Chapter Two: First Encounter

The city of Beijing was divided into four sections: the Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City; the Imperial City; and the Inner and Outer Cities, collectively referred to as the Capital City. Once they left the Imperial City, they arrived at Qipan Street. Situated within Zhengyangmen, this area belonged to the central district of the Inner City. Because of its central location, close to the Imperial City, the palace, and various government departments, it was a bustling thoroughfare, its commerce naturally thriving. Shops lined both sides of the street, making it the liveliest place in the capital.

Li Jinzhong hurried forward and said, “Your Highness, today is not the fourth day of the month, otherwise in the Inner Market, you could find any rare treasure you desire. There are only common goods here, I fear they might not be to your taste.” Zhu Xiaoqi waved his hand dismissively. “No matter, this place is just fine.”

Everything was new and fascinating to him, being here for the first time. He saw that most people wore bright, elegant clothing and moved about with an unhurried air. There were no beggars or vagrants to be seen. The women wore a variety of jackets, skirts, and vests whose names he could not even recall, all adorned with beautiful hair ornaments. It was delightful to behold. The men were dressed in both long robes and short jackets; some wore melon hats, others headscarves, and some simply secured their hair with a net or a jade or wooden hairpin.

Zhu Xiaoqi’s eyes were dazzled by the sights. He sighed inwardly: “A nation is called ‘Hua’ for its splendid attire, and ‘Xia’ for its great etiquette.” Such scenes, such beauty, such a flourishing civilization—how could it all eventually fall to the hands of the Manchus, bringing a devastating blow to five thousand years of Chinese culture? It was truly heartbreaking. Now that he was here, could he stop this fate? Could he change the course of history?

He clenched his fists silently. It was not a question of possibility—it was a necessity. He must change everything, just to avoid the humiliation of the Manchu queue, to let Chinese civilization truly stand tall in the East, and to preserve the beauty before his eyes for generations to come.

After strolling for a while, Zhu Xiaoqi bought several skewers of candied hawthorn, one for each companion, and they walked along, snacking. Suddenly, heavy footsteps thundered from behind. Li Jinzhong became alert, immediately turning to shield Zhu Xiaoqi. They saw a young man in short attire running ahead, panting, pursued by two others—one in a brocade robe, the other in a long gown. The man in the brocade robe appeared to be in his thirties; though running, he seemed composed and at ease. The one in the long gown was about seventeen or eighteen; he’d tucked his hem into his belt and looked much more flustered, his face flushed with anger. He cursed loudly, “You damned thief, stop right there!”

Of course, the thief had no intention of stopping, but Li Jinzhong was not about to let him get close to Zhu Xiaoqi. With a wave of his hand, the two young eunuchs, Xiao Deng and Xiao Li, positioned themselves beside Zhu Xiaoqi. Li Jinzhong stepped forward and kicked the running youth squarely behind the knee, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground. A sachet tumbled out, landing right at Zhu Xiaoqi’s feet.

Zhu Xiaoqi bent down and picked it up. The sachet was embroidered with a lifelike lotus flower in four colors of silk thread, and a small character “Yan” was deftly stitched at the corner in red thread. Bringing it to his nose, he caught a faint, refreshing fragrance that lifted his spirits.

At that moment, the young man in the long gown caught up. Seeing Zhu Xiaoqi holding the sachet, anger flared in his eyes. “You shameless rascal! Have you no decency?” he shouted.

Li Jinzhong took offense. “Young man, you are quite unreasonable. We’ve helped you catch the thief; why do you scold us?” The youth, loath to say that Zhu Xiaoqi had sniffed his sister’s sachet, merely glared at him with simmering resentment.

The man in the brocade robe walked straight to the thief, lifted him with a kick, and stomped hard on his knee. The thief howled in pain; Zhu Xiaoqi heard the crack of bone and was startled. The man then raised a plaque and declared, “Jinyiwei business—stand aside, everyone!” Hearing the name Jinyiwei, the crowd parted somewhat, though they did not scatter entirely. Instead, people pointed and discussed from a distance. Zhu Xiaoqi caught snatches of conversation—all condemning the thief, none criticizing the Jinyiwei. It seemed the Jinyiwei were not as universally feared and loathed as the books suggested.

The man in the brocade robe cupped his hands to Li Jinzhong. “Excellent skill, thank you for your assistance.” Li Jinzhong returned the gesture. The man searched the thief, pulling out a few cloth pouches and a small knife, and turned to the youth in the long gown. “What did you lose?” The youth glared stubbornly at Zhu Xiaoqi, refusing to answer.

The man in the brocade robe glanced over, a smile playing on his lips, which only made the youth angrier. Li Jinzhong understood the situation and whispered to Zhu Xiaoqi, “That’s a lady’s personal item.” Zhu Xiaoqi suddenly realized his action was rather improper, bordering on indecency. Fortunately, he was still young—otherwise, fists might have started flying. Of course, perhaps the only reason that hadn’t happened was Li Jinzhong’s earlier intervention. Feeling guilty but too embarrassed to apologize directly, he whispered to Li Jinzhong, “Just say I’m a fool.” Li Jinzhong was startled and hesitated, not daring to speak. With no better option, Zhu Xiaoqi stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Brother, I have spent my life studying at home and have never seen such an object before. My curiosity got the better of me, and I acted rashly. I beg your pardon.”

Just then, two young girls arrived, breathless from running. The one in front stepped forward and extended a flawless, fair hand before him. Zhu Xiaoqi paused, then carefully placed the sachet in her lotus-like hand, thinking to himself, “What a beautiful hand.” Looking closely, the girl was about fourteen or fifteen, a little taller than himself, with a well-proportioned figure and delicate skin—“soft as blown upon by a gentle breeze” was no exaggeration here. Her face had a hint of youthful roundness. Right now, she was puffing her cheeks, glaring at him as if her eyes could spell out “Still staring?” and then, “Lecher!”

She took back the sachet and, obviously annoyed, turned to stand beside the young man in the long gown, whispering something to him. He cupped his hands to Li Jinzhong and then to the man in the brocade robe in thanks, and led his sister away. After a few steps, he turned to give Zhu Xiaoqi one last resentful glare.

Zhu Xiaoqi was thoroughly embarrassed; Li Jinzhong kept his head lowered, not daring to look at him. The man in the brocade robe seized the moment to interject, “Your servant’s sense of justice is admirable. I am Luo Yangxing, a thousand-household commander of the Jinyiwei, and offer my thanks.” Zhu Xiaoqi and Li Jinzhong welcomed the interruption—Zhu Xiaoqi replied, “It was only right,” while Li Jinzhong asked, “Is Lord Luo related to Commander Luo?” Luo Yangxing replied respectfully, “He is my father. I am not on duty today, but could not ignore such a matter. I must escort the thief to the yamen, so I will take my leave.” They both cupped their hands in farewell.

As Luo Yangxing left, Li Jinzhong quietly explained, “He probably recognized Xiao Li and Xiao Deng and realized we were from the palace.” Zhu Xiaoqi understood at once why the commander had been so respectful. This man seemed quite decent—not only did he catch thieves while off duty, but he handled matters outside his own department. Though his methods were harsh, it was not unreasonable to treat thieves strictly, especially in these times. Besides, the best approach is always open to debate.

They continued along the street until they came upon a bookstore called “Ten Thousand Books Hall.” “Such an ambitious name,” Zhu Xiaoqi remarked. “Let’s see if it lives up to it.”

Inside, Zhu Xiaoqi asked the shop attendant, “Do you have any books about firearms?” If he was going to defeat the Manchus, he certainly needed advanced firearms to counter their outdated weapons. The attendant led them to the military section. To his delight, he found a dazzling array of titles: “Treatise on Western Fire Weapons,” “The Western Method Divine Machine,” “Essentials of Fire Attack,” “Compendium of Divine Devices,” “Record of Military Preparation,” “New Book of Effective Tactics,” “Practical Guide to Training Troops,” and many more.

Opening the “Compendium of Divine Devices,” he read about a “Thunderbolt Gun” with five barrels; turning the mechanism would fire each in succession. After five shots, if the enemy closed in, the barrel could be reversed and used as a melee weapon. Zhu Xiaoqi was delighted and closed the book. “Wrap all these up for me,” he told the attendant.

“Certainly, that’ll be one tael and three qian. Thank you, sir. Would you like them delivered somewhere?” The service was impressive, even offering home delivery. But he could hardly have them sent to the Eastern Palace. He declined politely, letting Xiao Li and Xiao Deng carry the books. Li Jinzhong produced a silver ingot; the attendant took it to the counter, where a clerk snipped off a piece with scissors, weighed it on a small scale, showed the weight to Li Jinzhong, and handed back the change.

Once outside, Zhu Xiaoqi remarked, “What a hassle just to pay. Why don’t they use paper money?”

“Your Highness means ‘Baochao’? But that’s troublesome too—different issues have different discounts, so most merchants don’t like to accept them.”

He had always known that silver was used in ancient times, but seeing it firsthand, he realized how inconvenient it was. He would have to change this someday. If paper money was impractical, why not introduce silver dollars?

“Oh, I see. Where can I buy firearms? Let’s go and have a look.”

“Your Highness, firearms aren’t sold openly. Our Armory Bureau manufactures them for us.”

“Oh? Where is the Armory Bureau? Take me there.”

“It’s inside the Imperial City, responsible for making weapons for the palace guards and Jinyiwei, with an attached Gunpowder Bureau. Whatever Your Highness desires, they will have it. But it’s getting late—perhaps we should go tomorrow?”

Although it was only midday, Zhu Xiaoqi knew this was his first outing and didn’t want to worry Lady Ke. He had bought so many books—best to study them first, so he could be well-prepared for tomorrow’s visit to the Armory Bureau. So, they returned to the palace.

Back at the Eastern Palace, Lady Ke was already waiting at the door. She immediately ordered the maids to bring water and refreshments, and sent the books to the study. Soon, a meal was served. After eating, Zhu Xiaoqi went to his study, where Lady Ke lit incense and prepared tea and snacks before quietly slipping away. Zhu Xiaoqi eagerly began searching through the books for information about flintlock guns, a milestone in the development of firearms. But he found nothing. Had flintlocks not yet appeared at this time? No matter; tomorrow he would have ample opportunity to guide the artisans at the Armory Bureau.

Anticipating tomorrow, he continued to browse the other books. One was authored by Qi Jiguang—he opened the “New Book of Effective Tactics.” The work was divided into eighteen chapters, detailing troop selection, training, marching formations, weapons practice, military law, and even methods of political education. Most importantly, the language was clear and almost conversational, making it easy for Zhu Xiaoqi to understand. The more he read, the more impressed he became. With such excellent manuals, if every commander led their troops accordingly, the Ming armies should have been formidable—so why did they keep losing to the Later Jin?