Chapter Forty-Two: Turmoil in the Morning Court

Li Guozhen was a man of striking appearance—his complexion was fair, his figure well-proportioned, making him a rare handsome gentleman among the capital’s middle-aged nobility. Although he had never devoted much time to physical training, he managed to maintain his shape, unlike those inept generals grown corpulent with idleness. Even now, upon suddenly hearing of chaos in the Capital Garrison, Li Guozhen, who had led the garrison for two generations, felt little fear at such a disturbance. Starving soldiers clamoring for survival was nothing new; Li Shouqi had faced such things before. It was simply a matter of dispatching men to suppress the trouble and then bestowing favors to settle the matter.

So long as Li Qibo, the Left Flank Deputy General of the Five Armies Camp, and Zhang Shuchi, the Right Flank Assistant General, arrived and assessed the situation, they could take a few squads of soldiers and swiftly quell the unrest.

With this in mind, Li Guozhen curbed his impatience and waited for the two men, who were also nearby in the Fucai Ward just west of Dashi Yongfang, to send word once they had clarified the situation.

As Li Guozhen turned these thoughts over, still waiting for his two subordinates, the Minister of War, Chen Xinjia, suddenly stormed in, brimming with indignation.

“Lord Xiangcheng! The Director of Military Affairs, Ma Shaoyu, is trapped among the mutinous soldiers. They demand pay for survival. Lord Xiangcheng, have you prepared your strategy? Are your men assembled, ready to march out and put down the disorder?” Chen Xinjia burst in, his words a rapid-fire interrogation.

Though Chen Xinjia was not a graduate of the imperial examinations, he was nonetheless a bona fide civil official. Under the combined force of the man’s authority and presence, Li Guozhen found it hard to breathe. He stammered a few words, sweat beading on his forehead, and could only reply vaguely: “This matter… I am still investigating closely… I’ve heard these rebels are motivated by hunger, and the Five Armies Camp’s Right Flank has been stable of late… It should be nothing serious… As for troops, I am summoning Deputy General Li Qibo and Assistant General Zhang Shuchi. I believe the situation will soon be resolved…”

As Li Guozhen fumbled to placate Chen Xinjia, his trusted steward, Li Yingshu, hurried in, anxiety etched on his face. He whispered urgently into Li Guozhen’s ear.

Upon hearing this, Li Guozhen clenched his teeth and said, “Bring him in!”

Before long, Marquis Yangwu, Xue Lian, entered at an unhurried pace and spoke without preamble: “Deputy General Li Qibo and Assistant General Zhang Shuchi are both trapped within their camps and cannot get out. I happened to be at the Divine Machines Camp and managed to eliminate the troublemakers there before any unrest broke out. Now, the Divine Machines Camp has blocked the mutinous soldiers at Desheng Gate. However… neither officer can break free, nor can they address the turmoil elsewhere.”

At these words, Chen Xinjia’s face changed dramatically. Li Guozhen grew dizzy with shock and nearly collapsed, only saved by his quick-thinking steward’s support.

Li Guozhen murmured weakly, “The Three Thousand Camp…”

Chen Xinjia slowly shook his head. The Three Thousand Camp was ceremonial, currently under the control of the eunuch Wang Cheng’en. Not only was the camp itself weak, but who among Wang Cheng’en’s men would dare confront the mutineers? For the already powerless military nobility, it was unthinkable to challenge the emperor’s household servants.

Now, Li Guozhen’s claws were caught at Desheng Gate, unable to quell the chaos. Xue Lian’s troops, for their part, had to prevent the unrest from spreading. This meant…the situation had exceeded the control of all three present.

“We can’t suppress it…” Chen Xinjia sighed deeply. “Gentlemen, let us proceed to the palace.”

In his heart, Chen Xinjia silently added, “If we cannot resolve this, we had best prepare to wash our necks…”

Smoke from the Wude Guards rose into the sky. The people of Jiaozhong Ward barred their doors in fear, trembling at the prospect of violence. The mutiny of the starving soldiers, the capture of superiors, the binding of a Director—once these matters could no longer be suppressed, they were swiftly laid before Emperor Chongzhen.

Panic swept the capital; the Imperial City was shaken.

“Capital Garrison… in mutiny…” The stark characters leapt before Zhu Youjian’s eyes, radiating deadly intent.

But murderous resolve alone was futile; Chen Xinjia had already reported the situation in full. The mutineers had risen almost simultaneously, paralyzing the Five Armies Camp in an instant and rendering the Divine Machines Camp powerless.

Simply put, for the moment, the court no longer held the means to guarantee suppression by force!

The thought that only a few miles away his own troops were rebelling sent a chill through Zhu Youjian’s heart, swiftly followed by boundless fury.

“Li Guozhen! You have enjoyed the emperor’s favor—this is how you manage the Capital Garrison? Where has all the pay gone? The 270,000 taels in converted silver each year—where is it? What of the 100,000 taels in pure silver? How could it be that the soldiers of the Capital Garrison cannot even eat their fill?”

“What is the Ministry of War’s counsel? What solution do you have for the situation in the Capital Garrison?”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen! The mutineers are but a few miles away—have none of you a single plan to resolve this?”

Three consecutive questions swept the assembled ministers; all who met his gaze fell to their knees, pleading for mercy.

Even Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru, who had hurried over, cursed his bad luck. So many troubles in these days—and now something that had grown beyond the control of the court, beyond his own control!

Since the matter had exceeded their grasp, Zhou Yanru, a seasoned veteran of officialdom, quickly shifted from defense to offense: “Your Majesty, regarding the military unrest, suppression is one course, pacification another. Since forcible suppression must for now be postponed, pacifying the soldiers is a viable alternative. Moreover, since the Ministry of Revenue claims confidence in disbursing funds for the Capital Garrison, surely that will suffice to calm the troops.”

With Zhou Yanru having spoken, Chen Xinjia was quick to pass the buck: “I concur; pacification should be our priority. But I wonder what preparations the Ministry of Revenue has made—will it suffice?”

Nearby, Minister of Revenue Fu Shuxun and Vice-Minister Wang Zhengzhi exchanged uneasy glances. As Fu Shuxun was about to reply, Wei Zhaocheng interjected, delivering another blow: “Previously, the Ministry of Revenue proposed thirty thousand taels, then fifty thousand. In any case, surely they can provide at least ten thousand taels immediately.”

“The Ministry is reorganizing,” Fu Shuxun replied, exhaling deeply. “As reported two days ago, the matter will be resolved in ten days.”

With this, he had in fact refused all three men.

Seeing this, Zhou Yanru, Chen Xinjia, and Wei Zhaocheng all changed countenance.

Just as Fu Shuxun was striving to compose himself, Wang Zhengzhi’s somewhat soft voice, tinged with a smile, broke in: “Your Majesty, I beg to report. In this matter of reorganization, I have seen no concrete evidence and know of no obstruction to state affairs. The Ministry of Revenue is not included among the censorate, and has no right to report rumors. Now, with morale in the ministry unstable and every subordinate in fear, none dare take action regarding state finances, and so the payment of military stipends is impossible. I beseech Your Majesty to suspend this so-called reorganization to calm the hearts of the officials. I will personally guarantee, and can restore the ministry overnight. By tomorrow, I can disburse no less than thirty thousand taels in the first batch, and within ten days, raise three hundred thousand!”

Wang Zhengzhi’s words struck like a sharp dagger into Fu Shuxun’s back. At this, Fu Shuxun felt a wave of darkness before his eyes and swayed slightly. He could even see the flicker of indecision on Emperor Chongzhen’s face.