Zhu Gaoxu reads a character, Zhu Di strikes back

Quiet Alley.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the down-and-out middle-aged fortune-teller running a stall before him. A patch of white silk stood out awkwardly against his dark black clothes, looking utterly out of place. An old copy of the Book of Changes lay on his stall, and the banner beside him bore the words "Fate and Fortune Reading."

"You are Jin Zhong?"

Zhu Gaoxu seemed rather unimpressed.

Jin Zhong narrowed his eyes and sized Zhu Gaoxu up, then rose and bowed. "I am. Young master, did an acquaintance send you?"

Zhu Gaoxu nodded slightly and followed his lead. "Indeed. May I ask, sir, can fate truly be divined?"

Jin Zhong studied Zhu Gaoxu with a smile. "All things and all appearances have an outer aspect and an inner aspect. Know the first, glimpse the second, and follow the tracks to the third-it is no difficult matter. A person's fate ultimately lies between yin and yang, within the five phases. Naturally, it can be divined."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded slightly, took out an ingot of silver, and placed it on the table. "Then please read mine, sir."

Jin Zhong stroked his beard, put away the silver, and asked, "Would you like a divination, young master, or a character reading?"

Zhu Gaoxu thought about the current situation. The slightest misstep would leave the Prince of Yan's Palace with no ground to stand on. Though he was the heir, he had no sound strategy and could only sit on pins and needles while Zhu Yunwen ate away at them step by step. What would become of his own fate?

With an inward sigh, Zhu Gaoxu said, "A character reading."

Jin Zhong prepared the brush and ink. "Are you asking about marriage, wealth, or your prospects, young master?"

Zhu Gaoxu took up the brush and wrote a character, with "person," meaning "person," above and "ten," meaning "ten," below. "Read my fate."

Jin Zhong glanced at Zhu Gaoxu, then picked up the paper and examined the character "San." He smiled faintly. "This character of yours is quite interesting, young master. First, San can mean this day, this moment. As the saying goes, a man without distant concerns is bound to have troubles close at hand. You ask about the present, which suggests you are beset by immediate worries. Second, San can mean an umbrella, something that provides shelter. This shows that you hold an important position and have protection above you. For now, you face no danger. However..."

"However, what?"

"However, beyond the umbrella lies nothing but wind and rain. Should the wind rise, you may well get soaked."

Zhu Gaoxu's brows lifted as he stared at Jin Zhong in astonishment.

Jin Zhong's words did indeed make sense.

At this very moment, worries piled upon worries, making even a single step difficult.

Right now, the New Army Strategy had stabbed into the three guards of the new army, and every soldier was waiting for his father's explanation. One mishandled response could send the Prince of Yan's Three Guards tearing apart in an instant, with all their loyalty lost.

As for the protection above him, did that not mean he was the heir, with a princely father over him?

No danger for now?

At present, though he was not yet in peril, he was still caught amid wind and rain. If a storm arose, even with protection, he could not emerge unscathed.

"Is there more?"

Zhu Gaoxu forced down his shock and asked.

Jin Zhong pointed to "umbrella." "Look here, young master. This character has 'man' above and 'ten' below. Looking from the bottom, 'ten' stretches vertically and horizontally, reaching north and south, linking east and west. Its meaning encompasses the four directions. The lands in all four directions belong to the sovereign. If my reading is correct, you come from an extraordinary background and must have ties to the imperial family. Your future path should lead to the rank of a prince, or no lower than a prince."

Zhu Gaoxu frowned slightly and pondered inwardly. No lower than a prince?

What did that mean?

Under the court's regulations for the princes, if his father died, his eldest brother Zhu Gaochi would certainly inherit the title of Prince of Yan. He himself could only become the Prince of Gaoyang.

There were only two ways he could become a prince:

First, his father and elder brother both died, and his brother left no descendants, allowing him to inherit the title of Prince of Yan as a matter of course.

Second, his father led them all in a struggle for the realm and dragged Zhu Yunwen from his throne. Once his father Zhu Di became emperor, would he not become a prince?

No lower than a prince?

What stood above a prince?

The emperor!

Could Jin Zhong be hinting that he possessed the fortune of a Son of Heaven?

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes shone as he looked at Jin Zhong and pressed, "Is there more?"

Jin Zhong said calmly, "Now look at the upper part of '仐.' It is '人,' a person. A person stands above the four directions, showing that you are certain to hold a lofty position in the future. It is just a little unfortunate..."

"What is unfortunate?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked hastily.

Jin Zhong pointed to the "umbrella" on the paper. "Unfortunately, this "person" has yet to rise fully above the rest."

Zhu Gaoxu's cheek twitched. He stared at Jin Zhong and shouted sharply, "What do you mean?"

Jin Zhong put away the paper and looked at Zhu Gaoxu, speaking evenly. "Before a man has risen, he forces his way to the fore; when fate grants its moment, he must not cease. A splendid future awaits you, young master. Why not walk onward and see?"

Seeing that Jin Zhong did not wish to say any more, Zhu Gaoxu suppressed his doubts and took out the jade pendant his father had given him. He placed it on the table and said respectfully, "I am Zhu Gaoxu. Please help the Prince of Yan's Palace escape its predicament, sir."

"Your Highness, the heir?" Jin Zhong was startled and hurried out from behind the stall to bow. "I had eyes but failed to see, and did not recognize Your Highness. Please forgive any offense I gave just now."

Zhu Gaoxu quickly helped Jin Zhong up and said solemnly, "I came today at my father's request to invite you to the palace for a discussion."

Jin Zhong chuckled. "It must be about that New Army Strategy?"

Zhu Gaoxu nodded gravely. "Do you have a way to counter it, sir?"

Jin Zhong shook his head slightly. "I must first speak with the Prince of Yan before deciding what to do. Please allow me to pack away these tools of my livelihood, Your Highness."

The Prince of Yan's Palace.

Zhu Di invited Jin Zhong to take the seat of honor. Jin Zhong dared not accept, and after repeatedly declining, sat to Zhu Di's right.

Zhu Di told Jin Zhong how and why he had politely refused to introduce the New Army Strategy to the three guards while in the Capital, then said, "Now the three guards are in a panic. Some even call me, Zhu Di, an iron-blooded butcher who cares nothing for human feelings. Heh. If this goes on, I shall have no choice but to return to the Capital and guard the imperial tombs."

After pondering for a long while, Jin Zhong said gravely, "Your Highness, the New Army Strategy is not impossible to break. There is still room to turn things around."

Zhu Di promptly rose and bowed deeply. "Please help me, sir."

Jin Zhong hastily stood and stepped aside. A prince's bow was not something he could afford to accept. If he were so boundlessly arrogant as to remain seated and receive it, he might find himself killed one day.

A man needed caution, a knowledge of etiquette, and an understanding of other people's thoughts.

This was Jin Zhong's way of surviving.

Jin Zhong returned the bow, then said solemnly, "Your Highness, the New Army Strategy offers exceptionally generous benefits, but it is also riddled with weaknesses."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Zhu Di drew Jin Zhong back down into his seat and asked.

Jin Zhong said, "The New Army Strategy unsettles men's hearts because, in the end, it all comes down to benefits. The emperor promises benefits to the troops and uses them to win their loyalty. But His Majesty is still a little too young. After implementing it in the Capital Garrison for barely more than a month, he dared to extend the New Army Strategy to North Zhili and other regions. This will create an enormous problem."

"What problem?"

Zhu Di pondered.

Jin Zhong said in a low voice, "Military expenditure will soar, and grain and pay will fall short! Your Highness has commanded troops for many years and must know how costly an army is. The New Army Strategy may look generous, but it cannot last. Consider this: where in the north is there so much meat? How much meat is available around Beiping Prefecture? And farther north? With the heavens freezing and the earth locked in ice, where will they find so many livestock?"

"Leaving meat aside, how much will the increased grain rations and pay cost? Beiping Prefecture currently has only seven hundred thousand shi of grain in storage, yet it must supply not merely the eighty thousand men of the three guards, but also the Regional Military Commission's fifty thousand troops and over a hundred thousand civilians. Not long ago, Sheng Yong transferred another thirty thousand troops into the city from the guards outside it. How much grain will all these people eat?"

"In the past, the grain supply and military pay barely balanced. Now thirty thousand more troops have been added, someone will have to go hungry. Once the court's supplies fail to keep up, the slightest flaw in the New Army Strategy will expose weaknesses everywhere. The New Army Strategy will become nothing but a laughingstock!"

"When that happens, the soldiers will fill the roads with complaints and refuse to remain loyal to a sovereign who makes empty promises. Then Your Highness need only raise an arm and call, and soldiers throughout the realm will flock to answer. The great undertaking can succeed!"

Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhang Yu, and the others all praised Jin Zhong's words.

It had to be said that Jin Zhong's words had struck Zhu Yunwen in his vital spot.

The New Army Strategy was easy to implement, but difficult to sustain. Once problems arose, the soldiers would stir up trouble. These were professional soldiers with weapons in their hands; one day, they might simply rebel!

Seen this way, things were not yet too terrible.

Zhu Di breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Before Dao Yan left, he recommended that you come to the Prince of Yan's Palace. Having heard your insightful views today, I see you are indeed extraordinary. But when do you think the New Army Strategy will reveal its weaknesses?"

Jin Zhong calculated on his fingers. "Within two years."

Zhu Di frowned. Two years was rather long, and he feared he could not wait that long. Still, if an opportunity truly awaited him, another two years would be worth waiting!

"Then how do we resolve our present predicament?"

Zhu Gaochi asked.

Jin Zhong cupped his hands toward Zhu Gaochi. "Your Highness has asked the most pressing question of the moment. This will require the Prince of Yan's cooperation..."

The three guards' parade ground.

Clad in armor and a battle robe, Zhu Di arrived in imposing splendor. The eighty thousand soldiers of the three guards stood in ordered ranks. For a moment, no one dared speak.

Though plenty dared to speak ill of Zhu Di in ordinary times, none dared confront him directly when they truly stood before him!

Standing on the raised platform, Zhu Di drew the Precious Sword at his waist and hurled it out, shouting, "Who wants to kill me, Zhu Di? Come on! Today, I shall stand right here and let him kill me. Whoever has the courage, step forward!"

His formidable authority blazed; no one dared move!

Zhu Di shouted furiously, "Many of you have followed me for ten years, twenty years, or even longer! Can you not see what sort of man I am? One New Army Strategy has stolen your very souls. How can soldiers like you take the field and kill the enemy? How can you serve the country with utmost loyalty? Heh, some call me an iron-blooded butcher. Even if I slaughtered you disappointing soldiers today, the court would say nothing!"

"The New Army Strategy is a national policy of Great Ming! What is a national policy? It means this policy applies wherever Great Ming's territory extends! Are you standing outside Great Ming? Qiu Fu, tell me where this is!"

"This is Beiping of Great Ming!"

"Did you all hear that? This is Beiping of Great Ming! Could the New Army Strategy leave you out? It could not! Why are you all so dejected, making fools of yourselves? Why did I refuse to let the new recruit policy enter the three guards? Because I knew the implementation of this national policy was riddled with weaknesses and might not be feasible!"

"Take the Family Affairs Office. Can it be established merely because someone says so? Once established, can it immediately help your parents solve their problems? How many people will staff the Family Affairs Office? Can they look after the families of tens of thousands of soldiers?"

"Then consider those imperial medical funds for treatment! At one tael per soldier each year, that comes to two million taels. Last year, Great Ming's National Treasury received only three million taels in total. Do you think it feasible to take two million taels out for imperial medical funds?"

"Such a muddleheaded New Army Strategy is no more than passing clouds and smoke, dazzling your eyes! This policy is unworkable and cannot endure. It was precisely because I knew its problems that I could not bear to let you enter the New Army Strategy—I feared you would fall from heaven into hell!"