Chapter 066: The Royal Princess

What no one knew was that, thanks to Fan Yan’s proposal, a brewing storm was indeed taking shape within the court.

After Prince Cheng Zhu Qiyu conveyed the imperial edict, the memorials from officials flooded the Secretariat like snowflakes, delivered to the Grand Cabinet. There were so many submissions from various departments that only the cabinet ministers could review them first; those deemed feasible would then be presented to Zhu Qiyu for his consideration.

Following the disastrous defeat at Tumu Fortress, the Grand Secretary Cao Nai and Minister Zhang Yi had perished in service to the nation; now only Chen Xun, Miao Zhong, and Gao Gu remained as cabinet ministers. Among them, Chen Xun was shrewd and diplomatic, Miao Zhong appeared gentle but was resolute within, and Gao Gu was upright and just—each markedly different in temperament.

Yesterday, over three hundred memorials were submitted by various departments. Of the sixty-plus written by officials from the Bureau of Astronomy, all were assigned to Gao Gu for review. As a cabinet minister, Gao Gu worked diligently and did not belittle the Bureau of Astronomy for being a marginal institution; he examined every memorial with utmost seriousness.

Upon reading Fan Yan’s submission, Gao Gu’s brows gradually knitted together. The beginning seemed reasonable, but the suggestion of a marriage alliance at the end stirred his irritation.

Since the founding of Ming, never once had there been a marriage alliance with foreign tribes. Moreover, Ming had just suffered defeat at the hands of the Oirat. To seek a marriage alliance because of this defeat would be tantamount to Ming bowing to Oirat—where then would the dignity of the Celestial Empire lie?

Another reason for Gao Gu’s anger was that all three princesses from the late emperor had already been wed, and the current emperor had only two daughters, the eldest being a mere two years old. How could she possibly be married off to Oirat?

Fan Yan’s proposal was written in a fit of emotion, without consideration for these facts—it was sheer nonsense. Furious, Gao Gu tossed the memorial into the wastebasket.

The other two cabinet ministers, noticing his mood, inquired about the cause of his anger. Gao Gu explained the matter, and his account made them shake their heads repeatedly.

In recent days, the Empress Dowager Sun had sent palace attendants daily to inquire about the emperor’s situation through the cabinet ministers.

When Gao Gu and Xu Xun discussed the matter, it happened that Chang Luan, an attendant sent by the Empress Dowager, overheard them. Chang Luan was clever, and thought to himself: the emperor is in enemy hands; if marrying off a princess could bring him back, wouldn’t that be a fair trade?

Cining Palace, bedchamber.

The Empress Dowager Sun lay half-reclined on a soft couch, two maidservants kneading her shoulders and legs. Since the emperor had been captured, she had lost all appetite; her already aged features had grown even more haggard.

To ransom her son, she had sent lavish treasures to the Oirat chieftain, Esen, but every message returned brought only bad news. Helpless, she could only urge the ministers to find a way to rescue her son as soon as possible.

In recent days, the eunuchs who returned from questioning the Grand Cabinet brought the same reply as always: they were waiting for the best opportunity to rescue the emperor.

The emperor was in Oirat hands, his life in constant peril. Each time she heard the same answer, the Empress Dowager felt she was being brushed off. She even suspected the ministers had no intention of rescuing him at all; perhaps they were planning to enthrone a new ruler and change the dynasty.

Moments ago, she had sent Chang Luan to the cabinet for news. As expected, he returned with the same reply as before.

“Outrageous! Do they think I am so easily fooled?” she exclaimed in fury, snatching the cushion from the couch and hurling it to the floor.

“Your Majesty, please calm yourself,” pleaded Chang Luan and the two maids, frightened, kneeling for forgiveness.

Fortunately, Chief Eunuch Li Yongchang entered just in time to soothe her.

Chang Luan thought of the marriage alliance, and several times wanted to mention it, but was afraid to provoke her further in her anger.

Li Yongchang, long-serving chief of Cining Palace, understood his subordinates well. Seeing Chang Luan hesitate, he guessed there was something he wished to say and prompted, “Speak your mind—how dare you hold back before the Empress Dowager?”

The Empress Dowager, still incensed, saw Chang Luan trembling and was further annoyed. Yet, for Li Yongchang’s sake, she reined in her temper and asked, “What is it you’re so hesitant to speak of?”

Chang Luan swallowed and replied:

“Your Majesty, when I went to the Grand Cabinet, I heard someone had suggested exchanging a princess in marriage with Oirat to ransom the emperor, but the cabinet ministers dismissed it, saying there was no suitable princess of age, and that since the founding, there had never been precedent for marrying into a foreign tribe. So they rejected the idea.

I thought that if it might help retrieve the emperor, whether feasible or not, it should still be reported to Your Majesty. How could ministers simply discard such a proposal? That’s why I kept wondering how best to bring it to Your Majesty’s attention…”

A marriage alliance?

The Empress Dowager and Li Yongchang were both taken aback by the term.

After a moment, Li Yongchang sighed and shook his head. “It is indeed improper—of the two princesses, the eldest is only two years old; how could she possibly be married off?”

Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager seemed deep in thought.

Li Yongchang quickly asked for her opinion.

The Empress Dowager contemplated for a moment, then asked, “If a princess were conferred from among the imperial clan and married to Oirat, would Esen accept?”

“This…” Li Yongchang hesitated.

As chief eunuch, Li Yongchang knew the palace’s affairs well. Previously, Wang Zhen had reduced gifts to Oirat because they had not sent tribute, which enraged Esen and prompted his invasion.

Esen’s stated reason for invasion was not simply the gifts—it would seem petty. He claimed it was because Ming had promised a marriage alliance, to send a princess. When the emperor reneged, showing no intention of fulfilling the promise, Esen was enraged and marched to “restore face” for Oirat.

Strangely, the marriage alliance Esen spoke of was not for his son or another leader, but for himself. Esen was already forty-two, half his life behind him, yet demanded a Ming princess for himself—a blatant insult to Ming.

It was obvious Esen was not truly seeking marriage, but was using it as a convenient pretext for invasion.

The Empress Dowager’s idea of marrying an imperial clan woman might not be so easily accomplished.

Oirat had just routed Ming’s crack troops; they could reach the capital at any moment, which lacked strong defenders. If they seized it in one stroke, half the Ming realm would fall into their hands. At that point, not only imperial clan women but even princesses and imperial consorts might not escape Oirat’s grasp.

With such temptation before them, would Oirat fail to see the advantage?

Thus, Li Yongchang believed that a princess conferred from the imperial clan would not suffice to make Oirat withdraw.

Seeing Li Yongchang’s hesitation, the Empress Dowager dismissed the others from the chamber and asked, “Do you think I am mistaken?”

“Your Majesty, Oirat…”—the matter was weighty, and though Li Yongchang did not wish to dampen her hopes, he could only speak frankly.

The Empress Dowager was bitterly disappointed after hearing him.

After a moment, as if struck by a new thought, she lowered her voice and asked, “If an actual royal princess were married to Oirat, would they return the emperor?”