Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 333 The Bear Party’s Revenge

Luo Sigong only thought for a moment before making a judgment: "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly."

The last time Cui Wensheng killed someone, the Imperial Guards didn't investigate further because the victims had all been close to, or had had contact with, Zheng Guotai and Zheng Yangxing. This made Luo Sigong wonder if those cases might have been assignments from the emperor to the factory officials, so he didn't investigate further and simply closed the case.

However, the emperor couldn't and didn't need to kill eunuchs outside the palace. If a servant offended the emperor, a single word could be enough to get him killed. There was no need to make it so complicated. Since it wasn't the emperor's doing, it could have been someone else doing it against his will. As the emperor's eyes and ears, the Imperial Guard had a duty to investigate thoroughly.

Liu Chengxi replied sternly, "Yes."

"Be sure to be careful when investigating. No information can be leaked before everything is clarified." Luo Sigong warned.

"Yes."

"Is there anything else?" Luo Sigong asked.

"Just these two things for now," Liu Chengxi replied.

"Then go ahead." Luo Sigong waved his hand. "Do it beautifully."

"I take my leave." Liu Chengxi bowed to Luo Sigong and then to Hai Zhentao. Luo Sigong only nodded in response, while Hai Zhentao bowed back.

After Liu Chengxi left, Hai Zhentao walked to the main desk and placed the pamphlet he had taken from the Southern Pacification Office in front of Luo Sigong. "General Wei, please."

Luo Sigong didn't look through the booklet immediately. Instead, he looked in the direction Liu Chengxi left and said, "What do you think of the East Office case?"

"This case really needs to be investigated," said Hai Zhentao.

"I'm talking about the Jesuit case." Luo Sigong took the booklet and stood up, leading Hai Zhentao to a row of chairs. "Sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Marshal Wei."

"We are one family, so let's not talk behind each other's backs." Luo Sigong said with a smile.

Hai Zhentao was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said modestly: "How dare I."

"Let's talk business." Luo Sigong stopped arguing with him and brought the subject back to the topic.

Hai Zhentao thought for a moment and said, "If there's no fraud on the Liaodong side, then the matter itself is very simple. It's nothing more than a madman with a broken brain trying to practice the ways of the White Lotus Demonic Dao, and then being executed by the provincial governor."

"Fake?" Luo Sigong picked out a word.

"I think this matter will probably come down to 'factional strife,'" Hai Zhentao leaned in closer and said, "Xiong Jinglie suffered such a blow from the Donglin Party last year, and people are still talking about it. He might be thinking of revenge."

"It's common knowledge that the Jesuits and the Donglin Clique have close ties. If they fabricate treason charges against the Jesuits in Liaodong and kill them, leaving them without evidence, and then, with the help of the Zhejiang and Chu Cliques at court, push the case, it'll be a major case. And now, before the tussle between the two sides even begins, the Northern Pacification Office is already making moves. If this continues, I'm afraid many people will be forced to step down or even go to jail."

"But Liu Chengxi said that the memorial not only has the signature of Xiong Jinglie, but also the signature of Yang Xunan." Luo Sigong nodded slightly.

"General Wei. Last year, when General Xiong was impeached by the Donglin Party, Inspector Yang submitted a petition to protect him." Hai Zhentao speculated, "Perhaps he has already switched sides and become a member of the 'Xiong Party'."

"Haha." Luo Sigong laughed. "You are making malicious speculations."

"At least it makes sense." Hai Zhentao also laughed.

"We don't care how those people fight. The emperor blows the wind, and the Jinyiwei rains the rain." Luo Sigong's face changed and he put away his smile. He asked again: "Do you think this case will affect us?"

"Possibly." Hai Zhentao was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "Governor Wei directly bypassed you and handed the assignment to the Northern Pacification Office. He might have instructed Vice-Minister Tian to exploit this issue. If they figure out the Jesuit issue and then bring in the two traitors, they'll definitely slap you with the label of 'incompetence.' When that happens, I'll wear that label and never let them harm you."

"No. It has nothing to do with you." Luo Sigong shook his head and said, "If Tian Ergeng insists on using this to attack the East Office, then let the person who is secretly sitting there take the blame. He won't kill her anyway, so just give him some compensation."

“.” Hai Zhentao did not respond.

"Okay." Luo Sigong blinked, brushing off a few specks of dust. He pointed at the booklet on the coffee table and asked, "Have you got the layoff list?"

"Coach Wei, this is not a list of layoffs," said Hai Zhentao.

"Then what is this?" Luo Sigong picked up the booklet.

"During this period, I took some time to look through the piles of old papers in the Nansi case library and found that there were many cases that should be dealt with but have not been. I was wondering whether I should take them out and weigh them." Hai Zhentao said.

Luo Sigong opened the booklet and saw many familiar names. Following the names were a simple list of crimes, both major and minor, such as occupying private land, occupying residential land, encroaching on graves, reporting unnecessary merits, embezzling funds, and abusing servants.

"Isn't this booklet full of old stories?" Luo Sigong asked.

"Since it's a pile of old papers, it must be old news." Hai Zhentao nodded and said, "After these cases were sent to the Southern Division, they were all suppressed. But the cases themselves have not been closed. As long as you give your nod, you can pick them up at any time."

After Luo Sigong finished reading the entire booklet, he first asked, "Have you shown this to anyone else?"

"No, you are the first one." Hai Zhentao said.

Luo Sigong closed the book and handed it back to Hai Zhentao. "A lot of the people you've written down here are relatives of nobles. If we dig deeper, I'm afraid there might be some connections that shouldn't exist. Let's put it aside for now."

"Yes." Hai Zhentao put away the booklet, his eyes dimming.

Luo Sigong added: "But you can first collect some evidence indirectly. If there is any wind blowing from above, you can take it out."

"Yes!"

Luo Sigong asked again: "What about layoffs? How long will it take to draw up the list?"

"It will definitely be possible before the next court meeting." Hai Zhentao reported a conservative date.

"That's perfect. I haven't spoken in the palace for a while." Luo Sigong was quite satisfied with this. "Please write another beautiful article for me."

Hai Zhentao was not good at writing beautiful articles, but he still replied, "Okay." "General Wei, do you have any other instructions?" Hai Zhentao felt that he should take his leave.

"That's all. But there's still one small thing." Luo Sigong slowly stood up.

"General Wei, please speak." Hai Zhentao also stood up.

As Luo Sigong walked, he said, "Luo Qing has already arrived in Beijing. When Lu Wenzhao returns to Beijing to report, let him find a sedan chair to carry her away from my house."

Hai Zhentao raised his eyebrows. "Yes."

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After returning home, Liu Heqing did not stay long, but changed into his official uniform and went to the government office. According to the original arrangement, a batch of medicinal herbs should be transported to the herbal medicine warehouse of the Imperial Hospital today.

Walking to the intersection between Dongjiangmi Lane and the Ministry of Rites and Imperial Hospital, Liu Heqing saw a young man in a sixth-rank official uniform walking towards him.

Liu Heqing had excellent eyesight and recognized him immediately. He was the official in charge of the Imperial Observatory, appointed by the Emperor.

The Imperial Observatory was also across from the Ministry of Rites, sandwiched between the Honglu Temple and the Imperial Hospital. Together with the Imperial Hospital, they were a common sight. Liu Heqing wiped away all the worry on his face, put on a gracious smile, and took the initiative to greet him, bowing and asking, "Where are you going, Tang Chunguan?"

Tang Ruowang was anxious. He had just heard about the closure of the Jesuit Order and was anxious to go back and see what was going on. But no matter how anxious he was, he still had to return the favor. The people of the Ming Dynasty took this very seriously.

Tang Ruowang slowed down his pace and bowed, "Your Excellency, Liu Yuanshi, I wish you good luck. Something happened at home, and I have to go back. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Is someone sick?" Liu Heqing asked with concern.

"That would be great." Tang Ruowang smiled bitterly. "Goodbye." After bowing again, Tang Ruowang hurried away.

"It's okay that you're sick." Looking at Tang Ruowang's receding back, Liu Heqing had a puzzled expression on his face.

Liu Heqing shook his head and walked into the Imperial Hospital. At that moment, Li Daohong, a sixth-rank judge, and Liu Guowei, a lesser-known ambassador of the Herbal Medicine Storehouse, were staring eagerly at the hospital gate. Seeing Liu Heqing's figure, they immediately came forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, ambassador."

"Have the medicinal materials arrived?" Liu Heqing asked.

Li Daohong said, "We've arrived. The car is parked in front of the warehouse."

"Go to the Ministry of Rites." Liu Heqing looked at his second son, Liu Guowei. "Tell Minister Sheng to send someone to supervise the collection."

The medicinal materials used by the Imperial Medical Bureau and the Imperial Pharmacy were sourced from production areas throughout the country. Upon arrival in Beijing, the Imperial Medical Bureau dispatched its own medical officers and the Imperial Pharmacy's ambassador for examination. Only qualified materials could be stored. This process was supervised by officials appointed by the Ministry of Rites. Once the medicinal materials were stored, two registers were created: one for the Imperial Medical Bureau's own record keeping and one for the Ministry of Rites's filing and inspection. These records served as a basis for accountability in the event of any mishap.

"Yes." Liu Guowei walked away quickly.

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As soon as Tang Ruowang arrived at Zhengxifang, he immediately noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere. There were noticeably fewer people on the streets, and many shops were unusually closed. This became more pronounced the closer he got to the garrison.

"Stop." Every street corner leading to the Jesuit headquarters was guarded by a captain from the Northern Pacification Division. Before Tang Ruowang could even get close, he was stopped.

"Sir, this road is closed. You'd better take a detour." The captains guarding the street and the captains who broke into the mansion to control the situation were two different groups. They had never seen a Westerner before and only recognized the sixth-rank official uniform that Tang Ruowang was wearing.

Tang Ruowang calmed down and said, "I want to see your superior."

"Which government office are you from?" asked the captain.

"Imperial Observatory." Johann Adam Schall von Bell showed his badge.

"Why is the Imperial Observatory joining in the fun here? You're on business with the Northern Pacification Office, so you'd better go back." The captain waved his hand.

Although the Imperial Astronomical Observatory wasn't a high-ranking government agency, nor did it possess significant power, out of reverence for the gods and spirits of heaven and earth, most lower-ranking military and civilians held a basic respect for officials who could observe and interpret celestial phenomena. The lieutenant of the Northern Pacification Office was no exception. Therefore, even though the lieutenant had no intention of assisting him in reporting the incident, his tone was still quite polite. Had it been a sixth-rank official from another government agency, the lieutenant would have simply told him to get out.

"I live here!" Johann Adam Schall von Bell was anxious.

The captain was startled, and his expression changed immediately when he looked at Tang Ruowang. "Then please follow me, sir."

"Thank you very much." Tang Ruowang thanked the captain.

Soon, Tang Ruowang was led to the house. As soon as he entered, he was stunned. The entire courtyard was filled with guards in embroidered uniforms, each holding a sword handle. In almost every room, there were people rummaging through things. The scene was almost like a house search.

Tang Ruowang's arrival immediately attracted the attention of the people around him. The Jinyi officers in the courtyard cast unfriendly glances at him, and even the officer who led him here was startled.

The headquarters of the Jesuits and the Chamber of Commerce was a large, three-story courtyard. The front yard, enclosed by the street gate, the back house, the hanging flower gate, and the veranda, was the main living area for the mercenaries.

After passing through the hanging flower gate, you will reach the second courtyard from the front yard. The second courtyard consists of wing rooms, main rooms, and corridors. It is the main living area. Several chamber of commerce representatives and senior priests mostly live here. The study and prayer room are also located here.

The rear wing of the third courtyard was of lower rank than the main and wing rooms of the second courtyard, its size and quality of construction being inferior, only slightly better than the back wing of the front courtyard. Therefore, it was used as a residence for young priests, and even before Tang Ruowang received his official position, he was assigned here.

When Tang Ruowang was brought into the second courtyard, Yang Huan, the person in charge of this operation, was leisurely sitting in the main seat of the living room, drinking tea. Besides the tea, there was a small plate of cakes on the coffee table beside him. These things were all found by his men in the courtyard.

"Captain," the captain walked up to Yang Huan and reported, "This official from the Imperial Observatory said he lives here. So I brought him here for you."

"Oh?" Yang Huan raised his head, not even looking at the captain. He waved at him and asked Tang Ruowang, "Are you the Tang Guanzheng they're talking about?"

"Yes." Tang Ruowang nodded and said, "My surname is Tang, my given name is Ruowang, and my courtesy name is Daowei. May I ask what your name is?"

"Yang Huan, a Hundred Householders of the Northern Pacification Division."

Yang Huan was able to take the position of Chief Justice of the Northern Pacification Office because of his influence in the Donglin Party case. After that case was concluded, the former Deputy Chief Justice, Xu Xianchun, was secretly executed. The position of Chief Justice naturally fell under the previous Chief Justice, Sun Yunhe. After Sun Yunhe took the position, the position of Chief Justice became vacant. Tian Ergeng did not think too much about it, and did not even accept any gifts. He promoted Yang Huan as an exception. The reason was very simple. On the night when Tian Ergeng strangled Zhao Nanxing to death, it was the small flag team led by Yang Huan who was on night patrol. This team either received money or promotions, in short, they all had benefits.

(End of this chapter)