Chapter 59: Such a Memorial

At this delicate moment, the person who took the lead in impeaching Cui Chengxiu was attacked. Yang Weiyuan's steward reported it to the North City Warden's Office, and by the next day the whole court knew of it. The Five City Wardens' Office naturally understood the gravity of the matter and immediately sent men to protect Yang Weiyuan's residence, launching an investigation that very day. Many believed it was Cui Chengxiu's doing, but word had it that Yang Weiyuan did not directly accuse Cui Chengxiu. Also circulating was news of a Company Commander from Shandong who single-handedly fought off three assailants and saved Yang Weiyuan — reportedly even sustaining injuries — though people knew little of him beyond that.

At that moment, Chen Xin was in a quiet courtyard house in Zhengyang Ward outside Chongwen Gate, listening to Lu Lvzi's account.

"Yesterday, after we left Fangjia Hutong, we first went to Biandan Hutong, changed our outer robes on the way, then went from Yidao Hutong to Chongwen Gate, and then circled back to Chongwen Gate Avenue after passing the Lantern Market. All along the way, just as you said, Big Brother, the three of us walked separately, ten paces apart. We turned back three times in between and spotted no one tailing us. When we got here, we also came in one at a time, spaced apart."

"Were the changed clothes dealt with properly?"

Qin Lufang said, "I entered the inner city through Xuanwu Gate and dumped them near Mingyu Ward where Cui Chengxiu lives."

"Good, you all did well," Chen Xin said approvingly. "The people we're dealing with now are all court dignitaries. We must be careful in everything. Better to take extra trouble than to compromise on safety."

Zhang Da and Hai Gouzi also nodded. After all, they all knew that assaulting a court official was a serious crime, and Chen Xin's instructions to change clothes en route, walk separately, and detour through the most crowded Lantern Market — all to eliminate identifiable traits that might be investigated — struck all three as very novel.

"From today on, the three of you stay here and do not go out. Lufang."

Qin Lufang answered, "What is it, my lord?"

"When you buy food each day, buy only enough for one person. The others' provisions can be prepared in advance."

"Already prepared. As you instructed, my lord, after arriving in the capital I bought more every few days without drawing attention, but it's only enough for three people for one month."

"That's enough. Lufang, you've also done well. You carry on as before — go out daily to drink tea and watch plays. Don't act any differently."

"Understood, my lord."

Hai Gouzi, with a foolish grin, asked, "Brother Chen, if none of us go out and you run into street toughs or the like on your own, what will you do?"

Chen Xin gave a sly laugh. "Your big brother can take on the three of you by himself — you think I'd be afraid of street toughs?"

The four of them, knowing he was referring to the previous day's events, all burst out laughing.

After the laughter subsided, Chen Xin added, "There's still Dai Zhenggang and Zhu Guobin. Don't worry."

Lu Lvzi asked Chen Xin with some puzzlement, "Big Brother, what good did it do us to beat up that Yang Weiyuan? Did saving him mean the Emperor will promote you?"

Chen Xin shook his head. "The Emperor doesn't promote you that easily. Every promotion in the Great Ming has established regulations — it's not something done on a whim."

"Big Brother, then haven't we gained nothing from this?"

"We have. But there's still one more thing to do."

"What thing?"

"Cursing in the street!"

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The Ministry of War offices on the west side of the Thousand-Pace Corridor were divided into the Bureau of Military Appointments, the Bureau of Military Transport, the Bureau of Operations, and the Bureau of Military Armory — each bureau having its own Director and Secretary, all civil officials in every post. In the early Ming, the Five Chief Military Commissions had been established to oversee the management of guard battalions nationwide; when troops were dispatched, the Ministry of War would temporarily appoint a commander and grant a general's seal, which would be returned upon the army's return. Since the mid-Ming, the guard battalions had fallen into decay, and civil officials had long since eclipsed military officers in status. The posts in the Chief Military Commissions became mere titular appointments for military officers, while all military administrative authority reverted entirely to the Ministry of War, which even directly intervened in frontline command. It had become the supreme administrative and command organ of the Great Ming's armed forces.

It was just past noon, and officials in various military and civil robes came and went through the main gate and main hall of the Ministry of War, seemingly no different from any other day — perfectly calm on the surface.

After the new Emperor ascended the throne in the eighth month, he did not replace officials at first. But from the Eunuch Faction's continuous probing, it was evident that the situation remained delicate. Although the Eunuch Faction occupied most of the power apparatus, the Emperor held the moral authority of the dynastic line. A little over a month after Chongzhen's accession, the advantage was slowly shifting. Cui Chengxiu, the Minister of War at the very center of the storm, had already submitted his resignation twice. Though the Emperor had not approved it, the officials in every bureau of the Ministry of War were old sparrows of officialdom and knew things would not be so simple.

Sure enough, on the seventeenth, an edict suddenly came down promoting Jiang Shiying, Director of the Bureau of Military Appointments, to Vice Surveillance Commissioner of Zhejiang, and Liu Jiayu, Director of the Bureau of Operations, to Vice Surveillance Commissioner of Huguang. These two bureaus were the most important departments in the Ministry of War. Although the surveillance posts were lucrative, they were, after all, only vice positions — a promotion in name but a demotion in fact. And since the edict had been issued, it meant neither the Grand Secretariat nor the Directorate of Ceremonial had raised objections. Everyone speculated that perhaps the factory grandee was preparing to abandon Cui Chengxiu.

Moreover, just the day before, Yang Weiyuan had once again submitted a memorial impeaching Cui Chengxiu, and on his way home from work he had been ambushed — something everyone now knew about. In the current sensitive period, most believed Cui Chengxiu was highly suspect. By convention, Cui Chengxiu would likely have to submit another memorial defending himself and requesting resignation. Some censors, upon hearing of the matter, had already begun preparing fresh impeachments.

The newly appointed Secretary of the Bureau of Military Appointments, Qian Yuanque, was resting his eyes in the bureau's main hall. With Jiang Shiying transferred, the Bureau of Military Appointments was temporarily under Qian Yuanque's charge. This post was a lucrative one, and he had already made preparations to get rich. But to get rich for the long haul, one still had to understand politics. Picking the right side was crucial, and Qian Yuanque had not yet made up his mind. He intended to observe a while longer, but it seemed Cui Chengxiu might now be fair game.

Footsteps sounded outside the door. Qian Yuanque, eyes half-closed, glanced sidelong. A tall military officer in a Company Commander's uniform walked in with a smile, refined and genteel, without the usual brutish air of a common soldier.

"Crude military lout!" Qian Yuanque still cursed inwardly, then closed his eyes again to rest. A rank-six military officer like this was, in his eyes, about the same as a floor-sweeper or a cook — even though he himself was also rank six.

A clerk beside him said lazily, "What business does this man have?"

"This humble officer seeks a rank purchase," Chen Xin said with a smile, cupping his hands in salute.

The clerk asked, "What rank are you purchasing?"

Chen Xin cursed inwardly. He was clearly wearing a Company Commander's uniform — were their dog eyes blind? Still, he said amiably, "This humble officer holds a substantive post as Company Commander and wishes to purchase promotion to Battalion Commander."

"Mm. Have the documents been prepared? Do you have the receipt for the silver payment from the Ministry of Revenue?"

Chen Xin took the documents from his bosom, held them in both hands, and presented them to the clerk. As the clerk reached out to take them, his hand brushed against something hard underneath. He felt its size — roughly five taels. This Company Commander knew how to behave. He nodded faintly and discreetly accepted it.

The clerk flipped through the documents. Finding no issues, he shot Chen Xin a meaningful glance and tilted his head slightly toward Qian Yuanque, saying, "This is Secretary Qian of the Bureau of Military Appointments. Matters of rank purchase are handled by Lord Qian."

Chen Xin dropped to his knees with a thud. "So it is Lord Qian. This humble officer has just crawled into the capital and has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I was discourteous earlier."

Qian Yuanque did not even open his eyes, merely grunting an "Mm" through his nostrils. This Battalion Commander at least understood that civil officials were honored and military officers debased. Without telling him to rise, he said flatly, "Though your documents are in order, matters of official rank involve the propriety of office and the dignity of the service. Even for hereditary succession, one must be examined in archery and horsemanship and assessed on military merit. Only those possessing both virtue and talent may qualify."

What Qian Yuanque described were practices from the early Ming, when military officers had land and population, held high rank and great power, and bullying civil officials was a common occurrence. But this was now the late Ming — what damned archery and horsemanship exam was there anymore? Chen Xin said loudly, "This humble officer is skilled in archery and horsemanship, though I have not read many books. In the future, I will need to seek Lord Qian's guidance often. But this humble officer truly possesses a heart loyal to the sovereign and devoted to the country, and I beg Your Lordship to grant this." As he spoke, Chen Xin respectfully proffered the documents, his hand beneath them concealing that swindled eastern pearl.

Qian Yuanque still kept his eyes closed, his head leaning against the back of the chair as he said leisurely, "In future military appointments, those who purchase rank up to Battalion Commander shall not be appointed to substantive posts of Battalion Commander or above. Have you thought this through clearly?"

"I have thought it through clearly. This humble officer's intent is merely to win some face for my ancestors."

Only then did Qian Yuanque slowly take the documents, his fingers touching the pearl beneath. His expression did not change in the slightest. These capital officials of the Six Ministries all had low salaries and all longed for promotion or a lucrative local posting. Whenever a substantive vacancy appeared, they had to spend lavishly. That was why, as one court official had once remarked, the annual cost of official promotions and transfers amounted to several Liaodong military taxes.

Qian Yuanque felt it lightly and knew it was a fine pearl. While pretending to examine the documents, he stole a couple of glances at it — it seemed to be an eastern pearl. Eastern pearls were all produced in Liaodong, and now that the Tatars had occupied the region, the price of eastern pearls within the passes had risen considerably. Qian Yuanque was reasonably satisfied. Since Chen Xin's documents were complete and this was merely a procedural matter, a pearl worth several dozen taels was already quite generous.

"Although it is said that those who purchase rank up to Battalion Commander may not hold substantive posts, that is not an absolute rule. So long as one possesses virtue and talent, exceptions do exist." Qian Yuanque's tone relaxed slightly. Looking up and seeing Chen Xin still kneeling, he magnanimously told him to rise. Every time Chen Xin had to kneel to these people, he seethed inside. What infuriated him most was having to put on a look of willing delight. This broken civil official in particular — the same rank six as himself — put on airs greater than a rank-three Provincial Governor.

Qian Yuanque flipped through the documents. When he saw the words "Weihai Guard" in the papers and was about to tell the clerk to fetch the military registry's Yellow Registers for verification, he suddenly recalled the rumors of the past two days and could not help asking, "Company Commander Chen, are you registered in a Shandong guard battalion?"

"Yes, this humble officer belongs to the Left Battalion of Weihai Guard. I was only conscripted into Weihai Guard two years ago, promoted to Squad Leader for merit, and during this year's great battle at Ning-Jin, I was promoted to Company Commander for capturing and killing Jianzhou Bandit spies." The Yellow Registers submitted to the Ministry of War had been compiled three years ago. Song Wenxian had specifically instructed Chen Xin to say he was conscripted two years ago, so as to explain why his name did not appear in the registers.

"Oh, in that case there's no need to fetch the Yellow Registers for verification," Qian Yuanque said, unconcerned with this issue. After a pause, he probed, "What day did Company Commander Chen arrive in the capital? Have you heard of the incident in the North City yesterday?"

"Is Lord Qian referring to the assassination attempt on Censor Yang? This humble officer happened to be present yesterday."

Qian Yuanque's eyes opened a fraction wider. He studied Chen Xin carefully for a moment, offering neither praise nor criticism, and asked, "So that Company Commander was you. I heard you sustained some injuries — are they serious?"

Chen Xin pulled up his right sleeve. The cotton bandage still showed traces of blood. He said, "I am grateful for Your Lordship's concern. A few minor wounds, nothing to worry about."

Qian Yuanque now believed him, though he still did not think this man was anything remarkable.

Sitting in his chair, he asked with feigned indifference, "This Company Commander does seem to possess some martial valor. Did those brigands leave behind any clues at the time?"

Chen Xin said, "This humble officer cannot claim great valor. I was merely stirred by righteous indignation — with justice on my side, my spirit was strong, while those villains, being in the wrong, had flagging morale and were naturally no match for me. It is a pity we did not capture a single one. This humble officer heard one of the villains demand to know why Censor Yang had impeached a certain lord, and even cursed him as a traitor. I surmise it must have been that lord who hired thugs for revenge. If this humble officer were permitted to submit a memorial, I would impeach him as well."

Qian Yuanque dared not ask further. He quietly pocketed the pearl, his eyes darting about, and said to Chen Xin, "Well said. This matter must still be submitted to the Vice Minister for decision. You may return and await word. Usually it takes only a few days."

"I thank Lord Qian." Chen Xin saluted and withdrew.

Once he had left, Qian Yuanque took out the pearl and examined it closely beneath the desk. Suddenly, he heard a great shout from that Company Commander, ringing out from the main hall of the Ministry of War.

"Cui Chengxiu, you treacherous villain!!!"

Qian Yuanque's squinting eyes suddenly flew wide open.