Chapter 894: The Armaments Bureau

The Armaments Bureau was located east of Taiye Pond, near Qianming Gate and the Western Garden. As one of the twenty-four internal offices, it held a higher status than the Military Armaments Bureau under the Ministry of Works. It supervised more craftsmen, and the development of new firearms was often decided here. Officials from the Ministry of Works in charge of firearms frequently visited this place, only to sometimes face a hostile attitude from the eunuch supervisors.

However, everything changed after an incident a month earlier. A fire broke out in the Treasure Note Bureau, and it was later discovered that firearms had infiltrated the palace. The head and deputy heads of the Armaments Bureau were first dismissed and imprisoned in the internal eunuch prison in the palace, then executed. Subsequently, the Court Eunuch Council sent people to audit past accounts and confiscate firearms and gunpowder. The resulting deficits were staggering. It is said that the reports sent up made Fan Hong furious, while no one knew what the emperor thought.

As a result, the Armaments Bureau had long stopped all activities related to firearms and gunpowder. A gloomy atmosphere enveloped everything within and outside the bureau. At the slightest sign of activity, they feared it might be agents from the Eastern Depot sent to arrest them. In less than a month, their once thick waists had shrunk significantly, and they became so desperate that they wished for clear instructions from above, rather than waiting to die in uncertainty.

After waiting anxiously, that afternoon, the staff of the Armaments Bureau finally saw a group of people arrive. As soon as they saw the two leaders, some people’s legs turned to water—this was the imperial palace, so aside from the craftsmen, everyone else was an eunuch. And eunuchs, aside from other skills, were extremely good at gathering information and recognizing people. The younger, thin man on the left, dressed in a embroidered collared shirt, seemed unremarkable, but he was Lu Feng, the supervisor of the Eastern Depot. The one beside him, even younger-looking, was Zhang Yue, the vice minister of the Ministry of War.

Lu Feng had already come here to arrest people before, and as for Zhang Yue… it was said that many had criticized the Armaments Bureau harshly, but Zhang Yue was the most incisive. It made sense—having almost caused the Military Armaments Bureau to bear the blame, this man, who had once been a clerk in that bureau and was now the most powerful figure in the Ministry of War, was certainly not one to take such insults lightly.

The ambassador and deputy ambassador of the Armaments Bureau both fell off their horses. The remaining attendants knelt obediently on the ground waiting. When Zhang Yue and Lu Feng approached, the middle-aged eunuch at the front led everyone in bowing, but after a long while, no response came. The waiting was extremely agonizing; it was unclear how much time passed before they heard a faint voice.

“Who among you understands the proportions of gunpowder?”

This was completely different from what everyone had expected. The crowd fell silent—no one answered. After another long silence, the voice slowly asked again, “Then who understands the assessment of craftsmen?”

Still silence and quiet.

When Zhang Yue asked his third question, “Who knows what to pay attention to when maintaining weapons?” and the scene remained silent, Lu Feng could no longer hold back and suddenly shouted, “They don’t know this either, they don’t know that either! What use are these good-for-nothing fools in the Armaments Bureau? Bring them all away!”

This outburst finally woke up the bewildered eunuchs. Before anyone could rush over, one of them crawled out of the crowd on hands and knees and said through tears, “Lord Lu, spare my life! Lord Zhang, spare my life! I can draw!”

Zhang Yue had come today accompanied by several people from the Military Armaments Bureau, including Li Cheng and Ruan Qin, the brother of Lady Ruan. The reason Lu Feng was there was that the emperor had finally made up his mind regarding the Armaments Bureau—deciding to dismiss everyone from top to bottom. However, since these people had managed the bureau for many years, he thought it would be better to keep a few of them rather than replace them with a bunch of new officials who knew nothing. But after asking those three questions, he regretted it—Lu Feng was right; these people truly were good-for-nothing!

Just as he was about to ignore the matter, an eunuch suddenly stepped forward and claimed he could draw! At that moment, looking at that pitiful-looking guy, he sized him up for a moment before nodding at Lu Feng: “Give him some paper and see what he can draw.”

Of course, Lu Feng wouldn’t refuse to satisfy his pride. An attendant from the Eastern Depot immediately handed him paper and pen. At that point, the others also felt hopeful and started shouting loudly. Frustrated, Zhang Yue pointed at one person and ordered them to be brought forward, then asked in a stern voice, “You say you can assess craftsmen?”

“Yes, yes, yes…” The speaker was a middle-aged eunuch, forced to stand in front of Zhang Yue. He wanted to show the most charming smile in the world, nodding his head like a chick pecking at grains. “I can assess the craftsmen. These are all lazy scoundrels who love to play sick when there’s no work. With strict supervision and whips, they’ll surely obey and produce as much as required…”

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a strong pull on both his arms. By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been dragged away. He was shocked beyond measure, shouting that he wanted to defend himself, but then he felt a heavy blow on the back of his neck, cutting off his high-pitched voice instantly. This act scared several others who had been competing earlier, forcing them to look at Zhang Yue with fear.

“I’m not asking about his so-called assessment. The Emperor sent you to work at the Armory Bureau, not to act as overseers with whips. If you don’t even have basic knowledge of weapons, what’s the difference from working elsewhere? If your answers are still like those just now, then there’s no need to bother—I don’t have the time!”

His words, along with the earlier example, finally scared the eunuchs who had still harbored some hope. As they were dragged away, most of them didn’t dare utter a word of pleading. Only one shouted that he could shoot with a gun, so he was left behind. Soon, the middle-aged eunuch who claimed to be good at drawing came over, holding a thin piece of paper with nervous expression. Zhang Yue took it, glanced at it, and found it to be quite decent, then handed it to Li Cheng.

Li Cheng really didn’t want to deal with Zhang Yue, but since he had just been mentioned as a director in the Ministry of Works and was in charge of the Armory Bureau, he had no choice but to come. After taking the paper, he, who had initially intended to perfunctorily examine it, became serious and studied it carefully for a while before nodding and saying, “It’s indeed well drawn.”

“Good. Keep him.”

Zhang Yue himself thought the drawing was quite good, and now that the expert Li Cheng had approved it, he made an immediate decision. Seeing the eunuch grateful as if pardoned, he rushed forward to kowtow in thanks. Lu Feng ignored him completely and ordered two of his attendants to take the other eunuch outside to test his shooting skills. Soon, everyone began to patrol the large area.

Since the Armaments Bureau was located near Xiyuan, it was naturally because Xiyuan also had an internal training ground where weapons could be tested on the spot. But since the founding of the dynasty, such rules and regulations had gradually fallen into disuse. Dozens of storage rooms were guarded by iron doors, and the iron locks were covered in rust, clearly indicating that no one had entered there for a long time.

With a darkened face, Lu Feng ordered someone to break down the doors and enter. Only then did they see the neatly arranged boxes inside. When one willow-wood box was opened, Zhang Yue took out a pistol, only to find that it was already rusted, so he handed it to Li Cheng beside him. As they passed it around, the officials from the Ministry of War’s Armaments Bureau remained silent, while Lu Feng grew even angrier. After all, like the Powder Bureau in the northeast corner of the imperial palace, the Armaments Bureau was meant to allow quick access to weapons in case of emergencies. Now that everything inside was useless, who would be responsible if something went wrong?

“Fortunately, the Emperor replaced all these incompetents; keeping them would only bring disaster!”

After cursing, Lu Feng turned to Zhang Yue and said, “I won’t accompany you to see those craftsmen. I thought it was fortunate that the Armaments Bureau was well-protected before, preventing anyone from taking advantage. But it seems that even if those people got in, they would only find junk! These slackers need to be dealt with properly, and I must also report back to the Emperor. Don’t worry; capable people will definitely be sent here to prevent such situations from happening again.”

Zhang Yue didn’t want to be surrounded by people who were treated with such fear, so he nodded in agreement. Sure enough, when they saw Lu Feng leave with a large group of people, the remaining officials from the Ministry of War’s Armory Department and the Ministry of Works’ Armaments Bureau immediately breathed a sigh of relief, even Li Cheng, who had been an official for many years. After walking around the Armaments Bureau, they found that wherever the eunuchs lived, it was spacious and well-maintained, while the areas where the craftsmen worked were dark and cramped. When they reached the craftsmen’s living quarters dedicated to firearm development, everyone frowned deeply. Even the officials from the Armaments Bureau, used to the craftsmen’s simple conditions, found the situation extreme.

It was still bitterly cold outside, yet the stoves in the rooms were icy cold, as if they hadn’t been heated at all the previous night. The beds were covered with tattered quilts, and there was an indescribable foul smell. Even the officials from the cold capital didn’t want to step into those rooms. Although Zhang Yue didn’t want to get into trouble either, he first had the terrified craftsmen get up before quickly checking out the place himself.

“To expect those in this wretched place to create any decent firearms is nothing but delusion!”
Zhang Yue was naturally angry—back when he was in the Armory Department, he had finally persuaded Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, to reward craftsmen based on the quality of firearms and to encourage the development of new ones. As a result, new firearms emerged in large numbers, and the army’s replacement process was extremely efficient. He had heard about the situation at the Armory Bureau, but not to such a dire extent. He called over the oldest craftsman and asked a few questions. Seeing that the man kept stammering and avoiding answers, he said calmly, “Apart from two, all the eunuchs in this Armory Bureau have been imprisoned for their crimes. If you have anything to say, speak up.”
Those craftsmen had been exploited mercilessly by the eunuchs, even for basic necessities like food and clothing, and they were already terrified. Even though Zhang Yue spoke kindly and mentioned that the eunuchs were in prison, they dared not trust him easily. The older craftsman hesitated for a long time before mustering up the courage to say just one thing.
“Sir, we… we have been serving in the palace for over two years. We can endure everything else, but we can’t see our families. We beg you to grant us a few days off to be with our families. After that, we will work hard and never slack off.”
Being trapped here for over two years without seeing their families—wasn’t this no different from being slaves!
Officials usually lived in luxury, and even if they understood the lives of ordinary people, they didn’t truly empathize with those in dire straits. Thus, everyone was shocked. Zhang Yue took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger, before calmly saying to Li Cheng beside him, “The craftsmen at the Military Armory Bureau surely aren’t like this, are they?”
“The Military Armory Bureau certainly wouldn’t exploit people like this. As long as they meet the quota each month, they can go home to be with their families. If they exceed the quota, they get rewards. If they come up with innovative ideas that prove effective after testing, they will be rewarded separately. They would never be forced to work for over two years without allowing them to see their families.” Li Cheng, though no longer in his prime, couldn’t help but speak out passionately before gradually calming down. “Sir, we should grant their request.”

“It’s not just about granting them leave; now those eunuchs want them to spit out the rice and salary they’ve stolen from their bowls!” Zhang Yue said coldly. Seeing that the craftsmen still seemed skeptical, he knew empty words would be useless, so he nodded and said, “I’ll speak on your behalf regarding the leave. As for the firewood, rice, clothes, and other necessities in this house, they’ll be sent over right away.”

The craftsmen had never heard an official speak like this. Stunned, they could only thank him hesitantly, trying to kneel in gratitude, but Zhang Yue stopped them. Only after the group left the courtyard did someone dare to pull aside the middle-aged man who seemed to be a minor official and ask. Learning that he was a high-ranking official from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works, with Zhang Yue as the leader, they finally understood. The older craftsman couldn’t help but join his hands and mutter, “It’s really Lord Zhang! We’re saved this time!”

After leaving the armory, Zhang Yue gave a few orders to an eunuch who had been accompanying him, then led the group back to the training ground in the Western Garden. As soon as he arrived, the two eunuchs from the Eastern Depot brought over the one who claimed to be skilled with firearms. With disdain, they said, “My lord, this guy is all talk—talks about sights and gunpowder, but when it comes to actually firing a gun, he can’t hit anything. We’d better take him back.”

Zhang Yue, still annoyed from his earlier encounter with the craftsmen, agreed without hesitation upon hearing this. But the eunuch, realizing he couldn’t escape, became terrified and weak-kneed. As they tried to drag him away, he struggled weakly before shouting, “My lord, spare my life! I’ll expose them! Suo Lianzhou, who was transferred to the Imperial Pharmacy, also knew nothing back then…”

Before he could finish, the unlucky man was roughly pulled away by the men from the Eastern Depot. Seeing this, several officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War were shocked. Zhang Yue waved his hand, signaling them not to pay attention. Only after leaving Xi’an Gate, when Ruan Qin repeatedly asked confused questions, did he calmly say, “What he said will be repeated by the Eastern Depot. He’s just trying to stir up trouble by shouting in front of me. Ignore such scoundrels.”