Chapter 536: The New Superior Official

On the twenty-seventh day of the sixth month, a fleet slowly docked at the Dengzhou water fortress. The shore was packed with waiting crowds. Two civil officials were the first to step off the gangplank. The first wore an official robe with a golden pheasant rank badge, the second a peacock badge — a second-rank and a third-rank civil official respectively.

Wang Tingshi stepped forward to greet them, then knelt and said, "Wang Tingshi, Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Chief Surveillance Bureau and Provincial Governor of Denglai and Dongjiang, pays respects to the Grand Coordinator." Behind him, Chen Xin and the others also knelt in succession.

Xiong Mingyu, the Grand Coordinator of Ji-Liao, who was walking in front, hurried forward a few steps and politely helped Wang Tingshi to his feet. Visibly moved, he said to Wang Tingshi, "When I was at Shanhai Pass and suddenly learned that you, my lord, had resigned, I was truly astonished. You have served with utmost diligence and achieved much in your post at Denglai, and I am genuinely sorry to see you go. A few days later, His Majesty ordered me to escort Lord Yang here to take up his new post. I thought it was just as well — there are some things I wished to speak with you about."

"I am grateful for Lord Xiong's concern," Wang Tingshi said amiably, but he spoke with a Jiangxi accent. Both he and Xiong Mingyu were natives of Nanchang, Jiangxi. During the Ming dynasty, Jiangxi produced a great many Metropolitan Graduates. In the early Ming, it was said that "the Hanlin Academy is full of men from Jishui, and half the court officials are from Jiangxi." The court officials produced by Jiangxi were no fewer than those from Jiangnan. In the Ming, the single prefecture of Ji'an in Jiangxi produced ten Grand Secretaries, twenty-two Ministers, and eleven Top Graduates. Jiangxi had such a tradition of civil officials, and native-place ties were among the most valued connections for Ming officials, often serving as the bond around which they coalesced.

Xiong Mingyu nodded as he spoke, and both men switched to the Nanchang dialect, which differed considerably from the northern official tongue of the time. Chen Xin, behind them, had never been to Jiangxi and naturally could not make head or tail of it. It looked as though Xiong Mingyu was quite emotional — perhaps lamenting Wang Tingshi's departure, or perhaps encouraging him. But Chen Xin knew that Xiong Mingyu's own position was awkward. His patron, Zhou Yanru, had collapsed, and he had accomplished little in his post as Grand Coordinator of Ji-Liao. Although Denglai had won several victories, Chen Xin's battle reports had never credited him with any strategic merit, each time mentioning only the Denglai Provincial Governor, the Army Supervisor, the Minister of War, and Senior Grand Secretary Wen.

This Grand Coordinator was stationed at Shanhai Pass. Beyond Ningyuan lay the territory of the Liaodong garrison, and Zu Dashou certainly did not obey him. Denglai was remote, beyond the reach of the Emperor, and Chen Xin had no wish to deal with him either. The only man he could actually command was the Shanhai Pass Regional Commander, You Shiwei. So this nominal Regional Commander of Liaodong was less effective than Wang Tingshi, the Provincial Governor.

When Wang Tingshi was in the capital, he had belonged neither to Zhou Yanru's faction nor to Wen Tiren's. After arriving in Denglai, he began leaning toward Wen Tiren's clique. This time, when the Emperor wanted to replace the Denglai Provincial Governor, Wang Tingshi had also approached Wen Tiren while maneuvering for a new post. The Senior Grand Secretary had put in some effort on his behalf, which was one reason the matter had dragged on so long.

Wang Tingshi and Xiong Mingyu had always been on good terms, as the two were fellow provincials. On his several visits to Denglai, Xiong Mingyu had always stayed at Wang Tingshi's home. A private relationship had been established, and with Wang Tingshi as a connection, Denglai had to show Xiong Mingyu some degree of face.

Kneeling on the ground, Chen Xin looked past Xiong Mingyu and saw the equally awkward figure of the newly appointed Denglai Provincial Governor, Yang Wenyue. Yang Wenyue had previously been the Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission, and was now serving as Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Chief Surveillance Bureau and Provincial Governor of Denglai and Dongjiang. Chen Xin had met Yang Wenyue several times in Dengzhou, and once more in Jinan Prefecture when he led troops to Henan. They could barely claim a connection. Yang Wenyue also spotted Chen Xin; both smiled slightly and gave a small nod.

Xiong Mingyu talked on for a while, absorbed in his own words, then suddenly clapped his hands, turned, and drew Yang Wenyue forward. Just as he was about to make introductions, Wang Tingshi spoke first: "When delivering the grain tax in kind to Dongjiang, I troubled Lord Yang greatly, and it was thanks to his wholehearted efforts that Dongjiang has not lacked food and clothing these past two years, allowing a few years of peace."

Yang Wenyue hurriedly demurred. "Supplying Dongjiang's grain tax in kind is an express order of the imperial court, and a matter within my own duties. I dare not accept such praise from you, my lord." Dongjiang's grain tax in kind had always been supplied by Shandong, and was another heavy burden on Shandong's peasants. Yang Wenyue had been occupied with this task for the past two years, and had dealt with Wang Tingshi many times when coming to Dengzhou to hand over the grain.

After the three civil officials had finished their formal, bookish greetings, Wang Tingshi began introducing Yang Wenyue to the civil and military officials of Denglai. In an ordinary region's civil-military hierarchy, civil officials such as the Coastal Defense Circuit, the Denglai Circuit, and the prefects of Dengzhou and Laizhou would have been placed first. But Denglai was different. Previously, when arranging the order, Wang Tingshi had placed Chen Xin directly behind himself. Chen Xin no longer refused this. Military officials ranking ahead of the Military Defense Circuit and the prefects was a political peculiarity of Denglai. The crowd of Denglai civil officials behind them took it in stride. Serving as officials in a place like Denglai, the advantage was they could pocket quite a lot, but their status was not high. Ordinarily, they could not even see Chen Xin if they wished. Every part of Denglai had been hollowed out by military forts; how could they dare put on the airs of civil officials?

Chen Xin still performed the kneeling salute when meeting Xiong Mingyu and Yang Wenyue. The two men accepted it with a lofty air, and put on even greater airs toward Liu Po and the others behind him. The attitudes of the old and new Provincial Governors toward the military officers of Dengzhou Garrison were entirely different, but Chen Xin's expression showed no displeasure whatsoever.

Wang Tingshi led Yang Wenyue and Xiong Mingyu to the rear to receive the civil officials of Denglai — the prefects, department magistrates, and county magistrates — revealing a person behind them dressed in a python robe. Chen Xin immediately recognized him as a eunuch. This man's hair was graying, his face pale and bearded, and the collar of his robe revealed a red inner garment.

The eunuch looked at Chen Xin with a wide grin. Chen Xin merely smiled and nodded, not stepping forward to salute. He had already received intelligence: this new eunuch was named Tang Haoyou, sent by the Chongzhen Emperor to replace Lu Zhi. Since the previous year, the Chongzhen Emperor had also stepped up his intelligence gathering on Denglai. The dual military-civilian systems that Dengzhou Garrison had developed over the years were quite extensive, and the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had easily picked up some rumors. Although they had not yet touched on the most core matters, it had already made the Chongzhen Emperor very dissatisfied. His first thought was to replace the incompetent Army Supervisor.

Chen Xin looked past Eunuch Tang. There were three young eunuchs, and also more than ten men who looked like Eastern Depot agents — likely the retinue he had brought with him, among whom there were certainly Eastern Depot personnel.

When Wang Tingshi and the others returned, Tang Haoyou walked over with a beaming smile. Xiong Mingyu coughed once and said to Chen Xin, "Lord Chen, this is Eunuch Tang of the Directorate for Imperial Accoutrements. He has come to take up the post of Army Supervisor of Dengzhou Garrison."

"So it is Eunuch Tang," Chen Xin said, cupping his hands in salute. "His Majesty has even sent Eunuch Tang, who attends to the imperial wardrobe and meals, all the way to Denglai. This shows the care bestowed upon Dengzhou Garrison. I am both grateful and somewhat apprehensive. Should Eunuch Tang depart and His Majesty find his meals disagreeable, my crime would be grave indeed."

Tang Haoyou caught what seemed to be a sarcastic edge in Chen Xin's words. He chuckled and said, "Before I left, His Majesty told me that Regional Commander Chen is a loyal man, and that Dengzhou Garrison is the strongest garrison in our Great Ming. As long as I can set Regional Commander Chen's mind at ease here in Dengzhou Garrison, His Majesty will be pleased in the capital. So I have come to Dengzhou not as some Army Supervisor, but simply to help Regional Commander Chen live a bit more comfortably."

Chen Xin cupped his hands. "I would not dare."

After a few dry laughs, Xiong Mingyu said to Tang Haoyou, "Eunuch Tang, let us first go to the Army Supervisor's office. It is right here within the water fortress."

Tang Haoyou looked toward Wang Tingshi and said with a mirthless smile, "Lord Xiong, there is no hurry. I would first like to ask: where is Eunuch Lu?"

Wang Tingshi put on a look of great surprise. "The Directorate of Ceremonial sent men to deliver the order ten days ago, but I do not know whether they found Eunuch Lu that day. As Dengzhou Garrison has been drilling troops in various locations recently, it is also possible that Eunuch Lu has gone to the army."

"Ten days ago? The Directorate of Ceremonial sent men to Dengzhou two months ago, yet Lu Zhi did not return to the capital. That is why they sent more men. The ones you saw, my lord, were likely the second group. I, too, am somewhat worried about Eunuch Lu — whether something might have happened to him in Denglai."

After he finished speaking, Tang Haoyou raised his eyes and looked at Chen Xin with a meaningful expression.

"As for Eunuch Lu's whereabouts, I do happen to know," Chen Xin said calmly, looking at Tang Haoyou as he spoke evenly. The surrounding civil officials all turned their heads to look.

"Eunuch Lu has fallen ill recently. He heard there was a divine physician in the Kunlun Mountains near Wendeng, so he went to seek him out. He has been gone for over ten days. If Eunuch Tang is in a hurry to find him, you might search the Kunlun Mountains. Perhaps you could find him there as well."

Tang Haoyou's expression flickered slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Xin continued, "However, I hear there is also a divine physician in the Daze Mountains in Pingdu Department. Eunuch Lu may have gone to the Daze Mountains instead. The mountains there are high and the forests dense — precisely the sort of place where immortals emerge."

Tang Haoyou put away his smile and nodded to Chen Xin. "Denglai may have many mountains, but compared to the realm under Great Ming's heaven, it is no more than a corner. I will search Denglai slowly. I imagine I will eventually find Eunuch Lu."

Chen Xin smiled faintly. "Denglai is not large, it is true. But the local folk here are fierce, and highway robbers are not few in number. If Eunuch Tang wishes to search for Eunuch Lu, it would be best to inform me first. I will dispatch a few hundred or a thousand men to escort you, lest Eunuch Tang come to any harm."

In just a few exchanges, the air was thick with gunpowder. Lu Zhi had not returned to the capital as ordered by the Directorate of Ceremonial, and now Chen Xin, with a veiled threat in his tone, was clearly intent on taking responsibility for Lu Zhi's situation. The surrounding civil officials were stunned. Yang Wenyue had not expected to encounter such a thing the moment he set foot on Denglai soil. Chen Xin was nominally his subordinate, but at this moment he could think of no words to command him. He turned to look at Wang Tingshi and Xiong Mingyu. Both men acted as if the matter had nothing to do with them. Xiong Mingyu had turned his head aside, while Wang Tingshi was carefully examining his own shoes.

The other civil officials were of even lower rank and naturally even less inclined to interfere. They had also heard more or less about Lu Zhi's situation. At the time, everyone believed that Lu Zhi might meet a bad end if he returned to the capital. Eunuchs in the palace were not like civil officials. Handling civil officials followed the court's institutional procedures — at the very least, a reason was needed to impose punishment. Eunuchs were the Emperor's household slaves; once the Emperor bore a grudge against them, their fate was miserable.

No one had expected Lu Zhi to simply vanish. Recently, there had even been word that Lu Zhi's boat had capsized while at sea, and everyone aboard had died in the water. But no one in Denglai's official circles believed it. Judging by Chen Xin's current demeanor, Lu Zhi had most likely thrown in his lot with Dengzhou Garrison. Yet they still did not quite understand why Chen Xin would antagonize the imperial court over a eunuch.

One of the Eastern Depot agents behind Eunuch Tang glared and started to step forward, but after only two steps, Tang Haoyou stretched out a hand to stop him. Tang Haoyou put his sly smile back on and said to Chen Xin, "Then when the time comes, I shall trouble Regional Commander Chen to dispatch troops to escort me."

Chen Xin smiled. "No trouble at all. Dengzhou Garrison needs to drill its troops anyway; a bit of marching is nothing. But whether Eunuch Lu can be found — that I cannot say."

Tang Haoyou stared at Chen Xin for a moment, then flicked his sleeve and left with his group of underlings, leaving the crowd of Denglai civil and military officials standing where they were.

Wang Tingshi hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, leading Yang Wenyue and the others to the Provincial Governor's office. After the incident that had just occurred, the officials all kept their thoughts to themselves. They entered Dengzhou city through the Zhenhai Gate. Once at the Provincial Governor's office, Wang Tingshi's and Yang Wenyue's private secretaries prepared for the handover. The secretaries of both sides would settle scores of items clearly. Granaries and armaments would also need to be inspected item by item, a process that generally took seven or eight days. Of course, according to the unwritten rules of officialdom, a completely clean handover was impossible. Every departing official left behind some accounts that could not be clearly explained. If the successor insisted on being meticulous, it would ensnare a great many clerks and the previous official. For all circulating officials, the local clerks who understood the business and commanded respect among the common people were absolutely indispensable. So unless there was a particularly serious discrepancy, such handovers were generally not pursued with rigor.

Xiong Mingyu was the superior official. He would not involve himself in such matters. After giving a few instructions, he went to the guesthouse to rest. Wang Tingshi led the private secretaries of both sides in discussing the schedule. Chen Xin, meanwhile, accompanied Yang Wenyue as they strolled and talked in the garden of the large residence behind the second hall. This had previously been where Wang Tingshi and his family lived. Ming dynasty government offices were generally arranged this way: the front was for work, the rear for residence. Circulating officials usually lived like this.

After confirming his resignation, Wang Tingshi had moved out in advance. The place was now empty. Only some of Chen Xin's guards were posted in the garden as sentries.

Yang Wenyue suddenly took the initiative to bow deeply to Chen Xin. Among civil officials at this time, if they were not in a direct superior-subordinate relationship, there was no need for the kneeling salute. As long as no official business was involved, a junior civil official could simply bow to a superior when meeting him. So Yang Wenyue was, in effect, assuming the posture of a subordinate.

Yang Wenyue said politely to Chen Xin, "Lord Chen and I are already well acquainted. I have always held Regional Commander Chen in high esteem. Just now at the water fortress dock, there were outsiders present, and I was compelled to put on some airs. I beg Regional Commander Chen not to take it to heart. In the days to come, in my post as Provincial Governor, should I do anything improper, I ask Regional Commander Chen to offer his guidance."

Chen Xin studied Yang Wenyue for a moment, then politely bowed in return. "My lord, you overwhelm me. I am but a military man, somewhat rough in matters of etiquette, but in my heart I value loyalty and honor above all. Just now, I did not mean to offend Eunuch Tang. It is simply that Eunuch Lu aided me greatly in years past, and I could not bear to see him put in a difficult position. I remember everyone who has helped me, and I would never burn the bridge after crossing the river."

Yang Wenyue clapped his hands together. "A true man should be exactly so. I imagine that when Eunuch Tang returns and thinks it over, he will understand as well."

Chen Xin smiled. "That would be for the best. I still have military affairs to attend to, so I cannot keep you company today. Tomorrow, I will host a welcoming banquet for you, my lord, at Penglai Pavilion."

Yang Wenyue said hurriedly, "Lord Chen, please attend to your busy schedule."

Chen Xin saluted once more, then turned and left. Watching Chen Xin's retreating figure, Yang Wenyue sighed and said, "His Majesty cannot stand to see Denglai united in harmony. I am forced to put on a show for others to see. Xiong Mingyu and Tang Haoyou are also putting on a show. But Chen Xin plays his part best — and in passing, he wins a measure of goodwill as well."