Chapter 5

Resisting an imperial decree.

Under the institutional design of the Great Ming's imperial system, the result of resisting an imperial decree was being abandoned by both man and god. The Emperor could use extraordinary laws to charge one with treason, and no one in the court would dare to plead for Zhu Xixiao, the Commander, for the matter of resisting the decree.

And this letter tablet of Zhang Hong's was indeed the letter tablet of the Great Ming Emperor, Zhu Yijun. Even if the Great Ming Emperor hadn't taken the Commander as his teacher, Commander Zhu Xixiao would still have to mobilize the troops.

"I must go together." Zhu Xixiao didn't deliberate for more than five breaths before deciding to mobilize the troops, but he had to follow.

"This servant also dares not lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard to do things on my own; wouldn't that be seeking death? Thank you, Commander, for your fulfillment." Zhang Hong's face, which had just been furious, immediately became full of smiles. The appearance of forcing the question just now seemed as if it had never existed.

Even if Zhu Xixiao hadn't said he would go together, Zhang Hong would have requested the Commander to go together. For a eunuch to hold military power—he would be dead in some well the next day. That was a taboo that couldn't be touched at all.

During the middle and late Tang Dynasty, eunuchs held military power, which caused so much disaster.

As a high-ranking eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, Zhang Hong was a person with a sense of proportion. He had to be clear about what could be done and what could not be done.

Eunuchs change their faces faster than turning a book. Zhu Xixiao had seen plenty of that. The speed at which Zhang Hong and Feng Bao changed their faces was about the same.

What kind of monsters were all these in the Great Ming imperial palace!

Zhang Hong took two foster sons and fifty Embroidered Uniform Guards and began to clean the Qianqing Palace. There were bursts of wailing and howling.

After such a major event, Empress Dowager Li did not go to sleep and was discussing the assassination attempt with Empress Dowager Chen. Hearing the wailing outside the palace, Empress Dowager Li asked the palace maid what was happening, but she did not order it to stop.

Letting Zhang Hong go to the Qianqing Palace was an order she had just given. She wanted Zhang Hong to thoroughly offend Feng Bao. The existence of a high-ranking eunuch in the palace who threatened Feng Bao's position was a spur to Feng Bao.

Zhang Hong had originally been worried that the Empress Dowager would stop him, and the Empress Dowager's side still had lights on, but after a long time, no one came to stop him, so Zhang Hong became bold. Any palace maids or eunuchs serving His Majesty who were Feng Bao's people were all cleared out.

This cleaning of the palace, not to say sinking into a well, was just sending them all to the palace corridors.

Zhang Hong didn't touch the Empress Dowager's people because His Majesty had already defined the scope of cleaning the palace.

Empress Dowager Li lived in the Cining Palace, and it was the court officials who requested Empress Dowager Li to look after the young Emperor. The people around Empress Dowager Li were all palace people from the Cining Palace. For Zhang Hong, a Qianqing Palace eunuch, to reach out there would be an overstepping of authority, and the Emperor would absolutely not plead for him.

Zhang Hong was a person with a sense of proportion. After all, he was a eunuch from the palace corridors. Although he was also a 'master,' the number of foster sons and foster daughters in the palace was limited. The 'big tails' serving His Majesty were reduced from nearly a hundred to six.

Three eunuchs, three palace maids.

"Zhang Hong!" Feng Bao heard the news and arrived with a group of secret agents, looking at Zhang Hong with a sinister expression, gritting his teeth, and pointing as he asked: "What do you intend to do!"

"Eh." With this shout, the injury on Feng Bao's face made him twitch with pain.

Zhu Xixiao's brows were twisted into a knot. There must be no conflict, otherwise, it would be very difficult for Zhu Xixiao and the Embroidered Uniform Guards who came on orders to act.

Zhang Hong flicked his wide sleeves, showed the Emperor's letter tablet, and asked sternly: "What do you intend to do! With His Majesty's letter tablet before you, do you intend to resist the imperial order! Even if we take this to the Empress Dowager, you won't have any reason!"

"The task was botched, so it was botched! The Empress Dowager and His Majesty remembered old feelings and didn't sink you into a well, and yet you still come to pester? Are you really tired of living?!"

Zhang Hong was somewhat timid; Feng Bao had deep roots in the palace, and Feng Bao's people were everywhere. But when facing Feng Bao, Zhang Hong still stood tall and strongly asked sternly.

Behind him stood the Emperor; this matter was done by the Emperor's order, and the Empress Dowager tacitly approved!

He held the Emperor's letter tablet.

He should be righteous and confident!

It was just that Zhang Hong looked at Feng Bao—could the letter tablet in his hand really control this 'great ancestor' in the palace?

Feng Bao saw the letter tablet and his brows furrowed tightly.

Of course, he recognized that letter tablet. It was a complete set of seals made by the Seal Office in June of last year, after the late Emperor passed away. Feng Bao had personally gone to get them, presented them to the Empress Dowager, and then the Empress Dowager gave them to the Emperor as a token.

"Greetings to His Majesty!" Feng Bao respectfully bowed to the letter tablet before standing up.

With so many people watching, if Feng Bao were even slightly disrespectful and it reached Empress Dowager Li's ears, let alone being a high-ranking eunuch, even staying alive would be a problem.

"Good, very good!" Feng Bao clapped his hands continuously. He looked at Zhang Hong, his expression gradually softening, and said with a smile: "We are all handling matters for the Emperor. You must serve His Majesty wholeheartedly. If there is even the slightest mistake, I will make you look good!"

Feng Bao was showing weakness!

Zhang Hong keenly sensed Feng Bao's timidity. Firstly, Feng Bao had botched the task, and secondly, this Feng Bao was afraid of this letter tablet. Was this a letter tablet?

This was imperial power.

This letter tablet was a thousand, ten thousand times more useful than Zhang Hong had imagined! If there hadn't been this letter tablet, if Feng Bao had a conflict with him, a hundred Zhang Hongs wouldn't be Feng Bao's match.

Zhang Hong raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "What are you saying, Great Ancestor? We are all just trying to earn a living. If there is a mistake, where would I need the Great Ancestor to take action? I would just find a well and jump into it myself, so as not to be an eyesore to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."

These words were filled with barbs, mocking Feng Bao. Letting an evildoer enter the palace and even break into His Majesty's presence—this was a crime of immense proportions. Even if the heavens came today, Feng Bao was still wrong. If Feng Bao hadn't made a mistake, were the slaps on his face pulled by others? Were the injuries on his head from kowtowing forced by others?

Feng Bao was choked by these words and couldn't say a word. Zhang Hong was pushing his luck, and naturally, he was hateful. But he was even more hateful toward that ungrateful dog!

Blame the Emperor for not being lenient? Blame the Empress Dowager for not remembering old feelings? Blame Zhang Hong for having a sharp tongue? Blame himself, Feng Bao, for not handling things well? There are thieves for a thousand days, but how can there be defense against thieves for a thousand days?

With the Emperor's letter tablet here and imperial power above, Feng Bao was in the wrong and could only let others attack without being able to retort.

The Qianqing Palace sent out more than twenty eunuchs and more than thirty palace maids. When Feng Bao arrived at the Qianqing Palace gate, he also brought more than ten secret agents. Although they were all silent, watching the two high-ranking eunuchs argue, their inner thoughts were not for outsiders to know.

"Great Ancestor, the Empress Dowager ordered you to catch the inside accomplice. How is that going? Tomorrow, if His Majesty asks, I have something to say, don't I?" Zhang Hong was riding the wave of power and wouldn't let go, instead asking about Feng Bao's task.

Who exactly was the 'great ancestor' in the palace!

Whoever was close to the Emperor and close to the Empress Dowager was the 'great ancestor.'

"Caught, it was Chen Hong and his sons and grandsons!" Feng Bao replied unhappily, flicking his sleeves and not wanting to say more. Right now, Zhang Hong had gained power; staying any longer would just be an insult.

"Send off the Great Ancestor." Zhang Hong knew when to stop and didn't pursue it further. His Majesty's order was to clean the palace. He had already used the tiger's might to step on Feng Bao once; that was enough.

This was also because he could step on him while Feng Bao had made a mistake. If Feng Bao hadn't made a mistake, even if Zhang Hong were given a hundred guts, he wouldn't dare.

The spring day is gloomy, and the clouds are thin and deep.

Most spring mornings are gloomy, with clouds thin and deep. Zhu Yijun woke up yawning at the fifth watch. Zhang Hong had already finished his task and returned to the outside of the Qianqing Palace sleeping hall. Hearing movement inside, Zhang Hong walked into the Qianqing Palace, opened the door, and signaled to the two palace maids waiting at the door to go in and serve His Majesty in dressing and washing.

"I will do it myself." Zhu Yijun sat down, signaled the palace maids not to come near, and changed into his Yanbian crown and robes himself.

The Yanbian crown and robes were the regular clothes for the Emperor created by the Wanli Emperor's grandfather, the Jiajing Emperor, during the Great Rites Controversy. It was the regular clothing that the Jiajing Emperor mentioned when he said there were only four sets of regular clothes.

The crown was decorated with five-colored jade clouds in the front, symbolizing the five elements, and four mountains in the back, symbolizing the four directions.

The robe was black, with blue edges on the collar, sleeves, and lapels. A coiled dragon was painted on the chest, and two dragons were embroidered on the back—one in the front and two in the back, symbolizing the three talents.

The cost of this clothing was not cheap at all. The gold thread of those three dragons and the embroidery craftsmanship were things that money couldn't buy. The clothing wasn't troublesome to wear, and Zhu Yijun had hands and feet and didn't want people too close to him.

The ceremonial robes were too cumbersome; he couldn't put them on himself and needed palace people to serve him.

Zhang Hong knelt respectfully on the ground. Seeing that His Majesty had changed his clothes and finished washing, he held the letter tablet in his hands above his head and said loudly: "This subject has finished the task; please, Your Majesty, take back the letter tablet."

"Hmm." Zhu Yijun walked to Zhang Hong, picked up the letter tablet, hung it on his waist, and then asked: "Rise and speak. In the future, if there is something to say, just say it; you don't have to keep kneeling. Has that Feng Bao caused you any trouble?"

Zhang Hong stood up, bowed his head, and said: "Great Eunuch Feng knew about the cleaning of the palace and came to see it once. He didn't say anything, just instructed this subject to serve His Majesty well and not be lazy."

"Oh, he didn't say anything." Zhu Yijun continued to ask: "How is the catching of the inside accomplice going?"

Zhang Hong pondered slightly and bowed his head: "Great Eunuch Feng arrested Chen Hong, saying it was Chen Hong and his remnants who did it."

Chen Hong, the former Superintendent of the Ceremonial Staff, was always sinister, cunning, and ruthless. He liked to offer potent medicinal concoctions. After the Longqing Emperor passed away, Empress Dowager Li immediately dismissed him from all his posts and sent him to live in the palace corridors.

Zhang Hong made a gesture to kneel again, but since His Majesty had just said not to kneel, he tentatively said: "This subject is guilty. Your Majesty, although I am a master, I only have three foster sons and three foster daughters, so I can only mobilize so many people to serve."

Zhu Yijun didn't mind and said with a smile: "Fewer is better; fewer is easier to manage. Counting you, just let these seven people serve before the throne. If there are fewer, we will add more; if there are more, it will be troublesome."

The more bloated the organizational structure, the more rigid it becomes. Personnel redundancy just leads to all kinds of infighting. Seven people is really not a small number.

Within three zhang (about 10 meters), the more people there are, the more troublesome it is. Fewer people are cleaner and safer.

Beyond three zhang?

Beyond three zhang, imperial power is invincible.

After breakfast, Empress Dowager Li gave some instructions about the classics lecture.

According to the ancestral system of the Great Ming, the inner palace was not allowed to interfere in politics. She couldn't even go to the Zhao Wenhua Hall, let alone listen to politics from behind a curtain, let alone preside over the government. Every time the young Emperor went to the Zhao Wenhua Hall for the classics lecture, Empress Dowager Li was exceptionally worried.

It was called a classics lecture, but actually, there was also the regular court's imperial discussion.

The Zhao Wenhua Hall was where the Great Ming's imperial discussions took place, with twenty-seven civil and military court officials participating. This was also called the 'Nine Ministers' Round Review,' which decided many government affairs of the Great Ming. The Fengtian Hall was where the grand court assembly took place, mainly responsible for reading out the decisions of the imperial discussion.

The young Emperor was young, and Empress Dowager Li was worried that Zhu Yijun would be bullied in the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

"Great Eunuch Feng's face is injured. For today's classics lecture, let Zhang Hong follow the Emperor." Empress Dowager Li checked the young Emperor's attire again to ensure there was nothing improper before announcing a decision.

Zhu Yijun, however, said with a smile: "Zhang Hong won't do. Let Great Eunuch Feng follow. Otherwise, the foreign officials will start guessing again, which will be quite troublesome."

Major personnel adjustments should not be so abrupt; otherwise, they would cause many troubles.

Like a sieve, the news of the assassination attempt on the Emperor yesterday had already spread outside. If Feng Bao did not appear in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, even with Zhang Juzheng's pressure, the foreign officials would start making waves again.

Without Feng Bao's help, it would be very difficult for Zhang Juzheng to firmly grasp the foreign court.

The iron triangle of Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao, and Empress Dowager Li was an interdependent relationship. If any link was missing, the fragile court situation of the Great Ming would become strange again.

Monsters and demons dancing wildly.

And Zhu Yijun clearly knew that the power he held in his hands was simply too little.

Feng Bao, or rather the eunuchs, were the dogs raised by the Emperor to bite the foreign court.

The injury on Feng Bao's face was not a major problem. As long as Feng Bao appeared in the Zhao Wenhua Hall for the assassination case, the foreign officials would have to keep their heads down.

"That will do." Empress Dowager Li was actually very hesitant.

Should Feng Bao go to the Zhao Wenhua Hall?

If he didn't go, the foreign officials would make trouble again. But if he went, Empress Dowager Li was worried: was Feng Bao colluding with Zhang Juzheng to scheme against the young Emperor? She was anxious and worried; the more she thought, the more conflicted she became, making it difficult to sleep.

She hadn't slept all night, constantly thinking about who the mastermind was. But she couldn't even go to the Zhao Wenhua Hall and had to rely on Feng Bao for everything. As a result, Feng Bao was also somewhat unreliable, making her incomparably anxious.

Not yet thirty, the twenty-seven-year-old Empress Dowager Li didn't actually have many ideas. Since her son said to let Feng Bao follow, then let Feng Bao follow.

When they arrived at the Zhao Wenhua Hall, surrounded by officials, the Emperor felt that if Feng Bao followed, he wouldn't be bullied, so let Feng Bao continue to follow.

Zhu Yijun didn't take the sedan chair but walked toward the Zhao Wenhua Hall, with Feng Bao following closely behind, each step the same distance, exactly one position behind His Majesty.

Zhu Yijun suddenly stopped and said: "Great Eunuch Feng, you used me to establish your prestige half a year ago. I know, and I'm too lazy to bother with you, so I let you do it. There are so many people in the palace, and I just ascended the throne; you always need some prestige to get things done."

"You established your prestige, and then you let the evildoer into the palace to harm me? Is this how you act as the 'great ancestor'?"

"This subject deserves to die!" Feng Bao, holding the Wanli Seal, heard the Emperor's question and immediately knelt on the ground, holding the Wanli Seal, his hands trembling.

Zhu Yijun turned around and said calmly: "Look me in the eye."

"Yes." Feng Bao looked up, through the seal of the Wanli Seal, at the Great Ming Emperor. This slightly chubby young Emperor was now higher than the heavens.

With just one word, Feng Bao, this 'great ancestor,' would have to sink into the Jinshui River immediately.

The power of the eunuchs came entirely from imperial power, and the person before him was the Emperor. The Wanli Seal before his eyes did not belong to the Empress Dowager, did not belong to Zhang Juzheng, and even less did it belong to Feng Bao; it belonged to the person before him.

Zhu Yijun stared at Feng Bao and said very calmly: "Mother is just a woman. In the future, don't fool Mother. Right now, Chen Hong has fallen, and Gao Gong has also fallen. Whatever is inside and outside the court, let it be. Don't add oil and vinegar, making Mother overly worried."

"Rise."

Zhu Yijun didn't make Feng Bao do anything more difficult. He really didn't like Feng Bao lying to Empress Dowager Li.

Empress Dowager Li was just a woman, prone to anxiety. The Great Ming was in a precarious situation, and the Longqing Emperor had passed away early. If Feng Bao were to spout nonsense again, it would make Empress Dowager Li wake up in the middle of the night.

Feng Bao kowtowed respectfully and said solemnly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace!"

At this time, the political alliance of this iron triangle—Feng Bao, Zhang Juzheng, and Empress Dowager Li—was the biggest obstacle to Zhu Yijun's personal rule, and at the same time, it was his biggest protective umbrella while he was young.

Feng Bao still had to be used, but not in the way he had been used before, relying on him for everything.

"Let's go, to the regular court!" Zhu Yijun strode forward toward the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

"Ascend the throne!" Feng Bao walked a few steps quickly, arrived inside the Zhao Wenhua Hall, shouted loudly, and placed the Wanli Seal on the imperial desk on the platform.

Four young eunuchs carried the dragon chair and placed it behind the imperial desk. Every day after the regular court, the dragon chair had to be carried down.

"Proclaim the civil and military court officials to enter the hall!" Feng Bao flicked his whisk again, the Commander stood before the door, flicked the whip three times, and shouted loudly: "Enter the hall!"

The Great Han generals before the door searched the civil and military officials for lethal weapons. The officials filed in one by one. After standing still, Zhang Juzheng led the twenty-seven court officials in five bows and three kowtows.

"Long live, long live, long live the Emperor."

Zhu Yijun extended his hand halfway and said: "Rise."

Zhu Yijun examined the person leading the group in the center; this person was the Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, the Grand Secretary of the Zhongji Hall, Zhang Juzheng.