Chapter 75: The Crown Prince Is Established

Xu Dun did indeed intend for Xue Rui to handle miscellaneous tasks, but not as a mere astronomy student—he wanted him to oversee general affairs in the capacity of a steward. Ever since the defeat at Tumubao, Peng Ying had vanished without a trace, leaving the archives unmanaged and in utter chaos.

At present, every astronomy student in the Directorate of Astronomy was a precious resource—none of the supervisors were willing to spare their students for menial work in the archives. A few days prior, Xue Rui had presented a plan that helped the supervisors resolve a major dereliction of duty, and Hu Zhong took the opportunity to request some benefit for his disciple.

After weighing his options, Xu Dun decided that Xue Rui was highly capable and already held some sway in the archives, so entrusting him with their management would be an effortless task. He thus agreed to let Xue Rui become the steward of the archives.

Hu Zhong, wary of any unforeseen changes, had not informed Xue Rui of this plan, so Xue Rui remained unaware that he was about to become a figure of real authority in the archives. When Xu Dun finally announced the news, Xue Rui felt as though a new path had opened before him, a light shining through the darkness, so exhilarated he nearly leapt up in excitement.

The steward’s post came with seven pecks of official grain and a supplementary silver tael each month, though to Xue Rui, these material gains were not the main source of his joy. Rather, this small change signified his transformation from a lowly subordinate in the Directorate to a manager—an upward leap in status. This brought him one step closer to his goal of a peaceful, comfortable life, and that was cause for true celebration.

After making the announcement, Xu Dun reminded Xue Rui, “Due to a shortage of personnel in the Directorate, there will soon be another round of selection for hereditary students, and twenty more will be admitted. You must prepare in advance to avoid being caught unawares.”

“Rest assured, sir, I will do my utmost. However...” Xue Rui hesitated.

“What is it?” Xu Dun asked, frowning.

Xue Rui replied with some difficulty, “There will be more hereditary students, but no teachers to instruct them. What will become of their studies in the archives?”

As steward, Xue Rui’s duties were limited to managing the archives’ affairs. However, the primary responsibility of hereditary students was to study, only secondarily assisting with cataloging and organizing documents. Now that he had replaced half of the supervising scribes, he needed to know how the other half of their duties would be allocated.

The supervisors had already considered this matter. Xu Dun said, “You needn’t worry. The Directorate’s officials will take turns lecturing in the future. Your only task is to schedule appropriate times for their lessons.”

“I understand, sir,” Xue Rui replied, relieved. He then escorted Xu Dun from the archives.

Upon returning, he saw Fan Yan and the others watching him with envious faces. Xue Rui clasped his hands in a cheerful salute and said, “From now on, I’ll still be making a living here in the archives. I ask for your cooperation so we can make the archives greater than ever and achieve new heights together!”

“That’s hardly a funny joke,” Fan Yan said, rolling his eyes. With a resigned sigh, he added, “From now on, Steward Xue, we’ll be counting on your support, especially to help us all pass the annual exams. Otherwise, we’ll be demoted to menial clerks.”

“Indeed, indeed!” the others chimed in.

Having been in their position himself, Xue Rui knew these old hands could be a destabilizing force in the archives. He would need to win them over to make his job easier. Clapping his chest, he promised, “Let’s make a pact: as long as you follow my lead, I guarantee you’ll pass the next annual exam!”

At this, everyone perked up and eagerly pledged to follow Xue Rui’s guidance.

Before long, word spread throughout the Directorate that Xue Rui had become steward of the archives. Even in the dining hall, many astronomy students were discussing the news. Most of them Xue Rui barely knew; some were envious, others jealous or disparaging, most wishing they could take his place.

Liu Jin and the others, upon hearing the news, marveled at Xue Rui’s luck. He had been in the Directorate just a month, yet already had the supervisors’ favor—his future prospects seemed limitless. Fortunately, they had befriended him early on; perhaps, in time, he might become a valuable ally, making their initial investment the wisest since their entry.

After receiving everyone’s congratulations, Xue Rui promised grandly that, once his shift was over, he would host a banquet at a restaurant for all his colleagues from the archives. Liu Jin and the others, knowing his family’s circumstances, protested that it wasn’t necessary, but Xue Rui insisted.

Since recovering the grain transport carts for the Liu family, they no longer needed to rent wagons or hire laborers, saving a good deal of money. Yesterday, Liu Wenyao had returned the full sum of one hundred taels of silver to him; now Xue Rui had over ten taels on hand for emergencies, making a few banquet tables easily affordable.

Seeing his resolve, Liu Jin and the others did not argue further, promising to attend after their duties were done.

After their meal, everyone returned to their posts. Not long after, Lu Wen burst in with news: the Empress Dowager had issued an imperial edict at court that morning, formally naming Zhu Jianshen as Crown Prince!

Following the recent marriage alliance incident, Empress Dowager Sun had become even more eager to establish a Crown Prince. She had already given verbal orders days before; now, with the official edict proclaiming it to the world, everything proceeded as expected.

Though the choice of Crown Prince was no surprise, Xue Rui was still curious about the edict’s contents, so he read the copy transcribed by Lu Wen:

“The Empress Dowager proclaims: Recently, the barbarians have invaded our borders, bringing suffering to the people. The Emperor, fearing calamity for the imperial clan, was compelled to lead his armies in person to punish them, only to be detained by the enemy. Still, mindful that the nation cannot be without a ruler, among the three imperial sons, the most worthy and eldest is chosen: Jianshen shall rightly assume the position of Crown Prince. The Prince of Cheng is appointed as regent, entrusted with the governance of the realm and the comfort of all under heaven. For the country must have a sovereign to secure the altars of state, and a monarch must have an heir for the people to look to. Let this be proclaimed to all, so that all may know.”

Reading this edict, Xue Rui could only shake his head. Even now, Empress Dowager Sun sought to conceal her son’s faults.

It was true that the Oirat Mongols had invaded, but Emperor Zhu Qizhen had not been compelled to the frontier; he went willingly, treating it as a grand excursion, mobilizing the army for his own pleasure. The disaster that followed was due to the emperor’s trusted eunuch Wang Zhen, whose influence led the entire army to ruin and the emperor himself to captivity—a national humiliation.

Yet the Empress Dowager glossed over the truth, describing the emperor’s capture as a mere accident at the hands of the Oirat, a barely veiled attempt at covering up the disgrace—an irony not lost on Xue Rui.

Zhu Jianshen, as the emperor’s eldest legitimate son, was the rightful choice for Crown Prince. However, the Empress Dowager’s edict specifically emphasized the Prince of Cheng’s regency, which had deeper implications.

Xue Rui speculated that, after the marriage alliance crisis, the Empress Dowager had begun to suspect the ministers harbored thoughts of changing the dynasty, and that the Prince of Cheng was the most suitable candidate to succeed the throne should that happen. If the officials did harbor such intentions, they would surely rally around the Prince of Cheng.

By explicitly naming the Prince of Cheng as regent in the edict, she was warning the ministers to abandon all such ambitions. If anyone truly sought to enthrone the Prince of Cheng, it would mean he usurped his nephew’s throne as regent—a violation of the established order, lacking both legitimacy and proper title.

Regrettably, this little maneuver of the Empress Dowager was transparent to all. Yet in matters of state and war, no matter how she schemed for her son, it would be difficult to resist the tide of events.