Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 237 The True Purpose of the Sheng Residence

Yanfu.

Yan Shifan walked excitedly into the study and saw his father holding a familiar copy of a memorial to the throne, looking at it carefully. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Father, are you still reading Mingwei's 'Nine Strategies for Pacifying the Border'?"

Yan Song glanced up and then at the book on literature and military strategy in his hand. He immediately felt displeased with his son and said slowly, "Why aren't you at home studying? What have you been busy with all this time?"

"Today is the thirty-seventh day that I have been apprehending members of the White Lotus sect!"

Yan Shifan was initially very excited and eager to show off, but he keenly sensed that his father's tone was a bit off, so he quickly forced a laugh and said, "Father, aren't you teaching me that since we've taken over the White Lotus Cult, we should stick to this line and not let it go..."

Yan Song regained his composure and asked, "Did you find anything?"

"The Five Cities Garrison and the Patrol Battalion are utterly... useless!"

Yan Shifan sighed: "The four White Lotus Sect members they captured started vying for credit, each interrogating their own, hoping to uncover more of the bandits' hideouts from them. However, their methods were no match for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and two of them died during torture. They could only claim that the bandits preferred death to submission!"

Yan Song remained calm and waited for what was to come.

As expected, Yan Shifan's expression changed, and he became beaming with joy again: "Fortunately, I personally intervened and persuaded one of the thieves. This person holds a high position in the White Lotus Sect and revealed an important piece of information—a large number of White Lotus Sect members are preparing to move out and seek survival in the borderlands. It is said that they have already obtained permission from a leader of the Tumed tribe to allow them to build a city!"

"Oh? The leader of the Tumed tribe... could it be Anda?"

Yan Song was moved.

Just this spring, Altan Khan of the Tumed Mongols sent a letter to Yansui, requesting that the Ming Dynasty accept tribute.

In the letter, Altan Khan wrote earnestly that his father "used to pay tribute to the Han dynasty and was rewarded and allowed to trade, which benefited both the Han and Dali. Recently, the tribute route has been blocked, and the Han have been raiding the area every year, causing many people and livestock to suffer from diseases. The diviner said that paying tribute would be auspicious." He proposed that once the tribute route is "open," "they should restrain their people, order the border people to cultivate fields in the border area, and the barbarians to graze horses outside the border, and never invade each other again. They should swear an oath by drinking blood."

Yan Song originally didn't know which of the split tribes in Mongolia belonged to which one, as their names were too difficult to remember. However, he happened to see this memorial in the cabinet and felt that this person was different from other Mongolian tribal leaders, so he took notice of him.

Don't even mention that the court's focus is currently on the war in the south, and it can't pay attention to the north at all. Even without the war in Annam, it would be impossible to establish tribute relations. That would be to allow the originally scattered and fragmented Mongol tribes to grow stronger again with the help of the Ming Dynasty's resources. If a unified regime were to emerge again, it would be a huge problem in the future.

Now, when his son brought it up, the old minister, whose memory was far superior to that of his peers, immediately turned cold and stern: "On the one hand, he spoke earnestly, attempting to establish a tribute relationship, and on the other hand, he colluded with the White Lotus sect, making promises. His heart is despicable!"

Yan Shifan scoffed upon hearing this: "Aren't all Mongol Tartars like this? But I never expected the White Lotus Sect to have fallen to this level, having to make a living on the grasslands and mingle with the Mongol Tartars!"

"They shouldn't be underestimated!"

Yan Song had also followed Wang Yangming in suppressing the rebellion and had even offered advice and strategies, so he did have some strategic vision.

Although the White Lotus Sect repeatedly gathered crowds to cause trouble and incite popular uprisings within the Ming Dynasty, its influence was ultimately limited to minor ailments that could not shake the foundation of the nation.

But things change once they ally with the Mongols.

"Since you're going to the borderlands, why linger in the capital?"

Yan Song pondered for a moment and then immediately asked.

"The specific reasons for this White Lotus sect member are unknown..."

Yan Shifan was invigorated: "However, I suspect that they will reunite with their companions and follow this lead to catch more thieves and achieve even greater merit!"

Yan Song glanced at his son and said indifferently, "The White Lotus Cult members are like weeds, impossible to eradicate completely. Even if we arrest hundreds or thousands, in His Majesty's eyes, they are nothing more than useful henchmen. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has no shortage of such people! If we want to establish a firm foothold in this court, we must ultimately rely on sound policies for governing the country and benefiting the people!"

Yan Shifan misunderstood and said awkwardly, "Please rest assured, Father, I will definitely prepare well for the next imperial examination and strive to pass with flying colors!"

"Ugh……"

Yan Song shook his head slightly and sighed silently.

When Haiyue submitted his memorial earlier, he did not immediately express his opinion. It was not because he was afraid of Zhang Cong’s power, but because he found it difficult to believe that a mere junior member of the Hanlin Academy could have any insightful views on the border war situation.

As voices of agreement began to rise in the court, Yan Song repeatedly studied the "Nine Strategies for Pacifying the Borders," becoming increasingly alarmed with each reading—the proposals contained many far-sighted and insightful arguments!
They immediately and unequivocally voiced their support.

Yan Song was well aware of Zhang Cong's predicament.

The national treasury is empty, making it difficult to sustain a prolonged war; this is a consensus among both the government and the public.

However, he should fulfill his duties in his position. He is not the chief minister, so why should he weigh things as much as the chief minister?
Expressing one's opinions freely demonstrates the duty of a subject.

Even so, Yan Song knew that if the Annam war did indeed encounter setbacks as Hai Yue predicted, Zhang Cong's prestige would inevitably suffer a great loss. However, the one who would directly benefit would only be the far-sighted Hai Yue, while he himself would at most reap the rewards and narrow the gap between himself and the Grand Secretary. He thought of this man who had achieved the second-highest rank in the imperial examinations, and how quickly he had distinguished himself in his studies at the Hanlin Academy. Then he looked at his own son, who was constantly trying to gain a foothold in the Yixin Society, yet was still chasing after traitors…

Yan Song couldn't help but instruct, "If you want to truly achieve merit, you must work hard on the tribes in the northern deserts. If you can wipe out a group of Tartars in the future, even if you don't pass the imperial examination, no one in the court will dare to underestimate you!"

"what?"

Yan Shifan was stunned.

Do you have any unrealistic expectations for your son?

I can catch some thieves in the capital, but you want me to go fight the Mongols?
Seeing this expression, Yan Song became furious and waved his hands repeatedly, "Go! Go!"

Yan Shifan gave an awkward bow, left the study, touched his nose, his eyes flickered, and he walked outside.

Recently, he has been immersed in the work of arresting and interrogating members of the White Lotus Sect. Apart from his wedding day, he has not had much contact with them. Today is a good day to go and see Mingwei.

Entering the Hanlin Academy with practiced ease, Yan Shifan watched as everyone else either dipped their brushes in ink or perused ancient books, their desks piled high with classics and memorials, the air filled with the scent of ink. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little envious, muttering to himself, "Perhaps I should study hard and try to get in through the next imperial examination?"

"East Building!"

A familiar voice came from outside the house. Haiyue immediately saw her classmate, whose temperament was so different from that of the Hanlin Academy, and smiled: "Has your operation to arrest the White Lotus Cult members come to an end?"

"what!"

Yan Shifan immediately puffed out his chest proudly, putting aside his plans to enter the Hanlin Academy, and told them everything about the White Lotus rebels.

Haiyue listened carefully, her expression turning serious: "The White Lotus's collusion with the Mongols is no small matter!"

The White Lotus sect's journey beyond the Great Wall not only served as a guide for the Mongols, but also lured many Han Chinese and even artisans across the border.

The people living on the border are mainly nomadic, with few cities and settlements. Their economic life is simple. The reason they are eager to pay tribute is because they need to obtain the necessary means of production and daily life from the Central Plains. Otherwise, they don't even have an iron pot.

And this group of people from the Central Plains who went beyond the Great Wall did indeed bring advanced productivity and production technology, creating an opportunity to reverse the passive economic situation in the border region.

Historically, Qiu Fu, the leader of the White Lotus sect and an advisor under Altan Khan, suggested prioritizing land reclamation, focusing on agriculture, accumulating grain, and building up strength.

With the advice and planning of Qiu Fu and others, Anda Khan actually built a city and palace in Fengzhou, which is now Hohhot, and reclaimed thousands of acres of fertile land. He also concentrated people from the Central Plains in the surrounding area, which greatly boosted the population.

It's only the eleventh year of the Jiajing reign, and Haiyue didn't expect that the White Lotus sect had already colluded with the Mongols beyond the Great Wall so early. She immediately said, "The threat from the White Lotus sect is secondary. The key is the Mongols beyond the Great Wall. Once these northern barbarians gain power, they will inevitably invade the border from the south, causing endless trouble!"

Yan Shifan rolled his eyes and said, "Mingwei and I share the same view. The White Lotus Cult is like weeds, impossible to eradicate completely. If we want to truly achieve merit, we must work hard on the tribes in the northern desert!"

"What Donglou said is absolutely right."

Haiyue couldn't help but look at him with newfound respect. It seemed that after all those storms, he had indeed become more composed: "I will have to trouble you to keep up with this matter. The lead on Madam Sheng has now been cut off. If we can find any clues from the White Lotus Sect and corroborate them, we might be able to find a new path and open up a new situation!"

Yan Shifan asked in surprise, "How did the clues about Madam Sheng go cold?"

Haiyue informed the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the progress: "I originally thought that there was a secret room hidden in the Sheng Mansion, and that Shen Mo and Qin Shi conspired to seize the family property in order to cover up their scheme and dig up the secret room. But now the Embroidered Uniform Guard has dug three feet into the ground and found nothing. This line of thinking is obviously wrong."

"The Sheng residence...the Sheng residence..."

Yan Shifan stroked his chin, thinking of the White Lotus Sect members' confessions, and suddenly said, "Is it possible that the Sheng residence is just the Sheng residence, merely a meeting place for thieves?"

"what?"

Haiyue raised an eyebrow: "Do you think Madam Sheng is the middleman, using her own residence as a meeting place for all parties?"

"A meeting of several parties? Yes! Yes! That should be it!"

Yan Shifan's eyes lit up: "The reason this group of White Lotus rebels is lingering in the capital is probably not because they are waiting for members of the White Lotus Sect, but for rebels from other forces. The place where they are gathering is the Sheng residence!"

After this analysis, the motives of all parties became clear. However, Yan Shifan clapped his hands in great frustration: "What a pity it's too late! If the Sheng residence was truly the agreed meeting place, the Embroidered Uniform Guards would have dug up the entire house and searched it thoroughly. This would have alerted the thieves, and they would have already escaped!"

"not necessarily!"

Haiyue pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "The thieves have gathered in the capital; they must have important matters to discuss. They won't give up so easily. Perhaps there is still a way to wipe them all out!"

(End of this chapter)