Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 497 Baozhong Cemetery
Nearly half an hour later, the carriage carrying Liu Ruoyu and Yang Songquan entered the Imperial City from Dong'an Gate and stopped at Donghua Gate as usual. Liu Ruoyu, dressed in a red python robe, and Yang Songquan, dressed in plain clothes, stepped onto the mats and got out of the carriage one after another.

Except during periods of national mourning, it was not appropriate to wear mourning clothes when meeting the emperor. This was unacceptable even after someone died. So when Yang Songquan left the house, he changed out of his clean white linen clothes.

Before the two of them took a few steps, Shi Fuming's eldest son Shi Fangda came to greet them with a lonely sedan chair carried by four people.

Yang Songquan didn't react much, but Liu Ruoyu was stunned for a moment.

Yang Songquan thought this was Liu Ruoyu's show. But as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, Liu Ruoyu knew very well that among the entire group of eunuchs in the Taichang Dynasty, the only ones who were qualified to ride in and out of the Forbidden City directly on a sedan chair were the seal-bearing officials of the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Horse Department.

"Your servant pays homage to Ancestor Liu and Ancestor Yang." Shi Fangda walked up to the two of them and bowed first.

Liu Ruoyu nodded silently. Yang Songquan's expression changed, but he didn't say anything to politely refuse.

Just as Liu Ruoyu had expected, Shi Fangda stood up and said to Yang Songquan, "Ancestor Yang, please get on the sedan chair. The Emperor is waiting for you."

"Me?" This time it was Yang Songquan's turn to be stunned.

Yang Songquan turned his head to look at Liu Ruoyu, a look of confusion gradually emerging in his eyes. After a few breaths, Yang Songquan's eyes widened. He keenly realized that this sedan chair was not just a means of transportation, but also a subtle political signal.

Although he didn't know why the emperor sent such a signal, there was one thing Yang Songquan was sure of - he might not have the option of refusing the appointment!

"Of course I'm waiting for you." Shi Fangda chuckled at Yang Songquan and subconsciously glanced at Liu Ruoyu.

Yang Songquan, after all, was a military eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration. His sharp eyes caught Shi Fangda's subtle movement. Combined with Liu Ruoyu's expression, Yang Songquan had a rather close-to-the-fact hypothesis: perhaps his restoration wasn't simply due to the sheer magnitude of state affairs and the emperor's favor. The sedan chair was both a reminder and a warning. But was the emperor trying to warn Liu Ruoyu, or his senior brother Wang An? Why?
"Okay." Without time to think, Yang Songquan withdrew his gaze and got on the sedan chair directly.

Another half-minute later, Yang Songquan and Liu Ruoyu entered the Southern Study side by side. At this time, Wang An, who had gone to the East Factory for the second time, had returned and was sitting in his seat, looking down at the memorial in front of him.

"Your servant Liu Ruoyu pays homage to the master. Long live the master, long live the master, long live the master!"

"Your servant Yang Songquan pays homage to the master. Long live the master, long live the master, long, long live the master!" The two of them saluted at the same time and called out their names.

"Everyone, get up." Zhu Changluo immediately put down his red brush. Wang An and Wei Chao also looked up at the two men. As he looked up, Wei Chao glanced at Wang An inconspicuously. He found that Wang An's face showed neither surprise nor disappointment, only a warm smile, and there was no sign of anything unusual.

"Thank you, master!" Yang Songquan and Liu Ruoyu thanked him in unison.

"You'd better go over and sit down." Zhu Changluo didn't look at Liu Ruoyu, but just gestured to him.

"Thank you, master." Liu Ruoyu thanked again.

Liu Ruoyu lowered his head and walked towards his seat. But just as he took a step and before he crossed the desk, he heard the emperor's greeting to Yang Songquan: "Is Shang Jingying in good health?"

Liu Ruoyu was stunned and turned to look at Wang An.

Wang An remained expressionless until Yang Songquan knelt down again in front of everyone and said sadly, "My Lord, my godfather has passed away."

"What!?" Zhu Changluo's reaction was exactly the same as Liu Ruoyu's, and he also looked at Wang An.

Wang An was stunned. He quickly reacted, shook his head repeatedly, and asked Yang Songquan as if to confess: "When did this happen?"

"The sixteenth of this month." Yang Songquan replied sadly.

"Didn't the people below tell you about this?" Zhu Changluo asked Wang An.

Wang An stood up and knelt down. "It's my fault!"

Liu Ruoyu also knelt down.

Seeing this, Wei Chao could no longer sit still and stood up and knelt.

Wang An knelt quickly, but if one must investigate this matter, it really wasn't Wang An's fault. If one traced the source thoroughly, one could even trace it back to the emperor himself.

Although Shang Jingying's residence was outside the Jinyiwei's surveillance area, and neither the East nor West Factory sent personnel to monitor the aging eunuch, just as Yang Songquan had anticipated, the Jinyiwei Street Office, responsible for conducting the "Lijia Census" of that area, verified the changes in the permanent population at Shang Jingying's residence and reported the death of the former Imperial Horse Supervisor due to illness. Upon receiving this information, the Street Office immediately reported the matter to the Commandery.

But the news got stuck as soon as it reached the Command Headquarters.

Logically, the passing of the Imperial Horse Supervisor should have been reported to the higher authorities, but the Commandery had been overwhelmed by the situation. Receiving orders, issuing commands, arresting individuals, and transferring them—all of these things were simple tasks at the top, but down to the executive level, they became a series of procedures and records. Who was arrested, where was they arrested, and why—all of these details had to be recorded.

Generally speaking, if something goes wrong, it's not a big deal. Even if someone is sentenced to death during the trial, it's usually fine. But if the higher-ups ask the lower-ups why the problem occurred, why the person was sentenced to death, and the lower-ups can't answer, or the answers are inconsistent, then there are a lot of things to write about. To avoid possible trouble, Luo Yangxing personally led the entire Experience Department to work overtime. Within a few days, the consumption of ink and paper almost quadrupled, and the brushes were almost worn out. At this time, the emperor suddenly cracked down on the East and Two Factories. Especially in the West Factory, Wei Zhongxian was beaten with a stick in public and couldn't get out of bed. The entire yamen work was temporarily handed over to the general Li Yongzhen.

The entire Jinyiwei's attention was thus focused on the inner walls of the imperial city. For the entire afternoon, every government office involved in the operation and its officials were in a state of panic, awaiting punishment or fearing being thrown out and blamed. No one took the death of the disgraced eunuch seriously. Only one clerk, responsible for recording miscellaneous matters, recorded the incident in his register as usual and mentioned it to Luo Yangxing.

At the time, Luo Yangxing was slightly startled. Reflecting on the turbulent world and the unpredictable nature of life, he silently recounted the incident twice, preparing to tell his father about it when he got home. But by the time Luo Yangxing finished his work and returned home, the news of Shang Jingying's death had barely registered in his mind.

Soon, this half hair was also burned by the raging fire brought by Luo Sigong. And the thing that ignited this fire was the emperor's secret decree.

The Emperor, ensconced in the inner sanctuary, certainly had no idea of ​​the complexities involved. But he still offered Wang An some leniency, blandly rebuking him: "What are those servants doing? They're so unconcerned with the honest elders, even for days? I've already said, let's keep things separate. Don't blame Shang Jingying for the affairs of those two bastards."

"Please punish me, master." Wang An did not argue.

Yang Songquan understood everything. He suppressed the grief welling up in his heart and tactfully smoothed things over with Wang An, "Master, I didn't want to cause your Highness and Old Ancestor Wang any more worry, so I took the initiative to suppress the news and didn't issue a public notice. I only notified my brothers and sisters and asked them to join me in the funeral rites."

"No matter how many troubles you have or how complicated things are, you still have to know what you should know." Zhu Changluo's expression eased a little, and he sighed and praised: "I have always known Shang Jingying. He is loyal, brave, upright, impartial, and rigorous in his work. I remember the last time I saw him, he was still energetic and walked with great vigor. I even teased him, saying that if he was allowed to lead troops out of the capital to garrison a region, he might even offer me the heads of two bandit chieftains. He also said that he was willing to serve me, even if he had to die on the battlefield." Zhu Changluo did have a lot of impressions of Shang Jingying, so he had some real feelings in his heart. As he spoke, there was actually some sadness in his tone. "But, but how could this person suddenly disappear?"

"Long live the master! Don't worry too much," Yang Songquan was deeply moved, his eyes, which had almost dried up, began to moisten again. "Godfather is past the age of following his heart. His bones and muscles have long since withered, and he relies on that proud and upright spirit to keep him going. If that spirit is lost, he will soon fail."

"I pushed him too hard and made him lose his temper." Zhu Changluo sighed sadly.

"That was never my intention!" Yang Songquan kowtowed repeatedly. "Master, you are fair-minded and just. Even if the Western Factory doesn't expose them and you don't punish them, the corruption of those two bastards will eventually be exposed. When that happens, their anger will eventually be vented."

"Alright, alright. Stop torturing yourself!" Zhu Changluo waved his hand and asked, "Have you arranged everything for Shang Jingying's funeral?"

Yang Songquan remained prostrated on the ground. "Thank you for your concern, Master. Please do not worry, everything has been arranged. After the seventh day of mourning, we will arrange the burial."

In fact, Shang Jingying had been preparing for his own tomb and burial long ago. To this day, Yang Songquan was simply following Shang Jingying's pre-planned plan and proceeding step by step.

As early as the 23rd year of the Wanli reign, Shang Jingying, having suffered a serious illness and feeling his mortality approached, selected a burial site for himself and carved his first epitaph, or "longevity inscription," which briefly recounted his life. However, the illness ultimately took Shang Jingying's life. After recovering, he lived another 26 years in high spirits. Believing the burial site to be auspicious and a blessing for his longevity, Shang Jingying preserved it and continued to improve and expand it.

In addition to the burial chamber, Shang Jingying designed and constructed a stone pagoda, a stone gate, and an ancestral hall on the site. He also built a small temple and employed several monks, hoping his burial ground would be regularly tended, preventing it from becoming a lonely grave after a century—a practice commonly known as a "tomb-temple." These constructions consumed nearly half the old man's income. Shang Jingying never moved from one residence in Beijing, a thoughtful consideration for his future. What good was a large mansion? That burial ground was his eternal home.

Zhu Changluo nodded slightly and asked, "Where should the grave be chosen?"

"It's near the Huguo Baozhong Temple, 18 miles west of the capital. Many deceased officials are buried there." Yang Songquan replied.

The Huguo Baozhong Temple is a shrine dedicated to eunuchs, built in the early years of the Yongle reign, over 200 years ago. Legend has it that Emperor Chengzu built this temple to commemorate the loyal eunuch Gang Tie. In the 30th year of the Jiajing reign, Xu Jie, then Minister of Rites, wrote "Records of the Huguo Baozhong Temple," which states: "Gong Tie, whose real name was Tie, made great contributions to the reign of Emperor Chengzu and Emperor Wen. Upon his death, he was granted burial at Heishanhui, 18 miles west of the capital, and a shrine was built in his honor."

"Bao Zhong Shrine is a good choice." Zhu Changluo had no idea where this place was, but after pondering for a moment, he seemed to have thought of something and suddenly had an idea. "Wang An."

"I'm here." Wang An responded immediately.

"Stand up and talk, don't kneel." Zhu Changluo said first.

The eunuchs stood up, and Zhu Changluo continued, "I remember that when Chen Ju and Tian Yi passed away, my father ordered the construction of an altar for their sacrifices and ordered the Ministry of Works to build a memorial archway and plaque to commemorate them forever. Shang Jingying was also an old man of both loyalty and righteousness, who never overstepped the bounds of propriety. I instruct the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works to follow the old customs for Chen Ju and Tian Yi's burial and memorial services. All expenses and costs will be covered by the palace."

"Yes!" Wang An's emotions also rose, and his response was both high-pitched and trembling.

"Your servant." Yang Songquan was so moved that she knelt down again with a plop. Tears finally welled up in her moist eyes. "Your servant kowtows to thank the master for his grace!"

"Have you chosen your respective burial sites?" Zhu Changluo looked around at the four eunuchs present.

"I haven't yet." Wang An already had a plan to find a place to build a tomb for himself, but he was too busy recently and didn't have time to do it.

Wei Chao and Liu Ruoyu also shook their heads. They felt that they were still young and had never considered such things.

"I've chosen mine, and it's almost finished. It's right next to my godfather." Yang Songquan oversaw the construction of Shang Jingying's tomb. During the construction process, Yang Songquan also considered building a tomb for himself. With Shang Jingying's consent, Yang Songquan built a companion tomb to the left of Shang Jingying's tomb, intending to bury him and his godfather in the same mound.

The practice of joint burials was common among eunuchs. Due to their physical limitations, eunuchs were often disfavored by the world. Even the most powerful eunuchs would fall into disgrace and be looked down upon if they fell out of favor. Therefore, eunuchs often huddled together for warmth while alive, and were often buried together after death. Those with relationships like "father, son, or brother" were even buried together in the same plot or even the same tomb. Today, many places have become dedicated cemeteries for eunuchs.

"I wish to fully expand the tombs of Chen Ju, Tian Yi, and Shang Jingying, turning them into cemeteries and building shrines and temples upon them, specifically for the burial and worship of these loyal, brave, and righteous eunuchs. This will perpetuate the incense and honor their loyalty and righteousness." Zhu Changluo asked in an extremely gentle voice, "What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)