Chapter 345: Rectification of the Beijing Camp
On this day, Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty suddenly returned to the palace from the Leopard Room. This move made the three giants of the cabinet overwhelmed with emotion and almost shed tears. Their emperor was finally back.

Unfortunately, Emperor Zhengde came back this time not to listen to Yang Tinghe's nagging, but to give Qiu Yue a reassurance.

Sure enough, at the morning court session on the second day, the usually low-key commander of the Three Thousand Battalions, Xianning Marquis Qiu Yue, stepped forward like a pine or cypress standing in the wind and frost. He held a tablet in his hand and spoke in a voice like a bell:

"Your Majesty, I have recently inspected the camps and found that there are many old men in the Beijing camp. Their hair has turned gray and their bodies are gradually weakening. They are no longer strong enough to support their weapons. Keeping them in the army is not only useless, but also a burden. In order to consolidate the foundation of the country and strengthen the prestige of the army, I dare to make a request. I sincerely hope that Your Majesty will rectify the Beijing camp, eliminate the redundant and weak, and boost the military appearance!"

These words were so powerful that they instantly shattered the lazy atmosphere among the military officers. The generals who were still in a light sleep were awakened, and they opened their sleepy eyes and focused their attention on Qiu Yue who stepped forward.

Compared with these old-fashioned nobles, Qiu Yue was like a breath of fresh air. He had risen to prominence with his brilliant military exploits, and thus there was a subtle tension between him and those entrenched generals.

On weekdays, if he worked peacefully in his own camp of 3,000 men and managed the army diligently, everyone could live in peace and do their duties.

But he is absolutely not allowed to extend his hand to the Five Army Camps and the Shenji Camp.

For a moment, it was like throwing a mine into a calm lake, causing a thousand waves. Various nobles and generals stood up and accused Qiu Yue of overstepping his bounds and of using his troops for his own benefit.

Ou Zanghua stood in the civil service camp with a tablet in his hand, looking at Qiu Yue with some surprise.

Such a straightforward style of doing things is very worthy of Marquis Xianning.

Qiu Yue stood in the court, his face as calm as water, like a spear, keeping the noise outside of him, allowing the voices of complaints, whether explicit or implicit, to come in like a tide, and he remained completely unmoved.

In his opinion, he had said all that needed to be said and stated all that needed to be stated. What he needed to do next was to wait for the emperor's judgment instead of engaging in a verbal battle with this group of people.

At this moment, Anyuan Hou Liu Wen pointed at Qiu Yue and shouted, "Qiu Yue, why are you silent? Are you feeling guilty? Do you dare to fight me?"

Qiu Yue suddenly turned his head to look at Liu Wen, grinning and said, "You said that!"

Liu Wen was startled, and said unwillingly: "Come on, let's fight for three hundred rounds."

"Three moves will be enough to beat you."

"you!."

Seeing that the noise was getting more and more intense, and many people had even started to roll up their sleeves, Ou Zanghua had no choice but to stand out and say loudly: "Silence! How can we allow you to make noise in front of the emperor?!"

Everyone was shocked and bowed to apologize. Only after getting the emperor's permission did they return to the queue.

Emperor Zhengde turned his gaze to the Minister of War He Jian and asked, "What do you think of this matter, Mr. He?"

Suddenly, everyone shifted their attention from Qiu Yue to He Jian.

Compared to Qiu Yue, He Jian was more straightforward. After saluting, he said loudly: "Your Majesty, I think the current situation of the Beijing camp is worrying. There are many problems and the combat effectiveness is so weak that it is shocking. Recalling the rebellion of Liu Liu and Liu Qi two years ago, the soldiers of the Beijing camp not only did not bravely take the lead, but instead shrank back and only chased after them. Their cowardly attitude makes it difficult for them to shoulder the important task of protecting the country."

"Therefore, I believe that the rectification of the Beijing camp is urgent and cannot be delayed. It is not just a temporary need, but a long-term plan. I hope Your Majesty will make a wise decision to boost the military's prestige and ensure the safety of the country."

Emperor Zhengde seemed to be reminded by He Jian, and his face suddenly darkened: "If you hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten about it. The soldiers in the Beijing camp are well treated, but they can't even quell the threat of bandits. It's really ridiculous! I can't help but ask, why do you have the face to keep making noise here and not repent?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. We, your servants, are terrified!" The generals bowed one after another, with an attitude of utmost humility and obedience.

"The problems in the Beijing camp have reached the point where they must be rectified. I have made up my mind and there is no time to lose!" Emperor Zhengde stood up and said in a loud voice, "I order Xianning Marquis Qiu Yue to take charge of the matter and be the person in charge of rectifying the Beijing camp! Minister of War He Jian and Pingjiang Earl Chen Gui will assist in coordinating this matter! The Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate Zhang Tai, the Chancellor of the Imperial Household Ou Zanghua, and Gongshun Marquis Wu Shixing will supervise and ensure that the rectification order is carried out smoothly without any obstruction or omission. I decree!"

After saying this, Emperor Zhengde turned and left.

Ou Zanghua was speechless. He had a lot of troubles on his plate right now, so how could he have the time to take care of the reorganization of the Beijing Camp? But if he didn't go, who knew what kind of blame these people would put on him.

But watching the back of Emperor Zhengde leaving, he had to suppress his reluctance. Along with the other ministers, he kowtowed respectfully to express his gratitude, shouting "Long live the emperor", but his voice was loud, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

After the court meeting ended and the ministers dispersed, Ou Zanghua walked towards the Qianqing Palace.

As a result, when I was halfway there, I heard footsteps coming from behind. I turned around and saw the two big guys, Yang Tinghe and Fei Hong, walking towards me quickly with their belts in hand.

Ou Zanghua was shocked and decisively gave way. He thought, could he tell this little thing to others someday?
"Mr. Yang, Mr. Fei."

"Mr. Ou," Yang Tinghe asked as they walked, "Are you going to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, too?"

"No, I went to the Zhanshi Mansion." Ou Zanghua said calmly.

"Oh, go ahead!" Yang Tinghe nodded without thinking too much.

Fei Hong's eyes swept across Ou Zanghua, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, which seemed to contain some insight and teasing.

This road to the Zhanshi Mansion is a bit of a detour!

Why are you so young and so reckless?
Ou Zanghua looked at the two important ministers' backs gradually walking away, exhaled lightly, then turned and walked towards the Zhanshi Mansion.

Although Emperor Zhengde had no children, the configuration of the Zhanshi Mansion was still relatively complete.

For example, the Grand Secretary of the Right Spring Office was the famous talent Lun Wenxu, and as for the Grand Secretary of the Left Spring Office, the previous one was Yang Tinghe.

However, these bigwigs seldom came to the Zhanshi Mansion. Lun Wenxu was compiling the royal family genealogy in Wenyuan Pavilion, and Yang Tinghe spent most of his time in Wenhua Palace.

When talking about the Zhanshi Mansion, we have to mention Zhu Biao, the most stable candidate for the position of crown prince in history.

Most of the officials in the Zhanshi Palace were concurrently court officials or held the title of Hanlin. This was the rule established by the Ming Taizu.

Because of the fear of discord among bureaucrats, these positions were filled by veteran officials with outstanding achievements.

For example, the left prime minister Li Shanchang was also the Eastern Palace's junior tutor, the right prime minister Xu Da was also the Eastern Palace's junior tutor, the Zhongshu Pingzhangluezhijunwang Chang Yuchun was also the prince's junior protector, and so on.

With such a top-notch configuration, before Zhu Biao, I had never heard of any other prince having such a strong team.

Before the Tianshun period, the chief official of the Zhanshi Palace was concurrently the Shangshu, Shilang, and Duyushi.

After Chenghua, the position was taken up by the Minister of Rites and the Vice Minister who were born in the Hanlin Academy.

It can be said that in the early Ming Dynasty, the Zhanshi Mansion was a good place for gilding.

This phenomenon did not change until the Zhengde period. After all, who would come here to show off their presence when there was no owner?
(End of this chapter)