Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 153 The Ming Dynasty Will Never Lack Capable Officials (Second Update)

"Idiot! Idiot! You're trying to kill me too!"

After hearing his subordinate's secret report, Xiao Zhen, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was so angry that his face turned red, with a hint of black in the red and a hint of white in the black.

Last year, the team leader raided the mansion of the two Zhang brothers and found armor and robes inside, which belonged to the team he led.

Later, he acted swiftly and decisively, collecting all the evidence of the crimes committed by the Zhang brothers and their wealthy servants, thus plunging the two imperial brothers-in-law into an abyss.

However, His Majesty wanted to intimidate his ministers, so he was not satisfied with interrogating the criminals within the Embroidered Uniform Guard and ordered him to transfer the criminals and cases to the Three Judicial Offices.

It was from that moment on that the nature of the case changed.

Because everyone discovered that the two Zhangs had committed so many evils over the years that even they themselves were unaware of them. At the same time, after being interrogated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the two imperial brothers-in-law and their powerful servants completely collapsed and confessed to everything.

If you dare to admit it, then things will be much easier!
As a result, the files grew thicker and thicker, eventually becoming ten large volumes!
Oh, so all those evil deeds over the years were done by Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling!
Now that the truth has come out, the whole world is celebrating and everyone is overjoyed!

The matter should have ended there, but a rumor spread in the streets pushed the Zhang brothers' case back into the spotlight. Xiao Zhen immediately realized something was wrong and quickly sent people to investigate who was spreading the rumors.

But before there was any resolution there, the old case of Tang Mu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, resurfaced, dragging everyone into the mess.

Things developed too quickly. Before Xiao Zhen could communicate in time, the Three Judicial Offices were already trying to cover it up, just like they had done before.

The three judicial departments believed they could accomplish this because the one who uncovered the old case was not Zhang Conggui'e, who held great power, but the small Yixin Society, and even more so Yan Song, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, whose presence was not very strong.

Clearly, they had run into a troublemaker.

"Yan Song was known as a tough nut to crack during Emperor Wuzong's reign. He even refused to take an official position and instead hid in his hometown to study! Threaten him? Does he think he's more capable than Liu Jin?"

"Tang Mu is the most hateful. He abandoned his own son and was demoted and sent to a remote post. In three to five years, we could still rescue him. Now he's dragging everyone down with him. Does he want us all to die together?"

Xiao Zhen wished he could draw his embroidered spring knife and kill the culprit Tang Mu with one blow, and then send Yao Jingyang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Zhang Run, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, to the Yellow Springs as well.

How can one maintain a high position by ruling alongside this bunch of idiots?
Taking a deep breath, knowing that anger alone wouldn't solve the problem, Xiao Zhen began to think about how to clear himself: "Tang Mu and Yao Jingyang are involved in too many cases and are bound to die. Zhang Run only knew about it but didn't report it. If it's feasible, we should still protect him!"

This wasn't out of consideration for colleagues; it was because his crime was actually related to failing to report something, which could be serious or minor. If Zhang Run, the Left Censor-in-Chief, could be dealt with smoothly, then he, as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would be even less likely to face any consequences.

Of course, Xiao Zhen knew that the current emperor was very bloodthirsty, or rather, he had no scruples when it came to killing his subjects.

What could change His Majesty's mind was not his harsh reputation, but the stability of the court.

"Now that things have come to this, let Tang Mu drag more officials from the Six Ministries into the mess, so that Yan Song will be hesitant to act, and in the end His Majesty will only punish the ringleaders!"

Xiao Zhen's thoughts quickly became clear.

Grand Secretary Zhang's campaign to rectify official corruption had already dismissed a number of incompetent officials, causing widespread panic. If this were to be further implicated, the upheaval in the officialdom would inevitably have a negative impact.

To put it bluntly, even if your subordinates are corrupt, if you dismiss them all, who will get things done?
If it comes to transferring and promoting people from local areas, large-scale personnel appointments are not so simple and can easily lead to the formation of new factions.

Officials forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices is something that emperors of all dynasties have hated most. Xiao Zhen was well aware of His Majesty's warning to the newly appointed officials during the Great Rites Controversy. Even those ministers who had made great contributions in the past were being watched closely, not to mention others.

Therefore, this path is feasible.

Xiao Zhen pondered for a moment, then summoned his trusted confidant. He dictated the message to the confidant, who then wrote it down and sent it to Tang Mu and Yao Jingyang respectively.

He was always careful in this regard, not to mention signing his name, he would not even leave any flaws in his handwriting, so that even if the other party did not burn the document after reading it, they could not blame him afterwards.

At the same time, Xiao Zhen summoned another group of trusted confidants and instructed them: "Keep a close eye on Wang Zuo. Don't let him find any fault with you and use the excuse of poor performance in the investigation to squeeze out your people!"

If ranked by official rank, the highest-ranking officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the Commander, a third-rank official. Next is the Deputy Commander, a third-rank deputy position, which is held by two people. Below them is the Assistant Commander, a fourth-rank official.

Don't underestimate the Commander-in-Chief; he is an absolute decision-making official in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, capable of establishing his own faction.

For example, Xiao Zhen and Commander Wang Zuo have always been at odds.

Even though Wang Zuo's position as Commander-in-Chief was a special honor bestowed upon him as a second-rank official, and he received this concurrent title due to the emperor's favor, Xiao Zhen still dared to confront him.

Because this was also tacitly approved by the emperor.

There can't be only one voice within the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Only by having him and Wang Zuo be hostile to each other and checking each other can the leader not be deceived.

Xiao Zhen's biggest regret was that Wang Zuo had taken Lu Bing as his disciple first, and he himself had failed to establish a connection with this former official of the Prince's residence. He was not afraid of the rest.

The same was true now. Under his command, his trusted confidants moved in an orderly manner, and soon the situation in the court developed as expected.

The six ministries were filled with trepidation, and more and more officials were forced to stand behind Tang Mu and his group, huddling together in hopes of avoiding punishment.

Two incidents did occur during this period.

First, Xia Yan intervened and persuaded some court officials to confess their crimes and beg His Majesty for forgiveness. This surprised Xiao Zhen greatly; it seemed he had underestimated this censor, who actually possessed some ability.

Secondly, Yan Song frequently visited the Qianqing Palace to meet the emperor. It is said that he angered the emperor on his first visit, but Huang Jin kept his mouth shut and did not reveal the specific reason.

However, Xiao Zhen could roughly guess that the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was definitely in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

This is not a safe place to wade through. After this case, this man, who rose to prominence as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy and has since served as a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, may have to retire from the central leadership and retire to Nanjing.

Xiao Zhen firmly believed in this judgment until a piece of news arrived.

"Did the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs go to visit Yan Yishou at his residence?"

Yan Yishou, former Minister of Justice, is said to have ancestors who can be traced back to Yan Zhenqing, a famous minister of the Tang Dynasty.

This man passed the imperial examination in the third year of the Hongzhi reign and served in various local positions. In the fourth year of the Jiajing reign, he was summoned to serve as the Left Censor-in-Chief and was later promoted to Minister of Justice. He was ordered to interrogate the case of Li Fuda, which angered the emperor. He was imprisoned, but later, seeing that he was old, he was released from prison and retired to live in seclusion.

Counting his age, he is already seventy years old this year. His prestige is indeed not low, but his energy has long been failing.

Why would the imperial court suddenly remember this person?

'Could it be that we're going to exonerate those guilty in the Li Fuda case?'

'Ha! How could that be!'

Xiao Zhen shook his head repeatedly, finding it unbelievable. He had not been deeply involved in the case of Marquis Wuding and lacked this crucial link, so he certainly did not believe that the emperor, who was always ruthless in dealing with opposing officials, would be so magnanimous.

But deep down, a vague unease began to creep in.

If the usually petty emperor were to suddenly become magnanimous, how would this case end?
……

"Brother Donglou! Brother Donglou, please wait!"

Yan Shifan slowed his pace and deliberately passed by, and sure enough, the calling came.

The one who spoke was Yan Shaofang, a student of the Imperial Academy and the youngest son of Yan Yishou, the former Minister of Justice.

Since Yan Yishou was dismissed from his post, the son of the Minister had had a difficult time. But at this moment, his face was full of joy. He bowed deeply and said, "If it weren't for Vice Minister Yan's honest words, my father would never have been reinstated. The entire Yan family is grateful for this great kindness!"

Yan Shifan returned the greeting calmly, tilting his head slightly, his eyes seemingly reflecting a righteous and upright figure: "My father taught me from a young age that wherever the truth lies, I will go even if it means facing a million people. This time, he was just doing what he should do!"

Yan Shaofang was filled with awe, and his admiration grew even stronger.

After saying a few more words, Yan Shifan watched the figure turn back to the school, then turned his face to the side, unable to suppress his smile.

But he stopped laughing abruptly halfway through.

Because Zhao Wenhua was standing not far away, also giving him a fawning smile.

Yan Shifan cleared his throat and regained his composure: "Yuanzhi! What brings you here?"

Zhao Wenhua spoke rather humbly: "Brother Donglou, I have come to pay my respects to His Majesty's personally written calligraphy..."

"Oh!"

Yan Shifan remained noncommittal. He was wary of this man, who was too adept at flattery, which he found extremely distasteful!

However, it is also known that Zhao Wenhua has made great contributions this time. If it weren't for this person providing various secrets within the Ministry of Justice and finding Sun Heihu, the local tyrant of the Southern Prison nicknamed Black Impermanence, the case would not have progressed so smoothly.

Speaking of Sun Heihu, Yan Shifan's eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, "There's something I've been wondering about. The jailer Sun Heihu is a local tyrant in the Southern Prison, so why would he be so obedient to you and so easily reveal crucial information?"

Zhao Wenhua chuckled dryly: "I do indeed have quite a good relationship with him..."

"I don't think that's right!"

Yan Shifan's face darkened: "If it weren't for Mingwei's intervention this time, which strengthened our resolve, and my father's intervention to share His Majesty's burdens, this case would have been more of a disaster than a blessing for us! I think that Sun Heihu deliberately set a trap for us!"

Zhao Wenhua shook his head resolutely: "No, no, Sun Heihu wouldn't dare to do that!"

Yan Shifan glared at him: "What's the reason? Even now, you still dare to hide it? I think you're also harboring malicious intentions!"

"I have absolute loyalty to the Yixin Society and have no intention of hiding anything from them. However, this matter is somewhat inconsistent with my identity, which is why I have not explained it in detail..."

Zhao Wenhua stammered, then finally sighed: "Actually, the reason why Sun Heihu was willing to listen to me is because I sold him a kind of medicinal wine, which I mentioned to Brother Donglou before. It's called 'Hundred Flowers Wine'!"

(End of this chapter)