Chapter 9: Do You Still Remember Guo Xun?

After several young eunuchs left the palace under secret orders, Zhu Youjian set aside the memorial he had been reading and made his way to the palace practice grounds for archery practice.

In the mind of the current Zhu Youjian, health was of paramount importance; without it, there was no point in even speaking of accomplishing great deeds. Fortunately, this body he now inhabited was quite robust. After a brief period of adjustment, every arrow he loosed hit its mark with absolute precision.

The dozens of eunuchs and palace maids attending to him watched his heroic, spirited movements as he traversed the practice grounds, and without realizing it, their own dispositions began to shift. Everyone felt as if the palace had become more vibrant, no longer as stagnant and lifeless as it had been in the past.

After training on the grounds for over an hour, Zhu Youjian finally returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Once he had washed up and finished his evening meal, he ordered his attendants to clear out several side chambers within the great hall. From this day forward, those two hundred personal guards would reside in these chambers to ensure his safety while he slept at night.

...

Outside the Forbidden City, within the mansion of the Duke of Ying, Zhang Weixian lay sprawled alone on his couch, the floor tiles before him littered with the debris of wine and food.

At this moment, there was nothing left in Zhang Weixian’s appearance to suggest the stature of a middle-aged duke. He looked more like a down-and-out scholar who had failed the imperial examinations for years and had finally descended into madness. Outside the door stood several timid women, but none dared to enter to offer comfort or service. His wives and concubines who had tried to advise him to drink less during the day had been struck and berated, so the maidservants were even more terrified. In all these years, the servants of the Duke’s mansion had never seen Zhang Weixian fly into such a rage.

Zhang Weixian propped himself up, glanced at the servants outside the door, and waved his hand impatiently, ordering them to leave. However, the women remained where they were. Although his behavior that day had frightened them, he had never treated his servants poorly, and they were afraid that he might ruin his health in his current state of melancholy.

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Seeing that they would not leave, Zhang Weixian snatched up his wine flagon and smashed it against the floor. Only then did the maids shrink back and retreat to a distance. Once everyone had left, a bitter smile spread across Zhang Weixian’s face.

His current state was entirely due to the cold indifference the new Emperor had shown him during the morning court session. How could he not have known that the words he spoke in the court would offend many of his colleagues? Yet, he had done so without hesitation.

But what of the newly enthroned Emperor? He had not shown a single reaction, as if the matter of life and death that Zhang Weixian had spent so long deliberating and finally decided to voice was, in the Emperor's eyes, merely another useless, superfluous memorial like those of the other officials. The blow this had dealt to Zhang Weixian was immeasurable.

Consumed by resentment and gloom, Zhang Weixian had no choice but to drown his sorrows in wine until he was utterly intoxicated. Only in this state could he numb himself and temporarily escape the pain. *Let it be,* he thought, *why bother worrying about the affairs of the state?* Clutching his wine flagon, Zhang Weixian drifted into a hazy sleep.

...

It was unclear how much time had passed. In his stupor, Zhang Weixian felt someone gently patting him. Still wrapped in his misery, he opened his mouth to curse, but upon opening his eyes, he saw his trusted steward bowing to one side, and standing before the couch was a face he recognized all too well—it was none other than Wang Chengen, the Emperor’s personal eunuch!

Seeing Wang Chengen, Zhang Weixian bolted upright from the couch, his drunkenness instantly fading by more than half. "Eunuch Wang?! Why are you here..."

Wang Chengen smiled and interrupted him, "Duke of Ying, His Majesty has issued a secret order for me to bring you into the palace in the dead of night. Please, quickly rise and prepare yourself."

"His Majesty..."

Hearing the words "His Majesty," the last remnants of alcohol in Zhang Weixian’s mind vanished entirely, as did the lingering resentment and gloom. He knew full well what it meant for the Emperor to summon him at this hour. It was undoubtedly to discuss matters related to the Capital Garrison.

Zhang Weixian could not help but grow excited: His Majesty was not the indifferent, lazy ruler he had appeared to be on the surface. The neglect shown during the morning court was purely the unfathomable majesty of the Emperor!

At this thought, Zhang Weixian felt both shocked and delighted. He was shocked because he considered himself a man of great experience, yet he had failed to detect even a flicker of emotion from the Emperor during the long morning court session—even though he had been observing the Emperor's expression the entire time. This might seem trivial, but only someone who had experienced it would know how terrifying a feat that was. The Emperor was but a seventeen-year-old youth who had only just ascended the throne, not some seasoned ruler who had held power for years.

And it was for this same reason that Zhang Weixian felt joy. From this small glimpse, one could see the potential for greatness. Perhaps there was hope for the Great Ming after all.

In his excitement, Zhang Weixian nearly took a hard fall as he stepped off the couch, but fortunately, Wang Chengen and the steward caught him just in time.

...

Inside the carriage heading toward the Forbidden City, Wang Chengen and Zhang Weixian sat side by side. Taking the opportunity, Zhang Weixian slipped a large gold ingot to Wang Chengen and asked respectfully, "Eunuch Wang, has His Majesty summoned me to the palace to inquire about the Capital Garrison?"

"The Emperor’s will is unfathomable; that is not for me to know. You will have to wait until you see His Majesty yourself, Duke." Wang Chengen smiled as he accepted the gold from Zhang Weixian, his mood lifting. However, he was not happy because of the gold; to Wang Chengen, any wealth he received was simply held on behalf of the Emperor. He was pleased primarily because of Zhang Weixian’s reaction—the fact that he had been so excited by the Emperor’s summons that he had nearly fallen off his bed. They were dependents of the imperial power; the stronger the imperial power, the higher their own status would be.

...

After entering the Forbidden City, Zhang Weixian was led directly to the Palace of Heavenly Purity by Wang Chengen. Once inside, Zhang Weixian was struck with another wave of astonishment. He saw the group of teenage guards, and with his long experience in military affairs, he could tell that although these youths were still young, they had likely already tasted blood. How had the Emperor managed to build such a guard unit in such a short amount of time without anyone noticing?

A sense of awe grew in Zhang Weixian’s heart. Led by Wang Chengen to a side chamber, Zhang Weixian looked at the young Emperor sitting in the chair and performed the five prostrations and three kowtows: "Your subject, Zhang Weixian, kowtows to Your Majesty, wishing you sacred peace!"

Zhu Youjian nodded. "Rise."

Following a gesture from the Emperor, Wang Chengen brought over an embroidered stool and then cleared the room of all other attendants.

Seeing this, Zhang Weixian spoke with a touch of eager anticipation: "Your Majesty, you have summoned me to the palace in the dead of night—is it to discuss the matters regarding the Capital Garrison that I mentioned during the morning court?"

Listening to Zhang Weixian’s question, Zhu Youjian did not answer directly, but instead posed a question of his own.

"Do you still remember Guo Xun?"