How Are Your Sons Doing?

A new day, a new morning court session!

Today's morning court was much quieter. Those who dared speak were all sitting in the Imperial Prison, while those who did not certainly would not go out of their way to invite trouble at a time like this.

And so, today's morning court ended after only a short while, and several officials returned together to their offices in the Thousand-Step Corridor.

In Wuying Hall, Zhu Youjian stared blankly ahead. Not a single memorial on his desk showed any sign of having been opened. Wang Cheng'en stood behind him, wondering what had suddenly come over His Majesty. Had he run into some great difficulty again?

Nothing was wrong with Zhu Youjian, nor had he encountered any great difficulty. He was simply sleepy. Terribly sleepy!

Working overtime had been commonplace in his previous life, but he had coffee then. One strong Americano could keep him alert all day.

But now? All he had at hand was tea. Though he did not particularly dislike it, he still missed the aroma of coffee.

What you could not have would always stir your longing, and that did not apply only to love!

Coffee already existed in this world, but it would take time to reach China. When he had the chance, he would definitely send merchant ships abroad to bring back coffee-growing techniques!

I want to drink coffee every day!

Zhu Youjian set himself a goal.

Wang Cheng'en watched the emperor suddenly perk up, lift the teacup beside him and drain it, then straighten his back and open the memorial before him.

Seeing him like this, Wang Cheng'en very much wanted to summon an imperial physician to stand by...

"Your Majesty, Sun Chengzong requests an audience!" someone reported from outside the door.

Zhu Youjian raised his head, only then remembering that Yang Tinglin had already informed him of this during morning court.

"Almost forgot." Zhu Youjian gave the order. "Show him in!"

Sun Chengzong was over seventy, but his spirits were excellent. He strode into the hall. "Your servant greets Your Majesty!"

His voice was rich and resonant, and Zhu Youjian could not help clicking his tongue in admiration.

"Grand Tutor Sun, you grow stronger with age. That is a great comfort to me!"

"Your Majesty's regard leaves this old servant overwhelmed by your favor!"

"Grand Tutor Sun, your courage and judgment surpass those of ordinary men, and you have won illustrious victories for Great Ming. Naturally, I hold you in high regard."

"This old servant thanks Your Majesty!"

"You're welcome!" The words slipped naturally from Zhu Youjian's lips. Then, realizing something, he coughed to cover it up. "It is no more than Grand Tutor Sun deserves."

Sun Chengzong did not dwell on the emperor's "you're welcome." He continued, "But this old servant never imagined that someone in the army would drug me and forcibly transport my entire family to the capital. Might Your Majesty know of this matter?"

"Such a thing actually happened?" At those words, surprise appeared on Zhu Youjian's face, then turned to anger. He slammed the desk so hard that the teacup bounced three times, making Wang Cheng'en's eyelids twitch.

"Outrageous! What audacity Yang Tinglin has! I told him a thousand times that he must invite Grand Tutor Sun back to the capital safely and peacefully, yet he dared resort to such underhanded methods!"

"Your Majesty-"

Sun Chengzong opened his mouth, but Zhu Youjian waved a hand and continued, "Grand Tutor Sun, I will certainly give you a satisfactory account of this. How could Yang Tinglin behave like that? Attendants!" As he spoke, Zhu Youjian shouted toward the door, "Bind Yang Tinglin and bring him before me!"

"Your Majesty-" His two mustache tips bristling, Sun Chengzong stopped the young eunuch who was about to convey the order and stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the fighting before us takes priority. As a bureau secretary in the Ministry of War's Bureau of Military Affairs, Yang Tinglin is indispensable to the court. This old servant... will let the matter rest!"

"Well..." Zhu Youjian frowned as though troubled. "Grand Tutor Sun, will you truly let it rest? He is only a bureau secretary. I can replace him at any time and vent this anger for you!"

"This old servant is not so narrow-minded. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

How could Sun Chengzong not know? Without His Majesty's approval, Yang Tinglin would never have used such a method.

Looking at His Majesty's expression and hearing his words now, he seemed openly intent on venting Sun Chengzong's anger for him. But if His Majesty really punished Yang Tinglin over this, who knew how many memorials impeaching Sun Chengzong would follow?

Besides, this was not what he had come to discuss in today's audience.

Of course, Zhu Youjian would not really have Yang Tinglin bound and brought in. Like Lu Xiangsheng, he was one of the rare advocates of war. It was precisely because he favored fighting and had submitted a memorial impeaching Yang Sichang that Yang Sichang had thrown him into Lu Xiangsheng's army camp.

The lofty excuse was that he was fulfilling Yang Tinglin's wish to resist the Jurchen, but in truth, was he not simply sending him to his death?

Historically, when Lu Xiangsheng died in battle at Julu, Yang Tinglin happened to be gathering provisions in Zhending, and thus escaped that disaster.

Later, however, Huang Daozhou was falsely accused and imprisoned, and Yang Tinglin was implicated as well. Only in the autumn of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen's reign did an edict restore his office. Before he could take up his post, Li Zicheng stormed Beijing, and Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill.

Yang Tinglin then raised troops in Jiangxi to come to the emperor's aid. After the Jurchen entered the pass, he went to Ganzhou and, together with several friends and men of righteous resolve, raised the banner of resistance. Gathering brave men from every direction, he became a principal commander of the resistance against the Jurchen on the Jiangxi front.

Inspired by him, people gathered under his banner, and before long Yang Tinglin had an army tens of thousands strong.

Yang Tinglin led them into fierce battle against the Jurchen, recovering Wan'an and taking Taihe. He charged at the front, then captured Linjiang as well.

Sadly, an arm could not wrestle down a thigh. Once the Jurchen broke through Jiangxi's cities one after another, Ganzhou became an isolated city, with neither provisions within nor reinforcements without. Yang Tinglin could no longer turn the tide. In the end, he calmly cast himself into a pond, giving his life for his country.

The Yongli Emperor posthumously bestowed on him the titles of Junior Guardian and Earl of Xingan, with the posthumous name Wenzheng!

"Your Majesty, this servant came to the palace today with another matter as well."

Zhu Youjian knew what Sun Chengzong wanted to say. It was nothing more than the matter of peace negotiations again, but he did not want to explain himself any further.

Zhu Youjian raised a hand to stop Sun Chengzong. "Grand Tutor Sun, there is no need to say more. I have already decided this matter. Besides, the arrow is already on the bowstring; it must be loosed."

The arrow was already on the bowstring; it had to be loosed?

Was that how the saying was supposed to be used?

Seeing that the emperor would not even hear him out, Sun Chengzong's mustache bristled still higher with anger. But his temper was a match for Huang Daozhou's. If the emperor insisted on being stubborn, he could be even more stubborn.

"Your Majesty, please think this through!"

"Grand Tutor Sun, have all your sons earned scholarly distinctions? Once the Jurchen withdraw, what plans do they have?" Zhu Youjian changed the subject, asking about Sun Chengzong's sons.

He remembered that Sun Chengzong had several sons and more than a dozen grandsons, every one of them exceptionally brave in the defense of Gaoyang. Talent like that could not be allowed to go to waste.

Sun Chengzong looked up at the emperor and saw a smile of concern on his face. From the moment he entered the hall until now, the emperor had treated him, an old servant already retired from office, with every courtesy. These questions now also suggested an intention to bring his descendants into government service.

Yet the one thing he did not want to hear was another word about how they must not negotiate peace!

Sun Chengzong sighed deeply inwardly and swallowed all the words he had prepared.

Forget it. Each emperor had his own ministers. I had long since ceased directing the Ministry of War's affairs, so why provoke His Majesty's displeasure now?

War or peace, let him do as he pleased!

"This old servant is ashamed. Only my son Sun Yue has barely managed to pass the provincial examination. The others have amounted to little; they are merely stipend students or ordinary licentiates."