Chapter 6: The Directorate of the Imperial Horses and the Embroidered Uniform Guard

Li Ruolian also knew that he had said a bit too much today, and some matters were simply not something that he, a mere hall officer of the Southern Provincial Military Commission, should be meddling in. He immediately knelt on the ground and began to beg forgiveness.

Leaving aside what the head-lowered Li Ruolian was thinking, the Chongzhen Emperor himself had no intention of letting this topic drop. He turned and asked:

"Fang Zhenghua, every word Li Ruolian said makes sense. If you have any thoughts, speak them to me — I pardon you of any crime!"

The Emperor was not himself today. Topics that were usually kept close to the chest were being discussed so openly. Fang Zhenghua saw that there was no way to dodge it, and could only steel himself and step forward:

"In answer to Your Majesty, this servant and Magistrate Li have arrived at the same thought..."

"Though the Great Ming is vast, it cannot collect its taxes. The entire realm's annual tax revenue is only three million taels of silver — but that is not even enough to cover the single item of expenditures for the Liaodong matter."

Hearing this, the Chongzhen Emperor grew interested. He set down his chess piece and said seriously:

"Tell me in detail."

"In answer to Your Majesty, in the Wanli reign the Liaodong levy was at most three million taels. In the Tianqi years it rose to five million. By now it has reached over ten million taels, and it increases every year. This is a bottomless pit."

"Magistrate Li is right. Imperial relatives and nobles, and even those Donglin literati who hold official titles, need not pay taxes — let alone those wealthy merchants and magnates. They have all manner of methods for evading taxes. In the end, the ones who cannot escape and are hounded for payment are still the poor common folk."

Fang Zhenghua kept his wits about him. Though he had said a great deal, he said half and held back half — the main thrust was still what Li Ruolian had said earlier. Along the way he probed sideways at the Emperor's intentions toward the Donglin Faction, leaving the rest for the Emperor to ponder himself.

Hearing this, the Chongzhen Emperor felt deep resonance, but he was the Emperor now and could not say everything to those below him. He turned and tossed a military dispatch in front of them, letting out a cold snort.

"Take a look, all of you!"

Li Ruolian and Fang Zhenghua exchanged a glance, carefully picked up the dispatch, and the moment they glanced at it, their eyes froze on it, unable to move. Both of their mouths fell open.

What was written on this dispatch was the military report from the northwest from a few days earlier.

On the second day of the second month, the Dashun Army built three thousand boats at Shawokou, crossed the Yellow River, and took Fenzhou, Yangcheng, and Puzhou in succession. The next day, the prefectural seat of Huaiqing fell, and Prince Lujiang was killed.

On the fifth day of the second month, the Dashun Army advanced and took Taiyuan. Regional Commander Niu Yong, Assistant Regional Commander Wang Yongkui, and others led five thousand troops in a desperate battle and died.

On the eighth day of the second month, Mobile Corps Commander Zhang Xiong opened the city gates and surrendered. Shanxi Governor Cai Maode hanged himself and died. Shanxi Regional Commander Zhou Yuji reported that he had arranged a defensive line along the Daizhou route, but the Dashing King's forces were numerous, and Shanxi's lone troops could certainly not hold out against them — he could only request reinforcements from the court.

"Outrageous, utterly outrageous!"

After reading it, Fang Zhenghua's face was both shocked and angry. He rebuked:

"This Li Zicheng was originally nothing but a courier at a postal station, a poor and petty ruffian. Who would have thought he would cast covetous eyes on the Great Ming's rivers and mountains — he doesn't even look at his own measure!"

Li Ruolian also gave a cold snort and said with no small agreement:

"What Eunuch Fang says is true. The Qing barbarians beyond the passes are the true threat to the heart. This Li Zicheng, instead of thinking of repaying the state by going beyond the passes to kill the barbarians, has thrown the Central Plains into utter chaos. Is he not afraid of becoming a sinner condemned through the ages?"

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the window. He let out a worried sigh.

Ever since coming to the Great Ming, he had been on tenterhooks every single day. All the news he received was of the Dashun Army raising a million troops to march north. Everywhere, forces surrendered at the sight of them — a scene of banners toppled and flags changing hands.

To be honest, if it weren't for the date when Li Zicheng would force him to hang himself on Coal Hill drawing steadily nearer, the current Chongzhen Emperor would not have slipped so quickly into the role of a doomed sovereign. Circumstances compel a man, after all.

Thinking of this, the Chongzhen Emperor took a deep breath and said solemnly:

"Fang Zhenghua, Li Ruolian — hear the edict."

This sudden turn of events stunned the two men. Only after a long moment did they snap back to their senses, hurriedly kneeling one after the other on the ground, saying in great trepidation:

"This servant (your subject) hears the edict!"

"Brush-holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Fang Zhenghua — I have deep trust in you. You supervised the army at Baoding and rendered great merit. From this day, you are appointed seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, in charge of the Privy Directorate. Embroidered Uniform Guard hall officer Li Ruolian — diligent and capable, having worked earnestly for many years, and at the request of the capital's common folk, you are appointed to the rank of third-grade Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with salary and full charge of Guard affairs. Assume your post immediately."

Both Fang Zhenghua and Li Ruolian had been anxious before coming, because no one knew what the Emperor wanted them in the palace for. How many people had gone in and never come out again, dying without rhyme or reason.

Upon hearing the Chongzhen Emperor's oral edict, Fang Zhenghua was beside himself with joy.

What was the Directorate of the Imperial Horses? Though it was not as close to the Emperor's side as the Directorate of Ceremonial, it was the only one of the twelve eunuch directorates in the inner palace tied to the Ministry of War. Across the dynasties, its power and influence had been on par with the Directorate of Ceremonial.

What did a eunuch seek in life? Nothing but to rise above the crowd, to no longer be called a castrate and looked down upon. Now that the Emperor trusted him so, how could he not repay it with devoted service?

"This servant kowtows in thanks for Your Majesty's heavenly grace! Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

Fang Zhenghua's shout of long life came straight from the heart. Since the Chongzhen Emperor trusted him so deeply, of course the longer he lived the better. But Li Ruolian's reaction was a bit strange.

That's right — the fellow stood there frozen, not making a sound, as if struck dumb.

"Magistrate Li, Magistrate Li! What are you standing there in a daze for?"

"Er... your subject, your subject kowtows in thanks for the imperial grace!"

Li Ruolian snapped back to his senses and hastily performed the grand ceremony of prostration.

Leaving the Warm Pavilion, Fang Zhenghua felt light as air the whole way. Amid his excitement, he was also somewhat puzzled. The Emperor had only just ascended the throne when he exterminated the eunuch faction and abolished the Eastern Depot.

But today, for what reason had he suddenly come to trust eunuchs like himself again?

Still, none of that mattered. Fang Zhenghua only knew that this common barnyard chicken of his was about to become a phoenix on the branch. That was the seal-holder of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses — an existence comparable to the Eastern Depot's director!

Such a meteoric rise was something one could dream of every day, but experiencing it firsthand was a first. Fang Zhenghua looked at Li Ruolian, who was walking ahead with his head down the whole way, and asked in puzzlement:

"Magistrate Li — oh no, this servant should now address you as Commander Li! Why are you still so glum after being promoted?"

Hearing Fang Zhenghua's smiling voice, Li Ruolian simply could not be happy. He still felt it was all rather abrupt.

Fang Zhenghua carried considerable prestige among the inner officials, but he himself was merely a nobody of a hall officer in the Southern Provincial Military Commission. Being suddenly promoted to such a high post as Guard Commander — first, it violated propriety; second, it would be hard to win over the masses. There were too many problems.

Standing at the crest of the wave — everyone knows the saying that the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. Moreover, though this city of Beijing was at the foot of the Son of Heaven, said to be stable and prosperous, it was in fact far more complicated than other places.

Within Beijing, every kind of powerful figure was as numerous as ox hairs. He had neither power nor influence, yet he was taking on such an offense-prone post. The days ahead would no longer be as relaxed and comfortable as when he had been a hall officer.

Thinking of this, Li Ruolian let out a sigh and replied in turn:

"Don't even mention it."

"Eunuch Fang, do you not know that this is fraught with hidden dangers? 'Meteoric rise' is easy to say — but if one's neck isn't stiff, how can one sit steady?"

Hearing this, Fang Zhenghua's face fell on the spot. He stopped in his tracks and glared:

"Li Ruolian! The Emperor has wasted his trust on you. I never thought you would be such a cowardly, timid man!"

"This servant will go right now and tell the Emperor that you, this timid man, are unwilling to bear great responsibility, unwilling to serve His Majesty!"

"Don't, don't! Eunuch Fang, stay your steps — this humble officer didn't mean it that way!" Li Ruolian panicked at once, hurried forward a few steps to grab Fang Zhenghua, slapped himself hard across the face, and said with a sheepish grin:

"Eunuch Fang's lesson is well taken. This humble officer's fault just now — with the Emperor's trust, this humble officer will certainly devote every effort to serve, and be loyal to the state."

Only then did Fang Zhenghua smile again, saying unhurriedly:

"That's right. Commander Li, do you truly think this servant isn't afraid? Sitting in this position, how could the Emperor not be on his guard? Once the Directorate of the Imperial Horses is up and running, the Eastern Depot will soon follow! In truth, I'm more afraid than you are!"

Suddenly, Fang Zhenghua let out another sigh, gazing toward the direction of the imperial palace, and said:

"But what good does fear do? I understand His Majesty. If he were to rebuild the Eastern Depot, it truly means he has reached a point of no other recourse. His Majesty is testing the sentiments of those at court — he has been pushed to the brink by Li the Dashing."

Li Ruolian and Fang Zhenghua — one the newly appointed seal-holder of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, the other the newly appointed Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard — walking together and speaking from the heart was something exceedingly rare in the three hundred years of the Great Ming.

Li Ruolian nodded and sighed:

"What Your Excellency the Director says is right. His Majesty has labored through many sleepless nights, and to reach this point, there is no other choice. As his ministers, all we can do is lend what help lies within our power!"

"That Li bandit has raised no small commotion in the northwest. Who knows whether Regional Commander Zhou can hold the line."