Chapter 60: 60. Evil Fully Matured, Recorded in the Files

60. Chapter 60: Evil Fully Matured, Recorded in the Files

The Northern Surveillance Office is a branch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, responsible for criminal justice, with authority to investigate, apprehend, and interrogate, bypassing the Three Judicial Departments entirely, specializing in brutal torture to suppress corrupt officials.

It is an intelligence agency directly under the Emperor’s command.

Wang Ruyan’s case was exposed to the Northern Surveillance Office by one of his subordinates.

This subordinate’s name was Xu Fuyuan, formerly an official in the Ministry of Personnel; in July of this year, he submitted a memorial criticizing his own conduct during an evaluation and was personally demoted by the Emperor to Assistant Director of the Two Huai Salt Transport Office.

Feeling he had betrayed the Emperor’s trust and burdened by guilt, he resolved to serve diligently upon arrival.

But upon assuming office, he discovered his superior Wang Ruyan’s corruption—shocking and blatant—and, unable to endure his conscience, secretly gathered evidence and exposed Wang Ruyan.

Xu Fuyuan is now detained at the Northern Surveillance Office—though not imprisoned, but under protective custody.

Legally, cases under the jurisdiction of the Three Judicial Departments should not involve holding suspects at the Northern Surveillance Office.

But Xu Fuyuan is cautious by nature, insisting the matter is too grave; he would rather languish in prison than leave the Northern Surveillance Office for a single step, fearing assassination.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had no choice but to provide him with fine food, drink, and comfortable care.

As a result, the Northern Surveillance Office’s prison now featured wooden tables, low beds, fine wine, and gourmet meals—an absurd spectacle.

When Hai Rui arrived, he stared in stunned silence at the cell.

Beside him was Chen Dong, Vice Minister of the Dalisi , collaborating on the case.

Luo Sigong followed half a step behind, closely watching their surroundings—even within the Northern Surveillance Office.

Hai Rui pushed open the prison door and fixed his gaze on Xu Fuyuan: “Assistant Director of the Two Huai Salt Transport Office, Xu Fuyuan?”

Xu Fuyuan had been resting on the low bed; seeing the two men in crimson robes, he immediately recognized them as high-ranking court officials.

He hurriedly rose and bowed: “Assistant Director of the Two Huai Salt Transport Office, Xu Fuyuan, pays his respects to Your Excellencies.”

Xu Fuyuan is not the accused, only a witness—his official rank remains intact.

Hai Rui and Chen Dong exchanged glances, then pulled up chairs and sat down.

Hai Rui moved the wine and food aside on the wooden table, placed the case files before them, and spoke bluntly: “You reported Wang Ruyan—what for?”

Chen Dong waved his clerks away and picked up his brush himself to take notes.

As a witness, Xu Fuyuan was not required to stand; he sat down opposite them.

He did not answer immediately, but hesitated, studying the two: “May I ask, Your Excellencies, what offices do you hold?”

Hai Rui sat upright and replied: “I am Hai Rui, Inspector General overseeing the Two Huai Salt Revenues.”

The moment he spoke, Xu Fuyuan seemed activated.

Before Chen Dong could speak, he straightened his posture and declared loudly: “If Inspector Hai asks, this subordinate will answer without reservation!”

Chen Dong’s introduction died on his lips; he fell silent.

Hai Rui nodded, signaling him to proceed.

Xu Fuyuan spoke without pause: “I was formerly a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel and had a general sense of officials across the provinces.”

“After my demotion to Two Huai, I saw my superior was Wang Ruyan, so I kept watch.”

“While in the Ministry, I reviewed his file—I recall he was originally a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue’s Zhejiang Division, holding a respectable rank.”

“But he was demoted three times in succession: first to Deputy Prefect of Tongzhou, then to Prefect of Jiangdu and Haimen, and finally to County Magistrate of Xinghua—reduced all the way to seventh rank.”

“This reveals his incompetence; yet later, after gaining favor from Li… a certain senior official, he was promoted back to the Ministry of Revenue.”

“But after that senior official retired, this man was demoted again—to Two Huai.”

“Given such a fool, I naturally kept my guard up, fearing association.”

“And so it proved!”

“In the following two months, I secretly observed him and discovered how utterly he defied the law, deceived Heaven and cheated the people!”

He swallowed hard.

After this long preamble, still no substance—Chen Dong wondered if the man was deliberately mocking him.

He wanted to interject, but Hai Rui led the interrogation; he held his tongue.

Hai Rui, however, frowned sharply.

He asked coldly: “What ‘certain senior official’? In our dynasty, no official is nameless! Speak clearly!”

Xu Fuyuan hesitated: “It’s unrelated to this case—perhaps best left unmentioned…”

Hai Rui stared at him, voice devoid of emotion: “Once spoken, it must be named.”

Xu Fuyuan glanced at Hai Rui, then at Chen Dong.

His voice dropped to a whisper: “It was… the former Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace, Senior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Li Chunfang.”

Chen Dong froze, his brush slipping from his hand; he looked at Hai Rui.

Li Chunfang was from Yangzhou—his involvement was possible, but the claim was vague.

After all, promotion does not imply direct involvement in the Two Huai salt revenues.

Whether to record it or not was uncertain—Chen Dong naturally waited for Hai Rui’s cue.

Hai Rui’s face was expressionless; he turned slightly and nodded to Chen Dong: “Record it.”

Chen Dong gritted his teeth, wrote “Li Chunfang,” and continued taking notes.

Hai Rui turned back to Xu Fuyuan: “Continue. How did Wang Ruyan deceive Heaven and cheat the people?”

Xu Fuyuan looked at Hai Rui with a flicker of admiration.

Though he was the one being interrogated, this man’s courage had not disappointed him.

He continued: “The Two Huai jurisdiction includes three sub-offices: Taizhou, Huai’an, and Tongzhou.”

“The annual quota should be 700,000 salt certificates and 210,000 stored salt units.”

“But I inspected the Two Huai salt warehouses…”

Xu Fuyuan raised his eyes to the two crimson-robed officials and whispered: “The stored salt is likely less than 50,000 units.”

Both men snapped their heads up.

Chen Dong’s face changed color repeatedly.

Hai Rui’s expression turned solemn; he enunciated each word: “Witness Xu Fuyuan states: salt warehouse shortfall of 160,000 units—recorded.”

Chen Dong’s brush moved with increasing difficulty as he wrote.

Hai Rui pressed: “Where did the missing salt go, Assistant Director Xu?”

Xu Fuyuan nodded: “Wang Ruyan colluded with salt merchants and sold all of it as contraband.”

“Not just the warehouse.”

“There are thirty salt fields in Two Huai; I inspected seven others and questioned the salt workers—each field’s output likely doubles the official quota!”

Double—that means 700,000 extra units.

If taxed normally, this would amount to four million taels—an unimaginable sum.

But… Chen Dong had to admit, this made sense.

The Song Dynasty collected 12 million guan in salt taxes annually—how did the Great Ming reduce it to merely two million taels?

Hai Rui’s expression did not change; he nodded and reminded the dazed Chen Dong: “Recorded.”

He turned again to Xu Fuyuan: “The salt merchants sold official salt as contraband—did Wang Ruyan take all the profits?”

Chen Dong, beside him, felt conflicted—his reason told him the answer could not be so simple; how much could a mere Salt Transport Director possibly pocket?

That was millions of taels.

Yet, he feared the true answer—those millions might implicate people he dared not imagine.

Xu Fuyuan shook his head: “I do not know the details.”

“But judging by Wang Ruyan’s daily conduct, he could not have taken so much.”

“Moreover, he has only been in Two Huai a short time—yet this scheme clearly has long existed, institutionalized.”

Hai Rui sensed he was holding back.

He leaned forward: “If you have leads, speak plainly.”

Xu Fuyuan paused, glanced outside; Hai Rui understood and signaled Luo Sigong to step back.

Only then did Xu Fuyuan speak: “There are rumors.”

“Certain salt merchants, at fixed times, deliver gifts to prominent households.”

“They claim it is mere social custom, but the streets say it is profit-sharing.”

Hai Rui pressed: “Which salt merchants? Which households?”

Xu Fuyuan fell silent, gathering his courage.

After a long pause, he spoke: “The salt merchants are numerous—I have listed them in my notes; Inspector Hai can follow the trail upon arriving in Two Huai.”

“As for the households…”

He glanced outside again, confirming no one was near.

Then he continued: “The Wei Duke’s household…”

At those words, Chen Dong’s brush fell to the floor.

He trembled, snapped back to awareness.

He bent to pick it up, offering Hai Rui a strained, apologetic smile.

Hai Rui patted his back without speaking, then turned back to Xu Fuyuan, signaling him to continue.

Xu Fuyuan, once begun, pressed on with grim resolve: “Senior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Li Chunfang.”

“Senior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Xu Jie.”

“Right Vice Minister of Nanjing’s Ministry of War, Ji Lian.”

“Minister of Revenue of Nanjing, Cao Bangfu”

「……」

Each name struck like thunder, exploding in Chen Dong’s heart.

No wonder the Emperor even sent troops to accompany them.

This alone was only a fraction—and already shocking beyond belief!

He glanced at Hai Rui’s unchanging expression and felt immense admiration. 「……」

「Minister of Rites of Nanjing, Qin Minglei」

「Imperial Son-in-Law Li He……」

At this point, Chen Dong could no longer hold back and interrupted Xu Fuyuan: 「Wait!」

The shout escaped him—he didn’t even realize his voice had turned dry and hoarse.

Seeing Xu Fuyuan turn to look at him, he remembered he hadn’t introduced himself and added instinctively: 「I am Vice Minister of the Dalisi , Chen Dong.」

He asked sharply: 「Imperial Son-in-Law Li He is clearly in Beijing—how could he be connected to Nan Zhili?!」

He had to ask this—so much so that he even paused his recording.

Nobles were one thing, but this was imperial kin!

Li He was the Imperial Son-in-Law of Princess Ning’an.

Princess Ning’an was the third daughter of Emperor Shizong, and thus the current Emperor’s own aunt.

In July, she was elevated to Princess Ning’an the Great Elder, a figure before whom the Emperor himself must bow.

Could such a person truly be implicated and still be prosecuted?!

Nobles, super-rank elders, the Nine Ministers of Nan Zhili, imperial kin—all entangled in this case! How could this case possibly proceed?!

Xu Fuyuan glanced at Chen Dong, made no move to retract his words, and added with deep implication: 「Salt merchants can also enter Beijing.」

Chen Dong fell silent, hesitating deeply.

He froze, motionless.

Suddenly, Chen Dong saw Hai Rui move.

The latter shifted the scroll before him over, his expression gentle as he said: 「Vice Minister Chen, hand me the brush—I’ll take over.」

Chen Dong pressed his lips together, unresponsive.

After a long while, he finally reached out and pulled the scroll back to his own side.

He looked Hai Rui in the eye and said firmly: 「Continue, Hai Yushi. I’ll take the notes.」

Thereupon, he carefully wrote Li He’s name into the record, stroke by stroke.

?￠O

Hai Rui gazed at him deeply, his eyes filled with approval and appreciation.

He turned to Xu Fuyuan: 「Do you have evidence?」

Xu Fuyuan nodded and began recounting everything in detail.

……

Qianqing Palace, evening.

Zhu Yijun was bent over, writing furiously.

These past months, he had been more exhausted than in his past life.

Court deliberations, archery sessions, visits to both imperial palaces—these were daily routines.

He also had to oversee the Huai and Xin salt regions, the new newspaper, the new academy, intervene in personnel appointments, influence the Beijing garrison—it was utterly draining.

Finally, Zhu Yijun finished writing and was about to lift his head to rub his eyes when he noticed Li Jin holding a lamp beside him.

He had been so absorbed he hadn’t noticed.

Zhu Yijun said casually: 「If you need me, just call out. Why are you imitating Zhang Hong?」

Zhang Hong always acted this way—never interrupted when he was working, only making noise once he’d snapped out of his focus.

Li Jin bowed respectfully: 「Your Majesty’s studies are paramount—how would a eunuch dare disturb you?」

Zhu Yijun mentally sighed—Li Jin had grown increasingly deferential.

He looked out the window and asked: 「Is Hai Rui still interrogating?」

Hai Rui entered the Northern Town Surveillance Office before noon—now it was evening, and he’d likely eaten lunch in the prison.

Li Jin nodded: 「Yes, he’s been inside the Northern Town Surveillance Office all day, hasn’t come out.」

Zhu Yijun instructed: 「When night falls, remind him—he has an elderly mother waiting at home. Return early.」

Though devotion unto death sounds moving, he still hoped Hai Rui would take care of his health and proceed steadily.

Xu Fuyuan’s materials were too extensive—today’s interrogation would surely not finish.

Wang Ruyan’s case had already drawn whispers from the Censorate and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Yijun learned of this man from Zhu Xizhong, then subtly hinted to Gao Gong to have Wang Zongmu pay attention to him.

Afterward, Xu Fuyuan was deliberately demoted by Zhu Yijun to secretly investigate the Huai region.

Accompanying him was the Grand Guardian of the Northern Town Surveillance Office, tasked with investigating salt merchants and gentry.

In short, this intelligence came from subordinates’ covert investigations, superiors’ watchful oversight, and the Northern Town Surveillance Office’s grassroots evidence-gathering—all mutually corroborated, with witnesses and physical proof in abundance.

They hoped this would crack open the Huai region.

The materials were abundant, the evidence plentiful, the number of implicated persons vast—it could not possibly be concluded in a day or two.

It’s better to proceed slowly in the Huai region; there’s no rush.

He had already hinted to Hai Rui: proceed gradually and over the long term, using Wang Ruyan as the pivot, salt merchants as the entry point, steadily advancing into the Huai region.

He hadn’t expected Hai Rui to throw himself into the case so completely, forgetting meals and sleep.

Li Jin responded, but did not leave immediately.

Zhu Yijun then remembered he had something to report and waved his hand: 「What is it? Speak.」

Li Jin said cautiously: 「We’ve made progress on Sun Yi.」

Zhu Yijun immediately turned to look at Li Jin, waiting for more.

He had given orders about Sun Yi a long time ago.

Originally, Feng Bao’s household search was meant for Li Jin to lead.

But at the time, to secure several key positions from the Grand Secretariat, he had been forced to compromise, promising not to abuse secret police tactics—though Zhu Yijun suspected Zhang Juzheng might have had some dirt on Feng Bao, which was why he blocked the Embroidered Uniform Guard from acting.

In the end, the task fell to the civil bureaucracy, landing on Sun Yi, the Prefect of Shuntian.

But Sun Yi was truly reckless—he seized only 60,000 taels and treated the Emperor like a beggar.

Who else should be investigated?

He had immediately ordered the Eastern Depot to lead, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard assisting, conducting a covert investigation.

Zhu Yijun had nearly forgotten the matter—yet now there was a result.

Li Jin reported in detail: 「After repeated inquiries, I’ve obtained a rough estimate.」

「The cash in Feng Bao’s residence was indeed only about 80,000 taels—but paintings, calligraphy, jewels, and jade far exceeded that.」

Zhu Yijun leaned forward, eyes fixed, listening intently.

Only because they needed exact figures had it taken so long.

Li Jin continued: 「Roughly estimated, the total value amounts to about 130,000 taels.」

Zhu Yijun exploded: 「Sun Yi! You’re truly a Sun!」

「That dog of a man hasn’t even settled accounts for the Huguang mining tax case—and now he dares openly deceive me?!」

「This is lawless!」

In the Huguang mining tax case, Sun Yi was the Provincial Administration Commissioner—yet even after being transferred to Shuntian, he still shows no restraint!

Zhu Yijun whirled to face Li Jin: 「Who is the powerful patron behind him—how dare he be so fearless?!」

Whether he, as Emperor, could reclaim dignity was uncertain—it depended on circumstances.

Li Jin spoke carefully: 「This matter hasn’t been fully uncovered yet—but…」

Zhu Yijun remained silent, waiting.

Li Jin hesitated, speaking with extreme caution: 「Afterward, Sun Yi visited the Grand Secretary’s residence.」

「Then he sent a cart of goods to Imperial Son-in-Law Li He.」

「And he didn’t forget the Imperial Father-in-Law’s household either.」

Zhu Yijun froze.

He pressed: 「He sent treasures to the Grand Secretary?」

Zhang Juzheng was unscrupulous—he had repeatedly warned him, yet still showed no respect.

Must he wait until the final two months, until the Wanli first year, before stopping?

Li Jin shook his head: 「The Grand Secretary expelled him—he returned the gifts. Afterward, Sun Yi sent them to Zhang Simei’s residence.」

Zhu Yijun’s expression eased.

As long as Zhang Juzheng didn’t undermine him, Zhang Simei was doomed anyway.

He pressed further: 「What about Li He?」

Li He, the Imperial Son-in-Law, was his own uncle-in-law.

Li Jin hesitated: 「Li He personally received Sun Yi. It’s said Sun Yi delivered many jewels, and Princess Ning’an the Great Elder was greatly pleased.」

Zhu Yijun seethed inwardly.

Even his own nephew’s wealth is plundered—these people don’t even acknowledge him as Emperor!

This is entanglement beyond reckoning.

A mere household raid could Qianshe to the Grand Secretary, the Jin Faction, the Grand Princess, and the Imperial Father-in-Law—under the surface, who knew how many others were involved?

That was nothing; the mineral tax case in Huguang would surely be even more deeply entangled.

They were sent in July, and still no word has come.

He even suspected he might soon receive news of death.

Fortunately, this month came a memorial stating the situation was complex and still under investigation.

Zhu Yijun’s expression flickered between dark and light.

After a long while, he ordered: “Go, take half a jade ring to this aunt of mine.”

“Say that though my coffers are tight, I still remember who my kin are. I’ve heard my aunt favors jade objects—I have no reason to be stingy.”

Li Jin was about to withdraw when Zhu Yijun called him back, pondering long before adding: “Tell the Chief Grand Secretary about Sun Yi’s case. Say I wish to assign Li Zaiting, Chief of the Board of Censors, to personally assess this man.”

Li Jin waited again; seeing no further words from above, he slowly withdrew.