Chapter 182: Enfeoffment and Rewards

Gong Yonggu had just arrived in Nanjing, still wallowing in the splendor of Jiangnan, when the Chongzhen Emperor and the Grand Secretariat made another major decision — to confront the Portuguese head-on!

This time, the imperial edict was delivered not only by the familiar brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Li Fengxiang, but also by Wang Xiantong, the newly enfeoffed Earl of Xinjian from the capital. To many, neither of these men was a simple figure.

During the national crisis last year, Li Fengxiang had traveled far and wide delivering imperial edicts, rendering meritorious service to the court — everyone knew this. Though the Gu Mei incident had occurred because he mistakenly led someone into the palace, it had not affected him in any significant way.

Li Fengxiang was a eunuch. Though he honored the imperial will in major matters, in private he was an extremely greedy and ruthless man.

Officials in charge of the investigation knew this well, so when they were ordered to look into Gu Mei's attempt on the emperor's life, they naturally would not be foolish enough to investigate a favored eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

After all, the emperor's greatest trust these days lay with the eunuchs — and Li Fengxiang was one of the senior eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial, having rendered great service to the stability of the dynasty. A single whisper in His Majesty's ear could plunge anyone into irredeemable ruin.

In truth, this matter was extremely difficult for the investigating officials. Li Fengxiang could not be investigated, and investigating the Empress would be a grave offense against propriety. Yet to appease the emperor's wrath, they had no choice but to find a scapegoat.

In the end, the officials of the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice unanimously concluded that the one who had actually introduced Gu Mei to the Empress was someone else entirely — the mastermind being a Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard named Gao Wencai.

The final disposition was thus: Gao Wencai was stripped of his post and sentenced to three years of frontier garrison duty as punishment, while Li Fengxiang and Empress Zhou received stern reprimands from the Chongzhen Emperor. In plain terms, nothing serious came of it.

These two were simply impossible to topple under those circumstances.

Li Fengxiang now enjoyed deep favor from the Chongzhen Emperor. Among the many brush-holding eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he ranked within the top four. Apart from the unshakable chief brush-holding eunuch Wang Cheng'en, only Wang Dehua could outrank him — enough to be called powerful and influential.

As for Wang Xiantong, the Earl of Xinjian, he was one of the trusted confidants to whom the Chongzhen Emperor had entrusted his sovereign mission last year. He had no blemishes whatsoever. Now serving as the camp commander of the outer city garrison in the capital, he held military authority over a region and enjoyed considerable prominence.

The Chongzhen Emperor had acted with decisive ruthlessness last year, killing until heads rolled and blood flowed like rivers. The effect of this approach was also evident — at the very least, his word was now law in the capital. The edict was drafted that very day and sent posthaste to Fujian.

About a month later, Li Fengxiang and his party arrived at Anhai Town in Jinjiang, Fujian.

Along the way, Li Fengxiang learned that the Zheng clan's power along the Fujian coast was far greater and broader than he had ever imagined. After arriving at Anhai Town, this conviction only grew stronger.

Every local official along the route — civil or military — trembled at the mere mention of the Zheng clan. No matter how Li Fengxiang pressed them, they refused to say a single word more.

Gazing at Anhai Town before them, Li Fengxiang and Wang Xiantong exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and wariness in the other's eyes.

Though this was still Ming territory, everyone coming and going was either a member of the Zheng clan or a merchant from various foreign nations. At least a dozen Zheng transport ships were moored at the docks, and beyond them, merchant vessels from countless countries stretched to the horizon, coming and going without end.

A waterway extended from the sea all the way to the Zheng mansion at the innermost part of Anhai Town. As for the local government offices, they were long since nothing more than decorative ornaments.

Along the way, Li Fengxiang and his party also learned that ever since Zheng Zhilong had begun establishing his residence in Anhai in the third year of Chongzhen, the other residents had gradually moved away. After more than ten years of careful management, this small town had grown to a scale rivaling any major prefectural city in the north.

Not only that, Zheng Zhilong had built a customs house at Anhai Town's docks, expanded an outer city and barbican beyond the town walls, and flown two banners from the battlements — one being the new Great Ming national flag established this year, and the other the Zheng clan's command banner.

On the city walls, where Ming soldiers ought to have been patrolling, there were now only Zheng clan troops in blue armor.

Arriving at the Zheng mansion, not far north of Anping Bridge, Li Fengxiang and Wang Xiantong were shocked once again. The mansion's luxury and scale were in no way inferior to the residences of princes and nobles in the capital — indeed, they surpassed them.

The Zheng mansion stretched from Xidai in the west to Xigang, passing through the customs waterway to reach Bei'an Tou in the north, and bordered Anping Bridge in the south, connecting directly to the Wugang port. At a rough glance, its grounds covered no less than a hundred mu.

Walking deeper inside, Li Fengxiang observed that the mansion's main structure was a hip-gable-roofed, five-bay, thirteen-purlin hall, with three connecting gates, twin fire-alley corridors, and five courtyards in succession. Flanking wings, towers, and pavilions stood facing each other in a ring of screens, all enclosed by walls. Within were scattered hills and valleys, terraces, studies, ponds, small bridges, winding paths, fine trees, and exotic flowers and plants — everything one could imagine.

Members of the Zheng clan bustled to and fro, the place alive with activity.

At that moment, Zheng Zhilong was discussing family matters with Zheng Hongkui, Gu Daxuan, and others in the Xiaosi Hall of the central building, when suddenly word came that an imperial envoy had arrived. After brief deliberation, Zheng Zhilong decided to secretly lay an ambush while feigning readiness to receive the edict.

"The imperial edict has arrived — Zheng Zhilong, Commissioner-in-Chief of Fujian Coastal Defense, receive the edict!" Before long, just as Zheng Zhilong and his men finished their preparations, a eunuch in a robe embroidered with mixed python patterns, accompanied by a troop of riders in fine clothes on splendid horses, arrived at Xiaosi Hall.

Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Zhilong exchanged a glance — from the clothing and attire alone, they could tell the eunuch delivering the edict was of no small rank. The two traded another look before stepping forward and shouting:

"Your servant Zheng Zhilong receives the edict!"

Li Fengxiang cleared his throat and spoke in a shrill voice:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

Zheng Zhilong, Commissioner-in-Chief of Fujian Coastal Defense — since submitting to the court, you have been victorious in every battle, repeatedly rendering great service and pacifying the coast. For the sake of all the realm's soldiers, I have decided that from this day forward you shall be promoted to Governor-General of Fujian Coastal Defense, additionally invested as Left Commissioner-in-Chief of the Five Military Commissions, with overall command of Fujian's coastal defense against Japanese pirates and foreign barbarians.

Furthermore, of late the Portuguese of Macau have broken their agreements and betrayed their oaths, privately seizing the realm's lands and building fortresses without authorization, causing great suffering to the people. I am well aware of this harm, and I am deeply troubled and angered. I hereby charge you with full authority to handle this matter. Should you succeed, I shall not be stingy with rewards! Thus decreed."

"Your servant Zheng Zhilong receives the edict and thanks His Majesty, long may he live ten thousand years!" Zheng Zhilong and all the Zheng family members knelt prostrate on the ground, shouting long life to the emperor.

After the edict was delivered, seeing that Li Fengxiang seemed to have more to say, Zheng Zhilong waved his hand to dismiss Shi Daxuan and the others, keeping Li Fengxiang alone.

"Eunuch Li, is there anything else you wish to convey?"

Hearing this, Li Fengxiang nodded, drew Zheng Zhilong aside, and said: "This humble one has not come to collect tribute money this time — I truly have important matters to discuss. Has Governor-General Zheng heard of the agreement between the court and the Portuguese from years ago?"

"I have heard something of this matter, though it happened many years ago. What, have these hairy barbarians stirred up trouble again recently?" Zheng Zhilong nodded and spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

"Heh heh, Governor-General Zheng has guessed correctly." Li Fengxiang let out a cold laugh, disdain written across his face, and continued: "His Majesty has established three bureaus and wishes to equip the new army with matchlock muskets and cannons, purchasing the methods of firearm manufacture from the Portuguese. But who would have thought — these people, just as last time, are demanding even more."

"......"

"Bang!" Having heard Li Fengxiang's account, Zheng Zhilong flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table. "This is sheer nonsense! Where do they think that leaves His Majesty!"

Then, Zheng Zhilong turned solemn and said: "Eunuch, rest assured. Since I have accepted the court's enfeoffment and rewards, dealing with such vermin and sharing His Majesty's burdens is my bounden duty!"

Seeing that Zheng Zhilong did not appear to be putting on an act, Li Fengxiang said:

"If His Majesty knew that Governor-General Zheng spoke thus, he would surely be relieved."