Chapter Nine: Once, Twice, But Not Thrice

Page 1/3

Empress Dowager Li, who was listening to Feng Bao’s report on the royal lectures at Wenhua Hall, suddenly stood up when she saw how much pain Zhu Yijun was in. Her face changed several times as she sternly exclaimed, “Commander Ti, how dare you! Stop at once!”

Empress Dowager Chen, the Benevolent and Sacred Empress Dowager, instead grasped Empress Dowager Li’s arm and said, “Sister, why not let the emperor train? If another assassin attacks and the emperor cannot fight back, he must at least be able to run.”

To rule a kingdom as a lone widow is no easy feat.

Though both Empress Dowagers Li and Chen held high status, Li was only twenty-seven and Chen just twenty-nine—still not even thirty. Facing the cunning ministers of the Ming court and the complexities of the inner palace, how much influence could they truly wield?

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Li sat back down, casting a cold glance at Feng Bao. That single look sent a chill down his spine; such incidents must never happen again.

The method His Majesty provided was excellent—subtle treachery would be met with subtle countermeasures, sterilization would be sterilization. Only by enforcing such strict measures could the palace, like a sieve, become a little less perilous.

Chen lay leisurely on a chaise lounge, swaying gently as she said to Feng Bao, “Feng Daqiang, go find a few ten-year-old young eunuchs from the corridor and have them train with His Majesty. The hardest part is when one suffers alone; if others endure it together, it seems less bitter.”

“Go ahead,” Empress Dowager Li said after Feng Bao finished his report.

What troubled Empress Dowager Li most was the praise Zhang Juzheng had just given after his lecture, kneeling to commend the young emperor’s performance. It was the first time Zhang Juzheng, the prime minister, had praised the young emperor after the royal lectures.

After six months, Zhu Yijun’s efforts had earned the approval of the grand secretary—a recognition indeed.

According to the agreement between the emperor and the prime minister, there would be examinations on the nineteenth of each month. As long as His Majesty devoted himself to study and won the approval of most ministers, the realm would be secured. As for the revival of the Ming? Empress Dowager Li, being a woman, had few strategies.

Feng Bao was reluctant to summon the young eunuchs but thought that since the empress dowager ordered it, this was an opportunity to place people close to the emperor. Soon, ten ten-year-old eunuchs were led to the martial arts room, where ten mounted guards began stretching their muscles.

Screams of pain echoed repeatedly. At first, Zhu Yijun was embarrassed to cry out, enduring the pain, but when he heard the ten young eunuchs shouting together, he lost all restraint.

Training in martial arts was harsh.

Exhausted from the stretching, the young emperor lay on the floor, utterly disheartened.

Zhu Xixiao’s audacity to train the young emperor so rigorously was unprecedented.

“Your Majesty, shall we rest a while?” Zhu Xixiao looked at the young emperor sprawled on the ground without any dignity and felt a twinge of pity and fear. When the young emperor had sparked his temper with just a few words, Zhu Xixiao had helped stretch his muscles. Though ten-year-old bodies felt less pain, it was still the greatest suffering the young emperor had endured.

Zhang Hong, standing nearby, was at a loss. He hastily advised, “Your Majesty, please take a break. You are naturally brave, but some of the accompanying eunuchs cannot keep up.”

Lying on the floor, Zhu Yijun looked at the two large heads towering over him, took a deep breath to muster his spirit, and said to Zhu Xixiao, “Kindness cannot command soldiers. If Commander Qi orders you to train the troops, you’d probably have been killed by the Japanese long ago, your head stuck on a pole and paraded around!”

Zhu Xixiao clenched his fists tightly. What words were those? He felt deeply insulted and shouted, “Stand firm! One quarter-hour per set, four sets in total. Begin!”

“Your Majesty…” Zhang Hong could not comprehend why the emperor kept provoking Commander Ti and doubling the training. If the emperor only wanted to demonstrate command over the military, a show would suffice. Why endure such torment?

Sunk costs. Zhu Yijun had already endured the pain of stretching. If he did not master martial arts, how could he justify the suffering?

The soldiers of the Qi family came from humble origins and had to endure hardship to survive. If they could endure it, how could a well-fed boy not?

Zhu Yijun stood up and continued training.

Zhang Hong relayed every detail to the two empress dowagers. Li finally saw the problem and asked with concern, “My son, why are you so stubborn?”

“To master martial arts well,” Empress Dowager Chen answered. Though it seemed obvious, it left everyone present with a growing doubt. Could the much-anticipated emperor truly be a man of great perseverance?

The Ming dynasty needed a monarch with strong will, ambitious vision, and firm hands to restore order and rebuild strength.

Could the young emperor before them truly become that much-expected wise ruler?

Page 2/3

Zhu Yijun’s perseverance impressed Zhu Xixiao. No matter how difficult or painful, the young emperor persisted. His posture—head straight, neck upright, chest slightly tucked, waist firm, hips tucked, shoulders down—was not perfect but better than the clumsy ten young eunuchs around him.

“Practice is less important than stance,” Zhu Xixiao said. Standing firm was the foundation of martial arts training. A stable stance meant a solid base; without it, flashy moves like the “Five Whip Legs” were mere tricks.

With a steady base, one could charge fiercely in battle and remain undefeated, depending on the emperor’s will.

“Stop.” Zhu Xixiao called out as the timepiece struck.

Zhu Yijun slowly rose, heels together, toes outward, head and eyes level, calming his breath for over ten counts before tapping his legs. At just ten years old, his body recovered quickly.

“Your Majesty, you should rest now,” Zhu Xixiao added before the emperor could speak. “Too much is as bad as too little.”

He knew the young emperor was trying to provoke him, but the boy’s sharp tongue, though deliberate, was infuriating. They had already trained for two hours; if they continued until dark, it would be counterproductive and cause injury.

At the eunuchs’ summons, Doctor Chen approached and placed his hand on the emperor’s pulse. After a long moment, he opened his eyes and said, “His Majesty’s pulse is steady and strong, with no signs of heart palpitations. He can continue training.”

Some people were naturally unfit for martial arts due to heart conditions, but Zhu Yijun was not among them. The pulse diagnosis was a final confirmation. Despite the pain, his breathing remained calm during standing practice.

The emperor’s training entourage was a long procession, including ten young eunuchs and the imperial physician.

“Is your name Chen Shigong?” Zhu Yijun asked, moving stiffly but able to walk, albeit awkwardly. Martial arts training had been tougher than he imagined; standing for longer would be difficult.

The young emperor was somewhat overweight, making standing practice more strenuous.

Doctor Chen felt troubled. He had already submitted his resignation, but the head of the medical institute refused to accept it, explaining that both Feng Daqiang and Zhang Daqiang wanted him to change the emperor’s dressings. He had hoped to leave this place as soon as possible, but now the emperor even knew his name.

“I am indeed Chen Shigong,” he replied promptly.

“Are you skilled in surgery?” Zhu Yijun asked after some thought.

Chen was taken aback but confirmed, “I am proficient in external medicine.”

“Then so be it. From today on, you will accompany me during martial training,” the young emperor declared decisively.

The age matched, the skills matched, and his medical ethics matched as well. Chen Shigong was a surgical master capable of performing appendectomies between the Wanli and Chongzhen eras. Surgery was external medicine, and he had some knowledge of cancer, also called ‘loss of glory disease.’

With such a medical expert by his side, the young emperor could fully develop his talents and bring glory to the Qi Sheng medical school.

“Your servant…” Chen Shigong wanted to refuse but found no excuse, sweating cold sweat. His medical skill was excellent, but treating the emperor was fraught with difficulty—using medicine was wrong, not using it was also wrong.

During the Renyin Palace Coup, the Jiajing Emperor was stabbed by palace maids, and the imperial physician Xu Shen, who saved the emperor’s life, died shortly after returning home.

Imperial doctors could cure others quickly, but treating the emperor meant life or death regardless of success.

Zhu Yijun did not waste time with Chen Shigong but smiled and said, “Then I shall ask Mother for the medicine chest and take you with me to the Northern Patrol Office to check the pulse of Wang Zhanglong, the man who tried to assassinate me.”

The Northern Patrol Office was infamous for its Five Poisons Torture. No matter how strong a man was, entering there could leave him half-disabled, often dead before his trial.

By then, Commander Ti would have no excuse.

With the decline of the mounted guards, the Northern Patrol Office was no less dangerous.

Zhu Yijun hobbled before Empress Dowagers Li and Chen, smiling, “Mother, I have returned from training. My leg is slightly uncomfortable but nothing serious. The child is recovering quickly.”

“I told you it was hard work, but you wouldn’t listen. You’ve suffered today; will you train again tomorrow?” Empress Dowager Li looked at his limping figure with concern, her words tinged with reproach toward Zhu Xixiao.

Page 3/3

Zhu Yijun solemnly replied, “I will not neglect even one day.”

“Then let the emperor go,” Empress Dowager Li finally suppressed her tenderness. The child did not complain of pain or fatigue; training was good. Facing assassins, he would not be helpless.

Zhu Yijun continued, “Doctor Chen will accompany me from now on. If the training gets too intense, he can also look after me. Mother, rest assured, I will take Doctor Chen to the Northern Patrol Office and return before the palace gates are locked.”

“The officials outside the court fight to the death over their interests. This case will surely end up as a factional purge. I want to see for myself.”

Empress Dowager Li shot Feng Bao an angry glance—this task should have been his. He failed and gave outsiders grounds to interfere; otherwise, the emperor would not have had to intervene.

Zhu Yijun said firmly, “We have found the traitor who betrayed us from within. We must also find his accomplices outside and execute them as a warning.”

“Otherwise, such incidents will happen frequently. Mother, do not worry. Commander Ti and Feng Daban’s elite troops will accompany us; nothing will happen.”

“Then go,” Empress Dowager Li said after much thought, waving her hand. “Return before the palace gates close.”

“Yes, your child takes his leave.” Zhu Yijun bowed to the two empress dowagers and headed toward Chengtian Gate. The Northern Patrol Office stood just outside the gate, opposite the Six Ministries.

He walked slowly, his leg still a bit sore, but after several hundred steps, he steadied himself.

Youthful bodies recover quickly.

The mounted guards opened the main gate of Chengtian. The Embroidered Uniform Guard formed two lines, standing straight and imposing, clearing the way for His Majesty. Their presence was the emperor’s guarantee of safety.

A sedan chair followed Zhu Yijun, but he chose to walk through the gate and out of Chengtian Gate.

The Wanli Emperor had not stepped outside the palace for thirty years, but Zhu Yijun left the Forbidden City in a single day.

At Chengtian Gate, he signaled Feng Bao to approach and quietly asked, “Feng Daban, once outside, it’s the realm of the ministers, not the palace. You can see that even Prime Minister Yuanfu is not necessarily on your side. But you are my trusted aide, my man. Outside, no matter what, I will back you.”

“Now tell me honestly—was it Chen Honggan or you?”

“Whether or not it was you, this matter can only be Chen Honggan’s doing. But if you did it, I will deal with you later. If the Jin faction produces evidence against you, we must be prepared.”

“I did not do it,” Feng Bao answered with certainty. He was not foolish enough to risk such a thing to pursue Gao Gong or Chen Hong. Chen Hong was already out of favor; a simple theft accusation could remove him without such risks.

Zhu Yijun calmly said, “Feng Daban, remember my words. I will ask twice and no more. Once, twice, no third time. The Jin faction dominates the court. You and Prime Minister Zhang have conspired to attack the Jin faction. I understand. My words are clear.”

“My second question: Did you do it? Admit now, and I will spare your life—my words are sacred.”

“No!” Feng Bao had no guilty conscience and feared no ghostly knock.

Feng Bao was meticulous, but he knew that to keep something secret, one must not do it.

He did not do it. If the young emperor were harmed, Empress Dowager Li would go mad, Zhang Juzheng would fall, and Feng Bao would be doomed. With Gao Gong and Chen Hong fallen, the Jin faction could be purged in other ways. Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng risking such a scheme would be suicide.

No matter how well planned, conspiracies have flaws.

Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng could not guarantee perfect execution. Wang Zhanglong was the most uncontrollable variable. If he broke into the Qianqing Palace, would he really hesitate to kill the emperor?

“Let’s go to the Northern Patrol Office,” Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao and nodded, heading toward the office.