Chapter 10: Your Master Is Going to Liaodong

Zhu Youxiao paced back and forth in the great hall, thinking the matter through from beginning to end. Suddenly a thought struck him, and he turned at once to Chen Hong: "Come here!"

Chen Hong naturally dared not be slow. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this servant is here!"

Zhu Youxiao looked Chen Hong up and down, then spoke: "Once the Grand Secretariat has drafted the edict, take some men and go to Xiong Tingbi's hometown to deliver it. When you get there, give this memorial to Xiong Tingbi and let him take a look." With that, Zhu Youxiao handed Yuan Yingtai's memorial to Chen Hong. Zhu Youxiao was confident that Xiong Tingbi would understand everything the moment he saw it.

This memorial could have been delivered by anyone else, but Zhu Youxiao did not feel at ease. The only ones he could trust were close personal eunuchs like Chen Hong.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will ride with all speed to get there." Chen Hong answered hurriedly, his expression grave.

In fact, having Chen Hong deliver the edict was irregular, because imperial edicts came in two kinds: the formal imperial edict and the direct palace edict. The so-called formal imperial edict was one ordered by the Emperor, drafted by the Grand Secretariat, and finally stamped with the Emperor's imperial seal — that was a formal edict. A direct palace edict was one issued privately by the Emperor himself; its authority was not as great, and civil officials could even refuse to accept a direct palace edict.

In Zhu Youxiao's view, this was the civil officials granting themselves privileges. In any case, they always found all sorts of reasons to make themselves special and to enjoy privileges.

Direct palace edicts were delivered by eunuchs, but formal imperial edicts were delivered by officials. Xiong Tingbi's appointment was naturally a formal imperial edict, so Chen Hong could go along, but he could not be the one to deliver the formal edict. Of course, Zhu Youxiao would not have Chen Hong deliver the formal edict anyway — he only needed him to bring Yuan Yingtai's memorial to Xiong Tingbi.

In fact, Zhu Youxiao could also have issued a direct palace edict, but the civil officials had long since anticipated this. If anyone accepted a direct palace edict, and that edict happened to be one the Grand Secretariat opposed, then you were branded as someone who fawned on the sovereign with no integrity and no bottom line. Your official reputation and personal character would both come under attack and condemnation at every level, and you would not even be able to make a single move in officialdom.

The civil officials exhausted every means to restrict the Emperor's power while seizing power for themselves. Behind the struggles between powerful eunuchs and civil ministers in the Ming Dynasty, what was always reflected was the struggle between imperial power and ministerial power — or rather, the struggle between imperial power and the literati-official class.

Chen Hong left, and the edict was sent out, but the matter was far from over, because the entire court found the affair baffling. How had a dream suddenly come out of nowhere? How had Yuan Yingtai been replaced because of a dream? To act on such a basis over a mere dream? Of course, attacking the decision itself would not do, but attacking the person who interpreted the dream was perfectly acceptable.

For a time, the court and the wider world were in an uproar. Countless impeaching memorials entered the palace, and there was no shortage of those urging remonstrance to Zhu Youxiao, but Zhu Youxiao left them all unanswered in the palace, letting them squabble as they pleased.

Jiangxia in Hubei — in later ages this was Jiangxia District, under Wuhan Municipality, Hubei Province, located in the south of Wuhan, bordering Hongshan District to the north, Xian'an District of Xianning City and Jiayu County to the south, Ezhou City and Daye City to the east, and facing Caidian District and Hannan District across the river to the west. In the Great Ming Dynasty, this place was not famous — it was even quite ordinary, a peaceful and tranquil county town.

But on this day, Jiangxia's tranquility was shattered. A group of Embroidered Uniform Guard officers entered Jiangxia city with murderous intent, escorting two carriages to the gate of Xiong Tingbi's residence.

Ever since resigning from office and returning home, Xiong Tingbi's heart had not known peace. Though these days his family had been by his side the whole time and he no longer needed to lick blood at the edge of a blade, for some reason his heart always felt empty. Xiong Tingbi had a fiery temper and an unyielding nature. These days at home, he naturally flew into rages intermittently — he was simply too stifled and pent up. Mainly, he was unwilling to accept it.

He was drinking the heat-clearing tea his wife had sent over, but the more he drank, the more his anger flared. When would this damned business ever come to an end?

"Master, Embroidered Uniform Guard officers have arrived outside." An old steward hurried to Xiong Tingbi's side, panting as he spoke.

Hearing the old man's words, Xiong Tingbi was startled. He had not expected Embroidered Uniform Guard officers to come to his house at a time like this. Could there be more trouble? But that was wrong! He had not done anything!

It was no wonder Xiong Tingbi's thoughts ran wild — when the Embroidered Uniform Guard appeared, it was rarely good news. Still, Xiong Tingbi was not too surprised. Perhaps someone in the court had found some pretext to settle accounts with him again.

After a moment, Xiong Tingbi said to the steward behind him, "Where are they?"

"Reporting to Master, they are in the front hall," the old steward replied.

Xiong Tingbi hurried out of the garden. Though he did not know who had come, since it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there was no way he could avoid them.

When Xiong Tingbi arrived at the reception hall, he saw Chen Hong, along with an official bearing the edict who waited there with an anxious expression. This startled Xiong Tingbi. Before he could react, the edict-bearing official had already begun: "Xiong Tingbi, receive the edict!"

Hearing these words, Xiong Tingbi's body gave a violent shudder. Immediately he gathered his robes and knelt down, proclaiming in a loud voice: "Your subject Xiong Tingbi receives the edict!" The several servants behind him also knelt to hear the edict.

Taking the imperial edict from his sleeve, the edict-bearing official read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xiong Tingbi, whose thoughts and plans are loyal and pure, accomplished in both letters and arms, a bulwark of the state. Now Liaodong is hard-pressed and the Jianzhou bandits run rampant. We cannot bear to see a loyal and worthy minister confined to his home, set aside and unused. By special edict, Xiong Tingbi is appointed Vice Minister of the Left of the Ministry of War and Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and is imperially granted the Banner and Board of Royal Command, with the imperial commission to manage all military affairs of Liaodong as Military Commissioner. We hope you will devote yourself to your duties and not disappoint Our expectations. Imperially granted!"

Listening to the edict-bearing official read the decree, Xiong Tingbi's whole mind went blank — it was actually an edict recalling him to service.

"Lord Xiong, receive the edict! Unless…?" The edict-bearing official did not finish his sentence, but the meaning was perfectly clear: you would not dare refuse the edict, would you?

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi snapped back to his senses and hastily kowtowed: "Your subject Xiong Tingbi accepts the edict and thanks Your Majesty for the grace!"

The edict-bearing official placed the imperial edict in Xiong Tingbi's hands, then turned and took his leave, because he knew Chen Hong still had words to speak with Xiong Tingbi, and those words were not fit for his ears.

Once the edict-bearing official had left, Xiong Tingbi hurriedly clasped his hands and asked, "How should I address you, eunuch?"

"Lord Xiong need not stand on ceremony. I am Chen Hong!" Chen Hong said with a smile, then took out a memorial and handed it to Xiong Tingbi: "Lord Xiong, this is what His Majesty instructed me to give you. The delivery is done, so I will not linger. But let me offer you one word of advice, Lord Xiong — Liaodong is a long and distant road, so you had best set out as soon as possible."

Xiong Tingbi was taken aback, then clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Chen."

Chen Hong and the edict-bearing official had come in haste and left in haste, leaving Xiong Tingbi utterly bewildered. He unfolded the memorial and read it through, and his expression changed. In his heart he cursed Yuan Yingtai as a fool. Now he understood why His Majesty was recalling him to service, and why His Majesty had given him this memorial. His Majesty was dissatisfied with Yuan Yingtai, and at the same time hoped he would go quickly to set things right.

Thinking of how precarious the situation in Liaodong had become, the schadenfreude toward Yuan Yingtai that had just risen in Xiong Tingbi's heart vanished. He turned and walked back inside, calling out loudly as he went: "Make preparations at once — your master is going to Liaodong."