Chapter 345: Seizing the Kong Mansion's Head Steward

He walked forward a few steps, then Xu Xianchun paused slightly before retreating again.

He looked at Chen Hong with some hesitation, then asked, "Eunuch Chen, there's something I'd like to ask the Duke Yansheng about. Would that be permissible?"

Chen Hong had already turned to leave, but when he saw Xu Xianchun come back, he paused slightly and knew the man had something on his mind.

Hearing Xu Xianchun's words now, Chen Hong's heart stirred. However, Chen Hong was not Xu Xianchun — he understood His Majesty's intentions far better.

Chen Hong gave a light cough and said with some displeasure, "Xu Xianchun, are you deaf or what? Or are you deliberately not listening? What did His Majesty just say?"

"To report back to you, Eunuch, His Majesty said to investigate to the very end, and no matter who is implicated, none shall be shown leniency." Xu Xianchun straightened his expression and quickly added, "I know what to do now."

"Then go handle it at once." Chen Hong waved his hand.

After leaving the room, Xu Xianchun quickly found his subordinates outside.

Beckoning them over, Xu Xianchun asked, "Are those people Eunuch Chen arrested earlier still here?"

"To report to you, sir, they're all locked up at our place," one subordinate said quickly.

"Those people" naturally referred to the grain speculators Chen Hong had arrested earlier. According to the intelligence gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, these men were all members of the Kong family, but they had been kept under guard without being interrogated.

These men had not revealed who their master was — after all, under the laws of the Great Ming, they were not obliged to speak. In the Great Ming Code, there was the principle of "concealment among kin."

As early as the Han dynasty, Confucian classics had already been used as the theoretical basis for adjudicating cases, known historically as "Spring and Autumn adjudication," which formally established the judicial principle of "concealment among kin."

Thereafter, successive dynasties continued this principle and expanded upon it. The Tang dynasty extended it to "concealment among co-residents," meaning that even servants without kinship ties bore the obligation to conceal each other's crimes.

The Great Ming Code likewise stipulated the legal principles that "co-residing relatives who commit crimes shall conceal for one another" and "a younger brother shall not testify against an elder brother, a wife shall not testify against her husband, and a servant shall not testify against his master."

If a son — including a daughter-in-law — reported a father's or father-in-law's crimes to the authorities, the authorities would impose heavy punishment on the son or daughter-in-law for the crime of "filial impiety."

Of course, the application of the "concealment among kin" principle had its exceptions. Since the theoretical foundation of concealment among kin lay in "filial piety," and according to Confucian theory, the highest interest of feudal society was naturally the subjects' "loyalty" to the sovereign.

Thus, when loyalty and filial piety came into conflict, one could only abandon filial piety and choose loyalty. Therefore it was stipulated: "Treason, great sedition, and rebellion — these three crimes shall not be concealed, and the concealment statutes shall not apply."

In other words, the three crimes of treason, great sedition, and rebellion did not fall under the principle of concealment among co-residents — they had to be reported. (Treason and rebellion are easy to understand; the charge of "great sedition" refers to acts that destroy the feudal emperor's ancestral temples, mausoleums, and palaces.)

Originally, these men were concealing things for the Kong family, and if they were truly interrogated, it would easily create complications and there would be no way to implicate the Kong family.

But now things were different — the entire case had become a treason case. His Majesty had been assassinated, so there was already ample justification.

Once a case touched upon treason, it also touched upon loyalty, and no matter what was done, it could not be considered excessive.

In the instant he left Eunuch Chen, Xu Xianchun had already thought of what to do.

"Bring all those men over. I intend to interrogate them thoroughly." Xu Xianchun said with a cold smile.

"Yes, sir." When the subordinates saw Xu Xianchun's smile, they couldn't help but shudder. Naturally, they dared not be negligent and quickly acknowledged the order before going to gather men to fetch the prisoners.

By the time they returned, the prisoners had also been brought in.

"What was the ringleader's name again?" Xu Xianchun looked at the row of disheveled prisoners before him and said directly, "Bring him up first. Today we'll start with the ringleader."

"Sir, this ringleader is named Kong Shangli. He's said to be a collateral branch of the Kong family," a subordinate said quickly.

"Then he's the one." Xu Xianchun nodded, sat down in his chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Hang him up first and give him twenty lashes. Oh, and don't forget to dip the whip in salt water. You people are always so careless. It's no fun without salt water — you can't be stingy when it comes to torture. How do you expect to get promoted if you're lazy?"

The men below quickly assented obsequiously: "Yes, sir. We'll handle it right away."

The subordinates respectfully acknowledged the order and quickly brought Kong Shangli up.

At this moment, Kong Shangli was terrified, twisting and struggling to break free, unable to stop himself from shouting, "Sir! Sir! What is this for?"

These Embroidered Uniform Guard men were not easy to deal with. With deft movements, they stripped off Kong Shangli's upper garment and trousers, leaving only a pair of shorts on him.

Kong Shangli was in his forties, accustomed to a life of ease and comfort, his whole body fair and smooth. Though not particularly thin, he had some flesh on him. Now that his clothes had been removed, his heart was filled with panic.

Xu Xianchun paid Kong Shangli no attention at all, simply raising his hand to signal his subordinates to begin the torture.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard men naturally did not hesitate. The whips in their hands swung instantly, landing on Kong Shangli's body with crackling sounds.

The flogging was very fast and very forceful — clearly the work of professionals. After two passes, they would place the whips into the bucket beside them.

The bucket naturally did not contain plain water, but salt water that had been prepared in advance (sometimes with things like chili powder added).

Then they would lift the whips and strike Kong Shangli again, then dip them in the salt water once more, repeating the process over and over.

Kong Shangli was in agony, with nowhere to hide. He could only cry out in terror, his face twisted with pain.

"Sir! Sir! Whatever you want to ask, just ask — I'll tell you everything I know without holding anything back!" Kong Shangli's face was streaked with tears, his tone pleading, his attitude sincere.

But Xu Xianchun appeared unmoved. He casually picked at his ear, then flicked his finger at the air as if flicking away a large piece of earwax.

The man beside him immediately understood the meaning, grabbed a smelly sock, and stuffed it into Kong Shangli's mouth.

Only then did Xu Xianchun withdraw his hand and pick up his teacup to continue drinking.

Only after the twenty lashes were completed did the Embroidered Uniform Guard men pull the smelly sock out of Kong Shangli's mouth, then step aside, waiting for Xu Xianchun to question him.

Xu Xianchun slowly stood up, took a silk handkerchief to cover his mouth, and walked expressionlessly to Kong Shangli's front. "I actually don't really feel like interrogating you today. I just find it a bit boring."

Xu Xianchun said slowly and deliberately, "It's been a while since I've tortured anyone, and my heart feels uneasy. Anyway, with skin as fine and tender as yours, torturing you should feel quite satisfying."

"But you've disappointed me. How could you lack so much backbone? Our Embroidered Uniform Guard has many torture instruments — this was only a few lashes, and already you're crying for your father and mother? Aren't you a member of the Kong family? Where's your backbone? How disappointing!"

Hearing this, Kong Shangli was scared out of his wits.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard really were all perverts!

After all, in the rumors circulating outside, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had never had a good reputation. The legends about them had grown more and more numerous, most of them negative.

Some even said that people in the Embroidered Uniform Guard ate raw children, and that Xu Xianchun gouged out people's hearts and livers, and had even developed a dish called "Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gall," which was truly horrifying.

Things like taking pleasure in tormenting people were already the most ordinary occurrences within the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Originally, Kong Shangli hadn't paid much attention to any of this, because those rumors had nothing to do with him — he heard them and treated them like jokes.

But now, seeing Xu Xianchun take pleasure in tormenting him, Kong Shangli panicked. Thinking of those rumors, he immediately felt terrible all over.

He quickly said, "Sir, although this humble one bears the surname Kong, I can hardly be considered a true member of the Kong family. Besides, you represent the imperial court and His Majesty. This humble one naturally wants to be loyal to the court and loyal to His Majesty. In this humble one's heart, besides the court and His Majesty, there is no one else!"

Xu Xianchun looked Kong Shangli up and down, clicking his tongue with approval. "I didn't notice it before, but you're quite the talent. If I hadn't run into you here, I'd really want to take you on as one of my men. But since we've met here, certain things just can't be discussed."

"Sir, this humble one knows he has committed crimes, but I am willing to atone for my crimes through meritorious service." Kong Shangli said quickly, "As long as you're willing to give this humble one a chance, I will surely exert every effort for you."

Watching Kong Shangli, who was clearly sweating from pain yet forcing himself to put on an ingratiating smile and say such things, Xu Xianchun truly didn't know what to say.

If this man were under his command, he would certainly be a qualified subordinate — even an outstanding one. At this very moment, Xu Xianchun actually found himself developing a fondness for talent.

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance," Xu Xianchun turned and sat back down, saying, "Let me ask you — who instructed you to embezzle the disaster relief grain?"

"Your Honor, does something like this even need instruction? Everyone does it." Kong Shangli said hurriedly.

Hearing this, Xu Xianchun raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "I thought you were a smart man, but it turns out you're just pretending to be clever. At a time like this, you still won't tell the truth — do you really take me for a fool?"

"Your Honor, Your Honor, I haven't finished speaking!" Kong Shangli said hurriedly. "For so many years now, everyone has always done it this way. As for who instructed it — there's no such thing as instruction or not."

"The Kong family has connections everywhere — is there a single yamen in the Shandong government that doesn't have Kong family people in it? As long as someone from the Kong family is willing, there's nothing they can't accomplish. It's just a matter of a single word."

"It's only some relief grain. They exchange it out with a few words, and selling it off on the sly brings in a tidy sum. Under such circumstances, there's no such thing as instruction or not. This is simply a business that exists every single year — everyone has long grown accustomed to it."

"So you're saying your business is done on behalf of the Kong family?" Xu Xianchun looked at Kong Shangli and said.

"Of course it is." Kong Shangli nodded hurriedly and said, "With this humble one's meager abilities, how would I dare do such a thing on the ground of Shandong? Who would be willing to do such a thing with me? If there weren't people from the Kong family behind me, the people of the Lu Prince's manor would have devoured me long ago."

Xu Xianchun nodded with satisfaction and said, "So all the money you earned also went entirely to the Kong family?"

"This is the Kong family's business." Kong Shangli said hurriedly, "I'm just a shopkeeper. I receive a fixed wage every month, and the money earned naturally gets shipped to the Kong family."

Hearing this, Xu Xianchun nodded with satisfaction.

Of course, these matters alone were certainly not enough.

So Xu Xianchun continued asking, "This time, your grain was all sold to the White Lotus sect. Do you know what the White Lotus sect does?"

"Your Honor, the White Lotus sect are rebels against the court." Kong Shangli said hurriedly.

In truth, in Kong Shangli's heart, he had no idea at all that the grain had been sold to some White Lotus sect. But this matter had to be addressed, so he prepared to listen to what Xu Xianchun had to say.

"You may not know this, but these rebels are audacious beyond measure — they even dared to attempt assassination of Your Majesty!"

"We have already arrested some of the rebels. According to their confessions, the relief grain you sold off all went to the White Lotus sect, where it was used as military provisions for plotting rebellion against Heaven. So you have already been colluding with rebels and conspiring in treason. Do you know what crime this is?"

Hearing this, Kong Shangli was instantly thrown into panic.

This was the crime of rebellion!

If this were pinned on him, he would be finished — not a single member of his entire family, old or young, would survive.

"Your Honor, Your Honor, I knew nothing at all about this — it wasn't this humble one who did it!" Kong Shangli said hurriedly. "We only received the grain, then sold it out and collected the silver. As for where the grain came from, or who it was sold to — how would we underlings know anything about that?" Kong Shangli said hurriedly.

"Then who in the Kong family is in charge of this matter?" Xu Xianchun sat up straight and asked.

Kong Shangli was taken aback.

Who was handling this matter?

It was the Kong family's chief steward, Kong Shangsheng.

Kong Shangli said hurriedly, "Your Honor, this matter is handled by Kong Shangsheng. He's a direct descendant of the Kong family — not someone us small fry can compare with."

"Kong Shangsheng?" Xu Xianchun said with some hesitation. "What position does this man hold in the Kong family?"

"Your Honor, he is the steward of the Kong family's external affairs. All of us are under his management, and most of the Kong family's outside businesses and estates are also managed by him or by his subordinates. In terms of relations, he is the uncle of the Duke Yansheng."

Hearing Kong Shangli's words, Xu Xianchun nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Good, good. You've been able to sincerely serve the court, recognize your mistakes, and expose Kong Shangsheng — well done. This is a merit you've earned. I'll report it later and see if your crimes can be reduced or remitted."

"Yes, Your Honor." Kong Shangli said excitedly, "This humble one thanks Your Honor for the grace of sparing my life. From now on, whatever Your Honor commands, this humble one will spare no effort and handle everything properly for Your Honor."

Xu Xianchun looked at Kong Shangli and said, "Take him away. Have the Bureau Director look at his wounds, and later prepare some good food to nourish him. Oh, and remember to change his cell — don't treat him poorly."

The subordinates naturally understood what Xu Xianchun meant, so they said hurriedly, "Yes, Your Honor, we'll see to it right away."

After Kong Shangli was led away, Xu Xianchun said, "Prepare to come with me to make an arrest. This time we're bringing Kong Shangsheng back."

"Your Honor, under what pretext do we arrest him?" a subordinate said hesitantly. "Right now we don't have evidence of his grain trafficking in hand."

"Grain trafficking?" Xu Xianchun gave a cold snort, stepped forward and slapped the subordinate across the face, saying, "Now we suspect he's with the White Lotus sect, plotting to assassinate Your Majesty. Bring him in for interrogation."