Chapter Ninety: Opening the Sea, Part Two

Chapter Ninety: Opening the Seas, Part Two

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

Opening the seas was a question of grave consequence.

No one dared speak lightly.

After a time, Yu Qian finally said, “Your Majesty, the policy of prohibiting maritime trade is an ancestral statute of the court. This is no moment for change. For the sake of a mere old port, to shake the whole national policy would be to sacrifice the root for the branch. That is not the way of wisdom.”

His political stance drew a wry smile from Zhu Qizhen.

Yes. What was the root, and what was the branch?

The root was to preserve Zhu Qizhen’s present power, to ensure that in the future he could become an emperor whose word carried the weight of all under heaven. The dying counsel of Lord Jian had made this very clear.

Do nothing. The more one does, the more one errs; the less one does, the less one errs.

But many strategic opportunities, once surrendered, required many times over, even dozens of times over, the time to reclaim.

There were many things he could ignore. But if he ignored the Shi family of Old Harbor now, then by the time he assumed personal rule, the Regional Pacification Office of Old Harbor would probably no longer exist.

Zhu Qizhen turned to Wang Zhen and Jin Ying. “What do you think?”

“Your Majesty,” Jin Ying said, “if it is only a matter of maintaining trade with Old Harbor, this servant has a way. Many things others do, our Eastern Depot can do as well.”

“I would not dare say it could be done without a soul knowing or a ghost sensing it, but anyone who seeks to keep our Eastern Depot from taking a share of the profits, this servant has methods to deal with them.”

At once, Zhu Qizhen felt enlightened.

Since Shi Chang’an had already made it plain that under the court’s maritime prohibition there were in fact many smuggling groups, though none had yet grown into a true force.

Yet those bold enough to do this were surely local magnates with power and connections.

But compared with the Eastern Depot, they were merely insignificant.

Though Zhu Qizhen looked down on the intelligence capabilities of both the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, when they truly meant to do something, especially dirty work, they were best suited to it.

He was about to nod when Yu Qian urgently counseled, “Your Majesty is the sovereign of ten thousand chariots. Why concern yourself with these petty, furtive dealings? If word ever spread, would it not merely invite the ridicule of all under heaven?”

For a moment Zhu Qizhen regretted it. He regretted having called Yu Qian here. And he also understood why the emperors of the Ming liked using eunuchs.

He said, “Mister Yu, I am not intent on the Southern Seas. It is only that I have just ascended the throne and already lost territory. In a hundred years, how am I to face the former emperor?”

“Am I to tell him that I, entrusted with the realm he left behind, failed to keep it?”

“You say that I should wait until I govern personally before recovering Old Harbor. By then the people will have been exhausted and the state impoverished. Yet now, what can be done with nothing more than vigilance and timely prevention would then require tens of thousands of troops.”

“In that case, the court and the realm will surely be thrown into turmoil.”

Hearing this, Yu Qian knew Zhu Qizhen’s mind was already made up. He had implied that even if nothing was done today, it would still have to be done in the future. Yu Qian thought to himself, Enough. Let us settle for the next best course. I cannot let the emperor go astray.

At the very least, Yu Qian looked upon the emperor’s plan to bypass the civil and military officials and support Old Harbor through smuggling with utter disdain. It was far too disgraceful.

Yu Qian said, “Since Your Majesty’s intention is fixed, this minister has one proposal, though it will require the support of the Grand Empress Dowager.”

Zhu Qizhen said, “Please speak.”

Yu Qian said, “Your Majesty has ascended the throne, and this year the reign title has been changed. The vassal states abroad may not all know of it. Eunuch Wang may let news out to the outside, saying that he wishes to accomplish the great work of Eunuch Zheng He, to summon envoys for Your Majesty and send another expedition to the Western Oceans.”

Wang Zhen’s breathing quickened.

Zhu Qizhen knew Wang Zhen had been tempted.

Though Wang Zhen was not well read, at heart he possessed a scholar’s stubbornness. He wanted to achieve fame and establish merit. Deep down, perhaps he did not entirely scorn himself for being a eunuch. Yet the more he despised himself, the more he wanted to perform deeds far beyond ordinary men, to let all the world see.

Faced with such a grand undertaking as another voyage to the Western Oceans, Wang Zhen was naturally moved.

But soon he calmed himself and said, “The Grand Empress Dowager would never permit such a thing.”

Not only would the Grand Empress Dowager not permit it, he himself would not go.

After all, only at the center of power could one hold real authority. If he were to travel far west for a year or two, would the place beside the emperor still be his?

Yu Qian said, “This matter is naturally different. This minister will also seek out several colleagues to propose abolishing the voyages to the Western Oceans, and making that a permanent rule.”

Zhu Qizhen frowned. “What does this mean, exactly?”

For Zhu Qizhen himself, he had no desire to abolish the maritime expeditions. After all, this was not decades later. As things stood, even as recently as the ninth year of Xuande, that is, the year before last, there had still been a fleet sent to the Southern Seas.

The personnel, ships, and commanders for the voyages still existed.

With only a sum of silver allocated, they could be mobilized again at once.

Yu Qian said, “This is a plan of retreating two steps while advancing one. Since we are abandoning the voyages to the Western Oceans, surely the regional pacification commissioners in the Southern Seas, as subjects of our dynasty, must be given some proper arrangement?”

“They are all subjects of the court. Even if they are far away in the Southern Seas now, the court cannot simply ignore them.”

“I can then urge that they be allowed, as subjects of our dynasty, to choose a port along the coast for trade.”

Zhu Qizhen drew a deep breath and immediately saw the essence of the plan. What retreating two steps and advancing one? This was plainly an exchange of interests.

It spoke of abolishing the system of voyages to the Western Oceans.

In actual history, the Ming had never truly abolished it, only suspended it.

But the ships and personnel had all been drawn from the various garrisons. After the voyages were suspended, the ships were assigned back to the garrisons, with no maintenance and no funding.

One could say it was not abolished, yet effectively it was.

But now Zhu Qizhen himself was proposing abolition. The manpower and ships of the Western Ocean voyages were a vast asset, and naturally each department would want its share.

Even if Zhu Qizhen later wished to send another expedition, ships, crew, and commanders would not be easy to find.

Zhu Qizhen paced slowly, thinking carefully.

Even if Yu Qian was speaking of only one port, and one meant for trade by the people of the dynasty, this tiny opening was still, in effect, an opening of the seas. Yet at the same time, it would make the great Western Ocean fleet, after enduring countless storms, vanish from the world forever.

Which was lighter, which heavier? He truly could not decide.

No matter. Zhu Qizhen thought to himself, what can be held in the hand is what belongs to one.

The Western Ocean fleet was tempting indeed, especially those great treasure ships, the very peak of Ming shipbuilding. It was a pity to abandon them.

But even if they were not abandoned now, these things were still not his to command.

Zhu Qizhen said, “Mister Yu, do you think the Grand Empress Dowager will agree to this?”

Yu Qian said, “I believe the Grand Empress Dowager cherishes Your Majesty’s reputation. Loss of territory, even if only a single inch overseas, is not what the Grand Empress Dowager would wish. As for suspending the Western Ocean fleet, that too is something the Grand Empress Dowager would wish to do.”

The Grand Empress Dowager naturally did not want to burden the people and exhaust the treasury. It was only that the Chenghua Emperor had not stated clearly that it should be suspended. The late emperor’s bones were scarcely cold, so it would not do to act too rashly.

Thus it had only been set aside for the time being.

One could even say that as long as the Grand Empress Dowager lived and reigned, this matter would remain shelved. And Zhu Qizhen also understood the Ming system, and understood all the more the weakness of Ming power.

Even after he ascended the throne, he might not be able to send a fleet to the Western Oceans immediately. After all, the Oirat had already become formidable. Between the north and the south, Zhu Qizhen had to choose.

And this choice, for anyone, was still a choice.

Because Oirat cavalry were only a few hundred li from Beijing, while the Southern Seas lay ten thousand li away. Oirat horsemen might well threaten the capital, whereas even if the Southern Seas were left alone, nothing would happen.

The weight of each was obvious.

Even after he began governing in person, for several years he would have no need of that fleet.

But in ten years, with poor maintenance, could the fleet still be used?

The fleet was a matter of emptiness; only the hearts of the people in the Southern Seas were real. Opening the seas could sustain those hearts, and in the future, when the Ming returned to the Southern Seas, there would still be a foundation.

Zhu Qizhen had made up his mind. “Grand Attendant Wang, to the Hall of Compassionate Peace.”

Wang Zhen immediately replied, “Yes.”

Zhu Qizhen said to Yu Qian, “Mister, wait here for me. I shall return at once.”

Before long, Zhu Qizhen arrived at the Hall of Compassionate Peace.

The Grand Empress Dowager sat in the study, reviewing one memorial after another. With a glance, Zhu Qizhen noticed a special seal. It was the silver seal of admonition and correction.

This was the seal granted by the Emperor Renzong to court lecturers, allowing them to enter the palace directly, with no one permitted to open their memorials. It was somewhat similar to the secret memorial system of later dynasties.

Only a few possessed such a seal, and at present there were only the Three Yangs.

Zhu Qizhen immediately understood that this was a secret memorial from the Three Yangs. He withdrew his gaze and bowed to the Grand Empress Dowager. “Your Majesty.”