Chapter 7: Kill the Chicken to Warn the Monkey!

The Chongzhen Emperor, swaggering along, led Wang Cheng'en and Dongfang Bubai farther down the street, and just then happened to see a group of Eastern Depot runners leading a crowd of military auxiliaries surrounding a piaohao, with a ring of Embroidered Uniform Guard men encircling the outer perimeter.

The lead Eastern Depot runner grabbed the piaohao manager by the clothes and said, "You really don't intend to pay this money, do you? A word of advice, sir: do not bring ruin upon yourself!"

Though the manager kept a smile plastered on his face, his words and tone made his attitude perfectly clear — just try laying a finger on me, you bastard: "Officers, good officers, it's not that this humble one won't pay, it's just that this humble one's piaohao has shares belonging to the current Chief Grand Secretary, Lord Huang.

If this humble one pays now and the accounts don't balance later, should the Chief Grand Secretary ask about it, this humble one would have no way to explain, would he?"

As the two men grappled, a circle of onlookers had already gathered around them, all buzzing with chatter.

"Whoa, this piaohao's got some nerve, huh?

They actually dare to not give face to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot?" One man, the type who loves a good spectacle and fears no escalation, said in a mocking tone, "Real men.

Just wonder if they'll still be this tough once they're inside the Eastern Depot's prison?"

The man next to him rolled his eyes at this and said, "What do you know? Didn't you hear what the manager just said?

This piaohao has shares belonging to the current Chief Grand Secretary, Grand Chancellor Huang. No matter how overbearing the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot are, would they really dare to not give face to the Chief Grand Secretary?

After all, this Grand Secretary Huang is one of the Nine Thousand Years' people, and I've heard that His Majesty the current Emperor has had it in for the eunuch faction and the Embroidered Uniform Guard for a long time now — how would he tolerate them running wild like this?

If they really anger the Chief Grand Secretary, one memorial sent before the imperial presence, and isn't the Eastern Depot afraid that His Majesty will come down on them hard?"

The Chongzhen Emperor, standing not far away, heard every word of these men's conversation without missing a syllable, and couldn't help frowning — he had already given Wei Zhongxian a warning, yet the eunuch faction was still this arrogant and unbridled?

Already feeling displeased, the Chongzhen Emperor quietly instructed Wang Cheng'en, "Go see what's going on."

Wang Cheng'en understood. He squeezed into the crowd, found a junior officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and after showing his waist token stopped the junior officer from saluting, then asked, "What exactly is going on in there?"

The junior officer had recognized Eunuch Wang Cheng'en's identity the moment he showed his waist token, and dared not conceal anything: "In reply to your lordship, the piaohao inside belongs to the current Chief Grand Secretary, Grand Chancellor Huang Liji, and several great merchant houses of Shanxi, including the Fan family and the Wang family.

Today the Eastern Depot came to collect management fees and had their face slapped.

The manager of this piaohao has now brought out Grand Chancellor Huang's name. Not only does he refuse to pay, he's even threatening the Eastern Depot and us humble ones, saying he'll memorialize before His Majesty and make sure we humble ones end up in serious trouble."

Although this Huang Liji was a member of the eunuch faction, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard also ran in the same circles as the eunuch faction, no matter how you figured it, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was still closer to the Eastern Depot.

Especially since they'd been dragged here by the Eastern Depot today to back them up, only to end up having their face slapped — this Embroidered Uniform Guard junior officer naturally didn't mind putting a little poison in the ear against this Grand Chancellor Huang.

Wang Cheng'en, hearing the junior officer speak thus, also found the matter tricky. After sending the junior officer back, he returned to report to the Chongzhen Emperor. Once the Chongzhen Emperor heard it, he was delighted.

What is a piaohao? In later ages, it would be a bank — and piaohao were even more crooked than banks. Banks at least give you interest; piaohao not only gave no interest, but if someone deposited money in a piaohao, they still had to pay the piaohao a safekeeping fee.

As for the Chief Grand Secretary Huang Liji having shares in it, that was irrelevant. Whose shop it was didn't matter — anyone who dared block Us from collecting money was out of luck!

As for this Huang Liji being one of the eunuch faction's lot? Forget it, just get rid of him first!

And it even dragged in the Fan family of Shanxi? Isn't that one of the Eight Great Locust Merchants?

Perfect — start by using this old bastard to make an example, give them a little 'stir the grass to startle the snake.'

The Chongzhen Emperor immediately gave quiet instructions: "Go back in there. Tell them to show the might of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, and go right ahead and smash this Yongchang Piaohao. We will back them up no matter what.

Tell them that from now on, no matter whose business it is, even if it belongs to the imperial father-in-law's family, smash it for Us. Then smash and seal every single piaohao in the capital. Bring everyone back to the Imperial Prison — only, no torture is permitted. Just lock them up for now."

Wang Cheng'en received the order and squeezed back in again.

He found the Embroidered Uniform Guard captain leading the men and the Eastern Depot foreman leading their team, showed his waist token, and said: "Conveying His Majesty's oral decree: no matter whose shares are in it, no matter who is implicated, smash the piaohao first, then seal it, and bring everyone back to the Imperial Prison for custody — only, no torture is permitted.

All piaohao in the capital are to be handled in this manner."

Whether Embroidered Uniform Guard captain or Eastern Depot foreman, who didn't know that Wang Cheng'en was the favored confidant at the Chongzhen Emperor's side? Since Wang Cheng'en had appeared here, the Chongzhen Emperor was most likely nearby as well.

Both men immediately resolved to put on a fine performance.

The earlier worry that the Emperor might have designs against the Depot and the Guard was utterly cast aside.

After saluting Wang Cheng'en, the Eastern Depot foreman and the Embroidered Uniform Guard junior officer loudly called out to the runners: "By order of Director Cao of the Eastern Depot, smash and seal this piaohao!

Send everyone in the piaohao to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Imperial Prison!"

The runners and military auxiliaries were greatly invigorated at these words. Damn it all — talking nicely to you bastards didn't work, huh? If we don't teach you a good lesson, you bastards won't even know how badass our Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot really are!

The runners, the military auxiliaries, and the many officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard all let out a unified roar and immediately charged into the piaohao, smashing things up. After wrecking everything, they pasted sealing strips on the doors, windows, and other places.

Any piaohao clerk blind to the situation who tried to rush over and stop them was likewise beaten to the ground, had an iron chain looped around his neck, and was to be hauled off to the Imperial Prison.

Seeing this, the manager was utterly dumbfounded. He never imagined that bringing out the Chief Grand Secretary's name would not only be useless, but would instead get the bank smashed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot working together!

Just as the manager stood there in a daze, an iron chain was already looped around his neck. The mocking voice of an Embroidered Uniform Guard beside him drifted over: "After you — a room has already been prepared for the manager in the Imperial Prison.

Just wondering when your Chief Grand Secretary will be able to fish you out?"

After saying this, the Embroidered Uniform Guard junior officer's face turned cold again, and he cursed at the manager: "You dog-like wretch, do you really take us men for great philanthropists?

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot are conducting a joint operation, and you dared obstruct it? What colossal gall!"

The manager and the crowd of onlookers seemed only at this moment to suddenly recall the fearsome reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot. Rumor had it that of those who entered the Imperial Prison, almost none ever came out alive!

Although there was talk that the current Emperor looked upon the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot with great disfavor and intended to purge them — still, that was only rumor. The purge had not yet happened!

Although this Eastern Depot Director Cao Huachun had never had an evil reputation and was said to be quite close with the honorable gentlemen of the Donglin Faction, that too was only rumor.

Anyone who took the Eastern Depot for a house of charity was truly an old god of longevity eating arsenic — tired of living!

Thinking of this, the surrounding crowd of onlookers immediately dispersed in twos and threes, secretly cursing themselves for wanting to watch the excitement. If by any chance the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot took notice of them, could it possibly end well?

The more they thought, the more frightened they became, and the faster the crowd scattered, until in the end they practically regretted that their parents had given them two legs too few.

Seeing this, the Chongzhen Emperor felt absolutely fantastic, like eating an ice pop in the dog days of summer, and thought to himself: This is the Depot and Guard that We want! With the Depot and Guard in hand, We'd like to see which blind fool dares come try to swindle Us!

What's wrong with dictatorial terror — ever heard of the Iron Father of Nations?

Once We fully grasp military power, let the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep watch over the realm within, the Eastern Depot keep watch over the hundred officials, and the Western Depot keep watch over the lands beyond the Great Ming — then We can do whatever We damn well please with this world.

Satisfying!

As for the Depot and Guard's currently unclear and overlapping functions, and the chaotic personnel relationships, Chongzhen indicated that these were all temporary.

After all, the functions of the Depot and Guard still overlapped in many places with those of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Court of Judicial Review — no matter, just sort it out gradually.

(End of chapter)