Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 65 Cao Huachun's Advice
Taking advantage of the opportunity when the commander went to look for Lu Wenzhao, Luo Sigong approached Cao Huachun and asked in a questioning tone: "Admiral Cao, I have something to ask."

"Master Luo, please feel free to ask." Cao Huachun said with a smile.

"It's about the East Factory." Luo Sigong took Cao Huachun's hand, and then, covering it with his sleeves, stuffed a silver note of five hundred taels into his hand.

Cao Huachun took it and slipped it into his sleeve pocket. His sleeve Qiankun technique had already reached perfection. "Don't worry, Grand Master. Cui Dongchang said a lot, but His Majesty only heard part of it."

Luo Sigong nodded. He understood what Cao Huachun meant: "He said a lot" meant that Cui Wensheng had indeed confessed everything, and "only listened to part of it" meant that matters other than the Zheng family's house-confiscation case would not be investigated for the time being.

But "only heard part of it" has another meaning: Did the emperor hear the whole thing and not intend to investigate further, or did the person who passed the message not say the whole thing.

Luo Sigong leaned towards the former: the presiding judge, Wang Chengen, was a young man fresh out of the inner court. This meant not only that he had no foundation, but also that he had no scruples. Furthermore, Wang Chengen's immediate superior wasn't a eunuch but the emperor's favorite concubine. A concubine had no reason to deceive the emperor. After all, the most taboo thing in the imperial family was deception from one's bedfellow.

"Thank you, Admiral Cao, for clearing up my doubts." Luo Sigong took a half step back and bowed.

"No need to be so polite, Grand Protector. We are all working for the emperor." Cao Huachun bowed in return.

Lu Wenzhao arrived at the Jinyiwei Commandery early. He didn't have to come, as his mission to monitor the Portuguese wasn't over yet, and he had to follow. But after handing in his death certificate, no one came to return it, so he decided to go to the clerk's office to get a new one.

Lu Wenzhao thought things were very simple. The Jinyiwei was full of talented people, including special dialect interpreters. These people could translate what the captain brought back into serious conversations just by using onomatopoeia.

"Hey, Captain Lu is here?" The importance of the secretariat was far less than that of the case library, so its manager was only a ninth-rank official, not a seventh-rank official.

"I need a new Book of Impermanence." Lu Wenzhao had no time to greet Ling Shi. In order to get the case of the Portuguese, he not only emptied his savings, but even asked his wife for some dowry.

He didn't expect to achieve any significant success with this case; he simply wanted to gain more experience to facilitate future operations. His father, Lu Zhi, had taught him to be an honest official and to achieve great things. But upon fleeing Sarhu and returning to the capital, he suddenly realized that in this world, being honest and achieving great things were contradictory.

"Where's that book?" Lingshi asked. "Could it be lost?"

Losing the Book of Impermanence is a very serious matter, because the waist badge and the Book of Impermanence are both symbols of the Jinyiwei's identity.

Although the waist badge was the only legal proof of Jinyiwei's identity, few would dare to ask for the waist badge after seeing the Wuchang Book. Furthermore, the Wuchang Book was a frequently used item and much more likely to be lost than the waist badge. Consequently, almost every year, there were cases of street scoundrels pretending to be Jinyiwei and extorting money by holding the Wuchang Book.

Although the Jinyiwei themselves often came to extort money.

"I've submitted it, but haven't returned it yet," Lu Wenzhao replied. "Hurry up and register it, and then find me a new one. The matter isn't finished yet."

"Hasn't returned it?" Lingshi expressed doubt, but he still dutifully wrote down Lu Wenzhao's last name and the reason for his application for the Impermanence Book in the register. "I must remind you, if you lose something, the worst you'll get is a beating. Writing it down in black and white is a lie."

"Why would I lie to you?" Lu Wenzhao nodded and thanked Lingshi for his kindness.

"Okay, wait a moment." Ling Shi turned around and walked towards the place where the blank impermanence book was kept.

"Lu Wenzhao!" Commander Hai Zhentao originally wanted to send someone to look for Lu Wenzhao near Mingshifang Imperial Examination Hall, but when he asked, he found out that he had actually come to the yamen.

"Taishan!" Seeing his father-in-law coming over, Lu Wenzhao quickly apologized, "I didn't want to disturb Taishan while he was working, so I didn't."

Before Lu Wenzhao could finish his words, Hai Zhentao interrupted him: "Forget the formalities, come to the main hall quickly, someone is coming from the palace." Someone is coming from the palace? What does this have to do with me? Lu Wenzhao was puzzled.

But he didn't say much, but followed Hai Zhentao obediently.

Hai Zhentao was also a hereditary Jinyiwei, but his rank was much higher than Lu Wenzhao's sixth-rank centurion. He was a hereditary and actual fourth-rank commander, in charge of the Western Office. Without Hai Zhentao's support, Lu Wenzhao, relying on his own financial resources, was unsure how long he would have stayed in the position of general flag.

A moment later, Lu Wenzhao and Hai Zhentao arrived at the main hall of the yamen.

"Your humble servant Lu Wenzhao pays his respects to the Commander-in-Chief." Lu Wenzhao bowed and saluted.

"Okay." Luo Sigong didn't even turn his head. After a simple response, he gestured to the door and said, "Admiral Cao, let's go."

"Haha, Taibao, you're joking." Cao Huachun smiled and shook his head, "Godfather didn't say he wanted to bring anyone else into the palace."

Luo Sigong's face darkened. He had originally wanted to take this opportunity to go to the palace to show his loyalty and test the waters. To be honest, the emperor had never summoned Luo Sigong since he ascended the throne.

"This is Cao Huachun from the Imperial Household Department, Admiral Cao." Luo Sigong quickly adjusted his expression and used the introduction to ease the awkwardness.

"I pay my respects to Admiral Cao." Lu Wenzhao's rank was too low to be qualified to interact with the eunuchs in the palace. But this did not prevent him from realizing that this was an opportunity to make further progress.

"Captain Lu, let's go." Cao Huachun did not look down on Lu Wenzhao just because of his low rank.

"Excuse me, Admiral, why did you ask me to enter the palace this time?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"The emperor wants to see you." Cao Huachun said simply.

"Your Majesty wishes to see me, your humble servant?" Lu Wenzhao didn't know where to put his hand that was pressing on the hilt of the knife.

"Don't stutter like you do now when you see the emperor." Cao Huachun said with a smile:
"May I ask how I should perform the ceremony and how I should behave?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"Haven't you read the 'Da Ming Hui Dian', revised in the 15th year of the Wanli reign?" Cao Huachun was a voracious reader. Whenever a new book came out, he'd buy one. This was true even for commonplace books, let alone an official book like the 'Da Ming Hui Dian'.

"I am a dull and stupid person." Where would Lu Wenzhao get the spare money to buy such expensive things as books?

"Kowtowing five times is the etiquette for a subject to meet his sovereign. First, bow your head and kowtow four times, then bow your head once to complete the ceremony." Cao Huachun sighed softly, a small sense of pride rising in his heart. "If you don't know how to do it, just follow me when the time comes."

"Thank you, Admiral." Lu Wenzhao bowed in thanks.

"As for how to proceed, just answer whatever the emperor asks you." Cao Huachun, after all, held the seal of the Inner Academy and had some insight into people. He felt that the man before him might achieve something, so he said a few more words, as a way of establishing a good relationship:

"Almost everyone gets nervous the first time they see His Majesty, but if you want to gain a familiarity with His Majesty, you must act differently than everyone else. Remember, this is an opportunity many people never get in their lifetimes."

"Thank you, Admiral Cao, for your advice." Lu Wenzhao stopped and bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

(End of this chapter)