Wang Chengen cast a glance at a young eunuch nearby, who hurried to bring in a tray holding the four treasures of the study. Emperor Chongzhen paced with his hands behind his back, his voice low and solemn:
"Yan Yingyuan, from Tongzhou in Zhili, currently serving as the District Magistrate of Jiangyin."
"Chen Mingyu, from Shangyu in Zhejiang, currently serving as the District Magistrate of Jiangyin."
"Feng Houdun, from Jintan in Southern Zhili, currently serving as an Instructor in Jiangyin."
"Send an urgent dispatch posthaste, six hundred miles a day, and have them rush to the Capital as quickly as possible."
Wang Chengen stared at these unfamiliar names and humble titles, his mind blank.
"Your Majesty, what is the status of these three men? I don't seem to have any impression of them at all..."
"Do not ask what you should not ask. You will know in due time."
Terrified, Wang Chengen’s face turned ashen. He knelt on the floor and knocked his head, begging for forgiveness: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I shall make the arrangements at once."
"Wait. Only bring Yan Yingyuan. That is all."
"As you command."
"The second matter: send a reply to Feng Yuanyang. Tell him I will meet him in Tongzhou no later than noon tomorrow."
"The third matter: summon Wu Mengming, Li Ruolian, and Wang Zhixin. I have instructions for them!"
"As you command!" Wang Chengen muttered to himself as he walked out.
Wu Mengming was the Commander of the Brocade Guard, and Li Ruolian was the Vice Commander—the number one and number two men of the agency. Wang Zhixin was the Superintendent of the Eastern Depot. Why was the Emperor summoning them? Was he planning to have people killed?
He hesitated for a moment before quickening his pace. Killing—that was fine! This lot of ministers who had betrayed the country and the ruler all deserved to die. But with the rebel bandits approaching, was it really the right time to purge officials? At this thought, he slapped his own face. *Damn it*, the Emperor surely had his reasons. Why worry about it? He should just look after the eunuchs in the palace and keep a close watch on the nine city gates.
Before long, Wang Chengen returned to Chongzhen’s side. "Your Majesty, Commander Wu, Vice Commander Li, and Superintendent Wang are all waiting outside."
"Send them in."
"Yes. Also, the Earl of Dingxi, Tang Tong, and Du Zhizhi are requesting an audience outside. Does Your Majesty wish to see them?"
Chongzhen tapped his forehead; he had completely forgotten about them. "Let them in together."
Tang Tong, already enfeoffed as the Earl of Dingxi by Chongzhen, stood outside wearing his crimson Qilin robe, glancing around furtively. When he spotted Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin, his heart skipped a beat. Why were the Brocade Guard and the Eastern Depot here too? What were they plotting? In a split second, he recalled every misdeed he had ever committed. Was the Emperor planning to take action against him?
Regret washed over him. He regretted coming to the capital to defend the throne, and he regretted entering the palace to seek his reward even more. Since Chongzhen had ascended the throne, the fates of officials had been wretched, and for those in the military, it was even worse. In the second year of Chongzhen, the Governor-General of Jizhou and Liaodong, Yuan Chonghuan, had led troops to save the capital, only to be sliced to death by the slow execution the following year. In the fourth year, the Governor-General of Jizhou and Liaodong and Minister of War, Sun Chongzong, was dismissed and later died in battle. In the fifth year, Sun Yuanhua of the Ministry of War was executed. In the fourteenth year, Zheng Chongjian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was executed. In the sixteenth year, Minister of War Sun Chuanting was forced by repeated imperial decrees to engage in battle in haste, only to be defeated and killed. And then there were Lu Xiangsheng, Cao Wenzhao...
He wanted to leave, but seeing the Brocade Guard flanking the hall entrance, Tang Tong knew there was no escape. He walked into the hall with his head bowed behind Wang Chengen, knelt, and kowtowed: "Long live Your Majesty, long live, long long live!"
"Rise, ease your courtesy."
"Earl of Dingxi, why have you come here?" Chongzhen asked pointedly.
With things having reached this point, Tang Tong could only speak the truth: "Your Majesty, I have come for two reasons: to collect military rations and to thank you for your imperial grace."
His eight thousand men had gone five months without pay. As a force defending the dynasty, he had to provide them with something, or it would easily spark a mutiny.
Chongzhen smiled slightly. "How much do you want?"
Tang Tong’s brow furrowed as his brain spun rapidly. He knew the Imperial Court was broke. If there was no money, what did Chongzhen’s question mean? A warning? A warning not to demand money from the court? But if there was no money, how were these eight thousand men to survive? After a long pause, Tang Tong suppressed his fear and said, "I require ten thousand taels of silver."
Before Chongzhen could speak, the eunuch Du Zhizhi, who had been appointed to supervise the army, snapped angrily: "Regional Commander Tang—oh, excuse me, Earl of Dingxi; the court is short on both money and grain. Where would you have us find ten thousand taels of silver? Even if we had it, it wouldn't be for the likes of us. Go back and tell your men that the court is in hardship, and they should just grit their teeth and endure it."
Having said this, Du Zhizhi lifted his thin, sour face in triumph, hoping for the Emperor's approval.
"Supervisor Du, you have never led troops; you do not know how difficult it is. Ten thousand taels is already the bare minimum," Tang Tong said, gritting his teeth as he glared at Du Zhizhi, filled with immense indignation. He could not understand why the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty distrusted his generals so much. Every time an army was sent out, a eunuch was sent to supervise them. They knew nothing of war and had never even heard the sound of cannon fire. Yet, sitting in the command tent, they gave random orders—it would be a miracle if anyone could win!
Watching Du Zhizhi’s clownish performance, Chongzhen sneered inwardly. In history, it was this very man who had ordered the city gates opened to surrender when Tang Tong was preparing to fight. Damn him!
"Well said, Supervisor Du!" Chongzhen replied with a smile. "I have a question, and you must answer it truthfully."
"I obey your decree."
"If—and I mean if—the Earl of Dingxi were to secretly collude with the rebel bandits, what should be done?"
Chongzhen’s words sent a chill down Tang Tong’s spine. Here he was, fighting bravely on the front lines, yet the Emperor suspected him of treachery. A complex cocktail of surprise, sadness, grievance, anger, and regret washed over him. He realized that the suspicion he had feared had arrived at last. He should have learned from Liu Zeqing! When the Shandong Regional Commander Liu Zeqing had lied about falling from his horse to avoid defending the capital, Chongzhen had not only spared him but had even granted him hundreds of taels for medical expenses. Where was the justice in this?
Du Zhizhi cast a sideways glance at Tang Tong and said airily, "I would use the sharp sword bestowed by Your Majesty to cut off his head."
Tang Tong knelt and pleaded: "Your Majesty, I am wronged!"
Chongzhen waved his hand gently. "The Earl of Dingxi need not protest your innocence. I am merely speaking hypothetically; pay it no mind."
Tang Tong stood up shakily, his hatred for Du Zhizhi and his resentment toward Chongzhen reaching a peak. As an Emperor, Chongzhen did not even understand the principle of "do not suspect those you employ, and do not employ those you suspect." This Great Ming, it was not worth saving!
Chongzhen turned his question to Du Zhizhi: "If you were to secretly collude with the rebel bandits, what should the Earl of Dingxi do?"
"Me?" Du Zhizhi was stunned for a moment before saying deferentially, "Your servant is loyal to Your Majesty and to the Great Ming!"
Chongzhen said expressionlessly, "I am speaking hypothetically."
Du Zhizhi knelt and kowtowed: "If this servant were to collude with the rebel bandits, I pray the Earl of Dingxi would cut off my head."
"Good!" Chongzhen clapped his hands. "Since you have admitted to it, Earl of Dingxi, why don't you act now?"
"???"
Tang Tong was stunned. Du Zhizhi was stunned too; he thought Chongzhen was joking, and he wore a forced smile: "Your Majesty is joking. I am timid and cannot handle such jests."
"You think you deserve to be joked with?" Chongzhen’s face was void of expression.
Seeing the grim look on the Emperor’s face, Du Zhizhi panicked. He had always been favored by the Emperor, and he never imagined his life would be in danger. He crawled on the floor, kowtowing incessantly: "Your Majesty, I am wronged! I am loyal to Your Majesty and the Great Ming; I would never dare to commit any act of treason! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"
"Investigate?" Chongzhen sneered. He took the secret letter from Wang Chengen and tossed it onto the floor. "Your correspondence with the rebel bandits has long been intercepted by Wang Chengen. This is the ironclad proof of your collusion!"