Meng Chong was a cook who flipped ladles. He had never attended the Inner Academy, possessed not a trace of literary education, and could only understand cooking techniques, recipes, and crude storybooks. He could comprehend opera lyrics, but even memorial documents needed to be translated into vernacular for him to understand their meaning.

The eunuchs in the Forbidden City served in twenty-four different departments, with the Ceremonial Directorate at the top and the Imperial Kitchen at the bottom. According to unspoken rules, cooks were servants who attended to others, constantly covered in soot and grime, lacking refinement and facing discrimination. The Ceremonial Directorate served before the emperor as his confidants, dealing daily with literary matters and handling affairs of state. Therefore, throughout history, Chief Eunuchs of the Imperial Kitchen could never ascend to the position of Chief Eunuch of the Ceremonial Directorate.

Controlling the Imperial Kitchen meant one’s career had reached its peak—that was it for life.

Yet this cook Meng Chong had won the emperor’s favor by presenting red pills and solving Emperor Longqing’s problems with plowing and sowing in his lower regions. When Gao Gong and Xu Jie’s political struggle left both defeated and they resigned to return home for retirement, there was a wandering knight in the capital named Shao Fang from Danyang County in Yingtian Prefecture. He was charitable and had extensive connections, moving in both legitimate and illegitimate circles. People called him the Danyang Hero, usually addressing him as Hero Shao.

Hero Shao first went to Jiangning to find Xu Jie, saying he could help him return to the Cabinet. Xu Jie didn’t believe a mere knight-errant could accomplish this, offered a few perfunctory words, and served tea to dismiss him.

Hero Shao felt insulted and went to visit Gao Gong at his hometown. Gao Gong was down on his luck at the time and, being advanced in age, thought his comeback was hopeless. Hero Shao beat his chest promising he could help Gao Gong return to the Cabinet. Though Gao Gong also didn’t believe a mere knight could accomplish this, he thought… what if? With a trial attitude, Gao Gong gave Hero Shao some gold and silver to go to the capital and smooth relationships.

Hero Shao took the money to the capital and visited Meng Chong, who was then still the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen. He heavily bribed Meng Chong to speak well of Gao Gong before Emperor Longqing.

Meng Chong was a cook—he only knew how to prepare food, not medicine. The red pills were bought from pleasure quarters outside the palace. Hero Shao had extensive connections and knew people who prepared medicines, so Meng Chong and Hero Shao had previous dealings.

Meng Chong took the money and frequently mentioned Gao Gong before Emperor Longqing while occasionally speaking ill of Xu Jie. Just as Emperor Longqing felt handling government affairs was too difficult after his teacher and Xu Jie left the Cabinet and the Cabinet lacked capable talent, and since Gao Gong was a trusted teacher, he restored Gao Gong to the Cabinet.

Gao Gong hadn’t expected Hero Shao to actually accomplish the task! When he wanted to thank Hero Shao, the hero said, “When the deed is done, I brush off my clothes and leave, hiding my achievements and fame deep”—this was all Meng Chong’s merit, as a mere knight-errant could never speak directly with the emperor.

Originally, Gao Gong looked down on the cook Meng Chong who presented red pills, considering his methods crude and despicable for harming the dragon’s body to curry favor. However, upon hearing that Meng Chong had retrieved him from political exile, he immediately changed his attitude and became “the closest of friends” with Meng Chong.

After the previous Chief Eunuch of the Ceremonial Directorate, Chen Hong, committed crimes and was demoted to sweep toilets as a guard at the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, Gao Gong strongly recommended Meng Chong for Chief Eunuch of the Ceremonial Directorate before Emperor Longqing, disregarding both the rule that the Ceremonial Directorate must be staffed by Inner Academy graduates and the rule that Imperial Kitchen personnel could not enter the Ceremonial Directorate.

This action by Gao Gong aroused the dissatisfaction of palace eunuchs like Feng Bao who came from the Inner Academy and possessed cultural education.

When things are unequal, complaints arise. This was like a civil service examination five hundred years later where a position required a bachelor’s degree or higher, but after written and oral exams, someone with only elementary education was hired.

Because it broke the rules. If Meng Chong became Chief Eunuch of the Ceremonial Directorate, then all the efforts of those who had studied diligently in the Inner Academy—slapping each other when they couldn’t compose poetry due to poor performance, enduring over three years of hard study—would become a joke!

Just as entering the Cabinet required being a Hanlin Academy scholar, these were universally accepted rules of the game. Gao Gong had broken the rules, and since most of the chief eunuchs of the twenty-four palace departments came from the Inner Academy, they were dissatisfied with Gao Gong’s exceptional promotion of Meng Chong.

Though Meng Chong became the Chief Eunuch, he couldn’t actually control the twenty-four departments and was sidelined. Moreover, Eastern Depot Director Feng Bao thoroughly investigated his background and sent a pile of dirt to Wang Daxia.

Meng Chong knew he lacked the ability to secure this position and control the Inner Academy graduates, making him even more dependent on Gao Gong.

Originally, the Ceremonial Directorate and Cabinet were equal in status. When handling the same government matter, the Cabinet’s opinion was called a “draft proposal,” while the Ceremonial Directorate’s annotation of the Cabinet’s draft proposal was called “imperial annotation.” Imperial annotations and draft proposals checked each other—an important means of imperial power balance to prevent the emperor from being manipulated by either the Ceremonial Directorate or Cabinet.

However, since Meng Chong became Chief Eunuch of the Ceremonial Directorate, his imperial annotations always agreed with whatever draft proposals Gao Gong from the Cabinet produced, using phrases like “agree with Cabinet opinion” and never opposing Gao Gong.

Meng Chong had become Gao Gong’s puppet, allowing Gao Gong to monopolize power and become increasingly tyrannical, further convinced that his recommendation of Meng Chong was wise.

Now, regarding the Lu family case submitted by the Ministry of Justice, the Cabinet’s draft proposal was: “Exhume grave for corporal punishment. Execute Lu Yi, Lu Cai, and Yan Shaoting. Exile female family members and minors to Tieling.”

Meng Chong planned to write “agree” as usual, lifting his brush when Wang Daxia requested an audience.

The Ceremonial Directorate was in the Forbidden City. Wang Daxia was from the Imperial Guard. Meng Chong held his brush tip suspended in air. “Wang Daxia doesn’t serve before the emperor—why has he entered the palace?”

A subordinate said: “He says he’s escorting his wife, Doctor Wei, into the palace to check Imperial Consort’s pulse for peace. As soon as Commander Wang entered the palace, he said he’d obtained some great treasure to share with the old master.”

Powerful elderly eunuchs in the palace disliked being called “Eunuch” and preferred the respectful address “Old Master.”

For Imperial Consort Li’s sake, Meng Chong placed his vermillion brush on the brush rest. “Let him in.”

Wang Daxia said: “My wife will leave the palace after checking Imperial Consort’s pulse—time is urgent, so I won’t beat around the bush with the old master. Today I want to present you with a great treasure.”

Wang Daxia produced an imperial arrest warrant. “Old master, please look at this.”

Meng Chong’s expression immediately changed upon seeing it. He reached to grab the warrant, but Wang Daxia was quick—he stuffed the warrant into his clothes while Meng Chong only grabbed his chest.

“Oh my.” Wang Daxia gave a coquettish gasp. “Old master wants to make me blush.”

What kind of creature is this! Meng Chong withdrew his claws. “This is an imperial warrant issued by our Ceremonial Directorate. How did you get it?”

Imperial warrants were arrest documents issued by the Ceremonial Directorate on the emperor’s behalf, sent to the Ministry of Justice for official seal validation. With such warrants, people could be arrested directly—any obstruction would be defying imperial orders, punishable by death.

However, the imperial warrant in Wang Daxia’s hands was fake.

Meng Chong’s adopted son, Minor Supervisor Huang Xiong of the Imperial Wardrobe, was skilled at accumulating wealth and had long been lending money at usurious rates outside the palace. With his adopted father Meng Chong as backing, he became increasingly brazen. When collecting debts, he resorted to extortion and force, eventually clashing with local people in mutual combat that reached Patrol Censor Yang Song. The court strictly prohibited usury, and Huang Xiong’s men had severely injured multiple civilians. Yang Song, an upright official, immediately detained and interrogated Huang Xiong.

Huang Xiong panicked and sent people to beg his adopted father Meng Chong for rescue. Meng Chong, who usually received considerable “filial offerings” from his adopted sons, knew that if investigated, he couldn’t escape involvement. Since Meng Chong controlled the Ceremonial Directorate and had many blank imperial warrants, he created a false warrant, carved a fake Ministry of Justice seal from a radish, stamped it on the warrant, and demanded Censor Yang Song release the prisoner.

Seeing an imperial warrant was like seeing the emperor himself—Yang Song dared not question it and immediately released Huang Xiong.

All imperial warrants had to be returned to the Ceremonial Directorate for filing. The fake warrant was almost equivalent to forging imperial edicts. Meng Chong had planned to find an opportunity to destroy it, but unexpectedly, the warrant appeared in Wang Daxia’s hands.

Meng Chong asked: “What do you want? Promotion? Wealth? I can satisfy you.”

Wang Daxia pointed to the Ministry of Justice memorial awaiting imperial annotation on the desk. “I remember the old master has no grudge against the Lu family. You should also know that Fourth Miss Lu is now my wife’s sister-in-law. The night before last, our two families dined together. Everyone knows I fear my wife. When someone makes my wife unhappy, she takes it out on me, and I have no peaceful days. I dare not offend my wife—don’t I dare take action against others?”

“Therefore, it’s better to resolve enmities than create them. Leave some face when dealing with people for easier future encounters. Give me some face, old master. After the matter is settled, I’ll return the fake warrant to you. Everyone will be happy—how about it?”

Wang Daxia waved the fake warrant he’d warmed against his chest. “Don’t try to deny it. If this matter of forging imperial edicts reaches the emperor’s ears, will His Majesty believe your word or Imperial Consort Li’s? Her Majesty detests usurers most in life.”

Meng Chong’s voice trembled. “Imperial Consort knows?”

“Not yet.” Wang Daxia spoke like reciting tongue twisters. “Whether she’ll know in the future depends on how the old master writes his imperial annotation. Well, my wife is probably leaving the palace now. Farewell.”

Meng Chong had always followed Gao Gong’s wishes in everything, but this time, his imperial annotation was completely opposite to Gao Gong’s draft proposal.

Emperor Longqing found this interesting and summoned Meng Chong to ask what was happening.

Serving the emperor was like accompanying a tiger. Meng Chong, who had risen through flattery, deeply understood what Emperor Longqing liked and disliked. He said: “Your Majesty, the late emperor failed to judge people clearly and indulged Lu Bing’s corruption—there’s a confiscation inventory as evidence, ironclad proof. He should indeed suffer posthumous punishment according to law. However, Lu Bing’s children wholeheartedly served to relieve Your Majesty’s concerns—the dark omens in the prince’s residence, the Crown Prince being poisoned with smallpox, even the great defeat of the White Lotus Sect and facilitating the Longqing Peace Treaty. Your Majesty is a wise ruler unlike the late emperor—you distinguish clearly between gratitude and resentment. The Lu family has both faults and merits. If we exterminate them completely, wouldn’t people criticize you as no different from the late emperor?”

“Therefore, this servant believes we should give the Lu family a chance to atone through merit. All money Lu Bing embezzled should be surrendered to the national treasury, while his sons and sons-in-law serve in military exile to continue compensating for their father’s errors. Sons paying their father’s debts is natural justice. This would demonstrate Your Majesty’s sage wisdom and generous tolerance, far more brilliant than the late emperor.”

Emperor Longqing detested his father most—he always opposed whatever his father would have done, determined to be different. Meng Chong had grasped the emperor’s psychology perfectly.

Emperor Longqing issued an edict: “Bing betrayed the state and abused power, manipulating authority and harming innocents. He should indeed suffer complete posthumous punishment. However, since he has been dead for some time, we merely strip his official rank and revoke his imperial patents. Yi and Cai are dismissed from office and exiled to Tieling for military service. Assets and stolen goods are confiscated as proposed. Shaoting is sent beyond the passes as a commoner to assist border defenses in permanent military service.”