After suffering corporal punishment for most of the day, and then sleeping through the night after having his meridians regulated with internal energy, Su Yan got up at the fourth watch the next morning to attend court. His complexion was actually better than in the previous days of busyness, not only were his lips full of color, his whole person was like willow in the mist after a March rain, carrying a clear and fresh air.
Dressed in crimson robes and a black hat, as he slowly crossed the Jinshui Bridge and entered the square before Fengtian Gate, even the imperial guards standing solemnly on both sides could not help but glance at him a few extra times.
At court, as usual, there was bound to be arguing, either between officials, or between officials and the emperor.
At today’s court session, first there was a round of argument between the officials and the emperor,
Zhu Helin was extremely dissatisfied with the Ministry of Rites drafting the late emperor’s temple name as “Xuanzong,” and lashed out at the ritual officials, saying the character “Xuan” suggested insufficient achievements and belittled his Royal Father’s accomplishments.
The ritual officials argued on reasonable grounds, saying that temple names followed ancestral rules and ritual law, corresponding to each emperor’s reign, and could not be decided by personal preference. Although the late emperor was diligent and cared for the people, with notable achievements, his reign was not long, and because of the kneeling-at-the-gate incident, he executed and demoted many officials, including remonstrance officials. This act went against his usual benevolence, it was a fault, not merit, and could not be ignored.
Zhu Helin was so furious that he grabbed the purple bronze incense burner held by a eunuch and threw it at the ritual officials, grazing one of them on the forehead and raising a large bump.
Su Yan fully understood the source of his rage, Emperor Jinglong had set up that less-than-glorious scheme to eliminate officials opposing the succession precisely to pave the way for his son. It could be said that he knew this would draw criticism from civil officials, yet still chose to do it. Zhu Helin was moved by his Royal Father’s love, so how could he tolerate anyone using that as a reason to belittle his Royal Father?
Thus he absolutely could not accept “Xuan,” and instead proposed a higher, more laudatory posthumous title, “Sheng.” At the same time, he used thunderous methods and once again won a complete victory in the war of words with the ritual officials.
“Whoever has objections is attempting to trample upon my filial devotion to my Royal Father,” the young emperor said, sweeping his sharp gaze across the court. “Then you will soon find that I do not care about my own posthumous title, whether it be ‘Li’ or ‘Li*.’ When I am gone, you may label me as you wish. But as long as I sit on this dragon throne for even one day, no one is allowed to defy the imperial will!”
* different words that sound similar
This was not merely the rhetoric of a tyrant, it was a naked threat of violence. Not caring about posthumous titles like “cruel” or “violent”, what did that mean? It meant, “I will slaughter without regard for consequences.”
With these words spoken, the officials felt as if a fishbone were stuck in their throats, unable to swallow or spit it out.
One must know, even the most obstinate emperors still cared somewhat about their reputation after death, at least maintaining basic dignity. But this newly enthroned ruler, at the slightest disagreement, would tear off all pretenses, if things did not go his way, he would rather drag down his own reputation together with the lives of his ministers.
Compared to the late emperor, who would still maintain appearances no matter how displeased he was, the new ruler’s style of conduct was so crude it left people dumbfounded, simply brutal.
Yet it proved unexpectedly effective, the ritual officials backed down once again.
“‘Sheng’ then ‘Sheng*’ it is. After all, the late emperor was a rare enlightened ruler. Though there were suspicions that he did not preserve his integrity in his later years, but… actually it wasn’t that serious, right?” The ritual officials comforted themselves in this way.
* sage
Ming Shengzong, Zhu Jintang.
Su Yan widened his eyes in some surprise… In his memories of his previous life, Zhu Jintang’s temple name had indeed been “Xuanzong.” Why was it completely different in this life?
He quickly figured out the key point: on the historical timeline, there had never been such an intense emotional clash between this imperial Father and son. Presumably, until the historical Zhu Helin survived being poisoned and narrowly escaped death, ultimately inheriting the throne with difficulty, only to die a few short years later from the lingering poison, he had always harbored resentment toward his Royal Father. The two never opened their hearts to each other until death, which was why he had no objection to his Royal Father’s temple name “Xuanzong.”
But the Zhu Helin of this world was entirely different. In order to repay his Father’s love for his son, he was willing to use any rough and ruthless means.
Zhu Helin escaped calamity and ascended the throne early; Zhu Jintang survived by faking his death; even the temple name had changed, was this the transformation brought about by the fluttering wings of his own little butterfly? Su Yan could not help but sigh with emotion.
While he was silently lamenting, the officials quarreled several more rounds—
One dispute was over the two “righteous armies” led by Madman Liao and the Wang brothers, who were currently advancing north and east respectively, showing signs of joining forces in Beizhili. Beizhili was the gateway to the capital region; further north and the army would be at the city gates. What had once been a minor affliction had now become a threat that could not be ignored.
Thus, Fang Qing, the Right Shilang of the Ministry of War overseeing military affairs, was impeached by other officials for his ineffective suppression of the rebels, who demanded his replacement. However, since he had been recommended by Yu Chezhi, the newly appointed Left Shilang of the Ministry of War who had just entered the cabinet, Gelao Yu firmly believed he had not misjudged him. The failure to suppress the rebels was due to insufficient troops and poor coordination among the guards, in short, a problem with the court’s own deployment, not Fang’s capability.
This caused other officials to jump up and, on the spot, impeach Yu Chezhi for arrogance and for criticizing the court. The two sides engaged in a fierce war of words.
Another dispute, prompted by the Oirat state letter requesting participation in rituals, led officials to argue over Ming’s diplomatic strategy toward the Northern Steppe. With Aletan’s rise, past policies toward the tribes were no longer applicable, how should their future relationship with the Northern Steppe be defined and handled?
On both of these major matters, Su Yan did not state his position publicly.
As for the internal unrest, he knew that Yu Chezhi was a renowned general among civil officials and reliable in leading troops to quell rebellion, but his judgment might not necessarily be reliable. At least, Fang Qing, whom he had recommended, was historically obscure and did not seem like someone capable of accomplishing great things. However, if he agreed at court to remove Fang Qing, he would offend Yu Chezhi. It would be better to first secretly evaluate a more suitable new commander, and then slowly persuade Yu Chezhi.
As for diplomacy, he could not speak lightly either. If he were too hardline, it might incite the hawkish faction’s belligerence and plunge Ming into both internal and external wars at once. If he were too soft, it would be like raising a tiger to invite trouble in the Northern Steppe, and people might suspect that his judgment was influenced by personal ties with Aletan.
Su Yan’s way of doing things had always been, always leave a viable alternative, never block off a retreat. And never fight an unprepared battle; it all depends on who holds more trump cards and can laugh last.
In the eyes of the court officials, this newly appointed young Gelao, barely out of his teens, possessed a composure and cunning utterly mismatched with his age. He was like a pool of green water that looked shallow but was in fact deep. Once stirred into waves, it could drown people without a trace.
But to say he was flawless would be false. Most upright officials valued self-cultivation and moral discipline, yet Su Yan alone had rumors of romantic affairs with colleagues, princes, and even the new emperor. His personal conduct was not entirely proper, yet he had never capsized… in short, a formidable figure difficult to define.
Thus, the silence of this “formidable figure” at court also carried an air of unfathomable depth. So much so that after the session ended, when many officials from the Ministries of War and Rites made inquiries, openly or secretly, about the cabinet’s policy direction, probing Su Twelve’s stance was placed above all else, even drawing more attention than the Gelao Yang Ting.
What Su Yan had not expected was that when he spoke eloquently, he overshadowed all the officials; and when he remained silent, he still overshadowed the members of the cabinet.
From this, it seemed that the private title “Prime Minister Su,” whether used as flattery or as a jinx, was not undeserved.
After the court was dismissed, the Qinghe Emperor summoned Su Gelao alone to the imperial study.
“This is the reply to Aletan drafted by the Directorate of Ceremonial according to my intentions. Take a look.” Zhu Helin handed over a state letter written on yellow silk.
Su Yan unfolded it and examined it carefully, seeing that it had largely adopted his suggestions: first expressing dissatisfaction and condemnation of Aletan’s overstepping in elevating his title from “Sacred Khan” to “Heavenly Sacred Khan.” Then offering appeasement, formally conferring upon his deceased Father Hukuoli the titles “Pingning Wang” and “Oirat Khan”; and conferring upon Aletan himself the titles “Shunyi Wang” and “Northern Steppe Khan,” which in effect acknowledged the legitimacy of his annexation of the Tatars. It also promised that as long as he behaved himself and did not elevate his honorific title, Ming would send the most suitable official to attend his Heaven-sacrificing ceremony.
“…What does ‘the most suitable official’ mean?” Su Yan pondered. “Don’t tell me you really intend to send me?”
Zhu Helin curled his lip. “You wish! Thanks to your earlier reminder, I had the Embroidered Uniform Guard sift through the officials who were at Qingshui Camp back then, and we actually found another one who meets the conditions.”
“Who?”
“A sicheng from the Shaanxi Regional Imperial Stables, back then he was under Yan Chengxue, in charge of horse requisition at Qingshui Camp, just in his early twenties. See? Everything matches. Aletan shouldn’t have any objections now!”
A mere sixth-rank vice director being sent to represent Ming to the Northern Steppe as a ritual participant, this was a blatant show of contempt… Aletan would probably be furious. Su Yan pressed his forehead, speechless.
Zhu Helin seemed to see through his thoughts and scoffed, “I can send a third-rank official as the chief envoy, with him as deputy envoy, how about that? That’s giving plenty of face to the ‘Sacred Khan,’ doesn’t it?”
In truth, Su Yan himself was not necessarily willing to go. After thinking it over, he felt Zhu Helin’s method was workable, for now, they would proceed like this. As for how Aletan would react upon seeing this deputy envoy… who knew.
Seeing that he had no objections, Zhu Helin placed the state letter into a box, instructed the eunuch to pass it down, and dispatched a special courier to set off immediately for Lingzhou. It was said that the Northern Steppe’s envoy was still squatting at Qingshui Camp, waiting for the Ming emperor’s reply.
The palace doors opened; one eunuch carrying the letter went out, and another eunuch reporting matters came in.
“Your Majesty, Shen Qi, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, requests an audience outside the hall. He has already been waiting for quite some time.”
“Shen Qi? I didn’t summon him, what is he here for?” Zhu Helin, upon hearing this, cast a glance at Su Yan and said, “What a bee, wherever he smells flowers, he flies.”
Su Yan did not wish to be likened to a flower, and also suspected that Zhu Helin was once again using a homophonic pun to belittle Shen Qi. Helpless, he smiled and said, “If Commander Shen is urgently seeking an audience, he must have important matters to report. I shall take my leave first.”
“Hold on!” Zhu Helin stopped him. “Don’t go yet. You might as well stay and hear what Shen Qi has to say.”
The eunuch withdrew outside the hall and nodded to Shen Qi. After he entered, the palace doors were closed again.
Shen Qi walked into the imperial study and saw Zhu Helin and Su Yan sitting cross-legged on the Maitreya couch, playing a game of go across the table.
The corner of his brow twitched slightly, but without revealing anything, he stepped forward and saluted.
Su Yan turned his head to look at Shen Qi, showing a trace of a wry smile, within the mere dozens of seconds while the eunuch had gone out to deliver the message, Zhu Helin had sprung into action as if injected with chicken blood, forcibly pulling him onto the couch, stripping off his boots, setting up the chessboard, and putting on a display of ruler and minister in harmonious leisure, if not to provoke Shen Qi, then what else.
Fortunately, Shen Qi was quite composed. For the vast majority of the time when he was not going mad, he was far calmer than ordinary people.
“What matter is so urgent that you must come disturb me while I am at ease?” Zhu Helin did not even glance at Shen Qi as he placed a black stone on the star point. “Tsk, Qinghe, you’re letting me win again, aren’t you? I’ve already said there’s no need to yield, no need to deliberately curry my favor. Back when you won ten rounds in a row, you didn’t go easy on me.”
I’m not letting you win now either, let alone currying favor… You’ve improved, little Zhu, who exactly are you saying these strange, loaded words to? Su Yan rolled his eyes inwardly.
Shen Qi stood before the couch, not looking at Zhu Helin or Su Yan, only staring at the black-and-white interwoven chessboard, and said in his usual cold tone, “This matter concerns the imperial family. It is not appropriate for this subject to speak of it in front of anyone other than Your Majesty. I ask Your Majesty to consider whether Lord Su should withdraw.”
As if seizing on a loophole, Zhu Helin turned his face slightly and glanced at Shen Qi with a trace of mockery. “Qinghe is someone both my Royal Father and I deeply trust. As for matters concerning the imperial family, what he knows may not be less than you, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. What is there that cannot be said in front of him?”
Shen Qi did not meet the new emperor’s gaze. Lowering his eyes to conceal the subtle expression within them, he said in the same indifferent tone, “Then this subject will speak plainly,
“Since last month, rumors have gradually arisen in the prefectures and counties under various offices. At first they were veiled, but later they became increasingly rampant, with their target directly aimed at the Grand Empress Dowager.”
Rumors about that old woman? What was there to spread, she was that kind of person anyway. Zhu Helin asked dismissively, “Oh? What are they saying about her?”
“They are all rebellious and absurd statements. This subject feels it would defile Your Majesty’s ears even to repeat them.”
“Speak. Don’t be coy. What kind of person are you, Shen Qi, do you still need me to grant you a ‘speak freely, you are pardoned’?”
The corner of Shen Qi’s lips lifted subtly. “The rumors say that forty years ago, when the Grand Empress Dowager was still Qini Wangfei , she had an illicit affair with a common man, and only then gave birth to the late emperor and Yu Wang.”
Zhu Helin’s hand, which was placing a stone, froze over the board. He suddenly raised his head, his shocked gaze colliding directly with Su Yan’s expression, one that seemed both unexpected and yet as if he had anticipated it.
Shen Qi continued, “At first, many people found it absurd and were enraged, even gathering to beat those who spread the rumors. Not long after, a booklet appeared on the market, printed with letters exchanged between the Grand Empress Dowager and that man. It is unknown which underground print shop produced it.”
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard’s informants noticed this booklet and found that the letters inside recorded quite a number of the Grand Empress Dowager’s private matters and old affairs within Qin Wang’s residence, including the exact times when the Xianzu Emperor went on campaigns and returned to the residence, all of which could be matched one by one with the records preserved in the historical archives. They immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. Thus, the Embroidered Uniform Guards in various regions began destroying the illicit books, arresting rumor-mongers and printers, strictly forbidding the people from discussing the matter, while at the same time urgently reporting it to the capital. As soon as this subject received the news, I immediately came to report to Your Majesty.”
As he spoke, Shen Qi took out a crudely bound booklet with a blue cover from his robes and placed it on the chessboard.
There were no words on the cover. Zhu Helin gritted his teeth to restrain his anger, grabbed the booklet, and flipped it open at random. He happened to turn to a page containing a private letter his grandmother had written in those years, expressing tender affection toward that man. Not only did it inform him of her pregnancy, it also said things like, “I have already written to Qin Wang, feigning illness to urge him to return to the residence. Otherwise, when the months grow, it will be difficult to conceal. Nine months later, when the melon is ripe and falls, have the midwife report it as a premature birth, that will suffice; there is no need for excessive worry.”
“—Utter nonsense! Demonic words to deceive the masses!” Zhu Helin hurled the book down violently, knocking over the chessboard as well. Black and white stones clattered to the ground. “To dare slander the Grand Empress Dowager with illicit relations and fabricate that my Royal Father is not of true dragon blood! This matter must be strictly investigated, thoroughly investigated! The masterminds and accomplices behind it are all to be executed by lingchi, their three clans exterminated! Strictly order that no one among the people may spread these rumors again, otherwise they will be punished the same as the rumor-mongers!”
Shen Qi said, “This subject obeys the decree. I will immediately mobilize all Embroidered Uniform Guards and local informants to investigate this matter thoroughly and capture those spreading the rumors and the illicit books as soon as possible.”
Su Yan suddenly spoke, asking Shen Qi, “When last month did this begin, at the start of the month or the end?”
Shen Qi said, “Tracing it back, it should have begun at the start of the month.”
“The beginning of the second month… On the second day of the second month two years ago, there was a great explosion at Baizhifang in the capital, and explosions also occurred simultaneously in various prefectural cities. The Red Lotus prophecy spread throughout the capital. This year in the second month, these rumors and illicit books targeting Imperial Father and the young lord have appeared. No matter how one looks at it, it seems inseparable from Mister He of the Void Sect, as well as the Player.”
Su Yan grasped Zhu Helin’s hand, which was trembling from surging emotions, and said in a reassuring tone, “Excessive anger harms the body. Young lord, calm down first, the Player is about to begin a new game. If he wishes to take an unorthodox path, we will accompany him and see in the end who checkmates whom!”
Zhu Helin gritted his teeth and said, “I also know I should stay calm, but this concerns the Grand Empress Dowager’s reputation… no, it concerns the legitimacy of my Royal Father’s and my own right to the throne. We absolutely cannot let the rumors continue to spread, we must quickly bring the situation under control and eliminate the mastermind behind it!”
Su Yan nodded. “This move is indeed extremely vicious. Young lord, do you know what makes rumors the most frightening? The more you forbid people from discussing them, the more it stimulates their curiosity and voyeuristic tendencies.”
Zhu Helin suppressed his anger. “Do those who believe it not feel foolish? Do they not find these so-called private letters of illicit relations absurd and laughable?”
Su Yan sighed. “That is another frightening aspect of rumors, or rather a kind of absurd but widely existing herd mentality, there is no need to verify details, no need to distinguish or think for oneself. As long as enough people spread it, it will naturally be believed. This is what is called ‘three men make a tiger.’”
“‘There is a big tiger in the marketplace’, such a simple lie can be dispelled with a single glance. But what if there is a lynx in the marketplace?
“Someone glimpses a patch of fur patterned somewhat like a tiger and believes they have grasped the whole truth; someone else passes the lynx off as a leopard, then passes the leopard off as a tiger. When everyone tells it with vivid detail, even producing a few tufts of yellow fur as ‘evidence,’ those who hear it, even without knowing the truth, will firmly believe it without doubt.
“A lynx cannot eat people. But when public sentiment is stirred, people often fall into a mindset of curiosity and following the crowd, how satisfying it is to echo and curse along with others. Who still cares whether the lynx eats people or not?”
“In such a situation, if the young lord tries to stop rumors through killing, the people may indeed fall silent out of fear of death. But their mouths being shut does not mean their hearts are convinced, nor does it mean their hands can be restrained. The common people will think this is a guilty attempt to silence them, and later will invent insinuating tales, or record them in unofficial histories, passing them down in distorted form for hundreds or thousands of years. In the end, it becomes a historical mystery where truth and falsehood are hard to distinguish, a ‘secret of the imperial family’ relished by later generations.”
Zhu Helin sat stunned for a moment, then said in a low voice, “I truly detest these snake-like, insidious methods. I would rather face the Player in an open, straightforward battle!”
“Then we will find a way to force him into the open, force him to fight openly,” Su Yan said.
Shen Qi suddenly spoke, “As for the matter of the Grand Empress Dowager, whether it is a rumor or not makes no real difference to me.”
Zhu Helin suddenly turned his head and glared at him sharply. “What do you mean? You think this is true?”
Shen Qi said expressionlessly, “Whether it is true or false, only the Grand Empress Dowager herself knows. Even if it is true, so what? The late emperor ruled for eighteen years, and the country was at peace and prosperous, not because of bloodline, but because of his ability to govern and control his subordinates. The same applies to Your Majesty.”
Zhu Helin’s gaze softened somewhat, though his voice remained stern. “Not everyone thinks like you! My Royal Father must be of the true orthodox dragon blood, and so must I, there is no second possibility! Whoever seeks to shake this foundation, I will never spare them!”
Su Yan signaled to Shen Qi with his eyes not to press the point further, and at the same time said to Zhu Helin, “The young lord is right. Allow me to return and think carefully about how to break this rumor and let the truth come to light.”
