“What? Preparing a grand ceremony to present captives at the Meridian Gate? And His Majesty will personally attend?” The officials of Wuyi Hall, upon hearing Huang Jin’s proclamation, gaped in shock, their hearts unable to settle for a long time.
This was an enormous affair.
The affairs of the state revolve around rituals and warfare! The rite of presenting captives had existed since ancient times, a ceremony held by victors to offer prisoners to the gods and ancestors, celebrating and seeking blessings for continued prosperity from both forebears and the heavens.
But a captive presentation at the Meridian Gate? That was rare. At least in the Great Ming, it hadn’t happened in over a hundred years.
This was the Meridian Gate Captive Ceremony! Any ritual held at the Meridian Gate was, without question, of the highest caliber.
The Meridian Gate was no ordinary place!
Facing south, its walls extended outward on both sides, forming a concave shape. The gate boasted five towers and five corresponding archways. The central entrance was reserved solely for the emperor. The empress could pass through it once on her wedding day, and the top three scholars of the imperial examination—zhuangyuan, bangyan, and tanhua—could exit through it upon their success. But no one else, be it prime ministers, generals, or imperial kin, had the privilege to use it!
A ceremony held in such a place—how could it not be of the utmost prestige?!
No doubt about it!
Absolutely deserved!
Forget hosting a grand ceremony here; even receiving a court beating at this spot could etch your name into history, leaving a legacy for centuries!
The Meridian Gate Captive Ceremony was the most solemn and prestigious of its kind, bar none!
This was a military rite, one of only two such ceremonies among all grand rituals, a ceremony among ceremonies.
It could be said that this event outshone even Zhao Wenhua’s sea sacrifice in Jiangnan in both grandeur and stature!
And Zhu Ping’an was deemed worthy of this?!
Worthy of what?!
Had there been a mistake?!
The officials, especially those aligned with the Yan faction, stared at Huang Jin in disbelief after hearing his words.
“No mistake, this is His Majesty’s decree. Please, esteemed lords, begin preparations for the Meridian Gate Captive Ceremony starting now. The captives to be presented are the wokou pirates captured in Suzhou Prefecture, and His Majesty will personally attend,” Huang Jin said, nodding firmly, reiterating Emperor Jiajing’s command to the stunned officials.
What?
His Majesty would attend in person?!
That elevated the ceremony to its absolute pinnacle! Damn it, was Zhu Ping’an really worthy of this?!
Even though their ranks surpassed Zhu Ping’an’s, centuries later, history wouldn’t spare them a single word. But Zhu Ping’an, thanks to this ceremony, would undoubtedly be immortalized in the annals!
“Isn’t this a bit hasty?”
“The wokou menace in the southeast is still rampant, worsening by the day. Suzhou only captured a little over 400 pirates—holding a Meridian Gate Captive Ceremony for that? If the wokou overrun cities and territories later, wouldn’t this ceremony look laughable?!”
“Please urge His Majesty to reconsider. Such ceremonies are held after a war is won. Given the current situation, it’d be best to wait until the wokou threat is completely eradicated before hosting this, right?”
“Eunuch Huang, you must劝 (persuade) His Majesty to think twice!”
The officials couldn’t hold back, chiming in with a barrage of reasons to oppose the ceremony.
Some even suggested Huang Jin turn back and convince Emperor Jiajing to abandon the idea.
“Esteemed lords, this is a matter of state and military importance. Please don’t put this humble servant in a difficult spot. I’m just a lowly eunuch. ‘Inner officials must not interfere in governance, violators will be executed’—that’s a rule set by the Great Ancestor,” Huang Jin replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, brushing off their pleas.
What a joke! The Meridian Gate Captive Ceremony was His Majesty’s decision, and he’d support it wholeheartedly. They wanted him to dissuade the emperor?!
He might be missing a few parts, but his brain wasn’t one of them!
“If you lords have objections, you’re welcome to raise them with His Majesty,” Huang Jin added, still smiling faintly as he looked at them.
“Uh…”
The hall fell silent.
Raise objections to Emperor Jiajing? Were they kidding? During the Great Rites Controversy years ago, the traditionalist faction had collectively knelt at the Zuoshun Gate to petition him. A total of 229 officials—nine ministers, Hanlin scholars, censors, department heads, six ministry staff, and Dali Temple officials—had knelt to advise him.
Ahem, advising Jiajing not to recognize his biological father as his father, but to accept Emperor Xiaozong instead.
And the result?
Eighty-six officials above fourth rank were suspended and fined, 134 below fourth rank were jailed and beaten in court, 17 died on the spot, and over 80 were gravely injured.
That was when they had reason on their side, since Jiajing had inherited the throne from Emperor Zhengde.
Since ancient times, succession followed father-to-son or brother-to-brother. Jiajing, inheriting Zhengde’s throne, should’ve been his “brother,” thus recognizing Xiaozong as his father, right?
Now, Suzhou’s victory against the wokou was a triumph, nearly wiping out the invaders. Emperor Jiajing wanted to hold the Meridian Gate Captive Ceremony to crush the pirates’ arrogance, boost Ming’s divine might, and uplift military and civilian morale—perfectly reasonable and proper.
Opposing this? They’d be the ones without reason. And without reason, petitioning Jiajing would be like an old man hanging himself—courting death!
“Oh, right, I nearly forgot. His Majesty also instructed me to tell you lords to start discussing rewards for Suzhou Prefecture, especially for Lord Zhu Ping’an, starting now,” Huang Jin said with a smile, delivering another decree.
“What?”
“Discussing Zhu Ping’an’s rewards already? So soon? The factory guards sent to investigate Suzhou haven’t even returned yet!”
“What if he fabricated his merits by killing innocents? Even if he didn’t, what if there’s some hidden twist to the Suzhou battle we don’t know about?”
“It’s not set in stone yet, and we’re already settling his rewards? Isn’t that rushing it? Shouldn’t we wait until the Suzhou matter is fully cleared up before deciding on rewards or punishments?”
The officials’ objections multiplied compared to before.
“Lords, His Majesty said to proceed as if Lord Zhu Ping’an didn’t fabricate his merits. Last time, with the sea sacrifice victory, your discussions on Lord Zhu’s rewards dragged on a bit. This time, speed it up. Oh, that’s not my opinion—that’s His Majesty’s intent,” Huang Jin said with a smile.
Before they could respond, he added, “If Lord Zhu Ping’an is found guilty of falsifying merits or other crimes, we can address punishment once the factory guards report back from Suzhou. No rush there.”
“Well, lords, I’ve delivered His Majesty’s decrees. I won’t disturb your duties any longer. This humble servant takes his leave,” Huang Jin concluded, bowing out and leaving the hall buzzing with the officials’ murmurs.
