Chapter 1038: Only Mama Is the Best in the World (Please Subscribe)

Although Princess Dong'e was Dorgon's own daughter, she had left home for Zhu Cilang's side at a very young age and had lived in Ming territory far longer than in the Qing and Manchu lands. Moreover, after Dorgon's death, her ties to her maternal family were severed, so among the old guard of the Plain White Banner left behind by Dorgon, her influence was essentially zero.

Still, considering that she was Dorgon's only flesh and blood, and also the Worthy Consort of the Ming Zhu Emperor renowned for cunning and treachery, Duo'erbo, now back in Hanyang, did not dare take her lightly.

After consulting with Helohui, Bo'erhui, Subai, Wubai, and the others, Duoni decided to deal with the former Dong'e using both hard and soft tactics. Helohui, Bo'erhui, Subai, and Wubai, the four old fellows, would first step forward as the villains and give Princess Dong'e a show of force, letting her know that here in Joseon she had no right to speak.

Then Duo'erbo would step in as the good man, welcome Princess Dong'e into Hanyang, wine and dine her, and finally send her off with a pile of ginseng, deer antler, and tiger skins, politely seeing her on her way.

Although Duo'erbo had already resolved to oppose the Zhu Ming dynasty, he was not yet prepared, so it would not do to tear off all pretense at once.

After the discussion ended, the four old villains set out together from Hanyang toward Incheon, bringing with them a force of 5,000 Joseon New Army troops, in order to display the Joseon Kingdom's awe-inspiring military might to the Ming officers accompanying Princess Dong'e.

The Later Jin dynasty in Joseon founded by Dodo was not a tribal regime lacking roots in Joseon itself, but a progressive regime that had restructured Joseon's social order and liberated the oppressed commoners and base-born. Now the Joseon officials across all eight provinces of Joseon were almost all illegitimate sons of yangban families. Besides selecting a batch of illegitimate sons for office through "fair" civil examinations, Dodo had also, before his death, formed a "Base-Born New Army," composed entirely of yangban illegitimate sons who had failed the examinations, trained in Western methods and employing the latest standard Spanish tercio tactics. The ratio of muskets to pikes reached one to one!

Even against the Ming New Army, these 5,000 New Army troops could put up a fight!

"Your slaves Helohui, Bo'erhui, Subai, and Wubai pay respects to Her Highness the Princess of the First Rank."

Within the yamen of the Incheon Garrison Command, the four regent ministers of Joseon performed Manchu rites before the visiting Princess Dong'e — the scene was truly a bit strange! Four Manchus dressed in Ming-style Joseon official robes, speaking the Manchu tongue, performing Manchu rites, and when their official hats were removed, their topknots were revealed.

"Rise. Seats."

Princess Dong'e also spoke Manchu, which, from years of disuse, came out very haltingly. She was now dressed in the ceremonial robes of a Ming palace consort, bright red, embroidered with all manner of splendid patterns, and wearing them she at once displayed dignity and nobility.

The palace maids attending Dong'e brought out several somewhat shabby round stools and had the four old fellows sit in a row before Princess Dong'e.

The four old fellows all wore stiff expressions, and the looks with which they sized up Dong'e were none too friendly.

The meaning was plain — don't think that just because your Ama is Dorgon, we'll listen to you. That is impossible!

"Duoni sent you here with troops to give me a show of force, didn't he?" Princess Dong'e switched to Chinese.

"Princess, do not misunderstand," Helohui said. "The Great King did not mean that!"

Dong'e smiled, showing a trace of charm, yet also giving off a sinister feeling that made the four men involuntarily think of Dorgon.

"Did he order you to kill me?" Dong'e asked next.

Her words startled the four old fellows!

They truly had never thought of killing Dong'e, nor would they dare! Even setting aside Dorgon's spirit in the earth, they could not help but think of the wrath of the Son of Heaven, Zhu Cilang!

The four looked at Dong'e again: she wore an expression of complete confidence, as though she did not take them seriously at all!

Where did this woman's confidence come from?

Had she not brought only a single gunboat and a hundred musketeers? And the Incheon Garrison Command was not on the shore, not within the range of the gunboat's cannons.

Relying on a hundred musketeers — that confident?

"Why does the Princess say such a thing?" Helohui asked.

"Princess, how could the Great King issue such an order?" Bo'erhui said.

"Could someone be sowing discord between the Princess and the Great King's sibling bond?" The person old Wubai meant seemed to be Zhu Cilang.

"Rest assured, Princess, the Great King is not that sort of man!" Subai also hastened to explain on Duoni's behalf.

Dong'e smiled and nodded. "Duoni most likely has not thought of killing me! If he wanted to kill me, he would have to come himself; no one else would dare. Because I am no Mangguji, and he is no Middle Sovereign."

Mangguji was the very elder sister whom Hong Taiji had ordered executed by slow slicing, Nurhaci's second daughter. And the Middle Sovereign referred to Hong Taiji.

The Ming side had already begun writing the history of the Qing dynasty, positioning the Qing as a separatist regime akin to the Southern Tang, and referring to the Qing emperors as "So-and-so Sovereign."

Nurhaci was the First Sovereign, Hong Taiji the Middle Sovereign, Fulin the Last Sovereign, and there was also Xuanye, who had been "Sovereign" for twelve hours, as the Final Sovereign.

Helohui was already growing alarmed!

He had originally assumed Dong'e had come on Zhu Cilang's orders to win over Duo'erbo, but now, hearing Dong'e's words, it seemed things were not so simple!

"What is the Princess saying? Mangguji met that end entirely because she did not know her place."

"What does it mean to know one's place?" Dong'e countered.

The four old men looked at one another, none knowing what to say.

Dong'e said, "Duo'erbo is the son of my uncle Dodo. By what right does he inherit my Ama's followers and become King of Joseon? I am my Ama's only flesh and blood. Why can I not become Queen of Joseon?"

Ah!

Had this woman gone mad?

She truly was Dorgon's flesh and blood!

A pity she was a woman — and she had brought only a hundred musketeers. Not enough to seize a throne!

The four old fellows were all stunned!

Only after a long while did Helohui force himself to speak: "The Princess jests, surely? Were the Princess a man, becoming sovereign would be no problem, but the Princess is a woman..."

"Once a woman marries, she becomes an outsider, correct?" Princess Dong'e asked with a smile, and then, without waiting for anyone to answer, continued, "A woman marries and bears a son, and that son bears another surname. The future King of Joseon would no longer be surnamed Aisin Gioro, correct?"

"Correct," Helohui answered.

"But my son is surnamed Zhu!" Dong'e said. "My son is surnamed Zhu. If he becomes King of Joseon, the Joseon tributary state will be a blood-kin vassal of the Great Ming Celestial Dynasty, and there will be no more worry of its abolition.

A great tree gives good shade! Every one of you has power and position, and hundreds of thousands of taels of silver deposited at the Jiale Market Bank earning high interest. Do you truly not wish to find a great tree whose shade you can rely on?"

Upon the great hall fell a deathly silence.

No one had expected Princess Dong'e to be so bold — no probing at first meeting, but directly proposing to seize Duoni's throne. This was something even Zhu Cilang had not anticipated!

Zhu Cilang's first choice was still for Duo'erbo to keep to his place, not for Dong'e to replace him.

After all, Dong'e was only a woman, and it would be very difficult for her to seize a throne in East Asia, where male chauvinism prevailed.

Moreover, having spent many years with Dong'e, Zhu Cilang had never felt that this woman had inherited any talent for political intrigue from Dorgon.

But he had underestimated the power of a mother's love. Dong'e had borne Zhu Cilang a son and a daughter; the son was three years old this year and had been named He Sai.

Dong'e was now only a Worthy Consort, and it seemed unlikely she would rise to Imperial Noble Consort — Zhu Cilang was willing to keep raising her status, but Dong'e was not without self-awareness. With her background as a remnant of the Qing, the higher she climbed, the harder she would fall! So she had already declined ennoblement three times.

Her own lower status was of course safer, and also ingratiating: Zhu Cilang doted on her, and Wu Sanmei and Zheng Chagu could tolerate her. But for Zhu Hesai, a mother of too low a status meant his own status could not be high either. In the Ancestral Institutions of the August Ming as revised by Zhu Cilang, the title conferred on an emperor's son depended on the mother's status. Among sons other than the one enthroned as Crown Prince, sons born of the Empress or Imperial Noble Consort were made Princes; sons born of a Noble Consort or Consort were made Commandery Princes; sons born of a Worthy Consort were made Commandery Dukes (Duke was a title for meritorious officials; imperial sons and princes without merit could only be made Commandery Dukes); sons born of a concubine could only be made Marquises.

So this trip to Joseon was Dong'e's only chance to win a royal throne for her son!

(End of Chapter)