Chapter 22: Neither the Ancestors Nor the Son Are Any Good (Crying for Collections and Recommendations)

Seeing Li Jizhou in such a dazed, soul-lost state, the Chongzhen Emperor's first thought was that Crown Prince Zhu Cilang's health had taken a turn for the worse.

Although the divine physician had reported that Zhu Cilang was not ill, only that an ancestor had sent him a dream, the Chongzhen Emperor did not believe it. Even if the Exalted Ancestor, the High Emperor, wanted to send a dream, it should have been sent to himself — how could it be sent to the Crown Prince? What could a child like him possibly understand?

Moreover, yesterday morning the Eastern Palace Medical Bureau had again reported that the Crown Prince was unwell and lacking in energy, and requested a day's leave. Today the Crown Prince was supposed to attend court and hear governance, but he had not come either. Most likely he really was ill...

Thinking of this, the Chongzhen Emperor asked Li Jizhou, "What is wrong with the boy now? Have the imperial physicians been sent to see him?"

This... Li Jizhou was taken aback. The Crown Prince had gotten himself into serious trouble! But the imperial physicians probably could not handle it — His Majesty would have to go discipline him personally.

But though Li Jizhou thought this in his heart, what he said aloud was another serious matter entirely. He lowered his voice: "Fire has risen in the direction of the imperial tombs at Changping..."

"Ah!" The Chongzhen Emperor felt a wave of dizziness.

Changping was the site of the Thirteen Ming Tombs, less than sixty li from Beijing. The tombs had tomb guards watching over them, so they would not simply catch fire on their own. And at this moment, there was only one reason for the tombs to be burning — Li Zicheng had arrived...

He had come far too quickly!

If they were setting fires at the Changping tombs now, then by tonight or tomorrow morning, the vanguard would be outside the walls of Beijing, would it not?

Chongzhen steadied himself, then glanced once more at his ministers, who stood dumbstruck as wooden chickens, and let out a long sigh: "We are no ruler who loses a kingdom; it is Our ministers who are all ministers who lose a kingdom!"

Having said this, he had no mind to continue the court session. He rose and left, passed through the Gate of Imperial Supremacy, and headed toward Qianqing Palace. A crowd of senior eunuchs and palace officials, Li Jizhou among them, all hurried after Chongzhen, following at his heels.

When Chongzhen reached the vicinity of the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Li Jizhou. "Li Jizhou, you are the Director of the Eastern Palace Medical Bureau. Why are you the one reporting the fire at the Changping tombs? Where is Wang Cheng'en? Where is he?"

"Re-reporting to Your Majesty, this old slave... this old slave came by the young master's order to report to Your Majesty..."

"What?" The Chongzhen Emperor was even more confused. "What is going on? Is the boy not ill?"

"The young master... the young master is not ill..." Cold sweat was dripping from Li Jizhou's forehead.

Chongzhen pressed him: "How did he know about the fire at Changping?"

"The young master was originally with Superintendent Wang at the inner parade ground. It was the eunuch sentries Superintendent Wang had posted on the Desheng Gate tower who spotted the smoke and dust in the direction of Changping and reported it to the inner parade ground..."

"What is the boy doing at the inner parade ground?" The Chongzhen Emperor's brows knitted tightly. "Since he is not ill, why did he not come to court?"

Li Jizhou answered: "The young master was... was at the inner parade ground comforting the troops. After learning of the fire at the Changping tombs, he went to Desheng Gate and Anding Gate to inspect the defenses..."

Chongzhen was dumbfounded. Such a thing — the Crown Prince had actually gone to comfort the troops behind his back! Did he even have any regard for his Imperial Father anymore!

"Then is Wang Cheng'en with the boy as well?" Chongzhen asked again.

"Exactly so," Li Jizhou said. "The sturdy volunteers lining up to enlist on the great street along the northern wall of the imperial city today — it seems they were recruited by Superintendent Wang in the name of the Crown Prince's troop-comforting... The young master, the young master also had Wu Xiang bring his household retainers to help him organize them. They were busy all morning and have already sorted out one battalion of more than two thousand soldiers."

Fine — so he has his own army now... and he has even colluded with Wu Xiang, a great general of the outer court. What is he trying to do?

At this thought, Chongzhen suddenly shouted: "Wang Zhixin, Tian Cunzhi!"

"This old slave is here..."

"This subject is here."

Chongzhen said with a cold face: "Go and — for Us — the boy and Wang Cheng'en..."

Wang Zhixin and Tian Cunzhi felt their hearts rise into their throats at these words, terrified that Chongzhen would say the two words "arrest them."

Li Zicheng was already at the gates! Inside Beijing there were few soldiers, no generals, and no pay. Wang Cheng'en was an honest man with no ideas of his own; from the thirteenth until now, Beijing's defenses were still as good as nonexistent. If the Crown Prince had a way to gather some men, that was not a bad thing...

"Go find them and bring them here!" Chongzhen had, after all, not said the word "arrest" — for which one could only thank Heaven and Earth.

...

"What a great plume of smoke! Is this burning the imperial tombs or burning the mountain forests?"

On the tower of Desheng Gate, Zhu Cilang was holding a single-tube telescope, tribute from Zheng Zhilong, and looking at the thick smoke rising in the northwest. He did not take it seriously at all; not a trace of grief could be heard in his tone.

Beside him stood a big-bearded military officer in a great red python robe, staring blankly at Zhu Cilang, his dark face showing nothing but disbelief.

This big-bearded man was named Zhang Shize. His office was Left Commissioner-in-Chief, his title Duke of Ying, a descendant of Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying who had rendered meritorious service in the Jingnan Campaign, and the ninth Duke of Ying. He also held an assignment as Superintendent of the Capital Camps — nominally a military officer — and so had been given a temporary assignment by Wang Cheng'en to oversee the defenses of Desheng Gate.

When the fire rose in the direction of Changping, he had not been at Desheng Gate overseeing anything, nor had he attended court. He had been at the Duke of Ying's residence in Jiaozhong Ward, drinking and listening to opera with his visitor Zhu Chunjie, the Duke of Cheng. Just as the drinking was at its height, a household retainer came to report that the Crown Prince had arrived at Desheng Gate... There was no help for it then; he had to put on his official robes and rush to Desheng Gate to pay his respects.

Only upon arriving did he learn that the Crown Prince had come because of the fire in the direction of the Changping tombs. But what surprised Zhang Shize was that the Crown Prince was not the least bit anxious!

Your family's ancestral graves are burning, and you are not the least bit anxious? Your ancestors are about to become roast meat — surely you ought to weep and wail!

But Zhu Cilang was not anxious in the slightest!

The Thirteen Ming Tombs were still perfectly intact all the way into New China, so what was there to be anxious about? Most likely Li Zicheng's men had set a mountain fire to intimidate the people of the capital.

And besides, the inexplicable transmigration of his soul into this place — was that not the doing of some ancestor who had screwed him over?

"Duke of Ying..." Zhu Cilang lowered the telescope and turned to look at the dark-faced duke, who did indeed have the look of a loyal subject. He wondered whether the man would end up serving three masters — those who surrendered in Beijing were not merely twice-serving ministers, because Li Zicheng would not last; they would soon have to surrender to the Qing as well, making them slaves of three surnames.

"This subject is here." Zhang Shize had no idea what Zhu Cilang thought of him, and still bowed respectfully.

"Do you know how to block a gate?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"Block a gate?"

"That is, using stones, tree trunks, earth, and the like to block up the gate passage of Desheng Gate." Zhu Cilang paused. "Before blocking it, seal Desheng Gate shut for me first... Commissioner Wu, explain the specifics of how to seal and block it to him."

Wu Xiang was a veteran general long tested in battle. Though he had never won any victories, he still had his methods, and immediately described several of the simplest ways to seal and block a city gate passage. In truth it was not difficult, only rather laborious, requiring the hiring of quite a few sturdy laborers.

"Do you understand now?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"Yes, this subject understands." Zhang Shize nodded repeatedly.

Quite clever, actually... He understands as soon as he hears it. The boy is teachable!

Zhu Cilang asked tentatively: "Before dawn tomorrow, can you have Desheng Gate, Xizhi Gate, and Anding Gate all sealed and blocked?"

"I can!" Zhang Shize nodded. "This subject will send men to do it at once."

So agreeable?

"We have no money to give you right now," Zhu Cilang added.

In truth, he did have a bit of money. Empress Zhou had sent five thousand taels to Duanben Palace, and Wang Cheng'en had given thirty thousand taels in all. Zhu Cilang had spent much of it, but a fair amount still remained.

Hearing Zhu Cilang say there was no money, Zhang Shize said indifferently: "No matter. Is it not just blocking gates? Five fen of silver will hire a sturdy laborer, and five hundred taels will hire several thousand or even ten thousand sturdy laborers. This subject can afford that much."

To think he had actually discovered a loyal minister!

Zhu Cilang nodded approvingly at Zhang Shize and said: "In that case, Duke of Ying, dig a little deeper and seal and block Fucheng Gate, Xuanwu Gate, and Chongwen Gate for Us as well."

"Done!" Zhang Shize nodded. "Your Highness, six of the nine gates of the inner city are already blocked. Shall this subject have men block the remaining three as well?"

Still a loyal subject with plenty of drive! He has a future!

"No need," Zhu Cilang said. "We will arrange men to guard Chaoyang Gate and Dongzhi Gate; there is no need to seal them. Zhengyang Gate must also be kept open, or else we will not be able to reach the outer city."

"This subject understands."

"Then go and see to it at once!" Zhu Cilang instructed. "Time is short. The Roving Bandit rebels may be at the city walls by tomorrow... You need not supervise Desheng Gate either. Just devote yourself to sealing the gates!"

"This subject receives the order. This subject will go and make arrangements at once." Zhang Shize did not shirk in the slightest, nor did he stop to wonder whether Zhu Cilang had the authority to manage such matters. He bowed and turned to leave, brisk and efficient.

Zhu Cilang nodded. "In national crisis, loyal subjects show themselves!" He said to his teacher Chen Rui beside him, "Master Chen, if by tomorrow morning he really has sealed all six gates of the inner city, then add both the Duke of Ying and his son to the list of those going south."

His words had just finished when a burst of urgent hoofbeats sounded from below the Desheng Gate tower. It was Wang Zhixin and Tian Cunzhi arriving.

(End of Chapter)