Chapter 173
Chapter 173
[After Zhu Yuanzhang Returned to the Great Ming – 24]
The words were mercilessly sharp. Zhu Qizhen felt as though a knife had pierced his heart. His face went deathly pale, and for a time he could not speak.
An emperor had stubbornly insisted on leading a campaign, only to lose the battle, sacrifice two hundred thousand elite capital troops, and become a captive himself. In five thousand years of Central Plains history, no legitimate emperor had ever done anything so humiliating.
Even Emperors Qinzong and Huizong of the Song had been captured only after their dynasty declined and the Jin army stormed Bianjing and carried them north.
But Zhu Qizhen?
He had delivered himself willingly!
When he marched out despite every civil and military official’s opposition, he had imagined himself a lone hero-isolated and misunderstood like the Chu statesman Qu Yuan, the only sober man in a drunken world.
Reality proved the officials had been right. He was no hero, but an unprecedented, world-shaking idiot, an incompetent ruler destined for infamy in the histories.
Shame, rage, and regret piled together until he could barely breathe.
Yuan Bin told him he had merely been too young and deceived by villains. Zhu Qizhen could only comfort himself that way. Yet after his younger cousin Zhu Qikun ascended the throne and restored the realm, even that consolation became a bitter mockery.
If youth was the issue, Zhu Qikun was younger still. He had grown up as a feudal prince and never received formal instruction as a sovereign. Yet he turned the tide, preserved the Great Ming, and proved himself a wise ruler. Why could Zhu Qizhen only serve as a stick stirring a vat of filth, dragging the Great Ming toward the abyss?
As Son of Heaven, he too had felt humiliated when calling the gates open for the Oirats. But a wretched life was better than a noble death, and as the ancients said, where there was life, there was hope. What was wrong with enduring a little humiliation?
He was Son of Heaven of the Great Ming, supreme above all. What was so terrible about making a few subjects sacrifice themselves for him?
Eight carts of priceless treasure and ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains were at stake. If eating one mouthful of shit would buy them, would you eat it or not?!
Besides, he did not truly have to eat any. He only needed to put on a show. Why refuse?
Esen coaxed him. Yuan Bin offered only comforting words. The Mongol attendants treated him like a god and flattered him with talk of saving the country by an indirect path and building a shared Oirat-Ming prosperity. Their praise made Zhu Qizhen lightheaded, and he began to believe it himself.
Now the dagger was revealed. A Mongol barbarian he despised had cursed him and torn away the mask concealing his shame. Zhu Qizhen’s heart burned with humiliation, and fury drove him to murder.
“How dare you!” He struggled forward, but his bonds were too tight. After barely two steps, he crashed to the ground in disgrace.
The other soldier looked at him maliciously. “I hear Lu Xiufu said several things before carrying the young emperor into the sea. Something like, ‘The country has come to this; Your Majesty must die for it,’ and, ‘Emperor Deyou has suffered humiliation enough. Your Majesty must suffer no more.’ Ming emperor, we are uncivilized barbarians of the steppe. Do you know what those words mean?!”
Zhu Qizhen had received specialized imperial instruction from childhood. The Song was the Central Plains dynasty immediately preceding the Ming, and his tutors had drilled its rise and fall into him from beginning to end. How could he not understand? Shame and humiliation exploded through his skull. His eyes nearly split with rage, and he longed to perish together with the Mongol soldier on the spot.
The two men laughed even harder. “From your expression, you seem to understand. But you were also the one who called the gates open for Esen. That is difficult to reconcile. Do you understand or not?!”
Their tongues were truly vicious. They had mastered the art of killing a man’s heart.
Zhu Qizhen’s eyes bulged as harsh gasps tore from his throat. Fearing they might actually anger him to death, the Ming commander waved the two Mongols away. “Leave the rest to us.”
Night deepened, but the shouts of battle outside the yurt rose and fell without stopping.
This was destined to be a sleepless night.
The Ming soldiers did not take Zhu Qizhen or Yuan Bin outside. They remained in the tent, waiting for the storm to pass by morning.
Zhu Qizhen was consumed by rage and cursed incessantly at first. Annoyed, the soldiers stuffed his mouth. When Yuan Bin repeatedly berated them for their disrespect, they gagged him too.
Esen’s forces had already suffered heavy losses and could not organize an effective defense. Betrayed by Toghtoa Bukha and caught unprepared, they were eggs striking stone. Their last tens of thousands of soldiers were either killed or captured. Their generals and advisers were seized, and Esen himself fell into Ming hands to await the emperor’s judgment.
Zhu Yuanzhang had marched out in the middle of the eleventh month. It was now late in the twelfth, with the New Year close at hand.
Toghtoa Bukha had already fled back to Mongolia. Weather and supply problems also constrained the army. Zhu Yuanzhang understood not to pursue a cornered enemy, especially when this campaign had already filled his coffers to overflowing.
The Oirats had lost several hundred thousand elite troops, Esen had been captured, and Mongol strength was devastated. They could not possibly recover for decades. Zhu Qizhen and Xi Ning had also been taken. The army could return laden with spoils.
…
After his capture, Zhu Qizhen remained in a state of furious agitation. He knew Zhu Qikun had personally led the campaign, and the attitude of the Ming soldiers guarding him made the other man’s intentions obvious. Unwilling to let the younger cousin who had once stood against him see him humiliated, he calmed himself the next day and asked to change clothes and tidy his appearance.
No one paid him any attention.
He received three meals a day and was allowed to relieve himself at fixed times. Otherwise, they simply kept him tied up.
Zhu Qizhen sneered. Were they trying to intimidate him?
He stopped asking, closed his eyes, and rested in an effort to preserve the dignity of a Son of Heaven. He began planning what he would say when he met Zhu Qikun, and what attitude and emotion would best overawe his cousin and make him wary.
In truth, he was making eyes at a blind man.
All the way until the army returned to the capital, the dear cousin who had inherited his throne never once came to see him, making no attempt to conceal his contempt and disdain.
Zhu Qizhen…
Zhu Qizhen nearly suffered internal injuries from suppressed frustration.
The civil and military officials had already witnessed the emperor’s ability, so opposition within the court to this personal campaign had been negligible. Even so, Yu Qian, Hu Ying, and the others remained somewhat anxious, fearing the emperor might capsize in a drainage ditch and drag the Great Ming into an even darker abyss.
Then came the news that the emperor had crushed the Oirats, captured Esen alive, and was returning in triumph.
“Wonderful! Heaven protects us!”
The senior ministers wept openly. Even the famously stern Yu Qian’s eyes grew wet. Attendants galloped to every government office with the glad tidings. News from the front spread like flame, igniting all of Beijing in an instant.
“Such wisdom and martial greatness! He truly is a ruler bestowed by Heaven!”
“A true descendant of Emperor Taizu!”
“The Great Ming has a worthy successor!”
When the news reached the inner palace, Empress Lin beamed and had her servants accompany her to the Buddhist chapel to fulfill her vow. Hope and delight appeared on the Empress Dowager’s face as well. She asked impatiently, “Has the Emperor Emeritus truly been brought back?!”
The attendant answered with a smile. The Empress Dowager pressed a hand to her chest and repeatedly murmured, “Amitabha.” Supported by servants, Empress Qian stumbled in. Expectant color rose in her pale face. “Imperial Mother, is His Majesty coming home?!”
The Empress Dowager was far gentler than usual. “Yes. He is back!”
Her lashes grew wet. Taking her daughter-in-law’s hand, she choked out, “At last, the two of us have waited until his return!”
On the day the victorious army returned, Yu Qian led the civil and military officials to kneel outside the capital’s gate in welcome. Seeing the emperor seated proudly on horseback, heroic and vigorous, he secretly sighed in relief. When he spotted Esen and the other captives under Imperial Guard escort behind him, joy shone in his eyes.
The Vice Minister of Personnel knew the Emperor Emeritus was returning and deliberately peered behind the imperial carriage. He saw neither the Emperor Emeritus’s carriage nor any vehicle marked by unusual ceremonial distinction. Quietly, he tugged at the sleeve of his superior, Minister of Personnel Wang Zhi. “Minister Wang?”
Wang Zhi watched the emperor with a smile and an expression of profound reverence, never turning his head. “What is it?”
“Why do I not see the Emperor Emeritus?”
Still staring at the emperor and applauding, Wang Zhi said, “Do not mention him.”
The vice minister thought he had misheard. “What did you say…?”
“Today is an auspicious day. Do not mention him. It brings bad luck!”
The vice minister silently closed his mouth.
After the defense of Beijing, the emperor had truly secured his position. At one command, no one beneath Heaven dared disobey. Now he returned crowned with another great victory. Who would provoke him at such a moment?
As for the Emperor Emeritus, that was ancient history. Do not mention him. Bad luck!
Yet to everyone’s surprise, the emperor raised the matter of the Emperor Emeritus first after entering the city.
Zhu Yuanzhang arched his thick brows. “My worthy ministers, how should this traitor be dealt with?”
Yu Qian immediately stepped forward and said coldly, “His crimes are second only to Wang Zhen’s. Nothing short of death by a thousand cuts can appease the realm’s fury!”
The officials stepped forward in agreement. “Exactly! Only death by a thousand cuts can appease the people and console the spirits of the countless fallen soldiers!”
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head. “Death by a thousand cuts is the ultimate punishment. What crime did Xi Ning commit to deserve such torment?”
Anger flashed across the ministers’ faces.
Yu Qian swept aside his robe and knelt first, his gaze sharp. “Your Majesty, had this traitor not surrendered to the Oirats, guided Esen in a surprise attack on Zijing Pass, and repeatedly offered treacherous schemes, the commanders and more than ten thousand soldiers at Zijing Pass would not have died, nor would the Central Plains have been ravaged by Oirat barbarians. If this traitor is not killed, all beneath Heaven will bear a grievance!”
The civil and military officials knelt in a wave. “Just as the Duke of Wei says!”
“So that is the case.” Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then left Xi Ning aside. “How, then, should Wang Zhen’s crimes be judged?”
Without hesitation, Yu Qian said, “Xi Ning deserves death by a thousand cuts. As for Wang Zhen, even that punishment could not absolve his crimes!”
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded again. He descended the jade steps and paced several times, his gaze pressing down upon every bowed head. His voice turned fierce. “In that case, the Emperor Emeritus first indulged Wang Zhen while he usurped authority and ruined the country, then sacrificed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and common people, bringing devastation upon the Great Ming and suffering to its subjects. How should his crimes be judged?!”
Yu Qian had not expected the emperor to press the issue so directly and froze. Hu Ying, Wang Zhi, and the other senior ministers were equally shocked. Only the young and middle-aged generals promoted by Zhu Yuanzhang stepped forward and declared, “When a Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is guilty like any commoner. The Emperor Emeritus was incompetent and harmed the people so grievously. How can he be exempt?!”
“He was the exalted Son of Heaven of the Central Plains, yet called at the frontier gates for the Oirats. His shamelessness surpassed even Emperors Qinzong and Huizong a thousandfold!”
“Emperor Taizu was wise and mighty beyond compare. If he knew in the Nine Springs that he had such an unworthy descendant, he would surely refuse to acknowledge him. The sages taught that the Son of Heaven must be father and mother to the people and rule all beneath Heaven. How can a man of such words and deeds remain emperor? His imperial title should be stripped, and he should be tried and executed to answer to the realm!”
Yu Qian and the others were shaken speechless. After a long silence, one official timidly lowered his voice. “But… that is the Emperor Emeritus…”
“So what?! The state comes first and the ruler second!”
A general’s eyes flashed as he turned on the speaker. “Did the Emperor Emeritus not indulge Wang Zhen’s seizure of power? How many loyal men and common people has Wang Zhen harmed over the years?! In the Tumu Crisis, two hundred thousand capital troops were destroyed. The Duke of Yingguo, Duke of Cheng, Minister of War, Minister of Revenue… how many officials and nobles died in that catastrophe? Was that not the Emperor Emeritus’s fault? As for calling the frontier gates open, merely speaking of it soils my mouth!”
“But…”
The official had barely begun when a young general promoted by Zhu Yuanzhang shouted, “If you commanded a frontier town, recklessly allowed yourself to be captured by the Oirats, would you threaten your subordinates inside into opening the gates and admitting the Oirat army?!”
He gripped his court tablet, his expression savage. One wrong answer and he plainly intended to beat the man to death with it.
For the sake of both reputation and life, the official could only say, “If that truly happened, this minister would take his own life for the country rather than disgrace the nation!”
“Hmph!” The young general withdrew his gaze and surveyed the hall with a sneer. “A minister may die for the realm, but the Son of Heaven may not?! Emperor Taizu labored so bitterly to found this dynasty, only for his descendants to betray him. How can one who fails to preserve the ancestral enterprise and collaborates with the nation’s enemy remain ruler?!”
Silence filled the hall.
Political righteousness hung over everyone’s head, leaving no possible argument in the Emperor Emeritus’s defense.
Would you call the gates open for the Oirats?
Yes.
You damned traitor! You betrayed the nation’s grace. Throw him in prison and execute his entire clan immediately!
No.
How can such a pure, unyielding loyalist associate with the filthy, shameless Emperor Emeritus?
Hurry and kick him toward death!
There was not the slightest room left. What the hell was there to discuss?
Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased. Smiling, he called softly, “Marquis of Yongjia?”
Cold sweat streamed down Hu Ying’s forehead. He braced himself. “This minister believes the generals’ words are most reasonable.”
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and turned to Wang Zhi. “Marquis of Pingning?”
Wang Zhi answered without hesitation, “This minister wholeheartedly agrees!”
“Duke of Yingguo?”
The duke’s father had died at Tumu Fortress, an elderly man whose corpse was not even left whole. How could the Duke of Yingguo not hate Zhu Qizhen? He immediately said, “This minister wholeheartedly agrees!”
“Duke of Cheng?”
His father had likewise fallen at Tumu Fortress. “This minister wholeheartedly agrees!”
After asking each man in turn, Zhu Yuanzhang finally looked at Yu Qian. “Duke of Wei?”
Yu Qian committed a slight breach of etiquette. He raised his head and met the emperor’s gaze. “Does Your Majesty do this from public principle or private gain?”
Respect stirred in Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart. He solemnly replied, “The gods bear witness: We harbor no selfish motive. Today, We act to rid Our ancestors and the realm of this traitor!”
Yu Qian bowed his head to the floor. “This minister deserves ten thousand deaths.”
Then he said gravely, “This minister wholeheartedly agrees!”
A smile flashed through Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes, but when his gaze swept across the court, it immediately turned cold and fierce. “Zhu Qizhen disrespected his ancestors and favored treacherous villains, weakening the government, tormenting the people, and filling the realm with grief. Strip him of his imperial title, flay him, stuff his skin with straw, and hang it forever in a side hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, so every future descendant may take warning and never produce such an incompetent ruler again!”