Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 136 Sun Chuanting Enters Beijing

The warm winter sun shone over the capital for only one day before it was obscured by dark clouds shrouded in snow and ice. On the fourteenth day of the winter month of the forty-eighth year of the Wanli reign, another overcast day fell without the sun.

In Dongjiang Mixiang, near the Ministry of Rites, there's a small tavern called "Yangming Restaurant." This tavern has nothing to do with Xinjian Hou Wang Shouren. It's so called simply because it's sandwiched between Zhengyang Gate and Daming Gate.

Yangming Restaurant has a great location. Just a few steps to the north is the heart of the Ming Dynasty. Important departments such as the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of War, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Rites, Five Military Commissioners' Office, and Embroidered Uniform Guard Command are all here.

However, Yangming Restaurant's business wasn't with high-ranking officials, but rather with lesser officials of the sixth rank and below. The heads of various ministries, doctors, and secretaries of various departments, as well as the chief secretaries and deputy secretaries of various departments, and those attending court or not, anyone who didn't have time to eat at home would usually come to Yangming Restaurant and order a couple of small dishes to get by.

Like other wine shops and tea houses, outside of meal times, the only people left in Yangming Wine House were common people who came to rest and drink tea, or minor officials who came to deliver messages and take a break.

"Two trays of meat buns, a bowl of noodles with pickled mustard greens, and a plate of pickles." The young man pushed open the door and shook off the fine snow that had accumulated on his cotton cloak. As it swayed, the hem of his seventh-rank official uniform peeked out from under the cloak.

"Okay." Although it was a little early for lunch, the waiter still greeted him with his usual smile. "Would you like a cup of tea, sir?"

"No. Just a meal will be enough." As soon as the young man sat down, he heard the guests at the next table talking loudly.

"You know what?" the middle-aged man dressed as a sedan bearer poured himself a cup of coarse tea, then poked the sky with his index finger. "It's going to be 'pouring east' up there."

"Bullshit, how can we say they're just arresting a few officials?" another bearer retorted. "We haven't arrested a single official from the cabinet or the government."

"Pulling out the radish brings out the dirt. A trial will reveal the truth." The obviously older old porter recalled something that happened nearly forty years ago: "The last time we mobilized such a large force and sent the Jinyiwei to the yamen to arrest people was at the end of the tenth year of the Wanli reign, when the late emperor overthrew Zhang. At first, we didn't catch many people, but later..."

Sun Chuanting listened silently, his brows furrowed. He waited until the waiter came over with the tray before he asked, "Has anything happened in Beijing recently?"

"Sir, you just arrived in Beijing today, right?" The servant placed the dishes ordered by Sun Chuanting on the table one by one.

"How did you know?" Sun Chuanting asked in confusion.

"Yesterday, the Imperial Guards broke into the government office in broad daylight and arrested several officials, including a third-rank official." The servant set down his dishes and collected his plates, but he didn't leave. He was happy to chat with his guest. "This kind of thing can't be kept secret. It's spreading all over the capital now, with all sorts of rumors. You're wearing official uniform and still know nothing about it. You must have entered the capital today." The servant had sharp eyes and knew Sun Chuanting was an official the moment he shook his cloak.

"The news spread throughout Beijing overnight?" Sun Chuanting was a little surprised.

"I don't know if it's spread widely, but everyone I've met is basically talking about it," the servant replied. "Even officials like the Supreme Court Justice and the Minister of Rites have been arrested, so it's normal for the news to spread quickly."

"Yeah." Sun Chuanting nodded and stopped discussing the matter with the young man in front of him. "Go ahead and do your work. Someone's coming to the door."

"okay."

Sun Chuanting ate his steamed buns with pickled vegetables, occasionally shoveling noodles into his mouth. As his jaws moved, his mind raced: It's not surprising that ordinary people knew about the arrests, but after just one day, everyone knew the details of the arrests. This must have been deliberately spread by someone with ulterior motives. Never mind, it's none of my business. I still have to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to file a reply.

He wolfed down his late breakfast, then looked at the price written on the wooden tag and took out a dozen copper coins and laid them out on the table. "Check out."

"Sir, this is five cents too much." The petty officials who came here to eat were very stingy, and none of them were willing to give a tip.

"I'll put the horse here. You can help feed it some grass and water," said Sun Chuanting.

"Add another three cents and you can give your horse some beans," the servant reminded.

"Okay." Sun Chuanting took out another three cents.

After the meal, the hunger pangs in his stomach disappeared, and Sun Chuanting regained his spirits. After leaving Yangming Restaurant, he strode towards the Ministry of Public Administration.

"No way?" Sun Chuanting couldn't help but sigh when he entered the Ministry of Public Security and saw the long queue.

"Are you here to submit a petition or a memorial?" The governor, wearing an eighth-rank official uniform, walked up to Sun Chuanting and asked.

"Any precision?"

"There weren't any yesterday, but there are today," the governor said. "If it's a memorial, don't queue up. Just go over there and register, then you can leave your things and go home. If it's a memorial, sorry, just wait patiently."

"Why are there so many people today?"

"With something this serious, how could there not be a lot? Impeachments, remonstrations. Every department, every party, every faction has something to say. I'm afraid we'll have to receive hundreds more memorials today." The governor looked out the door, and seeing that the next person coming to the yamen would have to leave a while later, he added a few more words. "This is the custom of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If there are few things, we collect them all together. If there are many, we collect them separately."

"I am not submitting a memorial or a petition, I am here to reply to a letter," said Sun Chuanting.

"Oh! It's almost New Year, and there are still county magistrates coming to Beijing?" The governor was a little surprised.

Sun Chuanting spread his hands and shrugged. "You sent me the letter first, so I can come here to reply."

"The letter you received certainly wasn't handled by me, otherwise I would definitely remember it." Seeing the next person coming, the governor quickened his pace. "Go directly to Lord Zuo Tongzheng. No need to queue."

Following the governor's guidance, Sun Chuanting soon arrived at Zuo Tongzheng's office hall.

"Sun Chuanting. Sun Boya." Zuo Tongzheng found the corresponding records. "Where are they from?"

Sun Chuanting knew this was to confirm his identity. "I'm from Zhenwuwei, Daizhou, Shanxi Province. My ancestral home is Guangshan, Henan Province. I passed the provincial examination in the 46th year of the Wanli reign, and in the 47th year of the Wanli reign, I ranked 41st among the top three."

"Alright. Go report to the Ministry of Personnel." Zuo Tong stamped the document with the official seal and handed it back to Sun Chuanting. "Be careful what you say when you go to the Ministry of Personnel."

"What's wrong, sir?" Sun Chuanting asked.

Zuo Tongzheng stroked his wiry white beard and kindly reminded him, "I don't know why we asked you to come to Beijing. Anyway, you came at a bad time. The Jinyiwei arrested a lot of people at the Ministry of Personnel yesterday, and Minister Zhou must be very angry now."

"Is it serious?" Sun Chuanting asked again. "The emperor called down a thunderclap, but no one knows how the rain will fall. At least I don't know." It was obvious that Zuo Tongzheng liked his beard very much. "Hurry up, it will be dinner time in half an hour."

"Thank you for the reminder, sir. I understand." Sun Chuanting bowed.

The Tongzhengshisi is next to Nanxunfang, and next to it is the Luanjiaku. To get to the Ministry of Personnel, you have to go back a bit.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Personnel, Sun Chuanting immediately sensed a sense of desolation, a stark contrast to the atmosphere at the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He steeled himself and bravely entered the main hall, where he found the Minister of Personnel, Zhou Jiamo, staring blankly at his desk, a pen dipped in ink.

After being reminded by Zuo Tongzheng, Sun Chuanting did not rashly disturb Zhou Butang, but stood there waiting for Zhou Butang to notice him.

"Alas!" After a long moment, Zhou Jiamo finally let out a long sigh. His right hand, holding the pen, lowered slightly, but just as the tip of the brush was about to touch the paper, Zhou Jiamo withdrew the pen. "Alas!" Zhou Jiamo wanted to plead for the captured official, but after writing the formal opening, he could no longer utter a single word.

"Well, who are you?" Looking at the tall and burly young man in front of him, wearing the uniform of a seventh-rank official, Zhou Jiamo immediately remembered the man with the same characteristics who broke into the yamen yesterday: Could it be another Jinyiwei?
"." Sun Chuanting kept the instruction in mind and said nothing more. Instead, he reached into his bosom and took out a document wrapped in a hard cover.

"You want to arrest me?" Zhou Jiamo instinctively thought that the young man had taken out a letter of authorization.

"Your Excellency." Sun Chuanting saw Minister Zhou's startled expression and knew he couldn't remain silent any longer. "I've come to the capital with a letter from the Ministry of Civil Affairs asking me to report to the Ministry of Personnel."

"Hmm? This isn't the time for job descriptions." Zhou Jiamo breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it wasn't the Imperial Guard. He took the document and opened it. "Sun Chuanting, Magistrate of Yongcheng County, Henan Province." Zhou Jiamo was flustered, unable to recall who this seventh-rank official was. He stood up and searched for documents from the past month.

Soon, he found it. "A transfer order from the cabinet?" Zhou Jiamo was very confused, because unless something serious happened, the cabinet would not bypass the provincial government and directly inquire about matters at the county level.

He then looked back and suddenly understood. "No wonder the cabinet wants to transfer you to Liaodong."

"I haven't completed the three-year exam yet, so how could I be transferred?" Sun Chuanting had never asked for favors, nor had he had time to get involved in factional struggles. So in his view, a transfer could only be due to completing the exam.

"How should I know? Liaodong's general affairs are now directly under the control of the Cabinet. You're only here to go through the motions." Zhou Jiamo wasn't in the mood to argue with this seventh-rank magistrate. He signed and stamped the corresponding documents, then stacked them on his desk. "Take them, and go to the Ministry of War."

"Why do we have to go to the Ministry of War?" Sun Chuanting felt puzzled.

"There's a war going on in Liaodong!" Zhou Jiamo got angry when he thought of Liaodong. Many members of the Donglin Party had been arrested for interfering in Liao affairs and impeaching Xiong Tingbi.

"Okay. Thank you, Minister. I'll take my leave." Sun Chuanting picked up the document and bowed in farewell.

After Sun Chuanting left, Zhou Jiamo returned to his seat. Looking at the memorial, which was blank except for the formatted opening, a look of worry crept over his face. He sighed again, "Alas! Zou Yuanbiao has been arrested, and Liu Yirong and Han Yu haven't even come out to discuss countermeasures. I don't even know how to write the title."

The Ministry of War was on the other side of the imperial carriage warehouse, so after leaving the Ministry of Personnel, Sun Chuanting turned back.

The main hall of the Ministry of War was quiet, the only sound being the rustling of tables and chairs. Similarly quiet and silent, it wasn't as boisterous as the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but compared to the gloom of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War was noticeably more relaxed. This was especially true of the Minister of State Cui Jingrong, who sat firmly in the main seat, his composure almost seeming leisurely.

Cui Jingrong held a cup of tea in his hands, its aroma rising thick and thick, solidifying in the cool air. He took a deep breath, and the rising vapor lingered at the tip of his nose for a long time.

After Cui Jingrong finished sipping the fragrant tea and put down the cup, Sun Chuanting bowed and said, "Minister."

"Who are you?" Cui Jingrong smacked his lips, as if savoring the aftertaste of the tea.

"I am Sun Chuanting, the magistrate of Yongcheng County in Henan Province. The Ministry of Public Security sent me a letter asking me to come to Beijing. After replying, they asked me to report to the Ministry of Personnel. The Ministry of Personnel said that the transfer order was from the cabinet and asked me to report to the Ministry of War." Sun Chuanting briefly recounted his experience of going back and forth to the ministry in one breath.

"You are Sun Chuanting." Cui Jingrong knew who the young man was as soon as he heard it.

"Does the minister know me?" When Sun Chuanting came to Beijing for reference last year, Cui Jingrong was still the governor of military affairs in Xuanda, Shanxi and other places, and was also in charge of food and wages.

"Of course. You are going to Shenyang. Everyone in the Ministry of War knows you." Cui Jingrong said with a smile.

"What happened in Shenyang?" Sun Chuanting felt that he had been in a state of confusion since he came to Beijing.

"Shenyang isn't that great, but Xiong Tingbi's headquarters is right there. He's a tough guy to deal with. But..." Cui Jingrong took another sip of tea. "With your physique, you should be able to withstand his torment."

"Is Xiong Jinglie difficult to get along with?" Sun Chuanting asked.

"He's a straightforward person. If you're into him, you should be able to get along with him." Cui Jingrong waved at Sun Chuanting. "Bring the documents over here."

"It's all here."

"Congratulations! You've been promoted twice in a row. You're now a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of War." Cui Jingrong signed and stamped the appointment document, then handed it back to Sun Chuanting. "Go to the Censorate."

"Go to the Censorate?" Sun Chuanting felt like a spinning top, jumping every time a whip was whipped. But no matter where it jumped, it always circled in the same area.

"Of course you have to go to the Censorate. The Cabinet has sent you to Shenyang as an Inspector to manage general affairs, and the title you've been given is Director and Censor. As Censor, can you not report to the Censorate?" No one from the Ministry of War had been arrested, so Cui Jingrong had much more patience than Zhou Jiamo. Sun Chuanting's physique also suited Cui Jingrong's taste. "Director of the Ministry of War, Censor of the Censorate, Inspector of Shenyang. After all this detour, you're still doing the work of a county magistrate."

Cui Jingrong thought for a moment and kindly reminded him, "It's almost dinner time. Even if you run now, you won't be able to reach the Censorate. Go in the afternoon. You can go to the Ministry of Revenue first. You should be able to catch up."

"What do these titles have to do with the Ministry of Revenue?" asked Sun Chuanting.

"Boy, you're really confused." Cui Jingrong chuckled and asked, "You're not going to the Ministry of Revenue to report your travel expenses to Beijing and Liaoning, so you plan to pay for them yourself?"

"Oh, yes! Travel expenses. I'll be there right away."

"Don't forget the Censorate."

(End of this chapter)