Di Ming

Chapter 253 Zhu Yin's New Official Position!

The grand procession of prisoners did not enter the inner city through Zhengyangmen Gate along Zhengyangmen Street.

Instead, they paraded the prisoners through the streets of the outer city. After passing Renshou Temple, they turned left and entered Luomashi Street, Caishi Street, and Xuanwumen Street.

Along the way, crowds of people thronged both sides of the road, shoulder to shoulder, with tens of thousands of Beijing residents lining the streets to welcome them. The crowds stretched their necks and surged forward, creating a bustling and lively scene.

It was like a major, spontaneous celebration by the people.

The people feared prolonged warfare, but they feared defeat even more. Zhu Yin quelled the rebellion in the Northwest in just a few months, and they were mostly genuinely happy.

As the supervising commander, Zhu Yin returned to the capital in triumph to present the captured prisoners. Under the spotlight, he truly shone brightly and gained immense prestige. His reputation and virtue among the people rose even higher.

The Song Dynasty scholar Yin Zhu said, "Even if a top scholar in the imperial examination leads hundreds of thousands of troops, recovers Youzhou and Jizhou, drives a powerful enemy into the desolate desert, returns in triumph, and presents the victory at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, his glory is still unparalleled."

It means that the glory of a general returning to the capital in triumph is not as great as that of the top scholar in the imperial examination.

This is the common understanding among people in the Song Dynasty, and it is also the common understanding among people in the Ming Dynasty today.

But Zhu Yin himself felt that it might not be so!
He had tasted the glory of being the top scholar in the imperial examination, riding through the streets on horseback. He had also tasted the glory of returning in triumph to present the captives.

No one has more right to speak on this matter than Zhu Yin himself.

While it is certainly an honor for the top scholar to parade through the streets on horseback, it lacks a sense of fulfillment.

The glory of returning in triumph to present the captured prisoners brought a sense of fulfillment in serving the country and its people. These two feelings are actually quite different. Zhu Yin enjoyed the latter more.

The people along the roadside not only admired the triumphant generals Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang, but also watched the prisoner procession, all of them with great interest and engaged in lively discussions.

"Look at those two coffins, they should be the false emperor's and Bo Bai's."

"Isn't that right? The Ministry of War has already issued a proclamation announcing the victory. Mr. Zhihu's army has reached the gates of Liangzhou. The false emperor and Bo Bai committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Their bodies must have been preserved in lime before being brought back. The coffin has been brought to the Meridian Gate. It should be opened in public and the corpses mutilated."

"Bo Bai will definitely be exhumed and his corpse mutilated, but the false emperor might not be. After all, Prince Qing is a prince of the Ming Dynasty and a descendant of the founding emperor. Shouldn't his coffin be opened and his corpse mutilated? Will the emperor make an exception? According to seniority, Prince Qing is still the emperor's uncle."

"Give leniency? You're talking nonsense! Prince Qing is rebelling. Do you think the Emperor would care about his uncle's reputation? The Emperor didn't even spare his teacher, Minister Zhang. Would he spare a distant cousin?"

"That's not right. Even if Prince Qing rebelled, the court shouldn't have exhumed his body and mutilated it; that went too far. Prince Qing was, after all, a prince, a legitimate descendant of the founding emperor. Although usurping the throne was indeed a rebellion, he wasn't entirely without qualifications. Back then, Emperor Chengzu..."

"Alright! You should keep that in mind, but do you still dare to say it out loud?"

Although there were some taboo discussions in the crowd, there were too many people and the noise was too loud, so no one paid attention to these rumors.

Many civilians also spontaneously threw rotten eggs, leftover vegetable leaves, broken shoes, and menstrual belts at the prisoners in the ranks, and even worse, they threw excrement and urine at them.

"No throwing excrement or urine!" the soldier guarding the prisoners shouted. "The prisoners are going to the Meridian Gate. What kind of behavior is this, getting all filthy like this!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd laughed loudly: "He's already a slut, what difference does one more stinky scoop make! Haha!"

The soldier laughed and cursed, "It's not a big deal! But do you think I'm not afraid of the stench? You try guarding it! If the stench offends the Emperor or the Grand Secretary, can you afford to be punished?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Ning Caiwei, Ning Qingchen, and the others followed the prisoner-presenting procession in the crowd, their eyes fixed on Zhu Yin's figure.

At this moment, seeing the little tiger so glorious and witnessing the people of Beijing's reverence for it, they felt honored as well.

"Look, it's Hongying!" Jin Yunniang pointed to the female guard in red armor behind Zhu Yin, her face full of envy. "Sister Hongying is so majestic, just like Mulan!"

At this point, her gaze suddenly fell on a young man who was following closely behind her lord.

The young man had slightly dark skin and an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were bright and spirited, and he exuded a heroic air.

It’s Kangxi.

Very good, he has finally returned with his lord. After this experience in the Northwest, Emperor Kangxi is more like a man than before.

Jin Yunniang's eyes were filled with joy.

"Who's that woman?" Ning Qingchen suddenly pointed to a beautiful woman in the official robes of a fourth-rank noblewoman not far behind Zhu Yin. "She's so beautiful and dashing! Sister, what's she doing in the prisoner-of-war procession? Could she be Little Tiger's..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Ning Caiwei nudged her younger sister. "That's the female general Qin Liangyu, Cen Xiubing's sworn sister. Xiubing is Little Tiger's sworn sister, so she's naturally Little Tiger's older sister too."

"So it was her!" Ning Qingchen exclaimed in realization, her voice soft and sweet. "The famous female general, Han Shizhong's wife!"

"Who?!" Ning Caiwei was startled. "Big sister, whose wife are you saying she is?"

“Han Shizhong,” Ning Qingchen said, stroking the beautiful snake in her hand, “she even beat the war drums for Han Shizhong, and you didn’t know that?”

Ning Caiwei reached out and touched her younger sister's head, then asked through gritted teeth, "Which dynasty did Han Shizhong live in?"

Ning Qingchen looked at her sister with an expression as if she were looking at a fool, her expression resolute, "The Ming Dynasty..."

"Big sister..." Ning Caiwei shook her head, too lazy to talk to her younger sister anymore.

Destroy it.

Tired.

She thought her history knowledge was terrible. But now it seems it depends on who she's compared to. At least compared to her younger sister, she's still the older sister.

Several women, with their large feet, followed the procession presenting the captives, past Liulichang, into the inner city through Xuanwu Gate, and then north along Xuanwu Gate Inner Street to Chang'an Street.

Chang'an Avenue was the widest and most bustling main street in Beijing's inner city, attracting even larger crowds. To maintain order, the commanders of the Five City Garrison personally patrolled and guarded the area.

As the procession moved from West Chang'an Avenue toward Chengtianmen, flags and colorful ribbons gradually appeared on both sides of the street.

At the beginning of the morning, Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang led the procession to present the prisoners to Chengtian Gate. Upon arriving at Chengtian Gate, everyone dismounted.

Zhu Yin looked up at Chengtian Gate, his thoughts drifting.

Chengtianmen is the Tiananmen Gate of later generations.

Behind Chengtian Gate lies the imperial city, but not yet the Forbidden City.

The reason for dismounting here is that the Imperial Street behind Chengtianmen, also known as Tianjie, is bordered by the Ming Taimiao Temple to the east and the Altar of Earth and Grain to the west. How could you not dismount?
Once the procession entered Chengtian Gate, the large crowd could no longer proceed; their journey had to end there. Ning Caiwei and the others could only watch Zhu Yin's figure disappear into the gate's opening.

The Imperial Street was normally only accessible to the emperor and the top scholar during his procession. Officials could only use the side passages on either side.

Even a triumphant procession presenting prisoners could only take the side road, not the central imperial road.

The main street is forty zhang wide, with the central imperial road occupying thirty zhang, and the side roads on the left and right each being five zhang wide.

Therefore, even when the group took the side path, there was still plenty of room.

This wide and solemn imperial street was something most of the soldiers were seeing for the first time. The main street was dozens of feet wide, paved entirely with large bluestone slabs, with banners fluttering on both sides, rows of government offices neatly arranged, and stone beasts standing imposingly.

The neat rows of government offices on both sides constitute the northern half of the Thousand-Step Corridor.

After walking a mile, we saw the magnificent and solemn Imperial Ancestral Temple and Altar of Earth and Grain, which is exactly what is meant by "ancestral temple on the left and altar of earth and grain on the right".

At this moment, in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Altar of the God of Earth and Grain, officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were representing the Emperor to report the victory to the ancestors. The grand sounds of music and dance resounded throughout the entire Heavenly Street.

Zhu Yin and others were not required to attend the state ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple to announce the victory. The emperor should have been present in person, but Wanli Emperor still had the Grand Master of Ceremonies perform the ceremony on his behalf.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple complex, with its numerous halls and pavilions covering nearly a mile, is imposing and magnificent. It comprises three main halls, symbolizing the three elements of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Its scale is equal to that of the Forbidden City, only smaller in size.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple holds the Xia sacrifice every three years to worship all ancestors. The Di sacrifice is held every five years to worship the founding emperor and a few other ancestors who made outstanding contributions. In addition to these two major annual sacrifices, there are also several regular sacrifices each year.

The sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple to mark the victory were special grand sacrifices, much more solemn than ordinary sacrifices.

Of course, for Emperor Baijin, no grand ceremony mattered. He hadn't visited the Imperial Ancestral Temple in a long time.

After passing the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Altar of Earth and Grain, you will reach Duanmen Gate.

Entering through Duanmen Gate leads to the Meridian Gate Square. The Meridian Gate Square is forty zhang wide, and a li to the north stands a magnificent palace tower with five city gates of varying sizes below it—the famous Meridian Gate.

At this time, there was no grand imperial procession at the Meridian Gate. The Five Phoenix Tower was not much different from usual, except that there were many more flags, colorful silks, and lanterns.

As expected, the emperor did not arrive.

Many people wanted to see the emperor's face, but they never had the chance.

Zhu Yin recalled that in the 27th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, during the ceremony of presenting prisoners after the Ming army quelled the rebellion of Yang Yinglong in Bozhou, the Wanli Emperor, for the first time ever, left the palace and personally went to the Meridian Gate to accept the prisoners, and ordered that Yang Yinglong's son, Yang Chaodong, be executed by slow slicing.

However, despite the great victory in the Northwest, Wanli, who had previously received so much silver from him, refused to show any respect and did not personally come out of the palace to accept the prisoners.

He has such bad character.

The presentation of prisoners at the Meridian Gate was originally the highlight of the event, and should have been even more grand than the welcoming ceremony in the suburbs and the announcement of victory to Heaven.

But upon seeing this scene, everyone immediately realized that the surrender of prisoners at the Meridian Gate was a case of starting strong but ending weakly.

After the ceremonial guards and processions were lined up, thousands of people stood in a dense, dark mass in Meridian Gate Square, all gazing at the majestic Five Phoenix Tower.

Among them were many envoys from vassal states such as Korea, Siam, and Ryukyu, as well as envoys from the Mongol, Tibetan, and Jurchen tribes. The envoy from the Jianzhou Jurchens was none other than Nurhaci himself! He had personally led the Jianzhou delegation to Beijing.

Compared to five years ago, Nurhaci looked much more weathered and dignified.

As the leader of the inner vassal state attending the ceremony, and as a subject of the Ming Dynasty, he could not wear the clothing of the Jurchen nobles at this time. Instead, he wore the second-rank court robes of the Dragon and Tiger General, a six-beam court hat, and a cloud and phoenix four-colored brocade sash.

He appeared no different from other military officials of the Ming Dynasty.

"Little tiger brothers! They really are little tiger brothers!"

When Nurhaci saw Zhu Yin leading the procession of prisoners, he couldn't help but get excited, and his eyes even became a little moist.

Although Zhu Yin was no longer that boy and had grown into a teenager, Nurhaci still recognized him at a glance.

Upon arriving in the capital, he had heard that Zhu Yin was the minister in charge of suppressing the rebellion in the Northwest and that he had won a great victory. Only after meeting Zhu Yin in person did he realize that it was true.

Little Tiger Brother is truly a divine being blessed by Master Cuoha Zhan and Mother Foduo! In the few years we haven't seen him, he has become a prodigy who has passed the imperial examinations three times in a row, become a high-ranking official, and is even good at fighting!
How could it be possible if one is not a lucky star blessed by the gods?

Nurhaci felt a great sense of kinship with Zhu Yin. If it weren't for the current inconvenience, he would have definitely gone up and performed a grand salute, embracing him at the waist.

In recent years, my little tiger brother has been a great help to me in business. He bought all the goods that the Jianzhou Jurchens couldn't sell as tribute, and he paid very fair prices for them.

Moreover, a few years ago, he even helped him secure the official position of Dragon Tiger General.

The little tiger brother is not only his benefactor and good brother, but also a blessing to himself and the Jianzhou tribe.

“I really like Prince!” said Eidu behind him. “It’s been years since I last saw you, and I like you so much now. You are truly a hero that Lord Cuohazhan has chosen.”

Nurhaci said in a low voice, "Don't make a sound. This is a ceremony to present prisoners. Also, don't publicize your relationship with Little Tiger. It won't do us any good, and it won't do Little Tiger any good either."

"Yes, ma'am." Eidu said in a low voice, "I'm really at ease, this servant knows what I'm doing."

Compared to the delighted Jianzhou Jurchen envoy, the Mongol envoy's expression was much more unpleasant.

Seeing that many of the captured representatives were Mongol nobles from the Hetao and Xihai regions, the Mongol envoys were all dejected, feeling a sense of shared sorrow.

At this moment, the Five Phoenix Tower played "Taiping Ling" and "Qianqiu Ci," which were moderate, peaceful, solemn and elegant.

One hundred and eight students of the Beiyong Music and Dance Troupe danced gracefully to the music.

Only then did Grand Secretary Wang Xijue, Second Grand Secretary Zhao Zhigao, and Shen Yiguan, along with a group of officials of the third rank or above, appear at the Five Phoenix Tower.

Next, the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial, led by Tian Yi, and the nobles, led by the Duke of Baoguo, also arrived.

The top officials of the Cabinet, the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the Five Offices and Six Ministries all attended.

Shen Yiguan looked very pleased when he saw his proud student Zhu Yin, who had a dignified demeanor.

Young Tiger, you have truly made this old man proud.

When Grand Secretary Wang Xijue saw Zhu Yin, his gaze was complex. It contained both undisguised admiration and an indescribable indifference.

The atmosphere in the square became even more solemn and serious with the arrival of these bigwigs.

However, Grand Minister Luo Wanhua's face was still somewhat unpleasant. Undeterred, he went up to the Five Phoenix Tower and said to Grand Secretary Wang Xijue:
"Your Excellency, His Majesty still cannot come? Have you already urged him to come?"

Wang Xijue, adorned in his magnificent crown, sighed, “Grand Minister of Rites, I have already made the request, but His Majesty is unwell and it is not appropriate for him to come. As his subjects, we can only understand. Let us begin.”

The Grand Minister of Rites had no choice but to continue presiding over the ceremony, seeing that the emperor would not come out.

Next, the prisoners and spoils of war were escorted to the Meridian Gate.

Afterwards, the prisoners were led out one by one, put in shackles and chains, and were escorted by officials from the Ministry of War to the foot of the Five Phoenix Tower, where they were forced to prostrate themselves on the ground.

Of particular note were the two coffins, which were placed at the very front of the prisoner procession.

The captured weapons, flags, seals, and other items were also displayed as evidence of the great victory.

In this way, both the "witness testimony" and the "physical evidence" of the great victory are complete, proving that the great victory is real.

At this moment, a group of Imperial Guards suddenly came up and opened the two coffins together, revealing the corpses that had been preserved in lime.

Then another group of people came up to the coffin, peered inside, and nodded repeatedly.

Then they reported together: "Inside the coffin are indeed the traitors Zhu Shenyu and Bo Bai! The verification is correct, they are definitely their true identities!"

The Han generals shouted in unison, "Verification confirmed! It must be his true identity!"

Only then was the coffin lid closed again.

Grand Marshal Shi Xing read out the proclamation, loudly reciting the victory report and recounting the course of the war and the achievements of the generals.

The figures for enemy kills and spoils were greatly exaggerated, while the achievements of Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang were downplayed. Zhu Yin and the others looked at this with strange expressions.

After reading the lengthy proclamation of victory, the Grand Minister of Rites announced that the proclamation would be disseminated throughout the entire country, its vassal states, and its dependent territories, to widely inform them and demonstrate that the might of the Celestial Empire was inviolable.

Then he read out the edict of punishment, listing the crimes of the prisoners, and said that the emperor was so benevolent that he had shown leniency beyond the law and spared their lives.

The prisoners had been instructed on how to cooperate, and they immediately kowtowed repeatedly, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and even wept bitterly, looking as if they were filled with remorse and gratitude.

But then, the Minister of Justice took the stage.

Grand Minister of Justice Xiao Daheng stepped forward, unfolded the judgment, and ordered that Bo Bai and Zhu Shenyu's coffins be opened and their corpses mutilated!
Several axemen stepped forward and, in front of everyone, cleaved open the two coffins and then cut the two corpses into several pieces, leaving behind a gruesome scene of exposed bones and mangled flesh.

Many envoys who witnessed this scene were so terrified that they dared not look up.

The ministers were also filled with dread. Zhu Shenyu was, after all, the emperor's uncle, yet he had been subjected to the extreme punishment of having his coffin opened and his corpse mutilated.

Your Majesty has actually gone too far.

In fact, the person had already committed suicide out of fear of punishment; simply removing him from the clan register and giving him a simple burial would suffice.

The prisoners looked miserable yet relieved at the sight.

Then, the Grand Minister of Justice announced that the shattered corpses, along with their coffins, enemy flags, and seals, should be burned and buried.

The Grand Marshal then announced that the rebels' weapons had been melted down and recast into bells, tripods, and iron plows.

This was not the end of the matter, of course. Then it was announced that a banquet would be held in the Linde Hall of the palace three days later, during which merits would be rewarded and imperial wine, gold, silver and silk would be bestowed upon the guests.

He also ordered the Hanlin Academy to write an inscription for the stele, which was then carved into a stone and erected as a memorial.

All of these procedures are simply part of the process, not an extra favor.

Finally, Grand Secretary Wang Xijue announced that the prisoners would be brought to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Altar of Earth and Grain for public display, and then imprisoned to await further punishment.

Thus, the presentation of prisoners at the Meridian Gate came to an end.

The procession presenting the prisoners was disbanded on the spot.

Zhu Yin was no longer the governor-general at this point. The first thing he should do was go to the Wenhua Hall, wait for the emperor's summons, and return the imperial sword.

However, since Wanli had no intention of summoning him, he could only go to the Grand Secretariat to report for duty and report on his duties.

This is also part of the process; only after completing the duties and handing over the responsibilities can one truly be relieved of the burden of being the Governor-General of the Five Garrisons.

As soon as the presentation of prisoners at the Meridian Gate ended, Zhu Yin didn't even go home or see anyone before heading straight to the Wenyuan Pavilion.

However, the Grand Secretary Wang Xijue and the Second Grand Secretary Zhao Zhigao went to the Wenhua Hall to await imperial orders, and the Grand Secretary Zhang Wei went to the Hanlin Academy, leaving only Shen Yiguan in the Grand Secretariat.

Seeing that there were no outsiders present, Zhu Yin stopped being polite and said with a smile:

"I have missed my beloved teacher dearly for several months."

"Sit down." Shen Yiguan looked Zhu Yin up and down as if he were looking at his own nephew. "Zhihu, you've become much more mature in this battle in the Northwest."

"I am very pleased with you. You played very well, much better than I expected."

He paused here, "I know that with your merits alone, you deserve a title. But the outcome may not satisfy you, so a title is out of the question. With your intelligence, you should be aware of these things, but you cannot say them out loud."

Zhu Yin poured his teacher a cup of tea. "Without you in the cabinet, the logistics wouldn't have been so smooth. We might have won or lost. It's all for the sake of the court, and I don't care about any rewards."

Even so, Zhu Yin still cared.

Shen Yiguan said, "The court will be conducting an investigation soon. Although it's just a formality, it's still unavoidable. I can give you a heads-up and tell you the results in advance."

"You will be promoted to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and your merits will be recorded so that one of your sons will be appointed as a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. As for your substantive post... Vice Minister of War!"

PS: Little Tiger didn't get a title, but he still became the Vice Minister of War. That's some speed at promotion... Feel free to leave a comment, thank you! I was chatting with someone today who also has a law master's degree. We talked about movies, and she actually thought Yue Fei was a Ming Dynasty person. She wasn't joking; she genuinely believed that Yue Fei was a Ming Dynasty person who was fighting against the Qing Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)