Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 267 Sun Chengzong Arrives in Tianjin

"So that's how it is." After Luo Sigong's explanation, Wang An remembered.

The reason he remembered the name "Zhang Xueyan" was because the emperor had recently been looking at the land measurement records and memorials filed during the Jialong and Wanli reforms. Zhang Xueyan was a person who was repeatedly mentioned during the Wanli reforms.

This explains why Zhang Maozhong, despite passing the military imperial examination in the 17th year of the Wanli reign, was never appointed. Zhang Xueyan was a member of the "Zhang Party." After Ju Zheng's death, Xueyan was repeatedly impeached and petitioned for retirement, ultimately being granted retirement in the 13th year of his reign. Afterward, the "Zhang Party" was thoroughly purged, and no one in either the Ministry of War or the Imperial Guard was willing to risk offending the emperor by recommending Zhang Maozhong, a descendant of the Zhang Party.

"From the Lunar New Year until now, Zhang Maozhong has been crisscrossing the capital, hoping to secure a position." Upon arriving, Zhang Maozhong sent a visiting card to the Luo residence. However, neither Luo Sigong nor Luo Yangxing would see him, and even his "local specialties" were confiscated. "It's a good idea for all the offices to be cleaned up. The Street Office isn't particularly important, so I think he could give it a try," Luo Sigong said.

The Jiedaofang (Jiedaofang) was one of the three independent Jinyiwei branches, alongside the East and West Sifangs. As such, it had its own yamen and staff. However, unlike the East Sifang, which was responsible for investigating criminal cases, or the West Sifang, which was responsible for catching thieves, the Jiedaofang had nothing to do with military, police, or special forces. It was more like a municipal agency, specifically responsible for repairing streets and clearing ditches within and around the capital.

Because their duties were relatively common, their rank was relatively low. The two governors of the East and West Offices received special imperial edicts and official seals, hence their full titles, which included the character "Qin Cha" (imperial commissioner). For example, the full title of the governor of the West Office read, "Qin Cha" (imperial commissioner in charge of the West Office's official flag patrols and the Imperial Uniform Guard). However, the governor of the Street Office didn't have the character "Qin Cha" (imperial commissioner). Instead, he simply said, "Qin Cha" (imperial commissioner in charge of the Street Office's official flag patrols and the Imperial Uniform Guard).

The Ming Dynasty placed the Jinyiwei in charge of supervising street administration and municipal affairs because, despite the trivialities of ditch dredging, disputes were inevitable. The capital was a strategic location, teeming with high-ranking officials and nobles. If the supervisory office was of low rank and lacked special status, it would be completely unable to resolve disputes. For example, the Bingmasi (military and military affairs department) had a large staff and was often seconded by the street offices to handle municipal affairs. However, if these low-ranking officials, only of the sixth rank, were to negotiate with the capital's arrogant and high-ranking officials on their own, whether they would even get a meeting was another matter, but they would be lucky if they didn't get a few slaps in the face from their servants.

But if it were the Imperial Guards who came, things would be much easier. If officials refused to accept the mediation of the Street Office, they could simply take the case to the Emperor. If anyone dared to slap the Street Office in the face, I'm afraid the next people to come back would be the Eastern Office, or even the Northern Pacification Office.

"Let him try. I'll remember him." Wang An lifted his teacup and used the lid to push away the floating tea leaves. The tea wasn't hot, but he only took a sip. "What about the governor of the East Office? Is that how he's being corrected?"

The tea was thick, and Luo Sigong couldn't see Wang An's expression, but he had already made up his mind. "You're too kind, old man. That kid isn't ready yet. He needs more experience."

"Then who do you think is ready?" Wang An put down the teacup.

Luo Sigong immediately replied, "I think the current Chief of the Eastern Office, Liu Chengxi, is quite good. He was assisting with the Eastern Office's affairs before Hai Zhentao moved to the Southern Office. He's quite capable."

"His father, the old guard commander Liu Shouyou, was falsely accused by villains in the case of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong and was forced to resign. Last year, Your Majesty rehabilitated Grand Tutor Wen Zhong. I believe it would be wise to boldly appoint his son to demonstrate Your Majesty's resolve and grace."

"You're really thoughtful." Wang An smiled meaningfully. "But I heard he's been quite active lately. He's been visiting Tian Ergeng every now and then."

Luo Sigong smiled slightly and said tolerantly, "You have great ambitions. These are just minor frictions. If you were to ostracize us over such a small matter, how could you possibly live up to the Emperor's trust?" At this point, Luo Sigong didn't forget to compliment Wang An. "You were also magnanimous enough to keep Admiral Cui by your side. I've always looked up to you as a role model."

"Oh! What you said is so nice that I don't know how to respond." Wang An's favor for Luo Sigong increased by two points.

"The facts are there." Luo Sigong looked at Wang An with a certain, confident and unwavering smile.

"It's all thanks to the emperor's grace." Wang Anyao bowed to the Forbidden City.

After half an hour, Wang An felt they had talked enough. He silently went over the names Luo Sigong had mentioned. Finally, he said, "I can tell you're putting your heart into it. But you'll still have to do some hard work."

"Just as you say." Luo Sigong said.

Wang An thought for a moment and said, "Make a detailed booklet. This booklet should not only record the officer's place of origin, birthdate, and resume, but also trace his background."

"Trace what?" Luo Sigong asked.

Wang Chengen held up three fingers and waved them in the air. "Trace back three generations, including brothers, descendants, and resumes. Accomplishments, achievements, and marriages must all be included. Once you're done, the Emperor will review it, and the Western Depot will conduct an investigation. You must be thorough. Don't worry."

Luo Sigong's eyelids twitched. He hadn't expected the palace to investigate so thoroughly. Such detailed investigations, in the past, would only occur when officials committed serious crimes, not only having their property confiscated but also their entire families implicated. However, Luo Sigong didn't ask any further questions, only saying "yes."

"Nothing else." Wang An stood up and took the initiative to bow to Luo Sigong. "I have to go back to serve the emperor. Goodbye."

"I'll take you out." Luo Sigong also stood up.

"Okay." As he reached the door, Wang An suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "Did the Imperial Censor Zhao Yanqing respond to you?"

"Not yet." Luo Sigong shrugged and said sarcastically, "After all, you are a scholar. You probably don't bother to wrestle with a rough guy like me."

"It's good to stop. There's no need to get entangled with them." Wang An laughed twice, and then left the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters accompanied by Luo Sigong.

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In the winter of the second year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Chengzu issued an imperial decree to establish the Tianjin Garrison at the site of the Emperor's crossing to Tianjin, and construction of Tianjin City began. Initially, the city walls of Tianjin were built of earth, shorter from north to south and longer from east to west. In the fourth year of the Hongzhi reign, the Garrison walls were raised and thickened, clad with bricks and stone, and the four gate towers were rebuilt. Upon completion, plaques with the inscription "Zhen Ding An Gong" (Centering, An Gong) were added before the inscriptions "East, South, West, and North" and hung on the towers.

Beneath the plaque at the north gate, Lu Wenzhao and a group of Jinyiwei officers were looking at the northbound official road, quietly waiting for something. Behind them stood Shen Zhengping, the Tianjin Guard's pacification envoy, sweating profusely from nervousness.

"Captain Lu, is it necessary to wait? He's just a fourth-rank official and he can't control us." A general flag-officer who was seconded from Tianjin complained softly because his legs were numb from standing, "We've been standing here for more than an hour." "A fourth-rank official is certainly not worthy of our coming to welcome him, but he is the emperor's master grandson. He can sit and talk in front of the emperor. We, Captain Luo, have to kneel." Lu Wenzhao didn't want to offend the emperor's favorite because of this bunch of arrogant and good-for-nothings.

Lu Wenzhao suddenly felt the need to say hello and unify their thoughts, so he raised his voice and said to the officers: "Listen up! Sun Youchen will be here soon, so keep your tails between your legs. If he has any instructions, even if you don't do it, you must speak to him nicely. Do you hear me?" In principle, local governors did not have the power to control the Jinyiwei.

"Yes." The Jinyiwei nodded.

"Is it really today?" the general said embarrassedly.

"Today is the earliest. If not today, then we'll wait tomorrow." As if in response, Lu Wenzhao had just finished speaking when Lu Jianxing pointed to the faint smoke rising at the end of the horizon and warned, "Captain, look!"

Lu Wenzhao peered intently, and indeed, he saw a crimson streak amidst the smoke and dust. His eyes lit up, and he grasped his sword, quickly stalking toward the path leading up to the city. "Let's go down and meet them now!"

"Yes." The Jinyiwei immediately followed. Shen Zhengping stood there in a daze, his lips pale and his teeth chattering. Only after Lu Wenzhao gave him a signal did he tremble and follow. Shen Zhengping knew that today was the day he would decide whether to live or die.

A short while later, Sun Chengzong, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Censorate, Governor of Tianjin and other areas, and in charge of river and coastal defenses, arrived at the north gate of the Acropolis with a cavalry escort. At his side was a sixth-rank civil servant in his late fifties.

"Your humble servant, Lu Wenzhao, the deputy captain of the Eastern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, leads the officers under his command to pay a visit to Sun Youchen." Lu Wenzhao led a group of Embroidered Uniform Guard officers to meet Sun Chengzong's horse, lifted his robe, stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and saluted very respectfully.

Sun Chengzong was startled by the Jinyiwei's posture. Without getting carried away, he immediately stepped on the stirrup and dismounted, bowing in return. "Deputy Captain Lu, you are so polite. Please stand up quickly. Please stand up quickly."

"Thank you, Mr. Sun Youchen." Lu Wenzhao stood up and bowed again.

Sun Chengzong looked around, but couldn't find any scarlet robes, so he asked, "Have you arrested all the officers from Tianjin?"

"You're joking, Mr. Sun. How dare we arrest people without an imperial decree? They're all on duty at the government office." Lu Wenzhao turned his head and waved at Shen Zhengping. "Only Shen Zhenfu has taken the time to come here upon invitation. If you have any questions, you can ask him."

Almost the afternoon after Sun Chengzong left Beijing, the emperor, acting on his own initiative, sent a courier message to Tianjin's defense wall. However, by then, the Imperial Guard had completely controlled the post station and the four gates of the defense wall, and any message had to pass through the Imperial Guard first.

After receiving the news, Lu Wenzhao immediately decided to suppress it to prevent the garrison officers from fleeing if they saw the situation was not right. Even Shen Zhengping, who was still under semi-arrest, was not informed of the incident until he arrived.

"The guilty official Shen Zhengping pays his respects to Sun Youchen." Shen Zhengping came in front of Sun Chengzong, knelt down with a thud, and made a gesture of admitting his guilt and accepting punishment.

"Shen Zhenfu is wise and brave enough to correct illegalities. Although he has some minor faults, they do not overshadow his great achievements. As long as you mend your ways and actively cooperate, I think the emperor will not blame you." With just one sentence, Sun Chengzong determined the character of Shen Zhengping.

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhengping's tense muscles relaxed. It felt like he'd been on the brink of death, but instead of falling into hell, he'd returned to the human world. "Thank you, Sun Youchen, for your kindness," Shen Zhengping tried to kowtow, but Sun Chengzong helped him up.

"Right Secretary Sun, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go in first." Lu Wenzhao stepped forward, intending to hold Sun Chengzong's horse. However, the sixth-rank civil servant behind Sun Chengzong got there first, letting go of his own reins and grabbing Sun Chengzong's.

"Deputy Captain Lu, this is Lu Shanji, the head of the Ministry of Revenue." Sun Chengzong was very pleased with Lu Shanji's initiative. Asking a deputy captain of the Jinyiwei to lead his horse and serve as a groom was a bit too much. If it weren't for Lu Wenzhao's smiling face, Sun Chengzong would have thought this guy was messing with him.

"Greetings, Master Lu." Lu Wenzhao smiled awkwardly.

"Deputy Captain Lu, you are too polite." Lu Shanji returned the greeting.

Lu Shanji was recommended to Sun Chengzong by the Minister of Revenue Li Ruhua when Sun Chengzong went to the Ministry of Revenue to report his travel expenses.

Lu Shanji was a descendant of Mongolians who settled in Dingxing, Zhili. In the 41st year of the Wanli reign, Lu Shanji achieved Jinshi (Jinshi) status in the Guichou year. Upon his admission, he was appointed as an inspector in the Ministry of War. He was later appointed Director of the Shandong Division of the Ministry of Revenue, where he was also responsible for salt law and wrote "On the Salt Laws of Guangdong and Fujian." While in office, Lu Shanji unfortunately resigned due to his mother's death. After serving in retirement, he was reinstated to his previous position. In the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the Liaodong region's military pay was cut off. Court officials repeatedly requested that Emperor Shenzong allocate funds from the imperial treasury, but Emperor Shenzong ignored them. At this time, the gold and silver tributes from Guangdong were being transported to Beijing. Lu Shanji then suggested to Li Ruhua that the Ministry of Revenue withhold these funds to supplement the Liao tribute. Lu Shanji argued that instead of requesting funds that were not released, why not retain the gold that had not been delivered?

Li Ruhua agreed to keep the money, which, unsurprisingly, angered Emperor Shenzong. He ordered the Ministry of Revenue to deduct a year's salary from Lu Shanji as punishment. He also urged the Ministry to quickly replenish the gold and silver in the Chengyun Treasury. Lu Shanji protested desperately, so Emperor Shenzong withdrew Li Ruhua's salary and demoted him to a remote position. Unable to withstand the pressure from Emperor Shenzong and, to protect Lu Shanji, he still sent the gold and silver to the Chengyun Treasury to replenish the imperial treasury. Finally, Li Ruhua requested a second increase in land tax throughout the country to cover the Liao military expenses. Emperor Shenzong readily agreed.

In July of the 48th year of the reign of Emperor Shenzong, Li Ruhua petitioned the new emperor to recall Lu Jishan and reinstate him to his post, and his request was granted. After his reinstatement, Lu Jishan continued to petition for funds, and again received a request. Later, Li Ruhua recommended him to Sun Chengzong, who had come to the Ministry of Revenue to complete the formalities.

When Sun Chengzong finished all the formalities and returned to the palace to receive the emperor's edict, he mentioned it to the emperor and then took the person away.

"Let's go into the city." Sun Chengzong said to Lu Wenzhao.

"Are you going to the Command Headquarters or the Pacification Headquarters? I'll lead the way for you." Lu Wenzhao was not affected by the brief embarrassment.

"Let's go to the Command Headquarters." Sun Chengzong had already made up his mind. Arrest them all, leaving no one behind. As for the affairs of Tianjin, Lu Wenzhao couldn't handle them, but he could.

(End of this chapter)