Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 487: Blind Men and the Elephant
As more and more people arrived, the atmosphere in the east side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation gradually became subtle.

The first person to be brought to the Hall of Mental Cultivation by the eunuchs was Yuan Keli, the Junior Silver Administrator of the Ministry of Public Administration.

His home was located in the northern part of Xiaoyongfang, near Anfufang. The distance from his home to the Tongzhengshi Yamen was quite long, forcing him to rise early every day to be seated before the first officials to submit memorials arrived. However, this also allowed him to "turn a blessing in disguise" by waiting at the gate of Xi'an at dawn, lantern in hand.

Yuan Keli was puzzled. He had no idea why the emperor would secretly summon him. Yuan Keli thought of many possibilities, but he rejected them all in the end.

The reason was simple: his current position was profoundly insignificant. To put it mildly, the Tongzhengshisi's primary responsibilities were to convey imperial orders, communicate public sentiment, secure the flow of official documents between various government departments, report suggestions from subjects across the country, and handle complaints of grievances and legal violations. But to put it bluntly, the Tongzhengshisi, at the bottom of the Nine Ministers, was little more than a large mail delivery agency—necessary but never crucial.

In Yuan Keli's opinion, the emperor had no reason to secretly summon him to make a report until Xu Guangqi also walked into the east side hall.

Xu Guangqi lived the farthest from the other invited officials. His home was near the Imperial Examination Hall, and to reach Xi'an Gate, he had to cross the entire Imperial City and most of the capital. To avoid delays, Xu Guangqi rose early and set off before dawn in a carriage he had hired the day before. Because his carriage was temporary, Cao Huachun replaced it for him. The hired driver was happy not to enter the Imperial City, as doing so would have required a significant extra trek.

Yuan Keli's first reaction upon seeing Xu Guangqi was that the emperor would question him about how he had run to the Meridian Gate with his application form to block Xu Guangqi's way and tip him off on the day the results were announced. But then he thought, that didn't make sense. The foreigner plot had clearly been finalized, and the emperor's attitude toward Xu Guangqi was not only protective, but actively protective. The only downside was that his methods were a bit scary. It sent a chill down your spine.

In other words, unless Xu Guangqi was impeached and on the verge of resignation, this incident wouldn't have mattered at all. The emperor wouldn't have singled this out to criticize him. Furthermore, even if Xu Guangqi was about to fall, and someone brought up this incident to bring him down as well, there wouldn't have been a need for the emperor to personally address it, nor would he have made it so secretive.

Xu Guangqi initially had no idea why the emperor had secretly summoned him. However, the situation he faced was the exact opposite of Yuan Keli's. The assistant officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs were too unimportant, while the chief official of the Ministry of Rites was far too important.

The recent events at the Ministry of Rites were all extremely important. The Emperor had secretly summoned him, perhaps to consult on precedents for deposing a marquis, perhaps to organize a memorial ceremony or posthumous honoring ceremony to quell rumors in the capital, or perhaps to inquire about the funeral rites for the Emperor's youngest daughter.

However, the moment Xu Guangqi saw Yuan Keli, he dismissed all these speculations. The emperor summoned him and Yuan Keli at the same time, most likely to discuss guardianship.

After the two exchanged greetings, Yuan Keli began questioning Xu Guangqi. However, Xu Guangqi couldn't guarantee that his thoughts were true. Although he was 90% certain that today's summons was related to major events in Korea, recent events in Beijing and Yuan Keli's "supplementary memorial" to Yuan Huazhong's memorial added another 10% uncertainty. So Xu Guangqi laughed it off, trying to smooth things over.

Yuan Keli had no idea of ​​Xu Guangqi's suffering. In Yuan Keli's eyes, Xu Guangqi's behavior was simply dishonesty towards his friend. And there was no point in hiding something that was about to be revealed. Just as Yuan Shaoyintai was growing increasingly annoyed by Grand Master Xu's deliberate concealment, Minister of War Cui Jingrong arrived.

Cui Jingrong was straightforward, asking them directly why the Emperor had summoned them. Yuan Keli immediately responded with a question, looking at Xu Guangqi. Xu Guangqi hesitated, but refused to answer, leaving both Cui Jingrong and Yuan Keli feeling unhappy. If the palace hadn't thoughtfully sent breakfast to ease the mood, the three would have barely finished their meal when General Luo Sigong barged in again, prompting the Shaoyintai and the Grand Marshal to press Xu Guangqi for an explanation.

Yuan Keli's unhappiness stemmed from Xu Guangqi's concealment, which left him feeling his old friend was no longer sincere. There was a certain sadness to it, akin to "I treated you with sincerity, and you treated me with deceit." Meanwhile, Cui Jingrong's unhappiness stemmed partly from himself. He spoke out first, also to avoid being questioned.

Cui Jingrong had already heard from Zhang Jingshi about Shandong Coast Guard Vice Admiral Shen Yourong's visit to Beijing. This did not surprise Cui Jingrong, as he had indeed sent the ambiguous official letter; he had not become forgetful due to old age, nor had he lost any empty copies.

One evening earlier this month, Cui Jingrong received a letter from the emperor himself, delivered by Wang An. The letter instructed him to secretly send an urgent message to Shandong, requesting that Deputy Admiral Shen Yourong of the Coast Guard come to Beijing immediately. The letter didn't specify why, and Wang An remained shrouded in secrecy.

If this was a handwritten order to send troops to Beijing, Cui Jingrong would never accept it and would refuse it immediately. But if the handwritten order only ordered Shen Yourong to come to Beijing alone, it would be difficult for Cui Jingrong to refuse.

That evening, Cui Jingrong reluctantly agreed to Wang An's signature and letter. However, out of caution, Cui Jingrong went to Huangjidian Square early the next morning. There, he found the emperor jogging for his morning exercise. The emperor personally confirmed the incident, but he wouldn't tell him why. He even strictly ordered him not to tell anyone else.

Cui Jingrong had no choice but to secretly send an urgent official letter from the Ministry of War to Shen Yourong with increasing anger.

Cui Jingrong believed that Shen Yourong, who had been summoned, should know the reason for the summons. So when Shen Yourong appeared, Cui Jingrong wanted to hold him down and forcefully ask Shen Yourong why the emperor had summoned him so that he could vent his deep anxiety.

Unfortunately, Cui Jingrong couldn't do that. Even without considering the others already present, Shen Yourong was accompanied by two other Gate Gods: Second Assistant Ye Xianggao and First Assistant Fang Congzhe. Ye Xianggao and Shen Yourong had, of course, come together; after all, the two old men, one a scholar and the other a warrior, lived together, the only difference between them being able to sleep and get up together. And First Assistant Fang Congzhe had joined the group after encountering them en route.

Shen Yourong followed Ye Xianggao's advice and stood up Zhang Jingshi. She didn't foolishly run to the Ministry of War to report to Cui Jingrong after the imperial examination. Fang Congzhe, on the other hand, had heard from Ye Xianggao about Shen Yourong's stay at the Ye residence the day the papers were reviewed. Therefore, when Ye Xianggao mentioned that he had been living with Shen Yourong for the past few days, everyone present, including Fang Congzhe, was surprised, including Luo Sigong.

However, Luo Sigong's expression of surprise was merely a necessary but meaningless feint. Ye Xianggao was a key surveillance target for the Imperial Uniform Guard. Luo Sigong knew exactly where Ye Xianggao went and who he met daily. As a senior official of the Ming Dynasty, Ye Xianggao was also aware that there were Imperial Uniform Guard spies near his home. However, Ye Xianggao didn't mind it, as he wasn't planning a rebellion anyway. It was a matter of knowing, but official harmony was always necessary.

After a while of "harmony", Yuan Keli, who had arrived first, finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He looked at Xu Guangqi, sighed sadly, and stood up to ask Fang Congzhe, "Prime Minister Fang, could you please tell us why the emperor summoned us here?" Yuan Keli subconsciously thought that Fang Congzhe, as the Prime Minister, should be the one with the most information among those present.

"Li Qing," Fang Congzhe glanced at Luo Sigong subtly. "Have you forgotten yesterday's memorial so quickly?"

"But I'm only submitting an additional memorial. If I were to discuss this matter, shouldn't I summon the original memorialist?" Yuan Keli ruled out this possibility first. When Eunuch Shi handed him the emperor's secret decree, Yuan Huazhong's memorial hadn't even entered the copying process.

"Then I don't know. It might have something to do with Shi Hong." Fang Congzhe gently patted Shen Yourong's strong shoulders and asked Cui Jingrong tactfully, "Zi Qiang, what do you think?"

"Prime Minister, you're asking the wrong person," Cui Jingrong could guess what Fang Congzhe was thinking, but at this moment, it was not convenient for him to point it out, so he said cryptically, "If I had known, I wouldn't have been so upset for more than ten days."

"Hmm," Fang Congzhe raised his eyebrows, as if thinking of something. "Where is Zixian, do you know?"

"Prime Minister, I don't necessarily know more than you, and it's not necessarily correct. Besides, why should we all ask each other and guess the emperor's intentions at this time? The emperor will reveal it when he comes." Xu Guangqi said bitterly.

Yuan Keli also looked at Xu Guangqi. "Zixian, what you said is wrong. We are not speculating on the emperor's intentions, but rather preparing for the political consultation. Of course, the emperor will reveal the truth when he arrives. But if we are all in the dark, we won't be able to answer immediately." Xu Guangqi was on pins and needles. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but he couldn't. If the emperor hadn't yet planned a Korean invasion, and he had called everyone here to discuss the "false prophecy," wouldn't he have disrupted the emperor's plans and deployments?

Moreover, the emperor had stressed to him that the matter must be kept strictly confidential. How could he reveal the answer before the emperor arrived?

"Haha, let's have some tea first." Xu Guangqi smiled bitterly, wailing in his heart: Your Majesty, why haven't you come yet? It's almost noon.
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"What time is it?" In the Qianqing Palace across the street, Zhu Changluo also put down his chopsticks.

"Master, it's only a quarter of an hour until Chenshi." Wang An quickly pulled out his pocket watch and said considerately, "Master, this is also the time when you usually start your government affairs."

"You don't have to make amends for me. It's different today than it usually is." Zhu Changluo chuckled and pulled Mi Mengshang up, looking at her with a doting look in his eyes. "Do you want to go to the Yangxin Palace with me? You pass by there every day, but you haven't been inside yet, right?"

Mi Mengshang retracted her hand from her chest. "I'm just a humble woman. The fact that the Emperor could tell me such a big thing already frightens me. If I knew more, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight."

"Then you can sleep well." Zhu Changluo touched Mi Mengshang's head and said to Wang An, "Send Mipin to the West Factory, and then go and call Zhu Youxiao."

"Yes." Wang An responded and made a gesture of invitation to Mi Mengshang.

"I'm leaving." Mi Mengshang stood up, knelt on the spot, and bowed to the emperor to say goodbye.

"Go. Help me take care of the house." Zhu Changluo glanced at Wang An.

"I will obey your husband's orders." Mi Mengshang deliberately said something awkward.

Standing up again, Mi Mengshang smiled at Wang An again. "Thank you, Master Wang, for leading the way."

"Empress Mi, please excuse me." Wang An bowed his body and made a gesture of invitation.

Under the emperor's gaze, the two of them left the Qianqing Palace one after the other.

"Don't you want to talk to me today, Master Wang?" Mi Mengshang took the initiative to bring up the topic, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

"Heh." Wang An waved back the other eunuchs. "Madam Mi, are you asking me to apologize?"

"It's not serious enough to apologize. But don't you think you should at least apologize to me?" Mi Mengshang pursed her lips and clenched her fists. "If you apologize, what happened that day will be over. I won't bear a grudge against you."

"People apologize because they know they are wrong. But I don't know where I went wrong. I hope Your Majesty will enlighten me." Wang An said calmly.

"Do you know what the emperor said to me last night?" Mi Mengshang said stubbornly.

Wang An sighed. "The Emperor is captivated by you, but I am not. You don't have to show off to me. I may not have that thing, but I'm not a jealous woman."

"Humph!" Mi Mengshang was so angry that she laughed. But she didn't respond to Wang An's words. Instead, she deliberately rasped her voice and imitated a man's tone and said, "Wang An has been with me for twenty-seven years and has been loyal to me. If he says so, I believe him. But you? I really don't believe it. That's what the emperor said to me last night."

Wang An paused. This retelling touched the softest part of his heart.

Mi Mengshang paused, her voice returning to its original tone. "Master Wang, I've carefully considered your words. You're right, I'm not a completely virtuous woman, and I won't argue. But in this world, besides good and evil, there's also loyalty and treachery. You can't serve two masters, so how can I, a woman, serve two husbands?"

Wang An was silent. For a moment, he thought of many things. Some about the emperor, and some about the poor woman in front of him. Wang An took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions, but his voice was still a little choked. "I'm sorry."

"It's settled now." Mi Mengshang raised her head and refused to blink.

"Sorry." Wang Anxian shed a tear.

"Don't cry, it's embarrassing at your age." Mi Mengshang took out a handkerchief and handed it to Wang An. "I already said I won't bear a grudge against you."

"Sorry!" Wang An didn't answer. He raised his hand and wiped away the only tear with his sleeve.

(End of this chapter)