Chapter Five: Uprooting the Plot of the Giant Rat and Leaving the Palace

Zhu Cilang hurried over to support Zhu Youjian, and as he did, he was startled to find how light the emperor had become—like a sheet of paper. Though just a youth, he managed to hold up a man nearly one meter eighty tall. Once Zhu Youjian was steadied, Zhu Cilang knelt to beg forgiveness.

The Chongzhen Emperor raised him up, his grip heavy and unyielding, clutching Zhu Cilang’s arms until they hurt. Zhu Cilang looked up and saw the fatigue fading from the emperor’s eyes, replaced by a familiar, resolute gaze fixed upon him.

It was this very resolve that had enabled the Chongzhen Emperor to seize a country in chaos from his elder brother and to vow to cleanse the world, eradicate the eunuch faction, and revitalize the hearts of the people, aspiring to become the restorer of the Ming. It was this same determination that had driven him, even as the nation decayed day by day, to toil tirelessly over state affairs, struggling to drag the empire inherited from his brother out of the mire—though the end saw his resolve slowly submerged by the filth of the quagmire. Even when all the border generals surrendered two years later, it was this same resolve that led him in despair to Coal Hill, leaving behind the words, “Cover my face with my hair. Let the traitors dismember my corpse, but not harm a single citizen.”

He was an emperor diligent and responsible, with the world in his heart. Yet he was also a tragic martyr, born in the wrong era, powerless to save his crumbling realm.

Now, with a new Zhu Cilang, would fate repeat itself?

The hall fell silent for a moment, but it was not an oppressive silence. Then, a voice that stirred Zhu Cilang’s heart resounded within the chamber.

“Lang, my son, you have spoken well. As the father of my people, how could I abandon the legacy of my ancestors, abandon the subjects who look to me as their sovereign? Since the founding emperor, the emperors of Ming have neither bowed as vassals nor paid tribute, never stooped to marriage alliances nor suffered the national disgrace of ceding land. The Son of Heaven guards the gates of the realm; the king dies for his country! Lang, this land will never be taken by barbarians! As crown prince, you may disregard other ancestral injunctions, but this one—let it be passed down through the generations of our Zhu family!” The emperor’s voice, at that instant, was once more full and strong.

Listening, Zhu Cilang’s heart was suddenly filled with the weight of inherited mission—a responsibility as heavy as a thousand mountains settled upon him. Since he enjoyed the highest honor beneath heaven, he would bear its greatest burden.

Zhu Cilang’s gaze grew clear and steadfast as he answered his father, more resolute than ever before. “Your son will remember your teachings unto death, and never regret it!”

“Good!” Zhu Youjian’s heart eased, and for once, he showed a rare hint of relaxation. Yet recalling the affairs of state awaiting him, he frowned again. “Lang, you spoke of internal disorder—do not think I am ignorant of it. Prince Fu died in Luoyang, but these roaming bandits are hard to suppress and cost even more. Right now, the court has no funds or grain, so we cannot mobilize troops. The matter in Liaodong is already difficult—suppressing the bandits is harder still. As for raising revenue and taxes, the ministers strongly oppose it. The Liaodong levy is already heavy, and to tax the people further—I am ashamed at heart. So, I am pressed on all sides; funds and grain, there is nowhere to find them!”

“Father, I have read in miscellaneous books of a story: when commoners suffer famine, experienced farmers search everywhere for field mice burrows, for these mice hoard stolen grain for years, and when dug out, there is often grain by the stone. Therefore, I would request to serve in the Ministry of Revenue, to sweep out the fat rats from the imperial treasury for you.” Zhu Youjian’s gaze sharpened. “The Ming is prosperous throughout the land, its people pay tribute and tax, yet we cannot meet the needs of the frontier. Thirty million stone of grain is collected each year, but half is swallowed by these fat rats. If they are not eliminated, Ming is but a giant bleeding out—one day, it will bleed dry and lose all vitality. Without cutting out the fat rats, I cannot train soldiers, and you cannot sustain the war.”

The emperor’s eyes turned cold. “Are you speaking of Li Shiweng?”

Zhu Cilang shook his head. The Chongzhen Emperor was suspicious and impatient, frequently replacing his ministers. Yet Zhu Cilang felt neither goodwill nor particular enmity toward Li Shiweng, knowing him little. Besides, he had no intention of kicking a man when he was down.

“Father, locked within the deep palace, how can I possibly discern the worthiness of ministers? The inner chambers are far removed from common affairs. But if an army is to be raised, funds must be found. Therefore, for the sake of the people and the military, I must enter the Ministry of Revenue. Even if I cannot eradicate the fat rats, I cannot allow them to cluster around me.” Zhu Cilang’s voice rang out, firm as iron.

The emperor still frowned. “For the crown prince to serve as a mere scribe—preposterous, truly preposterous!”

Zhu Cilang replied clearly, “I urge you, Father, to rise with renewed vigor and employ men without regard to convention. As long as they are talented or virtuous, why should you let factional bias cause division among your subjects?”

“To employ men regardless of convention…” Chongzhen gazed at the young prince, finally relenting. “Very well, treat it as a way to ease your mind. Lang, go and find Left Commander Cao Huayu of the Five Military Commissions; he is the brother of Cao Zhengchun. I will instruct Wang Cheng’en to handle your entry to the Ministry of Revenue with care.”

Having said this, the emperor paused and added, “Today in the great hall, you were too reckless. The upright ministers will surely be disturbed. I will have word spread that you are resting and recovering from illness in the palace. Thus, do not use your status as crown prince to attract attention outside. If anything arises, continue learning statecraft within the palace first.”

Even the emperor himself did not expect much of him; Zhu Cilang felt a wave of disappointment, but he made no protest and simply bowed in acceptance.

Upon returning to the Palace of Compassionate Celebration, Zhu Cilang saw Linlang, the personal attendant of Empress Zhou, who had clearly been waiting for some time. He had the chief eunuch, Si En, pack a few plain garments, a set of junior eunuch robes, and some loose silver—about a thousand taels from his private funds. Once ready, Zhu Cilang followed Linlang to see Empress Zhou.

The empress dismissed her attendants and had her inner eunuch spread the word: the crown prince’s remarks had truly angered the emperor, and out of concern, the empress would not allow him to remain alone in the Palace of Compassionate Celebration. Instead, she had him moved to the closer Bell Purity Palace, with all new attendants—tight-lipped and reliable—declaring to the outside that the crown prince was simply convalescing.

This announcement quickly soothed the indignation of the court censors and officials.

They truly believed the crown prince’s conduct this time was unbefitting of the heir to the throne. Many were already sharpening their pens, ready to submit fervent memorials of remonstrance.

For the upright officials, who prided themselves on rebuking the emperor, seizing upon the crown prince’s education was a duty they could not shirk.

As for whether the crown prince could solve the current fiscal crisis, or even the frontier troubles? Who would believe it? He was but a fourteen-year-old child. Even as heir, he had been raised deep within the palace—what could he possibly accomplish?

Moreover, he was a brash youth who had already offended many. His radical words stirred debate even among the Eastern Palace staff. With Zhu Cilang himself admitting to illness, rumors soon spread that the crown prince’s brain had been addled by fever, rendering him truly foolish and reckless.

“But what if the crown prince no longer enjoys imperial protection? Let us see, in the winds and clouds of the Ming, how I shall stir the world today!”