Chapter 4: Madam Ke

Although his position was close enough to hear the conversation between the Emperor and Wei Zhongxian clearly, over a decade of professional discipline had taught him how to shut his eyes and stop his ears. What he shouldn't hear, he treated himself as deaf to — the more you know, the faster you die, wasn't that so?

"Go, move the Imperial Workshop to Qianqing Palace." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand grandly, expecting Chen Hong to accept the order and get to work. To his surprise, Chen Hong remained prostrate on the ground without moving. He asked in confusion: "Is there some problem?"

"Your Majesty, this Qianqing Palace doesn't have enough space!" Chen Hong hurriedly said while still lying prostrate on the ground, speaking with great care.

The so-called Imperial Workshop was one of the Twelve Directorates of the Ming dynasty, headed by a seal-holding eunuch, with subordinate posts including Company Commander for internal and external affairs, registrar, supervisor, scribe, and overseer of works.

The Imperial Workshop was the place responsible for crafting the folding screens, beds, and other wooden furniture used in the palace, as well as ornaments of red sandalwood, ivory, ebony, and mother-of-pearl inlay. It also had an overseer stationed at Renzhi Hall, who managed the books and paintings produced under imperial commission at Wuying Hall.

Zhu Youxiao felt that the distance of traveling back and forth between Qianqing Palace and the Imperial Workshop every day was too far, which was not conducive to his research on carpentry. That was why he wanted to do his work in Qianqing Palace instead.

"Then clear out a space and set up a small Imperial Workshop for me." Zhu Youxiao thought about it and agreed — later on he would designate an entire palace for himself and move in there.

While Chen Hong and the others were still busy setting up Zhu Youxiao's carpentry workshop, Wei Zhongxian went to visit Madam Ke at the palace where she resided.

"Eunuch Wei!"

The maidservant, upon seeing Wei Zhongxian, naturally did not dare to be negligent. She hurriedly bowed in salute, and when she saw Wei Zhongxian wave his hand, she bowed and withdrew.

Wei Zhongxian nodded slightly, then strode into the inner chamber. There he saw Madam Ke with her eyes slightly closed, lying on her side on the bed resting, her face pale without a trace of color.

He went straight to the bedside and sat down, gently taking the woman's hand in his. Wei Zhongxian said with a smile: "Have someone come to look at you?"

Madam Ke opened her eyes and saw who had come. She nodded and said in a soft voice to reassure him: "I had the imperial physician look at me. I just caught a bit of a chill, so my body is a little weak. A few doses of medicine and there will be nothing wrong. These past days the Emperor hasn't come to see me either — it seems he has forgotten me." She let out a light sigh, her voice sounding somewhat forlorn, as if full of grievance.

Looking at Madam Ke's beautiful, gentle face, Wei Zhongxian smiled. In the deep palace, they were both pitiable people. The so-called "paired meals" was nothing more than mutual exploitation, and yet his heart still ached. Why did His Majesty want her dead?

At that moment, Wei Zhongxian had a thought — he wanted to stand up, go out, and ask His Majesty. But in the end, though his heart wanted to rise, his body seemed frozen in place, and for a long while he did not move.

"Rest well and take care of yourself. I'll go check on the medicine they're decocting for you." Recovering his composure, Wei Zhongxian reached out and gently patted Madam Ke's delicate hand, saying with a smile.

"Alright!" Madam Ke nodded, then said with a smile: "Don't overwork yourself either."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Chen Hong was standing guard outside the workshop door, where Zhu Youxiao was carving something at his worktable with a carving knife. Wood shavings flew through the air, and the piece was nearly taking shape.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!" A commotion came from outside. Zhu Youxiao's hand trembled, and one line of the wood carving was carved crooked. He simply tossed it aside.

Chen Hong looked at a young attendant who came running over in a panic, rolled his eyes, and said angrily: "What servant is this who doesn't even know the rules? Slap your own face!"

An attendant who had just arrived at Qianqing Palace gleefully raised his hand high.

With a creak, the door opened. Zhu Youxiao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, facing the warm light.

The people outside the door, seeing that they had disturbed the Emperor, all instantly knelt to the ground.

The young attendant closed his eyes, waiting for the slap to land on his face, but the expected pain never came. He secretly opened his eyes and saw the Emperor standing at the doorway. With a thud, he knelt to the ground.

"This servant disturbed Your Majesty. This servant deserves ten thousand deaths." The young attendant dared not look at Zhu Youxiao again. He lay prostrate on the ground, trembling like a chaff sieve.

"All of you, rise." Zhu Youxiao said indifferently.

Chen Hong was someone with good sense. He quickly rose from his bow, then lightly kicked the young attendant, urging him: "What matter do you wish to report to His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, the... the Sage Mother of Reverent Virtue... has passed away!"

Hearing the young attendant's words, Zhu Youxiao's hand trembled, and then his body began to sway left and right, looking as if he were about to faint.

Seeing this, Chen Hong was startled. He rushed toward the Emperor and caught him in his arms. In that instant, he felt the Emperor's body go limp.

Zhu Youxiao collapsed into his embrace.

"Imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly!"

The news spread through the palace quickly, like a stone cast into a calm lake, the information rippling outward at astonishing speed. The imperial palace was not exactly a leaky ladle, but it was close enough — news leaked out with remarkable swiftness.

Soon everyone knew: the Sage Mother of Reverent Virtue was dead, and the Tianqi Emperor, overcome with grief, had fainted outright.

Carried back to his bedchamber, Zhu Youxiao woke up. Everyone in Qianqing Palace was bustling about like ants on a hot pan. The imperial physicians came and went, examined him, and after careful deliberation wrote out a prescription.

Leaning sideways against the bed watching everyone bustle about, Zhu Youxiao's face showed no expression.

In truth, if he didn't kill Madam Ke, would it work to just drive her out of the palace instead?

The answer was yes, but why did she have to die?

Because as long as she lived, she would find every way to stir up trouble, conspiring together with Wei Zhongxian in villainy. The Tianqi Emperor had three sons and two daughters, yet all of them died young — not one grew up safely. Madam Ke and Wei Zhongxian had a hand in that, and he did not want to see that happen again. Madam Ke could not be kept alive, and her death would also serve as a warning to Wei Zhongxian.

Zhu Youxiao knew that Madam Ke's death would inevitably alarm the civil official system, and the Donglin Faction would probably react the most strongly.

The Chief Grand Secretary of the Donglin Faction was Liu Yibing. In fact, Zhu Youxiao rather liked the Liu Yibing of the history books — promoted to Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, serving alongside Fang Congzhe and Han Kuang as co-regents.

After Emperor Guangzong's death, Li Xuan Shi, Wei Zhongxian (then still called Li Jinzhong), and others held the Crown Prince in Qianqing Palace, attempting to hide the eldest imperial son to increase their own power. Liu Yibing, together with Duke of Ying Zhang Weixian, Zhou Jiamo, Yang Lian, and others, made a decisive move, leading the assembled ministers into Qianqing Palace to coax out the one who was then still the eldest imperial son — the future Tianqi Emperor. They strongly advocated moving the eldest imperial son to Ciqing Palace, and forced Li Xuan Shi to relocate to Huiluan Palace, allowing the Tianqi Emperor to ascend the throne and inherit the imperial seat.

At present, Fang Congzhe had been impeached, and Liu Yibing had taken over as Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, managing state affairs. He governed with wisdom and virtue, able to correct the sovereign's errors — one of the few clean and upright officials.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao called Chen Hong over and whispered a few instructions in his ear.

Chen Hong's expression shifted slightly, and he hurriedly took his leave.

Originally, the death of an old palace maid in the palace was a trivial matter. But in the end, the one who died was Madam Ke.

Soon, news of the Sage Mother of Reverent Virtue's death spread rapidly. Both the inner court and the outer court learned that this woman who had wielded power over the entire harem was dead. Some were shocked, some grieved, but most were filled with endless suspicion.

The Donglin Faction learned of it first. When Yang Lian received the news, he first questioned its veracity, then joyfully slapped the table and rose to his feet. He immediately ordered his servants to prepare a sedan chair and went to the residence of Liu Yibing, the Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat.

As for Yang Lian, everyone must be quite familiar with him — a famous remonstrating official of the late Ming, a member of the Donglin Faction, and one of the "Six Gentlemen of Donglin." In the original course of history, the "Red Pill" and "Palace Removal" cases directly concerned the succession to the throne and the redistribution of imperial power. Yang Lian played an active and crucial role in both cases, especially in the "Palace Removal," where he contributed the most.

Historical records from his previous life stated that the eunuch Wei Zhongxian and Zhu Youxiao's wet nurse Madam Ke colluded with each other, monopolizing power in the palace and running rampant with cruelty. Many officials flocked to Wei Zhongxian's side, forming the "eunuch faction" to attack and ostracize the Donglin Faction members.

Filled with grief and indignation, Yang Lian resolved to step forward and denounce Wei Zhongxian.