Chapter 819: The Clever One

The Three Departments had gathered sufficient evidence in the case against Sun Xin and others: the Prince of Lu had conspired with Japanese pirates and sold military equipment; the Northern Capital Security Bureau had already dispatched Embroidered Uniform Guards to Yanzhou.

The Southern Inspection Censor, acting on hearsay, suspected the Prince of Lu of colluding with sea bandits to ambush the envoy mission.

At this time, Lu Mingzhe, Prefect of Quanzhou, submitted a memorial stating that the leader of the sea bandits who had vanished during the fire at Quanzhou's prison last year had been found; they confessed that the ambush on the envoy mission was orchestrated by the Prince of Lu, the Marquis of Huichang, the Marquis of Jingyuan, and powerful clans like the Chen family of Fujian, all to prevent the imperial court from lifting the maritime ban.

As soon as the memorial reached the capital, the entire court was stunned: some believed it, some doubted it, and the vast majority merely watched—just like Pan Yun, who stared with wide eyes every day, gorging herself on court gossip until she could eat no more.

But! State affairs are grave, and thoughtful reflection always brings sorrow; thus, amid their gossip, the ministers grew angry and began seeking solutions.

Ministers were human, and humans loved to oppose each other—the more they were told not to do something, the more they wanted to do it.

Seeing that these imperial relatives, powerful nobles, and regional magnates all opposed lifting the maritime ban, they resolved to lift it all the more.

Amid the clamor, as one faction fell, another rose; though the cases remained unclarified, the policy to open the seas grew ever more solid, with more and more ports being opened.

Tianjin, adjacent to the capital, opened its port and established a Maritime Trade Office, permitting private vessels to dock and trade.

Pan Yun watched the drama with great delight; her greatest daily pleasure was querying her father and her second senior brother about court affairs.

Yin Song shared exactly the same interest; the two of them spent every day full and happy.

Even Xue Shao had become her source of intelligence, because his uncle was the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who, by unfortunate coincidence, was the official in charge of the case.

The evidence held by the Three Departments far exceeded Pan Yun's expectations: they had thoroughly investigated both cases, clarified every detail, and even held two separate deliberations on the root causes of the two cases, all to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Xue Xuan argued: "A state governed by law must prioritize prevention, not merely punishment after crimes occur; deterrence through fear is insufficient. Prevention must be comprehensive."

Among the officials of the Three Departments, many agreed with Xue Xuan's view, rather than becoming entangled in the power struggles like the majority of onlookers.

Xue Xuan once again refused Wang Zhen's invitation to meet, taking the Three Departments' official recommendations tucked inside his document folder as he left.

Director Zhao hurried after him and whispered: "My lord, Master Wang has now made his second request to meet you—surely you will not refuse to see him?"

Xue Xuan: "He is an eunuch official; I am a civil official. Our duties do not intersect. Meeting him serves no purpose."

Director Zhao sighed inwardly at his superior's stubbornness but had to whisper a plea: "The two cases are nearly concluded; the Northern Capital Security Bureau will soon secretly transport the Prince of Lu back to the capital. This matter is being kept secret, clearly because Your Majesty still cherishes kinship with the imperial clan. If you do not cooperate with Wang Zhen, this matter may…"

"Fizzle out?" Xue Xuan cut in, his face as cold as water: "The Prince of Lu's punishment is already stipulated in the Ming Code. If we cooperate with Wang Zhen merely to ensure he is punished, are we not forming factions for personal gain?"

"How is ensuring the Prince of Lu receives his due punishment factionalism?"

"So you admit it is factionalism?"

Director Zhao was speechless.

Xue Xuan said gravely: "If the punishment is deserved, why must we form factions to achieve it? We stand at the edge of a broken bridge—we must not jump into the river to cross it. We must mend the bridge and walk across it."

Director Zhao: "What if the bridge cannot be repaired?"

Xue Xuan: "If it cannot be repaired, I would rather die waiting on the bridgehead than descend into the polluted river."

Director Zhao had no reply. He bowed and withdrew.

Their conversation reached Wang Zhen's ears. Wang Zhen laughed bitterly and sneered: "Hmph. Who does Xue Xuan think he is? Do I need him?"

The Prince of Lu and his son were secretly transported to Jingcheng on the twelfth of the second month; Wang Tianyi was also imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, where he encountered Sun Chao.

Wang Tianyi was surprised: "Why are you still in the Imperial Prison?"

Sun Chao's face was grim; he scanned Wang Tianyi with his eyes: "If you hadn't attempted suicide in the marketplace and nearly crushed Prince Xiang, I would have been released and returned home long ago."

He glared at Wang Tianyi with hatred: "It's all because of you! The Emperor had already pardoned our three families, intending to punish only the Chen clan and other Fujian magnates—but Prince Xiang seized upon your suicide attempt as an excuse, reigniting the envoy ambush case, and that's why I'm here! Wang Tianyi, if you wanted to die, why not just jump from your own roof? Why must you leap from Taotie Tower? Are you insane?"

Wang Tianyi lowered his gaze and said nothing.

Sun Chao sneered: "You think you can drag us down? Let me tell you—you'll die the worst of all. Just watch. Who will protect your Wang family?"

Wang Tianyi's face turned ashen.

The Prince of Lu had barely entered the Imperial Prison when he was summoned to the palace.

Upon meeting, the fifty-year-old Prince of Lu prostrated himself on the ground, weeping before the ten-year-old Emperor, who grew both angry and softened by the display.

The Prince admitted he was wrong to collude with Japanese pirates, but insisted he and his heir had no knowledge of the envoy ambush.

He blamed everything on Sun Xin: "Your Majesty, I am a descendant of the Zhu family. Ambushing an envoy is tantamount to rebellion—would I rebel against my own dynasty? You accuse me of colluding with Japanese pirates and selling them broadswords—I admit it! They were merely villagers across the sea; they could never launch a rebellion against us. I was greedy, lured by Yang Ji and the Commander of the Quanzhou Garrison, and agreed to sell them broadswords for a little extra profit."

The young Emperor's face was cold: "Jiang Fangzheng did not say that. Sun Xin also said the proposal to sell broadswords originated with the Prince of Lu's household."

"Your Majesty, Sun Xin is my Chief Secretary. He betrayed me, fearing my retaliation, and now throws every filthy accusation onto me. You cannot believe their one-sided testimony."

"It is not merely one-sided testimony," the young Emperor said, dropping several sheets of paper: "These are the records uncovered by Xue Xuan—proof that the Prince of Lu's household conspired with the garrison in Yanzhou to secretly forge broadswords. You had already manufactured them before Sun Xin even went to Ji'an!"

The Prince of Lu bowed his head.

The young Emperor, seeing his silence, asked: "What of the Northern Barbarians?"

The Prince of Lu perked up immediately: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit!"

He declared loudly: "The Northern Barbarians of the Oirat have disloyal intentions. Under the guise of trade, I sent agents to probe their internal affairs and uncovered much intelligence…"

The Prince of Lu remained in the Emperor's study for over two hours, only being escorted out of the palace and back to the adjacent Imperial Prison after nightfall.

Though not particularly clever, Wang Zhen, who understood the Emperor's character well, immediately knew how these two cases would ultimately be decided.

He immediately brought tea to comfort the Emperor and sent word to Xue Xuan: "If he refuses to enter my river, he may remain forever on the shore—neither shall he cross, nor even stand upon the bridgehead."

Yin Song, sharp and well-versed in the Emperor's and Wang Zhen's temperaments, left work and immediately returned to find his junior sister, urging her to leave Jingcheng at once: "Whether you return to the Academy to study, go to Quanzhou, or even travel to Japan—it doesn't matter. Just don't stay in the capital."