Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 372 Black Spots and Punishment

Shen Lian quickly walked over and greeted Zheng Shiyi: "Greetings, Captain Zheng."

Although Shen Lian wasn't under Zheng Shiyi's command, they were considered brothers, having frequented brothels and shared a drink together. Normally, Zheng Shiyi would have at least chatted with Shen Lian. But right now, Zheng Shiyi wasn't in the mood. He simply bowed and nodded in return, then entered the yamen with a general banner.

Zheng Shiyi went straight to the main hall, walked quickly to the main desk, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "I pay my respects to the Admiral."

Liu Chengxi picked up the teacup, opened the lid, blew on it, and then asked, "Why are you back?"

"I heard," Zheng Shiyi's voice seemed to tremble. "The Jinyiwei are going to lay off staff?"

"That's true." Liu Chengxi nodded, then took a sip of the slightly scalding tea. His movements were slow, and he appeared quite calm and composed.

"Who are going to be laid off?" Zheng Shiyi asked.

"The payroll is almost empty." Liu Chengxi took another sip before setting down his teacup. "Also, approximately 60% of the current military officers will be laid off. As for the specific list, we'll have to wait for the Command Headquarters and the Ministry of War to jointly discuss and formulate it."

"Does the East Office also want to cut 60%?" Zheng Shiyi felt his eyelids twitching.

Liu Chengxi was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Haha, don't worry. The ones being eliminated are the hereditary Jinyiwei without positions but with salaries. You, with your position or position, are not included. The dismissal of officials in office is mainly aimed at the Qianhu Suo. The East and West Households and the North and South Pacification Offices shouldn't be affected as much."

"In other words," Zheng Shiyi asked, "there's still activity in the East Office?"

Liu Chengxi rubbed the bridge of his nose; he was indeed feeling a little tired. "Of course. This time, the rumor is about a comprehensive purge. It's impossible to just target the Qianhu Suo and not the two departments and two offices. At least some of the old and weak must be cleared out to respond."

While most of the military officers serving in the Eastern Office were strong and robust, there were also some who were elderly and frail. For example, the elderly men on duty in places like the Gatehouse, Eastern Office Prison, and the Jiage Storehouse often held the rank of small flag or even general flag, making them considered veteran officers. According to the old imperial tradition, upon death, these men could pass their titles on to their sons. Whether or not these sons would receive the same assignments was another matter. Liu Chengxi had already made up his mind: if the higher-ups didn't specify any names, but simply sent a layoff quota to the Eastern Office, he would remove these men and get the job done.

Zheng Shiyi nodded thoughtfully.

"You came to the yamen in such a hurry just to inquire about this?" Liu Chengxi leaned back in his chair. It must be said that the top position in this yamen was comfortable to sit in, very comfortable.

"Uh," Zheng Shiyi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He had been following a lead and leading his men outside the city to investigate a case when he suddenly heard that Luo Sigong, the head of the Imperial Guard, had proposed a major layoff of the entire Jinyiwei at a regular court meeting. The oversight of the Jesuit case still hung over his head, and he feared he would be swept away by this fatal storm. So he handed the matter at hand to a general who was accompanying him and hurried back.

"Heh." Liu Chengxi chuckled. "The person who's laying off the staff is our old Admiral Hai Tongzhi. He knows everyone in the entire East Office. You're also one of his capable subordinates. This round of layoffs definitely won't affect you."

"Yes, yes." Zheng Shiyi responded repeatedly.

Liu Chengxi's smile faded slowly. "Since you're back, I'd like to ask you something. How's the case reported to me by Shuntian Prefecture going? Any progress?" Zheng Shiyi had been away from home for the past few days, barely showing up for work. He would only periodically send someone back to inquire about any new information from the concierge.

Zheng Shiyi was silent for a moment. "This case should be a fraud case."

"Huh?" Liu Chengxi sat up straighter, his voice rising two notches. "Several people died in one month, and you're telling me it's a scam?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Zheng Shiyi said, not avoiding Liu Chengxi's gaze. "But it's very likely."

"Tell me, what's going on?" Liu Chengxi raised his chin slightly.

Zheng Shiyi originally wanted to wait until the first suspect was captured or until he had corroborative evidence before reporting it, but since Liu Chengxi asked, he had to tell the story.

Zheng Shiyi thought for a moment and said, "These serial murders have two things in common. First, the victims were all eunuchs. More precisely, they were all elderly eunuchs. Second, no money was found on or near the victims. Based on this, my initial judgment is that the murder was for money."

"What do you mean by the money you deserve?" Liu Chengxi asked.

"The palace gave severance pay to the laid-off employees. At least twenty taels." Zheng Shiyi said with a wry smile.

"continue."

"Yesterday, Shuntian Prefecture sent a note and interrogation records. The interrogation records stated that an elderly eunuch was defrauded of 22 taels of silver by a con man pretending to be an official. The pretext for the fraud was that he could use the money to get a pass back to the palace. After receiving the report, I went to Shuntian Prefecture to question the elderly eunuch, and it is indeed the case." Zheng Shiyi judged:
"So, I believe this was a scam targeting laid-off middle-aged men. The first few victims may have been desperate because their savings were swindled, or they felt hopeless about returning to the palace and were disheartened, so they chose to hang themselves or jump into the river to commit suicide."

"What do people in Shuntian Prefecture think?" Liu Chengxi frowned.

"That's my opinion." Zheng Shiyi said, "Based on this current information, that's the only way to see it."

"Okay." Liu Chengxi sat up straight, propping himself up on the desk, his fingers drumming on it. "Write a petition immediately, and I'll submit a briefing."

"Report it now?" Zheng Shiyi said, "It would be better to check it carefully before reporting it, right?"

"Investigate, report. Investigating is one thing, reporting is another." Liu Chengxi said.

"I don't understand."

"Layoffs are a major plan set by the palace. If this is indeed the case, then these lives lost are a black mark on this grand plan," Liu Chengxi said. "We can't wait until everything is clear before reporting. If the palace learns through other channels, we'll be in a difficult position."

"This case can no longer be suppressed. Even the City Patrol Censor knows about it." Zheng Shiyi said, "A recent case of hanging with an intact body was reported directly to the City Patrol Censor's Office."

"It's just that you can't suppress it. The palace can suppress it if they want." Liu Chengxi said, "Wasn't the censor also involved in that case?"

"Which case?" "Stop talking nonsense," Liu Chengxi glared at Zheng Shiyi. "Hurry up and write the petition."

"Yes."

--------

In the Cabinet's duty room, Prime Minister Fang Congzhe gazed at the list handed to him by the ceremonial officer, lost in thought. This list had arrived just after lunch break, and he had been holding onto it. But as the clock's hands were about to reach the mark for the last batch of memorials to enter the study in another quarter of an hour, Fang Congzhe had no choice but to confront the issue head-on.

After pondering for a moment, Fang Congzhe tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, creating a slight ripple in the still, quiet cabinet room. "Everyone."

By this time of day, the cabinet had no urgent matters to attend to. Even if the cabinet members held pens, they were just pretending to work, so that they could appear to be doing something. When the cabinet members heard the noise, they put down their work and looked at the Prime Minister.

"This is the list of banned officials drawn up by the ceremonial officer." Fang Congzhe held up the list and waved it gently. "What do you think should be done with them?"

Liu Yirong immediately understood what Fang Congzhe meant. The Prime Minister obviously wanted to drag the entire cabinet into the water to help him share the pressure from the emperor and the ministers.

"Heh~ cough!" Liu Yirong instinctively wanted to laugh, but it froze in an instant. The smile turned into a light cough, which still caught Fang Congzhe's attention.

"Ji Hui has something to say?" Fang Congzhe asked.

Liu Yirong looked like a student being called upon by his teacher in class, yet his abilities were far superior. He didn't deny the second question, nor did he force himself to answer the first. Instead, he asked, "Prime Minister, I'd like to ask who is on this list?"

"There are nearly forty people, ranging from the first to the seventh rank." Fang Congzhe answered vaguely without showing the list to anyone.

Luo Sigong's sudden, unannounced request certainly caused a commotion, but the chatter was primarily among the lower-ranking civil servants in the back row and the senior military officers who were eligible to attend the court. The senior civil servants remained mostly silent, and even when they harbored doubts, they communicated through glances and subtle gestures. Those like Chief Censor Zhang Wenda and Minister of the Court Shen Guangzuo, who were so overwhelmed with work that they didn't even want to attend the court, simply glanced at Luo Sigong and returned to their own thoughts.

"So many people?" The person who spoke was Ye Xianggao who was sitting in the second seat.

"What do you think, Jinqing? How should we draft it?" Fang Congzhe nodded slightly and took the opportunity to throw a more specific question to Ye Xianggao.

"This..." Ye Xianggao seemed a little hesitant.

Shen took the initiative to interrupt. "Since the emperor said to re-draft the bill, then the cabinet should obey his order."

"Lord Shen, what sentence would be considered 'severe'?" Han Yu turned his head and looked at Shen.

Shen met Han Yu's gaze and spoke slowly, "As His Majesty said in his edict, 'Court etiquette is solemn and must not be disrespected.' It's unbecoming to disrupt court order over such a small matter."

"How do you propose a verdict?" Han Yu asked.

"Dismissal, transfer, and demotion." Shen said.

Liu Yirong was startled. "It doesn't have to be so heavy, right?"

"How can we enforce discipline without severe punishment?" Shen glanced at the door of the duty room and said loudly.

"Ji Hui, what do you think the verdict should be?" Fang Congzhe turned the question over to Liu Yirong.

"It is certainly wrong to disrupt the court order. But dismissal and transfer are too severe. Moreover, dismissing so many people at once will also disrupt the order of the court." Liu Yirong tactfully expressed his attitude.

"Just deduct his salary." Han Yu suggested.

"If it's just a salary fine, why not just forgo it? The cabinet should just submit a petition to the emperor requesting his pardon," Shen continued quietly. "What can a few taels of silver teach us? If it's just a salary fine, those unruly officials will think we're encouraging them. They might even cause more trouble at the next court meeting."

"That's not true," Ye Xianggao said. "Not all Ming officials come from aristocratic families. Many junior officials rely on this money to make a living. Mingzhen, don't forget about last year's salary and interest payments. If the salary is suspended for a few months, some people may have to borrow money from the bank again to make ends meet."

"Hmm." Shen lowered his head and did not respond to Ye Xianggao.

"How much is the fine?" Fang Congzhe asked Han Yu, "Yu Chen, what do you think?"

"Let's have a mix of high and low." Han Yu had a plan in mind. "High officials should be punished severely, while low officials should be punished lightly. High officials and low officials have different wealth, and treating them all the same would be unfair. Besides, the ministers have been in office for a long time and should be familiar with the etiquette of the court. A slightly heavier punishment will set an example for the future."

Shen spoke again, "If what Lord Han said is true, shouldn't the censors of the six departments and thirteen prefectures be more aware of the court proceedings than the ministers? If we want to pull someone out as an example, how can we let them off so easily?"

"Then Lord Shen, please tell us what we should do." Han Yu frowned while leaning on the armrest.

"Haha." Shen chuckled twice, and then said, "Lord Han's idea of ​​'severe punishment for high-ranking officials and lenient punishment for low-ranking officials' is a good one. I just want to add one thing. If the censors know the ban but break it, how can the court expect them to correct the malpractices of other officials? So I think the censors should also be severely punished to set an example. But as Ye Ci Fu said just now, we can't let the officials of my Ming Dynasty borrow money to live. That would really damage the dignity of the court. Therefore, those censors who broke the ban should be transferred to other positions." Shen connected everyone's speeches in one breath.

Shen's move was extremely vicious. Although the Fengxian officials of the Kedao were all low-ranking officials of the seventh rank, their potential for advancement was high and their path was clear. Once they were transferred to other places, they would generally serve as inspectors in certain places and then be promoted to governors. If they were young enough and had a good record, they might be transferred to the central government. After two or three transfers, they could become high-ranking leaders. People like Li Ruhua, Cui Jingrong, and Zhang Wenda all rose through this path. However, once they were transferred to other positions such as the Taichang Temple's Bookkeeper, the Guanglu Temple's Secretary, or the Shanglin Garden's Supervisor, their life would basically be over, no matter how hard they tried.

Fang Congzhe couldn't help but understand the ruthlessness of Shen's move. He was simply surprised by Shen's recent ruthlessness. Last time, he nearly got rid of a whole bunch of people, and now he was threatening to destroy the careers of a whole bunch of people who had "disrespected the emperor." Fang Congzhe subconsciously suspected that there might be some factional strife involved, but he immediately dismissed the idea. After all, Shen hadn't seen the list.

Fang Congzhe glanced sideways at the hands of the clock and declared, "Let's do it this way." With that, Fang Congzhe picked up his pen and, following Shen's instructions, drafted the punishments for each official on the list. The cabinet members all lowered their heads. In an instant, silence returned to the cabinet, as if nothing had happened.

(End of this chapter)