Chapter 207: Blazing Fury

That afternoon, around the hour of wei, thunderous hoofbeats sounded in the distance as a great cloud of dust rose into the sky. Under the terrified gazes of the constables on duty at the city gate and the refugees on either side, a company of riders in bright clothes on fine horses suddenly appeared in everyone's sight.

When they were several dozen paces from the gate, the horses slowed. The great clouds of dust kicked up by the galloping mounts surged like waves toward the constables on duty, choking them into fits of coughing. By the time all the dust settled, the dozen-odd riders had drawn up in a line a dozen or so paces before the constables. The entire area outside the east gate of Xinyang fell deathly silent—everyone was overawed by the imposing presence this company of riders exuded.

Wang Ancheng, clad in a blue surcoat, waved his hand. Zhao Sheng urged his horse forward to the stunned constables and shouted loudly: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is on official business! Make way!"

The shout snapped the constables out of their stupor. Since the clerks and scribes who had been stationed outside the gate that morning were nowhere to be seen, a man who looked like a head constable hurriedly ordered others to move the barricades aside. Wang Zhian spurred his horse forward and led the way into the city.

In the rear residence of the Xinyang Prefecture office, Xu Yunsheng, the Prefect of nearly sixty, was inside counting silver with his newly taken concubine.

Several boxes a few feet square held silver ingots and silver cakes of varying sizes—this was the month's share delivered by several grain shops in the city.

Xu Yunsheng had muddled through half a lifetime, repeatedly failing the examinations. His various social expenses, travel costs, and the like had also amounted to no small sum, and his household had grown increasingly straitened. His family had given up all hope of his ever passing the provincial examination.

Yet heaven never seals off all roads. After passing fifty, Xu Yunsheng suddenly struck a run of incredible luck. First he passed the provincial examination in the sixth year of Chongzhen, then passed the metropolitan examination the following year. Though his ranking was near the very bottom, he still ended up with the status of a jinshi by association.

Because the various prefectures and counties of Henan had been repeatedly ravaged by the roving bandits, the prefectures and counties of Henan had become places newly minted jinshi feared like tigers. Xu Yunsheng, however, boldly volunteered for appointment and ultimately secured the post of Prefect of Xinyang Prefecture before taking office. More than three years had passed since then.

Fortunately, Xinyang Prefecture, being remote and close to Huguang, had not suffered severe military calamities. During these three years his jurisdiction had been quite peaceful, which provided Xu Yunsheng with favorable opportunities to boldly line his pockets.

He knew well that he was advanced in years and had no one in the court. Advancing further in his official career would be very difficult. So what had all these years of hard toil and earnest study of the sages' books been for?

Since he could not become a great official, he might as well amass wealth—he had to leave something for his descendants, didn't he?

Over three years, through various means, he had colluded with the Vice Prefect and Assistant Prefect of the prefecture to plunder wealth on a grand scale, then had people send it back to his hometown to be hidden away.

Starting in the ninth year of Chongzhen, as drought conditions across the land grew ever more severe, grain prices climbed steadily higher. This made Xu Yunsheng and the others see an opportunity to get rich. After coordinating up and down the chain, grain from the official granaries was brazenly placed in the grain shops for public sale.

Xu Yunsheng and the others also used the pretext of relieving the disaster victims to reach out to the Governor's office and the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office begging for money and grain. The silver and supplies allocated from above naturally all fell into their own pockets.

"My lord, this month is a full two hundred taels more than last month! The gold hairpins and gold ornaments you promised—you'll buy them for me now, won't you?"

The concubine, who had just turned eighteen, said in a coquettish voice.

Xu Yunsheng fondly pinched the concubine's nose and said with a chuckle: "Buy, buy, buy! Go buy them tomorrow! Your lord dotes on you most! Hehehe!"

The concubine giggled: "My lord is the best! It took me several lifetimes of accumulated fortune to be able to follow my lord!"

Just then, someone outside the door suddenly cut in: "Your fortune may well be up today! Otherwise you'll have to follow your lord down to the underworld to enjoy it!"

The two had been so immersed in the extreme pleasure of counting silver that they had completely failed to notice the sound of someone approaching outside.

Xu Yunsheng flew into a rage at these words and shouted harshly: "Which damned servant is so bold! Do you believe I won't throw you into the prison!"

With a creak, the door—which had not been bolted from inside—was pushed open. Wang Zhian strode in, with Zhao Sheng and Zhang Shun following close behind.

Seeing the three strange men enter, Xu Yunsheng felt a bad premonition. He rose and pointed accusingly at Wang Zhian, who was in front, demanding: "Who are you? Do you know who I am? Who gave you the audacity to barge into my private residence? Guards! Throw these men out!"

Zhao Sheng stepped forward, pulled a waist token from his bosom and flashed it at Xu Yunsheng, saying in a deep voice: "We are riders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Xu Yunsheng, your case has been exposed!"

A dozen-odd days later, the document Wang Zhian had submitted lay on the imperial desk in the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Youjian, who had been discussing with the Grand Secretaries and senior ministers how to respond to the drought in Shanxi and elsewhere, picked it up and read it. After presenting the document, Luo Yangxing had retreated to stand to one side of the Directorate of Ceremonial's chief eunuchs.

A moment later, with a sharp "crack," a white porcelain tea cup with gold tracery and openwork design shattered against the golden bricks of the hall floor. The assembled ministers and chief eunuchs were all startled by this sudden turn of events.

Luo Yangxing had long known the Emperor would fly into a rage. When he himself had finished reading Wang Zhian's document, he too had been filled with fury, wishing he could cut off these thieving bastards' testicles with a knife and stuff them into their mouths.

"Utter shamelessness! Worthy of ten thousand deaths! A waste of the sages' books! Is this how you scholars nurture the myriad people on my behalf? These beasts are even more vicious and cruel than the roving bandits! All those classics were read into a dog's belly! Where is the conscience of you scholars?"

Zhu Youjian suddenly rose from the imperial throne, eyes wide, pointing at the assembled ministers in the hall as he roared. The expression on his face was utterly ferocious.

This display from the Emperor made everyone in the hall exchange looks of alarm. The inner-court chief eunuchs hastily knelt to the ground, while the outer officials looked at one another in bewilderment.

Though a few years earlier the Emperor's temperament had been quite impetuous and prone to anger, and he had sometimes rebuked ministers harshly, he had never before engaged in such crude behavior that disgraced the dignity of letters.

Since the eighth year of Chongzhen, as the situation in the realm had gradually improved, the Emperor had become gentler and more magnanimous. The assembled ministers had grown accustomed to a Son of Heaven who never spoke without a smile.

What in the world had made the Emperor so furious?

Wen Tiren stepped out of the ranks, bowed, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, calm your wrath! This old minister dares to ask what matter could provoke such a blaze of anger from Your Majesty? I beg Your Majesty to enlighten us!"

Li Banghua stepped forward proudly, bowed, and said: "This old minister earnestly begs Your Majesty to show self-restraint! Your Majesty's harsh words just now against the scholars were truly most improper! I beg Your Majesty to retract what was just said!"

Wang Cheng'en, standing beside Zhu Youjian, glared at Li Banghua with fury.

"Companion, take the document to my ministers who are so steeped in poetry and books! Let them see what sort of conduct these so-called scholars display!"

Zhu Youjian instructed with a mocking tone.

Wang Cheng'en bowed, picked up the document from the imperial desk, and walked down the imperial steps toward Wen Tiren. As he passed Li Banghua, he gave a snort through his nose. Li Banghua's expression remained composed, showing not the slightest fear.

Wen Tiren took the document Wang Cheng'en handed him and quickly scanned it. His expression shifted between fury and dismay. After finishing, he said not a word and passed the document to Wang Yingxiong.

In the document, Wang Zhian had narrated the entire affair of Xinyang Prefecture from beginning to end, and also begged the Emperor's pardon for taking the Prefect, Vice Prefect, and Assistant Prefect into custody with his men. After all, he was only a Centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; arresting officials of the fifth rank, sixth rank, and deputy sixth rank without a warrant from the Office of Scrutiny for Punishments was contrary to law.

Soon everyone in the hall had passed the document around and read it. Wang Cheng'en then retrieved it and placed it back on the imperial desk.

Wen Tiren took the lead in kneeling to the ground, and the assembled civil officials knelt prostrate one after another behind him.

"From the day this old minister first took up his books, he has regarded establishing a destiny for the people as his greatest aspiration in life! Your minister also believes that the famous words of the former worthies are the duty and responsibility that most scholars under heaven strive toward their whole lives! But this old minister also knows that a dragon begets nine sons, each different! The scholars under heaven number in the tens of millions, and among them it is inevitable that beasts should appear! The conduct of Xu and the others, the Prefect of Xinyang, in committing such vile deeds is truly a shame upon our kind! Your minister begs Your Majesty to punish them severely according to law, as a warning to others!"

Wen Tiren reported with a grave expression.

"Your minister concurs!"

"This old minister concurs!"

"Your minister begs Your Majesty to inflict the ultimate punishment upon these wretches!"

"Your minister's heart is so ashamed he could die! He wishes he could personally take a sharp blade and cut these thieves into ten thousand pieces!"