The tenth day of the sixth month.
Today was a momentous day. On this day, the Great Ming Dynasty was to welcome a new emperor—Zhu Yijun—who would be crowned and ascend the throne.
Before the sun had even risen into the sky, the entire Forbidden City seemed to come alive, brimming with vitality.
Innumerable palace attendants, armored guards, and ceremonial escorts traversed the Imperial City.
At the altars and shrines throughout every hall, sacrificial offerings and incense had been arranged well in advance.
At this moment, Zhu Yijun was clad in hemp mourning garments, kneeling before the spirit tablet of the late emperor.
"Before my deceased imperial father, the late emperor: I have received your testamentary decree and take upon myself the sacred realm.
"The civil and military officials, along with the military men, commoners, and elders, have repeatedly presented joint petitions urging my accession. Though I declined again and again, my refusals were not granted.
"Looking up, I obey the testamentary edict; looking down, I defer to public sentiment. On this day, I ascend the throne of the Son of Heaven."
Having spoken, he bowed once, then twice, thrice, and four times.
After completing the four prostrations, Zhu Yijun cast the inscribed memorial in his hands into the fire pit. Wisps of pale smoke drifted upward, curling around the late emperor’s spirit tablet.
Turning then to the Two Palaces, he said, "Before my imperial mother Empress Dowager Chen, and before my imperial mother Empress Dowager Li: your filial subject and son ascends the throne of the Emperor today."
With that, he performed another four prostrations.
Empress Dowager Li was already weeping, tears filling her eyes and leaving her choked for words.
It was Empress Dowager Chen who gently helped him to his feet. "The ancestral temples and the altars of state are now entrusted to the Emperor."
Zhu Yijun clasped her hands, his voice steady and solemn. "I shall bear it firmly in mind."
Thereupon, inside the hall, female palace officials stepped forward to strip away his hemp mourning garments and dress him in imperial coronation robes.
For the first time, the dark upper tunic and yellow lower skirt, adorned with the Twelve Patterns, fitted snugly against Zhu Yijun’s frame.
The upper garment was woven with the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, and pheasants.
The lower skirt was embroidered with ancestral temple cups, aquatic weeds, flames, grains of rice, axes, and double-fu patterns.
Empress Dowager Chen personally crowned him with the imperial cap.
Rounded in front and square behind, black on the surface and vermilion underneath, twelve strings of beads hung down to veil Zhu Yijun’s visage.
Empress Dowager Li fastened his jade pendant belt around his waist. "After Your Majesty completes the sacrifices in the three halls of Fengxian, Hongxiao, and Shenxiao, proceed swiftly to the Meridian Gate. The civil and military officials, military men, and commoners are all awaiting you outside."
As if unable to rein in her emotions, she covered her face and stepped back.
Zhu Yijun nodded.
Casting a glance at Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Dowager Li, he turned and exited the hall.
The accompanying eunuchs and palace ushers followed in his wake.
Only the Two Palaces and their respective senior eunuchs remained behind in the hall.
Supporting Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao joined her in chanting Buddhist scriptures.
Standing nearby, Empress Dowager Chen suddenly remarked, "Now that wishes have finally come true, it is indeed fitting to fulfill one's vows to the Buddha."
With that, Empress Dowager Chen took three sticks of incense from Chen Suan’s hands and offered a bow toward the late emperor’s spirit tablet.
Hearing those words, Empress Dowager Li opened her eyes and looked at Empress Dowager Chen.
Back when Chen Hong served as Seal-holding Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, this elder sister of hers had likely developed a desire to compete for favor, frequently causing difficulties for her.
A rift had lingered between them ever since, which was precisely why she had shown displeasure before her son yesterday.
Now, hearing thorns laced into the woman’s words once more, Empress Dowager Li felt an acute prick of annoyance.
Yet today was the day her own son ascended the throne. She could not truly squabble with Empress Dowager Chen; any unpleasant scene would only humiliate her son.
At this thought, she reined in her irritation. After all, it was all in the past now. Having won so decisively, it was all the more incumbent upon her to display the magnanimity of a victor.
Besides, her elder sister was barren; seeing such a scene unfold, it was entirely understandable if her composure slipped. Empress Dowager Li could genuinely empathize.
Thus, Empress Dowager Li offered a faint smile.
With great generosity, she said, "Elder Sister need not fret. Jun'er is a filial child; you and I will always have him to rely upon in the days to come."
She and her son were of one heart, flesh and blood inextricably linked. She had no objection to extending a share of imperial favor to this ritual mother who had long resided in a detached palace.
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Chen turned toward Empress Dowager Li, a strangely complex look in her eyes—fools truly had foolish fortune.
Yet Empress Dowager Li continued to console her. "A few days ago, Jun'er told me that after his enthronement, Elder Sister would no longer have to live in a detached palace.
"Once the court deliberations take place in a couple of days, we shall have the Ministry of Rites propose that I reside in Cining Palace while Elder Sister moves into Ciqing Palace."
Although Ciqing Palace was traditionally the Eastern Palace meant for the heir apparent, the new emperor was still unmarried and without sons, so there was no rush to reserve it for a crown prince.
Using it to accommodate Empress Dowager Chen was fitting. It was closer to Wenhua Hall, which would make it convenient for the Emperor to pay his respects after the daily lectures and court deliberations.
Empress Dowager Chen appreciated the gesture. She dipped into a curtsy by way of thanks.
Then she let out a faint sigh. "Younger Sister truly is blessed with good fortune."
Had it not been for this younger sister's simple and artless nature, her own mood would likely have been far worse today.
Empress Dowager Li could not help but smile with gratification. Having such a son was indeed her great blessing.
"Very well, Elder Sister should return to your palace and rest. There will inevitably be crowds and noise outside today, and we would not want you disturbed."
This elder sister had always been frail, and residing year-round in the cold, damp detached palace had ruined her constitution, making her prone to illness at the slightest chill.
Empress Dowager Chen inclined her head, offered a courtesy, and then led Chen Suan back toward the detached palace.
Only after Empress Dowager Chen departed did Empress Dowager Li turn to Feng Bao, remarking helplessly, "I wonder where my sister gets all that resentment?"
She came from a family of scholar-officials; how could her poise not even match that of a peasant girl like herself?
A flicker flashed through Feng Bao’s eyes as he offered comforting words: "Today is a day of great joy. It is only natural for Empress Dowager Chen to be stirred by emotion and feel somewhat sentimental."
Empress Dowager Li nodded slowly, immediately tossing the matter to the back of her mind.
After years together as mistress and servant, she had never doubted Feng Bao's words.
She then turned to another matter: "Do you think Gao Gong truly intends to make trouble for us over these next few days?"
Feng Bao hastily answered, "Yesterday, Gao Gong boasted openly in the Grand Secretariat, declaring he would strip this servant of the Seal-holding post so that not a single decree from Your Ladyship could leave the Forbidden City—all to prevent the inner court from interfering in governance and stop 'the hen from heralding the dawn.'"
Empress Dowager Li gave a cold snort, visibly incensed.
Seeing this, Feng Bao felt a wave of relief.
Gao Gong, of course, had never spoken those words. But as long as Empress Dowager Li believed he had, that was enough.
Deceiving those above while repressing those below had always been his method.
Back when he entered Prince Yu’s Estate, the eunuchs attending Prince Yu directly were already at full capacity, so he had deliberately showered his godfather with heavy bribes to secure a post serving Lady Li.
He had chosen her precisely because she was soft-eared and devoid of cunning—the easiest kind of mistress to manipulate.
Now that Lady Li was the Empress Dowager, as long as Feng Bao maintained his influence over her, he could swagger unchecked throughout the inner court.
If that was not having one's wishes fulfilled, what was?
Not to mention that in the outer court, Zhang Juzheng was his steadfast ally.
Backed by the Empress Dowager, allied with the Grand Secretariat, and holding the Directorate of Ceremonial in his grasp—with such an array of power, the Emperor’s minority was irrelevant.
Even after reaching adulthood, the Emperor would only have a chance to rule directly once either Zhang Juzheng or Feng Bao died!
As for the Emperor settling scores in the future? Hah. A eunuch who had climbed to the heights of power ought to enjoy ten or twenty years of carefree luxury in whatever lifespan he had left; was he supposed to emulate civil officials and chase a virtuous reputation in the history books?
Being a eunuch was wonderful: upon death, everything ended. With no whole corpse to bury, no descendants to protect, and no regard for reputation, what could any reckoning actually take from him? He would have lived grandly regardless.
Now, all that remained was to oust Gao Gong, and he, Feng Bao, would stand at the pinnacle of power in the Great Ming!
***
Meanwhile, outside the Meridian Gate, the civil and military officials, along with representatives of the military and the common folk awaiting the imperial proclamation, were already craning their necks in anticipation.
Bustling yet strictly orderly, everyone stood arranged by rank. Stretching from the court ministers at the fore by the Meridian Gate all the way back to the commoners and soldiers at the rear, the assembly reached almost to the edge of the Imperial City.
Prostrated outside the Meridian Gate, Zhang Siwei kept his eyes fixed upon Gao Gong’s back at the very head of the ranks.
Though switching boats at the eleventh hour was not entirely honorable, Gao Gong, as the Senior Grand Secretary, could fetch an extraordinary price.
Small wonder people called Zhang Juzheng a prodigy; bypassing Yang Bo to approach him directly had been an absolute stroke of genius.
Yang Bo would never betray Gao Gong merely for a seat in the Grand Secretariat, but Zhang Siwei certainly would!
Having earned his metropolitan degree in the thirty-second year of the Jiajing reign, he had already served nineteen years in government. Originally a Hanlin bachelor, he also held seniority from serving as a Classics Colloquium lecturer for the late emperor.
Now serving as Vice Minister of Personnel, a full third-rank official, he was just a single step away from entering the Grand Secretariat.
With a seat in the cabinet dangling right before his eyes, forget selling out Gao Gong—he would not have hesitated even if asked to shave his head in the first lunar month.
As Zhang Siwei was lost in thought, a stir arose from within the Meridian Gate.
Looking up, he saw Cao Xianyu, a Pen-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, trotting out from the gate while shouting at the top of his lungs, holding four rolls of testamentary scrolls high in his hands.
"An imperial decree!"
"An imperial decree!"
"An imperial decree!"
Once the assembled officials pressed their foreheads to the ground to receive the decree, Cao Xianyu strained his voice to announce, "The Son of Heaven ascends the throne, and an imperial decree has been issued!
"Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo, is commanded to bear the imperial scroll to the Southern Suburb to offer sacrifice and proclaim it to Heaven!"
Zhu Xizhong knelt to receive the scroll and departed for the Southern Suburb.
"Zhang Rong, Duke of Yingguo, is commanded to bear the imperial scroll to the Northern Suburb to offer sacrifice and proclaim it to Earth!"
Zhang Rong received the decree and set forth.
"Xu Congcheng, Consort Commandant, is commanded to bear the imperial scroll to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to respectfully proclaim it to the ancestors!"
Xu Congcheng received the decree and departed.
"Jiang You, Marquis of Dingxi, is commanded to bear the imperial scroll to the Altar of Earth and Grain to respectfully proclaim it to the altars of state!"
Jiang You received the decree and stepped out.
The four nobles, each leading a ceremonial guard of honor, set out in grand fashion to perform the sacrifices on the Emperor's behalf.
Among them, the Duke of Chengguo held the most distinguished role, tasked with offering sacrifice to Heaven, drawing the envy of countless military peers.
Yet no one knew that as Zhu Xizhong made his way to the Southern Suburb, he wished he could fling this assignment away like a scorching iron for whoever wanted it to take.
All imperial favors had to be repaid!
Previously, he had not felt the weight of it so keenly, not until receiving that personal letter yesterday...
Having accepted the imperial family’s favors, the time had come to put his life on the line.
The imperial house, the Grand Secretariat, and the Directorate of Ceremonial—the three most powerful forces today—were engaged in fierce open and covert struggles.
Setting aside who might win or lose, the mere fallout would cost who knew how many lives and strip how many officials of their ranks and titles.
In the end, more than half the heads of the Six Ministries and Nine Courts would probably be replaced.
Civil officials were mostly dismissed, while those who lost their lives were inevitably unfortunate wretches like eunuchs and military nobles.
Zhu Xizhong’s grim expression was no theatrical pretense.
Back in the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, when the court struggles were equally fierce, how imposing had the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard been? Yet the civil officials had beaten him to death right in the main hall before the very eyes of the Prince Regent!
He truly had no desire to wade into these murky waters. Making a small wager to win a bit of goodwill from the new emperor so that his house might receive some favor in the future was all he had wanted.
Yet yesterday Jiang Keqian had arrived at his door, delivering the Emperor’s handwritten letter, making it impossible for him to stay detached.
Not only did the new emperor order him to mobilize the Embroidered Uniform Guard to its utmost and keep tight watch on both the Grand Secretariat and the Eastern Depot, but he had also summoned Zhu Xizhong’s younger brother, Zhu Xixiao, into Qianqing Palace to serve as a personal bodyguard.
He was further commanded to "stand ready to cooperate at any moment."
Though it was merely a private missive couched in courteous terms, its tone was unyielding. Zhu Xizhong had been given no room to refuse; he could only accept it entirely.
He naturally knew what had transpired over the past few days.
Tight-lipped though Jiang Keqian was, the Embroidered Uniform Guards under him had ultimately been transferred by Zhu Xizhong himself as commander.
Gao Gong’s dealings with court officials, Zhang Juzheng’s clandestine meeting with the Shanxi Faction, and the new emperor’s covert maneuvers—Zhu Xizhong knew of them all.
It was precisely because he knew that he felt the immense peril of the situation.
Zhu Xizhong only cursed himself for holding command over the Embroidered Uniform Guard, reading too many books, being too well-informed, and knowing far too much dynastic history.
All of it left him in constant terror, wishing he could simply drop dead of exhaustion at his post.
What else could he do?
Whether he ignored the new sovereign or leaned toward the Directorate of Ceremonial or Gao Gong, the new emperor would nurse a grudge, and once the Emperor came of age a few years later, his entire family might well be executed.
As for siding with the Emperor and acting as his vanguard? That would inevitably earn him the bitter hatred of the civil officials!
Lu Bing, the former Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had been a childhood companion to Emperor Shizong and had even saved the Emperor's life in a fire. Zhu Xizhong remembered all too clearly how Lu Bing had ended up.
After Lu Bing died, Emperor Shizong had specifically ordered that his family be protected. And what happened? The moment Shizong passed away, the civil officials immediately launched a counterattack to settle scores.
Calls to purge Lu Bing’s legacy echoed endlessly through the court. Among the fiercest was Censor Zhang Shouyue, who went so far as to memorialize for the confiscation of Lu Bing's estate, the desecration of his corpse, and the arrest and interrogation of his relatives.
Even more absurdly, the late emperor had failed to resist the pressure. Violating his own father’s testamentary wishes, he had actually confiscated Lu Bing’s estate.
No matter which path he chose, Zhu Xizhong could see no way out. Caught in this vortex, he could only watch helplessly as the Duke of Chengguo's house marched toward ruin.
Unless... the new emperor upon the throne not only emerged victorious, but also proved to be a man who valued loyalty and would not slaughter his hounds once the hares were caught.
Moreover, he would have to be stronger than the late emperor, capable of subduing the civil officials to prevent future recriminations.
Oh, right—he would also have to live long enough to outlast all the civil officials the ducal house offended.
As these thoughts churned, Zhu Xizhong gave a wry, helpless laugh.
It was truly a narrow escape with nine chances of death to one of life.
***
The three halls of Fengxian, Hongxiao, and Shenxiao enshrined emperors and empresses who were not housed in the Nine Ancestral Temples.
For example, his two current mothers would only have their spirit tablets placed within these three halls after their deaths.
The sacrificial ceremony itself was straightforward. Without onlookers crowding the space, everyone observed from a distance outside the halls.
Following the ceremonial text and rites, Zhu Yijun burned prayers to proclaim his accession to the ancestors. When the rites concluded, he bowed three times and exited.
This fulfilled the ceremonial duties of reporting to the ancestral spirits.
No sooner had Zhu Yijun stepped out of Shenxiao Hall than Jiang Keqian came forward to meet him.
"Your Majesty, of the surveillance officials recommended by Grand Secretary Gao, this minister tested them and found only two that can be used."
Zhu Yijun was somewhat surprised, but after a moment's thought, he nodded. "Very well, two will suffice."
These surveillance officials were not meant to serve as vanguard shock troops.
Yesterday, upon learning that Zhang Siwei was conspiring with Zhang Juzheng, a plan had formed in his mind.
His current role was to maintain balance; he wanted nothing more than to see Gao Gong and Feng Bao tear each other apart.
Since Gao Gong had suffered a total defeat in history, Zhu Yijun naturally intended to lend him a hand.
As for the Shanxi Faction, who was poised to turn traitor, someone needed to tie them down to ensure their backstab would not inflict fatal damage, while also avoiding alerting Feng Bao.
Once the surveillance officials launched their impeachments, Yang Bo and Zhang Siwei would inevitably have to submit self-indictments and request dismissal.
Tying their hands for a short while would be enough.
As for how he had persuaded Gao Yi... there had been no need to tell Gao Yi that the impeachments targeted the Shanxi Faction under Gao Gong.
He had merely said he heard rumors of corruption and dereliction among court officials, asking Gao Yi to recommend several loyal surveillance officials to conduct a thorough, discreet investigation on his behalf.
In selecting them, their dossiers had been scrutinized exhaustively—down to what age they had wet their pants—before settling on a few upright men steeped in the Three Bonds and Five Constants.
Even so, when the Embroidered Uniform Guard tested them and spent a full day eavesdropping on them, only two proved usable.
As for the evidence against Zhang Siwei and Yang Bo, their records were far from clean.
When Zhu Xixiao showed him the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s dossiers yesterday, his mouth had gone dry from explaining it all.
In the end, they selected two offenses of moderate severity, intending to hand them over to the surveillance officials when the time was right.
Only by maintaining this balance could the two sides clash back and forth.
He felt a twinge of guilt about taking advantage of an honest man.
After all, once Gao Yi realized after the fact that the targets were the Shanxi Faction allied with Gao Gong, he would likely feel aggrieved for some time. But surely he could not blame the sovereign? Zhu Yijun had immersed himself in the Four Books and Five Classics and harbored an indiscriminate hatred for corrupt officials; surely his teacher would not instruct him to shield them?
At that moment, Jiang Keqian spoke again. "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Gao mentioned that he has been overtaxed with work of late and feels unwell. He plans to request a few days of leave once Your Majesty ascends the throne."
Zhu Yijun was taken aback. "Take leave?"
There were only three men in the Grand Secretariat, and one of them had to leave to survey the imperial mausoleum. He was taking leave now?
A quick thought made him realize this was most likely Gao Gong's doing.
Gao Gong was truly too headstrong and conceited. He was Gao Yi’s patron, after all, and the two shared a close friendship. Yet on the eve of a major confrontation, he was actually having Gao Yi stay out of the fray?
Had it not been for this stubborn temperament of Gao Gong's, he probably would not have lost so disastrously in history.
Still, it suited Zhu Yijun's purposes. Everyone was keeping their moves hidden from Gao Yi.
As the only honest man with clean hands, it was indeed best for him to avoid becoming embroiled in trouble so that he could step forward to clean up the mess once the dust settled.
As for the upright officials behind him, Zhu Yijun would borrow their services for a time!
With that thought, Zhu Yijun nodded and gave an instruction: "Send men to keep watch. Ensure that I can reach Grand Secretary Gao at any time."
Jiang Keqian withdrew.
Zhu Yijun summoned the ceremonial official. "I have completed the ancestral sacrifices."
The ceremonial official understood. The time drum prearranged by the Directorate of Astronomy struck its first beat.
Outside the hall, the Imperial Guard Command had already arrayed the imperial retinue. Behind them stood armored guards, each holding aloft banners and ceremonial insignia. A five-carriage imperial chariot waited outside the hall, flanked by two palace ushers holding memorial stands.
Zhang Hong hurried forward to support Zhu Yijun as he stepped steadily onto the imperial carriage, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Clear the way!"
Instantly, bells tolled, drums thundered, and armor rustled in unison as the vast entourage surged forward.
Ahead, a hundred men sprinkled water to cleanse the path, cleared the road, and unfurled banners, while ceremonial music sounded on either flank, stretching into a long, majestic procession.
Zhang Hong cried out once more: "Proceed to the Meridian Gate!"
Chapter 28