The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 147 Factory Owner
Outside the Donghua Gate of the capital is the Dongjishi Factory.

A carriage drove straight into the East Factory and stopped in the courtyard. Wei Zhongxian quickly got out of the carriage. Tian Ergeng immediately stepped forward and pretended to support him, but Wei Zhongxian shook him off. Dozens of foreman immediately knelt in front and shouted:

"Kudos to the factory owner!"

Wei Zhongxian walked towards the hall without even raising his head, followed by Tian Ergeng and a group of big bosses.

The crowd passed by an archway with the four big characters "Liufang Baishi" inscribed on it. On the archway were plaques of eunuchs who had served as the governors of the East Factory since the Chengzu era.

Wei Zhongxian glanced at his predecessors sideways, and without stopping, turned and walked towards the small hall on the left, where a statue of Yue Fei was enshrined.

He stood in front of the statue of Yue Wumu and burned incense respectfully.

"How is Shen Lian's injury?"

Eunuch Wei walked straight to the seat of honor in the living room, sat down, and asked everyone loudly.

Tian Ergeng, Xu Xianchun, Cui Yingyuan, Sun Yunhe, Yang Shuai and others sat at the bottom. The original five tigers of the East Factory in history have now become six tigers.

However, the most powerful tiger caused trouble by feasting at the Jiaofangsi last night and had a fierce fight with Master Li from the Beijing Camp. Now, it is unknown whether he is dead or alive.

"Five people were injured, one was seriously injured and probably won't survive. He was fine, but one of his flag officers was stabbed twice."

Xu Xianchun's thick chin trembled slightly, showing a proud look.

Tian Ergeng took over the conversation and said sarcastically, "What are you afraid of? Who is Captain Shen? He's the sworn brother of the factory master and a close follower of the Marquis of Ping Liao. He and the Marquis of Ping Liao went through life and death together at Sarhu. With such a friendship and such a relationship, who would dare to touch him? Not to mention Master Li of the Beijing Camp, even if Commander Li came in person..."

Sun Yunhe squinted his eyes and saw that Wei Zhongxian had an unfriendly expression, so he stopped talking.

The five tigers of the East Factory had different expressions on their faces, all waiting to see Shen Lian make a fool of himself.

The gray-haired Wei Zhongxian raised his nose and snorted coldly, "He's young and impulsive, he can't do anything big. If anything goes wrong, we'll have to clean up his mess. Well, we'll just ignore him from now on. Luo Sigong has already confessed his crime and will be handed over to the three judicial departments for trial tomorrow. If we kill him, we won't have to worry about other Donglin gentlemen causing trouble in the capital."

Everyone looked up at the factory manager.

"Luo Sigong has vacated his position. This commander's position should be held by one of our own. Only then will our family feel at ease. You guys are all our trusted confidants who have followed us for many years, so choose one of you to take the position!"

The surroundings suddenly became silent.

A moment later, the chattering began again. Everyone recalled their contributions to the factory, first speaking independently, then speaking at once, and finally, as expected, arguing.

From assisting the Ninth Prince to enter the Imperial Household Department to assassinating Wang An, from suppressing Concubine Zheng to dealing with Lu Shou, and then to the recent elimination of the remnants of Donglin.

The Five Tigers argued endlessly, raised their arms and shouted, and were about to start a fight.

Wei Zhongxian, cup of hot tea in hand, surveyed the five men as if watching a monkey show. When they grew tired of arguing, he sneered, "Since it's difficult to make a decision right now, let's leave this commander's position vacant for now. We'll discuss it another day!"

The five people who were at loggerheads just now became dejected like castrated roosters after hearing what the factory manager said.

"I summoned you today because I have something important to do! The remnants of the Donglin clan have not yet been eradicated, and these shameless people have dared to frame our family and file a complaint with the Emperor! These mad dogs really think that the Dongchang's knife isn't sharp enough!"

Seeing the factory manager getting angry, the five people quickly said in unison: "It's all up to you, factory manager!"

Wei Zhongxian pulled a memorial from his sleeve and threw it in front of everyone: "That bastard Yang Lian wrote this. Let's all read it!"

Tian Ergeng took the memorial, opened it carefully, read a few sentences, and suddenly his face changed drastically.

"Emperor Gao issued an order that eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in foreign affairs and were only responsible for cleaning the imperial court... Despite his wise rule, some people acted recklessly and disrupted the court order, such as Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch in charge of the East Factory." (Note 1)

Xu Xianchun snatched the memorial, stole a glance at the factory manager, and read aloud:

"Zhongxian was originally a street scoundrel, a middle-aged eunuch who sneaked into the interior..." His voice gradually faded. "According to the ancestral system, drafting imperial edicts is the sole responsibility of cabinet ministers. Since Zhongxian usurped power, he has issued many imperial edicts or directly approved them from within, destroying the political system established by our ancestors for over 200 years. This is a major crime..."

Xu Xianchun didn't dare to read any further and threw the memorial to Cui Yingyuan.

"For forty years during the late emperor's reign, the only person he had with him to protect and sustain his ordeal was Wang An... Zhongxian, out of personal vengeance, forged an imperial decree and had him killed in the Southern Garden. This was not only his hatred for Wang An, but his actual hatred for the late emperor's old servant. Furthermore, he arbitrarily killed and expelled countless other innocent eunuchs, numbering in the tens of thousands. This is a grave offense."

Wei Zhongxian waved his hand to interrupt everyone, took back the memorial, and said angrily:

"Yang Lian brought this into the palace through Huiji Gate last night, intending to show it to the Emperor, but it was intercepted by a young eunuch from the Imperial Household Department and brought to our residence overnight."

"This bastard accused us of persecuting old ministers, interfering in government affairs, and forcing the death of the virtuous concubine, saying, 'In the imperial court, only Zhongxian is known, not the emperor.'"

"He wants the emperor to unleash his wrath and have our family hacked into pieces to uphold the law."

The five people below shouted, demanding that Yang Lian be arrested and imprisoned and tortured. Wei Zhongxian paced back and forth in the small hall, and suddenly looked up at the majestic statue of Yue Fei in the distance.

"This Yang Lian, last year we gave him gifts and gave him enough face, but now he's not only humiliating us, but he's also dragging the Marquis of Ping Liao into the mix. Who knows what the situation is like in Liaodong right now! He's disrupting the court just to gain a reputation for himself! He won't let the Emperor live in peace! We'll make sure he lives in unrest for the rest of his life! These censors and imperial officials may appear modest and respectable, but in reality, they're all venomous as snakes and scorpions!"

Tian Ergeng said coldly, "Master, I will send two assassins to kill this bastard, and then the other censors will shut up!"

Wei Zhongxian nodded in admiration, "Good trick!"

"However, there have been too many killings recently, so it's not appropriate to start another one. The new emperor is kind and generous, and doesn't want to see excessive killings. Besides, Yang Lian has some reputation, so we can't just kill him directly. He's the censor, so we can find him and impeach him, saying that he colluded with the Jiannu and accepted bribes. We should first dismiss him from office to ruin his reputation, and then punish him..."

Sun Yunhe reminded him, "Sir, we've just used the charge of colluding with the Jiannu on Luo Sigong. Yang Lian was a former censor, he didn't have anything to do with the Ministry of War, and he's never been to Liaodong. He has nothing to do with the Later Jin. Saying he colluded with the Jiannu is probably..."

Wei Zhongxian frowned slightly, looked at the statue of Yue Wumu again, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "This kind of traitor is disloyal and unrighteous. He dared to deceive the emperor and alienate the monarch and his ministers. He should be charged with disrespect and lack of courtesy as a subject. The crime can be serious or minor, it all depends on my decision! If we want him to die, he must die"!
"Good! Your Excellency is wise. Yang Lian did make some disobedient remarks in his memorial, and he deserves the punishment he received!"

Everyone thought that the charge was a good one and they all clapped their hands in praise.

Wei Zhongxian was tired of listening to these flatteries all day long, so he waved his hand to dismiss everyone. After the Five Tigers left, only his adopted son Li Chaoqin was left around.

Wei Zhongxian picked up Yang Lian's memorial and read it over and over again. The more he read, the angrier he became. Finally, he tore the memorial into pieces and threw them into the air.

Pieces of paper fell to the ground beneath their feet. At this moment, a waiter came in to announce that Captain Shen had arrived. Wei Zhongxian quickly put down his teacup and said to Li Chaoqin:

"Chao Qin, please step aside first and let Shen Lian come in."

Li Chaoqin saluted his adoptive father, glanced at the scraps of paper scattered on the ground, and slowly retreated.
Shen Lian, whose left arm was injured, wore a bloodstained Feiyu suit and held the broken Xiuchun sword, standing respectfully in front of Wei Zhongxian.

"Your humble servant greets the factory owner!"

Wei Zhongxian stepped forward to help him up, "Get up, sit down first!"

When Shen Lian sat down next to him, Eunuch Wei suddenly swung his tea bowl and smashed it towards Captain Shen, saying angrily:

"Shen Lian, oh Shen Lian! For a musician from the Imperial Music Bureau, a lowly woman, and a foreigner at that! He actually fought with Master Li from the Beijing Camp! How many times have I told you, women are just clothes, used and then thrown away! When I entered the palace, I abandoned my wife and daughter and lived alone without any worries. This is how you do great things!"

Shen Lian was hit and didn't dare to move. He just lowered his head and said nothing.

"Because of you, my family got up early this morning and has been busy all the time. I just came back now. I went to Zuo'anmen to apologize to Governor Li and said a lot of nice things. I paid him 500 taels of silver, but Governor Li doesn't want your life!"

Shen Lian stood up and said, "Brother Wei, I'll return the silver to you..."

Wei Zhongxian flew into a rage. Pointing at the captain, who was more than thirty years his junior, he angrily said, "Is this about silver? Do you think it's about five hundred taels of silver?"

Shen Lian was still unconvinced and wanted to say more, but Wei Zhongxian raised his hand, signaling him not to argue anymore.

The factory manager reached for the teacup on the table, fumbling for a long time before remembering that he had broken it. He stood up, took the cup from the seat next to where Xu Xianchun had been sitting, and drank it all in one gulp. Shen Lian looked at Wei Zhongxian, feeling that something was amiss.

"Shen Lian, you have to remember this! There are more people and offices in the capital than just our Pacification Division. We can't afford to offend them! If you don't listen to me, I won't be able to save you next time you lose your head!"

Shen Lian nodded silently.

Wei Zhongxian held the remaining tea that Xu Xianchun had drunk. His anger gradually subsided, and he said thoughtfully, "Shen Lian, how old are you this year?"

"Eighteen."

"Well, Eighteen is great, you're young and promising, with the support of Ping Liaohou and the protection of our family, your future is limitless! So many people are looking at you, staring at you, and jealous of you. Our family originally wanted to get rid of the people planted by Donglin in the East Factory and let you get promoted, hey..."

Shen Lian knelt on the ground, bowed to Wei Zhongxian and said, "Shen Lian knows he was wrong!"

Wei Zhongxian drank a sip of tea and waited for Shen Lian to kneel on the ground for a while before he stepped forward to help him up and asked with concern, "Where are you hurt?"

Shen Lian said: "It's just a superficial wound, it won't be a big deal."

"I'm sorry to have wronged you. I heard that it was that Li who started it. He's a despicable bastard. Let's wait until we've destroyed Donglin, and then we'll deal with the Beijing Camp. We've long disliked Commander Li. The Emperor said that the Beijing Camp can be taken over by the Imperial Household Department in the future!"

"Shen Lian, you and I, brothers, are here, and Ping Liaohou is outside. We can do a lot!"

Shen Lian's face was filled with shame. Thinking about his reckless behavior these days, which had caused a lot of trouble for the factory owner, but the factory owner had always treated him well, he was about to cry.

Wei Zhongxian was silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. "You're kindhearted after all, unlike Tian Ergeng, Xu Xianchun, and the others who are so cruel. Well, let's talk to the Ministry of Rites tomorrow. They're in charge of the Jiaofangsi (Chinese Music Bureau). With a single word, they can redeem you from Cailian. These foreign women in the Jiaofangsi are just as pitiful."

Shen Lian was overjoyed and tears finally burst out of his eyes.

Wei Zhongxian glanced at him and said calmly:
"Shen Lian, let me tell you, there are so many pitiful people in this world. You are a man who will accomplish great things. You must have a broad vision and must not be tied down by personal relationships!"

"I understand."

Shen Lian had no attachment to Cai Lian. For some reason, when he heard the factory manager's words, the sound of the xiao rang in his ears again, and he suddenly felt pity.

"Speaking of foreign girls, I remembered something." Wei Zhongxian rolled his eyes and took out a newspaper from his sleeve.

"Yongning Xuanfusi She Chongming is recruiting death squads, repairing armor, and contacting other chieftains. This time he's really going to rebel."

Shen Lian was shocked and quickly took the report. Wei Zhongxian continued:
"These chieftains, like the Jiannu, are all lone wolves that can never be tamed! This scoundrel She Chongming is quite ambitious. He knows that the White Spear Soldiers have all died in Liaodong, and the surrounding garrisons are no match for him. Now is the perfect time to rebel!"

Shen Lian took a look at the Jiantang newspaper and found that it was sent from Longquanyi, Chengdu. He was surprised. Sichuan was more than a thousand miles away from the capital, but the news could be transmitted so smoothly.

"We'll have the Imperial Censor submit a memorial recommending Ping Liaohou to suppress the rebellion. He'll earn a million in military pay, and the Pacification Office will also get a share. Of course, this is just a small part of the profits. We've already discovered that She Chongming is smelting iron and boiling salt in Sichuan, collecting commercial taxes and making a lucrative profit. He's rich enough to rival a nation. Then, we'll have General Liu rob him, and we'll even get a share of the profits."

Shen Lian was delighted when he heard this. After a while, he asked, "However, Sichuan is far away. How can we provide assistance?"

Wei Zhongxian stood up and looked towards the statue of Yue Fei, leaving behind a long shadow with his back to his sworn brother. He said in a low voice, "Since Qin Liangyu's White Spear Soldiers can aid Liao, why can't Liu Zhaosun's Kaiyuan Soldiers enter Sichuan?"

After hearing this, Shen Lian nodded slightly.

"The emperor is unhappy. Zu Dashou has been sending reports saying that the Kaiyuan soldiers stationed in Fushun and Tieling have occupied most of Liaodong and are now eyeing western Liaoning. The settlers under General Liu often fight with the Liao people for land. Last year, they even beat two students to death in Tieling, sparking public outrage. Merchants from Kaiyuan have all fled to western Liaoning to steal their business..."

Shen Lian was shocked. He didn't expect General Liu to be so arrogant now.

"Shen Lian, you know that Zu Dashou is a chess piece planted by the emperor in western Liaoning. Others can be moved, but he cannot. General Liu has committed a big taboo. Sending him to the southwest can be considered as avoiding suspicion. Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore."

Shen Lian nodded repeatedly. He usually only fought and killed in the capital and never thought about these things.

"I will send a fast horse to Liaodong to inform General Liu to prepare..."

Wei Zhongxian smiled and waved his hand: "She Chongming's rebellion is not going to happen today or tomorrow. Let's wait for some time. Let's disrupt the southwest first. Ping Liaohou can also use this time to recover. The casualties in the Battle of Hunhe were too great. It's time to rest."

Wei Zhongxian sighed for a moment, and finally said, "Shen Lian, there is something more important for you to do right now."

Shen Lian quickly bowed and waited for the factory manager's orders.

Wei Zhongxian looked at the torn pieces of paper scattered across the floor and said angrily, "I don't know what's gotten into Yang Lian's mind. He's always been against us. We've been patient and tolerant, but he's only gotten worse! This time he's trying to kill us. He's written a memorial to the Emperor. He's fabricated twenty-four crimes punishable by death for us. They're all completely false and fabricated! He's portrayed us as unforgivable villains! He wants to cut us into pieces. What do you think? Should this mad dog be killed?"

Shen Lian was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "He deserves to be killed!"

Wei Zhongxian smiled and continued:

"I've arranged for someone to impeach Yang Lian. Once he's dismissed from office, we'll find him a crime, raid his house, and kill his men. You hesitated to kill Luo Sigong before, but this time, we can't be soft-hearted when dealing with Yang Lian. Don't spare a single one! Kill them all!"

Note:
1. Collected Works of Yang Zhonglie: A Memorial Impeaching Wei Zhongxian for Twenty-Four Crimes

(End of this chapter)