Chapter 108: Within the Palace

Inside a side hall of the Qianqing Palace, several bronze basins placed in the four corners gave off a cool air, the ice within slowly melting, leaving the hall at a pleasant, comfortable temperature.

The Chongzhen Emperor sat squarely on the dragon throne, listening to the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Wang Dehua, report on the rectification of the inner palace, while Wang Cheng'en stood in attendance at his side as always.

Previously, after dealing with the Shanxi merchants, the Emperor had flown into an inexplicable rage, and Wang Dehua had his head split open by the Emperor's thrown teacup; the brush-holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial and seal-holder of the Directorate of Palace Eunuchs, Wang Zhixin, fared even worse, implicated because his adopted son Du Xun, during his tenure as the eunuch garrison commander of Xuanfu, had committed misconduct—turning a blind eye to the Shanxi merchants colluding with the Xuanfu military officers to traffic with the Jianzhou barbarians, while taking massive bribes in the process.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard searched and confiscated Du Xun's mansion and property outside the palace, recovering over eighty thousand taels of silver and two residences.

Under the Emperor's coercion, Wang Zhixin personally supervised the execution, having Du Xun beaten to death with clubs. Afterwards, Wang Zhixin wisely chose to offer up silver to beg for his life, painfully surrendering the greater part of his accumulated family wealth, and only with two hundred thousand taels of silver did he obtain an imperial decree permitting him to retire to Tianjin—counting as spending money to preserve his life.

Wang Dehua had been at the side of Chongzhen since the days when the Emperor was Prince Xin in his private residence, and knew that although this master had a hasty temper, he had always been extremely lenient toward those who served him, and had never seen the Emperor fly into such a rage before.

Wang Dehua, seized with terror, feared following in Wang Zhixin's footsteps—he was only in his fifties and had no desire to retire to his hometown early—so he immediately led his men in a comprehensive screening of all the eunuchs and palace maids in the inner palace.

Wang Dehua arranged for his trusted confidants to spread the word within the palace that anyone reporting suspicious persons would be rewarded with fifty taels of silver, while those who knew but failed to report would be beaten to death on the spot; those who surrendered themselves would be dealt with according to the severity of their circumstances.

This measure indeed proved effective, and soon palace maids and menial servants came forward one after another to report suspicious persons and matters. Within a great palace of over ten thousand eunuchs and maids, keeping secrets was far, far too difficult.

After verification, twenty-eight eunuchs and palace maids were found to have communicated with the outside. Most had leaked the private affairs of the Emperor, Empress, princes, princesses, and noble consorts within the palace to certain persons in exchange for silver. These people were largely those who could approach the Emperor and Empress or were close to their persons, and they then divulged what they saw and heard to those outside the palace.

In the imperial household, nothing is trivial. Though what they passed outside were seemingly minor matters—how today the Emperor played chess with the Empress, how the Empress and the noble consorts were at odds, how the Emperor flew into a rage over some Governor's memorial, how the Crown Prince was punished by the Emperor for reciting the Analects incorrectly—to those with discerning eyes, careful analysis could yield very different conclusions, allowing a rough judgment of the Emperor's aims and preferences.

In the midst of the investigation, eunuchs from the Directorate of Imperial Meals and the Directorate of Imperial Accoutrements suddenly committed suicide. One by poison, one by hanging—their causes of death unclear.

The one who died by poison in the Directorate of Imperial Meals was a section chief, responsible for managing the procurement of ingredients and the palace's food supplies. He had entered the palace in his teens and served in the Directorate of Imperial Meals for over twenty years. Ordinarily taciturn, he rarely interacted with others. Afterward, a search of his sleeping quarters uncovered a packet of arsenic beneath his bed, a residence outside the palace, and over twenty thousand taels of silver found in the residence's cellar. The servants in the residence were all natives of the capital, hired by him. Because he seldom left the palace, the several servants knew very little about this master of theirs.

The one who hanged himself in the Directorate of Imperial Accoutrements was a registrar. Usually affable and well-liked, no one knew why he had suddenly taken his own life. This registrar also owned a small residence in the capital, with only a single old servant, also hired with his money, whose daily duties were keeping the gate and sweeping the courtyard, and who knew nothing whatsoever of his master's daily conduct.

When Wang Dehua heard that someone had committed suicide, he immediately connected it to the words the Emperor had spoken in his rage, and could not help breaking out in a cold sweat of terror. These two must have harbored sinister intentions, with some unspeakable scheme. Especially the section chief of the Directorate of Imperial Meals—his position was far too important. Had he conceived any treacherous intent, it would have been a catastrophe of immense proportions.

But with both men dead, nothing further could be investigated, and neither had any close associates within the palace.

The section chief of the Directorate of Imperial Meals had always walked alone, treating others with cold indifference, and people were equally disinclined to deal with him.

Though the eunuch surnamed Liu of the Directorate of Imperial Accoutrements was well-liked, he did not form deep friendships with anyone, and the general assessment of him was simply: a good man.

Though some among these twenty-odd people had surrendered themselves, Wang Dehua still ordered them all beaten to death, and had all personnel of the palaces and offices where they served witness the executions. Seeing their former colleagues beaten into pulp, all the palace maids and menial servants trembled in terror—not a few wet their pants on the spot, fainted, or vomited, and most suffered nightmares that night.

Chongzhen was fairly satisfied with Wang Dehua's handling. After this purification operation, the palace ought to be safer, and the safety of his family better secured.

As for the two eunuchs who had killed themselves, let them be. Chongzhen did not believe there was some organization in the shadows plotting against the imperial house; these people were, when all was said and done, individuals acting out of self-interest. His invoking of the Zhengde Emperor and his elder brother's Tianqi reign had merely been to knock Wang Dehua and the others into line, to make them understand that he was neither blind nor deaf, and that everything was within his control.

Chongzhen looked at Wang Dehua, whose face was covered in sweat, and said: "You did well. You are one of my old retainers from my private residence, and now you hold the exalted position of inner chancellor—you must understand who gave you today's glory and wealth! Only as long as my Zhu family endures can you enjoy peace and prosperity! Should the Great Ming's rivers and mountains change hands, your fate needs no elaboration! From now on, apply yourself diligently and do not transgress the prohibitions! Otherwise, I will show no mercy!"

"This old servant understands! The imperial house is this old servant's family and support! Those outer ministers can never be trusted! Rest assured, Your Majesty—this old servant will henceforth make the palace as tight as an iron bucket, and Your Majesty's family may rest easy!" Wang Dehua hastened to pledge.

At this moment, a young eunuch entered the hall, knelt and kowtowed, then reported: "Your Majesty, the Empress sent this servant to report that she invites Your Majesty to dine at noon!"

Chongzhen recognized him as an attendant of the Kunning Palace, and so said with a smile: "Go back and tell the Empress that I shall come shortly!"

The young eunuch kowtowed, rose, and departed.

Chongzhen said: "I must not only hear their words, but observe their deeds! Go!"

Wang Dehua kowtowed, then bowed low and withdrew from the hall.

Chongzhen said to Wang Cheng'en at his side: "Companion, I wish to re-establish the Eastern Depot, and I want to entrust you as its Director. Once you have considered it, I will have Luo Yangxing cooperate with you in selecting personnel."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng'en was both pleased and worried: becoming Director of the Eastern Depot would make him the second-ranking figure in the Directorate of Ceremonial. From the palace secrets he knew, the eunuch Director of the Eastern Depot wielded enormous power—all civil and military officials and the common people of the realm fell within his surveillance, including the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was also an object of his monitoring. The Director answered only to the Emperor alone, and no one else had the authority to direct him.

His voice tinged with reluctance, he said: "Your Majesty, this old servant would do anything you ask. But the Eastern Depot is outside the Forbidden City—once this old servant takes the post, he must leave your side, and this old servant's heart cannot bear it! If this old servant leaves, who will attend to you?"

Chongzhen laughed: "All the world's people strive for nothing but fame and profit. Anyone else hearing of such a fine opportunity would be overjoyed at once, thinking of how to use the power for their own gain! But you—your thought is who will attend to me once you're gone! The Eastern Depot's power is too great; were it to fall into the hands of the likes of Liu Jin or Wei Zhongxian, that would truly be handing the sword by the blade! You are the man I trust most—with the Eastern Depot in your hands, it is as if I were there myself!"

Wang Cheng'en wept: "This old servant will speak a treasonous word! In this old servant's heart, Your Majesty is like a younger brother to him! To leave all of a sudden—this old servant truly cannot bear it! Nor is this old servant a man who covets power—let this old servant get the depot running, and when Your Majesty finds a loyal and reliable man, this old servant will hand it over to him and return to your side to serve you!"

Chongzhen rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked toward the rear of the hall, saying as he went: "As you wish! I too cannot bear to part with my Companion! Li Erxi will stay with me for now, and your nephew on your sister's side, Wang Shiqin, shall be the Chiliarch of Punishments of the Eastern Depot!"

Wang Cheng'en hurried to follow, and the two exited through the rear gate of the Qianqing Palace, heading straight for the Kunning Palace beyond.