"My Beloved Teacher's Wife (Walking with Love)" - Chapter 95: Three Thousand Beauties

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Ling Feng's defeat of the Third Prince's faction and victory in the defense of the capital, coupled with the death of the former Crown Prince, solidified his position as Emperor, establishing true imperial authority over the central court. However, this also sowed the seeds of great anxiety for the people. Upon hearing of Ling Feng's annihilation of the Third Prince's faction, some vassal kings quickly reported their joy to the emperor, expressing their willingness to submit to central control. Others, fearing they might become the next Third Prince, secretly recruited soldiers and strengthened their power.
At that time, there were many princes, among whom the Qin Prince lineage, Jin Prince lineage, Zhou Prince lineage, and Chu Prince lineage were the most powerful. Prince Qin, Zhu Shangbing, was the son of Zhu Shuang, who was Zhu Yuanzhang. His fief was Xi'an Prefecture, located in Shaanxi Province, and he was known as the Qin State, leading 80,000 elite troops.
Prince Jin, Zhu Jihuang, was the son of Zhu Jixi, the third son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He was enfeoffed in Taiyuan Prefecture, which was located in Shanxi Province. He was known as the State of Jin and commanded 60,000 elite troops.
Prince Zhu Su of Zhou was the fifth son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He was enfeoffed in Kaifeng Prefecture, which was located in Henan Province. He was known as the State of Zhou and led an elite army of 80,000.
Zhu Zhen, the Prince of Chu, was the sixth son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He was enfeoffed in Wuchang Prefecture, which was located in Hubei Province. He was known as the State of Chu and commanded 50,000 elite troops.
Other vassal kings either submitted to the central government or had intricate connections with the four major vassal kings. On the surface, they were obsequious to the central government, but in reality, they were kings in their own fiefdoms.
The Ming Dynasty adopted a policy of "enfeoffment edict" similar to that of the Han Dynasty towards its vassal kings. This meant that vassal kings could not simply pass on their fiefdoms and titles to their eldest sons; instead, they would divide the fiefdoms among all their sons, regardless of whether they were legitimate or illegitimate. If a vassal king had eight sons, the fiefdom would be divided into eight parts, one for each son, thus forming marquisates directly under the central government. This practice led to the shrinking of these marquisates, significantly weakening the power of the vassal kings. Large marquisates would have no more than ten cities, while smaller ones would have no more than ten li (approximately 5 kilometers) of land. If a vassal king died without a son to inherit his fiefdom, the land would be reclaimed by the central government. Vassal kings would use "personal favors" to distribute a portion of their kingdom's land to their sons as marquises, with the emperor designating the names of these marquisates. According to the Ming Dynasty system, marquisates were subordinate to prefectures, with a status equivalent to counties. Therefore, the division of kingdoms into marquisates represented a shrinking of the vassal kings' kingdoms and an expansion of the land directly under the central government's control.
Among the four vassal kings, the Prince of Zhou held the highest position; by seniority, he was the current emperor's great-uncle. Many vassal kings followed his lead. The most powerful and influential of the four was the Prince of Qin, who reportedly commanded 50,000 cavalry. Although he officially commanded 80,000, sources indicated his forces numbered no less than 150,000. He also maintained close ties with Tibet and Tubo, and even the Mongols, driven from the Central Plains, had intricate connections with the Prince of Qin. With the Third Prince's rebellion and Mo Guixiong's escape, the most likely destination was probably the Prince of Qin's residence.
Ling Feng and Xu Dacheng intensified the reorganization and restructuring of the national army. Geographically, the North, the eastern coast, and the Jiangnan region were all under the central government's control. Specifically, the three northeastern provinces outside the Great Wall, North China, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Yunnan-Guizhou were under central control, with a combined force of approximately 650,000. The Northwest was controlled by the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin, centered on Shaanxi and Shanxi, with the Sichuan Shu Kingdom and Hanzhong factions allied with them. The Central Plains were controlled by the Prince of Zhou, and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were controlled by the Prince of Chu, with the Prince of Xiang of Hunan allied with him. The Princes of Gui and Yue in Guangdong and Guangxi were undecided. The four major vassal kings and their allied factions controlled no fewer than 500,000 troops. Although this was less than the central army, it was only a nominal number; according to the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard), the vassal kings' forces actually numbered no less than a million.
Many ministers were aware of the problem with the vassal kings, but they had no way to offer advice because it involved too many issues.
At the morning court session, Ling Feng was quite interested. The issue of the vassal kings seemed to be completely out of his consideration.
"I have decided to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai next spring. What do you all think, my beloved ministers?"
Upon hearing this, all the ministers were stunned, exchanging glances. At this moment, the newly appointed Minister of Rites, Bai Chongxin, stepped forward and said, “Ban Gu of the Han Dynasty said: ‘When a king receives the Mandate of Heaven and rises to power, he must perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. Why? It is to announce and instruct. When one first receives the Mandate of Heaven, he reforms the system to respond to Heaven's will, and the world is at peace. He performs the Fengshan ceremony to announce this peace. Therefore, I believe that Your Majesty, upon ascending the throne, is perfectly positioned to perform the Fengshan ceremony to announce to the world Your Majesty's wisdom and the might of the Ming Dynasty, while also praying for national peace and prosperity.’”
The newly appointed Grand Secretary Li Changrong also stepped forward and said: "I agree with Minister Bai's statement. The Fengshan ceremony is to inform the world that Heaven has appointed the king to govern all living beings, to announce peace to Heaven, and to repay the gods for their merits."
"Indeed, the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai is something that has been done in every dynasty. Our dynasty has not yet performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. Your Majesty's action is comparable to that of Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Song..."
"His Majesty is wise, and the country is now at peace and prosperous. This is the perfect time to perform the Fengshan ceremony, to proclaim the eternal reign of our Great Ming Dynasty..."
Some people praised it, and the court officials all commended Lingfeng's Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. Amidst the chorus of agreement, there were also dissenting voices.
"Your Majesty, I believe this is not advisable."
Minister of Works Zhang Peng stepped forward and spoke.
Upon hearing Zhang Peng's words, all the ministers stopped their discussion and looked at him, thinking, "Aren't you just spoiling the mood? The Emperor has already agreed, what are you, the Minister of Works, still arguing about!"
Ling Feng looked at Zhang Peng and said, "Minister Zhang, what are your thoughts?"
Zhang Peng said, "In the past, the Qin Emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Song all held the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai only when the country was unified and prosperous. But right now, our dynasty doesn't even have enough money to pay for the Yellow River repairs, yet we want to spend huge sums of money on the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. Isn't that a waste of resources and manpower?"
"Zhang Peng, according to you, is our Great Ming Dynasty now in decline and poverty?"
Bai Chongxin stepped forward to refute this.
Zhang Peng said, "Minister Bai, I, Zhang Peng, am not against the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. I just think that the time is not right yet. If we wait three to five years, when the national treasury is full and the world is at peace, it will not be too late for us to perform the Fengshan ceremony."
At this moment, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Zhou Huiwei, said: "According to the scale of the Fengshan ceremony in previous dynasties, the expenditure for one Fengshan ceremony was actually only one or two million taels of silver, which was not a problem for the national treasury. Moreover, in the past, the Fengshan ceremony was carried out from Chang'an, Kaifeng and other far away to Mount Tai, which naturally consumed a lot of money. Now, the capital of our Great Ming Dynasty is only a few hundred miles away from Mount Tai, so the cost will be greatly reduced."
Zhang Peng said, “That’s right. Shortening the journey will save some expenses. But the people of our Great Ming Dynasty are still struggling. With such a large procession along the way, officials and people along the route will have to entertain them. In that case, the Fengshan ceremony will become the biggest disturbance to the people.”
"I agree with Minister Zhang's statement; now is not the best time to perform the Fengshan ceremony."
At this moment, Minister of War Deng Chaowu also stepped forward: "I believe that although the world is now at peace, undercurrents are surging. The remnants of the Third Prince are still around, the power of the vassal kings is too great, and the Mongols are eyeing us covetously. If Your Majesty chooses to go to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony at this time, I'm afraid it will give those with ulterior motives an opportunity. I urge Your Majesty to think it over carefully."
Ling Feng suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "What you all say is very good, but I am the chosen one by Heaven. If I were to back down because of some mere clowns, I would be unworthy to be the emperor. There is no need to discuss this matter further. I have already decided that next April, an auspicious day will be chosen for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. This matter will be entrusted to Minister Bai Aiqing of the Ministry of Rites. During this Fengshan ceremony, the reception along the way must not disturb the people, and the reception for local officials should be simplified. In addition, all vassal kings from other regions must be notified to gather in the capital and accompany me to the Fengshan ceremony. Anyone who does not accompany me to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony will be demoted by one rank."
"Your subject obeys the decree!"
Bai Chongxin immediately agreed, overjoyed, for this was the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his abilities. Not every Minister of Rites could witness the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. In the thousands of years of Chinese history, fewer than ten emperors had actually performed the ceremony. Therefore, how could Bai Chongxin not be delighted? He had already decided to make this Fengshan ceremony unprecedented in its grandeur.
After discussing some issues concerning people's livelihood during the court session, Ling Feng returned to the inner palace. He first paid his respects to the two Empress Dowagers, and then checked on the Empress and concubines. These past few days, Bai Junyi, Shen Yanbing, Ximen Tingting, Yu Linglong, Luo Yuqing, Qin Wanfeng, Qingyu, and others had gradually become familiar with and even enjoyed life in the inner palace. Indeed, the allure of a life of luxury is truly irresistible for women. Previously, they were used to managing their own lives. But once in the inner palace, with throngs of maids serving them, food and clothing provided without lifting a finger, and using only the finest cosmetics and clothes in the country, they quickly found inner palace life very comfortable. More importantly, they could devote more time to Ling Feng. Aside from the morning court session, Ling Feng spent the rest of his time enjoying entertainment with his beloved concubines in the inner palace. The inner palace was vast, with countless things to do.
From time to time, the imperial harem would hold poetry and song competitions, martial arts tournaments, or games. Ling Feng discovered that, in order to make things easier for himself, the concubines and palace maids in the harem had started to go without underwear under their skirts. Some of the bolder and more open-minded concubines or palace maids even wore thin silk dresses, which made Ling Feng unable to resist pushing them down on the spot.
Ling Feng's fighting prowess was undeniable, so despite the vast number of concubines in the harem, he could still manage them all. Therefore, the harem was relatively harmonious, unlike the cutthroat competition among concubines in the past, when the emperor was considered to have limited energy to favor even one or two concubines a day. Now, Ling Feng could handle hundreds of concubines and maids a day and still have plenty of energy. As long as the concubines were satisfied, there was no need for them to scheme against each other. Their only competition now was to bear the emperor many sons, because in the harem, giving birth to a prince was a woman's greatest achievement.
When it comes to bearing sons, Bai Junyi and her ilk have a clear advantage, especially since they have already given birth to sons for Ling Feng. Therefore, in the harem, power has gradually shifted from the Empress Dowager and the Empress to Bai Junyi and Shen Yanbing. Their advantages in the harem are more pronounced; whether in terms of their relationship with the Emperor, their numbers, or their overall strength, Bai Junyi and her ilk are superior.
The former Empress Dowager, Imperial Concubine, Empress, and Imperial Concubines, if they wanted to gain any status in the harem, could only do so by bearing the Emperor a prince as early as possible. After all, the children Bai Junyi and the others had with Ling Feng could not be publicly announced in court. Announcing it would be tantamount to declaring that the current Emperor was not Zhu Wenchong, but an imposter. Therefore, the current Emperor's prince had not yet been truly born in the Ming Dynasty. This was what all the women in the harem were currently pursuing; they all longed to be the first to bear Ling Feng a prince. Then, by virtue of their son, they could easily rise to power.
The seemingly harmonious imperial harem was actually rife with competition, particularly regarding the birth of a prince. Fortunately, it was all healthy competition. Ling Feng enjoyed seeing them fawn over him; he reveled in the simultaneous adoration of three thousand beauties…

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"My Beloved Teacher's Wife (Walking with Love)" - Chapter 95: Three Thousand Beauties

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