At morning court, news of the fighting outside Changping had yet to reach the capital, but the officials were already arguing themselves hoarse over Lu Xiangsheng and Gao Qiqian. Some censors impeached Lu Xiangsheng for his passive conduct of the campaign, while others impeached Gao Qiqian for disobeying military orders.
The officials from the Office of Rites and Ceremonies cracked their ceremonial whips countless times, yet the arguments refused to die down.
After listening to an earful of nonsense, Zhu Youjian finally asked, "If we remove Lu Xiangsheng from office, who will command the troops?"
Once again, no one below him spoke.
Thoroughly irritated, Zhu Youjian waved a hand, rose, and returned to Wuying Hall.
As he reached the entrance, he saw a palace maid waiting outside. Several young eunuchs stood behind her, each holding a small chest.
"This servant pays her respects to Your Majesty!" The maid was Dongmei. Following Empress Zhou's instructions the previous night, she had spread word of the donations early that morning. Within a quarter of an hour, the various palaces had sent over a considerable number of items, which she had brought to Wuying Hall to await the emperor.
"Does the empress need something from me?" Zhu Youjian recognized Dongmei and asked as he walked inside.
Dongmei followed Zhu Youjian into the hall and signaled for the young eunuchs to present everything before answering, "Her Majesty knew Your Majesty was worried about the war, and that the treasury was empty, so she gathered some jewelry she seldom wore to reward the soldiers. When the consorts in the other palaces heard, they sent some of theirs as well. Please have a look, Your Majesty."
As Dongmei finished, the young eunuchs opened their chests. The gleam of gold, silver, pearls, and jade beneath the candlelight nearly dazzled Zhu Youjian blind, and he swallowed involuntarily.
Even if I'm the emperor now, how could I see so much Ming-dynasty jewelry without wanting to admire it?
If I took this back to modern times, could I trade it for an apartment in Beijing?
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty is truly benevolent!" Wang Cheng'en could not help praising her as he looked at the jewelry.
Zhu Youjian came back to himself, reflecting that Empress Zhou truly was a kind and generous woman, an empress who thought wholeheartedly of the emperor's welfare.
This jewelry was nowhere near enough to reward the soldiers, but the thought behind it moved Zhu Youjian deeply.
Since transmigrating, he had been busy day and night. Apart from Empress Yi'an, he had yet to meet any of the women in the imperial harem. Now that the empress had done this, both affection and propriety demanded that he visit her at the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.
Having decided, Zhu Youjian smiled at Dongmei. "I accept the empress's kindness. Tell her I will come to dine with her later!"
Dongmei's face lit up. She instructed the young eunuchs to set down the chests, then left Wuying Hall with light, brisk steps.
"The harem... I really did forget to go and have a look..."
Emperor Chongzhen's harem had no shortage of beauties. Empress Zhou was from Suzhou and possessed the gentle grace of a woman from south of the Yangtze.
Consort Tian, Emperor Chongzhen's favorite, was from Yangzhou. She excelled at the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and even her riding and archery were first-rate.
There were also Consort Yuan, Consort Liu, Consort Wang, and several others. Though they could not compare with the empress or Consort Tian, they surely could not be far behind.
While Zhu Youjian's thoughts scampered like a monkey and galloped like a horse, someone from the Directorate of Ceremonial arrived with that day's memorials, including a military dispatch.
The military dispatch had been written by Lu Xiangsheng. The seventy-li journey from Changping to Beijing could be covered in just over an hour by riding hard and urging the horse on.
Thus, the dispatch arrived on Zhu Youjian's desk along with the other memorials.
As Zhu Youjian opened it, he noticed red stains along its edges. At first, he thought they had been left while the proposed response was being drafted, but after reading the memorial, he understood: the stains were blood.
"Yoto led troops in a raid on the camp... Chen Guowei requested reinforcements from Gao Qiqian... Wang Pu, commander-in-chief of Datong, fled..."
Standing beside him, Wang Cheng'en watched Zhu Youjian's expression grow increasingly grim. Certain that something had gone wrong with the fighting, he held his breath and dared not speak.
"Wang Pu, what nerve!" Zhu Youjian slapped the memorial onto the desk and ordered coldly, "Summon Yang Sichang and Sun Chuanting!"
Yang Sichang was still in the Grand Secretariat. After court, he had heard about the previous night's battle. Both armies had fought fiercely and suffered heavy casualties, with no clear victor. If a verdict had to be given, it was that both sides had been badly mauled!
"His Majesty expressly forbade reckless warfare. Madman Lu is a madman indeed-he does not even respect His Majesty's decree." Yang Sichang tossed down his brush, tucked away the impeachment memorial whose ink had yet to dry, and set off for the palace. Halfway there, he met the eunuch sent to summon him. Delight stirred in his heart. His Majesty's summons at this hour surely concerned the previous night's battle.
"Sorry for the trouble!" Yang Sichang started forward, then noticed that the eunuch had not turned back. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Has His Majesty summoned someone else?"
"Yes. His Majesty has instructed this servant to summon Lord Sun for an audience," the eunuch answered with a bow.
"Sun Chuanting?" Yang Sichang asked.
The eunuch nodded, then continued toward the palace gates.
When the Jurchens entered through the passes, the emperor had urgently summoned Lu Xiangsheng to take overall command of the troops, while also ordering Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting to come to the throne's defense. After driving back the Jurchen forces besieging Baoding, Zhending, and other cities along the way, they had reached Beijing.
Sun Chuanting had stayed to defend the capital, while Hong Chengchou continued north to Shanhai Pass. Huang Taiji was still waiting there!
His Majesty summoned Sun Chuanting at a time like this. Could it be... that he was considering a replacement?
When Sun Chuanting received the order to enter the palace for an audience, his face filled with resignation.
His Majesty had repeatedly wavered over how to deal with the Jurchens, though on balance, negotiating peace had gained the upper hand.
Lu Xiangsheng had indeed suffered grievous losses in the previous night's battle, but the Jurchens had taken considerable casualties too. Sun Chuanting weighed it in his mind. Had he been in Lu Xiangsheng's place, he might not have held out until the Heavenly Hero Army arrived.
But His Majesty surely would not see it that way. He had forbidden reckless warfare, yet Lu Xiangsheng had refused to listen, charging in heedless of his life and giving the Jurchens a painful beating too. Would that not make negotiating peace even harder? If Huang Taiji took offense, how could he possibly agree to peace talks?
If he refused, the war would have to continue. But with the court's present state-no money, no grain, and low morale-how could they keep fighting?
Sun Chuanting thought that if His Majesty dismissed Lu Xiangsheng and put him in command, he would probably become the next Lu Xiangsheng.
He had to think of a way out.
When Sun Chuanting arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yang Sichang was impeaching Lu Xiangsheng. Zhu Youjian patiently heard him out before asking, "Then, Minister Yang, how should he be dealt with?"
"Dismiss him and replace him with someone capable!"
"Do you have anyone to recommend?"
Yang Sichang thought His Majesty already had someone in mind, yet insisted on asking this unnecessary question. Catching sight of the figure outside the hall from the corner of his eye, he declared loudly, "Sun Chuanting is a suitable candidate!"
Old fox, Zhu Youjian cursed inwardly. His expression remained unchanged as he nodded. "That was my thought as well. However..."
Yang Sichang raised his head and heard Zhu Youjian continue, "Lu Xiangsheng disobeyed my orders. He cannot simply be let off. If he is, who will heed my words in the future?"
"Your subject Sun Chuanting pays his respects to Your Majesty!" Sun Chuanting had overheard the exchange outside. Seeing that the emperor intended not only to dismiss Lu Xiangsheng but to punish him as well, he hurried into the hall and protested, "Your Majesty, victory and defeat are commonplace in war. Moreover, the battlefield changes in the blink of an eye. Governor Lu cannot bear all the blame!"
"I understand what you mean, Minister Sun. But after Lu Xiangsheng fought like this, how am I to negotiate peace with the Jurchens? If they open their mouths like lions and make endless demands because of this, how am I to answer for it?"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right," Yang Sichang hastily agreed, then turned to Sun Chuanting. "Lord Sun, your illustrious military achievements make you the unrivaled choice for overall command."
"Your Majesty, my experience is still limited. Supreme Commander Hong would be more suitable!" Since His Majesty was determined to replace Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chuanting might as well bring forward another candidate.
Hong Chengchou, Governor-General of the Three Frontiers, oversaw military affairs in Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Huguang, and Sichuan. His rank was far above Sun Chuanting's, and both had brought armies to defend the throne. Surely there was no reason to pass over Hong and appoint him instead.
Sun Chuanting thought this was a very sound argument, only to be caught off guard by the emperor's reply. "He will not do. You will take command. No more refusals. I will issue the decree at once: Sun Chuanting shall be appointed Left Vice Minister of War and concurrently Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, succeeding Lu Xiangsheng in overall command of all troops. Lu Xiangsheng is ordered to lay down his armor, return to the capital, and enter the Imperial Prison for trial!"
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