Footsteps faded away. Lu Xiangsheng stood still to straighten his robes and hat, his fingertips brushing the white hemp netting tucked inside his official cap as his gaze dimmed uncontrollably.
His aging father had passed away, and he ought by rights to have observed the mourning period of dingyou, yet seven consecutive memorials had been rejected by His Majesty, who instead ordered him to lead troops and resist the enemy.
He had traveled day and night, dusty and worn, believing that upon being summoned alone by His Majesty, he would thoroughly present his counter-strategy against the enemy. Who would have thought that before even setting eyes on His Majesty, he would be battered head-to-toe by the utter humiliation of the word "peace"?
Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been hard to balance. Lu Xiangsheng had read widely in the classics, understood this principle, and trusted that his late father in the netherworld would harbor no resentment toward him.
Yet, if he were truly allowed to kill the enemy with all his might and defend the mountains and rivers of the Great Ming, that would be one thing. But since His Majesty genuinely harbored thoughts of peace, how was the Heavenly Hero Army-who had followed him through life and death-supposed to step onto this battlefield? And how was he supposed to answer to his late father?
"Governor Lu, His Majesty tells you to enter!" Amidst his reflections, the young eunuch had already returned. Seeing Lu Xiangsheng standing silently by the door of his own accord, the eunuch raised his volume slightly.
Lu Xiangsheng pulled his thoughts back and offered the young eunuch a polite "sorry for the trouble," then casually feigned detachment as he asked, "His Majesty is busy with affairs of state; is the imperial dragon constitution still robust?"
"His Majesty's dragon constitution is exceptionally well, Governor Lu can rest assured. Last night-" The young eunuch spoke halfway before suddenly feeling it improper. How could matters within the Palace of Heavenly Purity be discussed with an external official? He immediately clamped his mouth shut, smiled, and said, "Governor Lu, hurry on in! Do not keep His Majesty waiting long!"
Though the young eunuch's words were unfinished, Lu Xiangsheng had already grasped the general outline. His Majesty must have seen someone last night; if nothing had happened, nighttime meant mere sleep, so how could the young eunuch have mentioned "last night"?
"Grand Secretary Yang has worked hard!" Lu Xiangsheng sighed with simulated casualness, his peripheral vision catching the young eunuch's slight nod, which only made him all the more certain.
Yang Sichang had seen His Majesty beforehand, and this peace negotiation was most likely instigated by imperial will.
Thinking of this, Lu Xiangsheng felt a surge of added irritation. He painstakingly smoothed down his emotions along the journey, wearing a mask of unruffled calm as he stepped into the hall.
"Your subject, Lu Xiangsheng, pays respects to His Majesty!" Lu Xiangsheng's voice rang clear and resonant. Finishing the court bow, he stood in the center of the hall, lowered his gaze without a word, and waited for the emperor to speak.
Zhu Youjian was at that moment likewise assessing Lu Xiangsheng. According to historical records, Lu Xiangsheng was originally a civil official, a metropolitan graduate of the second year of Tianqi, who initially served as a Ministry of Revenue bureau director, subsequently holding posts as a vice director and prefect.
Had it been an era of peace, he undoubtedly would have climbed the ranks step-by-step as a civil official, and given his abilities, entering the Grand Secretariat would not have been impossible.
Yet the late Ming was unpeaceful, so naturally he could not remain a peacetime bureaucrat.
In the second year of Chongzhen, the city of Beijing was besieged by the Jurchen. Lu Xiangsheng raised over ten thousand men of his own accord and rushed to aid the emperor to rescue the sovereign. Though in the end he was unable to render substantial assistance, at least his loyal and patriotic actions were witnessed by Chongzhen, who promoted him the following year to provincial administration commissioner specifically tasked with troop training.
Facts proved that there were only second-rate commanders, not second-rate soldiers.
The troops trained by Lu Xiangsheng later came to be known as the Heavenly Hero Army, while Lu Xiangsheng himself was subsequently dubbed King Yama Lu!
Though holding a military post while retaining the identity of a civil official was not uncommon at the time, perhaps he was the only one who could carry it to such lengths.
Yet at this moment, looking utterly scholarly with his fair complexion, Lu Xiangsheng appeared somewhat haggard from his dusty travels, his slightly pointed jaw accentuating his lean frame. With a few sparse whiskers, he bore not the slightest resemblance to a fierce general skilled in archery from horseback and slayers of foes before the battle array.
Even so, his twin eyebrows resembled swords, and his pair of tiger eyes exuded an unyielding spirit.
Moreover, beneath his second-rank official robes, a white collar was visible, while on his head, the white hemp mourning net was likewise exposed outside his official cap.
Zhu Youjian immediately recalled that among the memorials perused today, one appeared to impeach Lu Xiangsheng for holding an official post while wearing an inauspicious mourning garb, prompting an involuntary cold snort and a muttered curse of "pedantic."
Lu Xiangsheng possessed sharp ears and bright eyes. Hearing the emperor's cold snort, his heart fluttered with trepidation. Without a moment's reflection, he dropped directly to his knees, kowtowing to confess his fault.
"Your Majesty, since your subject is a minister, eating the ruler's emolument and bearing the ruler's worries is truly my fundamental duty. Protecting the Son of Heaven and guarding the frontiers are all the more my bounden responsibilities. Now the capital is in peril, and though your subject has led forces to reinforce it, we have nonetheless caused the Son of Heaven anxiety. Your subject is guilty!"
Seeing Lu Xiangsheng act thus, Zhu Youjian realized the man had misunderstood, yet he did not immediately bid him rise, following instead with a prompt: "The Jurchen have breached our Great Wall and plundered our people. Does my beloved subject have a strategy to counter them?"
Hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng felt Yang Sichang's persuasive words echo once more in his ears. He opened his mouth, but a suffocating lump choked his throat; the anti-enemy strategies he had prepared beforehand were now entirely blockaded at his heart.
Observing this, Zhu Youjian assumed the man had something unsayable and cast a glance toward Wang Cheng'en.
People in the palace had cultivated a pair of discerning eyes. Wang Cheng'en immediately led the palace maids and eunuchs to withdraw outside the hall, leaving only Lu Xiangsheng and His Majesty behind.
"Whatever my beloved subject wishes to say, speak your mind without reservation!"
Lu Xiangsheng raised his head. The current emperor possessed handsome features, but having just recovered from a severe illness and failing to rest properly the previous night, dark bruised circles hung beneath his eyes, and his complexion appeared gravely haggard.
The sovereign racked his brains and taxed his spirit. As a military general of the Great Ming, the saying went: If the ruler is enlightened, the ministers are loyal; when he trusts the virtuous, the realm's generals submit and enemy states tremble.
Regardless of whether peace talks were His Majesty's intent or merely Yang Sichang's wishful thinking, how could he, as the Viceroy of Xuan-Da, allow his thoughts to be swayed by the opinions of others?
Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Xiangsheng spoke out in a booming voice: "If Your Majesty commands your subject to direct the forces, your subject will lead the troops to meet the enemy and fight to the death before the battle array. Should Your Majesty harbor other intentions, your subject will likewise obey the imperial decree, asking only to be permitted to die in battle upfront, lest I shame the glory of a Great Ming minister."
There are hidden meanings beneath these words! Zhu Youjian muttered inwardly, understanding that Lu Xiangsheng was emphasizing the word "fight," though the latter half seemed tinged with a degree of sarcasm.
"Oh..."
In an instant, Zhu Youjian comprehended the reason behind Lu Xiangsheng's words. When Yang Sichang was summoned the previous night, the final resolution had centered on the single word "peace." Could it be that Lu Xiangsheng had already caught wind of this matter?
This intelligence traveled quite rapidly indeed. Zhu Youjian could not help casting a glance toward the exterior of the hall. The original owner had been a diligent emperor, yet why was his inner circle leaking like a sieve, letting every scrap of news slip out?
He would simply have to find an opportunity to thoroughly clean house around himself!
Zhu Youjian temporarily cast this thought aside and lowered his gaze back to Lu Xiangsheng.
Yang Sichang must have informed Lu Xiangsheng of the peace negotiations and inevitably embellished the account. Since Lu Xiangsheng knew of the news yet could still argue on principle and offer him a declaration of "willingness to fight to the death," his steadfast determination for war was evident.
Yet intention was intention. Some matters could not be accomplished through sheer willpower alone; if that were the case, how could Lu Xiangsheng have perished in battle at Julu, depriving the Great Ming of this valiant and formidable King Yama Lu?
With these reflections, Zhu Youjian addressed Lu Xiangsheng: "You have labored all the way, beloved subject. Rise and make your report."
Seeing Lu Xiangsheng stand, Zhu Youjian continued: "You must have heard word of the peace negotiations, then. Speak your mind freely about whatever thoughts you harbor!"
Before you continue