Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 176 Recognizing Dad
“.” Ding Baiying’s eyes darkened and he didn’t respond.

"Come to my house after dinner." Lu Wenzhao smiled and changed the subject.

"I don't want to go to your house." Ding Baiying's expression was indifferent.

"Why?" Lu Wenzhao was very politically sensitive, but she was still very slow to understand the relationship between men and women. And up to now, she had no special feelings for Ding Baiying.

"It's too far and I'm too lazy to run." Ding Baiying made up a lame excuse.

"Your sister-in-law likes you very much." Lu Wenzhao was telling the truth.

"But I don't like her." Ding Baiying didn't hate Hai Rou, she was just a little envious of her.

"Why?" Lu Wenzhao asked without any tact.

"I am a rough man and I don't get along with the ladies from noble families." This cannot be explained.

"Don't you and Zhang Shirui get along well?" Lu Wenzhao felt puzzled.

"Are you annoying?" Ding Baiying was very irritable. "I'm going to Liaodong to join the army. I'll leave after dinner. I don't have time to play house with the young lady."

"That damn place is deadly! And where can you find an army to join?" Lu Wenzhao was anxious. His impression of Liaodong was still stuck on the Shura field of Sarhu.

"Isn't Qin Liangyu a female general?" She still remembered what the Confucian scholar said.

"She's a Southwestern toastie. Whether you two can communicate is still a question."

"It's just southwestern dialect, it's not like I can't learn it." Ding Baiying was determined.

"Damn it!" Lu Wenzhao knew that Junior Sister Ding's temper had returned. "Don't try to get yourself killed, okay?"

"I haven't lost since I became an apprentice." Ding Baiying flicked the sword on the table. "Let's have a duel. If you beat me, I'll obey you."

Lu Wenzhao smiled wryly and shook his head; he had no other choice. "Alas!" he sighed, resigned to his fate. "Then don't go to Liaodong for now. Stay in Beijing. Qin Liangyu's troops are currently stationed in Tongzhou and will only depart for Liaodong once the weather warms up. She will come to Beijing to meet the emperor next month. I'll take you to see her." Other sixth-rank officials wouldn't guarantee an audience with Qin Liangyu, but Lu Wenzhao was an Imperial Guard. Except for eunuchs, he treated everyone he met as his master.

------

It was a rare moonlit night, but the moonlight was obscured by occasional clear clouds.

The moon has disappeared, the lights are red, and the shadows of people are everywhere.

Tian Ergeng knocked on the door, but no one answered. The cold wind blew like a knife, making his cheeks hurt. He rubbed his hands and blew on them twice. When his palms were warm, he put them to his face.

After holding it for a while, the door finally opened.

"Who are you?" The person who came to open the door was Wei Zhongxian's nephew Wei Liangqing.

On the night when Ke Yinyue was strangled to death, Wei Zhongxian used three people in total, one was his nephew Wei Liangqing, one was his great-grandson Wei Pengcheng, and the other was his nephew Fu Yingxing.

Fu Yingxing was the one he most admired, having decisively murdered Ke Yinyue's only son, Hou Guoxing. Consequently, Wei Zhongxian gave him the most prestigious and important position he held. He also assigned his less important nephew, Wei Liangqing, to serve as the chief steward of the Wei residence. As for the money-hungry Wei Pengcheng, Wei Zhongxian gave him a sum of money and told him to return home and continue farming.

There is nothing wrong with being greedy for money, but you have to make it clear what money you can take and what money you cannot take.

"I am Tian Ergeng, Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Assistant Director of the Northern Pacification Office." Tian Ergeng said, "I would like to see Wei Changgong."

A "珰" is a gold and jade ornament.

"The Records of Vehicles and Clothing" of the Later Han Dynasty records: The crown of the eunuch was decorated with a golden ornament, a cicada pattern, and a sable tail.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poem called "Song of the Great Dike" by Li He, which says: The blue clouds make a bun on my head, and the bright moon serves as a pendant beside my ear.

Therefore, after being castrated, eunuchs, who called themselves "slaves" like women, had the elegant name "Nei-eung".

Tian Ergeng took out a visiting card and a twenty-liang silver note and handed them to Wei Liangqing. "Thank you."

"Wait a moment, I'll go and inform them." Wei Liangqing nodded, took the visiting card and banknote, turned around and closed the door.

Wei Zhongxian was reading the Cao-annotated version of The Art of War in his study.

"So the army is established by deception, moved by advantage, and changes are achieved by division and combination."

Cao Cao commented: "The troops are divided and united, taking advantage of the enemy's changes."

After receiving imperial decree to enter the inner library, Wei Zhongxian read daily, practically every moment he had free time. His favorite was the Book of Songs, followed by the Chu Ci, and then the Art of War. While there were numerous annotated versions of the book, Wei Zhongxian preferred Cao Cao's. He believed Cao Cao's annotations were concise, complete, and accurate, and far more practical than those more convoluted and flowery annotations.

"Uncle." Wei Liangqing pushed the door open and called softly.

"Who's here?" Wei Zhongxian put down his book. Unlike Liu Yirong, he didn't mind being disturbed.

"Tian Ergeng." Wei Liangqing called him by his first name, without the long title. "Here's his visiting card and the money he gave him for asking for directions."

The rules of the Wei Mansion are modeled after those of the Imperial Household Department. The so-called "high salary to maintain integrity" means that if you are given a salary far higher than the average level, you have to hand over the gifts given to you by others.

To enforce this rule, Wei Zhongxian established stricter standards than those of the Imperial Household Department. For members of the Wei clan, the highest punishment was a severe beating and being sent back to the fields. For servants of other surnames, the maximum penalty was death. The Western Factory Supervisor had the power of life and death; as long as the emperor didn't intervene, no one dared.

"Take him to the reception room." Wei Zhongxian accepted the invitation and handed the banknote back to Wei Liangqing. "Take it to the accounting office yourself and withdraw two taels of silver."

Wei Zhongxian liked money, but not too much. To date, the things that made him most satisfied were the bright red dragon robe bestowed by the emperor and the ancestral temple built for him by his family members.

When Wei Zhongxian arrived at the reception room, Tian Ergeng had not even sat down but was standing there. Seeing Wei Zhongxian coming, he hurried to greet him.

"I, the humble Tian Ergeng, pay my respects to Wei Changgong." Tian Ergeng bowed four times to Wei Zhongxian.

During the Ming Dynasty, rituals were mostly performed according to protocol. Three kneelings and nine kowtows were performed when offering sacrifices to Heaven; the Son of Heaven was ranked next to Heaven, requiring five kowtows and three kowtows; the Crown Prince and other relatives were ranked next, requiring four kowtows. However, aside from the Crown Prince and other relatives, only the sage Confucius, various deities, and parents could receive the four kowtows.

In other words, as soon as Tian Ergeng saw Wei Zhongxian, he immediately recognized him as his father.

The Great Ming Code was a required course in the Inner Academy, so Wei Zhongxian certainly knew what Tian Ergeng meant. "Ha," he chuckled, then turned to Wei Liangqing, who was standing beside him, and said, "From today on, you have an older brother."

Tian Ergeng was overjoyed to have successfully recognized his father, and he kowtowed several times. Then he reached into his sleeve pocket and, with his longest middle finger, pulled out ten silver bills worth one thousand taels. He unfolded them flat and presented them upward. "Dad, this is a gift from your son to you." After changing his tone, he didn't even add the word "gan" (daddy), but simply called him "dad."

Wei Zhongxian raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a look of satisfaction. He nodded slightly to Wei Liangqing and said, "I'll take it." "Thank you, father, for your kindness." Tian Ergeng kowtowed again.

"Get up." Wei Zhongxian turned around and sat down in the main seat in the center of the reception room. "Bring your elder brother a bowl of tea."

When Tian Ergeng came over, he said, "Don't just stand there. Find a place to sit."

Tian Ergeng looked around: Where should I sit with so many seats?

After a little thought, Tian Ergeng decided to sit in the position farthest away from Wei Zhongxian.

"Sit closer, do you want me to yell at you?" Wei Zhongxian saw through Tian Ergeng's thoughts, but he didn't mind giving him this face.

"Thank you, Dad." Tian Ergeng was happy again.

Soon, Wei Liangqing came over with a tray containing two cups of tea. Seeing this, Tian Ergeng quickly stood up, took one of the cups, and handed it to Wei Zhongxian steadily: "Have some tea, old man."

"Yes." Wei Zhongxian took the teacup.

"It's getting late, let's get down to business." Wei Zhongxian said quietly.

"Please give me a way out, Dad!" Tian Ergeng fell to his knees again with a thud.

"Did Zhao Nanxing make a mistake in his interrogation?" Wei Zhongxian was well-informed, quick-witted, and had numerous contingency plans. From the moment he learned that Tian Ergeng had come to visit him alone, he had roughly guessed the situation Tian Ergeng was facing.

"Godfather is very good at predicting things." Tian Ergeng was not surprised. From his perspective, Wei Zhongxian, who was in charge of the West Factory and was suppressing the East Factory, and who learned of Zou Yuanbiao's death on the same day, was almost omniscient.

"I want to hear you say more." Wei Zhongxian was playing tricks.

"Yes." Tian Ergeng nodded. He calmed down, organized his words, and slowly said, "Luo Sigong initially gave the task of arresting and interrogating Zhao Nanxing to Hai Zhentao. Then he changed his mind and asked Hai Zhentao to hand him over to me. I originally thought that it was your secret help that gave your son this chance to come back from the dead."

Having said that, Tian Ergeng paused and glanced at Wei Zhongxian secretly, but he found that Wei Zhongxian was not looking at him at all, but closed his eyes as if half meditating and half sleeping.

Unable to detect Wei Zhongxian's mood swings, Tian Ergeng had no choice but to continue, "Zhao Nanxing confessed right away, without even being tortured. But his confession was so frightening, I didn't dare to remember it."

"He overturned all of Sun Ruyou's confessions?" Wei Zhongxian's slightly narrowed eyes reflected the slender and enchanting candlelight.

"You know?" Tian Ergeng was surprised and asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" Wei Zhongxian continued to ask in a mysterious way.

Since Lu Wenzhao had a direct line of contact with Cao Huachun, the spies from the Western Factory sent to monitor Lu Wenzhao were not "executed" by the Executive Bureau, but "inspected" by the External Audit Office, which was independent of the Executive Bureau and directly under the jurisdiction of Wang Chengen.

Wei Zhongxian knew that the people from the External Audit Office were monitoring Lu Wenzhao, and he also knew that Lu Wenzhao had entered the palace and went to the Imperial Household Department, but he did not know why Lu Wenzhao went to the Imperial Household Department. The Imperial Household Department was a place where Wang An had the final say, and he did not dare to even extend his hand inside.

Out of caution, Wang An issued a strict order to suppress the news. Wang Chengen did not inform Wei Zhongxian of the existence of the original confession. Even his direct superior, Mi Mengshang, only vaguely discovered the existence of the false confession from the conversation between master and servant during breakfast in the Southern Study.

Tian Ergeng was even worse off. From the moment Zou Yuanbiao committed suicide, he was completely on the defensive. He knew almost nothing and could only guess, and if he guessed wrong, it would be fatal. "My son is so presumptuous, my son is so stupid," he kowtowed repeatedly.

"Enough, let's talk about the matter. I don't want to repeat what I just said." Wei Zhongxian returned to his half-meditating, half-asleep state.

"Yes." Tian Ergeng raised his head and continued, "As you know, Zhao Nanxing changed all of Sun Ruyou's confession." If even one of them was exposed, he and the Northern Pacification Office would be in big trouble.

"He took the entire thing on his own. Furthermore, he involved people like Liu Gelao, Han Gelao, Zhou Libu, and Xu Libu."

If these words had come from Zou Yuanbiao, Tian Ergeng would have excitedly reported them. But now, Zou Yuanbiao was dead, the case had been referred to the Three Courts, and He Zongyan had gone to the palace to request an imperial decree to keep Sun Ruyou in the Censorate. There, Sun Ruyou remained silent and obedient. If the verdict was overturned, who knew how many people would be offended.

"The case was given to you by Luo Sigong. Didn't he tell you anything?" Wei Zhongxian asked.

"Hehe." Tian Ergeng was stunned and speechless for a long time.

He thought to himself: Isn't this your fault?

Tian Ergeng held it in for a long time, and finally uttered only two words. "No."

"That's strange." Wei Zhongxian frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Wei Zhongxian ignored him, but stroked his forehead and fell into deep thought:
The confessions of Zhao Nanxing and Sun Ruyou differed greatly, but Lu Wenzhao had been to the Imperial Household Department, so his confession was likely a fabricated confession directed by the department, while Zhao Nanxing's was the truth. In other words, the Imperial Household Department, and even the Emperor, wanted a fabricated confession, not the truth.

Luo Sigong changed his orders every day, which must have been caused by someone. Wei Zhongxian did not know who this person was, but he must have been related to the Imperial Household Department.

Even if Luo Sigong wanted to take revenge on Tian Ergeng, he couldn't go against the will of the Imperial Household Department. So, Luo Sigong changed his mind and gave Tian Ergeng "tasks" but didn't give him "explanations". There could only be one reason:
The Imperial Household Department gave Luo Sigong room to choose, and Luo Sigong took advantage of this room to get rid of Tian Ergeng.

Based on the information Tian Ergeng brought and Wei Zhongxian's own knowledge, Wei Zhongxian roughly guessed the cause and effect of the matter. He opened his eyes, looked at Tian Ergeng, and continued what he had said before, saying, "The palace has given Luo Sigong a heads-up. But he doesn't seem to have given you a heads-up."

While Wei Zhongxian continued to maintain his mystery, he further provoked the relationship between Tian Ergeng and Luo Sigong.

"Excuse me, what's the greeting?" Tian Ergeng asked.

"I'll tell you." Wei Zhongxian didn't move or express anything, only his mouth moved. "The palace gave Luo Sigong a choice: either find a way to get Zhao Nanxing to cooperate and 'confess truthfully,' or let him die." Wei Zhongxian paused and asked, "So, do you understand?"

"I understand." Tian Ergeng shuddered, his forehead covered with cold sweat.

"Go and do the job well." Wei Zhongxian waved his hand.

"Thank you, Dad." Tian Ergeng kowtowed and left.

After Tian Ergeng left the reception room, Wei Liangqing took out the ten thousand taels of silver he had received earlier and said, "Uncle. This silver is for you."

"Don't you want to ask something?" Wei Zhongxian took the banknote and put it in his arms.

"If uncle doesn't tell me, I won't ask." Wei Liangqing wanted to hear it, but he didn't dare to ask.

"Very good." Wei Zhongxian nodded.

(End of this chapter)