Chapter Sixty-Four: Returning Home in Mourning

When everyone had left the tent, and Wang Pu was preparing to let out a couple of wails, Zhen Youcai quietly slipped back inside.

Wang Pu asked, "Why are you back again?"

Zhen Youcai whispered, "General, there's an urgent matter I need to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

Zhen Youcai replied, "Now that your father has passed, by custom you must return home for mourning. Within a hundred days, you're forbidden to command troops, go to battle, or marry. So, there's one thing that's extremely urgent: you must quickly prepare betrothal gifts, then go into the city and formally request the Emperor's consent, so that your marriage to Her Highness the Princess can be settled first."

"Is it really that urgent?"

"It is! This must be done at once!" Zhen Youcai pressed. "If word spreads of your father's passing, by the rules you won't be able to propose to the Emperor anymore. Worse still, if you haven't secured the marriage to the Princess, do you think His Majesty will let you return to Datong for mourning?"

Wang Pu's expression grew grave as he asked, "What are you implying?"

Zhen Youcai spoke in a low voice, "General, you must have sensed it yourself—His Majesty is deeply suspicious by nature. If your marriage to the Princess isn't settled, he'll never let you return to Datong. He'll probably find some pretext to imprison you again, and only release you after the mourning period, making you marry the Princess then."

Wang Pu said in a serious tone, "So, if I don't deliver the betrothal gifts and settle the marriage before news of my father's death spreads, the Emperor might lock me up for another hundred days, or even have me killed outright? In any case, there's no way he'll let me return to Datong for mourning, is there?"

Zhen Youcai nodded. "Exactly, unless you fancy spending another hundred days in the imperial prison."

"Only a fool would want to go back there," Wang Pu growled. "I can't stand another moment in this city; I can't afford to offend these lords of the capital, and His Majesty could have me cut to pieces with a single word. To be at the mercy of such a man—it's unbearable. I'd rather return to Datong as soon as I can."

Now Wang Pu truly understood the old saying: 'Serving the Emperor is like serving a tiger.' He sincerely wished to leave Beijing behind.

"That's why you need to hurry and send the betrothal gifts," Zhen Youcai urged. "Once the marriage is arranged, even if the wedding hasn't taken place, you'll be the Emperor's son-in-law in name, a prince by marriage, part of the imperial family. Then, when you receive news of your father's death and return to Datong for mourning, it'll all proceed naturally—His Majesty won't be able to object."

Wang Pu clapped his hands. "That's settled, then. Youcai, go and prepare the betrothal gifts at once. Make sure to include plenty of ginseng, Eastern pearls, and gold ornaments, and prepare four additional lavish gifts. I'll need to invite Grand Secretary Zhou, Minister Chen, the Imperial Uncle Zhou, and the Imperial Uncle Tian to act as matchmakers."

Youcai bowed. "At once, General."

***

Forbidden City, Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

Wang Cheng'en entered the warm chamber, bowing low and smiling delightedly. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, good news—excellent news!"

"And what good news is this?" the Chongzhen Emperor asked with a laugh, "You look overjoyed."

"Your Majesty, General Wang has brought ten carts of betrothal gifts into the city, and he's invited Grand Secretary Zhou, Imperial Uncle Tian, Grand Secretary Zhou, and Minister Chen to be his matchmakers. Right now, the procession is on its way to the Forbidden City, draped in red, beating drums and gongs, with half of Beijing's citizens watching."

"This Wang Pu moves quickly," the Emperor laughed, feigning annoyance. "He certainly has a grand face—Grand Secretary, Imperial Uncles, and the Minister of War all serving as his matchmakers, and ten carts of gifts! He must have profited handsomely in Liaodong. I suppose I must find a way to benefit from this as well, hmm."

"Your Majesty," the Empress chided gently, "Since when does a father-in-law try to profit from his son-in-law?"

The Emperor pretended to be annoyed. "Ru'er isn't even married to Wang Pu yet, and you're already speaking up for him."

The Empress smiled. "For Ru'er to marry Wang Pu is a blessing for her."

"That is true," the Emperor nodded, sighing. "Wang Pu would rather risk being torn to pieces than divorce his wife—this shows he's a man of deep feeling and loyalty. This time, I'll make an exception and not force him to divorce his wife before marrying again as tradition dictates. However, after Ru'er marries Wang Pu, she must be the principal wife; his current wife can only be a secondary consort."

Wang Cheng'en quickly added, "Your Majesty, General Wang has already told me in advance that after the Princess marries, she will be the principal wife."

Indeed, Wang Pu had discussed this with Wang Cheng'en, though he hadn't mentioned that while the Princess would be the principal wife, so too would Chen Yuanyuan. Thus, both would be held in equal esteem, neither slighting Princess Changping nor wronging Chen Yuanyuan.

The Empress asked, "Your Majesty, should Ru'er's marriage follow the old customs?"

The Emperor shook his head. "Wang Pu is no ordinary imperial son-in-law. We can no longer follow the old rules. Besides, the ancestral regulations are overdue for change. From today onward, all princesses and noble ladies who are married but still reside in the palace must move out and live with their husbands. The rule that forbids the families of imperial sons-in-law from holding office is also abolished. However, the rule forbidding them to take concubines remains—Wang Pu is a special exception."

Wang Cheng'en beamed. "Your Majesty is wise."

The Empress sighed softly. "So Ru'er will soon go to Datong with Wang Pu?"

The Emperor smiled. "Don't worry, Empress. Even after she marries Wang Pu, Ru'er won't be leaving the capital."

The Empress was puzzled. "Oh?"

Wang Cheng'en explained, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has decided to appoint General Wang as Commander of the Capital Garrison, so he need not return to Datong, and the Princess won't have to travel so far."

"Truly?" the Empress exclaimed with joy. "That's wonderful!"

The Emperor said, "Empress, Ru'er hasn't eaten or slept well for three days and nights over this marriage. Go and tell her the good news at once, and don't let my precious daughter worry herself sick."

The Empress stood and bowed. "I will go immediately."

The Emperor turned to Wang Cheng'en. "Cheng'en, see to all the arrangements for the ceremony—let it be as grand and thorough as possible. And have the Imperial Kitchen prepare a lavish banquet. Tonight I intend to host a grand wedding feast in the palace and invite all civil and military officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital."

"Your servant obeys."

***

Wang Cheng'en accepted the imperial order and left, beaming with joy.

That evening, the Chongzhen Emperor held a magnificent feast in the palace. Every civil and military official of the seventh rank and above in the capital was present—who would dare decline an imperial invitation? Moreover, the Emperor declared it a wedding feast, and who would dare come empty-handed? All the officials had to prepare generous gifts.

Wang Pu had learned his lesson—he only offered a token toast to the officials, unlike last time when he'd drunk himself into disgrace.

The Emperor, however, drank heavily and had to retire early. Near the end of the banquet, Wang Cheng'en returned and publicly announced the Emperor's edict: Wang Pu was to be transferred from his post as Commander of Datong to Commander of the Capital Garrison, and the Imperial Clan Office was to select an auspicious day for his wedding to Princess Changping. The officials, as customary, stepped forward to congratulate Wang Pu, and the banquet ended in joy.

***

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, at court—

Zhou Yanru, who was adept at reading the Emperor's intentions, was well prepared. Before Liu Zongzhou and the other upright officials could stage a counterattack over Wang Pu's affair, Gong Dingnie, the Censor-in-Chief of the Ministry of War, stepped forward and accused Liu Zongzhou of harboring malicious intent, rallying supporters to pressure the Emperor, and damaging the state’s greatest assets—referring to Wang Pu.

Next, Wang Xiyan, Vice Minister of Personnel, stepped forward to accuse Liu Zongzhou of fabricating charges against Chen Xinjia.

Minister of Rites Xie Sheng, Minister of History Zheng Sanjun, and Vice Minister of Personnel Wang Xiyan all voiced their support.

Just as Liu Zongzhou prepared to lead the upright faction in a counterattack, Li Banghua, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief—who had secretly shifted his allegiance to Zhou Yanru—suddenly turned on him, declaring that all eight charges Liu Zongzhou had leveled against Chen Xinjia were fabricated at his own instruction, utterly groundless. This dealt Liu Zongzhou a fatal blow.

The Emperor, of course, knew Zhou Yanru was seizing the opportunity to suppress the upright faction, but he had no wish to shield Liu Zongzhou. The court needed upright officials, but their power must not be allowed to grow unchecked. After Wen Tiren’s fall and Cheng Jiming’s inaction, the power of the upright faction had swelled out of control—it was time for a reckoning, and the Emperor was happy to use Zhou Yanru to achieve this.

Liu Zongzhou was dismissed from his post in open court and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution. Thus, the upright faction suffered a heavy blow, and the pragmatic faction led by Zhou Yanru gradually gained control of the government. Had Zhou Yanru been able to maintain his grip on power, perhaps the Ming Empire could have been spared from factional strife and ultimate downfall. Unfortunately, Zhou Yanru failed to accomplish this.

His foundation was shaky—he owed his return to the support of the Restoration Society, and after he succeeded in ousting Cheng Jiming and became Grand Secretary, Zhang Pu, the society’s leader, submitted a list of over three hundred names, demanding Zhou Yanru appoint them to office.

The Restoration Society’s members, much like those of the Donglin faction, were mostly scholars skilled in empty talk but lacking in practical ability. Zhou Yanru had merely driven out the wolves through the front door only to let in the tigers through the back. No sooner had he cleansed the court of Liu Zongzhou’s upright officials than a new generation of so-called upright men, led by the Restoration Society, flooded in. The destructive factionalism of the late Ming would continue—

But none of this concerned Wang Pu any longer.

The very next day, Wang Pu received—most "timely"—the tragic news of his father's death. According to custom, Wang Pu was granted a hundred-day mourning leave. Since marriage was forbidden during mourning, the Emperor had no choice but to postpone the wedding, allowing Wang Pu to return to Datong for the observance, and only after a hundred days would he return to the capital to assume command of the Capital Garrison and marry Princess Changping.