Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 166: Politics that is only calculated and without human feelings is short-lived

"A different way to die." Zhu Changluo closed his eyes and began to weigh the options. "You mean, covering up the cause of Mi Jingwen's death?"

"There's no need to hide the cause of death," Wang An corrected himself. "Mi Jingwen drowned. He drowned on a flower boat with two prostitutes and several servants. His body should still be at the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters in Nanjing. We just need to delete the story about Cui Yuan sinking the flower boat and change it to an accidental drowning."

"A flower boat? One must cost a lot of money, right? Cui Wensheng is really willing to spend money to kill people." Zhu Changluo did not immediately respond.

"Mi Jingwen should pay the money himself." Wang An replied.

"what?"

"Mi Jingwen was not an honest official when he was in the Ministry of Works. He always liked to have fun." After Mi Mengshang came to power, Wang An conducted a thorough investigation of the Mi family.

"Didn't the house get thoroughly searched?"

"No," Wang An hesitated and hinted, "He only became extravagant after he was pardoned."

"Mi Mengshang sent him money." Zhu Changluo understood immediately.

"It's common for concubines to send money or gifts to their families. My master didn't ask, so I didn't say anything." Wang An lowered his head. "But the Imperial Household Department kept a record of every transaction."

"I don't mean to ask you to explain. It's her money anyway. I don't want to care how she spends it." Zhu Changluo waved his hand and brought the subject back to the subject: "Why do you want to cover up the murder?"

"The cause of death, the course of events, and even the fact that the body was left in Nanjing were all recorded. The matter was investigated so clearly, it was obviously done on purpose by Wei Zhongxian. Using the Western Factory's name to ask the Nanjing Jinyiwei to do things, the Nanjing Jinyiwei would not dare to disobey." Wang An sorted out his thoughts and answered carefully: "Moreover, Mi Cairen worked for the Western Factory, and Wei Zhongxian was her nominal superior. How could he not know that Mi Jingwen was in Nanjing. I even suspect that Wei Zhongxian issued a clear order to allow Cui Yuan to kill Mi Jingwen in order to provoke conflict between Mi Cairen and Cui Wensheng." As he spoke, he focused all his attention on the changes in the emperor's expression.

"Your speculation is flawed. When Wei Zhongxian suspected Cui Wensheng of killing Prince Fu's old allies, Cui Yuan had already boarded the ship to Nanjing." Zhu Changluo praised Wei Zhongxian's wisdom. "Just follow the rules."

Wang An nodded, but didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he said, "Regardless of the situation, Wei Zhongxian must have known who Mi Jingwen belonged to. When he saw the name, he should have reported it to the Imperial Household Department, rather than simply submitting the report to the Audit Bureau for review. Once the Audit Bureau verified it was correct, the report would be forwarded to the Imperial Household Department. If this were exposed, there would be a conflict between the talented person and Cui Wensheng."

"Cui Wensheng is a good dog that can bite people. As long as the master holds the leash tightly, he can be used." Wang An said immediately.

"Cui Wensheng did kill someone." To Wang An's surprise, Zhu Changluo shook his head before sighing and saying, "It was I who gave the order to release Cui Yuan."

He still remembers what he said at the time: Let's leave it at that for now, no need to interfere.

"Although it's better for Mi Jingwen to be alive than dead, it's a clean shave now." Wang An usually looks like a kind old man, but if the emperor asked him to kill someone, he would never hesitate. "And it can be cut off more cleanly and safely."

"Cui Wensheng is also an old party member of Prince Fu." Zhu Changluo certainly understood what Wang An meant by "break".

"That's too cruel, she's so young," Zhu Changluo scoffed. "But if it were someone else, I might not be so indecisive. Just like Zou Yuanbiao."

"I just remembered something." Zhu Changluo licked his lips, took another sip of water, and then said, "A politics that is solely calculated and without human feelings is short-lived. You don't want your master to be cold-blooded and heartless, do you?"

"Didn't the master instruct His Highness to rehabilitate Lord Zou?" Wei Chao interrupted at the right time.

Zhu Changluo was silent for a moment. "I will go and deceive her myself."

"Mi Cairen still has a brother who is still alive." Wang An reminded.

"What do you mean?!"

"What I mean is that after the change of the reign title and the appointment of the concubine, we can follow the rules and give the talented woman's brother the title of a thousand households. It is also safe." Wang An finally chose the humane side.

------

By the time Wei Zhongxian brought Cui Wensheng over, the Southern Study had returned to normal. Zhu Changluo had even begun fiddling with his specially made fitness equipment.

"Your servant Wei Zhongxian kowtows to the master, long live the emperor!" Wei Zhongxian was confused for a moment and began to think. But he still had to kneel.

"Your servant Cui Wensheng kowtows to my master, Long live the Lord! Long live the Lord! Long, long live the Lord!" Cui Wensheng knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, which was much more respectful than Wei Zhongxian.

Zhu Changluo put down the cork-wrapped stone dumbbell and looked at Cui Wensheng. "Do you know why I called you here?"

"I'm a dull servant." Cui Wensheng was a little nervous, but that was all. He was the one with the least information among the four eunuchs in charge of ceremonies.

There was still a long distance between the Inner East Factory and the Qianqing Palace. In order to prevent Cui Wensheng from having time to think of countermeasures, Wei Zhongxian cunningly said nothing.

Zhu Changluo raised both corners of his mouth. "I have a question for you, but it's nothing serious. We'll talk about it another day. Today, I mainly want to assign you an errand."

"I listen respectfully to your instructions." Cui Wensheng rested his forehead on his lapel.

"I want you to attend Sun Ruyou's trial," Zhu Changluo said. "The three judicial departments have already set a joint trial."

Cui Wensheng's uneasiness faded upon hearing this. "What result does my master want?" He subconsciously assumed that the emperor wanted him to interfere in the trial.

"The Imperial Guards have been arranged, you can just sit there," Wang An instructed, "but remember to act like the East Factory and don't embarrass the inner court."

"Yes," Cui Wensheng agreed and withdrew. He loved to put on airs, especially when he was ordered to do so.

"That's all for today. Leave now." Zhu Changluo continued smiling until Cui Wensheng left the hall. "Wei Zhongxian."

"I'm here." If you plan ahead, you'll succeed; if you don't, you'll fail. Wei Zhongxian had many contingency plans.

The emperor's attitude towards Cui Wensheng and the sudden change in his tone immediately made him guess almost everything about the conversation in the study. In a moment, he had already prepared an excuse to deal with the questioning and it stuck in his throat.

But to Wei Zhongxian's surprise and horror, the emperor did not rebuke him. Instead, he said calmly, "Suppress the matter. Mi Jingwen got drunk and fell into the river and drowned. Let the Nanjing Jinyiwei burn his body. That's it."

The Ming Dynasty inherited the Yuan Dynasty's system and established the Censorate. In the 15th year of the Hongwu reign, the Censorate was changed to the Censorate, with the Left and Right Censors-in-Chief.

The Chief Censor was responsible for impeaching all officials, redressing injustices, and supervising all provinces, acting as the emperor's eyes and ears, ensuring discipline. He impeached any minister who was treacherous, any villain who formed a clique, or who abused his power and disrupted government. He impeached any official who was corrupt, embezzled, or violated official discipline. He also impeached any scholarly misconduct, or anyone who submitted petitions to alter the constitution in the hope of seeking advancement.

The Ministry of Punishment had one Shangshu, who was in charge of the criminal law, prisoner punishment, rebellion, and prison orders.

Dali Temple: One minister, in charge of the government orders of hearing, adjudicating, and redressing criminal cases.

The emperor ordered the Censorate to preside over the trial, the Ministry of Justice to deputy examiner, and the Dali Temple to assist. The significance of this is self-evident.

Moreover, the identities of the three officials are also very suspicious.

The presiding judge, Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Wenda, was a native of Jingyang, Shaanxi Province. He achieved Jinshi in the 11th year of the Wanli reign. In the 31st year of the Wanli reign, he was appointed Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Huguang. In May of the 43rd year of the Wanli reign, he was charged with the case of Zhang Cha's assassination with a club. After Zhang Cha's death, Zhang Wenda and others submitted a memorial to the emperor regarding the incidents involving Pang Bao and Liu Cheng. Shortly thereafter, Concubine Zheng ordered Cui Wensheng to be secretly murdered by two eunuchs in the inner court. From the 47th year of the Wanli reign to the 48th year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Wenda served as Left Censor-in-Chief and concurrently served in the Ministry of Justice. It was not until Emperor Taichang ordered Huang Kezan to be appointed Minister of Justice that Zhang Wenda resigned from his post at the Ministry of Justice.

Huang Kezan, the Deputy Inquisitor and Minister of Justice, was a native of Jinjiang County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province. He ranked ninth in the second class of the imperial examination in the eighth year of the Wanli reign and was promoted to the position of Left Councillor of Huguang in the twenty-third year of the Wanli reign. Regardless of the issue, Huang Kezan insisted on maintaining a neutral stance, not taking sides. However, this attitude often earned him criticism from both sides. In the political debate surrounding the reform of the imperial court and the death of Zou Yuanbiao, Huang Kezan remained consistently impartial, yet consistently drew criticism.

He Zongyan, who assisted in the investigation of the party case and succeeded as the Grand Court Justice, was a native of Suizhou, Huguang, and a Jinshi in the 23rd year of the Wanli reign. He was a clean and upright official, and was highly respected by his contemporaries. In the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the Jiannu invaded the border, and the Ming army retreated on three fronts, with Kaiyuan and Tieling successively falling, and Shenyang was in danger. In the autumn of the 47th year, the factional struggles intensified. He Zongyan refused to join the factions, and with nowhere to rely on, he could not keep his position and soon resigned. Before being forced to return home, He Zongyan's last act was to recommend Xiong Tingbi, a native of Jiangxia, Huguang, to serve as the governor of Liaodong. While Xiong Tingbi was the governor of Liaodong, in addition to serving in the Ministry of War, he also held the title of Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

In other words, none of these three people were members of the Donglin Party, and they all had grievances against the Donglin Party led by Zhao Nanxing, directly or indirectly.

At the beginning of the morning hour, all the officials from the three judicial offices arrived. Zhang Wenda, Huang Kezan, and He Zongyan sat side by side at the center, left, and right seats of the main desk in the main hall of the Censorate, according to their assigned duties in the imperial decree. In addition to these three, the deputy officials from the three judicial offices, as well as officials from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Rites, who were present to observe the proceedings but were not authorized to question the cases, also sat at the side tables on the left and right sides of the main desk.

The inclusion of officials from the three ministries in the trial was a compromise.

Grand Secretary Liu Yirong proposed that, due to the gravity of the case and its widespread implications, the cabinet should also send representatives to observe the hearing. However, Grand Secretary Shen, who was temporarily in charge of cabinet affairs, rejected this proposal, citing a lack of imperial decree. Liu Yirong and Han Yu then personally petitioned the emperor, requesting that cabinet members attend the hearing. The emperor rejected the request, arguing that cabinet members would distract from the proceedings. At the same time, he compromised by ordering officials from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Rites to attend the hearing.

The presiding judge and the attending officials were all present, but the prisoner had not yet arrived. The officials waited until 2:15 am, when the clatter of horse hooves and wheels began to rustle outside the courtyard.

Although the imperial edict ordered the three judicial departments to jointly try the case, Sun Ruyou was kept in the Jinyiwei East Office Prison before the trial began and was not transferred to the Censorate, which was responsible for the trial.

The prisoner carriage drove directly to the gate of the Metropolitan Procuratorate before stopping. Although the soldiers in charge of escorting the prisoner were carrying the banner of the Jinyiwei, they did not deliberately drive them away, so many curious onlookers followed them from a distance along the way.

The case had reached the emperor. Jinyiwei Chief Inspector Luo Sigong attached great importance to the case and, in a rare move, ordered Deputy Inspector Hai Zhentao, who held the seal of the Eastern Office, to personally escort the prisoner.

Hai Zhentao stepped into the Censorate, walked quickly across the courtyard, stood in front of the hall, and bowed to the civil officials present: "Zhang Zuodu, Huang Butang, He Siqing, gentlemen, the prisoner Sun Ruyou is here." Hai Zhentao was of the fourth rank and had no superior-subordinate relationship with the officials present, so he did not bow when he bowed.

Upon hearing this, all the civil officials subconsciously glanced at each other.

The appointed chief judge, Zhang Wenda, was the first to speak: "Please bring him in."

Hai Zhentao nodded politely, then turned and waved.

Upon hearing the order from the deputy commander, Jinyiwei Captain Lu Wenzhao, who was standing at the rear of the prison van, immediately pulled out his key and unlocked it. Once unlocked, Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian opened the doors of the prison van, one on each side, and gestured for them to come in. Sun Ruyou initially assumed that Lu and Shen were doing this out of basic respect, but when he looked in the direction of their gestures, he was horrified to discover that his sixteen-year-old grandson, Sun Jiaji, was among the onlookers. Behind Sun Jiaji stood a man who smiled and winked at him.

"Lord Sun. Please come in." Lu Wenzhao put away the key, walked to the side of the prison van, held Sun Ruyou's forearm and helped him down.

"Let him go." The warm sunlight of the early morning shone on Sun Ruyou's back, but made his face look particularly gloomy.

"Don't worry, Lord Sun. We never break our promises." Lu Wenzhao's movements were gentle. If Sun Ruyou hadn't stepped out of the prison van wearing the shackles, one might have mistaken him for a son in his prime taking his elderly father to a tavern to improve his diet.

Under the watchful eyes of the Imperial Censors, Lu Wenzhao helped Sun Ruyou to the front of the hall. His warm demeanor and gentle gestures greatly impressed the censors.

"According to the Ming Dynasty Law, during the interrogation of an incumbent official, the instruments of torture should be removed before conviction." Chief judge Zhang Wenda said after looking around.

"The emperor hasn't convicted Minister Sun yet, so it's time to remove the instruments of torture," Deputy Judge Huang Kezan agreed.

"Please remove the shackles." He Zongyan looked at Hai Zhentao.

The three interrogators reached a consensus.

"Zhang Zuodu, Huang Butang, He Siqing." Hai Zhentao bowed to each of them one by one and said with regret, "I cannot obey your orders."

"Why?" Huang Kezan frowned and asked, "Did the higher-ups give you a heads-up?"

"No one greeted us. But the order we received was to escort the criminal here and follow the instructions of Admiral Cui." Hai Zhentao replied.

"Cui Wensheng is coming?" Zhang Wenda was a little surprised. The imperial edict only mentioned that the three judicial departments would conduct a joint trial and that the three ministries would observe the proceedings, but it didn't mention that the eunuchs in charge of ceremonies would also be present.

"It should be coming." Hai Zhentao's tone was full of uncertainty.

"Then why hasn't he come yet?" Huang Kezan has never had a good impression of Cui Wensheng.

"I don't know about this," Hai Zhentao said with a wry smile. His kind attitude made it difficult to get angry with him.

"Should we try it now or wait a little longer?" He Zongyan tilted his head to look at Zhang Wenda, his face showing displeasure.

This was a serious dilemma. If the shackles were not removed before the trial, the official's guilt would have already been determined before the three judicial officials could meet. But if the trial was not carried out, everyone present would just sit there and wait for Cui Wensheng. This would be tantamount to tacitly approving the eunuch's tyranny before a group of censors sharpening their knives. Moreover, Cui Wensheng might come with a new decree.

Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo had no authority to interrogate the case, but he was not without a say. "Wait until how long? Are you going to keep waiting if he doesn't show up?" He asked rudely, his seniority at heart.

(End of this chapter)