Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Zeng Jinhua, an Imperial Physician of the upper eighth rank in the Imperial Academy of Medicine, was a tall, thin man of about thirty. His features were regular enough, but he was extremely nearsighted, with a pair of crystal-polished spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, so people often called him "Zeng Four-Eyes" behind his back. He also had another nickname, "Zeng the Divine Physician"—not because his medical skill was anything divine, but because he was obsessed with Daoism and liked to invoke ghosts and spirits when explaining difficult and strange illnesses.

Still, his medical skill was the finest in the Imperial Academy of Medicine, and he was conscientious and responsible. Moreover, he was a fellow Suzhou native of Empress Zhou, so he enjoyed the trust of the Chongzhen Emperor and his wife.

As for Zhu Cilang's illness, this "Divine Physician's" judgment was actually sound. Zhu Cilang's body was indeed free of any ailment—it was perfectly healthy. The reason he could not wake was simply that the newly arrived soul and this body needed a period of adjustment.

And when he overheard Zhu Cilang complaining about his ancestors in his sleep, he naturally connected it to a supernatural event like the Great Ancestor appearing in a dream.

On the early morning of the fifteenth day of the third month in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the somewhat mystical Zeng the Divine Physician once again saw Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang, who had not slept all night, was at that moment bent over his desk writing an edict, and beside his writing desk were piled all sorts of memorials, blank or already completed.

"Your subject Zeng Jinhua pays his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince." After performing the rites, Zeng the Divine Physician asked, "Does Your Highness feel any drowsiness today?"

"Somewhat," Zhu Cilang said. "I only feel muddled and heavy-headed. I fear I cannot read or practice calligraphy."

Cannot read or practice calligraphy? Then what are you doing right now?

Zeng the Divine Physician adjusted his spectacles and stared at Zhu Cilang, who was bent over the desk writing. "Does Your Highness wish to cancel the daily lectures?"

"We need three days of quiet rest," Zhu Cilang said bluntly. "Just do as We say. In addition, Our mind is unsettled, and We may fall ill again at any moment. From today on, you will remain by Our side."

Zhu Cilang's tone carried an authority that brooked no doubt. How could Zeng the Divine Physician, a mere eighth-rank Imperial Physician, dare disobey? He could only assent repeatedly.

Zhu Cilang added, "Do you have family in the capital? If so, you may go settle your affairs this morning. Dabao, go fetch ten taels of silver for Physician Zeng."

Ten taels of silver? What did that mean?

Zeng the Divine Physician was stunned again and again. The Crown Prince seemed to be hinting at something... But he did not pursue it, because he was from Suzhou, and his wife and children were all back in his hometown. Only one concubine attended him here.

After thanking the Crown Prince for the reward, Zeng Jinhua went with Huang Dabao to collect the silver, then hurried off to his residence in the outer city to meet his concubine—little knowing at that moment that once he parted from his concubine today, he would never see her again in this life!

After Huang Dabao saw Zeng the Divine Physician off and returned to the Hall of Upright Respect, he came together with another study companion eunuch, Qiu Zhizhong, and the Attendant Scribe, Secretariat Drafter Bi Jiucheng.

Zhu Cilang's two study companions worked in shifts, and now it was Eunuch Qiu's turn on duty.

Eunuch Qiu was a thin man of thirty-four or thirty-five, his face always wearing a gentle smile, looking rather like a bookish xiucai scholar. But Zhu Cilang knew that this eunuch was a "martial eunuch" skilled in bow and horse. Zhu Cilang had learned riding, archery, and swordsmanship from him—the Crown Prince of the Great Ming, in theory, also had to be accomplished in both civil and martial arts.

The Attendant Scribe was an official subordinate to the Crown Prince, the lowest position in the study-attendant staff, generally filled by a drafter from the Secretariat Section of the Grand Secretariat. Bi Jiucheng, just past twenty, was one of Zhu Cilang's two Secretariat Drafters. He was a fat man with a very cheerful and lively disposition. He was not reserved before Zhu Cilang and enjoyed telling the Crown Prince strange tales and amusing anecdotes from outside the palace, so he got along well with the Crown Prince. In addition, he was a newly minted jinshi of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, with no family in Beijing—one could say he was completely unencumbered. Zhu Cilang had summoned him to serve as a "secretary," for he could see a great pile of documents needing to be handled, and he would certainly need a clerk.

Seeing the great heap of documents on Zhu Cilang's desk, Eunuch Qiu was somewhat puzzled, but he did not ask much. He merely reminded him, "Thousand Years, it is getting late. You should have someone attend to your washing, and then go report your well-being to Her Majesty the Empress."

Only then did Zhu Cilang remember that he still had to deal with Empress Zhou, his own mother!

"Oh." He nodded, then said to Bi Jiucheng, who was blinking his round eyes and staring at him with a very odd expression, "Attendant Scribe Bi, watch over all these things I have written. No one is to touch them. Also, go find more memorial paper suitable for writing edicts—the more the better!"

"Your Highness, these things are..." Bi Jiucheng looked at the great pile of memorials before him, then at Zhu Cilang, whose gaze and tone had both sharpened considerably, and felt truly at a loss.

"See for yourself what they are." Zhu Cilang then said to Eunuch Qiu, "Attend to Our change of clothes!"

"As commanded." Qiu Zhizhong answered, then summoned several palace maids and eunuchs to attend to Zhu Cilang's washing and dressing.

The palace maids were all older women. Zhu Cilang remembered that he had once had two younger wet nurses, but they had been dismissed when he left the inner palace to study. Only palace maids over fifty served in the Palace of Upright Foundation.

So Zhu Cilang's daily life was rather dull. Around him were only eunuchs and old women, or else heavily bearded old teachers lecturing on the principles of the sages. Only when he went to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility to see his mother could he catch sight of a few younger palace women.

Though "younger" in fact meant old maids in their thirties. Because his father, the Chongzhen Emperor, was determined to be a sage ruler, he restrained himself and did not indulge in beauty. For years the palace had not held a selection of palace women. Only a year ago had one been held for Zhu Cilang, but only two or three girls had been kept; the rest were dismissed.

So the women now attending Chongzhen were only Empress Zhou, Noble Consort Yuan, two consorts of the rank of Princess, and Consort Liu, Consort Fang, and Consort Shen, plus a few old maids in their late thirties—and no one else.

Among them, Empress Zhou and Noble Consort Yuan had both been selected into the prince's household when Chongzhen was still Prince of Xin. Selected at the same time was Noble Consort Tian, who had died in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen.

Besides these consorts of Chongzhen, there was also in the palace an Empress Zhang, the Chongzhen Emperor's sister-in-law and the empress of the Tianqi Emperor. In addition, there was a Consort Dowager Li, a consort of the Taichang Emperor of the Guangzong temple name.

But Ming palace rules were strict. As a Crown Prince who had left the inner palace, Zhu Cilang in theory could not visit the rear palace without an imperial order, let alone a host of imperial consorts and consorts dowager. However, Chongzhen had issued an edict permitting Zhu Cilang to "visit the rear palace without asking," so he could often see his mother, Empress Zhou.

After washing and a simple breakfast, the sky outside had grown fully bright.

Only then did Zhu Cilang, with Qiu Zhizhong, leave the Hall of Upright Respect.

"Your Highness, are you going to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility?" When the Eastern Palace guard Zhu Chunjie saw Zhu Cilang come out, he hurried forward, at the same time signaling the eunuchs to raise the square silk canopy and round fans and form up the procession.

This Zhu Chunjie was in his twenties, tall and solidly built, with a full beard, and he did indeed look somewhat fierce. But he only looked fierce—in reality, he had never even killed a chicken...

The fellow came from a military family. His ancestor was Zhu Neng, the Duke of Cheng, a meritorious official of the Jingnan Campaign. But Zhu Chunjie was not of the main line, so he had no right to inherit the dukedom. He had only become the lead Eastern Palace guard for Zhu Cilang through the recommendation of his clan elder brother, Zhu Chunchen.

Zhu Cilang drew a breath and said to Zhu Chunjie, "Yes, to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility!"

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility was Empress Zhou's residence—what the world called the Central Palace.

Now there were two paths open before Zhu Cilang. One was to slip away to Tongzhou before Li Zicheng's great army completely surrounded Beijing. The other was to break out and flee when the city was breached.

If he chose the first way and slipped off, Zhu Cilang would bear the charge of unfilial conduct. In the Great Ming, which placed extraordinary emphasis on ethics and morality, unfilial conduct was a grave crime!

Moreover, if Zhu Cilang fled with only a few guards and eunuchs, it would be very hard for him to pull together a team from Beijing.

From Wang Cheng'en's attitude, it seemed he would not readily cooperate with an early escape, so it would be very difficult to take a large body of men out of Beijing.

The Ming Crown Prince had his own official staff system. Among the civil officials were four attendant study officials, six lecturers, two proofreaders, and two attendant scribes. Among the military officials was the Eastern Palace guard squad. The eunuchs included the Supervisor of the Crown Prince's Household, study companion eunuchs, and ordinary inner officials—also a large number of people.

And these people all had status and standing. The civil officials had disciples, the military officers had household retainers, and the eunuchs had adopted sons. Put together, they formed a modest Eastern Palace faction.

In addition, there were still some civil and military officials and eunuchs in the capital who were utterly loyal to the Great Ming. Zhu Cilang could also take them along, thereby expanding the Eastern Palace faction.

And through a breakout operation, Zhu Cilang could also take an armed force out of the capital. Even if it was only a thousand men, that was far better than running out empty-handed!

Of course, the most valuable "asset" in the capital was not the officials, eunuchs, or armed force—it was the Chongzhen Emperor himself!

However muddled the Chongzhen Emperor might be, he was still an emperor!

In the eyes of the realm, if the fall of the capital and the unnatural death of the emperor happened at the same time, the Great Ming was finished!

"The Son of Heaven guards the gate of the realm; the sovereign dies for the altars of state"—such things are indeed stern and heroic, but one cannot deny they are the symbol of a fallen dynasty! Under such circumstances, if Zhu Cilang wanted to ascend the throne, he would have to rely on the support of powerful ministers and warlords, which would inevitably turn him into their puppet.

If the Chongzhen Emperor abandoned the capital and fled, his prestige would certainly plummet, but the title of emperor would still remain! And if Zhu Cilang could pull together an Eastern Palace faction during the breakout and gain control of a certain amount of military force, then he need not fear being made a puppet.

A true Crown Prince was far better than a false emperor!

And having Chongzhen abdicate to him through inner abdication was far better than being enthroned by warlords like the Four Garrisons of Jiangbei...

Of course, pushing the day of escape back by a few days also greatly increased the risk!

(End of Chapter)