Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 259 Passing the Test
September 11th.

The emperor swore an oath to his officials to observe a three-day fast.

September 14th.

The emperor, accompanied by his ministers, rode a jade steed and ascended the mausoleum mountain.

Seeing the lofty hills rising and falling like dragons and phoenixes, I spontaneously composed a poem entitled "On My First Visit to Chunde Mountain, I Am Delighted and Content".

September 15th.

The emperor arrived at the Longfei Hall and performed the grand offering to the Supreme God, with his father as an adjunct sacrifice. He also offered sacrifices to the gods of the land and grain, as well as the mountains, rivers, and streams within the territory, and reported to his father. He then went to the Ling'en Hall to perform the three offerings ceremony. In his grief, he composed the "Song of Revisiting Xianling," which included the lines, "Only my heart aches with longing for my loved ones, and my yellow robe is stained with blood and tears," to express his sorrow.

September 16th.

With the groundwork laid, Emperor Xingxian, Zhu Youyuan, was posthumously honored as "Emperor Zhitian Shoudao Hongde Yuanren Kuanmu Chunsheng Gongjian Jing Wenxian," and his memorial tablet was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple with the temple name "Ruizong," ranking above Emperor Wuzong of Ming. The tomb of Prince Xingxian was officially renamed Xianling.

September 17th.

The Emperor received the congratulations of his ministers in the Longfei Hall and issued a special edict: "Starting from next year, the five counties of Chengtian Prefecture, Jingshan, Jingling, Qianjiang, and Dangyang, as well as the two prefectures of Jingmen and Mianyang, will be exempt from land tax for three years. The land rent in Huguang will be exempted by two-fifths next year, and the land tax in Zhili and Henan will also be exempted by one-third next year, so as to show my compassion."

"Mingwei, if we don't report the truth soon, His Majesty will reward the officials..."

"Hai Hanlin, if Wang Zuo receives the imperial reward, it's a done deal, and it will be difficult to change his mind!"

On the evening of the 17th, Yan Shifan and Tao Dianzhen visited one after the other, both expressing similar concerns.

Based on the various clues currently available, they have all focused their suspicions on Wang Zuo.

Yan Shifan spoke rather cryptically, only saying that he wanted to report the progress of the case to His Majesty, and that once the other party's true colors were exposed in the future, it would be a great achievement.

Tao Dianzhen was quite impatient, hoping that the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would dismount.

There were only so many close ministers around the emperor. He originally wanted to succeed Shao Yuanjie, but Shao Yuanjie was old and had already decided to retire. Tao Dianzhen had been on very good terms with him over the years and had demonstrated his abilities. However, the emperor no longer believed in Taoism, so this path was already very difficult.

Therefore, replacing the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the emperor's eyes is also a promising path.

Moreover, he had this promising scholar as his backer.

"I am willing to testify as Your Majesty inquires, and I will provide detailed information on the case. I will follow the instructions of the Hanlin Academy in everything!"

Tao Dianzhen is once again close to making a statement.

He was familiar with the rules of the Yixin Society and was eager to volunteer himself, so he swore an oath and shouted it out under the emperor's personal pen!

Haiyue could sense the man's burgeoning loyalty, and the investigation had demonstrated his abilities. Yet, she said calmly, "I have my own plans for this matter. You need not say more, and you must not reveal the progress of the case to anyone else."

Tao Dianzhen's heart tightened, and he lowered his head, saying, "Yes!"

After the two left, Haiyue brewed a pot of tea and waited for the most important person to arrive.

The sound of footsteps came.

Upon arriving at the corridor, he paused for a moment, the tip of his boot rolling half a circle on the blue bricks, before finally appearing at the door and sitting down at the table.

Haiyue pushed the teacup in front of the visitor, just like during their conversation that day.

The water in the teacup on the table rippled, reflecting his tightly pursed lips. Lu Bing slowly spoke, "Mingwei, has there been any progress in the case?"

Haiyue said, "There are indeed many more clues, but I invited Wenfu here not for those, but for a question: are the only people currently in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard still the Commander of the Capital and your father?"

Lu Bing was taken aback: "Yes!"

Haiyue asked, "Where is Vice Commissioner Sun?"

"Sun Weixian?"

Lu Bingqi said, "He went down to Jiangnan to pressure the local merchants involved in the case, and only recently returned to the capital to report back."

When the emperor was on his southern tour, Sun Weixian happened to be ordered to return to the capital from Jiangnan. Haiyue had also contributed to this, otherwise, judging from Yan Song's intentions, he was really prepared to discard the bridge after using it.

However, even if Sun Weixian returned to the capital to report, he would not be able to make the southern tour in time, so Lu Bing was quite puzzled.

"That was indeed the case, but Huguang is not far from Southern Zhili. If they were to invite him, judging by the time, he should be here by now."

Haiyue said, "Apart from Vice Commander Sun, none of the other Deputy Commanders, Vice Commanders, and Garrison Commanders have been summoned?"

"no!"

Lu Bing finally understood, and said with a slight tremor in his voice, "Mingwei feels that His Majesty no longer trusts you, sir?"

"No!"

Haiyue shook her head: "So much time has passed since the return of the Commander of the Capital, yet His Majesty has not summoned the other high-ranking members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This precisely proves that he trusts the Commander of the Capital immensely!"

The core leadership of the Embroidered Uniform Guard system mainly consisted of five high-ranking officials, one commander, two deputy commanders, and two assistant commanders. Sometimes, the power of the Northern Garrison Commander was also extremely great, even exceeding that of the deputy commanders and assistant commanders.

At this time, there are not many powerful figures in the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard). Former officials from the Prince’s residence, such as Lu Bing’s father Lu Song, are close to the emperor, but due to health and personal reasons, they cannot effectively wield power and are more inclined to hold nominal positions.

Therefore, with Xiao Zhen in the past and Sun Weixian in the future, they established two separate factions. These two powerful commanders were precisely there to limit the existence of Commander-in-Chief Wang Zuo.

Emperor Jiajing was such an emperor. No matter how well the emperor and his ministers got along, he would always place someone by his side to check and balance him. Only in this way could this suspicious monarch feel a little at ease.

Haiyue believes that such behavior is partly due to imperial power politics and partly due to the shadow cast by his childhood ascension to the throne.

The fact that Yang Tinghe and his faction almost usurped the young emperor's power back then clearly left an indelible mark on the mind of this prince who ascended the throne.

It was precisely this distorted way of getting along between the emperor and his ministers that made the change of chief ministers in the Jiajing era always carry a bloody atmosphere.

A newcomer wishing to ascend to the position of prime minister must completely overthrow the predecessor, as if this were not an ordinary change of government, but rather a feud among江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world).

Yan Song replaced Xia Yan, and Xu Jie replaced Yan Song; this is a perfect example.

In the imperial court, the cruel drama of the old and the new is always playing out.

The current Jiajing Emperor is still young and still has humanity, but his behavior has not fundamentally changed, so Haiyue has been waiting all this time.

Even though all the clues pointed to one truth—that Wang Zuo was the one with the problem, and that the one who was really colluding with the White Lotus Sect was this Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—he did not rush to expose him, but instead observed the Emperor's reaction.

Because while Emperor Jiajing might not be good at solving cases, he was good at using people.

In keeping with this emperor's usual style, when Wang Zuo returned, regardless of whether Wang Zuo could fabricate a flawless account of the events leading up to his return, Jiajing would still be suspicious.

After becoming suspicious, the emperor would not immediately take action. After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was currently responsible for the main protection work, and if Wang Zuo was pushed too far, the consequences would be unimaginable. He should have kept Wang Zuo calm on the surface, and then directly sent someone to summon Sun Weixian or other high-ranking members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Only when there is someone within the Embroidered Uniform Guard who can directly oppose him should it be time to take action.

But now that the officials are about to be rewarded and the southern tour is over, they still haven't reached that point. Haiyue knew what was going on: "Wenfu, if you trust me, then do one thing."

Lu Bing's mind was in turmoil. He vaguely guessed what was going on, but he was unwilling to think about it too deeply. He said in a hoarse voice, "Of course I believe Mingwei wouldn't harm me..."

Haiyue said directly, "Then let's report the current clues to His Majesty."

Lu Bing's pupils constricted sharply: "You want me... to expose Mr.?"

"Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher—at this crucial moment, you must make a choice, and some are waiting for your decision."

Haiyue didn't explain further, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and gestured for her to leave: "Go!"

Lu Bing took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and walked outside.

In a daze, he couldn't remember how he got to the Emperor's palace or how he found the right opportunity. He was like a sleepwalker and couldn't remember anything at all. He only knew that when he calmed down, the words had already come out: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"

From inside the hall came Zhu Houcong's voice, which was inscrutable as to whether he was pleased or angry: "Speak."

With the arrow already on the bowstring, there was no turning back. Lu Bing succinctly recounted all the clues, including the poisoning, and concluded in a trembling voice, "Every word I have said is true. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

The hall was eerily quiet. Everyone else had withdrawn, leaving only the two childhood brothers, now ruler and subject.

Zhu Houcong stood up, came to him, and said calmly, "I have many speculations about what you have said. Do you have any concrete evidence?"

Lu Bing lowered his head: "There is no evidence..."

Zhu Houcong raised his voice slightly: "Without any evidence, you dare to criticize your mentor in front of me? Do you know that these words will cause him to lose ten years of imperial favor?"

Lu Bing gritted his teeth and said, "These past few days I have been tossing and turning, fearing both that I will fail my teacher's kindness and that the traitors will cause trouble! I am distressed by the difficulty in obtaining concrete evidence, but Heaven, the Sovereign, and the Parents are all in this together. The Sovereign is before the Parents. For the sake of Your Majesty's safety, I... have no choice but to speak out!"

Zhu Houcong raised an eyebrow, and a hint of a smile finally appeared in his eyes: "I thought that in your heart, the safety of your sovereign father was not as important as the safety of your mentor!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Bing's expression changed drastically, and he knelt heavily on the ground with a thud: "Your subject would rather die than have such a thought!"

"Be flat!"

Zhu Houcong gently patted the man's shoulder, his tone softening: "You have always been loyal and righteous, unwilling to doubt your teacher, and you have your concerns. I naturally understand. I am very pleased that you have come to plead your case today!"

Her tone was pleased, clearly indicating that she was very satisfied with Lu Bing's choice after this test.

Closeness or distance in a relationship is relative. Zhu Houcong believed in Lu Bing's loyalty to him, but whether this loyalty absolutely superseded other emotions remained a question.

Now, Lu Bing has proven with his actions that even with ambiguous doubts, he will prioritize his own interests, and this sincerity has finally satisfied Zhu Houcong.

The test has been passed.

However, as Lu Bing pressed his forehead against the cold bricks, his heart sank deeply.

His Majesty was not surprised at all upon hearing this.

Could it be that……

"There's no need to make a fuss about this. Just pretend you don't see those doubts!"

As expected, Zhu Houcong bent down and whispered in his ear, "Your master has been involved in this scheme for so long and has finally reached the point of closing the net. The southern tour is the best opportunity for the rebels to stir up trouble. Now that we have also taken control of the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, can they still hold back?"

(End of this chapter)