Chapter 110: The alligator bellows and the turtle responds; righteousness destroys kin

Wuchang Prefecture, early morning.

The sky had just begun to brighten when a clamor of noise erupted inside and outside the Provincial Governor's Yamen.

As the lodging place for the three Imperial Envoys, the Provincial Governor's Yamen had been unprecedentedly lively during this period, and the officials within the yamen had long since grown accustomed to it.

But Wu Jinghe was a light sleeper by nature, and he was awakened by the first sign of movement.

He stretched, sat up from the bed, and leaned back against the pillow, rubbing his brow.

He casually summoned his long-term attendant and asked, "What time is it?"

The attendant lowered his head and replied in a low voice, "My Lord Consort, it is the hour of the Dragon."

Wu Jinghe sighed, somewhat distracted, his expression dazed; he said nothing more.

The attendant had been with him for over twenty years and could guess his thoughts to some extent; he asked cautiously, "Did you dream of the Princess again, My Lord Consort?"

When they left the capital, the Consort had stopped by to pay his respects at the Princess's tomb.

Since then, he had spent many days tossing and turning, his soul haunted by dreams, a state that had yet to subside.

That is why they say an old servant is the most considerate, knowing the root of things—every time the Consort returned from sweeping the tomb, he was like this.

Without heirs and advanced in age, it was inevitable to think of those from the past, especially when it had been a marriage of such deep affection.

In the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing, when Wu Jinghe paid his respects at the Princess's tomb, he saw the mound overgrown and the thorns untrimmed, and he had wept on the spot.

Afterward, he submitted a memorial to Emperor Shizong, stating, "A fox dies facing its home hill; I entrusted my life to the Princess, yet I am left to mourn her soul thousands of miles away, unable to perform the seasonal rites. My heart is shattered, and my spirit is broken."

He requested that Emperor Shizong allow him to "remain with her forever, so that I may have no regrets in death."

Every word came from the heart, showing his deep devotion.

Seeing the Consort lost in thought and silent, the attendant considerately placed a bowl of hot, refreshing soup to the side and called for others to bring warm water, coarse salt, and a toothbrush.

He then called out softly, "My Lord Consort, time to wash."

Wu Jinghe finally returned to his senses.

He took the warm towel, pressed it to his face, and said in a muffled voice, "There is such a commotion outside the yamen so early in the morning; what has happened now?"

The noble officials only handled business during the day, so the attendant on duty had to work longer hours.

Now that he was asked, the attendant hurriedly replied, "My Lord Consort, it is the gentry, wealthy families, officials, and members of the imperial clan from the province. Some are crying injustice, others are submitting impeachments. It is all due to the resentment left behind by the Grand Tutor while he was working in the prefectures."

"A few days ago, it was said that the Grand Tutor broke into the Prince of Min's city and killed quite a few members of the Lishan Prince's clan!"

"Now they are all banding together to make a scene over this."

Everyone had their own way of addressing him, but they always chose the most imposing title—the attendant had loved reading storybooks since he was a child and felt that calling Zhu Xizhong 'Grand Tutor' showed the most respect.

Mentioning this, Wu Jinghe naturally understood.

Recently, Zhu Xizhong had been leading the Embroidered Uniform Guard, embarking on a killing spree in the local prefectures, throwing his weight around with great vigor.

Whether it was the gentry, the prefectural yamen, or the princely cities and mansions, all had been stained with blood.

But the consequences were also obvious.

Not only was all of Huguang deeply disgusted by him, but even the central government had been forced to issue an edict, demanding that he must act according to the Great Ming Code and not recklessly create a bloodbath.

The other three Imperial Envoys all understood that he was there to do the dirty work, so they did not voice their support and even joined in the criticism.

However, looking at Zhu Xizhong's increasingly excessive behavior, it seemed he had no intention of leaving this mess behind.

One wondered what promise the Emperor had made to him to make him work so desperately...

Thinking of this, Wu Jinghe took off the towel, took the toothbrush, and muttered to himself as if possessed, "Tell me, does His Majesty truly keep his word?"

A few days ago, he had heard rumors that the Emperor had promised Yang Bo that Zhang Siwei would enter the Grand Secretariat, but he had not kept his promise.

He did not know if it was true or false.

Nor did he know how much weight the Emperor's promises carried...

The attendant was a trusted confidant and was startled by these words; he hurriedly walked outside the room to check, and seeing no one around, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked back into the room, wanting to understand what the Consort was worried about, and whispered comfortingly, "My Lord, the small matter of you being buried with the Princess is an established precedent; His Majesty has no reason to go back on his word, so please set your heart at ease."

Wu Jinghe sighed and nodded absentmindedly.

Being buried with the Princess was called a small matter only because it was an established precedent.

But this precedent depended on who passed away first.

If the Consort passed away first, he could be buried in the mausoleum, and the gate to the underground palace would not be sealed, waiting for the Princess to pass away before being buried together.

However, as the saying goes, the lowly cannot move the exalted.

If the Princess passed away first and had already been buried in the mausoleum, the underground palace could not be opened again after the Consort passed away; he would have to be buried elsewhere.

Since the Princess had already been buried, for Wu Jinghe to be buried with her, there had to be an exceptional reason.

For example, if the Princess were granted a higher title, a new mausoleum were built, or if there were an excuse that the tomb was damaged and needed repairs, allowing the Consort to be buried alongside her.

All of this required the Emperor's intent to be feasible.

This was also the reason why Wu Jinghe was willing to come to Huguang to handle affairs for the Emperor.

It must be known that Wu Jinghe was a top scholar in the military examinations, could write elegant sacrificial odes, and his poetry was unique and highly accomplished; he was talented in both civil and military arts, but he was a man who relied on his talent to be arrogant.

In the past, when Emperor Shizong asked Wu Jinghe to enter the West Garden to write mystical texts and accompany him, Wu Jinghe declined on the grounds that he did not understand mystical principles.

Later, when Emperor Shizong bestowed rewards upon him, he declined again, saying, "To receive rewards without merit is to increase one's sins."

Being so arrogant, if the Emperor had been the same as Shizong, any attempt to use 'righteousness' to command Wu Jinghe would likely have ended in an unhappy parting.

But the current Emperor had reasoned with him with both emotion and logic, persuading him with the promise of posthumous honors for the Princess and the relocation of the tomb for their joint burial; he truly had no way to resist.

It had to be said that the Emperor's judgment of people was truly too accurate.

During the time he was washing up, Wu Jinghe's mind was entirely occupied with pondering the Emperor's character—whether he would truly keep his promise.

Once he was washed and dressed, he suppressed his extra thoughts and pushed the door open to leave.

Before leaving, the Emperor had said that if Zhu Xizhong began his killing spree, it would be time for him to step in, show grace, and mediate.

Now that the timing was about right, it was naturally time to handle the real business.

Wu Jinghe walked along the corridor from the backyard toward the main hall of the yamen, taking deep breaths and swinging his arms from time to time.

Hai Rui was naturally easy to find; at this hour, he was basically sitting in the main hall, unlike himself who would sleep in for health.

Sure enough, as soon as Wu Jinghe reached the entrance of the Provincial Governor's main hall, he saw Hai Rui sitting upright in the hall, as if he were working in his own yamen.

Li Zaiting was also there, and the two were huddled together discussing something.

Seeing Wu Jinghe arrive, both stood up to greet him: "Consort Commandant."

Wu Jinghe was used to being lazy; he waved his hand casually and walked straight up to them.

He looked at Hai Rui and asked about the main business: "Is there any progress on the matter of the Yueyang Prince's mansion?"

He glanced at Hai Rui, feeling a bit moved.

The Emperor had different instructions for each of them in this group, but the most pure among them was Hai Rui.

Only he had come to handle affairs according to the Great Ming Code.

The Emperor allowed Hai Rui to investigate the case clearly, preferably to give a clear explanation for the deceased Zhang Chucheng and Tang Bin, and to provide a true account to the Emperor himself, the central government, the officials who had served as governors, and even future governors.

Of course, compared to whether he could find out the truth, Hai Rui's role in the investigation itself was more important.

The Emperor needed to use Hai Rui's golden signboard to stop the mouths of the masses, to silence those who followed the crowd, those with ulterior motives, and those who were unconvinced.

An upright official handling a case would avoid damaging the Emperor's virtue!

Hai Rui did not know what Wu Jinghe was thinking.

Hearing the question, he did not hide anything and nodded with a calm expression: "The matter of Zhu Yingyan's treason does indeed have some leads."

Hearing the word 'treason' directly, Wu Jinghe's expression immediately brightened.

Hai Rui stood up, walked to another table, opened a stack of case files, and turned to the side to signal Wu Jinghe.

He said, "Excluding some unnecessary false evidence, based on the letters left by Zhu Yingyan, the physical evidence in the cellar, the confessions of the mine bandits, the testimonies of the people in the mansion, and so on, there is a rough outline."

He paused: "The person who coordinated the water bandits and mine bandits, contacted the Dongting Garrison Commander Qiu Qiao, spied on the movements, and organized the ambush and murder of Zhang Chucheng and Tang Bin, is indeed this person!"

Hai Rui poked his finger heavily on the case file, his words filled with disgust.

Wu Jinghe nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing this, Li Zaiting took up the conversation.

He sneered: "It is because the central government cut off the succession of the Yueyang Prince back then, and the direct line of the clan in the mansion has been harboring resentment."

"Coupled with the fact that the Supervising Secretary Zhang was investigating mine taxes in Huguang this time, which touched the mansion's financial resources, after being instigated by certain people, they committed this major crime."

In the seventh year of Tianshun, which was after the Yueyang Prince Zhu Ji Jing passed away, the Yueyang Prince's mansion had no more Commandery Princes—this was also the reason why Zhu Yingyan, a General who Assists the State, could represent the Yueyang Prince's mansion.

This involved the so-called central government's obstruction of the Yueyang Prince's succession.

At that time, the Yueyang clan only had one male descendant left, Zhu Junhuang; although he was the nephew of the late Yueyang Prince, the situation was special, so he submitted a memorial to Emperor Yingzong, requesting to inherit the title.

Unfortunately, after Emperor Yingzong was restored, his attitude toward the imperial clan changed immediately.

He hit it off with the Ministry of Rites and found a random excuse—there was no precedent for a General who Assists the State to be promoted to a Commandery Prince.

And so Zhu Junhuang was dismissed.

That would have been the end of it, as the excuse was barely passable.

But the problem was that the subsequent Emperor Xiaozong did not remember this at all.

He successively enfeoffed the Generals who Assist the State from the Ning and Han fiefs as the Prince of Shicheng, the Prince of Leping, and the Prince of Le'an.

He couldn't even keep up appearances, could he?

How could this be allowed?

Zhu Junhuang was naturally unconvinced and submitted memorials for over ten years, his words intense and his tone indignant, requesting to inherit the title, otherwise he would not submit.

For this, he even invited many Commandery Princes from the Prince of Chu's mansion to stand with him and persuade Xiaozong.

In the end, Xiaozong lost his patience and changed the excuse—a nephew cannot inherit the title.

This finally ended the dispute.

But although the matter was settled, the resentment had likely been planted at that time.

In the cellar of the Yueyang Prince's mansion, there was a strange ritual, with straw dolls of several generations of emperors all pierced through; one could only imagine the depth of the hatred in their hearts.

In short, the evidence was simple, and the motive was clear.

Wu Jinghe did not ask who the 'certain people' who instigated them referred to.

He immediately asked with concern: "Then the crime of treason by the Yueyang Prince's mansion is confirmed?"

Hai Rui and Li Zaiting looked at each other, and the latter asked instead of answering: "How does the Consort Commandant intend to dispose of it?"

The Emperor called this Clan Official here specifically to deal with the members of the imperial clan involved.

This Clan Official naturally came for this reason—nearing the end of his life and without heirs, he was naturally much more suitable than the two Emperors' close ministers to handle it.

Wu Jinghe already had a draft in mind and stood up immediately: "I will go to Yueyang immediately to deal with the Yueyang Prince's mansion."

He was about to turn and leave, but then stopped.

He turned back and explained in advance: "According to the instructions before leaving, those above the rank of General who Guards the State, including the Commandery Lieutenants, do not need to be reported; they are to be granted death directly."

"Below that, the Lieutenants who Serve the State, as well as the Commandery Mistresses, County Mistresses, and Township Mistresses, are not to be implicated."

"I will have people temporarily confiscate the mansion's farmland and industries as Imperial Manors and Imperial Property."

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the system for succession was established: the sons of a Commandery Prince were granted the title of General who Guards the State, the grandsons were granted General who Assists the State, and the great-grandsons were granted General who Serves the State.

The Yueyang Prince's mansion had gone through the generations of Jun, Rong, Xian, and Ying, and had already fallen to the rank of General who Serves the State; there were not many Generals who Guard the State, and they could be counted on two hands.

Those further down who had not yet received a title were the powerless collateral branches.

Letting them go was also the Emperor's benevolence.

Of course, the specific disposal also depended on whether they were involved in the case.

Hai Rui and Li Zaiting understood that Wu Jinghe was just informing them, not consulting them.

They nodded and did not express an opinion.

Li Zaiting was thoughtful.

It was not the confiscation of farmland and industries that was expected—after all, Sun Long had followed them as a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, and it couldn't just be to serve them tea and water.

It was the instruction not to implicate... He had a faint suspicion in his heart; the Emperor exempting these collateral clansmen from punishment and leaving them a way out was likely not just an act of grace.

Hai Rui did not think too much and nodded somewhat casually: "The Consort Commandant may do as he sees fit."

Saying this, he sent the case files of the Yueyang Prince's mansion, stamped with the seal of the Surveillance Commission and signed by each of the Imperial Envoys, to Wu Jinghe.

Wu Jinghe did not continue to disturb their conversation, took the files, turned, and walked out the door.

Hai Rui and the other watched him leave.

After a long while, when Wu Jinghe's back disappeared, the two withdrew their gaze.

Li Zaiting couldn't help but feel moved; the Duke of Cheng and the Consort Wu truly had extraordinary courage.

Right now, it was only one or two princely mansions, but there were far more than that in Huguang.

In the eighth year of Jiajing, there were 587 members of the imperial clan with titles in Huguang; now, forty years later, it had grown to over 2,000.

According to what the Emperor said, those above the rank of General who are involved in treason are to be granted death; that would likely mean killing nearly 300 people!

With such a bloodbath, the two people doing the work would likely not have a good end.

Yes, that's right, there were indeed that many members of the imperial clan involved!

Except for the Prince of Rong's mansion, which knew nothing, the Chu, Min, Xiang, Jing, and Ji fiefs were all more or less involved!

Just as Li Zaiting was thinking, Hai Rui's voice brought his consciousness back: "Regarding the matter of the Three Commissions mentioned earlier, I will trouble you, Yingfeng."

This was what the two had discussed before Wu Jinghe arrived.

The former returned to his senses and responded immediately: "The Duke of Qionshan overstates; this is my duty."

He sighed with a solemn expression: "I just didn't expect the local area of Huguang to be rotten to this extent."

Last month, following the clues and manpower provided by Zhao Xian, he made a trip to the tribal areas.

Using reward money to pave the way with the local barbarians, he managed to capture a group of merchants trading privately and intercepted a batch of armor and weapons.

Following the investigation all the way, not to mention the involvement of the imperial clan, it turned out that most of the local officials in Huguang were also involved.

Especially the Regional Military Commission!

They would even scrape the inscriptions off the armor and weapons issued by the imperial court and sell them to the barbarians.

No wonder Wang Daokun said last year that there were endless bandits to suppress in Huguang!

Hai Rui looked at him for a long time before saying earnestly: "It is just selling ironware and armor to the barbarians."

"If Yingfeng has the opportunity to go to the Three Jins or the Southeast, you will understand what it means for officials and bandits to be one family, and for the illness to be deep in the marrow."

Li Zaiting did not speak.

He had learned too much on this trip to Huguang.

Just at this moment, a eunuch walked into the hall and said softly: "Supervising Secretary Li, Hai Yushi Hai, a sneaky person has come to the front courtyard; he won't state his identity, only saying he has an appointment with Hai Yushi Hai."

Li Zaiting turned his head in confusion.

Hai Rui waved his hand to let the eunuch go down first and closed the case files that had been flipped open.

Only then did he look up to meet Li Zaiting's gaze: "It is that Heir of the Prince of Wugang, saying he has important clues to expose."

"Does Yingfeng want to go see him together?"

Li Zaiting pondered for a moment and bowed: "That is my wish."

He paused and asked curiously: "What does this Heir want to expose?"

On Hai Rui's usually stern face, a strange look could not help but appear: "He says he wants to expose his uncle, the Prince of Dong'an, Zhu Xianhuai, for ordering Zhu Yingyan to murder Zhang Chucheng and then plotting to assassinate Zhu Yingyan."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 111 =====