Chapter Seven: The Former Prime Minister Gao Gong's Conspiracy to Assassinate

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Commander Zhu Xixiao of the Embroidered Cavalry, responsible for overseeing the investigation into the assassination attempt on the Prince, spoke up: “The culprit’s name is Wang Dachen, surname Wang, given name Zhanglong. He hails from Wujin County, Changzhou, in the Southern Zhili province. He claims to have served under Qi Jiguang’s Zhejiang army. Upon verification, he is actually a bonded servant in the capital, his real name Wang Zhanglong. Yesterday, during the third quarter of the Shen hour, he was found wearing eunuch attire with a waist badge of the Vegetable Household Camp, having entered the imperial city through the Xuanwu Gate.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng asked, “Where did this man get the eunuch’s clothing and waist badge?”

“He claims they were provided by Chen Hong,” Zhu Xixiao replied, casting a glance at Feng Bao, the overseer of the Eastern Depot. Matters inside the palace were beyond his jurisdiction.

Zhu Yijun sat on the moon terrace, flipping through The Four Books with Direct Explanations. Hearing Zhu’s report, he realized the core issue: Wang Dachen was able to infiltrate the palace solely because he possessed eunuch clothing and the Vegetable Household Camp waist badge.

Thus, Wang Dachen had an identity.

In reality, it was not uncommon for outsiders to slip into the palace; eunuchs turned it into a lucrative operation. Many were curious about the imperial palace and willing to pay to see it.

It was laughable that in the rigorously orthodox Ming dynasty, outsiders could simply pay to enter the heavily guarded imperial palace.

Who collected this money? Naturally, the eunuchs.

The Embroidered Cavalry couldn’t interfere with eunuch affairs. Cutting off their income was tantamount to killing their benefactors. If the cavalry cracked down hard, the eunuchs might retaliate harshly.

Even the ministers tacitly accepted this practice. No one blamed Commander Zhu Xixiao for negligence that allowed a criminal into the palace, as everyone had grown accustomed to it.

Who hasn’t smuggled something into the palace?

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot were supposed to balance each other, but the Eastern Depot’s growing power weakened this balance. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had become subordinate to the Eastern Depot.

Zhu Yijun’s subtle maneuver was already bearing fruit.

Originally, the Wang Dachen case was to be handled by the Eastern Depot, but after Zhu Yijun’s remarks, Empress Dowager Li handed the investigation to the Embroidered Cavalry.

By regulation, the Eastern Depot could only leave the palace to handle matters after the palace gates opened at dawn. This morning’s imperial study session meant Wang Dachen’s true identity could not be confirmed in time.

The Embroidered Cavalry’s office, the Beizhen Fu Si, stood outside the Chengtian Gate. A few officers could send word out and thoroughly investigate Wang Dachen’s lineage.

At least it was confirmed that this villain was not from Qi Jiguang’s army but a bonded servant in the capital.

The identity of the assassin was crucial.

The Embroidered Cavalry, though lacking in apparent power, was fully capable of handling affairs.

Feng Bao, his forehead wrapped in gauze, cheeks swollen, sat in the position of the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies. He raised his hoarse voice and said, “I have a mortal feud with Chen Hong. He was captured yesterday and confessed to providing the eunuch clothing and the Vegetable Household Camp waist badge. It was through the collusion of Teng Xiang, Meng Chong, and others, conspiring from outside the palace, that Wang Dachen was able to infiltrate and commit this atrocity.”

“Fortunately, Your Majesty is unharmed.”

“Is His Majesty truly unharmed?” Minister of Personnel Yang Bo swept his sleeve, staring at Feng Bao. He demanded, “The villain succeeded in the attempt. If he had failed, what then? The young emperor is but a child; how do we judge his fright? You, as the Minister of the Interior, are responsible for palace affairs. You allowed this criminal into the palace—on what grounds do you still sit here?”

Yang Bo had passed the imperial examination in the eighth year of Jiajing. He began his career in local office, accompanied Grand Secretary Zhai Luan on inspections of the northern borders in the eighteenth year, and in the nineteenth year, Emperor Jiajing summoned him for court audiences at night, earning great favor. From the twenty-fifth year, he began border inspections.

In the thirty-third year, the Tatars led by Batuer Khan and Dalai Sun invaded Jizhen with over a hundred thousand cavalry. Yang Bo fought bravely alongside General Zhou Yichang, resisting without removing his armor. At night, he recruited death-defying soldiers to infiltrate enemy camps and repel the invaders. In the following year, he once again repelled Batuer Khan’s forces.

Yang Bo served as Minister of Personnel after the forty-second year, returning to court following the defeat of the Jizhou-Liao governor Yang Xuan.

As Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and a first-rank official with both administrative and military experience, Yang Bo feared no eunuch, least of all Feng Bao. He was now the leader of the Jin faction.

The Jin faction was a deeply entrenched clique dominating the court—another unbreakable political alliance.

Left Censor-in-Chief Ge Shouli immediately echoed, “Feng Bao! You wield immense power within the palace. The Empress Dowager entrusted you with heavy responsibility. Is this how you govern? Besides wielding authority with threats and extorting endlessly, besides greed for silver, what else can you do? The empire teeters on chaos!”

Zhu Yijun continued flipping through the Analects, occasionally jotting notes. He studied diligently, seemingly unaffected by the noise below.

Though Emperor Jiajing no longer attended court, he still participated in deliberations. The old Taoist would hide behind thick curtains, striking a copper bell with a bronze mallet. The number and rhythm of strikes conveyed his will, leaving ministers to guess his meaning.

Jiajing cultivated immortality in the Wenhua Hall; the young emperor studied there as well.

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The young emperor read while ministers below argued—an odd tableau, but the result of repeated power struggles.

In June of the sixth year of Longqing, barely a month after Emperor Longqing’s grand procession, Gao Gong, as senior minister, submitted a lengthy memorial containing one key sentence: “If there are memorials not drafted by the Cabinet but directly approved by the emperor internally, ministers must present them before the emperor for clarification before implementation.”

This meant: the ten-year-old sovereign should not govern the realm alone, and must not bypass the Wen Yuan Ge Cabinet to approve memorials arbitrarily.

The phrase “directly approved internally” struck a deep nerve with Empress Dowager Li.

Could the emperor simply “directly” approve memorials?

To ensure the emperor’s exclusive authority, the young emperor, who should have studied behind the Wenhua Hall, was instead seated in front, on the moon terrace, reading while listening to ministers quarrel.

The twenty-seven ministers soon grew accustomed to this form of court deliberation.

Feng Bao was unshaken, sneering as he said to Yang Bo, “I sit here because the Empress Dowager and His Majesty trust me to watch over you! Matters inside the palace are none of your business!”

“Then what about matters outside the palace? Should you control those too? Should you control what the emperor eats?”

That morning, while waiting outside the Qianqing Palace, a eunuch close to the Empress Dowager relayed a message forbidding Feng Bao from attending the imperial study session. It was only at the emperor’s insistence that he was allowed to follow.

Despite his bandaged head, Feng Bao rose at the emperor’s command.

The emperor’s words struck a chord with Feng Bao. His schemes were no secret to the emperor, who feigned indifference, even granting him the authority to maintain order in the palace. When the mission failed, Feng Bao suffered disgrace and injury, yet the emperor still trusted and empowered him. This gave Feng Bao confidence—he represented imperial authority in the struggle with civil officials.

“Chen Hong admitted it was on the instructions of former Chief Minister Gao Gong,” Feng Bao casually dropped this bombshell.

The ministers fell silent immediately. The Wenhua Hall grew eerily quiet except for the young emperor flipping books and the sound of golden curtains fluttering in the breeze.

Feng Bao was an adept adversary in this hall. Though injured, his verbal attacks remained fierce, silencing ministers and striking at their core.

Gao Gong, former Chief Minister, had promoted many from the Jin faction during his tenure. If Gao Gong were implicated in the assassination plot, his protégés would also be doomed.

All eyes turned to the Chief Minister Zhang Juzheng, seated on the left. Before Longqing’s death, three regents were appointed. Gao Yi was dead, Gao Gong fallen, leaving only Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng’s stance was critical.

The Chief Minister flipped through the case files, examining documents, physical evidence, and testimonies from the Beizhen Fu Si.

The Embroidered Cavalry had conducted the investigation swiftly and decisively.

Qi Jiguang belonged to Zhang Juzheng’s faction; they were close. If the assassin Wang Zhanglong truly came from Qi’s army, trouble would fall on both Qi Jiguang and Zhang Juzheng.

But Commander Zhu Xixiao had solid evidence: this servant had lived in the capital for over a decade with a clear record. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was waning, and they seized this case as a chance to prove their worth.

With Qi Jiguang and his army cleared, Zhang Juzheng could distance himself from the case.

For a Chief Minister, remaining uninvolved was invaluable, granting greater maneuvering room.

From the start, Zhang Juzheng doubted that an assassin from Qi’s army could fail to kill even a ten-year-old child or a eunuch like Zhang Hong. Qi’s army numbered less than six thousand, each fiercely brave.

He barely glanced at the evidence from the Eastern Depot before closing the files.

By then, Zhang Juzheng understood the case’s full scope.

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Chen Hong was the old patriarch of the palace during Emperor Longqing’s reign—chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies, overseer of the Eastern Depot, and eunuch of the Imperial Stables. He wielded immense power and acted with impunity. When Emperor Longqing died, Chen Hong lost all authority. Since Chen Hong and Gao Gong were close friends, Chen Hong’s fall meant Gao Gong’s downfall as well.

A new emperor takes new ministers; such is the way of the court.

Indeed, Wang Zhanglong was Chen Hong’s man. Chen Hong sought to use this incident to rise again, hoping the furious Empress Dowager would execute Feng Bao, the primary responsible party, restoring Chen Hong’s authority.

But Chen Hong misjudged Feng Bao’s standing. Though Feng Bao paid a heavy price, he survived; those who would perish were Chen Hong and his allies.

Currently, Feng Bao, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies, was slinging mud at Gao Gong.

“Clear and convincing evidence,” Zhang Juzheng closed the files and said, “Let the Three Judicial Departments jointly try the Wang Zhanglong assassination case.”

He wrote his opinion on the files, affixed his seal, and handed them to Zhang Hong.

Zhang Hong, the eunuch of Qianqing Palace, brought the files before His Majesty, awaiting the use of the Wanli Imperial Seal.

Zhu Yijun gazed at the Wanli Seal—his jade seal—which neither Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao, nor Zhang Juzheng dared touch. While Zhang Juzheng managed outer court affairs, Zhu Yijun’s use of the seal was essential to proceed.

After the thirteenth year of Wanli, the emperor began neglecting governance. With many court positions vacant and the emperor refusing to use the seal, ministers were powerless.

This was the Ming imperial system’s design: without imperial authority, nothing could be done.

Zhu Yijun regarded the seemingly unbreakable political alliance between Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao as a fallacy.

Whether Gao Gong was guilty or not, Zhang Juzheng’s stance was crystal clear: “If guilty, proceed; if not, dismiss after trial.”

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong merely differed politically; ousting Gao Gong was a means to achieve Zhang’s ambitions, not a matter of life or death.

Feng Bao’s expression shifted but he said no more. Zhang Juzheng’s neutral stance meant he did not defend Feng Bao, leaving the case to be tried by the Three Judicial Departments.

These departments included the Censorate, the Court of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot assisting. The Three Departments led the trial.

Since the case was in the outer court’s hands, Gao Gong’s life was safe.

Zhu Yijun picked up a vermilion brush and marked the files, then stamped them with the Wanli Seal. The assassination case entered the next stage—interrogation.

Zhang Juzheng continued presiding over the court session, which now addressed all aspects of the Ming dynasty: the Ministry of Revenue’s taxation, the Ministry of War’s border defenses, the Ministry of Justice’s legal cases, the Ministry of Rites’ education, the Ministry of Works’ construction projects, and the Ministry of Personnel’s performance evaluations.

The performance evaluation system—promoting the capable and demoting the incompetent—was still in formation and under discussion. Officials resisted reform; after years of seniority-based promotion, they loathed competition.

But Zhang Juzheng was determined to implement it, refining the system.

Zhu Yijun kept reading while the ministers reached decisions, which were then handed to Zhang Hong to submit for imperial endorsement. Zhu Yijun reviewed them but offered no personal opinion.

While ministers deliberated, the young emperor studied. By mid-morning, Zhu Yijun could silently recite several passages from the Analects, understanding both their meaning and reasoning.

“Your Majesty, the court session has concluded,” Zhang Hong reminded the emperor. The twenty-seven ministers rose, saluted, and departed Wenhua Hall.

Zhang Juzheng stood below, hands behind his back, bowing: “Your Majesty, I am here to clarify matters for you.”

“Can a chief minister lecture without reading?” Zhu Yijun paused, looking at the empty-handed Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng respectfully replied, “I am a scholar.”

“Why is the ‘lun’ in Analects read with a rising tone [lún] rather than the departing tone [lùn]?” Zhu Yijun posed his question.