Chapter 263: Section Twenty: Trust

The speaker was a youth of only fourteen or fifteen. The boy in the five-dragon robe sprang up from his yellow brocade stool, his still-childish face already flushed with anger. His right hand, raised before his chest, was clenched into a fist, and his lips quivered with agitation. He declared in a ringing voice: "Are those the hearts of the people that belong to General Huang? Clearly it is His Majesty who has won the people's hearts."

After speaking, the boy did not spare Gu Bingqian another glance. He spun around swiftly to face Tianqi and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the officers and men of the Dongjiangzhen Left Auxiliary are all General Huang's subordinates, but General Huang is Your Majesty's subject. Therefore, your servant believes that the commoners of the capital treating General Huang's soldiers well indeed brought General Huang respect, but in the final analysis, the ones they love and revere are still Your Majesty, still the Great Ming."

"The Prince of Xin speaks well." Zhu Youjian's words were like a spring breeze brushing the face, instantly sweeping away the faint displeasure on Tianqi's face completely clean. At that moment, another eunuch ran in to report that Huang Shi's army had finally arrived before the Great Ming Gate. Tianqi smiled and rose to his full height. Without paying any attention to Senior Grand Secretary Gu, who was still kneeling there begging forgiveness, he walked down the few steps before the imperial throne on his own.

Tianqi suddenly raised his head and sighed to the heavens: "Off to Taimiao to announce the victory again. It seems I have gone to Taimiao to present war trophies a bit too often lately."

Cheerful laughter burst simultaneously from the mouths of the Tianqi brothers.

The young man lowered his head and adjusted his dragon robe, then raised his head, puffed out his chest, and drew a long breath. He strode with light, brisk steps toward the great hall's entrance, and as he did so, he did not forget to say to his younger brother behind him: "Youjian, didn't you want to see General Huang again? Go wait in the rear Lantai. I will bring him back."

By the time the Emperor came out, the Changsheng Army had already solemnly put away the gifts they had received, and the white plumes on their heads had all been straightened. According to the Emperor's prior arrangements, the Imperial Guard had long since prepared the severed heads and banners. The Changsheng Army first received these spoils of war from the Imperial Guard, and then before the Son of Heaven himself, squad after squad piled these trophies together, until at last they formed a small mountain.

As the soldiers cast down the severed heads, an officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard supervising nearby loudly called out the count. Every time he reported a number, several Imperial Guard officers standing behind him repeated it in a loud voice. Officers and soldiers further away repeated it again, until finally, amplified a hundredfold and a thousandfold by the officers and soldiers outside the imperial palace, every single commoner gathered on the streets could hear the number with absolute clarity.

As the last Dongjiang Army soldier threw down his severed head, the Embroidered Uniform Guard officer shouted the number: two thousand seven hundred and twenty-six. The officer caught his breath twice, then puffed out his chest and began reporting the count of captured banners to the Son of Heaven and the myriad people.

After the presentation ceremony was complete, the officers and soldiers outside Great Ming Gate roared "Long live Your Majesty." Tianqi waved his sleeve and decreed that this batch of severed heads be piled outside the southern gate of Jingcheng, cast into a Jingguan to overawe the disloyal within the realm and the enemy bandits on all borders.

…

From forming ranks, beginning to enter the city, all the way until the entire set of ceremonies was finished, several shichen had passed. Even a veteran commander like Huang Shi felt somewhat tired. The capital had vacated a military barracks within the city for the officers and men of Changsheng Island, and after receiving the imperial reward, the soldiers were led away to rest. The Liaodong border troops were permitted to stay in the capital for two days, during which they could tour the city. The Imperial Guard even dispatched over a hundred guides for them.

Wang Qinian, the commander of the Firefighting Battalion's Jia Company, set down his pack and then led a dozen or so brothers out of the barracks gate. A guide from the Imperial Guard was certainly necessary. These guides were meant both to make it convenient for the Dongjiang Army to tour Beijingcheng, and to guard against them stirring up any trouble. This was the foot of the Son of Heaven; if any mishap truly occurred, no one could bear the responsibility.

Wang Qinian and his group strode proudly down the main street, heads high and chests out. Their helmets decorated with tiger skin and bear skin, their vivid red tassels, and their towering white plumes — wherever they went, this group drew attention like future movie stars. Before entering the city yesterday, Huang Shi had given instructions: for these two days in the capital, as long as they did not start fistfights or cause disturbances, and as long as they returned to the barracks to sleep on time every day, they were free to do as they pleased otherwise.

After a cursory, sightseeing stroll, the brothers behind Company Commander Wang began clamoring that they were thirsty. Wang Qinian waved his hand heroically: "Let's go, time to drink. This isn't Changsheng Island anymore. Today we'll drink to our hearts' content!"

Although military pay was now issued on Changsheng Island, Huang Shi, in order to control military supply intelligence, still employed a planned economy across the entire island, so various goods could not be purchased with military scrip alone. Besides the free meals in the mess hall, the Changsheng Island main camp also issued various ration tickets — liquor tickets, meat tickets, grain tickets, cloth tickets. If officers and soldiers wanted to buy various snacks, including alcohol, they all needed to attach these tickets.

As a company commander, Wang Qinian naturally had a fairly generous salary, but the liquor tickets issued to him always left the wine-loving Company Commander Wang feeling short. In his spare time, he often ran to the underground black market at the Changsheng Island main camp. Many other kinds of tickets were superfluous to the unmarried Wang Qinian, but even though he traded all those tickets for liquor tickets, he still felt he could never drink enough.

Outside a restaurant, Wang Qinian halted his steps. His nostrils flared wide as he forcefully sniffed the aroma of wine and meat wafting out. Without turning his head, he pointed emphatically toward the restaurant's main door, then took the lead and strode over the threshold. Behind him, the dozen or so officers and men of the Firefighting Battalion's Jia Company, along with the Imperial Guard guide, followed in single file.

The moment he entered, Wang Qinian gleefully pulled over a stool to sit, and at the same time bellowed in a loud, careless voice: "Innkeeper, bring out the good wine and good meat!"

This great shout, thick with a Liaodong accent, drew the attention of everyone in the establishment. Before Wang Qinian could even sit steady, he heard a loud cry from behind him: "It's Brother Wang! Come sit over here."

Wang Qinian looked up. The speaker was none other than Zhang Chengye, the commander of the Firefighting Battalion's Yi Company. He was at a large table pressed tightly against the wall,

already sitting there drinking with a group of men he had brought along.

Since they had run into each other, Wang Qinian and Zhang Chengye pushed their two large tables together. As soon as Wang Qinian sat down, he downed several cups of strong liquor in a row, then began wolfing down the hot dishes. Before long, he was sweating profusely and shouting with delight. Wang Qinian took off his helmet and set it aside, shaking his sweat-drenched head. When he looked up, he suddenly noticed that although Zhang Chengye was also sweating down his face, he still kept his helmet properly and solemnly on his head.

Taking a closer, more careful look, Wang Qinian discovered that Zhang Chengye's helmet was decorated very ornately. Zhang Chengye had meticulously cut the tiger skin into several strips, fashioning them along the brim into exquisite helmet eaves and ear flaps. Moreover, at the brow line, there were two wide, long, symmetrical strips of fur that at first glance looked like a pair of bold, arching eyebrows about to take flight.

Zhang Chengye's white plume had also been carefully groomed; the eye-like patterns near the quill tip seemed to have been traced over by him, making them appear exceptionally dazzling. Even now, while sitting around the table drinking, Zhang Chengye still could not bear to take off his helmet.

Wang Qinian, on the other hand, had merely thrown his piece of tiger skin over his helmet haphazardly, and his officer's white plume was simply stuck in straight. Wang Qinian secretly memorized the style of Zhang Chengye's helmet in his heart, and while silently saying nothing, he put his own helmet back on his head.

Influenced by the two company commanders, this whole group of Changsheng Island officers and soldiers eventually all put their helmets on. Anyone stepping into this restaurant would see that forest of white plumes swaying before their eyes... Beijing residents kept coming over to toast them, and several tables of people even scrambled to pay their bill. Drinking to the height of merriment, Zhang Chengye called out joyfully to Wang Qinian and a few other old brothers: "Back when we brothers pledged ourselves to our lord's command at Guanning, all we sought was two full meals a day. Who would have known we'd have such joy as today? What bliss, what bliss!"

…

After accompanying the Emperor into the imperial garden, Huang Shi immediately spotted the Prince of Xin, whom he had met last time. In his previous life, a fourteen-year-old Huang Shi had been in the second year of junior high school, and just like Huang Shi back then, the Prince of Xin was now brimming with curiosity. As Tianqi and Huang Shi walked over, the Prince of Xin fidgeted restlessly on his stool, unable to sit still. Seeing his younger brother's demeanor, Tianqi revealed a smile, his eyes full of delight and affection.

Finally, he waited until the Son of Heaven permitted Huang Shi to sit, and with great difficulty waited for the eunuchs to bring over a stool. The Prince of Xin could wait no longer and blurted out a string of questions, chirping away incessantly, so much so that his elder brother had no chance to speak. Tianqi, just like any other tolerant older brother, retreated to the sidelines, slowly peeling and eating fruit off to the side, and from time to time instructing the eunuchs to pass two pieces of peeled fruit over to the Prince of Xin.

But the Prince of Xin now had no time to eat fruit. As Huang Shi narrated, the little boy's eyes were wide open, listening with rapt, total concentration. As the battle situation ebbed and flowed, the boy continuously clapped his hands, letting out exclamation after exclamation, or leaped from his stool to cheer and jump for joy.

"Enough is enough, enough is enough." Tianqi truly could not hold back any longer. He seized an opening to interrupt the Prince of Xin. If he let the boy keep asking, they probably wouldn't finish even by sundown. The Prince of Xin wore an expression of wanting more but having to stop. Huang Shi could tell: the boy still had a bellyful of words he hadn't said.

"Alright." The boy's face still carried a hint of grievance as he nodded with difficulty, agreeing very reluctantly. He rubbed his hands and sighed with emotion: "General Huang's account is quite interesting, it's just a pity I've never seen the Battle of Ningyuan with my own eyes, and my lord Yuan is not here either. My lord Yuan said that when defending the city, they wrapped gunpowder in cotton quilts and threw them down; everything they touched caught fire, and once it burned, it spread for several li, able to burn several thousand enemy soldiers to death!"

Tianqi, who was drinking tea, let out a chuckle. He often used the memorials of Liaodong victory reports as stories to tell his younger brother, but Tianqi merely cast a smiling glance at the child beside him and said nothing more. Hearing this, Huang Shi sized the boy up again. The child had a pair of jet-black, clear eyes. Looking into those eyes full of innocence, Huang Shi sighed inwardly: "Truly a child raised in the deep palace, without a worry for food or clothing. But don't you worry, I can help you get rid of that Great Huckster Yuan soon enough."

Tianqi stood up and walked to the side, bringing over a set of saddle from another stone table: "General Huang, this saddle is one I had made for you, General. I hope you can put it to use on the battlefield."

Huang Shi hurriedly dropped to one knee and received the saddle with both hands: "His Majesty's profound grace is so heavy. Even if your humble servant were ground to powder, I could never repay it."

Tianqi signaled a eunuch to help Huang Shi hold the saddle, then he took out another object and handed it to Huang Shi with a smile: "I made this for General Huang as well. General Huang, see if it is good."

After thanking him, Huang Shi took the object and examined it. It was actually a folding table. The folding tables he had seen in his previous life were mostly metal-framed, but this table was made entirely of wood. He pulled it open with both hands. There was an iron ring under the tabletop. Huang Shi set the table flat on the ground and gently shook the tabletop; it was perfectly steady, clearly lightweight and of excellent quality.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." For a moment, although Huang Shi had not yet figured out what use he, a military officer, would have for this thing, he still cautiously expressed his thanks once more.

When Huang Shi raised his head, he saw a look of surprise on the Tianqi Emperor's face. Tianqi first let out a soft "Huh?", then asked: "Has General Huang seen something like this before?"

"Your humble servant has not seen it before."

"Truly not?"

"Truly not."

"Haha, that's good then. General Huang is truly clever, knowing how to use this table the very first time he sees it." Tianqi felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Tianqi had painstakingly racked his brains to devise this folding table, and felt very proud of it in his heart. He had not expected Huang Shi to open it in an instant, and Tianqi immediately worried whether he himself had no right of invention. Hearing Huang Shi say he had never seen such a thing before, Tianqi was naturally willing to believe his words. After shedding that inner tension, Tianqi stroked the tabletop a few times with his hand, then folded it back up.

Tianqi turned the table over and pointed to a ring on it, saying: "General Huang, please look at this ring. On the back of the saddle I gave you, General, there is a handle. This ring fits exactly over it, so you, General, can carry this table on your horse."

Tianqi opened the table and set it back on the ground. He placed both hands on the table's edge and shook it forcefully twice. Seeing that the table did not budge at all, the young Emperor sighed with satisfaction: "Very good. In the future, when General Huang goes to the battlefield, when you are tired from riding and dismount to rest, you can sit at the table and drink a cup of tea. Oh, right..."

"See, I've forgotten." Tianqi brought out a folding stool, its height perfectly matching his table: "General Huang, take this along as well."

Later, Tianqi also brought up the sword he had given to Huang Shi. Hearing that Huang Shi had taken it onto the battlefield, Tianqi burst into laughter again, and even had someone fetch Huang Shi's Imperial Sword. After carefully admiring the blade for a while, Tianqi clicked his tongue in praise and passed the sword to the Prince of Xin at his side. The boy had long since craned his neck, looking over this way the whole time, and he hastily took the Imperial Sword and began to stroke and fondle it.

"General Huang is so loyal and brave; my heart is deeply comforted." Tianqi cleared his throat and shooed away the irrelevant people to a distance. He turned his head to look at his younger brother beside him; the latter was lowering his head, meticulously examining the patterns on the sword's body. Tianqi hesitated slightly, then without speaking, turned his head back. He placed both hands on his knees, and his posture became solemn.

Tianqi fixed his eyes on Huang Shi and said: "General Huang, the reason I have sent everyone else away is because there are some matters I must ask you about. General Huang, you must answer truthfully."

— It's probably about my absurd impeachment. The Embroidered Uniform Guard on Changsheng Island must have questioned my subordinates, and Eunuch Wu must have already submitted a secret memorial.

Huang Shi was mentally prepared. He answered without hesitation: "Your humble servant would not dare deceive his sovereign."

"Mm. This time the Jianzhou rebels invaded, and the great victories at Ningyuan and Juehua — both my lord Yuan and General Huang rendered tremendous service..."

Huang Shi listened quietly to the Emperor's words. Discord between civil and military officials had been a great bane to the state since ancient times. He knew the Emperor would certainly try to mediate, and the target of the Emperor's mediation would certainly be himself.

— After I stormed out that day, Yuan Chonghuan would certainly have submitted a memorial of self-impeachment, because Yuan Chonghuan is by no means foolish. He would definitely try to strike first and gain the advantage, creating a preconceived impression with the Emperor and the Grand Secretariat before I could. But... I anticipated this point long ago.

"...My lord Yuan's memorial of self-impeachment greatly shocked me..." Tianqi's speech had been growing faster and faster, and when he reached this point, he paused, seeming to make one final hesitation. At last, he slowly asked: "General Huang, two years ago, did you propose marriage to my lord Zhao Yin?"

Huang Shi's face was perfectly calm as he replied: "In answer to His Majesty, yes."

— That's right, Yuan Chonghuan, I did not misjudge you. You have always used the image of a "boor" as cover. Under this protective coloring, no matter what you do, others find it hard to hold you seriously to account. Even when you violate the court's laws and regulations time and again, as long as you hold high the two signboards of public-spiritedness and blunt honesty, others will always make allowances for you, always feel that you have extenuating circumstances. This time, you've again put on the false appearance of a boor, trying to pin the hat of carrying out personal vendettas on my head. What a pity... I have already seen through your plan.

A trace of disappointment, so faint as to escape notice, flickered across Tianqi's face. Although Huang Shi astutely caught it, his own expression still betrayed no change whatsoever. He quietly awaited the Emperor's next words.

"General Huang…" Tianqi opened his mouth but could not continue. He seemed to feel that the next words were very difficult to utter. Finally, with a shake of his hand, Tianqi produced a memorial and held it out toward Huang Shi: "I have already kept this memorial in the palace. General Huang, read it yourself. I hope that for my sake, the General can understand Lord Yuan's painstaking intentions."

"As you command."

Huang Shi lowered his head and received the imperial edict Tianqi handed over. His face still maintained a meticulously composed expression, but in truth he felt his heart was about to pound out of his chest.

— Yuan Chonghuan, in your memorial you will go on at great length about the matter of demanding I acknowledge kinship, vividly describing my indignation and anger at the time, and then you will lightly gloss over your idea of peace negotiations, presenting it as merely a notion entertained after a great victory. At the end of the memorial, you will mention that the moment you opened your mouth, a petty man like me seized on the issue to raise a furious uproar, and even used public office to avenge private grievances, blowing casual remarks made in private conversation into matters of high principle, determined to pin a serious crime on you, a great meritorious official, and be done with it.

Huang Shi pinched the memorial tightly between his fingertips. This was the opportunity to topple Yuan Chonghuan in one stroke.

— After I sent out my impeachment memorial, I waited three full days before telling Zhao Yingong about this matter. By that time you had already finished writing this memorial, and it should have been too late to change it. But for safety's sake, I still deliberately had Zhao Yingong keep it secret, telling him to look after his own reputation, and mine as well.

Now, Huang Shi only needed to read the memorial once, and then point out that he and Zhao Yingong had already settled a marriage contract. That would overturn Yuan Chonghuan's lengthy explanation in one blow.

— I can prove this was not a personal vendetta. Then it will be perfectly clear who was trying to confuse right and wrong. The Emperor will certainly be furious about this, and he will also feel sorry for having originally suspected me. He will sympathize with me, support me, and listen to what I have to say. At that moment, if I just add a little more fuel to the fire, the Emperor will form an immense prejudice against you. For the sake of unified military command in Liaodong, he will certainly transfer you away from Liaodong. Yuan Chonghuan, oh Yuan Chonghuan, today everything comes to an end. You will have no chance to turn things around.