Chapter 306: Zuo Liangyu Has Gone a Bit Mad!

At this moment, Hou Fangyu, the great talent dispatched by Zhu Cilang to Wuchang to propose marriage to Zuo Liangyu, was following a burly military officer through a gloomy mansion.

This mansion was the marquis residence of Zuo Liangyu, Marquis of Wuchang! As the saying goes, once you enter a marquis's gate, it is deep as the sea — and now Zuo Liangyu's marquis gate in Wuchang was a gloomy, deathly sea. Walking through it, Hou Fangyu truly could not feel the slightest sign of life!

Within this vast marquis residence there were no women, no children, no sounds of laughter, no music of strings and pipes, no painted flowers, and no one even dared to speak loudly. There were only soldiers in white robes with sabers at their waists, walking in silence.

Hou Fangyu half suspected he was not walking through a marquis residence at all, but through a tomb. He truly could not understand how Zuo Liangyu, a great marquis, could live in such a deathly-still house.

He walked for he knew not how long, until his legs ached and his feet hurt, before finally arriving in front of a building. He nearly lost his footing and almost collided with the burly officer ahead of him.

Looking up, he saw before him another vast, deathly-still building. Its main gate was shut, and outside stood two fully armored warriors holding polished long-handled sabers, radiating murderous intent.

The officer glanced back at him: "The Marquis is in a bad mood. Be careful how you speak. If you anger him, no one will be able to save you!"

What? Hou Fangyu was stunned. He knew Zuo Liangyu, and his impression was of a rather amiable military man — perhaps not so to others, but at least to Hou Fangyu, the son of his patron, he had always been quite courteous. How had it come to the point where "no one could save him"?

He was about to ask further, but the officer had already gone inside. Then he heard the announcement: "Your subordinate Li Conglong brings the young master Hou to seek an audience with the Marquis."

After the announcement, there was dead silence.

No one knew how long passed before a hoarse, aged voice spoke: "Oh, the son of Grand Secretary Hou has arrived. Show him in at once! At once!"

Only then did the officer named Li Conglong turn and come back out, making a gesture of invitation to Hou Fangyu: "Young Master Hou, please."

Only then did Hou Fangyu step into the deathly-still room. The light inside was very poor, and the air was thick with a dying, gloomy atmosphere.

It was a study, very large, with several bookshelves on which a few dozen books sat scattered here and there. On the walls hung treasured swords, bow cases, and quivers, but no calligraphy or paintings. In the middle of the room was a writing desk with the four treasures of the study upon it. A fat old man in a scholar's robe sat behind the desk, his gaze somewhat vacant as he looked at the visitor. Behind the old man was an unfolded screen, covered with many crookedly written characters.

Hou Fangyu studied the old man, who was like a clay statue or wooden puppet, and only after a long while recognized him as Zuo Liangyu, Governor-General of Hubei Military Affairs and Marquis of Wuchang.

"This junior, Hou Fangyu, heir of the Earl of Kecheng Shangcheng, presents his respects."

Watching Hou Fangyu bow in salute, Zuo Liangyu pondered for a long while before speaking again: "Sit and talk."

Hou Fangyu seated himself properly on a chair that Li Conglong had moved over, smiled faintly, and gazed quietly at Zuo Liangyu, as if waiting for him to ask a question.

But Zuo Liangyu lowered his head and began reading a book on the table, as if Hou Fangyu were not there at all.

What was going on?

Hou Fangyu glanced back at Li Conglong. The trusted aide of the great commander said in a low voice: "Young Master Hou, if you have something to say, say it."

"Ah," Hou Fangyu responded, then cupped his hands again toward Zuo Liangyu. "My lord Marquis, my father heard that your adopted daughter has been released by the roving bandits, and so wished to arrange a fine match for her. Not knowing your intentions, he sent this junior to Wuchang to pay his respects to you."

"Oh." Zuo Liangyu nodded. "And what sort of husband does Grand Secretary Hou wish to find for Mengmei?"

Hou Fangyu smiled: "My lord Marquis, my father wishes to invite your daughter to enter the palace and serve the Crown Prince, who commands the army as regent."

"What?" Zuo Liangyu frowned. "That would not be in accordance with the rules, would it?"

"My lord Marquis, the rules in Nanjing have changed!"

With a sharp crack, Zuo Liangyu suddenly slammed his right palm against the desk, startling Hou Fangyu.

"How have they changed? Is Nanjing no longer under the rule of the Great Ming?" Zuo Liangyu bellowed. "Your father is a fool as well. Is the selection of consorts for the Crown Prince a matter for a Minister of Revenue to involve himself in? Such matters should be decreed by His Majesty, drafted by the Grand Secretariat, approved by His Majesty in red ink, and then handed to the Ministry of Rites to carry out."

"Th-this, this, this—"

Hou Fangyu looked at the furious Zuo Liangyu, somewhat at a loss. What did Zuo Liangyu mean by this? Did he not know that the court had long been under the control of His Highness the Thousand Years?

He frowned. "My lord Marquis, the court is now under the regency of the Crown Prince, who commands the army."

"What do you mean, the Crown Prince is regent?" Zuo Liangyu glared. "His Majesty is only in his thirties, in the prime of life, and I have heard nothing of any illness. How can he not rule?"

"This—" Cold sweat broke out all over Hou Fangyu's forehead. Something was very wrong with Zuo Liangyu!

"My lord Marquis," Hou Fangyu said, steeling himself, "His Majesty, deeply reproaching himself for the fall of the capital, feels he has failed the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor. He also believes His Highness the Crown Prince is a heaven-sent genius, the one and only choice for the Ming's restoration, and therefore has had the Crown Prince command the army and serve as regent—"

"Utter nonsense!" Zuo Liangyu roared. "What I have heard is that the Crown Prince staged a coup at the Gate of Imperial Supremacy to seize power, and then took the Son of Heaven hostage and fled Beijing!"

This...

Hou Fangyu was so frightened he was trembling. What did Zuo Liangyu mean by those words? Was he going to raise troops to purge the court of evil ministers? Had he gone mad?

The Crown Prince now had six divisions (the old five divisions plus one newly raised) and more than twenty guards of new-model troops, with a total strength exceeding one hundred thousand men — and these were actual combat troops, not counting camp followers and laborers.

In addition, the Yangtze Fleet numbered close to twenty thousand men, with no fewer than three hundred warships large and small! Among them were several centipede warships mounted with Hongyi cannons — surely no worse than Zuo Liangyu's own fleet?

The foundation of Zuo Liangyu's forces was, first, the border troops of Ji and Liao, and second, surrendered roving bandits. Neither was suited to naval warfare, and they simply could not defeat the Yangtze Fleet, which had been reorganized from Yangtze river pirates, the sand-boat guild, and grain-transport troops.

"M-my lord Marquis," Hou Fangyu gritted his teeth and decided to lay his cards on the table. "His Highness the Thousand Years wishes to ascend the throne as soon as possible! He now has a hundred thousand land troops and twenty thousand men of the Yangtze Fleet as his own. They may not all be elite, but they are at least all strong and able. Most of the land troops have been granted land and now have property and livelihoods; their futures and fates are bound to the Crown Prince — and those are a hundred thousand stout, able-bodied men! The backbone consists of Guan-Ning household retainers, Capital Camps elites, and the old camp soldiers of the roving bandits!

Furthermore, His Highness has confiscated tens of millions of mu of land and tens of millions of taels of silver from the Huai salt merchants and the Nanjing nobility. My lord Marquis, do you think His Highness has the capital to take the next step?

Right now His Highness sincerely wishes to win you over. As long as your daughter enters the palace, you will be the imperial father-in-law, and your son the imperial brother-in-law! His Highness is also willing to let you and your heir take charge of recovering Sichuan. If you succeed, he will grant the title of Duke of Shu, to hold Sichuan in perpetuity!

My lord Marquis, you must think this through carefully!"

In Hou Fangyu's view, the terms Zhu Cilang offered could not have been more generous. Zuo Mengmei had been released by the roving bandits; no one even knew whether her chastity was intact, yet His Highness did not ask and was still willing to take her into the palace — in the future she would surely be at least a Noble Consort!

And the Duke of Shu was the status of a regional sovereign, far stronger than Marquis of Wuchang. Although the territory of Sichuan would have to be conquered, Zhang Xianzhong had not yet fully controlled Sichuan, and there were still many troops and officials loyal to the Ming. If Zuo's forces entered Sichuan, they would surely gain their support. In every way, it was better than marching south to oppose Zhu Cilang, was it not?

Besides, Zhu Cilang was the legitimate Crown Prince. The Emperor was fatuous and incompetent and had lost the capital; the Crown Prince was brilliant and valiant, and taking over early was only natural and right. Even the Donglin gentlemen had accepted it — what business did an old military man have meddling?

But what Zuo Liangyu said next was something Hou Fangyu had never imagined. The old man suddenly glared and roared: "The Prince of Yong will arrive in Wuchang within days. This marquis will serve the Prince of Yong as sovereign. If the Crown Prince dares to usurp the throne, this marquis will support the Prince of Yong in ascending the throne as emperor right here in Wuchang!"

What? Hou Fangyu was stunned by Zuo Liangyu's words. Had the old man gone mad? Throwing away a good life to set up a rival court in Wuchang — how much strength did he think he had?

(End of Chapter)