I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 245 The Old Fox Feng Bao! Inner court affairs need not involve the outer court.
On the tenth day of the second month, near dawn, southeast of the imperial palace.

The rear hall of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Feng Bao was leisurely eating breakfast, being served by two young eunuchs.

He is not on duty today.

But he had become accustomed to living in the Directorate of Ceremonial and to eating breakfast at this time.

After the meal, he would spend half an hour writing in small regular script, then play music on the zither for half an hour. Afterwards, he might admire his collection of antiques and jade artifacts, or he might go to his luxurious private residence in the suburbs, take a stroll in the garden, and listen to some opera.

Feng Bao was an avid collector of calligraphy, paintings, antiques, ancient musical instruments, jade artifacts, and also loved garden art.

These are all expensive hobbies, but for Feng Bao, money has never been a problem.

After a moment, Feng Bao pushed aside the chicken and bird's nest porridge he had only drunk two spoonfuls of and said, "I'm full!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young eunuch handed him a hot towel to wipe his mouth, while another young eunuch stretched out his arm, waiting to help Feng Bao to his feet.

After wiping his mouth, Feng Bao asked, "Has the Embroidered Uniform Guard found out whose ten carts of gold and silver were on the street yesterday?"

"Half an hour ago, Commander Lü reported that the owner of the gold and silver has not yet been identified!"

Feng Bao's face was gloomy.

"Ten cartloads of gold and silver were just scattered on the street. How could the people not cause trouble if they saw it? I bet many people who resent the rich are already asking about its owner!"

"If it's an official's private property, it must have been obtained through embezzlement, and their home will inevitably be searched. If there's a search task, try to have Lü Hai handle it. That Shi Qing is too naive!"

As Feng Bao's adopted son, Lü Hai would naturally present the rare items he found during the search of Feng Bao's home as a token of his respect.

However, Shi Qing would record everything truthfully in the ledger and present it to the young Wanli Emperor.

If Shi Qing hadn't been so favored by the young Wanli Emperor, and if the three Grand Secretaries hadn't frequently praised him, Feng Bao would have found a reason to distance him from the young emperor long ago.

"Yes!" the young eunuch beside him replied, bowing.

at this time.

Another young eunuch rushed in from outside, stood at the door, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Zheng Xing, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Seal Office, has important business to discuss with you!"

"Zheng Xing?" Feng Bao smiled and said, "His godfather just died, and he's already trying to break down my door. He's clever enough, but coming so early in the morning is really impolite. He probably has something important to discuss. Let him in!"

The Directorate of Imperial Seals and Ribbons was one of the twelve directorates of the inner court.

Its main responsibility was to manage the archives of ancient and modern documents, iron certificates, imperial edicts, official documents, seals, books and documents, tallies and tokens, etc., which were the place where official documents were stored.

This government office may seem inconspicuous, but it is actually very lucrative.

Some minor eunuchs could easily make a living by selling intelligence or forging official seals and certificates.

The head of the Seal and Ribbon Bureau, namely the Grand Eunuch Zheng Sansi (a fourth-rank official), was an old eunuch who had been working in the Seal and Ribbon Bureau since the Jiajing era.

He died of illness seven days ago.

The current Directorate of Imperial Seals is temporarily managed by Zheng Xing, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Imperial Seals and the adopted son of Zheng Sansi, whose official rank is fifth grade.

soon.

A fair-skinned eunuch named Zheng Xing, who looked to be around thirty-five years old but was actually forty, appeared before Feng Bao.

"Pfft!"

Upon seeing Feng Bao, he immediately knelt on the ground and said anxiously, "Lord Supervisor, save... save me! The ten carts of gold and silver that were robbed on the street yesterday were... a gift from my godfather. I originally planned to transport them to a safe place outside the city before presenting them to you, Lord Supervisor. But before I even left the city, my cart was hit by someone. The people who hit the cart must have been sent by Fei Qi and Wang You, the Superintendents of the Imperial Academy. They want to kill me!"

"What? Those ten cartloads of gold and silver belong to Zheng Sansi?"

Feng Bao looked surprised, not because of the huge amount of gold and silver in ten carts.

He had assumed the gold and silver were embezzled by officials of the outer court, but he never expected it to have come from eunuchs of the inner court.

In Feng Bao's eyes, it was perfectly normal for an old eunuch who had worked in the palace for nearly thirty years to have 50,000 taels of private silver.

Eunuchs entered the palace.

None of them thought of making the emperor as virtuous as Yao and Shun when they were castrated, and none of them thought of becoming a respected and upright eunuch after entering the palace.

They all think about how to make more money and how to live a better life.

The eunuch had no offspring and had almost no contact with his family.

They knew that only by possessing a large amount of wealth could they enjoy their old age in peace. They needed a lot of gold and silver to support them in their old age, so many eunuchs began to save money as soon as they entered the palace.

Only money and power can make them feel that they are not disabled.

Over the years, Feng Bao has used all sorts of means to amass wealth, his aim being to enjoy his later years in peace.

Feng Bao's face turned cold, and he immediately realized that there was something wrong with Zheng Xing's words.

"Fei Qi and Wang You, the supervisors of the Imperial Household Department, are also Zheng Sansi's godson. Why did he give the gold and silver to you alone, instead of the other two? Did you want to keep it all to yourself, and then they found out?"

“Zheng Xing, only I can save you right now. If you don’t tell the truth, I will immediately take you to the imperial prison!” Feng Bao’s eyes were icy cold.

Once the imperial court learns that the ten cartloads of gold and silver belong to Zheng Sansi and that his adopted son Zheng Xing was trying to take them out of the city, both of them will have their homes confiscated, and Zheng Xing will be beaten to death.

A fourth-rank eunuch and a fifth-rank eunuch possessing a huge fortune of 50,000 taels of silver must have come from illegitimate sources, and the imperial court would certainly punish them severely. The impact of this matter on the people was extremely negative.

Feng Baojiu held a high position, his eyes sharp as knives.

Just a few words were enough to make Zheng Xing's legs tremble.

"My Lordship, I...I...I'm telling the truth!"

“My godfather is a miser. Over the years, he has often used his position as the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Seals to collect official fees. All three of us godsons know this. He has accumulated a lot of gold and silver over the years. In addition, he sold thousands of acres of land and exchanged them for gold and silver during the national land survey.”

"However, he refused to tell us where he hid his gold and silver on his deathbed, so we had to search for it secretly. Soon, I discovered a private residence that he had not told us about, and in the basement of that residence, I found ten chests of gold and silver."

“I was worried that Fei Qi and Wang You would soon discover this private residence, so I hired ten carriages and ten drivers, pretending that the contents were stone carvings, and had them transport them out of Chaoyang Gate. My men and I waited outside the city. Unexpectedly, an accident happened. I heard that an oxcart had collided with it, and I realized that Fei Qi and Wang You must have known that the gold and silver would soon be transported out of Chaoyang Gate, so they directly rammed the carriages. While robbing the money, they also... also tried to kill me…”

"Master, the Embroidered Uniform Guard can quickly find that private residence through those grooms, then my godfather, and then me. I... I don't want to die!"

Zheng Xing knew very well that the money was ill-gotten.

He discovered the illicit silver but did not report it to the court; instead, he attempted to move it out of the city, which was a capital offense.

Feng Bao thought for a moment and said to the eunuch beside him, "Take him to the tea room in the backyard first."

"Master, if we can retrieve this gold and silver and prove it's legal, I... I'm willing to give you ninety percent!"

"Hmph, who wants this dirty money!" Feng Bao sneered, and a young eunuch quickly pulled Zheng Xing away.

……

Inside the main hall.

Feng Bao paced back and forth, deep in thought.

His thoughts were not on saving Zheng Xing, nor on legitimizing the gold and silver in those ten carriages, but on how to save the twenty-four departments of the inner court (twelve directorates, four offices, and eight bureaus).

If the imperial court finds out that Zheng Sansi's ten cartloads of gold and silver were all obtained through embezzlement.

They will certainly confiscate Zheng Sansi's property immediately, as will confiscate the property of Zheng Sansi's three adopted sons.

after that.

An official in the imperial court would immediately submit a memorial, imploring the court to conduct a thorough investigation of the twenty-four departments of the inner court. If even a mere eunuch in charge of the seals of the Imperial Seal Office could embezzle 50,000 taels of silver, one can only imagine how much more powerful eunuchs could embezzle.

Some might even plead for a thorough investigation into Feng Bao.

To ensure the smooth implementation of his new policies, Zhang Juzheng would not target the Twenty-Four Offices of the Inner Court. However, there were still many officials in the court who opposed the eunuchs' interference in politics and were eager for the Directorate of Ceremonial to be abolished!
With this incident, the outer court will undoubtedly launch a fierce attack on the twenty-four departments of the inner court.

Currently, Feng Bao does not feel that his position is very secure.

To put it bluntly, all twenty-four departments of the inner court were the royal family's servants, and Feng Bao was merely the head of these servants.

He clearly sensed that his importance in the young Wanli Emperor's heart was far less than that of Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian.

In addition, Feng Bao believed that he understood the young Wanli Emperor better than anyone else.

The Longqing Emperor was lustful, while the young Wanli Emperor was greedy for money.

Some officials from the previous dynasty were unaware of this, but under the tutelage of Empress Dowager Li, the young Wanli Emperor firmly believed that money could get things done, and wished he could transfer all the gold and silver from the imperial treasury to the inner treasury.

Emperor Wanli was cold-hearted by nature; if the inner court embezzled his money, he would certainly punish them severely.

Feng Bao knew he couldn't withstand an investigation.

He thought for a moment and muttered, "Ten cartloads of gold and silver absolutely cannot be classified as embezzlement! Otherwise, everyone will think that the eunuchs in the inner court have too much power!"

A moment later, a smile appeared on Feng Bao's face.

"Bring Zheng Xing in."

Soon, Zheng Xing came to Feng Bao again.

Feng Bao looked at Zheng Xing and said, "If you want to save your life, do as I say from now on, and don't interrupt!"

"Yes, yes!" Zheng Xing suddenly felt that he was saved.

"Later, you will go to the imperial prison to confess and admit that you ordered these drivers to transport the ten cartloads of gold and silver out of the capital. After you are taken to the imperial prison, you must not say that the gold and silver were obtained by Zheng Sansi through embezzlement and bribery over the years. Instead, you should say that he had an affair with the eunuchs of the Imperial Treasury and that the silver in his possession was embezzled from the Imperial Treasury. As for who in the Imperial Treasury colluded with him, I will naturally find someone to take the blame!"

The Inner Treasury was one of the emperor's ten private treasuries, containing gold and silver sent from all over the country, as well as rent from imperial estates.

The treasury's accounts were not made public, and the eunuchs in charge reported directly to the young Wanli Emperor.

Zheng Xing was somewhat confused after hearing this, unsure of the difference between defining the ten cartloads of gold and silver as embezzled bribes or as embezzled silver from the inner transport treasury.

In either of these two cases, he would be beaten to death.

Seeing that he was a little stunned, Feng Bao immediately explained, "You really are a blockhead. If the ten cartloads of gold and silver were obtained by Zheng Sansi through embezzlement and bribery, then it involves the outer court. His Majesty will definitely order the Three Judicial Offices to investigate this matter. If the Three Judicial Offices investigate, then more eunuchs may have their homes confiscated."

"But if it is a matter of embezzling silver from the Inner Treasury, then it is a matter of the Inner Court. His Majesty does not want the outer court to know how much wealth is in the Ten Treasurys of the Inner Court. I will also be the one to try this case. At that time, I will pin all the blame on Zheng Sansi and some of the eunuchs who assisted him in embezzling gold and silver. You only stole gold and silver and did not embezzle it. So it is not a problem to spare your life!"

Zheng Xing immediately understood and said excitedly, "Thank you so much for saving my life, Your Excellency! But... Your Excellency, won't attributing this matter to embezzlement of the Imperial Treasury's gold and silver implicate you?"

Feng Bao straightened his chest.

"You'll definitely be implicated, but I can't let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch. Before you turn yourself in, hand over all your private wealth to the Directorate of Ceremonial. If an official insists on confiscating your property and finds out you're incredibly rich, then you'll be sentenced to death!"

"Yes Yes."

Zheng Xing knew that once the money he had saved was in the Directorate of Ceremonial, it would be impossible to get it out again, but in order to save his life, he had no choice but to listen to Feng Bao's advice.

Immediately after Zheng Xing left, Feng Bao summoned more than ten eunuchs around him into the room and began to seriously plan.

Although there were many factions within the inner court, no one dared to disobey Feng Bao's words.

Some eunuchs had been caught red-handed by Feng Bao, and they were willing to sacrifice their lives for him, otherwise they would rather die than live a life worse than death.

……

Near noon.

Just as the Embroidered Uniform Guard was about to discover that the origin of the ten cartloads of gold and silver was Zheng Sansi's private residence, Zheng Xing went to the imperial prison to surrender himself.

after that.

Fei Qi and Wang You, the supervisors of the Imperial Prison, also went to the Imperial Prison to surrender themselves, admitting that they had hired a group of thugs to ram horse-drawn carriages with oxcarts in order to rob them of their property.

The three men gave almost identical testimonies, all claiming that they were trying to seize the private silver left behind by Zheng Sansi after his death, and that Zheng Sansi had embezzled the money from the inner transport treasury.

Soon, the interrogation records of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were sent to the Wenhua Hall.

A case involving a palace eunuch embezzling gold and silver has been definitively confirmed as a case of misappropriation of gold and silver from the inner transport treasury.

"My money, all of this is my money!" the young Wanli Emperor nearly roared.

"The royal family doesn't even have enough to spend, yet he dares to do this! Feng Daban, investigate thoroughly! This matter must be thoroughly investigated, and all the gold and silver they embezzled must be found. As for your crimes, they will be dealt with after this matter is investigated!"

Feng Baoyou is guilty of dereliction of duty, a crime that can be serious or minor.

Immediately, the young Wanli Emperor looked at Cao Wei, the garrison commander of the Northern Garrison, and Lü Hai, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who were standing to the side.

"The Imperial Guards are responsible for finding the more than 20,000 taels of silver scattered throughout the streets!"

The young Wanli Emperor was very clear-headed.

These matters of the inner court were not to be interfered with by the outer court.

Once the outer court knows how much money the inner court has, it will be difficult for the young Wanli Emperor to seize the money from the imperial treasury in the future.

After a while.

Cao Wei and Lü Hai both left the Wenhua Hall, leaving only the young Wanli Emperor and Feng Bao inside.

"Pfft!"

Feng Bao knelt before the young Wanli Emperor.

“Your Majesty, this old servant is guilty! Those ten carts of gold and silver were not obtained by embezzling from the Imperial Treasury, but by Zheng Sansi taking advantage of his position to collude with court officials and embezzle and accept bribes!” Feng Bao suddenly told the young Wanli Emperor the truth.

"What? Then...then...how did we find out such a result?" Little Wanli asked, looking puzzled.

"Your Majesty, it was this old servant who intervened and discovered this result. There are three reasons why this old servant changed this matter without authorization."

"Firstly, if it is determined that these ten carts of gold and silver were obtained through embezzlement and bribery by Zheng Sansi, the outer court will inevitably intervene. At that time, these ten carts of gold and silver will all go into the Imperial Treasury instead of the Royal Treasury."

"Secondly, if officials from the outer court use this matter as a pretext to investigate the inner treasury, they will very likely find out the current amount of gold and silver in the inner court."

"Thirdly, the embezzlement of silver from the Imperial Treasury is a private matter of the royal family and has nothing to do with the common people. If it were to spread that an old eunuch had embezzled and accepted bribes of up to 50,000 taels of silver, the common people would surely be in uproar and it would affect the stability of our dynasty."

"Therefore, this old servant has dared to change the nature of this matter. This old servant is truly thinking of His Majesty!" Feng Bao said, lying on the ground, his voice trembling with sobs.

The young Wanli Emperor paused for a moment, then said, "You've done the right thing, the right thing. This is the way to consider the overall situation. If it were truly classified as embezzlement and bribery, those officials in the Censorate would also think that I have failed to control the inner court. This is the way to do it!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Bao breathed a long sigh of relief.

He made the right bet.

He knew that there were many loopholes in making the case of the eunuchs embezzling gold and silver into a case of misappropriating gold and silver from the Imperial Treasury, and that these loopholes might be exposed later.

Emperor Wanli (the young emperor) detested eunuchs lying to him the most.

In addition, the 50,000 taels of silver and the amount of gold and silver in the inner court should not be known to the outer court, which was of great attraction to the young Wanli Emperor.

Feng Bao had a thorough understanding of the young Wanli Emperor.

(End of this chapter)