Chapter 470: An Audience with the Emperor

The knight holding high the Regional Commander's banner was the first to enter Guangqu Gate.

Following the banner into the city was Chen Ce, the young Assistant Regional Commander representing the Fujian Governor's Office, clad in Mingguang Armor.

Chen Ce's entry drew thunderous cheers — impaled on the tip of the long spear he held aloft was the head of the great bandit Amin himself.

Next to appear was the double agent, the Yongping Assistant Regional Commander Li Jichun, who had just crawled out of his midlife crisis and "personally" stabbed Shuotuo to death.

Li Jichun was also in full armor, Shuotuo's head impaled on the long spear in his hand.

Mounted on his horse, Li Jichun's face was now flushed crimson — it was impossible to tell whether he was stimulated by the cheers of the capital's menfolk, or burning with inner shame, or perhaps both.

In any case, the knights holding aloft the heads of two Tartar chieftains drew the loudest cheers and the most eyeballs.

Only after this did Regional Commander Cao make his entrance.

Regional Commander Cao, clad in a bright red official robe, had no need whatsoever to attract attention, so he was escorted by his personal guards through the ranks, proceeding methodically down the long street, drawing little notice.

Ever since the transmigrators from later generations became men of high status, they had all developed persecutory delusions. Thus, in public settings, Regional Commander Cao always followed the common practice of successful people from later generations, constantly shielded in the middle by his personal guards.

Otherwise, what if a lurking Tartar put an arrow through him? Seven or eight holes and he'd turn into Kennedy...

After the vanguard guard detachment passed, what followed were 500 Flying Tiger Battalion troopers, wearing copper basin hats on their heads and brand-new bright red Mandarin Duck Battle Jackets of the Ming Army. These Tianjin natives had shed their green jackets today and donned proper uniforms, passing themselves off as genuine regular Ming troops.

The cavalry column, in impeccable martial order and advancing in four files, likewise drew wave after wave of cheers wherever it passed.

Mounted on their tall, sturdy horses, the Flying Tiger Battalion troopers now held their heads high and puffed out their chests, striving mightily to put on the airs of battle-hardened elite soldiers.

These natives from Tianjin had truly never dreamed, even in their wildest imaginings, that they would one day swagger so ostentatiously through the capital.

Amid the ever-mounting cheers rising from the roadsides, some of the younger men, caught up in the fervent atmosphere, gradually lost their ability to keep a straight face. And so, from time to time, troopers would grin and wave to both sides, utterly shattering the solemn and dignified mood of the formation.

The last to appear were the Guard Battalion warriors, clad in green jackets and carrying rifles on their backs.

The Guard Battalion warriors, having undergone "proper education," kept stern faces, following at the very rear of the column with an air of seeming nonchalance, displaying not the slightest excitement or blessing at entering the great capital and being about to meet the Emperor.

Furthermore, the Guard Battalion did not perform the goose-stepping drill that was a mandatory spectacle for transmigrators reviewing troops for the natives today; they simply advanced and retreated with the formation, very low-key.

The transmigrators had given this careful consideration.

Everything requires a process of familiarity and acceptance. What needed to be done now was to package these short-haired, green-jacketed soldiers as a special troop type under the command of a remote frontier tusi or military governorship, akin to the "White Rod Army."

This way, once short-haired people gradually became a more common sight in the Beijing-Tianjin area in the days to come, the populace would slowly accept it.

So today, there was no need to shock the world further; let the internet celebrities holding up heads and the Tianjin natives draw all the attention.

And so, the low-key Green Jacket Battalion soldiers followed at the rear of the main column, advancing steadily. Aside from some curious, novel chatter among the Ming people along the way, no incidents occurred.

When General Cao's banner reached the front of the Great Ming Gate, the victory mounds to the left and right of the gate tower had already been piled up, lacking only the "finishing touch."

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the two knights holding the heads of Amin and Shuotuo extended their long spears toward the soldiers standing atop the victory mounds.

Then the heads were removed from the spear tips and placed, each at the apex of a pyramid.

Thus, the ceremony was complete, and a thunderous roar of cheers erupted.

Amid the cheers, Regional Commander Cao stepped out from the ranks and came alone before the Great Ming Gate.

At the same moment, bells and drums sounded in unison at the foot of the Great Ming Gate, as two rows of trumpeters simultaneously blew a deep, resonant long note.

The next moment, the three side-by-side great gates slowly swung open. From the central state gate emerged the Jade Carriage, bearing upon it the Chongzhen Emperor, clad in a bright Ming-yellow dragon robe and wearing the Mianliu Crown Crown Crown. From the side gates on either side, the assembled officials marched out in formation.

This was no time for posturing. This fellow had come to foster mutual understanding between ruler and subject, not to act like Nian Gengyao. Thus, upon spotting the highly recognizable Ming-yellow figure, Regional Commander Cao immediately dismounted, pushed aside the mountain of gold and toppled the pillar of jade, knelt, and bellowed: "Your subject Cao Chuan kneels and kowtows to His Majesty, may the Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

The Jade Carriage halted after passing through the gate. Soon, the Emperor approached, bent down, extended his arms, and helped Regional Commander Cao to his feet, saying in a gentle voice: "My beloved minister, quickly dispense with the formalities!"

"I thank Your Majesty!" Regional Commander Cao rose as bidden. In this moment, the wise sovereign and loyal subject finally met eye to eye, both sides revealing expressions of deep emotion.

"General, you have rendered the court a peerless service in this campaign. Today, I personally lead the assembled ministers to relieve the General of his armor; rich rewards shall follow shortly."

"Many thanks, Your Majesty! Henceforth, wherever duty calls, your humble general will not shirk even ten thousand deaths!"

"Good! Good!" The Emperor threw back his head and laughed heartily, his youthful face radiant with vigor, his eyes sparkling with spirit: "Beloved minister, come, ride with me in the carriage."

"I am overwhelmed with trepidation!"

The next moment, under the complex gazes of countless onlookers, amid the drumbeats, horn calls, and the cheers of the Ming people behind them, the young Emperor reached out and took hold of the arm of Cao the Loyal Subject. The two men mounted the Jade Carriage together, and the vehicle slowly drove through the Great Ming Gate.

This act set a new record: the main gate of the Great Ming Gate, which only the Retired Emperor, the Emperor, and the reigning Empress on her wedding day could pass through, was breached for the first time in its history to admit a military officer.

And so, escorted by the hundred officials arrayed in columns on either side, the Jade Carriage slowly passed through the Great Ming Gate, traversed the long rows of government offices beneath the high walls on both sides, then crossed the Outer Jin Shui Bridge with its white marble carved balustrades, continued through the towering Cheng Gate and Meridian Gate, crossed the Inner Jin Shui Bridge, passed through Huangji Gate, and finally came to a halt before the entrance of the vast Huangji Hall.

This treatment, the pinnacle of honor and favor, left Regional Commander Cao in a subtle state of mind after dismounting — he could feel the countless gazes upon him, some curious, some icy, and who knew how many of them brimmed with intense malice.

Fortunately, Comrade Zhang Dongdong had once visited the Forbidden City as a tourist, so standing before Huangji Hall today, he felt no nervousness, only a sense of wistful emotion born of time-space dislocation: the dense crowds of tourists had been replaced by dense crowds of officials; the signboard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony had been replaced with that of Huangji Hall.

After dismounting, the Emperor, attended by eunuchs and guards, proceeded first to the rear hall to rest and prepare. The rest of the assembled officials waited outside the hall for a period, and only after forming ranks did they enter Huangji Hall in sequence according to their rank.

Though today was not a day for the grand court assembly, the solemnity of the occasion far surpassed that of a grand assembly, and thus every official in the capital, including the ennobled and imperial relatives, was present without exception.

As a result, those who could secure a spot inside Huangji Hall were essentially officials of Rank Four and above; the remaining small fry queued by rank, stretching from the hall entrance all the way to the plaza — a truly magnificent sight.

After three cracks of the ceremonial whip sounded, a loud yet shrill cry came from behind the vermilion steps: "His Majesty arrives!"

Upon hearing the drawn-out announcement, the assembled officials inside and outside the hall collectively fell solemn. Immediately after, the Emperor, having exchanged the cumbersome Mianliu Crown Crown Crown for a Golden Gauze Yishan Crown, emerged from behind the imperial throne.

The Emperor ascended his throne, the assembled ministers knelt and kowtowed, and once the formalities were complete, each returned to their designated place.

The procedure that followed was not the usual "if there is business, report it; if not, court is dismissed."

The grand eunuch Fang Zhenghua, who had already leveraged the merit of being the first to deliver the joyous news to coax an Embroidered Python Robe from the Emperor, now, upon seeing the Emperor's nod of assent, walked beaming to the front of the vermilion steps and unfurled an imperial edict in his hands: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Regional Commander Cao Chuan, step forward to receive your enfeoffment!"

This was an imperial edict whose contents anyone on Earth could have guessed: "For the Cao Clan's distinguished military achievements, by special decree, you are hereby enfeoffed and appointed as — Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Pillar of State, Loyal and Brave Count, Vice Minister of War, and Left Regional Commander of the Rear Military Command."

And so Regional Commander Cao... the newly-minted Loyal and Brave Count hastily stepped forward, kowtowed, and expressed his gratitude for the imperial grace.

Aside from those dukes and marquises ennobled at the dynasty's founding, by the Chongzhen era, very few generals holding real military power could still complete this full set of titles. Even Zu Dashou, who had guarded Liaodong for four generations, and Mao Wenlong had never managed to attain such a complete array of military honors and ranks.

Today, Regional Commander Cao had risen to prominence in a single bound, becoming a bona fide Count of the Great Ming by virtue of the two victory mounds before the Great Ming Gate.

The title "Loyal and Brave Count" was rich in symbolic meaning, embodying the Emperor's profound expectations.

The first-generation Loyal and Brave Count dated back to the Zhengtong era, a general named Jiang Xin; the second-generation Loyal and Brave Count was his descendant, Jiang Shan. Now, two hundred years later, Regional Commander Cao had unexpectedly become the third-generation Loyal and Brave Count of the Great Ming today.

As for the remaining titles, they were all nominal offices of the upper first rank and empty martial honorifics.

From this string of titles, one could see that the Chongzhen Emperor had truly been bullied and frightened by the Tartars during this Jisi Incident. It must be understood that Chongzhen was ordinarily rather stingy and had never bestowed official posts upon military officers with such generosity.

Even so, the Emperor on his throne still felt he had somewhat shortchanged Regional Commander Cao... the Loyal and Brave Count.

So after the Loyal and Brave Count kowtowed to express his gratitude, the Emperor deliberately explained to everyone present: the reason he had not granted the highest title was that the Northern Barbarians had not yet been completely wiped out. The Emperor wanted to reserve some ranks and honors for future use, and he expected the newly-minted Loyal and Brave Count to keep up the effort and sweep the Northern Barbarians away at an early date. When that time came, the Emperor would certainly not be stingy with rewards.

What could the Loyal and Brave Count do at that moment? He could only loudly profess his loyalty once more.

As soon as this round of formalities was finished, Fang Zhenghua unfurled a second imperial edict.

This one was simpler in content: the Emperor required the Loyal and Brave Count to submit a roster of all those who had rendered meritorious service in this campaign. All would be richly rewarded in the aftermath, "and We shall deny nothing."

In addition, the Emperor bestowed a residence upon the Loyal and Brave Count in Beijing, and along with it granted him slaves, bows and knives, fine horses, gold coins, Shu brocade, and a whole series of other fine things.

The Loyal and Brave Count thus dragged his aching knees forward once more to kowtow and express his gratitude...

The imperial edicts were not yet finished.

Fang Zhenghua produced a third scroll.

Fortunately, this one's content no longer concerned Regional Commander Cao. The Emperor, whose arrogance blazed sky-high, used the momentum of the great victory to directly promote the old thespian Wen Tiren — who had already gained a reputation for "understanding military affairs" — to Grand Secretary of the East Pavilion and concurrently Minister of Rites, a full two months earlier than it had happened historically.

The Donglin Party men in the hall ground their silver teeth to dust at that moment. But there was nothing they could do — today was a day of great celebration, and anyone who crossed the Emperor would be seeking unemployment, or perhaps even seeking the Imperial Prison. So the Donglin heroes could only watch helplessly as that old scoundrel Wen stepped forward to receive the decree and express his gratitude, utterly powerless.