Chapter 142: Li Zicheng's Bitter Fate (Previous Chapter Posted in Error — Compensation Chapter)

After seeing Wu Sangui out of the temporary Governor-General's office, Feng Yuanyang, Wang Yongji, and Tian Cunzhi went together to the study in the rear courtyard of the office.

Only the three of them were in the study. Wang Yongji and Tian Cunzhi both looked at Feng Yuanyang, waiting for him to produce the secret edict.

"Governor Feng," Tian Cunzhi was impatient by nature. Seeing that Feng Yuanyang made no move to take out the secret edict, he assumed it was a girdle edict, and so he asked, "Do you need this slave to help you disrobe?"

Disrobe?

Feng Yuanyang was taken aback. What did that mean? Could Tian Cunzhi have prepared a beauty for him? He was a Donglin gentleman — how could he accept a beauty sent by a eunuch? Wouldn't that make him one of the eunuch faction everyone despised?

"That won't be necessary." Feng Yuanyang put on a solemn face.

Tian Cunzhi found his expression a little strange, and could only mutter under his breath, "Oh, so it's not a girdle edict after all!"

"What girdle edict?" Feng Yuanyang was startled.

Tian Cunzhi smacked his lips. "The secret edict! Governor Feng, don't tell us there isn't one!"

Wang Yongji also asked, "Indeed, hurry up and take it out."

Sweat broke out on the forehead of this Donglin gentleman, Feng Yuanyang. "H-how do you two know there's a secret edict?"

Right — wasn't a secret edict supposed to be secret? How did they know before he'd even taken it out?

"Isn't it obvious?" Tian Cunzhi said. "You just mentioned the palace coup... If you were one of His Highness the Crown Prince's people, you certainly wouldn't have spoken of it that way! Since you're one of His Majesty's people, then you must have brought a secret edict with you."

Er, that seemed reasonable... But if the two of them knew, Wu Sangui could probably guess it too, couldn't he?

Really, what was His Majesty thinking — how could a secret edict end up known to everyone? How was he supposed to fight the Crown Prince, who was craftier than a monkey and fiercer than a tiger, like this?

"There is an edict," Feng Yuanyang sighed, "but it is for Governor-General Wang alone."

As he spoke, Feng Yuanyang took out an envelope — just an ordinary envelope, not one of the imperial household's.

Wang Yongji hurried forward, bowed and kowtowed with the utmost respect, and received the envelope with both hands. "This subject Wang Yongji respectfully receives the imperial decree."

After taking the envelope, Wang Yongji did not avoid the others, but tore it open right in front of the two men, took out the letter inside, and read it carefully by the dim light in the study, his brow slowly knitting into a knot.

"What is it?" Feng Yuanyang asked.

Tian Cunzhi also stared eagerly at Wang Yongji, feeling somewhat aggrieved. He was a grand eunuch, one of His Majesty's trusted confidants — how come he didn't get a secret edict of his own?

Wang Yongji handed the letter to Tian Cunzhi. "Eunuch Tian, you should read it too... His Majesty also has important matters to entrust to you."

It was written in the same letter! Tian Cunzhi hurriedly took the letter and read it carefully. It turned out the secret edict contained two matters, both of which concerned him.

First, Chongzhen wanted Wang Yongji to transfer command of his headquarters battalion to Tian Cunzhi.

Second, it asked whether Prince Ding, Prince Yong, and the Fifth Prince had arrived at Yongping. If they had arrived, or partially arrived, Wang Yongji and Tian Cunzhi were ordered to protect them. At the same time, Wang Cheng'en and Qiu Zhizhong were ordered to escort Noble Consort Yuan back.

Wang Yongji said to Feng Yuanyang, "My headquarters battalion has two thousand men, garrisoned at Funing Guard. They can be transferred to Shanhai Pass immediately and handed over to Eunuch Tian.

As for Eunuch Wang, Prince Yong, the Fifth Prince, and Noble Consort Yuan, their whereabouts are all unknown. Only Eunuch Qiu escorted Prince Ding to Yongping, and he is now staying in Linyu County... This official and Eunuch Tian should be able to ensure His Highness Prince Ding's safety."

Tian Cunzhi also said, "Please report back to His Majesty, Governor Feng: even if this subject Tian Cunzhi is ground to dust, he will preserve His Highness Prince Ding!"

Whether Prince Ding could be protected, neither Wang Yongji nor Tian Cunzhi was confident. The key lay with Wu Sangui and Zhu Cilang!

Because the Chongzhen Emperor had only four living sons. Now Prince Yong and the Fifth Prince were both missing, leaving only Zhu Cilang and Prince Ding, Zhu Cijiong. If Zhu Cijiong were gone, then Zhu Cilang would be an only son... This would put Zhu Cilang in a very advantageous position in his struggle with Chongzhen.

Feng Yuanyang nodded and said, "With you two doing your utmost to protect His Highness Prince Ding, His Majesty should be able to rest easy... Since His Highness Prince Ding has arrived at Linyu, this official should still go pay his respects. It is still early today; why don't you two come with me?"

"Very well," Wang Yongji said. "Then let us go together."

At the same time, Wu Sangui had already received from Chen Yuanyuan the personal letters written separately by Wu Xiang, Wu Sanfu, and Wu Sanmei, and was reading them carefully in his own study.

All three letters spoke well of Zhu Cilang!

They all said the Crown Prince was a heaven-gifted genius, especially skilled at winning people's hearts. Not only could he paint grand promises, but he was also generous with immediate benefits, could share hardships with his officers and men, and was fair in handling affairs and able to establish authority. None of the soldiers and officers who followed him did not submit to him!

So the Great Ming was certain to be restored! There was no need to doubt this at all!

But beyond the praise, the three had put forward different demands to Wu Sangui.

Wu Sanmei of course hoped her brother would quickly lead troops to Dagu. In her view, with Wu Sangui as his protector, Zhu Cilang would not need to risk himself in person.

But Wu Xiang and Wu Sanfu both hoped Wu Sangui would take the middle or lower option — either remain garrisoned in Beijing in the future, or permanently garrison Taiyuan.

In short, he should hold troops outside and guard a region. Only in this way could the old Wu family support each other from within and without, and preserve their wealth and rank for the long term!

That both father and son held this attitude surprised Wu Sangui. If Wu Sanfu meant this, it would be normal. He was currently in favor, and looked every bit the commander of an army. If his elder brother Wu Sangui came south, his position would very likely be lost.

But why did their father Wu Xiang also not want Wu Sangui to go south... Why? Wouldn't the four of them, father and sons and daughter, working together be just right for controlling the court? Why keep Wu Sangui, the strongest of them, outside as a separatist warlord?

Could it be that this Crown Prince really was especially skilled at winning people's hearts, and had completely taken control of that so-called Hard-Struggle New Army, leaving the old Wu family with little share? So the old man feared that Wu Sangui's bit of strength would also be scooped away by the great Crown Prince Zhu?

If that were really the case, then he truly could not go south. Better to take the middle option and honestly stay at Shanhai Pass and see how things developed.

Just as Wu Sangui was turning this over and over in his mind, a voice speaking Mandarin with a Shaanxi accent suddenly came from outside the door.

"My lord, Concubine Chen has prepared some small dishes in Jiangnan style and wishes to invite you over."

Hearing this voice, Wu Sangui was startled. Since when did his household have someone from Shaanxi?

Thinking again, he remembered that Chen Yuanyuan had brought with her a dark, burly bodyguard who looked quite imposing. It was said that his third brother had found this Company Commander in the army — this matter had actually been arranged by Zhu Cilang through Shen Tingyang. Soy-Sauce Huang had spent a bit of money and gone through Wu Sanfu's connections to place Liu Sheng, an undercover agent, by Chen Yuanyuan's side...

Tianjin, the General's Residence.

In Li Yan's study, a husband and wife sat silently facing each other. Today Li Yan and Hong Niangzi had not gone to patrol the city, nor to attend to official business. They simply stayed in the study, holding two decrees, turning them over and over, reading them for they knew not how long.

Of these two decrees, one came from the Shun's Yongchang Emperor, Li Zicheng, and the other from the Great Ming's Army-Soothing Crown Prince, Zhu Cilang.

Li Zicheng's edict summoned Li Yan to Beijing, while Zhu Cilang's order was for Hong Niangzi, commanding her to find a way to keep Li Zicheng in Beijing and not let him attack Shanhai Pass — although Zhu Cilang knew the later history, he still had to do his utmost to prevent the Manchus from entering the pass.

As long as Shanhai Pass did not fall, even if the Manchus took Beijing, Zhu Cilang would have a way to retake it.

Shanhai Pass was the throat! With the throat blocked, Dorgon could only grab and run. At worst, the great Crown Prince Zhu would play Emperor Zhenzong of Song once more and give a million in annual tribute — Dorgon would be satisfied then, wouldn't he?

If he wasn't satisfied, Zhu Cilang wasn't afraid either. He would immediately rebuild the Dongjiang Garrison and harass Dorgon from the sea, giving him no peace in his rear!

Besides this matter, in his order to Hong Niangzi, Zhu Cilang also praised Li Yan at length, describing him as a figure like Zhuge Liang! It seemed he was hoping Li Yan would come to the Ming side and serve as his military strategist...