Chapter 5: The Imperial Estate 1

He sat up from the bed, and Wang Cheng'en came trotting in with a harmless, innocent smile on his face: "His Majesty is awake! This servant will have someone attend to Your Majesty's dressing at once!" With that, he called out toward the outside, and two comely palace maids swayed their hips as they minced in, kneeling before him: "This servant will attend to His Majesty's dressing!"

Chongzhen, carrying the mindset of a later age, found it somewhat unfamiliar. But the clothing of antiquity was rather troublesome to put on, and after these past few days of fuss, he had gradually begun to grow accustomed to being attended to. It had to be said that the young maids were deft of hand—they must have been trained—and within a few minutes they had Chongzhen fully dressed and neat. Wang Cheng'en waved for the two to withdraw, then said with a grin, "Your Majesty, the morning meal is prepared. After you have eaten, does Your Majesty have any commands?"

Chongzhen thought for a moment, then said, "Pass the word down: after the meal, I wish to go inspect the imperial estates. Choose one that is relatively close to the capital and of larger scale."

Wang Cheng'en was taken aback, thinking to himself that in all these years His Majesty had never once concerned himself with such matters—how was it that lately everything about him seemed different from before? But since it was the Emperor's command, he promptly replied, "This old servant will make preparations at once!"

Chongzhen said, "Do not make too great a stir—travel light with few attendants. Also, summon Luo Yangxing to accompany us."

Wang Cheng'en said urgently, "Your Majesty's safety is of the utmost importance! If there are too few attendants, what if someone should mean Your Majesty harm? Your Majesty, it would be better to summon more of the Grand Warrior guards for protection!"

Chongzhen laughed: "Have the rebels already fought their way to the capital? And do they know that I am going out today? Do as I have commanded—select reliable guardsmen, no more than a hundred in number."

Wang Cheng'en dared not argue further, and could only mutter under his breath as he turned to make the arrangements. After he left, Li Erxi led the way ahead, and Chongzhen went to a side hall to take his meal.

In a little under half an hour he finished his breakfast, and by then Wang Cheng'en had already made everything ready. He returned to report: "Your Majesty, this old servant has made all arrangements according to your command. A hundred guardsmen on horseback will escort you—how would Your Majesty wish to travel?"

Chongzhen said, "I shall ride in a carriage!"

Wang Cheng'en hastily said, "Your Majesty, the roads are rough and bumpy—a carriage is not as comfortable as the imperial palanquin!"

Chongzhen glared at him and said, "I am not made of paper. Less talk—go make the preparations at once!"

Wang Cheng'en was so startled he trembled, bowed, and turned to trot off. Li Erxi, standing nearby, hastily knelt and spoke: "Your Majesty, Eunuch Wang also means well—please do not blame him!"

Chongzhen smiled: "I was only frightening him, not truly blaming him! You have a good heart. Very well—I shall instruct Wang Cheng'en that, starting next month, you may leave the palace twice each month to visit your sister. I am not an unfeeling man, and cannot bear to see you siblings so close at hand yet unable to meet for longing."

Li Erxi was overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed: "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

Chongzhen waved for him to rise. In the midst of their talk, Wang Cheng'en returned and reported: "Your Majesty, everything is prepared. The imperial estate to be inspected this time lies to the west—the Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already been notified and awaits outside the Xihua Gate!"

Chongzhen waved his hand: "Set out!"

Arriving at the square before the front hall of Wuying Hall, Chongzhen saw a carriage parked in the square. Its body was of bright red lacquer, about one zhang in height, roughly seven chi in width, with shafts about nine chi long. Four pure white carriage horses stood in front, and a stalwart young man in the garb of a Grand Warrior served as coachman. Zhu Zhenqing approached, and Wang Cheng'en hurriedly carried down an embroidered stool from the carriage, supporting Chongzhen as he stepped onto it and entered the carriage.

The interior of the carriage was very spacious, furnished with a red-lacquered table and chair, and draped with embroidered silk curtains painted with true dragon patterns. As it was summer, Wang Cheng'en had placed two basins of ice within, making it cool and comfortable upon entering. Once Chongzhen was seated, Wang Cheng'en stood in attendance at his side. Chongzhen nodded, and Wang Cheng'en called out in a loud voice: "Move out!"

The carriage rumbled as it slowly began to move, with armored guards bearing swords and shields flanking it on all sides. Before long they arrived outside the Xihua Gate, where a report was heard: "Your servant Luo Yangxing awaits the imperial carriage!"

Chongzhen commanded, "Stop the carriage—have him come up!" Luo Yangxing, bending low, carefully stepped onto the embroidered stool and entered the carriage. His expression was both tense and excited, and once inside he knelt and kowtowed: "Your servant Luo Yangxing pays respects to His Majesty!"

"Rise. Wang Cheng'en, give him a seat!"

"Your servant would not dare!" Luo Yangxing said hastily. To share a carriage with the Emperor was already the greatest honor imaginable—how could he dare sit down?

Chongzhen did not press the matter. Wang Cheng'en ordered the coachman ahead to proceed. Before long they passed out of the Xihua Gate, and once beyond the palace walls they were within the imperial city precincts. Crossing the stone bridge over the imperial moat and turning left, after about a quarter hour they arrived at the Xi'an Gate of the capital. By then the escort guards ahead had already cleared the way—the city gates stood wide open, and not a single soldier of the Five Wards Troops and Horses Office was to be seen at the gate, evidently having been shooed aside by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. When the Emperor traveled, all idle persons were barred; after the carriage passed through the long gate tunnel, they were within the inner city of the capital.

Inside the carriage, Chongzhen sat upright in thought, while Luo Yangxing and Wang Cheng'en stood in attendance to left and right, neither daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing His Majesty. After a while, Zhu Zhenqing finally spoke.

"Luo Yangxing, have you produced your memorial on reorganizing the Guard's affairs?"

Luo Yangxing hastily bowed and reported: "Your servant returned to the office yesterday and immediately convened with his subordinate officers to discuss strategy, completing an outline around the hour of xu. Your servant carries it with him and was just about to request Your Majesty's perusal."

"Mm. Regardless of anything else, your attitude is still fairly proper—this time there was no shirking or delay. Not bad!" Chongzhen said in a slow voice.

"This is merely your servant's duty—I am unworthy of His Majesty's praise!" Luo Yangxing replied respectfully.

"Present it, then!" Zhu Zhenqing commanded.

Luo Yangxing drew a personal memorial from his sleeve. Wang Cheng'en reached out to receive it, then turned and, holding it in both hands raised high above his head, presented it before the Emperor. Zhu Zhenqing took it expressionlessly and began to read.

The memorial's contents were not very extensive—after all, time had been short, and besides, finding faults in oneself and then correcting them was somewhat of a stretch. Chongzhen finished reading before long and tossed the memorial onto the small table, saying, "To be honest, I did not hold great expectations for your strategy. Those caught in the situation are easily blinded—and since you have been lax for so long, it is difficult to see the root of the problems in haste, and thus even harder to find solutions."

Luo Yangxing's face was full of shame as he bowed and replied, "Your servants have disappointed Your Majesty!"

Chongzhen waved his hand: "It is not a matter of disappointment. Today I shall analyze with you where the problems of the Embroidered Uniform Guard lie, and also offer some measures, to see whether the Imperial Guard can be roused to vigor!"

"Your servant humbly awaits His Majesty's instruction!" Luo Yangxing's heart was uneasy—what exactly did His Majesty intend to do to reform the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard attends the imperial person, conducts patrols and arrests, and gathers intelligence on the military and civilians of all regions. In my view, the most important of these is the military and civilian intelligence—that is the function most befitting the sovereign's eyes and ears. Yet at present I am as good as blind and deaf—apart from what the Grand Secretaries are willing to let me hear and see, I have no knowledge of anything else!"

These words were already rather cutting to the bone. Luo Yangxing bowed his head low and dared not respond.

Chongzhen continued: "I do not believe that you would dare betray the imperial house and throw in your lot with the court officials. I would rather believe that you occupy your posts without doing your duty, pursuing only private gain day in and day out—otherwise, would you, Luo Yangxing, still be standing before me?" Zhu Zhenqing's tone grew heavier.

Luo Yangxing broke out in a cold sweat and was about to open his mouth to defend himself when Chongzhen raised his hand to stop him: "I have not finished speaking. I do not intend to hold you accountable. The reason I had you accompany me alone today is to make known to you what I think and what I worry about."

"Luo Yangxing, how many personnel does the Embroidered Uniform Guard currently have in total?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard currently has over twenty thousand members. The fourteen chiliarchies in the capital number over eight thousand; the headquarters and the Northern Bastille Provost's Office number over five thousand; among them, the mounted constables of the Guard number over two thousand, the Grand Warriors one thousand five hundred, and the chiliarchies in various regions over ten thousand." Luo Yangxing replied.

"How is the combat effectiveness of the mounted constables?" Chongzhen asked.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the mounted constables include five hundred cavalry, devoted exclusively to long-distance escort and arrest. The remaining constables and strongmen are responsible for patrols of public order in the capital. The five hundred cavalry drill without cease, their military pay and provisions are sufficient, and morale is passable—this area is chiefly the responsibility of Assistant Guard Commander Li Ruolian."

Hearing the name Li Ruolian, Chongzhen felt somewhat relieved—a minister who could fight to the bloody end even after the Emperor had hanged himself, and who, when outnumbered, chose death over surrender, was one who could be trusted and employed.

"After this trip, when we return, the first thing you must do is tighten military discipline and put an end to the lax and perfunctory atmosphere among your subordinates. As for the rotten apples who disobey orders—expel them resolutely, no matter how high their rank or whose connections they have! Then draw up a plan to scatter the Guard's most experienced covert agents throughout the capital—I want to know clearly the movements and sentiments of officials and commoners alike! Select a small number of elite operatives, and without going through the local guard stations, infiltrate into Shanxi! The primary targets are the merchants and great households who privately trade with the Tartar slaves and the Jianzhou barbarians in goods that the court has expressly forbidden. Chief among them are the eight families surnamed Fan, Wang, Jin, Liang, Tian, Zhai, and Huang! You must investigate clearly their main trading locations, their goods warehouses, where they hide their silver, and with whom they exchange merchandise. Additionally, find out which local civil and military officials shield and protect them. The five hundred cavalry of the mounted constables must also train even harder—after returning to the palace, I shall assign veteran soldiers from the Capital Camps who have survived a hundred battles to serve as their drillmasters, focusing on small-scale cavalry pursuit, ambush, and close combat. Have Li Ruolian carry this out well!"

"Your servant humbly obeys the imperial decree!" Luo Yangxing bowed in reply, inwardly startled—could His Majesty have other intelligence channels? Everything His Majesty said about the treasonous smuggling in Shanxi was detailed and precise—he had clearly heard of it long ago and possessed considerable evidence, for how else could he name even the eight surnames so clearly? From now on he would have to stay sharp and not let the Embroidered Uniform Guard become a chicken-rib existence.

Chongzhen knew well that it was impossible to have the horse run while refusing to feed it—one hand with a stick and the other with a carrot was the way of handling affairs upheld by later generations. So he continued: "You have two sons and a daughter at home, do you not?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, your servant does indeed have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son has passed the age of twenty and received by grace the position of Centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He has been frail and sickly since childhood, and has now married and fathered children—he stays at home year-round and is unwilling to go out and about. The second son is nineteen, fond of reading, but suffers from only average talent and has not yet passed the examinations for office. The youngest daughter is eight years old."

Chongzhen nodded and commanded: "Wang Cheng'en, after returning to the palace, issue an edict: Luo Yangxing's eldest son shall be elevated by grace to Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with imperial physicians sent to treat him; his second son shall enter the Imperial Academy to study!"

Luo Yangxing fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, his face flushed red, and said in a choked voice: "Your servant thanks His Majesty for this grace! Your servant would gladly be ground to dust to repay Your Majesty's boundless kindness!"

"Rise. I do not want you ground to dust. So long as you are of one heart with me, think more of the state in your daily affairs, and work with diligence, I shall be content!" Chongzhen said with a smile.

Luo Yangxing kowtowed once more before rising, and replied in a hoarse voice with a bow: "Your servant will never betray Your Majesty's intentions—he will devote himself wholeheartedly and remain loyal to the Great Ming for all eternity!"

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves arrived before the carriage, and a guardsman reported in a loud voice: "Reporting to Your Majesty—the imperial estate has been reached!"