Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 179 Discussion on the aftermath of internal and external affairs
"How could this be?" Zhang Shirui's eyes suddenly dimmed, making her look even more haggard.

"Of course not," Xu Guangqi sighed. "Do you think the Jinyiwei are just guarding your house? They're just standing there, like a fence. I'm afraid few people in Nanjing care about the Zhang family anymore, let alone Beijing."

"Please help me!" Zhang Shirui knelt down in front of Xu Guangqi's desk.

"Get up." Xu Guangqi stood aside and refused to be bowed. "I'm very busy. You go back and wait. Come back later."

Zhang Shirui thought Xu Guangqi was just trying to talk to her in official rhetoric, so she stubbornly knelt. "I'm not asking you to speak for me, I'm just asking you to deliver this letter of apology to the Ministry of Civil Affairs on my behalf."

"You are really stubborn, girl." Before Xu Guangqi finished speaking, he saw a familiar figure walking from behind the screen wall.

"Wei Bingbi?" Xu Guangqi hurried over to greet him. "Greetings, Wei Bingbi," Xu Guangqi said, bowing.

"Hello, Xu Butang." Wei Chao had a bright smile on his face.

"May I ask Saint An?" Xu Guangqi asked.

"I hope your Majesty is well." Wei Chao replied.

"Please." Xu Guangqi waved his hand, then said to the yamen runner who followed him in, "Make some tea."

"I have other things to do, so I won't bother you any more." Wei Chao shook his head and smiled, "The emperor summoned you to the palace, please go quickly."

"Now?" Xu Guangqi felt a sense of foreboding. "What happened?"

"This isn't the place to talk. You'll understand once you see the emperor." Wei Chao glanced sideways at Zhang Shirui, who was kneeling on the ground. "Why is there a Taoist nun here? What's she doing here?" On the day Zhu Changluo left the palace for a banquet at the Xu residence, Wei Chao stayed on duty in the Southern Study and didn't accompany him, so he hadn't seen her.

"This is the daughter of Master Zhang from Mount Longhu." Xu Guangqi hesitated for a moment, but he finally added kindly, "She wrote a letter of apology, but the Daoluo Division was reluctant to accept it, so she came to me."

"It turned out to be her." Wei Chao had never seen Zhang Shirui, but he knew about this incident and that the Imperial Household Department had sent rice to the Zhang family.

"The emperor is waiting for you, Xu Butang, go quickly." Wei Chao said again.

"Okay. Wei Bingbi, please do as you please." Seeing that Wei Chao had no intention of leaving, Xu Guangqi understood that Wei Chao had taken an interest in Zhang Shirui's affairs. Before leaving, he took one last look at Zhang Shirui and thought: This is the best I can do.

Zhang Shirui heard the noise behind her and knew that the chief eunuch from the palace had arrived, but she did not dare to go up and ask for help. During his stay in Beijing, he had a new understanding of the imperial guards, eunuchs, and even imperial power.

The Jinyiwei were terrifying enough because they arrested and killed people at will, even killing a third-rank official and causing great shock in the officialdom of the capital. However, these living devils still bowed and scraped like grandsons to the eunuchs in the palace.

"Look up." Wei Chao walked beside Zhang Shirui.

"Yes." Zhang Shirui was very scared, but she still obediently raised her head and looked up at Wei Chao.

"She is a beauty." Wei Chao nodded with a smile.

Zhang Shirui was frightened. She thought Wei Chao had taken a fancy to her. Although these eunuchs were not allowed to marry, many of them kept beautiful maids at home.

"You seem to be quite old. Are you engaged?" Wei Chao's question made Zhang Shirui even more certain that Wei Chao had ulterior motives.

But she still answered honestly: "Many people came to propose marriage, but my father didn't agree."

Zhengyi Daoism is descended from the Primitive School, which pursues the Way of Nature and traditionally worships Heaven, Earth, and ancestors. Because it adheres to the principles of nature, it does not require monastic life ordination, nor does it prohibit marriage.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Zhang family intermarried almost every generation. For example, Zhang Yuqing took the niece of Liu Ji, the Earl of Chengyi, as a concubine; Zhang Yuanqing married the daughter of Zhu Yi, the Duke of Chengguo; and Zhang Yanqi married the daughter of Liu Wen, the Marquis of Anyuan. The list goes on. The reason Zhang Shirui hadn't married yet was, firstly, because his brother Zhang Yingjing's request for a princess was rejected by the emperor, and Zhang Xianyong wanted to wait. Second, the proposed marriage was not qualified enough.

"Let me see what you wrote." Wei Chao waved.

"May I ask what exactly the father-in-law means?" Zhang Shirui frowned slightly.

During the Tang Dynasty, eunuchs were allowed to marry outside the court. Gao Lishi, for example, married Lady Lu, who, like other wives of powerful officials, received the title of Lady of the State. However, during the Ming Dynasty, to prevent outsiders from interfering in palace affairs, the emperor strictly prohibited eunuchs from marrying or even remarrying. In the fourth year of the Tianshun reign, Fang Ying, the Earl of Nanhe, died, and his concubine, Lady Xu, remarried Long Run, the Left Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department. In the fifth year of the Chenghua reign, the incident was exposed. Emperor Xianzong not only ordered the divorce of Long and Xu, but also made an example of Long Run and handed him over to the Imperial Household Department for severe punishment. From then on, eunuchs marrying, as well as marriages between nobles and eunuchs, was prohibited. In other words, if Zhang Shirui had given herself to a eunuch, she would have had no official status, no different from a maid warming her bed.

"The civil servants are timid and don't want to get involved in your family's affairs, but I can help you submit the letter of apology to the palace. But before that, I have to see if you have written any rebellious words." Wei Chao said.

"What does father-in-law want?" Zhang Shirui asked with a serious face.

"I don't want anything." Wei Chao thought Zhang Shirui was going to give him a gift. "I'm not short of money."

"Then my father-in-law wants me?" Zhang Shirui's thoughts became even more bizarre.

"What do I want you to do?" Wei Chao found the child baffling. "I don't believe in Taoism right now." Eunuchs' beliefs were often ambiguous, generally adopting whatever their masters believed in. During the Jiajing reign, for example, the vast majority of eunuchs were Taoists. Those with power and wealth would even follow the emperor's lead by sponsoring Taoist temples and even keeping a few Taoist priests or nuns. If they didn't follow their masters' preferences, they wouldn't be favored, and if they didn't, they had nothing.

Wei Chao's tone and strange expression made Zhang Shirui come to her senses: it turned out that this eunuch was just kind-hearted.

Zhang Shirui felt like she had grabbed a life-saving straw. Without time to feel ashamed, she quickly took the letter of apology from the table and handed it to Wei Chao: "I'll leave it to you, eunuch."

------

The Daming Gate was right outside the Ministry of Rites, so Xu Guangqi did not ask anyone to prepare a sedan chair, but instead put on a cloak and went there directly.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, Xu Guangqi, pays homage to the Emperor." Xu Guangqi performed the ceremony as per protocol.

"Give me a seat."

"Long live thanks."

Zhu Changluo waved to Wang An and said, "Show the imperial edict that the cabinet has just drafted to Xu Qing."

"Yes," Wang An agreed, then picked up the imperial edict, which hadn't yet been stamped with the emperor's seal, and walked over to Xu Guangqi. "Mr. Xu, please."

Xu Guangqi lowered his head and finished reading in just a few breaths. "Hand Zhao Mengbai over to the three judicial departments for trial?" Xu Guangqi's tone was filled with disbelief.

"Yes." Zhu Changluo nodded, but did not look at Xu Guangqi. Instead, he picked up the imperial seal representing the emperor made during the Jiajing period and the jade seal representing Zhu Changluo himself, and stamped them at the end of the edict brought back by Wang An.

In this way, the scroll with "Imperial Edict" written on the back truly became an imperial edict. "Once you have agreed, take it and announce it." Zhu Changluo folded the imperial edict and handed it to Wang An with one hand. "Yes." Wang An took it with both hands.

"Wait!" Xu Guangqi said anxiously. "Your Majesty, you must not hand Zhao Nanxing over to the Three Judicial Departments for punishment!"

"Butang Xu, what do you mean?" Wang An's eyes were a little subtle.

"Zhao Nanxing is different from Sun Ruyou. He won't agree to forge the facts." Xu Guangqi stood up and bowed to the emperor. "I think it's best to just let it go. Let the imperial decree finalize the case and put this matter to rest."

"You guys discuss it." After saying that, Zhu Changluo pushed open the door of the South Study and went to the main hall of the Qianqing Palace.

"We respectfully bid farewell to His Majesty." Wang An hurriedly knelt down and bowed towards the emperor's back.

"We respectfully send off the emperor." Xu Guangqi had more to say, but it was absolutely impossible to stop the emperor.

After the palace door closed again, Wang An stood up and said, "There is no need for Zhao Nanxing to make a false confession now."

Xu Guangqi was horrified. "What does this mean, Master Wang?" Even as he asked the question, he already had the answer in his mind.

"Zhao Nanxing also committed suicide out of fear of punishment." Wang An answered lightly.

"Suicide? How could it be such a coincidence!" The thing Xu Guangqi was most worried about happened.

Zhao Nanxing's overly straightforward, circuitous, and self-righteous character was fundamentally incompatible with the plan agreed upon by the powerful faction and approved by the emperor. However, this incompatibility did not mean that the powerful faction wanted Zhao Nanxing dead.

Liu Yirong's original plan spared Zou Yuanbiao and Zhao Nanxing. After the two ringleaders were apprehended, he could discredit them by falsely accusing Xiong Tingbi, thereby exposing the entire group. Xu Guangqi would then submit a petition to dissuade the perpetrators and win over the emperor's support, and the matter would be over. However, before Xu Guangqi could communicate with the palace, Zou Yuanbiao, intent on protecting Zhao Nanxing, committed suicide, unable to withstand the torture at the Northern Pacification Office.

The powerful could not allow Zou Yuanbiao to become a martyr, otherwise the situation would only escalate and get further out of control. Therefore, Xu Guangqi could only persuade the emperor to convict Zou Yuanbiao and portray his death as suicide out of fear of punishment to quell the situation. As for how to convict Zou Yuanbiao, Xu Guangqi did not and did not dare to offer any suggestions.

However, Xu Guangqi had a plan. Since Zou Yuanbiao had died under torture, the Jinyiwei would likely refrain from further torture unless ordered to do so by the palace. Consequently, the only way to convict them was to fabricate evidence and then, without a clear conscience, exile Sun Ruyou and Zhao Nanxing without even a chance to defend themselves in court. Thus, if he and Liu Yirong submitted a petition to intercede for their crimes, both could be spared.

But doing so would not bring the palace a good reputation.

Unbeknownst to Xu Guangqi, several low-ranking Jinyiwei had already obtained Sun Ruyou's confession and secretly suppressed it before Zou Yuanbiao's suicide. Upon Zou Yuanbiao's death, they immediately dug out the confession, which they then directly handed over to the Imperial Household Department, who were eager to settle the matter while also ensuring a proper and proper handling of the matter without discrediting the emperor. The Imperial Household Department then meticulously instructed the Jinyiwei to fabricate the confession, and the Jinyiwei also obtained Sun Ruyou's cooperation through threats of kidnapping.

During this process, Zhang Wenda, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, unable to bear the pressure from the censors, and Huang Kezan, the impartial and unbiased Minister of Justice who only wanted to clarify the facts, jointly submitted a petition requesting another joint trial by the three judicial officials. This spurred debate and public opinion at court, ultimately gaining the support of the cabinet led by Shen. Shen's motives, however, mirrored the earlier plans of the Donglin faction, but their objectives were quite different.

With the court's decision, and the palace having a confession that could convict Zou Yuanbiao, they naturally followed suit and issued an order for the three judicial departments to jointly conduct a trial and make the case public. This way, the palace had both the face and the money it wanted.

At that time, Xu Guangqi had an ominous premonition in his heart.

"Zhao Nanxing committed suicide out of fear of punishment," Wang An emphasized. "After learning he would be handed over to the three-law public trial, Zhao Nanxing, overwhelmed with shame, committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

"But the decree hasn't been issued yet. How did he know?" Wang An's expression made Xu Guangqi's eyes gleam faintly. "Zhao Nanxing is still alive?"

"No." Wang An shook his head slightly. "I have already instructed the Jinyiwei to kill Zhao Nanxing. He is dead now."

Just like in Cui Wensheng's case, Wang An still practiced the principle of "worrying about the emperor first" and took the initiative to take the responsibility of executing Zhao Nanxing on himself.

Furthermore, Wang An himself saw greater reason to take the blame this time than the last time. Last time, the emperor, despite his own dissent, insisted on Cui Wensheng, the head of the Imperial Pharmacy, providing him with aphrodisiacs, which severely damaged his own health. It was also the emperor's own idea to allow Cui Wensheng to run rampant. This time, Wang An had proactively suggested killing Zhao Nanxing, and the emperor had merely nodded in agreement.

"I also asked the emperor for this decree," Wang An added.

"Master Wang, you are so cruel." Xu Guangqi sighed and chose to believe this answer.

"Are you really going to have Zhao Nanxing go to the Ministry of Justice for trial?" Wang An placed the imperial edict on his desk, then brought a wooden stool and placed it next to Xu Guangqi. "I gave him a chance. He refused to 'confess' and insisted on stirring up trouble, so I had no choice but to resort to this last resort."

"Do you have to kill people? Just convict them and then exile them." Xu Guangqi felt a burning fire in his chest.

"You know better than me what the commotion is like outside." Wang An's prediction was correct. There were many people who shared the same idea as He Zongyan and hoped to transfer Zhao Nanxing to a joint trial, or even let him confront Sun Ruyou in court to clarify the truth.

The Donglin Party members who felt betrayed; those who believed that Sun Ruyou was avoiding the important issues and throwing mud at others, and wanted to rehabilitate the spiritual leader; the Anti-Donglin Alliance who wanted to crush the Donglin Party to death; and the truth-seeking faction who had no stance, all wanted to bring Zhao Nanxing out for public trial.

"And I'm doing this for your own good," Wang An continued. "Now that Zhao Nanxing is dead, Sun Ruyou won't change his confession. You and the others will be cleared of all charges."

"Innocent? Ha!" Xu Guangqi held his forehead and laughed sadly. "My hands are stained with blood too. I can't wash them clean."

"Xu Bu Tang, if it's not clean enough, just add some more soap nuts. We are all here to assist the Emperor in accomplishing great things. Don't lose sleep over this kind of thing." Wang An clasped his hands together and bowed slightly. "We are all in this together, so it's better for us to work together."

Xu Guangqi took a deep breath, then nodded heavily and replied, "We are in the same boat!"

"Then let's discuss the aftermath." Wang An said with a satisfied smile.

"Before that, I want you to give me a guarantee," said Xu Guangqi.

"Please speak, Mr. Xu." Wang An replied.

"Let Minister Sun live, and don't send anyone to kill him on the way to exile." Xu Guangqi licked his lips.

"Sun Ruyou will not be dismissed from office and exiled. I certainly won't kill him," Wang An replied immediately. "The emperor has approved it. He will remain an official, but he'll be demoted a few ranks and sent to Nanjing to retire."

"I hope you will keep your promise." Xu Guangqi could only choose to believe it.

Wang An nodded, then continued the previous topic: "What are you going to do? Do you need the cooperation of the palace?"

"Although Zhao Mengbai will commit suicide tomorrow out of fear of trial, the case will not be closed even if the person is dead. You can search his house, find the necessary evidence, and then use this to convict the person imprisoned in the imperial prison. When the time comes, we will naturally submit a petition to intercede for him, and the matter will be over." Xu Guangqi's words were sarcastic and his tone was self-deprecating.

"Xu Butang, you're truly a man of great ability!" Wang An exclaimed in admiration. "Alright! Let's do as Xu Butang says."

(End of this chapter)