Chapter 157: Homework Assignment (Going Paid — Please Subscribe!!)

After listening to the various year-end summaries from his court officials, the Chongzhen Emperor's expression shifted from clear to overcast. He turned to the Right Censor-in-Chief and asked with some amusement:

"Censor Wang, in the entire year of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the only wrong you did was injuring a child by the roadside?"

Hearing this, Wang Jun's forehead gradually beaded with cold sweat. He shuffled forward, stammering, "Your... Your Majesty is wise and sagacious. Your minister has already compensated that child's parents with ten taels of silver. Your minister..."

Seeing this fellow still trying to quibble, the Chongzhen Emperor abruptly rose to his feet. "Wang Jun! Half a month ago, you sent that famous landscape painting to the home of Vice Minister of Justice Liu Xizheng — what was the reason!"

"And besides, that child has no father at all. I ask you — where did her mother go?"

"Th-this this... Your minister does not know! Your minister truly does not know! Your Majesty may send men from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice to investigate again." Wang Jun's heart jolted with alarm, yet he still put up a stubborn front.

Seeing this, the Chongzhen Emperor said no more. He waved his hand, signaling the eunuchs to distribute the materials prepared in advance to the assembled ministers for perusal — Wang Jun's crimes were written out there, item by item, in perfect clarity.

Even as the ministers read, their hearts tightened with dread on their own behalf.

The Chongzhen Emperor even knew exactly when Wang Jun had entered and left the brothel to visit prostitutes — so did he also know about their own affairs?

In an instant, Wang Jun became the target of universal condemnation. With the evidence irrefutable, he lost all will to resist. With a "thud," he knelt in the hall, begging for mercy without cease.

To be honest, at this time of the New Year, every household was thinking of family reunion. The Chongzhen Emperor did not particularly want to put anyone to death and leave their families unable to gather together.

Though he held the dark secrets of certain people present and could order their deaths at any moment, this summary session was really just a formality — there was no intention of driving anyone to their death.

Chongzhen mainly wanted to see how much of what these ministers said was true and how much was false — whether they had learned from their mistakes, so that he would have a better sense of things when court convened again next year.

Chongzhen had long anticipated they would lie, for the Donglin Faction and the entire body of officials in the Great Ming court were all cut from the same cloth. Even if he killed them all, the replacements would likely be much the same.

The others had at least spoken of some real matters, more or less. With the New Year imminent, Chongzhen had no heart for harsh punishment and had intended to be lenient for a few days — but he had never imagined that this Right Censor-in-Chief named Wang Jun would speak not a single word of truth.

This fellow first launched into a spittle-flying account of how diligent and devoted to duty he had been last year. Such self-praise was only human nature — anyone would say a few such words, so that was not yet anything.

But what he said next truly angered Chongzhen. This fellow claimed that the worst thing he had done was accidentally stepping on the fingers of a child begging by the roadside, and that he had afterward paid ten taels of silver in compensation, and the child was perfectly fine.

In other words, this Wang Jun had seen that Jiang Dejing, who had previously declared himself innocent, had received praise, while too many ministers had confessed their faults — he thought he could fish in troubled waters and, not content with that, sought to curry favor and beg for reward.

What he said differed vastly from the secret memorials recorded by the Eastern Depot. The child had indeed been injured — but not by his beating. Rather, Wang Jun, seeing that a mother and daughter among the refugees from outside had no one to rely on, had been stirred by lust.

The details need not be recounted. In any case, neither mother nor daughter could be found now — their whereabouts unknown, and thus no corpse to bear witness. This was the customary trick of these Donglin types.

The Chongzhen Emperor had originally planned to let him spend the New Year peacefully with his family before pursuing the matter. But seeing this fellow's utterly useless, crippled demeanor, he could not be bothered to search for more evidence.

Seeing that Wang Jun could not speak, Chongzhen directly waved his hand and said:

"Drag this double-dealing traitor out for me and behead him."

After the stalwart guards entered the hall and dragged away the pig-squealing Wang Jun, the Chongzhen Emperor looked at the trembling ministers and said with earnest patience: "I truly do not wish to kill anyone during the New Year, but you will not give me a moment's peace!"

"The New Year has come, and all the ministries and offices have released their staff to go home. You think the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot have also slackened, and that you can fish in troubled waters and do lawless things?"

"Whatever you hide or conceal, I know it all. The reason I have not yet come for you is, one, the New Year, and two, consideration for your families."

"But you must remember — do not push your advantage. If you climb a tree the moment one is offered, beware the day the roots shake and dash you all to pieces without even bones remaining!"

The ministers exchanged uneasy glances but remained silent. Chongzhen thought to himself that this was truly casting pearls before swine. He waved his hand, not intending to say more on the matter, and addressed Minister of Justice Xu Shilin:

"Xu Shilin, besides that landscape painting, did he send anything else to your home?"

At this, Xu Shilin raised his head and stepped forward from the ranks, replying without the slightest panic: "Reporting to His Majesty, Wang Jun attempted to bribe your minister on multiple occasions, but your minister accepted only this landscape painting."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded and said:

"The New Year is nearly upon us. I know you genuinely love that landscape painting, and confiscating it would serve no purpose — keep it for yourself. But remember: from now on, do not accept bribes of any form."

"Beyond that, the Ministry of Justice oversees the capital's great prisons and judicial affairs — a matter of utmost importance. I think it best to first strip you of your post and have you wait at home in idleness while the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the Court of Judicial Review conduct a joint investigation. If truly nothing else comes to light, I will naturally restore you to your position."

Throughout the Chongzhen Emperor's speech, Xu Shilin's expression did not change in the slightest — very much in the manner of one who, having done no wrong, does not fear the ghost knocking at midnight.

In truth, the Chongzhen Emperor had, in his later life, specifically looked into this Minister of Justice. Judging from the results, he was a loyal minister who had died for his country.

Judging from his career, Xu Shilin had served in several posts and enjoyed a considerable reputation for incorruptibility. Beyond that, he had personally taken charge of investigations into many great and small cases — one could say he did not fear the powerful and was deeply loved by the common people.

That such a man would accept a bribe — besides his great fondness for that landscape painting, there must surely be some other reason.

Judging from the plot devices he had seen in television dramas in his later life, Chongzhen felt as though he had caught a whiff of something else. If he had the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot follow the thread, might they uncover a whole host of affairs?

Of course, if he could conveniently replace the Ministry of Justice — one of the Three Judicial Offices — with someone loyal to him, that would be best of all.

"The reason I have summoned you all here today, besides summarizing merits and faults, is that I feel we cannot continue muddling along like this, starting strong and ending weak. The Great Ming needs a clear primary direction."

"So let this be my decision: after you return, the six Ministers of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works shall each convene the officials of their ministries to deliberate further, set a direction and plan for the eighteenth year of Chongzhen, and then have each Minister compile the results into a memorial to be presented to me in the Warm Chamber for review."

"Oh, and this must be done quickly — best presented to the Warm Chamber before evening. If you delay the important matters between me and the Empress, you will be held to account."

Hearing this, the ministers below felt both helpless and speechless. This emperor was too fond of stirring up trouble! How difficult the seventeenth year of Chongzhen had been for everyone — each of them knew it well in his own heart.

They had barely escaped with their lives through all that bloodshed to make it to the New Year, only to be separated from their families on Little New Year, forced to steel themselves and come to court for deliberation. Not only had one man been beheaded on the spot, but now he had thrown down some "next year's plan" for them to deliberate and present within a single day.

You tyrant — worried about delaying your own dinner with the Empress, but never thinking of how everyone else spent their Little New Year?

Such a matter could never be deliberated within a single day! In previous years, affairs of this magnitude had required months or even half a year.

But no matter how they cursed inwardly, the ministers maintained their respectful bearing on the surface, kowtowing and shouting in unison, indicating that the emperor was the boss — and that to get through the New Year safely, they would go at once to turn in their homework.