Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 182: Two Wasteful People of Jinyiwei
On the day of the joint trial by the three judicial organs, the Ministry of Justice was crowded with officials and the public, creating a huge crowd.

The lineup for the joint trial remained the same. The chief judges from the three judicial departments sat side by side at the central desk in the main hall of the Ministry of Justice. The deputy judge in charge of recording sat at the side desk to the left of the main desk.

The only difference was due to the prisoner's status. Zhao Nanxing wasn't an official, so the trial was presided over by the Ministry of Justice, not the Censorate. Huang Kezan and Zhang Wenda also swapped seats, with the three sitting in the same order: Huang in the middle, Zhang on the left, and He on the right.

Perhaps to avoid the previous dispute, the imperial edict specifically mentioned that the Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo, the Minister of Revenue Li Ruhua, and the Minister of Rites Xu Guangqi would still be present as observers. They followed their previous seating arrangement and were assigned seats at the right side of the table. Everyone's expressions remained as composed as before, but a closer look would reveal that Xu Guangqi's face was not only composed but also heavy, even gloomy.

However, even if there really was such an observer, he would not find it strange, because besides the Minister of Revenue Li Ruhua, there was also an unpleasant guy sitting next to Xu Guangqi - Cui Wensheng, the governor of the East Factory.

Cui Wensheng was also here by imperial order, but he did not make a scene like he had last time. The reason Cui Wensheng sat quietly beside Xu Guangqi was not because he had suddenly changed his ways and was unwilling to take the opportunity to show off, but because the main culprit in the case had not yet arrived.

The presiding judge and the attending civil officials arrived at the beginning of the Chen hour. Cui Wensheng was late as usual, arriving around 5:55. But now, it was past 2:00 PM, and the Jinyiwei still hadn't arrived.

"It's already so late, why haven't they come yet?!" An official from the Ministry of Justice, who had been standing in the cold wind for more than an hour, finally couldn't help but complain.

Soon after, the same doubts spread out from this center, growing louder and louder until it became a cacophony.

"Eunuch Cui, what is the situation with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Xu Guangqi seemed impatient and turned to ask Cui Wensheng.

"How should I know?" Cui Wensheng truly didn't know. He hadn't participated in the secret plot to assassinate Zhao Nanxing, and no one had specifically informed him of the true situation afterwards.

Only before letting Cui Wensheng in as usual did Wei Chao kindly ask Wang An about this matter. However, Wang An's opinion was: "To make this fake play seem more real, it's better not to tell him too much."

Therefore, the final order Cui Wensheng received was just four words: attend the trial as usual.

"Why don't we send someone to take a look?" Deputy Judge Zhang Wenda turned his head to look at Huang Kezan.

"Master Zhang, why are you panicking? The Emperor has issued a clear order on this matter. How can the Jinyiwei disobey it?" Cui Wensheng was still arrogant, and he would confront anyone who spoke. Not only that, he also shouted provocatively to the Dongchang guards, "Tell those outside to be quiet."

"Yes." The Dongchang men didn't care where this place was. They just did it as the factory supervisor gave the order.

"Cui Wensheng, this is the lobby of the Ministry of Justice!" This time it was Huang Kezan's turn to be enraged.

"Mr. Huang, I'm not being disrespectful. I just think the commotion outside is inappropriate. This isn't the market town. Going to the county yamen to listen to a case requires silence. You're holding a joint trial by the three judges." Cui Wensheng stood up, smiled, and bowed slightly. "Since you're embarrassed to discipline your subordinates, I'll take the trouble to help you."

"You're such a silver tongue." Huang Kezan didn't want to waste time arguing with Cui Wensheng, so he raised the gavel and slammed it. "Enough! Silence!"

All the officials who were willing to oppose Cui Wensheng were arrested, so with the combined effect of the banzi and the Jingtang, the Ministry of Justice soon quieted down.

Suppression doesn't really solve the problem. As the hour of noon approached, the person who was supposed to come still hadn't arrived, and this made Cui Wensheng himself impatient. The emperor was still waiting for him to report the results after the trial.

But he would never ask, that would be too embarrassing. He sighed, then stretched again. He immediately got the stairs he wanted.

As Cui Wensheng watched from the corner of his eye, Xu Guangqi, who was sitting beside him, turned to look over and said, "Eunuch Cui, send someone to check with the Jinyiwei. The emperor asked you to supervise the trial, you can't just sit here and do nothing, right? You are in charge of the Jinyiwei in this case, but if something really goes wrong with the Jinyiwei, it would be unreasonable for you to just ignore it, right?"

Cui Wensheng nodded. To him, even if it wasn't a stepping stone, the words still made sense. "Since Xu Butang has said so, I'll give you a favor. Come here."

"Sir, the factory director." The team leader came over and clasped his fists, waiting for orders.

"Two teams, go to the Command Headquarters and the Northern Pacification Headquarters respectively. In addition to the criminals, bring Luo Sigong and Tian Ergeng here as well. Let them explain to me what exactly is going on." Cui Wensheng decided to take this opportunity to act pretentiously in public, so as to establish his prestige in front of the Jinyiwei.

"Yes." Bai Zong accepted the order, turned around and went out to select two flag teams.

------

The Three Laws Department and the Commandery Department were separated only by Chang'an West Street and a small road heading south, so Luo Sigong arrived quickly.

"Greetings to Director Cui, Greetings to Minister Huang, Greetings to Zuodu Zhao, Greetings to Minister He, Greetings to all the gentlemen." Luo Sigong walked into the main hall and saluted one by one.

"Luo Sigong!" Cui Wensheng stood up suddenly, walked up to Luo Sigong, and deliberately said loudly: "The imperial edict is sent to you, right?"

"Yes." Luo Sigong just thought that Cui Wensheng was also part of this drama.

"It's almost noon, why hasn't anyone arrived yet? What's going on?" Cui Wensheng asked.

"After receiving the imperial edict, I immediately gave orders to the Northern Pacification Office. They were told to bring the prisoner to the Ministry of Justice for trial on time." Luo Sigong frowned, a puzzled look on his face. "Didn't the Northern Pacification Office send the prisoner here?"

"Do you think there is someone committing a crime in this class?" Cui Wensheng asked sharply in a tone of accusing his subordinates.

Noisy whispers were heard inside and outside the lobby, and people keenly realized that something might have happened.

"That's strange. I thought the Three Courts had already finished the trial." Luo Sigong's expression became serious. "I'll send someone right away. I'll go to the Northern Pacification Office and bring the prisoner here myself!"

"Hmph! Commander Luo, you'd better find a bench and rest. I've already sent someone," Cui Wensheng said sarcastically. "You're still the commander-in-chief. You have to go to the government offices in person to understand what's going on. If you're too old to do this, you might as well submit your resignation."

Luo Sigong gathered his composure, a trace of shame and sullenness on his face. "'The Northern Pacification Office is solely responsible for the Imperial Prison. Those not in charge of the Imperial Prison are not allowed to interfere.' This is a rule set by Emperor Xianzong Chun. Even though I'm in charge of the Imperial Guard, I dare not break it!"

Having said that, Luo Sigong was actually very grateful to Cui Wensheng. Without this topic, it would have been difficult for him to find an opportunity to remove himself and his office in front of a group of officials.

"Bring a stool over to Luo, the Chief Guard." Huang Kezan nodded, agreeing with the statement. Moreover, having served in the same court for many years, he still had a good impression of Luo Sigong. At least he was much better than Cui Wensheng.

Another quarter of an hour later, the guards from the East Factory came with Tian Ergeng, who looked frightened.

"Where are the people?!" Cui Wensheng slammed the table and asked.

"He's dead. Zhao Nanxing is dead." Tian Ergeng fell to his knees in the direction of Cui Wensheng and Luo Sigong.

Tian Ergeng's words were like a splash of cold water on a pool of calm, scorching oil, causing the Ministry of Justice lobby to immediately boil over. The previous suppression was no longer effective.

"What!?" Cui Wensheng slammed the table and stood up. "Dead?"

"Yes, this morning." Tian Ergeng's explanation was drowned out by the noise.

The noise inside and outside the lobby became increasingly intense, with voices of shock and questioning rising one after another.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Huang Kezan raised the gavel and banged it three times in a row to suppress the noise.

"Tian Ergeng!" Huang Kezan, who was always known for his calmness, actually called the third-rank Tongzhi by his name.

The clamor in the hall was so loud that Cui Wensheng's ears were blocked by two earplugs, so he couldn't hear a word Tian Ergeng said, which already made him unhappy. Now he was interrupted and the conversation was overturned, which made Cui Wensheng even more dissatisfied. "Master Huang, can't you see I'm asking questions?"

"Cui Wensheng! I am the chief judge appointed by the emperor!" Huang Kezan was shocked and angry. He was really angry.

Huang Kezan's aura couldn't frighten Cui Wensheng, but just as he was about to retort with something like, "The person you interrogated is already dead," Luo Sigong unexpectedly stopped him. "Eunuch, that's enough," Luo Sigong whispered in Cui Wensheng's ear.

"What can I do?" Cui Wensheng was really pitiful. As the second-in-command of the Imperial Household Department, he knew much less than Luo Sigong.

Luo Sigong looked at Cui Wensheng with a flash of doubt in his eyes. But he quickly convinced himself and thought: Eunuch Cui's acting is really good.

In any case, after Luo Sigong pulled him aside, Huang Kezan took over the conversation.

"Tian Tongzhi," Huang Kezan calmed down and asked. "Please explain what's going on."

"Even if the Jinyiwei are guilty, it is not Huang Butang's turn to judge them." Cui Wensheng said quietly.

"I'm not asking for a crime, I'm just asking about the matter. The Emperor ordered me to preside over Zhao Nanxing's trial. Now that Zhao Nanxing is dead, I can't even ask questions?" Huang Kezan retorted unyieldingly, "Or, Eunuch Cui, are you trying to cover up something?"

Huang Kezan's argument was well-founded, and Cui Wensheng was stumped. Just as Cui Wensheng was racking his brains to try to justify himself, Luo Sigong stepped in and said, "Tian Ergeng, repeat what you said to Director Cui before. Director Cui wants to hear it again."

Tian Ergeng knelt there, his face etched with worry and panic. He trembled like a dead branch snapped by a strong wind. "This morning, following Commander Luo's instructions, I ordered Xu Xianchun, the prison guard, to bring the prisoner in. After that, I went to supervise the other prisoners, patrolling the various cells. I had no idea something like this would go wrong, until...!" Tian Ergeng let out a long, foul breath.

".It was not until the guards from the East Factory came to the yamen to inquire about this matter that I went to the cell where Zhao Nanxing was imprisoned. Fuck! This bastard, damn it, couldn't he just hang himself in his own home out of fear of punishment! I even paid for his wine and food. Bastard!" At the end, Tian Ergeng even began to insult Zhao Nanxing "sincerely and heartfeltly".

"That's enough!" Luo Sigong shouted. "The person is dead, stop cursing here."

Cui Wensheng keenly sensed that the situation wasn't that simple, but he couldn't quite wrap his head around it. He gave Tian Ergeng a deep look, then said, "Well, you didn't even dare to stand trial. Ha! Two of the three main culprits committed suicide. Is this the integrity of you scholars?"

Zhang Wenda, his features twisted into a knot, turned to Huang Kezan. "What should we do next?"

Huang Kezan's first reaction was to order the yamen soldiers to arrest Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun for interrogation, and then go to the Northern Pacification Office to investigate the situation. However, neither the interrogation of Tian Ergeng nor the visit to the Northern Pacification Office was something he could decide on his own.

"The criminal is dead. The case can't be continued." Huang Kezan shook his head and sighed. "What should we do? What else can we do? Send someone to the palace to ask for permission."

"Someone come here." Cui Wensheng interrupted Huang Kezan with a hint of revenge.

"Sir, the factory director." Mr. Bai came over to wait for orders.

"Go to the Southern Study and report the situation here to His Majesty. Say that Zhao Nanxing is dead and the case can't be tried anymore." Cui Wensheng handed his pass to Bai Zong. "Run!"

------

Bai Zong's speed was obviously much faster than that of the elderly He Zongyan. It took him just over two quarters of an hour to bring back the emperor's edict.

"The emperor's oral order." As soon as the words were spoken, everyone standing or sitting inside and outside the hall knelt down.

Bai Zong knew these high-ranking officials weren't kneeling to him, but his voice couldn't help but tremble. "Cui Wensheng, I order you to bring these two useless Jinyiwei here immediately. Also, bring the officials from the Three Judicial Departments."

The content was straightforward and concise, and Bai Zong quickly finished reciting it. But because he was missing two words, no one stood up. Bai Zong was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and added, "I hereby order!"

"I obey your order." Six voices from three directions kowtowed at the same time.

Because Cui Wensheng had said, "Those two useless members of the Imperial Guard aren't worthy of sedan chairs," the group of six only had three sedan chairs and one bearer. Fortunately, Tian Ergeng and Luo Sigong were strong and could handle the fastest sedan bearers. They trotted along behind the sedan chairs, barely panting when they reached the corner of the Imperial City.

The sedan chairs of the three judicial officials stopped at the right gate of Chang'an, while Cui Wensheng's sedan chair continued on. But after passing Chengtian Gate, Cui Wensheng's sedan chair also stopped. Since He Zongyan was willing to accompany the two old men at their slow pace, Cui Wensheng had no choice but to do the same. He didn't want to go to the Southern Study alone at this time and bear the emperor's wrath, even if it might be false.

(End of this chapter)