Chapter 832: The Flower of Evil

Wang Dou arrived at Ji Junjiao's courtyard.

She was a person of refined taste; though she had not been in Guihua City long, the layout of her residence already resembled that of the Xuanfu garrison city — resplendent yet poised.

The northern lands were bitterly cold, so they did not use foot-warmers or braziers here; instead, the walls had heating flues and the floors were warmed, covered with thick felt rugs, making the interior as warm as spring.

In truth, many comforts enjoyed by wealthy households in ancient times were not inferior to those of later ages. Take these heated walls and warmed floors — they were far superior to the air conditioning and heating of later eras, never stuffy, warmth rising from the ground, and beneficial to health.

The bitter cold blanketed the earth, snowflakes torn like cotton wadding, quickly covering a person in white. Wang Dou trod upon the scattered jade and broken gems into the room, and at once a wave of warmth greeted him, soothing his entire body.

Ji Junjiao and the Young Madam Chu Wanyun were already waiting at the hall entrance to welcome him. One said, "I greet my husband."

The other said, "I greet the Marquis."

Wang Dou glanced at them. Both wore sable fur embroidered jackets, but Ji Junjiao's was a deep crimson, while the Young Madam wore a pure white sable fur ensemble. What they shared was that both were lovelier than flowers. Ji Junjiao was stunningly beautiful, every glance brimming with a hundred charms. The Young Madam was elegant and noble, full of the allure of a young matron.

Ji Junjiao came over, cheerfully helping Wang Dou remove his black fox-fur-collared cloak, and drew him to the wine table in the room. Fine wine and exquisite side dishes had already been prepared there, kept warm beside a small brass stove.

The Young Madam followed. Her cheeks were flushed, and she hardly dared meet Wang Dou's gaze.

Ji Junjiao said, "My husband toils at affairs of state; I thought Sister Wanyun and I might play a tune on the qin and xiao together to ease your cares and dispel your worries."

Wang Dou smiled and said, "Good."

He sat upright at the table, the room suffused with fragrance. As he slowly drank his wine, he listened to Ji Junjiao and the Young Madam's duet of qin and xiao, feeling quite content.

When the piece ended, Wang Dou gently applauded. Ji Junjiao gave a sweet smile, while the Young Madam seemed somewhat distracted. She cast a glance at Wang Dou and said to Ji Junjiao, "Sister, I shall take my leave now."

She also begged Wang Dou's pardon, then with swaying steps and gently trembling ornaments, she departed gracefully.

Watching her retreating figure, Ji Junjiao smiled coquettishly and said, "What does my husband think of Sister Wanyun's beauty?"

Wang Dou gave Ji Junjiao a thoughtful look. "Not bad, but far inferior compared to my wife."

Ji Junjiao giggled. "My husband's lips are still so sweet."

The two sat drinking together, and then Ji Junjiao massaged Wang Dou on the couch, and they conveniently shared a moment of passion.

Afterward, Wang Dou rested comfortably against her legs. After all these years, Ji Junjiao still gave him that feeling of thorough satisfaction.

Ji Junjiao gently stroked Wang Dou's hair and softly pressed the sides of his forehead. She seemed to be pondering something, then abruptly made up her mind. She bent down and whispered a few words softly into Wang Dou's ear.

Wang Dou said, "Nonsense."

He sat up at once.

Seeing a flicker of fear in Ji Junjiao's expression, he sighed. "Jiao'er, after all these years, do you still not understand? What are you worried about?"

Ji Junjiao instead grew calm. She smiled faintly and said, "My husband, I am indeed somewhat worried. People say the official world requires balance, and the rear courtyard is the same."

She continued, "Consider, my husband, whether the balance among the sisters in this courtyard has already been lost."

Wang Dou was taken aback. He thought it over carefully, and it was indeed so.

Among his several wives and concubines, Liu Qing, Liu Ji, Hudie, and Qingting could be set aside, but within Xie Xiuniang's faction, supporters now implicitly included Zhong Susu and Li Yunluo. Although Xu Yue'e remained somewhat aloof, she still inclined toward Xie Xiuniang.

But on Ji Junjiao's side, she was all alone.

Moreover, all these years she had never borne a son, only a daughter, Wang Xiu. Although he himself did not mind, she could hardly avoid having her own thoughts. And with the addition of Zhong Susu and the others, no wonder she felt a sense of crisis and needed to bring in outside support.

Thinking deeper, Li Yunluo, who had come as a "buy one, get one free," represented the ideas and interests of the local gentry. Wang Dou had received word that after Li Yunluo was taken into his household, the Li family in Xinzhuang celebrated, and the hearts of a large swath of gentry in places like Baoan Prefecture grew settled.

The gentry and landowners now had a representative in his household, and the merchants could no longer sit still — just look at the activities of the Li clan patriarch and the Young Madam Chu Wanyun's movements. And her alliance with Ji Junjiao perfectly represented the expectations and interests of the official and merchant classes under his governance.

Even Liu Qing, Liu Ji, Hudie, and Qingting could not be underestimated when they stepped outside. Though they were maidservants, handmaidens, and originally from backgrounds as singing girls and concubines, they could still speak for the social strata they originally came from.

Unknowingly, the representatives of every interest group had assembled within his household.

Truly, for those in high positions, no family matter was trivial. Wang Dou thought to himself that he must pay attention to this aspect of affairs from now on.

At the same time, Wang Dou thought of the woman Chu Wanyun. He knew that all these years, gossip and rumors had always followed her. As for her own thinking, perhaps since rumors had long existed, she might as well use this opportunity to turn the false into the true, settle her heart's affairs, gain something tangible, and secure benefits for her family.

Especially in these chaotic times, with her family having lost its support, she needed all the more to find a powerful thigh to cling to. So the moment Ji Junjiao approached her, the two hit it off immediately.

From what Wang Dou knew of her, she had maintained her chastity and composure over the years, but not without harboring ambiguous thoughts toward him, and she would occasionally flirt. Wang Dou felt this woman was deeply calculating; it would be better to keep her by his side under strict watch.

This would also set Ji Junjiao's heart at ease, though Wang Dou greatly disapproved of her worry about falling out of favor.

Wang Dou's mind turned swiftly, and he quickly understood the pros and cons involved. He said, "Very well, but let this be the last time."

He said to Ji Junjiao, "Jiao'er, truly, you never need to worry."

Ji Junjiao murmured an acknowledgment and obediently nestled into Wang Dou's embrace.

The next day, Ji Junjiao brought Wang Dou to the Young Madam's separate courtyard. After pushing Wang Dou inside, she cheerfully closed the door behind him.

Once inside, Wang Dou saw brocade curtains and screens enclosing the space, and a table of wine and dishes similarly laid out. The Young Madam sat not far away, holding a pipa, her head lowered, her cheeks blushing as red as if smeared with rouge.

Wang Dou poured and drank by himself at the banquet table, listening to her play the pipa for a while. Then he patted his thigh and said, "Come, sit over here."

The Young Madam answered softly. She set down the pipa and came over with graceful, alluring steps. She seated herself on Wang Dou's thigh, her face full of a coquettish flush. She dared not look at Wang Dou, only buried her head deep in his embrace, her hands clinging tightly to him.

Wang Dou reached out and wrapped his arm around her supple waist. It looked as slender as a willow, but to the touch it was plump, smooth, and soft. At the same time, a faint, subtle fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

With a beauty in his arms, Wang Dou felt somewhat emotional. He poured a cup of wine and drank it slowly.

He had first met the Young Madam back in the eighth year of Chongzhen. At that time, she had been together with Ji Junjiao, and both had struck him as women of unearthly beauty. In the blink of an eye, many years had passed.

Truly, the past was like smoke.

On the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, the Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru volunteered to oversee military operations and led troops south.

By this time, Yanzhou had already fallen.

It happened that after the roving bandits besieged Yanzhou, the Ming forces in the surrounding area remained completely still. Neither Regional Commander Liu Zeqing in Linqing nor Regional Commander Qiu Lei in Jinan reacted at all, merely watching helplessly. Liu Fangliang judged that no reinforcements would come, so on the tenth day he ordered the assault on the city.

The defending troops at Yanzhou held firm. At that time, the Prince of Lu, Zhu Yipai, was enfeoffed there. Seeing the roving bandits' overwhelming strength, the Prefect of Yanzhou, Deng Fanxi, urged Zhu Yipai to distribute all stored reserves to boost morale, warning that once the cause was lost, regret would come too late.

But Zhu Yipai was a miser, ordinarily greedy and stingy, unwilling to part with even a single hair. How could he bear to spend money? He played deaf and dumb, wailing about poverty and hardship. As soon as Deng Fanxi left, he secretly ordered men to dig a cellar and buried all the gold and silver. Historically, this gold and silver was not discovered until the late Qing dynasty by Britishmen building a church on the old site of the Lu Prince's mansion.

The roving bandits attacked for five full days. Deng Fanxi led his subordinate officials, soldiers, and commoners in a staunch defense. He took the lead by contributing his entire personal savings to encourage the troops. The wealthy households and gentry within the city also opened their purses one after another, contributing money if they had money, grain if they had grain, united in common hatred, vowing to defend the city.

They did not merely defend passively; from time to time they organized brave men for night raids, secretly lowering them by rope from the city walls under cover of darkness, killing and wounding many over successive days.

Liu Fangliang attacked fiercely but could not take the city, so he thought of using an insider. On the sixteenth day of the first month, he got a Vice Regional Commander surnamed Liu as his inside man, and the city fell. After Yanzhou was breached, Prince of Lu Zhu Yipai hanged himself and died; the Lu mansion was looted clean; Commandery Princes like Leling and Yangxin died the same way; Deng Fanxi and the others all died in battle.

After Liu Fangliang took Yanzhou, he divided his forces to attack and capture Ningyang, Dongping, Dong'e, Tai'an, Yanggu, and other places. Wherever they went, the Ming troops had no fighting spirit at all and fled at the mere rumor of their approach. Liu Fangliang occupied many cities without bloodying his blade.

As early as the beginning of the first month, the Chongzhen Emperor had already lamented state affairs at court: "The rebels are so rampant, yet no one beyond the court takes up the responsibility; the treasuries are exhausted — what is to be done? Can you, my ministers, not share my burdens?"

Zhou Yanru felt that the Emperor's favor toward him was far less than before, so he thought it better to volunteer to supervise the army himself to win back the Emperor's pleasure. Sure enough, after he volunteered to lead troops south and said he was willing to use his family wealth to support the army, the Emperor was overjoyed and comforted him repeatedly, saying: "If you go, I shall follow the ancient rite of pushing the chariot wheel and personally see you off at the outskirts — I dare not treat this lightly."

On the fourteenth day of the first month, Zhou Yanru submitted a memorial requesting to dispatch the army.

On the sixteenth, Guo Zhonglian was formally appointed Vice Regional Commander and Supervisor of the Central Army Drums and Banners.

On the eighteenth, the Chongzhen Emperor assembled all officials at the Temple of Heaven to make offerings to Heaven and Earth and declare the intent of the campaign. He performed the rites, saying: "Governor of all rivers and mountains, your servant Zhu Youjian reverently reports to August Heaven above: With meager virtue, I have inherited and guarded this vast enterprise for seventeen years. Deeply mindful of Heaven's descending majesty and the weight of my ancestors' charge, day and night I tremble in caution, daring not to be idle or negligent…"

He beat his breast and wept blood, reverently reporting all this, hoping the campaign would go smoothly.

On the nineteenth, the Chongzhen Emperor ordered Zhou Yanru to set out and performed the ceremony for dispatching a general.

He personally rode to Zhengyang Gate to give Zhou Yanru a farewell feast. Civil and military officials of all ranks sat in attendance — the nineteen seal-holding Marquis and Counts of the five provinces, the Grand Secretariat and Six Ministries, the seal-holding officials of the Censorate, and the chief coordinators of the capital garrison. Banners, pennants, gongs, and drums stretched from the Meridian Gate all the way outside Zhengyang Gate.

Amid the banquet music, the Chongzhen Emperor personally handed wine to Zhou Yanru, saying: "Your going, sir, is as if I went myself."

He bestowed three cups of wine in succession, and amid the drum music, the Imperial Sword of Authority was also brought forth.

After Zhou Yanru departed in impassioned fervor, the Chongzhen Emperor watched him go until he was far away, and only after a long while did he return to the palace.

…

"Open the city gates, welcome the Chuang King — when the Chuang King comes, no grain is levied…"

In the distance, Yishui city suddenly erupted in a burst of cheers. Amid the sky-shaking ballads, the city gates opened, and then a great mass of starving people surged out.

Old Hu laughed heartily and said, "Another one taken — truly as easy as blowing dust away."

Seeing that Kong San beside him did not look well, he could only force a few dry laughs.

After the Chuang camp took Yanzhou, the main army also poured continuously into Shandong. They divided their camps to attack the various departments and counties, but wherever they passed, the officials all fled and the commanders all bolted; the cities they took were won without the slightest effort. Even when some department officials and defending commanders held fast, they were often betrayed by starving people inside who opened the city gates.

For years Shandong had suffered successive droughts, and bandits rose everywhere. From the fourteenth year of Chongzhen alone, there had been several large-scale uprisings. Soldiers and bandits fought along the Grand Canal line, killing until nine of every ten houses stood empty, and the common people suffered unbearable misery. Moreover, Shandong was a key region for the horse administration; ruined horse-breeding households mostly turned into mounted brigands, and these horse bandits and mountain bandits were everywhere.

The common people had long lost faith in the imperial court. Hearing the Chuang camp's various proclamations to pacify the people, and talk of forbidding plunder and killing, along with ballads like "no corvée, no grain levies" spreading everywhere, they all wanted a different way to live. They fervently looked forward to the Chuang army's arrival, rose up in response en masse, and eagerly opened the gates to offer up their cities.

Thus, as each camp attacked separately, the cities they took were all won without the slightest effort; sometimes they could take several cities in a single day.

At this moment, several thousand cavalry were arrayed behind the two men, the banners of the Mountain Patrol Camp flying high.

Old Hu's Mountain Patrol Camp now had five thousand men and horses. He originally had a thousand cavalry; because of his bravery at the Battle of Tong Pass, Li Zicheng personally rewarded him with a thousand horses and mules, and he himself was promoted from Valiant General of the fifth rank to Resolute General of the fourth rank. Over these past few months, through the Guide campaign, the Xuzhou campaign, and the raids on various Shandong cities, he had been rewarded with another thousand horses and mules in total, and the cavalry in his camp now reached three thousand riders.

From the hints given him by General-in-Command Li Guo, because Shandong had many horses and the captures were extremely numerous, their Mountain Patrol Camp would soon become a veteran camp; by then every cavalryman would have a warhorse, and at least two at that.

Hearing this news, Old Hu felt tears streaming down his face — it had not been easy; he had finally made it through.

The three thousand cavalry formed a dense, dark mass. They wore yellow uniforms and sat steady on their horses; many faces bore a fierce, battle-hardened air. Fighting every day, surviving life-and-death ordeals, amid flashing blades and bloody fire — even cowards had turned into stout warriors.

Looking back at his troops for a while with smug satisfaction, Old Hu waved his hand heroically: "Enter the city!"

The muffled thunder of hoofbeats rumbled, dust and smoke rolled, yellow earth flew and splashed, and a forest of banners fluttered and danced.

…

At noon, near Zhucheng.

A rider came galloping up. From far off he tumbled from the saddle, rushed under Old Hu's great banner, and reported: "Master Hu, the officials and commanders of Zhucheng have all fled. The local gentry have now organized the common people to come welcome us before the city. They are carrying cattle, sheep, wine, and meat, and from a distance they ask your humble servant how to pacify the people."

Old Hu said impatiently, "The old rule — proclaim the edict. I can't even be bothered to go. Send a squad to take over the city; we're heading to the next place…"

…

At Anqiu County, several dozen li away.

Looking at the city in the distance, Old Hu said happily, "Finally, a good fight — at last, not all of them are cowards."

Kong San shook his head and said flatly, "Listen — there's an insider."

Sure enough, from within the city, faintly at first, rose the song "No corvée, no grain levies, let's all live a merry life." The sound grew louder and louder, until at last it seemed to pierce the clouds.

Then the gates of Anqiu County opened. Old Hu's eyes widened: "Taken again?"

…

In the afternoon, at Gaomi County seat.

Old Hu sat on his horse. He watched the city gates stand wide open, and from within the gates an endless stream of people came out to surrender — there were officials, military officers, soldiers, and also the village elders and gentry of the city. They were dressed neatly and properly. After walking out of the city, they knelt from afar toward this side, then rose, then knelt again, and so came forward kneeling all the way.

Then from within the city came overwhelming cheers — that was the common people cheering.

Old Hu stared dumbfounded at that scene and murmured, "Does the Chuang King truly command such popular support?"

His eyes wide, he said, "If he really wins the realm, we'll be counted as dragon-following meritorious ministers too."

Seeing Kong San's face turn ashen, he hurriedly smiled apologetically and said, "A joke, just a joke."

Kong San said nothing. After a long while, he sneered: "Foolish men and ignorant women — they only see the small gains before their eyes. When the time comes, they'll have their fill of suffering."

Old Hu chimed in, "Indeed, foolish and ignorant, foolish and ignorant…"

…

News from Shandong poured continuously into the Protectorate. The Intelligence Department was now operating at full strength, and almost every day the latest reports came in.

All the important officers and officials of the Protectorate also gathered at the Grand General's mansion. Every day they studied the sand-table map, marking on it the Chuang camp's latest advances, charts of the disposition of forces on all fronts, and so on. At a single glance, one could see clearly exactly what stage the situation had reached.

That the roving bandits would sweep all before them in Shandong was not beyond their expectations, but that it would go this smoothly — that was beyond many people's expectations.

Far too many officials and commanders within had surrendered, and especially far too many common people within had risen in response — something many people around Wang Dou could not understand.

Recently they had also obtained a piece of intelligence: some of Regional Commander Liu Zeqing's subordinates were Shaanxi men. In order to smoothly obtain grain and pay from the various departments and counties, they actually impersonated roving bandit troops. The common people then joyfully carried cattle and wine to welcome and reward them.

In the end, because these men's military discipline was so poor, the locals grew suspicious, and then they shut the city gates and resolutely refused to let these counterfeiters enter, denying them a single grain of rice.

Such repeated reversals truly left one dumbstruck, not knowing what to say.

Gao Shiyin was one of those who did not understand. He murmured, "They are roving bandits — why do the common people look forward to them so?"

He had also fought roving bandits and knew the attitude of the common people everywhere toward them. If some starving people were very willing to join the bandits, the law-abiding commoners had always firmly resisted. Yet now even the attitude of the law-abiding commoners had changed.

Advisor Qin Yi sighed, "The officials are without principle, refugees rise everywhere, natural disasters and man-made calamities make life unbearable misery. The common people everywhere long ago lost faith in the imperial court, and the roving bandits are skilled at false propaganda. Perhaps they think that after a change of dynasty, life will be better."

He sighed, "Truly, water can bear the boat, and water can also capsize it. With popular sentiment like this, the momentum cannot be stopped."

Everyone in the hall sighed too — the situation had deteriorated to this point.

Wen Fangliang sneered: "Roving bandits turned righteous army? The common folk are truly ignorant, rising up in response just because of a ballad about 'no corvée, no grain tax'? Do they not know what goods the roving bandits are at their core? I fear when their true colors show, the more they hoped at the start, the more they will hate later!"

Han Chao shook his head: "The common folk only see what's before their eyes — how could they think so much about later? Besides, who knows whether the roving bandits might change in the future, perhaps like our Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, with his heroic vision and far-sightedness."

Wen Fangliang sneered: "Just watch — there will always be a time when their true colors show."

Wang Dou clasped his hands behind his back, quietly listening to his subordinates argue. He thought of many things, recalled all manner of history, and finally said flatly: "People's hearts long for stability, but too many do not understand the nature of the roving bandits. Perhaps only a lesson of bone-deep pain can wake them up."

His gaze seemed to pierce through ten thousand li of rivers and mountains, through a thousand years of time, as he murmured: "When people's hearts yearn for chaos, the momentum cannot be stopped. Let the flowers of evil bloom to their fullest, let all that dregs rise to the surface!"

……

On the twenty-second day of the first month, Shandong Regional Commander Liu Zeqing, stationed at Linqing to guard the canal, surrendered. The Chuang camp gained this key canal transport hub without the slightest effort.

On the twenty-sixth day of the first month, Shandong Regional Commander Qiu Lei, who had shifted his garrison to Jinan, surrendered. Provincial Governor Qiu Zude took his own life in loyalty. Li Zicheng captured Jinan.

On the first day of the second month, Li Zicheng declared himself king at Jinan, established the state name Great Shun, styled himself the Great Shun King, and adopted the reign title Yongchang.

He appointed Song Xiance as Military Advisor, Niu Jinxing as Chancellor, and established the Six Government Ministries, each with one Minister and two Vice Ministers. That day, he dispatched his great generals Liu Fangliang, Liu Xiyao, and others to attack and seize Damingfu, Shundefu, and other places. Everywhere they passed was broken, all collapsing before them like grass before the wind.

……

The news that Li Zicheng had captured Jinan and especially that he had founded a state and declared himself king shocked all under heaven. On the thirteenth day of the second month, word reached Shengjing. Dorgon urgently summoned his ministers to deliberate in the Chongzheng Hall.