Chapter 23: The Devotion of a Parent

When Zhu Zaiji returned to the Eastern Palace, he began to ponder how much the old Taoist priest would agree with the ideas he had proposed that day. He wondered if he might take advantage of his upcoming inspection of the imperial camps to combine his duties with the task of liaising with the nobility.

Meanwhile, in the Western Park, beneath the long palace walls, a man of about forty years old—wearing a black gauze hat, a crimson robe embroidered with a lion on the chest, a jade plaque at his waist, and a Xiuchun saber hanging at his side—arrived before the Wuyi Hall of the Wanshou Palace. His face was square, his expression stern, and he wore a short beard.

The eunuch guarding the entrance stiffened at the sight of him and hurried forward to bow respectfully.

"Commander Lu."

Lu Bing stood before the Wuyi Hall, cast a glance to either side, and nodded. He wondered why the Emperor had summoned him today. He raised his arms and bowed toward the hall entrance.

"Your subject, Lu Bing, has come to answer the imperial summons."

Although he had been a childhood playmate of the current Emperor, and his own mother had served as the Emperor’s wet nurse, earning him deep imperial favor and trust, Lu Bing never dared to be the least bit lax or arrogant in the Emperor’s presence.

A moment later, Huang Jin arrived at the hall door in person.

"Commander Lu is here. His Majesty is meditating in the inner hall."

With that, he respectfully ushered Lu Bing into the Wuyi Hall. On the way to the inner hall, Lu Bing slowed his pace slightly and looked at Huang Jin, who was walking beside him. There had been many rumors circulating inside and outside the court recently. He was genuinely curious and wanted to get to the bottom of them so he could correctly respond to the Emperor’s inquiries.

Huang Jin, aware of what the commander of the Jinyiwei was thinking, smiled and whispered, "Today, the Crown Prince observed state affairs at the Wuyi Hall, and the Grand Secretaries discussed the matter of Zhu Wan continuing his tenure at the Xuan-Da Three Frontiers before His Majesty."

That was all he could say. Any more would be disloyal. As for how much Lu Bing could infer, that depended on his own wits.

Lu Bing nodded slightly and replied in a low voice, "My thanks, Grand Eunuch Huang."

Huang Jin offered a faint, non-committal smile.

Because of Lu Bing’s relationship with the Emperor, there was no need to request a formal audience outside the inner hall. The two reached the inner hall in an instant. Approaching the dais, Lu Bing knelt down.

"Your subject, Lu Bing, wishes to inquire after His Majesty’s health."

"Meow..."

On the dais, the cat "Frost-Eyebrow" was stretching and calling out. Beneath its pair of snowy-white brows, its bright, intelligent eyes looked curiously at the human kneeling before it.

The Jiajing Emperor, who had been meditating in silence, slowly opened his eyes. He rested a hand on Frost-Eyebrow’s head and looked at the approaching Lu Bing with a smile. "Rise. I have told you many times: here, there are no outside ministers, and there is no need for such tedious formalities."

Lu Bing remained composed and humble, his expression unchanged. "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. That I, your subject, have been fortunate enough to receive such favor is already a blessing beyond measure. I dare not forget the distinction between sovereign and subject, nor the hierarchy of high and low."

Jiajing laughed and waved his hand. "Huang Jin, bring a seat. You, too, may stand. I summoned you today simply because there are some matters I wish to ask about personally to put my mind at ease."

Huang Jin had already brought over a soft stool. Lu Bing rose, bowed in gratitude, and sat down. He then cupped his hands and said, "I have been ordered to command the Jinyiwei and oversee intelligence from all quarters. If Your Majesty has questions, I shall tell you everything I know."

Jiajing was increasingly satisfied with the attitude of his childhood friend. He nodded and said, "The last time I had Huang Jin convey a message to you, how did the investigation go?"

Lu Bing looked at Huang Jin for a moment before replying, "In reply to Your Majesty: on the seventeenth of last month, there was an incident at the Qingning Palace. I received your secret decree and, knowing this was a private matter for the Imperial House, dared not make it public. I took it upon myself to investigate, sending my most trusted subordinates to probe in secret. At that time, apart from the eight people executed by the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Eastern Depot, the remaining seventy-two individuals were sent to the imperial estates outside the city. It has now been confirmed that fifteen of them had clandestine ties with outsiders. Regarding those who have had dealings with the palace since the beginning of this year, there are three hundred and twenty-seven people, thirty-six of whom have unknown backgrounds."

The Forbidden City was a sieve, leaking from every side. That saying had never been wrong.

On the dais, Jiajing’s brows knit together, and his hand tightened. Frost-Eyebrow let out two pained meows to express its dissatisfaction.

Jiajing asked in a deep voice, "Did you find anything?"

Lu Bing shook his head, looking ashamed. "I have imprisoned the fifteen with outside ties and the thirty-six of unknown origin in the imperial jail and interrogated them with torture, yet I have found no connection between them and the events at the Qingning Palace that day. However, I did discover that these people were planted around the Crown Prince to communicate between the inside and outside, secretly leaking information from the Eastern Palace."

Hearing this, Jiajing’s brow darkened with gloom.

Seeing the Emperor’s grim expression, Lu Bing added, "As for all the staff currently serving in the Qingning Palace, I have investigated them thoroughly. Although some have had sticky fingers in the past, they can be considered clean for now, I beg Your Majesty to be aware."

Huang Jin’s brows jumped, and he immediately interjected, "The Qingning Palace is where the Crown Prince resides. Since the Commander has found some with sticky fingers, please send a list of their names to me."

There was no need to ask why he wanted the names. Lu Bing nodded, understanding perfectly.

From above, Jiajing changed the subject. "Recently, there has been much dissent in the court regarding the affairs in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. I am thinking that since there was an attempt last year to incite conflict by planting letters from Japanese envoys, perhaps we should send some people there?"

He was speaking of the matter concerning Zhu Wan. He remembered the warnings his son had given him about the need to protect Zhu Wan from secret harm.

Lu Bing, who had already been pondering this on his way over, immediately nodded and cupped his hands. "I believe we can send men from the Jinyiwei to act as personal bodyguards for the Censor-in-Chief to prevent any unforeseen accidents."

Jiajing hummed and added, "And the news traveling between the Southeast and the capital..."

Lu Bing replied in a low, serious voice, "When I return to my office today, I will order the Northern Branch of the Jinyiwei to keep a secret watch. As for Governor-General Weng, perhaps we should keep an eye on him as well?"

He was indeed a clever man. Knowing that the court had been discussing the affairs of Zhejiang and Fujian, as well as the Xuan-Da Three Frontiers, Lu Bing easily linked the current Governor-General of the Three Frontiers, Weng Wanda, to the situation in the Southeast. Naturally, the Emperor did not need to prompt him further.

Seeing Lu Bing’s continued sharpness, a smile gradually returned to Jiajing’s face.

"I have always been able to trust in the way you do things," he said with a smile.

Lu Bing bowed.

Jiajing continued, "The affairs of the court are nothing more than these. However, the Crown Prince has made great progress in his studies and his grasp of statecraft of late, and he is showing signs of maturity. A few days ago, Grand Secretary Yan and the others suggested that if I have the time, I should leave the palace to inspect the capital camps. You should be aware of this."

Lu Bing nodded. "His Highness the Crown Prince is as bright as Your Majesty was in your youth. Although there is some speculation in the court, the prevailing sentiment is one of high praise. Many say that His Highness is benevolent and wise, and he has already gained a reputation for virtue. As for Your Majesty inspecting the capital camps, I believe it is indeed necessary. If Your Majesty inspects the camps, it will surely inspire the soldiers, deter the wicked, and prune away long-standing abuses. If there were another incursion by thieves like last year, there would be no repeat of the Xuanfu frontier army of tens of thousands trembling in fear at the sight of the enemy. Then, the capital region would be secure and affairs could be handled with calm and ease."

Praising the Crown Prince was politically correct, and supporting the Emperor’s inspection was equally correct. Jiajing was very satisfied with Lu Bing’s stance.

However, he waved a hand. "Even if I were to inspect the camps, I cannot move rashly. Once the imperial carriage moves, it shakes the world in all directions, and that would inevitably disturb the people of the capital region."

Lu Bing observed the Emperor’s expression and analyzed the underlying reasons. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Since Your Majesty is benevolent toward the people and does not wish to disturb them, why not have the Crown Prince first leave the palace to inspect the various camps? He can summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the military and present them to you. With Your Majesty holding the reins of power, you could then proceed with the imperial inspection yourself."

Jiajing glanced at Lu Bing but did not point out the implication. He simply changed the subject. "The Crown Prince is still young; how could he investigate the military’s strengths and weaknesses? Even if he were to go ahead of me to prepare for my inspection, he would need some leverage to have any confidence, so as not to be manipulated or deceived by the old generals and veterans."

He did not mention to Lu Bing the plan to have the Inner Court provide funds and the nobility provide men to build ships and trade goods across the seas. But Lu Bing was no ordinary man. He immediately raised an eyebrow and said, "I happen to have in my possession some records of past misconduct by the officers of the capital camps and the noble relatives who oversee them. Because they were not enough to warrant criminal charges, I did not report them to Your Majesty. But if His Highness needs some leverage and confidence, these would be perfectly suitable."

Jiajing pondered for a moment before humming in agreement.

"In that case, do as you say. Tell the Qingning Palace to prepare accordingly."

Lu Bing accepted the order immediately. He knew this was the true reason the Emperor had summoned him today, and he would make it his top priority.

After Lu Bing departed, Jiajing’s brow relaxed, and he smiled at Huang Jin. "This rascal is leaving the palace on official business for the first time. I must help him out after all."

Huang Jin bowed and stepped forward. "His Highness will surely be able to feel Your Majesty’s deep parental love."

Jiajing curled his lip. "Draft the decree. Once Lu Bing delivers those materials to the Eastern Palace, have the rascal get out of the palace and get to work."

Huang Jin’s smile grew even wider.

"This servant obeys."

But in the next second, on the dais, there was a meow. Jiajing’s voice turned cold.

"Since Lu Bing has discovered that the old staff of the Qingning Palace were colluding with outsiders, and that some of the current staff are also not clean..."

"You shall investigate the Western Park as well."

"As for those who are not clean, deal with them as usual."

In an instant, Huang Jin’s expression vanished, and he returned to silence.