In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 787 The Glorious Business
Inside the Censorate, Yuan Tai, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, arrived at the office early.

He was nearly sixty years old, thin and bony, and exuded a tough and resolute air.

Yuan Tai was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign and served in the Censorate.

In the twenty-third year, he was promoted to Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, and a few months later, he was promoted to Right Censor-in-Chief.

Because the position of Left Censor-in-Chief was held by Zhan Hui,

Yuan Tai is now the de facto head of the Censorate.

He rushed here today to deal with a mountain of documents.

He sat in his office, casually glanced at the documents to be processed that day, and then gave instructions to the clerks waiting nearby:

"Go and bring me the files and accounts of Yingtian Trading Company. I need to examine them."

"Yes."

A short while later, two clerks carried in a wooden box.

He placed it on the table, opened it, and took out the accounts one by one.

One of the older clerks said as he took it:
"My lord, we have already checked it once yesterday and there are no omissions."

Yuan Tai remained unmoved and simply sat there quietly.

After all the accounts were brought up, he reached out and took them, turning directly to the last page.
When he saw that the final amount was only four thousand taels, his face darkened:
"Smuggling merchant ships and making four thousand taels of silver from all sides? Do they think I'm a fool?"

The clerks quickly and respectfully stood aside, one of them explaining:

"My lord, these documents were all sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

We weren't present when the official ships were seized, so we just did whatever the Embroidered Uniform Guards said.

When we went to check the merchant ships again, only these items on the list remained.

A hint of annoyance flashed in Yuan Tai's eyes, and he let out a long sigh:

Even if a ship has this much stuff

Do you really believe that Yingtian Trading Company has only smuggled goods this once in a year?

The clerks exchanged a glance, then wisely lowered their heads and remained silent.

Yuan Tai felt somewhat irritated and waved his hand:
"Get out, get out. Let me calm down for a while."

"Yes."

After the two clerks left, Yuan Tai threw down the account book in his hand.

As the chief official of the three departments, how could he not know that there were many hidden tricks behind this?

But what angered him was that the Imperial Guards didn't say a word from beginning to end.

He didn't even know who those people from Yingtian Trading Company were colluding with.
And who are the people sharing the profits behind the scenes?

He absolutely refused to believe that Liu Zixian was the only mastermind behind it all.

Unfortunately, the Court of Judicial Review was unwilling to get involved, the Ministry of Justice was busy confiscating property, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard kept their mouths shut, leaving him helpless.

"If we had this list behind it, the Censorate would have a much easier time doing things in the future, and it wouldn't be so restricted as it is now."

The Censorate oversees all officials in the country, but Yuan Tai is not foolish.

Many officials, even those with problems, had to be used, as the Censorate was powerless to do anything about them.

However, if they have some leverage over the matter, the Censorate can gain the upper hand even if a dispute arises in the future.

Especially when dealing with extremely special "government offices" like the Yingtian Trading Company.
Having leverage over someone would be extremely beneficial.

However, this time, Yuan Tai did not see what he wanted.
I couldn't help but feel disappointed and angry.

Thinking of this, he sighed, picked up a book, and began to carefully read through it.
Hopefully, we can detect some clues in this last half day.

Time passed slowly, and around 9 a.m. (the beginning of the Si hour)
A sudden, urgent knocking sounded in the otherwise somber office. Yuan Tai frowned and rubbed his slightly sore eyes.

"Come in."

No sooner had Yuan Tai finished speaking than the door was gently pushed open. A clerk cautiously peeked in and whispered:

"My lord, someone from Yingtian Trading Company requests an audience, saying they have important matters to discuss with you."

Yuan Tai frowned, already annoyed by the merchant guild's accounts, and waved his hand dismissively:
"I won't see them, I'm too busy with other matters today to deal with them."

The clerk looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and then said:
"Sir, that man said this matter is of great importance."
If the adults don't see this, they might regret it.

Yuan Tai's heart stirred, and after a moment's thought, he felt that perhaps there was something truly important, so he said:

"Alright, alright, let him in."

The official quickly acknowledged and withdrew. A short while later, he returned with Bian Rong.

Bian Rong clutched a small box tightly in her hands, looking somewhat nervous.

Upon entering, he respectfully bowed and said:
"This humble one, Bian Rong, greets Lord Yuan."

Yuan Tai sized Bian Rong up and down, and seeing that he was merely a steward, he looked down on him somewhat and said indifferently:
"What important matter do you wish to discuss with me?"

If it's something trivial, don't blame me for charging you with disrupting official business.

Bian Rong quickly said:
"Please calm down, sir. I have come here to present you with the true accounts of the smuggling activities of the Yingtian Merchant Guild."

As he spoke, he presented the small box with both hands.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tai's eyes glazed over for a moment.

After pausing for a few moments, he was startled, and his previously languid expression instantly turned serious.

He stood up, slowly walked to Bian Rong, took the small box, and said softly:
"If this is false, you'll lose your head."

Bian Rong quickly said:
"I dare not deceive you. The head manager has already confirmed that the accounts are indeed true and accurate."

The above details Liu Zixian's smuggling profits through merchant ships and waterways.
The upstream and downstream distribution channels, as well as the final distribution channels for bulk goods and the destination of some funds, are all recorded.

Yuan Tai was both surprised and delighted.

What's shocking is that the smuggling activities of the Yingtian merchants were so serious.

The good news is that I have finally obtained the key evidence behind this.

He quickly opened the small box, took out the accounts, and sat down at the table to carefully look through them.

Upon closer inspection, it was astonishing.

Yuan Tai's face grew increasingly grim, and his hands began to tremble slightly involuntarily.

The amounts recorded in the accounts were astonishingly large, ranging from several thousand taels to tens of thousands of taels, and even hundreds of thousands of taels.

Many people were involved, including powerful figures in the court, some of whom he usually treated with great respect.

Yuan Tai became increasingly alarmed as he looked at the document, and a sense of regret crept into his heart.

If these accounts are leaked, it will surely cause a shock in the imperial court.

Even though he was the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, he would inevitably be drawn into the conflict and become the focus of the power struggle among various factions.

He had hoped to live a peaceful life in the Censorate, but he never expected to get into such a big mess.

"Sir, these accounts..."

Seeing Yuan Tai's uncertain expression, Bian Rong felt uneasy and cautiously asked.

Yuan Tai raised his head, glanced at Bian Rong, and said in a deep voice:
Where did you get these accounts from?

Bian Rong quickly said:
"Your Excellency, this was sent by the head manager. He said these accounts might come in handy."

Yuan Tai's heart stirred, and he pondered to himself:
Liu Sili was both the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and the head manager of the Yingtian Trading Company.
Why did he send these accounts?

Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
Could it be that they want to use the Censorate to stir up trouble?

Or does he have ulterior motives?

Thinking of this, Yuan Tai couldn't help but feel a little wary. He looked at Bian Rong and said in a deep voice:

Why did Liu Sili send these accounts? What were his conditions?

Bian Rong quickly said:
"My lord, the head steward made no demands. He only said that he hoped you would handle the matter impartially and restore justice to the court."

Yuan Tai sneered inwardly, thinking to himself:

"That sounds nice, but in the imperial court, things are never so easy to handle impartially."

However, now that these accounts are in my hands, I naturally can't let them go easily.

Thinking of this, Yuan Tai had an idea. He looked at Bian Rong and said:

"Go back and tell Lord Liu that I have accepted the accounts. Tell him to rest assured that I will handle the matter impartially."

Bian Rong quickly said:
"Yes, I will certainly convey your words."

Yuan Tai waved his hand and said:

"Okay, you go down."

Bian Rong bowed respectfully and then withdrew.

Yuan Tai looked at the accounts in his hand, his mind filled with many thoughts.

He knew that if he didn't handle things properly, he would be doomed.

However, if handled properly, it might be an opportunity to gain a foothold in the imperial court.
Even better.

"Fine, now that these accounts are in my hands, I can't let them go."
I'll take a gamble and see who's really stirring up trouble in this court.

Yuan Tai secretly made up his mind to carefully put away the accounts.

He looked towards the doorway and called out:

"Someone is coming."

"grown ups."

"Inform the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard that the court hearing originally scheduled for noon will be postponed for three days."

Inform all government offices that all personnel involved in the case must be properly cared for and not tortured for three days. If the case is ruined due to a death, the Censorate will hold them accountable.

The clerk blinked blankly.

He didn't understand why the person before him had such a noticeable change in attitude, but he still bowed deeply.
"Yes!"

Yuan Tai pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice:
"Then inform Lord Zhan of my decision, and tell him that things have changed."

"Yes!"

……

Inside the Ministry of Justice, Vice Minister Ling Han was reviewing documents related to the murder case from the previous night.

The testimonies of all the guests and the prostitutes have been recorded.

Those that are problematic will be selected and placed on his desk.

These are the things he's looking at now.

But the more Ling Han looked, the more agitated he became.

Because in his mind, there were clearly only two possibilities.

First, it was done by Lu Yunyi as revenge against Mao Xiang.

Secondly, some powerful figures want to stir up trouble and escalate the conflict between Mao Xiang and Lu Yunyi.

Neither of these two outcomes can be determined simply by reviewing documents or examining the case.

After all, both sides are powerful figures who are not easy to offend, and they leave no trace of their actions.

Ling Han, as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was well aware of the suspected truths in some cases. He could arrest people, but finding evidence was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Even so, Ling Han still managed to read through all the documents.

After reading all this, he made a decision.
They handed the case over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Ministry of Justice stopped getting involved.

Once the decision was made, Ling Han felt refreshed and even wished that more members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would die.

The skills displayed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard a few days ago surprised everyone.

House slaves, servants, grooms, stewards, and even concubines and wives could become members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

A Jinyiwei officer with such great skills and who is ruthless in his methods is someone to be feared!

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from the doorway. The clerk opened the door and poked his head in:

"My lord, Lord Liu from the Court of State Ceremonial has arrived. He says he has important matters to report."

"Liu Sili?"

Ling Han frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Please."

Before long, Liu Sili, dressed in a scarlet robe and carrying documents, strolled into the yamen.

His expression was calm as he bowed deeply to Ling Han.
"This humble official greets Lord Ling."

"Sit down, sit down, Lord Liu, there's no need to be so polite."

If it were an ordinary Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Ling Han would never have been so amiable.

But the person before him was no ordinary person; he knew perfectly well how powerful the Yingtian Trading Company was.

After Liu Sili sat down, the waiter served each of the two gentlemen a cup of tea and then slowly withdrew.

Once the room quieted down, Ling Han spoke first, smiling:

"May I ask what brings Lord Liu to see me today?"

Liu Sili's expression turned slightly grave as he handed over the document in his hand:

"Lord Ling, I heard that a murder occurred at Lotus Pavilion yesterday, and that Imperial Guards were killed or injured. So I have instructed my men to keep an eye on this matter."

But unexpectedly, some clues were actually discovered.

I felt this matter was of great importance, so I came personally to report to you, sir.

"what?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Ling Han froze in mid-air, his eyes glazing over as he looked at the document in his hand.

"Any clues?"

Liu Sili nodded:

"Lotus Pavilion is Black Hawk's property, and I have a close relationship with his father."

Now that they, father and son, are far away in the north, as uncles,
We cannot stand by and watch Lotus Pavilion be delayed by such a distressing matter.

Ling Han said:

"Mao Xiang has already agreed yesterday that the Lotus Tower will be relocated and all expenses will be borne by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Lord Liu need not worry so much."

Liu Sili forced a smile and said softly:
"In any case, the incident occurred at the Lotus Pavilion."

If the matter isn't thoroughly investigated, future business will be affected.

Using the resources of the merchant guild to investigate this case is, in a way, driven by my personal interests.

After saying that, Liu Sili pushed the document over, gesturing for Ling Han to examine it.

Ling Han felt his lips go dry. If this document was genuine, then the power of Yingtian Trading Company was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

The business guild could find clues in half a day even though the three judicial departments couldn't investigate the case.

But as he looked at the document, he hesitated:

"Lord Liu, no one else has seen the contents of this document, has he?"

"Rest assured, Lord Ling, this document is only kept within the business."

If Lord Ling does not wish to intervene, then this official has not been here. The subsequent documents will be sent to the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review.

At this point, Ling Han's tense expression finally relaxed somewhat.

Fortunately, there is still room for maneuver.

Ling Han picked up the document on the table, opened it, and began to read it.

The first sentence that caught his eye caused his pupils to contract sharply:

[Zheng Mingyu, a centurion and a native of Songjiang, was a bodyguard of Xu Ming, the commander of the Jichuan Guard of the Xinjiangkou Naval Camp. He was responsible for protecting the central army.]
Ling Han thought of many things in an instant. His fingers trembled slightly as he continued reading.

The document contained extremely detailed information about Zheng Mingyu's whereabouts:
[On the evening of the day before the incident, Zheng Mingyu appeared alone in Qingyang Lane near Lianhua Tower. A workshop worker witnessed him acting suspiciously, seemingly observing the area around Lianhua Tower.]
[On the night of the incident, around 1:45 AM, a series of suspicious footprints appeared at the back door of the Lotus Pavilion. Upon examination by the merchant's coroner, the size and depth of the footprints matched the shoes worn by Zheng Mingyu.]
[A clerk from the downstream Dongguang Trading Company found a dark gray short-sleeved shirt next to a dry well in the warehouse; there was a noticeable tear at the cuff.]
[Inside the dry well, there were six daggers of the same type as the murder weapon, each about seven inches long with sharp blades.]
[This morning around 5 AM, Zheng Mingyu was found and apprehended in an abandoned house near the Dongguang Trading Company. He confessed to his crimes.]
"The person...has been caught?"

Ling Han was utterly shocked, his pupils dilated violently, and he looked at Liu Sili with disbelief.

Liu Sili remained calm throughout and nodded slightly.
"The person is being held in a secret location."
He was ordered by Xu Ming, the commander of Jichuan Guard, to sneak into Lotus Tower last night and kill Qian Xinghuai, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Xu Ban'an, commander of the Imperial Guard, and Chi Xiulan, the courtesan.

The aim was to frame Lu Yunyi for this incident and exacerbate the conflict between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Lu Yunyi.

This was used to conceal the fact that the Xinjiangkou Naval Battalion was involved in smuggling goods from Southeast Asia.

Ling Han's pupils suddenly contracted as he thought of the tall merchant ship he had seen that day.

Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the ship was a military vessel salvaged from the Xinjiangkou Naval Camp.

Previously, the naval affairs of the Xinjiangkou Naval Camp were handled by Zhao Yong, the Marquis of Nanxiong, but now they are handled by Commander-in-Chief Yu Tongyuan.

If I remember correctly, Xu Ming was Yu Tongyuan's confidant.

Moreover, Yu Tongyuan and Lu Yunyi also had a major conflict.

If the naval commander really did participate in smuggling, this would be killing three birds with one stone.

Ling Han forced himself to calm down and said in a deep voice:

"Lord Liu, you can't just make things up without proof."

Liu Sili spoke calmly:
"I have already handed over to Lord Yuan of the Censorate the details of all the smuggled goods from Yingtian Merchants, as well as the accounts of the subsequent loose goods and the flow of money."

It contains detailed records of what happened after the goods arrived in Yingtian from Liaodong.

How to distribute goods outwards through the Xinjiangkou Naval Camp.

Most of the money flowed through the Shiping Money Exchange on Zizhu Street.
An investigation revealed that nearly 300,000 taels of silver had entered the residences of various nobles and dukes over the past six months.

"Of course, most of the dukes and marquises have already had their homes confiscated and are awaiting execution, but some dukes and marquises are still alive."

If Lord Ling requires it, I can also send over the copied accounts.

"No, no need!"

Ling Han broke out in a cold sweat.

Now that things have come to this, every step from beginning to end has been completed flawlessly.
If he still doesn't know this is true, then he has truly wasted sixty years of his life.

After a long pause, he asked in a deep voice:

"Lord Liu, you must know that if this matter gets out, it will cause a huge uproar."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Sili said calmly, "If Lord Ling has any concerns, then I will send the documents and accounts to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Ling Han clenched his fists tightly at his sides.
He knew that no matter which of the Three Departments handled this matter,
It will inevitably lead to a situation where major issues are minimized and minor issues are resolved peacefully.

However, if it falls into the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, given Mao Xiang's style, he will undoubtedly stir up trouble again without any scruples.

Thinking of this, Ling Han forced a smile:
"What does Lord Liu want to do? You can tell me directly."

Liu Sili spoke calmly:
“My nephew was involved in smuggling, so he deserved to die.”

But he was just a minor figure among them, and his share of the money had only reached four thousand taels so far.
The remaining 298,563 taels went into the pockets of others.

Now they only behead him and subject him to severe torture.
I am filled with resentment and feel that we should treat them equally.

Ling Han's expression changed repeatedly as he looked at the documents on the table and nodded slightly.
"I understand. Lord Liu, you may return now. I will discuss this matter with Lord Yang and will certainly give you a satisfactory answer."

Liu Sili silently stood up and bowed deeply:
"I am resigning."

(End of this chapter)