Chapter 228: Beating the Grass to Startle the Snake

"I am Zhu Chunjie, Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, here by the Crown Prince's decree to make an arrest. Which of you is Chang Yanling, Marquis of Huaiyuan?"

They really had come to arrest him!

Chang Yanling, who had just disembarked, felt as if he had been clubbed over the head the moment he heard Zhu Chunjie's words — he was utterly dazed and reeling!

Only after great effort did he catch his breath. Chang Yanling opened his mouth and asked, "Arrest me? Why?"

"Why? Hahaha." Zhu Chunjie laughed loudly. "For treason, of course! Your plot with Duke of Wei Xu Hongji and Marquis of Funing Zhu Guobi has been exposed! Your cousin Chang Yan'en has confessed everything, and he even produced the letter in Xu Yongji's own hand written to you arranging the rebellion. With witnesses and evidence both in hand, the House of the Marquis of Huaiyuan is finished with your generation!"

How could it be finished? How could it be finished? My family are meritorious subjects; our ancestors' achievements were so great — and now it's finished?

Chang Yanling was completely stupefied. He had been wronged! He had taken no part in the secret plotting of Xu Hongji and Zhu Guobi. And he had no capital for rebellion anyway — before the fall of Beijing he had been transferred to the post of Vice Prefect of the Jiujiang Garrison; although he had not yet taken up the post, he had already surrendered his duties in the Capital Camps at Nanjing. While Shi Kefa, Xu Hongji, Zhao Zhilong and the rest were busy arranging to march north and rally to the throne, he, Liu Kongzhao of the Riverine Naval Command, and Censor of the River Patrol Zuo Maodi had all three been planning the westward advance to Jiujiang to set up defenses.

"I've been wronged!" Chang Yanling cried out. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard cannot wrong an innocent man!"

Zhu Chunjie smiled. "Innocent or guilty — that will be made clear once you enter the Provost's office. Men, invite the Marquis of Huaiyuan to come with us!"

"Invite" was a polite word. The Embroidered Uniform Guard riders following Zhu Chunjie were all veterans of the New Army of the Hard-Pressed, fierce and ruthless; they pounced like wolves and tigers to seize the man. Chang Yanling's guards and household officers had never seen anything like it; they were dumbfounded on the spot, none daring to resist, and could only watch helplessly as their marquis was dragged away by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

These Embroidered Uniform Guard men, however, were none too thorough in their work: they seized only Chang Yanling and left, without taking his household officers, guards, or attendants, and without impounding the official vessel of the Riverine Naval Command aboard which Chang Yanling had traveled.

The Chang household people on the dock stood there in a daze as well; only after a good while, when they realized no one was coming to arrest them, did they come to their senses.

One of the more quick-witted household officers of the Chang family finally reacted, shouting loudly: "Quick, quick, get aboard, back to Nanjing to report to the household!"

Even as Chang Yanling's household officers and personal attendants scrambled aboard in panic and fled, Chang Yanling himself had already been escorted under guard to the Pingshan Hall of the Daming Temple.

The Pingshan Hall was now under heavy guard, with two ranks of golden-armored warriors standing at attention, each bearing sword or spear. The Crown Prince sat high above, his face full of anger, and on either side stood several grand secretaries and guard commanders, every one in python robe and black gauze cap, the very picture of a full court in judgment.

Chang Yanling had been hauled straight over from the dock, with no time at all to calm down and think it through — one moment he had been a lofty marquis, and now he was a rebel! With such a fall, his mind was naturally a complete muddle. Just as he was in this dazed stupor, someone suddenly roared at him.

"Chang Yanling! Your treason with Xu Hongji and Zhu Guobi has been exposed!"

"No, no — heaven and earth bear witness, I took no part in the secret plotting of the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Funing."

"Nonsense. The treason involved many participants, not merely one duke and one marquis! Do you claim you were not among them?"

"Right, right — I wasn't. It was all the Duke of Wei, the Marquis of Funing, the Marquis of Longping, the Marquis of Lingbi, the Marquis of Anyuan, the Marquis of Yongchang, the Earl of Xincheng, the Earl of Xiangcheng, the Earl of Dongning, the Earl of Cheng'an—"

At that point Chang Yanling suddenly stopped, because he realized he had said far too much and had just sold out more than half the ennobled houses of Nanjing in one bundle. Truly — why had his mouth had no gatekeeper? Although he had not taken part in those affairs, in his heart he had supported them; he was, after all, a loyal subject of the Chongzhen Emperor!

"Chang Yanling, the men you have named — Shi Kefa and Gao Hongtu confessed to them long ago!" This time the voice that rang out was a youth's: it was Zhu Cilang, the Ming Army-Supervising Crown Prince, speaking.

"Grand Secretary Shi and Governor Gao too..." Chang Yanling could scarcely believe his ears.

How could men of such towering integrity as Shi Kefa and Gao Hongtu have turned traitor?

"Otherwise why would We have appointed them Governor-General of the Seven Provinces and Governor of Shandong?" Zhu Cilang looked at Chang Yanling with a smile.

Chang Yanling was famous as an honest noble. Another man in his position would certainly have thrown his weight around and acted outrageously, yet he was known for integrity and diligence in office. From Zhu Cilang's experience of the world, such a man either had great ambitions or was simply honest by nature — and Chang Yanling was plainly the latter. So he believed it the moment Zhu Cilang fooled him.

The marquis said indignantly: "It was they who wanted to rally to the throne; it was they who wanted the Crown Prince to return governance; the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Funing and the rest merely followed in their train. How could they turn around and sell out the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Funing and the others!"

Zhu Cilang smiled. "They say you took part as well. They say you planned to raise three thousand troops at Yangzhou to serve as the vanguard. Is this true?"

"Wronged — this subject has been wronged!"

"You did not raise troops?"

"I did raise troops, but... but..."

Zhu Cilang smiled and cut off the stammering marquis: "Then that settles it. You, a meritorious noble of Nanjing, came to Yangzhou to raise three thousand troops — could that possibly be without ulterior design?"

Chang Yanling cried out: "Wronged, wronged! This subject raised troops to go to Jiujiang to assist in its defense, to guard against the roving bandits!"

"Nonsense!" The voice that had first roared to frighten Chang Yanling rang out again. It belonged to a general of most imposing appearance — none other than Zhu Chunchen, Duke of Cheng.

"Going to Jiujiang to guard against roving bandits?" Zhu Chunchen said with a stern face. "Are there roving bandits at Jiujiang for you to guard against?"

"That... that... originally there were..."

"Hmph." Zhu Chunchen gave another cold snort. "The Earl of Ningnan long ago recovered Wuchang! What need is there for you to set up defenses at Jiujiang? Confess honestly — why did you privately raise three thousand stout volunteers at Yangzhou?"

"It was not private raising..."

Zhu Cilang looked at Chang Yanling. "Not private raising — then was it public raising?"

"Public raising?" The term sounded novel to Chang Yanling, though he understood what it meant. He hastily shook his head. "There was an edict. His Majesty issued an edict permitting this subject to raise troops at Yangzhou."

"An edict?" Zhu Chunchen said coldly. "That edict permitted you to raise troops to guard against the roving bandits coming east. Now that the roving bandits can no longer come east, the edict has expired. And you still raised troops on your own — plainly you were plotting treason!"

"Wronged — this subject is wronged..." Chang Yanling was also slow of speech; he did not know how to argue, and could only cry his innocence over and over.

"Enough, enough — stop crying your innocence!" Zhu Cilang still wore a smile, and it gave people a sense of warmth.

He said: "You raised troops for all that time and still could not gather three thousand men... it truly has been hard on you. Since the men were never assembled, We shall show leniency and pursue this matter no further.

But your crime of plotting treason with the Duke of Wei, the Marquis of Funing, the Marquis of Longping, the Marquis of Lingbi, the Marquis of Anyuan, the Marquis of Yongchang, the Earl of Xincheng, the Earl of Xiangcheng, the Earl of Dongning, the Earl of Cheng'an, and the other ennobled kin of Nanjing — that We shall still pursue!"

"This subject is wronged, truly wronged..." Chang Yanling was full of grievance. He truly had not been involved — what was he to do!

Zhu Cilang continued: "However, We have always been magnanimous, and We can show leniency to the ennobled houses of Nanjing... provided that the clan heads of each house are willing to surrender the military fields, official fields, and hidden fields usurped over the generations. Then We shall pursue the matter no further."

What? Surrender the military fields, official fields, and hidden fields usurped over the generations... Chang Yanling drew a sharp breath. That would be at least thirty million mu! With grain prices now so high, land prices had risen along with them — thirty million mu of land would be worth several hundred million taels of silver. How could this Crown Prince be so black-hearted?

Zhu Cilang looked at Chang Yanling and smiled. "Marquis of Huaiyuan, you shall remain here in Yangzhou. Let Chang Yan'en make a trip to Nanjing and convey Our meaning to the ennobled houses of the southern capital. This is a chance to save their lives and their families — let them not foolishly throw it away!"

At these words, Chang Yanling could only heave a bitter sigh. The Crown Prince meant to tear up the very roots of the southeastern nobility! But he was oversimplifying the matter — how could the men inside Nanjing be willing to hand over so much property for nothing?

(End of Chapter)