Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 380: Riot and Intersection

Datong Bridge is located in the northeast corner of the capital's inner city. After the construction of the South City during the Jiajing reign, transforming the capital into a convex Chinese character, Datong Bridge became a major thoroughfare directly opposite the East Gate. Mounting their horses and passing through the East Gate, the escorted carriages entered the South City.

"Is there any notice posted there?" It was hard for Lu Wenzhao, who was riding on a horse, not to notice the crowd gathered near the city gate.

Liu Qiao, who was riding another horse alongside Lu Wenzhao at the front of the team, nodded and said, "Yes, there are notices. They were posted by our East Office. And it's not just here, it's posted at all the sixteen gates of Beijing and the entrances and exits of various wards and markets."

"Oh?" Lu Wenzhao became interested. "Something big happened?"

"It's not a big deal." Liu Qiao shook his head slightly and said, "There have been a lot of fraud cases in Beijing recently, and several people have been killed. To prevent further incidents, the higher-ups have asked the East Office to post notices throughout the city to notify everyone."

Lu Wenzhao was a little puzzled, but he wasn't about to turn his horse over to take a closer look, so he continued to ask, "What kind of fraud can be reduced by public notices?"

"This matter is a bit complicated." Liu Qiao thought for a moment and explained, "In short, the palace laid off tens of thousands of people some time ago. It involved middlemen, craftsmen, and even elderly palace maids. The emperor was so kind that he gave them all severance pay."

"Some of the old eunuchs took quite a bit of money, mostly 20 or 30 taels, but there were also some who took 40 or 50. Plus, some of them had some savings over the years, which made it even more substantial. As the saying goes, an innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure, so they were targeted. Some treacherous people extorted their money, saying 'you can spend the money to return to the palace.' Some of the old eunuchs who were deceived, perhaps unable to bear the shock, committed suicide. Some hanged themselves, some jumped into the river. One was even fished out of the canal yesterday."

"So, the higher-ups issued this notice to make it clear that there is no way for laid-off personnel to return to the palace to work. The palace will only recruit boys and girls of appropriate age at specific times to fill the vacancies." Liu Qiao did not receive the task of posting the notice, but he had seen it.

"That is to say," Lu Wenzhao's eyes flickered, as if he was inexplicably moved. "To put an end to these people's thoughts?"

"That's what I mean." Liu Qiao nodded, then turned his gaze away from the crowd. "But if I were to ask you, even if this notice is useful, I'm afraid it wouldn't be very helpful."

"What do you mean?" After passing the crowd of onlookers, Lu Wenzhao regained his usual calmness and composure.

"Hundreds of thousands of taels of silver are being handed out for nothing to these weaklings who no longer enjoy the palace's protection and have no backers. To put it bluntly, they're just a bunch of fat pigs waiting to be slaughtered. Who wouldn't be tempted? Even if a notice is issued from above, forbidding these people from returning to the palace, the traitors can still use other excuses to extort money from them. There are many ways to get money, and if fraud fails, they can still resort to stealing and robbing. In recent days, there have been several reports of thefts in and around the capital. They're specifically targeting these people." Liu Qiao asked, "Does Baiyun Temple know about this?"

"Baiyun Temple." Lu Wenzhao was silent for a moment. "The Taoist temple outside the west gate?"

"Yes." Liu Qiao nodded. "That's right."

"What happened to Baiyun Temple?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"In broad daylight, several masked men rode horses into Baiyun Temple, captured the temple master Ni Zhengdao and began to extort him." Liu Qiao's tone became much more serious.

"Extortion? What can you extort from a Taoist temple?" Lu Wenzhao, who didn't believe in either Buddhism or Taoism, spoke without restraint. "These days, robbing Buddhist temples is probably more profitable, right?"

"The bandits weren't extorting the Taoist temple, but the residents there," Liu Qiao explained. "Many old Taoist eunuchs moved directly into Baiyun Temple after leaving the palace. As I just said, these people are wealthy, fat pigs waiting to be slaughtered. It only took two quarters of an hour for those bandits to extort over two hundred and forty taels of silver. If someone hadn't snuck out while they weren't paying attention and found the patrol, I'm afraid the loss would have been even greater."

"Did anyone die?" Lu Wenzhao asked again.

"That's not the case," Liu Qiao shook his head. "These bandits are very clever. They're only after money, not murder. They fled on horseback before the patrol battalion arrived."

The government handled robbery and murder differently. There were costs associated with handling cases, and the investigating authorities knew the maximum budget for each type of case. If no one was killed and the authorities couldn't find any leads, they might simply dismiss the case or arrest refugees. Even the Jinyiwei, with its greater authority and experience in handling cases, were not immune to this practice.

Generally speaking, human life is of paramount importance. If no one is killed, then it is not a major crime. Even a robbery is not considered a major crime. Unless the robber is unlucky or has bad brains and chooses the wrong target, he will end up with the head of a powerful person.

Normally, a bandit could simply hide for a while and resume their normal lives. However, if someone was robbed and murdered right under the emperor's feet, the case might reach the emperor's ears. At that point, cost wouldn't matter. With one command from the emperor, the three judicial organs and the entire Imperial Guard would be forced to investigate the case regardless of cost. At that point, the underworld would seek to secretly cooperate with the government to resolve the situation, preventing the government from escalating the situation under pressure. Therefore, even moderately experienced bandits wouldn't kill; that would only create trouble for themselves.

"The world is going downhill," Lu Wenzhao sighed. "It's a good thing we sent a lot of people back to Liaodong last year, otherwise there would be so many more cases."

"Yes," Liu Qiao sighed. He was conflicted. As a mid-level executive officer in the Imperial Guard, Liu Qiao naturally desired numerous cases, numerous opportunities, and numerous achievements. But he was also the son of the Eastern Office Commander. If the security in the capital deteriorated too much, his father would inevitably be reprimanded, perhaps even impeached by the civil servants. Comparing the two, Liu Qiao still preferred less work.

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Entering the South City through the East Gate, then following the main road westwards, and finally heading north to Xuanwu Gate, is the shortest way from Datong Bridge to the East Office Office. As we were talking, this section of the journey was almost over.

He walked silently through Xuanwumen, then went north along Xuanwumenli Street, then went east and passed several major intersections through streets and alleys. The long-lost gate of the East Sifang Yamen appeared in front of Lu Wenzhao.

"Deputy Captain Lu, you and your brothers go in and report. I will take the prisoner to jail first." When they arrived at the yamen gate, Liu Qiao changed his self-proclaimed name from "my foolish brother" to "your humble official."

"Then I'll have to trouble Captain Liu." Lu Wenzhao bowed slightly, dismounted, and handed the reins to the groom who came over.

Lu Wenzhao did not step into the yamen immediately, but asked his military officers to help each other straighten their clothes before going to the main hall to report.

As Lu Wenzhao had guessed, the person sitting behind the central case had indeed become Liu Chengxi.

But no one else could have guessed the change. Until the moment they entered the main hall, the general and minor flags, including Lu Jian, still thought it was Luo Yangxing in the governor's east office. They looked around, exchanging glances.

Just as they were puzzled, Shangguan Lu Wenzhao set an example. He quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and clasped his fists. "I, Lu Wenzhao, greet the Admiral." The general and small flags remained puzzled, but they followed suit, bowing and paying their respects.

"Thank you, thank you." Liu Chengxi raised his head, a smile already on his face. "Everyone, get up."

"Thank you, Admiral!" Lu Wenzhao and others bowed again.

"Let's all take a rest." Liu Chengxi looked past Lu Wenzhao and looked at the grassroots military officers behind him.

"I'll take my leave." The chief officer was supposed to be in charge of the report, and the general and minor flag officers were happy to be nothing more than background material. "Sit down and talk." Liu Chengxi looked towards the side seat closest to the main desk.

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao strode over and sat upright.

"It seems that Deputy Captain Lu is not very surprised." As he said this, Liu Chengxi reached out and touched the wooden box covering the seal of the East Office.

Lu Wenzhao then realized that he seemed to be acting too naturally. He panicked and stood up again to salute. "Congratulations, sir, on being given the honor of managing our printing business."

"Haha." Liu Chengxi leaned forward slightly while supporting himself on the table and asked Lu Wenzhao, "You knew this a long time ago, didn't you?"

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao was stunned at first, then he bowed in response.

"Can you tell me," Liu Chengxi asked with a smile, "when did you know about this?"

"Before the New Year." Lu Wenzhao replied.

"Oh?" Liu Chengxi's eyes flashed with a complicated expression. "Does the old man think so highly of me?"

"This is a natural thing. There is no one more suitable than you." Lu Wenzhao said it beautifully, but also vaguely.

But even so, Liu Chengxi had already gotten the answer he wanted. "Hmm," Liu Chengxi pondered for a moment and asked, "How are you going to judge this case?"

"Me?" Lu Wenzhao was a little surprised.

"What else?" Liu Chengxi asked back, just to make it clear.

"This..." Lu Wenzhao thought for a moment, then asked directly without beating around the bush: "Can the prisoner be sentenced to death?"

"Of course," Liu Chengxi nodded. "It's a major corruption case involving at least hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Even if it were handed over to the court, the sentence would be either hanging or death."

Lu Wenzhao took a deep breath and said, "Then please sentence them to death."

"Good boy!" Liu Chengxi opened a convenient drawer, pulled out a draft of the case closing opinion, and slapped it on the table. "Take a look."

"Is it finished?" Lu Wenzhao walked over and picked up the draft. His eyes widened as he glanced at it. It clearly stated that officials involved in the case, including Shen Caiyu, Han Chengkui, and Jiang Guangchun, should be executed, and their families should be implicated as well.

Without waiting for the end of the reading, Lu Wenzhao clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, Admiral."

"No need to thank me." Liu Chengxi smiled slightly and said, "I told you. Even if this case were handed over to the court, the sentence would be death. The only problem now is the torture of the evidence."

"I understand." Lu Wenzhao glanced at the only blank space on the petition, which was the place to fill in the amount of stolen money.

"You must be tired after all this travel. It's getting late, so go back and rest today." Liu Chengxi nodded. "We can talk about other things tomorrow."

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao put the draft of the case back on the table. Before it was stamped with the seal of the East Office, it was just a piece of waste paper.

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After leaving the main hall, Lu Wenzhao didn't leave the East Office immediately, but instead went to the Second Hall. As the deputy commander of the East Office, Lu Wenzhao had a separate courtyard within the office, slightly larger than the property he had purchased in Fucaifang. On weekdays, when he wasn't on any business trips, he and his subordinates would work or rest here.

"Greetings, Lord Qianhu." As soon as Lu Wenzhao appeared, the general flag and the small flags came forward to greet him.

"Why are there so few people?" Lu Wenzhao glanced around and found that apart from the people he was traveling with, there was no one else in the yard. Even if you deducted the detectives who were on their shifts, there shouldn't be so many people in the yard. "Where are the others?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"In reply to your Excellency," Lu Jianxing, who had been spotted, leaned forward and said, "The capital has been quite restless lately. Aside from the brothers who stayed behind, everyone else has either been assigned new duties or seconded by other officials. The relevant records are on your desk."

"I see." Lu Wenzhao recalled the conversation he had with Liu Qiao not long ago, nodded slightly and said: "This business trip has been handed in. Go back and rest. We'll talk about other things tomorrow." Lu Wenzhao's report to Liu Chengxi was just a briefing. After that, he had to write down the process of the business trip and the details of the use of funds into a document and submit it. Finally, it would be compiled to the Experience Department for archiving and future reference. Even if this was just a formality, it would not be completed in a day or two.

"Yes." Then everyone left the yamen.

After leaving the government office, Lu Jianxing walked back to his rented house in Mingyufang. As the saying goes, homesickness breeds fear, but Lu Jianxing, a rough man, didn't have that delicate feeling. Or perhaps, in his heart, this rented house wasn't even home. It was just a place to sleep.

Arriving at the door, Lu Jianxing kicked it twice. The old servant who lived in the gatehouse came to open the door. His eyes lit up when he saw Lu Jianxing, who had been away on a business trip for over a month. "Oh! Master Lu! You're finally back!" He quickly opened the door and made way for Lu Jianxing to come in.

"Have you prepared my meal?" Lu Jianxing asked casually as he walked in.

"Of course not," the old servant said matter-of-factly. "You've been away for over a month, and you didn't even call to say hello when you returned. I don't know how to tell fortunes, so how could I possibly prepare food for you?"

Each tenant had its own stove, but the brothers Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian didn't want to or have the time to cook for themselves, so they delegated the cooking to the shared servants. The arrangement was simple: the brothers provided their own rice, flour, and oil, and gave the family a penny of silver each month as labor fees.

"Here." Lu Jianxing took out a small amount of copper coins from his pocket and handed it to the old servant. "Light up the stove, prepare some meat dishes, and warm up half a jar of wine."

(End of this chapter)