Chapter 895: My Prince, Do You Actually Want to Rebel Against Ming and Restore Qing? (Please

In the last days of the twelfth month of the seventh year of Great Ming Hongxing, a crowd of Ming officials in official robes and black gauze caps had already gathered outside the Great South Gate of Shenyang Prefecture, the seat of the Great Ming Anding Protectorate. From the rank badges on their chests and the colors of their official robes, one could tell at a glance that every one of them was a high-ranking court-appointed official, and several held quite lofty posts indeed! But if one drew closer and carefully studied their heads, one would notice something odd — every one of these high Ming officials had short hair, impossible to bind into a topknot, so it just hung there in a messy mop, each of them looking like a monk who had only returned to lay life a few months ago.

These short-haired Ming officials had apparently come to welcome some distinguished guest, and they had even erected a painted ceremonial archway outside the Great South Gate — it all looked very grand. Since early morning, ranks of musketeers clad in white cotton armor had been arriving to keep order, and after some time, a company of breastplate lancers also appeared, all mounted on carefully selected tall horses, wearing not full cotton armor or mail, but a light breastplate and a helmet.

Of course, this breastplate was not fashioned from a single sheet of iron; it was merely a cloth-faced iron plate, protecting only the most vital area.

Moreover, these cavalrymen carried no great bows or two pouches of feathered arrows. Apart from a lance a full zhang in length, their personal equipment consisted of a waist saber, an iron mace, and a round shield.

Quite a few common folk had also come to watch the excitement. Because the weather was rather cold, they were all in fur caps and fur robes, wrapped up tightly — but behind every head, there was no queue, that symbol of Great Qing rule.

The queue could not be kept!

Not only did Prince Jin forbid it; even if no one cared, the people themselves were unwilling to keep it. Too greasy, not clean, and besides — how could keeping a queue prove you were a Han? What if Shi Kefa came attacking, and you were left standing there with a queue for someone to cut off and claim merit with? That would not do!

So as soon as the queue-cutting and dress-changing order was issued in Shenyang, every man — whether of the Bordered Green Banner, the Plain Green Banner, or the old Eight Banners — briskly cut off his queue and had Han clothing made. But they were reluctant to wear the Han clothes; new garments had to be saved for the critical moment.

In addition, all sorts of pots and bamboo food baskets had been selling especially well lately. "Baskets of food and pots of drink, to welcome the royal army" — wasn't that the saying!

Now, with the New Year fast approaching, most people in Shenyang city had idle time on their hands and were preparing to pass the new year in peace and quiet.

So today, upon hearing that a distinguished guest was arriving, quite a few Shenyang folk with nothing better to do went out the city gate and crowded along the official road to watch the excitement.

Shenyang city was still quite lively these days. Many old Eight Banners men and Bordered Green Banner men had come, a good number of whom had once held "Beijing household registration," and since they all knew one another, they soon began whispering and asking around.

"Who's coming? Such a grand affair — looks like the Prince himself has come too!"

"It must be the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage!"

"The Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage? What's he coming for?"

"To inspect! Don't you know? Haven't we now submitted to the Great Ming Celestial Dynasty? What clothes the commoners and officials of Great Ming wear, what language they speak, and even their hair — all of it has rules. We have to follow the rules, so they've sent the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage to inspect."

"Is that so. Then is dressing like this all right for us?"

"Should be fine, right? In such cold weather, if you don't wear a fur robe and fur cap and you freeze, whose fault is that?"

Just then, the rumbling of hoofbeats came from afar, drawing nearer, and all the onlookers craned their necks toward the direction the sound was coming from.

"They're here, they're here — look, a whole column of men and horses!"

"Let me see, let me see — hey, something's not right!"

"What's not right?"

"The banners are wrong, and the armor's wrong too!"

"That — that looks like the banner of the Plain Yellow Banner!"

Among the onlookers were many soldiers and officers resting at home, and of course they recognized the Plain Yellow Banner's standard — yellow ground with a golden dragon, fluttering and snapping in the wind, and the riders galloping up were all in yellow helmets and yellow armor, clearly men of the Plain Yellow Banner!

It was not the Duke for the Perpetuation of the Sage who had come — it was men of that "Emperor within the Second Ring Road" in Beijing!

The Emperor had already abdicated and become Prince Gong — what was he sending men to Shenyang for? Could it be he wanted to contact Prince Jin about rebelling against Ming and restoring Qing?

The official road, so lively a moment before, instantly fell deathly silent. Everyone looked at one another — their queues were gone, and they had no face to meet visitors from Beijing!

Perhaps they should just disperse! The weather was so cold; they mustn't catch a chill — health came first!

The crowd gathered on the official road outside Shenyang's Great South Gate began to disperse.

Riding up now were the visitors from Beijing, headed by four men: Sonin, Gang'atai, Lang Bilong, and Shang Zhixin. It was Fulin who had sent them to Shenyang to run into a wall!

Yes, to run into a wall. Fulin had spent a whole night deliberating with his trusted confidants Sonin, Suksaha, and Bumbursan, and in the end they had come up with a plan: send envoys to Shenyang to solicit Dodo's opinion on restoring the Great Qing dynasty.

Among the surviving remnants of the Great Qing, Dodo was the strongest in power. If the Great Qing was to be restored, Dodo's support was indispensable.

If even Dodo did not support it, then the loyal subjects of the Great Qing inside Beijing could probably only keep their loyalty well hidden for the time being.

Furthermore, if Dodo did not support the Qing restoration, then could the loyal subjects in Beijing and their families be brought beyond the passes for resettlement?

There were so many loyal subjects and their families, and every one of them could eat, with quite healthy appetites — the flour and millet left by His Imperial Ama was being consumed very quickly!

Sonin, Suksaha, and Bumbursan, seeing from horseback the welcoming scene lining both sides of the road outside Shenyang's Great South Gate, felt their hearts rise into their throats.

In such freezing weather, why weren't they all staying snug at home? What were they out here for? To welcome the imperial commissioners of the Great Qing Emperor?

Could it be that in their hearts they still longed for the Great Qing?

Just as Sonin, Suksaha, and Bumbursan were sunk in heavy thoughts, the crowd of Shenyang onlookers began scattering with a whoosh.

This made Sonin, Suksaha, and Bumbursan even more unhappy! What was the meaning of this? They had come all this way, and now they were leaving? The Great Qing had only been gone a few days, and already "the tea cooled the moment the nation left"? All of you people are bannermen!

But as they rode closer to the painted ceremonial archway outside the Great South Gate's gatehouse, their mood improved a little.

Because they saw Dodo, who looked like a great bear. Although he had changed into a black gauze cap and python robe, dressed as a Ming prince, his appearance was too striking — he could be recognized from a great distance.

In the blink of an eye, Sonin, Suksaha, and Bumbursan had arrived before Dodo and the group of "Ming officials." The men dismounted according to the old custom, then performed the daqian salute to Dodo, each calling himself "this slave."

Dodo hurried forward to help up Sonin, who was nearest to him, and said in a low voice, "Grand Secretary Suo, why are you still dressed like this?"

As he spoke, he reached out and felt the back of Sonin's head, found Sonin's queue, and gave it a hard tug. Sonin's scalp stung, and he cried out, "Ouch!"

"Is it real?" Dodo asked.

"Of course it's real!" Sonin frowned. "My Prince, what is the meaning of this? Have you truly submitted to the Zhu Ming?"

Dodo seemed somewhat nervous. His eyes darted left and right, and finding no suspicious characters, he took Sonin and Suksaha by the hands. "This is no place for talking. Quickly — come back to my residence with me. We'll talk once we're at the princely mansion."

Seeing Dodo like this, Sonin's heart began to waver.

Why did the Prince look like a thief with a guilty conscience? Could he really be plotting to restore the Great Qing? This had to be asked clearly, and it had to be asked right here — because Gang'atai and Shang Zhixin, who had come with Sonin, represented the most loyal slaves of the Great Qing!

It would be best if they could get a "the time is not yet ripe" out of Dodo's mouth.

With that thought, he refused to leave. He gave a hard shake to free himself from Dodo's "bear paw" — Dodo was strong, so how could he shake free? But Dodo did stop, and turned back to look at Sonin.

"Grand Secretary Suo, what is this—"

"My Prince," Sonin said with a solemn face, "today you must make it clear to this slave: in your heart, is there still the Great Qing or not? Do you, or do you not, want to rebel against Ming and restore Qing?"

(End of chapter)