Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 251 Acceptable Flexibility

"I have something to talk to Luo Jingli about, please move aside." Realizing that Luo Yangxing had already turned his gaze in this direction, Lu Jianxing simply raised his voice.

The seventh-rank military officer glanced at his steward. Seeing that the steward didn't respond, he said, "Please state your identity and explain your purpose! Otherwise, I won't let you go."

Luo Yangxing's brows furrowed slightly as he heard the conversation. He turned his head and said to Wang Chengen, "Wang Sizheng, I'll go over and take a look."

"Captain Luo, please feel free to do as you please." Wang Chengen nodded slightly and waved his hand.

Luo Yangxing smiled back, then walked up to Lu Jianxing and asked, "Who are you and what do you want from me?"

Lu Jianxing didn't know why Luo Yangxing was soaring like a ladder. First, he jumped four levels, from general flag to captain, and then became the governor of the Eastern Office. Even if Luo Yangxing was Luo Yangxing's son, such a jump in his promotion to a real position in the Jinyiwei system was too exaggerated.

However, out of respect and caution, Lu Jianxing still honestly stepped back half a step, bowed and saluted, saying, "Commander Luo. I am Lu Jianxing, the chief flag of this chamber, and I have come to deliver a message from Deputy Captain Lu."

Luo Yangxing was startled, his brows furrowed even tighter. "Why are you here? There's news to be sent to the Ministry of Experience."

"I've been to the Experience Department. I inquired about it along the way. Deputy Captain Lu asked me to deliver the news directly to you." Lu Jianxing replied.

"Oh!" Luo Yangxing gave a wry laugh, then sighed helplessly. "Come over here and talk."

Although the Jinyiwei were required to report any intelligence they received to the Western Investigation Bureau, Luo Yangxing was reluctant to receive firsthand information directly from the head of the Inspection Bureau. After all, the same facts could be distorted to a certain extent through narrative and expression. However, since Lu Jianxing had foolishly brought the information directly to the Rear Army Commandery, he had no choice but to accept it.

"Who are they?" Lu Jianxing raised his head and looked at the military officer who had let down his guard.

"It's okay. There are no outsiders here. They are all here to assist in the investigation of Shen Caiyu's escape from the crime." Luo Yangxing introduced to Lu Jianxing, "The person next to you is Qi Fengen, the chief of the External Inspection Division of the Western Inspection Bureau and the General Banner."

In the Weisuo system, the "General Banner" was both a military organization and an officer rank. However, in the Western Factory, the "General Banner" was only a military organization.

The External Inspection Division was not an operational department, but it did have a direct general banner. This general banner, like other general banners within the Western Factory Executive Bureau, consisted of three smaller banners and nine smaller teams. Including the general banner chief himself, there were a total of 113 members on the roster. However, these individuals were not subject to the Factory Supervisor's orders, and their primary responsibility was to provide security for the Director and other assigned civilian personnel. This general banner generally did not have the power of arrest; if an arrest was to be made, it would generally require the approval of the Factory Supervisor, who would then direct the Executive Bureau's enforcement units to initiate action.

However, the direct-controlled general banner had the right of non-lethal active defense, which meant that if they sensed a threat of force against civilian personnel or themselves, they could proactively attack the opponent's non-vital areas, rendering them unable to resist. If a protected person explicitly ordered it, they could directly kill, and the responsibility for the killing would be borne by the protected person who issued the order.

"So it's Qi. General Flag Officer. My apologies!" Lu Jianxing was stunned for a moment, then bowed to him. He knew that the military ranks of the Western Depot were inspired by and derived from the military garrison system. This so-called General Flag Officer, while only a seventh-rank military officer, like himself, was equivalent to a centurion in the Jinyiwei system. Currently, the Jinyiwei had countless officers, but only a few vacancies above the centurion level.

"General Lu, you're welcome." General Qi, upon seeing Wang Sizheng nod, stepped aside to make way.

"He's from Tianjin, and he's from the East Office." Luo Yangxing returned to his seat and said to Wang Chengen, "It seems there's new news from Tianjin."

"Tianjin? Have the Jinyiwei found out the whereabouts of Shen Caiyu?" Wang Chengen's eyes lit up.

"General Lu, this is the chief officer of the External Inspection Department of the Western Inspection Bureau, Wang Chengen, also known as Director Wang. If he asks you questions, it's me asking you questions. Just answer whatever he asks. Don't hide anything." Luo Yangxing introduced and reminded.

"So you are the famous Wang Sizheng! I've heard a lot about you." Lu Jianxing responded, bowed deeply to Wang Chengen, and continued to answer the previous question: "We haven't found Shen Caiyu's whereabouts yet, but through checking the records and comparing the testimonies of many parties, we have determined the locations of many properties and lands owned by Shen Caiyu. We have also sent people to search these places."

Under the supervision and command of the Imperial Guard, the criminals of the Tianjin Guard's Pacification Division completed the interrogation of dozens of members of the Shen family within three days. From Shen Caiyu's legally married wife, Zhang, to the servants who cleaned the toilets, each endured at least one torture that would be remembered for the rest of their lives. However, the Imperial Guards were not without mercy; at least Lu Wenzhao forbade his men from raping the female prisoners.

"Is that so?" Wang Chengen nodded with some regret, then leaned back a little, leaning on the armrests. The chair in the rear military governor's office was still too big for him. Even with his feet completely off the ground, he could only barely lean against the backrest.

"So what message are you here to deliver?" Luo Yangxing's heart began to beat fast.

"Excuse me for a moment." Lu Jianxing pulled a small, coarse cloth package from his bosom and opened it. Inside were two envelopes: Shen Zhengping's impeachment letter against the officials of Tianjin Garrison, and Lu Wenzhao's briefing to the Jinyiwei Commandery. "Here, for you." He handed the briefing to Luo Yangxing and then took Shen Zhengping's impeachment letter back.

Luo Yangxing's eyes twitched, and he was almost laughing at Lu Jianxing's anger. He had no choice but to say, "What was that? Why did you put it back? I told you no outsiders were allowed here."

"Hmm? You're talking about this?" Lu Jianxing reacted for a moment, then pulled out the impeachment letter. "This is from Shen Zhengping, the governor of the Tianjin Garrison, impeaching the officials of Tianjin Garrison for illegal activities."

"The pacification envoy impeached an official of our guard?" Luo Yangxing's first reaction was confusion.

The first reason is that such incidents are extremely rare and can be equated to a civil servant impeaching a superior official. The second reason is that Lu Wenzhao did not explain in the previous briefing that he was planning to induce Shen Zheng to repent.

At the time, Lu Wenzhao wasn't entirely sure whether he could use Shen Zhengping as a breakthrough to save his job. Therefore, in his last briefing, he only mentioned two important matters: Shen Caiyu's escape from the crime and the planned transfer of Jinyiwei personnel from the Tianjin Hundred Households Office.

"Yes." Lu Jianxing nodded and then asked, "Deputy Captain Lu asked me to send this letter to the Military Department. Would you like to see it?"

"What's written in it?" Luo Yangxing asked back.

"I don't know, I haven't seen it. Look, the envelope is still intact." Lu Jianxing handed the seal to Luo Yangxing.

Luo Yangxing nodded slightly, then turned to Wang Chengen and asked, "Do you want to see it?" "The impeachment of our officials by the pacification envoy is an internal matter of the local garrison, and the Western Depot has no jurisdiction over it." Wang Chengen looked back at Luo Yangxing and waved his hand slightly. "Also, the mission assigned to us by the Imperial Household Department is only to assist the Jinyiwei in investigating who released Shen Caiyu. They didn't ask us to interfere with the Jinyiwei's mission in Tianjin. We will only conduct a process review of the Jinyiwei team at the end of the mission." When he looked away, Wang Chengen saw the snacks on the table again. He felt a little hungry, but after a moment's hesitation, he resisted reaching for them.

"General Lu, please send the memorial to the Military Department." Luo Yangxing said to Lu Jianxing.

"It's better to let the courier deliver it." Wang Chengen suddenly said.

"Post?" Lu Jianxing didn't understand, but Luo Yangxing understood immediately.

Luo Yangxing looked at Wang Chengen in surprise. While sighing at the formidable young people, he said to Lu Jianxing, "Right. It's better to let the courier deliver it."

"Yes." Lu Jianxing didn't ask any more questions and said goodbye to them one by one: "Commander Luo, Chief Wang, and General Qi, I'm leaving now."

"General Lu, wait a minute." Wang Chengen picked up two walnut cakes from the plate, spread them out in his palm, and handed them to Lu Jianxing. "I brought these from the palace. Do you want some?"

"Uh..." Lu Jianxing was startled, then reached out and carefully took the walnut cake away. "Thank you, Si Zhengen, for the reward."

"You're welcome. Eat it." Wang Chengen nodded with a smile, then naturally picked up another piece and put it in his mouth.

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After Lu Jianxing left, Luo Yangxing opened the briefing and read it directly.

As soon as he opened it, Luo Yangxing's eyelids jumped. Although Lu Wenzhao's briefing was short, it detailed his recent activities in Tianjin. Luo Yangxing immediately thought of something to say to excuse Lu Wenzhao, because if he insisted on making a big deal out of it, Lu Wenzhao's actions in Tianjin would likely be used as a topic of discussion.

But after racking his brains for a long time, he couldn't come up with a suitable excuse. Luo Yangxing cursed in his heart: This is such a bad time! This briefing shouldn't have been in my hands at this time!

If Luo Yangxing received this briefing at the Experience Department, he would naturally omit some irrelevant and harmless details when reporting it to the palace.

Sweat oozed from Luo Yangxing's forehead. He stared at the concise briefing over and over for a long time, as if he was savoring a beautiful poem with many flowers.

"Can you show me?" Wang Chengen had almost finished the plate of walnut cakes. There were only two left on the plate, which he had saved for Luo Yangxing.

"Okay. It's something we're supposed to report to the Western Depot anyway." Luo Yangxing couldn't refuse. He handed over the briefing and added wanly, "Haha. Deputy Captain Lu who goes to Tianjin for work always has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."

"Lu Wenzhao, I know him." Wang Chengen brushed the food residue off his hands and wiped the grease from his fingertips with a silk handkerchief before taking the briefing from Luo Yangxing. He also gently pushed the dessert plate in Luo Yangxing's direction.

"You know him?" Luo Yangxing was horrified: Could it be that Lu Wenzhao also had connections with the Western Factory?

"Not only do I know him, I also heard that the Luo and Lu families are going to get married. Is that true?" Wang Chengen opened the briefing and asked as he read.

"That's what happened," Luo Yangxing confirmed. "I saw he was a talented man, so I decided to sell him a distant cousin as his concubine." While taking a concubine was also a form of marriage, the terms used were "buying a concubine" or "selling a daughter." Outside of the royal family, it was the same for every family.

"He has a lot of clever ideas." Wang Chengen seemed to have remembered something interesting and suddenly laughed knowingly.

"Does the palace have any other opinions about this marriage?" Luo Yangxing asked.

"That's not the case." Wang Chengen kept smiling, then restrained his laughter. "I just suddenly felt that things in the world are impermanent. Please don't take it to heart."

"Wang Si Zheng, how do you think he did his job?" Luo Yangxing asked tentatively.

"I think it's quite good. This briefing seems to be written honestly, without concealment or exaggeration." Wang Chengen closed the briefing and handed it back to Luo Yangxing, adding: "Our ancestors often taught us that as long as we are worthy of the emperor, it doesn't matter if we are flexible when doing our job. If we 'pinch here and take there', the people below will have no time to do their job." Wang Chengen even said comfortingly:
"Captain Luo, don't worry about your future brother-in-law. Deputy Captain Lu is still acting within the rules this time. The palace knows that Shen Caiyu's escape from justice is not his fault. And Deputy Captain Lu hasn't caused any major trouble in the local area, right? As long as he can withstand the scrutiny when he returns to the capital to report on his work, there will be no problems."

Luo Yangxing breathed a sigh of relief. "With the seal of the king and your words, we feel relieved," he said.

"Hmm." Wang Cheng'en subconsciously reached out to grab the peach cake, but it was empty. He pulled his hand back awkwardly and asked, "After investigating for so long, who does Captain Luo think is the most suspicious in the Rear Army Commander-in-Chief's Office?"

"They're all famous and distinguished relatives. It's hard to say." Luo Yangxing's muscles, which had just relaxed, tensed up again. Without solid evidence, he was reluctant to casually comment on a particular relative in such a life-threatening matter.

"What's so hard to say?" Wang Chengen shrugged, confidently saying, "Hasn't everyone been summoned and questioned? Captain Luo should have formed his own opinion, right?"

Luo Yangxing licked his slightly dry lips and said, "If I must say, then the most suspicious person is of course the seal-carrying official of the rear palace."

"Captain Luo, are you talking about the Duke of Yingguo?" Wang Chengen didn't have any special reaction.

"Yes. I heard from my father that when he came to the rear palace to get the documents to take over the three guards, no one else was present except the Duke of England." Luo Yangxing looked solemn.

(End of this chapter)