Chapter Sixty-One: Lovers' Sacrifice
On this morning’s court session, as Wang Cheng’en had predicted, Zhou Yanru, recovered from his illness, attended the court.
After the officials had thrice proclaimed “Long live the Emperor,” they returned to their ranks. The imperial secretary eunuch, Wang Cheng’en, stepped forward as usual and cried out in his shrill voice, “Present your petitions if you have matters; otherwise, the court is dismissed…”
No sooner had Wang Cheng’en finished speaking than Liu Zongzhou, the Left Censor-in-Chief, stepped out, holding his ivory tablet, and knelt at the foot of the vermilion stairs. He declared loudly, “Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present.”
The Chongzhen Emperor spoke coldly, “What do you wish to present?”
Liu Zongzhou replied in a clear voice, “Your Majesty, Minister of War Chen Xingjia has deceived the throne, embezzled military provisions, practiced nepotism, accepted bribes, shielded wrongdoers, forcibly occupied civilian homes, misled both above and below, abused his authority, and committed eight grave offenses! I petition Your Majesty to strip him of his office and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice for judgment!”
Chen Xingjia’s face changed dramatically; he stepped out to refute, “Liu Zongzhou is slandering me with false accusations. Your Majesty, do not believe his reckless words.”
As soon as Chen Xingjia finished speaking, Li Banghua, Right Censor-in-Chief, stepped forward in support: “Lord Liu’s accusations are all true and can be substantiated. I also petition Your Majesty to remove Chen Xingjia from his post and send him to the Ministry of Justice!”
“Your Majesty, Chen Xingjia’s crimes are unforgivable. He must be punished severely.”
“Your Majesty, I request that Chen Xingjia be removed and investigated immediately as a warning to others.”
“Your Majesty, I have irrefutable evidence that Chen Xingjia accepted bribes from Wang Pu…”
“Your Majesty, I also have solid proof that Chen Xingjia forcibly occupied civilian homes…”
No sooner had Liu Zongzhou and Li Banghua spoken than the censors and officials from the Censorate, Six Ministries, and Thirteen Circuits surged forth like a hive of angry bees, filling the hall with denunciations of Chen Xingjia. The hapless Chen Xingjia, with only one mouth, could not hope to debate against such a multitude.
Within moments, Chen Xingjia was rendered speechless by their relentless questioning.
The Chongzhen Emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, observing the spectacle below with cold indifference, saying not a word. Just as the reformist officials believed victory was in their grasp, Zhou Yanru, the Grand Secretary, suddenly stepped forward and bowed: “Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present.”
The hall instantly fell silent; all eyes turned to Zhou Yanru. Clearly, neither Liu Zongzhou and his faction nor Chen Xingjia had expected Zhou Yanru to speak at this moment. Only the Emperor, seated on the throne, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
With an expressionless face, the Emperor asked, “What is your petition, Zhou?”
Zhou Yanru spoke unhurriedly: “The joint investigation has concluded. The Datong Centurion known as the Bearded Man did indeed travel to Liaodong, and General Wang’s statements were entirely accurate. That is to say, General Wang’s defiance of orders and rescue at the execution ground was motivated by reason. Although such actions are a grave offense, I believe there are extenuating circumstances. I earnestly petition Your Majesty to retract the sentence and pardon General Wang’s death penalty!”
“Ah?”
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“This…”
“To pardon Wang Pu’s death sentence?”
No sooner had Zhou Yanru finished speaking than the reformist officials’ faces changed, while Chen Xingjia was overjoyed! Zhou Yanru’s petition to pardon Wang Pu was a clear show of support for Chen Xingjia. Everyone knew that Chen Xingjia and Wang Pu were tied together; as long as Wang Pu was spared, Liu Zongzhou and his faction could do nothing against Chen Xingjia.
“Your Majesty, I beg you to retract the sentence and pardon General Wang’s death penalty!”
“Your Majesty, I also believe General Wang’s offense does not warrant death.”
“Your Majesty, the Bearded Man case is settled. General Wang’s defiance was indeed due to circumstance.”
Minister of Rites Xie Sheng, Minister of Works Fan Jingwen, Vice Minister of Personnel Wang Xiyan, Jiang Dejing, Vice Minister of War Ni Yuanlu, Wei Zhaocheng, Fu Zonglong, Chief Censor of the Military Gong Dingnie, and other protégés and former associates of Zhou Yanru all stepped forward to support. This sudden blow left Liu Zongzhou and his faction in disarray, unable to mount an effective counterattack.
The most intriguing was the Emperor’s attitude.
Liu Zongzhou, Li Banghua, and the reformists finally recovered, preparing to step forward and refute, but the Chongzhen Emperor unexpectedly swept his sleeves and left, as if angered by the ministers’ petitions. Yet Zhou Yanru knew that the Emperor had, in fact, tacitly approved his memorial.
■■■
Vegetable Market, Execution Ground.
At three quarters past noon, an unprecedented execution was about to take place. The Manchu leader Hong Taiji, Prince Dai Shan, and Datong’s General Wang Pu were to be executed by dismemberment together. The Five Army Command and the City Guard, charged with maintaining order, treated the event as a major threat, and two thousand capital troops had already formed defenses.
People from far and wide flocked into the capital; Beijing was emptied as the masses rushed to witness this unparalleled spectacle. They exulted at the prospect of Hong Taiji’s execution, yet many were outraged at Wang Pu’s fate—for never before had anyone been so unlucky as to suffer execution alongside the enemy chieftain he himself had captured, and by such a cruel method.
Not long after the hour of Si, two squads of Imperial Guards escorted three prison carts slowly out of the Great Ming Gate. The crowds lining the street grew feverish, hurling whatever they had at Hong Taiji and Dai Shan’s carts; Wang Pu, in the first cart, suffered equally.
Many in the crowd could not tell Wang Pu from Hong Taiji, and so their missiles were indiscriminately hurled.
Scarface, Little Seven, and a dozen retainers mingled among the crowd. Seeing Wang Pu beset by the mob, Scarface grew furious and was about to draw his blade, but Little Seven pressed him down: “Scarface, keep calm! Mr. Zhen said he has a plan. We must not make trouble at this critical moment!”
■■■
Outside the city, military camp, Wang Pu’s tent.
A fine coffin of nanmu wood stood quietly within the tent. With light footsteps, Chen Yuanyuan emerged from the inner chamber, clearly having spent much time on her appearance: painted brows, crimson lips, and a bright red wedding gown, making her especially radiant and alluring.
Two retainers, their faces somber, lifted the lid of the coffin, then quietly withdrew.
Chen Yuanyuan offered a respectful salute to those outside the tent, then gently stepped into the coffin herself. Beside it was a table with a sandglass placed upright; when the sand ran out, it would be three quarters past noon, and Chen Yuanyuan would “follow” Wang Pu on his final journey.
■■■
Vegetable Market, Execution Ground.
Wang Pu, Hong Taiji, and Dai Shan were already bound to the execution posts. Hong Taiji and Dai Shan were tied tightly, while Wang Pu was bound loosely—clearly, even with the same sentence, there were distinctions. An experienced executioner could make a condemned man endure a thousand cuts without dying, or deliver swift death with a single stroke.
Even at the brink of death, men differ.
Dai Shan was already wailing in terror; Wang Pu closed his eyes, awaiting death. Hong Taiji, however, still had the spirit to taunt Wang Pu: “Wang Pu, open your eyes and look! This is the emperor you serve—he destroyed Shengjing, captured me, yet now he means to execute you alongside me. Is such an emperor worthy of your loyalty?”
Wang Pu had nothing to say and pretended not to hear.
“What a pity,” Hong Taiji shook his head and sighed. “If you had submitted to the Great Qing in Liaodong, I dare say you would have conquered the Central Plains and become a founding hero, honored for generations! But now, you share my fate, to be cut to pieces in the execution ground. Don’t you feel wronged?”
Wang Pu still said nothing.
Hong Taiji continued: “Song had Yue Fei, Ming had Yu Qian; you, Wang Pu, are not the first loyal general to die unjustly, nor will you be the last. But have you ever wondered? You serve your nation, you fight bravely for her, yet why do you end up like this? Why?”
By now, Hong Taiji was shouting directly at the crowd and the capital troops: “It is because Ming is ruled by traitors, factions fighting each other, all their energy spent on attacking their own! Such a country is doomed to perish—it is not worthy of your loyalty…”
Unable to endure further, Liu Zongzhou, who oversaw the execution, ordered Hong Taiji’s mouth to be gagged.
In the crowd, Zhen Youcai, Little Seven, and the retainers were sweating nervously. The appointed hour was almost upon them, yet there was no movement from the direction of the Meridian Gate. Had the Emperor truly decided to execute the General? Had all their efforts, including the two hundred thousand taels sent to the Zhou residence, Tian residence, and Wang Cheng’en’s residence, been wasted?
Only Scarface remained calm, a sharp willow-leaf dart already sliding into his palm. If the time passed and Zhen Youcai’s hoped-for “rescue” did not appear, he would not hesitate to storm the execution ground. Whether he could rescue Wang Pu, and what would happen after, whether they could escape Beijing—Scarface neither cared nor bothered to think further.