Chapter 29: Unwholesome Trends in the Scholar Circles

When the Eastern Depot squad leader heard these words, he was amused. These days he had heard no shortage of high-sounding speeches from the Donglin scholars' mouths, but in the end, few could truly follow through on what they said—and weren't they all just begging for mercy miserably in their cells?

"Since that's the case, don't blame us for disregarding the rites of Confucius and Mencius—move!"

Seeing the crowd growing larger around him, the squad leader thought to himself that he could not afford further delay. After shouting that command, he was the first to draw his blade, and the rest of the depot runners looked ready to follow suit—by the look of it, this was turning serious.

Just then, a commotion arose from the crowd nearby. A squad of patrol soldiers clad in red leather armor arrived, led by a Patrol Censor.

"The Troops and Horses Office is conducting business—drawing blades in the city, do you people not want to live?!"

"The Five Wards Troops and Horses Office is conducting business—all idle persons, clear the way at once!"

Behind the Patrol Censor followed a squad of patrol soldiers from the Five Wards Troops and Horses Office, surrounding the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel on all sides. As if by prior arrangement, the government students knelt in droves, crying out in unison:

"It seems there are still clear-headed men in this realm who would set aside themselves for the public good! Censor Liu fears neither depot nor guard—we juniors should emulate him!"

"The will of the people is with us, the will of the people is with us! Today we shall act for Heaven, plead for the people, remonstrate unto death before the sovereign, and do that which is loyal to the throne and righteous for the state!"

"Well said! You eunuch lackeys of the Eastern Depot, release them at once—are you plotting rebellion?!"

With the government students and the Patrol Censor closing in from all sides, the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard were surrounded within and without. What had begun as a small matter had swelled ever larger. The Eastern Depot squad leader and the Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurion retreated several steps in succession, never having imagined such a turn of events.

The squad leader's expression shifted uncertainly. Only after a long while did he squeeze out a smile uglier than tears. He stepped forward, hoping to draw the Patrol Censor aside for a private word—with so many watching, one still had to show face to the Five Wards Troops and Horses Office—but to his surprise, Censor Liu shoved him away without the slightest hesitation.

Censor Liu, spittle flying, launched into his righteous declaration:

"How dare you! Take your filthy hands off me! As Patrol Censor, this officer naturally must uphold justice for the people. You lackeys draw blades in the open street with not a shred of law or righteousness in your eyes—surrender yourselves at once!"

The government students shouted their approval: "Surrender at once!"

"Good, well done!"

The Eastern Depot squad leader's face changed abruptly—his men had become rats crossing the street, hounded by all. He glared at the Patrol Censor and the students through gritted teeth. After a long moment, his face turning venomous, he said:

"Censor Liu, and you students as well—obstructing depot and guard in their duties. I do hope you can still talk this tough when you're in our Eastern Depot cells. We're leaving!"

The turn of events surprised everyone. Patrol soldiers and scholars had joined forces, squeezing back the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel who had come to seize the household—truly a strange tale indeed.

Clearly, however, this was not over. The government students, seizing the moment, gathered together and surged as a human tide toward the direction of Chengtian Gate.

In a private room on the second floor of a distant wine house, Minister of Works Xue Fengxiang watched the crowd depart and clicked his tongue in admiration:

"What a man, Gong Dingzi—he's put on quite a show for us today!"

Clearly Gong Dingzi had arranged all of this long in advance. He knew the depot and guard would come to seize the household, seized upon the leverage that the Chongzhen Emperor dared not appear in person, used the banner of righteousness to drive off the depot and guard, and then followed up by pressing straight toward the palace.

Yet from beginning to end, this Gong Dingzi never once showed his face.

"Master, the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard were acting on imperial orders. For them to defy this way, could it..." Hearing his steward's worried words, Xue Fengxiang gave a cold snort:

"Why bother yourself with all that? This matter has nothing to do with us—just look after your own affairs!"

"That said, this Minister truly would like to see whether His Majesty will be frightened by such a scene. And if he shuts down the Eastern Depot again in one go, so much the better."

"What a Gong Dingzi—these little tricks of his are watertight indeed. Admirable, admirable."

Inside Kunning Palace, the Chongzhen Emperor flew into a rage upon hearing Li Ruolian's report:

"Incompetent fools! You can't even manage a trifle like this—what use do I have for you?!"

Once his anger had run its course, the Chongzhen Emperor had to consider a solution. The Xiaoling Guard was in Nanjing; even traveling light, the fastest they could arrive was ten days to half a month. But given the current situation in the capital, he could not afford to wait those ten days to half a month.

If he waited any longer, these Donglin partisans might even gather a host of government students to press the palace. These monkeys wrapped themselves in the banner of righteousness while their covert dealings were more treacherous than anyone's—even the Eastern Depot's spies could not match them!

"I refuse to believe it—is this Gong Dingzi, a mere Vice Minister, harder to seize than the Imperial Uncle's household? Li Ruolian, send men to seize it again! Have the Directorate of Ceremonial draft an edict—dismiss that Patrol Censor at once, and throw every troublemaking government student into the Eastern Depot cells. Not one gets off. Apply torture directly—for every one that dies, that's one less problem!"

The Emperor's wrath had everyone in the palace afraid to breathe aloud. Yet at that very moment, Li Chun came rushing in from outside, knelt on the ground, and cried:

"Terrible news, Your Majesty—the government students are kneeling outside Chengtian Gate demanding an audience, and they said..."

"Said what?" The Chongzhen Emperor frowned. "What did they say? I want to hear every word of it—speak!"

Li Chun knelt on the ground, trembling with fear: "They said that if Your Majesty does not allow them into the palace, then Your Majesty is a benighted sovereign whom all the people curse!"

"Fine, just fine!" The Chongzhen Emperor laughed in fury:

"Since they so wish to see me, I shall see them. Some matters—if I do not issue the decree myself, they will keep making trouble forever. Prepare my carriage!"

Outside Chengtian Gate, Dong Qi and his officers and men of the Capital Camps were faithfully holding back the government students and scholars. To their dismay, more and more literati kept gathering, shoving and jostling in an attempt to force their way through.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Suddenly, the sound of a drum drew everyone's attention. A student from Zhilu Academy and an Imperial Academy student had together struck the Petition Drum.

Around the Petition Drum, government students and scholars crowded thick, every one of them wanting to go up and strike it a few times.

"Come, come—Brother Zhao, step down, let me go up and give it a few strikes!"

"My turn, my turn!"

When the Ming dynasty first established the Petition Drum, its purpose was to encourage commoners with "great grievances or matters of grave secrecy" to strike the drum and face the Emperor directly. Dedicated censors were posted on duty—so long as the drum was struck, the matter would be immediately accepted and reported to the Emperor.

This was the so-called "strike and it shall be memorialized." Once the Emperor issued a ruling on the matter, Embroidered Uniform Guard officers would take the imperial warrant and escort the parties to prison for processing. Anyone who dared delay or obstruct, as stated above—one word: "crime"!

The Petition Drum was first established by Ming Taizu, Zhu Yuanzhang, in Nanjing. As an emperor of common birth, Zhu Yuanzhang instituted this system for two reasons. First, it was a return to the traditions of the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties—as he said in the thirtieth year of Hongwu: "I govern by emulating antiquity, clarifying rites to guide the people, and establishing laws to restrain the unruly"—to restore the lax and negligent legal discipline of the Mongol Yuan.

Second, Zhu Yuanzhang did not trust the bureaucratic system dominated by the scholar-official class. It was a precautionary measure he left for succeeding emperors—the Petition Drum was a special channel outside the normal judicial administration, allowing the people's sentiments to reach the throne, thereby forming a check and deterrent upon the bureaucratic clique.

By now, however, the Petition Drum was not merely a dead letter—it had become one of the Donglin Faction's means of threatening the Emperor. These scholars, relying on their numbers, struck the Petition Drum as if playing at house, without a shred of fear.

As everyone knew, the Chongzhen Emperor was sensitive about his reputation. If one person struck the Petition Drum, he might well punish them. But if a crowd went to strike it, not only would they escape punishment, they might even receive commendation.

Think about it—here was a man who had struck the Petition Drum to slap the Emperor's face and been rewarded by the court for it. What incomparable glory that was!