Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 149 The Truth About the Skinned Substitute (First Update)
"Mingwei! Mingwei! We've got him!"

Inside the Yixin Hall of the Imperial Academy, Yan Shifan hurried in, sat down, and spoke with a mixture of excitement and trepidation: "However, I directly refused the Shuntian Prefecture's offer of face. That magistrate surnamed Shen arrived too late. The Hao family shouldn't have given them the position, but that inevitably offended Grand Magistrate Huo..."

After the initial excitement, Yan Guanzheng became somewhat uneasy again.

The newly rich and powerful figure in the Great Rites Controversy is at the height of his power. Thinking back to when he first entered the Imperial Academy last year, he was lying on the ground trying to win Huo Tao's favor. This time, he actually dared to steal credit in public. Isn't that a bit too arrogant?

Haiyue, on the contrary, did not take it to heart: "Donglou did a good job. Everything is based on investigating the case and catching the criminal. When it is not appropriate to back down, there must be no retreat."

Yan Shifan was overjoyed: "Mingwei is truly my confidant! I am determined to fight evil to the very end!"

Haiyue knew very well that this guy must have been carried away and become arrogant at the time.

But since he sent Yan Shifan, he was prepared for this and did not care about having some conflicts with the new elites of the Great Rites Controversy.

Because this would be a good thing for Isshin.

Jiajing was, after all, a prince who ascended the throne. He forcefully seized imperial power from Yang Tinghe's group. Even though he was diligent and hardworking in his youth, he was particularly fond of playing the game of imperial power.

This kind of political maneuvering isn't anything profound or mysterious; frankly speaking, it's just the same old tricks from ancient times.

Information monopoly, separation of powers and checks and balances, supporting the weak and suppressing the strong, combining kindness and severity, mythologizing imperial power, and discarding the useful after the useful.

The separation of powers and checks and balances, and the support for the weak and suppression of the strong, were reflected in the powerful chief ministers of the Jiajing era, who formed mortal enemies with each other.

Zhang Cong was Yang Tinghe's mortal enemy, and Xia Yan was Zhang Cong's mortal enemy. Yan Song sent Xia Yan to the executioner's block, and Xu Jie brought Yan Song and his son to their deaths.

Emperor Jiajing was pleased with this approach, as it prevented powerful ministers from forming close alliances and effectively sidelining the emperor.

Under this mindset, if Yi Xin Hui were to get close to the newly powerful figures in the Rites Controversy, it would be a huge loss of face.

Even now, when Jiajing is implementing new policies, he still needs a group of important officials such as Zhang Cong, Gui E, and Fang Xianfu. But the small Yixin Society can't just disband like that.

Of course, there's no need to deliberately distance yourself.

For example, Gui Zai was already close to Gui Zai in the previous case involving the Imperial Academy, so there was no need to deliberately shut him out.

That would make you seem too shrewd, even if you understood Jiajing's tricks.

This is just right. First, send the key witness to the government office, then forcefully arrest him at the Tang residence. This demonstrates the capabilities of the Yixin Society and creates healthy competition with Huo Tao's side.

Yan Shifan was relieved and began to recount the details, especially emphasizing that the Tang family was still in the mansion and had prepared a substitute for Hao Shi. He concluded by saying, "Tang Mu, as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, treats the laws of our Great Ming Dynasty as nothing but empty words. He is truly hateful!"

Haiyue asked, "What exactly was the reaction of the Tang family, father and son?"

Yan Shifan sneered: "Tang Da was terrified, his legs went weak. That old codger Tang Mu is quite confident, looking at us coldly. He's just a mere Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Let's see how he dies!"

Hai Yue frowned slightly: "Don't underestimate this person. The Hao family is currently imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail?"

Yan Shifan said, "Mingwei, don't worry. The guards in the prison were all arranged by my father. Zhao Wenhua is also personally guarding there. He is still waiting for this case to be overturned and will never let Hao Shi be silenced."

Haiyue nodded: "What are you going to do next?"

Yan Shifan said, "Of course, we should interrogate Hao and find out the ins and outs of the case!"

"How did Tang Da murder Zhao Bao, and how did he frame Jiang Dalang? Most importantly, how did he use the 'skinning substitute' method to transform Hao Shi from a condemned prisoner to a favored concubine in the mansion?"

"Once the fate of the two Zhangs is confirmed, Tang Mu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is one of the four officials who supervised the execution. Once his crimes are made public, we can give the people of the capital an explanation!"

Haiyue smiled: "Donglou has considered everything carefully."

The logic is clear: this incident was mainly to quell the rumors that the Zhang brothers had faked their deaths.

But it was difficult to convince the common people that the Zhang brothers were really dead. After all, their bodies had been smashed by angry onlookers. Besides, even if they hadn't been smashed, ordinary people wouldn't recognize the two high-ranking imperial brothers-in-law. They were more familiar with the powerful servants and wicked servants of the Marquis's mansion.

Therefore, mere explanation is insufficient; it is necessary to execute one or even several more high-ranking officials to clear the name of the wrongful conviction and restore the dignity of the imperial court.

With this recognition, Yan Shifan became even more confident and elated, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Mingwei, please wait for good news. This time, I will definitely make sure that Yixin Society gains a firm foothold in the court!"

……

Haiyue's decision to entrust Yan Shifan with full responsibility was not just empty talk; he truly had nothing to do with it anymore.

As a student myself, I will soon have to take the imperial examination, which will determine my future career path. Of course, I must prioritize my studies. Capable members only need to be assigned positions and allowed to use their intelligence and talents. If I do everything myself, the society will not be an aid, but a burden.

However, in less than two days, the once confident Second Master Yan returned to Yixintang with a completely different expression: "Mingwei, this time we're probably in trouble..."

"what happen?"

Yan Shifan said in a hoarse voice, "Too many people have come to plead for Tang Mu. Guess who was the first one?"

Hai Yue raised an eyebrow: "The only person who could put you in such a difficult position is either a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet or a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice. Grand Secretary Zhang and Grand Secretary Gui would not do such a despicable thing... Yao Jingyang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice?"

Yan Shifan gritted his teeth: "It's him! This guy even personally entered the prison to visit Hao Shi, and Zhao Wenhua couldn't stop him!"

Haiyue said, "Visiting such a sensitive prisoner in prison shows that he and Tang Mu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, are completely on the same side."

"I was initially shocked that someone would actually rush to jump onto this wrecked ship?"

Yan Shifan hissed, "Later we discovered that Tang Mu clearly had a lot of dirt on Yao Jingyang, and it wasn't just Yao Jingyang. In just two days, not only did seven or eight high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries contact me openly or secretly, but they even came to my home, telling me not to be so unwise as to investigate everything... The number of people involved shocked even my father!"

"So many people are protecting Tang Mu? Could it be that this Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has something on the officials?"

Haiyue's eyes moved.

During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the corrupt ledgers of Governor Wu Cunli were seized. They contained detailed records of bribes received by more than two hundred officials, including princes, imperial relatives, and eunuchs. Instead of punishing everyone immediately, Emperor Yongzheng used the ledgers as a political bargaining chip to gradually eliminate his opponents.

In the TV series "Yongzheng Dynasty", this was used as a prototype to create a fictional case called "Ren Bo'an's Record of Officials' Conduct". When Ren Bo'an was an official in the capital, he recorded in detail the collusion and corruption of hundreds of civil and military officials in the six ministries. Later, it was burned by the Fourth Prince.

Such incidents have occurred more than once throughout history. As early as after the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao seized a large number of letters between his subordinates and Yuan Shao, and chose to burn them in public to stabilize the morale of his army.

Similarly, if Tang Mu also possessed a copy of the "Records of Officials' Conduct" from the Ming Dynasty, and destroyed it, and then removed the ringleader, the problem would at least be solved on the surface.

Haiyue, however, did not rush to offer advice: "What did Uncle Yan say?"

Yan Shifan said, "My father originally intended to only punish the ringleaders and destroy the case, which might be enough to quell the situation, but it turns out that this is unlikely to work..."

"Yao Jingyang showed me the case files of Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling!"

"The Zhang brothers were executed for privately possessing armor and manufacturing prohibited items with the intent to rebel, but the other crimes they committed over the years are too numerous to list."

"The case files were ten volumes thick, covering the Zhang brothers' years of indulgence of their powerful servants and wicked men, their indiscriminate killing of innocent people, their establishment of private prisons, their seizure of farmland, their acceptance of bribes, and their abduction of women. Every single one of these was outrageous... Many of them were long-standing cold cases, but now the truth has come to light!"

Hai Yue's gaze darkened: "Some officials pinned their crimes on the Zhang brothers, hoping to close the case by executing them?"

"What my father thinks is the same as what Mingwei thinks, and that's probably it!"

Yan Shifan said bitterly, "Skinning substitutes, skinning substitutes, I thought it was to use substitutes to save the two Zhang brothers from death row, but the truth is quite the opposite... The Zhang brothers were skinned alive and became substitutes for the crimes of the officials!"

Haiyue's expression became more serious than ever before.

After the rumors spread, people couldn't help but wonder if the Zhang brothers were really not dead, and if someone had risked public condemnation to secretly replace the two imperial brothers-in-law with a skinning and substitution method.

It wasn't until they saw that unprecedented case file that Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan were absolutely certain that Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling were definitely dead!

Because the emperor wanted them dead, and the officials wanted them dead too!

The emperor wants to establish his authority, and officials want to have their crimes pardoned even if someone is sentenced to death!

Yan Shifan sighed again, "That's not surprising. Why would they go to such lengths to protect them? They're using the Zhang brothers, who are about to be executed, to atone for their past crimes. The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate must all be involved. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is probably implicated as well. Tang Mu, as a key member of this cover-up operation, if he's convicted now, he'll definitely expose this whole affair!"

Haiyue asked, "Seeing this, will Madam Hao also refuse to speak?"

Yan Shifan said, "This woman knows very well that once she confesses, she will surely die. Now, with pressure from all sides, she sees a glimmer of hope for survival, so of course she's gritting her teeth and holding on! Shouldn't we..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his intention to back down was already obvious.

Haiyue didn't ask Yan Song's attitude. At this moment, she didn't want to push the already morally fragile Yan family father and son further into the abyss of sin. Instead, she decisively stood up and said, "Let's go! To the Ministry of Justice!"

Yan Shifan's expression changed slightly: "Mingwei?"

Haiyue said calmly, "What we are focused on investigating is the case of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review harboring a death row inmate. It has nothing to do with anything else. I will personally interrogate Hao Shi, complete the case file, and report to His Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)