MLMD -Chapter 117 An Envoy from the Capital

At Yue Yang’s order, two soldiers brimming with killing intent immediately strode forward. Each grabbed one of the man’s arms and moved to drag him away.

Leopard Head had long since lost the ferocity he once possessed. It wasn’t that he wasn’t brave—but his bravery only surfaced when he was taking other people’s lives. When it came to his own turn, his true colors were revealed.

With his hands bound, Leopard Head struggled desperately as the two soldiers dragged him along. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Shopkeeper Lin, master—save me! Save me! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

Watching Leopard Head roll on the ground, wailing and shrieking like a street thug, Lin Yuanteng closed his eyes in pain. At this moment, he could barely protect himself—how could he possibly worry about anyone else?

Realizing that his life was truly at its end, Leopard Head was utterly terrified. He thrashed about on the ground, kicking and screaming, refusing to let the soldiers take him. Finally, one of the soldiers lost his patience, reversed his firelock, and smashed the butt of the gun heavily against Leopard Head’s head. The hard walnut-wood stock struck with a dull thud.

Even with Leopard Head’s sturdy build, the blow left him seeing stars, blood pouring from his head. In the end, he was dragged away by the two soldiers like a dead dog.

A few minutes later, this man who had once been notorious throughout Lüzikou was beheaded. His severed head was hung on the main gate, serving as a warning to all…

After Leopard Head was executed, Yue Yang did not stop there. Fearing that delays might lead to trouble, he also had Lin Yuanteng and several other ringleaders beheaded. The remaining hundred-plus vicious retainers were all sent to the mines, where they would spend the rest of their lives. Over the next half month, Yue Yang led three thousand troops to sweep through the area within several hundred li of Lüzikou, wiping out more than a dozen criminal forces entrenched there. Only then did Lüzikou truly fall into the hands of him and the group of merchants.

Witnessing Yue Yang’s thunderous, lightning-like methods, the many merchants who had followed him into the mountains felt both awe and fear. From that moment on, Yue Yang’s authority was firmly established in their hearts. Proposals he put forward—such as road construction and building housing for miners—were all approved by them.

Moreover, during this campaign Yue Yang received some good news: in one part of Lüzikou, a high-quality open-pit coal mine had been discovered. This delighted Yue Yang immensely. Although he knew Shanxi was rich in coal, he never imagined that he would uncover a coal mine with just a casual dig. His luck was simply off the charts—at this rate, getting rich was inevitable.

On the fifth day of the ninth month of the sixth year of Chongzhen, Yue Yang led his troops and the merchants back to Yingzhou City in high spirits. Everyone had benefited from this expedition. Although Yue Yang had taken the largest share, the merchants found it only natural—after all, he had contributed the most. Had he not taken the lion’s share, they would have found that strange instead.

After parting ways with the others, Yue Yang returned home. Just as he stepped through the gate, the newly appointed steward hurried up to him and said, “Master, an imperial envoy sent by the court has come to see you. He’s been waiting for you for several days.”

“An imperial envoy? What envoy?” Yue Yang was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized that this “envoy” was not an angel with wings as in later parlance, but rather the term for someone sent by the court to convey the emperor’s will—usually an official from the Ministry of Rites, though sometimes a eunuch, depending on the recipient and content of the decree.

Yue Yang quickly asked, “Who is the envoy this time?”

As Yue Yang’s enterprise continued to expand, Yue Laifu found himself with more and more matters to manage and no longer had the energy to also serve as steward of the Yue residence. As a result, Yue Yang promoted one of the original managers of the household to the position of chief steward.

The new steward was named Cao Youqian. When Yue Yang first heard the name, he almost burst out laughing—‘Super Rich’… What kind of eccentric parents would give their child a name like that? Still, despite how amusing the name sounded, Cao Youqian was quite capable and trustworthy in loyalty, so Yue Yang entrusted him with the position.

Now, hearing Yue Yang’s question, Cao Youqian lowered his voice and replied, “Master, it’s a eunuch.”

“A eunuch?” Yue Yang thought for a moment, then waved his hand. “Come—take me to meet this eunuch from the capital.”

“Yes!”

Soon, led by Cao Youqian, Yue Yang arrived at the side hall reserved for receiving guests. As he entered, he saw a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in blue eunuch robes with wave patterns embroidered on the cuffs, seated inside and drinking tea. Beside him stood a young eunuch of around ten, holding a bundle.

When he saw Yue Yang enter, the man stood up, smiled, and said, “You must be Lord Yue Yang, the Commandant of Yingzhou. You certainly made this humble servant wait for quite some time!”

Not daring to be negligent, Yue Yang cupped his hands and said, “Yue Yang, Commandant of Yingzhou, greets the honored eunuch. May I ask how you are addressed?”

The eunuch chuckled lightly. “This humble servant is Cao Huachun, Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Stables. Just a nobody—Lord Yue is too kind.”

“Cao Huachun?” Yue Yang felt a jolt. Damn—another historical figure. The first time Yue Yang encountered this name was in Jin Yong’s The Sword Stained with Royal Blood, where Cao Huachun was portrayed as a coward who opened the city gates and surrendered to Li Zicheng. Only later did Yue Yang learn that this was pure fiction. When Li Zicheng entered Beijing, this very man was hundreds of li away in Tianjin observing mourning rites—how could he have opened the gates?

Later still, after consulting historical records, Yue Yang discovered that Cao Huachun was not a coward at all, but a learned and upright man. Early in Chongzhen’s reign, he was responsible for handling wrongful cases from the Wei Zhongxian era, helping civil officials overturn more than two thousand unjust convictions. Unfortunately, those same officials proved utterly ungrateful. More than ten years later, they forcibly pinned the slander of “opening the gates to let in bandits” on him, eventually driving him to die of suppressed rage—a vivid example of the shamelessness of the civil officials’ clique.

Recalling all this, Yue Yang’s favorable impression of Cao Huachun rose sharply. He cupped his hands with a smile and said, “Eunuch Cao, I have been busy these days leading troops into the mountains to suppress bandits and did not know an envoy had arrived. Please forgive my discourtesy.”

As Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Stables, Cao Huachun held a rank equivalent to fourth grade—far higher than Yue Yang’s sixth-grade commandant post—so Yue Yang’s self-address as a subordinate was entirely appropriate.

Cao Huachun sized Yue Yang up. Seeing his youthful age, handsome features, and heroic bearing enhanced by full armor, he nodded in satisfaction and smiled. “Lord Yue, before leaving the capital, this humble servant heard His Majesty praise you personally. He said you are both brave and resourceful, and skilled at generating wealth. His Majesty holds you in high regard.”

“This… Your Majesty flatters me!” Hearing this, Yue Yang broke out in a fine sheen of sweat. Being praised by the emperor as brave and resourceful was a good thing—but being noted as ‘skilled at making money’ was not. That was a clear omen of future financial loss.

Fortunately, Cao Huachun did not dwell on the matter. He extended his hand, and the young eunuch quickly pulled out a document resembling a memorial from the bundle and handed it over. Taking it, Cao Huachun smiled and said, “Lord Yue, last month the Shanxi Governor, Lord Xu, submitted a memorial to His Majesty praising you highly. He said that your lands could produce a thousand jin per mu—truly an auspicious sign. Upon hearing this, His Majesty was greatly pleased and has specially promoted you to the post of Garrison Commander of Yingzhou Prefecture. Hurry and give thanks.”

What—promoted?

Yue Yang didn’t think twice. He immediately knelt and shouted, “This subject kowtows in gratitude for His Majesty’s boundless grace!”

“Rise.” Seeing Yue Yang kneel, Cao Huachun smiled and waved him up, then handed him the document.

Yue Yang took it and quickly opened it, only to find that it was merely an official notice. It briefly stated: Hereby appoint Yue Yang, Commandant of Yingzhou Prefecture, to the post of Garrison Commander of Yingzhou, and so on. It bore the seal of the Ministry of Personnel and a date—nothing more.

Feeling puzzled, Yue Yang asked, “Eunuch Cao, is this His Majesty’s imperial edict?”

“Imperial edict?” Cao Huachun was also taken aback. “Who told you this was His Majesty’s edict?”

“If not… wasn’t this promotion granted by an imperial edict? How can it not be an edict?” Yue Yang was genuinely surprised. He had lived his whole life without ever seeing an imperial edict, and had just been looking forward to seeing one at last—only to receive a simple official document instead.

“You—” Cao Huachun froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, pointing at Yue Yang. “Hahaha…”

Soon, even the young eunuch standing nearby couldn’t help laughing as well.

Seeing how heartily Cao Huachun laughed, Yue Yang realized he must have made a fool of himself again. Fortunately, Cao Huachun didn’t laugh for long. He soon stopped, shaking his head with a grin. “You really are something… Do you think an imperial edict is like cabbages at the market, that just anyone can receive one?”

After Cao Huachun’s explanation, Yue Yang finally understood that he had indeed made a blunder. As the ultimate symbol and display of imperial authority, the issuance of an edict was governed by strict rules—not just anyone was qualified to receive one. For a sixth-rank minor official like Yue Yang, it was virtually impossible under normal circumstances to receive a decree directly from the emperor. It was much like a mid-level cadre in later times spending an entire career without ever receiving direct instructions from the central leadership—the difference in rank was simply too great. Any matters would be conveyed through subordinate departments.

“Damn, this is seriously embarrassing.” After hearing the explanation, even with Yue Yang’s relatively thick skin, his face began to burn.

But then another question arose in his mind: if this wasn’t about conveying an imperial edict, then why had Cao Huachun—a trusted eunuch of Chongzhen—traveled thousands of li to come here?