Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 181 The Imperial Edict and the Discussions of the Three Judicial Departments
Just as the two eunuchs surnamed Wei were returning to the main hall of the Northern Pacification Office under the guidance of Tian Ergeng, a messenger from the Commandery brought an order from Luo Sigong, the head of the guards.

"Greetings to the two eunuchs!" The bright red robes were particularly eye-catching. Therefore, the messenger first saw the two eunuchs, and then found Tian Ergeng. "Greetings to the co-magistrate."

Wei Zhongxian ignored the messenger who didn't even have an official uniform, but instead cast a questioning look at Tian Ergeng.

"Which government office are you from? What are you doing here?" Tian Ergeng asked.

Seeing the presence of outsiders, the messenger hesitated for a moment, but finally pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "Guardian Luo has a secret order. Please accept it, Lord Tongzhi."

Hearing that it was a secret order, Sun Yunhe, who had come forward to curry favor with the eunuch, immediately retreated into the corner without leaving a trace.

Wei Zhongxian glanced at Wei Chao, who shook his head, indicating that the palace had not issued any new orders to Luo Sigong.

"Could it be an imperial decree?" Wei Zhongxian walked to Wei Chao and whispered.

Wei Chao calculated the time in his mind and replied, "It will take time to copy and publish. It shouldn't be that fast."

While the two eunuchs were talking, Tian Ergeng showed no intention of responding, so the messenger could only stand there holding the envelope.

"What are you standing there for? Take the order." Wei Zhongxian waved at Tian Ergeng.

"Yes." Tian Ergeng then went up to take the order. This made it seem as if Wei Zhongxian was the chief officer of the Northern Pacification Division.

Tian Ergeng didn't shy away from it. He took the envelope and tore it open in front of the two eunuchs, pulling out the letter inside. It was only one sheet of paper, and the content was very concise.

But after seeing these words, Tian Ergeng's expression immediately became distorted and strange. "Ha! Ha!" He smiled foolishly while crumpling the letter into a small ball and holding it in his palm.

"What are you doing?" Wei Zhongxian asked. "Are you crazy?"

Tian Ergeng swallowed, then leaned close to Wei Zhongxian's ear and whispered, "Dad, Luo Sigong kindly reminded me, 'If the star offerings are as good as swimming, then they are real, otherwise they will die.'"

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Although Luo Sigong did not know Sun Ruyou's original confession, the palace's attitude towards Zhao Nanxing made him realize that the Donglin Party's case was not as simple as it seemed.

Wei Chao's meticulous instructions requiring Zhao Nanxing's "cooperation" suggest that Sun Ruyou's "confession" was false, yet satisfied the palace. To protect Sun Ruyou's confession, the palace even went so far as to explicitly order him to commit suicide if Zhao Nanxing refused to cooperate. This suggests that the palace likely issued a secret order to the Eastern Office without his permission. Later, because the Eastern Office performed its job well, the palace granted them corresponding favors, sparing them from bloodshed and preserving their success.

This clear approach of rewards and punishments made Luo Sigong feel gratified, but also frightened after he figured everything out.

If the palace had contacted the East Office directly, then Sun Ruyou's affairs would have had little to do with him, and he wouldn't have been able to get any credit for the chief's achievements.

Even the matter of "preventing Sun Ruyou from retracting his confession" was arranged by the Eastern Office, with the outcome handed directly to him. His only order in this matter was for Hai Zhentao to personally escort Sun Ruyou to the Censorate. Thus, Wei Chao's words, "You did a good job," weren't simply meant to set a positive tone for the conversation. Reflecting on the conversation later, Luo Sigong speculated that Wei Chao might have been testing him throughout that day's conversation.

Luo Sigong didn't give Hai Zhentao any additional explanation because he believed he had received the secret order from the palace and no further explanation was needed. Luo Sigong's refusal to convey the palace's message to Tian Ergeng also contradicted Wei Zhongxian's malicious speculation. He didn't, and wouldn't, exploit the so-called information gap to harm Tian Ergeng. He simply wanted to cheer Tian Ergeng up for a while before throwing cold water on him.

In fact, Tian Ergeng himself had once believed that Zhao Nanxing was a big fish Wei Zhongxian had intercepted for him. That was until Zhao Nanxing, a man as hard as a rock in the investigation records, unexpectedly confessed without trial that very night.

"Greetings, Lord Chief Guard!" Guo Chenghao, the assistant commander of the Western Office, walked into the main hall and bowed.

"Why are you here? Is something wrong?" Luo Sigong raised his head and saw that it was Guo Chenghao. A look of confusion and slight annoyance appeared on his face.

Both the Western and Eastern Offices were established during the Chenghua reign. However, because the Western Office's duties included catching bandits and supervising the Five Cities Military Command, it was separated and established as a separate office during the Chenghua reign. Generally speaking, the Western Office only submitted periodic reports to the Commandery, and the Commandery rarely assigned tasks to the Western Office.

"Sir, Chief of the Guards. I received a report from the East City Military Command saying that the guards from the East Factory went to their place with badges to investigate something." Guo Chenghao said.

"What are you investigating?" Luo Sigong frowned. The East Depot had no authority to interfere with Beijing's defenses.

"Check the carriage of the Imperial Household Department." Guo Chenghao said.

"Someone stole the carriage of the Imperial Household Department?" Even in a capital city like the capital, losing horses and carriages is not uncommon.

"No. It seems like he is looking for someone, a woman." Guo Chenghao told Luo Sigong all the information that the guards had found at the East City Military Command.

The Military Command Department usually does not bother to record things like "who left the city" or "who entered the city", and of course they will not take the initiative to report it to the Western Affairs Office.

The small flag officer of the Right Thousand Households of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was in charge of patrolling that day did record the incident, but his record was mixed with hundreds of other things and would not attract the attention of the top leaders.

Ultimately, on the surface, this was nothing more than the internal officials refusing to inspect the carriage by holding up their badges. If the East Depot's guards hadn't gone to the Military Command Office to inspect the carriage, Luo Sigong would most likely never have known about it.

Luo Sigong keenly smelled a hint of danger. "Whatever. Just pretend you don't know."

"Yes." Guo Chenghao clasped his fists and bowed.

"Is there anything else?" Luo Sigong asked.

"No more." Guo Chenghao shook his head.

"Go do what you need to do." Luo Sigong waved his hands impatiently.

He was still waiting for his messenger to come back.

However, before Luo Sigong's messenger returned, the imperial edict copied from the Ministry of Public Security arrived first.

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Aside from edicts directed solely at the inner court and those not approved by the Cabinet or the Six Departments, the vast majority of imperial edicts were not directly delivered by eunuchs. For example, the edict ordering the Embroidered Uniform Guard to hand over the criminal Zhao Nanxing to the three judicial departments for trial first passed through the Criminal Department, which then registered the document and issued it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Internal Affairs then made four copies and sent them to the relevant offices of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Censorate, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard Command. This process essentially declared the contents of the edict to the entire world.

After kneeling to receive the imperial edict, the chief officials of the three judicial offices, in accordance with established custom, gathered for a brief meeting at the Ministry of Justice, the court responsible for the trial. The three judicial offices were located very close together, so when Zhang Wenda and He Zongyan arrived, the tea service Huang Kezan had ordered had just begun to boil water. Only after the three of them exchanged greetings and sat around the stove did the kettle begin to emit noticeable steam. This tea service, typically reserved for joint trials, was unattended, with only three empty teacups and a teapot reserved for the court officials on the tea table. No one added water; the strength of the tea was entirely determined by the drinker. This symbolized the unity and equality between the three judicial offices.

As the host, the Minister of Justice Huang Kezan was the first to open the teapot and added four spoonfuls of tea into his empty cup with a tea spoon.

"Drink something so strong? Be careful you won't be able to sleep tonight." Zhang Wenda took the tea spoon from Huang Kezan and added only a spoonful to his own cup. "After Zhao Nanxing's trial, this matter is over, right?" Zhang Wenda handed the tea spoon to He Zongyan.

"I'm afraid things are not that simple." He Zongyan added three spoonfuls to his cup.

Zhang Wenda sneered and continued, "No wonder He Siqing was unwilling to submit a joint petition with us. It turns out he has some concerns."

He Zongyan's expression remained unchanged. He simply handed the tea spoon back to Huang Kezan and said, "Since Zhang Zuo has mentioned it, I will explain. The reason I chose not to co-sign is because I had already asked for it in person when I was in the Southern Study."

"The emperor doesn't allow it?" Huang Kezan put the kettle back on the stove.

"Yes." He Zongyan nodded. According to common practice, officials would not report the same matter again within a short period of time after their opinions were rejected by the emperor.

"Why didn't He Siqing tell us at the time?" Zhang Wenda asked himself, answering, "Was he afraid we would back down?"

He Zongyan did not deny it, but silently picked up the kettle and filled it half full.

"Aren't you underestimating us?" Huang Kezan was a little displeased.

"That's right." Zhang Wenda agreed.

He Zongyan didn't argue. He stood up, bowed ninety degrees, and said, "I apologize to you two."

After a moment of silence, Huang Kezan and Zhang Wenda stood up and bowed in return, "Please sit down."

After the matter was discussed, the atmosphere in the tea party eased and even became harmonious.

"What exactly is He Siqing worried about?" Huang Kezan picked up the teacup and took the first sip of tea in this meeting.

"The will itself." He Zongyan said.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Wenda asked with a frown.

He Zongyan paused for a moment, trying to organize his words. Then, he spoke succinctly, "When I petitioned for the three judicial departments to jointly try Zhao Nanxing, the Emperor rejected it, citing the risk of 'too many implications and a potential impact on the court.' But now, the Emperor has not only agreed to your request, but has also taken the initiative to escalate the situation."

"The Jinyiwei arrested dozens or even hundreds of people twice. The last time it caused such a sensation in the city was when Zhang Jiangling seized my love interest in the fifth year of Wanli." Huang Kezan sighed.

In the fifth year of the Wanli reign, the 28-year-old Huang Kezan traveled to Beijing to take the imperial examination. He failed, but coincidentally, Zhang Juzheng was implementing a policy of "removing the love of the deceased." At the time, the most vocal new Jinshi candidate was Zou Yuanbiao, who had recently committed suicide. Zou Yuanbiao submitted three petitions opposing this "removal of love." He claimed, "Those who regard attending funerals as commonplace and disdain it are no different from animals and pigs," and denounced the powerful Zhang Juzheng as a beast, a pig, or a dog. He was subsequently caned with eighty sticks in court and exiled to Guizhou.

"Almost all the censors who were appointed to the Censorate after the emperor ascended the throne have been arrested." Zhang Wenda felt bitter after drinking the bland tea. He was under great pressure.

"So I don't understand what the emperor means." He Zongyan also sighed.

"I think the emperor must have listened to someone's advice and changed his mind temporarily." Huang Kezan guessed.

"If there is such a person, who does He Siqing think it would be?" Zhang Wenda asked.

"It could be Cui Wensheng," He Zongyan thought for a moment and replied. "Who in Beijing doesn't know about the feud between him and the Donglin Party? Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, Yuan Huazhong, Zhou Chaorui, Gao Panlong," He Zongyan said, counting on his fingers. "Everyone who cursed him in Zheng Yangxing's case has been arrested."

"Look at his arrogance! He beat people up in public at the Qianqing Gate, and even tried to act wildly in my Censorate." Zhang Wenda nodded solemnly, then shook his head. "But this matter cannot be verified."

"I think there is no contradiction between the emperor's decree allowing the three judicial departments to hold a joint trial and ordering the Jinyiwei to arrest people." Huang Kezan came up with an inference after careful consideration.

"What advice do you have, Mr. Huang?" Both of them focused their eyes on Huang Kezan.

"Why did the emperor order the Jinyiwei to arrest people and escalate the situation?" Huang Kezan asked in return.

He Zongyan thought for a moment and said, "The Donglin Party is causing too much trouble. They haven't stopped since the emperor ascended the throne. They gather in groups to cause trouble, roar in the court, and the principles and ethics between the emperor and his subjects are almost turned upside down."

"Right. So I don't think it's surprising that the Emperor listened to someone's advice and chose to escalate the situation." Huang Kezan frowned and took a sip of the bitter, astringent tea. After the sweetness returned to his mouth, he continued, "But at the same time, the Emperor doesn't want to engage in unlimited collective punishment. The Jinyiwei are greedy for merit and profit, and they like to punish collectively. If they were to conduct the trial, I'm afraid everyone in the prison would be guilty."

"That's why the emperor agreed to let the three judicial officials conduct a joint trial." Zhang Wenda stroked his long white beard and nodded thoughtfully.

"The emperor doesn't want to escalate the situation, and we can't be accomplices of the villain. I suggest that we first discuss a proper draft of the case based on Zhao Nanxing's true confession to Ruyou, and let the matter end here." Huang Kezan looked at He Zongyan and said in a negotiating tone.

"But what if Zhao Nanxing's confession is different from Sun Ruyou's?" He Zongyan asked in return.

Huang Kezan didn't answer. Instead, he put down his teacup and asked Zhang Wenda, "During the time Sun Ruyou was imprisoned, did he have any other explanation?"

"I met him privately twice. He showed no intention of overturning the verdict or making false accusations, and he had no hidden injuries," Zhang Wenda said. "So I believe his confession in court was true. Even if our statements don't match, it's likely just minor discrepancies."

"Okay." He Zongyan nodded. "Huang Butang, you are the presiding judge, so you set the tone."

"The main culprit will be severely punished and exiled. The censors who jump the highest and shout the loudest will be demoted and transferred to other places. As for those who just follow suit and whose crimes are not serious, they will be fined as a punishment. What do you two think?" Huang Kezan said.

The three judges of the Ministry of Justice discussed the matter heatedly, but in reality, no matter how much they discussed, it was useless because on the very night they received the imperial edict, Zhao Nanxing committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

　This concludes the discussion of all the information held by the various levels involved. The next chapter will bring us to the conclusion of this case.

　　I've identified several directions and ideas for future reforms, but I won't discuss them here for now. Also, please feel free to offer any suggestions you have. I'll review and refine them before selecting the best to adopt.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)