Chapter 589: Beaten to Death by the Rod

On the fourth day of the month, at the Hall of Imperial Supremacy.

Apart from occasionally hosting various ceremonies, the Hall of Imperial Supremacy was rarely used for court sessions. The Great Ming Emperor usually handled state affairs at places like Fengtian Gate or the Qianqing Palace. Recently, however, the Hall of Imperial Supremacy had seen a constant stream of people, with court deliberations held here time and again.

Today was no different. The Chongzhen Emperor sat upon his throne, looking out at a sea of court robes in glossy gauze and silk below — red robes, blue robes, rank badges of cranes, peacocks, and xiezhi beasts, jade-inlaid belts, rhinoceros-horn belts, a hall full of dressed-up beasts in official caps.

At this moment, the high and low officials clad in these beast-adorned court robes were engaged in heated debate. The Chongzhen Emperor watched expressionlessly as the various officials below waged a war of words, spouting nothing of substance. Yet apart from attacking one another, not a single person could produce an effective plan.

A chill of desolation filled his heart: "So these are my ministers."

He unconsciously clenched his right hand. There, he held a list — one that Wang Dou had given to Wang Dehua, who had in turn passed it to him.

Though he was somewhat skeptical, the Chongzhen Emperor believed parts of this list to be credible. He looked toward certain people below; their expressions were calm and composed, as if this storm had nothing to do with them at all. His heart grew even more bitter.

Further on, two men in the hall were loudly arguing. One was still Zhang Ruoqi, the Director of the Bureau of Operations in the Ministry of War; the other was Zhuo Buwei, a Supervising Secretary in the Office of Scrutiny for Personnel.

Because of this army supervision assignment, Zhang Ruoqi was poised for promotion. He had also gauged the Emperor's intent and decided to step forward to defend Wang Dou. He had contacted some of his faction beforehand, but their combat strength was weak, and Zhuo Buwei and others had argued them into speechlessness. So he decided to take the field himself.

He had clashed many times with the remonstrance official and capable fighter Zhuo Buwei. The two refused to yield to each other, locked in a stalemate, much to the relish of the court officials — truly a case of meeting one's match.

At this moment, Zhuo Buwei, righteous and stern, once again launched into a long speech, saying that even if Wang Dou had been misled by rumors, he should have come to the court to explain or submit a memorial to defend himself. By contacting the various garrisons like this, he was threatening His Majesty and placing the court in an unjust position.

Zhang Ruoqi sneered: "How could he defend himself? You remonstrance officials and censors make your living with your mouths, specializing in catching shadows and gossiping about hearsay. In particular, the Loyal and Brave Count comes from a military background — how could his eloquence ever match yours? Under the weight of many voices melting metal, even if he is not guilty, he becomes guilty. Moreover, at that time you would also say: if the Loyal and Brave Count has a clear conscience and is not guilty, why bother coming to court to argue? The pure are self-evidently pure, the sullied are self-evidently sullied. In any case, whatever you say, you are always right. So what was he supposed to do?"

He continued: "I once accompanied the Loyal and Brave Count as an army supervisor and witnessed with my own eyes the bitter bloodshed of the Liaodong campaign. The Loyal and Brave Count's army of fifteen thousand suffered over five thousand casualties. The remaining commanders — Marshal Zu, Marshal Ma, Marshal Bai, and others — fought to the death and gave their lives for the nation. The total casualties across all garrisons reached sixty thousand. For such men who fought for the country without regard for their own lives, the court ought to treat them with utter sincerity, to comfort and cherish them. Yet on the march back, they heard such vicious rumors, and remonstrance officials swarmed to attack them. I ask all of you: how could their hearts not turn cold? How could they not feel bitter anguish?"

He spoke with eloquence and reason, and many court officials were visibly moved. Many nodded incessantly. The Chongzhen Emperor also took note of Zhang Ruoqi, looking him over once more.

Like a thunderclap, Zhang Ruoqi suddenly pointed at Zhuo Buwei, his beard and hair bristling: "Heaven's justice is clear! That the court now finds itself in this deadlock and predicament is entirely the fault of you remonstrance officials!"

The entire court instantly fell silent, then erupted as if someone had poked a hornet's nest. Dozens of remonstrance officials and censors leaped out, each shouting and cursing at Zhang Ruoqi.

"By ancestral institutions, the Chief Surveillance Bureau, the Investigating Censors of the Thirteen Circuits, and the Supervising Secretaries of the Six Offices were established by the Exalted Emperor specifically to supervise and impeach all officials. Zhang Ruoqi, by questioning the remonstrance system, you show disrespect to the Exalted Emperor!"

"By ancestral institutions, the duty of censors is specifically to impeach all government offices, to distinguish and redress wrongful accusations, serving as the sovereign's eyes and ears and the office of moral discipline. Zhang Ruoqi, what are your intentions in questioning the duties of censors?"

"Whenever a minister is treacherous and evil, when petty men form factions, when anyone abuses power to disrupt governance — impeach! Zhang Ruoqi, you are clearly forming a faction with the traitor Wang Dou. You deserve death!"

"Zhang Ruoqi, your mind is crooked, your intentions unfathomable!"

"Zhang Ruoqi..."

"Zhang..."

For a time, Zhang Ruoqi was drowned in a flood of words. Yet after all, he had the battle record of single-handedly fighting ten censors. Amid the siege, he stood calmly.

Looking at the scowling, glaring faces, he merely sneered: "Chasing shadows, without a shred of evidence, you push His Majesty into injustice and push the dynasty into peril. You crows only know how to frame the loyal and good. You serve as pawns for treacherous ministers without even realizing it — pitiful, detestable!"

Zhuo Buwei's eyes nearly burst with fury. The calmer Zhang Ruoqi's expression, the more Zhuo Buwei trembled with rage, feeling that the entire court was full of treacherous ministers. He recalled his childhood, when his tutor had taught him: We who have thoroughly studied the sages' books — what is it all for? Is it not to bring peace to the world, a clear and bright sky?

Yet why did jackals and wolves run rampant in the court? Why could a petty man like Zhang Ruoqi live so prosperously? And who was indulging them?

His mind heated, and he suddenly turned toward the Chongzhen Emperor on the throne, shouting: "Your Majesty!"

He abruptly knelt, shuffled forward on his knees, then raised his head, his face filled with determination: "When petty men dominate the court, it is not without fault on Your Majesty's part. This humble subject implores Your Majesty to examine your own failings, and restore a clear sky and peace to the realm!"

The other remonstrance officials fell abruptly silent, all thinking: "This is bad."

Below, the Minister of Personnel Li Rixuan and the Minister of Revenue Li Daiwen also frowned: "This Zhuo Buwei has lost his mind."

Zhang Ruoqi was overjoyed, thinking: "Heaven helps me."

In an instant, everyone's gaze turned to the Chongzhen Emperor above. A tension spread through the hall, an atmosphere of impending storm, of wind sweeping through a tower before the mountain rain.

The Chongzhen Emperor laughed in extreme fury, and in that instant, a feeling of utter despondency washed over him. He looked at those people in the hall. They had done such fine deeds, yet not one stepped forward to admit it. These were his ministers?

And this Zhuo Buwei!

His heart was instantly filled again with raging fire. His face dark, he said: "What failings do I have? I would like to hear them."

Zhuo Buwei declared proudly: "Your Majesty's failings are two. First: the crimes of great traitors have not been made manifest, yet Your Majesty has personally borne the consequences."

"What does this mean? At the beginning of your reign, the realm was not yet greatly ruined. Yet you specially employed Wen Tiren, who under the guise of stern righteousness practiced narrow-minded jealousy, preventing capable men from being appointed to manage affairs, thus brewing the source of calamity — this is Tiren's crime. You exclusively entrusted Yang Sichang, relying on appeasement and adding training levies, causing popular resentment and heavenly wrath, drought, locusts, bandits, coalescing into a great chaos — this is Yang Sichang's crime!"

"Then there is Wang Dou, whose loyalty or treachery is hard to discern, who feigns loyalty and righteousness. Your Majesty trusted these three men, and these three men relied on that trust to peddle their treachery and deceit. I do not know what affection they used, what selfless devotion they feigned to ingratiate themselves with Your Majesty, so that they could then do as they pleased. Only thus did we arrive at today's incident of the border garrisons threatening the court. This is all because Your Majesty was misled by these three traitors, the failing of trusting them without doubt..."

"The second failing is that the guiding principle for ordering governance has not been grasped, and your aspirations have been too divided..."

With every sentence Zhuo Buwei spoke, the Chongzhen Emperor's face darkened a shade. The hall was silent save for Zhuo Buwei's unflinching, cadenced voice.

The Chongzhen Emperor laughed coldly: "Very well. All are my crimes. But Zhuo Buwei, what fine deeds have you done?"

He waved his hand. The Embroidered Uniform Guard Regional Commander Luo Yangxing stepped forward and presented a stack of documents. The Chongzhen Emperor took them and hurled them furiously at Zhuo Buwei's head: "See for yourself!"

Zhuo Buwei opened the documents, and his face instantly turned ashen.

The Chongzhen Emperor sneered: "The Depot and Guard have investigated thoroughly. The rumors were initially spread by those in the former Eastern Route of Xuanzhen who bore grudges against Wang Dou. Subsequently, various parties, especially the bandit and slave spies, fanned the flames. Zhuo Buwei, you profess to serve the country and the people, and you speak of my faults. How do we know you have not colluded with the Tatar caitiffs to frame a great minister?"

He suddenly stood up and roared: "Drag all these remonstrance officials and censors out and beat them severely! Interrogate them — and find out who their accomplices are!"

Immediately, the palace guards, the fierce and wolf-like Embroidered Uniform Guard Han Generals, surged forward. The remonstrance officials and censors who had besieged Zhang Ruoqi could not suppress their cries of alarm. Zhuo Buwei's face was pale; he suddenly let out a bitter laugh and cried wildly to the heavens: "Heaven's sun shines bright! Heaven's sun shines bright!"

This sudden turn of events happened as swiftly as a falcon diving for a rabbit. The Minister of Rites hurriedly stepped out, picked up the documents and looked at them, and his face also turned pale.

The Minister of Rites, Fu Shuxun, said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, the investigations of the Depot and Guard are limited to cases of treason and grave crimes. For other offenses and lawbreaking, there are proper judicial authorities. When a subject is charged, the three judicial offices should conduct the trial, and he can be delivered to the court in a prisoner's cart. I further plead: beating remonstrance officials, applying punishment at the palace steps — this is an unprecedented matter. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider."

For a time, the assembled ministers all pleaded, and even Zhang Ruoqi spoke on behalf of those remonstrance officials.

The Chongzhen Emperor's face was as cold as ice. He waved his hand: "These slaves have deceived me utterly. How can they not be punished? Say no more. My decision is made!"

The Han Generals dragged those remonstrance officials and censors out. The assembled ministers were all terrified. Among the remonstrance officials, some remained silent, some cried out for mercy, some looked dazed and ashen-faced, and some cast hateful glances at Zhuo Buwei.

Zhuo Buwei was flanked left and right by two silent, grim-faced Embroidered Uniform Guard Captains. He laughed heartily all the way: "The ancient sages said: To establish the heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish the destiny for the common people, to carry on the lost teachings of past sages, to bring peace for all ages to come. A true man born into this world should do just that. I, Zhuo Buwei, have no regrets!"

He sang loudly: "To die for the nation — what joy, what joy!"

The dozens of remonstrance officials and censors were dragged out of the hall to the outer square. All had their trousers stripped off. Looking out, a sea of white buttocks gleamed in the cold wind — a truly spectacular sight.

A fat eunuch approached and exchanged subtle glances with the several Embroidered Uniform Guard Han Generals holding Zhuo Buwei. The men holding the court beating rods all nodded almost imperceptibly.

Then this fat eunuch walked up to Zhuo Buwei, looked down from his superior height, and asked: "Supervising Secretary Zhuo, do you admit your guilt?"

Zhuo Buwei laughed heartily, struggling: "My guilt is that for the sake of the Great Ming realm, I have been destroyed by treacherous men!"

"Still stubborn!"

The eunuch shrieked: "By His Majesty's imperial decree, interrogate him about his accomplices, and beat him severely!"

Immediately, the court beatings began. In the cold wind, a series of cracking and slapping sounds of beating buttocks rang out, along with rising and falling cries and wails.

And toward Zhuo Buwei, the four Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers carrying out the court beating raised their clubs high. Every stroke was solid; the clubs fell on his body, and the pain cut to his heart. At first Zhuo Buwei clenched his teeth and endured, but as the crackling sounds continued, the flesh on his back and buttocks became a bloody mess, and he could no longer bear the agony. He began to wail miserably.

The court beating went on, stroke after stroke. Slowly, Zhuo Buwei bit his upper and lower lips until they bled, and his consciousness grew hazy.

In that haze, he seemed to return to his parents' thatched cottage, to their aged yet hopeful expressions, and to the stern yet tenderly affectionate gaze of his chief examiner. Finally, he seemed to return to the old schoolhouse, simple yet clean, and in his ears rang the bright sound of children reading aloud: "Confucius said, 'Die to achieve virtue'; Mencius said, 'Die for a just cause.' Only when one's duty is fulfilled does virtue reach its perfection..."

When the court beating stopped, Zhuo Buwei had already breathed his last in the cold wind. (To be continued)