The Peach Bloosom Fan

29. The Exodus from Nanjing

29 The Exodus from Nanjin g The one who hated Ma and Ruan most was Earl Zhao. In the beginning, he and Marquis Liu, more than any others, had given their support to these two men in putting Prince Fu on the Throne, getting rid of Shi Kefa, an d i n reinstatin g Ruan . However , onc e the y ha d seize d power , h e wa s discarded and ignored. It was therefore only natural that he nurtured a great sense of grievance. However, Ma and Ruan had now seized firm control of the military forces i n the nation. Of the royal clan, only he and Marquis Liu were in possession of some degree of substantial power. The Marquis was so intimate with them that it was as if they were 'breathing from th e same nose'. He was thus so isolated that he was 'unable to make a clap with only one hand'. There was nothing he could do but to give in to the inevitable and try to explain things away. The whole conference ende d in fruitless anger ! At midnight, Nanjing was suddenly thrown into a state of utter confusion. I t was as if the sky and earth had turned over. The cause of the panic was that th e Manchus ha d a t last crossed th e river a t Seven L i Port, an d thei r plai n clothe s agents had alread y reached th e suburbs of the thirtee n cit y gates. Ma could no t think of a way to save the city. The only plan he had was to personally supervise his three thousand personal guards to carry all his treasures and movables, and slip out of the city through Tongji Gate at the third watch. The only person who had any prior warning was Ruan. The two men's secret plan was not worth a copper once it was revealed. It was nothing more practicable than th e wor d 'escape' . Since he had alread y complete d hi s preparations, Rua n 285 The Peach Blossom Fan was able to take away all his riches. Anything tha t coul d be moved was carried away, and nothing o f value was left i n the Ston e Nest Garden. He , too, set ou t with a grand force of several hundred carriers and fled with the Lord Prime Minister out of Tongji Gate . Those who really suffered wer e Emperor Hongguang and the followers of Ma and Ruan. It wa s not unti l midnigh t tha t th e Empero r mad e hi s escap e whe n h e wa s apprised of the impending danger. Not only did he not take with him any of the gold and silver from the Treasury, nor any of the jewellery in the Palace, he did not even hav e an y loos e cas h fo r spending , suc h wa s hi s terro r an d confusion . Accompanied by the Queen Mother, the Queen, Eunuchs Han and Lu and several trusted eunuchs , the y followe d closel y behin d M a an d Ruan' s might y troo p o f deserters. In great distress, and presenting a shameful spectacle of themselves, the royal party ran through the night towards the city gate. The followers of Ma and Ruan also knew nothing of the situation beforehand . Seeing that thei r supporters had scattered, the y feared tha t their enemies would take advantage of the moment and seek revenge. None of them were prepared t o be 'the substitutes in death' for their two patrons, so they lost no time in making their escape. There were heads of the six Boards and nine Ministries, and military officials a s exalted a s generals an d chief s o f th e Embroidere d Guards . They al l decamped within the night, disguising themselves as nightsoil carriers, sedan chair bearers, itinerant tradesmen, grocers and hawkers. Marquis Liu was uncommonly close to Ma and Ruan. Suffering fro m a guilty conscience, he to o packed u p his belongings. Protected b y the remnant s o f th e River Command Headquarters , he took his family an d fought hi s way out of the Peace Gate. The resident s of the cit y were startled out of their sleep in the night. Wha t they sa w wa s...