Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 482 Up to Heaven to Listen
Yuan Huazhong opened the door and walked out of Yuan Keli's signing room. Immediately afterwards, a man in eunuch robes cut in line and walked into Yuan Keli's signing room.

Yuan Huazhong passed by the eunuch and stopped for a moment, but did not say much.

The eunuch walked into the signing room and came straight to Yuan Keli. He was not polite at all, and sat down directly after the greeting. "Master Yuan, can I have a private conversation for a moment? Or, can you ask them to leave?" The eunuch pointed to the two clerks working in the signing room.

Yuan Keli closed the memorial in front of him, raised his head and frowned, asking, "Who wants to speak to me alone?"

Yuan Huazhong had just come over to submit a question about "rumors in the capital" and "experts in the palace" when the eunuch arrived right after, demanding a private conversation. Yuan Keli couldn't help but think about it.

"Of course I want to speak to you alone." The eunuch smiled and pointed at himself.

"Which government office does your father-in-law work for? You might as well tell me." Yuan Keli leaned back in his chair, acting as if he would cooperate unless you told him.

"Haha, that's easy." The eunuch took off his badge and placed it in front of Yuan Keli.

Yuan Keli's expression changed slightly, and he said to the two clerks, "All of you go out and close the door behind you."

The two clerks, as if granted amnesty, immediately stood up and bowed to take their leave. They had just listened to a terrifying discussion, so how could they not know the dangers involved? Now, they were naturally happy to be able to escape and avoid being involved in this potentially fatal battle between immortals.

Bang. The door closed.

"Okay, Eunuch Shi, go ahead and tell me. What does the Imperial Household Department want me for?" Yuan Keli straightened his back and adjusted his hat.

"I'm not doing anything," Eunuch Shi put away his badge, took out an envelope from his pocket, and handed it to Yuan Keli with both hands. "I'm just delivering a letter to you."

"Letter? What letter? Whose letter is it?" Yuan Keli did not reach out to take it.

"Why are you so suspicious?" Seeing that Yuan Keli didn't take it, Eunuch Shi simply put the envelope in front of him.

"There's a difference between inside and outside. It's best not to communicate too frequently." Yuan Keli remained businesslike. He turned the seal to Eunuch Shi and said something sarcastic and self-deprecating. "Besides, I'm a petty person who seeks fame and reputation. I'm afraid there might be something inside that I can't touch."

"Haha, you really are." Eunuch Shi smiled and shook his head. "There really is only a piece of letter inside. If you don't want to touch it, I can open it for you."

"What if I don't want to watch it?" Yuan Keli asked directly.

"You must read it. You can't refuse." Eunuch Shi used his fingernail to pry open the wax seal, took out the letter inside, unfolded it, and placed it in front of Yuan Keli. "Look, there's only one letter."

Yuan Keli was immediately shocked when he saw it. He quickly stood up and held the letter as if it were a holy object.

The content of the letter was brief but very significant, for it began with, "Imperial Edict."

The imperial edict ordered Yuan Keli, the left minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to wait at Xi'an Gate at 1:00 a.m. on March 19th.

Yuan Keli was bewildered, his mind awash with questions, but no matter how many he had, he couldn't delay his obedience. He paused for a moment, then walked over to an empty desk, holding the letter. After placing it, Yuan Keli knelt solemnly, kowtowed, and whispered, "Your Highness, Yuan Keli, I will obey the Imperial Order."

After the ceremony, Yuan Keli stood up and took the envelope back. "Eunuch Shi, do you know that this envelope contains an imperial decree?"

"I know." Eunuch Shi felt a little regretful. He preferred to deliver explicit decrees rather than secret orders. As long as they carried explicit decrees, even high-ranking officials and nobles would kneel before him. Though it was a brief moment of false pretense, it was still pleasant to have the power to fake it.

"Then may I ask, Eunuch Shi, why did you issue this decree?" Yuan Keli paused and asked directly. "Why did the emperor order me to wait at Xi'an Gate? And for whom?"

"I don't know." Eunuch Shi shook his head.

"Eunuch Shi just said that he knew this was an imperial decree. Did you forget it so quickly?" Yuan Keli smiled inexplicably.

"I only know that this is an order that needs to be conveyed secretly, and I also know the content, but I don't know why there is such content." Eunuch Shi explained.

"Then who drafted this decree?" Yuan Keli had seen the emperor's red-ink comments and knew that this was not the emperor's handwriting.

"This..." Eunuch Shi was silent for a moment. "The decree was written by the young ancestor. That's all I know. If you ask me more, I won't be able to tell you."

Yuan Keli nodded slightly. He had heard that the palace maids and eunuchs were accustomed to honoring people by their generational status. Wang An was the oldest, the "old ancestor" of most people. Wang An's eldest son, Cao Huachun, was a bit younger, the "young ancestor."

"Master Yuan," Eunuch Shi stood up and bowed slightly. "Now that the decree has arrived, I will take my leave."

"Eunuch Shi, please stay," Yuan Keli raised his hand. "I have one last question."

"You ask." Eunuch Shi nodded.

"Has anyone else received a similar decree?" Yuan Keli asked.

"I don't know." Eunuch Shi lied without blushing or beating his heart.

As far as he knew, at least Fang Congzhe and Ye Xianggao were about to receive similar decrees. Yuan Keli's question was clearly intended to pry into his details. Eunuch Shi didn't know why the Emperor had issued such a strange decree, commanding these high-ranking officials to arrive at a designated location at a designated time. But since it was a secret message, the Emperor naturally didn't want it to be exposed. If these extremely intelligent gentlemen were to gather together, they might be able to analyze the underlying reasons. And if Yuan Shaoyintai were to repeat the Xiang Yu story and mention Eunuch Shi's name, he would be in dire straits.

"Okay." Yuan Keli stood up and bowed, saying, "Goodbye, Eunuch Shi."

"Farewell."

--------

After going through the many steps of copying, revising, and other processes, Yuan Huazhong's memorial was delivered to the Qianqing Palace in the afternoon. The emperor's nap had not yet ended, but the three cardinal eunuchs were already assisting in the administration of the government in the Qianqing Palace.

According to the unwritten conventions of the Southern Study, memorials sent from the outer court were usually first briefly read by the eunuch Liu Ruoyu, who was seated at the end. Afterwards, they were distributed to the emperor, Wang An, and Wei Chao according to the signature on the memorial's header, which was the phrase "Respectfully submitted by such and such official of such and such government office."

The emperor always read and approved the memorials from the six departments and thirteen departments, along with the cabinet's draft proposals on the memorials, without any review or approval from the Imperial Household Department. However, because of this distribution process, Liu Ruoyu always received information from the outer court before the emperor and the other two eunuchs.

Generally speaking, Liu Ruoyu wouldn't carefully examine memorials that weren't his responsibility for review and approval, simply glancing at them before relegating them to the appropriate pile. However, there were occasional exceptions. For example, when Liu Ruoyu believed a memorial contained content that might directly concern the imperial family, the Imperial Household Department, or himself, he would quickly and calmly scan it. Seeing the title "Please Calm the Rumors of the Capital," Liu Ruoyu's spirits immediately trembled.

For Liu Ruoyu, "rumors" are a very sensitive word. This is because many important events in recent times, including the large-scale layoffs in the inner court, the rectification of public security in the capital, and the Taichang Imperial Examination, have had a very wide impact in the capital and led to a series of legends, both good and bad.

While most of these legends had nothing to do with Liu Ruoyu, some were directed at him. The most typical rumor was that Liu Ruoyu not only manipulated the distribution of severance pay, but also instructed his lackeys in the palace to rob those who received their severance pay, hoping to drain the pond for fish.

If there were any items about him in these rumors that were "asked to be pacified", the emperor might ask directly. Before that, Liu Ruoyu had to find a way to respond and explain.

Liu Ruoyu pricked up his ears, half-focused on the doorway, and then quickly scanned Yuan Huazhong's handwriting. He had excellent reading and writing skills. In just a few moments, he had read the hundreds-word memorial and the cabinet's draft.

Liu Ruoyu swallowed his saliva and fell into a state of extreme shock.

After a while, Liu Ruoyu came back to his senses. He first subconsciously glanced at the clock, then found Wang An with the memorial. "Master, Senior Brother!" Liu Ruoyu's voice was a little distorted.

"What's wrong?" Wang An put down his pen and turned his head. Wei Chao also raised his head.

"Brother, do you know about this?" Liu Ruoyu asked Wang An, pointing to the field describing the "appearance of Jiulian Bodhisattva."

Wang An's pupils shrank, but he quickly regained his composure. He said coldly, "You shouldn't have looked at it, and you shouldn't have shown it to me."

"Senior Brother." Liu Ruoyu suddenly felt a little aggrieved.

"Okay! The Emperor is coming, let it go quickly. Just put it on the surface." Wang An felt Liu Ruoyu's emotions and turned his head slightly.

"Yes."

--------

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the emperor came in fully dressed after his nap, which was a little earlier than his usual habit.

"Your servant kowtows to your master, long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!" Wang An brought a group of eunuchs on duty in the Southern Study to pay tribute to the emperor.

"Get up, everyone." Without waiting for the eunuchs to get up, Zhu Changluo stepped over the threshold.

"Thank you, master." The eunuchs stood up one after another, took their positions and performed their duties.

"Liu Ruoyu." Zhu Changluo called Liu Ruoyu as soon as he sat down.

"I'm here!" Liu Ruoyu was startled and stood still.

"Are there any reports from Liaodong?" It was the same question. For several days in a row, the emperor would ask this question first when he arrived at the Southern Study.

Liu Ruoyu let out a nervous breath without leaving a trace. "Master, there are two letters. Please place them on your right hand side."

"Yes." Zhu Changluo took the two Liaodongtang newspapers.

The first Fengtang report was a report of a medium-sized conflict sent from Guangning on March 14, the first year of Taichang.

Reports indicated that several hundred northern barbarians, divided into three groups, were attempting to plunder the settlements and passing merchants surrounding Guangning. The garrison commander, Li Guangrong, personally led 3,000 cavalry under his command to assist, killing 43 of them in battle and repelling the enemy. A report by Yang Lian, the Liaodong Inspector General who was temporarily in charge of Guangning's military training and pacifying the barbarians, concluded that 18 people had been killed or wounded, including 12 beheadings.

Forty-three were killed in action, eighteen were wounded, and twelve heads were beheaded. This was considered a victory report. However, Zhu Changluo simply brushed it aside and tossed the report aside. Last year, the Mongol lands suffered severely. Although the Liaodong authorities had taken in some of the Mongol refugees who had fled to Liaodong, Guangning and the surrounding areas still reported small-scale looting at regular intervals. Zhu Changluo had become numb to such reports. Even if this time the number of people involved was several hundred, it was only a minor incident, not a cause for concern.

The date of the second Fengtang report is earlier. It is an investigation report sent from Liaoyang on March 13, the first year of Taichang.

As soon as he saw this newspaper, Zhu Changluo's already unhappy mood immediately worsened a lot.

The Tang report showed that Jianzhou slave soldiers appeared near fortresses such as Yiluso, Puheso, Shenyang Zhongwei, and Fengjibao at the same time.

Based on the accounts of fugitives from various locations and Yebushou's reconnaissance reports, Liaodong authorities estimated that the rebels could mobilize at least 150,000 troops, including 80,000 from their own forces, known as the Eight Banners. These were elite warriors, divided among the sons and nephews of the rebel chieftains. Beyond these elite troops, the remainder consisted of Han traitors who had defected to the rebels, captured Han laborers, and northern barbarians taken in by the rebels. These individuals served as cannon fodder, the first wave of assaults and fill-in lines during the rebels' sieges or field offensives.

At present, the total number of slave soldiers has not yet been ascertained. However, based on observations from various places, it is initially estimated that the number of slave soldiers mobilized by the slave bandits is at least over 100,000.

The scouts in Shenyang also discovered that the two yellow flags led by Nurhaci had already reached the outskirts of Shenyang. They were equipped with planks, ladders, siege ladders, chariots, and a small number of firearms, clearly intending to attack the city.

Minister Xiong Tingbi has determined that the bandits are poised for a major plundering. He has issued a directive to all garrison commanders: prioritize defending the city and its territory. Do not venture out without authorization to engage the enemy. Before receiving orders from the governor, do not support friendly forces, and do not lead isolated troops deep into enemy territory. Beware of the bandits' treacherous plots to ensnare and assassinate you!

Zhu Changluo supported his head, frowned, and looked down at the newspaper, without moving for a long time.

Helpless, these are the four words that kept lingering in Zhu Changluo's mind.

He had done everything he could within his knowledge: suppress dissidents, provide support to Xiong Tingbi, and send more resources to Liaodong. But now, he could do nothing. Even the latest report on the Liaoshen military situation was five days old.

Ultimately, he could only adjust his own leverage, altering events on the Ming side. War is always a two-sided, or even multi-party affair. While Nurhaci's actions had been altered to varying degrees by his adjustments, would these shifts in history ultimately tip the scales? Zhu Changluo didn't know. He could only wait, awaiting the battle reports from Shenyang.

Zhu Changluo shook his head lightly, casting aside these useless thoughts. "Wang An."

"I'm here!" Wang An stood up.

"Inform the Ministry of War to verify the situation reported in the Guangning Tangbao as soon as possible. If it is accurate, then pensions and rewards will be provided according to the rules." Zhu Changluo put the two Tangbao reports aside and took the "Petition to Suppress Rumors in the Capital".

"Yes." Wang An did not sit down, but just memorized the emperor's order in his mind.

(End of this chapter)