“Taowu has limited farmland. When soldiers are released from active service and don’t have enough land to support their families, how did Lord Shen Yang resolve this?”
Having leisurely wandered for over a month on the road, Han Qian needed to review many recent developments in Jinling. Sitting there, he questioned Gao Shao and the others one by one about matters that concerned him.
Over the past two years, the Taowu garrison military prefecture had built embankments and reclaimed new wetland fields. Combined with newly cultivated mountain fields and sloping land to the north, there was a total of only about 150,000 acres of land. Yet the Taowu garrison military prefecture governed over 12,000 military households. If each household only received twelve or thirteen acres of land, given current farmland yields, this would be far from sufficient to support a family.
The basic farmland for each military household would need to at least double before it could barely sustain a family.
“After His Majesty returned to the capital, in addition to relocating over 6,000 military households from the Taowu garrison military prefecture to fill Junzhou, he directly issued an edict incorporating over 50,000 acres of land east of Longhua Town directly into the Taowu garrison military prefecture…” Gao Shao said.
“Oh!” Han Qian nodded.
He could now confirm that all of this was Shen Yang implementing Emperor Tianyou’s will. He secretly calculated that under such arrangements, the military households remaining within the Taowu garrison military prefecture could each receive nearly thirty acres of farmland, which would be sufficient to support their families without issue.
Of course, as for the landlords and tenant farmers who had previously depended on these newly incorporated lands for their livelihood—after being driven out, what kind of settlement they would receive and how miserable their fate would become—this was something Han Qian and the others had no time to concern themselves with for now.
Nor was it something Han Qian and the others could concern themselves with.
“The residences between Ningxiang Tower’s rouge shop and the former Marquis of Linjiang’s manor have all been incorporated into the Prince’s Manor. When you go to see His Highness now, you’ll surely be shocked by the current Prince’s Manor,” Lin Haizheng said.
“This is merely what should be expected. What’s there to make a fuss about?” Han Qian said with a smile.
“Besides large amounts of gold, silver, pearls, and jade, His Majesty also issued an edict bestowing upon His Highness a hunting preserve on the south bank of the Qiupu River in the eastern city, only about ten li from the Taowu garrison military prefecture, to serve as the Prince’s Manor’s estate, hunting grounds, and encampment for household guards. This hunting preserve not only occupies over 500 qing of land, but also includes over 900 households of official servants and slaves, all becoming private property of the Prince’s Manor. And because the mother is honored through her son, Emperor Tianyou also bestowed upon the Imperial Consort an estate of over 200 qing in Beipu County,” Lin Haizheng said. “Lord Shen Yang and Minister Zheng both received substantial rewards, yet our side has seen no movement whatsoever.”
Although Han Qian had warned everyone not to voice complaints, at this moment in private with no outsiders present, Lin Haizheng still found it difficult to suppress the resentment in his heart.
At another time, Han Qian would have been unable to resist rebuking Lin Haizheng. But thinking of how figures like Wang Wenqian and Wen Ruilin all believed he harbored resentment in his heart, he really couldn’t blame Lin Haizheng and the others for being unable to see clearly. He raised his head to glance at Lin Haizheng and said, “What, allowing you to marry Yun Niang isn’t enough? Do you also need to be rewarded with a concubine?”
“Haizheng doesn’t mean that. Haizheng just feels…” Lin Haizheng’s face flushed red as he tried to explain.
“Feel that I’ve been wronged?” Han Qian asked with a smile. “I haven’t even returned to Jinling yet, so how do you know I’ve definitely been wronged? We are His Highness’s people. We should trust that His Highness will make arrangements for us.”
Lin Haizheng thought perhaps this was so.
At this moment, the person sent to see the Third Prince hurried back. The Third Prince, learning that Han Qian had returned to the capital, impatiently summoned him to the Prince’s Manor for a meeting.
Han Qian changed into official robes, then brought Lin Haizheng, Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and the old master craftsman Zheng Tong and others, riding horses to Fengxiang Boulevard.
With all the residences west of Ningxiang Tower’s rouge shop incorporated into the Prince’s Manor, the new courtyard walls had been built tall and thick. The new Prince’s Manor was much more imposing compared to the former Marquis of Linjiang’s manor.
Only upon entering the Prince’s Manor did Han Qian learn that the portion of the former Marquis of Linjiang’s manor had now been designated as the Prince’s Manor’s inner residence, while the newly enclosed residences served as the public halls where the Third Prince handled official business and discussed military affairs, as well as offices for the Guard Army Prefecture, the Personal Attendants Office, the Household Office, and where Shen Yang, Zheng Hui, and others commanded various bureaus to administer affairs.
At this moment, the Third Prince finally truly possessed his own power base and foothold within the capital.
Shen Yang, Zheng Hui, Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu, Zhang Ping, Guo Rong, Li Chong, Zhou Yuan, and others were all in the manor, accompanying the Third Prince in discussion.
“Teacher Han, wandering through mountains and waters all the way has left me anxiously waiting. If Teacher Han hadn’t returned to Jinling soon, I would have sent someone to urge you back,” Yang Yuanpu said upon receiving word of Han Qian’s arrival. He impatiently stepped out of the public hall to greet him, unable to suppress his excitement.
Not waiting for Han Qian to bow in courtesy from several steps away, Yang Yuanpu stepped forward affectionately and took Han Qian’s arm, inviting him into the great hall.
Seeing the Third Prince’s close treatment of Han Qian, Lin Haizheng and the others felt somewhat better, thinking this didn’t betray everything their lord had planned for the Third Prince.
“Han Qian doesn’t dare to be greedy for mountains and waters. Rather, the mountains and waters detained me,” Han Qian said with a smile. “Additionally, the Left Bureau has always wanted to re-verify the maps from Jiangzhou to the Jing-Xiang region. This involves geomantic calculations, and what I learned from books alone is insufficient. I had no way to conduct armchair strategizing—I needed to make a field trip to be certain. I didn’t expect to be delayed for nearly a month on the journey.”
The Third Prince had returned to the capital with Emperor Tianyou in early May. It was now late June, so Han Qian had not seen the Third Prince for nearly two months.
At this time, the Third Prince’s height had grown somewhat more, and he had also become much sturdier, now about as tall as Shen Yang.
Half a year of military life had made the Third Prince experience hardship and become more mature and steady. His face showed almost none of the youthful immaturity that a fifteen-year-old should have.
Besides old acquaintances like Shen Yang, Li Pu, and Guo Rong, Han Qian saw several new faces around the Third Prince whom he didn’t recognize. After introductions, he learned they were mainly officials Shen Yang had recommended for positions in the Prince’s Manor.
Among them, Wang Lin, who had previously served as Investigating Censor, had the most prominent reputation. Han Qian had heard his name before. Wang Lin was a descendant of the Wang clan of Runzhou. His great-grandfather Wang Huanzhang had served as Prime Minister during Emperor Xianzong’s reign in the previous dynasty.
Even though in the late previous dynasty, regional military governors controlled territories and martial prowess was valued over civil learning, and the so-called pure stream of aristocratic scholar families was suppressed, families like the Wang clan still wielded influence in Jiangnan that could not be underestimated.
It was said that Wang Jixiong had even sought to curry favor with the Wang clan of Runzhou in his early years.
Wang Lin had been quite renowned for his literary talent since youth and was recommended for official service early. Later, he offended Xu Mingzhen by impeaching the Xu clan of imperial relatives for seizing civilian farmland, and was consequently suppressed by officials of the Anning Palace faction and demoted to a minor clerk under the Jingzhao Prefecture, which made his reputation even more prominent.
Han Qian hadn’t expected that Wang Lin, now recommended by Shen Yang, would actually enter the Prince’s Manor as Recording Office Participant. He secretly sensed that Wang Lin was perhaps also a figure Emperor Tianyou had in mind.
The Prince’s Manor had two Recording Office Participants—Li Chong and Wang Lin held these positions, in charge of memorials, documents, and other confidential matters.
Recording Office Participant, like the Secretary position under the regional commissioner system, appeared to have a modest rank, but held an extremely crucial position, equivalent to a confidential secretary—not a position for ordinary people.
In terms of reputation, literary fame, and even qualifications, Wang Lin was more than qualified to serve as the Prince’s Manor’s Recording Office Participant. Seeing that Wang Lin’s eyes also held a hint of proud disdain, Han Qian stepped forward and bowed, saying:
“Han Qian greets Minister Wang.”
“Minister Han is too courteous,” Wang Lin merely nodded slightly, considering this a return of courtesy.
Han Qian thought that perhaps it was the Third Prince treating him with the courtesy due a teacher that made Wang Lin harbor contempt and displeasure.
He merely smiled faintly and then bowed in greeting to the others in turn.
Besides Wang Lin and other Confucian scholars recommended by Shen Yang and others, the Third Prince had also selected over ten meritorious soldiers with basic literacy to enter the Prince’s Manor as clerks for various public offices. In the future, everyone would mainly gather in the eastern courtyard of the Prince’s Manor to administer official business, which could be said to have established the prestige of the Third Prince’s establishment of his manor.
As Emperor Tianyou’s personally appointed Prince’s Tutor and Prince’s Mentor, Shen Yang would also formally and comprehensively assist the Third Prince in commanding all matters great and small within and outside the Prince’s Manor.
Han Qian glanced at Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu, wondering what he felt in his heart.
After the high degree of organization within the Taowu garrison military prefecture was dismantled, not only was the authority to conscript and command soldiers transferred to the Left and Right Guard Army Prefectures, but matters of construction and storage were also brought under the jurisdiction of the Prince’s Manor’s various bureaus.
At the Prince’s Manor level, the wielding of power by Shen Yang, Zheng Hui, Guo Liang, Gao Chengyuan, and even Wang Lin and others all restricted from various levels the influence and control that the Marquis of Xinchang’s manor faction had within the Prince’s Manor.
Ultimately, the power that the Marquis of Xinchang’s manor and Wanhong Tower had previously cultivated was still too weak relative to the entire vast empire.
In the past, when the Third Prince had no one to rely on and not a single trustworthy person around him, the Marquis of Xinchang’s manor’s strength appeared particularly important and powerful. But now times had changed.
So speaking, Han Qian felt he shouldn’t feel disappointed either.
By the same logic, once Emperor Tianyou intended to channel more resources toward the Third Prince, his own role and position beside the Third Prince could no longer be as prominent and important as before.
At this moment, what gave Han Qian even more of a headache were two other matters.
Emperor Tianyou was certainly also wary of the Marquis of Xinchang’s manor, but exactly how much Emperor Tianyou knew about the Marquis of Xinchang’s manor’s “grand plan” or “ambitions,” how deeply he knew, or whether he had even detected the existence of Wanhong Tower—this was something Han Qian still couldn’t determine.
More troublesome than this was the fact that Emperor Tianyou obviously didn’t believe that Heaven had left him only limited time.
In that case, Emperor Tianyou would proceed at his own pace, arranging the matter of deposing the heir apparent step by step, and would not welcome any aggressive or risky actions from their side.
When the situation next took a sharp turn for the worse, it might be the moment of complete collapse. He couldn’t appear too aggressive or too risky. Before that happened, what could he do or what could he advise the Third Prince to do and prepare?
Han Qian followed the Third Prince, Shen Yang, and others into the great hall with worry in his heart. After all, at this moment he also couldn’t guess what response Anning Palace and the Xu clan would make under the current situation, or whether they would take desperate risks.
Compared to these concerns, Han Qian truly didn’t care much about whether he personally received rewards or how much he might receive. But this state of mind was obviously something others couldn’t understand.