Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 268 First Visit to Tianjin
Under Lu Wenzhao's guidance, Sun Chengzong came all the way to the Tianjin Wei Command Headquarters. At this time, the officers of Tianjin Wei were still in a state of confusion and had no idea that a catastrophe was about to come.

As the crowd approached, a commotion grew. In the main hall of the Commandery, Han Chengkui, seated second in command, heard the commotion. He raised his head, set down his pen, and before he could rise, a tall, muscular man with a stern face, sharp brows, and a wiry beard, dressed in a crimson, round-collared, cloud-goose-shaped uniform and a gold belt dangling from his waist, entered his sight.

Amidst the confusion, a large number of soldiers rushed in and quickly occupied the not-so-narrow government office, filling it up completely.

Seeing this, Han Chengkui and the other military officers present immediately felt a surge of unease. However, when they saw the fifth-rank military officer next to the fourth-rank civil official, their anxiety eased a little.

Han Chengkui stood up, walked to Lu Wenzhao, bowed and asked, "Sir, may I ask who this is?"

"I am Sun Chengzong, Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Censorate, and I am here by imperial order to serve as Governor of Tianjin." Without waiting for Lu Wenzhao to speak, Sun Chengzong, standing proudly with his hands on his belt, introduced himself. In his eyes, these people were criminals who had betrayed the emperor and harmed the country. As the saying goes, "Where courtesy is abandoned, punishment is adopted." When facing criminals, he naturally didn't need to treat them with courtesy; he simply punished them.

Han Chengkui was stunned. He turned around blankly and looked at Sun Chengzong in confusion. "When did Tianjin have a governor? How come I didn't know about it?"

Sun Chengzong glanced at Lu Wenzhao, then withdrew his gaze and said in a trembling voice, "You don't need to know! By order of the Emperor, a thorough investigation is underway into the cases of Tianjin officials who have embezzled military farmland, embezzled customs duties, extorted grain transports, and disregarded human life."

"What!" Han Chengkui suddenly looked at Lu Wenzhao, his eyes full of shock and disbelief. "This, you are not..."

Sun Chengzong interrupted with a loud shout, "Tianjin Garrison Commander Shen Caiyu, Deputy Chief Secretary Han Chengkui, Assistant Secretary Zhou Yingru, Jiang Guangchun, and Wang Guozhen are all scum who are harming the country and the people. They are intolerable to the law of the country and to the will of heaven! Come here!"

"Here!" replied Mao Yuanyi, the military painter.

"Give them all to me!" Sun Chengzong waved his hand and ordered.

"Yes." Mao Yuanyi clasped his fists and accepted the order. He then took the Beijing soldiers loaned to Sun Chengzong by the Ministry of War and detained all the Tianjin military officers who were stunned in the room.

"Sun Youchen, Jiang Guangchun is not here." Lu Wenzhao reminded at the right time.

"Then where is he?" Sun Chengzong asked.

"He is in charge of supervising the canal transportation. He should be at the dock now." Lu Wenzhao said softly.

"Okay." Sun Chengzong nodded slightly and turned to Mao Yuanyi and ordered, "Send a team to the Caoyun Wharf to arrest that assistant official named Jiang Guangchun."

"Yes." Mao Yuanyi immediately sent a small team to the dock, while he himself remained beside Sun Chengzong, awaiting orders.

"You can't do this, officer!" Han Chengkui suddenly screamed. "Officer! You have to save me, you have to save me!"

"Take him away." Sun Chengzong pretended not to hear.

"Where are they taking him?" Mao Yuanyi asked.

"Take them to the Pacification Bureau!" Shen Zhengping jumped out and said excitedly, "Take them to the prison in the Pacification Bureau!"

"Okay." Sun Chengzong gave Shen Zhengping an encouraging smile, then said to Mao Yuanyi, "Follow Shen Zhenfu and take the prisoner to the Zhenfu Division."

"Yes!"

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After all the military officers were arrested and imprisoned, Sun Chengzong did not leave with them. For him, taking over the affairs of Tianjin Wei and maintaining the flow of materials in Zhili area were much more important than interrogating the officers whose fate was already determined.

Sun Chengzong walked into the main hall and stood behind the desk that originally belonged to Shen Caiyu.

Before Sun Chengzong even took his seat, Lu Wenzhao approached him and placed two documents he carried next to the seal of Tianjin Guard. He said, "Sun Youchen. These two documents are from the Rear Army Commandery and the Ministry of War, respectively. They authorize me to temporarily manage the Tianjin Guard seal until the official arrives. Now that you are here, I will formally transfer the authority to hold the Tianjin Guard seal to you."

Sun Chengzong held an imperial edict bearing the imperial seal. While he couldn't mobilize the Imperial Guard, they also had no standing to challenge him for power. Since Lu Wenzhao was so proactive and polite, Sun Chengzong readily accepted. "Thank you for your hard work, Deputy Captain Lu." Sun Chengzong handed the two documents back to Lu Wenzhao and sat down at his desk.

"It's my duty." Lu Wenzhao bowed. "If you need anything else, just let me know."

"It's not really an order," Sun Chengzong said, adhering to the principle of not wasting time, and immediately climbed up the ladder. "But I do have a small favor that I need the assistance of Deputy Captain Lu."

"Mr. Sun, please feel free to speak. I will do my best to do it." Lu Wenzhao was happy to help Master Sun.

"In a short while, all the officials in the court were arrested, and the soldiers from the five camps were inevitably frightened. I have limited manpower. Can I temporarily lend you the warriors under my command to maintain order in the city?" Sun Chengzong asked.

"Of course." Lu Wenzhao nodded immediately and said, "We have full control over the government offices and the four gates, and the five military camps are also accompanied by Jinyiwei. It's up to you to decide whether to send or arrest these officers."

Sun Chengzong did not immediately ask for assistance, but first asked, "Which thousand-household unit is currently responsible for the city defense?"

"Zhongqianhu Suo." Lu Wenzhao answered immediately.

"Then please send someone to inform the captain of the Central Thousand Households Office and the captain of the Four Gates Defense. As for the other Thousand Households Office, just maintain the status quo for the time being. I will talk to them after things are sorted out." Sun Chengzong began to like this young man.

"Okay." Lu Wenzhao turned to Lu Jianxing and ordered: "Do as Sun Youqian said."

"Yes." Lu Jianxing clasped his fists and left.

"Bo Shun," Sun Chengzong said, looking at Lu Shanji, "draft a notice to reassure the people and the army. It states that everything remains as it is. Every office and banner must strictly adhere to their duties and not slack off in the slightest. Every shop and business must do their work safely. Those who are not aiding and abetting the evildoers who harm the people will be excused even if they have had contact with the guards. Anyone who dares to take such a risk during this extraordinary period and commit theft will be apprehended and severely punished by the governor's office."

"Yes." Lu Shanji found an empty seat and sat down, and immediately drafted the notice according to Sun Chengzong's instructions.

"One more thing." Sun Chengzong suddenly thought of something, so he added: "The Governor's Office will not accept any complaints for the time being."

"Yes." Lu Shanji silently noted it. Then, Sun Chengzong looked at a general flag beside him. "Go and bring the governor, clerk, warehouse envoy, deputy envoy, and experience officer of this guard."

The eighth-rank governor and ninth-rank clerk were working in the back hall of the Commandery, so they were quickly brought in. When they arrived, they hadn't yet grasped the situation. They only knew that a group of soldiers from outside the province had surrounded the yamen. However, since the person sitting in the hall was wearing the uniform of a fourth-rank official, he must be someone of some importance.

"Greetings, sir." The governor and the clerk bowed. However, Sun Chengzong showed no intention of paying any attention to them.

The hall remained silent until everyone was present. Sun Chengzong then introduced himself, saying, "I am Sun Chengzong, Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and I'm here to serve as the Governor of Tianjin." He then looked at a garrison officer wearing a seventh-rank uniform and asked, "Are you from the Tianjin Garrison?"

"In reply to Mr. Sun Youchen, I am indeed an experienced official of this guard." The seventh-rank official swallowed his saliva, and his tone of voice was obviously trembling when he replied.

"What's your name?" Sun Chengzong asked again.

"My surname is Wu, and my given name is Dinghong." The officer replied.

"Experience Wu," Sun Chengzong ordered, "I order you to collect the household registers of the guards, as well as all records related to military training, farming, storage, and grain transport over the past three years."

"My..." Wu Dinghong felt numb all of a sudden. These booklets were made just for viewing and could not withstand scrutiny at all.

"Do you have any objections?" Sun Chengzong asked indifferently.

"No, of course not." Wu Dinghong asked sheepishly, "Could you please ask Han Tongzhi first? He is in charge of the Experience Department."

"Han Chengkui is already in prison. If you want to go in with him, just tell me." A hint of murderous intent flashed across Sun Chengzong's cold eyes. "But getting in is easy, getting out is hard."

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Tianjin Wei Zhenfu Division.

Although the interrogation ultimately failed to reveal Shen Caiyu's whereabouts, Lu Wenzhao nonetheless gained a wealth of information, both real and fake, from the day-and-night interrogations, including the location of farmland and hidden gold vaults in private residences. After all, even the most rigorous management required subordinates to enforce it; complete secrecy was impossible. These findings still satisfied Lu Wenzhao; at least he could take them back to Beijing to make amends.

The high-intensity interrogation was not without cost. Several weak people were tortured to death by the executioner during the repeated almost torturous interrogations. Among them was Chen, the first concubine brought out for questioning by Lu Wenzhao.

Then again, no matter how great the cost, the Imperial Guards didn't need to bear it. From the moment Shen Caiyu was labeled a criminal, these people were no longer human. Back then, even Grand Tutor Zhang's son was forced to death by civil servants who came to confiscate his property, let alone Shen Caiyu's family. Dead or alive, just drag him out and bury him.

As early as yesterday, the Jinyiwei had cleared out the prison at the Zhenfu Division, and the surviving prisoners were taken back to the Shen Mansion for continued custody. Their final fate depended on the sentencing determined by the Ministry of Justice. If Shen Caiyu could be brought to justice, the sentence could be lighter. However, if Shen Caiyu remained missing, like Yan Guo, the escaped Centurion in the former East Factory case, the Shen family, with its hundreds of members, would face only two options: death or forced labor as official slaves.

On the way to the Zhenfu Division prison, Han Chengkui kept shouting and screaming. In order to reduce the impact, Mao Yuanyi had someone stuff a piece of rag into his mouth.

Of course, the rags wouldn't stay stuffed in forever. After the officials were stripped of their official uniforms and thrown into jail, the stinking stuff would be taken out. If you want to scream, keep screaming; no one outside can hear you anyway.

"Shen Zhengping! What the hell is going on?" Han Chengkui yelled at Shen Zhengping who came with him.

"Han Tongzhi, what else could it be? You've been thrown into jail for committing a crime." Shen Zhengping's face was devoid of emotion. There was only a hint of relief, a sense of relief that "I'd rather die than let my friend die." "Be quiet and submit to the trial. Maybe you'll get a lighter sentence."

"Bullshit! What do you mean by 'you guys'? When Shen Caiyu divided the money, did you get less?" Han Chengkui questioned.

"Haha, haha." Shen Zhengping's relaxed expression suddenly, without warning, turned to madness. His tone sharpened, like he was singing an opera. "That's why I'm 'deeply aware of the greater good, courageously correcting lawlessness. Even if there are minor faults, they don't hide my great achievements!' Hahaha." After killing Shen Xie and his son, he hadn't slept well since. If he had to endure this kind of fear for a few more days, he might have gone crazy.

"You bastard!" Han Chengkui was certain that the damned Shen Zhengping had betrayed him. "I'm telling you, you can't judge me, let alone bring me down!" Han Chengkui's roar was a signal for the other officials in the Zhenfu Division's prison to join in the attack and abuse against Shen Zhengping.

"As someone who's in cahoots with you all, I certainly can't judge you!" Shen Zhengping gritted his teeth, grinning. The shimmering sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his face with an indescribably strange light. "I'm only following orders and watching you. The Emperor will not let you, the corrupt officials who are harming the country and its people, go unpunished!"

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In the evening, Lu Wenzhao, carrying a food box, came to a house surrounded by a mud wall and fence. In the house lived two Jinyiwei captains brought by Lu Wenzhao from Beijing, and a special guest.

"Mr. Wang. We meet again." Lu Wenzhao pushed open the door of the main room, placed the lunch box on the square table in the middle of the room, and said to the dismissed scholar Wang Gui who was sitting by the window reading a book.

"Greetings, Lu Shangcha." Wang Gui put down his book and walked to Lu Wenzhao. He bowed, then knelt and kowtowed to Lu Wenzhao. "Thank you, Lu Shangcha, for avenging my student."

"I didn't avenge you, nor am I your benefactor. This is just a deal. You don't have to kneel to me." Lu Wenzhao didn't accept the kneeling. He sat on the chair and talked while arranging the dishes. "Get up and have dinner with me."

"How dare a common student like me eat at the same table with an angel?" Wang Gui stood up but did not sit down.

"Just sit down when I told you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Lu Wenzhao filled a bowl of rice and placed it on the edge of the table near Wang Gui, then placed a pair of chopsticks next to the bowl.

"Thank you very much, sir." Wang Gui had no choice but to sit down.

Lu Wenzhao silently shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, then said, "The case here is about to be closed. We can't stay here for a few more days. You have to come with us."

"Where are we going?" Wang Gui asked.

"Where else could it be? Of course, back to Beijing," said Lu Wenzhao.

"You want me to testify and expose that corrupt official Shen Zhengping?" The flames of revenge once again ignited in Wang Gui's eyes.

"Of course not. I'm just looking at you. Just like now." The way Lu Wenzhao picked up the food with chopsticks looked like he was twisting a candle wick to put out a fire.

(End of this chapter)