Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 147 Cabinet Response

Dashiyongfang, the office of the Jinyiwei Commandery.

Before Luo Sigong went to the Northern Pacification Office, he had anticipated the possibility that Tian Ergeng would pretend to obey but actually disobey. But when it really happened, Luo Sigong was still in a very bad mood.

Because the occurrence of a solitary movement often signified a major disagreement between the headquarters and the Northern Pacification Office. In other words, the Northern Pacification Office's solitary movement was not only an exercise of authority granted by the emperor, but also a challenge to the authority of the Pacification Office's assistant official. Such an event had never occurred before during the Wanli reign.

So even though he knew it was of no use, Luo Sigong still called Tian Ergeng over and gave him a scolding.

"Sir, please!" Because Luo Sigong had given special instructions, the captain guarding the gate brought the eunuch into the main hall without notifying him.

Luo Sigong looked up at the noise and immediately recognized the person as Cao Huachun, the fifth-rank official in the Imperial Household Department. He quickly stood up and greeted him enthusiastically. "Commander Cao! Long time no see. I hope you are well."

"Lord Luo." Cao Huachun briefly exchanged greetings and then got straight to the point. "The study urgently summons you, so let's not be polite. Please follow me."

"What's wrong?" Luo Sigong asked in confusion.

"Zou Siqing died in your Northern Pacification Office, didn't you know?" Cao Huachun asked back.

"What!?" Luo Sigong's voice contained surprise, relief, and even a little bit of happiness.

"Oh, everyone in the palace knows about it, but you don't know yet." Cao Huachun rubbed his ears, which were red from the cold, and shook his head slightly, saying, "Look at you, this is the boss."

"That's me..." Luo Sigong couldn't argue, because the independence of the Northern Pacification Division was institutional. Once the commanding officer strictly ordered the headquarters to block the news, the head of the guard would be partially "deaf".

"Come on, hurry up and come with me to the palace." Cao Huachun kindly reminded him, "Godfather looked very unhappy when he came to the Imperial Household Department, so this must be a big deal."

"Thank you for the reminder." Luo Sigong thanked him with a frown.

When the two arrived at the Southern Study, Xu Guangqi was still playing his poems.

Benedict! Benedict! Benedict!
Because all the low-ranking eunuchs, including those who called out names, had been dispersed, Cao Huachun had to go and knock on the door to make the announcement himself.

The palace door opened and Wang An walked out.

"Godfather." Cao Huachun said as quietly as possible, "Lord Luo is here."

"Xu Bu Tang is still reporting on matters, so it will take a while." Wang An ordered, "Don't let Luo Sigong kneel outside when the snow is falling like this. Take him to the side hall to rest."

"Okay." Cao Huachun nodded obediently.

Luo Sigong came to the side hall and found that there were already people sitting there.

Seeing someone coming, Long Huamin quickly stood up and greeted him eagerly: "Sir, is the emperor going to summon me?"

"No. Just wait. If you're lucky, it'll be today. If you're unlucky, we'll have to wait another day." Cao Huachun shook his head.

"Did something happen?" Long Huamin asked cautiously.

"Stop asking about things that have nothing to do with you." Cao Huachun said with a slight frown.

"Sorry, I have overstepped my bounds." Long Huamin's face showed obvious disappointment.

After a while, the door of the side hall was opened again.

"Godfather!" Wang Chengen walked in in three or two steps and kowtowed to Cao Huachun.

"Why are you here too?" Cao Huachun asked as he helped Wang Chengen up.

"My son followed Governor Wei to the Northern Pacification Office." Wang Chengen replied without hesitation, "Now that the matter has been investigated, Governor Wei has asked my son to come to the study to report to the Lord."

"Okay." Cao Huachun quickly interrupted Wang Chengen and pulled him in front of Luo Sigong, introducing him, "This is Luo Sigong, the head of the Jinyiwei, Lord Luo."

"Greetings, Lord Luo." Wang Chengen politely saluted the old man who was of his grandfather's generation.

"I guess you are Wang Chengen, the newcomer of the Imperial Court of the Waiji Factory Guard, also known as Wang Shaojian." If Luo Sigong still cannot guess who this kid is based on this conversation, then his decades of service as a Jinyiwei would be in vain.

"I am simply honored by the emperor's misapprehension." After saying the humble resignation, Wang Chengen said no more.

For a moment, the observers, the observed, and the temporarily distrusted bystanders gathered together, and the side hall fell into an inexplicable and awkward silence. It wasn't until two quarters of an hour later that Wang An pushed the door open and entered.

"Luo Sigong and Wang Chengen come together." From the time he came in to the time he left, Wang An had no intention of paying any attention to the three missionaries.

"President, this..." Tang Ruowang showed a puzzled look.

"It's not a bad thing. At least they didn't ask us to leave." Long Huamin leisurely picked up a piece of dessert and put it into his mouth.

"Your Highness Luo Sigong pays homage to the Emperor, Long Live His Majesty!"

"Your servant Wang Chengen kowtows to the emperor, long live the emperor!"

Zhu Changluo didn't let anyone stand up, and asked directly: "Wang Chengen, what's going on with the Northern Pacification Office?"

Wang Cheng'en glanced sideways at Luo Sigong before speaking, "My Lord. The coroner found that Lord Zou's cause of death was indeed suicide, as Tian Ergeng had said. The fatal wound was on his neck, and because of the charcoal, the blood that flowed to the ground only coagulated, not frozen. Based on this, the coroner deduced that the time of death should have been midnight last night."

"Suicide" Zhu Changluo asked, "Why?"

"I don't know." Wang Chengen shook his head and guessed, "Perhaps the torture was too severe for Lord Zou to bear, so he chose to commit suicide to protect his accomplices."

"He confessed nothing. The trial was in vain," Zhu Changluo pounded the table. "What kind of torture did the Imperial Guards inflict on him?"

"Xu Xianchun said he took Lord Zou's age into consideration, so he didn't use severe torture." Wang Chengen twitched his toes. "Lord Zou's toenails are all gone. Furthermore, Xu Xianchun sprinkled salt on them." "Pulling out nails and sprinkling salt on them is excruciating," Zhu Changluo sighed. "Where's Wei Zhongxian? Where did he go?"

"Supervisor Wei is at the Northern Pacification Office to maintain order and collect Lord Zou's body." Wang Chengen added, "I've left several of my direct officers there to assist him."

"Yeah." Zhu Changluo had nothing else to ask: "Go down and file it."

"The slaves obey the order."

"By the way, write a clear note and send it to the Cabinet."

After Wang Chengen left, Zhu Changluo turned to Luo Sigong and gave him a task that sounded difficult to accomplish: "Zou Yuanbiao is a loyal minister with backbone, but I don't care. Regardless of whether Zou Yuanbiao is guilty or not, when you go down, do everything you can to prove that the Donglin Party conspired to force the emperor to abdicate, and you must implicate Zou Yuanbiao! Also, no more deaths."

"Your Majesty, I obey your order!" Luo Sigong's pupils trembled and he kowtowed.

------

cabinet.

"Someone from the palace came to inform us that Zou Erzhan is dead." On Fang Congzhe's desk was a six-leaf letter handed over by the Imperial Household Department.

"Was it done by the Pacification Office?" Shen was shocked and asked with a frown.

"They said it was suicide." Fang Congzhe shook his head.

"Was it ordered by the palace?" Han Yu couldn't help but ask more clearly.

"Don't speculate. It was suicide." Fang Congzhe placed the six-leaf folded leaf on the edge of the table. "See for yourself."

Ye Xianggao, who sat closest to Fang Congzhe, was the first to walk over and pick up the six-leaf folded book. "It says that Zou Erzhan, wrapped in a quilt, smashed a porridge bowl, then used the fragments to slit his own neck." Ye Xianggao, a quick reader, quickly finished reading the contents.

"How can we believe what the Jinyiwei says?" Shi Jixie also stood up.

"It was verified by the Western Factory. This document was written by a eunuch named Wang Chengen." Ye Xianggao did not know Wang Chengen.

"Who cares about the East Factory or the West Factory! They are all in the palace!" Han Yu doesn't like Zhao Nanxing, but he has a good personal relationship with Zou Yuanbiao.

"Be careful with your words." Liu Yirong tugged at Han Yu's sleeve. "Second Assistant. When did this happen?"

"Probably yesterday. But the body was found today," Ye Xianggao replied. "The Northern Pacification Office wanted to suppress the news, but the Western Factory caught him."

"Suicide doesn't make sense." Han Yu softened his tone, but suspicion still lingered in his words. "Zou Erzhan isn't that kind of person."

"Ci Fu. Can you show it to me?" Liu Yirong walked to Ye Xianggao and stretched out his hands.

"Take a look." Ye Xianggao handed the six-leaf fold to Liu Yirong. Then he turned to look at Fang Congzhe. "I don't think the Pacification Bureau has any reason to kill anyone."

"Why?" Shi Jixie asked.

"Unless the Pacification Office is crazy, they wouldn't execute a third-rank official without the palace's order. They don't have the guts." Ye Xianggao walked to the door of the duty room and closed it. "And for the palace, the Pacification Office isn't a good place to kill people, especially at a time like this."

"Could it be that the torture was too severe and Zou Erzhan couldn't bear it?" Shi Jixie pondered. "He's already so old, after all."

"Yes. But this is not much different from suicide." Fang Congzhe, who was still sitting, raised his head. There was not much sadness or joy in his eyes, only some vague sadness.

"What does this mean?" Shen almost only spoke when Fang Congzhe spoke.

"Whether he was tortured to death or committed suicide, it shows that Zou Erzhan didn't reveal what the Pacification Office wanted." Fang Congzhe sighed. "If he had confessed voluntarily, he wouldn't have been tortured, let alone committed suicide. Perhaps the Pacification Office would have treated him to fine wine and food."

"If it was suicide, it was probably because Zou Erzhan didn't want to confess and felt he couldn't take it anymore." Liu Yirong sympathized with Fang Congzhe, a rare sentiment. "The torture in the imperial prison is not something that ordinary people can endure. They even have doctors on hand to prevent prisoners from dying."

"Prime Minister, what should we do?" Ye Xianggao looked at Fang Congzhe and asked.

"Prime Minister, I think the cabinet should first ascertain what the palace means before making a decision." Shen interrupted Fang Congzhe before he could speak. He didn't care whether Zou Yuanbiao, the leader of the enemy party, lived or died; he was only concerned that this would alter his plan to attack the Donglin Party. "With the death of Lord Zou, things have become very complicated."

Han Yu's blood rushed from his heart to his scalp. He rushed to Shen and asked harshly, "What did you say?"

"Hmph. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Shen said sharply, "The Donglin Party recklessly forced the emperor to abdicate, angering His Majesty. Now their leader is imprisoned, but he died in prison. Suicide, Zou Siqing is truly a great man! I don't need to think too much to know that once the news gets out, the 'Zuo Shun Gate' will be filled with Donglin officials kneeling outside, demanding the punishment of the Jinyiwei!"

Zuo Shunmen, first built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, is located west of the Wenhua Hall and was the only way to enter the inner chambers from the Wumen Gate. In April of the 36th year of the Jiajing reign, a lightning strike caused a fire in the three main halls of the Forbidden City, and the smoke spread to Zuo Shunmen and You Shunmen. The following year, the two gates were rebuilt. In September of the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, Zuo Shunmen was renamed Huijimen, and You Shunmen was renamed Guijimen. In other words, there is currently no "Zuo Shunmen" in the Forbidden City.

Shen did not mention Huijimen, but instead emphasized the no longer existing "Zuoshunmen" in order to prejudge what was likely to happen next, comparing it to the "Great Ceremony Debate."

In the 14th year of the Zhengtong reign, news of the "Tumu Incident" reached Beijing, triggering the "Zuo Shunmen Incident." Ma Shun, a remnant of Wang Zhen's accomplice and commander of the Imperial Guard, was beaten to death near Zuo Shunmen by Wang Hong and other ministers. The ministers then beat Wang Zhen's remaining accomplices, eunuchs Mao Gui and Wang Chang, to death, and their bodies were hung outside Dong'anmen.

Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Qin and regent, panicked and attempted to flee, but was stopped by Yu Qian, who urged him to declare Ma Shun and his men guilty of the crime to be executed, while acquitting the ministers who participated in the beating. Zhu Qiyu accepted his advice and issued an order commending all officials to return to their posts. He also declared Ma Shun guilty and sentenced him to death, and dropped all charges against the officials involved in the beating. The situation stabilized.

From then on, Zuo Shunmen became a place where traitors were executed without punishment.

In the third year of the Jiajing reign, the Great Ceremony Controversy reached its climax. A group of officials, led by Yang Tinghe's son Yang Shen, plotted to murder Zhang Cong and Gui E, staunch supporters of Emperor Shizong Zhu Houcong, at Zuoshunmen. While the killings were unsuccessful, the incident escalated into a gathering of over 220 officials, including 23 officials from six ministries, one court, one department, and one temple, along with 20 Hanlin scholars, 21 Jieshizhong, and 30 Yushi, at Zuoshunmen to mourn the emperor's abdication.

"Lord Han, things are different now. The emperor is in his prime, and the court is no longer a place where a few people have the final say!" Shen almost pointed at Han Yu's nose and called him Yang Tinghe.

"Do you dare to say it again?" Han Yu rolled up his sleeves and prepared to take action.

"What if I say it ten more times?" Shen refused to give in. In his view, whether Zou Yuanbiao committed suicide because he could not endure the torture of the Jinyiwei or not, his death itself muddied the waters. It gave the Donglin Party, which had been forced into a passive position by the emperor's wrath, a chance to breathe.

The Donglin Party's censors were inevitably enraged; this group of young people were always hot-blooded. However, the Donglin Party wasn't solely comprised of young people. If leaders like Han Yu and Liu Yirong stepped in to appease and subdue the censors, the Donglin Party could exploit the emperor's potential sympathy and de-escalate the situation. Shen's current strategy was to, first, frame the Donglin censors' potential actions as a threat to the emperor's throne, and second, to provoke Han and Liu, causing chaos within the cabinet and preventing a unified voice from pacifying the censors should they actually gather.

As long as the situation is allowed to deteriorate further, the "negative impact" brought about by Zou Yuanbiao's death can be offset!
(End of this chapter)