Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 606: False accusation
"This is slander! Every word in this letter is fabricated. Please, Celestial Empire, do not..." Wu Yunqian became agitated before even finishing reading the letter. He abruptly raised his head to look at Yuan Keli, wanting to offer some explanation, but was startled to find that Yuan Keli was still looking at him coldly as before.

Yuan Keli not only maintained his posture, but his gaze remained completely unchanged. "Envoy Wu, please finish reading the letter before you speak."

"Oh dear!" Wu Yunqian could only lower his head in bewilderment and continue reading the remaining text.

The letter was already short, and the remaining text was even shorter. But Wu Yunqian was already intimidated by Yuan Keli's gaze. He dared not speak rashly, instead staring at the letter repeatedly, dragging out the time before finally raising his head to compose a defense: "Counselor Yuan, Councilor Gao, we are wronged! This is clearly slander. Our King is utterly loyal and sincere, and has never made peace with the enemy before war. I urge you both to submit a memorial to the court, requesting His Majesty to clear our small state of this injustice!" Wu Yunqian clutched the letter, his whole body trembling, his hands clasped awkwardly in a gesture of respect.

Yuan Keli didn't respond, but slowly extended a finger and gently pointed to Liu Yingyuan and Li Qingquan, who looked surprised and doubtful, beside Wu Yunqian. "Please pass the letter over there. Envoys Liu and Li haven't read it yet."

Wu Yunqian's carefully chosen words stuck in his throat. His face turned pale, like a wilted eggplant that had just been touched by frost. Wu Yunqian remained motionless, and Yuan Keli waited quietly.

"Sigh!" After another heavy sigh, Wu Yunqian finally threw the letter away.

The letter slid across the table and came to rest right next to Liu Yingyuan's teacup.

Before Liu Yingyuan could even reach for the letter, he glanced at it subconsciously, and his expression changed. However, by this time, Liu Yingyuan was somewhat prepared, so he simply read the letter without saying a word, and then silently handed it to Li Qingquan.

Li Qingquan put down his pen, took the letter with both hands, and just as he turned around to read it, he suddenly felt someone tug at his clothes under the table.

Who else could it be? Li Qingquan glanced at Liu Yingyuan with suspicion and noticed that the white-bearded Deputy Envoy of the Holy Festival was currently hunched over and bowing his head, like a child who hadn't memorized his lessons but had to face the teacher's questions.

There was no exchange between the two, not even a glance. But Li Qingquan quickly understood that the two tugs meant "Don't copy."

“Councilor Yuan, Councilor Gao.” Wu Yunqian clenched his fist, suppressing his trembling, and waited until Li Qingquan put down the letter in his hand before speaking. “Our small nation has been loyal and obedient for two hundred years, and has never disobeyed our motherland, the Celestial Empire. I beg the court not to fall for the enemy’s divisive tactics during the great war, as happened in the Imjin War.”

The "Imjin Incident" mentioned by Wu Yunqian refers to the rumors that circulated in Liaodong and among the court and the public before the Ming army's aid to Korea during the Imjin War. At that time, the Japanese pirates landed in Busan and fought their way through Gyeongsang, Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces, forcing King Yi Yeon to flee north and send envoys to request aid.

However, due to previous events, the Ming Dynasty had begun to doubt Joseon's loyalty. Many ministers in the court believed that Joseon might be colluding with Japan to invade the Ming Dynasty. The claim that Joseon had been invaded by Japanese soldiers and that most of its territory had been lost was merely a lie to cover up a deception. Some even suspected that the king who sent envoys to request aid was an imposter hired by the Japanese pirates.

Although subsequent events proved these rumors to be false, and Korea had indeed been invaded by Japan, the back-and-forth verification and investigation still wasted more than a month. By the time Zu Chengxun led 3,000 Ming soldiers from Liaodong across the Yalu River for the first time to meet the King of Uiju, Hanyang, Kaesong, and Pyongyang had all fallen, and Korea had effectively ceased to exist.

"Sowing discord? Ha!" A hostile aura emanated from Yuan Keli's nostrils. "I would like to ask Envoy Wu, what reason does Wang Dutang, a loyal subject of the enemy camp who once received the grace of my late emperor to restore the country and whose heart was with the Han, have to incite discord between our dynasty and your country when our military strength is at its peak, when news of victory spreads throughout Liaodong, and when the restoration of the country is in sight?"

Wu Yunqian was taken aback, sensing a hidden meaning in Yuan Keli's words. After a moment's thought, he suddenly realized: "Does Councilor Yuan not know that this chieftain of the fallen Southern Pass is now the son-in-law of a slave chieftain?"

“Of course I know.” Yuan Keli nodded lightly. “Wang Dutang married a slave chieftain woman named Manggu Ji, and the two have two daughters and a son.”

"That's right!" A look of joy suddenly appeared on Wu Yunqian's pale face. He stretched out his hand and excitedly pointed to the letter still placed in front of Li Qingquan, "This is clearly a scheme by that slave chieftain to sow discord through his treacherous son-in-law! I urge Councilor Yuan and Councilor Gao to submit a memorial to the Emperor to defend our small state from this accusation!"

Yuan Keli maintained his cold expression: "Has the Wu envoy heard of the coup that occurred last year in the rebel's lair?"

"What does this have to do with this?" Wu Yunqian asked in surprise. A slightly sickly smile froze on his face.

“It seems that Envoy Wu has also heard about this,” Yuan Keli nodded slightly, then asked, “Does Envoy Wu know why this upheaval has occurred?”

“Isn’t Daishan’s merit too great and a threat to the emperor? Sal.” Wu Yunqian paused noticeably, quickly swallowing the words that were about to escape his throat. After all, Daishan’s “merit” was the Ming army’s “defeat.” More importantly, the letter of denunciation mainly concerned the matter of King Yi Hun of Joseon instructing Grand Marshal Kang Hong-rip to collude with Daishan, leading to the defeat on the eastern front.

“Perhaps the reason for the discord between father and son is that the son’s merits are too great and threaten the emperor’s position,” Yuan Keli’s eyes flickered. “But the cause of this matter is an internal strife.”

"Internal strife?" Wu Yunqian asked in surprise, "Dai Shan raped that Manggu Ji?"

“It’s not adultery between siblings, it’s a son having sex with his father’s concubine,” Yuan Keli said.

"A son having an affair with his father's concubine?" Wu Yunqian was even more puzzled. He really didn't understand why the affair could be used to prove the reliability of that letter of denunciation.

"The slave chieftain's concubine who was raped by the evil and good was Manggu Ji's mother, a woman named 'Gundai'."

"Mang Gu Ji's mother?" Wu Yunqian immediately retorted, "That woman is probably older than me, isn't she?"

A short, abrupt laugh slightly eased the seriousness in the reception room.

“Who knows what that wicked man is thinking?” Yuan Keli glanced in the direction of the laughter, but only saw three solemn faces. “Perhaps he wants to tell the story of the Third Daughter of the Shunyi King. But he’s too hasty; the slave chieftain isn’t dead yet.”

San Niangzi was the wife of Altan Khan, the leader of the Tumed Mongols. Legend has it that San Niangzi was "intelligent from a young age, fluent in Tibetan scripts, clever and charming, and skilled in riding and archery." At the age of nine, she was given to Altan Khan by his father, Zheheng Aha, as a means of "marriage for peace and harmony." In March of the fifth year of the Longqing reign (1571), the Ming court bestowed upon Altan Khan the title of Prince Shunyi and specially conferred upon the "renowned" San Niangzi the title of Lady Zhongshun. In the ninth year of the Wanli reign (1582), Altan Khan died, and his eldest son, Xin'ai Huangtaiji, succeeded him as leader of the Tumed Mongols. The following year, following Mongolian custom, Xin'ai Huangtaiji adopted his stepmother, San Niangzi, and inherited his father's title as the second Prince Shunyi.

In the thirteenth year of the Wanli reign, Xin'ai Huang Taiji died, and his son Chelike ascended the throne. San Niangzi married Shunyi Prince for the third time.

In the thirty-fifth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Cheli Ke died. His grandson, Busitu, the fifth-generation descendant of Anda Khan, and Su Xiang, the grandson of San Niangzi, engaged in a power struggle over the Tumed tribe and the succession to the Shunyi throne, resulting in a prolonged delay in the enfeoffment of the prince. Amidst the turmoil of public opinion, war was imminent.

In the thirty-ninth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Xin'ai Huang Taiji's second son, Altan Khan's grandson, and the Five Routes Baduer Taiji, gathered the Seventy-Three Routes of Mongol Taiji and advanced towards Sunang. To avoid war and resume tribute relations, San Niangzi agreed to follow the agreement Altan Khan had made with the Ming court before his death—"the throne will be passed down through generations to ensure the loyalty of the tribes"—and transferred the Shunyi King's Seal to Bushitu. She then married Bushitu, making him the current Shunyi King. At this time, San Niangzi was over sixty years old.

After that day, Yuan Keli was completely baffled. He couldn't understand why the young and vigorous Dai Shan would commit adultery with his father's concubine. After much thought, he could only regard "Gun Dai" as the chieftain's third wife as a way to find some answers.

“Please, Councilor Yuan, be wise! Although this Governor Wang has received the Emperor’s favor, he is still a barbarian,” Wu Yunqian argued, using derogatory terms as a defense. “How could he possibly turn against the wicked and the good, or even the chieftain, over such a matter?”

“No,” Yuan Keli shook his head gently. “What I mean is that Manggu Ji is probably also determined to rebel. Because her mother, that ‘roller’, has already been executed by the slave chieftain. If the daughter rebels, why should the son-in-law be loyal? Moreover, the slave chieftain is Wang Dutang’s father’s killer.”

This rebuttal was flawless, and Wu Yunqian completely panicked. He racked his brains, and in the end, he could only weakly argue, "Whether this letter was written by that Wang Dutang is still uncertain. Perhaps, perhaps this letter was forged by that Amin, just to incite the Celestial Empire to obstruct aid before invading the small southern states."

“That is indeed possible,” Yuan Keli replied calmly.

“That must be it! That Amin is extremely vicious and cunning.” Wu Yunqian immediately chimed in, intending to strike while the iron was hot and continue to defend himself. However, he was interrupted by Yuan Keli with a raised hand.

"There's no smoke without fire!" Yuan Keli said in a low voice, "How does Envoy Wu explain the death of Commander Qiao?"

Wu Yunqian stopped abruptly, goosebumps rising all over his body. This was the first time he had seen such obvious displeasure in the eyes of Yuan, the Councilor. He glanced sideways unconsciously and met Liu Yingyuan's gaze.

"Qiao Youji did indeed commit suicide to uphold his principles," Wu Yunqian replied dryly.

“Even if it was suicide, Guerrilla Qiao was driven to desperation by Jiang Hongli, which is why he committed suicide.” Yuan Keli knew that Wu Yunqian had not participated in that great battle and had nothing to do with Qiao Yiqi’s death, so even when he spoke of the painful and emotional parts, he suppressed his pent-up anger. “After I came to Zhenjiang, I heard from more than one person that Jiang Hongli, Jin Jingrui, and other Xian generals not only surrendered to the Jurchens but also wanted to bind Guerrilla Qiao and present him to the Jurchen chieftain as a sign of submission. Guerrilla Qiao was attacked from both sides and had no way to break through, so he could only bow to the imperial palace and throw himself off a cliff to die, so as not to dishonor the country and himself.” By the end, Yuan Keli’s voice was trembling.

"Now, the remains of Commander Qiao are nowhere to be found, and his family can only erect a cenotaph for him in Shanghai, while that so-called Marshal Jiang Hongli was sent back to his country by the slave chieftain and is still alive and well!" Yuan Keli took a deep breath. "Envoy Wu, the facts are so clear, how can you expect us to believe that your country is selfless towards the slave traitors?"

“He…” Wu Yunqian tried to explain, but he couldn’t find the words to defend himself. “Jiang Panyin—no! Jiang Hongli. Jiang Hongli has been arrested and is being tried in the Uijinfu. Soon, I believe the Uijinfu will be able to find out his crimes and give the Celestial Empire an explanation!” Wu Yunqian didn’t know if the Uijinfu could find out the truth about Jiang Hongli, but that was all he could say at the moment.

"What exactly is the Yijin Prefecture?" Lu Wenzhao abruptly interrupted, his voice as cold as ice.

Wu Yunqian didn't respond immediately. He looked in the direction of the voice and then quickly glanced at Yuan Keli. To his surprise, Yuan Keli's expression didn't become more unpleasant because of the officer's interruption; instead, it gradually softened.

Wu Yunqian glanced at Lu Wenzhao, but he still kept a close eye on Yuan Keli's expression, using most of his attention. "This Heavenly General. The Righteousness Bureau of our small state is comparable to the Court of Judicial Review of the Celestial Empire, or rather, the Imperial Guard." When he uttered the words "Imperial Guard," Wu Yunqian suddenly felt a strange jolt in his heart.

Lu Wenzhao raised his left eyebrow and lowered his right, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "Where is the Righteous Forbidden Prefecture?"

“Of course, it’s in Wangjing.” Wu Yunqian didn’t understand why the commander was asking this question.

"Where in Wangjing?" Lu Wenzhao asked again.

"It's right next to the palace, what's wrong?" Wu Yunqian's sense of foreboding grew stronger.

Lu Wenzhao didn't feel obligated to answer Wu Yunqian's question. He leaned back and casually tossed out, "Nothing much, just asking casually."

Wu Yunqian looked at Lu Wenzhao with suspicion. Before he could think further, Yuan Keli's voice interrupted his thoughts: "Envoy Wu, isn't it a bit too late for your country to start interrogating Jiang Hongli now?"

Wu Yunqian suddenly turned around and explained to Yuan Keli, "Councilor Yuan, you are very perceptive. Even if Xiaobang wanted to conduct the trial sooner, there was no way to do so. The slave chieftain only released Jiang Hongli, Jin Jingrui, and other criminal generals back to Xiaobang last month. Before that, they had been in the slave chieftain's hands all along."

“I know,” Yuan Keli said quietly. “I not only know that they have been in the hands of the slave chieftain, but I also know that they have been living very well. The slave thieves like to abduct people into slavery. Anyone captured by them, whether an official or a commoner, has to shave their head and change their clothes. But Jiang Hongli and his group were treated well. Not only were they not forced to shave their heads and change their clothes, but there are also rumors that the slave chieftain once planned to marry his unmarried young daughter to Jiang Hongli. Why does Envoy Wu think this is?”

"This must be the chieftain's doing!" Wu Yunqian, quick-witted, connected the dots: "They treated the surrendered generals like Jiang Hongli well, and then deliberately spread rumors to sow discord between the Celestial Empire and our small state! Think about it carefully, why did they release them now, right when they were stationed at Kuandian and about to attack our small state? They released them while spreading rumors, and then sent this letter to slander our small state and defame our king. This is clearly a series of schemes by the slave traitors. I implore you gentlemen to investigate!"

As he spoke, Wu Yunqian stood up again, but before he could kneel down with Liu and Li, he heard a shout: "Sit back down!"

(End of this chapter)