Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 318 Haiyue and Lu Bing's Tacit Understanding
"Mingwei!"

Wang Shenzhong, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, entered the private room and his first words were: "I've finally managed to persuade them!"

Haiyue had already prepared tea, and upon hearing this, she bowed respectfully: "This time, we owe a great debt to Daosi."

Historically, Wang Shenzhong was dismissed from his post and returned to his hometown after offending Xia Yan. After retiring, he devoted himself to literature, and local students flocked to him to learn from him day and night.

He was the foremost of the Eight Talented Scholars of the Jiajing era and one of the Three Great Masters of the Jiajing era.

Now that he has been promoted to Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, he will finally be able to fully display his talents and spread his knowledge more widely, which is undoubtedly a fortunate thing.

What is most commendable about Wang Shenzhong is that he is not pedantic. He quickly accepted Hai Yue's persuasion regarding the matter of establishing an heir and took the initiative to convince the other members of the Yixin Society to wait and see and not to make any rash statements about the important matter of establishing an heir.

Unsurprisingly, he received a lot of criticism.

In a sense, this was to protect Haiyue, the leader of the association, by stepping forward and willingly bearing the blame.

Wang Shenzhong didn't care about empty titles; he was more concerned with the deeper meaning conveyed by the emperor: "Mingwei, tell me the truth, does His Majesty truly have no intention of establishing an heir?"

Haiyue sighed softly and said slowly, "His Majesty's intention is to wait until the princes have completed their studies, observe their virtue and talent, and then make a decision. The disasters caused by the struggle for the throne throughout history are a true warning!"

Wang Shenzhong frowned slightly, his gaze deep beneath his sparse eyebrows: "Publicly establishing an heir can stabilize the court and prevent powerful ministers from taking advantage of the situation. Why not do it? Leaving the position vacant will only cause division within the court..."

Since the reign of Emperor Taizu, the Ming Dynasty had continuously strengthened imperial power. With the establishment of the Eastern Depot and the Western Depot, the depots and guards openly intervened in court struggles. This naturally displeased upright officials like Wang Shenzhong, who inevitably revealed their resentment in their words.

He has always been outspoken and dared to speak his mind; if I were to continue, it might be inappropriate.

Hai Yue changed the subject at the right moment: "There is a reason for this incident. The traitors committed regicide and treason, and colluded with outsiders. They must not be tolerated. What worries me more is..."

Wang Shenzhong's expression indeed turned solemn: "Mingwei, do you know anything secret?"

Hai Yue said in a deep voice, "I just remember when Marquis Guo Xun of Wuding caused chaos in the capital and was arrogant for a time. Fortunately, His Majesty was wise and no longer relied on him, so Guo Xun restrained his arrogance and the people were able to live in peace!"

"Now, are nobles causing trouble again?"

Officials who had passed the imperial examinations generally did not have a good impression of hereditary nobles, especially given Guo Xun's infamous reputation. Wang Shenzhong immediately asked, "Who is it?"

Haiyue said in a low voice, "It's just hearsay, and there's no confirmed evidence yet, but the Marquis of Xianning is quite suspicious."

"The one who commands the Beijing Garrison, the one who swaggers around the streets?"

Wang Shenzhong said coldly, "Their military power is immense; we must indeed be wary of such people!"

Less than an hour.

Every word of their conversation was clearly recorded in the case file and appeared on Lu Bing's desk.

This is not surprising.

The teahouse Haiyue chose happened to be a secret stronghold of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. She had even complained that the Embroidered Uniform Guard particularly liked to stake out such places.

Since Lu Bing returned to Beijing, the two sides have not met again and have had no further communication.

Now that the palace coup has occurred, as the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he is even less able to have any contact with court officials.

'Mingwei…'

So when Lu Bing opened the case file, he only felt a tacit understanding and trust, and his heart warmed after a long time.

He could tell that this conversation was definitely intentional on Haiyue's part, to provide him with crucial information.

After reading it, he also showed a look of understanding.

Since Your Majesty is worried that there are collusion between officials and outsiders among the court, plotting treason, it proves that it is impossible to have none at all; you can only provide such treacherous officials.

Ideally, it should be someone with military power.

The threat is more direct.

Haiyue then chose a target, who was still an "old acquaintance"—

Marquis Xianning, Qiu Luan!
Back when they were conquering Annam, Haiyue specifically mentioned this nobleman when she saw Lu Bing off.

At that time, Qiu Luan, the General Commander of Guangdong and Guangxi, was brutal, fierce, and ambitious, and should be guarded against.

Lu Bing was skeptical, but after traveling south to Guangxi and making actual contact, he discovered that the statement was not only not an exaggeration, but rather a polite remark.

Qiu Luan inherited the title of Marquis at the age of sixteen and became the General of Guangdong and Guangxi at the age of twenty-seven. Not only was he cowardly and ignorant, but he was also a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong, and was outwardly strong but inwardly weak to the extreme.

At first, upon hearing that Mo Dengyong's army was strong and brave in battle, he dared not engage them, and was extremely timid and cowardly. However, when the army gained the upper hand, he was impatient and afraid of missing out on the credit. He ignored Lu Bing's repeated warnings and charged forward with his personal guards. As a result, he fell into an ambush, and his three thousand soldiers were routed, with only one in ten surviving!

But this guy still tried to shirk responsibility, and as a result, Lu Bing exposed him. Although he didn't lose his title, he lost all his power in the army and slunk back to the capital.

However, like Zhao Wenhua, this person was quite adept at scheming and maneuvering.

I don't know who I got through to him, but now I'm serving in the Beijing Garrison, commanding the Xianwu Battalion, one of the twelve battalions in the capital.

Though his position was not high, his power was immense.

It was precisely because of this that Qiu Luan once again came into Hai Yue's sight.

Although the current border situation is unlikely to repeat the tragedy of the Gengxu Incident, it is still quite irritating that the culprit can still hold an important military position openly.

He couldn't interfere in matters within the military before.

Now is the chance.

Lu Bing was unaware of the historical developments, but he had had enough of Qiu Luan's disgusting behavior in Annam. At first, he hadn't thought of such a person, but now that he was reminded, he immediately arranged: "Go and investigate Qiu Luan, the commander of Xianwu Camp. This man is greedy and violent, and has betrayed the country many times. Be careful!"

"Yes!"

His subordinates understood immediately and hurried to carry it out. Soon, Qiu Luan's social network came to light. Lu Bing carefully reviewed it, tapped on a few key names, and then slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "Excellent! This is the scoundrel!"

……

"Eighth Sister! Eighth Sister!"

Qiu Luan strode into the inner courtyard, calling out loudly.

He wasn't calling her "sister," he was addressing her as "madam."

His principal wife was the daughter of Hong Zhong, a famous minister during the Zhengde reign. She was the eighth among the women in his family. Qiu Luan often did not call her by her given name, but instead addressed her as "Eighth Sister," which was a respectful title for this lady.

"The Marquis does know to return to his residence?"

A haughty female voice came from the inner room.

A beautiful woman with a frosty look in her eyes stepped out; she was none other than Hong, Qiu Luan's principal wife.

She raised her eyes slightly and coldly swept her travel-worn husband over.

Qiu Luan immediately put on a smile and stepped forward: "Eighth Sister, don't be angry. Your husband has been sharing weal and woe with the soldiers in the military camp these days..."

Hong Bajie gave a light snort, not pointing out the number of times he had spent the night in Pitiao Hutong, and simply said, "Since you are so affectionate, why doesn't the Marquis continue to cultivate your friendship in the army?"

"This one……"

Qiu Luan rubbed his hands together and chuckled awkwardly, "To be honest, I came back this time to ask my wife for some alms!"

"You want money again?"

Hong Bajie's eyebrows shot up: "Does the Marquis treat me like a money-spending machine? The silver notes from the middle of the month are gone so quickly?"

Qiu Luan straightened his chest and said righteously, "I don't like it when others do things for me without paying me. How can the expenses be small?"

It turns out that anyone who gets to this position is capable of something.

I don't like it when people do things for me without getting paid.

With this motto, Qiu Luan went from being a defeated general ridiculed by everyone in the army to becoming a successful figure in just a few years.

But there's a prerequisite for this statement: you have to have money.

It used to be easy to drink soldiers' blood, but now the military is cracking down harder and harder. When Sister Hong looked at the family's recent account books, her brows furrowed.

Qiu Luan looked around, pulled his wife aside, and whispered, "This time we must give them enough money. It's from the palace, and it's related to the selection of the heir!"

"Oh?"

Hong Bajie's expression turned serious: "Could it be that..."

"Yeah!"

Qiu Luan lowered her voice, but her tone couldn't hide her excitement: "The traitors in the palace coup wanted to assassinate His Majesty and support the eldest prince's ascension to the throne. What do you think His Majesty will think? Ha! This time, I think the second prince has the best chance of becoming the crown prince! Our usual association with Consort Wang was truly a gamble that paid off! Once the second prince is made crown prince, you and I, as husband and wife, will enjoy endless wealth and honor!"

Qiu Luan doesn't think she's very powerful now.

He had always had an object of admiration, namely Marquis Guo Xun of Wuding.

Guo Xun's ancestors were not particularly distinguished. They lost their title as early as the Yongle reign. After several twists and turns, it was not until Guo Xun's father's generation that the title was regained. Guo Xun was even poorer as a child and lived a life worse than that of a commoner.

But he later succeeded in betting on the new emperor and became the most powerful nobleman in the land. All the dukes had to step aside. How could Qiu Luan not envy such a powerful and influential figure?

Of course, such an opportunity is rare and hard to come by.

Qiu Luan did support Jiajing during the Great Rites Controversy, but he was far less resolute than Zhang Cong, Gui E, Guo Xun, and others, and eventually went to Guangdong and Guangxi.

They thought they could make a name for themselves in Annam, but instead they've exposed their true colors. So, the only option left is to work on the princes.

The eldest prince was the eldest son and had the support of a group of court officials, so it was not his turn. Fortunately, he was stupid and the emperor was slow to appoint a crown prince. Qiu Luan figured that this person might not be able to succeed to the throne, so he turned to the second prince.

He had his wife frequently enter the palace, using gold and silver to pave the way, bribing palace maids, and catering to the preferences of Consort Wang. He and Consort Wang were like close confidantes, inseparable.

Now Qiu Luan believes that the reward has arrived.

Hong Bajie, however, was somewhat worried: "The rebels from the palace coup have not yet been purged. Is it too rash to be moving around in the palace at this time?"

"A woman's view!"

Qiu Luan dismissed it: "These days, which prince's maternal family isn't secretly working hard? If we don't fight now, when will we? We can't wait!"

"I understand!"

Hong Bajie gritted her teeth, said no more, and turned to go into the inner room to retrieve the silver notes.

Qiu Luan took it, quickly counted the contents, and stuffed it into his arms. He then hugged his wife tightly and said, "Eighth Sister, I will fight for you to get a real first-rank imperial title!"

After saying that, he strode out, his robes fluttering, his eyes filled with determination.

"Thump thump thump—thump thump thump!"

However, a rapid knocking sound suddenly rang out, like the beating of war drums.

As soon as Qiu Luan stepped into the front hall, she was startled by the sudden noise. Anger immediately flashed across her face, and she shouted sternly, "Who dares to be so insolent! What kind of behavior is this, banging on the door like this!"

A chilling voice came from outside:
"Imperial Guards! Open the door!!"

(End of this chapter)