Chapter 2755: The Capital (Part 111)

"Yang Tianliang has such remarkable ability!" Xu Ke exclaimed, unable to contain his surprise.

His astonishment stemmed from the fact that the Directorate of Imperial Horses (Yumajian) was the only institution among the Twenty-Four Yamen capable of standing as an equal to the Directorate of Ceremonial (Silijian). If the Directorate of Ceremonial served as the "Grand Secretariat" (Neige) of the Inner Court, then the Directorate of Imperial Horses was its "Privy Council" (Shufu).

Despite its name, the Directorate of Imperial Horses did far more than simply manage mules and horses for palace service. Beyond its original duty of "managing imperial horses and various tributes, and collecting horses and mules for the herding office," its responsibilities had expanded considerably. It now commanded the Imperial Guards of the Four Guards Battalion and the Brave Guard Battalion; dispatched supervisors to garrison various border regions and provinces, overseeing armies during wartime; and administered pastures, imperial estates, and imperial shops. Even the Western Depot (Xichang), tasked with "managing what the Eastern Depot could not," was headed by a eunuch from this directorate.

For Yang Tianliang, a eunuch of middling rank, to be promoted as a supervisor in the Directorate of Imperial Horses meant his eunuch "career" had entered the fast lane, with prospects beyond measure. The Directorate held both power and wealth, and serving as a Grand Defender Eunuch was an even more lucrative assignment—far more promising than languishing under Eunuch Yang's shadow.

"Who doesn't love shining white silver?" Liu Sha sneered. "For that appointment, he spent no less than twenty thousand taels over time. By the time word finally came, his coffers had run completely dry, and he had even accumulated considerable debts."

Xu Ke thought: This Eunuch Wang is utterly black-hearted! He squeezed Yang Tianliang dry, then quoted an exorbitant price. If the man could scrape together the funds, fine—he would fetch a good price. If not, then all his previous expenditures would go down the drain!

Twenty thousand taels of silver was no small sum in the seventeenth century. With his savings exhausted, where could Yang Tianliang possibly find another twenty thousand taels? And so he turned his attention to Leng Ningyun.

Naturally, Leng Ningyun could not lend him twenty thousand taels. So Yang Tianliang invoked Eunuch Yang's name once more, asking Leng Ningyun to procure a shipment of "Australian Rare Goods." The amount was so enormous that it aroused Leng Ningyun's suspicions. Upon making discreet inquiries, he discovered the whole thing was fabricated. Yang Tianliang's scheme collapsed once again.

"...Shopkeeper Leng has such nerve? Daring to ignore Little Eunuch Yang?" Xu Ke laughed.

"Shopkeeper Leng had long known of the discord between father and son," Liu Sha explained. "About a year ago, Eunuch Yang informed Shopkeeper Leng that unless Yang Tianliang presented a handwritten note bearing his signature, he would not be held responsible for any financial dealings. Otherwise, why wouldn't Yang Tianliang simply approach his adoptive father? With the savings Eunuch Yang had accumulated over the years, producing twenty thousand taels would have been easy."

"Even if father and son are at odds, wouldn't it also benefit Eunuch Yang if Yang Tianliang could secure a position in the Directorate of Imperial Horses? Surely that would be better than letting him drift along aimlessly."

Liu Sha fixed him with a long stare before laughing. "You respectable folk don't understand how their minds work! Were this a biological father and son, and the son poised to rise, a father would gladly kowtow to an enemy if it helped. But for people like them—Eunuch Yang cultivated this adopted son purely for support in his old age. No blood binds them, no debt of upbringing exists between them. If this adopted son becomes too successful, wouldn't he, the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Bell and Drum Division, end up dependent on the adopted son's goodwill?"

"I never imagined the suspicion between father and son had reached such depths!" Xu Ke said. "I thought Eunuch Yang valued this adopted son highly!"

"Value him he certainly does—but he refuses to let the boy rise too high. Only thus can he keep Yang Tianliang firmly under his thumb, ensuring care in his twilight years and proper burial when the time comes."

"Was it for this twenty thousand taels that you conspired together?"

"Twenty thousand taels was merely the beginning," Liu Sha said. "Arriving at the Directorate of Imperial Horses doesn't mean smooth sailing. Three great officials sit above: the Seal-holding Eunuch, the Supervising Eunuch, and the Admiral Eunuch. If he wants to make a name for himself, he'll have to worship Buddha and burn incense all over again. Can you imagine how small those expenses would be?"

"So he was desperate to dispose of Eunuch Yang, wasn't he? Even if he couldn't claim a single coin of those hundred thousand taels."

"He claimed he wouldn't take a penny—but how could I agree to such a thing?" Liu Sha smiled. "Shortchanging a eunuch is courting death! The silver for this appointment to the Directorate of Imperial Horses must naturally be set aside for him. And I was obliged to add another ten thousand taels in 'congratulatory money.'"

"To dispose of Eunuch Yang for seventy thousand taels—that's quite a risk."

Liu Sha let out a dismissive snort. "Eunuch Yang may carry himself with imposing authority on all sides; everyone flatters him and sends him silver. But that's only because he's the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Bell and Drum Division. Those who don't need favors from him simply fear he'll cause them trouble. But if roving bandits capture him, and some random brigand lops off his head with a casual swing of the blade—what risk is there in that?"

"Step beyond the Three Realms, stand outside the Five Elements. Naturally, one ceases to care."

"Precisely. Killing Eunuch Yang carried not the slightest risk." Liu Sha smiled, his expression full of melancholy. "And there was silver to be gained besides."

Xu Ke felt a sudden alertness stir within him. He had conversed with Liu Sha at length, developing something of a rapport. But now he realized with sharp clarity that he—or rather, the Senate—was precisely the force that had shattered Liu Sha's beautiful dream. He must harbor no pity or sympathy for this man. Otherwise, he feared being bitten in return.

"Eunuch Yang had considerable wealth?"

"He spent his entire life as a eunuch and enjoyed a few prosperous years. In recent times, as a Seal-holding Eunuch, he must have accumulated at least a hundred thousand taels. If Little Eunuch Yang eliminates him, all that silver becomes his. Besides, Yang Tianliang is no longer a young man. Yet he still must observe protocol in the palace every day, attending to this old master. Even keeping a woman outside requires secrecy and subterfuge. He has long harbored resentments."

"Keeping a woman?! But isn't he a eunuch!"

Liu Sha regarded him with the look one reserves for the inexperienced. "A eunuch he certainly is. But he keeps women nonetheless. There are even palace maids who serve as 'paired eaters' (duishi) within the palace itself."

Xu Ke rarely delved into such matters, and he found his worldview considerably shaken. Suppressing his curiosity, he asked:

"Do you know where his woman is?"

"Naturally I know," Liu Sha laughed. "I was the one who arranged the whole affair for him."

"Your friendship with this Yang Tianliang runs deep indeed."

Liu Sha spat in disgust. "Who has any friendship with him! That lot of things without their manhood are the most treacherous of all!"

It seemed that in his dealings with Little Eunuch Yang, Liu Sha had suffered more than his share of setbacks.

"Did you know that Yang Tianliang secretly purchased a preorder ticket for a Merchants' Bureau ship?"

Liu Sha looked stunned. "Is that true?"

"Indeed. It seems he wasn't entirely confident about the success of his scheme."

"Unexpected, yet somehow fitting. That's precisely the sort of man he is." Liu Sha sneered. "Secretive, never revealing his hand. Even if he knows the bridge ahead is broken, he won't warn those walking beside him—he'll simply turn and run first."

"We'll discuss Eunuch Yang's matter later. Let's turn to the people around the Stone Elder." Xu Ke said. "Back during the Lingao Riot, where did he recruit so many jianghu heroes? Was that also Zhou Lezhi's doing?"

"No, it wasn't," Liu Sha shook his head. "The idea for the Lingao Riot originated with Mr. Zhou. The original intention was to quietly capture a few Senators, spirit them out of Qiongzhou Prefecture, and bring them back for thorough interrogation. So at first, the operation was modest in scale."

Later, when the men they sent were effortlessly wiped out, the Stone Elder's faction took notice. The mission objective shifted from "kidnapping Senators" to "kidnapping Senators—and if that failed, assassinating them."

Consequently, the number of people mobilized increased dramatically. Although Liu Sha possessed extensive jianghu connections, most were petty thieves. Relying on such men for actual combat was utterly unreliable.

"...That's why we considered recruiting people from the sects. The one responsible for making contact was Daoist Gold Stone. He had originally served as a private assistant to Lord Wei. Lord Wei has a daughter named Wei Yi, who had been cultivating in the Hengshan Sect..."

At this point, he recounted the story of Wei Yi's assassination attempt on Zhou Lezhi in Yangzhou and her subsequent rescue by Wang Yehao.

"...I only heard of this matter secondhand; I cannot vouch for its accuracy. However, the later Lingao Riot was indeed coordinated through Hengshan disciples."

Good heavens! Xu Ke thought. This Wang Yehao was extraordinarily calculating, laying plans in every direction. Could he be harboring thoughts of rebellion? Expending such effort and bringing his own provisions to wage war against the Senate—clearly this was not merely for promotion and wealth.

Wang Yehao had already served in important positions like Governor-General years ago and currently held the title of Minister of War. He could be called an official of the highest rank. One step further, aside from entering the Grand Secretariat to become a Prime Minister, would be ennoblement as a Marquis. Could it be, Xu Ke wondered, that he sought to earn a Marquis title through the merit of suppressing the Kun?

Yet in terms of the literati's understanding of the Kun scoundrels, Wang Yehao was likely the foremost authority in all of Great Ming. How could he harbor such unrealistic fantasies!

Moreover, the purpose of this recent kidnapping operation was "peace negotiation." This demonstrated clearly that he understood the Imperial Court was completely helpless against the Senate.

From these perspectives, Xu Ke could find no motive for Wang Yehao's obsession with the anti-Kun cause.

He recalled an article titled "Research on Liang Cunhou's Ideological Transformation" that the Political Security Bureau had distributed not long ago. It analyzed how Liang Cunhou had gradually embarked on the anti-Kun path because the Senate's existence posed a grave threat to the civilized order and ideological framework of the Old World.

In other words, such men might tolerate a change of dynasty, but they could not abide "replacing Huaxia ways with Barbarian customs." Just as when the Manchus breached the passes—initially sweeping through resistance like a knife through bamboo—their later decree mandating the "shaving of hair and changing of garments" ignited flames of resistance across the land.

Compared to the Manchu policy of "shaving hair and changing garments," the Senate's seemingly lenient rule concealed the ambition of "rebuilding culture" and introducing an entirely new civilizational system. This intention had already begun to dawn upon the scholar-bureaucrats.

Compared to Liang Cunhou, who relied entirely upon his own observation and experience, Wang Yehao—who had a "suspected transmigrator" capable of "foreseeing the future" at his side—could likely perceive this threat even more acutely. This "Mr. Le" had probably already revealed to him the historical trajectory of the late Ming and early Qing.

"Saving the nation from extinction," resisting the barbarians, preserving Huaxia orthodoxy, and simultaneously protecting his own family's interests under Ming rule—only with these motivations did Wang Yehao's strenuous anti-Kun stance make sense.

However, that he could also conceive of "peace negotiation" suggested far greater wisdom and philosophical insight than Liang Cunhou possessed. The latter was driven purely by "moral integrity," with a flavor of "doing what one knows cannot be done." In terms of means and methods, he was far less "pragmatic" than the Stone Elder's faction.

The two conversed at length. Seeing Liu Sha's weary expression and evident exhaustion, Xu Ke said: "Rest well and tend to your health. We shall speak again tomorrow."