Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 213: Decision on the Disposition of Zhang Xianyong

The Ministry of War had always been the absolute largest portion of the Ming Dynasty's expenditures. Loosely speaking, the so-called southern grain going north was simply to provide the Ministry with funds to fill the never-ending hole in the nine border towns.

"Yes. I will send someone to Cui Butang today." Wang An replied.

"And the East Factory, how much money can be dug out with this shovel? He must at least give an estimate when we have a meeting on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Otherwise, tell him to spit out that bag of melon seeds and return it to me." When Zhu Changluo gave the order again, his ordinary sedan chair, which looked even a little simple in appearance, had passed through Dong'anmen without any hindrance.

"Yes. I'll go to Cui Wensheng's place later." Wang An replied as he put the waist badge he had taken out of his pocket back on his waist. The reason he didn't go immediately was because he still had to help the emperor change his clothes.

The sedan chair moved westward and stopped at the Donghua Gate. At this time, the guards on duty at the city gate tower had withdrawn and were stationed on both sides of the horse path leading up to the city.

The emperor, dressed in ordinary robes, bowed and stepped out of the sedan chair. Han Benyong, who had been waiting here for a long time, immediately came to greet him. He knelt and said, "Your servant greets the master, Your Majesty."

"What are you doing here?" Zhu Changluo hooked his finger, motioning him to get up.

Han Benyong climbed up from the ground and said, "I have come here to report to your Highness that Cui Wensheng has sent Chen Feng and Liang Yong, the two unworthy servants, back to the Imperial Stables."

"Did Shang Jingying leave the palace?" Zhu Changluo remembered that Shang Jingying had a house in Jinggongfang, Zhaohui.

"Divorced." Han Benyong replied.

"Why send it to the Imperial Stables? Send it to him. I said to give it to Shang Jingying, so give it to Shang Jingying, don't worry about it. Whether he wants to keep these two to serve him for the rest of his life or strangle them to death with a rope, the palace should not interfere." Zhu Changluo stretched lazily. It must be said that the skill of these temporary sedan bearers was very mediocre. Even such a short distance made him feel uncomfortable.

"Okay." Han Benyong came here just to ask for this imperial decree. Who knows, the Emperor might change his mind at the last minute.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Zhu Changluo had already fully grasped the art of dealing with these eunuchs. Unwarranted beatings and scolding were certainly unacceptable, but glaring and being polite were even more unacceptable. For Han Benyong, this kind of cordiality mixed with a hint of impatience was necessary to keep him happy.

"It has been a long time since I helped my master change his clothes. Today I would like to do you the honor." Han Ben said with a flattering smile.

"Well." Zhu Changluo looked at Wang An, shook his head and chuckled, "Someone wants to take your job."

"Han Yuma hasn't been at his master's side for a long time and is feeling lonely. He's not like a servant who has the opportunity to serve his master every day." Wang An joked, "Let him grab it for once."

"Let's go." Zhu Changluo walked up the Forbidden City wall along the horse path and entered the Donghua Gate Tower again.

As planned, the Donghua Gate Tower had prepared a set of the emperor's official attire, made of black material with green edging. The emperor's official attire was divided into two types: the "Hongwu Custom" and the "Yongle Custom." After the Jiajing reign, the Yongle Custom became standard, and his new attire was no exception. However, in reality, the two styles were not significantly different: both featured a round collar, narrow sleeves, and a golden dragon pattern woven on the front, back, and shoulders. The only differences between the two styles were the crown and the sash.

Of course, so-called custom-made robes were merely common practices, not rigid regulations. If the emperor had some free time, he could create his own robe design. The Jiajing Emperor, a vassal who succeeded the emperor as heir, was a skilled craftsman.

While Han Benyong was undressing the emperor, Wang An had already quickly changed into his own clothes.

"What do you think of this woman Zhang Shirui?" Zhu Changluo suddenly asked Wang Andao.

"Very good. Loyal to the emperor, filial, and decent looking." Wang An took the ordinary brocade robe from Han Benyong's hands and folded it and placed it on the chair. This secret suit was also tailored by the Zhengong Bureau. Like the emperor's other clothes, if it got dirty, it could be burned without washing. However, it would not be discarded until it became dirty or the emperor disliked it. "It's just a little old."

Because Zhu Changluo hadn't told Wang An the underlying reason for his visit to the Zhang family, Wang An wouldn't suddenly speculate on adolescent psychological issues. Furthermore, given the emperor's heroic deeds of "sleeping with eight women at night" and "defending Concubine Mi," Wang An naturally assumed the emperor had again set his sights on a woman of questionable origin. Therefore, when preparing what he called a "suitable return gift," he thoughtfully prepared a set of common female belongings. Had the emperor's intentions been more explicit, he would have asked Yin Zuoju to include jewelry.

"Looks quite young." Zhu Changluo couldn't guess what Wang An was thinking. He just felt that Wang An's evaluation was biased.

"You're almost twenty." Wang An's evaluation criteria were based on those for selecting concubines.

Since the Xuande era, most concubines were chosen from families of good character in the capital region. With the exception of very young women, those selected were typically between nine and fourteen years old. This selection was made for ease of upbringing and to ensure cleanliness. This was because, with the exception of the concubines of the previous emperor and his sons, all women in the palace were the sole property of the emperor. Any of them had the potential to be favored by the emperor and bear him a son. For example, Zhu Changluo's mother, recently honored by the Ministry of Rites with the title of Empress Dowager Xiaojing Wenyi Jingrang Zhenci Cantian Yinsheng, was a personal maid to Empress Dowager Cisheng Li. Wang was only thirteen when she entered the palace and sixteen when she was favored by the emperor. By these standards, Zhang Shirui was indeed considered an adult.

"Twenty is old enough? You're too harsh! Li Zhulan is still twenty-six." After donning the dragon robe, Zhu Changluo lowered his raised arms. "Never mind, I'm just asking casually. Let's leave the Zhang family's affairs at that. Just have someone keep an eye on Zhang Shirui and don't let her run around." Zhu Youxiao didn't need to be mentioned; without the emperor's approval, the prince couldn't even leave the palace.

Han Benyong had only been on the job for a short time and hadn't participated in the Zhang family's affairs, so he remained silent. He simply took the jade belt from the shelf and tied it on the emperor.

Wang An savored the emperor's words for a moment, then said with concern, "I do have a different solution to the Zhang family's problem."

"Tell me about it." Zhu Changluo waved Han Benyong's hand away, picked up the Yishan crown, put it on himself, and then adjusted himself in front of the full-length mirror. "It seems your skills are still not rusty. Why don't you be transferred back to help me dress myself?" Zhu Changluo joked.

"Okay. I'm eager to serve my master every day." Han Benyong said happily without hesitation.

"I'm just teasing you." Zhu Changluo looked at Wang An and motioned him to continue.

"Ahem." Wang An coughed and then proposed his plan: "Have Wei Zhongxian's men bring Zhang Xianyong and his son to Beijing and order them to restore order and leave the South."

"The Zhang family must dig, but they're holding off on investigating the south for now. You're doing the opposite. Instead of digging, you're investigating the south first," Zhu Changluo denied. He had no interest in preserving the Zhang family. If they kept investigating, they could even raid Longhu Mountain. Even from the millennia since Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, recognized the "Heavenly Master," the Zhang family has accumulated nearly four hundred years of heritage. With a sharp shovel, they might unearth a golden treasure.

"Let's not talk about investigating the case. Just ask them to continue heading north based on the original reason." Wang An continued.

"Official grandeur won't fool those in the know. If Zhang Xianyong were brought to Beijing by the Western Factory, they'd definitely be suspicious. Wang An, you're not in your element today." Zhu Changluo was rather puzzled, but didn't blame him. "Why don't you go back and rest for a while?"

Wang An didn't respond to the question of whether he was tired or not. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Or they can come by themselves."

"Let them come on their own. Can they come? I'm afraid they will be robbed and killed on the way." Zhu Changluo denied it with a counter-question.

"Actually, I think there's nothing wrong in getting rid of Zhang Xianyong." Wang An's eyes reflected a bloodshot light.

"What do you mean?" Zhu Changluo turned around and faced Wang An.

"I'd like to paraphrase what my master said to Miss Zhang this morning. The Zhang family is the Zhang family, and Zhang Xianyong is Zhang Xianyong. To investigate the Zhang family, we don't have to start with Zhang Xianyong's branch. If Zhang Xianyong is robbed and killed on the way north, it would be a good opportunity for another branch to inherit the Zhang family lineage. Then we can start from this branch and follow the clues to the root of the matter." Wang An thought to himself but didn't say anything: anyway, Zhang Xianyong's branch was also a side branch before.

"What you mean is, we should put the boots down first and not over-stimulate the south. When the time is right, we can switch to another vine and move down?" Zhu Changluo nodded slightly, seemingly thinking about something.

Wang An didn't know why the emperor insisted on using boots as a metaphor, but he said, "Your Majesty, your majesty is wise. This is what I meant."

The emperor was undoubtedly wise, but Wang An's real concern was "what would happen to Taoist Zhang, who could be compared to Consort Li, after she was accepted into the palace by the emperor." If the emperor truly wanted to bring Taoist Zhang to the Qianqing Palace, then Zhang Xianyong couldn't be dealt with by the palace or even the court through official documents. Otherwise, there would be another "Mi Cairen." Giving the Silijian a harder job was a minor issue; placing a knife under the emperor's pillow was a major one.

Since the emperor is not interested in saving Zhang Xianyong, he should find a way to stimulate those who have already decided to kill Zhang Xianyong to take action.

"Your idea is a good one." Zhu Changluo thought Wang An's was a good idea. Even if the monks left, the temples remained; even if the Taoists died, the temples remained. And it was hard to say how much the so-called "refreshing" effect would actually bring. It might even backfire.

"But if we get rid of Zhang Xianyong so quickly, wouldn't my trip this morning be in vain?" Zhu Changluo was already tempted.

Wang An smiled, as if to say "as expected," and said confidently, "Just give the title to Zhang Xianyong."

"封增" (conferring a title during life) is a combination of "封 (conferring a title during life)" and "授 (conferring a title after death)." Ultimately, it simply means to portray a person in a positive light in official circles. For Zhu Changluo, Zhang Xianyong was clearly not a positive figure.

"Okay. Let's do it." There's a threshold in people's minds. Once you cross it, the psychological burden of doing the same thing again will be greatly reduced. Zhu Changluo had already crossed this threshold once. Since he could stigmatize Zou Yuanbiao for political purposes, he could also positively portray Zhang Xianyong for political purposes. "Don't leave your braids for people to catch."

"Master, don't worry. I will be able to arrange it properly." Wang An bowed and accepted the order.

------

After Zhu Changluo and Wang An changed their clothes at the Donghua Gate Tower, they went straight to Ciqing Palace. In Wang An's memory, this was the first time the emperor had returned to Ciqing Palace since he moved to Qianqing.

Ciqing Palace, despite its vast territory and sprawling grounds, boasts numerous halls, yet its entrance is limited to a single gate: the Huiyin Gate. The Huiyin Gate is three bays wide and one bay deep, with a central door and internal and external passageways. Inside the gate lies a narrow, east-west plaza, ending at the Linzhi Gate. Further north of the Linzhi Gate lies the Ciqing Gate, the main entrance to Ciqing Palace.

Within the Ciqing Palace, there were four side palaces: Fengchen, Xunqin, Chenghua, and Zhaojian. There was also a Pear Garden, housing the Xiefang Hall and Jianxiang Pavilion. Furthermore, there were also ear rooms, Shunshan Room, Duty Room, Kitchen Room, and Clean Room.

According to the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, the east is associated with wood, the color green, and represents growth. Therefore, the roofs of the halls within the Ciqing Palace are mostly clad with green glazed tiles. Furthermore, since this was not the emperor's residence or a national shrine, it was considered a lower-ranking place, so the roofs were limited to single-eaved gable roofs or hip roofs, which were inferior to the double-eaved hip roofs used by the emperor.

Seeing the emperor and the eunuchs approaching hand in hand, the eunuchs working in the palace all knelt on the ground. Zhu Changluo was used to it and knew they would get up on their own, so he ignored them and walked straight to the main hall of Ciqing Palace.

At the main hall entrance stood a young eunuch. This eunuch had been selected from the Inner Library by the Imperial Household Department after Zhu Youxiao had moved out of the Qianqing Palace. Although he had only recently entered the palace and his activities were limited, having only met the ancestors and not the emperor, he still recognized the dragon robe and the Yishan crown.

"Your servant, your servant, greets the master, may he live long. I pay my respects to the ancestors." The eunuch was a little nervous.

"Open the door." With other eunuchs present, Wang An didn't have to push the door for the emperor himself.

"His Highness is not inside." The eunuch did not move to push the door, but said.

"Where is it?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"In reply to the emperor, the prince went to the carpentry workshop of Xiefang Palace." The eunuch replied.

"I'll reward you by letting you accompany me for a while. Lead the way." Huiyin, Linzhi and Ciqing were three gates in a straight line, so there was no need to look for them. Therefore, Zhu Changluo could still pretend and lead the way in like his former master. But if he went to other places, he would have to have someone lead the way if he didn't want to grope around in the dark.

"Thank you, my lord, for your grace." The imperial eunuchs numbered in the tens of thousands, but only a handful had ever seen the emperor, let alone walked with him. The eunuch was flattered and kowtowed. He scrambled to his feet, trotted to the emperor's right, and waved, "Your Highness, please come this way."

(End of this chapter)