Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 122 Cui Wensheng's White Moonlight

"So it was that time." Zhang Yanshang nodded thoughtfully.

Tang Zhong lowered his voice even more. "I haven't met Zhang Shirui. You went to the Zhang residence today. What do you think of her?"

Zhang Yanshang answered without hesitation. "She speaks logically and with measured manners. You can tell at a glance that she's a well-educated and well-mannered lady from a noble family."

"You're such a blockhead. I'm asking about her appearance." Tang Zhong made his words clearer.

Zhang Yanshang couldn't find an adjective for a moment, and after a long pause, he could only say two words: "Very handsome, very well-proportioned."

"That's exactly what happened. I guess she's probably caught the master's eye." Although Tang Zhong was steady and impeccable in his official duties, he was actually quite talkative in private. "Look, this yellow vegetable, something even our ancestors could only taste occasionally, and the master gave her twenty pounds of it. I think the meaning is obvious."

Tang Zhong smacked his lips, as if savoring some delicious food. "But who is Zhang Shirui? She's the daughter of Zhang Xianyong. And Zhang Xianyong is a clueless idiot. He's even trying to fool his master with the old calendar of the Wanli Dynasty."

"Just like godfather said, this is really troublesome." Zhang Yan looked hesitant. "So should we report it to the higher-ups or not?"

"Report it. Maybe the master is waiting for it." Tang Zhong completely misunderstood the cause and effect of the matter: the master pretended to punish Zhang Xianyong, Zhang Shirui went to the palace to plead for Zhang Xianyong, and then he would take advantage of the situation.
Tang Zhong's mind was full of unspeakable things, and it took him a while to nod with satisfaction.

Tang Zhong stood up and returned to the table, regaining his composure. "We can just lock ourselves in a dark room and talk it over quietly. To be on the safe side, we should pretend we know nothing. Give me the banknote."

Zhang Yanshang obediently handed the banknote to Tang Zhong, who took it and placed it in a specially made box. Later, he opened another box and pulled out a twenty-liang silver bar. "Let's follow the formal procedures and record the details of this silver incident. When Wei Zuzong arrives to take charge, he'll know about it. Whether he reports it or not will have nothing to do with us then."

"You're worthy of being my godfather!" Zhang Yanshang praised sincerely. "It's absolutely flawless!"

"Keep the twenty taels of silver." Tang Zhong threw the silver bar to Zhang Yanshang.

Zhang Yanshang took the silver bar steadily and placed it on Tang Zhong's desk. "Godfather, this is my first mission, so I give you this silver as a filial gift."

"Take it away. If I take it, there will only be two taels left." Tang Zhong waved his hand and said.

"This is a gift from a son to his father. Does it have to go through the procedures?" Zhang Yanshang was puzzled.

"There's no order without rules. I'm the Junior Supervisor of Finance in the Liancai Office, and I'm the one who takes the lead in violating the rules set by my master. Even the Wei Dynasty's ancestors took the initiative to pay back the tributes they received over the years, let alone me," Tang Zhong said. "Godfather now receives an annual salary of 800 taels of silver. Where do you think this money comes from?"

"Son, I understand." Zhang Yanshang put the silver bars into his arms.

"Go back to Admiral Cao and report back." Tang Zhong said disdainfully, but his eyes were filled with relief. "Godfather is getting a little annoyed by you."

Not long after Zhang Yanshang left, a person who shouldn't have come to the Liancai Room at this time walked in.

"Ancestor Wei!" Tang Zhong walked over to Wei Chao and bowed deeply. "Master, are you going to bed so early today?"

"No. He's still busy." Wei Chao walked to the empty main seat, pulled out a chair and sat down. "The master asked me to come back and see how Cui Dongchang is doing."

"Ancestor Cui?" Hearing this name, Tang Zhong's body trembled twice. As Wang An's godson and the newly appointed financial manager of the Liancaifang, Tang Zhong knew a lot of inside information. "Is it about to start?"

"It should be soon. Many people will be coming to the Integrity House to pay their debts. Be prepared and pick out a few obedient and intelligent people to report to me. I'll then present them to the ancestor. Of course, you can also present them yourself." Wei Chao nodded. "The master has some matters to attend to in the outer court. Even if I send Cui Dongchang over, he'll just have to kneel outside. His injuries haven't fully healed yet, so I came here first to review today's account book and stamp it where necessary."

"It's better for Ancestor Wei to present it. It's only right to follow the rules."

"You are too rigid." Wei Chao took the new registration book specially made by the factory from Tang Zhong's hand, and immediately found the first page of today through the bookmark specially inserted in the middle by Tang Zhong.

The Liancaifang was currently only being tested within the Silijian (National Liberation Army) and had not yet been expanded to the entire inner court, nor had a branch office been established. Therefore, Wei Chao only needed half an hour to verify the silver inflows and outflows by looking at the book. The largest amount was the 100 taels minus the 300 taels Zhang Shirui had recently given to Zhang Yanshang.

"Alright. Take it back now," Wei Chao handed the register back to Tang Zhong. "Put this money in the Liancai Room for now. Once the matter with the East Factory is settled, we'll hand it over to the Neichengyunku according to the new imperial regulations."

"Yes." Tang Zhong didn't see any special change in Wei Chao's expression, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed. But he didn't go out of his way to find out just to satisfy his curiosity.

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Similar to high-ranking officials' preference for purchasing property in Nanxunfang, Zhaohui Jinggongfang was favored by senior eunuchs due to its proximity to the Silijian (official chamber of ceremonies). Therefore, like many eunuchs who rose to power, Cui Wensheng, soon after his promotion to Bingbi (official secretary) in early August, sent his godson to purchase a house in Zhaohui Jinggongfang, near Bei'anmen.

Unlike Xu Guangqi, who had to borrow money at high interest rates of "nine times out and thirteen times back" to barely buy a property near the Imperial Examination Hall, Cui Wensheng had worked for Concubine Zheng for nearly thirty years and had quite a bit of savings, so he bought his Cui Mansion with full payment.

However, after the Western Factory's raid, the Cui Mansion now only had furniture and basic living utensils that were allowed to remain by imperial decree.

After the East Factory case was concluded, the homes of all the convicted mid- and high-level officials were raided, while the Cui Mansion was raided personally by Wei Zhongxian and his direct guards. Wei's West Factory's raiding tactics were literally digging deep underground, and after the raid, no piece of land remained intact in the Cui Mansion.

Cui Wensheng had no doubt that if the emperor had not issued a clear order to his ancestors to spare his life, Wei Zhongxian would have really "found" a few pieces of armor in his house and sentenced him to death.

Cui Wensheng sat in the courtyard, watching the still chaotic, desolate scene, and couldn't help feeling melancholy. When he first took over the Eastern Depot, both the inner and outer courts, both the upright and the turbid, came to curry favor with him. Even the noble Donglin Clan would invite lesser officials to pay him tribute. But now, after staying at home for several days, not a single one came to visit.

Just as Cui Wensheng was once again lamenting the fickleness of life, his "eldest son," Cui Yuan, hurried over to report, "Godfather, someone's coming from the palace."

Cui Wensheng leaped up from the pavilion's stone bench with a thud. "Hiss!" A crack appeared on the thick scab on his back. "Godfather, be careful! You can't hurt yourself any more even if you're anxious," Cui Yuan counseled, filled with worry.

"Help me over quickly!" Cui Wensheng felt the wound oozing blood. But compared to this insignificant pain, the anxiety in his heart was really irritating. "Which eunuch is coming?"

"It's Eunuch Wei."

"Huh?!" Cui Wensheng's expression suddenly changed. He felt his heart skip a beat. His steps also slowed down. "How many people did he bring?" Cui Wensheng asked in a trembling voice.

"My son didn't look carefully, but there were only two sedan chairs covered with oilcloth. I think there were no more than ten people including the sedan chair bearers." Cui Yuan didn't know why his godfather's face turned pale in an instant.

"Aren't there any Fanzi?" The low-level staff of the West Factory called it execution, but Cui Wensheng still called it Fanzi according to the custom of the East Factory.

"How could that be?" Cui Yuan realized that his statement had caused his godfather to misunderstand him. Cui Yuan shrank his neck and said in a pitiful voice, "Godfather, it's not Wei Zhongxian, it's Wei Chao."

Cui Wensheng was stunned for a few seconds before his pale face turned red again. "You son of a bitch! You're going to scare me to death!" Cui Wensheng was about to slap Cui Yuan on the head, but as soon as he moved, the wound on his back opened a new hole.

The bearers lowered the sedan chair and tilted it downwards. The eunuch accompanying him peeled off a piece of leather felt covering Wei Chao's knees, folded it into a piece, and held it in his palm.

Wei Chao walked down, and as soon as he reached the door, Cui Wensheng walked out with the help of several sons.

"Cui Dongchang, how are you?" Wei Chao was a genuinely good-natured man, always smiling at everyone he met. Even when the emperor's will was unclear and Cui Wensheng's life or death was uncertain, he never considered taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

"Wei Bingbi!" Cui Wensheng's nose suddenly felt sore when he saw Wei Chao's kind and amiable face. He still remembered that when he was carried out of the Imperial Household Department and was about to go home, it was Wei Chao who accompanied him all the way to Bei'an Gate. "Please come in and sit down. Yuan'er, go make a pot of tea for Wei Bingbi."

"No need to bother. Since you're out, I won't go in." Wei Chao waved his hand and stated his purpose straight to the point: "The Emperor sent me to see how you are doing. If I can do my job, I'll take this sedan chair. If you'd like to rest in the house for a while, I'll return and report."

"Yes! Absolutely." Cui Wensheng pushed Cui Yuan aside and, enduring the dull pain in his back, quickly walked to the side of the sedan chair. It was a bit like "Lian Po, though old, can still eat." "I'm just waiting for the emperor to assign me an errand."

"There's no need for you to be so anxious. The emperor is discussing the court meeting with the two grand secretaries. You were kneeling in the snow before, but you are no longer a criminal, so there's no need. We can just walk slowly." Wei Chao thought things were very simple.

"It is still necessary. Being whipped only redeemed my punishment. Only with the emperor's golden words to pardon me can I dare to start a new life." Cui Wensheng wanted to kneel before the emperor right now, touch his forehead to the emperor's boots, and sincerely thank him for his mercy.

"You're kind-hearted." Wei Chao climbed back onto the sedan chair, and the eunuchs draped the still-warm leather blanket back over his knees. "Let me say a few words. Please don't be so impetuous this time. We servants must accept whatever our master, the High Lord, gives us. If the master doesn't give us anything, we must not ask for it, let alone take it ourselves. Remember this, and you'll be able to sit securely in your heaven-sent position and share the High Lord's worries." Wei Chao didn't control his voice, for he wasn't just speaking to Cui Wensheng alone, but to the younger generation around him.

The Imperial Household Department, including Cui Wensheng, now comprised four high-ranking eunuchs. Among them, Wang An, a former imperial eunuch who had served in the Imperial Court, took his vengeance against Consort Zheng out on him. Wei Zhongxian, who had risen to power quickly, was practically at odds with him in his quest to secure the seal of the Western Depot, even visiting Chao's home with a shovel and hoe. Under these circumstances, Wei Chao's gentle, almost friendly, attitude provided Cui Wensheng with a rare sense of warmth in the freezing winter.

The softest part of Cui Wensheng's heart was touched. He was speechless for a long time, his lips moved several times, and finally he could only utter two words of thank you while suppressing his sobs.

"Alas." The winter wind brought uncontrollable sobs, scattering Wei Chao's sighs. On the way from Bei'anmen to the South Study, Wei Chao didn't say another word.

------

The Donglin Party was trapped in its own web, meddling in areas where it shouldn't have been involved. The emperor used their actual military achievements in Liaodong to give them a severe rebuke, and Fang Congzhe's popularity also rose to a new level.

After he uttered the words "no one ordered me to do this" in front of everyone, Liu Yirong, the cabinet's most vocal and vocal opponent, became completely silent, making Fang Congzhe the "true Prime Minister" whose word was law. Fang Congzhe was intoxicated by the unprecedented sense of relief.

"All the cabinet members, the six ministries and the nine ministers." On Zhu Changluo's desk lay a brief memorial with a long signature. "It's quite influential."

Zhu Changluo beckoned to Wang An. Wang An understood and handed two stacks of papers filled with names to Fang Congzhe and Liu Yirong respectively. "This is a tally of the memorials submitted by the censors from the six departments and thirteen prefectures since the first day of the winter month. This must have exhausted old Wang An."

The two Grand Secretaries grew increasingly alarmed as they flipped through the book, because it not only recorded who had submitted how many memorials, but also simply noted the positions of these censors.

"Prime Minister Fang, what do you think?" Zhu Changluo asked.

Fang Congzhe read the list at a glance, and then answered very firmly: "In reply to the emperor. The censors do not understand the overall situation and do not understand the emperor's good intentions." No matter what the Chu and Qi parties did, Fang Congzhe never instructed the Zhejiang party to sing against the emperor.

"Hmm, that's inconsiderate." Zhu Changluo nodded, then turned to Liu Yirong in a sarcastic tone and asked, "Master Liu, what do you think of this matter?"

"In reply to the emperor's words, I think so too." Liu Yirong could only "think so."

The Donglin Party's censors weren't disobedient or acting on their own accord; they were simply too obedient. Following instructions from their spiritual leader, Zhao Nanxing, they resorted to trolling and accusing each other of manipulation, all in an effort to manipulate the court and force the emperor to back down. When the meeting to discuss the attack was convened, Zhao Nanxing deliberately omitted Xu Guangqi. From the outset, he intended to use this opportunity to remove this "disobedient" "half-way comrade" from his crucial position as Minister of Rites.

In Zhao Nanxing's opinion, with the change of the reign title imminent and the spring examination approaching, letting such a person be in charge of the Ministry of Rites would be detrimental to the Donglin Party's "grand plan."

But the emperor gave in too much in this step. He gave up two hundred years in one breath, directly restoring the three courts a day of the Taizu period.

"I don't think so." Zhu Changluo turned his back to the two important officials. "The censors spoke according to the ancestral rules and did not overstep the boundaries. They just wrote some insignificant content."

Fang Congzhe's eyelids twitched, and he thought: The Emperor has started again! If you really think it's insignificant, why did you ask the Imperial Household Department to count this?

(End of this chapter)