Chapter 3: The First Step in Building the Team

Fang Zhenghua was stunned in an instant, his eyes full of disbelief.

Among the twenty-four ministries within the inner court, the two most important were the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Imperial Horse Bureau.

The Directorate of Ceremonial was famously known as the First Office, responsible for reviewing imperial decrees on behalf of the emperor and managing confidential affairs alongside the Grand Secretariat. It commanded the entire eunuch system and was effectively the "Inner Chancellor."

The Imperial Horse Bureau, meanwhile, shared military authority with the Ministry of War and provincial governors, serving as the inner court’s "Central Office."

More importantly, the Imperial Horse Bureau oversaw the Tengxiang Four Guards, the emperor’s personal troops—an elite force within the palace guards and the only office that intersected with the Ministry of War.

While the Directorate of Ceremonial was indeed the foremost office, the eunuchs in charge of the imperial seal and drafting were only advisory.

If the emperor were wise or diligent, the Directorate’s eunuchs would merely be idle servants, serving tea and passing confidential messages.

This new emperor clearly intended to restore the dynasty’s glory.

“Lord Fang, why haven’t you expressed your gratitude for His Majesty’s grace?” Wang Cheng’en reminded him.

Only then did Fang Zhenghua kneel down: “I thank His Majesty for his divine grace. From this day forward, I am but a sword in His Majesty’s hand. Whomever the emperor commands me to kill, I shall kill!”

The eunuch in charge of the imperial seal at the Imperial Horse Bureau was a fourth-rank official, entitled to call himself a subject.

“Don’t be idle these days. When you have time, investigate the Imperial Horse Bureau thoroughly, find capable men, and draft a rough plan for me.”

“Wang Cheng’en, prepare the imperial edict!”

Chongzhen then turned to Fang Zhenghua and Wang Cheng’en: “This matter must remain unknown to the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of War until Qin Liangyu receives the imperial edict.”

They nodded. More accurately, this was a secret imperial decree, as it had not been reviewed by the Grand Secretariat.

If the Secretariat learned of it, they could veto the order, preventing it from being issued.

After leaving the warm chamber, Wang Cheng’en immediately said, “Lord Fang, congratulations!”

“Minister Wang, you’re too polite. We both serve the prince. I hope to rely on you more in the future,” Fang Zhenghua replied, glancing around and lowering his voice.

“Minister Wang, I wonder if I should say something.”

“Please speak.”

“Don’t envy me, nor the eunuchs in the Directorate of Ceremonial who hold the imperial seal and draft edicts. All our power depends on imperial authority and the prince’s favor. When the prince orders someone’s death, that person must die. You serve the prince closely day and night; you are the one closest to him. So, you must never be confused.”

Wang Cheng’en was stunned, then broke into a sweat.

Without Fang Zhenghua’s reminder, he might have been blinded by jealousy and done foolish things based on whisperings.

“Lord Fang, I will repay your kindness in the future!”

Wang Cheng’en saluted immediately. Fang Zhenghua smiled silently.

From today, they were both absolute confidants of the emperor, on the same side. Maintaining a good relationship would make future affairs easier.

Inside the warm chamber, Chongzhen lightly tapped the table.

To repel external threats, one must first secure the interior. For the Ming, the Later Jin was external, making the Ming interior. For the palace, the outside world was external, so the palace itself was the interior. To effect change, survival was paramount.

Only the living could create infinite possibilities. Once dead, no ideas would matter.

The palace had become like a sieve, with various factions present. He suspected that whoever dined there at night would have their meal known immediately outside.

Secondly, he had to control some military power—the Tengxiang Four Guards under the Imperial Horse Bureau.

The emperor’s personal troops numbered twenty-six guards. However, with the rise of the civil official faction, except for the Jinyiwei and the Tengxiang Four Guards, the other twenty-one guards required the Ministry of War’s approval for deployment—a real nuisance.

The current commanders of the Jinyiwei, Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun, were among Wei Zhongxian’s Five Tigers.

Though they still obeyed the emperor, their cooperation was far from smooth; they were cautious and hesitant.

Whether Wei Zhongxian harbored rebellion plans was unclear, but he was certainly dissatisfied with the status quo.

Historical records noted that news of Zhu Youjiao’s death was suppressed by Wei Zhongxian; only he knew his true intentions.

Later, when Wei Zhongxian tried to eliminate him upon his arrival at the palace, Minister of War Cui Chengxiu stopped him. Without the Duke of Ying’s support, it was uncertain whether he could have ascended the throne.

Therefore, Wei Zhongxian was utterly untrustworthy.

Moreover, he personally commanded ten thousand palace guards. If he harbored a “burn it all down” mindset, disaster would strike.

Reforming the Tengxiang Four Guards was imperative, but such restructuring would surely face factional resistance.

He must plan carefully and strike decisively.

Another issue was that building a loyal military force required vast funds, and he was nearly penniless. The imperial treasury held only two to three hundred thousand taels—not nearly enough.

Not to mention the national treasury was empty, even if there were funds, various factions would obstruct him. He had no time to indulge in bureaucratic maneuvering.

Qin Liangyu’s White Pole Soldiers traveled nearly two thousand kilometers from Zhongzhou, Sichuan, to Beijing. Given the Ming’s marching speed, even mountain troops like these would take at least one and a half months.

That month and a half was his window to raise funds, address the Ming’s problems, and suppress factional disputes.

He was helpless. Had he possessed the military control of emperors Taizu and Chengzu, all factional struggles and eunuch factions would have been cut off in an instant.

No need for such caution or fear of assassination.

“The first two steps to building my own team are ready; now we just await Qin Liangyu’s arrival in the capital!”

After finishing his thoughts, Wang Cheng’en entered with the imperial edict.

“Your Majesty, Wang Tiqian, the eunuch in charge of the seal at the Directorate of Ceremonial, is waiting outside!”

“I just went to fetch the imperial seal. He refused and insisted on coming along.”

A trace of helplessness flashed in Chongzhen’s eyes. The Ming operated under a dual-track system—Directorate of Ceremonial and Grand Secretariat—with highly centralized imperial power, yet ironically, the emperor’s power was at its weakest.

“Let him come in!”

Moments later, Wang Tiqian entered. Before he could salute, Chongzhen’s deep voice interrupted:

“Wang Tiqian, do you think the imperial seal still needs your permission?”

Wang Tiqian trembled and knelt abruptly.

“I deserve death! I only feared Minister Wang might abuse Your Majesty’s name…”

“Enough!” Chongzhen snapped coldly. “It’s confirmed now. Get out!”

Wang Tiqian hastily retreated.

Chongzhen reviewed the edict, affixed the imperial seal, then rolled it up and handed it to Fang Zhenghua.

“Hurry and carry this out!”

Fang Zhenghua saluted and left.

Chongzhen glanced at Wang Cheng’en.

“Minister, I’ve entrusted Fang Zhenghua with the Imperial Horse Bureau. You have no objections, do you?”

Wang Cheng’en was deeply shaken and knelt swiftly.

“Your Majesty, I dare not. All I do is serve Your Majesty. If I serve you well, my role is far greater than any eunuch in charge of the seal.

I know my abilities well: I handle trivial matters adequately but fall short on major ones.

One’s life revolves around wealth, power, fame, and desire. Wealth is useless to me; desire, impossible. Power exceeds my ability. So only fame remains.

Your Majesty is destined to be a sage ruler like Yao and Shun. When that time comes, history will record me as well. If future generations remember, I will be content.”

“You see clearly. Stay by my side, and I will not treat you unfairly. Rise!”

Chongzhen was pleased; he sensed Wang Cheng’en’s sincerity.

Wang Cheng’en was happy too. Thanks to Fang Zhenghua’s earlier warning, he hadn’t fallen into peril.

But before he could stand, Chongzhen’s next words startled him, causing him to drop to his knees again.

“Minister, today in the capital garrison, did the Duke of Ying’s son slip you some silver?”