Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 373: Evidence is only needed in criminal investigations; in bandit suppression, all you need is the address! Confess!
Upon hearing Ji Gang's swift and decisive case-handling plan, Wei Zhenxing was so shocked that his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open, unable to utter a word for a long time.

This senior official of the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation and Punishment, a high-ranking imperial envoy, has such a simple, direct, and efficient style of handling cases?
And so brutal?
He couldn't help but feel uneasy, and a look of anxiety and worry appeared on his face.

After much deliberation, Wei Zhenxing stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said with a sincere yet urgent expression, "Lord Ji, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

"You have already taken an extraordinary step by arresting all the yamen runners and officials in the county."

"Only because of your special status as an 'imperial envoy' would I dare to act in this way."

He paused slightly, swallowed, and continued, "But those wealthy and powerful people have deep roots in the local area, enjoy great prestige, and are deeply supported by the people."

"How can they be arrested arbitrarily without solid evidence?"

"Moreover, there are so many people involved. Lord Ji, who do you intend to target first?"

“If we do this, it will probably cause panic and fear among the people of Qingxi County.”

"If this sparks a popular uprising, the situation will completely spiral out of control and become unmanageable!"

In this era, the emperor and the powerful gentry still jointly governed the country.

Locally, these landlords and gentry held immense prestige and significant positions. They were deeply entrenched in the region, with relatives and friends scattered throughout every corner, wielding considerable power.

Many ignorant people revered them and obeyed their every word, as if they were gods.

When Wei Zhenxing thought about how if he pushed these gentry too far, they might incite the people to revolt, and the consequences would be unimaginable, he felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat.

"A popular uprising? What popular uprising?" Ji Gang snorted dismissively, a hint of contempt on his face.

"Before coming to Qingxi, I carefully studied all the relevant files and documents."

"These so-called gentry are nothing more than people who go out and do cannibalism and blood-drinking, making money through dishonest means, and then they return to their hometowns and pretend to donate money, trying to put on a cloak of hypocrisy."

"They are clearly ruthless robbers, but they disguise themselves as great benefactors."

"Such despicable tactics can only fool ignorant three-year-olds. How could I be fooled by them?"

"As for the popular uprising," Ji Gang sneered, his laughter carrying a chilling undertone, "this case is a major case designated by the imperial court, and it is also the number one case personally overseen by His Majesty."

"Lord Wei, are you aware that the imperial court has already dispatched troops to Siam and Bagan to demand the return of those thieves who have committed numerous crimes and to rescue the imprisoned people?"

"I was sent here to investigate because Qingxi is still under the jurisdiction of my Great Ming, and the people of Qingxi are still subjects of my Great Ming."

"They made mistakes, but the court still hopes to save them."

"His Majesty is benevolent, which is why he sent me to investigate the case."

His gaze gradually sharpened like an eagle's, and his tone became increasingly forceful: "If they still dare to defy the imperial court and this imperial envoy, then there's no need to investigate this case."

"Next, the imperial court should send troops to Qingxi to suppress the bandits, not to investigate the case!"

“Lord Wei, you must understand that investigating cases requires evidence, but when it comes to suppressing bandits, there is no need to worry about so much.”

"As long as we know where the bandits are, we can simply send troops to surround them and kill them all."

At this point, Ji Gang paused slightly, then changed his tone: "As the Director of the Bureau of Bandit Suppression, I have been in charge of the Bureau for the past year or two. I have been carrying out His Majesty's orders to crack down on gangs and bandits in the Jianghu. I am quite familiar with this task."

Upon hearing these words, Wei Zhenxing's face turned deathly pale. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Lord Ji, it doesn't have to be this way, it doesn't have to be this way!"

Ji Gang turned to the side, glanced at Wei Zhenxing, and slowly said, "Our dynasty has a strict penal code. There have been cases where the late emperor punished all the people of an entire county during his reign."

"Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, His Majesty is benevolent and no longer wishes to govern the country with harsh punishments and cruel laws."

"I solve cases with ruthless methods, which may seem heartless, but in reality, only by finding out the truth as soon as possible can we save the people of Qingxi!"

"After all, there are tens of thousands of people in Qingxi. I believe that at most, only a few hundred to a few thousand people are actually involved in human trafficking."

"Compared to the entire Qingxi region, they are only a tiny minority."

"If we drag the entire population of Qingxi down with us for the sake of these scoundrels, then we will be unworthy of our official robes and His Majesty's high expectations!"

Wei Zhenxing felt a fine layer of sweat appear on his forehead.

His brows furrowed as he fell into deep thought.

Although Ji Gang's words were rough, they were all reasonable and irrefutable.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This man was indeed truly capable, having been valued by His Majesty and promoted directly from a commoner to the position of Director of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Ministry of Justice. He was by no means a person with empty reputation.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhenxing's face was filled with a respectful smile. He clasped his hands together, bowed deeply to the ground, and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Lord Ji. I will remember them forever."

In reality, Wei Zhenxing, as the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, was a high-ranking official of the third rank, wielding great power and influence.

Ji Gang, the Assistant Director of the Bureau of Bandit Suppression, was only a fifth-rank official.

In terms of official rank, Wei Zhenxing was actually much higher than Ji Gang.

However, in the complex world of officialdom, how can the extent of power and the level of status be determined solely by rank?

As the most powerful department in the Ministry of Justice, the Bureau of Suppressing Thieves' power has become increasingly prominent since the provincial judicial commissioners were transferred to dual management by the Ministry of Justice and the provincial governors, far surpassing that of the provincial judicial commissioners.

To put it bluntly, the Bureau of Suppression of Theft could directly issue official documents in its own name to the provincial judicial commissioners, guiding them in carrying out their work.

Conversely, even though the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's official rank was higher than that of the Director of the Bureau of Bandit Suppression, he had no right to order the Bureau of Bandit Suppression to do things; on the contrary, he had to obey the Bureau of Bandit Suppression's orders.

Based on this alone, within the Ministry of Justice system, Ji Gang, the Director of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, held a higher actual position than Wei Zhen, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.

Moreover, Ji Gang is now under imperial orders to come to Fujian to investigate the case, and he also has the special authorization from the government affairs office to "act expediently".

With the added advantage of his "imperial envoy" status, he would be three ranks higher than any other official.

Not to mention Wei Zhenxing, who had to be respectful, even the Fujian governor and the imperial inspector would not dare to be the slightest bit negligent or disrespectful when they met Ji Gang.

Wei Zhenxing was aware of this, which is why he took the initiative to refer to himself as "this humble official" in order to curry favor with Ji Gang.

Ji Gang remained calm and did not respond, but simply nodded slightly as a response to Wei Zhenxing.

Wei Zhenxing hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, "Lord Ji, it's just that the number of people we brought this time is really limited."

"The local officials of Qingxi County have all been detained by the magistrate, and it is really difficult to mobilize manpower in such an urgent situation."

"In my opinion, we shouldn't push those people too hard."

He paused, observing Ji Gang's expression, and then said, "Sir, would you like to wait a day or two?"

"I will immediately write an official document back to the province, requesting the governor and the imperial inspector to transfer an imperial guard to assist you in handling the case."

Seeing Ji Gang's brows furrow slightly, Wei Zhenxing, fearing that Ji Gang would not agree, quickly added, "Sir, it's better to be safe than sorry."

As the saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

"These guys are all ruthless bandits who kill without blinking an eye."

"If we push them too far, they might do something desperate."

Seeing that Ji Gang remained unmoved, Wei Zhenxing became so anxious that beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels: "Sir, although the people of the Anti-Theft Division are all armed with firearms, dealing with those robbers and thugs may be a piece of cake."

"But if we can send more troops over, we can solve the problem easily without bloodshed."

"In the future, those self-righteous officials in the imperial court will find no reason to impeach you, Your Excellency."

"In this way, the case can be handled smoothly, and trouble can be avoided. Why wouldn't you be happy to do it, sir?"

Ji Gang finally turned around, gave Wei Zhenxing a deep look, and said slowly, "What you said does make some sense."

He changed the subject, saying, "I had already thought it all through and planned everything on my way here."

After saying that, Ji Gang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of smugness: "So, I specially sent people to the Inner Guard's garrison not far from Qingxi and transferred three thousand-man teams to assist me in handling the case."

"Judging by the time, they should be arriving soon."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhenxing froze on the spot, his expression frozen, as if he had been struck by a spell.

"Deploy troops?"

After a long pause, he muttered to himself unconsciously, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Ji Gang actually sent people to mobilize troops directly?"

A series of thoughts flashed through his mind, and he was completely shocked.

Although His Majesty established the Political Affairs Office and the Military Affairs Office after ascending the throne, entrusting them with handling major political and military affairs, the Imperial Guard was also under the jurisdiction of the Political Affairs Office.

However, military power is of paramount importance, as it relates to the safety of the nation.

Therefore, His Majesty has long stipulated that the garrison troops stationed in local areas must be authorized by the Administrative Office, approved by the Governor and the Inspector, and issued an order by the Military Commander's Office before they can be mobilized within the province. Moreover, they are only allowed to be mobilized within the province.

This regulation is mainly to deal with emergencies.

After all, sending messages in the middle takes too long, and local authorities need a certain degree of autonomy to deploy troops and handle the situation.

However, this restriction is also extremely strict.

The situation must be explained in detail to the imperial court afterwards.

As for Ji Gang, even though he held an official document from the government affairs office authorizing him to "act expediently,"...

Logically speaking, there is absolutely no possibility of mobilizing troops stationed in Fujian.

Unless, Ji Gang not only has the "authorization" of the government affairs office, but also the "imperial edict" of His Majesty!
Once you have the imperial edict in your hands, that's a different story.

With an imperial edict in hand, one can directly mobilize the army without being subject to any other restrictions.

"Could it be that His Majesty even gave Ji Gang a 'secret decree'?"

Wei Zhenxing was startled, and a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

His breathing instantly became rapid and heavy.

In that instant, Wei Zhenxing suddenly realized that the case was far more complex and had a far more serious impact than he had imagined.

Originally, when the officials in Fujian heard that the "imperial envoy" sent by the court to handle the case was not a high-ranking censor, but merely a junior official in the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, most of them did not take it seriously.

He believed that it was just investigating a fraud and kidnapping case, and had nothing to do with his official position or future prospects.

They became much lax in their hospitality.

In retrospect, this set of rules is far more complex than it appears on the surface.

There is probably enormous power hidden behind him.

Wei Zhenxing recalled that when Ji Gang was in Fuzhou, he kept his mouth shut and did not mention a word about the "expedient power" granted to him by the government affairs office.

So, he really did have a "secret decree" hidden on him, but he kept it a secret and didn't reveal a word about it.

Wei Zhenxing was filled with a myriad of thoughts, countless ideas swirling rapidly in his mind.

However, he remained calm on the surface and said respectfully, "It turns out that you had made thorough preparations, sir. I was just overthinking it."

As soon as he left the county government office, Wei Zhenxing solemnly instructed a low-ranking official who had accompanied him: "You must immediately ride back to the provincial capital at full speed and report to the governor and the imperial inspector."

"Tell them that Ji Gang came here not just on orders from the Ministry of Justice to investigate the case."

“He carried with him an official document authorizing the government office to ‘act expediently’.”

"There might even be a 'secret edict' personally issued by His Majesty!"

"This matter is of great importance, and we must inform the two gentlemen as soon as possible."

After receiving the order, the official immediately mounted his horse and rode away, raising a cloud of dust.

……

On the other side, Ji Gang strode into the room where Wu Suning was being held, carrying a Song Dynasty blue and white porcelain vase steadily in his hand.

The room was dark and damp, filled with a depressing atmosphere.

After Ji Gang stopped, his gaze sharp as a knife, he stared directly at Wu Suning and said coldly, "Hmph, it's time to confess honestly. Just how much bribe did you take from those 'human traffickers'?"

After saying that, he slammed the blue and white porcelain vase heavily onto the table in front of Wu Suning.

The blue-and-white porcelain clattered against the table with a loud "bang," which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet room.

"A piece of blue and white porcelain from the Song Dynasty is worth at least a thousand taels of silver. With your meager salary as a county magistrate, and the need to support your family, you probably couldn't afford it even in several lifetimes."

"Now confess where this money came from. If you confess voluntarily, I'll give you a lighter sentence because of your good attitude."

Ji Gang's voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority.

This blue and white porcelain vase was something Wu Suning had been playing with in his spare time.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, he didn't have time to pack up before being imprisoned here.

Now, the porcelain vase naturally fell into Ji Gang's hands.

Wu Suning was taken aback at first, then threw his head back and burst into laughter, his laughter full of sarcasm: "I thought Lord Ji had found some irrefutable evidence of corruption and perversion of justice?"

"After all this fuss, it turns out you're still questioning me without any evidence, just based on conjecture?"

He paused, his smile gradually fading, replaced by a serious expression:

"Let me tell you, I used to be a military officer. When I left the army and became a local official, the imperial court gave me a generous sum of money as compensation for leaving the military farms."

"If Lord Ji doesn't believe me, he can go and check. The county government and the army still have records, in black and white, clear as day."

“I have always loved blue and white porcelain, so I took this money and spent all my savings to buy this Song Dynasty blue and white porcelain vase.”

"What? This can be used as evidence against me?"

In the Ming Dynasty, everyone in the army was a military household, and from ordinary soldiers to generals, they all had land.

Later, with the reform of the military system, the army no longer participated in farming, and most of the original farmland was purchased by the imperial court.

Many people received a considerable amount of "compensation" as a result, which is consistent with the situation at the time, according to Wu Suning.

Upon hearing this, Ji Gang did not get angry but instead smiled, a cold smile curving his lips, and then slowly clapped his hands.

With a creak, the door was pushed open forcefully, and several constables filed in, carrying boxes of jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings—six or seven boxes in total.

In addition, there was a whole chest full of brand-new banknotes, which radiated a unique "glow" in the dimly lit room.

“County Commandant Wu, all of these were confiscated from your house.” Ji Gang’s voice suddenly rose, tinged with smugness: “Come on, explain to me properly where these jewels, antiques, paintings, and all these boxes of paper money came from.”

Wu Suning's previously composed face instantly turned deathly pale, his eyes widened in disbelief and anger: "You...you...without any evidence, you actually dared to raid my home?"

At this moment, he was filled with remorse.

Wu Suning carefully kept the gifts that the human traffickers presented to him at home, hiding them so well that even if a thief broke in, he would not be able to find them.

Besides, as the magistrate of Qingxi County, what thief would dare to be so foolish as to steal from his house?
Wu Suning never expected that he could stop thieves, but not soldiers from ransacking his home.

No matter how deeply he hid his things, whether by digging tunnels or hiding them in walls, they were all exposed when the soldiers dug deep into the ground to search for them.

“This is contrary to the laws of the Ming Dynasty!” Wu Suning was agitated, his voice trembling. “You have no evidence to prove that I have committed any crime, and no one has testified against me, so I am not a criminal.”

"Why did you send people to search my house without any reason?"

"I'm going to write a letter to the Censorate to file a complaint against you!"

Upon learning that his home had been raided and all his belongings confiscated, Wu Suning completely broke down.

"Too late!" Ji Gang narrowed his eyes slightly, a meaningful smile appearing on his face: "As the saying goes, 'the victor is king, the loser is villain.' If my men find nothing in your house and you are truly innocent, then you can write a letter to the Censorate to accuse me, and I will indeed be in deep trouble."

"But now, with all these things laid out before you, the evidence is irrefutable. Do you think it will be of any use to write a letter of complaint now?"

Ji Gang's lips curled up slightly, with a hint of mockery: "If County Magistrate Wu doesn't believe me, I'll prepare pen and ink for you right now. Just write whatever you want, and when you're done, I'll personally send it to you. Let's see what fair words the Censor of the Censorate can say for you when faced with so much wealth."

Wu Suning felt his legs go weak, his body went limp uncontrollably, and he collapsed helplessly to the ground.

His eyes were filled with despair, like a trapped wild beast with nowhere to escape.

"Actually, it's okay if you don't tell me."

Ji Gang's calm voice echoed in the room: "Anyway, there are so many yamen runners, officials, and constables in Qingxi County, someone will eventually confess."

"However, if they were to say it out loud, then County Magistrate Wu would have to add another charge of 'unrepentant' to his list."

Wu Suning slowly lowered his head, as if all his strength had been drained away, and murmured, "I confess, I admit my guilt..."

……

P.S.: I completely forgot yesterday, but I'd like to wish all of you readers a Happy New Year!

Wishing all readers a prosperous Year of the Snake, good health, all the best, family happiness, and everlasting joy!
May the new year bring you abundant wealth and prosperity!

(End of this chapter)