Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Court Deliberation Before the Army (Part Two)

Those with a clear conscience feel at ease, while those harboring guilt cannot help but feel their hearts pound. As for the origin of the rumors, how could the officials gathered in this tent not know? Many among them had long hoped the Emperor would convene this court assembly, yet when the Emperor finally summoned them as they wished, fear overtook them. They dreaded being regarded as the instigators behind the scenes, for spreading rumors to demoralize the army was a capital offense. Although the law did not punish the masses, if the Emperor’s wrath were truly provoked, it was certain that a few heads would roll.

Fortunately, the Emperor seemed uninterested in pursuing the true mastermind behind the rumors and instead turned his gaze to Kuang Ye, Minister of War, asking, “Have you managed to locate the whereabouts of Yesen’s forces?”

Kuang Ye answered crisply, “I do not know.”

“You do not know?” Zhu Qizhen was taken aback, then immediately displayed his displeasure, rebuking, “I have been at Yanghekou for two days, and yet you, the Minister of War, cannot even tell me where our enemy is. Every time I ask, you only reply that you do not know. Is that all you are capable of?”

“I am guilty!”

Upon hearing the Emperor’s reproach, Kuang Ye, rather straightforwardly, dropped to his knees. Yet from his rigid posture, he hardly seemed penitent—if anything, it looked as if he were stubbornly resisting the Emperor.

“You!...”

Kuang Ye’s kneeling left Zhu Qizhen momentarily at a loss, uncertain whether to continue berating him for incompetence or to do something else. With a headache, he glanced sidelong at Wang Zhen, who gave him an almost imperceptible shake of the head. Zhu Qizhen, resigned, waved at Kuang Ye and said, “Enough, enough, rise.”

Kuang Ye stood as instructed. Zhu Qizhen had expected him to offer an apology, but to his surprise, the Minister of War stood there in silence, ramrod straight. As Emperor, Zhu Qizhen felt utterly helpless—and deeply awkward.

Watching from the side, Prince Consort Jingyuan sensed that Kuang Ye’s attitude was amiss. He wanted to persuade Kuang Ye to apologize and ease the mounting tension, but seeing the defiant stance of the assembled civil officials, he sighed inwardly and wisely refrained from meddling.

“Yesen’s whereabouts are unknown, you refuse to help relieve my burdens, and the army is rife with rumors. I truly do not know whether this personal campaign of mine was right or wrong.”

Zhu Qizhen was filled with desolation. He knew that more than half the officials present did not support his personal campaign, yet now that the imperial will was set, they should not be double-dealing, undermining him behind his back. Did they think he had come here for leisure and sightseeing? No! He sincerely wished to compete with Yesen and rid Great Ming of this grave threat.

When the monarch faces death, his ministers are disgraced; when the monarch is worried, his ministers must resolve it!

Heaven, earth, sovereign, kin, and teacher—where, in your eyes, does your sovereign stand among these?

Seeing his ministers remain silent, Zhu Qizhen, wounded, snorted to himself and ceased to waste words, turning instead to look at Wang Zhen.

As the Emperor’s gaze fell upon Wang Zhen, the latter appeared wholly composed. The Grand Secretary, Cao Nai, felt his heart sink, overcome by a foreboding sense of unease.

Rumors of a food shortage were spreading in the army. As Grand Secretary, Cao Nai was deeply dissatisfied. Though he, too, wished for the army to return to the capital at once, he could not condone destabilizing the troops through such means. Fully aware of his heavy responsibilities, he always had to keep the greater good in mind. Now, with Yesen’s whereabouts unknown, if the army was forced to withdraw due to panic, who could guarantee that the vanished Yesen would not seize the opportunity to pursue and attack? Should that truly happen, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Withdraw they must, but not now. Cao Nai was convinced that Yesen’s disappearance was not out of fear; he was merely waiting for the perfect moment to strike a fatal blow. Under no circumstances could Ming give Yesen that opportunity, or disaster would surely follow.

Cao Nai knew perfectly well who was spreading the rumors. If he did not know they simply sought the army’s withdrawal and had resorted to poor tactics, he might almost believe they were agents of the Oirat themselves.

Foolishness!

They treated the Emperor’s campaign as a farce, but was not their own conduct even more so?

If the army truly suffered calamity due to shaken morale, no number of deaths could atone for their guilt!

Despite his discontent, Cao Nai would never dare take action against these people, for that would be tantamount to waging war against the entire civil officialdom. He, as Grand Secretary, represented the interests of the bureaucracy, not the Emperor. If he bowed to the Emperor and betrayed his colleagues, perhaps he could retain his position for a few more years, but the stain and disgrace would never be washed away.

Caught between the Emperor and the civil officials, Cao Nai suffered in silence. What he feared most was not public condemnation, but that Wang Zhen would seize this matter as a pretext to attack the civil officials. Since Wang Zhen had been promoted to Chief Eunuch, the Emperor had followed his every word, and the court was already under his sway. Should Wang Zhen use the rumor as an excuse to strike against his opponents, the bureaucracy would be completely sidelined.

Yet Cao Nai could not fathom Wang Zhen’s intentions. With heavy heart, he watched Wang Zhen closely.

...

As Cao Nai fretted, Wang Zhen drew from his robe a ledger detailing the army’s food supplies over recent days. Under everyone’s gaze, he strode to Wang Zuo, Minister of Revenue, and demanded, “Minister, you are in charge of the army’s provisions, yet I have heard that the grain delivered from the granaries in Xuanfu has been dwindling these past few days. Why is that?”

Wang Zuo had not expected Wang Zhen to uncover this matter, but he remained unruffled and replied slowly, “Yang Hong has reported that since Yesen invaded Datong, various nomadic Oirat tribes have slipped into Xuanfu. Some, in groups of ten or so, have banded together as brigands; larger groups, numbering over a hundred, have formed alliances. They often ambush the grain convoys when our troops are unprepared, making transportation difficult. That is why it has been hard for the Xuanfu granaries to send grain, and he has requested the army return early, lest the supplies be cut off.”

“So this is the origin of the rumors?” Wang Zhen sneered, turning to Zhu Qizhen. “I have long wondered how the rumor of a grain shortage began in the army. Now it appears the problem originated with Minister Wang.”

At this, Wang Zuo, incensed, retorted, “Wang Zhen, how dare you slander me! How could I be the one spreading rumors?”

“Slander?” Wang Zhen threw the ledger at Wang Zuo. “The provisioning of the army is entirely your ministry’s responsibility. If the news did not leak from your end, who else would know that grain shipments from Xuanfu were decreasing? How else could such rumors arise? In the end, Minister Wang, you cannot escape responsibility for this matter!”

...

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