Chapter 669: Shock in Jinling, Turmoil Across the Land

With the situation looking promising, Liu Jun naturally relaxed his vigilance. These days, he often went to various key locations to inspect them, showing his dedication to his duties. That day, as soon as he left the Jinyiwei headquarters, Xu Jinghuang rushed in with his men.

There were thousands of military households registered under the Nanjing Jinyiwei, but only over a hundred people in the office were actually in charge of investigations. Most of them were usually out on missions. Now that Liu Jun had left and taken many of his trusted subordinates with him, only Tang Qian and a few officers remained in the office. Everyone knew that this hundredth-ranking officer was Liu Jun’s confidant and generally obedient, but now that Xu Jinghuang had barged in boldly, had people pin him down, and taken his place, he was stunned, watching helplessly as Xu Jinghuang occupied his seat.

After a long while, he finally swallowed hard and tried to calm himself down. “Lord Xu, what are you doing?”

“What am I doing?”

Xu Jinghuang chuckled and nodded at the strong servants he had brought. As they swarmed out, he sat back with his feet up, remaining silent, fiddling with the green stone paperweight on the table. After what seemed like a long time, faint sounds of fighting and shouting came from behind. Seeing Tang Qian’s pale face, Xu Jinghuang lazily asked, “Lord Liu treats me as an outsider. So I want to ask you—does the Nanjing Jinyiwei have dungeons?”

He could act tough outside, but now, facing a genuine nobleman and high-ranking Jinyiwei official, Tang Qian felt inferior. Yet he was good at reading people’s expressions and realized Xu Jinghuang’s true intentions. His heart pounded rapidly, and after a long pause, he said in a feigned bold tone, “Lord Xu, matters in this office are under Lord Liu’s control. If you interfere without orders, it violates the regulations! It’s not too late for you to back off!”

“Back off? Who do you think you are to tell me to back off? Do you know who you’re talking to?” Xu Jinghuang’s face turned red with anger as he stood up abruptly and shouted, “I am the direct descendant of the King of Zhongshan, personally appointed by the emperor as the deputy commander of the Nanjing Jinyiwei. How dare you, a mere lowly official, give me orders? Bring someone here—slap me!”

Tang Qian never expected this spoiled brat to suddenly turn aggressive and was stunned on the spot. It wasn’t until two burly servants rushed over and forced him to kneel that he came to his senses. Yet before he could shout, a dark shadow flashed before him—someone had swung their arm and delivered a fierce slap. Just that one blow made his vision blur, his half face go numb, and even his teeth loosen. Before the pain from that blow subsided, another slap came. In less than ten slaps, he could barely hear and his mind went blank.

These past few days, Xu Jinghuang had been restraining himself at the yamen, showing small favors to ordinary officers while quietly gathering information. He ignored all important matters, so everyone forgot about his rampage on the Lantern Festival night, assuming it was due to drunkenness. Meanwhile, outside, he had connected with several noble youths he used to know well and managed to find out everything going on inside the yamen. With advice and plans from others, he had everything planned for today, so he was full of confidence.

At this moment, seeing Liu Jun’s top lackey get beaten up, he felt immense satisfaction and completely ignored any consequences. Soon, one of his trusted servants rushed in, knelt down, and reported, “Sir, it’s all done! There are eleven people locked up in the Jinyiwei dungeon. Those guarding them have been subdued. I’ve interrogated a few of them and obtained their confessions and signatures.”

“Great!” Xu Jinghuang was overjoyed. He slapped the armrest and ordered, “Send them out immediately! Have a messenger take those documents to the capital right away! Damn it, as long as I get there first, even if Liu Jun is as cunning as a ghost, he’ll still have to wash my feet!”

By now, Tang Qian, who had been kneeling on the ground, finally regained consciousness. Hearing the last sentence in a daze, he gasped in horror. Ignoring the blood in his mouth, he shouted. But with his cheeks swollen and two teeth missing, his words were muffled and incomprehensible to everyone. Xu Jinghuang didn’t even bother to listen. He clapped his hands, stood up, and threw the blue stone paperweight hard onto the ground.

“Don’t think Liu Jun is some remarkable figure just because he looks down on me? Hmph! I must show him who’s really in charge! When he returns, you might as well tell him that I’m waiting at the residence of Mu Xin, the imperial son-in-law guarding Nanjing, for him to come and take me. But before taking action, he’d better think carefully—our Nanjing Jinyiwei doesn’t have anything like the Beizhenfu Si. Acting on one’s own to set up prisons is a serious crime! Instead of wasting time troubling me, he’d better figure out how to deal with the emperor’s wrath!”
Seeing Xu Jinghuang walk away with his hands behind his back, Tang Qian collapsed to the ground. At that moment, he not only imagined Liu Jun’s furious reaction when he returned but also thought about how the person who had instigated him would react. Touching his face, which was swollen like a pig’s head, he bit his tongue hard and quickly forced himself to get up.
Right, he still had one trick up his sleeve. Back then, he had tricked Wang Quanbin into signing a confession. With that, he could still claim credit! The top priority was to leave quickly, otherwise, when Liu Jun returned, he would surely take his anger out on him!
As the saying goes, news spreads fast—such a major incident immediately spread throughout Nanjing, and soon everyone in the upper echelons was aware of it. At the Nanjing Garrison, Mu Xin, the imperial son-in-law who had already discussed the plan with Xu Jinghuang, heard the whole story from him and burst into laughter.
“Nephew Jinghuang, feel free to stay here with me. I don’t even care about some mere Jinyiwei commander! This time you’ve greatly enhanced our family’s prestige and avenged us—really impressive!”
Now that Xu Jinghuang was away from the Jinyiwei headquarters, he couldn’t help but feel a bit scared. But hearing Mu Xin’s words, his anxious feelings dissipated greatly. He quickly smiled and said, “With Uncle Mu’s guarantee, I’m relieved. It’s just that this incident has really blown up. Those who helped me get him out include the third son of the Wuding Marquis, Yao Ge from the Xingguo Duke’s family, and many others. In short, whether it’s credited as merit or fault, Uncle Mu, you must definitely help me.”

“Don’t worry. The emperor is kind and righteous; such matters are clear at a glance, and no one dares to distort truth and justice. Besides, the third son of the Marquis of Wuding… isn’t he the direct nephew of Concubine Guo? With a little influence, things become easy. Also, those people you’ve brought in do have connections… But I already have a plan. Bring someone to issue orders—count them first, record their names in detail, and send them straight to Ying Tianfu! Hmph, that old Zhang Xu wants to stay out of it, but I won’t let him get away so easily!”

While ordering the people to be sent to Ying Tianfu, Mu Xin had other plans in mind. If the Jinyiwei dared to challenge the Grand Tutor, the Duke of Yingguo, today, tomorrow it might be the relatives of the Grand Preceptor, the Duke of Qian. As the son of King Qianning Mu Ying and the younger brother of the Duke of Qian Mu Sheng, who knew if the fire might spread to him? Initially, those who served as defenders of Nanjing with him included Li Long, the Marquis of Xiangcheng, and Song Hu, the Marquis of Xining. Now, Li Long was guarding Shanhaiguan, and Song Hu had had his title revoked due to accusations of disrespect by Lu Zhen and others—so how stable could his position be?

With trouble arising within the Jinyiwei at this time, it was exactly what he wanted. Since the current emperor claimed to be kind and righteous, how could he allow the Jinyiwei to act arbitrarily against high-ranking officials without orders? Now that the truth had come to light and caused a great stir, he naturally wasn’t afraid. The Xu family had a Duke of Wei and a Duke of Dingguo; in the capital, there was also the Duke of Yingguo, and his elder brother, the Duke of Qian, was a smart man—likely not to stand by idly. By then, the Jinyiwei would have to calm down!

Since it didn’t concern them, the people in Ying Tianfu’s government offices, though discussing the matter widely, appeared much more relaxed. Some shook their heads and sighed at Xu Jinghuang’s recklessness, some mocked Liu Jun, the commander of the Jinyiwei, for his greed, and others guessed that both sides would end up suffering in the end. Only a few veterans with years of experience in officialdom sensed that this wasn’t simple. Behind every power struggle, there were always more than one set of hands at work—was there something even deeper behind this incident?

Zhang Yue wasn’t at Ying Tianfu’s office that day. Since he was in charge of the local schools, he spent his days there, discussing literature with a group of elderly scholars, leading a very leisurely life. Rumors spread quickly, and naturally, they didn’t overlook the prestigious local schools. After lunch that afternoon, a tutor returning from outside brought such news.

“These unlearned brats… Sigh, many of them are even students from the Imperial Academy, yet they’re completely devoid of decency!”

“But it’s none of our business. It would be better if there were no such agencies as the Jinyiwei!”

“Shh, be quiet… Ahem, it’s Lord Zhang here today. If it were anyone else, you wouldn’t be able to escape the crime of speaking nonsense!” At that moment, Zhang Yue was discussing a passage from the classics with a professor at the local academy who was already past the age of 50. Although his chances of passing the examinations had nearly vanished, he still had a solid foundation. Through conversations with them these days, he had gained quite a bit of insight into classical studies. His humble and eager-to-learn attitude also impressed the older scholars at the academy, so everyone regarded him as a gentle and refined gentleman. Yet, while he appeared to be listening attentively to the old professor’s flowing speech, his mind was on other things. He had chosen Xu Jinghuang not only because of his dissolute nature but also because the man was the grandson of Xu Da, the former King of Zhongshan. Just the surname Xu was enough to evoke a sense of unity among the nobles in Nanjing. Xu Jinghuang’s ability to escalate matters to such a degree, involving many noble families, proved that his judgment had been correct. Despite his distractions, Zhang Yue stayed at the Yingtianfu Academy throughout the afternoon until the fifth hour, before calmly returning to the Yingtianfu government office. As soon as he entered the main hall, he heard someone seemingly running in behind him. Turning around, he recognized it to be a servant. The servant managed to catch his breath and stand steadily before starting to speak at length. “Gentlemen… lords, that Jinyiwei officer—Commander Liu—led his men to the garrison office. Lord Mu refused to meet with them, and a confrontation ensued… There’s more…” He slapped his own mouth to regain his composure before continuing, “Lord Mu of the garrison ordered that the prisoners illegally detained by the Jinyiwei be brought to Yingtianfu!” The officials in the office, who had been indifferent moments ago, were shocked and exchanged glances. Zhang Yue hadn’t expected Marquis Mu Xin to resort to such a tactic. Since he wasn’t in charge of judicial matters, it didn’t really concern him. Indeed, after initial shock, Prefect Zhang Xu ordered two judges to handle the situation, then shook his head helplessly. “With things having come to this, it’s unlikely Yingtianfu can stay out of it. Fortunately, Minister Zhao Jin was recently dispatched from the capital by imperial order to oversee all affairs in Nanjing. I’ll go see him right away. There will surely be many challenges ahead—everyone should be prepared to avoid panic when the time comes. Those who wish to take leave due to illness should think carefully, for these are not ordinary times!”

With that, Zhang Xu left first. The people in the hall, seeing this, murmured among themselves but stayed no longer, and soon everyone dispersed. When Zhang Yue stepped outside, he happened to see Judge Wang and Judge Qian directing a group of yamen officials to lead dozens of people toward the prison. He stopped to observe for a while and quickly recognized Wang Quanbin, who looked disheveled and dirty. Apparently having suffered greatly at the hands of the Jinyiwei, this man kept his head down and didn’t even notice him at all.

After leaving the yamen, he counted on his fingers the letters sent to the capital at the beginning of the first month. They had been sent by land, and now, over ten days later, they should have arrived. Since they were entrusted to Zhu Ning, they would likely reach Zhu Zhanji soon. The letter only mentioned the matter of the foreign troops and said nothing else, so even if it fell into the wrong hands, it wouldn’t cause much trouble. As for the current situation, he had prepared a plan, and the play had been staged according to the established schedule; the final outcome would depend on the reaction in the capital.

This time, Yuan Fang had taken on the role of giving advice to Xu Jinghuang, but he still needed to inform others to make further arrangements. Since the matter was too broad, and it was impossible to target the big fish, they could only start with the smaller ones. Zhu Zhanji was likely to descend soon to pay respects at the Xiaoling Mausoleum. With the crown prince leading the way, if Liu Guan, the Censor-in-Chief, followed as well, they would surely have to be cautious around that man.

On the 26th day of the first month, before any news from Jinling reached the capital, a memorial submitted by Li Shimian, a Hanlin Academician, was first presented to Zhu Gaochi. Shortly after, this renowned upright official was ordered by the enraged Zhu Gaochi to be beaten to death by the palace guards and then thrown into prison. When the memorials from Nanjing arrived one after another, bringing such shocking news, the otherwise stable court was greatly shaken.