Huangming

Chapter 130 Mangshan Imperial Decree, Panlong Trapped

When Wang Tiqian and Wan Wei's envoys were thirty li away from Luoyang.

The guards of the Prince's Palace received an urgent report from the postmaster, and the Prince's Palace Administration immediately ordered the Ceremonial Guard to clean the road (sprinkle yellow sand and splash water on the street).

A dragon pavilion was set up inside the main gate (in front of the Chengyun Hall).

He also urgently notified Zhang Lun, the prefect of Henan, and Lü Bangyao, the magistrate of Luoyang, to accompany him.

now.

The genius shines.

Outside the Luoyang post station.

The prefect of Henan and the magistrate of Luoyang, along with a group of their officials, came to pay their respects.

"Zhang Lun, the Prefect of Henan (Lu Bangyao, the Magistrate of Luoyang), pays respects to the angel."

Wang Tiqian narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."

Upon arriving in Luoyang, Wang Tiqian made no attempt to conceal the matter from Prince Fu, and all the necessary rules and regulations were followed.

This was also a test of Prince Fu's attitude.

Zhang Lun, the prefect of Henan, and Lü Bangyao, the magistrate of Luoyang, slowly rose. Zhang Lun said to Wang Tiqian, "Your Excellency, the post station has prepared fine wine and food. Why don't you all rest for a while before going to the Prince of Fu's residence?"

Lu Bangyao nodded and said, "The angel has arrived so suddenly, the Prince of Fu's mansion hasn't prepared many things yet!"

Not ready yet?
What he wanted was to be unprepared!
Although Wang Tiqian had a smile on his face, his words showed no mercy to the two of them.

"Gentlemen, we have come through wind and snow because time is of the essence. Perhaps we can rest after the decree is delivered."

Lu Bangyao's smile faltered, a fleeting shadow of gloom crossing his eyes, but he quickly regained his smile, took out a heavy brocade pouch from his robes, and handed it to Wang Tiqian, saying:

"It is precisely because you have come all the way from the capital, enduring wind and rain, that we must host a welcome feast for our angels. You may not know that there is fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women at the inn. It would be a pity if our angels missed this opportunity."

Wang Tiqian remained unmoved and said, "I am just a lowly servant, used to eating coarse food and wild vegetables, and I cannot stomach the delicacies of Luoyang."

The old eunuch turned to look at the Imperial Guards and eunuchs behind him and said, "They can't afford to squander such good fortune."

After saying that, Wang Tiqian pushed the brocade pouch away.

Upon seeing Wang Tiqian, who was like a rock in a latrine—stinky and hard—Lu Bangyao had no choice but to turn his gaze to Wan Wei, the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, who was standing to the side.

"Captain, this..."

Wan Wei naturally dared not disobey Wang Tiqian, and said with a smile, "It's still early. We can have a welcoming feast when we get to the Prince of Fu's residence."

Seeing that he couldn't delay any longer, Lü Bangyao had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, asking, "May I ask what brings the angel to Luoyang?"

"Humph!"

The old eunuch snorted coldly and said, "Is this something you, a mere magistrate of Luoyang, should be asking?"

"Magistrate Lü had no other intentions."

Zhang Lun, the prefect of Henan, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

“If angels come to punish us, we should make some preparations in advance, otherwise, if something terrible happens, we will not be able to bear it.”

Prepare in advance?

Should we inform Prince Fu in advance and let him prepare?

Wang Tiqian saw through the deception but didn't say anything, saying, "Whether this imperial edict is a reprimand or a reward is not something a eunuch like me can know, nor is it something you officials should ask. Just do your own jobs well. Asking too many questions about other things will not do you any good."

"This"

Zhang Lun and Lü Bangyao exchanged a glance and had no choice but to say, "Then please let the angel get into the sedan chair!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiqian simply smiled faintly: "There's no need to trouble you two. Someone, get a few fast horses and head to the Prince of Fu's residence immediately, lest we be late."

By this time, the attendants had already changed into fine horses at the post station. Wang Tiqian mounted his horse, flicked the reins, and led the group at full speed toward the Prince of Fu's residence.

Upon seeing this, the Imperial Son-in-Law, Captain Wan Wei, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two men and said, “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. The Imperial Envoy is concerned with the Emperor’s orders and has no intention of making things difficult. However, the matter of delivering the decree is of great importance. If we are late, neither of us can bear the consequences.”

Before he finished speaking, Wan Wei flicked his whip and lashed the horse's rump hard.

The horse, in pain, neighed and galloped off like an arrow towards the Prince of Fu's residence.

The Henan prefect Zhang Lun and the Luoyang magistrate Lü Bangyao looked at each other in bewilderment. They had no choice but to hurriedly board the sedan chair and order the sedan chair bearers to speed up their pace and catch up.

However, in the blink of an eye, Wang Tiqian and his entourage had disappeared at the end of the dusty official road.

Left with no other option, the two had to return to the inn to change their horses.

By the time they resumed their journey, Wang Tiqian and his group had already left them far behind, leaving only a trail of dust in their wake.

After shaking off Zhang Lun, the prefect of Henan, and Lü Bangyao, the magistrate of Luoyang, Wan Wei, the imperial son-in-law, rode up to Wang Tiqian and asked in a low voice:

“Eunuch Wang, our brothers have been traveling for days and are exhausted. Why not take a short rest and go to the Prince of Fu’s mansion to deliver the imperial decree tomorrow? Besides, I noticed that you were quite cold to those two local officials. I wonder why?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiqian reined in his horse, slowed its pace, gave Wan Wei a meaningful look, and slowly said:
“Your Highness, you are unaware of this. We have come here to question you. If we give Prince Fu time to prepare, things may change. We must catch him off guard and leave him no time to devise a plan.”

A cold glint flashed in the old eunuch's eyes as he continued, "As for those two, they have long been in cahoots with Prince Fu and are utterly useless."

Seeing Wan Wei's puzzled expression, Wang Tiqian explained in detail:

“Since Zhang Lun took office as the prefect of Henan in the 48th year of Wanli, he appeared to be upright. In October of the first year of Taichang, he even submitted a memorial to impeach the Prince of Fu’s mansion for encroaching on farmland. But in secret, he helped the Prince of Fu forcibly seize farmland. In return, the Prince of Fu helped him obtain the hereditary position of a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for his son, Zhang Dingyan.”

"Luoyang Magistrate Lü Bangyao, although a newly appointed Jinshi in the 47th year of the Wanli reign, had only been in office for a year, but had already formed a deep alliance with Prince Fu."

He accepted a pair of Ru kiln celadon-glazed washers, worth a thousand gold pieces, as a gift from Xing Hong, a servant of the Prince's Mansion, and even condoned the Prince's Mansion guards to beat the county magistrate.

Furthermore, the burden of the Prince's Salt Permit Fee was shifted to the people of the entire county, causing the price of salt in Luoyang to skyrocket.

In October of this year, he also forcibly conscripted three hundred laborers to repair the garden of the Prince's Palace, forcing the people to flee.

At this point, Wang Tiqian snorted coldly: "How could I allow such parasites to tip me off in advance?"

"It seems that Eunuch Wang obtained a lot of confidential information last night," Prince Consort Wan Wei remarked from the side.

Wang Tiqian knew so much information because last night he had met with the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Luoyang and the Imperial Inspector of Henan, and had a thorough understanding of the situation of the Prince of Fu's residence.

He even secretly mobilized troops from the Henan garrison and the Luoyang auxiliary garrison, so that if Prince Fu made any unusual move, Wang Tiqian could preemptively seize control before Prince Fu's private army could assemble.

He came prepared.

"Confidential information is important, but acting quickly is even more important."

Wang Tiqian also harbored ambitions.

A eunuch who doesn't aspire to be the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial is not a good eunuch.

Seeing Wei Chao repeatedly reprimanded by the emperor, his position as head of the Directorate of Ceremonial was teetering on the brink of collapse. Who would be the next to succeed him?

Wei Zhongxian?
Maybe!
But based on his understanding of the emperor, he knew that His Majesty would never rely on just one person within the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Whether he can become someone the Emperor values ​​and appoint as the second-in-command, or even the number one, person in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs depends on how well he handles the task of delivering the imperial edict to Prince Fu!
Thinking of this, Wang Tiqian also didn't want to waste any more time.

He squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs to speed up the steed.

Although he came prepared, his troops were still inferior to those of Prince Fu. If Prince Fu were given time to gather his troops, the situation would be very uncertain.

Therefore, we must hurry!

It was so fast that Prince Fu couldn't react in time.

The cold wind howled, and the snow made walking difficult.

They sped for more than ten miles.

You can see the Prince Fu's Mansion from afar.

The Prince Fu's Mansion is located in the northeast corner of the old city of Luoyang. It is situated on the site of the Sui and Tang palace city, backed by Mangshan Mountain and overlooking the Luo River. It occupies the highest point in the city, which is in line with the profound meaning of "the king's residence is supreme".

Its architectural scale far surpasses that of ordinary princely residences:
The main building complex has Chengyun Hall as the main hall and Cunxin Hall as the sleeping quarters, supplemented by ancestral temples, study halls and exquisite gardens.

The entire mansion is surrounded by a vermilion palace wall over ten feet high, with heavily guarded corner towers at the four corners, creating an imposing atmosphere.

The palaces were all covered with royal-exclusive blue glazed tiles, the beams and rafters were painted with gold lacquer, and the white marble steps were intricately carved with dragon and phoenix patterns, making them comparable in scale to the imperial palace.

Even more honorable was the special favor granted by the Wanli Emperor: he was permitted to have five bays for the main gate and seven bays for the main hall, far exceeding the "three gates and five halls" system for princes stipulated in the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty".

When Wang Tiqian and Prince Consort Wan Wei arrived outside the Prince of Fu's residence, they thought they had returned to the Forbidden City!

now.

The gates of the Prince Fu's mansion were wide open. On either side of the vermilion-lacquered gate with copper studs, the guards of the mansion stood at attention with their hands on their swords. A cold wind swept by, making their robes flutter loudly.

Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, dressed in a red dragon robe and wearing a black gauze winged crown, stood in front of Chengyun Hall.

The chief secretaries on the left and right, along with a group of subordinate officials, knelt behind him, awaiting the arrival of the angel.

As the sound of hooves drew closer, Wang Tiqian pulled on the reins, dismounted, and was followed closely by Wan Wei and a group of Imperial Guards.

Even though Wang Tiqian had met Prince Fu when he was in the capital, he still stared wide-eyed at the sight of Zhu Changxun.

It wasn't that he possessed any domineering aura that made Wang Tiqian feel the urge to immediately bow down in worship.

Rather, this guy is just too fat.

When he was in the capital, Prince Fu was already quite fat.

Unexpectedly, after arriving in Luoyang, I gained at least another hundred pounds.

This crimson dragon robe was already extra large, and when worn by him, it not only lacked the majesty of a prince, but instead looked somewhat comical.

No wonder Prince Fu was mocked as a "pig from Luoyang," and there is even an exaggerated folk saying that "when Prince Fu crosses the street, the floorboards crack."

Prince Fu must weigh over 300 pounds now.

"Your Highness Prince Fu."

Wang Tiqian slightly cupped his hands, his voice sharp yet polite.

Prince Fu was exaggerated in stature and comical in appearance, but he was, after all, a prince. Wang Tiqian suppressed his laughter and dared not be disrespectful in front of the prince's residence, thus giving Prince Fu an opportunity to impeach him.

"We have come by imperial decree."

Zhu Changxun's eyes flickered slightly, then he smiled and, supported by his close attendant, took two steps forward, panting heavily, and said, "Eunuch Wang has come from afar, you must be tired."

Wang Tiqian smiled with narrowed eyes: "I dare not accept such praise. I am but a servant girl who runs errands. How could I dare to complain about the hardship?"

Zhu Changxun's smile remained unchanged as he stepped aside and gestured, "Please come inside for tea and a short rest, sir."

Wang Tiqian shook his head: "Your Highness, I am under imperial command and dare not delay. Let's announce the decree first."

Zhu Changxun's eyes darkened, but he maintained a respectful expression: "In that case, I will respectfully listen to Your Majesty's decree."

"good!"

Following protocol, Wang Tiqian carried the imperial edict into the Dragon Pavilion, where the court musicians immediately played "Flying Dragon Melody".

Supported by two eunuchs, Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, struggled to the front of Chengyun Hall, knelt down with sweat pouring down his face. His exaggeratedly large crimson dragon robe trembled slightly in the cold wind, and his face beneath his black gauze winged crown was flushed as he panted heavily.

Wang Tiqian held the imperial edict in his hands, standing in front of the Dragon Pavilion, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept over the kneeling crowd.

"Your Highness Prince Fu, receive the decree." His voice was sharp and carried an undeniable air of authority.

Zhu Changxun took a deep breath, bowed his head and said, "I humbly kneel to receive Your Majesty's decree."

Wang Tiqian unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud in an icy voice: "I have heard that since the Prince Uncle took up his fief, he has been seizing vast amounts of land, levying salt taxes privately, and allowing his guards to beat and injure officials. He is hereby ordered to come to the capital immediately to meet the Emperor and set the record straight!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Changxun suddenly looked up, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

"Entering the capital?!"

His voice trembled slightly, but he quickly suppressed his emotions, bowed his head and said, "I bow deeply and accept your imperial decree."

Wang Tiqian sneered and closed the imperial edict: "Your Majesty, don't keep His Majesty waiting."

Zhu Changxun gritted his teeth, slowly stood up, and looked at Wang Tiqian with a gloomy gaze: "Eunuch Wang, I have been unwell recently, may I ask for a few more days?"

He recently took the "Golden Elixir Fat-Reducing Formula" from Li Chongdao, a Taoist priest from the Prince's Mansion, but instead of losing weight, he developed rashes and scabies, and is now suffering from discomfort day and night.

Wang Tiqian narrowed his eyes, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Your Majesty is unwell, but the imperial physicians in the palace are highly skilled and can certainly treat you. If you have other plans, I have some news for Your Majesty: Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo is currently in Kaifeng with 20,000 troops from the capital. How many days do you think I can grant Your Majesty?"

Zhu Changxun's pupils contracted, and his fist clenched tightly in his sleeve, but he could only suppress his anger: "I understand."

The magistrate of Luoyang, Lü Bangyao, was sweating profusely and couldn't help but whisper, "Your Majesty, there might be room for maneuver in this matter."

Wang Tiqian glanced at him sideways and said sarcastically, "Magistrate Lü, what, you also want to go to the capital?"

Lu Bangyao's face turned pale, and he immediately fell silent.

Zhu Changxun took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Eunuch Wang has come from afar, why don't you rest at the Prince's residence for a day?"

Wang Tiqian shook his head: "No need, I still have to rush back to the capital to report. Your Majesty, let's set off first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhu Changxun remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded slowly: "Okay."

Wang Tiqian smiled with satisfaction, turned around and strode away, leaving only Prince Fu standing there, his eyes flashing with cold light.

He didn't want to go to the capital.

But with 20,000 elite troops from the Beijing Garrison right there in Kaifeng, would he dare not go?
(End of this chapter)