Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 366 Investigation and Fraud Case
Shi Fuming arrived at the Southern Study. At this time, the latest batch of memorials had just been processed, and Liu Ruoyu, assisted by two eunuchs, was carefully moving them from the imperial desk to a wooden tray.

Zhu Changluo was still sitting behind the desk, holding a brush dipped in black ink, and seemed to be writing something.

"Your servant Shi Fuming pays homage to the emperor, Long Live the Emperor." Shi Fuming walked closer and saluted.

"Get up and talk." Zhu Changluo continued writing on the paper until he finished a complete sentence. Then he put down his pen and looked up at Shi Fuming. "Are you all back?"

"Yes. Master, you are wise," Shi Fuming replied. "The boys we sent to inquire about the patient have all returned."

"Tell me, who is sick and who is not," Zhu Changluo poked at the memorials he had temporarily withheld and asked emphatically, "Why?"

Shi Fuming had already sorted out his thoughts, and when the emperor asked, he answered fluently, "The Marquis of Taining is indeed ill. When I passed by, he was lying on the couch listening to someone read to him. The whole mansion was filled with the smell of medicine."

"Is he okay?" Zhu Changluo's tone showed some concern, but not much.

"Not bad," Shi Fuming replied. "Lord Taining is awake, able to talk, and doesn't cough much, though he looks a little pale."

Zhu Changluo nodded slightly. "Send a royal physician to see Marquis Taining. Give him some rewards, and let him rest well. Once he's recovered, he can return to the yamen." Zhu Changluo had already decided that if Marquis Taining wasn't seriously ill, he would continue to serve as the Governor of the Beijing Camp, working alongside Huang Kezan, the Minister of Justice and Assistant Director of the Beijing Camp.

From the moment Huang Kezan relocated his headquarters to Beijing in the 47th year of the Wanli reign, he served as assistant governor of the Beijing Camp alongside the newly appointed Governor-General Chen Liangbi. Upon assuming his post, Huang Kezan presented a memorial to Chen presenting five proposals for the Beijing Camp, requesting the selection of generals, additional troops, equipment, increased pay, and barracks accommodations. Emperor Shenzong approved the proposal. It was thanks to Huang Kezan's management, cooperation, and even donations that Li Bingcheng, the Liaodong garrison commander, was able to wield the "3,000-jin Luzon bronze cannon" atop Fengji Fort.

Because Zhu Changluo's planning priorities remained focused on Liao affairs, he sought to maintain the status quo and maintain the status quo for the Beijing Camp. Consequently, even now, Huang Kezan, who had been transferred from the Ministry of Works to the Ministry of Justice, still held the concurrent responsibility of assisting with military affairs for the Beijing Camp. According to the terminology of the late Wanli reign, Huang Kezan's current position could also be described as "Secretary of Military Affairs, in charge of the Ministry of Justice's seals."

Ministers holding concurrent posts was a common practice during the Ming Dynasty, especially during the Wanli reign. Therefore, Emperor Taichang didn't unburden Huang Kezan of his responsibilities, and he didn't complain; he was used to it. Even compared to the Ministry of Works, the distance between the Ministry of Justice and the military government was considerably greater. The daily running back and forth wasn't tiring for the old man himself, but for his sedan chair bearers as well.

Thinking of this, Zhu Changluo decided to send some welfare and consolation to Huang Rongzheng as well. "By the way, send someone to give Huang Qing some gifts. Don't just send money."

"Yes." Shi Fuming replied.

"What about the others? Are they sick too?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"My Lord," Shi Fuming said, his expression becoming more serious. "Duke Yingguo, Duke Dingguo, and Earl Yongning should all be fine."

"All right." Zhu Changluo's expression changed. "What's going on?"

Shi Fuming explained, "The sent-out scouts reported that Duke Yingguo was reading in his study. There was no smell of medicine in the entire mansion, and not even a doctor was called. Duke Dingguo was simply sleeping in his room. When the scouts saw him, his clothes were in disarray. He didn't smell of medicine, but of alcohol, probably just waking up from a hangover. As for Earl Yongning, he's in perfect health, looking incredibly energetic and full of vigor."

"Huh!" Zhu Changluo's eyelids twitched. "What are they trying to do? Have they planned to band together to commit fraud?" Zhu Changluo slowly looked at Wang An. Just as he was about to order Wang An to have the Imperial Guard increase their surveillance of these nobles and investigate what they were doing, Shi Fuming answered his "question."

"Probably not." Shi Fuming said.

Zhu Changluo suddenly turned his head to look at Shi Fuming. "Did your people figure out the hidden truth so quickly?"

"To answer the question of His Majesty," Shi Fuming said hurriedly, "It's not an investigation, but Lord Yongning himself said so."

"What did he say?" Zhu Changluo asked immediately.

Shi Fuming said, "Lord Yongning said he received an invitation from Marquis Wuqing, who sent a letter inviting him to Qinghua Garden outside the capital for a chat. He didn't want to go, but also didn't want to offend Marquis Wuqing, so he feigned illness."

"Marquis Wuqing" Zhu Changluo had no good feelings towards this empty-headed, pot-bellied guy. "When did it happen?"

"Just yesterday." Shi Fuming replied.

"Are the others like this too?" Zhu Changluo picked up yesterday's briefing and took a look.

Shi Fuming shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. Only Earl Yongning spoke openly and clearly."

Zhu Changluo asked again, "Why did the Marquis of Wuqing invite the Earl of Yongning to Tsinghua Garden?"

Shi Fuming asked Shi Fangyi the same question. "It only mentioned a brief chat, nothing else." In reality, the invitation Li Guorui sent out had slightly different details. Because the Earl of Yongning had no business in Liaodong, Li Guorui simply invited him to Tsinghua University for a brief chat, unlike the invitation to the Duke of Ying, which specifically stated that the meeting was to discuss "Tianjin business."

"Okay. Go ahead." Zhu Changluo had nothing else to ask.

"I'll take my leave." Shi Fuming accepted the order but did not leave immediately. Seeing that the memorials had been transferred, he took the initiative to walk to Liu Ruoyu and motioned him to give him the tray.

Liu Ruoyu silently handed over the tray, and Shi Fuming silently took it. Just as Shi Fuming was about to turn around, he heard the emperor's voice again: "Wang An, secretly investigate this matter and find out who the Marquis of Wuqing invited to his manor for a small gathering. And why."

"Yes." Wang An responded sternly.

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The northern part of the capital, Lingchunfang, Shuntian Prefecture Office.

In the signing room, Prefect Shen Guangzuo sat behind a large desk with a gloomy face, silently reading his memorial, which had been explicitly refuted by the emperor in red ink. The rebuttal was short, consisting of only one sentence: "You should focus on the affairs of this prefecture and not worry about state affairs."

Shen Guangzuo read two messages from this sentence. The first was naturally to let him mind his own business and focus on his own affairs. The second was that in the Emperor's plan, opening the Sun Moon Bank was not a matter for a city or a pond, but a "state affair."

After reading for a while, Shen Guangzuo sighed and decided to write a letter to Wang Ji, the acting Minister of Seal Affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, asking him to join him in submitting a petition to persuade the emperor. The current emperor's use of eunuchs to engage in "financial transactions" throughout the country really reminded Shen Guangzuo of the "mining taxation" implemented by the previous emperor.

Shen Guangzuo opened a drawer and pulled out two blank sheets of paper. He picked up his pen, but didn't know how to begin. Wang Ji and Shen Guangzuo had barely touched base. After arriving in Beijing, Shen Guangzuo hadn't even visited the Ministry of Revenue. He couldn't even find a reason to greet them, so how could he convince them to join him in submitting a memorial?

Finally, Shen Guangzuo decided not to exchange pleasantries and instead wrote a letter to Wang Ji expressing his understanding and concerns. At this time, the poor Shuntian prefect did not know that his proposal had actually died in the womb before it was even issued.

Shen Guangzuo put pen to paper. With the rejected memorial as a starting point for his thoughts, he quickly wrote two paragraphs of over a hundred words.

Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door of the signing room.

"Come in." The knock on the door didn't bother Shen Guangzuo. He simply added some ink to his inkstone and continued writing. The visitor was Tan Shijiang, the magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture. "Your humble servant greets Mr. Shen Zanfu."

Shen Guangzuo asked, "Is there any new progress in the case, or have the Jinyiwei come again?"

After preliminary visits and investigations, it can be basically confirmed that the elderly couple who found the body have no direct connection with this case.

That family did have a capable laborer, but this laborer wasn't even in Beijing. Two years ago, when the Minister of Military Affairs, Huang Kezan, was in charge of recruiting troops for the Beijing garrison, this laborer, in exchange for the generous salary offered by the court, gave up his livelihood as a tenant farmer and became a registered soldier for the Beijing garrison. When Xiong Tingbi left Beijing, he was selected by the Ministry of War to serve in the Jinglüe Battalion, and was ordered to lead Xiong Tingbi north to fight the Jiannu.

Most of the small change the yamen runners found in the house was the salary the strong laborer had sent back from Liaodong. This silver, remitted every six months, was enough to provide the two elderly and one child with a comfortable life. But who would complain about too much silver? The family had a vacant room, and if someone was willing to rent it, they would rent it.

After these things were investigated, Shen Guangzuo did not let them leave immediately, but continued to keep them in Shuntian Prefecture. This was not because Shen Guangzuo still hoped to squeeze out some useful information from them, but because if they left Shuntian Prefecture, the Jinyiwei would probably intercept them halfway.

Shen Guangzuo knew the Imperial Guard could choose the lesser of two evils between the Northern Patrol Office and the Shuntian Prefecture Office, so he agreed to allow Shuntian Prefecture to detain the witness. However, once the witness was isolated and without a civil servant to mediate, it would be difficult to determine the family's guilt or innocence. For an elderly man with children like this, the Imperial Guard would need only a short time to extract the confession they sought.

Tan Shijiang said, "Someone came to report that he had been defrauded of a large sum of money. This humble official feels..."

"Someone has reported the case, so you should handle it according to the rules." Shen Guangzuo interrupted Tan Shijiang without even raising his head and continued to write on the paper.

Shuntian Prefecture has a vast territory and numerous affairs. The prefect is also thinking of recruiting people to "fight" with the emperor. Being able to personally inquire about such a case can already make him a "honest judge."

Seeing that Shen Guangzuo didn't even ask about the case, Tan Shijiang simply said, "The person who came to report the case must be an intermediary. It is very likely related to the serial case we are investigating."

As Tan Shijiang had expected, Shen Guangzuo stopped writing the moment he heard the word "intermediary." He looked up at Tan Shijiang, about to ask him something, but then thought it would be better to go and ask in person. "Where is the person?"

"Just wait in the magistrate's office." Tan Shijiang said.

"Let's go." Shen Guangzuo put down his pen and took a paperweight to press down the manuscript.

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The Procuratorate was located in the second courtyard of the government office, less than a hundred steps away from the signing room where Shen Guangzuo often stayed. The two of them strode quickly and arrived there soon.

In the center of the magistrate's hall, near the large desk, was kneeling a short and thin old man with a hunched back and very simple clothes.

The old man heard the noise and turned around to see Shen Guangzuo in a red robe. Seeing the officials approaching, he immediately bowed and said, "I, an old man, pay my respects to the two masters."

Shen Guangzuo did not respond to him. Instead, he walked to the large desk and sat down before saying, "Look up and talk."

"Yes." The old man straightened up slightly, lowering his brows and looking towards the desk. He immediately made eye contact with Shen Guangzuo, who was observing him. The old man quickly withdrew his gaze and turned his head away, not daring to meet the venerable's gaze. However, this brief glance was enough for Shen Guangzuo to see clearly whether he had a beard.

"Are you from the palace?" Shen Guangzuo looked at the old man steadily.

"Yes." As soon as the old man answered, Tan Shijiang, who was sitting on the side, immediately took note of the question and answer.

"What's your name?" Shen Guangzuo took the gavel on the table and rubbed it gently.

"To answer the old master's question," the old man said with a simple smile. "My surname is probably Jiang, and everyone calls me Jiang the Tuotuo."

"So, Jiang Tuozi, what job did you do in the palace before?" Shen Guangzuo asked.

Jiang Tuozi replied, "I used to be in charge of charcoal in the Firewood and Charcoal Department of Xixinsi." He spoke nicely and used the word "in charge", but in fact, he was just a low-level eunuch who moved charcoal and relied on his seniority to manage several young people who had just entered the palace.

Shen Guangzuo, the "Xin Xin Si", then asked, "How long have you been working in the palace?"

Jiang Tuozi thought about it, but he couldn't recall anything. He could only say, "I can't remember it anymore. I just know that I stayed in the palace for a long time."

"Did you enter the palace during the Longqing Dynasty?" Shen Guangzuo asked in a different way.

"The Jiajing Dynasty!" Jiang Tuozi was very sure.

"Then why did you leave the palace?"

"A few days ago, Emperor Liu ordered layoffs, and Sun Si Zheng kicked me out." When Jiang Tuozi thought of this, he felt a surge of anger in his chest.

"The Liu Zuzong you are talking about, is he the eunuch Liu Ruoyu who was in charge of writing?" Shen Guangzuo frowned.

"Yes." Jiang Tuozi nodded.

"Then who is this Sun Si Zheng?" Shen Guangzuo asked.

"It's Sun He, the new head of our Xixinsi. He kicked me out just a few days after he took office." There was a hint of tears in Jiang Tuozi's voice.

After asking for basic information, Shen Guangzuo got straight to the point. "Jiang Tuozi, who scammed you, and how?"

"He said he was an official and that he could get away with it if he paid money."

Snapped!
As soon as Jiang Tuozi opened his mouth, he was immediately stopped by Shen Guangzuo's gavel.

Shen Guangzuo paused for a moment before continuing, "Who was it, where was it, and what benefits did they promise you? Tell me from the beginning, in detail."

"Then..." Jiang Tuozi was so frightened by the startled clapping that he shrank back. "Let me tell you from the beginning, let me tell you from the beginning!" He kowtowed hurriedly, fearing that the master in the hall would order someone to beat him with a stick.

(End of this chapter)