Chapter 120: Staying in the Capital

"Your servant, Shi Kefa, Minister of War of Nanjing, pays respects to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years."

The Chongzhen Emperor actually held no great fondness for this so-called national hero of history. Looking at the middle-aged man before him with a slightly long beard, he merely gave a faint "Mm," and said:

"My minister Shi, I know you are the Minister of War of the southern capital, and everyone present knows it as well. There is no need to mention such things before me in the future."

"Your servant understands." Shi Kefa showed no sign of panic, performing his ritual salute with measured precision.

This neither-warm-nor-cold attitude was something even Li Chun, the seal-holding eunuch of the Palace Maintenance Directorate standing in attendance, had never seen before. He frowned with rising irritation, rather like the saying—the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is.

Good heavens, this Minister Shi from Nanjing carried himself with quite the air of officialdom. Even Chen Qiyu, Governor-General of the Five Provinces, and Zhang Guowei, the bona fide Minister of War of the capital, had to be utterly deferential before the Chongzhen Emperor. What right did a Minister of War from the southern capital have to put on such airs?

Last night, the Chongzhen Emperor had just admonished and purged the harem. Even Empress Zhou had been so startled she dared not speak, repeatedly offering apologies—the entire harem was still shaken and unsettled.

Thinking of this, Li Chun secretly shot Shi Kefa a glare.

This one, he figured, was used to being in charge in Nanjing. Though he had come to Beijing and seen the Emperor's true face, he could not help still treating himself as the Minister of War of the capital rather than of the southern capital.

The Chongzhen Emperor paid no mind to the inner thoughts of Li Chun and Shi Kefa, and continued:

"My minister Shi, I have heard that you set out early this year with six thousand armored soldiers of the southern capital's Capital Camps to come to the Emperor's aid, yet the journey took you more than half a year—you only arrived at the capital in August. What happened along the way?"

Hearing this, Shi Kefa's face remained impassive as he gave an awkward smile and said:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, your servant... your servant encountered many disaster victims in the Shandong region, as well as rogue soldiers under Shandong Regional Commander Liu Zeqing plundering the countryside. That is what delayed me some days."

"Oh, so that is how it is. In that case, I should reward my minister Shi for his loyal and patriotic heart." The Chongzhen Emperor sneered inwardly, yet on the surface he was all warmth, waving his hand and saying:

"Eunuch Li, my minister Shi has endured hardship and toil on this journey to aid the throne, with great merit and labor. Take some silks and silver to reward him—otherwise those clamoring court officials will start their nagging again, saying I suppress patriotic men."

Hearing these words, Li Chun began to mutter inwardly. The Chongzhen Emperor had always done as he pleased—when had he ever cared about what those court officials said? Speaking thus now, he feared, carried deeper meaning.

Having served by the Emperor's side for so long, Li Chun had long developed deep cunning. No matter what churned within his heart, his face still wore that simple-minded grin. He quickly went out, fetched the reward items, and brought them before Shi Kefa.

Even now, Shi Kefa still did not grasp the Chongzhen Emperor's intent, and immediately reached out to take the items into his hands.

After all, these were rewards personally bestowed by the Emperor. Shi Kefa thought gleefully that once he returned to Nanjing, he could place everything in his home and have his protégés and old associates spread the word—another fine affair bringing both fame and profit.

"Minister Shi, before taking these things, you should consider whether your conscience is truly clear." Li Chun's face was full of smiles, but his words sent a jolt of alarm through Shi Kefa's heart.

The next moment, Shi Kefa's countenance turned stern, and with a cold snort he declared loudly:

"This humble official's loyalty to his sovereign is witnessed by the azure heavens and attested by the sun and moon—my conscience is clear!"

"Good, my minister Shi speaks well."

Though Li Chun had spoken in a very low voice, the Warm Winter Pavilion was only so large—his words naturally all reached the Chongzhen Emperor's ears.

It had to be said, some eunuchs truly were the roundworms in the Emperor's belly. Some things the Chongzhen Emperor found inconvenient to say outright, yet he had directly lashed out and set a fine opening.

The Chongzhen Emperor first gestured for Li Chun to step aside. Such a fine opportunity to show off—how could he not take it himself?

"I still have a question. Minister Shi arrived at the capital yesterday, yet did not rush to see me—instead you first went to Huichun Tower to speak with those Donglin scholars about the abuses of the Three Depots and One Guard. Oh, right, I nearly forgot—there was also a dancing girl named Wang Yu keeping you company, was there not?"

"A brothel is hardly some lowly establishment; such things are only human nature, and I understand them well. However, the general meaning of the words my minister Shi spoke yesterday—I still do not quite grasp it. Would you care to repeat them?"

The Chongzhen Emperor's words were courteous, yet they concealed a murderous intent.

Shi Kefa had spent a long time gathering intelligence before coming to the capital. Someone had once warned him of the fearsomeness of the Three Depots and One Guard, but at the time he had not taken it to heart—no matter how fearsome, could they possibly surpass the Wei eunuch?

Little did he expect that the Chongzhen Emperor, in merely half a year's time, had restored the Depots' and Guard's power in the capital to a level nearly matching that of the Wei eunuch's era. He feared that every move he had made yesterday was already known to them.

Shi Kefa broke out in a cold sweat at these words, no longer daring to put on airs. He hastily set the silver and silks on the ground, kowtowing in terror and saying:

"Your servant... your servant..."

Seeing him hem and haw for a long while without producing anything, the Chongzhen Emperor gave a light chuckle and asked:

"Shi Kefa, do you know your crime?"

Hearing these words, Shi Kefa instantly thought of Gong Dingzi, Chen Yan, and Zheng Sanjun—those men whose families had been executed and properties confiscated not long ago.

It was not that he feared his own fate. Shi Kefa was not truly afraid of death. What he feared most was that if he died bearing these crimes, those Depots and Guards would destroy his "lifetime of spotless reputation" completely.

Reputation—that was Shi Kefa's weak point.

The transmigrated Chongzhen Emperor felt he had a fair understanding of Shi Kefa. Though this man's abilities were not great, when it came to moral integrity, he was at least far better than those Donglin lackeys who eagerly rushed to serve new masters.

This time, the main purpose was to take the opportunity to warn him—to make him stop harboring any petty schemes. As for sending him back? That was out of the question.

Thinking of this, the Chongzhen Emperor sighed and said:

"In consideration of your eight years of meritorious service in suppressing the roving bandits, you shall remain in the capital as a Right Vice Censor-in-Chief. Do you have any complaints?"

"Your servant has no complaints. I shall diligently fulfill my duties and exert myself for the dynasty." Shi Kefa was deeply surprised by the Chongzhen Emperor's disposition of his case—it was already an unexpected blessing—and he hurriedly replied.

Watching Shi Kefa bow and depart, the Chongzhen Emperor said:

"Summon Wang Cheng'en, Director of the Eastern Depot; Cao Huachun, Director of the Western Depot; Fang Zhenghua, Director of the Inner Depot; Li Ruolian, Regional Military Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; Zhang Shize, Duke of Ying; Dong Qi, Deputy Governor-General of the Training Camps; Wei Xiaobo Zhou Jingwu; Jingyuan Earl Wang Yong'en; Xinle Marquis Liu Wenbing; Hui'an Earl Zhang Qingzhen; and Imperial Son-in-law Gong Yonggu—have them come to the Warm Winter Pavilion to see me at once."

All these men were busy with their own affairs at the time. Last time, they had received the imperial decree to go to various places to audit the various guards of the forbidden army. The quickest to complete the audit were the Tongzhou Three Guards and the Tengxiang Four Guards—after all, being right at the capital's doorstep made investigation convenient.

Wang Yong'en, Liu Wenbing, and Zhang Qingzhen had it far worse. They had rushed without rest across most of the Northern Metropolitan District, and the local officials naturally refused to comply, playing a game of tai chi with them for half a month. Even when the two great victories came, they were still out in the provinces investigating people.

In the end, the Chongzhen Emperor seemed to feel the progress was too slow, and issued the decree "Gather the troops of the capital region at the capital." The three men followed the main force to the training camp outside the city walls, and with the help of Dong Qi and Zhang Shize, finally ascertained the true numbers.

After reporting the numbers, they had not enjoyed much peace before a young eunuch came saying the Emperor summoned them to the Warm Winter Pavilion for deliberation.

Past experience told Wang Yong'en and the others that a private summons from the Emperor was fine, but when everyone was called together at once, it surely meant some great matter was about to be announced.

Not bothering to linger a moment longer with their concubines at home, the four men hastily threw on their outer robes and hurried into the palace.