Chapter 3: Life is not waiting for the Storm to pass (1)

Changzhou – The Governor's City Palace – Winter 1620

Two heavily armed guards barred the unexpected visitor's way when he headed straight for Ouyang Dongfeng's office and kept him from entering the corridor just the moment when he hastened round the corner.

"By order of the governor – no one is allowed to pass!"

Surprise got mirrored within the eyes of the young man when he stepped back and when he beheld the two guards who obviously got assigned to shield the governor from everything and everyone possibly able to disturb him at this late evening hour.

He cocked an eyebrow, frowning and confused, and a derisive smile appeared upon his lips, never reaching his eyes, though, when he replied: "By order of my father – step out of my way. It is by his wish that I seek him out here tonight."

Unimpressed by his words the guards made no attempt neither to let him pass, nor to step aside: "Nothing got mentioned to us about the governor's son being expected for a visit."

"Since when is it, that the governor's son has to ask for permission, if he wants to talk to his father?" Neither the icy voice, nor the adamant gaze out of a pair of soft dark eyes actually wanted to match the young man's gentle face, but there was no doubt that he would not accept a 'no' when he added: "I'm no petitioner, who has to ask for allowance to enter or to leave these halls. You can make another try to hold me back, but I dare to claim it will not do you good should my father learn about this incident."

This said, he pushed past the guards and hurried down the corridor being slightly in a huff.

Of course, he understood his father's order to keep the gates and aisles watched, especially at night, but since the Emperor's death a couple of months ago things did change. Unnoticed by those, who were not aware of what to keep an eye upon, but even more obvious to those, who knew how to interpret even the slightest hint of a change the way it was meant to be interpreted.

And the young man knew how to interpret the signs.

Since the news of the Emperor's death had reached them here, his father aged visibly. More and more often it happened that he locked himself up within his study at the end of the day. He refused to join his wife and son for dinnertime and buried himself amongst stacks of books and piles of papers and documents. It even occurred that he spent whole days and nights behind closed doors, not even leaving his study and the library for an hour of rest.

Things started to get worse when only one month after he had succeeded his father the young Emperor died from a mysterious sickness and when not only behind closed curtains rumour began to spread that poison and assassination played a role in this strange incident.

The young man sighed and shook his head when he finally reached the heavy door leading to his father's study. He straightened and inhaled a deep breath, then he entered the room behind the massive door; the room, he once had thought of as the most exciting place within the whole city palace.

Meanwhile, it had lost its magic and was what it apparently always had been: a fortress built of books and documents where his father could hide amongst whenever he felt the urge to escape the reality of his duties.

Ouyang Dongfeng did not even look up when his son entered the room. All he said was: "Close the door and come here!"

The young man shrugged and did as his father told him. He let out another sigh and approached the broad and heavy writing desk slowly and without haste. There he stood motionless for another couple of moments until his father finally looked up fixing his gaze on him.

It was not to miss that his eyes were red from the strain of reading and writing and that he looked tired and exhausted. His face appeared to be pale and ashen within the little light and some grey strands had mingled with his once deep black hair.

When his father still made no effort to explain to him, why he had ordered him here, the young man finally dared to speak frankly: "Tell me, father, what is all of this about? Your puzzling message, the late hour, your wish to meet me here and not within your private quarters, the guards who tried to keep me away from here? If I would not know you, I would tend to assume, you're afraid of something or someone..."

"Not afraid, but concerned", Ouyang Dongfeng answered: "But that is not, why I wanted to have you show up here tonight."

"Not?" The younger man frowned.

"No! I required your physical presence of you, because this late evening's meeting will mostly concern you and what I will demand from you."

"Father?"

"While we are talking, I have your servants packing your bags. You will leave with sunrise and return to your master and to your studies. You will stay away from home, from your mother and from me until I will order you to return. There will be no talking back. It is essential for your safety to do as I tell you. Do you understand?"

"But, father, it's not even a week since I returned home. Why am I supposed to leave again after what barely feels like a wink of an eye?"

"An ambassador of the young Emperor will arrive by the end of this week. Your mother and I will welcome him and we will celebrate a banquet in his honour, but it is necessary that you will already be on your way back to your studies. The court's messenger is not meant to find you here."

"What is it that worries you? What could he do to me? What else is this visit supposed to be, but an official visit in the name of the new Emperor paid to the governor of Changzhou?"

"This is way more, but just an official inaugural visit. This visit is meant to set things straight, the late Emperor had no time to set his seal on. This visit is meant to let me and others of our group know that the young Emperor will not do as his father did. He wants us to know that he is not inclined to follow the path his father wanted to tread."

"The Emperor is nothing more but a boy, even younger than me. What I came to know about him is that he is in no way interested in setting his seal on anything else but his carvings."

"That is what concerns me", Ouyang Dongfeng replied: "It is easy to manipulate him and his new confidant is said to be masterly skilled in manipulating others to follow his will. The Emperor made Wei Zhongxian the new head of the Eastern Agency and by doing so he also made him one of the highest ranked ministers of the realm..."

"...and the head of the secret police", his son added under his breath.

"Yes! With Wei Zhongxian being the head of the Eastern Agency and the leader of the Jinyiwei, the brocade guard, we all will have to be vigilant. The new High Eunuch is known for being ambitious and driven by greed for power and control."

"I understand, but, father, I still do not conceive of why you are that full of cares if it comes to me."

The governor kept silent for a while as he beheld his son, then he got up and went to face him eye to eye placing both hands on the young man's shoulders: "Nian, I have all reason to worry about you. Since time immemorial the males of our family served the Emperor either with their skills in politics or as soldiers using their skills in battle or on duty to secure the borders. So did our ancestors, so did your uncles and so did and do I and your elder brothers. None of us ever served in the ranks of the secret police and as long as I still breathe it will remain this way. You are my youngest son and no one will ever get my allowance to corrupt your heart and soul!"

"You are worried about them making a try to lure me amongst the forces of the secret police?" Ouyang Nian stared at his father in disbelief: "Do you really trust me that little? Father, you raised me to be aware of what is right and what is wrong. You taught me to take personal responsibility for everything I do. Do you really think they could be able to make me forget all those lessons?"

The slap in the face found him all unprepared and so did the embrace, he got pulled into the same moment.

"Young fool", his father said in a hushed tone: "Don't you know, they are able to make you forget everything? Your name! Your family! Your honour! Do you really think all those agents who sneak around the realm got born with only one wish – to become one of the Jinyiwei? No, Nian, do not wish for to experience the lessons they could teach you! Unless, you are eager to find out how it feels to not only live with a broken body, but also with a broken mind and soul! Once caught in the middle of their web of corruption, inquisition and terror, there will be no way back for you!"

He stepped back and beheld his son out of eyes filled with sorrow: "You mean more to me, than titles and high ranks. There are things of higher value and there are things which matter more than being a man of high note. Do you now understand why I don't want you to be around when the ambassador shows up?"

"Yes", Ouyang Nian nodded: "I get you, but, father..."

"No ifs and buts anymore", the governor cut him short: "There will only be more ifs and buts, if you are willing to forget about happiness and love for the rest of your life and if you are willing to subdue to the rules of the guard and to the orders of its leader unconditionally – including the assassination of innocent and the killing of even those you love!"

The young man in front of him raised his gaze and stared at him out of wide eyes filled with pure horror. He turned pale and bit his lower lip when he hung his head in shame.

"You are right, father", he stated in a low voice: "I am a fool! I should not have doubted you and your good reason. Forgive me!" He raised his hands to greet and honour his father: "I know now, you want to keep me from attracting notice to keep me safe", then he bowed and added: "I will follow your wish. With sunrise, I will leave."

Author's Note:

The Jinyiwei (literally: "brocade-clad guard") was the imperial military secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China. The Jinyiwei were authorised to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecuting those deemed as enemies of the state, granted with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating, detaining them without trial and punishing them, without going through due process. They were bound to the service of the emperor and took direct orders from him. They also served as political commissars for the Ming armies in times of war. In the later years of the Ming dynasty, the Jinyiwei were placed under the control of the eunuch faction. As the government sank into corruption, the Jinyiwei was constantly used as a means of eliminating political opponents through assassinations and legal prosecutions.