Ma Ye naturally didn’t believe it. “A thief crying ‘catch the thief!’ She Xiang, such self-deceptive actions cannot fool me. Your Shuixi family has been buzzing around General Mu like flies demanding debt payment, forcing him all the way to the Shuidong family. It was you who made the move.”
Half an hour earlier, Madam She Xiang had received a carrier pigeon message from Liu Shuzhen across the river, requesting her to immediately deploy troops to cross the river and hold the rear position. This served three purposes: first, to buy time; second, with Shuidong and Shuixi families joining forces, Ma Ye couldn’t easily resort to brute force; third, having the Shuixi family as witnesses would prevent Ma Ye from acting recklessly.
Peaceful resolution would be best, but if Ma Ye remained stubbornly obstinate and insisted on using force, the Shuidong and Shuixi families would rather die fighting than serve as stepping stones for Ma Ye’s ambitions to gain noble rank and high office.
Liu Shuzhen and She Xiang, these two young widows who had become the power holders in Guizhou, didn’t rely on soft-heartedness and mercy.
Madam She Xiang protested her innocence: “General Ma, if the creditor dies, how can we make him cough up the bribes he swallowed? What use is a dead General Mu to us? We need a living General Mu. Therefore, upon hearing the shocking news that General Mu was murdered, our Shuixi family immediately rushed here to help the imperial army capture the real culprit. The terrain here is complex – our Shuixi family can assist General Ma in searching the mountains.”
The staff advisor counseled Ma Ye: “Your Excellency once subjected She Xiang to the humiliation of being whipped on her bare back – such shame and disgrace, how could she endure it? What if she wants to use the pretext of mountain searching to fish in troubled waters and take revenge on Your Excellency? Don’t be deceived. When you suspect someone, don’t use them.”
Ma Ye found this reasonable and loudly rebuked: “When an imperial official is assassinated, the court will handle the matter itself – we don’t need your help. I didn’t request troops from your Shuixi family, so why have you armed yourselves and crossed the river? Such audacity! Retreat immediately!”
Madam She Xiang said: “General Ma, we truly have good intentions. Please, General Ma, see clearly.”
Ma Ye raised his whip: “Tonight, your unauthorized troop deployment has already violated military discipline and regulations. However, considering your good intentions in sharing the court’s burdens, this official is magnanimous and won’t hold it against you. Quickly take your soldiers and retreat. Without my orders, you are not to cross Duck Pool River again.”
Once the Shuidong and Shuixi families joined forces, even the hundred thousand elite troops of Guizhou Guard would struggle to contend with them. So Ma Ye could only use divide-and-conquer tactics, striking one while rewarding another. Currently dealing with the Shuidong family, he had to turn a blind eye to the Shuixi side, causing even Ma Ye’s speech to become more courteous.
“I originally set my heart toward the bright moon, but the bright moon only illuminates the drainage ditch.” Madam She Xiang, calculating that enough time had been stalled and the Shuidong family had made their preparations, sighed and shook her head: “This subordinate takes her leave.”
After She Xiang left, Ma Ye planned to order cannon fire on the city again, but before he could speak, the city gates suddenly burst open.
Ma Ye hadn’t expected Liu Shuzhen to surrender so readily. Pacifying rebellion and massacring surrendering troops were two different matters. The reputation of killing surrendering forces wasn’t pleasant, and moreover, given Mu Chun’s status alone, it wasn’t worth “toppling kingdoms and cities.”
The staff advisor urged: “Your Excellency, while the city defenses are empty, quickly attack – it won’t take any effort at all.”
Ma Ye, being the most outstanding member of the Ma family, wasn’t someone easily swayed by others. He said: “No. To massacre a city and kill surrendering soldiers and civilians for the sake of one Mu Chun – there’s no justification for such action. The stakes aren’t high enough; if we bungle this cleverness, and His Majesty holds us accountable, you and I might both lose our heads.”
As he spoke, two groups of troops filed out in succession. One group was Ming army troops led by the resurrected Mu Chun, carrying banners bearing his “Mu” family name. The other group’s banners had just appeared when Ma Ye felt like a basin of ice water had been poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.
It was the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The leader was fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs – none other than Ji Gang, the famous “Jade-faced Rakshasa” of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a trusted confidant of Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Mao Qiang. Ruthless and merciless, no one in the capital didn’t know him.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard banners were distinct and eye-catching. The flying fish robes woven with gold thread could blind people’s eyes under the torchlight and bright moon, while their Embroidered Spring Knives gleamed coldly with considerable intimidating power.
Ji Gang’s face was expressionless as he rode forward, his right hand raised high holding a gold-woven imperial edict: “Imperial decree! Kneel and receive the edict!”
The trusted followers led by Mu Chun first dismounted and knelt on one knee. Liu Shuzhen, also dressed in military attire, led the Shuidong family’s soldiers and civilians in kneeling.
Ma Ye’s entire body stiffened as he slowly bent his knees.
Imperial commands were like mountains. When the commander knelt, Guizhou Guard collapsed like dominoes – in an instant, a hundred thousand troops knelt in unison. Even Madam She Xiang in the outer perimeter led the Shuixi family’s “reinforcement” troops to halt their retreat and kneel to receive orders.
Ji Gang unrolled the imperial edict: “Guizhou Guard Commander Ma Ye lacks virtue, abuses power and misleads the country, disturbs the people’s peace, and humiliated She Xiang. Ma Ye is stripped of his position as Guizhou Guard Commander. Mu Chun is ordered to take temporary command of Guizhou Guard. By imperial decree.”
At this moment, Mu Chun’s expression was stern and imposing. His usually lazy temperament transformed completely as he displayed an iron token – round with a hole, tied with red silk cord, carved with double dragons above and two qilins below, all characters decorated with gold powder: “This is an imperially bestowed galloping horse token for deploying troops. For urgent military and state affairs, messengers carry this to execute orders. Wherever the token command reaches, immediate compliance is required without delay. Violators will be punished!”
There were forty galloping horse tokens total – twenty with gold characters, twenty with silver characters – normally stored in the imperial palace’s inner treasury, used when the Hongwu Emperor deployed troops and replaced generals.
Seeing the imperial edict and galloping horse token, the staff advisor became greatly alarmed and pointed at Mu Chun holding the token: “People cannot return from death – he’s an impostor! General Ma, don’t be deceived.”
Mu Chun drew his sword and pointed it at the staff advisor: “These are rumors spread by traitors! Who said I died? Who personally witnessed my death? Who saw my corpse?”
No one spoke up.
They had only heard rumors, not witnessed anything personally.
Mu Chun snorted coldly: “I suspected someone wanted to kill me, so I pretended to be crazy and foolish on the surface while secretly staying vigilant. I changed my lodging every night, never sleeping in the same room two nights in a row. Who told you I was dead? That person is the malicious rumormonger!”
Ma Ye looked at the staff advisor beside him with complex emotions. It was the staff advisor who had first told him, insisting that Mu Chun had met with trouble at the Shuidong family and had been killed. Could it be that he had acted on his own authority, sending people to orchestrate this explosion?
Seeing Ma Ye’s suspicious gaze, the staff advisor knew he might no longer be able to control this puppet. However, he wasn’t ready to give up and made one final desperate attempt:
“General Ma, His Majesty must have some misunderstanding about you. You are Her Majesty the Empress’s own nephew. His Majesty has always respected the Empress – their harmonious relationship is known to all. How could he disregard Her Majesty the Empress’s dignity and strip you of your position and publicly humiliate you for the sake of a mere barbarian woman? “
Ma Ye was startled. The staff advisor’s words weren’t unreasonable. I am the Empress’s own nephew – the Empress couldn’t possibly not care about me. How could there be an empress who would cut off her own arm?
The staff advisor continued fanning the flames: “Therefore, I suspect this is the barbarian woman’s treacherous scheme – she secretly went to the capital and slandered you. If you sit passively awaiting death without any defense or resistance, not only will you lose your head alone, but you’ll likely implicate the entire Ma clan. Sir, when a general is in the field, some imperial commands need not be obeyed. I suggest you preserve yourself first, temporarily retain military authority, and submit a memorial of self-defense tomorrow. I’ll personally deliver the self-defense memorial to the capital and present it to His Majesty.”
Having spoken, the staff advisor turned to address the officers and soldiers of Guizhou Guard: “Everyone, General Ma has been stationed in Yunnan-Guizhou territory since the fourteenth year of Hongwu, resisting barbarian intrusions and Northern Yuan border violations. He has treated you all well – whenever there were spoils of war, he distributed them to you all first, never keeping anything for himself. Whenever there were military merits, he always recommended rewards based on merit. The Yunnan-Guizhou region is remote with difficult roads, and military pay supplies are often delayed. General Ma used his own salary to advance military wages. His daily meals never exceeded two dishes, and when his official robes tore, he mended and patched them rather than buying new ones. Calling him ‘clean as water’ wouldn’t be excessive. Tell me, isn’t this true?”
All the officers and soldiers agreed, and their deflated morale was reinvigorated.
Because Empress Ma strictly controlled her clan members and advised the Hongwu Emperor to give the Ma family generous wealth but not official positions, the Ma family lived comfortably. Ma Ye didn’t need to embezzle, and his family also lived well, thus he had always maintained integrity. His reputation in court had always been good, which was why Empress Ma made an exception to her principle of not having Ma family members serve as officials, allowing the Hongwu Emperor to entrust this nephew with important duties.
However, Empress Ma hadn’t seen Ma Ye’s flaw: Ma Ye had no interest in money, but he wanted to obtain the Earl of Chengen title he deserved and elevate his power and status.
Everyone is driven by desire, and someone had exploited Ma Ye’s desires.
The staff advisor pointed to the distant fields: “Guizhou Guard stations a hundred thousand troops here – such a massive number means supplies are always insufficient. Though the Shuidong and Shuixi families contribute horses and grain, it’s still a drop in the bucket. Fortunately, General Ma personally rolled up his trouser legs, wielded iron hoes, and pioneered wasteland cultivation, leading by example. To this day, he has established eight thousand acres of military farmland, solving the eating problems of all officers and soldiers through self-sufficiency. His Majesty doesn’t want such a good official, but instead wants Mu Chun, who spends his days in debauchery and lives in drunken dreams, to command Guizhou Guard temporarily? Our Emperor is wise and sage! He must have been deceived by petty people and wronged General Ma. Tell me, isn’t this true?”
Guizhou Guard was built from scratch by Ma Ye, who had always been self-disciplined and strong, commanding considerable prestige. Honestly speaking, except for the few hundred personal followers Mu Chun brought with him, no one else in Guizhou Guard respected him, feeling his official position came entirely from having Marquis Xiping as his father.
The officers and soldiers were reluctant to part with Ma Ye as their superior and raised their weapons, shouting loudly: “Injustice! Injustice!”
The staff advisor raised his arms and called out: “General Ma has been wronged! I must go to the capital to cry injustice for General Ma and beseech Her Majesty the Empress to uphold justice!”
Now even Ma Ye showed eager intent on his face, his ambitions rekindling from their ashes.
Seeing mutiny about to break out, Mu Chun smiled coldly: “I knew they would use Her Majesty the Empress to make their case. Someone, please invite Palace Official Hu.”
Hu Shanwei, wearing a black gauze cap and official robes, slowly walked out from the center, with Mu Chun on her left and Ji Gang behind her – two high-ranking military officers flanking her to display her status.
Hu Shanwei opened the bright yellow imperial decree: “I am Palace Official Hu of the Palace Administration Bureau serving beside Her Majesty the Empress. By the Empress’s command, I have come to Guizhou to deliver an imperial decree. Guizhou Pacification Office Assistant Administrator She Xiang and criminal Ma Ye, receive the decree!”
Ma Ye, being an imperial relative, was often summoned to the palace by Empress Ma for instruction and education. He knew that Palace Officials were Empress Ma’s mouthpiece, specifically for conveying the Empress’s intentions.
Ma Ye’s last glimmer of hope was extinguished with Hu Shanwei’s appearance. The backbone that had just straightened under the staff advisor’s incitement bent down again as he prostrated and said: “Criminal Ma Ye receives the decree.”
Madam She Xiang had prepared early and hurried forward to kneel: “Your subject She Xiang receives the decree.”
Hu Shanwei proclaimed: “Learning with shock that Pacification Office Pacification Commissioner Liu Shuzhen went to the capital to file an imperial complaint – that nephew Ma Ye relied on his status as an imperial relative to abuse power and mislead the country, disturb the people’s peace, and humiliate She Xiang, provoking popular anger – I am deeply concerned. The hundred thousand soldiers of Guizhou Guard and the Yi people of the Shuidong and Shuixi families are all subjects of our Great Ming. All subjects of our Great Ming must not kill each other. I specially dispatch this Palace Official to Guizhou bearing generous gifts to comfort the Shuidong and Shuixi families. She Xiang is a court minister and also a lady with imperial honors. I summon Madam She Xiang to the capital for an audience and order nephew Ma Ye to bind himself and accompany her to the capital along with Madam She Xiang for confrontation, awaiting the Ministry of War to investigate and clarify the facts and impose punishment according to military regulations.”
The Hongwu Emperor’s imperial edict and Empress Ma’s decree complemented each other – one firm, one gentle. The Hongwu Emperor’s thunderous methods stripped Ma Ye of his military authority; Empress Ma was benevolent and sincere, reasonable and just, comforting the Yi people while also appeasing Guizhou Guard’s resentment.
Even Empress Ma, his final backing, had abandoned him. Ma Ye’s ambitions for fame and profit completely evaporated. He immediately removed his armor and took off his helmet: “The criminal receives the decree.”
The tide had turned!
The staff advisor looked coldly at Ma Ye, who knelt prostrate on the ground like a turtle, trembling: What a hopeless case! Her Majesty overestimated his ambition. This person is someone with high aspirations but low abilities. When the emperor is far away, he can still swagger and take risks. But once imperial majesty descends, Ma Ye doesn’t even have the courage to fight desperately – he was suppressed by just one imperial edict, one galloping horse token, and one imperial decree.
More than a year of exhaustive scheming had come to this result… Enough, enough. Fortunately, I still have one final move to protect my comrades and Her Majesty.
The staff advisor suddenly, with lightning speed, drew his blade and slashed toward Ma Ye’s neck!
Ma Ye was completely unprepared. The dignified Guizhou Guard Commander was actually killed by his staff advisor, who severed his windpipe – he died instantly!
Ji Gang had been standing in front protecting Hu Shanwei, so he was closest to Ma Ye and arrived first. He tightly gripped the staff advisor’s right hand holding the dagger and executed a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw, subduing the staff advisor and seizing the dagger.
But the staff advisor suddenly foamed at the mouth, his body convulsed violently like he was having seizures, his neck stiffened, and he died too. It turned out he had already taken poison before the assassination, determined to die. Even in death, he wanted to drag someone down with him.