Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 367: Collateral Damage and Defense of Liao

Bang! The gavel hit the table again.

"Shut up!" Shen Guangzuo uttered the two words in a deep voice, and the solemn official majesty seemed to solidify into substance.

"Yes"

"Alas," Shen Guangzuo sighed softly. "Let's start from the day you left the palace. If I ask you anything along the way, just answer truthfully."

"Yes, yes." Jiang Tuozi responded quickly.

"Why don't you say something?" Shen Guangzuo really didn't want to deal with these common people. It was hard to even speak.

"Oh!" Jiang Tuozi rubbed his shrunken chest. "I was fired on the first day of the layoffs. I went to stay at Cao Laohu Temple with a few older brothers and sisters who were kicked out at the same time."

This time, Shen Guangzuo didn't use a gavel, but simply rapped his knuckles on the table to interrupt Jiang Tuozi's speech. "Where is this Cao Lao Hu Temple?"

"Master, please forgive me!" Jiang Tuozi kowtowed twice to apologize to Shen Guangzuo. "Cao Lao Hu Temple is our common name. The official name is Chong Xuan Temple."

Chongxuan Temple was first built in the second year of Emperor Yingzong's Tianshun reign. It was constructed by Cao Jixiang, a prominent eunuch who orchestrated the "Nangong Restoration." Cao Jixiang was an extremely narcissistic figure, and upon completion, he simply named the temple Caogong Temple. Because Cao Jixiang, during his time in power, excluded dissidents, was known for his brutality and murderous nature, earning him the nickname "Cao Lao Hu." Therefore, contemporaries also referred to Caogong Temple as Cao Lao Hu Temple.

In July of the fifth year of the Tianshun reign, Cao Jixiang, driven by greed and fear, launched a rebellion, imitating the story of Emperor Wu of Wei, intending to storm the Forbidden City, kill the emperor, and seize the throne. However, the rebels led by Cao Jixiang spent the entire night circling around and failing to even break into the Forbidden City.

After the rebellion, Emperor Yingzong launched a general purge of the Cao family. Cao Jixiang himself was executed by lingchi, and the entire Cao family was killed. Caogong Temple was also implicated, and the entire Taoist temple fell into ruin. It was not until Emperor Jiajing began to promote Taoist practices and hold religious ceremonies that Caogong Temple began to recover as a Taoist temple.

It is unknown why Caogong Temple was renamed Chongxuan Temple. Some say it was after the Tianshun era, others after the Jiajing era. But no matter what it was called, it was there.

"Is it the Chongxuan Temple in Rizhongfang?" Shen Guangzuo asked.

"This..." How could Jiang Tuozi even know what Rizhongfang was? He had barely left the palace since entering it, and he didn't even know the Thirty-Six Wards of Beijing. Furthermore, Jiang Tuozi couldn't read a single word, and even the official name of Chongxuan Temple was given to him by someone else. "That should be it."

Shen Guangzuo was silent for a moment, then asked, "After leaving the temple, can we go to Xizhimen by following the main road west?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Tuozi continued, following Shen Guangzuo's lead, "I met the official at the market entrance near Xizhimen."

"Then let's continue with this." Shen Guangzuo's eyes flickered. "Why did you go to Ximen City that day, and how did you meet that person?"

"Yes," Jiang Tuozi recalled. "Four days passed after I left the palace. Yes, that should be four days. Many older brothers and younger brothers came to the temple, and all the available rooms were full. The temple's food was running out for a few more days, so the abbot asked everyone to contribute some money to buy some grain and chicks. Everyone contributed five cents, and we collected about six or seven taels of silver."

"The next day, the abbot took the little old man and a few other older brothers who had left the palace earlier to go shopping at Ximen Market. They all went to the market, and I stayed at the market entrance to watch the donkey carts."

"While I was waiting, an official in a brocade robe came over and asked me if I was a palace servant because of layoffs. When I said yes, he said I could buy a way back to the palace. I didn't believe him at first, but then he took out the badge and said that I used to work in the Xixinsi."

"Did he allow you to go back to Xixinsi to do your work?" Shen Guangzuo asked.

"No." Jiang Tuozi shook his head. "I also asked him if he could return to his original office. He said he could go back to the palace, but to avoid suspicion, he had to change offices. Otherwise, it wouldn't look good to the higher-ups."

Shen Guangzuo understood. This was a typical scam involving someone impersonating an official. Such cases were common in Beijing, a city with a population of over a million. Every year, the number of cases reported in the newspapers alone exceeded single digits, ranging from financial fraud to sexual swindles. However, the case reported by Jiang Tuozi was somewhat unique. It seemed to be a scam specifically targeting dismissed palace maids. Judging by Jiang Tuozi's description, it was undoubtedly orchestrated by certain figures within the palace.

"Which government office is engraved on the badge?" Shen Guangzuo asked.

"The messenger only showed it to me once, so I couldn't see it clearly. It looked very much like the structure in the palace," said Jiang Tuozi.

Shen Guangzuo was experienced in handling cases, so this wasn't surprising. With scams like this, if you encounter someone suspicious, you simply don't cheat. As long as there are enough people, there's no shortage of people to cheat. "You just gave him the money?"

Jiang Tuozi shook his head and said, "No, the official only asked me if I wanted to return to the palace. If I did, he would have to report it first. He said that there are many ways to do it and it would take some time to plan it out."

"Then what?" Shen Guangzuo asked again.

"Then he left. It was another official who asked me for money." Jiang Tuozi said.

"Another one." Shen Guangzuo's expression grew more serious. "Where did you meet?"

"No appointment. I also asked him where to meet, but he said there was no need for an appointment, as the higher-ups had already given the order and someone would find me. He didn't even ask where I lived." Jiang Tuozi's throat was a little dry. He forced a mouthful of saliva, swallowed it to moisten his throat, and then continued, "A few days later, just when I thought the matter was over, another official found me at the Taoist temple. The second official said that the matter of returning to the palace had been settled, and asked me to..."

Shen Guangzuo interrupted Jiang Tuozi again. "Did you not tell anyone about this, such as the abbot of Chongxuan Temple?"

Generally speaking, Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries that would take in people from the imperial court had some sort of imperial connection. They would accept donations from imperial devotees, or perhaps they were simply supported by the imperial court. Even without imperial connections, the abbots and masters often possessed far greater experience than the more introverted individuals within the palace.

"No." Jiang Tuozi shook his head. "Before the first official left, I asked him if the other brothers could also go back. He said yes, but also said that this matter must be kept secret and can only be done one-on-one. The others will have other officials to deal with, and even if they return to the palace, they won't be assigned to a government office. And the first official didn't take a single cent from me. He just asked for my intention and left."

Build authority, isolate the victim, and then take nothing until the final payment. This scam was so classic that Shen Guangzuo frowned. "How much silver were you scammed out of?"

Jiang Tuozi replied, "Twenty-two taels. The second official said that twenty taels were from the palace, and two taels were hard-earned money for him and the previous official."

"How much money did the palace give you when you came out?" Shen Guangzuo rubbed his eyebrows.

"Twenty taels." Jiang Tuozi replied immediately.

"Didn't they say it was one tael per year, with no upper limit?" Shen Guangzuo had already inquired thoroughly about the matter. "You've been in the palace since the Jiajing reign, so even if it was the forty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign, you should have earned fifty-five taels by now, right?"

"The booklet was lost and can't be found. Sun Sizheng looked at the face and wrote a note for twenty taels." Jiang Tuozi said, "Many older brothers and younger brothers are like this."

"I was given twenty taels to leave the palace, and I spent twenty-two taels to return to the palace," Shen Guangzuo couldn't understand. "What are you trying to do?"

"What's your intention?" Jiang Tuozi actually raised his head and stared blankly at Shen Guangzuo. "I just want to go back to the palace." Shen Guangzuo saw the turbid sadness in Jiang Tuozi's eyes.

"Is there anything in the palace worth spending twenty taels of silver on? Wouldn't it be better for you to retire in Chongxuan Temple?" Shen Guangzuo asked.

"Chongxuan Temple is great, but compared to that, I'd rather spend the rest of my life in Anle Hall."

"why?"

"I have spent my whole life in the palace, and now it is time for me to return to my roots." Turbid tears welled up in his eyes again.

After the interrogation, Jiang Tuozi was taken away by the yamen runners. Not long after, Tan Shijiang brought over the interrogation records.

"Sir, please look!" Tan Shijiang spread the interrogation record in front of Shen Guangzuo.

"Xuefu, what do you think?" Shen Guangzuo lowered his head and flipped through the interrogation records.

"The case is very clear," Tan Shijiang said immediately. "This is a premeditated serial fraud case specifically targeting these wealthy elderly Chinese. The murders are merely collateral damage."

"You seem very happy?" Shen Guangzuo could even feel a hint of joy in his voice.

Tan Shijiang was stunned for a moment, but didn't change his tone. "Of course I'm happy. The case was successfully solved. As long as the fraudster can be caught, the deceased will be cleared of all charges."

"Heh." Shen Guangzuo laughed inexplicably and shook his head slightly. "That's true." He handed the interrogation record back to Tan Shijiang. "Make a copy and send it to the Jinyiwei."

Tan Shijiang put away the interrogation records. "Where's that person?"

"Which person?"

"It's the Jiang just now."

"Jiang Tuozi."

"Yes! Jiang Tuozi," Tan Shijiang asked, "will you also give it to the Jinyiwei?"

"Let him stay in the police station for now and live with the Feng family. Once the case is investigated and reported to the Ministry of Justice, we can release them all together."

Tan Shijiang sighed silently in his heart. "As you wish."

--------

That night, Huang Kezan, the Minister of Punishments and Assistant Director of the Military Affairs of the Beijing Camp, returned to his home in Zhaomingfang.

As soon as Huang Kezan entered the second courtyard, his eldest son Huang Daojing and nephew Huang Diaohuan came to greet him.

"Dad." Huang Daojing simply bowed.

"Nephew greets granduncle." Huang Diaohuan bowed respectfully.

"What's wrong?" Huang Kezan, who was about to go back to his room to change clothes, stopped. He looked at Huang Daojing and asked with a smile, "Is there something wrong?"

Huang Daojing had some academic achievements, but not much. Now in his fifties, he was still a juren. He had originally come all the way from his hometown in Fujian to Beijing to take the imperial examination. However, upon learning that the emperor had chosen Shi Jixie, also from Jinjiang County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian, as the chief examiner, he immediately halted Huang Daojing's plans.

Failing the exam was fine, but passing, or even getting a good score, would only bring you into disgrace. The current climate emphasizes avoiding suspicion. Not to mention the embarrassing moments faced by prime ministers like Zhang Juzheng, Shen Shixing, and Zhang Siwei because of their sons' imperial examinations.

Just look at the last exam, when Shi Jixie was the presiding examiner. He chose Zhuang Jichang, a fellow townsman and the top scorer, but the censors immediately forced both of them to resign. After much deliberation, Huang Kezan decided to follow Shen Yiguan's example and simply suppress his son. After all, there was another exam next year, so it wasn't likely that Shi Ge Lao would be the presiding examiner again then.

"The palace has given you some rewards." Although Huang Daojing was a little resentful of his father's tyrannical behavior of not allowing him to take the imperial examination, he could only hold it in.

"Reward?" Huang Kezan was completely confused. "Why?"

"I don't know." Huang Daojing shook his head.

Huang Kezan thought about it and didn't think he had done anything worth rewarding recently. "Are there any others?"

"I don't know." Huang Daojing shook his head again.

"How come you don't know anything?" Huang Kezan's beard trembled and his good expression disappeared.

"The envoy didn't explain in detail, he just said it was a reward for you. What should I know?" Huang Daojing curled his lips.

"Can't you ask?" Huang Kezan said dissatisfiedly.

"How could I know that you yourself didn't know?" Huang Daojing softly retorted to his father. "You are the minister who shoulders the responsibility of maintaining the country and strengthening the foundation. I thought you were well-informed."

"Hey! You kid!" Huang Kezan was so angry at the sarcastic remarks that he blew his beard and glared. He was about to hit Huang Diaohuan, but thinking that Huang Diaohuan was still beside him, he endured it. He retracted his raised hand and just waved it at Huang Daojing, then looked at Huang Diaohuan again. "You are such a grown man, but you still don't behave properly. I won't punish you in front of a child."

Although he was called a child, Huang Diaohuan was already nearly 30 years old. He was strong and muscular, and was half a head taller than Huang Kezan.

"My dear grandson." Huang Kezan's shout gave Huang Diaohuan goosebumps. "What do you want from my great-uncle?"

"Granduncle," Huang Diaohuan said with a bow, "I want to go to the front lines to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions. Please grant me your blessing, Granduncle."

Huang Diaohuan had already accomplished something remarkable. When Liaozhen requested a variety of artillery pieces, Huang Kezan sent a letter to his family, asking them to recruit craftsmen from the south who could forge large Luzon bronze cannons to come to Beijing to cast them. It was Huang Diaohuan who undertook this task. After the cannons were cast and test-fired in Beijing, it was also Huang Diaohuan who escorted them to Liaozhen. These achievements were clearly recorded in the annals.

Huang Kezan had originally hoped to leverage this achievement to secure a military commission for Huang Diaohuan, a fact the young man shared. However, the 48th year of the Wanli reign was a tumultuous one. Huang Diaohuan returned to Beijing in April to witness the Empress's death, and in July, the Emperor's as well. The entire court revolved around these events. When the new emperor ascended the throne, even more turbulent events unfolded. Huang Kezan spent his days spinning around like a top, completely oblivious to the prospect of securing a military commission for Huang Diaohuan. Huang Diaohuan sensibly kept quiet about the matter, simply spending his days idle in the capital.

Today, Huang Diaohuan saw the envoy coming to give rewards to his great-uncle, and he was tempted again.

Huang Kezan was silent for a moment. "The 2,573 newly recruited officers and soldiers the Ministry of War has trained in Zhejiang have arrived in Tianjin and will reach Tongzhou in two days. This unit doesn't have any officers yet, but the Ministry of War plans to establish two garrisons to aid Liaodong. I'll write to Minister Cui later and ask him to include you on his list of recommendations. You have the honor of passing the military examination and have transported artillery to Liaodong, so I think Minister Cui won't refuse. As for whether His Majesty will nominate you, I don't know."

"Thank you, great-uncle!" Huang Diaohuan quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Huang Kezan.

"Where is the emperor's reward?" Huang Kezan looked at Huang Daojing again.

"It's still in the hall." Huang Daojing instructed.

"Okay, I'll go and express my gratitude from afar." Huang Kezan straightened his clothes.

(End of this chapter)