Chapter 419: Scholar Zhou Exposes His Own Family Fortune

Tailor Feng's legs trembled violently, his hands shaking so badly that the bean-paste porridge spilled all over the ground.

The squad of soldiers drew closer and closer, clearly coming straight for him. Tailor Feng could hold out no longer—he set down his bean-paste porridge and fried dough sticks and was about to kneel and beg for mercy.

Just then, one of the Xia soldiers called out: "How much for the breakfast?"

Tailor Feng felt as if he had received a pardon. He let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Behind him, the stall owner served the soldiers bean-paste porridge and fried dough sticks. One soldier raised the bowl to drink, then immediately spat it out, furious: "This porridge is sour!"

The stall owner pleaded repeatedly: "This is made from the bean water left over from making tofu—it's supposed to taste like this, it's not spoiled. Officers, look—the other tables are drinking it too."

Hearing this, the people at Tailor Feng's table, who had just relaxed, tensed up again as they heard the Xia soldiers' footsteps approaching.

The newcomer stopped behind him, seemingly craning his neck to peer at their table.

The whole table froze as if struck by a binding spell, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.

After a moment, that Xia soldier said: "So it is!"

Another man who looked like a Xia squad leader said: "Don't dawdle—there's still over two hundred li to go!"

The several Xia soldiers who had been inspecting turned back, wolfed down their fried dough sticks in a few bites, left the bean-paste porridge untouched, and got up to leave.

Only after the Xia soldiers had gone far did everyone let out a sigh of relief. Tailor Feng wiped his sweat and said: "Thank goodness, thank goodness—these southern soldiers are still reasonably reasonable."

Old Chen the paper-mache craftsman said: "They look like they're heading out of the city. Over two hundred li—either Zunhua or Baoding. Surely those places haven't fallen to Great Xia too?"

Little Ma said: "Why bother worrying about that? As long as soldiers don't use sour porridge as an excuse to make trouble, we should thank heaven and earth."

Everyone secretly nodded. If officials from the Revenue and Works offices had run into this, smashing the stall would have been the lightest outcome.

The stall owner was clearing away bowls and chopsticks behind everyone when he suddenly let out a surprised "Eh?"

Everyone turned to look—on the small table lay more than thirty gleaming yellow copper coins, stamped with the characters "Zhongxuan Tongbao."

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Having lived in the capital for so long, seeing soldiers actually pay for their food was a rare sight indeed.

Tailor Feng stared at that string of Zhongxuan Tongbao coins, his expression complicated, lost in thought.

Little Ma the peddler said: "Even if the Xia soldiers were harsh down south, at least they treat us decently on the surface—they even pay for their meals."

Old Chen the paper-mache craftsman recalled what Mr. Zhang had said and remained wary: "Let's wait and see."

After finishing breakfast and chatting for a while, it was nearly the hour of Mao. The public trial platform was already surrounded by a crowd. Little Ma, familiar with the way, led everyone to a good spot for watching the proceedings.

At the beginning of the Mao hour, the Great Xia officials mounted the platform one by one and took their seats. Scholar Zhou sat in the central presiding position, with Huang Daozhou seated at the chief examiner's position on the left.

The layout of the public trial platform was almost exactly the same as in Suzhou.

Immediately after, Zhang Yixian was brought up by military police. Huang Daozhou opened a ledger and read out his crimes.

"From the tenth month of the second year of Chongzhen to the eleventh month of the third year of Chongzhen, Zhang Yixian, as Commodore in charge of the Capital Camps' funds and grain, withheld two-tenths of military pay each month and diverted it into his private coffers, embezzling a total of one hundred twenty-seven thousand six hundred-plus taels of military funds. Every single embezzlement has a corresponding receipt—all can be audited in detail——"

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Daozhou picked up a thick stack of account books from the table and displayed them, then handed them to the military police, who brought them before Zhang Yixian for display.

Zhang Yixian felt utterly bewildered. He had indeed embezzled, but how much—he himself couldn't remember. This wasn't a debt of gratitude; why would anyone bother writing it down? Where had these account books come from?

When he saw the "Inner Treasury Archive" stamp on the cover of the account books, realization struck instantly—this was the Eastern Depot's official square seal.

"Cao Huachun! I'll fuck your mother! You're framing me!"

Cao Huachun, seated on the judgment bench, smiled faintly and said in a sinister tone: "Framing is rather an overstatement. I merely helped Eunuch Zhang keep his books."

Zhang Yixian roared: "Cao! Have you forgotten who got you into the Prince Xin Residence? In the third year of Tianqi, when you were exiled to Nanjing to atone for your crimes, who was it that kept you alive? Cao, you will——mmph mmph mmph——"

A gag was fitted into his mouth, and whatever Zhang Yixian wanted to say next could no longer come out.

After the military police had displayed the account books before Zhang Yixian, they brought them down from the platform to show the watching crowd.

Zhang Yixian's embezzlement of military funds and poisoning of the Capital Camps didn't stir much feeling in Little Ma and the others, but a group of women and children who saw the account books burst into tears, knelt to the ground, and wailed: "We beg the great lord magistrate to seek justice for us!"

Tailor Feng said with reddened eyes: "What's going on with them?"

Little Ma, being widely experienced, sighed and said: "They must all be family members of Capital Camp soldiers. Aunt Wang in our alley should have come too, but her eyes are too swollen from crying—she can't walk far."

The capital had long since entered summer. The days weren't scorching hot, but sitting on the judgment bench for a long time still made one sweat continuously.

Scholar Zhou held a feather fan, waving it gently to cool himself, his expression composed. At the same time, he observed the crowd's reaction and nodded inwardly.

Logically speaking, the Capital Camps had been defeated head-on by the Great Xia army, so these widows and orphans' true enemies should have been the Great Xia army itself. But one couldn't very well have the Xia army pay compensation to the bereaved families—that would be tearing down one's own stage, indefensible on principle.

It was precisely to give the bereaved families' anger an outlet that Scholar Zhou had deliberately chosen Zhang Yixian as the target to strike.

By exposing Zhang Yixian's mistreatment of the Capital Camps, he stirred up the bereaved families' fury; then, once the man was executed, revenge would be considered achieved. This way the bereaved could live in peace, and Great Xia's rule could remain stable.

Judging from the bereaved families' reaction now, his method was working quite well.

On the public trial platform, Zhang Yixian, gagged, was pinned to his chair by two military police officers, struggling ceaselessly and roaring hoarsely through his muffled mouth.

On the other side, Huang Daozhou was recounting the miserable condition of the border troops—telling one by one of the yellowed cotton-padded jackets stuffed with rotten wadding, the sand-mixed gunpowder, the moldy husked rice, and the three-barreled guns that burst their barrels.

All these misdeeds were laid squarely on Zhang Yixian's head.

As Huang Daozhou spoke, all manner of physical evidence was passed back and forth between the platform and the ground like flowing water.

There were the Ming army's padded jackets captured during the Poyang naval battle—half stuffed with cattail fluff, half with rotten cotton.

There was the sand-mixed, moldy husked rice that Mao Wenlong's men ate on Pidao. So much time had passed that the rice was nearly rotten and worm-eaten, but the sand remained. When sifted through a rice sieve, yellow sand came pouring down with a clatter, quickly forming a small pile.

The watching citizens were all stunned speechless.

There were also the Ming army's burst-barreled Lumi muskets, bird guns, and three-barreled guns—most captured in the Battle of Guangqu Gate.

From those barrels that had split open outward, one could see the inner walls were riddled with pinholes, with visibly uneven thickness to the naked eye.

Such guns would ordinarily burst easily, but paired with the incompletely combusting sand-mixed gunpowder, they formed a perfect balance—becoming safe fire-sticks.

It was precisely because of this inferior gunpowder that although the Ming army possessed Dutch-made cannons, their range still fell short of Great Xia's.

Even with a very high rate of firearm equipment, they were still beaten like grandsons by the Xia army.

After the firearms display concluded, someone showed the crowd the Ming army's uniforms.

The armor was full of holes, the helmets covered in dents, and even the padded jackets were made of thin gauze-like cloth that tore at the slightest pull.

Seeing this, Tailor Feng burst into tearful complaint on the spot: "What I sold to the Revenue and Works offices was all good quality! I deliberately chose thick thread and sturdy cloth, worried about wear and tear—I sank a full twenty taels of silver into it!"

On the public trial platform, Huang Daozhou concluded: "This eunuch valued profit above righteousness, his greed an unfillable pit. He fed on the flesh and blood of the Capital Camp and border troops to satisfy his private desires, causing the Capital Camps to decay and border soldiers to die in vain—this is crime number one!"

The wailing of the hereditary military families below the stage was so loud that Huang Daozhou's words could barely be heard.

Military police with iron megaphones shouted to the crowd: "The Chief Inspector says this eunuch is a man who forgets righteousness at the sight of profit, his greed is a bottomless————"

Every ten paces, a military policeman repeated the announcement.

The families finally heard clearly, and in an instant the crowd seethed with indignation, roaring that the eunuch dog must be killed.

Zhang Yixian heard the death cries from the families, his face went pale with terror, his arrogance gone, and he sat slumped in his chair, trembling uncontrollably.

Huang Daozhou paused, then continued: "It is found that Zhang Yixian, though a eunuch, took overall charge of the Joint Office of the Ministries of Revenue and Works, meddling in state affairs and encroaching upon the authority of the ministries and courts.

Under the pretext of 'procuring materials' and 'verifying quality,' he amassed wealth on a grand scale, forcibly apportioning levies and taxes, extorting merchants, seizing goods by force—accumulating a total of one hundred fifty-four thousand taels of silver!

In the capital, merchants and common folk driven to bankruptcy and ruin, their families destroyed, number more than two hundred households.

Common townsfolk struggle to make a living, yet this eunuch abused his power to exploit and oppress the people—this is crime number two!"

While the charges were being read, military police also displayed confessions, account books, and other evidence to the crowd.

Military police also brought out the stockpiles of the Joint Office for display—taking padded jackets as an example, the Joint Office would take the finest quality goods, hoard them for private sale, and send inferior goods to the army instead.

Thus no matter how finely the merchants crafted their goods, what was distributed was always shoddy.

When the account books were displayed, Tailor Feng even spotted the name of Manager Zhou of the silk shop on one of the pages.

In that moment, he felt his own grievance had finally been redressed, and he wept: "Your Honor, my lord of justice! I've finally lived to see this day! I beg you to right my wrong!"

In the crowd, after the military police finished repeating Huang Daozhou's words, they raised their megaphones to maintain order: "No kneeling! Rise! Everyone stand up."

But no one listened—on the contrary, more and more people knelt and kowtowed.

In the crowd, some angrily demanded Zhang Yixian be executed, others wept bitterly as they poured out their grievances—the uproar was so great it drowned out all sound from the public trial stage.

On the judging bench, Bi Ziyan felt his eyes grow hot and murmured with emotion: "This is where the people's hearts turn! Great Ming's fall was no injustice————"

When the crowd's noise subsided, Huang Daozhou continued: "Zhang Yixian, though a eunuch, set himself above both the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, forcing officials to come to his office and pay homage, picking quarrels and making difficulties————

Gao Hongtu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, refused to bow his integrity, and for this this eunuch fabricated charges against him, stripping him of his rank and dismissing him from office.

Bureau Secretary Sun Zhaoxing submitted a memorial exposing the corruption in military equipment, and in retaliation was framed and exiled to guard the frontier.

All who dared speak out in court and country were demoted or banished, until every official was silenced, the court and country darkened, and the channels of remonstrance blocked—this is crime number three!"

The former Ming officials listening all fixed their eyes on Zhang Yixian, glaring with fury.

Bi Ziyan, however, watched Scholar Zhou, seeing him lightly wave his feather fan with a faintly absurd air of imitating Marquis Wu—yet everything he did was ruthlessly astute.

He thought to himself: "Yesterday they tried Zhou Kui to win over the farmers of the capital's outskirts and the lower classes. Today they try Zhang Yixian to win over the hereditary military households, merchants, officials, and scholars. In just two days, they've courted every faction in the capital—what a scheme!"

The crimes Huang Daozhou listed were all real, but this was not Zhang Yixian's fault alone—it was truly the malady of the Great Ming system itself.

Take military equipment and uniforms, for instance: from the shopkeepers and proprietors, to the Revenue and Works offices, to the regional commanders and assistant regional commanders—everyone on that chain took a cut.

By pinning all the wrongdoing on Zhang Yixian's head, Scholar Zhou both gave the people an outlet for their anger and subtly signaled that the net of blame should not be cast too wide, soothing hearts.

The skill of it was nothing short of exquisite.

Bi Ziyan sighed inwardly: "Daxia's generals are fierce, its civil officials shrewd, its soldiers devoted, its clerks incorruptible—with governance like this, Great Ming truly cannot compare————alas!"

Also on the judging bench, Cao Yubian saw through the game and thought to himself: "All this talk of upholding justice and pleading for the people,

of innocence and fairness—that's all empty. This public trial exists solely to stabilize Daxia's rule."

As head of the Censorate, he was a man of uprightness and integrity, stern in bearing, and he was not entirely pleased with this form of public trial.

Yet as a minister at the center of power, he knew all the better the importance of stability in court and country. Daxia's move here was mature and prudent, mindful of the greater picture—showing not a trace of rebel-bandit mentality, but rather the enlightened air of a new dynasty.

Cao Yubian, as a former Ming official, had not wished to serve in Daxia, planning to retire to his hometown once the capital was unsealed—but after two days of observing the trial, he had instead gained much confidence in Daxia, and was filled with curiosity about the King of Xia who could create a new dynasty out of nothing, wondering when he might have the chance to seek an audience.

His gaze slid toward Scholar Zhou in the seat of honor, and he thought: "Director Zhou is young, yet possesses such strategy and depth. In a mere half month he has steadied the hearts of the capital—he truly has the ability to govern. Given time, he will surely be Chief Grand Secretary material.

This man and Commander Lei, one civil and one martial, complement each other perfectly. The King of Xia must be a figure of astonishing brilliance indeed, to have won over two such sworn brothers."

Soon it was noon. Zhang Yixian's crimes had been fully read out, and all the evidence had been presented.

Huang Daozhou turned to Scholar Zhou and said: "Director, I have finished."

Scholar Zhou tapped his feather fan lightly: "Let this eunuch speak in his own defense."

A military policeman removed the gag from Zhang Yixian's mouth. His tongue and lips had long gone numb from the pressure, and saliva dripped endlessly from the corners of his mouth. He wiped his mouth with his hand, swept his gaze across the judging bench, and sneered: "Fine! Blame everything on me! I admit my crimes—but what about you?

Standing there so high and mighty on dry ground, are you really so clean?

Cao Huachun! You run the Eastern Depot—you knew all about my embezzlement and kept a thick ledger of it. Did you show it to His Majesty? What did you keep it in your hands for?

The tribute silver from your adopted sons and grandsons—have you never taken any?

Cao Huachun stammered: "I————"

Scholar Zhou blocked him with his feather fan: "No hurry. Let him finish."

Zhang Yixian then turned to Bi Ziyan: "Minister Bi, Your Excellency! You control the Ministry of Revenue—you know better than anyone why His Majesty established the Joint Office of the Ministries of Revenue and Works.

The tribute sent from the provinces to the Ministry of Revenue, the losses along the grain transport routes, the kickbacks on frontier garrison pay requests, the fraudulent claims of local guard stations—where do you think all these murky accounts came from?

The treasury is empty, supplies are scarce, yet the officials all dress in silk and eat well. Without me, without us eunuchs sharing His Majesty's burdens, would the Great Ming have lasted to this day?

You civil officials with your silver tongues can twist black into white today—but don't forget, a thousand years from now, right and wrong, merit and blame, will be judged by posterity!"

Shi Kefa had just turned thirty, still young and hot-tempered. Hearing this, he cupped his hands to Scholar Zhou and said: "Director, this eunuch spouts nothing but nonsense to confuse the public. This official proposes we gag him."

Scholar Zhou merely said: "No matter. Let him finish."

Zhang Yixian spoke faster and faster, his words fierce, exposing every skeleton in the closets of the former Ming civil officials on the judging bench, and finally said to Scholar Zhou: "Civil officials are all beasts in human clothing—even you, the presiding judge, are probably not so clean yourself!"

Scholar Zhou smiled: "Are you finished?"

"Finished. Kill me if you will! I'll go below to join His Majesty, and let you surrenderer officials see what true integrity looks like!"

At these words, Bi Ziyan and the other civil officials all glared at him with fury—even the officials watching from below gnashed their teeth in hatred.

The common folk, meanwhile, whispered among themselves.

They were ordinary people, far removed from the halls of power, and had no way to judge the truth of his words.

To be sure, Daxia's Chief Inspector had produced countless physical exhibits and confessions—but in the Great Ming, such things were all too easy to fabricate.

The Eastern Depot was a master of frame-ups. When Wei Zhongxian tortured the Twelve Gentlemen of Donglin to death back then, didn't they have all the physical evidence, witnesses, and confessions in perfect order too?

On the public trial platform, Scholar Zhou signaled for Huang Daozhou to speak.

Huang Daozhou's expression was calm as he declared in a clear voice: "Since Eunuch Zhang prides himself on his moral integrity and claims to have followed the late emperor of the former dynasty, this Censor cannot help but ask—what were you doing on the day the capital fell?

Where was it that our army captured you?

At that time, the Chongzhen Emperor of the former dynasty had not yet taken his own life, with only the eunuch Wang Chengen by his side—why were you not there attending to him?"

"I—I was leaving the city to summon reinforcements!" Zhang Yixian said, slightly flustered.

Huang Daozhou let out a sneer: "Shameless boasting! Since you insist on being evasive, allow me to speak on your behalf.

On the day the inner city was breached, the Third Company of the First Brigade's Vanguard Scouts of Great Xia was ordered to your residence. You were then in your private mansion directing your household servants to pack up valuables—thirty full carts of them, all pulled by warhorses from the Divine Pivot Camp!

I hold the imperial horse records from the Court of the Imperial Stud and the horse management documents from the Divine Pivot Camp. The coat colors, markings, and ages of the warhorses all match perfectly. Do you still try to deny it?

After your capture, you bribed our army's scout company commander with five hundred taels of gold to spare your life.

During your detention, you repeatedly offered silver, begging for your life—have you forgotten all of that?"

At these words, the commoners immediately shifted their stance, once again unanimously demanding Zhang Yixian's execution.

The civil officials of the former dynasty wore expressions of vindicated satisfaction—among all forms of surrender, being caught while fleeing an abandoned city was the most disgraceful and the least likely to please either side.

By comparison, these civil officials—some of whom had voluntarily opened the city gates to surrender, others who had waited quietly at home—had surrendered in a far more dignified manner.

Zhang Yixian's face turned pale as he stubbornly argued: "To organize reinforcements, one naturally needs provisions and funds—"

Huang Daozhou said: "Afterward, we confiscated from your residence one hundred fifty thousand taels in ready silver. Your shops, farmland, houses, and treasures were appraised at over six hundred thousand taels. Since you were so eager to sacrifice your fortune for the sake of the Ming, when the former emperor called for donations to support the troops, how much did you contribute?"

Zhang Yixian was left speechless.

Huang Daozhou answered for him: "Two thousand five hundred taels—less than a fraction of your ready silver. When the emperor was raising funds, you would not part with a single coin; when the enemy entered the city, you suddenly wished to sacrifice your fortune for the state. Is that not utterly ridiculous?"

Among the crowd, a military policeman with a megaphone repeatedly shouted: "This eunuch donated only two thousand five hundred taels—less than—"

In the Ming, corruption was almost semi-legalized. Giving silver, stuffing red envelopes—it was like treating someone to a meal, a basic form of social courtesy. Virtually every civil official present was corrupt, differing only in the amounts.

Yet even the most egregious corrupt officials had estates worth at most one or two hundred thousand taels—a far cry from Zhang Yixian's wealth.

Among them, the several former Ming officials selected by Scholar Zhou on the judgment platform were the most incorruptible.

Cao Yuqian, having served as Left Censor-in-Chief, was renowned during his tenure for being as clean as water. His entire estate consisted of a few ancestral houses and several dozen mu of thin farmland, worth no more than five hundred taels in silver.

When the call came to donate for the troops, he gave Chongzhen fifty taels—after donating that sum, he could barely afford to eat.

Shi Kefa and Yang Tinglin held no high offices, yet both were known for their integrity.

Bi Ziyan, as a Minister and head of the Ministry of Revenue, received somewhat more in customary official gifts, with an estate of around ten thousand taels—by the standards of the Six Ministries' senior officials in the Ming, this already made him uniquely incorruptible.

Cao Huachun, as a eunuch, had a somewhat larger estate, around forty thousand taels. Compared to the power he wielded, this amount was truly negligible. Moreover, he accepted gifts without harming others and never extorted the common people—among the palace eunuchs, he could be said to have emerged unstained from the mud.

Since Scholar Zhou had appointed these men, he had long since thoroughly investigated their backgrounds. Now that Zhang Yixian had publicly questioned them, Huang Daozhou laid out each man's estate for all to see.

Huang Daozhou immediately worked an abacus on the spot, adding together the total wealth of a former Minister, a former Left Censor-in-Chief, a senior palace eunuch, and three mid-to-low-ranking civil officials on the platform—the sum came to less than one hundred thousand taels, still less than the ready silver found in Zhang Yixian's mansion.

Huang Daozhou gave a cold snort and said: "Eunuch Zhang, do you have anything more to say?"

Zhang Yixian's face was ashen, and for a long while he made no move.

Scholar Zhou rose to his feet and said: "Since you have questioned this official, and before the tens of thousands of citizens of the capital, this official will not conceal anything—I shall tell you all. Read it!"

A clerk, who had long been standing beside Scholar Zhou holding a list of his estate, stepped forward upon hearing this. He clasped his hands to those on and off the platform and said: "In the twelfth month of the third year of Zhongxuan, the property verification of Zhou Youcai, Director of the Governance Hall of Great Xia, is as follows—"

The clerk read for the space of a quarter-hour. Zhou Youcai owned two residences, five shops, one whale ship, and three three-masted Fujian junks. He had no farmland. His total assets were appraised at over one hundred fifteen thousand three hundred taels of silver.

This amount could not be called egregious corruption by Ming standards, but neither could it be called particularly clean.

The assembled officials were puzzled as to his meaning, when the clerk produced another ledger and began to read: "In the seventh year of Tianqi, salary from the Governance Hall: five hundred taels; merchant ship dividends: three thousand four hundred taels; in the eighth year of Tianqi—"

After listening for a moment, the assembled officials suddenly understood—this was none other than the income and expenditure records of Scholar Zhou's own household!

When the clerk finished reading, Scholar Zhou declared in a clear voice: "This is the result of the Qingping Bureau's audit last year. In Great Xia, any official below the third rank seeking promotion must have their property and accounts examined by the Qingping Bureau.

Officials of the third rank and above are audited annually. Whoever is found to possess large sums of property of unexplained origin—regardless of rank—shall be stripped of their registry, demoted, and investigated to the very end!"

The former capital officials present all exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with astonishment. If this standard were applied, even if every official in the capital were executed, few would be innocent.

Scholar Zhou said with righteous severity: "I was originally a commoner from southern Fujian, having vainly read the books of the sages without even a xiucai title to my name. His Majesty did not despise my lowly station and entrusted me with affairs of state.

Moved by this grace of recognition, I have devoted myself to the service of the nation, never daring to harbor the slightest improper thought!

Though the property recorded in this ledger is considerable, not a single coin was taken from the people or received as a bribe.

This official's conscience is clear. Today I place this ledger and this list beneath the public trial platform, never to retrieve them. All gentlemen and citizens may peruse them at will; should anyone wish to go to Fujian and Guangdong to verify, you are entirely welcome.

I dare to make this vow here: if anyone can discover even a single coin of embezzlement, I shall immediately surrender my seal and resign my post, and go to the Qingping Bureau to confess my crime!"

For a moment, not only the gentlemen on the platform but the entire populace of the capital was stunned into silence.

Yahei

Pink Round

Pen