Chapter 221: Jian in the Emperor’s Heart

Perhaps due to his humble origins, Zhu Yuanzhang never trusted civil or military officials. Shortly after ascending to the throne, he established the Imperial Guard Corps, which was later renamed several times before becoming the famous Jinyiwei. After resolving the complex cases involving Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu, Zhu Yuanzhang disbanded this agency, executing many of its commanders and brutal enforcers as a form of accountability to the officials. However, once Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, took the throne, he immediately reinstated the Jinyiwei, with one of its commanders being the notorious Ji Gang.

Ji Gang was dead, but the Jinyiwei still existed, along with the newly established Beizhenfu Si during Yongle’s reign. With the relocation of the capital to Beijing already finalized, the Jinyiwei received imperial orders to select a suitable location east of Chengtian Gate in the Western Palace as the seat of Beizhenfu Si. Although Beijing was not yet fully built and only half of the palace had been constructed, the dungeons of Beizhenfu Si were already complete, with numerous cells—almost identical to those in Nanjing’s terrifying prison.

Prisoners from Nanjing’s Beizhenfu Si dungeons had been safely transferred to Beijing via the canal and locked up in their respective cells, in perfect order. Though the Jinyiwei employed extreme torture methods, not everyone deserved such treatment. Most were left in those gloomy cells to rot away, with no one having the time to torture them for amusement. In the words of Yuan Fang, who had served as Jinyiwei commander for over two years, the agency did not waste effort on worthless people.

Thus, although two new prisoners were recently locked up in Beizhenfu Si’s dungeons, their treatments were vastly different. One was thrown into the dark, gloomy south dungeon, served three meals a day, but otherwise ignored completely. The other’s cell was spacious and clean—so clean that not even lice could be found—but he was interrogated daily.

For over a dozen days, he was questioned endlessly about the Han Prince and his son’s intentions, whether they were acting on someone else’s orders, or colluding with court officials. Even Meng Xian, who was usually strong, found it increasingly difficult to endure. The interrogation room was filled with various torture devices. Though he had not experienced any of them, being there was already unbearable. After all, he had no certainty of escaping unharmed, nor could he be sure they would never torture him again.

“Someone, take Lord Meng back.”

After another day of routine interrogations, Yuan Fang gave his usual orders. It was only when Meng Xian was led away and the thick iron door slammed shut in front of him that he abandoned his solemn, gloomy posture and slumped down in the armchair with great lack of grace, letting out a long sigh. All day long, it was just these few questions, and he still had to report to the emperor every day. Anyone else might have lost patience and resorted to torture long ago, but he wasn’t some mad dog that bit at random.

The emperor merely wanted to vent his anger—why did he necessarily need Meng Xian to confess about that Prince Zhao? On the other hand, after the Meng family was driven out of the Shandong Provincial Office, Zhang Yue actually took them in. Did this kid have the courage of a lion or was it true that scholars possessed such fearless temperaments?

“Never mind. Since he’s taken a fancy to someone else’s daughter, I’ll have to put in some effort. Anyway, this case is bound to end unresolved. It’s just that even with the Duke of Ying leaving, the Meng family still has more suffering to endure… Speaking of which, the King of Han is the luckiest loser—not only did he end up with a mad son, but also a mad county magistrate, plus Meng Xian, who went mad because of promises and titles!”

After pondering this in his mind, Yuan Fang stood up gracefully and glanced around the interrogation room. He was extremely satisfied with the effort put into building it. Whips, bone-scraping knives, and various tools hung haphazardly on the walls; bloodstained torture instruments lay on the floor; an iron furnace held a burning iron rod, and the walls and floor were dark red as if soaked in blood. Who would have thought this was the result of his orders to his trusted subordinates?

Everyone thought the Jinyiwei were terrifying monsters who devoured people without spitting out their bones. But heaven help them—though those guys were skilled at using the court torture instruments, they rarely got the chance to show off their talents!

He slowly walked out of the interrogation room, and immediately two judicial officers came to report. He listened indifferently, occasionally asking a few casual questions. He had risen rapidly—having no roots in the Jinyiwei of the capital, he still had a large number of people under his control, allowing him to easily place a group of agents there. These two were now his trusted subordinates. As for seizing opportunities, he considered himself masterful at it; otherwise, how else could he have risen so quickly, just by taking advantage of that single chance when Zhu Di passed through Kaifeng during his northern tour in the ninth year of Yongle?

As the saying goes, “To be favored by the emperor is simple in theory but difficult in practice”—a truth best kept secret from outsiders.

“By the way, there’s one more thing that needs to be reported to Your Majesty. The county magistrate who was thrown into the dark prison half a month ago is still making a fuss. He keeps shouting that punishment should not be imposed on nobles and that rituals should not apply to commoners. He insists on meeting the emperor and has said many offensive things. I wonder if he’s crazy?”
“Crazy?” Yuan Fang stopped in his tracks, then waved his hand nonchalantly. “He’s a madman determined to avenge a past offense and climb up the ranks. If he’s really crazy, that’s even better. Since he has the energy to shout, tell them to starve him thoroughly for three days and see if he still has any strength left! Punishment should not be imposed on nobles… I haven’t even punished him yet! Lord Yang Pu is still studying hard. Don’t let a madman disturb his peace!”
Handling this trivial matter as easily as swatting a fly, Yuan Fang then adjusted his crimson silk robe adorned with tiger and leopard patterns, straightened his golden lychee-shaped belt, and fixed his headscarf before heading to the warm palace. Due to his position as commander of the Jinyiwei and his usual stern expression, most civil and military officials avoided him on the road. He didn’t encounter anyone until he arrived at the warm palace to await an audience.
Although spring had arrived and there had even been a few thunderstorms, the weather remained cold, so Zhu Di continued to live in the warm palace. When a young eunuch reported that Yuan Fang, commander of the Jinyiwei, wished to see him, Zhu Di ordered an immediate audience without hesitation. When Yuan Fang entered and detailed the situation in the imperial prison and various important reports from different regions, Zhu Di listened impassively. It wasn’t until he heard that Zhang Jie had arrived in Shandong and the Meng family had moved out of the military headquarters that Zhu Di frowned.
“Meng Shan was once such a cautious person—how could he have a son as reckless as Meng Xian! Spying on the imperial family just over such a trivial matter! Does he think I’m that easy to deceive? Interrogate him thoroughly. I want to know who gave him such audacity!”
Ten thousand pounds of salt was indeed a trivial matter, and Yuan Fang sneered inwardly. The Shouguang Prince’s estate alone had at least two hundred thousand pounds of salt, and these first ten thousand pounds sent out were caught by Meng Xian and Sun Liang. It had to be said those two truly had malicious intentions. But there were many others with even worse intentions, only unknown to the emperor.
Of course, compared to his predecessor, who had seized over four million pounds of official salt from various salt fields, what was a small amount taken by these two princes?

However, there were some matters that could not be reported to the emperor even if someone died, while others had to be mentioned. He bowed in agreement and then whispered, “I have another matter to report to the emperor. As soon as Lord Zhang took office, he drove the Meng family out of the military headquarters. But Meng Xian’s wife was seriously ill and on the verge of death. As a result, Zhang Yue, the deputy governor of Qingzhou, arranged a house for them and took them there to live. He also told Marshal Liu that during his studies, under Master Meng’s teachings, one should live in such a way as to have a clear conscience. If one shows no compassion for the widowed, orphans, and the helpless; if one fails to rescue women and children in distress; if one remains silent when seeing injustice on the roads; if one colludes with those who are corrupt and unjust, then such a person is not truly human.”

Zhu Di frowned upon hearing the first half, but his frown immediately disappeared upon hearing the latter part. He then laughed and scolded, “This audacious brat is clearly from a military family. He must have learned that attitude from Du Zhen, that cold-hearted man! Well, in times of crisis, those who offer help are few, while those who take advantage are many. It’s rare for him to act like this—at least he’s better than those who lack responsibility!”

Yuan Fang quickly agreed, though he knew in his heart that the emperor favored certain people so much that even their faults could be overlooked. But if it came to someone the emperor despised, even the slightest flaw would be scrutinized—in such cases, it was certain doom! This was precisely why Zhang Yue was so favored by the emperor; he was truly fortunate.

He then took the opportunity to talk about the progress of reclamation and farming in Shandong, but his remarks were neither praising nor criticizing.

Zhu Di had always been satisfied with this second commander of the Jinyiwei, whom he had personally promoted. What pleased him most was this impartial attitude. As far as he knew, neither the crown prince nor the princes of Han or Zhao had any connection with Yuan Fang. This was a commander of the Jinyiwei who was utterly loyal to him—justifying why Zhu Di had promoted him beyond his usual qualifications.

“Have the Jinyiwei in Qingzhou keep an eye on things. Although Zhang Yue is the younger brother of the Duke of Yingguo and is quite intelligent, he has never handled such a major task before. Locking up Zhu Zhanqi is one thing—after all, he’s just a mad kid—but the Prince of Han cannot be underestimated. After all, he has been assassinated before.” Thinking of that vague account of the assassination, Zhu Di frowned again. He felt somewhat reluctant about the decision to reduce the Prince of Han’s guards, but in the end, he became resolute. “Yuan Fang, the Prince of Han claimed that he was whipped by his servants, which made them harbor resentment and carry out the assassination. What’s your opinion on this?”

Even Yuan Fang found it difficult to answer such a question. Even if the Jinyiwei in Qingzhou investigated hard, there was still no clue at all. Since the Prince of Han himself had admitted to it, what else could others say?