Chapter 213: The Warning

Zheng Zhifeng performed the full ceremony of three kneelings and nine prostrations with utmost respect, then rose, bent at the waist, and received the scroll-shaped iron charter with both hands. Gazing at the lines of gold characters inlaid upon it, his heart burned with fervor: the Zheng family had finally been recognized by the court, and the efforts of more than a year had reaped more than ample rewards. The present Son of Heaven was indeed worthy of the Zheng family's devotion—not only did he frequently promote the Zheng brothers, but this gesture was a grand stroke that made all the world envious.

Wang Cheng'en smiled and said, "General Zheng, won't you invite me in for a cup of tea?"

Though he had been ordered to deliver the iron charter into Zheng Zhifeng's hands, after which the Directorate of Ceremonial would dispatch an officer to accompany Zheng Zhifeng by ship to Fujian to proclaim the edict, Wang Cheng'en felt it necessary to give the Zheng family a warning. By balancing favor with intimidation, these court officials and generals would hold His Majesty in even greater awe.

"Ah! This humble one was simply too overjoyed and forgot to invite Your Excellency the Director inside to rest! Forgive me, forgive me! Please, do come in!"

Zheng Zhifeng said with a bow, clutching the iron charter.

He knew well the immense power wielded by this middle-aged eunuch before him. Not only was he the Emperor's most trusted confidant, but he also held the reins of the Eastern Depot. To put it bluntly, he was a figure second only to one person above ten thousand below—his authority pressing close upon that of the fearsome late Nine Thousand Years.

But he also knew that this Director was neither overbearing nor had he ever made the slightest move to gather civil officials under his wing. He was utterly loyal to the Emperor's household alone, and apart from the official business of the Eastern Depot, no rumor of corruption had ever attached to his name. This was a point that earned Zheng Zhifeng's sincere admiration—he believed that had anyone else sat in this position, arrogance would be the norm, and abusing power for private gain would be as routine as eating and drinking.

Wang Cheng'en strode into the Zheng residence's reception hall with head held high and, without the slightest hesitation, took the seat of honor. Li Yushu, the attendant eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial sent to proclaim the edict in Fujian, entered and took his place behind Wang Cheng'en, while Zheng Zhifeng sat in a subordinate seat beside them.

The remaining young eunuchs were warmly received by the Zheng household steward and led to a side hall to rest, where the steward would present them with generous gifts.

Without turning his head, Wang Cheng'en said flatly, "You sit as well—this isn't inside the palace!"

Li Yushu stepped before Wang Cheng'en, bowed in salute, and only then carefully took a seat across from Zheng Zhifeng.

Before Zheng Zhifeng could give the order, several beautiful maidservants drifted in bearing hot tea and pastries, set them on the small tables beside the men, and silently withdrew from the hall.

Wang Cheng'en reached out and picked up a pastry with two pointed ends shaped like a bound foot, taking a light bite. "This pastry isn't bad. Even the young princes and princesses in the palace don't see such fine confections on ordinary days. Have a few boxes wrapped up for me to take back and present to the noble ladies in the palace! Yushu, you try one too!"

Zheng Zhifeng's face was wreathed in smiles as he said ingratiatingly, "Reporting to Your Excellency the Director! This delicacy is called ox-tongue crisp. It was brought back from Qingzhou Prefecture when this humble one's household steward traveled to Shandong on business! After tasting it myself, I found it excellent, so I had the household servants replicate it! In a moment, I shall send the cook who makes this into the palace, and she can serve there from now on!"

Wang Cheng'en set down the pastry and took a light sip of hot tea. "Never mind the cook. The woman has family here in the capital—once she enters the palace, she can no longer come and go freely. I don't do such heartless deeds! I merely felt that the noble ladies in the palace live too frugally, and that's what prompted my remark!"

Zheng Zhifeng was about to pledge himself when Wang Cheng'en raised a hand to stop him. "I haven't come to squeeze money out of you—don't misunderstand. I have a few words to impress upon you. When you return to Fujian, tell them to the Earl Who Pacifies the Seas!"

Zheng Zhifeng hastily rose and bowed. "Pray instruct me, Your Excellency the Director. Our Zheng clan shall obey in all things!"

He knew precisely on whose behalf this master's "instructions" were given.

Wang Cheng'en raised his hand to bid him sit, then said, "Let me ask you—you've spent no small time in the capital and count yourself a man of wide acquaintance. Do you know what sort of person may be granted a noble title?"

Though Zheng Zhifeng had been in the capital for some time, those he had cultivated were mostly mid- and low-ranking officials. The truly weighty ministers looked down on the Zheng family for their pirate origins. Even when Zheng Zhifeng brought silver to their doors, they would not receive him, and so he knew little of many court conventions.

Seeing Zheng Zhifeng shake his head in bewilderment, Wang Cheng'en felt contempt in his heart but still explained patiently: "In the early years of the dynasty, the Grand Ancestor established the rule: no title without merit in service to the altars of state through arms! Every marquis and earl now in the capital—was not each one won by their forebears' blade and spear on the battlefield? Since the Jiajing Emperor's reign, have you heard of a single civil or military official being granted a title? Apart from the Li family of Liaodong, who were made earls for their great merit in pacifying Liaodong, there has been not one! Now do you understand the glory of your Zheng family's ennoblement? The roving bandits ran rampant for over a decade, and only after civil and military officers fought in blood was the rebellion barely quelled. For such great merit, have you seen anyone granted a title?"

Only now did Zheng Zhifeng truly grasp that the Emperor had treated the Zheng family with exceptional distinction. He hurriedly rose, knelt facing the direction of the palace, and knocked his head heavily against the ground in salute.

After he had completed the full ceremony and risen, Wang Cheng'en gestured for him to sit. "His Majesty has, out of special grace, ennobled the Zheng family. From this day forward, your house is a meritorious noble family that endures with the state. As long as the Great Ming stands, the Zheng family shall enjoy wealth and honor forever!"

Zheng Zhifeng moved to rise and bow again, but Wang Cheng'en said with impatience, "Hear me out first!"

"This humble one listens with all respect to Your Excellency's instruction!"

"Though the Zheng clan comes from maritime merchants, from Zheng Zhilong on down you have preserved a heart of loyalty and righteousness, and have been properly deferential to His Majesty! The Zheng clan's profits at sea have been abundant, but in the end you are duckweed without roots. I know full well the Zheng clan's intentions—after years of amassing enough silver, you now think of fallen leaves returning to their roots, seeking a foothold on dry land to enjoy wealth and ease. What I wish to tell you is this: having accepted His Majesty's title, from this day forward you must be of one heart with His Majesty. Do not engage in outward compliance and inward defiance, or things unspeakable will follow! The little Li boy in the Sweet Well Alley household—he's just past his first birthday, isn't he?"

As he spoke those final words, Wang Cheng'en's voice turned sinister and cruel.

Zheng Zhifeng's heart suddenly pounded several times; in the second month of the year, his body was drenched in sweat like pouring rain.

In a residence on Sweet Well Alley lived a sixteen-year-old mistress he kept, who last year had borne him a fine, plump son. Zheng Zhifeng treasured the boy like a jewel—though he had a wife and children in Fujian, he doted on this son especially. To guard against prying eyes, he had entrusted a clerk in the Shuntian Prefecture household registry to register the child under the surname Li.

He knew the capital was crowded with eyes and ears. He had used no one from the Zheng household to set up the mistress or purchase the residence, but had arranged everything through the lowliest elements of the capital's underworld. He had thought no one would know—never imagining the Eastern Depot had already investigated the matter to the last detail.

Suddenly, the unremarkable face of Wang Cheng'en before him seemed as terrifying as a demon's. As his thoughts raced like lightning, he considered killing Wang Cheng'en and all his men on the spot, then immediately taking his son by ship back to Fujian, and rousing his elder brother to rebel against the Ming court. But if he did that, the Zheng family's year and more of effort would be wasted. Moreover, he knew his elder brother's mind—over the years the Zheng family had amassed tens of millions in wealth, and his brother had lost all ambition, wanting only to enjoy wealth and honor in peace. If he committed such an enormous crime, what awaited him upon returning to Fujian was hard to guess.

Zheng Zhifeng slowly rose, his voice turning dry and hoarse: "Pray set your mind at ease, Your Excellency the Director. The Zheng family, high and low, bears not the slightest disloyalty toward His Majesty! Should His Majesty have any command whatsoever, the Zheng clan will carry it out at the cost of our lives! If we harbor any treacherous intent, may the entire Zheng clan come to no good end!"

Seeing that he had driven the man to swear a solemn oath, Wang Cheng'en was thoroughly satisfied. This time, the Zheng family had been bound utterly to His Majesty.

"I hear you delight in civil pursuits and dislike martial affairs, and that you greatly enjoy dealings with all manner of people—is this so? When you return from Fujian, do bring that Sweet Well household into your residence proper. My nephew Wang Shiqin will take the little boy as an adopted son—surely that doesn't disgrace him?"

At these words, Zheng Zhifeng felt the strength that had been drained from him moments ago return to his body, and all the dark thoughts in his heart scattered like smoke. He immediately knelt and knocked his head before Wang Cheng'en: "This nephew pays respects to his Uncle!"

Looking at Zheng Zhifeng's face brimming with joy, Wang Cheng'en received his grand salute and said with a smile, "Rise, then. From today on, we two are no longer outsiders. But you still haven't answered my earlier question!"

Zheng Zhifeng climbed to his feet, all his grievances dissolving like mist.

From this day forward, he had latched onto one of the thickest legs in the Great Ming. The Eastern Depot's Chiliarch of Punishments was his son's adoptive father—didn't that make him the nephew of the Eastern Depot's Director himself?

With a face glowing with delight, Zheng Zhifeng bowed and replied, "Answering Uncle: this nephew does indeed love making friends and has little enthusiasm for martial matters!"

Wang Cheng'en laughed. "Then I shall return and report to His Majesty, and see about finding you a civil post. This Vice Regional Commander business—no need to continue it! One ought to let one's own child do what brings him contentment, no? Zhifeng, let me speak a word from the bottom of my heart: the Earl Who Pacifies the Seas' title is to pass to the eldest son—it has nothing to do with you as the younger brother. Though your Zheng family is harmonious between brothers, from now on you must make plans for your own descendants!"