Chapter 1645: Seizing the Army (Part 2)

Wei Chengyun, an attendant eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was at that moment in a small room beside the East Glorious Gate, wrapped in a bed quilt, sleeping in a daze and deep in a grand daydream.

In his dream, he had risen high, inheriting the position of Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years from his adoptive grandfather Wei Zhongxian, becoming a figure who overshadowed all, the most trusted chief eunuch of the young Son of Heaven, the Chongzhen Emperor. He could have whatever he wanted, bring ruin on whomever he pleased, and the junior eunuchs below him all had to call him "Ancestral Grandfather, Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years"—his prestige knew no bounds!

Just as he was savoring it, the earth suddenly shook and the mountains swayed. The shaking woke him from his dream, and the moment his eyelids opened, he saw a tangled mass of wild whiskers and a face full of surly flesh, with a pair of brass-bell-like eyes glaring fiercely at him.

It was this yellow-faced, curly-bearded fierce man who had been shaking him hard. Seeing him awake, the man stopped shaking, tossed him aside, and turned his head to roar: "Your Majesty, this little thief is awake!"

Your Majesty? The little thief Wei Chengyun was completely stunned!

Why had His Majesty come? What was he here for? Wasn't this the East Glorious Gate? Was His Majesty leaving the palace?

And who was this little thief? This was the Forbidden City! Had thieves actually gotten into the Forbidden City?

"What is this little thief's name?"

While Wei Chengyun was still dazed, Zhu Youjian had already spoken.

"Your Majesty, this little thief is named Wei Chengyun, a grandson of the traitor Wei!" The one answering was Xu Yingyuan. This brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial had not brought a brush today, but instead carried a treasured sword, standing beside Zhu Youjian with a taut face, the very picture of utter loyalty.

In truth, he was still a bit uneasy inside. It was not that he worried the officers and men of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses' three battalions would not love gold and would not dare follow Zhu Youjian to kill the traitors—after all, gold was easy to take and traitors easy to kill, and as long as the officers and men of the three battalions were not fools, they would surely follow His Majesty.

But Xu Yingyuan still worried that their group would not be able to get through the gate of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses' camp. The camp lay outside the Forbidden City but within the Imperial City, at its northeastern corner, east of Longevity Hill. It was not far from either the East Glorious Gate or the Dark Warrior Gate—to put it a bit dramatically, one step out of the camp gate and you were at the Emperor's front door. Although they were the imperial claws and fangs, they were still several thousand men holding sharp blades, and if they ever ran wild, it would truly be disaster striking from within the walls!

Therefore the camp regulations of the three battalions were very strict: anyone entering camp for duty could not leave without orders, and the camp gates were guarded by eunuchs of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses. It was hard to enter or leave even in daylight, let alone late at night. Although Zhu Youjian had with him Shang Fuming, the superintendent eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, who in theory could use the Emperor's handwritten edict to have the main camp gate opened, this man was newly appointed, and the men below might not even recognize him!

Moreover, Wei Zhongxian had very likely instructed Tu Wenfu, the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, to keep a careful watch on Shang Fuming. In the middle of the night, the eunuchs guarding the camp gate might not even open it for Shang Fuming!

Just as Xu Yingyuan was in a state of anxious uncertainty, Zhu Youjian's party was actually stopped inside the East Glorious Gate by several sleepy-eyed junior eunuchs. Zhu Youjian did not hesitate, immediately ordering three loyal and righteous men to step forward and seize them! These three were loyal and righteous men who had cut down Tartars, and dealing with these eunuchs was like using a butcher's cleaver to kill a chick! Oh, no need to kill, either—just flash the blades, let out a couple of roars, and they all dropped to their knees.

Then Xu Yingyuan stepped up and asked a couple of questions, and a junior eunuch sold out Wei Zhongxian's adoptive grandson!

This adoptive grandson of Wei Zhongxian was an attendant eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. His rank was not high, but he was one of Wei Zhongxian's trusted confidants, often running errands for him, and he knew people everywhere. With him leading the way, they would surely be able to get through the gate of the three battalions' camp, so Zhu Youjian had immediately brought his men to seize Wei Chengyun.

"Hmph!" Zhu Youjian's face darkened. "So it's a grandson of the traitor Wei. Drag him off and kill him!"

The yellow-faced, curly-bearded fierce man immediately responded: "As commanded!"

Then came a sharp "clang," and a gleaming blade was drawn!

At the sight of the blade, Wei Chengyun was already scared out of his wits, collapsing limp on the ground and pleading repeatedly: "Spare me, spare me, don't kill me... spare me!"

The yellow-faced man was none other than Huang Degong. He grabbed Wei Chengyun with one hand and started dragging him toward the door. Hearing the pleas, he chuckled: "Hey, you coward, why so afraid of death? You're nothing like your treasonous grandfather!"

What? Treason? Wei Chengyun had already been scared half to death, and now, hearing that Wei Zhongxian had committed treason, he was frightened nearly to death.

Though he was "nearly dead," he was not dead yet, and he still wanted to struggle and beg for his life.

As he was dragged out of the room, he caught sight of Zhu Youjian, whose face was full of murderous intent. The young Son of Heaven stood upright in the middle of the courtyard, dressed all in mourning clothes, a long sword hanging at his waist. Around him crowded several dozen eunuchs and guards, likewise in mourning clothes, carrying swords and lanterns.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!" Wei Chengyun had been clever enough to attach himself to Wei Zhongxian, so he was naturally a quick-witted sort. The moment he saw Zhu Youjian, he immediately cried out for mercy.

Zhu Youjian snorted: "You traitorous wretch, now you know to beg for mercy? Where was that when you followed the traitor Wei in rebellion? The Duke of Ying's troops have already reached the East Peace Gate, and you, you wretch, still don't know you're doomed, actually keeping the Pure Troops at the East Glorious Gate to stop Us from leaving. Are you trying to delay for time, waiting for the traitor Wei's main Pure Troop force to come and slay the sovereign and usurp the throne?"

What? The Duke of Ying's troops have arrived... Wei Chengyun was frightened to the point of barely breathing! As Wei Zhongxian's adoptive grandson, he of course knew that the Duke of Ying opposed Wei Zhongxian, and he also knew that the Pure Troops could never defeat the Capital Camps!

Wei Zhongxian's power, in the final analysis, came from the Emperor! If the Emperor joined forces with the ennobled nobles who controlled the Capital Camps, Wei Zhongxian would have no strength left to resist.

And even if Wei Zhongxian's Pure Troops could rush to the East Glorious Gate now, it would already be too late.

Because once the Capital Camps moved, how could there be any peaceful end to it?

And all around was silence, with no sign of Pure Troops approaching—which meant the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years' forces had not been mobilized at all!

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! This small one is truly not a diehard follower of the traitor Wei!" Wei Chengyun still wanted to live; even a sliver of hope he would not let go.

"This small one is not Wei Zhongxian's blood grandson. This small one was forced into it—" This Wei Chengyun's will to survive was strong indeed.

"Really?" Zhu Youjian kept a grim face. "You are truly not Wei Zhongxian's blood grandson?"

"No, no—" Wei Chengyun shook his head repeatedly. "The traitor Wei is a eunuch! He doesn't even have balls, so how could he father a son? Without a son, how could he have a grandson? Your Majesty, this small one's original family name is Li. After entering the palace, I followed the traitor Wei's adopted son, and that is how I was forced to become the traitor Wei's adoptive grandson!

This small one is utterly loyal to the Great Ming and to Your Majesty—"

Zhu Youjian frowned slightly. "Is that so? You are truly loyal to the Great Ming?"

"Truly, truly—"

"How do you prove it?" Zhu Youjian asked again.

Prove it?

Wei Chengyun was a bit dumbfounded. How was he supposed to prove such a thing? Surely he couldn't cut out his heart and show it to His Majesty?

"Your Majesty," the superintendent eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, Shang Fuming, spoke up, "why not let this fellow atone for his crimes through meritorious service, and prove his loyalty that way!"

"How would he atone through meritorious service?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"He could go with this slave to call open the gate of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses' main camp!" Shang Fuming suggested. "As long as we can get through the gate, this slave will certainly be able to bring this elite force over to Your Majesty's side!"

Zhu Youjian turned his head to look at Wei Chengyun. "Are you willing?"

"Willing, willing!" Of course Wei Chengyun was willing!

If he refused, he would die on the spot; if he agreed, he might yet switch allegiance to a worthy master. He truly was not Wei Zhongxian's blood grandson—on that point he had not lied—and he still had family to care for. He could not just die like this!

"Good!" Zhu Youjian nodded. "Then lead the way. Take us to the main camp of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses!"

"Yes, yes, this small one will lead the way, this small one will lead the way!" Wei Chengyun breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately began putting on a show of effort, leading Zhu Youjian and the others out of the East Glorious Gate, along the Forbidden City's moat, all the way toward the main camp of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses.

(End of Chapter)