Chapter 44: The Imperial Mausoleum Destroyed

Zhu Cilang spent half a month in this restless mood. During that time, he practically lived outside the palace, inspecting the defenses of the capital's nine gates every day. He spent even more time shuttling between the Yongwei Camp and the Armory Bureau, supervising troop training and urging on the production of firearms.

Recently, Zhu Cilang had received more very bad news. Before that fool Zhu Chunchen even reached Juyong Pass, the Qing army had already taken it. Moreover, on the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the Qing army suddenly appeared from behind Tianshou Mountain before the walls of Changping and attacked the city.

The Jianzhou barbarians excelled at espionage. Two thousand Doyan Mongol troops inside Changping were subverted by their agents and opened the city gates from within. The Qing army stormed Changping, and Regional Commander Chao Pichang surrendered.

The surrender of a Regional Commander shocked the entire Ming court. The Chongzhen Emperor was so furious he wanted to exterminate Chao Pichang's nine clans. Chao Pichang, of course, was not foolish enough to sit there waiting to have his nine clans wiped out—at the moment of surrender he cowered like a dog at Ajige's side.

What saved face for the Ming, however, was that many officials in Changping resolutely refused to surrender and ultimately died fighting to the end. They were: Wang Yigui, Bureau Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue; Wang Yuzuo, Assistant Prefect of Baoding; Wang Xizhong, the eunuch guarding the imperial tombs; Judge Hu Weizhong; Clerk Guo Yong; School Instructor Xie Huailiang; Assistant Instructor Chang Shiguang; Garrison Commander Xi'an Zhenji, and others.

Ever since the Qing army took Juyong Pass, Zhu Cilang had repeatedly begged permission to lead troops to Changping to resist the Qing army, but the Chongzhen Emperor refused every time.

Zhu Cilang did not give up. He came again to the Qianqing Palace, but the eunuch on duty would not let him enter, saying the Chongzhen Emperor had decreed that the Crown Prince Zhu Cilang was not to come in.

Zhu Cilang had no choice. He knelt on both knees before the Qianqing Palace and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Father Emperor, Your Majesty! The slave rebels are wolves and tigers—they must never be allowed inside! Your son begs to lead troops and hold the enemy at Changping, to protect the people of the Great Ming. I beg Your Majesty's gracious approval!"

But no sound came from the great hall in response to Zhu Cilang. Cao Huachun and Wang Cheng'en both urged him to desist.

"Your Highness, His Majesty only cherishes you. He does not wish you to risk danger. You are the heir to the Great Ming—you must not come to any harm."

"Indeed. His Majesty has been unable to eat or sleep these past days. Please don't add more worry to his burden."

Zhu Cilang was unmoved. He shouted again. Every time the Qing army broke through the passes to plunder, it brought catastrophic disaster to the Great Ming that took years to recover from. He had to stop them. With these five thousand Yongwei Camp soldiers, though he could not drive off these hundred thousand Qing troops, he could still inflict massive casualties and harassment upon them.

The Qing army had marched a long distance. If there were a threatening army at their flank, they would certainly have to dispatch troops to guard against it and would not dare plunder wantonly. After all, what the Qing army feared most was having its retreat cut off and being encircled by the converging armies of the Ming.

Zhu Cilang knelt for a long time and shouted for a long time, until his voice went hoarse. The seventh month was the height of summer, and the heat was unbearable. On top of that, the Forbidden City had so many halls and such poor ventilation that the temperature inside was even higher and hotter than outside.

Zhu Cilang felt his chest grow tight, tasted something salty in his throat, and his vision went black. He collapsed to the ground in a faint.

The way he hit the ground was slicker than those old men who fake falls to extort money in later ages. It terrified Cao Huachun and Wang Cheng'en. Wang Cheng'en shouted at the top of his voice: "Disaster! The Crown Prince has fainted! Quickly summon the imperial physicians! Carry His Highness inside at once!"

The Chongzhen Emperor knew the Qing army had already breached Changping and could attack Beijing at any moment. His mind was in turmoil, and on top of that, the Crown Prince had been making a fuss these past days demanding to lead troops into battle, making him even more irritable. When he suddenly heard a great commotion outside, he was in a rage to kill someone.

The Chongzhen Emperor stormed out furiously, but the moment he saw several eunuchs carrying the unconscious Zhu Cilang, his heart immediately seized up. This was his most important son.

The Chongzhen Emperor immediately shouted: "Quickly summon the imperial physicians! My son, why must you put yourself through this? How could your father bear to send you to the front lines? Those slave rebels are vicious brutes!"

Before long, several imperial physicians hurried over and made their diagnosis. One physician said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Because of the intense heat, and because the Crown Prince had gone a long time without food or water, he has suffered heatstroke. As long as he rests a while in a cool, shaded place, he will be fine."

The Chongzhen Emperor had just begun to relax a little when several ministers came hurrying in. Upon seeing the Chongzhen Emperor, they knelt prostrate on the ground, weeping and wailing: "Your Majesty, a great calamity has occurred! The slave rebels are plundering wealth and grain on a massive scale in Changping, and they have burned the De Mausoleum of the late emperor! The slave rebel army has now turned south and is pressing directly upon the Xizhi Gate!"

Upon hearing this, the Chongzhen Emperor collapsed onto the chair beside him. The De Mausoleum was the imperial tomb of his elder brother, the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youjiao. The Tianqi Emperor had always treated him extremely well in life, giving him a Prince Xin Residence fully twice the size of any other prince's mansion—and even then, the Tianqi Emperor felt he had done too little for this fifth younger brother of his.

"Elder Imperial Brother, Your Majesty, your younger brother has failed you!" Tears streamed from the Chongzhen Emperor's eyes as he wailed in anguish. Before he could finish, his vision went black and he pitched forward onto the chair.

"Your Majesty!" The assembled ministers stared in shock and cried out one after another. In a single day both the Emperor and the Crown Prince had collapsed, throwing the court into extreme panic.

Empress Zhou of Kunning Palace received the news and rushed over immediately, watching over the two most important people in her life.

Hearing that the Qing army was pressing upon the walls of Beijing and that the Emperor and Crown Prince had both fallen unconscious, while Zhu Chunchen, who had gone to inspect the border passes, was still unknown alive or dead—Cao Huachun, after settling the Chongzhen Emperor, hurried to the Capital Camps. In his capacity as brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and chief eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, he temporarily took command of the Capital Camps and strengthened the defenses of every gate of the capital.

Zhu Cilang woke after half a day of unconsciousness, but his eyes were vacant and his mind was in chaos.

Zhu Cilang was now in Kunning Palace, attended by his second sister, Princess Kunxing, and his third brother, Zhu Cijiong. Two palace maids stood to his left and right, waving sandalwood fans with all their might to cool him.

"Elder Imperial Brother, you're awake!" The six-year-old Princess Kunxing, Zhu Meichuo, opened her eyes wide and stared at Zhu Cilang, speaking excitedly.

Little Zhu Cijiong, whose speech was still unclear, also said word by word from the side: "Elder Imperial Brother."

Zhu Cilang sat up, looked at his younger sister Zhu Meichuo and Zhu Cijiong beside him, and asked in confusion: "Little sister, how did I end up at Mother Empress's place? Where is Mother Empress?"

Zhu Meichuo said: "The imperial physician said you fainted from heatstroke. Mother Empress had you brought to Kunning Palace to be cared for, and told me to watch over you. She herself went to the Qianqing Palace to look after Father Emperor."

Zhu Cilang frowned and asked: "What's wrong with Father Emperor?"

"Father Emperor fainted too, but nobody knows why." Zhu Meichuo was still young and did not understand such matters.

Zhu Cilang ruffled Zhu Meichuo's hair and said: "You and Third Brother go play. Your elder brother will sit and rest for a while."

"Okay! Thank you, Elder Imperial Brother!"

Zhu Meichuo had been ordered to watch over him for quite some time and was already bored to death. Hearing her elder brother's words now, she happily agreed and ran off with Zhu Cijiong to play.

Zhu Cilang sat at the edge of the bed. Seeing that the two fanning maids, already drenched in fragrant sweat, were still waving their fans with all their might, he waved his hand to dismiss them for a rest, and sat alone thinking about all those damned matters.