Chapter 211: His Majesty Is Merciful

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened! With this man serving as Commissioner-in-Chief of the Tianjin Coastal Defense, he will surely drill for our Great Ming a naval force no less capable than the Zheng family's fleet." Cao Huachun had not expected the Chongzhen Emperor's attitude to be so completely opposite from before, and he cried out joyfully.

"What I want is not a navy that is merely no less capable than the Zheng family's fleet, but rather... never mind, it would be useless to tell you anyway." The Chongzhen Emperor waved his hand, and looking at Cao Huachun's utterly bewildered expression, he suddenly swallowed back the words he had been about to say.

"Your servant takes his leave, and will go at once to tell this good news to Commissioner Zhang!" Cao Huachun did not notice the look of difficulty on the Chongzhen Emperor's face; on the contrary, the joy on his face was plain for all to see — today was truly a good day.

He had not walked more than a few steps when the next words from the Chongzhen Emperor made his hairs suddenly stand on end.

"Oh, and one more thing — I have heard that you were once on very close terms with those Donglin partisans, and this Zhang Mingzhen as well has no small friendship with the Donglin Faction. At a time like this, whether it is you or Zhang Mingzhen, you must both cut off every lingering tie with the Donglin Faction as soon as possible.

If not — the Tianjin Coastal Defense Commissioner I can replace, and as for you, this Commissioner-in-Chief of the Western Depot, if I wished to replace you, it would be a matter of a single word!"

Cao Huachun had only taken a few steps when he heard this cold speech from the Emperor. Without time to lament how the Son of Heaven's moods were so unpredictable, he hurriedly knelt on the ground and said while kowtowing:

"Your servant deserves death, your servant deserves death! Your servant will go back and see to it at once!"

"Enough, get up. Haven't I not yet dismissed you? Get the matter done properly for me, and go." The Chongzhen Emperor did not even raise his head, merely saying this blandly as he continued flipping through memorials.

Cao Huachun's heart was shaken with fright, and he thought only of hurrying back to the Western Depot offices to have word sent to Zhang Mingzhen.

In the afternoon of that same day, while the Chongzhen Emperor was still reviewing memorials in the warm pavilion and Cao Huachun had returned to the Western Depot to deal with those troublesome matters concerning the Donglin Faction involving himself and his subordinates, Li Fengxiang had packed his things and, leading several mounted riders, arrived at a residence beside a small street temple.

Looking at the somewhat aged courtyard gate before him, Li Fengxiang craned his neck to peer inside, and asked with deep suspicion: "This is really the place? You're not deceiving me?"

"To answer Your Excellency, this humble one still has to rely on this job to eat in the future, and one word from Your Excellency could strip me from head to toe — how would I dare deceive Your Excellency? Chiliarch Gao truly does live here." The Squad Leader who had been questioned said hurriedly.

Having said this, seeing Li Fengxiang's somewhat displeased expression, he quickly corrected himself: "This humble one spoke too freely — it's Gao Wencai, not Chiliarch Gao."

Only then did Li Fengxiang give a satisfied "Mm," and waved his hand, saying: "Knock on the door."

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Coming, who is it?" A woman's somewhat impatient voice came from within the door, and when the courtyard gate was opened, sure enough there stood a woman dressed in a coarse hemp skirt with a boy and a girl at her side.

"This..." The woman had not seen much of the world outside her door, but after all, her husband had once been a Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and she could still recognize the clothing of the people before her.

The one who had knocked was a Squad Leader, those behind him in square caps and leather boots were all ordinary agents, and the one in the middle who carried himself with an air of authority was clearly a eunuch from the palace — and judging by the qilin pattern embroidered on his robes, this eunuch's rank was evidently not low.

Understanding all of this, the woman quickly changed her expression, and with some deference invited Li Fengxiang and his party inside, saying with some worry: "Please sit, Your Excellency. This... coarse tea and plain fare, I fear Your Excellency may not be accustomed to it."

The woman nimbly led Li Fengxiang and his party to the stone table and stone stools in the courtyard, then went back into the house and brought out a cup of tea full of sediment, placing it on the table, and said while wiping her hands on her skirt:

"Hasn't the child's father already been dismissed from office by the court? What great matter has happened this time, that it should trouble Your Excellency to make a personal trip?"

This woman spoke pleasantly, and the two children, seeing strangers in their home — whether from fear or what have you — were also very well-behaved, tightly clutching the woman's skirt without saying a word, only gazing at Li Fengxiang and the Squad Leader's party with timid eyes.

Coming into this environment also made Li Fengxiang feel considerably more relaxed and at ease, and his brow gradually smoothed out.

Hearing the woman's question, Li Fengxiang did not rush to answer. Out of habit he picked up the teacup and was about to drink, when he looked down and saw the sediment dancing merrily in the cup. He swallowed his saliva and set the cup back down without changing expression, asking:

"Well then, when will Gao Wencai be back?"

"The child's father went to the market to buy vegetables earlier. Judging by the sky, he should be back soon." The woman stood before Li Fengxiang with her body half-bent, answering very nervously.

"Now that Gao Wencai has lost his post at the Northern Bastille, how does your household make a living these days?"

Looking at the state of this house, Li Fengxiang was somewhat puzzled. Even those guard station Chiliarchs without real authority could live better than this. Gao Wencai had after all once been a bona fide Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard with real power — even if he had been dismissed for half a year, he should not have fallen to such a state.

The woman's face showed some reluctance, and after hesitating for a moment she said: "Alas, Your Excellency knows that although it is peaceful here at the feet of the Son of Heaven, when people from elsewhere suffer and the authorities cannot manage them, naturally they all flee to the capital.

In recent years the refugees in the capital have grown more and more numerous. The child's father has a warm heart and is always willing to give alms to people, and on top of that the court has no money — the Embroidered Uniform Guard's salaries from previous years have all been in arrears — so that is why..."

"Oh, what a coincidence." Li Fengxiang nodded thoughtfully.

Last year the Chongzhen Emperor had begun issuing back pay — salaries and wages owed over the years to soldiers, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, runners, and various laborers — and just when the payments reached the Northern Bastille, Gao Wencai was implicated in the Kunning Palace case and dismissed from office.

That affair had caused quite a stir at the time, and the Chongzhen Emperor had flown into a thunderous rage over it. Besides the inner palace being swept through by the Inner Depot and the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, which culled several hundred eunuchs and palace maids, countless officials great and small had also been implicated in the affair.

Those people had all lost their lives and property, and in a few particularly severe cases even their entire clans had been executed. By comparison, Gao Wencai, the chief culprit, had been dealt with far too leniently — his luck had been too good.

But as a result, the back pay that should have been issued to him could not be distributed — no one dared to issue it, and no one would wade into that muddy water. The sum was neither large nor small, and since it could not be paid out, it was bound to be carved up by others who took advantage of the opportunity.

Just as his words died away, a man came leaping in from outside with the vigor of a dragon and the spring of a tiger, holding in his hand a large hen that was still flapping about, and shouting: "Xiu'e, you should have seen the scene just now! The people from the Shuntian Prefecture were beheading people at Caishikou again, and the onlookers had blocked off half the street — even over at the West Fourth Archway people heard the commotion and came running to watch the excitement!

This newly appointed Prefect, Magistrate Lu, really dares to get things done. These past few days I don't know how many scholars he's had killed — let me count, if not thirty then fifty by now, wouldn't you say? Don't you think Magistrate Lu is afraid they'll take revenge on him?"

"Hmph, revenge — that's only if those rebels dare!" Gao Wencai had been too busy lowering his head and pulling off his boots after entering to notice anything unusual before him. Hearing him chattering on with such gusto, Li Fengxiang gave a cold snort and said:

"Chiliarch Gao, although you no longer serve at the Northern Bastille, you still keep matters of state close to your heart — I do admire that greatly!"

"Gao... Eunuch Gao!?" Hearing the familiar voice, Gao Wencai hurriedly looked up, and was startled out of his wits on the spot. He bowed and said: "This humble one did not know Eunuch Gao was gracing my humble home with his presence. I have been most rash — I beg Your Excellency to punish me!"

"I would not dare claim to be 'gracing' anything, and you should not say such words from now on." Li Fengxiang seemed to be in a somewhat better mood, but still spoke with sarcastic mockery: "You are no longer a man of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even if I wanted to punish you, without evidence I cannot just punish an ordinary commoner, can I?

Otherwise, if the Directors of the Three Depots got wind of it, wouldn't they skin me alive? Even your Embroidered Uniform Guard's Director Li would not let me off."

As he spoke, Li Fengxiang was observing Gao Wencai's expression.

Sure enough, upon hearing Li Fengxiang's words, Gao Wencai immediately became crestfallen, and said with self-reproach: "Please, Your Excellency, say no more. Speaking of this matter, it was still this humble one's own rashness — I sent that enchantress into the palace without first finding out her true background, and I even nearly implicated Your Excellency. It was all my own doing, and I have only myself to blame."

Seeing Gao Wencai's sincere attitude and face full of self-reproach, Li Fengxiang let out a few shrill laughs, and suddenly said: "What you say is correct — that matter was indeed your own doing and your own fault, but the affair was not so simple.

It has been a long time now. His Majesty does not wish to bring it up, so just keep those words buried in your belly and pretend it never happened."

"As for the purpose of my visit this time, it is also very simple." With that, Li Fengxiang first teased them with suspense, and only after Gao Wencai and the woman called Xiu'e had grown tense did he speak with a smile:

"His Majesty is wise and enlightened, and feels that you are still a man of use. He wanted me to come in person and ask — are you still willing to serve the dynasty, to serve His Majesty?"

"I am willing, I am willing! This humble one is willing a hundred times over! I beg Your Excellency to make it so!" Gao Wencai was overjoyed beyond measure and cried out hastily.