[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-225":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Stealing Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1220842,1614,"Chapter 225: Section Forty: The Imperial Inquiry","stealing-ming-chapter-225",225,"\u003Cp>Huang Shi knelt to the ground. The eunuch, unable to wait a moment longer, hastily proclaimed the oral decree. Tianqi's imperial edict consisted of just a few unusually terse plain-spoken lines — it seemed the Emperor's mood was anxious; he wanted Huang Shi to follow the messenger into the palace for an audience at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your servant accepts the decree.\" After kowtowing, Huang Shi rose to his feet and found everyone in the restaurant staring fixedly at him, every eye wide open. The children, too, were so frightened by the atmosphere that they dared not even breathe loudly. The eunuch, whether from urgency or exhaustion from running, was drenched in sweat all over his head and face. Having run through several streets and finally found Huang Shi, he let out a relieved breath, wiped haphazardly at his forehead, and shook the sweat from his hand. \"General Huang, please come with us at once.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi straightened the hat on his head and answered in a low voice, \"Yes, Eunuch, after you.\" Then he strode forward, following the eunuch. The crowd parted automatically to clear a path; people pressed in on both sides, craning their necks and standing on tiptoe, fixing their eyes on Huang Shi. As Huang Shi's party made its way out, the common folk murmured in awe: \"So it's actually Huang Gongbao!\" \"No wonder his eloquence is so fine!\" \"What a dignified bearing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Ninth Master stood in the front row of the crowd, the empty wine bowl in his hand still held level, not yet lowered, though not a single drop of wine remained inside. When Huang Shi had received the decree a moment ago, Ninth Master's hand had trembled and he had poured the entire freshly filled bowl of wine into his own sleeve. Now Ninth Master's face bore an expression like that of an idiot. Standing beside the table, he watched Huang Shi head toward the staircase and finally squeezed out a foolish sentence: \"Lord Gongbao, may you live a hundred years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words were not spoken very loudly, but in the utter silence Huang Shi still heard them clearly. Though his feet did not pause in the slightest, he turned his head and smiled. \"Ninth Master, may you also live a hundred years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi and his subordinates clattered down the stairs. Only after their figures had vanished below the staircase did the normally quick-witted Ninth Master finally come to his senses. Ninth Master flopped down onto the floor, the wine bowl in his hand flying away and spinning round and round on the floorboards. The silk merchant shouted toward the direction where the second-rank court official had disappeared: \"Lord Gongbao shames this humble commoner! This little man cannot bear such honor!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time this shout reached Huang Shi's ears, he had nearly reached the front door of the restaurant. The innkeeper had been bustling about in the kitchen just moments before; when he heard something about Huang Shi arriving, without fully grasping what was happening, he came charging out from the back, cutting diagonally forward to block the main entrance. This middle-aged, portly innkeeper — the padded cotton-silk jacket he had been wearing was now gone. Now he had a square of white cloth tied around his head, a grayish-black apron fastened at his waist, his sleeves rolled up high, and in his right hand he tightly gripped a sharp, pointed boning knife, its foot-long blade still dripping blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the innkeeper burst out and blocked the door, he stared straight out into the street with a fixed glare, searching for someone who looked like Huang Shi, while his mouth kept babbling, \"Which one is Huang Gongbao?\" The cleaver in his hand was still clenched tight; his utterly ferocious appearance made the eunuch standing behind him shudder in fright, followed immediately by a surge of fury. The eunuch swept his duster toward the portly innkeeper: \"Where did this madman come from? Guards, seize him and drag him away for me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hold on,\" Huang Shi said with a smile, pressing a hand on the eunuch's shoulder and stopping several Imperial Guard soldiers who were about to step forward to seize the man. He cupped his hands in salute to the innkeeper: \"Many thanks for seeing me off, sir. Your hospitality is fully evident.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The portly middle-aged man was about to speak. The waiter behind him caught up and gave the boss a shove: \"Master, you're still holding the knife.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the innkeeper hurriedly looked down at his own hand. Then his whole body jolted; his hand loosened and the knife fell to the ground. He hastily retreated two steps to clear the doorway, flopped to his knees, and pressed his head to the ground: \"This commoner had no ill intent. I beg Lord Gongbao's forgiveness~~~~~~~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi stepped forward, lifted the portly man up from the floor, then let out a hearty laugh and strode across the threshold. He leaped onto his horse and rode off with his head held high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the party departed, Ninth Master desperately thrust his body out of the second-floor window, craning his neck and shouting toward the main street: \"Look! Look! That is Huang Gongbao, the Foe of Ten Thousand!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiters helped the still-bewildered innkeeper sit down in a chair and hurriedly brought him a bowl of ginseng broth to restore his composure. Another waiter, while putting away the knife from the floor, said with lingering fear: \"Brandishing a blade at Huang Gongbao — tsk tsk — luckily Lord Gongbao didn't hold it against our master, or today's matter would not have ended lightly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you know!\" The portly innkeeper suddenly let out a roar, his face showing an expression of contempt. \"Lord Gongbao can fight his way in and out seven times amid an army of a million. How could his lordship even regard this broken scrap of a knife of mine? Ah—\" The innkeeper rubbed his large bald head. \"Never mind me holding a meat cleaver — a hundred men charging with a hundred chopping blades would be useless too. What ability do I have? Lord Gongbao crushing me would be no different from crushing an ant, wouldn't it?\" The waiter hurriedly lowered his head and agreed repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For many days thereafter, this restaurant flourished with business. The innkeeper vividly recounted his tale of adventure to patrons countless times, the plot growing more thrilling with each telling, and he himself in the story gradually transformed from an ordinary man into a prescient Zhuge Liang, claiming that even as the Imperial Guard came to seize him, he had chatted and laughed calmly with Huang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi's party galloped from the restaurant toward the Forbidden City. The Imperial Guard sounded gongs to clear the way ahead, while the commoners of the capital gathered along the roadside, craning their necks to watch the rolling yellow dust raised by the mounted escort on the dirt road. As the focus of countless gazes, Huang Shi followed the eunuch through the Da Ming Gate, while the city folk still gathered outside the gate, unwilling to disperse, excitedly comparing the figure they had just seen with the tales told by the storytellers of old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the Forbidden City, some eunuchs hurried off to report to Tianqi, while others helped Huang Shi change his clothes and armor. They had already sent men to the post station where Huang Shi was staying when they first went looking for him. By the time Tianqi's order summoning Huang Shi for an audience was issued again, Huang Shi had already changed into his general's armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking into the main hall, Huang Shi, following the instructions of the Ministry of Rites officials, stared straight ahead without glancing sideways, knelt down perfectly straight facing the front, kowtowed, and at the same time loudly intoned: \"Your humble servant Huang Shi kowtows to His Majesty. May His Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousand years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice tinged with urgency reached his ears: \"Minister Huang, rise.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thank His Majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he rose to his feet, the Emperor further ordered a stool brought for Huang Shi to sit on. Once he had thanked the Emperor again and settled himself, Tianqi casually introduced the other officials in the room to him. Seated to the lower left of Tianqi's throne was the current General Manager of the Great Ming Corporation, the Senior Grand Secretary Gu Bingqian. The two men seated behind him were both Junior Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, namely Ding Shaoshi and Feng Quan. These three old men all wore solemn expressions, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on Huang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Chairman Zhu Youxiao stood the Chief Secretary of the Secretariat, Wei Zhongxian. Master Wei also wore a stern face. Though Old Wei could not even get a chair to sit on in front of Chairman Zhu, Master Wei, who had originally been in charge of cleaning and sanitation, now stood absolutely beneath only one man and above ten thousand. General Manager Gu Bingqian had long wished he could move into Master Wei's office so he could seek instructions promptly every day and avoid making mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the several subjects under his command had sized each other up like crickets for a moment, Tianqi spoke again: \"Minister Huang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi hastily leaned forward: \"Your servant is here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the throne, Tianqi's face was faintly marked with unease and anxious urgency. He furrowed his brow and asked: \"Marshal Mao and General Huang have long fought against the eastern slaves and must surely know their true strength. Today, General Huang, answer plainly: how many usable troops do the eastern slaves actually have?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi drew a breath, about to speak. Seeing this, Tianqi hastily added: \"Minister Huang, We want to hear the truth, not pleasant lies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As commanded.\" Huang Shi answered in a deep voice, then raised his head and addressed the assembled men in the hall: \"To your servant's knowledge, the Jianzhou slaves have a fixed system: those who have reached fifteen years of age but not yet sixty are called ding, divided among the Eight Banners, and called banner ding. Their banner ding number no fewer than fifty thousand at the least, and no more than sixty thousand at the most. The western slaves they have coerced into following them number no more than ten thousand. As for the renegade Han traitors, they cannot be used for distant campaigns. The Jianzhou slaves draw one ding from every three to serve as armored soldiers. Their number is no more than twenty thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this figure, Tianqi's brow furrowed even tighter. He waved his hand swiftly, and a eunuch came forward bearing a tray before Huang Shi. On it were several handwritten copies of memorials, with the important passages underlined in vermilion ink below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi leafed through these documents roughly. Mao Wenlong's warning report estimated forty to fifty thousand; the Liaodong Grand Coordinator's office said forty thousand; and the Ministry of War's spies also reported roughly fifty thousand. These documents further stated unequivocally that the Later Jin had mobilized one hundred and sixty niru from seven banners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianqi had been watching Huang Shi's movements all along. When he saw that Huang Shi had finished reading, he signaled with his eyes to the Senior Grand Secretary, General Manager Gu. The white-haired and white-bearded Old Gu coughed, and Huang Shi hurriedly looked up toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Manager Gu said in a trembling voice: \"Rumors on the road say the eastern slaves are marching a hundred thousand this time. What does General Huang make of that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is undoubtedly an exaggeration,\" Huang Shi said, gently placing the sheets of paper back onto the tray. The eunuch, without a sound, quietly withdrew. Huang Shi straightened his back, placed both hands on his knees, and said to General Manager Gu with a smile: \"Grand Secretary, in this general's humble opinion, since we have the dispatches from the Liaodong Grand Coordinator's office and the Ministry of War, there is no need to heed the rumors of the road.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Huang Shi finished speaking, before Gu Bingqian could reply, a cold snort was heard from Tianqi, and an ill-tempered tone squeezed through his teeth: \"Gao Di — truly, what fine work he has done!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this assessment, Gu Bingqian hastily turned his head and said to the Emperor: \"Your Majesty, Gao Di has only been at his post for less than a month. This is his first time taking charge of military affairs, so he is being somewhat overly cautious and conservative.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tianqi snort again but remain noncommittal, Gu Bingqian turned back and asked Huang Shi: \"In General Huang's view, what of Grand Coordinator Gao's actions?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question set Huang Shi's heart pounding. He recalled that this Gao Di was a member of the Eunuch Party, and today, everyone in this room, apart from Tianqi, was a core member of the Eunuch Party. Huang Shi sensed from Gu Bingqian's words that he seemed inclined to exonerate Gao Di. But — if they truly wanted to absolve Gao Di, why had no one come to give him a hint beforehand? He had waited outside for so long; if they had wanted to collude with him, they had clearly had ample opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As these thoughts ran through his mind, Huang Shi stole another glance at Wei Zhongxian behind Tianqi. Old Wei's hands hung at his sides, his eyelids slightly lowered as if he were an old monk in deep meditation, his face utterly expressionless, the very picture of harmlessness. Seeing Wei Zhongxian's deadbeat, shameless look, Huang Shi cursed inwardly again: \"Old fox.\" Aloud, he could only hem and haw: \"In reply to Grand Secretary Gu, in this general's humble opinion, there is nothing wrong with being cautious, but being overly cautious is also not ideal. As for Grand Coordinator Gao's strategic acumen, it is truly beyond this general's ability to judge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Wei Zhongxian had been staring at the floor the whole time, he did not miss a single word of what Huang Shi said. He too cursed inwardly: \"Little fox.\" In truth, the move Gao Di had played had frightened Wei Zhongxian as well. After all, Gao Di was someone he had recommended not long ago; if Gao Di made a complete mess of Liaodong affairs, it would be hard for Wei Zhongxian to speak up either. But since the dust had not yet settled, Wei Zhongxian could not very well jump out and level accusations recklessly. So he had originally settled on the idea of \"protect him if possible, abandon him if not.\" If Huang Shi criticized Gao Di's strategy, he could step in and deliver a few words that gave each side fifty lashes. If Huang Shi supported Gao Di's strategy, it would naturally be even more advantageous for him; should anything go wrong, he could push Huang Shi forward as a shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianqi seemed very dissatisfied with Huang Shi's answer. He pressed a hand on the armrest of his chair and rose to his feet. The several ministers in the hall also immediately sprang up from their stools, watching the Emperor begin to pace around the main hall. After taking a few steps around the hall, Tianqi suddenly asked: \"Huang Shi, the Right Vice Minister of War, Yan Mingtai, disagrees with the Liaodong Grand Coordinator's order to retreat and has already requested an edict ordering the Ningqian Circuit to hold Ningyuan and its three coordinated garrisons in place. What do you think the outcome will be?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no need to guess — the official of the Ningqian Circuit was undoubtedly Yuan Chonghuan. Without a second thought, Huang Shi replied: \"Your servant has also heard of this in Liaodong. Ningyuan Fortress was meticulously constructed by Grand Secretary Sun and was equipped with eleven red-barbarian cannons. Your servant believes there should be an eighty percent chance of victory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the room perked up at these words. Ningyuan Fortress controlled the main road through the Liaoxi Corridor, with the sea on one side and mountains on the other. As long as Ningyuan held, the northern slaves' supply route would absolutely never be secure. Sun Chengzong had chosen this place as the key pass for Shanhai Pass precisely because of its terrain. The stern expression on Tianqi's face relaxed at once: \"So General Huang believes we can win?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the historical impact he himself had caused, Huang Shi could not gauge exactly what standard of \"great victory\" Tianqi now had in mind. So he answered cautiously: \"Your servant believes that although Ningyuan Fortress is sturdy, the Liaodong garrison consists mostly of new recruits, and the casualties among the Imperial Army will likely not be few.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing this, Tianqi exchanged another glance with Gu Bingqian. Gu Bingqian stroked his long white beard and slowly turned to Huang Shi: \"Grand Coordinator Gao wishes to borrow General Huang from Marshal Mao. He would like General Huang to go first to Shanhai Pass to assist in its defense for a period, until it is confirmed that the eastern slaves have withdrawn. What does General Huang think of this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi thought to himself: as long as the Guanning Iron Cavalry is willing to fight seriously and defend the city honestly, there is absolutely no reason it cannot hold. Now that Yuan Chonghuan was at Ningyuan, Shanhai Pass would certainly be in no danger. Therefore, he had no intention of wasting time going to Shanhai Pass. Moreover, Huang Shi knew full well that Juehua was in peril, and he also remembered that he still owed Zhao Yin a life. If he were detained in Beijing, that would be one thing, but now that he had the chance to speak, it would be inexcusable to remain silent any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Secretary,\" Huang Shi slightly raised his tone but remained impeccably respectful toward Gu Bingqian, \"this general believes that the purpose of the Jianzhou slaves' invasion of Liaoxi this time is to plunder the Liaodong garrison's grain, silver, and the children of military households. This general believes that victory or defeat in this battle hinges on Ningyuan, not on Shanhai Pass. This general is willing to lead the Longsheng troops to Ningyuan and share the fate of the three coordinated garrisons of Ningyuan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Bingqian raised his eyes toward Tianqi, then secretly glanced past Tianqi's shoulder toward the Director of the Eastern Depot behind him. But the Emperor stared at him expressionlessly, and Wei Zhongxian did not raise his head to give him any hint either. This made beads of sweat begin to seep from Gu Bingqian's forehead. He pretended to cough as a signal to Ding Shaoshi and Feng Quan, but both of these fellows immediately lowered their heads to study the tips of their own boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Huang, hmm, this, this old man believes that in all matters, preparedness leads to success, lack of it to failure... The Art of War says: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles...\" Gu Bingqian dared not insist that Huang Shi go to Shanhai Pass, yet was unwilling to shoulder the responsibility of agreeing to Huang Shi going to reinforce Ningyuan. While spouting empty nonsense, he put on an appearance of deep contemplation. Gu Bingqian's political wisdom was: Heaven is greatest, the Emperor is second, and Eunuch Wei is third. In short, never stick your own neck out to make a decision — as later generations would sum it up: \"Kowtow more, speak less.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Senior Grand Secretary Gu rambled on expressing his views, he silently prayed that someone would take over the conversation. Even if His Majesty scolded him harshly, that would be fine — he could then seize the chance to cry \"This old minister deserves death\" a couple of times and muddle through. Unfortunately, his wishful thinking was off the mark this time. He waited a long while, but no one interrupted Old Gu's drivel. On the throne, although Tianqi shifted his posture several times impatiently, he continued to stare expressionlessly at Gu Bingqian, apparently determined to hear some worthwhile opinions from the Cabinet. Eunuch Wei, needless to say, maintained his silence the entire time, and the other two Grand Secretaries also looked like old monks with eyes fixed on their noses and noses fixed on their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since no one was willing to take over this hot potato, Gu Bingqian had no choice but to keep rambling until the end of time: \"...Shanhai Pass can probably accommodate one hundred fifty thousand government troops, more or less... This old man recalls that building Ningyuan Fortress cost three million taels of silver... His Majesty is wise... General Huang is loyal and brave, worthy of praise... Grand Coordinator Gao's memorial was actually not badly written... The eastern slaves, if not sixty thousand, then fifty thousand; if not fifty thousand, then forty thousand; if not forty thousand, then—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Secretary Gu!\" Huang Shi could finally bear it no longer. The moment his words came out, Gu Bingqian shut his mouth as if a great burden had been lifted. In the blink of an eye, General Manager Gu of the Great Ming Corporation immediately assumed an expression identical to that of the other two Grand Secretaries. If one were to shave his head and hang a string of Buddhist beads around his neck, with the benevolent, serene expression General Manager Gu now wore, even claiming he was the reincarnation of the Buddha would be absolutely believable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi dropped to one knee before Tianqi and fervently declared in a loud voice: \"Your Majesty, though the Jianzhou slaves number in the tens of thousands, your servant also has three thousand elite troops. Though insufficient for attack, they are more than enough for self-preservation. Your humble servant is willing to hasten to Ningyuan and resist the eastern slaves together with the Ningqian Circuit. Your Majesty need only grant your servant three things, and you may rest easy awaiting good news!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",3686,"2026-06-04T07:54:54.057Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","47c6b06beb9d22b8c7f7b04d4d2c9ab77a5e898571f57e2940411263294f5a2b","stealing-ming-chapter-226","stealing-ming-chapter-224",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]