Chapter Two: The Appearance of Wei Zhongxian

Li Jinzhong shrank his neck and hesitated, “Your Majesty, whom do you mean I should seek revenge on?”

“Whoever crossed you, take revenge on them! Do you have something wrong with your head, asking such a foolish question?”

Li Jinzhong didn’t understand what “foolish” meant, but he could sense it wasn’t a compliment. He ventured, “Wang An? He’s the chief eunuch in charge of palace memorials. How could I take revenge on him? Yang Lian, he’s an official of the outer court. I don’t dare resent him, much less take revenge on him.” Recalling how Yang Lian had furiously cursed him, Li Jinzhong couldn’t help but shudder.

“Spineless! What are Wang An and Yang Lian compared to His Majesty? With the emperor backing you, who can you not take revenge on?” Nurse Ke said resentfully beside him, exasperated by his lack of resolve.

“Well said, Nurse. Li Jinzhong, you’ve truly disappointed me.” Zhu Youxiao hadn’t expected Li Jinzhong to be so dense about something so simple and couldn’t help but think less of him. In truth, he was being naive. Wang An, as the chief eunuch who handled imperial edicts and a favorite of the late emperor, was a major figure in the Inner Court. Li Jinzhong, a lowly eunuch without even an official position—no, actually, an old eunuch—how could he dare cross Wang An? As for Yang Lian, he was an outer court official. The civil officials could easily destroy a eunuch. If a regular eunuch offended the literati, the best outcome would be to wash his neck and wait for death. When officials targeted a eunuch, they did so as a group, rarely stopping short of absolute destruction. Throughout the Ming dynasty, except for a few who defied fate, like Wang Zhen and Liu Jin during their prime, most inner court officials naturally feared the outer court, never daring to stand against them.

Li Jinzhong’s face flushed. After a moment’s inner struggle, he said, “I am Your Majesty’s servant. Whoever you wish me to strike, I will strike. I am willing to be Your Majesty’s dog.”

“Good, good!” Zhu Youxiao clapped and laughed. “Now that you understand, let us discuss carefully how to avenge you.”

“I have no private vendettas to settle. But any traitor who disrespects Your Majesty is my enemy, and I will seek vengeance on him. The late Empress Xiaohe once granted me the right to resume my original surname. I wish to restore my surname to Wei, to be loyal to Your Majesty, to serve you wholeheartedly, and to become your worthy minister—your worthy eunuch. I beg Your Majesty’s permission.”

“Granted. From now on, you shall be called Wei Jinzhong.”

“There is already an inner official under Lady Li named Wei Jinzhong. May Your Majesty bestow a new name upon your servant.”

“Oh, is that so? Let me think. Nurse, help me choose a good, resounding name for Li Jinzhong.”

After pondering for a while, Zhu Youxiao said, “You are loyal, so the character for ‘loyalty’ should remain. You wish to be my worthy minister, so let us add ‘worthy’ to your name. You were formerly Li Jinzhong; now, you shall be called Wei Xianzhong. What do you think?”

Nurse Ke immediately objected, “As a servant, you must first be loyal to Your Majesty—loyalty comes before worthiness. Therefore, I believe the name should be Wei Zhongxian. What does Your Majesty think?”

“Yes, that’s an excellent name, both in meaning and in sound. Wei Zhongxian, Wei Zhongxian…” Suddenly, Zhu Youxiao’s heart jolted. Isn’t this the infamous Wei Zhongxian he had always sworn never to employ? “Is there anyone else in the palace named Wei Zhongxian?” He clung to a last hope. Li Jinzhong had been with him for so long, loyal and reliable; he truly didn’t want him to turn out to be the villainous Wei Zhongxian.

“Last time Your Majesty inquired about this name, I personally checked with every department and found no one else by that name. Since I didn’t know why Your Majesty was searching for him, I didn’t report back.”

So, it’s clear now. This man is indeed the renowned Eunuch Wei of the Ming dynasty, called the Lord of Nine Thousand Years. But this fellow was a villain—what should I do? Zhu Youxiao paced around the couch, lost in thought, while Nurse Ke and Wei Zhongxian looked on in confusion. Was a name really such a serious matter?

Suddenly, Zhu Youxiao slapped his forehead and stopped. He berated himself inwardly for his stupidity. The historical Wei Zhongxian became a villain only after gaining power. That doesn’t mean the present Wei Zhongxian would follow the same path. With himself at the helm, if Wei ever changed for the worse, he could simply stop him. How simple—why fret so much? Truly, there’s no cure for stupidity.

“Very well. From now on, you are Wei Zhongxian. Remember the meaning of your name: loyal and worthy. If one day I find you unworthy of those two characters, I will take your name away. Do you understand?”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this name. I ask Your Majesty to watch over me. I, Wei Zhongxian, will become your most trusted inner courtier. Wherever you point, I will go. I will always obey Your Majesty, always be your loyal servant. Should I ever break today’s vow, may I suffer a thousand cuts and die a wretched death. Nurse Ke is my witness.”

“All right, all right, I believe you. Right now, my commands hold little sway in either the inner or outer court. They have allied themselves, supporting each other. The two of you, help me think of a solution.”

And so, the rest of the time, the three—whose names would go down in history—began to analyze how to break the collusion between the outer and inner courts.

Wei Zhongxian had spent decades in the palace, witnessing all manner of intrigue. He was the first to suggest dealing with Wang An. He believed it would be difficult for the emperor to simply issue an edict removing Wang An, as the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs bridged the inner and outer courts, and the outer officials could intervene. Of course, it would be possible to have Wang An beaten to death, but that was not the wisest course. The best approach was to proceed gradually: first, identify loyal inner officials and slowly erode Wang An’s authority, making him easier to handle later.

As for inner officials, the only ones Zhu Youxiao was familiar with were Li Chaoqin and Wang Tiqian. These two had served him well since his days as crown prince and could be relied upon.

When it came to the outer court, Wei Zhongxian could offer no help—he was completely ignorant in such matters. Zhu Youxiao observed that the Grand Secretary seemed different from the others, at least less aggressive. Perhaps he could be won over. He realized he had been so busy lately that he hadn’t seen Xu Guangqi in a long time; perhaps he could consult him on these matters.

At this moment, Nurse Ke suddenly spoke up: “There’s actually another way to deal with Wang An. Your Majesty could find an excuse to promote him. According to custom, he would have to decline, and you could simply accept his resignation, thus stripping him of his post.” She bore a deep grudge against Wang An for trying to expel her from the palace. His Majesty was still so young—how could he do without someone close to care for him? She had looked after him for sixteen years, from a helpless child to a vigorous youth. How could she bear to leave now? She still wished to see him with children and grandchildren one day. That wretched old eunuch was truly hateful. Her plan was not exactly aboveboard, but it was effective. Truly, one should be careful not to offend a woman—especially one who fiercely protects her own, and especially when her charge has power and influence!

Zhu Youxiao considered this and said quietly, “Such a move would tarnish the imperial family’s reputation and invite criticism. Unless absolutely necessary, let’s not resort to it.”