Chapter 35: The Thorough Screening

Some women covered the eyes of the restless children in their arms, not wanting them to witness such a bloody scene at such a young age, while boys and girls of seven or eight who could already run about were forcibly turned around by their parents.

After vomiting, Wei Zaode quickly realized he had lost composure as a Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat and supervising executioner. Taking the cloth handed over by someone beside him, he wiped his mouth, then hastily pretended nothing had happened and sat upright again.

Apart from the executioner, Wei Zaode was the closest to the corpses, and the smell he caught made him nauseous again, immediately knitting his brows tightly—yet he still did not leave his seat by even a step.

Seeing him like this, the Eastern Depot runners could not muster any urge to mock him. As a man of letters who ordinarily never came into contact with bloodshed, Wei Zaode's reaction was hardly blameworthy; truly little fault could be found with him.

Compared with the few commoners who were parents, the performance of the court's senior ministers at the execution ground could only be described by the word "shameful"—those leaning on attendant runners and vomiting without end, those trying to flee only to be stopped by Capital Camps soldiers, were everywhere to be seen, all witnessed clearly by the surrounding commoners.

"So these are the so-called pure-stream officials?"

"These are the court's senior ministers who ceaselessly proclaim they serve the sovereign and the state?"

"Why do the great officials' performances at the execution ground not measure up to us ordinary folk here at Caishikou?"

The assembled ministers were all pale-faced, nowhere near their usual refined bearing, and some were even already cursing under their breath that the Chongzhen Emperor was a heartless tyrant. All of this was seen by the agents hidden among the crowd, who in turn reported it back to the Chongzhen Emperor.

Most commoners, whether because they were accustomed to such scenes or were simply born with stronger psychological tolerance, were cheering and applauding as far as eye and ear could reach. Apart from those scholars, no one else was discussing whether the Chongzhen Emperor ought to have killed or not.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the executions are now complete. After Wei Zaode returned to his residence, the Minister of Works Xue Fengxiang and the Minister of War Zhang Guowei both called on him, but he refused to see them, keeping his doors shut."

In the warm chamber, the Chongzhen Emperor listened to the report of the Eastern Depot squad leader hidden around the execution ground, wearing an indifferent expression on his face—yet in his heart, he still felt somewhat self-reproachful.

After all, this case had implicated a great many people. With a single edict of his, those implicated through Luo Yangxing and Gong Dingzi, whose ten clans were to be wiped out, already numbered over six hundred.

Not counting the mounted agents sent to other regions to execute the condemned criminals, those executed by his single order around the capital this time numbered nearly two thousand. The Chongzhen Emperor waved his hand to indicate all was well, but in his heart he was doubting whether he had done wrong.

After all, these were nearly two thousand lives, among them no small number of men, women, old, and young who had nothing whatsoever to do with this affair. Thinking of this, the Chongzhen Emperor beckoned with his hand, as if about to give some decision.

Li Ruolian, Regional Military Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, hurried forward respectfully. The Chongzhen Emperor actually wanted to have him order the recall of the mounted agents sent out of the capital to execute condemned criminals on the spot, thinking to himself that since so many had already been killed in the capital, he might as well let those outside go—but when the words reached his lips, he could not say them.

The Chongzhen Emperor did not know whether he was right or wrong. From whatever angle one looked at it, every one of these people unquestionably deserved death; if he did not handle it cleanly, he feared he would not even be able to sleep soundly from now on.

Many television dramas of later generations repeatedly play out a trope—say someone's entire family has been killed, and for some reason or psychology, the ringleader lets a harmless little child go free.

Everyone knows the result: decades later, that child succeeds in revenge, wiping out all who killed his family, without the slightest mercy.

Thinking of this, the Chongzhen Emperor broke out in a cold sweat. If among these several thousand people there truly emerged such a figure, would he spare him? His own fate would probably be even worse than theirs.

Forcing aside all the doubts in his heart, the Chongzhen Emperor resolved to finish what he had started—since he was already a tyrant, he might as well see it through to the end. He asked:

"How has the handling of Luo Yangxing's confidants progressed?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, since taking up this post, this humble officer has not slept a single good night. What Luo Yangxing said at the execution ground reminded me—the Luo family for three generations have all been heads of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Northern Bastille has in fact become entirely filled with his confidants and partisans. Those truly obedient to this humble officer's command number only a scant few, such as the Chiliarch in charge of punishments, Gao Wencai. Following Your Majesty's decree to investigate further, I have found the scope growing ever larger."

Li Ruolian had held these words back for a long time. The Northern Bastille was thoroughly rotten through and through; from top to bottom, nearly everyone was Luo Yangxing's man, and when the investigation reached its end, he found that almost all were people with lingering ties to Luo Yangxing.

Since the Emperor asked today, he might as well tell everything frankly. With the current Son of Heaven's ruthless methods of wiping out ten clans, it should receive a proper resolution.

"Then in your view, if one wished to thoroughly screen the Embroidered Uniform Guard, what would be the fastest method?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has the Northern and Southern Bastilles. The fastest method would naturally be to swap the personnel of the two Bastilles. But such a thing has no precedent, and inevitably some would gossip..."

Hearing what Li Ruolian said, the Chongzhen Emperor fell into deep thought.

Indeed, judging from the fact that a madman had casually barged into the palace that day and nearly chopped him to death, the men of the Northern Bastille had by and large ceased to be loyal to the Great Ming—otherwise such an incident would never have occurred.

The Southern Bastille was responsible for military discipline and disputes among guard station soldiers, functioning in effect like military police. Comparatively speaking, in such a place, generals who held military power and did not obey the court's commands were not given much importance.

Even within the Embroidered Uniform Guard itself, the Southern Bastille was somewhat discriminated against—without power or substance. The Chongzhen Emperor knew Li Ruolian's misgivings and said with a cold snort:

"Summon Wei Zaode. Have Wang Cheng'en probe him indirectly, and let him be the one to propose it."

Li Ruolian nodded and turned to leave the warm chamber. The Chongzhen Emperor then looked toward Fang Zhenghua and asked:

"How is the Inner Depot coming along?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Inner Depot has not been established as smoothly as the Eastern Depot. The records found are all rather old, and for personnel, for now we can only draw transfers from the Directorate of the Imperial Horses."

The Inner Depot had existed for only four or five years before being abolished after Liu Jin's fall in the fifth year of Zhengde, and the secret agents spread across the realm were all sent back. By now, virtually nothing of it remained.

In such a short time, Fang Zhenghua could only use the small portion of records and archives he had found to trace the threads, bringing in descendants of families whose forebears had once served in the Inner Depot to resume their old trade.

"Mm." The Chongzhen Emperor also understood that re-establishing the Inner Depot in such haste was indeed asking too much of Fang Zhenghua, so he dropped the subject and said:

"Then it can only be done this way. Swap the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Northern and Southern Bastilles. Go carry it out."

"Your will be done!"

After Fang Zhenghua left, the Chongzhen Emperor let out a long sigh and began to close his eyes and rest. He did not know how long he slept, but suddenly felt a pair of slender hands massaging his temples.

The Chongzhen Emperor abruptly opened his eyes and tightly gripped those hands, only relaxing after seeing who it was. "So it's the Empress. What time is it?"

"Your Majesty, it is the hour of xu." Empress Zhou's voice was soft and gentle, always making one feel at ease to hear it.

"Without realizing it, I have slept over two hours. Why has the Empress come? Where is Wei Zaode?" The Chongzhen Emperor kept stroking Empress Zhou's slender hands as he asked.

"Your Majesty, Wei Zaode came by. Li Chun said Your Majesty was in deep sleep, so he went back."

"That won't do. Li Chun, go to the Eastern Depot offices and summon Wang Cheng'en. Have him personally pay a visit to the Wei residence—this matter must be settled tonight!" The Chongzhen Emperor slapped his forehead. This matter was hardly Li Chun's fault; he had indeed been thinking of the Emperor's welfare.

"Empress, you never come to the Temple of the Three Treasures without a reason. Speak—what matter brings you to me? I likely cannot go to Kunning Palace tonight; I truly have no mood for it."

Empress Zhou, however, had not come for that matter. She hesitated for a long while before speaking cautiously:

"Your Majesty, your consort has heard that yesterday you issued a decree to wipe out the ten clans of Gong Dingzi and Luo Yangxing? That absolutely must not be done......"