Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 183: Joint Investigation Team and the Purge of the Imperial Guards

When the group of six arrived at the Qianqing Gate, Wei Chao, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, was already standing there waiting.

When Cui Wensheng saw him, he immediately trotted over to his ear and whispered, "What on earth is going on?"

Wei Chao, seemingly unintentionally whispering to Cui Wensheng, shouted, "What else could it be? His Majesty flew into a rage after hearing this, so angry he threw his pen. We had to work really hard to calm him down." Wei Chao bypassed Cui Wensheng and approached the three civil and two military officials. He added, "Everyone, please be careful with your words when you go in, or you might upset His Majesty again."

"Thank you, Wei Bingbi, for the reminder." Although they all said the same thing, their expressions varied. The judicial officer's face was solemn, while Luo Sigong's panic was accompanied by a hint of inexplicable playfulness. Only Tian Ergeng seemed to be frightened by Wei Chao's words, shaking like a sieve.

"That's all I have to say. Let's go, the Emperor is waiting." Wei Chao turned around and led everyone towards the South Study.

The chilly wind blew away the clouds and body heat. The temperature difference between indoors and outdoors was so great that everyone felt instantly enveloped in warmth the moment they stepped over the threshold into the South Study.

"Your servant Cui Wensheng bows to the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!"

"Your Highness Huang Kezan (Zhang Wenda and He Zongyan) pays homage to the Emperor, wishing him long live."

"Your Highness Luo Sigong pays homage to the Emperor, Long Live His Majesty."

"Your humble servant Tian Ergeng pays homage to the Emperor, Long Live His Majesty."

The first thing to do when meeting the emperor was to kowtow five times and three times. After the kowtows, the emperor could decide whether to stand, sit, or continue kneeling.

"Give the three gentlemen a seat." The voice of heaven was recited softly from afar, and no emotion could be heard.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The officials kowtowed in thanks. When they raised their heads, they realized that in addition to the emperor sitting and the seal-holder standing in the study, there were three other people, one sitting and two standing. One was old and one was young.

Huang Kezan's eyesight was dim, requiring him to strain his eyes to see nearby objects, but not distant ones. He concentrated, his vision clearing as he realized he recognized the woman sitting next to the emperor. He thought to himself, "Your Excellency is angry but doesn't show it." The emperor was truly furious, having summoned all three direct officials of the Western Depot.

"Are you Tian Ergeng?" Zhu Changluo did not speak to the seated officials immediately, but looked at Tian Ergeng who was still kneeling.

"In reply to the emperor, I am Tian Ergeng." Military officers of Tian Ergeng's rank were not qualified to attend court, so this was his first time meeting the newly ascended emperor.

"Look up." Zhu Changluo didn't move, just spoke. "Wei Zhongxian, please evaluate this face."

"He has sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, but his gaze is like a stupid dog begging for mercy." Wei Zhongxian commented mercilessly.

"Just stupid?" Wang An, standing beside the emperor, added sarcastically, "I don't think so."

"Tian Ergeng, tell me what happened." Zhu Changluo glanced at Mi Mengshang inconspicuously.

"Yes." Tian Ergeng knelt there with his head lowered and his eyes lowered, repeating what he had said in the lobby of the Ministry of Justice not long ago. However, this time, he omitted the insults against Zhao Nanxing.

"Is that all?" As soon as Wei Zhongxian asked this question, almost everyone in the hall immediately focused their attention.

"Director Wei, I don't understand what you mean." Tian Ergeng shuddered, as if his secret had been discovered.

"Humph." Wei Zhongxian sneered, then asked sternly, "Why did you hand Zhao Nanxing over to Xu Xianchun for custody?"

"I, I." Tian Ergeng kowtowed without saying anything.

"You knew that Zou Yuanbiao had Xu Xianchun interrogated to death, but you still let him interrogate Zhao Nanxing. What on earth were you thinking?" Wei Zhongxian pressed.

"Speak back!" Luo Sigong also echoed and whispered to Tian Ergeng.

"I accepted money!" Tian Ergeng knelt on the ground, trembling, and said, "I accepted money from Xu Xianchun! He said he wanted to gain some credit from Zhao Nanxing. If he could get him some high-ranking official position, maybe he could not only make up for his mistakes, but also gain some more credit. So..."

Zhu Changluo interrupted Tian Ergeng and said, "Did you torture Zhao Nanxing?"

"No! I have issued a strict order that he is not allowed to torture anyone." Tian Ergeng replied.

Zhu Changluo waved his hand, so Wei Zhongxian asked again: "How much did you collect?"

"Two hundred taels. Only about two hundred taels." Tian Ergeng replied.

"Hmph, only one." Zhu Changluo looked at the chief officers of the three judicial offices and asked, "According to our ancestors' laws, what is the punishment for stealing 200 taels of silver?"

"If the stolen goods reach 60 taels, the person will be beheaded, skinned and packed with straw, and then hung on the city wall for public display." Huang Kezan's brows were twisted into a "川" shape.

"Wei Zhongxian." A tangible chill seemed to condense around his body.

"I'm here." Wei Zhongxian walked to the imperial desk and bowed, waiting for orders.

"Arrest Tian Ergeng and that idiot Xu Xianchun and lock them up in the Western Factory. Interrogate them strictly! I want to see how much filth is hidden in this Northern Pacification Office." Zhu Changluo said solemnly.

The Emperor's icy voice and Huang Kezan's response sent a chill through Tian Ergeng's spine. For a moment, he truly believed the Emperor was going to have him killed. If it weren't for Wei Zhongxian's promise, he would have nearly fainted from fear. "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!" he cried, kowtowed. Tears streamed from his eyes and nose, clinging to the front of his official robes, unfazed.

"Someone come here!" Wei Zhongxian shouted.

Bang! The doors of the South Study opened wide, and two sword-wielding guards walked in.

"Drag him out." Wei Zhongxian ordered the guards, then walked out of the palace gate first.

After Tian Ergeng's voice faded away, Zhu Changluo regained his composure and turned his gaze to the officials sitting side by side. "My Lords, the principal criminal, Zhao Nanxing, is dead. Let's withdraw the joint trial of the three judicial departments."

"Your Majesty, I have something to report." The presiding judge, Huang Kezan, stood up and bowed.

"Mr. Huang, please speak frankly if you have something to say." Zhu Changluo waved his hand.

"Tian Ergeng's one-sided statement is not credible. Whether Zhao Nanxing committed suicide remains to be confirmed. It is impossible to convince the public without verifying the cause of his death." Huang Kezan said.

"So what is Mr. Huang's opinion?" Zhu Changluo asked. "I believe that capable officials should be selected from various government offices to join the Northern Pacification Office in the investigation."

"Approved." Zhu Changluo did not hesitate and called out, "Wang An, draft the decree."

"Yes." Wang An walked to his seat and sat down, then took a pen and dipped it in ink.

"Ministry of Justice Huang Kezan, Censorate Zhang Wenda, Supreme Court He Zongyan, Duke of England Zhang Weixian, Cabinet Minister Liu Yirong, Ministry of Personnel Zhou Jiamo, Ministry of Revenue Li Ruhua, Ministry of Rites Xu Guangqi, Imperial Household Wei Chao, Inspection Bureau Wang Chengen, Southern Pacification Office Sun Guangxian." Zhu Changluo casually named a list of high-ranking officials, both internal and external, like a dish. "Also, aren't there a bunch of censors locked up in the Imperial Prison who are constantly ranting? Just pick a few and go with them. Once they're verified, take them back and lock them up." Zhu Changluo added, "Go now. I want the results today!"

------

Six had arrived, and eight had left. Now, the only ones left in the hall were Zhu Changluo and Mi Mengshang, Wang An, who was standing, and Luo Sigong, who was kneeling. Luo Sigong was very shrewd. When the emperor called for the imperial guards, he called for Sun Guangxian instead of himself, which clearly meant he had something to say.

"Give that to him." Zhu Changluo gestured to Wang An.

"Yes." Wang An turned and walked to the shelf where the documents were piled, picked up a scroll from where he was most convenient. Then he walked around to Luo Sigong. "Open it."

"Yes, ancestor." Luo Sigong took it and shook the scroll.

Luo Sigong picked up the scroll and shook it open. It turned out to be a list of promotions.

The list read: East Office Captain Lu Wenzhao was promoted to deputy captain, General Flagman Hai Bokang was promoted to trial captain, Small Flagmen Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian were promoted to General Flagmen, and Captain Yin Li was awarded a small flag.

Luo Sigong wasn't surprised by the above information. What really puzzled him was that Luo Yangxing, the head of the Experience Department, had been promoted to the rank of Chief Thousand Household Officer and would still be in charge of the Experience Department. In other words, his actual position remained unchanged, but his honorary rank had jumped four levels.

The Luos had done absolutely nothing in the Donglin Party, yet they had promoted Luo Yangxing four levels. It was completely abnormal.

Despite a sense of foreboding rising in his heart, Luo Sigong immediately kowtowed and thanked the emperor, saying, "I kowtow to the emperor for his grace."

"Luo Sigong, I have a question for you." Zhu Changluo coughed to clear his throat, then said, "How many officers and soldiers does the Jinyiwei have now?"

"I don't know about the situation in Nanjing, so let me only talk about Beijing." Luo Sigong thought for a moment and replied, "Currently, the capital has five thousand households: the front, rear, left, center, and right. Add to that the Commandery, the North and South Pacification Offices, the East and West Offices, and the hundred households in northern Zhili, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, and other places. There are a total of 9,453 enlisted lieutenants and strongmen. There are also 1,122 Jinyi military officers of all levels."

"Heh." Zhu Changluo sighed and laughed. Turning to Mi Mengshang, he asked, "That's about right, isn't it?"

"Yes," Mi Mengshang nodded. "Based on the budgets reported by the various warehouses and the internal transport warehouse last year, it's roughly this number. Jinyiwei soldiers without titles receive twelve taels of silver, six dan of grain, and one bolt of cloth per person per year. That works out to twenty taels and four cents of silver. Last year, the Beijing Jinyiwei Commandery took away a total of 115,000 taels of silver, 60,000 dan of grain, and 10,000 bolts of cloth. They're all rounded, and each item has been increased a bit, but overall, it's not a lot."

Hearing this, Luo Sigong was sweating profusely. He understood that the emperor wanted the Jinyiwei to investigate the empty salaries!
"Luo Sigong." The smile on Zhu Changluo's face made Luo Sigong shudder.

"I'm here." Luo Sigong raised his head and looked up with an extremely respectful look.

"I think you're still useful. That's why I didn't send Wei Zhongxian with the Western Depot to investigate everywhere. Now tell me, how much unused salary does the Beijing Jinyiwei Commandery draw each year?" Zhu Changluo reached out his palm, tapped it lightly on the imperial desk, and raised a finger. "I'll only ask this once."

"In reply to the emperor, I don't know how much unpaid salaries and tributes the various 100-household garrisons receive each year." Luo Sigong's mind raced, and in a moment he made a calculation. "But I have a rough idea of ​​the unpaid salaries of the five thousand-household garrisons in Beijing. The Middle Thousand-Household Garrison has 210 unpaid staff, the Front Thousand-Household Garrison has 230 unpaid staff, the Jinyi Rear Thousand-Household Garrison has 290 unpaid staff, the Left Thousand-Household Garrison has 240 unpaid staff, and the Right Thousand-Household Garrison has 200 unpaid staff." Luo Sigong only remembered approximate figures on this matter. "In total, the five thousand-household garrisons have approximately 1,100 to 1,200 unpaid staff."

The proportion of empty salaries among the Beijing Jinyiwei can be said to be the lowest among all the guards in the country.

Zhu Changluo asked again: "How much money can you get from it?"

"These things are calculated by my accountant, and I usually don't ask about them." Luo Sigong made up his mind and said, "But after calculating all the miscellaneous things, in recent years, my house has an annual income of about 17,000 to 24,000 taels." The share of the empty salary is only a part of Luo Sigong's income.

"At least less than Zheng Yangxing." Zhu Changluo snorted and said.

The Zheng family painstakingly managed the business for over thirty years, earning nearly two million taels in one sitting. In other words, the Zheng family's annual surplus after deducting expenses alone was over sixty thousand taels.

Hearing this, Luo Sigong's blood ran cold. He didn't think the emperor would reinstate the torture of skinning and strawing, but he was well aware of the fate of Zheng Yangxing's family, who were almost beheaded at the market. So, Luo Sigong kowtowed and said, "I am willing to hand over all the stolen money to replenish the imperial treasury."

"Do you have more than 100,000 taels of silver saved at home?" Zhu Changluo asked with a smile.

Luo Sigong was stunned. He didn't know what the emperor meant. But he still replied, "It's about the same number, a little more or less."

"In the 28th year of Wanli, you came back from the battlefield of Bozhou, and were finally promoted to the rank of a captain of a thousand households for your merits, and were in charge of the middle captain of a thousand households. In October of the 30th year of Wanli, you were promoted to the rank of assistant commander, and were in charge of the Southern Pacification Office." Most of the time, there was harmony within the Jinyiwei, so the Southern Pacification Office, which was pointed inward, was a relatively clean office compared to the Northern Pacification Office, which was pointed outward and was in charge of officials.

"In the 41st year of the Wanli reign, you were promoted to the position of Vice-President of the Imperial Guards and appointed Assistant Secretary to oversee the Imperial Guards." It was only then that the Luo family began to make a fortune. Of course, with this wealth came the corresponding generous tributes to the imperial court, especially to the Imperial Household Department and the Eastern Depot. During the indolent Wanli reign, the most effective influence came from Concubine Zheng's pillow talk, followed by whispers from the eunuchs.

"It wasn't until July of the 44th year of the Wanli reign that you were promoted from Commander-in-Chief to Deputy Commander-in-Chief, taking charge of the Jinyiwei's main headquarters." Zhu Changluo suddenly changed the subject. "Not long ago, Li Ruhua demanded 200,000 taels of silver from me to reward the armies of the southwestern chieftains. It was yesterday or the day before yesterday." Zhu Changluo looked at Wang An. "What about the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor?"

"The afternoon of the day before yesterday." Wang An replied.

"Oh, yes," Zhu Changluo nodded. "Just the afternoon before yesterday, the Imperial Household Department submitted another budget of over 300,000 taels to the Imperial Kitchen." Zhu Changluo took a sip from his water cup, moistening his throat. He asked, "Luo Sigong, do you think I value this little bit of money?"

"." Luo Sigong had no way to respond to this, but he understood the meaning.

"Luo Sigong, you have made great contributions." Sure enough, Zhu Changluo said, "You have saved a lot of money all your life, but I don't like it. Keep it for yourself." With just one sentence, the emperor laundered all the gray or black income of Luo Sigong's family.

"I thank the Emperor for His Majesty's grace." Luo Sigong's tense muscles softened. "I am willing to be His Majesty's pawn and die for you." He knew very well that whitewashing came at a price.

Zhu Changluo did not issue an order immediately. Instead, he said, "During the Hongwu period, there were a total of 205 Jinyiwei officers in the country, and their annual food and wages totaled only 7,000 to 8,000 taels. Now, there are 1,063 officers registered in the Beijing Jinyiwei register alone."

The data in Zhu Changluo's hands is more accurate because Luo Sigong did not subtract the people involved in the Zheng Yangxing case and the Dongchang case.

"Next year, the food and salary allocated to the Beijing Jinyiwei officers will remain unchanged, but I will reduce the number of officers. They will compete for the positions, one person per post. Those who just eat the salary and do nothing will be kicked out." Zhu Changluo said.

"Cut off redundant officials but not reduce their salaries?" Luo Sigong asked in confusion. "Wouldn't that just increase the salaries of those who stayed?"

"I won't save this money." Zhu Changluo said with a sinister smile, "But if anyone, having money in their pockets, still tries to get their hands on the imperial treasury, I will chop off their hands and heads together."

(End of this chapter)