Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 224 You are a remnant of Jianwen!

Beizhen Fusi.

Inside the torture chamber.

Sun Weixian sat at his desk, calmly flipping through a volume of "The Complete History of the Ming Dynasty".

He had a clear and bright appearance, and his three long beards were neatly trimmed. He did not have much of the ruggedness of a warrior, but instead exuded the refined elegance of a scholar.

What's most striking are those phoenix eyes, which always seem to hold a hint of a smile when they look at someone, yet can instantly sharpen into a chilling glint, much like the fine Duan inkstone brought from Jinling City that sits on the table at this moment—

It is warm and smooth like jade, and its ink color is solemn and deep.

At this moment, Sun Weixian heard the faint roars coming from outside. His slender fingers tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm sounding like he was singing and keeping time.

He was originally the garrison commander of the Southern Garrison, a fourth-rank official, but has now been promoted to the rank of assistant commander, a fourth-rank official.

It seemed like a promotion of half a rank, and a move from Nanjing, where he had been sidelined, to Beijing, the political center—a significant advancement. But Sun Weixian didn't want it at all.

Leaving aside the reasons that are not known to outsiders, just look at his absolute power in the Southern Garrison of Jinling City. Although his rank is low, his actual power is extremely great. People in officialdom understand the principle that it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox. Why bother coming to the capital to join in the fun?
Moreover, as the deputy commander, the assistant commander was bound to have conflicts with the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The current commander, Wang Zuo, was deeply trusted by the emperor. Even if a deputy was needed to check and balance the emperor, the relative strengths and weaknesses were predictable. He was merely a tool to alleviate the emperor's suspicions. Want to rise in rank? Almost impossible…

Therefore, Sun Weixian did not want to go north. Unfortunately, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not like a civil official. If a civil official was unwilling to take up his post, he could simply resign and go into seclusion. The literati would praise his integrity for not bowing down to fame and fortune. If the emperor changed his mind or a new emperor ascended the throne, he would be remembered quickly, return to the court, and rise rapidly in rank.

If the Imperial Guards dared to disobey the imperial decree, they would be executed without exception. Once the emperor issued an edict, Sun Weixian would have to abandon everything and rush to the capital to assume his post.

Of course, in order to enable him to play a counterbalancing role, a group of trusted men were also transferred to the capital.

With deliberately light footsteps, Commander Tan Jing entered and respectfully reported, "Sir, the case files have been delivered!"

Sun Weixian frowned slightly: "This is no longer Jinling, so please do not refer to it as such."

Tan Jing immediately corrected himself: "Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this title, Sun Weixian found it somewhat jarring. His expression remained blank as he took the case file and began to read it.

Tan Jing didn't dare to breathe loudly, and stood silently with his head down.

Sun Weixian read the first few pages quite carefully, but then quickly flipped through them. Finally, he said casually, "The way the Shuntian Prefecture and the Yingtian Prefecture handle cases is quite similar!"

Thinking of the way the Yingtian Prefecture government handled cases, Tan Jing thought this wasn't a good evaluation, and muttered in agreement, "Everyone outside is in a complete mess right now..."

"Am I not the same?"

Sun Weixian sighed: "That Duke is relentless, and the whole country is probably going to be in an uproar. It's strange, how did a matchmaker's business escalate to this point?"

Tan Jing's lips twitched slightly.

Although reputation is a matter of shared honor and shared loss, as outsiders, they could remain largely uninvolved and even felt a sense of schadenfreude. He even thought this was an opportunity to severely damage Commander Wang Zuo and allow their own superior to rise to power.

Perhaps it was a telepathic connection, for someone knocked on the door and came in to deliver a message: "Commander Sun, the Commander requests your presence!"

"it is good!"

Tan Jing's expression changed slightly, but Sun Weixian calmly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and walked out.

Watching the composed figure leave, Tan Jing calmed down, wiped the table, and then cleaned the house.

After cleaning the inside and outside to perfection, a familiar figure appeared not far away. Tan Jing was about to go forward when he suddenly froze.

Because Sun Weixian's expression was extremely gloomy, all the refined elegance between his brows had vanished, replaced by a chillingly cruel and ferocious look.

Tan Jing, who recognized this expression, quickly stopped and stood at the doorway, bowing his head and waiting.

When Sun Weixian arrived, his expression had returned to normal, and he said calmly, "Come here!"

The two returned to the room, and the commander sat down, saying in an inscrutable tone, "You will come with me to the Hanlin Academy later to invite someone over."

"Hanlin Academy?"

Tan Jing was taken aback.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Hanlin Academy were arguably the most at odds. The former were the imperial henchmen, notorious for their cruel punishments in the imperial prison and for fabricating charges, while the latter were the mouthpiece of the righteous faction, rising to high and prestigious positions through their classical scholarship, literary talent, and remonstrance.

What would a high-ranking military commander do at the Hanlin Academy?
Sun Weixian said, "There are many doubts in the Sheng family case. If we can thoroughly investigate the truth, we may be able to clear the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It just so happens that a new compiler in the Hanlin Academy has been promoted and is good at judging criminal cases. Since arriving in the capital, he has solved many important cases. Commander Wang intends to invite this capable person to assist in handling this case."

Tan Jing's first reaction was: "Will His Majesty allow this?"

Sun Weixian said, "It is precisely because this man is close to His Majesty and is about to marry the Empress Dowager's adopted daughter that we have included him in the trial of this case, which is also to give the palace an explanation."

"The Hanlin Academy has such a person?"

Tan Jing was greatly surprised, but his eyes showed worry. He whispered, "This person is probably not easy to invite. Otherwise, why would Commander Wang send the assistant clerk to do it?"

'Yes! Why did they make me step in? Could it be…? Impossible! If Wang Zuo truly possessed this trump card, he wouldn't have used it so easily. It must be a coincidence!'

Sun Weixian narrowed his eyes slightly, then calmed down completely and slowly said, "The person we are inviting is the second-place scholar of this year's imperial examination, named Hai Yue, who is nineteen years old and comes from Qiongshan."

Tan Jing's pupils dilated suddenly: "Surname Hai...from Qiongshan...could it be..." "They are relatives of those two!"

Sun Weixian said, "If I remember correctly, this lineage has three sons and two daughters: the eldest son Hai Min, the second son Hai Zhen, and the youngest son Hai Yue. The Hai family is a family that has always been known for its poetry and propriety, so there is no possibility of duplicate names. Therefore, the second-place scholar in this year's examination must be the third son."

He stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes gleaming: "Mr. and Mrs. Hai are truly adept at raising their children. They have raised such outstanding sons, three talents in one family, bringing glory to their family. It is truly a cause for celebration!"

"What a small world! What a small world!"

Tan Jing's eyes flashed with a fierce light: "Master Si, should we...?"

After saying that, he made a gesture.

"Eh!"

Sun Weixian raised his hand: "I've said it before, we should be on the same path, but they've been misunderstanding each other, which is why they've resisted so fiercely. Now we shouldn't let the misunderstanding deepen. Let's go!"

This decisive man actually led his trusted confidants on horseback through East Chang'an Street and arrived at the Hanlin Academy in the southeast corner of the imperial city.

In front of the courtyard gate, ancient cypress trees still stand tall, their branches and leaves lush and verdant, concealing the vermilion gate. Several guards stand there, not stopping scholars and literati from coming and going.

However, as soon as Sun Weixian and Tan Jingyi approached, even after they dismounted, the guards immediately stopped them, shouting, "Halt!"

Sun Weixian did not send his men forward. Instead, he smiled and said, "I am Sun Weixian, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I have come to pay my respects to Hai Yue, the Hanlin scholar. Please announce my arrival."

The guard shook his head: "Unfortunately! Hai Hanlin is out and hasn't returned! Assistant Commissioner Sun, please return!"

Sun Weixian said calmly, "Now is the time for the yamen to be in charge..."

The guard said, "Today is the grand examination for the junior scholars. Hai Hanlin went to the Ministry of Rites to observe the administration and has indeed not returned."

"I see!"

Sun Weixian glanced at the time: "Then I'll come again in the afternoon!"

After returning and making some inquiries, it was confirmed that the candidates for the current academician had indeed been selected that morning, and the Ministry of Rites had also made a major decision. Sun Weixian once again brought Tan Jing to the gate of the Hanlin Academy: "Please inform him that Sun Weixian, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has come to pay his respects to Hanlin Academy member Hai!"

The guard shook his head again: "Unfortunately! Hai Hanlin and the newly appointed junior scholars went to the banquet together and haven't returned yet..."

Sun Weixian's eyes flickered: "Will he be back today?"

The guard replied, "I don't know."

"When we come for the third time, is this person taking a rest and not receiving guests?"

Once they reached the side, Tan Jing could no longer contain himself: "This is outrageous! They're clearly avoiding us!"

"What? Are you going to burn down the Hanlin Academy? Young people are arrogant and like to play the trick of visiting a thatched cottage three times. Let him be!"

Sun Weixian stroked his long beard and instructed, "You must remember that a person who is magnanimous will achieve great things. You must never be petty and narrow-minded, unable to tolerate even a few harsh words!"

"Yes!"

Seeing his boss's nonchalant attitude, Tan Jing was filled with admiration.

This time, Sun Weixian did not wait outside the Hanlin Academy, but returned to the Northern Garrison Command.

Anyway, it was Wang Zuo who sent him to invite people. The young duke was still causing trouble in the imperial prison. If Haiyue was willing to delay, that was her business. He just needed to show sincerity in inviting people and adopt a humble and respectful attitude.

Sun Weixian even speculated that the other party was unwilling to solve the case at all, which was why they were avoiding him.

No problem.

His mind was originally focused on the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard), and he hadn't paid attention to the list of newly appointed scholars. Now that he had accidentally discovered this person, he was initially shocked and furious, but then he thought that this promising first-class scholar probably didn't know why his parents had left for distant places all these years, let alone what a distinguished family his ancestors were.
If we can use this as leverage to force this person to work for us...

hiss!
Just as they were pondering this feasibility, they saw a dashing and extraordinary young official standing outside the yamen in the distance. As the two approached, he turned around and smiled: "Is this Vice Commissioner Sun?"

"Who is your Excellency?"

Sun Weixian carefully examined the other person's appearance and was startled.

As expected, the other party cupped his hands and said, "My name is Hai Yue. I just heard that Vice Commissioner Sun was visiting, so I came to welcome him."

Sun Weixian instinctively returned the greeting: "As a scholar of noble birth, how could I dare to trouble you?"

“If it were an ordinary Imperial Guard visiting, we would proceed according to procedure, but…”

Hai Yue stared at her, her eyes filled with an inscrutable expression. Suddenly, she lowered her voice and leaned forward: "How could I dare to be negligent in order to witness the splendor of the Jianwen lineage?"

During their conversation, Tan Jing dared not approach.

But when he saw that Si Zun, who had always taught him that he needed to be calm and composed to accomplish great things and that he should remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, was horrified after hearing only one sentence from him.

(End of this chapter)