Chapter 1937: Trouble

Throughout the entire spring of the twenty-sixth year of Kaibao, if there was one thing that shook the entire court and drew the attention of officials and commoners alike, it was not the enfeoffment of imperial princes, nor the expansion of noble estates, nor even the passing of three dukes and earls in succession—it was the arrest of Kang Ning, the great merchant renowned throughout the realm.

Although he was swiftly handed over to the Court of Judicial Review, the fact that the Palace City Office had made the arrest and sent him to the imperial prison already demonstrated the special nature of this case, elevating public attention to its highest level.

A merchant, no matter how wealthy, how good his relations with the government, or how close his dealings with the powerful, was ultimately nothing more than a base tradesman. Yet for the old Emperor himself to take a personal interest, stirring the hearts of all above and below—there must be reasons unknown to others, many points of puzzlement, and details that could not be spoken of.

For Xiang Minzhong, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review who had held his post for less than a year, after a brief moment of confusion came enormous pressure. Ever since Kang Ning had been transferred to the Court of Judicial Review's prison, the entire institution had become a hive of activity, suddenly the most watched place inside and outside the court.

And this attention brought Xiang Minzhong not the slightest sense of honor. Those who sent people to inquire, to pass messages, to plead for leniency—all were powerful figures at court, not one of them lower in rank or actual authority than his own fourth-rank Vice Minister position.

From the moment he took on the Kang Ning case, Xiang Minzhong knew he was in trouble. He understood the background was complex and involved many parties, but he never imagined it would be complex to this degree, or entangled so deeply.

The first to approach Xiang Minzhong was Yang Xun, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the second son of the late Changwu Earl Yang Tingzhang, who was himself the brother-in-law of the late Duke of Xing, Guo Wei, and thus closely and deeply connected to the illustrious Guo and Chai aristocratic faction at court.

As for the others, they either outranked him, held more power than him, or belonged to nobility he could only look up to from afar. A single Kang Ning had thrown the entire court into anxiety and set undercurrents stirring.

What troubled Xiang Minzhong most was that after several days, he still had not figured out how Kang Ning was supposed to be tried, or what result the trial was meant to produce.

When the Palace City Office had handed the man over, Wang Ji'en's adopted son Zhang Jinjie had been insufferably arrogant, nose in the air, leaving only the Emperor's oral decree of "try him well," as if even speaking two more sentences would have been a great favor.

As for the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, his direct superior, upon receiving the news he had immediately gone on "routine leave," leaving behind only the same instruction to try the case well, with an air of "I have great confidence in you."

The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review remained Murong Chengde, Duke of Luan Commandery. In official conduct, Murong Chengde was of the "higher" sort—he never concerned himself with specific matters, and even when necessary, he ignored the major issues and focused on trivial ones.

Someone had once impeached Murong Chengde for indolence and neglect of duty, and even Emperor Liu had summoned him to Chuigong Hall to demand an explanation. But Murong Chengde remained unruffled, even arguing with great conviction that as the head of a ministry, he only needed to grasp the overall situation and handle coordination; as for specific affairs, those were for his subordinates—the Vice Minister, the Judges, and the various office staff—to handle. His own abilities were limited, and he could hardly emulate Marquis Wu of Zhuge in personally attending to every matter...

Murong Chengde's argument won no approval from Emperor Liu, but neither did the Emperor pursue the matter further. And so Murong Chengde continued his quiet, comfortable existence as Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

In recent years, the one who truly managed daily affairs and handled specific cases at the Court of Judicial Review was in fact the Vice Minister. The Kang Ning case naturally fell into Xiang Minzhong's hands as well.

Considering the complexity of Kang Ning's background and the special nature of the case itself, after two days of routine interrogation Xiang Minzhong found himself unable to bear the pressure from all sides. Summoning his courage, he went to the palace to seek an audience with Emperor Liu, hoping for imperial guidance—but Emperor Liu refused to see him, merely sending word with four characters: "Do your duty well."

Xiang Minzhong was an extremely cautious man, seeking stability in all things, never willing to take risks—especially political risks. And the issues Kang Ning was involved in, in Xiang Minzhong's eyes, contained grave political danger.

Whether it was the Emperor's personal attention or the people from all quarters who came to make their greetings, everything corroborated this. If handled improperly, it could very well trigger political upheaval.

The prison of the Court of Judicial Review was equally dark and damp, though compared to ordinary or special prisons, it lacked some of the terrifying, chilling atmosphere, and the overall environment was somewhat cleaner.

Kang Ning was held in solitary confinement as a key prisoner, with tight guard, and even the recent interrogations were conducted inside his cell. In just a few days of imprisonment, Kang Ning's aging was plainly visible—he increasingly resembled what a man nearing seventy ought to look like.

The main duty of the Court of Judicial Review was adjudicating cases and reviewing sentences, with emphasis on examination and verification. But in interrogation and investigation, it also had its own system and methods. However, none of these could be fully applied to Kang Ning, and naturally they yielded little effect. The reason was that even Xiang Minzhong, the man in charge, was himself hesitant from the start.

Inside the cell, the interrogation continued. It was perhaps the strangest scene of case-handling in the Court of Judicial Review's recent history—the Judge was going through the motions, asking questions by the book, but without any real concern for what answers he might obtain from Kang Ning.

And Kang Ning answered somewhat absent-mindedly, his attention not on the questions at all, his mind entirely occupied with how to resolve the predicament before him. Only the solemn expressions on both sides kept the atmosphere from lacking all dignity.

Before long, the latest round of questioning ended. The Judge walked out of the cell and, seeing Xiang Minzhong pacing outside with a thoughtful expression, immediately stepped forward to bow.

"Finished?" Taking the records from his hands, Xiang Minzhong asked casually, his face grim.

"Yes!"

"That will do for today. We'll continue tomorrow!"

Seeing this, the Judge seemed about to speak but held back. Yet when he saw Xiang Minzhong about to turn and leave, he finally spoke up: "Vice Minister, forgive my bluntness, but if we continue interrogating this way, even in five years, ten years, we'll get nowhere!"

Xiang Minzhong halted mid-step, turned to look at him, and said calmly: "What is your view?"

The Judge clasped his hands and said: "Following the interrogation outline you drafted, Vice Minister, questioning Kang Ning never reaches the substance, never probes the crux..."

"Then in your view, how should we interrogate him? And what result are we meant to obtain?" Xiang Minzhong interrupted him with some irritation, his tone unfriendly.

The Judge's expression stiffened slightly. Lowering his head a little, he said: "At the very least, we could start with bribery and corruption, illegal business operations—those angles!"

"Are those within the investigative jurisdiction of the Court of Judicial Review?" Xiang Minzhong retorted.

The Judge immediately said: "If we don't seek a breakthrough, how do we answer to our superiors? This is a case transferred by the Palace City Office, with His Majesty's approval!"

Hearing this, Xiang Minzhong understood. Looking at the respectfully deferential Judge before him, he could not help but laugh bitterly inwardly. Kang Ning was a trouble for him, but for these lower-ranking officials, he was an opportunity for merit and promotion. Of the many cases the Court of Judicial Review reviewed each year, how many did His Majesty personally take an interest in?

Staring at the man for a few moments, Xiang Minzhong waved his hand and said: "I have my own plans for this matter!"

Inside the cell, Kang Ning sat cross-legged, his old face wrinkled into an ugly grimace, his whole being immersed in a suffocating atmosphere. These past days, he had been thinking, reflecting, racking his brains, seeking some way to save himself.

Yet he could think of no effective solution, because there was one problem he could never circumvent—the palace walls, the great hall above. Kang Ning had once been very proud; after all, to rise from the status of a mere merchant to have his words reach the Emperor's ears—what an honor that was.

But now, that honor had transformed into the greatest danger for him and his entire Kang clan. In fact, Kang Ning had sensed it before—from the moment he learned of Wang Yansheng's death, he had smelled the danger. The timing of that death could not have been worse.

As for what he himself had done, Kang Ning was certainly not without awareness. Some things could be done but never spoken of. The bureaucrats of the Court of Judicial Review were still puzzled and suspicious, but in his own heart, Kang Ning had gradually come to understand, through these days of reflection, the reason he now found himself imprisoned.

And precisely because of this, Kang Ning grew all the more terrified, and the more terrified he became, the less he dared reveal anything, only doing his best to stall the Court of Judicial Review. He did not know how those outside the prison walls who were entangled with him were reacting, but he knew in his heart that if he lost his composure and "talked nonsense," those who wanted his life would probably line up from the Court of Judicial Review all the way to the palace gates...