Chapter Twenty-Two: Tidings of Victory Reach the Palace

Wang Cheng'en took a deep breath and began, "Gao Mingheng, Governor of Henan... has submitted a report on the battle at Zhuxian Town..."

As Wang Cheng'en read, Zhu Youjian continued to eat his lotus seed soup with a calm expression. Outside the screen, Empress Zhou remained uncharacteristically still, having not walked away as she usually would. Hearing the news of the Henan front, her heart was filled with thoughts of another person.

"The Commander-in-Chief, Ding Qirui, ordered his subordinate general Zuo Liangyu, along with the Governor of Baoding Yang Wenyue and the regional commanders Hu Dawei, Yang De-zheng, and Fang Guo'an, to station their four armies at Zhuxian Town. The military council was in disarray; while Ding Qirui advocated for battle, Zuo Liangyu, seeing the enemy's strength, broke camp and fled, causing the Xiangyang forces to collapse. Zuo Liangyu's army encountered Li Zicheng’s ambush halfway through their retreat, falling into complete chaos. They abandoned ten thousand horses and mules, and the Imperial Inspector Ren Dong was killed in the fray. Zuo Liangyu fled to Xiangyang... Yang Wenyue’s troops collapsed at Ruzing, and Ding Qirui’s defeated remnants returned to Kaifeng..."

Finally, once Wang Cheng'en, with his remarkable memory, had finished reciting the key points of the report, Zhu Youjian had nearly finished his bowl of lotus seed soup.

Wang Cheng'en kept his head pressed firmly to the ground, silent, though a glimpse of Zhu Youjian’s calm face left his heart pounding with anxiety.

At last, only a single spoonful of the soup remained.

Zhu Youjian calmly stirred the remaining lotus seeds together, scooped them up, and whispered, "So... my two 'fine' commanders-in-chief, four 'fine' regional commanders, and a massive army of one hundred and eighty thousand... they just collapsed like that, without firing a single arrow?"

With that, his hand trembling slightly, he lifted the spoon to his mouth, swallowed the last of it, and sat back.

Yet, as he finished that final bite, his mind was suddenly flooded with visions of the battlefield in the Central Plains.

The Ming court’s most highly anticipated general, Zuo Liangyu, who was tasked with suppressing the rebels, had actually seized his allies' pack animals in the middle of the night... and fled!

A so-called fierce general, commanding a powerful force of one hundred thousand, had been driven to such depths of cowardice!

"I... I..." Suddenly, the Chongzhen Emperor’s hands began to shake violently. He gulped, but felt as if his chest were blocked by jagged stones. "Cough... my... fine ministers! *Cough, cough*..."

A fit of coughing seized him, and he vomited up everything he had just eaten.

"Your Majesty!"
"My Lord!"
"Long live the Emperor..."

Seeing this, Empress Zhou could no longer remain behind the screen. She rushed out to support Zhu Youjian, gently patting his back. "Your Majesty, please, steady yourself. Wang Cheng'en, go find the imperial physician at once!"

Wang Cheng'en quickly fetched fresh water, a towel, and a mild, soothing herbal drink, which he offered to the Emperor.

"I am fine! *Cough, cough*..." Zhu Youjian coughed again, waving his hand to dismiss them. He shook his head at the group and said, "I told you, I am fine!"

As he spoke, he continued to cough, reaching out to stop Empress Zhou from calling for the physician. He didn't even look at the drink Wang Cheng'en had brought, but instead gazed out of the great hall at the clear sky beyond.

It was as if this bright, cloudless summer day had brought him a torrential storm that soaked him to the bone.

"Your Majesty... what if you ruin your health? The entire Ming Empire relies on you to hold it up," Empress Zhou said softly, taking the drink from Wang Cheng'en.

Perhaps it was her voice that reignited a spark within him, or perhaps it was the weight of the Ming Empire, a mission he could not abandon.

Finally, listening to her, a glimmer of light returned to Zhu Youjian’s eyes. "Good. You are right, my Empress. This empire—I must carry it, I must carry it!"

"Wang Cheng'en, issue the decree... I am summoning my ministers! Call the Nine Ministers and the Grand Secretariat here!"

"This servant obeys." Wang Cheng'en felt a sudden weight lift from his chest. He cast a look of infinite gratitude toward Empress Zhou before whispering to the Emperor, "Your Majesty... there is one more thing. The Crown Prince's attendant, Si En, is here to see you. He says he carries a secret memorial from the Crown Prince."

At these words, Zhu Youjian’s brows furrowed tightly. Empress Zhou, standing by his side, was also gripped by intense anxiety.

"Bring him in at once!" Zhu Youjian took a deep breath, steeling himself for the worst.

But when he saw Si En, a flicker of hope ignited in his heart. Si En’s face was beaming with joy; he clearly did not look like a messenger of doom.

With this thought, Zhu Youjian looked at him expectantly. "Speak. Why did the Crown Prince send you personally with a secret decree? And did the Crown Prince not submit a formal memorial?"

"Ah... Your Majesty, I remember now! I do recall the Crown Prince sending a memorial today. I intended to retrieve it, but then... the battle report from Henan arrived. I didn't expect... thinking of Your Majesty's order that the Henan reports must be delivered immediately, I..." Wang Cheng'en stammered, growing flustered.

Zhu Youjian, his mind entirely occupied with the situation of Zhu Cilang in Henan, had no patience for Wang Cheng'en’s rambling. He waved his hand dismissively. "The ministers can wait. Stop being foolish and go bring the Crown Prince’s memorial!"

Once Wang Cheng'en left, Zhu Youjian stared at Si En.

Si En took a deep breath, steadied himself, and announced in a loud, joyful voice, "Your Majesty! A great victory! A great victory!"

"The Crown Prince encountered the rebel generals Li Yan and Hongniangzi in Dongming County, a hundred miles east of Kaifeng. In this battle, our soldiers fought with unyielding resolve. They crushed the enemy at Wusheng Town in Dongming, beheading eight hundred and seventy-six rebels and capturing two thousand! Over ten thousand of the enemy forces were routed. We have now reclaimed Dongming County and cleared the Yellow River waterway to Kaifeng City!"

"My son, the Crown Prince, has won?" Zhu Youjian whispered, struggling to believe it.

At that moment, a breathless Wang Cheng'en rushed into the Palace of Heavenly Purity, clutching Zhu Cilang’s memorial. "Your Majesty, it is a report of victory! It is a victory report from the Linqing Camp of the Shandong troops—the Crown Prince has achieved a great triumph over the rebel army!"

"Good, good, good!" Zhu Youjian quickly took the memorial, scanning the contents in a single glance. He broke into a joyful laugh. "My Qilin son has won! He has brought me good news once again!"

"This servant offers congratulations to Your Majesty!"
"This servant offers congratulations to Your Majesty!"
"This concubine offers congratulations to Your Majesty!"

Empress Zhou, Wang Cheng'en, and Si En all bowed in celebration.

"Rise, all of you!" The gloom that had clouded Zhu Youjian’s heart vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sense of elation.

He looked at Si En and said, "Si En, I have received your report. I hereby appoint you as the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, in charge of the Imperial Armory! However, I know my son would not have sent you to the palace without cause. Speak—what other secret message do you have? Present it to me."