Chapter 1418: The Zhu Third Prince Meets Kangxi (Please Subscribe)

Yining City, the headquarters of the Beiting Protector-General's office.

The headquarters' personal guards were drawn up in four neat ranks before the main gate, holding suona horns and bearing the ceremonial banners of a Great Ming tributary king, a Prince, and the Protector-General. Every guardsman stood in silence with a flintlock and fixed bayonet shouldered. Several officers with sabers at their waists formed a single rank in front of the four files.

The main gate of the yamen stood wide open, and the subordinate officials and staff of the princely establishment and the Protectorate crowded inside the gate, waiting. The Great Lama of the Snowy Land, the Sanbao Lama, and the Ford Lama, who had arrived a few days earlier, were all with the Zhu Third Prince in the Protectorate's audience hall. How awesome was the Zhu Third Prince? In all of Great Ming, apart from Zhu Cilang and Empress Wu Sanmei, the lucky Crown Prince Zhu Hexing, the Retired Emperor Chongzhen, and the Retired Empress Zhou, he was the greatest of them all. No matter what other king came to his place, whether or not he carried an imperial commissioner's title, there was no reason for him to go out and receive them. And today there was also someone called Xuanye arriving — and for some reason, the moment the Zhu Third Prince saw that name he felt an urge to draw his sword and hack the man to death. Not having arranged executioners was already polite enough. Go out and welcome him? Dream on!

As for the three lamas, they were men beyond the pale of civilization and honored guests of the Zhu Third Prince — how could there be any reason for honored guests to go welcome honored guests? So the Zhu Third Prince had spoken: the three of them were to sit with him in the audience hall and keep him company in conversation.

Nevertheless, Galdan, Wu Yingxiong, and Li Puxing — the eldest son of Li Dingguo, come as the representative of the three feudatories of the Snowy Land — were all inside the yamen gate, joining the Zhu Third Prince's subordinates in receiving the party of Zhu Ci'en, Jin Boguo, and Jin Xuanye. Before Jin Xuanye appeared, Wu Yingxiong and Li Puxing had met as enemies, glaring at each other with knitted brows; had Galdan not been holding Wu Yingxiong back, they might well have started hacking at each other.

When Jin Xuanye stepped down from the carriage behind Zhu Ci'en and Jin Boguo, Galdan — probably to divert attention — suddenly shouted: "Look, quick! That little pockmarked runt, isn't that Kangxi?"

Kangxi?

The anger in Wu Yingxiong's and Li Puxing's hearts was instantly drawn away by those two words. Four — no, six — vicious glares shot straight at Jin Xuanye, and Galdan's own pair of eyes were blazing too.

The rage was uncontrollable! They wished they could drag the brat over and beat him senseless just to vent their fury!

Jin Xuanye noticed Galdan, Wu Yingxiong, and Li Puxing glaring at him — what a familiar feeling! Back in Yingtian Prefecture, whenever he ran into Zheng Sen and his son Zheng Jing, he had felt that same jolt of terror. And the two Zhengs had been especially hostile toward him as well.

Jin Xuanye did not know why he drew so much hatred, and he did not dare meet the eyes of Galdan, Wu Yingxiong, and Li Puxing — apart from Li Puxing, the other two were beings he could not afford to provoke!

While Zhu Ci'en and Jin Boguo exchanged pleasantries with the Zhu Third Prince's second son, Zhu Hejian, and the Third Prince's three trusted confidants, Galdan and Wu Yingxiong came up to greet Jin Xuanye with their hands on their saber hilts.

Wu Yingxiong had served as captain of the guard by Zhu Cilang's side and had of course seen Xuanye before. He walked up with a cold sneer and asked: "Marquis of Extended Grace, do you still recognize this nobleman?"

"This humble one certainly recognizes Your Grace. Xuanye, Marquis of Extended Grace, pays his respects to the Duke of Rong." Jin Xuanye hurriedly saluted Wu Yingxiong.

Wu Yingxiong pointed at Galdan beside him and said coldly: "This is Galdan, Chiliarch of the Chu River of the Dzungars. Brother Galdan, this is the Kangxi Emperor of the false Qing — now the Marquis of Extended Grace of our dynasty."

So this is Galdan. As Xuanye returned the greeting, he narrowed his small eyes and sized Galdan up. What met his gaze was a fierce-eyed, glowering Mongol man.

By this time Zhu Ci'en and Jin Boguo had finished greeting Zhu Hejian and the others, and the whole group began moving toward the audience hall. Galdan and Wu Yingxiong flanked Jin Xuanye as they walked in — at first glance it looked exactly as if the two of them had captured the "Kangxi Emperor" alive and were presenting him to the Zhu Third Prince.

The Zhu Third Prince had already come out of the audience hall and was standing outside its main door with two lamas. His gaze was cold as he looked at Zhu Ci'en, Jin Boguo, and Jin Xuanye, who was being "held" by Wu Yingxiong and Galdan.

Jin Xuanye's eyes happened to meet his, and his heart gave a sudden spasm — so this is the Third Prince of the Lüliang Mountains! Xuanye thought to himself: My imperial grandfather spent untold effort trying to catch him, and never succeeded. Now that I have fallen into his hands, how can it possibly end well for me?

His thinking was not without reason!

Although Zhu Cilang was an enemy of the Manchu Qing, he had never been driven by the Manchu troops to a state of constant terror. Moreover, the war between him and the Manchus had always been fought and negotiated at the same time. After Hooge died in battle, the Manchu side no longer had any thought of killing Zhu Cilang. What they sought was nothing more than a Northern and Southern dynasties arrangement plus annual tribute.

As part of the two sides' stratagems and diplomacy, Princess Dong'e and Ajige had successively entered Zhu Cilang's rear palace. Therefore, after his victory, Zhu Cilang did not exterminate the Manchu Qing people, but instead made the fullest possible use of them to stabilize sovereignty over the northeastern territories.

It was easy to carry out a great slaughter in Northern Zhili, but to go deep into the Heilongjiang and Andong coastal regions to kill everyone off — that would require a rather large investment. And if all the people were killed, the Cossacks would move in to fill the void. Forcibly relocating landless peasants from the Central Plains and so on — aside from the high cost, it would also take time. Starting from the Liao River basin, where transport was convenient and the climate relatively warm, it would take decades or even a century to truly control the Heilongjiang and Andong regions. One absolutely could not just throw people toward the Heilongjiang from the start — that would not be developing the frontier, it would be murder!

But the Zhu Third Prince was different!

He did not have to consider the Heilongjiang and Andong Protectorates, and both he and the people around him bore a blood-deep enmity toward the Manchus.

Zhu Ci'en had already sensed that something was off in the atmosphere outside the audience hall. He hurriedly strode up with a hearty laugh and saluted the Zhu Third Prince. The Zhu Third Prince caught his hand and forced out a faint smile: "Old Nine, we're brothers — no need for ceremony."

Zhu Ci'en smiled and did not complete the bow. Then he beckoned Jin Boguo and Jin Xuanye forward: "Third Brother, this time the eldest sent me to the northwest with the Prince of Gong and the Marquis of Extended Grace, to smooth things over for all parties. You two, come and pay your respects to my Third Brother."

Jin Boguo and Jin Xuanye both stepped forward and bowed deeply to the Zhu Third Prince with clasped hands.

"This little prince, Jin Boguo, greets Your Highness the Great Prince!"

"This little marquis, Jin Xuanye, respectfully wishes Your Highness the Great Prince golden peace."

The Zhu Third Prince's gaze remained harsh. He did not return the salute, merely waved a hand and said: "Let us go inside and talk. Old Nine, you are a rare guest. Your foolish elder brother has already prepared a banquet and means to drink a few more cups with you!"

Zhu Ci'en laughed: "Then I shall respectfully obey rather than stand on ceremony!"

Inside the Zhu Third Prince's audience hall, the fragrance of clear tea drifted in delicate wisps. The Third Prince had already removed his black gauze cap and sat at ease in the seat of honor. Zhu Ci'en, Jin Boguo, Jin Xuanye, Wu Yingxiong, Galdan, Li Puxing, the Great Lama, the Sanbao Lama, the Ford Lama, and the rest had all taken their seats.

Although Zhu Ci'en was only a Commandery Prince, he was the Third Prince's own brother, so his seat was closest to the Third Prince. The Great Lama, whose status was transcendent, also sat quite close to the Third Prince. The Sanbao Lama and Galdan, though their rank was not high, represented the powerful Dzungar Kingdom, and so they too sat on chairs near the front.

These few sat there exchanging pleasantries and laughter, while everyone else could only sit bolt upright, hands on their knees, listening with rapt attention.

The Zhu Third Prince loved nothing more than telling people about his "revolutionary experiences" — how he had killed Tartars back in Datong, in the Lüliang Mountains, and in Yulin. Jin Boguo, seated below, listened until the hairs on his arms stood on end. Jin Xuanye, however, held up rather well, maintaining a surface composure.

Of course, inside he was surely afraid. The Zhu Third Prince, Galdan, Wu Yingxiong, and Li Dingguo's eldest son were all gathered together, every one of them so ferocious — how could he not be afraid?

And then there was that Ford Lama, who was also watching Xuanye with a look of tender concern that made his skin crawl — what did this lama want? Could he be thinking of ordaining this marquis as a monk? This marquis has no wish to become a lama!

By this time, the Zhu Third Prince had finished recounting the glorious years of the past and finally began to speak of serious matters. Zhu Ci'en was seen smiling as he looked at Galdan: "Chiliarch Galdan, I hear you have returned to lay life. Have you taken a wife?"

(End of Chapter)