Volume One, Chapter Nine: The Young Are Afraid

In the dim and damp prison, the torchlight cast flickering shadows against the walls. Zhu Youjian walked in slowly, followed by Wang Cheng'en and several eunuchs from the Eastern Depot.

Wen Tiren was shackled in the corner; his once-neat official robes were now tattered and stained with filth. Seeing Zhu Youjian arrive, he struggled to kneel: "Your Majesty..."

"Spare me," Zhu Youjian said coldly. "I came to hear you speak, and speak clearly."

He sat down on the interrogation chair, his gaze fixed on Wen Tiren like a torch. "What is the meaning of those Jiannu spies?"

Wen Tiren kept his head down, silent. Zhu Youjian gave a cold laugh. "What? You refuse to speak?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, I... I did indeed have some dealings with the Jiannu, but that was all in the interest of gathering intelligence..."

"Gathering intelligence?" Zhu Youjian slammed his hand on the table and rose. "Then what about the weapons found in your residence?"

Wen Tiren trembled all over. "That was..."

"And this." Zhu Youjian took out a letter. "This is a secret letter you wrote to the Jiannu, is it not?"

Wen Tiren's face turned ghastly. "Your Majesty, please discern the truth! This is..."

"Read it!" Zhu Youjian threw the letter in front of him.

Wen Tiren tremblingly picked up the letter but dared not speak.

"What? You dare not read it?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Then I shall read it for you! 'To the commanders under Khan Huangtaiji: The capital's defenses are thin, and the city lacks three months' worth of grain. If the Khan takes this opportunity to attack, he will surely succeed in one stroke. This humble official will act as an inside contact...'"

Wen Tiren fell to his knees with a thud. "Your Majesty, spare my life! I know I was wrong!"

Zhu Youjian looked at him coldly. "You know you were wrong? Do you know what the penalty for treason is?"

"Grant me mercy, Your Majesty!" Wen Tiren kowtowed repeatedly. "I was confused for a moment..."

"Confused?" Zhu Youjian barked. "You, a dignified Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, colluding with foreign enemies—you call this confusion?"

He stood up and paced back and forth in the cell. "I ask you, besides the Jiannu, who else are you in contact with?"

Wen Tiren remained silent.

"Not talking?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Fine, it matters not; I have already uncovered some things. Liu Ruoyu of the Imperial Kitchen, is he your man?"

Wen Tiren's body jolted.

"And Luo Yangxing, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, did he also take your bribes?"

Cold sweat beaded on Wen Tiren's forehead. "Your Majesty... these were all just moments of confusion..."

"Moments of confusion?" Zhu Youjian laughed in fury. "Do you know that I saw through you long ago?"

He walked up to Wen Tiren and looked down at him. "Do you remember that ledger?"

Wen Tiren turned deathly pale. "What... what ledger?"

"Playing dumb?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "I have already seen the ledger that records your corruption and bribery."

Wen Tiren shivered violently. "Your Majesty... that was..."

"That was what?" Zhu Youjian demanded. "The silver recorded therein could have fed how many commoners? It would be one thing if you merely lined your own pockets, but to dare collude with the Jiannu!"

He kicked the interrogation chair over. "Speak! Who else is involved?"

Terrified, Wen Tiren collapsed to the floor. "Your Majesty, spare me! I will tell you everything!"

"Speak," Zhu Youjian said coldly.

"The Donglin Faction..." Wen Tiren whispered tremulously. "They... they were involved as well..."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"Huang Daozhou... they have been plotting... to..." Before Wen Tiren could finish his sentence, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Someone!" Zhu Youjian shouted. "Watch him! Do not let him die!"

Several eunuchs rushed forward.

"Your Majesty..." Wen Tiren said weakly. "I have one more thing to report..."

"Speak."

"Outside the city... a batch of weaponry is hidden..." Wen Tiren's voice was a mere thread. "It is in..."

Before he could finish, he spat another mouthful of blood.

"Get a doctor, quickly!" Zhu Youjian commanded.

The eunuchs scrambled to fetch a physician. Zhu Youjian looked coldly at Wen Tiren, who lay limp on the ground, his mind already calculating. This old fox had surely taken poison.

"Your Majesty..." Wen Tiren suddenly looked up, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Do you think... that by capturing me, all is well?"

Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Heh..." Wen Tiren gave a miserable laugh. "As the great mansion collapses, can a single beam hold it up?"

"Insolence!" Wang Cheng'en roared.

Zhu Youjian raised a hand to stop him. "Let him speak."

Wen Tiren coughed up blood. "Your Majesty... do you know why the national treasury has grown so empty over the years?"

"Because of you corrupt officials," Zhu Youjian said coldly.

"No..." Wen Tiren shook his head. "That is merely the surface... the real reason is..."

Before he could finish, his body suddenly convulsed, and blood began to flow from his seven orifices.

"Audacious!" Wang Cheng'en shouted. "Save him, quickly!"

The eunuchs rushed forward in a panic, but it was too late.

Wen Tiren lay on the floor, his eyes wide open, a strange, eerie smile lingering on his lips.

Zhu Youjian watched the scene and said coldly, "Search his corpse."

The eunuchs stepped forward to search him and soon discovered a small paper packet inside Wen Tiren's boot.

"It is poison," Wang Cheng'en said after sniffing it. "It appears to be arsenic."

Zhu Youjian sneered. "This old fox; even in death, he refused to tell the truth."

He turned and walked toward the exit. "Hang his corpse at the city gate as a warning to others."

"Your Majesty," Wang Cheng'en followed, "what of the weaponry outside the city..."

"Send men to search," Zhu Youjian said. "Additionally, keep a close watch on the Donglin Faction. Not one of these old foxes shall escape."

Night had deepened as they stepped out of the prison. Zhu Youjian looked up at the pitch-black sky, his mind churning. Wen Tiren's final words seemed to hold a deeper meaning. Could there be a greater conspiracy beyond the surface-level corruption?

"Wang Cheng'en," he suddenly spoke.

"This servant is here."

"Why do you think these men would collude with the Jiannu?"

Wang Cheng'en thought for a moment. "Perhaps... they wanted to hedge their bets?"

"No," Zhu Youjian shook his head. "It is not that simple."

He gazed at the distant palace walls. "Issue my decree: tomorrow at morning court, all ministers must be present."

"I obey, Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian turned and walked toward the palace. He knew this was only the beginning. Those hiding in the shadows would soon surface.

And he was ready.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added. "Keep a tight watch on the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Do not trust a single one of them."

"Yes," Wang Cheng'en bowed.

At that moment, rapid footsteps were heard from a distance.

"Your Majesty!" a eunuch ran up, "Something is wrong!"

"What is it now?"

"The Wen residence... the Wen residence is on fire! The blaze has already consumed half the street!"

Zhu Youjian's expression changed. "Is anyone taking advantage of the chaos to loot?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, there are people looting. However..." the eunuch hesitated.

"Speak."

"I saw some people fleeing toward the outskirts of the city during the confusion. By their attire, they appeared to be Jiannu spies..."

Zhu Youjian sneered. "As I suspected."

He turned to Wang Cheng'en. "Pass the order: close the city gates immediately. No one is to enter or exit."

"I obey, Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian watched the rising flames in the distance, a cold glint in his eyes. Perhaps this fire would be the very thing to flush out the rats hiding in the dark.

"Your Majesty!" another eunuch ran up. "Regarding the prison..."

"What about it?"

"Wen Tiren's corpse... it is gone!"

Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. It seems the play has only just begun."

The cold wind howled, making the Eastern Depot prison seem even more sinister. Zhu Youjian stood before the empty cell, his brow furrowed.

"Bring all the guards here," he said in a deep voice.

The guards knelt, trembling. The torchlight cast flickering shadows on the wall, reflecting their terrified faces.

"Speak!" Zhu Youjian commanded sharply. "How did Wen Tiren die?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, we... we do not know..." a guard said with a tremor.

"You don't know?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Then where is his corpse?"

The guards looked at each other; no one dared to speak.

"Your Majesty," Wei Zhiren stepped forward, "I have already sent men to search the entire prison, including the tunnels and secret rooms."

"And the result?"

"No leads were found," Wei Zhiren said, bowing his head. "However..."

"Speak."

"I discovered several fresh claw marks on the back wall of the courtyard."

Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes. "Continue."

"Furthermore," Wei Zhiren lowered his voice, "some guards reported that before Wen Tiren died, they seemed to hear a strange whistle."

"What kind of whistle?"

"It sounded like... some sort of signal."

Zhu Youjian turned to the guards. "Who heard it?"

A thin, small guard raised his hand, shaking. "I... I heard it."

"Tell me."

"I was patrolling, and suddenly I heard a sharp whistle. Just as I was about to check, I heard movement inside the cell..."

"What kind of movement?"

"It sounded like... like someone was talking." The guard swallowed hard. "But by the time I arrived, Master Wen was already..."

Zhu Youjian looked at him coldly. "Why did you not say so earlier?"

The guard fell to his knees with a thud. "I... I was afraid..."