Chapter 768: When Will Dodo Die?

The father of the Great Khan of the Great Mongol Nation and the Wise Khan, the Imperial Ama of the Great Qing and Prince Regent of Rui, had thus passed away at the age of forty, still more than a month short of his birthday.

On the second day after his death, the Shunzhi Emperor and the Empress Dowager Bumbutai presided over a council of princes and high ministers, deciding to give him a grand funeral, bestow upon him an imperial title, build an imperial mausoleum, and hold a magnificent funeral procession.

Since he was posthumously honored as emperor, he naturally needed a temple name. The freshly minted Prince Regent and Imperial Uncle Ajige had the three Grand Secretaries Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, and Ma Zhuguo deliberate on the matter, and in the end they settled on the temple name "Qing Chengzong," and also fixed a posthumous title: "The Righteous Emperor of Vast Virtue, Cultivated Dao, Broadened Achievements, Established Merit, Pacified the People, and Upheld Governance with Sincerity and Reverence." They further posthumously honored Dorgon's deceased primary consort, Lady Borjigit, as Empress Yi.

After the posthumous honors were completed, the discussion naturally turned to the construction of the imperial mausoleum.

On this question, Ajige and the Shunzhi Emperor again had some disagreements. The Shunzhi Emperor's idea was to bury Dorgon close to Beijing, just outside Dongzhimen, so that later it would be convenient to dig up the grave and flog the corpse!

But Ajige would not agree. Ajige wanted to bury Dorgon in Shengjing. Shengjing already had the Fuling Mausoleum (where Nurhaci was buried) and the Zhaoling Mausoleum (where Hong Taiji was buried), so surely they had to give Dorgon a mausoleum too?

Moreover, Shengjing was Dodo's territory, and it was not easy for Ajige to extend his hand in there. Now, under the pretext of burying Dorgon, he could justifiably reach in—and perhaps even poach some of Dodo's supporters.

But Shunzhi was unhappy again. Who knew when Dodo would die! If they couldn't kill him for a while, how were they supposed to dig up Dorgon's grave? If you sent people to Shengjing to rob Dorgon's tomb, would Dodo agree? That definitely wouldn't work!

And so the sovereign and his minister actually began arguing at the council of princes and high ministers over where to bury Dorgon.

"No, no, burying him so far away won't do. How would We personally visit and tend Imperial Ama's tomb?" The Shunzhi Emperor, red-eyed, stubbornly insisted.

The princes and high ministers below watching the spectacle all knew what was going on—it seemed Dorgon really was the Shunzhi Emperor's biological Ama! Otherwise why would their bond be so strong? He even had to personally visit and tend the tomb. You never personally visited Taizong's Zhaoling Mausoleum! And you still dare say he's not your biological Ama?

Ajige, surprisingly, also refused to yield, and said to Shunzhi: "Your Majesty, Imperial Ama once dug up the grave of Confucius at Qufu, and the entire Southern Ming hates him to the bone. If Imperial Ama is buried near Beijing, then should a great army ever approach the city, they will surely dig up the grave to avenge Confucius."

Dorgon truly could not wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Bohai Sea—when had he ever dug up the Confucian Grove? Nothing of the sort had ever happened, and yet Ajige actually believed it.

"Then bury Imperial Ama inside the city of Beijing!" How could the Shunzhi Emperor be willing to let Dorgon slip away?

"This..." Ajige did not even know what to say. Who ever built an imperial mausoleum inside the capital city? At that thought, he had no choice but to cast a pleading look at Bumbutai—talk some sense into your son, this is not how a filial son should behave.

Bumbutai of course knew what her son was thinking. An emperor cannot be so petty, seeing only others' faults and forgetting their merits—that is harshness and ingratitude!

Dorgon was somewhat overbearing, but without him, how would you have become emperor? That dead Hong Taiji intended to pass the throne to Hooge, and then there would have been nothing for you.

And without Dorgon, the Great Qing could never have entered the pass, nor would it enjoy today's prosperity and strength.

Therefore Dorgon had rendered great service to Shunzhi and to the Great Qing. One must not dig up his grave and flog his corpse over a few faults.

"Emperor," Bumbutai spoke up, "how about this—build Imperial Ama's mausoleum near Shanhai Pass. Half of Imperial Ama's lifetime achievements were at Shanhai Pass. Let his soul return to Shanhai Pass, and bury him in the land where he established his merit."

That works too! Ajige mulled it over and thought it was quite good!

Shanhai Pass was currently under Dodo's control, and the garrison commander of Shanhai Pass was Helohui, a trusted confidant of the brothers Dorgon and Dodo. With him there, Ajige had no chance at all short of launching a military assault.

But to assault Shanhai Pass by force, he first needed a major forward base to stockpile grain, fodder, and military supplies!

Otherwise he would be like Li Zicheng, rashly advancing several hundred li, and if he failed to take Shanhai Pass, he could only retreat in panic.

And to build fortifications before Shanhai Pass and stockpile grain and military supplies, he needed a pretext that could deceive Helohui—and what better pretext was there than building a mausoleum for Dorgon?

"Fine, find a place inside Shanhai Pass." Ajige nodded.

Bumbutai called out again: "Emperor!"

Shunzhi had no choice but to agree: "Your son obeys E'niang in all things."

Shanhai Pass could still be dug up later—after all, it wasn't Shengjing.

Having settled the question of the burial site, Shunzhi then brought up the matter of the grand funeral.

"Imperial Ama is now a deceased emperor of our Great Qing, so he must be buried with imperial rites, as grandly as possible. We must also invite envoys from the Southern Ming, Joseon, Spain, the Mongol tribes of India, the Oirat tribes, the Great Lama of Tibet, and the Mongol tribes of Inner Mongolia and Khalkha to attend the ceremony."

After Shunzhi finished speaking, he glanced at Bumbutai, and the Empress Dowager added: "Prince Regent, when the imperial mausoleum is completed and Imperial Ama's grand funeral procession is held, the Prince Regent of Yu should surely find time to come to Beijing, should he not? He and Imperial Ama shared deep brotherly affection, and at the end he ought to come and see him off."

Her words sounded sorrowful, but in truth they carried murderous intent.

Dorgon's tomb would take at least a year or so to build, wouldn't it? With that year or so, Ajige should be able to stabilize the situation within the pass. Then, using the funeral of Dorgon as a pretext, they could lure Dodo into the capital—stage a Hongmen funeral banquet, then smash a cup as the signal, spring the hidden troops from all sides, and seize Dodo the Valiant Prince on the spot.

If Dodo fell, Ajige would not be far from death either!

Once both Dodo and Ajige were finished, the Shunzhi Emperor would hold full power!

Ajige, though slow-witted, also immediately detected the murderous intent hidden in Bumbutai's suggestion—except he did not detect the "intent" aimed at himself, but rather discovered an opportunity to kill Dodo!

Of course, he was Dodo's good elder brother after all, so he wouldn't really kill him. As long as Dodo was willing to support him as Shunzhi's new Ama, then they would still be good brothers.

Otherwise, he could just have him confined and deal with it later.

"The Empress Dowager speaks truly," Ajige said. "This subject also believes that Dodo will certainly come to Beijing to see Imperial Ama off when the time comes."

"Dorgon is dead? How did he die?"

At the East Lake Palace in Wuhan, in the Blue Wave Pavilion, the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Cilang was receiving Zu Dashou's son Zu Zeqing. Zu Dashou had four sons: the eldest, Zu Zerun, had died two years earlier; the second, Zu Zepu, was now serving under Wu Sangui; and the third, Zu Zehong, and fourth, Zu Zeqing, remained in Beijing with Zu Dashou.

This time Zu Zeqing had come south in the capacity of a death-announcement envoy, to inform the Great Emperor Zhu and Princess Dongguo of the death of the Great Qing's Imperial Ama.

He was Wu Sanmei's cousin and no stranger to Zhu Cilang, so Zhu Cilang summoned him directly into a pavilion within the East Lake Palace for viewing the water and listening to the waves, and questioned him there. He had also prepared authentic Hunan cuisine to entertain him—this was genuine Hunan food made with the chili sauce they had only just managed to develop. Once the banquet began, it would surely burn Zu Zeqing to death!

"It was all because he wanted to show off his valor before some prince from the Mongols of India—Ao-something-or-other—and despite running a high fever, he insisted on riding out to shoot wild boar. In the end, he lost his grip, fell, and was gravely injured, and died the next day."

"Mongols of India? Ao-something-or-other?" Zhu Cilang had not even heard of this matter!

His Embroidered Uniform Guard had no branch in India, and no network in Tibet either. Moreover, Ozerangbu had passed through the territory of Hami Garrison, which was occupied by the Yarkent Khanate. Wu Sangui had indeed reported that a large force of Khoshut Mongol cavalry had passed through Hami Garrison. But Zhu Cilang had merely heard it in passing and paid it no mind!

"I'm not very clear on the matter either," Zu Zeqing spread his hands helplessly. "I only know that India was somehow conquered by some Mongol tribe! Now that they've heard the Mongols have a Great Khan again, they sent people to offer tribute, giving many fine things, estimated to be worth over a million taels of silver. Dorgon was overjoyed—who knew that extreme joy would turn to sorrow!"

(End of Chapter)