Meng Chong was a cook who wielded a wok ladle, having never studied in the Inner Study Hall and possessing no literary refinement. He could only comprehend cooking temperatures, recipes, and crude storybooks, understand opera librettos, and even memorials required someone to translate them into vernacular language for him to grasp their meaning.
Eunuchs in the Forbidden City served in twenty-four departments, with the Directorate of Ceremonial at the top and the Imperial Kitchen at the bottom. By unwritten rule, cooks were servants—covered in dust and grime all day, lacking prestige—and were widely discriminated against. Meanwhile, the Directorate of Ceremonial served directly before the emperor as his confidants, constantly engaged with documents and handling affairs of state and military. Thus, throughout history, no Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen had ever risen to become the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch.
To oversee the Imperial Kitchen meant one's career had reached its end—a lifetime confined to that role.
Yet Meng Chong, this cook, won the emperor's favor by presenting the Red Pill, which solved the Longqing Emperor's issue with "plowing and sowing" in his lower body. At a time when Gao Gong and Xu Jie had wounded each other in political strife and both retired to their hometowns, a wandering knight named Shao Fang from Danyang County, Yingtian Prefecture, appeared in the capital. Known for his generosity, extensive connections, and dealings with both lawful and unlawful circles, he was called the Danyang Knight, commonly referred to as Knight Shao.
Knight Shao first went to Jiangning to seek out Xu Jie, claiming he could help him return to the Grand Secretariat. Xu Jie, distrustful of a wandering knight, dismissed him with a few perfunctory words and saw him out with tea.
Feeling insulted, Knight Shao then visited Gao Gong in his hometown. Gao Gong, then down on his luck and advanced in years, believed his chances of returning to power were slim. Knight Shao thumped his chest and promised to help Gao Gong re-enter the Grand Secretariat. Though Gao Gong also doubted that a mere wandering knight could achieve this, he thought, "What if?" Adopting a trial attitude, he gave Knight Shao some gold and silver to go to the capital and pull strings.
With the money, Knight Shao went to the capital and visited Meng Chong, then still the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, bribing him heavily to speak well of Gao Gong before the Longqing Emperor.
Meng Chong was a cook; he knew how to prepare meals, not medicine. The Red Pill had been purchased by him from pleasure quarters outside the palace. Knight Shao, with his wide network, knew people who made such pills, so Meng Chong and Knight Shao had prior dealings.
After accepting the money, Meng Chong frequently mentioned Gao Gong to the Longqing Emperor and occasionally spoke ill of Xu Jie. Coincidentally, after his tutor and Xu Jie left the Grand Secretariat, the Longqing Emperor found handling state affairs too burdensome, and the Grand Secretariat lacked capable talent. Gao Gong, being his deeply trusted tutor, was thus reinstated and returned to the Grand Secretariat.
Gao Gong had never expected Knight Shao to actually succeed! He wanted to thank Knight Shao, but Knight Shao "brushed his clothes and departed, concealing his merit and fame," saying it was all Meng Chong's doing—a wandering knight like him could not speak directly to the emperor.
Originally, Gao Gong looked down on Meng Chong, the cook who presented the Red Pill, considering his method of harming the emperor's health to curry favor despicable and his character contemptible. However, upon hearing that Meng Chong had pulled him back into the Grand Secretariat, he immediately changed his attitude and became "sworn friends" with Meng Chong.
When the former Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch Chen Hong committed an offense and was demoted to sweep toilets in the Purified Army at the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, Gao Gong overruled all objections. Disregarding the two rules that the Directorate of Ceremonial must come from the Inner Study Hall and that the Imperial Kitchen could not enter the Directorate of Ceremonial, he vigorously recommended Meng Chong to the Longqing Emperor for the position of Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch.
Gao Gong's move provoked dissatisfaction among cultured eunuchs in the palace, such as Feng Bao, who had originated from the Inner Study Hall.Injustice will always provoke outcry. This is akin to a scenario five hundred years later, where a national civil service examination requires a bachelor's degree as the minimum qualification for a position, yet after written tests and interviews, someone with only an elementary school education gets selected.
It's because the rules were broken. If Meng Chong were to become the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch, then all the hard work of those who had studied diligently in the Inner Study Hall—even slapping each other when they couldn't compose poems due to poor academic performance—and endured over three years of grueling study would become a joke!
Just as entering the Grand Secretariat must be through the Hanlin Academy's Shujishi path, these are the unspoken rules of the game. Gao Gong broke these rules. Most of the high-ranking eunuchs in the palace's twenty-four departments were graduates of the Inner Study Hall, and they resented Gao Gong's exceptional promotion of Meng Chong.
Though Meng Chong became the Grand Eunuch, he couldn't actually control the twenty-four departments and was effectively sidelined. Feng Bao, the Chief of the Eastern Depot, even uncovered his weaknesses and handed a pile of incriminating evidence to Wang Daxia.
Meng Chong himself knew he lacked the ability to secure his position and command the eunuchs from the Inner Study Hall, so he clung even more tightly to Gao Gong.
Originally, the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat were on equal footing. When handling the same government affairs, the Grand Secretariat's opinion was called the Draft Recommendation, while the Directorate of Ceremonial's endorsement of it was termed the Red Vermillion Endorsement. These two mechanisms checked and balanced each other, serving as a crucial tool for the emperor to maintain power equilibrium and prevent either the Directorate of Ceremonial or the Grand Secretariat from overshadowing the throne.
But ever since Meng Chong assumed the role of Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch, whenever Gao Gong from the Grand Secretariat submitted a Draft Recommendation, Meng Chong's Red Vermillion Endorsement was always along the lines of "Agree with the Grand Secretariat's opinion," never opposing Gao Gong.
Meng Chong became Gao Gong's puppet, allowing Gao Gong to monopolize power and grow increasingly arrogant, further convincing himself that recommending Meng Chong had been a wise decision.
Now, the Lu family's case was submitted by the Ministry of Justice, with the Grand Secretariat's Draft Recommendation stating: "Exhume and desecrate the corpses, execute Lu Yi, Lu Cai, and Yan Shaoting by beheading, and exile the female relatives and minors to Tieling."
Meng Chong intended to follow his usual practice and write "Agree" with his brush, but Wang Daxia requested an audience.
The Directorate of Ceremonial was located in the Forbidden City, and Wang Daxia was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Meng Chong's brush hovered mid-air. "Wang Daxia doesn't serve directly in the imperial presence; how did he enter the palace?"
His subordinate replied, "He said he escorted his wife, Doctor Wei, into the palace to check Consort Li's pulse. Once Patrol Inspector Wang entered, he claimed to have obtained some great treasure and wished to share it with you, Elder Sir.In the palace, influential senior eunuchs disliked being called "Gonggong" and were respectfully addressed as "Elder Sir.""
Out of consideration for Consort Li, Meng Chong set his vermillion brush down on the Pen Rest Mountain. "Let him in."
Wang Daxia said, "My wife will leave the palace right after checking Consort Li's pulse, so time is short. I won't beat around the bush, Elder Sir. Today, I've brought you a great treasure."
Wang Daxia produced an Arrest Warrant. "Take a look at this, Elder Sir."
At the sight of it, Meng Chong's face changed dramatically. He reached out to snatch the Arrest Warrant, but Wang Daxia was quicker, tucking it into his clothes. Meng Chong only managed to grab his chest.
"Ah!" Wang Daxia let out a delicate gasp. "Elder Sir, you're trying to embarrass me."
What on earth is this thing! Meng Chong retracted his hand. "This is an Arrest Warrant issued by our Directorate of Ceremonial. How did you get it?"
An Arrest Warrant was a detention document issued by the Directorate of Ceremonial under the emperor's orders, sent to the Ministry of Justice for sealing to take effect. With it, one could directly arrest individuals; any resistance was considered defying the imperial decree and punishable by death.
However, the Arrest Warrant in Wang Daxia's hand was a forgery.Meng Chong's godson, Huang Xiong, the Junior Supervisor of the Directorate of Imperial Garments, had a talent for amassing wealth. For a long time, he had been lending usurious loans outside the palace. With Meng Chong as his godfather and protector, he grew increasingly unscrupulous, resorting to extortion and coercion when collecting debts. This eventually led to a conflict with local commoners, escalating into a brawl that reached the attention of Yang Song, the Censor of the City Patrol. The court strictly prohibited usurious loans, and Huang Xiong's men had severely injured several commoners. Yang Song, an upright official, immediately detained Huang Xiong for interrogation.
Huang Xiong panicked and sent someone to beg his godfather Meng Chong to save him. Meng Chong, who had received numerous "tributes" from his godson, knew he couldn't escape implication if this were investigated. As the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Meng Chong had access to many blank arrest warrants. He forged one, carving a fake Ministry of Justice seal from a radish to stamp the warrant, demanding that Censor Yang Song release Huang Xiong.
An arrest warrant was as authoritative as an imperial decree itself. Yang Song dared not question it and immediately freed Huang Xiong.
All arrest warrants were required to be returned to the Directorate of Ceremonial for archiving. A forged warrant was akin to fabricating an imperial edict. Meng Chong had intended to destroy the fake warrant at the first opportunity, but to his surprise, it ended up in Wang Daxia's hands.
Meng Chong asked, "What do you want? A promotion? Wealth? I can grant you anything."
Wang Daxia pointed at the Ministry of Justice memorial on the desk awaiting red vermillion endorsement. "As I recall, you have no grudge against the Lu family, sir. You should also know that the Lu family's fourth daughter is now my wife's sister-in-law. Just two nights ago, our two families dined together. As everyone knows, I, Wang Daxia, fear my wife. If someone upsets her, she takes it out on me, and my life becomes miserable. I dare not offend my wife, but I have no qualms about dealing with others."
"So, it's better to resolve enmities than to perpetuate them. Leave room for reconciliation—it makes future meetings easier. Do me this favor, sir. Once it's done, I'll return the fake warrant to you. Everyone wins. How about it?"
Wang Daxia pulled out the fake warrant, warmed against his chest, and waved it. "Don't try to deny it. If this matter of forging an imperial decree reaches the emperor, who do you think His Majesty will believe—you or Consort Li? The consort despises those who lend usurious loans above all else."
Meng Chong's voice trembled. "The consort knows?"
"Not yet," Wang Daxia said, as if reciting a tongue twister. "Whether she finds out in the future depends on how you write your red vermillion endorsement. Well, my wife is probably leaving the palace soon. Farewell."
Meng Chong had always followed Gao Gong's suggestions in all matters, but this time, his red vermillion endorsement was the complete opposite of Gao Gong's draft recommendation.
The Longqing Emperor found this intriguing and summoned Meng Chong to inquire about it.
Serving the emperor was like accompanying a tiger. Meng Chong, who had risen through flattery and cunning, understood exactly what the emperor liked and disliked. He replied, "Your Majesty, the previous emperor misjudged character and indulged Lu Bing's corruption. The evidence is ironclad, as shown by the confiscation inventory. He deserved posthumous execution. However, Lu Bing's children have dedicated themselves to easing Your Majesty's burdens—from quelling the Dark Spectre at the hidden residence, to the smallpox poison incident targeting the crown prince, to crushing the White Lotus Sect and facilitating the Longqing Accord. Your Majesty is a wise ruler unlike the previous emperor, one who distinguishes clearly between gratitude and grievance. The Lu family has both faults and merits. If we exterminate them completely, wouldn't we be criticized for being no different from the previous emperor?"
"Thus, this humble servant believes we should give the Lu family a chance to atone for their crimes. Let Lu Bing's ill-gotten wealth be fully surrendered to the state treasury, and have his sons and sons-in-law serve in the military to continue redeeming their father's wrongs. It is only right that children repay their father's debts. Only then can we manifest Your Majesty's sagely wisdom and magnanimity, proving you far wiser than the previous emperor."The Longqing Emperor detested his father, opposing him at every turn and deliberately acting contrary to his ways. Meng Chong understood the emperor's mindset perfectly.
The Longqing Emperor decreed: "Bing betrayed the state, abused power, manipulated authority to display favor or cruelty, and slaughtered the innocent. He deserved to have his corpse mutilated and subjected to the full extent of the law. However, since he has been dead for a long time, we shall merely strip him of his official titles and revoke his honorary mandates. Yi and Cai are dismissed from their posts and exiled to Tieling for military service. The remaining assets and illicit goods, as proposed, shall be confiscated in full. Shaoting is banished beyond the passes to live as a commoner, assigned to garrison the frontier, perpetually serving in the army."
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