Chapter 23: Chapter 23

The two eunuchs froze beneath the tower of Desheng Gate, because they saw many bearded Purified Army soldiers carrying long spears, sabers slung at their waists, swaggering as they stood guard below the gate tower.

What was going on here? How had the Nanhaizi Purified Army grown beards? Had none of them been properly castrated? How had they been inspected?

And… why did they all look so puffed-up and bold? Li Zicheng was about to attack — weren't they afraid?

Tian Cunzhi was after all a military eunuch, still young, with sharp eyes, and he had already made out that these men in Purified Army uniforms were all fake eunuchs! Quite a few of them were bulging conspicuously below the belt — plainly not eunuchs at all!

"Who are you? Why are you wearing Purified Army dress?" Tian Cunzhi dismounted and walked up to a man whose face looked as though it had been scorched by a bursting matchlock, and demanded loudly.

The man clasped his fist in salute. "Reporting to you, Eunuch, I am Wang Zhou, Banner Commander of the Hard-Striving Battalion under the Crown Prince's command!"

The Hard-Striving Battalion?

And "under the Crown Prince's command"…

Wang Zhixin and Tian Cunzhi exchanged a glance: everything had gone topsy-turvy! The Crown Prince really had raised his own force — he even had a unit designation and had already handed out commissions.

How were they going to explain this to His Majesty? Would the Crown Prince be deposed? The Great Ming had never yet had a Crown Prince deposed by his Imperial Father! The court officials would have another chance to wrangle over the foundation of the state… only the state itself was about to vanish — was there any foundation left to wrangle over?

"Superintendent Wang, Superintendent Tian, did His Majesty send the two of you over?" Wang Cheng'en had by now come down from the tower above the barbican of Desheng Gate, and went up to greet Wang Zhixin and Tian Cunzhi when he saw them.

"Director, what is going on here?"

"Director, His Majesty is furious…"

In the past, Wang Zhixin and Tian Cunzhi would have been delighted to watch the show. The sooner Wang Cheng'en fell, the better — once he fell, others could climb up!

But now the situation had changed. Li Zicheng would be here in the blink of an eye, and the Great Ming hung by a thread! If His Majesty and the Crown Prince started quarreling again, then Beijing might as well not be defended at all…

Wang Cheng'en gave a bitter smile and said to Wang Zhixin and Tian Cunzhi, "This time it was all thanks to the Grand Progenitor, the Exalted Emperor, sending a dream to His Young Highness. Otherwise a great matter would have been ruined… and I, Wang Cheng'en, would have failed His Majesty's great kindness!"

"There really was a dream?" Wang Zhixin looked at Wang Cheng'en, half believing and half doubting.

"Of course!" Wang Cheng'en clasped his fist toward the empty air. "Without the Grand Progenitor the Exalted Emperor's dream, how could His Young Highness have raised the Hard-Striving Battalion in a day or two? How could he have made a man like Wu Xiang submit and obey?"

Just as Wang Cheng'en was speaking, Zhu Cilang had already come down together with Wu Xiang. As Zhu Cilang walked, he was still giving Wu Xiang instructions: "Fucheng Gate, Xuanwu Gate, Chongwen Gate, Anbei Gate, Desheng Gate, and Xizhi Gate must all be watched. Chaoyang Gate must be held even more firmly! There are already troops stationed on Chaoyang Gate — put them all under Sanfu's command… We still have a few thousand taels here; send them all to Sanfu to distribute to the soldiers on Chaoyang Gate, and then incorporate them into the Hard-Striving Battalion as well.

Furthermore, without Our order, the Hard-Striving Battalion is not to be moved, and the troops on Chaoyang Gate are not to be moved either!"

"Rest assured, Thousand Years. This old man knows what to do."

Zhu Cilang continued, "You and the members of the Zu family must be ready to set out at any time. The carts, grooms, horses, and dry provisions that Director Wang has assembled must also be watched over by men of the Hard-Striving Battalion…"

As he spoke, the two of them had already reached the foot of the gate tower. Wang Cheng'en, Wang Zhixin, and Tian Cunzhi all stood in a row and saluted Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang raised a hand to them, then walked toward a tall horse that Wang Qi was holding. Wang Qi helped him up, and Zhu Cilang swung into the saddle with practiced ease. Wang Qi, Wang Cheng'en, Wang Zhixin, Tian Cunzhi, and Zhu Cilang's study companion eunuch Huang Dabao all mounted one after another. The party rode along the sloping street by the edge of Shichahai, and before long turned onto Gulou Lower Street, heading straight for Anbei Gate.

By this time Beijing was already divided between the noble north and the humble south. The northern part of the city was all fine ground — either the residences of eminent families, or government offices, or very imposing temples. Both sides of the sloping street were lined with Buddhist temples, while along Gulou Lower Street there were several Daoist abbeys, an outer workshop of the Armory Bureau, and a Catholic church bearing a plaque in the Chongzhen Emperor's own hand that read "Imperially Commended Heavenly Learning."

Seeing this Catholic church, Zhu Cilang suddenly remembered the Western missionary Johann Adam Schall von Bell, who held office in the Directorate of Astronomy and the cannon foundry. He did not live in the northern city, but in the great cathedral inside Xuanwu Gate.

"Secretary Bi," Zhu Cilang turned his head and called to his drafter Bi Jiucheng, "note it down: Tang Ruowang of the Catholic church is to leave together with us!"

"Yes!" Bi Jiucheng answered. He now carried an account book and brush with him at all times, recording Zhu Cilang's instructions on the spot. In addition, Chen Rui, Li Shichun, and Lin Zengzhi had also joined Zhu Cilang's "secretarial staff," handling a large pile of princely decrees and documents for him, and also keeping accounts together with Huang Dabao.

Wang Zhixin, riding behind, overheard Zhu Cilang's words and quickly asked Wang Cheng'en, who was riding abreast of him, "Director, where is His Young Highness going?"

"Naturally, to escort His Majesty south!" Wang Cheng'en said to Wang Zhixin with a smile. "You're coming too… perhaps we leave tonight!"

"What? Tonight?" Wang Zhixin's face changed the moment he heard this. He was rich! He was the wealthiest of all the eunuchs — just the silver hidden in his Beijing residence amounted to more than three hundred thousand taels! That was over twenty thousand catties… impossible to haul away without dozens of large carts!

Just as Wang Zhixin was agonizing over his property, Zhu Cilang had already ridden through Anbei Gate. He did not slow down, but kept his horse at a trot and headed straight for Xuanwu Gate. The Banner Guard and eunuchs on duty at the gate recognized Zhu Cilang, Wang Cheng'en, Wang Qi, and the others, and naturally did not dare stop them.

After entering the Forbidden City, Zhu Cilang still did not dismount. He rode all the way to Qianqing Palace before swinging down from the saddle, and finally entered the Eastern Warmth Pavilion, where the Chongzhen Emperor handled state affairs, together with Wang Cheng'en, Wang Zhixin, and Tian Cunzhi. Wang Qi remained outside on guard.

When Zhu Cilang and the others arrived, the Chongzhen Emperor was pacing irritably back and forth in his winter warmth pavilion. He wore only a bright-yellow wide-sleeved Daoist robe, an old garment, washed so often it had faded somewhat, with cuffs already worn through.

In Zhu Cilang's memory, the Chongzhen Emperor had always enjoyed excellent health and rarely fell ill, fully capable of bearing the heavy burden of state affairs.

But now the Emperor's back was already stooped, and the topknot coiled atop his head was streaked with gray. A man of only thirty-three, in the very prime of life — yet this Son of Heaven of the Great Ming looked at a glance to be past fifty.

Seeing the Son of Heaven in such a state, Wang Cheng'en was so grieved that tears nearly came to his eyes. Zhu Cilang, however, merely sighed, stepped forward, and saluted: "Your eldest son Cilang respectfully inquires after Imperial Father's sacred well-being."

The Chongzhen Emperor turned around, frowning, and looked at his son as though greatly annoyed.

Something was not right!

This son before him… why did he look somehow unfamiliar?

It was plainly Zhu Cilang… yet this bearing, this look in his eyes — no matter how he looked at it, something was off!

Chongzhen stared at his unfamiliar son, and for a moment did not know what to say.

The air in the Eastern Warmth Pavilion suddenly congealed, with a faint whiff of gunpowder in it.

The three eunuchs standing behind Zhu Cilang could hardly breathe. They held their breath and composed themselves, waiting for the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming, Zhu Youjian, to explode in thunderous rage.

The Chongzhen Emperor had by now also remembered why he had summoned his son. This son was simply outrageous — privately maintaining armed force, colluding with a great general. In any dynasty, that would be grounds to depose a Crown Prince! In this dynasty the Crown Prince's faction held a weighty position and was not easily deposed, but proper discipline was still necessary!

At this thought, the Chongzhen Emperor gave a snort and prepared to lecture his son!

But before he could begin, Zhu Cilang spoke first: "Imperial Father, just now from the tower of Desheng Gate your son saw firelight blazing skyward in the direction of Changping. It is plainly the Roving Bandit's troops arriving and burning the imperial ancestral tombs!"

The ancestral tombs really had been burned… When the Chongzhen Emperor heard this news, it was as though he had been struck by a body-holding spell. The bellyful of rage he had been nursing could not find its way out.

The ancestors had been burned to crisps — what kind of emperor are you? And you still have the face to lecture your son about privately raising troops and colluding with generals?

"From Changping to the capital is only."

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang produced Wu Xiang's personal letter and presented it to Chongzhen with both hands: "Imperial Father, this is a personal letter from Wu Xiang to Wu Sangui, ordering him to lead 10,000 armored cavalry in person to come to our aid. With Wu Sangui's 10,000 armored cavalry protecting us, we can certainly reach the secondary capital safely."

Ten thousand armored cavalry! This was a classic case of catching a white wolf with empty hands! Two days ago he had had nothing except the title of Crown Prince and a body of unspotted innocence. Now he already had 3,000 new Hard-Striving troops inside Beijing and 10,000 armored cavalry outside the city — actually, Wu Xiang had not intended to summon that many; it was Zhu Cilang who had told him to write a larger number, to cheer up the Chongzhen Emperor.

Now that Zhu Cilang had the capital of an army of 13,000, Chongzhen could not depose him no matter what. Even if he wanted to depose him, he would have to use him up first! Otherwise the Great Ming's realm would be discarded along with him! Could the Chongzhen Emperor accept that?

Chongzhen was stunned again and again. He felt something was wrong somewhere, but for the moment could not put his finger on it, so he simply took the letter Zhu Cilang handed him and began to read.

The more he read, the more dumbfounded he became… How was this possible? Wu Xiang did not even want a million taels, and was satisfied to have his daughter become a mere Crown Prince consort?

Wu Xiang, why didn't you say so earlier? If you had said so earlier, Wu Sangui would have reached Beijing long ago, and the ancestors would not have been burned to cinders! Now look at this — Li Zicheng has arrived first. Must we really abandon the city and flee?

Moreover… Chun'ge said he had only gathered two or three thousand stout fellows in the last two days to escort His Majesty south!

Had Wang Cheng'en really made no preparations before this?

(End of Chapter)