Catching Monsters

Chapter 352 We can have a good talk.

"You can stay at my residence for a while. In any case, they won't come to my residence and forcibly take people away."

Listening to Li Wangxin's words, one has to admit that this superior is quite loyal, at least more so than Xiao Yuzheng.

Jiang Yun took a deep breath, but before he could reply, Wu Chi rushed over from outside the courtyard, a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face, and said, "Young Master, Lord Li, I'm sorry..."

"Eunuch Feng has also arrived; he also wants to see the son-in-law."

Upon entering the courtyard, Feng Yu glanced at Li Wangxin and couldn't help but ask, "Why is Lord Li here as well?"

Li Wangxin glared at Feng Yu and said, "What do you think? Why am I here?"

"My subordinates go out and risk their lives, only to come back and be slandered by these civil officials. As their superior, am I supposed to just pretend I don't see it?"

"As for you, Feng Yu, you're always by His Majesty's side, yet you don't know how to offer him any advice."

"If His Majesty tells those idiots like Miao Yuanxing to shut up, what else would they dare to shout?"

Hearing Li Wangxin's dissatisfied curses, Feng Yu's face also showed a bit of bitterness. Then he said to Jiang Yun, "His Majesty is aware of these matters."

As he spoke, Feng Yu slowly took out a list from his bosom and handed it to Jiang Yun, saying, "These are the people in the court who are quite radical and have suggested that Jiang Yun be dealt with."

"There were thirteen people in total, with Miao Yuanxing, the Minister of Rites, as the leader."

Jiang Yun took the list and was stunned for a moment.

Feng Yu stared at Jiang Yun and said, "Your Majesty means that there are quite a few censors among these people."

"What these officials like to shout most is, 'Officials who speak out are innocent.'"

"Moreover, if we're talking about this privately, it's not good for His Majesty to lose face if we bring it up in public: His Majesty sent someone to kill the Sixth Prince."

"Jiang Yun, we must shut these people up before the morning court tomorrow."

"As for what methods you use, I don't care."

"But His Majesty doesn't want to listen to their nonsense anymore."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun looked at the thirteen people on the list and subconsciously asked, "Can you arrest them all and put them in the imperial prison?"

Li Wangxin coughed and reminded Jiang Yun, "Our Great Zhou Dynasty is governed by law; everything must be done in accordance with the law..."

"To arrest someone and throw them into the imperial prison for no reason, wouldn't the Embroidered Uniform Guard become cruel officials?"

Jiang Yun then asked, "Lord Li, do we have any files containing incriminating evidence against these thirteen people within the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

“Hey, how can you say that? How can that be called collected dirt?” Li Wangxin glanced at Feng Yu in the courtyard and said, “This is just what we, as His Majesty’s spies, collected for His Majesty.”

As he spoke, Li Wangxin glanced at the names on the list and said indifferently, "Minister of Rites Miao Yuanxing, Principal of Rites Huang Yu..."

Of the people on the list, the others were easy to deal with, but the only ones who were difficult to handle were Miao Yuanxing, the Minister of Rites, and Liu Bufu, the Censor.

“Everyone else has it, but this Imperial Censor Liu Bufu… Back then, he cursed His Majesty in court, and our Embroidered Uniform Guard wanted to investigate even his ancestors for four generations, but we couldn’t find any problems.”

"This person is notoriously difficult to deal with."

……

Inside a pavilion in the inner city of the capital, several officials sat, with Miao Yuanxing at the head.

The others all wore a somewhat obsequious expression.

"Lord Miao, regarding the Jiang Yun case, in my opinion, since he is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it is true that we argued our case in court, but it also made His Majesty somewhat unhappy."

Miao Yuanxing, dressed in plain clothes, sat in the pavilion, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, and said calmly, "So what if I am a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? I am the Minister of Rites. Our Zhou Dynasty has continued for three hundred years, and we govern the country with rites."

“The proper order of ruler and subject, father and son, is right. This Jiang Yun, a mere member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, dared to commit treason and assassinate the Sixth Prince.”

"This is absolutely insane."

"If someone like Jiang Yun isn't severely punished, what rules will be established in the future?"

Upon hearing this, the people inside the pavilion all nodded in agreement.

Just then, a servant from the mansion quickly walked over from a distance and whispered a few words in Miao Yuanxing's ear.

After hearing this, Miao Yuanxing's expression changed slightly, his eyebrows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Jiang Yun still dares to visit my residence?"

"not see!"

"Yes."

Miao Yuanxing snorted coldly, then said to the officials around him, "See? This is the nature of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In my opinion, this guy probably brought a box of gold and silver treasures, trying to bribe me."

The officials inside the pavilion all praised Miao Yuanxing.

"Lord Miao is a man of extraordinary integrity; how could he accept Jiang Yun's money?"

"Who cares about the stinking money of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Miao Yuanxing smiled faintly as he listened to his colleague's praise, without saying much. He came from an academy and had been in officialdom for thirty years, relying on his own efforts and hard work.

With the help of his father-in-law, who had once served as Minister of Personnel.

He then rose to the position of Minister of Rites.

Suddenly, the servant who had just left rushed in with a grim expression and said, "Reporting, sir, something terrible has happened."

"What happened?" Miao Yuanxing asked casually. "What's wrong? Not only did Jiang Yun attempt to assassinate the Sixth Prince, but he also wants to bring people to capture me?"

"No." The servant took out a leaflet and quickly handed it to Miao Yuanxing: "Jiang Yun is distributing this outside our mansion."

"what?"

Miao Yuanxing took it, but his expression changed immediately upon seeing the contents.

"In the twentieth year of Zhengde's reign, Miao Yuanxing, then a principal of the Ministry of Rites, accepted one thousand taels of silver from tea merchant Liu Youde. Thereafter, the Ministry of Rites used tea provided by Liu Youde for all receptions and large-scale sacrificial ceremonies."

"In the twenty-first year of Zhengde's reign, Miao Yuanxing, then the principal of the Ministry of Rites, was having fun at the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment venue) when he tortured a woman to death. In the end, the matter was settled for three thousand taels of silver."

"In the twenty-first year of Zhengde..."

Looking at the dense, detailed information on the screen, cold sweat broke out on Miao Yuanxing's back.

He stared wide-eyed at the contents of the document in disbelief, then slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily, "What is Jiang Yun trying to do? This is slander! This is a rumor! Guards, arrest Jiang Yun!"

The servant gave a wry smile and said, "Master, Jiang Yun is a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and is quite capable. I'm afraid no one in our manor can take him down."

Hearing the servant's words, Miao Yuanxing remained silent for a moment.

“He said that if the master doesn’t see him, he will continue to distribute these things outside.”

"Colleagues, our gathering today is coming to an end." Miao Yuanxing stood up, waved his hand, and then said to the servant beside him, "Bring Jiang Yun here."

"Yes."

Soon, Jiang Yun, dressed in plain white clothes, walked in with her hands behind her back and a faint smile on her face.

"Lord Miao, it's an honor to meet you." Jiang Yun walked in with a smile.

Miao Yuanxing, however, did not give him any pleasantries. He sat in his chair, drinking tea, and did not invite Jiang Yun to sit down. He asked directly, "Jiang Yun, you have quite the audacity. As a second-rank official of the imperial court, I can imprison you for privately printing these things."

"I know why you have come."

"You are incredibly audacious, actually trying to kill the Sixth Prince."

“Plotting to assassinate His Highness the Sixth Prince is a capital offense.”

Ignoring his mutterings, Jiang Yun casually sat down opposite him and said, "Lord Miao, that's enough. It's just the two of us here. Do you know who wants to kill the Sixth Prince?"

Miao Yuanxing frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Then Jiang Yun said, "The Sixth Prince was imprisoned in the capital, but suddenly escaped and fell into the hands of Wang Longzhi. Then I led a large number of Imperial Guards to him. Guess who wanted the Sixth Prince dead?"

"You!" Miao Yuanxing's eyes widened. He had guessed who it was, but he dared not utter a sound.

"This is what Lord Miao has done over the years," Jiang Yunfang said, holding up a list of charges. "If these documents were handed to His Majesty, Lord Miao, guess what His Majesty's reaction would be?"

Miao Yuanxing took a deep breath and said, "I took the money and did the job, and I have a clear conscience!"

"Moreover, although I like money, I never disregard human life."

"You got your position by living off your wife, didn't you? Your father-in-law was once the Minister of Personnel," Jiang Yun said, bowing his head as he sorted through the many documents in his arms.

Miao Yuanxing shuddered slightly, panting heavily with anger.

Nobody knows how hard he worked to get promoted!
While others would leave work early on time, he would stay up all night to handle official business. Over the years, he toiled for half his life and finally rose to the rank of a second-grade official.

But he knew very well that many people were secretly gossiping that he had risen to power by being a kept man.

"I've gotten to where I am today entirely thanks to my own sweat and hard work!" Miao Yuanxing gritted his teeth, about to explode.

Jiang Yun said calmly, "You and your wife have two daughters, but you wanted a son, so you secretly had an illegitimate child outside of marriage without your wife's knowledge. Your wife probably doesn't know about it yet."

"Your son was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination two years ago, and he is now working in the Ministry of Rites."

Miao Yuanxing trembled. This was his biggest secret, one he dared not let his wife know.

This Jiang Yun actually knew about this matter.

Jiang Yun smiled and said, "Don't worry, I didn't write this on the flyer. But if you still have this attitude, I can give the document to your wife so she can take a look."

"Me." Miao Yuanxing opened his mouth, then forced a smile: "Commander Jiang, we can talk this out properly, why bother?"

(End of this chapter)