Chapter 59: Not On The Scales
Several days later.
Naozhou Island Water Village.
Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner, Guangdong Commander-in-Chief, Leizhou Prefect, White Dove Village Coastal Defense General gathered together before that rebel poem.
Provincial Administration Commissioner Zheng Fantai let out a disdainful snort: “The wording is crude, the meter is off, the characters like a child’s! Hah, wanting to emulate Huang Chao without first weighing one’s own worth.”
White Dove Village Coastal Defense General said: “Lord Fantai is right. This group of vagrant commoners have no scholarship, not worth worrying about.”
Zheng Fantai laughed angrily, his gaze shooting toward him: “What a sharp tongue! Even now, still calling them vagrants! You mean to say this is the Pearl Farm forcing Pearl Commoners to rebel, and it has nothing to do with you, right?”
White Dove Village Coastal Defense General immediately knelt to the ground: “This official has no such intent. Naozhou Pearl Farm is within this official’s defense area. For such a matter to happen, whether Pearl Commoners rebelling or Japanese Pirates harassing, this official cannot escape culpability.”
Zheng Fantai withdrew his gaze: “Good that you know. Your culpability isn’t urgent; first figure out how to explain to Eunuch Yang and Minister Xu.”
Just then, a person entered from outside the door. The surrounding officials, great and small, upon seeing him all bowed and respectfully addressed: “Eunuch Yang.”
Superintendent of the Maritime Trade Office Eunuch Yang had an extremely ugly expression. As soon as he entered, he asked: “Where is Li Tan? Has the person been found?”
No one replied. A little soldier nearby braced himself: “Replying to Eunuch Yang, Li Gonggong is here.”
Eunuch Yang turned to look, only to see the little soldier kneeling on the ground, holding up a tray in his hand with a head covered in dust and bloodstains—it was Li Tan’s head.
Eunuch Yang’s eyes bulged with rage: “Such audacity, daring to kill an inner court official!”
He looked toward that rebel poem and fumed: “Good, good, good! Truly rebellion! Truly defying heaven, Zhou Dusi!”
Guangdong Commander-in-Chief cupped his hands: “Eunuch Yang.”
“Have you tracked the rebels’ traces? Who is the ringleader?”
The Commander-in-Chief looked troubled: “No survivors On the Island, can’t get any information. From this poem, these rebels should have gone east.”
After all, the wall said “From here to Penglai, east into the sea”—not only indicating eastward voyage, but also suggesting the rebels found a sea island to hole up on.
But such an obvious inference, he saw no need to spell out completely.
Eunuch Yang suppressed his anger: “If so, why not dispatch the navy to surround and annihilate them? This is just one Pearl Farm. If rebels taste success and strike more places, delaying this year’s pearl harvest and failing Consort’s Birthday Banquet, who will bear the blame?”
With that Consort Zheng who monopolizes sacred favor invoked, the Commander-in-Chief could only repeatedly assent, then whispered: “Gonggong is right, but this official has Minister Xu above. Without the minister’s orders, this official cannot mobilize troops arbitrarily.”
In early Great Ming, the Commander-in-Chief managed a province’s Garrison armies.
As the Governor position shifted from temporary to permanent, the Commander-in-Chief’s authority weakened, gradually obeying the Governor in all matters.
Eunuch Yang snorted coldly, shifting his ire, asking around: “Where is Minister Xu? Such a major incident, and he doesn’t come—he sure knows how to shirk!”
No sooner said than a Little Eunuch respectfully presented a letter.
“Eunuch Yang, this arrived from Guangzhou this morning.”
Eunuch Yang took it, glanced over—it was unexpectedly a letter from the Governor he had just mentioned.
He and this Minister Xu had long been at odds, no personal ties; official correspondence was rare, so why a private letter today?
To show uprightness, Eunuch Yang opened it publicly. One look, and his face lost all color.
The room full of provincial dignitaries were alarmed by Eunuch Yang’s pallor, decorum forgotten as they pressed: “Eunuch Yang, what does the letter say?”
Eunuch Yang said nothing, passing the letter to them.
All who read it were stunned, souls fled, standing dumbstruck.
The letter held only one sentence.
“48th Year of Wanli, July 21st, the Emperor passed.”
By the dates, the Capital City Official Gazette hadn’t reached Guangdong yet; Minister Xu must have his own channels.
If not indisputably true, Minister Xu wouldn’t dare write “the Emperor passed,” even with bear’s heart and leopard’s gall.
The Emperor passed?
These Guangdong-based officials knew little of the Wanli Emperor’s health.
Baffling: last capital inspection, His Majesty was hale; how suddenly pass away?
Officials eyed each other, debating whether to shed a few tears before this inner official Eunuch Yang.
“The Emperor! Waa waa waa…” First to wail was the kneeling White Dove Village Coastal Defense General.
Then officials snapped awake, clamoring to sob, feigning sleeve-wiping of tears.
Eunuch Yang no longer cared to note who hadn’t cried.
His mind now chaos, endlessly weighing antecedents and consequences.
Why did Pearl Commoners rebel?
Because Pearl Farm levied major pearl-diving corvée.
Why levy corvée?
To prepare Consort Zheng’s Birthday Banquet.
Who is Consort Zheng?
The Emperor’s most beloved consort, who bore His Majesty the second son Prince Fu.
To crown Prince Fu heir, the Emperor quarreled with ministers over a dozen years, ultimately lost, and ceased court attendance thereafter.
Then who is our crown prince?
The imperial eldest son of Consort Wang—Zhu Changluo.
Consort Wang of lowly birth, unfavored by His Majesty, confined after birthing her child.
Crown prince never saw his mother young; only before Consort Wang’s death did they meet, their first and last time.
Truth be told, Consort Zheng’s monopoly caused the crown prince motherless from youth.
Heir dispute dragged twenty years; crown prince feared half his life.
Now finally crown prince’s ascension; Consort Zheng… whither?
Eunuch Yang merely pondering felt body chilled.
If Consort Zheng falls.
We who served her, whither?
Especially the Maritime Trade Office eunuch who plundered pearl taxes, forcing Pearl Commoners to rebel—whither?
Eunuch Yang trembled uncontrollably, vision blackening, world spinning.
“Eunuch Yang?”
Officials saw him swaying, voicing concern nonstop.
Eunuch Yang rallied, pointing at the wall: “Men, smash this wall!”
“Yes!”
Soldiers assented, fetched iron hammers, smashed the wall down in strikes.
Still unsatisfied, Eunuch Yang had wall rubble tossed Sea, and the whole house demolished.
As officials exited, the head-carrying little soldier trailed.
Eunuch Yang recoiled as from viper, raging: “Filthy thing on a plate? Hasten to sea, feed the fish!”
Little soldier froze.
Baffled how in letter-reading time Eunuch Yang transformed.
“Still not moving.” Provincial Administration Commissioner urged: “Dispose this person’s corpse too.”
“Yes.” Little soldier assented, carried head away.
Great Ming exam-passers for Fame and Fortune: geniuses’ geniuses; high officials: shrewd’s shrewd.
Zheng Fantai now grasped Eunuch Yang’s intent.
Great Ming civil officials lack eunuchs’ personal bonds, but factional strife perils surpass.
Zhu Changluo kept heir position by principled officials’ fight; now ascension, they rise too.
Reckoning for Zhe Faction, Chu Faction, Qi Party imminent.
This juncture, naturally distance from Zhe Faction, Chu Faction, Qi Party folk.
Reporting rebellion draws empire’s gaze to Guangdong, fueling faction fights.
Utter heavenly stupidity.
Better sever head, ship straight to Capital City.
Even emulating Hai Gangfeng, stubbornly reporting rebellion.
Capital City’s six ministries busy with late emperor’s rites, new reign prep—no heed elsewhere.
Come idle time, ministry process, cabinet endorsement, eunuch vermilion seal, local dispatch—half-year gone.
These Sea rebels long fled unknown.
Poem says “From here to Penglai, east into the sea,” no?
Surely thousands li eastward voyage to find “Penglai.”
Thousands li out Guangdong bounds, beyond his writ.
This instant, Guangdong civil and eunuch cliques reached stunning accord.
Hands joined cleaning Lin Qian’s mess.
United cover-up: few eunuchs dead, soldiers lost, one-two Water Villages wrecked—what of it.
In Great Ming, some thousand-jin matters won’t hold; unweighed, no four-tael weight.
