Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 126: Rooting out and personnel disputes

In the 18th year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di established the Dongjishichang, which lasted exactly 200 years until the 48th year of the Wanli reign. The Dongchang was divided into the Inner Dongchang and the Outer Dongchang. Beginning in the Jiajing reign, with the expansion of the Silijian's power, it became customary for the eunuchs in charge of the Dongchang to take charge. Consequently, the Inner Dongchang, located near the Dong'an Gate of the Imperial City and surrounded by other internal government offices such as the Huntangsi, Shangshanjian, and the Mingqichang, became the permanent headquarters for the eunuchs in charge.

Cui Wensheng sat leisurely, legs dangling, on the kang in the duty room at the back of the Inner East Factory. The heat from the burning charcoal fire rose, evenly distributed across the kang tiles and diluted by the cotton pads, transforming into a pleasant warmth. Cui Wensheng was contentedly flipping through the newly compiled roster of female students for the official academy.

The beatings to death of Pang Bao and Liu Cheng made Cui Wensheng feel insecure. He believed that loyalty alone was not enough. What was more important was to see the situation clearly, grasp the power, and make achievements. Only in this way could he stand firm. Even if he fell from power and was kicked out one day, the emperor would not kill him because of his achievements.

Therefore, Cui Wensheng's "embezzlement and extortion" in the "Zheng family property raiding case" was not to buy more money for his house in Jinggongfang, Zhaohui, but to win people's hearts and take control of the East Factory in the shortest time.

But just when he was about to make some big move with the loyal East Factory, the "corruption and extortion case" was exposed by a group of poor and crazy petty officials.

But things are better now. Following the reorganization of the East Depot, it was completely separated from the Imperial Guard. Not only did it no longer have an Inspection Bureau, but it also no longer had a harem of favored concubines that were both inconvenient and impossible to remove. Aside from the mid- and low-ranking detectives, who had been replaced by the Imperial Household Department, all other vacancies, including those for the senior officers at the level of a thousand households, as well as the various positions for criminal justice, criminal justice, and clerical officials, remained vacant.

These large number of vacant official positions can be appointed or dismissed by the factory supervisor at his own discretion.

Cui Wensheng was therefore proud of himself and thought that he had saved the trouble of spending money to bribe his subordinates, and could directly fill these confidential positions with his own people.

"My son greets his godfather." Cui Yuan changed into the official uniform only worn by junior eunuchs. Even the light snow could not hide the smug look on his face.

At this time, Cui Yuan hadn't noticed that Cui Wensheng was the only one in the duty room. "Yuan'er, how does your godfather treat you?"

"Godfather pulled his son out of the cesspool, not only gave him a surname, but also used him in a high position, allowing him to reach such a high position. Even his biological parents would not do so much." Cui Yuan did not enter the palace through normal channels. He was an unknown orphan adopted by Cui Wensheng.

"Yeah." Cui Wensheng nodded. "Godfather has asked you to do something. Can you do it?"

"Of course, your son is willing to serve your godfather like a slave, even if it means sacrificing his life for him!" Cui Yuan didn't even ask about the specific content of the job.

"Okay, then go check which officials, both external and internal, were once members of Prince Fu's party. Don't leave out those who have been dismissed from their posts or exiled to distant frontiers." Cui Wensheng grabbed the seal of the East Factory and held it tightly in his hand.

Cui Yuan guessed his godfather had something important to say, but he didn't expect it to be so serious. Why was he looking for someone? He couldn't just invite them to dinner, right?

Cui Yuan swallowed his saliva and asked, "Son, I'd like to ask, what will godfather do with them after we find them?"

"Does this affect your work?" The warm smile on Cui Wensheng's face immediately turned into a cold question.

"It won't have any impact. There won't be any impact at all." Cui Yuan shook his head like a rattle.

"Hmph, that's it. Just do what I tell you to do. Why overthink it?" Cui Wensheng then reluctantly revealed the truth to Cui Yuan. "We only came to His Majesty's side by chance. To maintain his current favor, we must prove our loyalty through concrete actions."

"But..." Cui Yuan quickly knelt on the ground. He was a little hesitant, but he didn't dare to contradict his godfather.

Cui Wensheng didn't mention the Southern Study. He simply sighed and spoke with a tone of sympathy and sorrow, "Godfather knows that because of you, you've established good relationships with a few of Prince Fu's officials and eunuchs, and I'm no different. But from the moment you betrayed Zheng Yangxing, there was no turning back for you and me." Cui Wensheng paused. "It's either them or us. Do you understand?"

He originally only wanted to eliminate the officials involved in the "Pole-Attack Case," but then he realized that such an intention would be too obvious. If the emperor noticed something was amiss and sent someone to inquire with Concubine Zheng, they would inevitably get to the heart of the matter. So he simply expanded the matter, killing all the remaining members of Prince Fu's faction involved in the dispute over the national foundation. This way, he could disguise the matter as a request for favor without arousing excessive suspicion from the emperor. If possible...
Cui Yuan's body was shaking like a sieve. He was a eunuch who had been castrated midway through his career, but he was no novice. He knew this wasn't a matter of friendship. The real problem was the task itself. Regardless of how well it was done, those who did this kind of work usually didn't end well.

Cui Wensheng's voice was like an evil whisper from the eighteenth level of purgatory: "To join Prince Fu is to be disloyal to His Majesty. His Majesty is the king and father. Disloyalty is unfilial. What's the point of keeping such a disloyal and unfilial person? Dealing with Prince Fu's treacherous ministers is to relieve His Majesty of his worries. His Majesty will definitely not pursue the matter. If His Majesty does not pursue the matter, who else will, and who dares to?"

"I'm old, and I'll have to retire sooner or later." Cui Wensheng weighed the seal in his hand intentionally or unintentionally. "You are not unaware of the hatred between the master and Prince Fu. If things are done well..."

"My son will get it done." Cui Yuan finally agreed.

What would happen if he didn't agree? Cui Yuan had served Cui Wensheng for nearly twenty years and knew too well what kind of man his godfather was. If he didn't follow the path his godfather pointed out, he would be doomed.

After Cui Yuan took his orders and left, Cui Wensheng's frayed nerves relaxed. He straightened his clothes and prepared to lie down on the kang to rest for a while. Senior military officers, civilian staff, and prison officials had not yet arrived, so the inner court rectification work could not begin.

If the emperor hadn't explicitly ordered him to strictly follow the list and arrest the people, Cui Wensheng wouldn't have had to specifically ask the loyal Cui Yuan to personally carry out this murder and silence the witnesses. If the case spread, the entire group would be almost dead.

After the "Pole-Attack Case," Prince Fu was enfeoffed, and those who sought to curry favor with the emperor were completely purged and attacked by the Prince's Party. Those who survived, even if they retained their official titles, were essentially stripped of their official positions. It was far too easy to convict these people during the Taichang era, and no official would risk offending the emperor by protecting them.

Just as Cui Wensheng took off his clothes and prepared to take a nap, the eunuch guarding the gate hurried to the door of the duty room and called out, "Ancestor Cui! Someone from the Western Factory is coming."

"Western Factory!" Cui Wensheng's tiredness immediately dissipated: "Apart from the budget approved by the Imperial Household Department, I haven't even received any money yet!" Is Wei Zhongxian crazy about the credit?

Because of his own experience, Cui Wensheng had a very one-sided understanding of the New Western Factory, thinking that it was just an "Emperor's Censorate" that dealt with corruption and bribery.

While he was hurriedly putting on his clothes, he ordered through the door, "Call them in. I want to see what they are going to do!"

"Yes, sir!" The eunuch went back to ask for help shortly after arriving.

After a while, the eunuch led a boy wearing the official uniform of a young eunuch into the duty room.

"Your subordinate, Wang Chengen, Director of the External Inspection Department of the Western Inspection Bureau, presents to Cui Wensheng, Eunuch in Charge of the Imperial Household Department and Superintendent of the Eastern Depot." Wang Chengen recited both men's full titles in one breath. "You're quite interesting," Cui Wensheng chuckled. This child, slightly older than the Fifth Prince, looked even more serious than the seasoned courtiers.

Cui Wensheng acted as if he was above suspicion. "Excuse me, what brings Director Wang to my East Factory? If you want to check the accounts, I'll have someone give them to you right away."

"In reply to the admiral, I am not here to check the accounts, but to deliver a letter." Wang Chengen replied with a fist salute.

"What letter are you delivering?" Cui Wensheng suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

Wang Chengen took two steps forward to Cui Wensheng's desk, then pulled a twelve-leaf scroll from his sleeve pocket and handed it over with both hands. "This is the Western Investigation Bureau's formal protest against the Eastern Investigation Bureau's personnel appointments and dismissals."

"What grounds do you have for protesting?" Cui Wensheng found Wang Chengen's words completely baffling. "What right does the West Depot have to dictate the affairs of the East Depot? In the entire Ming Dynasty, no government office has the right to comment on the personnel affairs of another government office."

Seeing that Cui Wensheng refused to protest, Wang Chengen placed the Twelve Leaf Fold on Cui Wensheng's desk. "The Emperor has granted the West Depot the right to challenge personnel decisions made by the East Depot and the Imperial Guards through an imperial decree. Specifically, if the West Depot deems an East Depot appointment or dismissal problematic, it can file a formal objection."

Cui Wensheng's face darkened, and he asked in a very unfriendly tone, "Does this mean that personnel matters at my East Factory need to be approved by your West Factory?"

"To reply, Admiral. Your statement is not accurate. The right to object is not the same as the right to consent." Wang Chengen explained, "The right of consent has always been in the hands of His Majesty."

"." Cui Wensheng continued to stare at Wang Chengen with a cold look.

Wang Chengen remained unmoved and continued to explain, "After the letter of rebuttal is submitted, the personnel appointment and dismissal process will be suspended. The Admiral may choose to insist on the appointment or dismissal. However, if the Admiral chooses to do so, he must provide the reasons for his insistence in writing to the West Factory within three days. If the West Factory agrees with the East Factory's reasons, then the rebuttal will cease."

"What if you don't agree?" Cui Wensheng asked back, then opened the twelve-leaf folded letter and began to read it.

"Then we have to go to the Imperial Household Department and ask the eunuch in charge of the seal to arbitrate," Wang Chengen replied. "Because the East and West Depots are under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department, the first arbitration will be presided over by the eunuch in charge of the seal. The East Depot will need to explain the reasons for its appointment or dismissal to the eunuch in charge of the seal, and the West Depot will need to explain the reasons for its defense to the eunuch in charge of the seal. After listening to the arguments of both sides, the eunuch in charge of the seal will give the arbitration result. Of course, the commander of the East Depot is ultimately selected by the emperor himself. If the commander still disagrees, he can appeal to the emperor. The emperor will make the final decision."

"No need." After hearing this, Cui Wensheng's forehead was covered with sweat, and he didn't know whether it was because the charcoal fire was too strong or because he was anxious. "The East Factory accepts the defense and will not request arbitration."

Cui Wensheng knew there was no way he could win the arbitration. His rationale for selecting people could be summed up in two words: nepotism. The three captains were his relatives, and the vast majority of the civil servants and prison officers were closely associated with him.

This letter of rebuttal was so dense that it almost completely included all of these people. If the Western Factory took this letter to the Imperial Household Department to sue, the result could be imagined.

Cui Wensheng looked at the signature at the end of the twelve-leaf folding letter and the seal of the Western Factory, and cursed Wei Zhongxian's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

"The Western Depot is truly resourceful. The person I selected for the position hadn't even arrived at the government office to report, and they already knew about it." Cui Wensheng knew he wouldn't get an answer, but he still asked, "How did the Western Depot know?"

To Cui Wensheng's surprise, Wang Chengen actually answered the question honestly: "We have intercepted and reviewed all the letters you have sent since you took office, and have strictly ordered the messengers to keep their mouths shut."

"Are you smart or stupid? You just told me this kind of news." Cui Wensheng really had no idea what to do with this stubborn kid.

"In reply to the admiral, the above powers are clearly written in the imperial decree of the Western Factory. We have the right to review all letters sent by the Eastern Factory, and we also have the right to issue a gag order to those involved." Wang Chengen replied.

"Hmph. Wei Zhongxian is really good at showing off his power." Cui Wensheng sighed.

If Cui Wensheng knew someone was investigating the officials he was using to fill vacancies, he would have stopped this practice of nepotism. In other words, if the Western Factory was conducting an open investigation rather than a secret one, they wouldn't have used the Twelve Leaf Folding to record so many names.

But Cui Wensheng guessed wrong. The gag order was not issued by Wei Zhongxian, but by Mi Mengshang. The person who wanted to intimidate Cui Wensheng was not the governor of the Western Depot, but the emperor's favorite concubine.

Just as Cui Wensheng was mentally reciting Wei Zhongxian's ancestors, Wang Chengen said, "When the Admiral is reappointed, he can directly inform the Western Depot of the personnel. The Western Depot will help the Eastern Depot conduct verification to prevent the unsuitable people from filling confidential positions. In the words of the Emperor, this is called 'political review.'"

"Thank you so much." Cui Wensheng said sarcastically.

"You're welcome, Commander-in-Chief. This is the responsibility of the Western Factory," Wang Chengen replied seriously.

"Me!" Cui Wensheng was deflated and waved his hand to signal Wang Chengen to get out.

Wang Chengen shook his head and bowed, "I have one last thing to tell the Admiral."

"You little bastard, hurry up and tell me, and get out of here." Cui Wensheng suddenly felt very tired.

"The imperial decree for the Western Factory stipulates that every step, from the protest to the final arbitration personally presided over by the emperor, must be documented in writing," Wang Chengen said, deliberately leaving this matter for last. "In other words, while the Western Factory filed a written objection to the Eastern Factory's personnel appointments and dismissals, it also submitted a 'rebuttal' to the Imperial Household Department."

"Fuck! Have you reported it?" Cui Wensheng couldn't sit still anymore.

"Yes." Wang Chengen smiled innocently.

(End of this chapter)