Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 726 Method of Closing the Case
In a quiet tea room in the back hall of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Wang An was stroking the gold pocket watch in his hand. His brows were furrowed, and his face showed worry.

Luo Sigong sat beside him, his expression equally serious.

"Marshal Wei," Wang An suddenly turned his head, feigning ignorance, and asked, "Isn't it your young marshal in charge of things in Korea?"

“Master Wang,” Luo Sigong was incredibly astute, and he guessed Wang An’s thoughts almost instantly. “You want my son to investigate the backgrounds of Consort Xiang and Consort Ding?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I meant.” Wang An couldn’t help but chuckle as his thoughts were laid bare. “The deeper you look into the waters of Korea, the more murky they become. I’m afraid I won’t be able to rest easy until I find out their origins.”

"Are they favored?" Luo Sigong asked expressionlessly.

"Commander Wei, you were present when the conferment was held at the beginning of the year. You should know that there are only three imperial concubines who are under the age of 8." Wang An did not give a direct answer.

"I will write to my son as soon as I get back, and ask him to do his best to thoroughly investigate the origins of these Korean tribute women," Luo Sigong stated first, and then added, "However, before that, I still feel it is necessary to inform the Emperor of your concerns in a timely manner."

"General Wei, do not worry." Wang An opened the lid and checked the time. "I will go to the palace later to tell the Emperor about this."

"Alright. I'll go back and write the letter now." Luo Sigong stood up and bowed to Wang An.

"I'll see you out." Wang An put away his pocket watch and gestured towards the door, inviting the door to let him in.

"No need for Your Excellency to trouble yourself, I know the way," Luo Sigong politely declined.

“Let’s go, let’s go. It’s just a few steps, it’s not a big deal.” Wang An walked to the door, but before he could push it open, he saw a figure swaying through the window. “Who’s outside!” He yanked the door open.

"Godfather." Cao Huachun was taken aback and subconsciously took a half step back. "It's me."

"You do it," Wang An said after a moment's hesitation. "Is Cui Wensheng here?"

“It’s him,” Cao Huachun nodded. “He’s waiting in the hall.”

“Let him come, I’ll see him here,” Wang An said.

“Yes,” Cao Huachun immediately accepted the order. “I will go now.” Before leaving, Cao Huachun did not forget to bow to Luo Sigong.

Luo Sigong returned the greeting with a smile, and before Cao Huachun could leave his sight, he turned to Wang An and said, "Master Wang, Cui Dongchang is here now, probably to discuss the case of Marquis Wuqing, right?"

Wang An remained silent for a moment, but then nodded: "You are as perceptive as ever."

“This case involves quite a few people,” Luo Sigong chuckled, then asked cautiously, “What are the Eastern Depot’s plans?”

“The Marquis of Wuqing’s mansion has been operating for forty years, and its roots are deep and its connections are numerous.” Wang An’s first sentence made Luo Sigong’s heart tighten, but the following sentence made him quickly relax: “Even I can’t help but have some formalities with them during festivals.”

“Sigh,” Luo Sigong immediately nodded in agreement. “Who isn’t?”

"The case of the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva was orchestrated by Li Guorui's subordinates. They did it very discreetly, but through twists and turns, they eventually uncovered the truth," Wang An said. "The cases in Tianjin and Guangning were more extensive, but we couldn't find anything worth investigating further."

"So," Luo Sigong pondered carefully, his heart easing slightly, "the case is almost closed?"

“I called Cui Wensheng over today to discuss the case’s closure. If Commander Luo is interested in hearing about it, he might as well stay and sit for a while longer.” Wang An pointed to the chair where Luo Sigong had been sitting.

“Of course I’m interested, but things are more important right now.” Luo Sigong’s ears twitched, and he seemed to hear footsteps getting closer and closer. “I’d better go back as soon as possible and write to North Korea. Otherwise, things might get complicated and you’ll be worried.”

--------

Luo Sigong walked very fast, as if afraid of running into Cui Wensheng. However, although there were two entrances to the courtyard, they were both on the same path. Luo Sigong had just stepped out of the courtyard gate and hadn't even had time to run towards the other entrance when Cui Wensheng saw him and called out, "Commander Luo!"

Luo Sigong's eye twitched. He turned his head, forcing a smile onto his face. "Admiral Cui!"

Cui Wensheng jogged up to Luo Sigong, smiled, and bowed, saying, "Commander Luo, are you going back already?"

“I would like to get closer to Admiral Cui,” Luo Sigong returned the greeting. “However, Minister Wang is waiting, so I won’t delay any longer.”

Cui Wensheng nodded, but did not leave immediately: "Does Commander Luo know what the Ancestor wanted to talk to me about?"

"The Marquis of Wuqing must have unearthed quite a few things, right?" Luo Sigong asked.

Cui Wensheng understood, yet seemed not to. "In terms of gold and silver alone, they have less than the Zheng family's wealth. But the Li family's mansions, especially Qinghua Garden, are truly beautiful. The landscapes, pavilions, and terraces are comparable to the West Garden. Truly worthy of a marquis who started as a bricklayer!"

"What are the palace's plans to do with these things?" Luo Sigong followed up on his question.

“What else can we do? We’ll just sell it off and cash it out as usual,” Cui Wensheng said, pursing his lips. “But that’s a matter for the bank, not for us. If Luo Weishuai is interested in taking it over, he can ask Eunuch Wei.”

"Oh dear! I dare not take this opportunity." Luo Sigong shrugged. "Besides, someone has spent hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels of silver to build this garden. Even if I dared to take it, I don't have that kind of financial resources."

“Hehe, that’s true. After all, you’re so honest and upright.” Cui Wensheng was clearly flattering him, but Luo Sigong heard it as sarcasm. “Alright, I should go in and see the old ancestor now. Let’s talk another day.”

"Definitely," Luo Sigong agreed with a smile. But as soon as he turned his head, his face fell.

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The door to the tea room was open, and Cui Wensheng walked straight in.

He approached Wang An, lifted his robe, and kowtowed. "This servant greets Your Majesty."

"Sit down." Wang An didn't point out the chair Luo Sigong had been sitting in to Cui Wensheng, but instead told him to sit in the first seat on the left.

"Thank you, Ancestor." Cui Wensheng stood up and sat down, his posture so restrained it was almost obedient. "You should already know what I called you here to discuss today." Wang An got up, walked to the door, pressed the door frame, and gently pushed it open.

The door slammed against the frame with a loud bang, as if striking Cui Wensheng's heart. "Yes. This servant just asked Commander Luo. Commander Luo said that the Old Ancestor summoned this servant to discuss the case of Marquis Wuqing."

Wang An returned to his seat, his cloudy old eyes fixed intently on Cui Wensheng. "After investigating for so long, have you found the person who fabricated the slanderous words against the emperor?"

"This case..." In an instant, cold sweat covered Cui Wensheng's forehead. "Wasn't it Li Mingcheng and his son Li Guorui who did it?"

"So you didn't find anything?" Wang An said casually.

"Rumors circulating in the streets are inherently difficult to uncover," Cui Wensheng argued. "Back then, in the case of the 'seditious book,' the late emperor mobilized the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Military Command, the Three Judicial Offices, and even the patrol battalion, but in the end, they still couldn't find the mastermind. Moreover, those involved in the Li family case were all well-known dukes and marquises. Many methods simply couldn't be used. Let alone those dukes and marquises, even their servants could only be politely invited in for questioning. Now, let alone clues, we haven't even found a single trace."

"Sigh," Wang An clenched his sleeve and sighed helplessly. "That madman is vicious and rebellious. He used the tragedy in the palace to slander the emperor and father, and to damage the royal family's relationship. But in the end, not only did we fail to catch him, we had to help him cover it up. Cui Wensheng!"

"Yes, sir," Cui Wensheng replied nervously.

"Let's close the case." Wang An slumped back in his chair.

The case is closed. These two words sound as light as a feather, but they contain a weight heavier than Mount Tai.

"May I ask, ancestor, how should this case be resolved?" Cui Wensheng asked with an awkward smile.

"You don't know?" Wang An asked quietly. "You should already know, shouldn't you?"

"Master," Cui Wensheng pressed, forcing himself to get to the bottom of it, "Does he really intend to kill Li Guorui?"

“Our master is wise and will not show leniency to such people,” Wang An said.

“Your Majesty is right.” Cui Wensheng raised his sleeve and wiped his forehead. “However, I think it would be better to wait until the outer court, especially until the officials of the Six Ministries and Thirteen Circuits have discussed the matter, before taking any action.

“Appropriate? For whom?” Wang An didn’t need to think too much to know what Cui Wensheng was planning.

“Of course,” Cui Wensheng swallowed hard. “For the Eastern Depot and the Inner Court, no matter what, Li Guorui is the heir to the Marquis of Wuqing and a cousin of the Emperor. To kill him, there has to be an impeccable reason. If he dies in the Eastern Depot’s prison without any explanation, people outside might suspect that the Inner Court ordered the Eastern Depot to kill him to cover it up.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Wang An said. “His Majesty said himself that Li Guorui would not be shown any leniency. Right there in the South Study, in front of everyone.”

Cui Wensheng was taken aback. "Your Majesty, you've misunderstood. How could I be worried about that? I'm afraid that public opinion will ruin the palace's reputation. If we just kill Li Guorui like this, even if people outside know that His Majesty personally ordered his execution, some will say that we urged His Majesty to close the case quickly. I myself am covered in filth, and I don't care if I have a few buckets of excrement poured on me, but if this implicates the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Your Majesty, how could I bear it?"

After a brief silence, Wang An said, "But there are still some shady aspects to the Li family's case. If we hand the case over to the three judicial departments for trial, that scoundrel Li Guorui will definitely overturn the verdict openly and insist that he didn't commit the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva's case. If that happens, it will cause a huge uproar. Wouldn't your Eastern Depot be accused of hastily closing the case, or even of protecting the real culprit?"

“Your Majesty, I don’t mean to hand the case over to the outer court for investigation. I just want to hear what the censors have to say, so they can sentence Li Guorui to death first.” Seeing that Wang An’s attitude had softened, Cui Wensheng immediately seized the opportunity. “If they sentence him to death, then we can kill him, and things will be much more legitimate.”

"Will it work?" Wang An frowned and scratched his chin. "Don't try to be too clever and cause some trouble."

"No problem!" Cui Wensheng replied quickly. "We don't even need to consult with any censors. We just need to publish the details of the Tianjin shipwreck case and the Guangning smuggling case, as well as the fact that Li Guorui arbitrarily abused and killed servants. Those pedantic and corrupt censors will swarm like flies to filth, vying for this reputation of being upright and incorruptible, and of remonstrating against the纨绔 (playboy)!"

"Ha," Wang An stared intently at Cui Wensheng, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "As the saying goes, 'A scholar should be viewed with new respect after three days of separation.' Cui Wensheng, you've really made something of yourself."

Upon hearing the praise, Cui Wensheng was immediately delighted. He suppressed the upturn of his lips, got up, knelt down beside Wang An, and said, "Although I am a piece of rotten wood that is difficult to carve, since His Majesty and the Ancestor have been working so hard to figure me out, if I still make no progress, I might as well just throw myself into the fire as firewood."

"Alright, go back and prepare." Wang An smiled with satisfaction and stood up. "I'll go to the palace now and tell the master about your idea."

"Isn't there a need to be in such a hurry?" Cui Wensheng got up, chased to the door, and squinted at the sky. "Judging from this, it should be almost time to close the door." Wang An's urgency made Cui Wensheng inexplicably nervous, and he couldn't help but wonder if Wang An's smile just now was genuine.

“There’s still more than an hour left, we have enough time.” Wang An took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, then didn’t say anything more to Cui Wensheng.

--------

A quarter of an hour later, the palanquin carrying Wang An came to a steady stop at the entrance of the Western Six Palaces area.

Although the eunuch guarding the gate was somewhat surprised, he still bowed respectfully and didn't ask a single question.

Wang An strode across the straight path enclosed by the walls of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the Palace of Heavenly Purity, then turned a corner and arrived at the Qixiang Gate. He did not go in immediately, but stopped in his tracks.

"Go and inform them." Wang An gestured to the eunuch on his right to turn around, then beckoned to the eunuch on his left. "You search them."

"Yes!" The eunuch on the right turned and jogged inside.

"This servant has been rude." The eunuch on the left put on a big smile and groped Wang An's body. "Grandfather, you've come at a really bad time."

"Is this the wrong time? Your Majesty, are you resting so early?" Wang An paused for a moment.

"No," the eunuch said in a low voice, "It's just that His Majesty is in a bad mood."

"To whom?" Wang An's already furrowed brows deepened.

“It should be Consort Guo,” the eunuch said.

Wang An thought carefully for a while before recalling Guo Jinyu's face. "What did she do?"

"He didn't do anything, he just had his own maid beaten up." After saying this, the eunuch withdrew his hand from Wang An's body.

Wang An was baffled by the "beating of the palace maid." Before he could ask any further questions, the eunuch who had gone in to announce the news ran over. "Your Majesty, the Emperor summons you in."

(End of this chapter)