The sound of the morning watchman's clapper pierced through the dawn mist of the capital, striking against the vermilion doors of the Marquis of Changping's estate.
Xu Youde stood in the drafty entrance hall. The brand-new rank four sub-class official robe, embroidered with clouds and wild geese, had just been delivered by the Imperial Household Department. It felt a bit tight on him. He tugged at the collar, then smoothed out the wrinkles stretched tight over his belly. No matter how he adjusted it, this official uniform felt somewhat mournful.
Cyan. In Jiangning, only the errand-running advisors in the county magistrate's office wore this color.
Li Sheng held up a windproof horn lantern, casting a murky halo of light onto the black brick floor. "Master, it is time."
Xu Youde didn't say a word. He reached down and pinched the bottom of his sleeve pocket, feeling the heavy weight of an object there. After confirming its shape through the fabric, he took a deep breath of the cold, dew-laden air and stepped over the threshold of the Marquis estate.
An hour later, in the Imperial Throne Room.
The ambergris incense burned brightly, its white smoke coiling around the massive, dragon-carved pillars straight up to the ceiling. The civil and military officials were lined up on both sides. At the very front of the civil officials, Grand Secretary Xu Jie stood with his eyes closed, resting, surrounded by a circle of men.
Xu Youde thought to himself: *This Old Man Xu sure is in good health! I'm jealous.*
Xu Youde's cyan robe stuck out like a sore thumb, squeezed right in the middle of a crowd of officials wearing crimson and purple.
Above the imperial steps, heavy bead curtains hung down. The Head Eunuch held a scroll of bright yellow silk brocade, his shrill voice tearing through the silence of the hall.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xu Youde of Jiangning, having shown merit in raising military supplies and demonstrating pure loyalty, is hereby exceptionally promoted to the rank three position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He shall enter the Grand Secretariat to assist the Grand Secretary and co-manage the allocation of military pay and grain for the Nine Borders and Twelve Garrisons. Respect this."
The eunuch's voice faded, its echo swallowed by the thick smoke of the ambergris.
Rank three, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
According to the official system of the Great Qian Dynasty, the promotion from rank four sub-class to rank three crossed several massive chasms. The Ministry of Personnel's selection and the assessment of political achievements could not be skipped.
Yet Emperor Tiansheng had simply flipped the table of rules, forcefully placing a newly-rich former merchant and Jiangning county magistrate into the crucial position of managing the empire's money and grain. It wasn't just skipping ranks; it was tossing Xu Youde onto a pile of firewood and pouring oil on it.
The civil and military officials didn't even cough. No one stepped forward to object, no one spoke out in protest. The imperial censors, who just yesterday wanted to skin the Xu family alive, now all hid their chins in the collars of their court robes.
It was simply because the Xu family hadn't made a move.
Xu Youde knelt on the gold-brick floor, his knees aching. "This minister thanks Your Majesty for this heavenly grace."
He had barely straightened halfway up when a skinny man stepped out from the front of the civil officials' ranks on the left.
Shang Qitai, the Minister of Revenue, an old disciple of Xu Jie, and now Xu Youde's direct superior.
Shang Qitai walked with steady steps, holding a blue-covered memorial in his hand. He didn't look at Xu Youde, walking straight to the front of the imperial steps and stopping, raising the memorial high with both hands.
"This minister, Shang Qitai, has a memorial to present." Shang Qitai's voice was dry, his enunciation extremely clear. "The Nine Borders and Twelve Garrisons, coupled with heavy snowfalls since the beginning of winter a few months ago, have prompted the Ministry of War to send urgent military reports to the capital overnight."
"The northern defense line is strained. The soldiers lack adequate clothing, and the horses have no night forage. The Granary Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue worked through the night to calculate the accounts, and the current silver in the state treasury is less than four hundred thousand taels. The autumn grain from various regions is still in transit; distant water cannot quench an immediate thirst."
No sound came from behind the bead curtain.
Shang Qitai slowly turned around. He didn't lower his raised hands but pulled a stack of yellowed hemp paper from his crimson sleeve. The edges of the paper bore the red official seal of the Ministry of War.
He walked up to Xu Youde, his arm dropping heavily as he smashed the stack of papers into Xu Youde's chest.
"Vice Minister Xu." Shang Qitai stared at Xu Youde's fleshy face. "These are the IOUs from the generals of the Nine Borders pressing the Ministries of War and Revenue for their pay. The laws of the Great Qian clearly state that military pay affects everything. Since His Majesty has graciously appointed Lord Xu to co-manage the money and grain of the Nine Borders, this responsibility falls squarely on your shoulders."
Shang Qitai spoke slowly, hammering down every word. "Three million taels. Within three months. If, within three months, three million taels of silver cannot be dispatched to fill the shortfall of the border army..."
He leaned forward slightly. "Lord Xu, according to the military laws of the Great Qian, those who delay military operations are to be executed along with their families, without exception. Coming from a wealthy merchant background, Lord Xu must be very good with an abacus. You can calculate this little account, right?"
Three million taels of silver. The Great Qian's annual revenue was only a little over thirty million taels. Making three million taels appear out of thin air in three months—even scraping the ground of the Liu Garden in Jiangning wouldn't gather that amount. Furthermore, the Xu family couldn't keep taking their own money out. Using one's own money to fill the state treasury was the most severe of capital offenses.
So this was why the civil official faction hadn't objected to his promotion; they were waiting for him here. Didn't the Emperor want to use the Xu family to amass wealth? The Xu faction simply went with the flow, smashing a guaranteed dead-end situation onto Xu Youde's head. If he couldn't produce the three million taels, Wei Zheng wouldn't need to impeach him; military law would legitimately sever the heads of the entire Xu family.
"This minister has a memorial!"
Before Xu Youde could speak, a young imperial censor wearing a rank seven cyan robe embroidered with a mandarin duck stepped out from the back of the Censorate ranks. It was a new face, full of righteousness, his loud voice echoing through the hall.
"This minister seconds Lord Shang of the Ministry of Revenue! Since Xu Youde has received imperial grace, he should sacrifice himself to repay it. The whole world knows that Lord Xu has the Midas touch in Jiangning and is a rare merchant genius. Being a genius, a mere three million taels should be no problem."
The young censor faced the imperial steps and knelt heavily. "This minister requests His Majesty to immediately issue a verbal decree to establish a military pledge. If the military pay is not ready within the three-month limit, delaying the border war, please execute the entire Xu family to apologize to the soldiers of the world!"
Praising him, then killing him. Even his retreat was completely blocked with stones.
The atmosphere in the grand hall was stretched to the breaking point. All the officials' eyes were focused on the imperial steps, waiting for the supreme Son of Heaven to make a ruling. This was a direct confrontation between imperial power and the aristocratic civil official faction in the court, and Xu Youde was the meat cushion caught in the middle.
A rustling of fabric was heard.
Emperor Tiansheng stood up from the dragon throne. The bead curtains were parted by eunuchs on both sides, and the Emperor's face was hidden in the dim light and shadow.
"What a merchant genius." Emperor Tiansheng's voice swirled above the grand hall, carrying a coldness that revealed neither joy nor anger. "Minister Shang's concern for state affairs, and the censor's outspoken advice, please Us greatly. Approved. However, the deadline will be changed to two months."
The word "approved" fell like a hammer. In the civil officials' ranks, the shoulders of several censors visibly relaxed.
Emperor Tiansheng raised his right hand and pointed into the air.
The Head Eunuch standing nearby immediately understood. He turned and walked into the shadows of the side hall, and when he emerged, he was carrying a square lacquer tray. The tray was lined with yellow cloud satin, and two items rested upon it.
The Head Eunuch walked down the imperial steps, step by step, until he stopped in front of Xu Youde.
On the left side of the lacquer tray lay a palm-sized, dark gold token with a beast face. Unlike the usual waist tags for entering and exiting the palace, this token had a coiled dragon cast onto it. On the right was a rolled-up imperial edict, its silk brocade unsealed.
"Vice Minister Xu, receive the edict." The Head Eunuch lowered the lacquer tray slightly.
Emperor Tiansheng looked at Xu Youde. "Two months, three million taels." His tone was flat. "With this gold medallion, you can mobilize three hundred imperial cavalry from the capital garrison. On this imperial edict, there are only four words written: 'Act with full discretion.' It is a blank edict that I have not yet stamped."
The shoulders that had just relaxed in the grand hall suddenly tensed up again. Several elderly officials raised their heads simultaneously, staring at that blank imperial edict in absolute disbelief.
"I am giving you a special privilege. The money, you will go and get it back for me. Throughout the imperial court, inside and outside the capital, no matter whose accounts you want to audit or whose home you want to confiscate," Emperor Tiansheng sat back down on his dragon throne, his words laced with extreme ruthlessness, "you have a free hand to do it. Even if you cause a monumental disaster, this imperial edict will cover for you. Two months from now, I only want to see those three million taels of real gold and silver. If you have no money, this edict will become your death warrant."
An open conspiracy. The ultimate open conspiracy.
Emperor Tiansheng was sharpening a blade to unparalleled keenness, shoving it directly into Xu Youde's hands, and forcing him to hack at the noble families and officials filling the hall.
Did you all not want to force him to his death? Then I will let this vicious dog out to bite people. If he bites off a piece of meat, the national treasury will be enriched by a fraction. If his teeth are broken, his entire family will be executed, which will perfectly appease the anger of the officials.
As for whether the Xu family lived or died? He was just a blade; if the edge chipped, he could simply be replaced with another.
Furthermore, whether he was actually useful or useless remained to be seen.
Xu Youde lowered his head, staring at the two deadly items on the tray.
He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. Then, he reached out, took the gold medallion, and grabbed the blank imperial edict.
"I, your subject, accept the decree."
