Chapter 235: Perhaps There Is

So close — just a little more!

Chen Chong had only just learned that his own faction had already arrested the servants of Grand Marshal Dong Zhong and the State Preceptor's retainers in the lanes, and were now subjecting them to harsh interrogation. By tomorrow morning at the latest, they would force something out of them.

Who could have guessed that the first man to have his door beaten down and be taken into custody would be Chen Chong himself!

"What is my crime?"

Fortune's wheel turns. In the past, it was always Chen Chong sending men to surround another's house and drag them off to the great prison. Tonight, however, it was his own residence being watched by a troop of soldiers under the General of the Central City of the Five Majesties — torches blazing, weapons bared, the glare dazzling Chen Chong's eyes.

Amid the firelight, a familiar face in full armor approached him. It was Chen Chong's old friend, Cui Fa, Marquis of Shuofu, who had come in person, claiming to bear an imperial edict summoning Chen Chong to the palace prison for a visit!

Chen Chong was horrified. He knew someone had struck first. His leg was broken and he could not walk; supported by his servants, his eyes bloodshot, he said, "This is a frame-up by treacherous sycophants! I demand to see His Majesty!"

Cui Fa was precisely the "General of the Central City of the Five Majesties," who shared responsibility for the security of Chang'an with the Bearer of the Gilded Mace. Wang Mang had ordered him to beat the watchman's rattle at the double gates to guard against violent intruders, putting him in charge of the twelve city gates — equivalent to the later "Commander of the Nine Gates." He and Chen Chong had been old partners working together for years, and their relationship was not bad.

But the two were not, after all, of the same faction. Cui Fa ignored Chen Chong's protests and merely smiled. "Marquis of Tongmu, have you forgotten the rules of arrest set by the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties? The louder a man shouts that he has been wronged, the harder he gets beaten."

The reason the Emperor had sent Cui Fa rather than Wang She was that the matter still held many points of doubt; Wang Mang did not quite believe Wang She's one-sided account.

But as Chen Chong had earlier said to Kong Ren with such smug satisfaction…

When the Emperor judges a man to be a problem, he does not need absolutely conclusive proof.

"A 'perhaps' is quite enough!"

…

"I do not wish to see Chen Chong."

This was not the first time Wang Mang had been betrayed by trusted confidants and old friends. The earliest instance went all the way back to his eldest son, Wang Yu, who had splashed that vat of black dog's blood in his own residence. Since his son was so incapable of seeing reason, Wang Mang had no choice but to place righteousness above family and make him take his own life.

After that, Zhen Feng and his sons, despite being founding meritorious ministers, plotted treason, which also grieved Wang Mang for a good long while.

Yet Chen Chong's "defection" still wounded Wang Mang's heart deeply.

But it did not come as a great surprise.

Chen Chong was a local scholar who had pledged his service when Wang Mang, ostracized by Emperor Ai of Han, had left the court in disgrace and withdrawn to his fief of Xindu. With his intelligence, he had served as Wang Mang's Master of Fates of the Five Majesties for over ten years. Time and again, it was Chen Chong who sniffed out rebellions against Wang Mang and devoted his efforts to rooting them out.

But all men have selfish motives, and Wang Mang had also perceived that Chen Chong had been far too zealous in pursuing the treason cases against his own sons and grandsons, Wang Lin and Wang Zong. In his fury, Wang Mang had ordered his son and grandson to commit suicide; once he calmed down, he had reflected and felt a twinge of regret. The mountain of evidence Chen Chong had assembled had practically forced the two of them to die.

With the two most likely heirs to the throne dead, the ones best positioned to succeed became the two sons of concubines raised in Xindu… Chen Chong's intent was glaringly obvious. Thus, when someone today reported that Chen Chong was plotting a coup to depose and enthrone, Wang Mang actually found it perfectly logical.

Although it was only an anonymous letter, what bothered Wang Mang even more was: how was it that, just when he received the post of Army Overseer, Chen Chong's leg had so conveniently broken?

Whether he harbored wicked designs, wanting to stay in Chang'an to stage a coup, or whether he feared Diwu Lun would use public office to avenge a private grudge, Chen Chong had utterly disappointed Wang Mang. To a paranoid Emperor, loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty!

As for Chen Chong's earlier forceful recommendation of the extremely capable Tian Kuang to lead the southern campaign, Wang Mang remembered that too. On the surface it seemed wholly devoted to the public good, but… for a trusted intimate minister who entered the forbidden gates to carry on such private dealings with a frontier grandee — was this not precisely the cause of death for the Han minister Zhuang Zhu under Emperor Wu of Han?

As for Tian Kuang, who had once boasted that he would hold the authority of two provinces and sweep away the Red Eyebrows for the Emperor, although Wang Mang had summoned him to his side to keep an eye on him and appreciated his talents, he had never fully trusted him with any assignment. Now that word had spread of his involvement in treason, even though it was not yet substantiated, this man must also be summoned to the capital and placed under house arrest.

"Close the twelve city gates, seal off news from Chang'an, and dispatch an envoy to summon the Grandee of the Master of Troops, Tian Kuang, Marquis of Tantang, to the capital. Tell him I intend to confer upon him a post among the Nine Ministers."

What came next was the greatest trouble. The accusatory letter claimed that "several regiments of the Northern Army" had also taken part in the treason plot, but it did not specify which regiments. Wang Mang could only stay up by candlelight through the night, staring at the rosters of the six regiments — Central Fortress, Garrison Cavalry, Infantry, Elite Cavalry, Long River, and Archers Who Shoot at Sound — looking them over again and again, until he found every single man suspicious!

Perhaps he should replace them all?

Wang Mang acted as soon as he thought of it. He summoned nine of his most trusted Palace Gentlemen and, on the spot, appointed them "Nine Tiger Generals." He ordered six of them to proceed separately that very night to the six regiments, replacing each Colonel to take command of the Northern Army. The remaining three were assigned as deputies, each taking charge of a portion of the defense of the Forbidden City, the palace, and the city proper, to ensure absolute security.

As for the earliest whistleblower of this great treachery, the General of the Guard Wang She — he had no authority to interfere with Wang Mang's appointments of the new Colonels for the Northern Army. None of the "Nine Tigers" dispatched were his men. But the sudden replacement of commanders meant the troops would not know their officers and the officers would not know their troops — enough to drastically reduce the combat effectiveness of every regiment.

Delighted at heart, he decided to press the advantage and offered another suggestion: "Your Majesty, since the Master of Troops poses a hidden danger, before Tian Kuang enters the capital by imperial summons, Diwu Lun, who is stationed at Hongmen, must not be permitted to leave."

This indeed reminded Wang Mang. Hongmen lay near the Eastern Wei Bridge, directly on the route one must take to travel south from the Master of Troops' post to Chang'an. If Tian Kuang proved less obedient this time than the last, Diwu Lun could still block his rebellion.

The waters of the capital had been stirred into extreme murkiness. Wang Mang, who had not slept all night, was already somewhat muddle-headed. On careful thought, it truly made sense.

"Approved as the General of the Guard memorializes."

An edict was accordingly issued, ordering Grand Marshal Dong Zhong to take the axe and battle-axe — originally to be personally conferred upon Diwu Lun by the Emperor the next day at the Nine Temples south of the city — and proceed to the great camp at Hongmen to deliver the military authority, instructing Diwu Lun that he need not come to court for now, but must keep a close watch on the Master of Troops!

With this suspicious case of treason cropping up, it seemed Diwu Lun's southern campaign would have to be postponed a few more days.

But there was one matter that absolutely could not be delayed!

The Grand Prolonger of Autumn, Zhang Han, and the Inner Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, Wang Ye, cautiously asked the Emperor: "Your Majesty, with such a major incident occurring, should the day after tomorrow's grand wedding be rescheduled?"

In order to assemble one hundred and twenty women, matching the number of his ancestor the Yellow Emperor, Wang Mang — who had never been particularly lustful — had only established the ranks of palace consorts after more than ten years as Emperor.

Apart from the Empress, there were the three ranks of Bei, Bin, Meiyu, and Heren, equal in status to the Three Dukes; nine Pinren, equal to the Ministers; twenty-seven Meiren, equal to the Grandees; and eighty-one Yuren, equal to the six-hundred-bushel Yuanshi: in all, one hundred and twenty persons, each wearing official seals and ribbons and bearing a bow-case. Anyone who did not know better would think Wang Mang was imitating the King of Wu and drilling his consorts in military formations and the art of war!

After all, the Emperor had been cramming military texts day and night these past few days.

On the twenty-fifth day, the carriages and horses he had prepared for welcoming the bride outnumbered the supply wagons hauling grain at Hongmen; the pipes and strings struck up for congratulations outnumbered the drums and horns of the marching army; the betrothal gifts — twenty thousand jin of gold, with slaves, sundry silks, and precious treasures counted in the hundreds of millions — far exceeded the rewards given to the officers and men of the three armies!

After all that long preparation, and in order to make the realm believe the Xin dynasty remained stable and the Emperor was in good health, Wang Mang had even dyed his completely white hair black with ink-charcoal, as though he had regained his youth overnight — just as this dynasty on the verge of decay seemed to have been revitalized.

The date of the southern campaign could be changed, but the grand wedding absolutely could not. To change it would be inauspicious!

The matter was thus settled. Only after arranging all this did Wang Mang recall the man named in the accusatory letter as the one Chen Chong intended to set up as the new Emperor: Wang Xing, the "Duke of Gongxiu."

"For now, place him under watch. If, after a thorough investigation, the matter proves true…"

Wang Mang had already managed a quadruple or quintuple kill among his own legitimate sons and grandsons — could he possibly find it harder to strike at a son of a concubine?

By the time the ministers withdrew, the sky was about to brighten. Wang Mang did not go to sleep, but merely leaned against his desk to doze. Yet when he closed his eyes, he seemed to see the flash of bloody light and opened them again, pacing restlessly about the hall.

Just then, Cui Fa, Marquis of Shuofu, urgently requested an audience. After ascending the hall, he presented a letter written in blood.

"Your Majesty, I have interrogated Chen Chong. Apart from his oral confession, Chen Chong went so far as to tear open his own wounds, using his robe as silk and his blood as ink, to describe his circumstances. He knocked his head to the ground, wept bitterly, and fainted. He only hopes that Your Majesty will look at this."

Wang Mang paid him no heed. Only after a long silence, his hands clasped behind his back, did he sigh and tell Cui Fa to bring the blood-letter up for him to see.

A single glance was enough. Wang Mang's weariness was completely driven away by the contents Chen Chong revealed. Though it was early morning, he broke out in a cold sweat from fright.

"Wang She, Dong Zhong, Liu Xin, and… Diwu Lun?!"

…

Chen Chong was a desperate man grasping at any remedy. Cut off now in the palace prison from all news of his faction, he could only fabricate wildly, stringing together every clue he suspected and biting down hard on the claim that these four were brewing rebellion. Diwu Lun had beaten him to the first move, and he could only stake his hopes on striking back after the fact.

Although Wang Mang was badly startled by the absurdities in this blood-letter, he also instinctively judged it to be the indiscriminate snapping of a cornered beast, less credible even than the charge that Chen Chong had plotted treason with Tian Kuang.

But just as with the reason Chen Chong had been arrested in the first place — to a suspicious Emperor, absolutely conclusive proof was unnecessary. The possibility of a "perhaps" was enough.

For instance, the blood-letter's claim that the Grand Marshal and the State Preceptor had been holding secret meetings with their retainers, mixing public and private affairs, was indeed worth noting. Wang Mang had not trusted Liu Xin for a long time; it was only for the sake of their old friendship as confidants that he had let him escape punishment time and again. Now, hearing that the State Preceptor, ill in bed, was still not behaving himself, he ordered Cui Fa, General of the Central City of the Five Majesties, to investigate this matter thoroughly at once.

Considering also that Wang She controlled half the palace defenses and could not be exposed for the moment, Wang Mang had someone summon for questioning the General of the Gentlemen of the Five Offices — who was in charge of the night guard of the Forbidden City — the State Preceptor's son, Liu Die.

He never imagined that, once Liu Die entered the Warm Chamber Hall, without waiting for Wang Mang to question him, he would kneel before the Emperor of his own accord, tears streaming down his face — and this made Wang Mang's suspicions flare.

"Why do you weep, Minister?"

Although Diwu Lun had long felt that the State Preceptor and his associates handled matters carelessly and would sooner or later ruin everything, even he could never have guessed that the one who would ultimately spring the fatal leak was Liu Xin's sole surviving son, Liu Die!

Though Liu Die's younger brothers and sisters had all been executed by Wang Mang one after another for involvement in treason plots, and the bodies of his two younger brothers had been hacked into several pieces, Liu Die — unlike his father — bore Wang Mang not the slightest resentment.

What he saw was his clan entangled in treason case after treason case — first the two Zhens, then the deposed Crown Prince Wang Lin. Yet each time the Emperor had raised his hand high in mercy, sparing his family from utter annihilation. Even when hearts everywhere yearned for Han and a Han Emperor was re-established in Nanyang, Wang Mang had not called for Liu Xin's head, but instead wished to grant him a dignified end.

Liu Die himself was greatly favored and trusted by Wang Mang, enfeoffed as Marquis of Yixiu to carry on the rites of Emperor Yao, in the hope that he would endure in honor alongside the dynasty.

No matter how the realm saw it, no matter what his father thought, in Liu Die's heart he was profoundly grateful to Wang Mang and still regarded him as a sage Son of Heaven.

But now Liu Die faced the impossible dilemma of being torn between loyalty and filial piety. He knocked his head to the floor and wept: "May I ask Your Majesty: if both sovereign and father were gravely ill, and there was but a single pill that could save only one, should one save the sovereign, or save the father? Your servant faces just such a dilemma, and knows not what to do."

The ancestors are the root of one's kind; the sovereign and teacher are the root of order. Without ancestors, whence comes one's being? Without sovereign and teacher, whence comes good governance? Thus in ritual, above we serve Heaven, below we serve Earth; we honor the ancestors and exalt the sovereign and teacher — these are the three foundations of ritual.

By principle, the ancestors should take precedence over the sovereign. Because the Xin found it awkward to emphasize "loyalty," they vigorously promoted filial piety, following the Confucian principle that "the father conceals for the son, and the son conceals for the father — uprightness lies within this," and enshrined in law the right of kin to shelter one another.

And so, when Liu Die finally learned from his father's own lips that they were brewing a great conspiracy and required his cooperation within the palace precincts, he was utterly stunned and plunged into this agonizing dilemma. When two moral imperatives clash, it felt as though they would tear him apart.

But the moment these words were spoken, Wang Mang understood everything at once. Fury blazed in his heart, yet as he fixed his gaze on Liu Die before him, his tone softened.

"As a son, to use your father to establish your own political standing — that is unfilial. As my minister, a General of the Gentlemen of the Household of All Purposes, to set aside the law and indulge a crime — that is disloyal. Faced with such a dilemma, there is no need for you to choose, nor even to recount the details. I already know!"

"I and Zijun have known each other for decades. The grievances of the elder generation shall be settled by us. A mere youth like you need not involve yourself."

Liu Die breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again: "Your Majesty's pardon of my crime is sovereign grace; to submit to execution and die is a minister's duty. Your servant is willing to die to atone for his father's offense!"

Wang Mang waved his hand weakly and ordered the palace guards to take Liu Die away and keep him under proper watch. Liu Die's attitude confirmed that his father Liu Xin was indeed brewing a conspiracy. That blood-written letter in which Chen Chong had seemingly raved and bitten wildly — every word of it might be true!

The sun climbed high. In the span of a single day and night, Wang Mang had tasted what it felt like to be betrayed by everyone.

His clan, his trusted confidants, his old friends, the young commander in whom he had placed such high hopes — within ten paces, every man had become an enemy of the state!

This one a traitor, that one a traitor — all mouths full of loyalty, yet none could be trusted. In this Great Xin, was there a single loyal minister left?

After Liu Die withdrew, Wang Mang sat down weakly on the steps of the throne dais, gazing at the great hall now utterly empty after the guards and eunuchs had withdrawn. For a moment he looked around in bewilderment:

"Where are my trusted men?"

…

PS: Chapter 2 at 18:00.