Chapter 58: The Execution

Chen Yuanyuan and Wang Yue clung to each other in sorrow, their weeping filling the tent with a heavy gloom, when suddenly Zhen Youcai’s voice sounded from outside: “Madam, might I come in and say a word?”

“Master Zhen?” Chen Yuanyuan hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks and replied softly, “Please come in.”

Zhen Youcai lifted the curtain and entered, first bowing deeply, then lowering his head as he spoke: “Madam, there is something I must say.”

“Please speak, Master,” Chen Yuanyuan said.

Zhen Youcai continued, “On my way back to camp, I saw Minister Chen of the War Department leaving. If my guess is correct, he must have come to see you, Madam?”

Chen Yuanyuan nodded. “Yes.”

Zhen Youcai went on, “Though I did not overhear what Minister Chen said to you, I could guess with my eyes closed what his words were! Madam, at this critical moment, you must not go to the prison to see the General—still less should you heed Minister Chen’s nonsense and seek your own end.”

Chen Yuanyuan was startled. “Master, you—?”

Zhen Youcai kept his gaze lowered, not daring to meet the eyes of Chen Yuanyuan or Wang Yue. “Madam believes herself to be the obstacle between the General and Her Highness, that if only you died, the General could become the Emperor’s son-in-law and escape further peril. But the truth is the very opposite. If you were to take your own life now, with the General’s temperament, he would never accept the marriage with the princess. He would likely rebel at once, and then he would truly be doomed.”

Chen Yuanyuan, quick-witted as she was, immediately grasped the meaning of Zhen Youcai’s words. If she were to kill herself at such a time, Wang Pu would surely blame the Emperor and Chen Xinjia, believing it was they who drove her to death. With Wang Pu’s disposition, he would never agree to become the imperial son-in-law, and thus, she would only bring disaster upon him.

Realizing the danger she had nearly caused, Chen Yuanyuan broke out in a cold sweat and bowed respectfully to Zhen Youcai.

Zhen Youcai continued, “Madam, the General is engaged in a contest of wills with His Majesty. The Emperor wants to force the General to divorce you and remarry, while the General insists on keeping you as his principal wife. It is now a matter of who can outlast the other—whoever yields first must concede. At this crucial moment, you must not visit the prison, lest you complicate matters further.”

Chen Yuanyuan nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Master Zhen, for your counsel.”

Zhen Youcai clasped his hands and said, “Since you have understood, Madam, I shall take my leave. I must soon visit Lord Tian’s residence, hoping to seek assistance through Lady Tian, the Imperial Consort.”

---

Two days later, in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

As was her custom, Princess Changping came to pay her respects to Empress Zhou. Because the Emperor had issued a strict gag order, no one in the palace dared speak openly of the princess’s marriage to Wang Pu. Yet the matter had become a thorn in Changping’s heart, robbing her of both sleep and appetite; after just a few days, she had grown visibly thinner.

Princess Changping had never even seen Wang Pu. She admired him from afar but felt no real affection. Her torment arose wholly from anxiety over her own future happiness. The Emperor had forbidden even the court officials to discuss the matter, as if by forcibly erasing it he could make it vanish from everyone’s mind.

But Changping could not forget.

For women of good family in this age, reputation and virtue were paramount, regardless of station. The Emperor had publicly promised her in marriage. If, in the end, Changping could not wed Wang Pu, her reputation would be irreparably stained. She would never again have the face to marry another, nor did she wish to live on in shame.

Watching her daughter waste away day by day, Empress Zhou was at her wits’ end, and even the visiting Duke Zhou could only sigh and shake his head.

The Duke sighed heavily, saying, “How much bitterness must Ru’er suffer.”

Empress Zhou choked back tears. “Who knows how this will end.”

Just then, the Emperor’s second son, Zhu Cijiong, came bursting into the palace in a panic, shouting, “Mother! It’s everywhere—everyone’s heard!”

Empress Zhou glared at him. “What is everywhere?”

Zhu Cijiong replied, “Of course, the tragic love story of Wang Pu and that courtesan, and the matter of my sister’s marriage! All of Beijing is saying that Father is forcing Wang Pu to divorce his faithful wife and marry the princess, but Wang Pu would rather die than betray his first wife—he refuses to become another Chen Shimei.”

“What?” Empress Zhou cried out. “This has spread throughout the capital?”

“Yes,” Zhu Cijiong nodded. “Now all nine of the great opera troupes and countless storytellers in teahouses and taverns are performing Wang Pu’s tale. They say he’s steadfast and loyal, unwilling to cast aside his wife for power, while Father and Minister Chen are trying to force him to do so.”

“This has truly spread?” Empress Zhou and Duke Zhou exchanged worried glances.

“What are we to do now?”

“Mother, I cannot go on living!” Princess Changping wailed, covering her face as she fled in tears.

---

In the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Wang Cheng’en rushed breathlessly into the warm chamber, falling to his knees and gasping, “Your Majesty, there’s trouble!”

The Emperor did not raise his head. “What has happened?”

Wang Cheng’en reported, “I’ve just learned that all nine opera troupes in Beijing, along with many storytellers in the city’s tea and wine houses, are telling the tale of General Wang and the Princess. Now everyone in the capital knows of it.”

“What did you say?” The Emperor abruptly looked up, his voice cold. “You mean my promise to wed Ru’er to Wang Pu has spread throughout the city?”

Wang Cheng’en wore a pained expression. “There’s more, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s face darkened. “What more?”

Wang Cheng’en continued, “Rumor has it that Wang Pu refuses to divorce his wife for another, while Your Majesty and Minister Chen insist on forcing him to abandon his faithful companion.”

“Outrageous!” The Emperor slammed his desk in fury, though there was a note of unease in his tone.

He had made the promise in front of every official of rank in the capital; it was no wonder the story had spread. Now there was no point in seeking out the source of the leak—the damage was done, and it was too late to silence the rumors.

This had made matters exceedingly difficult: the Emperor was now riding a tiger from which he could not dismount. If he executed Wang Pu, he would only confirm the rumors, and Wang Pu would be remembered as a man of deep feeling, while the Emperor would be reviled for destroying true love—a slap in his own face.

More importantly, the court would lose a formidable general, something the Emperor least desired.

Yet if he relented and allowed Princess Changping to be Wang Pu’s secondary wife, the Emperor could not bear the humiliation: for a princess to share rank with a courtesan was a disgrace to the royal family. Moreover, as Emperor, the supreme sovereign, how could he be seen to yield to a mere general?

The Emperor paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back, then suddenly stopped and called out, “Wang Cheng’en!”

Wang Cheng’en hurried forward, bowing low. “Your servant is here.”

The Emperor spoke gravely: “Go at once to the prison and deliver my message to Wang Pu: he has two choices. First, divorce that courtesan at once and become my imperial son-in-law in splendid fashion. Second, at noon tomorrow, he and the Tartar prince Hong Taiji will both be taken to Caishikou and executed by dismemberment!”

Pressed by circumstance, the Emperor was forced to lay his cards on the table.

Wang Cheng’en shuddered. “D-dismembered?”

The Emperor roared, “Go at once!”

Wang Cheng’en cautiously asked, “Is this to be a secret edict, Your Majesty, or—”

“It is no secret!” the Emperor thundered. “Yesterday at court, Liu Zongzhou, Li Banghua, and those other censors jointly submitted a memorial calling for Wang Pu’s death. I now approve their request—Wang Pu is to be punished with the utmost severity. Tomorrow at noon, he will be taken to Caishikou and executed as a warning to all!”

“Your servant obeys,” Wang Cheng’en answered, his voice trembling. “I will go to the prison at once to deliver the imperial command.”