Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 159 Wei Zhongxian’s “Righteous Indignation”

Imperial City, near Xi'an Gate, the main hall of Xichang.

"What brings you to my Western Factory, gentlemen?" Wei Zhongxian sat in his seat and had no intention of standing up to greet them.

"We are here to bring back Zou Erzhan." The Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo was unhappy with Wei Zhongxian's arrogance, but he could only endure it for now.

"I haven't heard of such a thing." Wei Zhongxian took a quick look and saw that the people present included not only the Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo and the Minister of Rites Xu Guangqi, but also the Minister of Punishment Huang Kezan and the Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Wenda. This lineup itself was very telling.

"Do you recognize this?" Xu Guangqi walked past Zhou Jiamo, took out a paper tube from his sleeve and held it with both hands.

Wei Zhongxian was still indifferent. "Open it and put it up." He knocked on his desk.

"Director Wei, I suggest you take it with both hands." Xu Guangqi deliberately put on a tit-for-tat attitude.

"Catch it with both hands? I could just kneel down and take it." Wei Zhongxian pretended to be angry and stood up. He walked a few steps to Xu Guangqi and snatched the paper tube. "What is this!"

"What's your attitude?" Huang Kezan heard Wei Zhongxian's pun and was about to step forward to scold him, but was stopped by Xu Guangqi. "The eunuch has always been arrogant, brother Shaofu, why bother to get angry with him? Let's just take Zou Erzhan back."

Before Xu Guangqi finished speaking, Wei Zhongxian knelt down with the paper in his hand and shouted, "Long live the emperor!"

There was no seal or special mark on the paper, only two lines of regular script: As requested by the minister, Zou Yuanbiao's body can be moved out of the Western Factory and returned to his family after further inspection by the three judicial departments.

Wei Zhongxian's cry was so resounding that the eunuchs and executioners standing inside and outside the main hall all knelt down. "Long live the emperor!"

As a result, the only people left standing in the West Factory Yamen were a few officials from the outer court. They stood there for a while, but soon became uncomfortable with the pressure of the atmosphere. In addition, Wei Zhongxian was reluctant to get up, so they finally knelt down and shouted, "Long live the emperor!"

"Hmph!" Wei Zhongxian snorted coldly and stood up leisurely.

Wei Zhongxian carefully put away the emperor's letter and handed it back to Xu Guangqi with both hands. "Follow me."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiamo, Huang Kezan, and Zhang Wenda gathered around Xu Guangqi, but were immediately stopped by Wei Zhongxian. "You come alone." Wei Zhongxian turned around and left without looking back.

"Everyone, please be patient. I will be back soon." Xu Guangqi maintained his angry expression and comforted the other three people.

"Wei Gong is arrogant and cunning, so be careful." Zhou Jiamo kindly reminded.

"Don't worry, Brother Mingqing." Xu Guangqi smiled and nodded, his expression slightly relieved.

Xu Guangqi followed Wei Zhongxian to a specially set-up mourning hall in the backyard of the government office. The hall was filled with white hangings, incense sticks, and candles, clearly meticulously decorated.

"Minister Xu, Lord Zou is lying here. He committed suicide." Compared to before, Wei Zhongxian's attitude had completely changed. Not only did he use honorifics, but his tone was also more respectful.

"Thank you." Xu Guangqi nodded, then asked, "Director Wei called me here alone. I guess you have some special instructions for me, right?"

"It's not about giving instructions, but asking for advice." As he spoke, Wei Zhongxian actually lit a stick of incense for Zou Yuanbiao.

"Just speak frankly, Director Wei." Xu Guangqi became alert.

"The Western Factory wants to know the outer court's attitude towards the Embroidered Uniform Guard. And your attitude towards the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Wei Zhongxian asked.

"I don't understand what Director Wei means." Xu Guangqi looked confused.

"Lord Zou is innocent. You and I know this, and so does the Emperor. But Lord Zou died before the Emperor even knew about this." Wei Zhongxian stared directly into Xu Guangqi's eyes, his tone filled with grief. "He's dead! And he's been charged alongside that traitor Zhao Nanxing with conspiracy to destabilize the government and mislead the people into forcing him to abdicate. Tell me, who's to blame for this?"

"." Xu Guangqi raised the corner of his mouth and his eyelids twitched.

"It was the Northern Pacification Division! It was the Imperial Guards! They tortured Lord Zou to death!" Wei Zhongxian's voice began to crackle with tears. "The Emperor, for the greater good, had to accept Minister Xu's advice and falsely accuse Lord Zou of righteousness! But if the Imperial Guards had been more prudent and careful with their torture, Lord Zou wouldn't have had to commit suicide!"

"What exactly does Wei Factory Supervisor mean?" Xu Guangqi asked in a deep voice.

"Hahaha!" Wei Zhongxian laughed a few times, a bit like a chuckle from the depths of sorrow. "The Jinyiwei should pay for the death of Mr. Zou!" After saying this, Wei Zhongxian's eyes actually moistened.

"I don't know what Director Wei wants me to do." Xu Guangqi was not fooled by Wei Zhongxian's realistic acting. But deep down, he was still unconsciously shaken.

"It's not that I want you to do anything. It's that we need to do something for Lord Nangao." Wei Zhongxian raised Zou Yuanbiao's address to a higher level, changing it to the respectful "Lord Nangao." "Think about it, Lord Nangao has been convicted of this crime, and it's unclear when he will be vindicated. But what about the Jinyiwei, the instigators of this tragedy? If this continues, they should be able to escape unscathed."

"So the factory director wants me to help you fight against the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Before Wei Zhongxian finished speaking, Xu Guangqi knew what he meant.

"This is my first time dealing with this case, and I can most clearly sense Lord Nan Gao's aspirations." Wei Zhongxian didn't directly answer, but continued to insinuate his point. "I've been thinking about whether I can do something to comfort Lord Nan Gao's spirit in heaven. I can't bear to do this, and I'm afraid Minister Xu wouldn't be happy to see it either."

"."

"The role of the Western Factory is to suppress the Factory Guards and correct mistakes." Seeing that Xu Guangqi did not respond, Wei Zhongxian added, "I remember that this was also the suggestion you made to the Emperor, right?"

"Director Wei, can I take Zou Erzhan away?" Xu Guangqi walked into the mourning hall, picked up and lit a stick of incense, bowed three times, and then inserted it into the incense ash burner.

"Of course." Wei Zhongxian nodded and took a few steps outside. "Someone come!"

"Sir, the factory director!" Several executives came over, bowed and waited for orders.

"Xu Bu Tang." Wei Zhongxian turned to look at Xu Guangqi. "It's up to you to decide where to send it."

Xu Guangqi breathed a sigh of relief. "The Censorate has been clamoring to investigate Zou Erzhan's cause of death, so let's send him there."

After Zou Yuanbiao's remains were delivered to the Censorate, the "Three-Office Interrogation" immediately began. Due to the harsh winter weather, Zou Yuanbiao's body showed no signs of decay. Soon, the results of the interrogation came back, confirming that Zou Yuanbiao's cause of death was indeed suicide. However, the autopsy also revealed another fact: Zou Yuanbiao had been tortured by having his armor pulled out and salt sprinkled on him before his death.

For a time, memorials impeaching the Jinyiwei for "abuse of torture", "forcing loyal officials to death" and "looting property" poured into the Tongzhengshisi like a hurricane, and the calls for severe punishment of the Beizhenfusi and even the entire Jinyiwei became increasingly louder.

The main hall of the Jinyiwei Commandery.

Luo Sigong sat in his seat, listening silently to his subordinates' reports. But the more he listened, the uglier his expression became.

"That's enough!" Luo Sigong didn't want to listen anymore. "Go call Gao Caigang!"

"Yes!" The captain who delivered the message immediately took the order and ran out of the yamen.

Not long after, Gao Caigang arrived. "Hello, Master Chief Guard!"

"You did a damn good job!" Even after some time, Luo Sigong's anger still did not subside.

He grabbed a copy of the impeachment letter and threw it at Gao Caigang. However, due to the wrong angle, the copy of Baye's letter spun and unfolded in mid-air. The long, inscribed sheet fluttered down Gao Caigang's head, looking quite comical. However, since his head was round and the paper was slippery, Gao Caigang lowered his head slightly and the copy fell off.

"I admit my fault!" Gao Caigang knelt down. But he didn't really know where he had gone wrong. He just had developed the habit of admitting his faults when scolded and holding his head when beaten.

"You bastard! I sent you on a mission to keep an eye on Tian Ergeng, that mad dog, but you're even crazier than him. All you can think about is making money!" Luo Sigong cursed. "Pick it up and see! The fire is burning me!"

Gao Caigang picked up the manuscript, and it clearly read: Gao Caigang is Sigong's lackey. He is robbing people and causing trouble, all under the guise of Sigong's orders.
When censors report something based on hearsay, they don't need evidence, as long as their argument makes sense.

"Brothers, we all followed the rules. We didn't hit anyone, let alone kill anyone. We just made some money." Gao Caigang even felt a little aggrieved. "It's always been this way."

During the Wanli era, such impeachments were meaningless because the emperor simply didn't bother to read them, and even if he saw them as a joke, he certainly wouldn't make any comments that would harm the imperial guards.

"Fuck! It's a different world! The East Factory has suffered such a great disaster, and you, your asshole, have you never thought about tightening your strings?" Gao Caigang is a useful dog, so Luo Sigong still wants to protect him. "From today on, you are suspended from work and salary. Go home and play with your new concubine's ass!"

"Master Guard!" Gao Caigang kowtowed repeatedly and shouted, "I will never do this again!"

"Get the hell out of here now." Luo Sigong waved his hands impatiently: "Wait until this storm blows over, then you can think about finding a chance to start a new life, you son of a bitch!"

The so-called "looking for an opportunity" meant seeing if the higher-ups would specifically mention disposing of Gao Caigang. If they didn't mention it and simply left it alone, Gao Caigang could "turn over a new leaf." But if the higher-ups explicitly ordered Gao Caigang's dismissal, Luo Sigong wouldn't utter a single word of opposition.

After Gao Cai left, Luo Sigong picked up his pen and wrote a letter. However, when the court was about to end, Luo Sigong called Luo Yangxing at the right time.

"Father, you are looking for me." Luo Yangxing never calls "Master Guard".

"Go to the Fang Mansion in Chongjiaofang now, find the Prime Minister Fang Congzhe, and then give this letter to him." Luo Sigong looked around and took out the envelope and put it on the table after making sure that there was no one else around.

"Looking for Prime Minister Fang?" Luo Yangxing did not reach out to take it immediately.

"Of course. Zou Yuanbiao's affairs have nothing to do with my Luo family. Fang Congzhe knows that. I gave him a favor back then, so he should definitely speak up for me now." Although the Northern Pacification Division acted independently, it would be difficult for Luo Sigong to publicly distance himself from Tian Ergeng. If Luo Sigong did so, he would lose all his reputation.

But at this time, it is precisely necessary to refute it, otherwise public opinion will be overwhelming and the higher-ups may remove him to calm the situation. Luo Sigong is very clear that he did not participate in the dispute over the throne and is not a loyal minister. If the matter gets out of hand, he may not even be able to get the money back.

"Father. I think Prime Minister Fang is unlikely to pay any attention to us right now." Luo Yangxing frowned.

"Why?" Luo Sigong asked.

"Prime Minister Fang publicly announced his resignation a few days ago." Luo Yangxing looked puzzled. "Didn't you know?"

"He hasn't resigned yet. And I don't think Fang Congzhe could resign even if he submitted a petition." Luo Sigong judged, "The Emperor won't let him go."

"Why?" This time it was Luo Yangxing's turn to ask.

"Think about it, who has the emperor been wrestling with recently?" Luo Sigong guided.

"Donglin Party." Luo Yangxing replied immediately.

"That's it. Although we know that Prime Minister Fang doesn't want to make a big deal out of this, he's still the leader of the Zhejiang Party in public." Luo Sigong analyzed, "The Emperor can't possibly wrestle with the Donglin Party while simultaneously kicking out the leader. And there's something fishy about this matter! Think about it, when did Prime Minister Fang submit his resignation?"

"The East Factory punished and beat all the officials. Prime Minister Fang was unable to stop it and felt extremely guilty, so he resigned. At least that's what the news from the palace said." Luo Yangxing thought for a while and replied.

"It wasn't just the officials who were punished. It was the most radical Donglin Party. Afterwards, Prime Minister Fang came forward to receive the order and dismiss Admiral Cui. Only then did he submit his resignation," Luo Sigong added. "But these aren't the main points. The main point lies further down the line."

"What's the key point?" Luo Yangxing asked.

"Li Ruhua!" Luo Sigong narrowed his eyes and nodded gently, looking as if he had finally grasped the truth after deep thought. "As soon as Prime Minister Fang announced his resignation, Minister Li Hu jumped in to defend him, instantly resolving the source of the dispute. The reform of the court system is no longer mentioned!"

"Are they in the same group?" Luo Yangxing asked in surprise.

"That's right. First, Prime Minister Fang staged a self-torture scheme, and then Minister Li used this to poke these people in the heart. Prime Minister Fang followed the emperor's order and dispatched Admiral Cui, cleverly accomplishing what the emperor wanted, and in the end, without any bad reputation. He's a master of maneuvering, truly brilliant!" Luo Sigong exclaimed. "Under these circumstances, how could the emperor let him go?"

After that, Luo Sigong said bitterly: "If it weren't for that son of a bitch Tian Ergeng, this thing would have been done by now. And this son of a bitch hasn't gotten anything useful so far."

"Father, the palace asked you to convict Zou Yuanbiao just to protect the Jinyiwei. Don't worry too much." Luo Yangxing comforted him.

"The ultimate goal of convicting Zou Yuanbiao is to maintain the dignity of the palace. But my Luo family can be excluded from this dignity. We can even be pulled out in exchange for this dignity!" Luo Sigong pointed at the envelope with his fingertips and waved his hand.

(End of this chapter)