Chapter 66: Twin Sabers Drawn (Celebrating Hall Master Chengxin Jingye Youfu!)

"Your Majesty's grace is something I shall never forget in this life. I ought to devote my every breath to the Great Ming and to Your Majesty—to bend every effort, and die only after my last ounce of strength is spent!"

"Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

Watching Grand Secretary Feng Quan before him continually pledging his loyalty, the Chongzhen Emperor smiled faintly, helped him to his feet, and said:

"Old Feng, you've only just returned to the capital, and I'm directly handing you a task—that's hardly proper..."

Hearing this, Feng Quan hastily knelt down again and cried out:

"Your Majesty need only give the order—your minister will naturally carry it out!"

"Good!" The Chongzhen Emperor laughed heartily, looking very pleased, patting Feng Quan's shoulder repeatedly while pointing toward the direction he had come from outside, a hint of mockery appearing on his face as he said:

"These literati and scholars no longer dare to strike the petition drum, yet they still surround the Forbidden City and refuse to leave. It vexes me. My minister Feng, would you first go resolve this for me?"

On the way here, Feng Quan had indeed seen the scholars gathering outside the Chengtian Gate. Many people, upon seeing him, had even cursed him as a member of the eunuch faction and a wrecker of the state. Now that the Chongzhen Emperor said this, Feng Quan understood—he was being tested to see whether he could truly handle affairs for the imperial house.

At this point, with Feng Quan returning to the Grand Secretariat, there was no second path but to serve the Emperor with utter devotion. Many people called him a member of the eunuch faction—ha, in truth, Feng Quan himself did not see it that way.

Feng Quan had always believed he was not of the eunuch faction but of the imperial faction. Working for the Emperor was the true way of working for the Great Ming. As for those so-called pure-stream critics, it was time to settle both old and new accounts.

Thinking this, he did not hesitate in the slightest, and shouted aloud:

"Rest assured, Your Majesty—your minister knows how to handle this."

"Wang Cheng'en, take the men of the inner depot to assist."

After Feng Quan and Wang Cheng'en departed, the Chongzhen Emperor turned to look at Fang Zhenghua, who stood respectfully at attention to one side, and said with a cold snort:

"I had intended to wait until Feng and Wang entered the capital, then observe the results. Now it seems I overestimated these Donglin partisans."

Having said this, the Chongzhen Emperor turned solemn and declared:

"The Directorate of Ceremonial shall draft an edict: it has been established with conclusive evidence that Consort Kang Li conspired with Minister of Personnel Zheng Sanjun to poison the Son of Heaven. The two of them committed this deed that outrages both gods and men—it should be proclaimed to all under heaven, so that all may hear of it."

"Hereby ordered: strip Consort Kang of her title; she shall be publicly executed at the West Vegetable Market, supervised by Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode; the nine clans of the Li family shall be implicated and executed on the spot. Strip Zheng Sanjun of all rank and salary; his wife, concubines, and daughters shall be sent to the Music Bureau; his ten clans shall be exterminated."

"Further ordered: the Eastern Depot, the Inner Depot, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review shall jointly confiscate their households; all assets shall be turned over to the state treasury, and proclamations shall be widely posted so the common people may know."

Fang Zhenghua and Li Ruolian both shuddered, then bowed in unison and said:

"This servant (your minister) obeys the decree!"

Outside the Chengtian Gate, several dozen shouting Donglin scholars had already gathered in force. It seemed that last time the Emperor had only dealt with the Zhilu Academy, and had not yet frightened them into submission—these people still firmly believed that the law could not punish the many.

"I say, you lot had best leave quickly. If you provoke His Majesty, it'll be too late to run."

The Capital Camp Company Commander guarding the gate had been personally selected by Zhang Shize. Looking at these scholars carrying on like performing monkeys, he felt a pang of pity and offered them a well-meaning warning.

But these scholars took good intentions for ill, and some even hurled the books in their hands at the faces of the camp soldiers, their abuse flowing without end—as if every one of them were a pure-stream critic speaking for justice.

The camp soldiers did not move a muscle, but one could tell from their gradually tightening expressions that they too had grown fed up with these scholars' senseless antics. Quite a few were on the very edge of fury, seemingly only waiting for a single command.

Before long, the Chengtian Gate opened, and an official in a small-patterned blue robe strode out in large steps, followed by a group of Eastern Depot agents wearing pointed caps, white tiger boots, and twin sabers at their waists.

Seeing these men, the abuse and murmuring instantly fell silent. After Feng Quan came out, he looked at the chaos outside the Chengtian Gate—like a vegetable market—and said in a stern voice:

"How dare you! Do you have any regard left for the Son of Heaven, for His Majesty on the throne? This is the Chengtian Gate, not your childish little academy!"

"The Hongwu Emperor established the rule that government students may not discuss state affairs! Have you forgotten? You have received deep grace from your family and country—is this how you repay it?"

After Feng Quan finished speaking, the scholars naturally refused to accept it. Immediately several stepped forward to rebuke him angrily, and some even spat a thick glob of phlegm on the spot. The scene looked less like scholars worrying for their country and more like a pack of shrews brawling in a market.

"Eunuch faction! We have gathered here precisely to remonstrate unto death!"

"Eunuch faction! Don't listen to this man's nonsense!"

"We knew that this dog of a benighted sovereign would never trust us, so we long ago prepared ourselves for death. For the sovereign, for the country, for the altars of state and the common people—what fear is there in death?"

"Right, well said! For the sovereign and the country, what fear is there in death!"

"Good!" Wang Cheng'en gave a shrill laugh at these words, clapped his hands a few times, and stepped forward to say:

"I do admire you literati and scholars who worry for sovereign and country. All these years of study—truly not wasted!"

"But since you've said as much, if I don't grant you your reputation for loyalty and righteousness, then this powerful eunuch would be failing to observe the decencies of human feeling."

Having said this, Wang Cheng'en's expression suddenly changed, and he waved his hand viciously:

"Every one of them here—cut them all down! Don't let a single one escape!"

"Yes!"

The Eastern Depot agents had long been sharpening their blades with eager anticipation. Hearing Wang Cheng'en's order, they immediately drew their twin sabers and surged forward like tigers descending upon a flock of sheep, charging into the midst of the scholars.

One agent's twin sabers left their sheaths, bloodlight flashing—without a trace of mercy, one stroke sent the scholar before him's head tumbling to the ground. Following up, he kicked out, then delivered another slash across the back of the scholar in front.

"Puh..."

"Ah, don't kill me, don't kill me—"

"Th-th-this... you, you lot, don't come near!"

Many scholars found blood from their own companions splattered across their faces and bodies. They had not expected that with so many of them—not just the single voice of that Zhilu Academy last time—nearly every prominent Donglin scholar in the capital had been mobilized.

They had assumed that even if the Eastern Depot were lawless beyond all bounds, they would not dare arrest all of them. How could the Emperor bear such an infamy that would echo through ten thousand generations?

But they had not expected Feng Quan to arrive so quickly, and so eagerly, taking that infamy upon the Emperor's behalf without a moment's hesitation. This not only surprised the Donglin Faction—even Chongzhen himself had not anticipated it. It was a pleasant surprise.

The Eastern Depot was also unprecedentedly hardline this time. Last time they had merely arrested everyone for public execution; this time, the depot agents directly drew their twin sabers and carried out a slaughter outside the Chengtian Gate.

Throughout the entire process, the Capital Camps standing guard nearby tacitly turned a blind eye. In fact, quite a few soldiers felt the killing was thoroughly satisfying, and regretted only that they could not join in themselves.

Now Feng Quan and Wang Cheng'en had come out together, and the Emperor had only said to let Feng Quan "resolve" the matter, with Wang Cheng'en merely coming to "assist." There were many ways to resolve it—Chongzhen had given no particularly explicit order to arrest all the scholars in the city, let alone to kill them on the spot.

But the Eastern Depot still acted without the slightest hesitation. Needless to say, the infamy of arresting these scholars had nothing to do with the Emperor. Though many understood this, the blame in fact fell squarely upon the shoulders of Feng and Wang.

Watching the slaughter before him, Feng Quan drew in a cold breath and turned to look at Wang Cheng'en—only to find the man's expression perfectly composed, even wearing a smile.

Seeming to notice Feng Quan's unease, Wang Cheng'en said:

"Grand Secretary Feng, some things—once you've done them, there's no need to keep worrying."

"That Wei Zaode has been reviled by the scholars as a colossal traitor through the ages, yet the Emperor hasn't touched a hair on his head—instead he's had our depot men protect him well. What do you have to fear?"

Having said this, Wang Cheng'en glanced back toward the palace and continued:

"We only need to think about doing our duty well for His Majesty. As for right and wrong, merit and blame—leave that to later generations to judge."