The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 298 Gansu
As dawn breaks and the first light of day appears, the sky begins to brighten.

Gansu Provincial Administration Commission, with Lanzhou as its capital.

The Gansu Provincial Governor's Office and the Provincial Administration Office were both located here. Although they had only been established for a year, the officials here were still the same group from the original Gansu Autonomous Prefecture.

Due to inconvenient transportation, news of the turmoil in Beijing reached Gansu very slowly. While the Central Plains were already in turmoil, Gansu remained completely oblivious.

The governor of Gansu, the provincial treasurer, and other officials entered the yamen to clock in and were about to begin their work when they heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the yamen, followed by a large number of somewhat disorderly footsteps.

Then an official rushed in, exclaiming in shock, "It's the Anti-Corruption Bureau!"

Upon hearing the words "Anti-Corruption Bureau," there was no time to think before the officials, who looked like fierce demons, rushed in.

"I wonder what you all are like?" the Gansu Provincial Governor asked, stepping forward with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

The leading civil official, dressed in the attire of a fourth-rank official, looked around with a sinister gaze, holding an iron plaque with the words "Anti-Corruption" drawn on it in iron.

"I am Yu Qian, Director of the Gansu Branch of the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"So it's Director Yu. May I ask what brings you here, Director Yu? This Provincial Administration Office is, after all, an important place of the imperial court. It is rather impolite of you to barge in like this."

"Since the Provincial Governor says so, then I would also like to inform you all that there is no government office in the two capitals and nineteen provinces of the Great Ming Dynasty that my Anti-Corruption Bureau cannot go to, nor is there any that my Anti-Corruption Bureau should not go to!"

Having said that, Yu Qian stared at the Gansu Provincial Governor, whose face had already turned pale, and said sternly, "Governor, I have been ordered by the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief to investigate Gansu. After investigation, it has been found that you, along with a number of officials in Gansu, have been embezzling public funds under false pretenses since the tenth year of the Yongle reign. The amount involved is extremely large, and your crimes are heinous. You shall be immediately arrested and reported to the capital for His Majesty's judgment!"

Upon hearing the words "disaster relief," some people immediately went limp, their faces filled with fear, while others tried to remain calm, attempting to argue or even resist. Unfortunately for them, they encountered Yu Qian, who gave them no chance and immediately detained them all.

This time, not only the provincial governor was detained, but also most of the officials in the provincial governor's office, which can be described as a complete sweep.

"Gentlemen, there is no need to cry foul. Whether you are innocent or not, the law will decide. Our Anti-Corruption Bureau handles cases differently than the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Eastern Depot. We value evidence and will never wrong you."

After saying this, he instructed the officials below: "Take these people away and interrogate them in detail. The Grand Secretary said that if they are willing to reveal some other information, their punishment can be reduced."

The arrest of a group of Gansu officials sent shockwaves through the entire city of Lanzhou, especially the Gansu governor, who hurriedly entered the provincial administration office.

Although they were not aligned with each other in terms of their systems, they both served in the Censorate, with the Governor of Gansu being Yu Qian's direct superior.

However, the governor of Gansu did not dare to be too arrogant towards Yu Qian. After all, as a high-ranking official, he was basically aware of the relationships between various officials in the court. Yu Qian was Wang Gen's personal disciple and a rising star in the Xin Xue Party.

It is said that he was trained as a direct descendant of the School of Mind with the aim of becoming a second-rank official.

His appointment as Governor of Gansu, barring any special circumstances, essentially marked the end of his official career.

He might get a posthumous title of Vice Minister or Minister after his death, but compared to a promising young man like Yu Qian, it was like the last rays of the setting sun.

However, he was, after all, a high-ranking official of the second rank, whose name would be recorded in history even after his death. Even if Li Xianmu met him, he would be kind and gentle. He was a giant in any faction, so he would not be afraid of Yu Qian.

So when he came in, he didn't ask many questions, but he did ask one seriously, "Isn't it a bit exaggerated to arrest so many officials at once?"

The vast province of Gansu still requires the management of the Provincial Administration Commission.

During the Hongwu era, officials were arrested, leaving government offices without anyone in charge, causing immense damage to the operation of the state apparatus. The governor of Gansu was reminding people of this.

"There aren't many of these people. Right now, we've only arrested the main criminals. After interrogation, we'll arrest even more people, including prefects and county magistrates. At that point, Gansu might be completely wiped out."

Yu Qian had anticipated this.

Putting aside what he discovered, logically speaking, this kind of thing must be a group crime, just like the Guo Huan case back then, which must have been committed by a group of people.

In this process, those who choose not to participate have only two options: remain silent or tear through the darkness.

Choosing to remain silent has two possible outcomes: if you're lucky, you'll only be ostracized and face difficulties in your career; if you're unlucky, you might be framed and even lose your life.

Choosing to tear through the darkness also has two possible outcomes: in the low-probability event, you might be lucky and gain the favor of those in power; in the high-probability event, you might die a violent death.

Fighting corruption has never been something that ordinary people can accomplish.

Note that this refers to whether it is possible to do it, not whether it is willing to do it.

Yu Qian was full of righteousness, but he was very astute about officialdom. Take the anti-corruption campaign, for example. He was very clear that if it hadn't been initiated by Li Xianmu, it would have been impossible for anyone else to do it.

The mastermind behind the corruption case at the imperial tombs will certainly go unpunished. If it weren't for this precedent, the Gansu case would have been much harder to handle.

However, the governor of Gansu was quite frightened by Yu Qian's words.

In particular, he felt that Yu Qian's gaze was not quite right, and he immediately said in disbelief, "Director Yu, you don't think that I am also involved in these matters, do you?"

"I've only been in Gansu for a little over a year; how could I possibly be involved?"

"In more than a year, didn't the governor discover these things?"

Yu Qian asked casually, "It seems the governor has been somewhat negligent in his work."

Although there was no ulterior motive in his words, they were extremely unpleasant to the Gansu governor.

Especially since he already had something to hide.

The governor and the censor-in-chief were high-ranking officials sent by the imperial court to local areas, responsible for all aspects of local civil administration, but also bearing a heavy responsibility of supervision. It can be said that, apart from personnel and military power, the governor basically controlled everything.

The imperial court values ​​the governor highly, but these things are happening right under his nose and he hasn't noticed them. Moreover, he hasn't been here for a short time, not just a month, but more than a year.

He hadn't been able to control the situation for over a year, and not a single person had come to inform on him. It was truly a failure.

If this gets reported to higher authorities, it will inevitably be considered a case of negligence.

Did the governor of Gansu really not notice?

Of course not! In fact, not long after he arrived, some people began to pander to him, so as soon as he discovered some signs, he immediately stopped further investigation.

He neither wanted to accept the gift nor wanted to bring up the matter.

Because he didn't know who was behind these people, and if there were any people he couldn't afford to offend, or even if he were to die in this remote place far from the emperor's reach, that was a possibility.

After all, this is Gansu, a place inhabited by a large number of bandits, and people frequently knock on the gates.

The most terrifying thing was that he also guessed that if there was really corruption here, it must be a large group of people. If these people joined forces, they would be enough to make him politically doomed.

He just wants to stay in office until the end and then leave. As long as he doesn't get involved in the affairs, there shouldn't be any major problems.

But he never expected that the imperial court would suddenly create an anti-corruption bureau and send Yu Qian, an elite second-generation official who could directly reach the emperor, to this place.

Even a fool could tell that it was Grand Secretary Li Xianmu who had known about the situation in Gansu beforehand, which was why he sent Yu Qian.

Otherwise, given Yu Qian's status, it would have been normal for him to go to populous provinces like Henan or Shandong, or important regions of the state like the three southern provinces. Why would he come to a poor and remote place like Gansu, since the population of the entire Gansu province is not even as large as that of a single prefecture in the south?

Is it because the outcome of the corruption case at the imperial tombs showed some people Li Xianmu's determination to fight corruption that some people filed a lawsuit?
The governor of Gansu was deep in thought.

He said indignantly, "Since I came to Gansu, I have worked day and night, hoping to change the customs of Gansu. But I never expected there to be so many corrupt officials. I am really exhausted and have failed the Emperor's grace."

Yu Qian neither agreed nor disagreed with this explanation. In any case, the final decision would be made by the emperor and his uncle. His only responsibility was to complete the task properly.

“I truly admire the Governor’s intentions. As the Governor said, the arrest of so many officials will inevitably cause panic. If the policies in Gansu are not implemented effectively, allowing foreign tribes and thieves from outside the Great Wall to take advantage of the situation, then that would be a serious offense.”

The Governor is the highest-ranking official in Gansu. At this opportune moment, we request that the Governor issue an order to appease the people of Gansu.

The governor of Gansu was taken aback again.

He instantly realized that this was his chance to make a contribution. The Provincial Administration Commission was now leaderless, and there was even a vacuum in the upper echelons of the Commission. Now that there was no one to restrain him, it was the perfect time for him to act.

If we can pacify Gansu and prevent any unrest during this period, we might even receive a reward from the imperial court!
Ignoring the governor's delight, Yu Qian bid farewell to the governor and went to investigate the interrogation of the Gansu officials. At the same time, he prepared to report the matter to the capital and pass it on to his uncle, Li Xianmu.

He was intelligent and knew that his martial uncle was going to use Gansu as a scapegoat. He was not qualified to deal with those high-level matters yet, but he always believed that whatever his martial uncle did must be righteous and just, and he only needed to carry it out.

……

Beijing.

One after another, memorials sent from Gansu to the capital via post stations were placed in the Wenyuan Pavilion, detailing the beginning and end of the Gansu sham disaster relief case.

The entire account, from the cause and effect to the process, including the most important figures, the approximate amount of embezzlement, and various testimonies and physical evidence, is very complete.

The case file is logically sound and there are no problems to be found. It can even be used as a template. From all aspects, this is an ironclad case that cannot be overturned.

This is exactly what Li Xianmu wanted.

He sent Yu Qian because he valued Yu Qian's meticulousness and exceptional ability. Sure enough, Yu Qian did not disappoint him and delivered an extremely satisfactory answer.

After reviewing the document in detail from beginning to end, Li Xianmu took it into the Hall of Literary Glory to see the emperor.

Li Xianmu was naturally at the center of the storm during these days of trials and tribulations. The emperor was also under great pressure and looked somewhat haggard. However, the more turbulent the storm, the calmer the emperor and his minister became.

Just as Li Xianmu had told him before, "The more they oppose us, the more it proves that we are doing the right thing. All that's left is to persevere."

"Teacher, is there something important that you have to attend to at the palace today?"

Li Xianmu presented the dossier in his hand. As the emperor read it, he said, "Last year, I noticed that Gansu reported a drought. The court provided disaster relief as usual. However, last year I learned from some merchants who traveled west that Gansu has had favorable weather in recent years and there has been no drought."

Suspicion immediately arose, with the suspicion that someone in Gansu was deliberately embezzling funds under the guise of disaster relief. In the past, Gansu was under the jurisdiction of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission, but it was also semi-independent, so neither the imperial court nor Shaanxi paid much attention to matters concerning Gansu.

Local officials in Gansu wield considerable power and have very little mobility, essentially remaining deeply rooted in Gansu.

Just as the Anti-Corruption Bureau was established, I sent Yu Qian to Gansu. Sure enough, the officials in Gansu were deceiving the court, their aim being to swindle the court's disaster relief funds. This matter had started in the Yongle era and had been involved by two successive provincial governors. It must have been a large number of officials who colluded to manipulate the situation.

According to what Yu Qian investigated, the number of people involved, the amount of money and supplies, and the scale of the case were comparable to the Guo Huan case during the Hongwu era.

The Guo Huan case.

Even after decades, it remains a major case that chills the hearts of countless people.

Zhu Zhanji frowned deeply as he finished reading the file in his hand. He was naturally extremely angry, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged. "Teacher, what do you intend to do?"

He asked this question because his attitude towards the previous corruption case at the imperial tombs was somewhat ambiguous, and now he couldn't speak out about this matter in Gansu.

Being too hypocritical damages the emperor's prestige.

Li Xianmu naturally understood, and immediately said, "I have come to see Your Majesty today to ask Your Majesty to grant me the authority to handle this matter and to act expediently. I will convene the ministers to discuss it, and Your Majesty only needs to approve it."

By not letting the emperor handle it, naturally no one can blame the emperor.

Zhu Zhanji's eyes revealed a hint of gratitude. "Teacher, only you have always thought of me. I will issue an edict for you. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher."

Li Xianmu smiled and responded.

My heart is filled with joy. This is the first time the Anti-Corruption Bureau has faced the world, and it is such a major case.

The name "Jinyiwei" (Imperial Bodyguard) evokes fear and trepidation, a testament to the bloodshed and infamous cases committed during the Hongwu and Yongle reigns.

If you don't do something, no one will ever really pay attention. It's like, no matter how sharp a sword is, if it's always hidden in its sheath, no one will know how sharp it is.

Such is the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
The same applies to the Anti-Corruption Bureau!
(End of this chapter)