Chapter 466: The Factory Master

With a clang, a four-beauties blue-and-white porcelain vase, made with Sumali blue pigment, shattered across the black floor tiles of the Qianqing Palace.

Below, Cao Huachun and another tall man immediately knelt, trembling on the floor as they awaited their fate.

"The Mobile Corps Commander of the Dengzhou Militia Battalion, the Shanhai Pass Regional Commander, and the Liaozhen Militia Regional Commander — acting on their own authority, they forcibly breached Zhangjiakou Fort. This is rebellion!"

The Chongzhen Emperor's face was full of indignation, his usually pale complexion now unusually flushed. His slightly hoarse voice echoed through the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Beside him, Wang Chengen also knelt on the floor, silent and making no sound.

"You two." The Chongzhen Emperor pointed at Cao Huachun and the military officer on the floor. "Tell me, each of you, how you have been handling things in Liaozhen and Denglai? What intelligence have you gathered? Luo Yangxing, you speak first!"

The tall military officer kept his head lowered, revealing the tiger-pattern rank badge of a third-grade military official on his back. His voice trembling slightly, he said, "Your humble servant... Your humble servant sends men once a year to Denglai and Liaozhen to inspect the conditions of the soldiers and civilians. The 'auditory records' are present; Your humble servant also reports them to the palace every year..."

With a loud bang, the Chongzhen Emperor slammed his hand on the imperial desk. "The reports sent to the palace all claim peace and tranquility! Then why are Liaozhen and Shanhai Pass so brazen, and why is even Dengzhou Garrison colluding with them like wolves in cahoots? How did they link up together? Speak!"

"Your humble servant... Your humble servant..." Luo Yangxing's voice trembled; he could no longer speak.

This Luo Yangxing was the Seal-holding Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, controlling seventeen offices and the Northern and Southern Judicial Commissions, a figure of some standing in the capital. He was a second-generation official; his father was Luo Sigong, who had headed the Embroidered Uniform Guard for forty years during the Wanli reign. During his tenure, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had performed admirably in the Korean campaign and the Palace Relocation Case. It was only when Wei Zhongxian rose to power that he was replaced by Tian Ergeng, one of the Five Tigers.

After the Chongzhen Emperor overthrew Wei Zhongxian, Tian Ergeng was also toppled, leaving the post of Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander vacant. Luo Yangxing succeeded by leveraging his father's legacy and became the Seal-holding Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This gentleman had a fierce and imposing appearance but a weak heart. Although his ability to confiscate property and amass wealth was not weak at all, he lacked his father's capability. Under his leadership, the Embroidered Uniform Guard lost most of its teeth.

In its over two hundred and fifty years of existence, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was at its weakest under Luo Yangxing. His lack of ability was one reason, but the Ming central government's increasing loss of control over the grassroots was also a major cause, especially its ability to restrain military strongmen. A few imperial riders were far from enough to deal with military commanders who held heavy troops. In the history of the original timeline, Luo Yangxing simply muddled along. By the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, the Emperor could no longer tolerate his incompetence and dismissed him. Later, after the Manchu Qing entered the pass, Luo Yangxing defected to the Tatars and fared even better than he had in the Ming dynasty, becoming the Provincial Governor of Tianjin, though he was dismissed again after only a year.

In reality, given the Embroidered Uniform Guard's duties, it only handled matters near the capital. The local intelligence agencies were the various Garrison Supervising Eunuchs and Army Supervisors stationed in the regions. The Embroidered Uniform Guard's riders, in their bright clothes and on fine horses, sounded impressive, but in a place like Liaozhen, they still had to tread carefully. Those soldiers dared even to arrest a Provincial Governor; dealing with a few imperial riders would take no effort at all.

Therefore, Luo Yangxing still preferred to handle matters against capital officials within the capital. He could not manage affairs outside well, especially in the last two years. Naturally, he had not done much real work, and as a result, he could not answer the Chongzhen Emperor's questions.

Having finished venting his anger at Luo Yangxing, the Chongzhen Emperor turned to Cao Huachun. He let out a long breath, softened his tone, and said, "Cao Banban, the Eastern Depot also has the duty to supervise all officials. What connections exist between Denglai and Guanning? You must report back to Us within two months. Tell Lu Zhi to be more diligent; his role in Dengzhou is not merely to submit victory reports."

"This old servant obeys the decree," Cao Huachun replied in a low voice, then slightly raised his head and said, "Today, Dengzhou Regional Commander Wang Zhangfu sent another dispatch to the Ministry of War, stating that Zhong Caisheng is a subordinate of the Militia Regional Commander, and that he tried to dissuade him at the time but failed. His wording also impeaches Liaozhen for instigation, insisting on linking the spies who guided the Jianzhou Bandits with the merchants of Zhangjiakou. Zhong Caisheng suffered heavy losses at Zhubokou, all because spies leaked the movements of the Dengzhou troops. Thus, provoked by Liaozhen, he rashly went to Zhangjiakou to arrest people."

"Is that truly the case?" the Chongzhen Emperor asked with some doubt. "Regardless, he should have reported to the local Military Defense Circuit and the Governor, and only moved to arrest after a thorough investigation. How could he take it upon himself to seize people first?"

Cao Huachun immediately said, "This old servant said the same. Zhong Caisheng acted on his own authority and must be severely punished. However, several Grand Secretaries in the cabinet are quite divided. They still speak of the slaying of Manggūltai. This deed greatly boosted military prestige, and Zhong Caisheng is credited with the primary merit. To discuss severe punishment for him now would likely invite ridicule from the common people."

The Chongzhen Emperor exhaled heavily several times, repeatedly starting to speak and then stopping. Manggūltai's head had already been delivered to Zhang Zongheng and verified through multiple inspections; it was truly an extraordinary feat. To deal with Zhong Caisheng at this moment would lead many who did not know the details to believe the court treated meritorious officials poorly, which indeed posed a difficult problem for the cabinet.

Finally, the Chongzhen Emperor waved his hand impatiently and said, "The Zhangjiakou matter shall be concluded thus. What We want to know now is what connections exist between the various generals of Denglai and Liaozhen. We do not want to hear what their memorials and dispatches say; We want you to go and see and hear for yourselves. Give Us a reply within two months. If We only needed to read dispatches, what use would We have for you, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot?"

The two men below kowtowed together and accepted the decree. The Chongzhen Emperor, weary, dismissed them. After kneeling and bowing, they departed. Wang Chengen knelt on the floor, turned his head to watch their retreating figures, his eyes shifting uncertainly.

Wang Chengen stood up and said to the Chongzhen Emperor, "Would Your Majesty like a bowl of bird's nest soup?"

The Chongzhen Emperor narrowed his eyes and did not speak. Wang Chengen said in a low voice, "Is Your Majesty still worried about the Zhangjiakou affair? Actually, this servant has heard people say that the merchants of Zhangjiakou colluding with the slaves may indeed be true, and that it is quite entangled with figures at court."

The Chongzhen Emperor turned his head slightly to look at him, then shook his head and said, "We said, this is not about Zhangjiakou. What worries Us is the entanglement between Denglai and Liaozhen. Zu Dashou hides in Jinzhou and does not even return to Ningyuan. Even when called to aid the king, he only sends men like Wu Xiang and Zu Kuan. Court orders have not been followed in Liaozhen for a long time. Several times, Wu Xiang has brought back heads of real barbarians, and each time it was not far from a major victory by Dengzhou Garrison. Do you think We truly do not understand the schemes within?"

Wang Chengen said carefully, "Eunuch Cao also manages the military affairs of the capital training camps, so he has spent less time handling matters at the Eastern Depot. Presumably, it was not an intentional oversight. Perhaps that Zhong Caisheng is indeed a rash man, and it was Liaozhen's instigation that led to this affair. This servant has heard that since ancient times, fierce generals have all had rough tempers; perhaps that describes someone like Zhong Caisheng."

The Chongzhen Emperor sighed and said, "Liaozhen is hard to control, and Dengzhou has always been relatively obedient to orders. Now, if the two sides are truly colluding, it is far from beneficial to the court. What worries Us is this: there are not a few at court who speak well of Liaozhen, and even Zu Dashou has people making excuses for him. Thinking about it now, those who speak well of Dengzhou Garrison are even more numerous than those for Liaozhen. Do they not understand that whether it is the court officials or the eunuchs within the forbidden palace, if the court loses its authority, where will they go to obtain their benefits?"

After speaking, the Chongzhen Emperor closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Wang Chengen secretly raised his eyes, looking at the premature white hair at the Emperor's temples. His own eyes could not help but grow moist...

The next day before noon, Wang Chengen left the palace and returned to his home outside Donghua Gate. It was also a spacious mansion, with three gardens within. Servants and maids moved about in a constant stream, all kneeling to greet Wang Chengen when they saw him.

This residence of Wang Chengen's was a gift from Chen Xin, but the servants were all acquired by himself. His method was neither buying household slaves nor recruiting; instead, he directly commandeered them from the capital training camps and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In other words, these servants were actually still drawing salaries.

According to court regulations, the managing eunuchs of the palace were all entitled to servants, called "private ministers" (Note 1), with numbers ranging from twenty-five to sixty. The old rule was sixty for eunuchs who held the seal, fifty-five for the rest, forty for Left Junior Supervisors, thirty for Supervisor Aides, twenty-five for Registry Clerks, with numbers decreasing for lower posts (Note 2). With this pretext, and given their authority, these eunuchs massively commandeered military artisans, military households, and capital training camp personnel. Eunuchs with authority commandeered servants by the hundreds; the managing eunuchs of the twenty-four government offices basically all commandeered around three hundred servants.

Moreover, the commandeering of servants by high court officials and nobles was no less than that of the eunuchs. That is to say, they not only occupied troop quotas but also collected the pay and provisions for these troops. The court was essentially paying to keep servants for them. This was how the empty quotas in the capital training camps and the Embroidered Uniform Guard came about. In the mid-Ming period, when the capital training camps were audited, out of over two hundred thousand troop quotas, only fifty thousand were actually in camp, and only twenty thousand of those were able-bodied young men. Capital officials, eunuchs, and nobles were as numerous as ox hairs; the hundred thousand or two hundred thousand troop quotas of the capital training camps were not even enough for everyone to share. Anyone who tried to reorganize the capital training camps was making an enemy of the entire capital officialdom; how could it possibly go smoothly?

As for Wang Chengen's status, although his post could not compare to that of the Directorate of Ceremonial's Senior Writing Eunuch, he was the only one in the palace who could constantly appear before the Emperor. Over the years, the Emperor had always been quite encouraging. This status was one that even the Directorate of Ceremonial dared not slight; instead, they had to curry favor with Wang Chengen in many ways. Thus, he was also a ranked figure in the palace, and his commandeered servants reached over three hundred.

This young wealthy man strolled slowly through the garden in the rear courtyard, followed by over twenty servants and maids, a display not much inferior to the Emperor's. Wang Chengen walked along, his head bowed in thought.

He understood the Chongzhen Emperor's predicament very well. Zu Dashou had become the local emperor of Jinzhou and Ningyuan, while Dengzhou Garrison was a sharp weapon against the Later Jin and Liaozhen. The appearance of signs of convergence at Zhangjiakou this time would naturally give the Chongzhen Emperor a headache.

At that moment, the gatekeeper from outside came to report that Zhang Dahui had arrived. Wang Chengen stopped in place and waited briefly, then raised his head and said to the gatekeeper, "Just say that I am not at home and have not been back to the residence recently. Tell him to come here less often from now on."...

"To the Eastern Depot." Cao Huachun sat down in the carriage and said a word to his subordinate steward.

The steward immediately replied respectfully, "Yes, Factory Master."

The carriage soon set off. This type of four-wheeled carriage with leaf-spring shock absorption was very smooth. Cao Huachun lay inside, resting with his eyes closed, recalling the Emperor's words from the previous day. Thinking about it himself, Chen Xin did indeed have some unusual aspects, but the one who caused trouble this time was, after all, a subordinate of the Militia Regional Commander. In his heart, he believed the two garrisons had simply taken advantage of the situation to loot together and split the spoils. He always felt the Emperor was making a mountain out of a molehill.

More importantly, even if an investigation truly uncovered collusion between the two garrisons, what could the court do to them? Zu Dashou alone was enough to vex the Emperor, and now they had to drag in an even stronger Dengzhou Garrison. He felt the Emperor was putting the cart before the horse on this matter. The urgent task was not to investigate, but to first devise a way to deal with it; otherwise, it was just inviting trouble.

He touched the fox-fur cover on the armrest and recalled that this carriage was also a gift from Chen Xin. The design was exquisite. In winter, one could put fox-fur covers over the mahogany armrests, making them warm and soft to the touch. When summer arrived and it became hot, they could be removed. In winter, there was a small copper brazier outside for adding charcoal to provide heating. Inside the carriage compartment, there were special trays for placing sandalwood and ice blocks. Even such details had been thought of. Coupled with the exquisite interior decoration, where even the latticework was made of ivory, he could not help but feel quite favorably toward Chen Xin. This type of carriage had now become a symbol of status in the capital, something ordinary officials could not buy even if they wanted to.

The carriage moved slowly and soon arrived outside Donghua Gate in the capital, where the famous Eastern Investigative Depot was located. The Eastern Depot was established over ten years later than the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but because its Factory Master was the Senior Writing Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and it also oversaw the Embroidered Uniform Guard, its status was even higher than that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Factory Master was generally held by the second or third-ranking figure in the Directorate of Ceremonial. To highlight its status, even its seal differed from those of ordinary inner officials. For example, an inner official like Lu Zhi had a seal reading "Seal of the Dengzhou Army Supervising Inner Official," while the Eastern Depot's seal read "Imperially Bestowed Seal of the Superintendent Grand Eunuch in Charge of Eastern Depot Official Affairs," along with an imperially bestowed sealed ivory stamp used as a sealing stamp for secret correspondence. All reports were delivered directly into the palace. Even if the palace gates were closed at midnight, they could be slipped in through the crack of the gate.

Its personnel were mostly drawn from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, totaling over a hundred file leaders and nearly a thousand agents, all selected from the Embroidered Uniform Guard as the most ruthless and cunning. When ordinary civil officials heard the words "Eastern Depot," they would shudder.

Because Cao Huachun also concurrently managed the military affairs of the capital training camps and served as the Senior Writing Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he did not come here every day. But this time, with the Emperor angry at the Eastern Depot, he had to focus his main energy here until this matter was resolved.

The carriage entered through the southwest gateway of the Eastern Depot. After stopping in the courtyard, Cao Huachun patted the armrest. The steward outside opened the side door. Luo Yangxing, who had been waiting, came forward and helped Cao Huachun down from the carriage. Dozens of file leaders kneeling around them said in unison, "Greetings to the Factory Master!"

Cao Huachun nodded slightly and walked with his head high into the main hall. Luo Yangxing and over ten senior file leaders followed behind him. The two entered the ancestral hall on the west side of the main hall together. Inside was an exquisite memorial archway inscribed with the four large gilded characters "Liu Fang Bai Shi" (A Good Name Endures for a Hundred Generations). At the place of honor were enshrined the spirit tablets of successive Eastern Depot Supervising Eunuchs; those who had been overthrown were, of course, no longer there. After Cao Huachun and Luo Yangxing offered incense, they returned to the main hall, turned right, and entered a small hall. Inside was enshrined a statue of Yue Wumu. Cao Huachun and Luo Yangxing also went to offer incense (Note 3).

In the Ming military, most worshipped Yue Wumu, often regarding Yue Fei as the Martial Sage. It was only after the Manchu Qing entered the pass, considering Yue Fei to be anti-Jin, that the Qing forcibly recognized the Jin dynasty as their ancestors, so Yue Fei could no longer serve as the Martial Sage. Even "Man Jiang Hong" was altered beyond recognition. Yue Fei had to yield his place to Lord Guan. Ming dynasty temples to Emperor Guan existed, but not in great numbers; it was after the Manchu Qing that temples to Emperor Guan proliferated everywhere.

After completing these rituals, Cao Huachun and Luo Yangxing walked out of the small hall together. Behind it was a brick screen wall carved with the stories of the Suanni and Di Lianggong Judging the Tiger. The Suanni was a divine beast that could devour tigers and leopards, symbolizing the Eastern Depot's valor. Di Lianggong was Di Renjie, representing the Eastern Depot's justice and capability.

After rounding the brick screen wall, the group entered a small council hall. Cao Huachun took the seat of honor. The file leaders paid their respects again and then took their seats on both sides.

The pale-faced and bearded Cao Huachun swept a majestic gaze over his subordinates, who sat upright and attentive. In a cold, shrill voice, he began, "All present are senior file leaders. The matter to be discussed today is clear in everyone's hearts. Yesterday, His Majesty summoned me and gave me a severe scolding, asking what the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are even doing. I myself no longer understand what the Eastern Depot is doing. To speak plainly, matters like auditory records, resident records, and incident handling in the capital could be managed perfectly well by some street thug. What need is there for so many senior file leaders!"

The senior file leaders below all lowered their heads to stare at the floor, not daring to move a muscle.

Cao Huachun's voice grew shriller. He shouted, "This affair at Zhangjiakou Fort — the death of a few Shanxi merchants is not a big deal. The fact that some in the capital took their silver and want to speak for them is also not a big deal. What His Majesty wants investigated is the dealings between Dengzhou Garrison and Liaozhen. Some of you have taken silver from Shanxi merchants, some have taken benefits from Dengzhou, and some have taken benefits from Liaozhen. I do not care about any of that."

Cao Huachun suddenly stood up. All the file leaders knelt in unison. Cao Huachun cast a cold glance over the crowd and shouted, "Each file leader will select your most capable men and send them to Dengzhou and Liaozhen to investigate. Do not contact the local army supervisors or garrison inner officials. I want your own auditory records. Not just the dealings between Liaozhen and Dengzhou Garrison, but the circumstances of every general, every battalion, and every staff advisor in both garrisons must be clearly listed. What are the relationships between the generals? Are there marriage alliances and such? Every detail must be seen. If anyone tries to be perfunctory this time and causes me to be unable to give an account before His Majesty, I will have that person's head removed first."

"As commanded!" (To be continued...)

PS: Note 1: From "Zhuo Zhong Zhi": "The private ministers of each household: called the Household Manager, in charge of all household affairs; called the Steward, handling business and managing silver and funds; called the Upper Room... Class Head... Shift Head... Bureau Room, and below them, those in charge of hats, clothing and boots, the tea room, the kitchen, intelligence gathering..."

Note 2: From "Shan Tang Bie Ji, Volume Ten, Examination of Inner Officials": "We ministers serve within the forbidden palace; menial laborers can be employed, drawn only from artisans who are not engaged in work. Those eunuchs who hold the seal have sixty men; the rest all have fifty-five; Left Junior Supervisors have forty..."

Note 3: The layout of the Eastern Depot references records in "Zhuo Zhong Zhi." The image of Yue Fei was a hanging portrait; here it is changed to a statue. The spirit tablets of successive Eastern Depot Factory Masters are real.