Xiyuan, Wuyi Hall.
Emperor Jiajing sat high on the dragon throne, holding a memorial in his hand, perusing it. Yan Song, Xu Jie, Li Ben, and a host of duty ministers stood respectfully in the hall, among them Vice Minister of Personnel, Lord Wang.
Lord Wang stood with his body bowed, eyes fixed downward, not daring to look up at the Emperor’s face, but his ears were keenly attuned to every sound.
At this moment, his heart brimmed with excitement and anticipation, though not without a touch of unease. After all, his reward proposal required the Emperor’s approval to take effect. Without it, his plan was mere scrap paper.
Still, he wasn’t overly worried; he felt fairly confident.
Princess Ning’an had reached marriageable age, and the Ministry of Rites’ previous two rounds of consort candidates had failed to satisfy the Emperor.
Zhu Pingan, a top scholar skilled in military affairs, was a ready-made son-in-law. Surely the Emperor would be pleased.
Most crucially, through their connections, they’d subtly gauged Consort Shen’s opinion, and she was quite satisfied with Zhu Pingan. Though not Princess Ning’an’s birth mother, Consort Shen had raised her since the death of the princess’s mother, Consort Cao Duan. If Consort Shen approved, the matter stood a strong chance.
After all, the most potent influence in the world was pillow talk.
As Lord Wang wavered between anticipation and trepidation, Emperor Jiajing closed the memorial, gazed down at the assembly in the hall, and asked in a calm tone, “Whose idea was this reward proposal?”
“Your Majesty, it was I who first proposed it,” Lord Wang replied eagerly, stepping forward the moment he heard the Emperor’s question.
Though he had devised the proposal, under normal circumstances, he would have sought the approval of senior Yan Party figures like Yan Maoqing before claiming credit.
But opportunities like this were rare. Who wouldn’t want to shine before the Emperor? A good impression could pave the way for a meteoric rise, and Lord Wang wasn’t about to miss what might be his only chance.
So, the moment the Emperor spoke, Lord Wang stepped forward without consulting the Yan Party seniors.
“You, is it?” Emperor Jiajing nodded.
“Indeed, your humble servant,” Lord Wang affirmed again, his face alight with excitement.
“Guards, drag this wretched fool out and give him fifty strokes of the staff!” Emperor Jiajing’s face darkened in an instant, his voice erupting in a furious rebuke as he ordered Lord Wang to be hauled out for a severe beating.
What?
The staff?
Since the Great Rites Controversy, aside from last year when Zhang Sijing and others from the Six Offices were given forty strokes for omitting “Longevity” in their congratulations, no one had been subjected to the Emperor’s staff. Why was it his turn now?
And fifty strokes!
Ten more than Zhang Sijing and the others!
Lord Wang felt as if struck by a bolt from the blue, standing frozen, unable to process it.
It wasn’t until two imperial guards seized him like a chick, dragging him backward by the arms, that he snapped out of it. His face paled, his body trembled, and his voice quavered as he pleaded, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your humble servant’s heart is pure, devoted to the court. My proposal was only to ease Your Majesty’s burdens.”
Lord Wang was like a fattened pig being dragged by the ears to slaughter, begging for mercy as he was pulled away.
“For his devotion to the court, Your Majesty, please spare him this once,” several Yan Party members stepped forward to plead on his behalf.
“Devotion to the court, my foot! Easing my burdens, nonsense! Do you think I’m blind? Zhu Pingan is already married, with a child soon to be born! You want me to betroth my Ning’an to him? Is my little princess to be his concubine? Where does that leave the court’s dignity? Where does that leave my face?”
“Devotion to the court? Easing my burdens? Rubbish! You’re clearly here to vex me, to ruin propriety!”
“Drag him out and beat him soundly!”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Anyone else who dares plead for him can join him for a beating!”
Emperor Jiajing’s face was black with rage as he unleashed a torrent of curses, ordering the guards to drag Lord Wang out for a thorough thrashing.
Seeing the Emperor’s fury and his preemptive warning, the other Yan Party members fell silent, not daring to speak further on Lord Wang’s behalf.
After all, though they were fellow Yan Party members, their bond wasn’t strong enough to share in such punishment.
Better you than me, Lord Wang. You’ll have to face the staff alone.
Soon, Lord Wang’s pig-like screams echoed from outside the hall, rising and falling in waves.
Huang Jin, noticing the Emperor’s displeasure, quietly stepped back, whispered to a young eunuch, and sent him out.
The eunuch found a tattered rag and stuffed it into Lord Wang’s mouth, reducing his screams to muffled groans.
“What’s the progress on investigating Li Tianchong’s drunkenness the day Jiaxing fell?” Emperor Jiajing asked the assembly.
“Your Majesty, the investigation shows that Zhejiang Governor Li Tianchong has a habit of drinking. Sometimes he drinks to drown his sorrows, sometimes to boost his mood, sometimes to pair with fine food, sometimes sipping lightly, sometimes overindulging. On the day Jiaxing fell, he did open a jar of fifty-year-old Shaoxing Daughter Red wine and sent his household cook to buy venison and other ingredients. He indeed drank at home that evening, but whether he was drunk is difficult to verify. Several servants from the governor’s office confirmed he smelled of alcohol, but none could say definitively whether he was intoxicated,” reported the Vice Minister of Justice, stepping forward.
“What about the factory guards’ findings?” Emperor Jiajing pressed.
“Li Tianchong did drink that day, but whether he was drunk requires further investigation,” replied Lu Bing, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
“We can only confirm he drank, not that he was drunk,” Huang Jin added.
“No need to investigate further! Confirming he drank that day is enough. Are there not enough historical examples of drinking leading to disaster? Chunyu Qiong’s drunkenness lost Wuchao, Zhang Fei’s intoxication lost Xuzhou, Liu Yao of Former Zhao lost his state to drink. Even if Li Tianchong wasn’t drunk this time, what about the next? Or the time after that? I’ll make sure he learns his lesson this time!” Emperor Jiajing declared angrily, waving his sleeve.
Hearing that the Emperor intended to teach Li Tianchong a lesson, the Yan Party members couldn’t help but show delight.
Though Lord Wang had taken a beating and angered the Emperor, Li Tianchong was about to face a far worse fate.
By comparison, the reformist faction’s loss was greater!
How exciting.
They couldn’t wait to see how the Emperor would punish Li Tianchong!
“Strip Li Tianchong of his Left Vice Censor-in-Chief and Zhejiang Governor titles. Demote him to a fifth-rank Langzhong in the Ying Tian Ministry of War!” Emperor Jiajing announced Li Tianchong’s punishment.
The Yan Party members were thrilled. From a regional governor to a mere fifth-rank official—haha!
“Since you haven’t settled on Zhu Pingan’s reward, the vacant Zhejiang Governor position will go to him. Yes, promote Zhu Pingan to Right Vice Minister of the Ying Tian Ministry of War and appoint him Governor of Zhejiang,” Emperor Jiajing continued.
What? Promote Zhu Pingan to Right Vice Minister of the Ying Tian Ministry of War and Governor of Zhejiang?
Boom!
The news struck the Yan Party members like a thunderbolt, leaving them stunned for a long while.
They had lifted a rock only to crush their own feet!
