The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 302 Sacrifice
Several days have passed since the day the Anti-Corruption Bureau staff took their oath together.

The aftershocks gradually spread outwards, like ripples spreading after a stone has been dropped into water.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau's declaration first spread in Kaifeng Prefecture, and then through the imperial post stations and merchants from all over the country, reaching north and south of the Yellow River, spanning two provinces, fourteen prefectures, thirty-one states, and one hundred and eighty-five counties. It then echoed over towns and cities, making countless officials tremble with fear and countless people excited.

After making this great vow, Yu Qian quickly threw himself into his work.

This is a tedious and meticulous task.

This investigation involves three of the most important government departments: first, the Ministry of Works; second, the Provincial Administration Commission, which took over the Ministry of Works; and third, the Maritime Transport Commission.

These are three departments involved in the repair of the Yellow River dike.

Yu Qian would not possibly come down to investigate without any clues. Even if he did come down, he would only do so incognito and would not directly declare war.

Firstly, Li Xianmu already had some clues. Secondly, during the corruption case at the imperial tombs, a group of Ministry of Works officials were arrested, some of whom were also involved in the Yellow River dike case of the eighteenth year of Yongle.

After the corruption scandal at the imperial tombs, most departments of the Ministry of Works were restructured into the Ming Dynasty's official-merchant group.

Officials with ranks were transferred, some to other departments, and others to local posts. Most of the remaining clerks were dismissed, leaving only a few who were familiar with the affairs of their department and relatively capable. They were converted into officials and merchants, and some people were selected from outside the department. Together with the technical personnel of the Ministry of Works itself, they formed several official-merchant engineering groups in the Ming Dynasty.

Although this was a normal personnel transfer, Li Xianmu also had another intention: to use administrative power to break up the impenetrable and unyielding interest group within the Ministry of Works.

When people work together, they are strong; when they work separately, they are weak.

As expected, after they were separated, most of them, once arrested, quickly fell into a prisoner's dilemma and began to confess to various things.

The vast majority of the Ministry of Works officials were transferred to Henan and Shandong, which was a deliberate attempt to deal with them. These officials were probably quite surprised when they were transferred to the two provinces.

Yu Qian held a list of potential suspects in his hand, preparing to investigate the matter.

Officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau rushed to various prefectures in the two provinces, and their carriages could be seen speeding by on the official roads from time to time.

As the reputation of the Anti-Corruption Bureau spread, this government office gradually became associated with the upright and just officials in folk tales, and there were even instances of people stopping the carriage to file complaints.

However, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has its own responsibilities; it is a department dedicated to investigating corruption and cannot overstep its authority. Therefore, it can only transfer the case to the Censorate and the Supervising Censor.

The investigations into the Yellow River dike case in the two provinces are in full swing, but a sudden change has occurred!
……

September is the time of year when the autumn sky is clear and the air is crisp.

While Henan and Shandong are in the midst of their busy farming season, not only these two provinces, but also many provinces north of the Huai River, including the area south of the Yanshan Mountains in Beizhili, are experiencing continuous rain.

The drizzling rain continued to fall for days, and the sky was always covered with dark clouds, sometimes for as long as seven days, obscuring the sun.

Spring rain is as precious as oil, while autumn rain harms every household.

The worst thing during the autumn harvest is rain, especially continuous rain like this, which can severely damage crops in the field.

The continuous rain has greatly affected the anti-corruption operations in Henan and Shandong, making travel very inconvenient, with horse-drawn carriages getting stuck in the mud on more than one occasion.

What's most chilling is that ghostly figures lurk in the continuous gloom and rain.

Ghosts are naturally human, but they harbor malicious intentions, a hundred times deeper than ghosts in their intent to harm people!
Even if it wasn't a downpour, under the conditions of ancient times, it was far too easy for unexpected situations to occur during continuous rain.

In political struggles, it may be inevitable!
Therefore, it was natural that some people in the Anti-Corruption Bureau would be "surprised"!
Yu Qian probably never imagined that the coffin he brought would not be used to house himself, but would be used to bury his comrades first.

The Henan Branch Office of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

In the main hall of the yamen, a group of anti-corruption officials were gathered. In front of them was a corpse covered with a white cloth, and everyone's face was gloomy.

Zhao Cheng, a native of Kaifeng, Henan, was a newly appointed Jinshi in the second year of the Xuande reign. He came from a poor family and was poor since childhood. He had an elderly mother and a younger sister. His mother washed and mended clothes for other people to raise him.

He came into contact with the philosophy of mind during his time as a scholar and regarded it as the guiding principle. He devoted himself to studying the philosophy of mind. In the autumn examination of the twenty-third year of Yongle, the chief examiner in Sichuan was a scholar of our school of philosophy of mind. Although his writing was weak, his views were clear and he was naturally intelligent and had his merits. So the chief examiner specially called his name and ranked him twelfth that year.

After passing the imperial examination, his family's financial situation improved, and he was recommended by the chief examiner to study at the Imperial Academy. Three and a half years later, he took the imperial examination in the spring of the second year of the Xuande reign and ranked fifty-sixth in the second class.

He had always idolized Li Zhongwen and Shouzheng. After the court announced the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, he volunteered to enter. Because of his clean background, he was allowed to enter. In the case of smuggling disaster relief in Gansu, he worked tirelessly and made great contributions. This time, he also took the initiative to go to the relatively dangerous Mount Tai.

As a result, he encountered an accident on Mount Tai, possibly by bandits. He was found downstream, already dead.

Yu Qian listened quietly, but his hands were clenched into fists, his fingers turning blue and purple, and the veins on the back of his hands bulging, which showed how much emotion he was experiencing at that moment.

He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the second year of the Xuande reign, which means he just passed the exam this year, only half a year ago. At the age of twenty-seven, this young and promising man, who carried the expectations of his family, has left us.

Yu Qian remained silent for a long time before slowly uttering two words—"A proper burial!"

After saying this, he did not move his feet, and no one left the room. After a long while, Yu Qian slowly said, "I will report this matter to the capital. Since they are bandits from the mountains, then we should suppress them."

Anyone who dares to kill an official appointed by the imperial court must die!

Seeing that the crowd still hadn't moved, Yu Qian turned around to look.

"Yu Sixian, do you really think Ziming died at the hands of bandits in the mountains?"

Mountain bandits only seek wealth; who would attack an official of the imperial court for no reason? They are very bold, but only towards ordinary people; the Anti-Corruption Bureau is not something they dare to provoke.

Everyone in the room suddenly looked up. Although they didn't speak, Yu Qian knew that most of them thought the same thing.

Zhao Cheng's death may have been an accident, but it is unlikely to have been.

Mount Tai has always been a place rife with bandits. The term "outlaw heroes" originated in Shandong. It's possible that they died at the hands of bandits, but it's too much of a coincidence.

Yu Qian, his mind in turmoil, slowly said, "A man with thunder in his heart but a calm face is worthy of being appointed a general."

I also suspect that this matter is not so simple, but we don't have enough manpower right now, so we have to report it.

Zhao Cheng died in Shandong, possibly because the problems in Shandong were serious, but it's also possible that Henan wanted to shift the blame eastward.

If Zhao Cheng really died at the hands of these corrupt officials, then we must find out the truth and avenge him.

We came here with heavy responsibilities on our shoulders, wasn't that something we had already anticipated?

Zhao Cheng sacrificed himself before us. Believe me, the court will not forget his contributions, and neither will Lord Shouzheng nor His Majesty let him die in vain.

Treading on darkness, yet watching over the light!
The darkness is filled with bloodshed and sacrifice; let us all learn from this!

With a touch of sorrow, the crowd responded in unison, "Yes," for they felt a deep sense of sympathy for their kind.

After everyone had left, a cold glint suddenly flashed in Yu Qian's eyes. He was a truly intelligent man, and the more intelligent a person is, the more they like to be suspicious. He was the one who most suspected that there was more to this story than met the eye.

Upon returning to his room, Yu Qian immediately picked up a pen and wrote a letter to report the matter. After finishing writing, he called in his close associates and handed the letter to one of them, saying, "Take this letter to the capital immediately and give it to my uncle, Lord Shouzheng."

The attendant hurriedly took the letter and left.

Yu Qian sat quietly at the table, the tea slowly cooling down, the rising steam gradually dissipating.

Zhao Cheng's sudden death will inevitably affect the current situation. An accident involving a high-ranking official during an investigation could escalate the matter significantly. Some may resort to desperate measures, but what they will face after jumping over the wall is an even harsher reality.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau's actions in Henan and Shandong have been circulating in the capital, with countless eyes watching. This time, unlike the corruption case at the imperial tombs and the fake disaster relief case in Gansu, there are more officials involved in the Yellow River dike case, and the benefits transferred to different interest groups are also greater.

It wasn't just the civil servants in those three departments; behind them were many nobles, even eunuchs and merchants—countless pigs were desperately eating from the pig trough of the project funds.

Li Xianmu had long anticipated that things wouldn't go so smoothly, but he hadn't expected that someone would run into trouble so quickly.

Generally speaking, although such cases are dangerous, in most cases they do not actually involve harming officials appointed by the imperial court.

After all, evidence is needed for investigating cases, while counter-terrorism only requires coordinates.

But to my surprise, there were still fools who did it.

In that case, the situation must escalate!
……

The next day.

Inside the Hall of Literary Glory.

All the high-ranking officials of the court looked solemn, while Emperor Zhu Zhanji sat behind the curtain, seemingly having no intention of participating in the court meeting.

Li Xianmu presided over the court discussion.

"The matter to be discussed in this court meeting is the Anti-Corruption Bureau's affairs in Henan and Shandong. Zhao Cheng, an official of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, died in Shandong, which is a provocation against the court."

Let's discuss our next steps today.

Li Xianmu looked around at everyone and said, "What do the officials of the court represent? Every official of the court represents the Ming Dynasty, and the life and death of every one of them should be decided by His Majesty's imperial edict."

This is the power of life and death bestowed upon Your Majesty by Heaven.

Alternatively, it may be decided by public discussion in the court, which is His Majesty granting the public the power of life and death, as if the emperor himself were to do so!

No other individual has the absolute right to deprive an official of his life or death. Whoever violates this principle is a traitor, whoever is challenging and shaking the entire Ming Dynasty system, and whoever is offending the sacred authority of His Majesty the Emperor!

The emperor's supreme power, bestowed by Heaven, is not to be touched by any private individual.

This is a highly condensed definition that clearly explains everything. Zhu Zhanji lowered his eyes slightly, a smile flashing in them.

The hall was silent.

But Li Xianmu's real focus was on the following sentence: "The emperor bestowed this power upon the public apparatus, which is today's government office, the law, and the Three Judicial Offices."

This is also a clear path.

Hearing Li Xianmu elevate Zhao Cheng in such a way, everyone was somewhat bewildered, as it contradicted their beliefs. "He is merely a low-ranking official and does not hold any official rank; how can he represent the court?"

In ancient times, it was a family and a country.

The emperor is the state.

Ministers who could represent the country were all those who carried imperial staffs, meaning they held the emperor's staff. Nowadays, an ordinary minister is, to some extent, a household slave.

How can a domestic slave represent the country?

Li Xianmu said calmly, "There are all kinds of people in this world. What distinguishes them from the noble to the lowly? It is their fame and official position, which are all bestowed by His Majesty."

Your Majesty bestows upon us bloodlines, and we become royalty; Your Majesty bestows upon us titles, and we become nobles; Your Majesty bestows upon us official positions, and we become scholar-officials.

All distinctions of rank and status, honor and disgrace, rest solely in Your Majesty's hands.

"Those who offend officials are rebellious people who offend the righteous; they are those who disobey the court, disdain His Majesty's rule, and do not accept the current order."

The words fell.

The Hall of Literary Glory was now completely silent.

No one spoke.

Silence is the current state of the Huagai Palace.

The air seemed to freeze.

Regardless of who they were or what their relationship with Li Xianmu was, everyone had the same thought in their minds at that moment: "Truly worthy of being called Li Xianmu."

His pronouncements are always so startling.

It always surprises people like this.

But then again, it makes perfect sense.

Everyone looked up, but not at Li Xianmu; instead, they looked at the emperor behind the curtain.

"Ruling from behind a curtain" is usually used to describe an empress dowager, but today the emperor has done it, and they have no idea what he is doing.

“What the prime minister said makes sense.”

After a long silence, they heard the emperor speak, “The death of Zhao Cheng involves the face of the court. He should be given a grand funeral and a generous reward. The court should take this seriously. The Grand Secretary and all my beloved ministers should come up with a plan.”

The emperor made the final decision.

Everyone looked at Li Xianmu again. Some people's eyes flickered, and their gazes carried an inexplicable meaning. This was the reason why Li Xianmu's favor with the emperor had never waned.

He will always be in the emperor's heart.

"First, send someone to investigate the cause of Zhao Cheng's death. Send the Imperial Guards to start the investigation, and then send people to wipe out the local bandits to see if it has anything to do with them."

Jinyiwei.

Everyone frowned slightly. Li Xianmu was actually preparing to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This was not to investigate bandits at all. It was clear that he directly suspected that Zhao Cheng had died inside Henan and Shandong, so he planned to investigate the officials directly.

"Then we will send people from the Beijing Garrison and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to work with the Anti-Corruption Bureau. This incident proves that there are a group of vicious people in Shandong and Henan. Relying solely on the Anti-Corruption Bureau is not enough; we must invest more resources into them."

This was Li Xianmu's true purpose.

Taking advantage of Zhao Cheng's death, more political resources were poured into Shandong and Henan, thus changing the balance of power between the two provinces!

Such skillful political maneuvering moved many people; some wanted to object, but didn't know what to say.

The political pretext of Zhao Cheng's death was so compelling that Li Xianmu could forcefully implement it!
The sacrifice will not be in vain.

Li Xianmu looked around at everyone; who dared to object?

(End of this chapter)