Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 184 The Emperor's Determination

Luo Sigong understood that the emperor was going to crack down on the Imperial Guard. But reforms are often loud but ineffective. Unsure of the emperor's resolve, he tentatively asked, "Many officers listed on the Imperial Guard roster in Beijing hold hereditary military positions."

"A hero doesn't even boast of his past achievements. Not to mention the merits passed down from our ancestors." Wang An sneered.

Zhu Changluo nodded and continued, "If you eat the court's food, you have to work for the court. A hereditary centurion with no official salary consumes 21 taels of silver and 12 dan of rice from the court every year. Wouldn't it be perfect to allocate these things to the centurions who are on duty?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Luo Sigong praised him.

At least for now, it seems the emperor is still determined and has his own ideas. But Luo Sigong is hesitant to say how far the emperor will go. During the ten years of Jiangling's rule, the Ming Dynasty had a chance of revival. However, after Zhang Juzheng's death, his eldest son was forced to commit suicide, and over ten members of his family starved to death, with their coffins nearly dug up and their bodies mutilated.

No matter what unknown twists and secrets there are, the bloody facts are there, and it is hard not to doubt them.

"Go down and make arrangements. Come to the palace anytime if you have anything." Zhu Changluo showed a relieved expression on his face.

"My minister retire."

After Luo Sigong kowtowed and left, there was silence in the hall for a while.

But the silence didn't last long. "When you return, tell Wei Zhongxian to send someone to keep an eye on Luo Sigong and Luo Yangxing. If Luo Sigong remains indecisive and unfit for the job, arrest them for allegedly withholding funds and corruption. Eliminate the Luo family completely, and replace them with someone more capable." Zhu Changluo turned to look at Mi Mengshang, who still sat beside him, and said. Of course, Zhu Changluo couldn't guess what Luo Sigong was thinking. But he didn't need to.

"Yes." After receiving actual favor, Mi Mengshang's enthusiasm and way of thinking became more similar to Zhu Changluo's.

------

Sun Yunhe stood beside Wei Zhongxian, his brows bowed, greeting the high-ranking officials and dignitaries arriving from all directions. For Sun Yunhe, today was destined to be an extraordinary day. That morning, Xu Xianchun, "bedridden at home," suddenly arrived at the yamen to report for duty. At first, Sun Yunhe assumed it was because Xu Xianchun had spent a fortune feeding Tian Ergeng, and the two shook hands and reconciled, their past grudges forgotten.

But things started to go wrong around noon. Soldiers from the East and West Factories arrived, taking away the calm Tian Ergeng and the panicked Xu Xianchun. Eventually, even the Northern Pacification Office was taken over by Wei Zhongxian. It was only then that Sun Yunhe learned that Zhao Nanxing, who was supposed to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for a joint trial by the three judicial departments, had been hanged in the Wuzi Prison.

Towards the end of the Wei hour, all the high-ranking officials appointed by the emperor finally gathered at the Northern Pacification Office.

There was no precedent in the Ming Dynasty for the eunuchs in charge of ceremonies, cabinet members, officials from the six ministries, and even dukes and nobles to jointly investigate the cause of death of a criminal who had only honors but no official position.

After some pleasantries, Wei Chao stepped forward and bowed to the crowd, saying, "My Lord, my Lords. Today's events are not complicated. Coroners from the Western Investigation Bureau, the Ministry of Justice, and the Southern Pacification Office are conducting an autopsy in the prison cell. You are here to observe and bear witness."

Wei Chao paused, then bowed and said, "Although this isn't a court session, and there aren't any censors from the Censorate or officials from the Ministry of Rites or the Honglu Temple with us, there still have to be some rules. Otherwise, if everyone expresses their own opinions and argues for most of the day, it won't be good. The Emperor is still waiting for news from us." With that, Wei Chao bowed in the direction of the Forbidden City. "I stand before the Emperor, looking up to the Emperor, and will borrow a little of His Majesty's power. I will take charge of this for the time being." He spoke, looking around at everyone. "My Lord, my Lords, what do you think?"

Wei Chao's words were polite and there was nothing wrong with them, so everyone agreed with him.

"Wei Zhongxian." Wei Chao expressed his gratitude, then turned to look at Wei Zhongxian and said, "Go to the Imperial Prison and pick a few censors to come along and serve as witnesses. After the autopsy is complete, they can be released."

Wei Zhongxian nodded and then looked at Sun Yunhe. "Did you hear what Wei Bingbi said?"

Seeing the two eunuchs surnamed Wei singing the same tune, Sun Yunhe immediately remembered the time when the two Weis had been sent to Prison Wu together. "As you command," Sun Yunhe said, his expression unchanged. When he looked back at Wei Zhongxian, his face still wore that solemn and submissive mask.

------

"Zuo Guangdou." Sun Yunhe knocked on the wooden prison door with a stick.

"What for?" Zuo Guangdou had been imprisoned for a long time and subjected to numerous tortures, both mild and severe, by the Northern Pacification Division's living devils, yet he remained unwavering, determined to fight to the end. "No matter how you interrogate me, I still say the same thing. No conspiracy, no accomplices. Even if I'm guilty, it's my crime alone, not anyone else's!"

"I won't try you." Although the Jinyi officers in charge of criminal trials at the Northern Pacification Office lacked the human touch of sympathy, Sun Yunhe still sincerely admired Zuo Guangdou's serious and unyielding character. "The palace has an errand for you," he said, finding the corresponding key from the keychain and unlocking it.

"I have been reinstated?" Zuo Guangdou thought that the emperor was so gracious that he wanted to pardon him.

"Probably not." After Zuo Guangdou came out, Sun Yunhe walked towards the next cell. "It is said that another main criminal committed suicide out of fear of punishment. It was the old man named Zhao Nanxing."

Sun Yunhe's instincts told him that Zhao Nanxing's death was the work of Tian Ergeng, orchestrated by the Second Wei. But he wasn't a fool, and certainly not one to make things difficult for himself. "Ah, a troubling situation. The palace suspects the Northern Pacification Office of misconduct, so they've sent a group of officials in red to investigate Zhao Nanxing's death. Aside from you unyielding fellows, none of them are below the Second Rank."

"Zhao Qiehe is dead?" Zuo Guangdou just found it unbelievable.

"That should be it. I don't know the specifics. You'll find out when you go to Prison Wu." Sun Yunhe hadn't even witnessed the circumstances of Zhao Nanxing's death. "Yuan Huazhong, come out. The palace has an errand for you." The sound of a wooden stick knocking against a wooden door echoed again in the long, straight corridor of Prison Jia.

------

By the time several censors, dressed in prison uniforms and cotton robes, arrived at the Wuzi Prison, a number of high-ranking civil and military officials had already arrived. However, aside from three coroners from the yamen and an apprentice carrying a dog cage, no one approached Zhao Nanxing's cold, stiff body.

The coroner from the Ministry of Justice did not immediately examine the body, but instead looked at the charcoal brazier in the room. He found that the charcoal had burned out and the ash had lost its warmth, but was still fluffy.

"The strangulation marks on the neck form an 'eight' shape, and the 'eight' doesn't intersect." The coroner from the Western Factory carefully examined the deceased's neck. "There is only one strangulation mark, and the bruise is darkest at the point of impact, gradually becoming lighter towards the sides."

"There are marks of strangulation on the palm, but no signs of a struggle." After examining the palm, the coroner from the Southern Pacification Office walked around the cell, holding a candle. "There's only one occupant here, and the food and drink on the table are for one person." Then, the coroner from the Southern Pacification Office called for his apprentice to bring over a dog cage. Inside was a medium-sized farm dog. This was used for poison testing.

The coroner from the Southern Pacification Office selected a few dishes from each plate and placed them in his iron cup. He then poured about a cup of rice wine into the mixture. After stirring thoroughly, he signaled his apprentice to open the small window in the dog cage and place the bowl of food, which was neither fresh nor rotten, inside. Dogs can drink much less than humans, but this dog, trained as a poison detector, is not averse to food tainted with alcohol. He ate as his owner commanded, and so he did.

Then again, if the dog really doesn't want to eat, the owner will take it out, pry open its mouth and pour the food into its stomach.

While waiting for the poison to take effect, the coroners cross-checked the traces that other coroners had already examined.

------

When everything was complete, the coroner from the Southern Pacification Office lifted the cage and looked at the dog inside. "No poison," the coroner said, pleased with the result, and smiled. The dog, thinking its owner was smiling, happily wagged its tail in response.

The coroner from the Western Depot nodded, then walked over to the assembled officials and bowed deeply. He then said, "The food and wine were not poisonous, there were no signs of a struggle in the room, and the strangulation marks on the neck and hands were consistent with the basic appearance of a hanged person. Therefore, we have concluded that the prisoner most likely committed suicide by hanging."

"What about the time of death?" Huang Kezan asked.

Upon hearing his official's question, the coroner from the Ministry of Justice immediately stepped forward and said, "To reply to your Excellency, the onset and duration of rigor mortis varies from person to person. Currently, rigor mortis is still severe but showing signs of easing. Therefore, we estimate the prisoner's time of death to be more than eight hours, but no more than seven days."

"I just saw you touching the charcoal ash." Zhang Wenda said.

"Yes." The coroner from the Ministry of Justice turned to Zhang Wenda and said, "The charcoal has burned out completely, but the ash is still fluffy and has no residual heat. Based on the amount of ash, I estimate that the last time the charcoal was applied was a day ago, but no more than three days ago."

"Does the adults have anything else to ask?" Wei Chao had a stern face, showing no sadness or joy, and his tone was full of official business.

The vast majority of those who came here knew nothing about autopsies, and even if the judge didn't ask them any questions, they wouldn't have any questions. Their so-called "bearing witness" was really just standing there as a backdrop. Those who knew the truth, including Liu Yirong and Xu Guangqi, didn't want the truth to be exposed, so they shook their heads slightly.

"The facts have been verified and the prisoner can be put back in custody." Wei Zhongxian said to Sun Yunhe.

"Yes." Sun Yunhe agreed, and then ordered the soldiers to take away the censors who had not said a word.

"Since everyone agrees, I'll make a conclusion first. After all, the Lord is still waiting for our report." After the censors were led away, Wei Chao spoke again, still in a negotiating tone. "If anyone disagrees with my conclusion, we can discuss it further."

Wei Chao's humble attitude won everyone's favor, so no one objected this time.

"Ahem." Wei Chao coughed, clearing his throat. He said, "The Northern Pacification Office thought that by treating him to fine wine and delicious food, something like Zou Yuanbiao would be prevented. However, after receiving the imperial edict, the prisoner, fearing a public trial, chose to commit suicide. Based on this, the Imperial Household Department requests that Xu Xianchun, the Deputy Chief of Criminal Affairs who was responsible for guarding the prisoner, be severely punished, and that other personnel involved be punished to varying degrees. Do you have any other opinions?"

Drawing such a conclusion is actually quite arbitrary, as the coroner's autopsy only reveals a partial picture. To uncover the truth, Xu Xianchun and the soldiers guarding Prison Wu should at least be brought in for questioning. However, this issue itself is not simply a legal one, but also a political one.

Under the premise that "Zhao Nanxing's trial might lead to a wider range of consequences" and the minor premise that "Wei Chao took the initiative to severely punish Xu Xianchun," raising objections would be a huge political risk.

Because if you oppose it, it is very likely to be interpreted by those with ulterior motives as partisanship or shielding others. Therefore, except for a very small number of stubborn censors, no one is willing to take this risk.

Even so, the officials were reluctant to voice their support, standing silently. Only Wang Chengen, Director of the Western Factory External Inspection Division, and Sun Guangxian, Assistant Commander of the Southern Pacification Division, stepped forward to voice their support.

"What the Wei ancestors said is absolutely right." Wang Chengen said.

"The Northern Pacification Office has repeatedly failed in its duties and there is no reason to forgive them anymore. Let's just do as the eunuch in charge of the writing wishes." Sun Guangxian said.

"The matter of the Northern Pacification Office and the original case must be discussed separately." At this time, Wei Zhongxian jumped out to play the good guy and added what Wei Chao had not said: "Zhao Nanxing is dead, but his story is not over yet."

"Director Wei, please feel free to speak frankly if you have anything to say." Liu Yirong responded in an unfriendly tone.

"Search the house! Search Zhao Nanxing's house." Wei Zhongxian lied without a trace of shame. "Lord Liu, if you have nothing to do with this, it's best not to say anything more."

"What's the big deal?" Liu Yirong was also a master at playing dumb. He shouted, "There are already hundreds of people in the Imperial Prison! How many more do you want to pull out?"

Xu Guangqi hadn't colluded with Liu Yirong regarding Zhao Nanxing's death, but as he drafted the imperial edict, Liu Yirong had a fairly accurate understanding of the situation. While he expressed regret over Zhao Nanxing's death, that was all he had. It could be said that his thinking closely mirrored that of the emperor, who sat on the throne. Since Zhao Nanxing was a hindrance to the Ming Dynasty's revival, he was eliminated.

It would be best if it could be resolved gently, but if not, it would be a pity.

"Lord Liu. Using a minister to force the emperor is equivalent to using a son to force his father! If this kind of case is tolerated, there will be no morality and justice in the Ming Dynasty!" Wei Zhongxian walked up to confront Liu Yirong.

"Okay, okay, stop arguing." Duke of England Zhang Weixian came out to smooth things over.

"How about this," He Zongyan said, "'A case remains unsolved even if the victim dies,' Director Wei certainly has a point. But to avoid false charges, how about the three judicial officials also accompany the investigation to gather evidence?"

"Agree!" Huang Kezan and Zhang Wenda immediately expressed their agreement.

"Then let's report back to the emperor accordingly." Wei Chao made the decision.

(End of this chapter)