Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 145: Always Try to Make a Big Deal Small
The first trial of the criminal by the three judicial departments in the south reached a deadlock.

Cheng Shaolin flatly denied any involvement in the specific matter. Cheng Bosong was a prisoner who pretended to be a Japanese pirate and destroyed the grain transport. Cheng Shaolin could not escape the blame, but he did not blame others.

But Mr. Xiao was not surprised.

The "subpoena" was sent to Nanjing, and many people came to defend themselves.

The first thing to do was to go to the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue, where the salt permits seized from the Cheng family and Cheng Bosong had to be verified for authenticity and the distribution process had to be investigated.

Next were the officers and soldiers of the Yangtze River Navy who patrolled the river section below Zhenjiang. They had to explain the appearance of Japanese ships on the Yangtze River and the canal.

In addition, an explanation must be given for the military garrisons within the jurisdiction of Changzhou Prefecture.

Everyone knew that the three judicial officials went south and pretended to be Japanese pirates to intercept and destroy the grain transport was just a pretext.

"Grand Minister of Justice, if we continue to conduct the trial in this way, it will only lead to the officials, clerks, and soldiers in the garrison being held responsible, while the officials in charge will be implicated..."

Xiao Daheng knew what Zheng Jizhi meant, but he said calmly: "When investigating a case, it is natural to ask questions from childhood to adulthood."

The three judicial officials from Beijing did not move to Nanjing, and more and more minor officials entered the Yongwei Camp.

However, Xiao Daheng did not interrogate them first. This time, he went to court again and called up Cheng Bosong and his subordinates who were captured by Luo Sigong from Junzhou.

Shackled, Xiao Daheng looked at the other group of people who had come to the hall and said, "Commander Fang, tell your soldiers to identify them carefully. Are there any of them pretending to be Japanese pirates?"

"That's him! I remember it clearly. He hacked our flag officer to death!"

"This dog must be able to speak Japanese, my lord, you must give it a try!"

"Son of a bitch!"

Cheng Bosong knelt down below without saying a word.

The Jinyiwei had already tortured him, and many of his men had signed their confessions.

Now they are going to further prove through Longhu Zuowei and others that they are the ones pretending to be the Japanese pirates?

Xiao Daheng stopped the noise in the hall and asked Cheng Bosong: "The grain tax is so heavy that I don't need to elaborate on it. You are so bold, do you know that this is a crime against all nine clans?"

Cheng Bosong didn't say anything.

"When your fleet sailed up the river, on what date and where was it checked by the authorities? Who was the leader?"

Cheng Bosong still didn't speak.

Xiao Daheng was also very straightforward: "Use torture."

This is a criminal who has been confirmed to have pretended to be a Japanese pirate to intercept grain and kill transport soldiers. Why should he be tortured?
In the Yongwei Camp stationed in Jiangxi, officials from various government offices in Nanjing were waiting to be summoned by the three judicial officials from Beijing for questioning. Now they could first listen to the terrifying screams from among them.

They are all just minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank, and are all centurions and general flag officers who cannot shirk their duties!
The three judicial officials from Beijing were still investigating the case in the Yongwei Camp, and everyone in Nanjing knew the situation.

Those who had been transferred from Nanjing to take up posts in local areas were all officials in government departments who had little to do with grain administration, salt administration, and local inspections.

Almost everyone who is "unfortunate" enough to remain in Nanjing may be involved.

Now there is only news coming in but no news coming out from the Yongwei Camp. No one knows whether the Jiangyou Cheng family has recruited or how many people they have recruited.

Under isolation, Wang Dewan, the inspector of Yingtian, finally completed a round of flood prevention and water conservancy inspections at the local level, and was heading to Suzhou Prefecture via Nanjing City.

"Mr. Guang'an! You were the one who investigated this case in the beginning. Now, isn't it time for you to go and ask about it?"

The officials in Nanjing suddenly became enthusiastic about Wang Dewan, invited him to a banquet, and asked him earnest questions.

The highest-ranking attendee was a third-rank minister.

"I only found out that it might be related to the Cheng family in Jiangyou." Wang Dewan looked at them, "Now that the imperial envoy has come south, why should I ask about the case?"

"Mr. Guang'an, you can't say that. His Majesty hasn't dismissed you from your post..."

Everyone was talking to each other, hoping that Wang Dewan would go and find out the news.

Did the Jiangyou Cheng family make false accusations? How did the Grand Court Justice plan to close the case?

"Everyone!" Wang Dewan stood up. "I understand what you mean."

He looked at everyone and said indifferently, "Last year, when I returned to Beijing, I spoke frankly and gave advice. At that time, it was said that there are eight things to be cautious about when managing finances, and seven things to be cautious about when employing people! Now I am inspecting Yingtian and other prefectures, and my job is not important, but it is not this case! After visiting all the counties, I found that the rich prefectures and counties have many hidden worries. I am worried and have to go back to the government office to submit a report!"

After this trip, Wang Dewan actually understood it in his heart.

Grain merchants in the capital were fighting each other. Some of them wanted to raise grain prices by claiming that there might be a flood in the south of the Yangtze River. But would the officials in the south of the Yangtze River be willing to fall for this excuse?

But despite the extensive preparations made beforehand, several river and lake embankments still collapsed in the end.

The cause of the dam collapse was not intentional, but rather the result of years of accumulated problems.

There are many corvée labor services, but often within a county, there is favoritism and discrimination. Why is that?

Wang Dewan now felt that the Jiangyou merchant’s audacity was just a small matter.

He turned away, and the officials in Nanjing looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling even more depressed.

"...Niu Futai, why aren't you coming back yet?"

What was Niu Yingyuan doing? He was the governor of Yingtian and other prefectures, and his responsibilities included both military and civil affairs.

Those who came to him to "cry and complain" were the military officers from the garrisons in the east of Yingtian Prefecture and the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Lake.

"Your Excellency, Governor! We don't have even a cent of military farmland left in our various guards and garrisons! Not even a cent!"

The real Dragon Tiger Left Guard Commander cried: "We have to rely on the local salary and grain to feed the soldiers guarding the local area, to supplement the transport troops according to the grain transport army, and to listen to the transfer orders from Nanjing..."

The various guards under the command of the two generals of Jiangnan in the grain transport army were only the commanders of the grain transport army. This was a muddled account of the Ming Dynasty. The transport army was all appointed from the existing guards. They were organized in many local guards and received salaries from them, but they were under the command of the grain transport office of the general commander of the grain transport army and the governor's grain transport department, and were responsible for the transportation of grain.

Now the military officers of this local garrison were involved in two major cases at the same time: one was that they failed to conduct inspections effectively, resulting in the robbery of grain, and the other was that they failed to transport grain effectively, resulting in the loss of grain ships and casualties.

Niu Yingyuan felt very complicated when he saw the military officers of the garrisons who had become fat and big-eared after recuperation.

"Where did the military farms that were supposed to be owned by your various garrisons go?" Niu Yingyuan only asked the key question.

"… Your Excellency, this is not your first day in Jiangnan…"

"This is indeed not my first day in Jiangnan." Niu Yingyuan interrupted them, "But you want me to go before the Grand Secretary of Justice, the Minister of Justice, and the Deputy Chief Justice to argue. Do you think I will just speak nonsense and plead for you?"

These military officers from the Jiangnan guards, who were already like wealthy men and officials, lowered their heads.

"If you say that the generals and soldiers are short of manpower and unable to patrol, you must have a reason! If you say that the transport army is in a dilemma, you must have a reason! If you say that you are powerless and helpless, you must have a reason!"

Niu Yingyuan and the other two had good reasons, and then he loudly questioned: "You are afraid of offending people, so you want me to help you offend people? I wanted to send people to patrol the river before, why did you refuse?"

"… Your Excellency, we are garrisoning in Southern Zhili, so we still need a letter from the Nanjing Military Department…"

"Then go find the Nanjing Military Department, not this governor!" Niu Yingyuan shook his sleeves. "The imperial envoy wants to summon anyone, let alone this governor! The summer grain disaster has hit, and the autumn grain issue is heavy. This governor has a lot of things to do!"

Here in Jiangnan, the imperial envoy was slowly investigating the case, and it seemed that he was not as anxious as before.

So far, except for some low-ranking officials, clerks and low-ranking military officers involved in the incident, the Yongwei Camp has not summoned any officials above the sixth rank.

But the case was not closed.

In Nanjing City, Geng Dingli was very anxious.

"What did Nanchang Prefecture say?"

"Master... the previous letter was just the imperial envoy's letter to Jiangxi, asking Jiangxi to thoroughly investigate all merchants and ordering the Jiangxi Jusi Yamen to fully assist the Jinyiwei and Yongweiying in handling the case..."

All Geng Dingli knows at the moment is news from a few days ago.

"Thoroughly investigate all merchants in Jiangxi..."

Geng Dingli's mood became worse and worse. He knew that a case of smuggling salt had occurred on the Yangtze River and had been reported to the emperor, and that Cao Jiangdu Censor was to blame.

But the current Caojiang Governor, Pingyi Bo Chen Lin, is a new appointment. What does the past problems have to do with him?
The most vexing question on everyone’s mind right now is: When the three judicial officials go south, will they only investigate the case in which the Cheng family in Jiangyou pretended to be Japanese pirates to destroy grain and kill transport soldiers, or will they investigate a new case?
"…What does the Four Admonitions Hall say?"

Zhang Yi received a new letter at his home.

"Master, Master Cheng said that we should listen to the adults."

"What are you talking about! Show it to me!"

Zhang Yi snatched the letter and read it under the light of the oil lamp with a fluctuating expression. After reading it, his expression became even more uncertain.

Sizhen Hall is the origin of the Cheng family of Leping and even the entire Cheng family of Raozhou.

The ancestor of the Cheng family in Leping actually migrated there from the Cheng family in Wuyuan.

Xiao Daheng said to the Yongwei Battalion, "If you knew the whole story of the case, I hope you can help us close the case as soon as possible." But to this day, no one knows where the right line is.

How can we close the case?

On June 24, the White-Pole Soldiers and the Embroidered Uniform Guards who were on official business took the stolen goods and family members of Shang Cheng's family through the south of Nanjing and headed west of Zhenjiang.

On June 25, the imperial envoy sent a letter to Nanjing, and Geng Dingli and two doctors and three officials who were still serving in the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue were summoned for questioning.

The imperial envoy has given the order, so they must go.

On June 26, Wang Dewan, the inspector of Yingtian, submitted his examination papers and copied the six subjects of Nanjing.

He impeached two prefects and seven county magistrates in Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Lake in one breath.

At Wang Xijue's home, Wang Dingjue looked at the dozen or so elderly people who came to his house and kept bowing and greeting them.

"My nephew is the top scorer in the imperial examination, and my brother is walking on thin ice now!"

In the capital, Zhu Changluo was looking at the selection strategies for the Shujishi presented by the new scholars and asking questions.

The new third place in the imperial examination was still chosen as Wang Heng.

Although he did not get the top three honors in the imperial examination, important officials in the court knew that if Wang Xijue had not kowtowed many times in court, he would have really been the top three honors in the imperial examination.

The emperor really dotes on him.

Wang Xijue naturally became the target of public criticism.

Zhu Changluo did not mean to harm him on purpose, but said to Wang Xijue: "The elder has really delayed your son for many years!"

"…I valued my reputation too much in the past, and ended up ruining it."

Zhu Changluo smiled and said to him: "Reputation in this world is never important! History will have its own opinion. Lord Taicang, you don't have to worry about how to make a living. If you believe my promise, from now on, you will be like Zhang Jiangling and devote yourself to the country!"

Wang Xijue certainly knew that the emperor had wanted to select his son as the top scholar, just to give his son and him at least one more thing to say in history.

The father was the Prime Minister and the son was the top scholar. If the Wang family of Taicang wanted to live up to this reputation in history, there was no turning back.

It doesn’t really matter right now, the secret will eventually get out.

"That's exactly what you wish!" Wang Xijue bowed respectfully, "If I were ten years younger, I wouldn't dare to have such ambition. Now... I leave my body to you, Your Majesty!"

"Okay!" Zhu Changluo stepped forward to help him up, and said with a smile, "Now, you can write another letter and hand it to Jiangnan!"

(End of this chapter)