20demayo Chapter 32 Eunuch Wang
Chapter 32 Eunuch Wang
Outside the Dong'an Gate of the Forbidden City, the office of the Inner Palace Supervisory Bureau.
The dawn here is quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling East Market just a few streets away. The red walls and yellow tiles exude a suffocating solemnity and antiquity in the morning light. The air is filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and the smell of coal ash from the previous night. Occasionally, a few low-ranking eunuchs dressed in blue undergarments hurry by, their steps as light as cats, their faces bearing the pale, sunless look unique to those who have lived in the deep palace for many years.
Lu Yan stood in the gatehouse of the duty room, holding the birdcage-shaped object that was completely covered by a black velvet cloth.
Liu Cheng did not accompany him inside. According to regulations, eunuchs stationed in outlying areas were not allowed to freely enter or leave the core offices of the inner court without an imperial edict. This path to power was one that Lu Yan had to traverse alone.
"Lu Yan, the scholar from Ziyang?"
The eunuch in charge (a mid-level eunuch) sitting behind the desk glanced sideways and casually flipped through Liu Cheng's letter. The extremely thin piece of paper swayed between his fingers, as if it might be tossed into the wastebasket at any moment.
"Eunuch Wang is busy checking the accounts of the construction storehouse today. Emperor Wanli was furious yesterday because of the Qingling Mausoleum project, so you're not in a good mood, Eunuch. Leave your things here and go back to wait. He'll summon you when he has time."
This is what is known as "It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings." In the government offices of the capital, this kind of cold bench can keep you sitting from spring to winter, until you run out of patience and money.
Lu Yan was not angry, nor did he immediately pull out silver and slip a red envelope like a typical opportunist would. He simply glanced at the sky; it should be almost dawn.
He reached into the black cloth cover and gently wound up the clock from the back.
"Sir, it's fine to leave the things here. However, this item is delicate; it's a 'self-ringing clock' presented as tribute from the Western Kingdom. Every hour on the hour, it always emits an auspicious sound."
Lu Yan's voice was gentle, yet it carried a sense of certainty. He smiled slightly and said, "If it rings later and disturbs Eunuch Wang's enjoyment of checking the accounts, or attracts the attention of the other chief eunuchs, I'm afraid you... won't be able to bear the consequences."
The steward paused for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing, and he was about to reprimand this ignorant and arrogant poor scholar.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
A crisp, melodious, metallic chime suddenly rang out in the narrow gatehouse.
The sound, like heavenly music, pierced through the heavy air and instantly drowned out the whispers in the courtyard. Immediately afterward, a series of clicks, the sound of precise gears meshing, rang out, and even through the darkness, one could feel the mechanical rhythm that was extremely rare in this era.
The sound was like a thunderclap in the deathly still palace.
The curtain at the back of the duty room was suddenly flung open.
A middle-aged eunuch, dressed in a bright red robe with a python pattern and wearing a scalloped hat, strode out. He had a thin face with deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. His eyes did not have the effeminate look of an ordinary eunuch; instead, they revealed the shrewdness and weariness of someone in charge of millions of dollars and grain.
Wang Tiqian was the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Palace Attendants.
"What's all the noise?" Wang Tiqian's voice was a little hoarse, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night.
The steward trembled with fright and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty! It's...it's a Shandong scholar recommended by that scoundrel Liu Cheng, who brought along a talking iron lump..."
"A Western-style self-ringing clock?" Wang Tiqian's gaze passed over the kneeling servant and landed on the tall, elegant young man in a blue robe.
He had seen this before. There was one in the Wanli Emperor's palace, a gift from Matteo Ricci, which the Emperor treasured like the apple of his eye. A few days ago, the bell broke, and the palace workshops couldn't fix it, which made the Emperor very angry.
"Student Lu Yan greets Eunuch Wang." Lu Yan bowed respectfully and casually lifted the black cloth.
Under the sunlight, they are two gleaming masterpieces.
After Lu Yan's "engineering-based modifications," the originally rusty copper shell was polished and gilded, and the top was decorated with an enamel-painted dragon and cloud pattern symbolizing the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty. As the bell tolled, the gilded bird nodded as if pecking at rice.
Wang Tiqian's eyes lit up instantly.
This isn't a bell, it's a lifeline! With this thing, the Emperor's anger will at least be halved.
"That little rascal Liu Cheng, he's got some nerve."
Wang Tiqian stepped forward, reaching out to stroke the cool, smooth clock face, seemingly reluctant to let go. After a long while, he finally looked up and re-examined Lu Yan. The indifference he once held towards Lu Yan had lessened, replaced by a hint of scrutiny.
"You're a scholar who passed the imperial examination?" Wang Tiqian was somewhat surprised. Most scholars were aloof and viewed eunuchs as a scourge, and few would willingly gravitate towards them, let alone possess such peculiar skills.
"Lu Yan, a successful candidate in the imperial examination of the year Yiwei."
"Now that you have achieved official rank, why not study hard and prepare for the exams instead of scheming to become a merchant or craftsman?" Wang Tiqian's tone carried a hint of probing and contempt. "If you want an official position, you should go to the Ministry of Personnel, not to our family's Directorate of Palace Attendants. Although we are in charge of engineering projects, we can't guarantee you an official hat."
"I do not seek official positions." Lu Yan looked directly at this important minister of the inner court, his eyes not flinching in the slightest.
He straightened his clothes and switched to the stern tone of a "project report".
"The students are here to help my father-in-law... balance the accounts."
Wang Tiqian's hand, which was stroking the clock, suddenly stopped. He slowly turned around, his shrewd eyes fixed on Lu Yan, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly.
"Balancing the accounts? Do you know what you're talking about?" Wang Tiqian sneered, his voice filled with murderous intent. "Our family manages the Ming Dynasty's imperial treasury; we have countless sums of money at our disposal. Do we need a poor, penniless scholar like you to balance the accounts?"
"My father-in-law does indeed have mountains of gold and silver, but it's a leaky basin."
Lu Yan was not intimidated by his aura. Instead, he stepped forward and took out the thick "Imperial Timber Procurement Contract" from his sleeve.
"As far as the students know, the Imperial Household Department allocates 1.2 million taels of silver annually to procure timber from Sichuan and Huguang. However, less than 30% of it actually reaches the imperial timber depots in the capital. The remaining 70% is lost en route."
Lu Yan raised a finger, his voice echoing clearly in the courtyard, as if he were reading an audit report:
"Of these 70%, 20% went to local officials, 20% to the soldiers transporting grain, 20% to the tax collectors along the route, and the remaining 10% was wasted on inefficient transportation."
"In the 44th year of the Wanli reign, the Directorate of Palace Attendants even had to subsidize 300,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury to fill this hole. Your Excellency, this is not procurement; it's clearly feeding those civil officials and local bullies. Now that His Majesty wants to repair the Qingling Mausoleum, the Imperial Treasury is empty. If this mess isn't settled soon, Your Excellency's life will likely be difficult."
Wang Tiqian's expression changed completely.
This data was top secret of the Imperial Household Department, known only to a few key figures. How could this scholar from Shandong know so much? And how could he have hit the nail on the head with every word?
"What do you want to say?" Wang Tiqian waved away the surrounding eunuchs, his voice low and carrying a dangerous aura.
"The student is a businessman and also an engineer."
Lu Yan opened the folding booklet and pointed to the meticulously drawn canal logistics map on it.
"The student has a fleet of ships, a guard that dares to kill, and a set of efficient transport rules. The student wants to do a deal with the eunuch: all future royal timber procurement will be contracted out to 'Lu Ji'."
"The student does not want the 1.2 million taels of silver from the imperial court. The student only wants 800,000 taels."
Lu Yan held up four fingers, his eyes sharp as knives:
"The remaining 400,000 taels can be kept in the Imperial Treasury by Your Excellency and donated to the Emperor for the construction of his mausoleum, or... kept for other purposes. As for the checkpoints, river bandits, and corrupt officials along the way..."
Lu Yan smiled, a smile tinged with a bloodthirsty glint:
"That's Lu's cost. Whether it's murder or bribery, you don't need to worry about it, and it won't dirty your hands. If a single piece of wood is missing, Lu will compensate you at the price."
"That's called—taking on the risk."
Wang Tiqian was stunned.
He had spent half his life in the palace, and he was used to people asking for money and shirking responsibility, but he had never seen such a madman who thought, "Even if I have to pay to kill someone myself, I will save you money."
No, this isn't madness. He's treating the unspoken rules of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom like an arithmetic problem. Not only has he solved it, he's also figured out new profit opportunities.
"Four hundred thousand taels..." Wang Tiqian muttered to himself.
If he could save this money, he would be the number one hero in Emperor Wanli's eyes! He might even surpass those people from the Directorate of Ceremonial!
"What are you after?" Wang Tiqian stared intently at Lu Yan. "Don't tell me about serving the court. I don't believe in that."
"Student rights."
Lu Yan put away the folded paper and said frankly, "I need a 'certificate' from the Imperial Household Department and a flag that allows me to travel freely on the Grand Canal. With these, I can do logistics business all over the world. The imperial timber is just a starting point; what I want is—to dominate everything."
Wang Tiqian remained silent for a long time.
He looked at the young man before him as if he were seeing a gluttonous beast yet to fully mature. Greedy, but with a justifiable reason, a greed that was impossible to refuse.
"What a huge appetite."
Wang Tiqian suddenly laughed. He patted the clock and said, "We'll take this clock. But this deal in imperial timber is too complicated. You're trying to take a slice of the cake from a whole string of officials. Aren't you afraid of being swallowed up by them?"
"As long as the father-in-law can provide shelter, the student's knife will be sharp enough."
"OK."
Wang Tiqian took off an ivory waist token from his waist. It was a high-ranking token from the Imperial Household Department and was much more valuable than the bronze token Liu Cheng had given him.
"However, words are not enough. Our family currently has a thorny problem. If you can resolve it, we'll let you try out for the royal timber business."
Lu Yan cupped his hands in greeting: "Please, Your Excellency, give me the question."