Chapter 665: Greed Knows No End – Eradicate the Root Cause

Eight or nine out of ten revenues in the country come from the southeast, which is why the officials in Nanjing are considered less powerful compared to those in Beijing. Besides the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and the Military Command, there is also the famous Jinyiwei. Since Zhu Di’s northern inspection in the 15th year of the Yongle era and Yuan Fang leading troops to Beijing, the Jinyiwei in Nanjing gradually developed its own system. When the edict to move the capital was issued, it became an independent agency, with its commander holding the third-rank position. However, due to its distance from the capital, it received far less favor.

Liu Jun, the current commander of the Jinyiwei in Nanjing, had held this position since the 18th year of Yongle, for three years now. Despite holding the rank of third grade, he was never satisfied. If he were just a local tyrant with the emperor far away, it might have been tolerable, but Jinling still had many powerful figures. As the commander of the Jinyiwei, he had no emperor to rely on, making his title meaningless. Moreover, unable to meet the emperor, let alone gain his favor, the Jinyiwei headquarters on Fuyu Street, north of the Yingtianfu government office, was often deserted.

It was the third day of the first lunar month. Officials and commoners were still visiting guests, while the Jinyiwei headquarters was eerily quiet. In contrast, the Yingtianfu government office, just across the street, was bustling with visitors. Liu Jun, who lived in the back courtyard, stepped out of the headquarters with his hands behind his back. Glancing irritably at the busy scene, he spat on the ground before returning to his room in frustration. Sitting down, he picked up a teacup nearby, only to find it icy cold, which made him even angrier.

“What the hell is this? Can’t even warm the tea? What’s the use of keeping you lazy bunch around?”
After shouting angrily, a servant rushed forward in fear, took the cup, poured out the old tea, and refilled it. It took some time before he brought it back. Taking a sip irritably, he found the tea taste terrible. Just as he was about to explode, someone pulled back the curtain at the door and entered. He reluctantly stopped himself and waved dismissively at the servant.

“How did it go?”
The young man who stepped forward wore a green jacket and a black headband. He had delicate features, red lips, and white teeth, looking almost as pretty as a woman. He stood beside Liu Jun and bowed immediately. “Sir, I’ve found out that the Jinyiwei in the capital has had its entire staff replaced. It seems that change will soon reach us as well. I spent almost all of your money to get this information about the new personnel arrangements…”

“Why all this chatter? What I want is confirmation, confirmation!”
At that shout, the young man immediately shrunk back, his voice dropping even lower: “The news from over there is that the lord will remain in his position, but Zhang Zhen, the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei, will be promoted to commander of the Jinyiwei in Nanjing, and Xu Bin, the assistant commander, will be promoted to deputy commander. But these two won’t be able to make it from the north to the south that quickly. It’s said that Xu Jinghuang, the younger son of Xu Yingxu, the senior assistant commander, is now of age and might join the Jinyiwei in a few days. Since he’s in Nanjing, he’ll probably arrive soon to take up his post…”
Before he could finish, there was a thud as Liu Jun, in frustration, punched the armrest beside him. He reached out to smash the teacup too, but seeing the young man fall to his knees with a thud, he finally calmed down, though he continued to curse under his breath.
“I’ve been working hard in Nanjing, putting in effort even if I haven’t achieved anything. Now it seems this commander position is about to be taken away from me! Although Yuan Fang has stepped down, he at least ended up with a decent outcome—now he’s a second-rank official. But I still don’t know what my fate will be! Damn this corrupt world and these unfair heavens! I’ve been stuck in Nanjing for six years, with no one thinking of me during festivals, and now I’m forced to step aside! Anyone can get into the Jinyiwei—what kind of place is this?”
Liu Jun paced around the room furiously before finally calming down. He walked over to the armchair in the center and kicked the young man irritably, shouting, “Don’t keep kneeling on the ground for no reason. You’re now part of the Jinyiwei’s leadership—you’re not some nobody! Since you’ve already gathered some information, you need to plan a backup plan. I pulled you out of a gambling den; if I fail, you’ll fail too! By the way, have you managed to get Wang Quanbin to talk? Are you sure?”
The young man’s name was Tang Qian. Just as his name suggested, he was best at cheating. Back when he was caught in an underground gambling den, if it weren’t for Liu Jun’s occasional “mercy,” he would have had even more wounds on his body. Now that he had a position in the Jinyiwei, he certainly didn’t want to go back to living a life of hunger and scarcity. Hearing Liu Jun’s question, he took a deep breath.

“My lord, of course I’m confident! Just think—Wang Xunliang has been in charge of the salt administration in Lianghuai for ten whole years. If even a tiny amount slips through his fingers, how much money would that be? Although our country’s salt administration is different from before, the border generals who control the grain stores are still the most crucial. But if they get stuck, the salt merchants will still be at a loss. On top of that, the Wang family is one of the powerful families in Lianghuai—who knows how much wealth they’ve accumulated over the years? Besides, Wang Quanbin was captured by us with solid evidence. Some of the books printed in his own printing house indeed contain problematic content. If we add a few more incriminating books, how can his father not pay to avoid trouble?”

Liu Jun kept Tang Qian by his side mainly to take advantage of this man’s intelligence and quick wits; the other motives were more ulterior. The more he thought about these words, the more reasonable they seemed to him, yet he still felt uneasy. Having served in the Jinyiwei for many years, he certainly knew Wang Xunliang’s background. The Wang family was originally a powerful family in Huaiyang, not easy to shake, let alone with the Duke of Ying as their backing. Now that man held the position of Grand Tutor and was in charge of the Central Military Command—with just one finger gesture, Liu Jun would surely be reduced to dust. But if he didn’t act, could he possibly live a poor life after retiring?

“My lord, there’s no need to worry about the Duke of Ying. What kind of figure is he? The greatest military hero and a veteran statesman in the court! If he really valued Wang Xunliang, there are plenty of other positions available. Why keep him in Lianghuai? Is he short of money? It’s not arrogance on my part, but Wang Xunliang is just using the Duke of Ying’s name to boost his own reputation; he isn’t really close to him. Besides, you have solid evidence in hand. Even if it’s the Duke of Ying, would he really go to war with you over a distant relative?”

Pacing the room with clenched fists, driven by fury over reason, Liu Jun finally made up his mind. A few days ago, he had sent Tang Qian to spy on Yuan Fang. That man lived in an ordinary house, with less than ten servants, living a life worse than that of a local wealthy peasant. And that was after being granted the rank of second-rank military officer—Liu Jun certainly wouldn’t have such luck. So, no matter what, he had to give it a try… Besides, the man from Shandong had also sent people to try to win him over!

Since power was in his hands, he had to enforce his orders. He had always dared not touch those noble officials and military heroes, but this time he had to take action. By holding these people’s weaknesses, he could force them to serve that man, and then he would become a top hero! Even the Duke of Ying, Zhang Fu, could be coerced if the stakes were high enough.

Thinking he had persuaded Liu Jun with his eloquent words, Tang Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief, then slipped away under the pretext of handling some matters. The Jinyiwei headquarters was not as grand as the Yingtianfu government building; it consisted of just three courtyards and over twenty rooms. Everyone who came in and out seemed to carry an eerie aura. Since there was no Beizhenfusi here, there was no imperial prison either, but with the prestigious name “Jinyiwei,” no one bothered to question matters related to arresting or detaining people.

After passing the large screen wall at the front and exiting through the east gate, Tang Qian walked along a dark and narrow path for a while before coming across a small gate guarded by several burly men. He signaled to them, and immediately someone moved aside some piles of dry wood, revealing a downward-opening hole. Without hesitation, he crouched down and crawled in. Only after stepping onto solid ground after descending the stairs did he squint to examine this lightless place.

This was the dungeon of the Nanjing Jinyiwei. Several people were imprisoned here, but only one was the most important. Walking to the innermost room, he could see at a glance the figure curled up behind the bars under the light of the torch. Remembering how arrogant this man had been when they first met, he sneered, then slowly strode forward and called out, “Young Master Wang.”

Although he hadn’t been tortured or mistreated severely, Wang Quanbin had been locked up here for nearly ten days. No one paid attention to his loud cries, and those who brought him meals three times a day seemed mute. Over these days, he had almost completely collapsed. Hearing someone call him “Young Master Wang,” he shuddered instinctively and then stammered, “What… what do you people want from me?”

“Young Master Wang, this is the Jinyiwei. Should you understand now?” Tang Qian stepped closer with his hands behind his back, then crouched down and said viciously, “Stop acting like some high-born lord here! If you’re not obedient, the Jinyiwei’s various punishments will make you experience them all. By then, you’ll be trapped between life and death, and it’ll be up to you then!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the young man trembling like a sieve. He was extremely satisfied inwardly, but his face still retained that fierce expression. After threatening him for a while longer, he calmly took out a piece of paper and a seal box, then said coldly, “If you want to suffer less, press your fingerprint here!”

It was the first time in his life he had ended up in such a situation, so Wang Quanbin didn’t dare to defy him in the slightest. He hurriedly stepped forward, dipped his palm into the seal ink without even taking the time to look, and pressed his fingerprint where the other person asked him to. Sure enough, after that person put away his things, he stopped troubling Wang Quanbin and left without another word. As the faint light of day disappeared, Wang Quanbin felt utterly exhausted and once again cursed inwardly at his father for not coming to rescue him sooner.

Having obtained what he wanted, Tang Qian was thoroughly satisfied and left the Nanjing Jinyiwei headquarters leisurely. Though he was just a lowly officer, wearing the Jinyiwei’s tiger-patterned uniform gave him an air of authority—ordinary people would quickly avoid him, and the feeling of walking with such dominance thrilled him. Thinking of the promise that person had made to him, he grew even happier and even started humming a tune.

“When a new era arrives, I’ll make sure he dies a clean death!”

For now, Liu Jun could bully him at will, but in the future, he would be the real winner! On that day, he would exact revenge for every humiliation he had suffered!

With the biggest weight off his shoulders, Tang Qian now only thought about completing his task, so he went home with the items, waiting for someone to come for him. Since he couldn’t afford a wife before and didn’t want to be tied down by a shrewdy woman now that he was wealthy, he had simply paid to hire a concubine to serve him. That afternoon, in his joy, he drank several cups of liquor and soon became completely drunk. In his dazed state, he vaguely felt soft, delicate hands caressing his body, causing him to hum contentedly.

The concubine, having grown up in a brothel, had learned how to extract profit from clients. After finding the paper, she couldn’t resist glancing at it. She didn’t recognize most of the words, but she recognized the bright red fingerprint and immediately concluded that this was likely what the other person wanted. So, she lit some calming incense in the room, took the paper, and rushed out.

In the evening, Zhang Yue made a special detour to Dade Silk Shop. After ordering several pieces of fresh silk to be delivered to several mansions the next day, he got on the carriage. Inside, he read the paper quickly, a smirk forming on his lips as he began to ponder.

Just a few months after Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, everything from personnel changes to other measures kept people overwhelmed. Not long ago, Song Hu, the Marquis of Xining and commander of Nanjing, was stripped of his title for being accused of disrespect by Lu Zhen and others. Earlier still, Princess Yongping, who had already died, had her status revoked by Zhu Gaochi as he revisited old cases. Looking further back, there were countless others punished for failing to show proper mourning—most of these actions were carried out by the Censorate.

Liu Guan had thought that he would inevitably be dealt with after Zhu Gaochi took the throne, but he never expected him to switch sides so quickly!

Looking at the document again, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but mark several critical points with his fingernails. He was grateful he had contacted Yuan Fang in advance, which allowed him to use a substitution trick to obtain it—only a professional could replicate handwriting, fingerprints, and paper so well in such a short time. Otherwise, with such a fragile piece of evidence, not only would Wang Xunliang lose his high position, but his life might also be at risk!

Colluding with the Prince of Han, harboring resentment, and writing treasonous texts—this was simply a way to drive someone to death!

Thinking about Liu Jun, the commander of the Jinyiwei in Nanjing, who was keeping a close eye on him, Zhang Yue felt constrained and unable to take bold actions. Although leaving everything to Yuan Fang was an option, the immense pressure there wasn’t what he wanted. Moreover, at this point, he needed to amplify the situation and drag more people into it. With so many nobles and high-ranking officials in Nanjing, if Liu Jun was greedy and ambitious, he might not stop at just Wang Quanbin.

In that case, it was better to make a bigger fuss. If they could even get Liu Guan to join forces with Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, that would be a true solution to eliminate the problem once and for all!