Chapter 804: The Origin of Trouble

The Yu River was originally a section of the Yuan Tonghui River, winding around the imperial city all the way to Shichahai. In earlier years, boats traveled back and forth on it constantly, as it was the essential route for transporting grain to the capital. However, after years of war, despite the canal’s reconstruction during the Yongle era, the Yu River was no longer as wide as before. Grain shipments often stopped at Tongzhou, turning this waterway into just another scenic feature of the capital.

To the west of the Yu River lay various government offices such as the Six Ministries and Five Provincial Governments, while to the east there was only the Zhanshi Office, with residential houses elsewhere. Being so close to government offices, where nobles resided, merchants originally avoided this area, with only a few peddlers selling food. But from the Yongle to the Hongxi and Xuande periods, due to insufficient funds, the large kitchens of these government offices were gradually shut down, leading more people to seek food outside. Thus, two small restaurants were opened in a narrow alley near the middle bridge of the Yu River in Dongjiang Rice Alley.

That noon, as the sun was high in the sky, the owner of Huiseng Restaurant saw the Chengji Restaurant across the way loading stacks of labeled boxes onto carts, busy as ever. He quickly ordered his staff to get ready. Sure enough, not long after the carts left, customers arrived at his restaurant. Glancing over, he saw three middle-aged men dressed like ordinary servants. He instructed his staff to bring today’s menu and paid no further attention to them.

Among the three, a middle-aged man in a brown cotton robe found it unusual that the menu wasn’t delivered by a staff member. Noting that the dishes were priced differently, he chose the most expensive one after some thought. Once the staff member left, he frowned and whispered to the two men beside him, “When was this restaurant opened? Is it really safe?”

“Don’t worry, sir. It’s been open for over a year now. The officials all come here to eat—it’s definitely clean. If you’re looking to gather information or gain favors, this is the best place,” said a sharp-faced servant, noticing the man’s nervousness as he glanced around. “Since Gu Duzuo took office, even people like you have been replaced; let alone the lower-ranking officials. Almost everyone in the government offices is a stranger now—few recognize you. Moreover, he’s ruthless. Those he fires are warned by other departments not to hire them again. Now, many hate him.”

“That’s right. Don’t worry. This place is full of mixed characters, but that’s exactly why it’s safer and easier to meet people. It’s just that our boss is heartless. Even the powerful officials from the Five Provincial Governments and Six Ministries can speak up in front of the military commanders. If you handle things properly, it shouldn’t be hard for you to get your position back.”

With the two men vowing by their chests, the middle-aged man adopted a more relaxed sitting posture. He didn’t want to live in constant fear either, but sneaking back from Liaodong was too risky, forcing him to be cautious. If his enemies discovered his purpose, not only would his plans fail, but his life would be in danger as well.

While they waited for the food to be served, several groups of guests gradually arrived at the entrance. The sharp-faced clerks handed some money to the waiter, saying that the three of them had reserved the table and wanted to stay longer. The waiter, used to seeing these officials gather to discuss matters, smiled and took the money without saying another word. As the middle-aged man listlessly fiddled with the rice in his bowl, glancing outside from time to time, a voice suddenly called out beside him.

“Brother Zhao has arrived!”

Brother Zhao was a burly man with a strong build, and the two clerks behind him seemed like mere lackeys compared to him. As soon as he entered, he scanned the room and spotted the three men in the corner. He immediately led his men over, sat down without a word, studied the middle-aged man carefully, then lowered his voice and said, “Lord Yan, you really have a lot of nerve to sneak back from Liaodong. If it weren’t for Gu Duzuo being preoccupied right now, I wouldn’t even dare meet you.”

Seeing that Brother Zhao had revealed his identity outright, the middle-aged man’s expression turned pale, though he quickly forced a smile to hide it. Yan Ai was a legitimate graduate of the imperial examinations with considerable wealth. Back when he was still an imperial censor, would he have ever stooped to deal with such people? But since he had already taken such a great risk by sneaking back, he no longer cared about his reputation.

“A sinner like me owes much to your kindness, gentlemen. I heard that Brother Zhao and Governor Chen have a very close relationship. I was wondering if you could intercede on my behalf?” Seeing that Brother Zhao just stared at him without speaking, Yan Ai took out a heavy silk pouch and quietly passed it under the table. When Brother Zhao took it, he said in a humble tone, “I will reward you generously once this is done.”

Brother Zhao weighed the pouch before laughing. “No problem. Our lord above also hates Gu Duzuo. Who wants to be constantly watched by someone, even to the point of being impeached just for issuing an order? Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this for you and speak well of you. But…”

Yan Ai’s heart, which had already settled, was once again lifted by those two words, “but”. As expected, Zhao Da narrowed his eyes and stared at him for a while before lowering his voice and saying, “You should know that as long as Gu Duzuo stays in the Censorate, everyone else won’t have a good day. Now, because of the clamor from those censors in the Censorate, the emperor is furious. This is the perfect chance to settle things once and for all. If you have anything valuable, go ahead and use it to bring Gu Duzuo down—won’t you be able to rise to great heights after that?”

At this time, all the government offices such as the Five Ministries and Six Departments were on their lunch break. The small shop was packed, with groups of people taking turns at the tables. The clerks were so busy collecting money that they didn’t even notice what was going on in the corner. The chatter and laughter in the shop perfectly masked the voices of these secret negotiators.

Although Zhao Da promised a rather bright future, at that moment, Yan Ai felt cold sweat break out on his back. Having been demoted from a censor to a minor official in the desolate Liaodong region, he naturally hated Gu Zuo deeply. He had prepared such things even before coming to Beijing. Yet he knew all too well how difficult it was to bring down a second-rank official on his own, let alone one recommended by the emperor’s trusted minister, Yang Shiqi. Besides, if Zhao Da hadn’t received orders from someone behind the scenes, would he dare say such dangerous things?

“What, Lord Yan, are you afraid? Tsk tsk, I’m not saying it’s easy, but with Gu Duzuo around, even if you’re reinstated, you’ll end up back where you started sooner or later. Think carefully—such opportunities don’t come often…”

“Alright, I’ll give you the things later!” Hearing this sarcastic voice, Yan Ai finally mustered up the courage to agree. “I’ve been preparing for this day anyway. It’s either him or me!”

“That’s the right attitude!”

Although there were four other people around them, none of them said a word throughout the conversation, focusing instead on keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Once the deal was settled, Zhao Da quickly finished his meal and left with his two accomplices. Only then did the sharp-nosed clerk sigh in relief.

“Lord Yan, thank goodness you agreed. Zhao Da is a ruthless man. If you hadn’t agreed, he might have betrayed you right away. Now, rest assured—there are many others who want to bring that man down. With all these forces united, not even he can escape. Besides, this was planned by those big shots—you’re just adding fuel to the fire. What’s there to fear?”

Anyway, Yan Ai had already made his choice. Thus, mixing among the crowd leaving the restaurant, he felt relieved. Since his arrival had been kept secret, he did not follow the two servants who were supposed to guide him across the Yuhe Middle Bridge; instead, he headed in the opposite direction toward Chongwenmen Street. His attire was unremarkable in the capital, and he had not encountered any problems these past few days. Preoccupied as he was, he wasn’t paying much attention while walking and didn’t realize at all that someone was following him.

The man who looked like a woodcutter kept following Yan Ai until he turned from Chongwenmen Street into Guanyinsi Hutong and entered the gate of a small courtyard. Only then did the man stop and start selling the firewood from his load at the intersection, but he couldn’t sell it at an acceptable price and failed to make a sale. It wasn’t until sunset that a resident from the hutong came out, saw his firewood, and decided to buy it. After carrying the firewood into the courtyard and receiving the money, he glanced several times at Yan Ai’s courtyard to ensure he remembered the location exactly before hurrying away.

Time passed quickly in the capital. In just a few days, the court remained eerily silent. Yet one day, a large number of Jinyiwei soldiers suddenly appeared on the usually busy streets, causing chaos.

Since the establishment of the Beizhenfusi during the Yongle era to oversee imperial prisons, it had detained numerous high-ranking officials and witnessed many significant incidents, but none compared to what happened that day. Narrow hutongs were filled with Jinyiwei soldiers in blue military uniforms, carrying embroidered swords, and the main street outside had also been blocked. In front of the modestly sized gate stood over a dozen fine horses, with four or five Jinyiwei officers waiting there.

Only one person in the world would warrant such a grand display: the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

It was the first time Zhu Zhanji, who had gone from crown prince to emperor, was visiting the Beizhenfusi, so both the Jinyiwei commander Wang Jie and his deputy Wang Yu accompanied him. After walking around the interrogation hall, seeing Fang Ling, the head of the Beizhenfusi, sweating nervously and having no desire to go into the prison cells, he simply sat down and said indifferently, “Send Dai Lun here. I want to interrogate him personally.”

The emperor himself came to the imperial prison to interrogate such a subject personally, which made Wang Jie, the commander of the Jinyiwei, even more suspicious. As the commander, he didn’t possess the power and influence of his predecessors, and this prison was not under his control. Thus, taking advantage of the emperor’s orders, he put on an authoritative tone and ordered in a deep voice, “Fangling, go and bring him here.”

Although he wanted to offer some advice, upon seeing Zhu Zhanji’s resolute expression, Fangling dared not say more. He simply nodded and rushed off. Upon arriving at the prison, he saw Dai Lun walking back and forth in his cell, seemingly reciting some text from The Book of Rites. He was momentarily stunned before signaling his men to open the door.

Hearing this noise, the prisoners in several cells immediately woke up. Since Zhu Zhanji took office, not many people had been taken to the Jinyiwei prison, and many of them had been imprisoned due to their association with Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu—now three years ago. After being locked up for so long, few of them moved when the Jinyiwei officers came to take them away. Only Yu Qian stood up first, while Lin Changmao put down his books and, dragging his shackles, moved to the wooden railing. When they saw it was Dai Lun being led out, both were surprised.

There was only a dim oil lamp in the cell, along with a little sunlight coming through the high, narrow windows. So, suddenly standing under the bright light, Dai Lun felt uncomfortable. Hearing Lin Changmao call out “Brother Dai” behind him, he turned around and showed a reassuring smile before allowing the two Jinyiwei officers to grasp his arms.

Fangling didn’t say a word at first. It wasn’t until he saw Dai Lun being led out of the narrow passage into the sunlight that he waved his hand to stop them. Then he stepped forward and whispered, “The emperor has now arrived at the tribunal of the Northern Pacification Commission and will personally conduct the interrogation. His wrath is unpredictable. Be careful and don’t anger him.”

Dai Lun glanced at Fangling in surprise, then laughed scornfully. “Mencius said, ‘Even if there are thousands of people, I will still go.’ Though my knowledge and courage are far inferior to those of the Second Sage, I still know that one relies on determination to live! You insignificant birds—how can you understand the ambitions of a soaring eagle?”

Fangling knew that Wang Jie was by the emperor’s side, so following him was pointless. Watching Dai Lun stagger forward, he hesitated greatly. It wasn’t until Liu Baihu called out behind him that he took a deep breath. Having handled judicial affairs for so long, his heart had hardened. During his daily inspections of the Jinyiwei prison, seeing those people who saw little sunlight, he no longer felt much—only performing routine duties. Now that the emperor was in a bad mood and Dai Lun was determined to fight to the death, what could he do? His greatest fear was that the emperor might become enraged and implicate others, which would be a serious issue.

“Has the letter you were sent to deliver been sent?”

“Rest assured, sir. It’s already been sent.” Liu Baihu had been promoted by Fangling himself. After saying that, he glanced around, then lowered his voice. “It’s not that I’m being presumptuous, but the fact that Dai Lun and Lin Changmao were imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison isn’t a secret. The Empress Dowager must have known about it long ago. Since she didn’t intervene before, Renshou Palace can no longer be relied on. As for the Cabinet and other officials, if they could persuade the emperor, would they wait until now? After all, it’s just a corrupt scholar. You’ve already been as kind and righteous as possible, sir.”

Muttering the word “corrupt scholar,” Fangling felt extremely helpless. Although he had switched to a military position and now held the rank of Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei, how many people still remembered that he had once studied the classics and attended the Imperial Academy? Though what he had learned seemed useless given his current experiences, it didn’t mean those who persisted in their studies were necessarily foolish.

“Sir, please don’t be stubborn. Even if it’s not for yourself, think of your wife and children back home. You’ve already annoyed the Commander greatly. If anything goes wrong, he certainly won’t speak up for you! Besides, did you see Wang Yu who came with us today? He’s someone who once made a significant contribution by reporting others. Who knows who might end up in trouble then!”

Liu Baihu’s words shocked Fangling, who quickly stepped forward to catch up with Dai Lun. Success depends on human efforts, but fate plays its role too. He could only do this much; he could only hope nothing serious would happen.