-maker!
However, Zhu Ci also heard that Ma Shiying still wanted the Internal Procuratorate to be responsible for this matter.
Although Zhu Yousong had already made his decision, looking at him like this.. could he possibly change it?
After Zhu Ci boarded the Azure Chariot, he kept spinning around as he analyzed the current known political situation in the imperial court, feeling that Ma Shiying's intention might be that the Donglin Party would oppose it.
If this continues to drag on, it will inevitably fail to be completed before the end of the year.
However, Zhu Ci did not mind; he just wanted to find an opportunity to get in touch with the Ministry of Works to see if he could obtain the blueprints.
Just as he had guessed, the Donglin Party was the first to jump out in opposition, stating that there were no longer any large open spaces near Nanjing.
After all, Zhu Yousong requested that the closer it was to the Imperial Palace, the better.
Meanwhile, the Grand Secretary's Party stepped forward, stating that they could designate a specific area and have all the civilians there relocated.
Donglin Party: You are wasting people's labor and exhausting the state's resources!
Grand Secretary's Party: You defy the Imperial Will!
Donglin Party: You are a sycophant!
Grand Secretary's Party: You show no respect to your Emperor!
The two sides argued back and forth with great fervor, yet as the leaders, Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu offered no opinions, allowing those below them to dispute amongst themselves.
Zhu Yousong was clearly dissatisfied with the Donglin Party, but he also feared their immense influence and did not want to confront them directly. He gave a light snort and asked, "Crown Prince, you give us your thoughts."
As the primary initiator of this project, Zhu Ci was summoned halfway through the Grand Assembly.
As he was walking over, he was still wondering if this old fossil was going to depose the Crown Prince again, but he never expected it was actually for this matter.
However, this was not an easy choice; the implications were too significant, offending either side would be troublesome.
If they can't do anything about the Emperor, can they not at least deal with the Crown Prince?
The Prince of Qi was indeed suppressed by him, but the Donglin Party remained unscathed, with only minor figures suffering losses. This indicated that the opposition had treated the Prince of Qi as nothing more than a pawn from beginning to end, never believing he could ever rise to power.
As for the poisoning, it was not something the Prince of Qi and Consort Chen could have achieved; there must have been the handiwork of the Donglin Party involved.
If the Donglin Party can use poison, then why couldn't the Grand Secretary's Party, who has been suppressing the Donglin Party, do the same?
Zhu Ci felt that there was not a single trustworthy person in this imperial court, but since the Donglin Party had already been offended, he did not care about offending a few more.
He bowed toward Zhu Yousong and said, "Reporting to Father Emperor, your son believes it is indeed unsuitable to choose a location nearby. While relocating the civilians would be easy, it would still consume time, furthermore, I fear it might take as long as half a year to complete the construction. This would only dampen Father Emperor's interest."
Zhu Yousong thought about it and found that it made sense, so he said languidly, "How do you suggest we handle it?"
Zhu Ci said, "I personally feel that staying a bit further away would be no problem. If it truly comes to that, we could simply set up some tents. Although they might be a bit crude, marching and fighting inherently require sleeping in camps; there is a unique charm to be found within the vastness of the world."
Zhu Yousong had never slept in a tent since he was a child, but hearing this, he actually felt a bit of interest.
An imperial censor immediately stepped forward and said, "How can Your Majesty, in your precious person, stay in such a crude tent? A temporary palace must be constructed!"
Zhu Ci lowered his eyes and looked at the ground, knowing that a new round of elementary schooler-style bickering was about to begin.
Indeed, in his view, the bickering between the Donglin Party and the Grand Secretary's Party was no different from elementary schoolers fighting; it was essentially just the same old repetitive arguments going back and forth.
However, seeing how composed Gao Hongtu and Ma Shiying were, it was clear that this matter was no big deal in their eyes, merely the daily bickering between the two factions.
"Enough." Zhu Yousong had clearly seen enough of them arguing.
He just wanted to play a gambling game; was it really worth making such a massive scene?
He is the Emperor; shouldn't everyone obey his every command at a single word? They insist on arguing one after another—do they have no respect for him as Emperor!
Zhu Yousong said directly, "The Construction Bureau is responsible for site selection and construction, the Crown Prince will oversee everything."
Zhu Ci stood there for a moment, lost in confusion.
What on earth? Who is being sent to take charge?
When he realized that the gazes of many officials, including Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu, had fallen upon him, he knew he had not misheard.
Zhu Ci immediately bowed and replied, "Your servant obeys the imperial decree."
It seemed that his favorability and trust levels had been raised enough lately; otherwise, Zhu Yousong would not have given him the opportunity to contact the court officials.
Of course, one cannot rule out the possibility that this old fox is using this matter to fish.
But whatever, since he had been given this opportunity, what happened next would no longer be for Zhu Yousong to decide.
Upon hearing this, Gao Hongtu's mind stirred as he said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is still young and may find it difficult to stand on his own; I fear he will need someone to assist him."
Zhu Yousong did not hesitate at all: "Leave this matter to the Grand Chancellor to arrange."
Gao Hongtu bowed in response.
Ma Shiying's heart sank. Gao Hongtu was the Grand Chancellor, the very same Grand Chancellor mentioned by the Emperor Zhu Yousong in the Ministry of Personnel. With his immense influence in the imperial court, if the Grand Chancellor were to arrange for people to assist the Crown Prince, the Donglin Party could use that as a legitimate excuse to plant their own people by the Crown Prince's side.
They must not be allowed to succeed," Ma Shiying said immediately. "Your Majesty, in that case, why not finalize the appointments for the Eastern Palace Attendants so they can be specifically responsible for this matter?
There were several hundred Eastern Palace Attendants in total. No matter how long the reach of the Donglin Party was, it would be impossible to squeeze in more than a few hundred people, not to mention that the Ministry of Personnel had its own people as well.
Hearing that officials were to be assigned to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Yousong couldn't help but frown.
The Eastern Palace is essentially like a miniature imperial court; what if someone becomes fanatically loyal to the Crown Prince?
Zhu Ci stood to the side without saying a word, as if the matters of the Eastern Palace had nothing to do with him. He did not intend to speak on this matter; after all, he looked down on every single one of these officials in the imperial court.
One by one, they only know how to engage in factional strife. Killing them all might result in some wrongful deaths, but if I kill every other one, there will certainly be some that slip through the net.
As it turned out, unexpectedly, Zhu Yousong added, "What does the Crown Prince say?"
Me? What am I supposed to say?
You never seemed to care about my opinion before; why are you acting like this now!
Zhu Ci turned and said, "Father Emperor, I believe that since they are to assist me, the Eastern Palace Attendants should ideally be officials with experience in the imperial court. They can have lower ranks, but they must be experienced. In addition, the Eastern Palace officials should undergo annual performance evaluations conducted by the Ministry of Personnel or individuals designated by Father Emperor; if they are found unqualified, they must be replaced."
Zhu Yousong nodded as he listened, his brow relaxing slightly.
In this way, the Eastern Palace would also be under his control. Any officials wishing to remain in the Eastern Palace would have to be utterly loyal to the Emperor; otherwise, if the Emperor deemed them unsuitable, he would replace them.
Zhu Yousong nodded at Zhu Ci with satisfaction: "The Crown Prince is excellent; he has truly won my heart."
Gao Hongtu and Ma Shiying couldn't help but steal a glance at Zhu Ci, secretly wondering if this Crown Prince truly only cared for food and pleasure, or if he was merely playing the fool to hide his true strength.
Ever since being accused of treason, the Crown Prince's every word and action has aligned with the Emperor's wishes, which has truly pleased the Emperor.
In this position, to be able to endure without reaching out to seize power, the Crown Prince is either terrified out of his wits or possesses profound foresight.
Regardless of which it is, once they have arranged for someone to work closely with the Crown Prince day and night, they will be able to tell the difference.
After the court session ended, Zhu Ci returned to the Eastern Palace and sat alone in the study, sighing.