Ning Chen had eaten his fill of this scandal and was very pleased with it, so he meant to give the crown prince a hand… a hand out of this world, and quickly.
Ning Chen bowed. “Your Highness, I said before that whenever you had need of me, Ning Chen would put his whole strength into it.”
There was a wild delight in the crown prince’s face that he could not hide at all.
“Ning Chen, if you can help me to sit steady on the throne, I will never treat you shabbily.”
Ning Chen laughed at him inwardly, and said, “It seems to me the most important thing now is still to find the Seal.”
The crown prince nodded. “You are right. I saw the Empress a while ago, and I suspected she and Prince Fu had already taken the Seal… but then I thought again, and the Empress’s reaction at the time did not look put on.”
“So it seems to me there may be one man who knows where the Seal is.”
Ning Chen looked at him. “Who?”
“Eunuch Quan.”
Without waiting for Ning Chen to speak, the crown prince went on, “Ning Chen, I want you to bring the musket battalion’s men into the palace and force Eunuch Quan to hand the Seal over.”
Ning Chen inclined his head slightly.
“Tonight, at the hour of the Dog, I will bring a thousand men of the musket battalion into the palace… Your Highness will have to meet us outside the palace gate then, or we won’t get in.”
The crown prince’s eyes were burning and his face was wild with delight. He nodded. “Good.”
“Then it is settled. I have something else to see to. At the hour of the Dog.”
The crown prince nodded and went away contented.
Ning Chen watched the crown prince’s carriage go, shook his head, laughed coldly, and muttered, “The play begins directly… This time I settle all of you at once.”
Then he drove to the Inspectorate, and by wearing the man down, soft and hard, he got Meng Jianbai out and away to the courtesans’ quarter.
On the way, Meng Jianbai looked over the needling chart.
To a doctor whose medicine is as good as that, it was nothing at all.
When the needling was done, Ning Chen pressed two hundred taels in silver notes on Meng Jianbai… and promised to send him several jars of good wine in a few days.
Meng Jianbai agreed to come every day from then on and use the needles on Yudie.
Having seen Meng Jianbai off, Ning Chen came back and found the marks of tears at the corners of Yudie’s eyes.
Ning Chen went to the bed leaning on his blade, sat down, and touched her small face. “What are you crying for? Who has been unkind to you?”
Yudie was full of blame for herself.
“Ning, dear, is hurt too, and at a time like this it is this girl who ought to be waiting on him… and instead Ning, dear, has to worry over this girl’s injury.”
Ning Chen could not help smiling. “Don’t worry. My hurts are nothing. Only the skin is broken, and in a few days they will be gone.”
“It’s you I’m asking about. How do you feel now?”
Yudie said softly, “This girl is a great deal better. She can turn herself over gently now.”
Ning Chen said, smiling, “That’s good. The Master Director cannot get out of the palace for a while, so from now on Meng the Gold Coat will use the needles for you… He is a colleague of mine, and his medicine is very good too.”
“Yudie, I’ll be busy for a while too… I may not be able to come and see you every day.”
Yudie held Ning Chen’s hand tightly, and a sweet smile came out on her fine small face.
“It doesn’t matter. Xiaoxing is here to look after this girl, and Ning, dear, should see to his own affairs and not fret.”
“Ning, dear, this girl is so happy.”
Ning Chen ran his fingers over her soft white hand and grinned wickedly. “I’m well satisfied myself.”
He stayed a while at the courtesans’ quarter and then left, and drove for the north camp outside the city.
At the hour of the Dog, Ning Chen appeared outside the palace at the head of a thousand men of the musket battalion.
These thousand were the very men who had gone with Ning Chen to fall on the North Royal Court.
There was nothing but worship in their eyes when they looked at him.
Working under Ning Chen was a fine thing, and there was money in it too.
Coming back from the northern campaign, over and above His Majesty’s rewards, Ning Chen had shared out everything His Majesty gave him among the men, a hundred taels of silver apiece.
Their pay for a whole year was a few taels of silver.
A hundred taels was enough for a man to take a wife and have sons.
So there was not one of them who was not grateful.
The crown prince had been waiting at the palace gate a long time.
Seeing that Ning Chen had really brought the musket battalion’s men, his face was wild with delight.
He came forward to meet him, all smiles.
“I greet Your Highness the crown prince.”
The crown prince put out a hand at once to raise him without touching him. “Ning Chen, there is no need for ceremony between you and me.”
“Come, into the palace with me.”
The crown prince held the regency now, so bringing a thousand men into the palace was no hard thing.
Once inside, the thousand went straight for the Hall of Cultivated Heart.
On the way, the crown prince dropped his voice. “Ning Chen, Eunuch Quan’s skill is of the first order. Will muskets be a match for him?”
“Your Highness may set his mind at rest. However good a man’s skill, it will not stop this many muskets.”
The crown prince was delighted and clapped Ning Chen on the shoulder. “With you helping me, how should the great business fail?… Ning Chen, when it is done I will never treat you shabbily.”
“My thanks to the crown prince.”
The party came to the door of the Hall of Cultivated Heart.
Ning Chen and the crown prince went into the Hall of Cultivated Heart with a dozen or so musketeers.
The Xuan Emperor lay unconscious still.
Eunuch Quan had been looking after the Xuan Emperor these several days and had not left his side by so much as a step.
The crown prince did not hide it or hold it back any longer, but came straight to the point. “Eunuch Quan, you have the Seal, haven’t you?”
Eunuch Quan shook his head.
The crown prince laughed coldly. “Eunuch Quan, you are one of the Father Emperor’s own people… I do not want to be hard on you. I hope you will know what is good for you and hand the Seal over.”
Eunuch Quan shook his head again. “This servant does not know what the crown prince is talking about.”
“In that case, do not blame me if I am not gentle with you.”
The crown prince was about to order Ning Chen to take Eunuch Quan when a voice came from the doorway. “Who is it the crown prince is not going to be gentle with?”
Ning Chen turned to look. It was the Empress and Prince Fu, coming in with several men behind them.
The crown prince’s face changed on the instant.
They had moved quickly enough. He had never thought the Empress and Prince Fu could have word of it and be here so soon.
The Empress swept a cold look around the room and said heavily, “The crown prince is in far too much of a hurry.”
“Your child… your child…”
Being held down so long had left the crown prince cringing and shrinking in front of the Empress, and for the moment he did not know what to say.
The Empress gave a cold snort and looked at Eunuch Quan.
“Eunuch Quan, you have seen it all, have you not? The crown prince has the heart of a wolf cub in him. He has brought men to force the palace, meaning to do His Majesty harm, seize the Seal, take power and usurp the throne.”
Eunuch Quan said nothing.
The Empress looked at the crown prince. “Unfilial wretch, do you know your crime?”
The crown prince shivered with fright and dropped to his knees with a thump. “Your child knows his crime. Your child begs the Mother’s mercy.”
Ning Chen was struck dumb. Is he really this much of a chicken?
With a character like that, and he wants to take power and usurp the throne?
“I will deal with you presently.”
That said, the Empress looked at Eunuch Quan. “For the sake of a settled empire for the Great Xuan, Eunuch Quan, the Seal had better be given over to this empress to keep.”
Eunuch Quan said, “The Seal is not in this servant’s hands.”
The Empress’s face darkened. “You mangy dog, you dare not tell the truth in front of this empress?”
“What this servant says is the truth.”
The Empress’s face turned altogether dark and cold.
“Eunuch Quan, you have followed His Majesty a long time. You ought to be an intelligent man… There are things that a gelded creature like you cannot keep hold of.”
“This empress advises you to hand it over quietly. Do not make this empress take measures with you.”
Eunuch Quan was silent a while, and then inclined his head slightly. “This servant can hand the Seal over, but afterward this servant begs Your Majesty to let him leave the palace.”
The Empress’s face lit up. “Very well. This empress agrees.”
“If Your Majesty will wait a moment.”
With that Eunuch Quan turned and went into the inner room.
Seeing it, Ning Chen dropped his voice at the crown prince’s ear. “Your Highness, we have the men and we have the muskets. What are you afraid of?”
“If the Seal falls into the hands of the Empress and Prince Fu, then we are all finished.”
The crown prince was taken aback. That is true… He had men if he wanted men and muskets if he wanted muskets. What was there to be afraid of?
Just then Eunuch Quan came out carrying a box in both hands.
Inside the box was the Seal.
The Empress’s eyes were burning, and she took a step forward.
At that, the crown prince actually sprang up, crossed to Eunuch Quan in a few bounds, and snatched the box away from him.
(End of Chapter 229)