Chapter 835: Doubts and the Use of People

Excessive officials was a problem that arose in every dynasty. Perhaps at the founding of a dynasty, one official could correspond to one position, but as time passed, the sons of civil and military officials began to benefit from their fathers’ influence. The number of scholars passing the imperial examinations increased year by year, and hereditary military positions grew as well. Over time, these once highly valuable official ranks gradually lost their value. The saying “a fifth-rank official is as worthless as a cow’s hair, while a military commander is worse than a dog” described the situation during the late Ming Dynasty. Especially among military officials, a mere clerk could command thousand-household officers or even commanders as if they were servants.

By now, the Ming Dynasty had been established for sixty years, with fewer than three hundred scholars passing the examinations every three years. Although there were many vacant positions, they could generally be filled. Military officials were different. There were dozens of people holding titles such as Commander-in-Chief of the Jinyiwei in the entire capital. When Zhu Zhanji personally led the Imperial Guard, there were as many as twelve commanders, not to mention the other officers like Deputy Commanders.

Thus, when Lu Feng saw the three thick military registration books transferred from the Military Selection Bureau in the waiting room outside the Ministry of War, his face turned pale.

“So thick—how long will it take to go through them all? Even if we search systematically, we don’t have enough people to check them all!”

There were three thick volumes on the table. Zhang Yue flipped through a few pages and saw dense lists of names, each followed by information about the person’s hometown, parents, and age. There wasn’t much else. He frowned slightly but after pondering for a moment, he said, “Since you have a deadline, there’s no need to check each one individually. I’ll assign two clerks from the Military Selection Bureau to help. We don’t need to check those officers who aren’t part of the capital guards or the regular army. Moreover, we should focus not on promotions but on those young heirs to military positions—these people are more likely to manipulate things. There are about a hundred or so such people each year. Over three years, no more than a hundred will remain in the capital. By checking based on rank, it won’t be so complicated.”

Lu Feng’s expression eased slightly. When the two clerks came to kowtow, he waved his hand without looking up and said to Zhang Yue, “Then let’s do this: I’ll leave Mu Ning here to conduct the checks immediately, while I return to the Eastern Depot to oversee things. Please have Mr. Zhang send more people to assist. In addition, inform the military officers in the five city districts to thoroughly investigate the capital! I’ve never been involved in arrests before, but this time I’ll make an exception!”

The Jinyiwei needed to get approval from the Baxingke when arresting people; if rejected, it would cause great trouble, but the Dongchang didn’t have such restrictions. Thus, seeing Lu Feng’s fierce demeanor, Zhang Yue thought that street order would likely improve in the coming days. Suddenly, he remembered the assassin captured the previous day and asked, “Did that assassin confess nothing?”
“Don’t even bring it up! It makes me furious just thinking about it!” Lu Feng snapped angrily, slamming his right fist onto the armrest. “After just a few lashes, he confessed everything—saying he was ordered by his superiors to contact Shang Yong and follow his instructions, but if anything went wrong, he was to kill Shang Yong and escape. So, since he couldn’t kill you, he simply killed Shang Yong. Now, when asked more questions, he knows nothing. At the sight of torture, he even fainted… What a weakling!”
Hearing this, Zhang Yue also grew wary. Seeing that Lu Feng had no intention of staying longer, he bid him farewell and ordered two clerks to assist Mu Ning and the two Jinyiwei officers in checking the records, while he left with Chai Che. As they walked inward, neither of them spoke until they reached the second gate, when Chai Che suddenly stopped.
“Sir, I’ve been working at the Military Selection Department for quite a few years. I served as the governor of Yuezhou for the longest time, about three years. Before that, I was a court official. While there were certainly some irregularities, it’s impossible for so many people to impersonate others. So, when you said to investigate for three years, I had no objections. These past few days, although the department is short-staffed, all major selections and hereditary appointments have been suspended, so I volunteered to help with the investigation. I can’t guarantee everything, but as for the names, origins, and family details of the military officers I handled over the years, they’re certainly better than those two clerks who only handle miscellaneous tasks.”
Knowing that Chai Che had been at the Military Selection Department almost ever since he joined the Ministry of War in the second year of Yongle, Zhang Yue was somewhat persuaded by his words. Though he respected Chai Che’s character, as the saying goes, you can’t judge a person by their appearance alone—after all, this was a serious matter. After pondering for a while, he remembered that Mu Ning was currently checking the records there, and Mu Ning was one of Yuan Fang’s most trusted people. So he nodded and said, “In that case, I’ll take charge of the Military Selection Department’s affairs. You go and assist over there.”
Watching Chai Che bow solemnly before turning to leave, Zhang Yue stood for a moment before continuing inward. Once in his western wing room, he called in a scribe and asked, “Tell me, how many scribes and clerks are there in the Ministry of War now? How many are at the Military Selection Department? Have there been any staff changes over the years?”

The clerks and servants in the government offices were different from officials; they were all assigned to perform corvée labor without any compensation. In places like the Six Ministries and Five Departments, there was still some profit to be made, so these positions were considered better than those in other offices, especially those serving as senior officials. After all, a single piece of information could earn a lot of money. The clerk Liu Xun here was someone Zhang Yue had used when he was an official in the Ministry of War. When Zhang Yue was transferred elsewhere, Liu Xun followed Wan Shijie, and now that Zhang Yue had returned, he naturally gave his utmost effort.

When Zhang Yue asked, Liu Xun quickly kowtowed and said, “Your Excellency, currently, the clerks in the Ministry of War are divided into two groups: four gatekeepers and two for each department. Minister Zhang, Your Excellency, and Vice Minister Feng each have two clerks. As for the scribes, they work in two shifts, with six per department and four serving each senior official. During the three years when Your Excellency was away, only three clerks in the Military Selection Department changed—two died of illness, and one returned to his hometown to farm after completing his corvée duty using money he had saved…”

“Wait, you mean one of them left to farm using money and never returned?”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Zhang Yue did some calculations. He had been away from the Ministry of War for three years—first as the deputy governor of Ying Tian City, then promoted to Right Vice Censor for his merits, and later as the governor of Guangdong. It happened to be exactly three years since Chai Che took charge of Yuezhou Prefecture, so he simply ordered a review of the military records from those three years to save time. Yet, during those three years, only the Military Selection Department had seen changes, which was extremely strange. Two deaths due to illness were one thing, but the other actually left to farm using money!

In the north, the double-cropping system had not yet been implemented, so the farming season was not long. Therefore, if clerks in various government offices had farmland, they often bribed their superiors to go home during the busy farming season and return when it was slack. Even in larger offices, they preferred to pay someone to farm instead of letting their clerks leave, especially in the Military Selection Department, which was the most lucrative position.

“And those three who replaced them?”

Hearing Zhang Yue ask this specifically, Liu Xun already had some suspicions, and now he grew even more alarmed. “Your Excellency, they asked for leave and went home yesterday.”

“Inform the Five City Military Bureaus immediately… no, go straight to the Jinyiwei and have them find those people!”

At this moment, Zhang Yue felt extreme regret. Yesterday, with so many things piling up, he hadn’t thought of these details and missed such an important clue. The Eastern Depot of the Jinyiwei must also be rushing to interrogate and investigate, unaware of this as well. Seeing Liu Xun kowtow and dash out in a flash, he finally sat down. Suddenly recalling that after taking over all the spies from Yuan Fang, he didn’t have suitable people on hand, he had only asked Zhang Bu to collect summaries daily. With such a major incident having occurred yesterday, he ordered Zhang Bu to go straight to that silk shop once he returned home.

He couldn’t interfere with the Eastern Depot of the Jinyiwei and could only hope for news from them. Matters in others’ hands were far less reliable than those under his own control!

Dongnuan Pavilion, Renshou Palace.

Suspend the imperial examinations, promotions, appointments, and hereditary systems. As these were crucial military and state affairs, the Cabinet drafted this proposal, which Empress Dowager Zhang personally reviewed and approved with her red seal. When she saw Zhang Yue’s neatly written memorial, though she wasn’t in the mood at the time, she still read it carefully before handing it to Fan Hong, a eunuch from the Imperial Secretariat standing nearby.

“Seal it and deliver it directly to the Emperor’s temporary residence.”

Fan Hong quickly took it, sealed it himself on a small table nearby, placed it at the top of all the memorials, and then stacked them in a document box. Seeing an official from the Imperial Secretariat wrap it together with other boxes using yellow silk, he turned back and stood beside Empress Dowager Zhang.

“Lord Zhang is truly cautious and measured. The Emperor had already promised to grant him a silver seal, yet he still sent this to the Tongzhengsi first.”

“Delivering it directly to the Emperor’s residence without going through the Tongzhengsi seems like trust, but actually it draws attention. If he were that insensitive, the Emperor wouldn’t have entrusted him with such important duties.” When two officials from the Imperial Secretariat came to kowtow, Empress Dowager Zhang waved her hand and ordered, “Take more people with you on the way to ensure the documents are delivered safely. If the Emperor gets angry, convey my words. I’m still in the capital—a few troublemakers can’t cause much harm!”

“Yes.”

After the others left, Empress Dowager Zhang said to Fan Hong, “With the emperor absent, I can’t keep summoning the ministers over and over again. Keep a close eye on matters outside, and you must visit the Wenyuan Pavilion frequently. It’s crucial that information flows smoothly both inside and outside at this time. Convey my messages to the ministers in the government offices and report their opinions to me. As for the six ministries, send Jin Ying with people to handle them; report any major issues promptly. Deliver memorials to the emperor’s temporary residence, and it takes over ten days just to go and return. Do the necessary work now so as to relieve the emperor of some concerns. After all, winter is extremely cold, and both the Wulangha and Oirat Tatars will move south. By then, they’ll be closer to the borders, and he needs to stay vigilant about what’s happening outside.”

“Yes, this humble servant will certainly keep a close watch.”

Fan Hong agreed to everything. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard Empress Dowager Zhang call out, so he quickly stopped.

“You eunuchs in the capital—have you heard that they’ve even ranked you, assigning titles like ‘Elder Lord,’ ‘Second Lord,’ and ‘Third Lord’? Some say the emperor once mentioned wanting you to choose a nephew to continue the family line and even planned to grant you palace maids as wives.”

Hearing this, Fan Hong became extremely panicked. He hurriedly knelt down, not knowing how to explain himself. He and Jin Ying had served the late Emperor Renzong, Zhu Gaochi, and Empress Dowager Zhang in the Eastern Palace for many years, sharing a deep bond. With Wang Jin being unassuming, the two of them naturally became what others referred to as the ‘Elder Lord’ and ‘Second Lord.’ As for being granted palace maids as wives, Zhu Zhanji had already agreed to it, but since Empress Dowager Zhang had executed several people before, the matter hadn’t been brought up yet. Thinking of Empress Dowager Zhang’s attitude toward the inner study and her ruthless methods, he finally came to his senses and quickly kowtowed several times.

“This humble servant is terrified. I would never dare to have such improper thoughts.”

“You’re old now. After living so cautiously all these years, this isn’t really improper thinking. Having one or two palace maids as wives isn’t a big deal. But don’t become complacent or arrogant just because you think you’ve earned much. The last time I saw the eunuchs on duty in the cabinet, they said you and Jin Ying don’t often go there in person but just send some junior attendants to convey messages. The Bureau of Rites is responsible for submitting memorials—how can you be so negligent?”

Empress Dowager Zhang neither pursued the matter of granting the title of lady nor insisted on the ranking issue. Instead, she said those words. Fan Hong was momentarily stunned, but instead of feeling relieved, he became even more uneasy. After all, it was precisely because of Wang Zhen and others being executed, as well as the reduction in the size of the Inner Study Hall and the introduction of additional rules, that he had deliberately tried to avoid major political matters together with Jin Ying. Who would have thought that Empress Dowager Zhang seemed to completely disapprove of their avoidance tactic? After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to utter five words: “The Empress Dowager is right.” “Do as I instructed just now. You and Jin Ying should take turns—one goes to the Cabinet and the other to the Six Ministries—to report the ministers’ opinions and so on. If not, how can we know what these high-ranking officials are thinking? Don’t refuse to do things just because of a setback. ‘Govern by leaving things to others’ is meant for others to hear. If all foreign affairs are entrusted to officials while the emperor does nothing, how can the country be governed?” This was a rebuke based on principle. At this point, if Fan Hong still didn’t understand, he certainly wasn’t fit to be a eunuch in the Imperial Secretariat. Without hesitation, he kowtowed and agreed. When he stepped outside the hall, seeing Lu Feng from the Eastern Depot hurrying up the steps, he nodded at him as a greeting, then left without saying much, pulling his robe down as he descended the steps. In the evening, Zhang Yue sighed deeply at the mountain of documents before him, realizing he would hardly be able to go home that night. Matters related to the Military Selection Bureau could be postponed, but the military situation in Danning Huizhou and the movements of the Tatars in Kaiping Xinghe could not be delayed. After sending someone back to say he would stay at the yamen overnight, he stood up, stretched, walked back and forth in the room a few times, and did a few awkward Tai Chi movements. Eventually, he decided to go outside for a walk to avoid staying indoors for too long and getting suffocated. Just as he was stretching his limbs and about to sit down again, the door curtain suddenly lifted, and someone quickly slipped in: “Sir, Brother Zhang, who has been following you, is outside asking to see you urgently—saying it’s a matter of great importance!”