Chapter 325: Response

"That is how the whole affair unfolded. This time the Provost of the Northern Town Guard of the Imperial Guard has come personally to Nanjing—a far harder customer to deal with than Li Meng'an! It was only by setting aside our dignity, humbling ourselves, and pleading repeatedly that His Grace the Marquis of Xincheng and I managed to buy you all enough time to devise a countermeasure, and only then did Li Ruolian agree to hold off on making arrests. Now the blade is pressed against your throats—if no proper plan emerges, given the Imperial Guard's fierce intent, this matter will hardly end well! His Grace and I stand above suspicion, and there is no way this affair can implicate either of us. The reason we stepped in to mediate is purely out of regard for our years of working alongside you all. Let me make this clear: whatever favors any of you may have owed before, this time it settles the account completely!"

Inside the second hall of the Eunuch Guardian's office, Zhang Yixian and Zhao Zhilong sat side by side in the seats of honor, while nearly twenty senior officials from the various ministries and departments of Nanjing sat in the rows of seats below on either side. The expressions on their faces varied—some wore relaxed, self-satisfied looks, but most appeared deeply troubled.

Lü Weiqi and the others naturally understood the meaning behind Zhang Yixian's final remarks, and everyone present offered salutes to Zhang Yixian and Zhao Zhilong to express their gratitude. Though they often cursed the two behind their backs in ordinary times, they still had to rely on them for now, didn't they?

"In Eunuch Zhang's view, what should we do next? Implicating others through fabricated charges has always been the standard trick of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. As the saying goes, 'If you wish to condemn a man, you need not worry about finding a pretext.' If that officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has his way and implicates people on a grand scale, none of us seated here will escape! We have read the books of the sages, served before the sovereign, set aside personal gain, and devoted everything we have learned to the Great Ming—yet suddenly we face this calamity out of nowhere. Is this how a so-called benevolent and sage ruler behaves? If a sage ruler sits on the throne, why does he allow his hawks and hounds to run rampant committing violence? Is there no justice left in heaven against such evil governance and evil deeds? Has the ancestral institution of the Great Ming—to treat the gentry well and not compete with the people for profit—truly perished? Does His Majesty intend to leave an eternal name of infamy in the annals of history?"

Lü Weiqi rose, clasped his hands in salute, and then launched into a passionate tirade, his words aimed directly at Zhu Youjian, far away in the capital.

He had already seen through it—they said the officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were acting on their own authority in seeking to implicate people, but without the Emperor's tacit approval, would a mere servant of the Emperor dare to make such decisions on his own?

The so-called independent actions of the Depot and Guard were nothing more than a way to keep the Emperor's reputation unsullied.

"This official concurs with the Minister of War's words! Throughout all the dynasties and reigns, only sovereigns who brought ruin to their kingdoms practiced such evil governance! Competing with the people for profit is the very foundation of national ruin!"

"The disaster of the traitor Wei is not far behind us as a warning! His use of the Depot and Guard to harm the realm has already been reviled by the world—does His Majesty intend to tread the same path?"

"Mencius said: 'When the ruler regards his ministers as his hands and feet, the ministers regard their ruler as their heart and belly; when the ruler regards his ministers as dogs and horses, the ministers regard their ruler as a stranger; when the ruler regards his ministers as dirt and grass, the ministers regard their ruler as a bandit and foe!' The former Song shared the realm with its scholar-officials and its literary culture flourished—why does His Majesty go against this very principle? What is his ultimate intention!?"

Lü Weiqi's complaints struck a chord with most of those present, and many rose one after another to join in denouncing the benighted sovereign.

"Outrageous! What audacity! How dare you speak disrespectfully of His Majesty! Do you not know in your own hearts what sort of dealings you engage in on ordinary days?! If anyone speaks another word of dissatisfaction against His Majesty, I wash my hands of this matter entirely!"

Zhang Yixian slapped the armrest of his chair and bellowed.

After all, he was the Emperor's household slave. Though for the sake of interest he currently stood temporarily on Nanjing's side, seeing this pack of scoundrels directly targeting His Majesty still made him lose his temper.

Zhao Zhilong also furrowed his brow with a displeased expression: "Gentlemen, you eat the sovereign's salary—how can you heap abuse upon our Emperor? Does such speech resemble that of men who have read the books of the sages? I ask you all to exercise restraint! If any more improper words are spoken, this Marquis will return to his residence at once!"

Seeing the attitude of the two leading figures, the crowd's agitated fervor was forcibly suppressed. Lü Weiqi sat back down with a dark face, his loathing for Zhang and Zhao growing even stronger in his heart.

Xu Wenyuan forced a smile onto his face, clasped his hands in salute, and spoke: "Eunuch Zhang, Marquis of Xincheng, forgive us. Everyone spoke without choosing their words carefully, stirred by righteous indignation—in truth, their hearts remain utterly loyal to His Majesty. As for how to handle the matter at hand, we still require the two of you to mediate from the middle, lest these jumping clowns bully their way over our heads and throw their weight around in Nanjing—that would do great damage to your reputations as well. And from what Eunuch Zhang just said, it seems the imperial will has not yet arrived. We do not yet know His Majesty's true intention. This official believes the best course is to maintain the status quo until the imperial decision comes, and in the meantime, we ask the two of you to maintain close communication with the imperial commissioner, so that nothing unexpected occurs!"

Zhang Yixian snorted coldly at these words. Though he knew Xu Wenyuan had provocative intentions, he still harbored resentment over Li Ruolian's conduct today.

Just as he was about to speak, a Centurion of the office's guard rushed in, dropped to one knee in a military salute, and reported loudly: "Reporting to Eunuch Zhang! Your subordinate has received word from his men that Vice Bureau Director Chen of the Merit Evaluation Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel and Bureau Secretary Sun have been seized from their offices by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and taken away! Your subordinate reports this specially!"

After Zhang Yixian and Zhao Zhilong had returned from Li Banghua's place, they had also arranged for their men to keep watch at various key positions, so as to be informed at any time of any unusual movements by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. What they had not expected was that the two had just received assurances from Li Banghua that no rash action would be taken—and then, the very next moment, the Embroidered Uniform Guard began making arrests.

"Withdraw! Go keep a close watch, and report to me at once if anything happens!"

The Centurion saluted and turned to leave, but the news he had brought caused the assembled Nanjing officials to exchange looks of alarm.

Xu Wenyuan's face turned pale, and sweat ran down his back along his spine.

Vice Bureau Director Chen Qingshan of the Merit Evaluation Bureau was ordinarily a close subordinate of his as well, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had now arrested everyone connected to him one after another—did this portend that his own turn would come soon?

Lü Weiqi rose, clasped his hands in salute, and said: "Eunuch Zhang, Marquis of Xincheng, the imperial edict has not yet reached Nanjing, yet the Depot and Guard act with such wanton arrogance—is there truly no one in the realm who can rein in their vicious behavior?! Li Meng'an, as the head of the Censorate, bears the duty of overseeing all officials—how can he allow the Depot and Guard to seize people beyond their authority right before his eyes? This act violates the regulations of the court!"

The Nanjing officials actually did not fear Li Banghua's arrival much. Though Li Banghua held the great power to impeach and censure all officials, and though he had come to Nanjing this time bearing the title of imperial commissioner, everyone was after all a court official, and all matters followed certain procedures—if you wanted to impeach someone, you had to go through the proper process. As long as everyone united and employed the usual delaying and stalling tactics of attrition, they could guarantee he would accomplish nothing within six months.

But the Depot and Guard were a different matter entirely. That bunch operated with no regard for rules whatsoever—when they carried out their duties, they gave you no chance to intercede or plead. They simply came straight to your door, seized you, and left. This manner of operation left one completely helpless.

Now, watching the Embroidered Uniform Guard begin to make its moves, if no way out was found, who knew whether the next person arrested might be oneself? In his desperation, Lü Weiqi had come up with this plan that was not really a plan. The situation was now extremely unfavorable—if the net of implication spread further, none of those seated here had clean hands, and it was quite possible they would all be swept up in one net. With no other choice, they had to settle for the lesser option: seeking to have the matter handled through the court itself, which would give them ample time and room to maneuver.

Yu Youwei, the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, spoke up: "The Minister of War's proposal is entirely proper. Court officials should naturally be dealt with according to court regulations—how can this be entrusted to others! This official believes we should all go together to Li Meng'an's place to demand an explanation. We absolutely cannot tolerate the Depot and Guard running rampant and breaking the law! I request that Eunuch Zhang and the Marquis of Xincheng take the lead and bring us all to the imperial commissioner's headquarters to present our case in person!"

The assembled Nanjing officials all voiced their agreement one after another, and some of the more impatient ones had already risen to their feet. Everyone in the hall fixed their gaze upon the two bigwigs in the seats of honor.

Zhang Yixian exchanged a glance with Zhao Zhilong, pondered for a moment, then spoke: "What Minister Lü says has merit, but I fear this matter is not quite so simple. If so many of us go barging over and get turned away at the door, that would be an ordinary outcome—and would that not be a loss of face for Nanjing? Let us do this: I will send someone to Li Meng'an's place to inform him and see whether he is willing to meet with you all. If he agrees, then nothing could be better. If he does not, then the Marquis and I will have no choice but to make another trip! Ah, for the sake of this rotten business of yours, the two of us have worn our hearts out! Afterward, you had best not forget the merit we have rendered!"