Chapter 56: Who Dares to Accuse

After the Grand Secretariat learned that the Crown Prince had killed Zhu Chunchen without authorization and led troops out of the city on his own, Wen Tiren was overjoyed and hastily had Minister of Justice Feng Ying submit a memorial impeaching the Crown Prince, declaring he would give Feng Ying a chance.

Minister of Justice Feng Ying refused the old bastard on the spot, saying that while the Crown Prince was a subject relative to His Majesty, he was a sovereign relative to them, and for subjects to censure their sovereign was disloyalty. He also warned Wen Tiren not to go too far, saying he had tolerated him for long enough.

Feng Ying's refusal to show face enraged Wen Tiren, who decided to use the Zheng Men affair to destroy him.

The Zheng Men affair happened last year. A Donglin Faction official named Zheng Men criticized Chief Grand Secretary Wen Tiren in the capital, whereupon Wen Tiren had Xu Xi, a Secretariat Drafter of Wujin County, Changzhou Prefecture, impeach him on the charges of "beating his stepmother, an act of filial impiety" and "licentious depravity."

Zheng Men immediately cried injustice, explaining that his stepmother had cruelly killed several maidservants in the household, so he had only "beaten his stepmother" to punish her, and as for "licentious depravity," that was pure nonsense!

After Minister of Justice Feng Ying tried the case, he knew Zheng Men had been framed by Wen Tiren. Wen Tiren's underlings urged Feng Ying to think carefully before reaching a verdict, but Feng Ying said: "I cannot kill a man without cause just to curry favor with the Chief Grand Secretary."

To uphold justice in the world and the dignity of the law, Feng Ying still openly defended Zheng Men, and thus fell out with Wen Tiren—which was precisely why Wen Tiren had declared he would give him one chance.

As Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, Wen Tiren wielded immense power and was a man whose word was law in court. Whoever refused to show him face or spat a few words at him would often find their life in danger.

In history, Zheng Men was executed by slow slicing precisely because he offended him—cut by a thousand knives. It was said he was sliced over three thousand six hundred times. Minister of Justice Feng Ying was also framed by him and impeached, then exiled to the frontier.

Wen Tiren's targeting of Zhu Cilang was not merely about the Armory Bureau affair or Guang Shiheng's matter. The main issue was that the Crown Prince's attendance at court to oversee governance already threatened his position—especially the several policies proposed during the open-court audiences, which touched upon the interests of him and his clique.

As a political master who had served as Chief Grand Secretary for several years, Wen Tiren had long established in his heart that apart from the Emperor's voice and his own, no superfluous voice should exist in the court—not even the Crown Prince's.

Throughout Chinese history, it had always been a contest between imperial power and ministerial power. This Crown Prince hadn't even become Emperor yet, and already he was meddling this broadly—what would happen in the future? Another Jiajing Emperor? Wen Tiren was most displeased!

Wen Tiren was especially adept at fathoming the imperial will. His understanding of the Chongzhen Emperor even exceeded his understanding of himself, and the Chongzhen Emperor was often spun around in circles by his sophistry.

After pondering for a long while, Wen Tiren finally decided to strike at the Crown Prince. He recalled the affair of Crown Prince Li during Emperor Wu of Han's reign, so he dispatched men bearing official court documents to question Zhu Cilang in the court's name: why had he killed a noble without authorization and privately mobilized troops.

In the Shijingshan area, the battle had already ended an hour ago, and the Yongwei Camp was setting up camp and resting.

The official dispatched by the Grand Secretariat took a long while to find the Crown Prince, and holding Vice Minister of Justice Zhang Xin's document, he read out a long string of charges in a clattering rush.

Zhu Cilang frowned and listened through half of it before understanding that this was an interrogation of him—and stamped with the Grand Secretariat's seal, no less.

Zhu Cilang cut off this sixth-rank petty official, saying: "Did you consult the imperial calendar before leaving home today?"

The official was puzzled and frowned, saying: "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

Zhu Cilang sneered coldly: "What I mean is, you didn't check the imperial calendar before leaving home today to see whether you'd come in the wrong direction—you actually dare to question me? A fool who doesn't know death when he sees it. Guards, drag him off and behead him!"

Zhu Cilang waved his hand, and amid a great shout, the official was dragged off by two Eastern Palace guards and had his head chopped off on the spot.

After dealing with the official who had come to interrogate him, Zhu Cilang said coldly: "The Grand Secretariat dares to question the Crown Prince? What sort of thing is Wen Tiren? Has his brain gone addled!"

The officers and soldiers of the Yongwei Camp were deeply shaken—killing officials at the drop of a word. First the Duke of Cheng, now someone sent by the Grand Secretariat. Was this Crown Prince even more reckless than the roving bandits?

The generals were all won over by the Crown Prince's methods, every one of them thoroughly submissive.

Before they could even dispose of the envoy's corpse, another rider came from afar. The newcomer was in his forties, with a small mustache, a square, upright face, and a look of great haste.

Upon seeing Zhu Cilang, the newcomer first dismounted and respectfully performed a salute to Zhu Cilang, then said: "Your Highness, the Grand Secretariat intends to interrogate you. I beg Your Highness not to act rashly."

The newcomer was Hanlin Junior Compiler Yang Tinglin, who ordinarily served as a lecturer at the Classics Colloquium for the Chongzhen Emperor and Zhu Cilang, and could be considered half a teacher to Zhu Cilang. After learning of the Crown Prince's affairs from Feng Ying, Yang Tinglin had hurried out of the city to inform him.

Zhu Cilang smiled: "Junior Compiler Yang, you've come too late. The traitorous rebel has already been executed. Please look!"

Yang Tinglin followed Zhu Cilang's gesture and saw the envoy lying dead on the ground, along with the official court documents scattered about.

He stood speechless and stunned. Was this still his obedient student from ordinary days? So swift in his methods?

He had even worried that the Crown Prince might follow the old path of Crown Prince Li of the Li dynasty and do something unwise in a moment of impulse—it seemed he had worried for nothing.

Zhu Cilang seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled: "Junior Compiler Yang, do not worry. I am not Fusu; I will not let petty villains have their way. This time I led troops out of the city to face the enemy, and I have not failed the Ming. We won the first engagement, beheading three thousand barbarian heads in total. I ask Junior Compiler Yang to present this battle report before the throne."

Zhu Cilang handed the finished battle report to Yang Tinglin, worried that if it were sent to the Grand Secretariat first, that old thing Wen Tiren would suppress it.

Yang Tinglin looked at the battle report, his eyes bulging wide, hardly able to believe it. Zhu Cilang had no choice but to have someone take him to the camp tent where the Qing soldiers' heads were stored for verification.

Gazing at the mountain of Jianzhou barbarian heads piled up, Yang Tinglin stood dumbfounded for a full minute, then without another word turned, left the tent, mounted his horse, and galloped toward the capital.

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In the Qianqing Palace, the Chongzhen Emperor had finally awakened after two days of unconsciousness. He now lay half-reclining on the bed, with Empress Zhou attending at his side.

The Chongzhen Emperor asked: "Empress, why haven't I seen the Crown Prince come by? Is he still angry with me?"

Empress Zhou thought for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, after I finish speaking, please do not be angry!"

The Chongzhen Emperor was taken aback at this, then said: "Speak, Empress. I know the Crown Prince acts with discretion. I shall not be angry."

The Empress sighed and said: "Your Majesty, after learning that the Deling mausoleum had been destroyed, the Crown Prince went to inspect the capital's defenses, and before the Xizhi Gate he slew three hundred elite Qing soldiers. Then, seeing the Duke of Cheng flee back to the capital in fear of the enemy, the Crown Prince killed the Duke of Cheng with his own hands."

Hearing this, the Chongzhen Emperor immediately flew into a rage: "The Crown Prince is being utterly reckless—he actually dared to kill a noble!"

Seeing the Chongzhen Emperor's agitation, Empress Zhou hastily explained: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Crown Prince has already had the Duke of Cheng's mansion searched, uncovering Zhu Chunchen's embezzlement ledgers and five hundred thousand taels of silver."

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has already sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to transport the five hundred thousand taels of silver and the ledgers seized from the Duke of Cheng's mansion into the palace."

Wang Cheng'en also spoke up from the side, emphasizing the words "five hundred thousand taels of silver."

Upon hearing about the silver, the Chongzhen Emperor's mood visibly improved, and then somewhat astonished, he said: "Zhu Chunchen's household actually had five hundred thousand taels of silver? I recall that during the last fundraising drive by the Crown Prince, he only donated fifty taels, did he not?"

Wang Cheng'en nodded and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, precisely fifty taels."

The Chongzhen Emperor shot to his feet, his face dark and grim, and roared in fury: "Traitorous minister! I was truly blind to have trusted him for so many years. Now that the court is in difficulty, Zhu Chunchen's household actually has five hundred thousand taels of silver, and yet he would cry poverty before my face every day—a truly great traitor! The Crown Prince killed him well!"

Seeing the Chongzhen Emperor's attitude, Wang Cheng'en and Empress Zhou both let out a soft sigh—the hurdle of the Duke of Cheng had been cleared.

After cursing for a long while, the Chongzhen Emperor suddenly asked: "Where is the Crown Prince? Summon him to see me!"

Empress Zhou said uneasily: "After beheading Zhu Chunchen, the Crown Prince led his troops out of the city, saying he would slaughter all the barbarian bandits for Your Majesty."

The Chongzhen Emperor exclaimed in alarm and anger: "Why did no one stop him? The barbarians outside are powerful—how many men does he have?"

Empress Zhou did not know what to say. Just then, the eunuch on duty entered to report that Chief Grand Secretary Wen Tiren and several other officials were requesting an audience.

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