Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 771 A Stormy Night, Murder to Silence
"Start your own business?" Gao Yingqiu asked in surprise and delight.

“That’s right. His Majesty has long wanted to establish an inner court to oversee maritime trade, but he has been struggling to find suitable personnel.” Gao Shiming spoke with great enthusiasm, displaying an air of self-assurance. “And your godfather, I, happened to be there at the right time, deeply understanding His Majesty’s wishes, and through the support of the people, the opportune moment, and the favorable location, I have gained His Majesty’s favor and been entrusted with this important task!”

The joy in Gao Yingqiu's eyes faded slightly as he pondered, "Isn't this just the Maritime Trade Office? What kind of important task is this?"

The Maritime Trade Office, officially known as the Maritime Trade Supervisory Office, can be traced back to the Maritime Trade Commissioner of the Tang Dynasty nearly a thousand years ago. Following the Yuan and Song dynasties, the Ming Dynasty established the Maritime Trade Supervisory Office, subordinate to the Provincial Administration Commission, to manage tribute and trade affairs with overseas countries. In the first year of the Wu Dynasty (1362), the Maritime Trade Supervisory Office was established in Taicang Prefecture, Zhili Province, and a branch office was set up. In the third year of the Hongwu reign (1373), due to Taicang's proximity to the capital, the offices were relocated to Guangzhou in Guangdong, Quanzhou in Fujian, and Ningbo in Zhejiang.

After more than two hundred years of being abolished and re-established, and then reopened and abolished again, by the first year of the Taichang reign, only two places in the entire Ming Dynasty still had maritime trade offices: Guangzhou in Guangdong and Fuzhou in Fujian.

“What Maritime Trade Office?” Gao Shiming snapped. “The General Administration of Customs!”

"The General Administration of Customs sounds quite prestigious," Gao Yingqiu chuckled again. "So you're... the Director-General?"

“Exactly!” Gao Shiming nodded emphatically, then proudly raised his head.

"So what rank is this Director-General?" Gao Yingqiu asked excitedly. "A eunuch? A junior eunuch?"

Gao Shiming shook his head.

"Then the bureau chief and deputy bureau chief?" Gao Yingqiu asked again.

Gao Shiming still shook his head.

"He's not just a minor official, is he?" Gao Yingqiu's face fell.

"I don't know." Gao Shiming now only knew that he had been appointed by the emperor as the head of the General Administration. As for anything else, he knew nothing. Not to mention the rank and position of the head of the General Administration, he didn't even know where the General Administration of Customs was located, what it did, whether there were any branches under the General Administration, or what its relationship was with the old Maritime Trade Office.

"Don't know?" Gao Yingqiu was taken aback.

"After leaving the Qianqing Palace, I was in a daze the whole time, just nodding at everything I was told, and I didn't have the time to ask any questions," Gao Shiming explained. "But judging from how solemn Old Ancestor Wang was, his rank must not be low."

"Hmph," Gao Yingqiu grumbled, "You were just saying I wasn't steady enough. You're not much better yourself."

"What did you say?" Gao Shiming's eyes widened.

“I said,” Gao Yingqiu immediately straightened up and said seriously, “You truly deserve to be called my godfather!”

"That's more like it." Gao Shi understood Gao Yingqiu's expression.

Gao Yingqiu felt the room was getting dark, so he got up and walked to the window, opened it slightly, and called out against the wind and rain, "Someone, light the lamp!"

His shout was mostly swallowed up by the torrential rain as soon as it came out, but fortunately there was no thunder to interrupt it, so it still carried far.

"Coming right up!" Before long, He Xiaokui came running over eagerly with a tinderbox. He ran close to the wall, but he still couldn't avoid getting splashed by the rain.

He Xiaokui didn't push the door open roughly, but gently opened it a crack, squeezed in sideways, and bowed twice. "Master Gao, Vice President Gao. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Gao Yingqiu ignored him and simply waved his hand before returning to Gao Shiming's side, kneeling down and saying, "Godfather, when will you take office?"

Upon hearing this, He Xiaokui paused immediately in his action of lighting the lamp.

"It's hard to say, but it should be sometime this month," Gao Shiming said. "We need to finish our current tasks as much as possible first, and then prepare for the handover."

"Handover?" Gao Yingqiu blinked. "Handover with whom?"

"How would I know?" Gao Shiming said. "We'll just hand over the work to whoever the head office sends. It's never a bad thing to be prepared."

"Then," Gao Yingqiu grinned, scratching the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly, "son, could we take this opportunity..."

Gao Shiming immediately guessed what Gao Yingqiu wanted to say: "Take over my current position?"

"Mm." Gao Yingqiu nodded.

"Hehe." Gao Shiming chuckled twice and said in a low voice, "Well, kid, you've gotten too big for your britches. You really don't want to work for your godfather anymore?"

"Look at what you're saying!" Gao Yingqiu quickly explained, "How could your son have such thoughts? Your son is twenty-nine this year, and will be thirty next year. Confucius said, 'At fifteen, one sets one's mind on learning; at thirty, one stands firm.' Your son has always been by your side, always under your protection, so how could he possibly stand firm?"

Gao Shiming hesitated for a moment, his gaze softening considerably. He reached out and stroked Gao Yingqiu's face. "Yes, that's true. Even birds have to leave the nest when they grow up. Since you're interested, I'll ask around for you. If it's allowed, you can stay."

"Thank you, godfather! Thank you, godfather!" Gao Yingqiu immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times to Gao Shiming.

Gao Shiming accepted the criticism calmly, then patted Gao Yingqiu's head: "Alright. Get up. If you really succeed to this position, don't disgrace your godfather."

"Yes! Son understands!" Gao Yingqiu replied excitedly. He Xiaokui also silently withdrew his gaze.

--------

The night was as black as ink, spilling across the sky above the capital. Pale flashes of lightning, accompanied by the roar of rolling thunder, tore through the thick, dark clouds. Torrential rain poured down, washing over the world, yet unable to cleanse the blood and despair that seeped deep into the bricks and stones of the Eastern Depot's dungeon. Deep underground, in the damp, cold passageways, footsteps echoed sharply against the stone walls. Three figures were struggling to descend. Leading them was Cui Yuan, the head of the Eastern Depot's Criminal Investigation Department. He wore an oilcloth raincoat, raindrops dripping from the edges, and a pine torch crackled in his hand.

The torchlight barely illuminated the distance a few steps in front of him, and also faintly reflected the expression on his face that was a mixture of impatience, gloom, and tension.

Behind Cui Yuan followed two trusted servants. One carried a wooden tray with a pot of wine and several dishes of food that were not clearly distinguishable as meat or vegetables. The other had a roll of rough hemp rope hanging loosely over his shoulder, the knots dangling like a lurking venomous snake, silently announcing its purpose.

The further down you go, the stronger the foul stench of mold, putrefaction, and blood becomes, almost solidifying into a sticky paste that clings to your mouth and nose, making you want to vomit.

Finally, they stopped in front of a single cell deep inside the dungeon. The wooden door here was thicker and heavier than the others, covered with dark, mottled marks.

"Open the door." Cui Yuanchao raised his head forward.

"Yes." The guard with the hemp rope immediately took a key from his waist and stepped forward to open the door.

The key scraped against the lock cylinder, the chain smacked against the wooden bars. The cell door was pushed open with a teeth-grinding creak, and damp, putrid air, carrying an intense sense of despair, rushed in.

The light shone into the cage, first illuminating the scattered straw on the ground, its original color no longer discernible, and the dirty earthen bed in the corner that could barely be called a "bed".

Li Guorui was curled up on the kang (a heated brick bed), his tattered prison uniform soaked with cold sweat and dampness, clinging tightly to his bony frame.

The prolonged confinement, the constant and repetitive interrogations, and the screams and wails in the cell had long since worn down the once robust and arrogant Marquis of Wuqing, leaving him emaciated. His spirit was also on the verge of collapse.

The sound of the door opening and the blinding light startled him from his restless sleep. Li Guorui shuddered violently, shrinking his body like a frightened wild beast, his cloudy eyes staring in terror at the sudden flash of light—and the figure holding a torch.

Cui Yuan strode into the cell, the stench of decay and despair seemingly having no effect on him. He handed the pine torch in his hand to the empty-handed guard beside him, his voice flat and emotionless: "Light the lamp."

The guard bowed and took the torch, skillfully lighting the two oil lamps in the wall recesses. The tiny flames flickered, weak but enough to dispel a small patch of thick darkness. The scene inside the cell became clearer, but also more wretched.

Cui Yuan then turned to another servant carrying a tray and gestured towards the earthen bed. He himself went over first, completely unconcerned about the filth on the bed, brushed off his clothes, and sat down. The servant placed the tray on the edge of the bed; the rough porcelain wine pot and several dishes illuminated by the firelight looked particularly out of place in this hellish environment.

After putting down their things, the servant quietly retreated, disappearing into the shadows by the door with his companion, like two silent statues.

Cui Yuan picked up the wine pot and slowly poured two cups of wine. The wine was cloudy and shimmered faintly under the dim light. "Young Marquis," he said, handing one of the cups to Li Guorui, who was still huddled in the corner trembling, a familiar, unappeasing smile gradually appearing on his face, "please."

Li Guorui stared in horror at the glass of wine, then at Cui Yuan, his lips trembling and a hoarse sound coming from his throat, but he dared not reach out to take it.

Cui Yuan seemed to understand; his smile deepened, but his eyes remained cold. He raised his glass to Li Guorui in a perfunctory toast, then tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp. The glass was then turned upside down, not a drop left.

Seeing Cui Yuanxian drink, Li Guorui's tense nerves seemed to relax slightly. His hand trembled as he reached out and took the rough porcelain wine cup, his fingertips icy cold. He raised the cup to his lips, smelled it first, and then, with great difficulty, took a small sip. The liquor was harsh and pungent, making him cough involuntarily.

"Cough! Cough. Cough," Li Guorui coughed as he asked, his voice trembling as if he were about to cry, "Chief Censor Cui, what brings you here so late at night?"

Cui Yuan did not respond immediately. Instead, he picked up the wine pot again, filled his empty cup, and then gestured to the cup in Li Guorui's hand, making a "please" gesture.

Li Guorui had no choice but to comply, and with trembling hands, he raised his cup to drink with Cui Yuan. This time, perhaps clinging to a sliver of hope, he drank a little too much.

After downing his second cup of wine, Cui Yuan finally put down his glass. He didn't look at Li Guorui again, but instead slowly took a small porcelain bottle from the inside of his oilcloth. The bottle was pure white and delicate, a stark contrast to the filth of the prison cell.

"Young Master, do you recognize him?" Cui Yuan held the small bottle, his gaze returning to Li Guorui's face.

"what?"

“Poison.” Cui Yuan’s tone was as calm as if he were discussing the rain outside the dungeon. “A good stuff from the Imperial Guards, very potent.”

Li Guorui's eyes widened instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and the wine glass in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling the remaining wine. As if burned, he frantically pulled back, using both hands and feet, until his back slammed hard against the cold, damp wall, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.

"You! You!" Li Guorui screamed, his voice distorted and broken by extreme fear. "I am the Emperor's cousin! The future Marquis of Wuqing! You spineless eunuch! You dog who eats shit, how dare you harm me?!"

Cui Yuan's lips twitched violently, his forced smile vanished instantly, and a venomous glint flashed in his eyes. But he quickly regained his composure, even managing to grin again, though the smile was now incredibly ferocious.

“Young Marquis, you’ve misspoke.” He said slowly, gently shaking the rough porcelain wine pot. “This servant isn’t without a bird, she’s without eggs.” His voice was low and venomous. “Of course, a servant without eggs wouldn’t dare to abuse her power against a noble like you.”

The color drained from Li Guorui's face instantly, turning it paler than the lightning outside. He shook his head in disbelief, tears and cold sweat streaming down his face: "No, it's impossible! I've confessed everything I could! All that embezzled and misappropriated silver... you even confiscated it! You said it yourself! You said that if I confessed and handed over the stolen silver, you would spare my life! You said it, you said it!"

Looking at his disheveled, tearful state, Cui Yuan's eyes flashed with extreme contempt. He slowly shook his head and asked, "Did His Majesty personally guarantee this to you?"

Li Guorui shouted hysterically, "You said it! You said it yourself! You promised me!"

"Ha!" Cui Yuan scoffed. "What I said? Is it an imperial edict?!"

He stopped looking at Li Guorui's utterly desperate and broken face, and instead turned his gaze to the wine jug and small porcelain bottle in his hand. He pulled out the cork and, right in front of Li Guorui, slowly poured the viscous liquid inside into the remaining wine jug, not a drop left. Then, he gently shook the jug to allow the poison to fully mix with the wine.

After doing all this, he finally raised his eyes again. In the firelight, Cui Yuan's face was half-lit and half-shadowed, and his tone strangely carried a hint of ambiguous "gentleness": "Young Marquis, rest assured. This poison is the best prescription from the palace, both potent and gentle. Drinking it will surely kill you, but you won't suffer any pain. You'll pass away peacefully, as if you're asleep. After you're gone, I'll have someone change you into decent clothes. I guarantee you'll meet the King of Hell clean and dignified. This is my final compensation to you."

(End of this chapter)