Chapter 913: Iron Heart

Under the bright afternoon sun, the streets and alleys of the capital gradually grew warm. It was already April, and the wealthy families had replaced their window paper with sheer curtains. Even those without the means to buy brightly colored spring clothes were drying their padded and cotton jackets to pack away. However, the winds were strong at this time, and dust would quickly cover the ground, so items dried in the courtyards needed constant attention to prevent them from returning dirty after being cleaned.

A small courtyard in Chao Mi Hutong, near Dongsi Archway, was no exception. Due to the good weather, A’gui, the only young servant hired by the family, was vigorously beating the cotton padding, sending clouds of dust swirling in the scorching sun. His coughing could be clearly heard inside the room with bamboo curtains, making the man sitting there even more uneasy.

“Sir, your humble servant…”
“What kind of ‘sir’ are we? We’ve just started working as censors at the Censorate.”

The three of them lived together and got along well because not only were they all assigned to the Censorate, but their families were also poor. Chen Ziyan had grown up living with relatives; during busy farming seasons, when there wasn’t enough labor, he even had to roll up his pants and work in the fields. As a result, he was quite respectful toward farmers. Smiling now, he said something, but seeing the man still look anxious, he ignored him and called out to his companion, whose brows were furrowed in concern.

“Ru An, do you really plan to let Brother Qingping handle this alone?”
“What else can we do? Submit a petition together?” The man called Ru An was around 35 or 36, the oldest of the three and usually the most steady. He shook his head and said, “Qingping took on this task alone not only because he hates those who seize farmers’ land but also because he’s afraid that if things get out of control, it will affect us. Don’t rush to argue… Of course, we’re not afraid, but if we all get involved, who will advocate for him? And who will take care of this matter?”

The man sitting there was a real farmer, unable to understand the focus of the discussion between these two officials, but he could tell they were truly determined to help him. He stood up again and knelt before them with a thud, kowtowing seven or eight times in a row. By the time they hurriedly helped him up, his forehead was already slightly blue, but his face was filled with gratitude.

“I thank you, sir, on behalf of my wife and that innocent child who died unjustly!”

His wife at home and the child who died unjustly… These words weighed heavily on Chen Ziyuan and Chang Ru’an’s hearts. According to the man, when those people seized their fields, they did so in the name of the King of Yue, forcing them to sign documents surrendering their land with sticks. His pregnant wife stepped forward to reason, but was kicked in the stomach, then beaten mercilessly, resulting in her death along with the child’s. Because of this, those people were afraid the man would file a complaint and almost killed him as well, but he managed to escape. He didn’t know where he found a straightforward scholar who wrote such a petition for him.

“Don’t thank us. Censors are meant to handle such injustices, not get entangled in the private affairs of officials or trivial matters!” Chen Ziyuan comforted the man, then turned to Chang Ru’an and said, “Brother Ru’an, you’re right, but I still feel that it’s not enough for Brother Qingping to submit a petition alone—the impact is too small. I need to help him. You’re calm and composed; you can cover our backs in case something goes wrong. I can’t just sit idly by; I can’t bear it!”

Seeing his companion’s determined expression, Chang Ru’an felt somewhat troubled. Just then, he heard a sudden commotion outside, followed by A’gui, the servant, shouting in panic and anger. He immediately stood up, rushed to the door, and pulled back the curtain to ask, “What’s going on?”

But the moment he saw what was outside, he was stunned. It was a dozen or so strong men who barged in. The leader pushed A’gui to the ground and then waved his hand, ordering his men to surround them. Although Chang Ru’an was brave, he paled at the sight.

Without waiting for Chang Ru’an to speak, the leader sneered arrogantly, “The royal mansion is arresting fugitive slaves—hand them over!”

“Fugitive slaves? What fugitive slaves!” Chen Ziyuan, who had followed in, heard this and flew into a rage. “The royal mansion’s thugs seize people’s fields and kill their wives, yet they still dare accuse them of being fugitive slaves! This is the capital, under the emperor’s rule—there must still be laws!”

The burly man hadn’t expected anyone to stand in front of him and rebuke him so sternly. At first, he only frowned, but his expression quickly changed. After all, he was the manager of a farm outside the city; it was fine for him to visit the capital in his free time, but if any trouble arose and it was discovered, it would be disastrous. Thinking of the information he had just received—that everything would be fine once this troublemaker was dealt with—he immediately made up his mind. With a vicious grin, he waved his hand and said, “What kind of wretch dares to lecture me! Bring him out and take him back—punish him according to family rules!”

Seeing those dozen or so men about to charge at him, the unarmed Chang Ru’an paled instantly. He finally understood what it meant to say that scholars were utterly useless. But just then, a loud shout came from behind him. It wasn’t until the man holding a cedar chair rushed past him, shouting and charging at those men, while also urging the two officials to leave, that he suddenly snapped out of it. His face turned red, and all his usual composure vanished.

“There are such villains even under the emperor’s rule… Enough! I’ll fight you all today!”

Chen Ziyan stared in shock as Chang Ru’an rushed back into the house and soon returned with a stool, making him suddenly understand what was going on. But before he could follow suit, a shout came from outside, followed by another dozen men armed with sticks rushing in. Without saying a word, they started beating the first group of men wildly, shouting loudly.

“Kill you bastards!”

“Damn it! I’ve also suffered at the hands of you lackeys before!”

“Beat them to death!”

As the situation became completely out of control, Chen Ziyan and Chang Ru’an, who had thought they would have to fight to the death, were stunned. Seeing the man with the cedar chair having his chair taken away and being helped back, they were even more confused. It wasn’t until more shouting came from outside—this time from the military authorities of the East City sent to restore order—that they vaguely realized something.

Could it be that someone had been watching these evil servants of the Wang family all along and planned to use them as pawns?

When those reinforcements who arrived in time retreated, they left the tied servants of the Wang family in their courtyard. After discussing it for a while, Chen and Chang went forward to inquire. Realizing they were indeed people from the Wang family’s estate, they abandoned any remaining hesitation. As long as this wasn’t a setup, no matter who was behind it, they didn’t care!

The sudden crackdown by the Censorate caused great distress among the court officials, especially after the scandals in Ben Si Hutong and Yan Le Hutong were exposed. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was common for officials to frequent prostitutes, but since the early Hongwu era, such behavior had been strictly prohibited. As a result, unofficial rules allowed for singing and dancing as a form of entertainment without legal consequences. Hence, summoning official prostitutes from Ben Si Hutong or going there oneself for pleasure should have been matters unrelated to the public or officials.

So, at the end of the morning court session that day, as usual, the memorials submitted by the Censorate censors were read aloud. These were usually mere formalities, but lately everyone had become fearful. After many court officials received severe reprimands or even had their salaries reduced, one could see rows of heads bowed by the Jinshui Bridge.

Although sexual misconduct wasn’t considered a grave crime, it was still an era dominated by Neo-Confucianism, which emphasized impeccable conduct. Everyone feared having such a stain recorded in their files, affecting future promotions. Those not mentioned were secretly relieved, as those who were criticized were repeat offenders, while they had only been involved once or twice. Still, many harbored doubts upon seeing the eunuch announcing the punishments.

It was said that even some high-ranking officials in the Cabinet had visited Yan Le Hutong to watch performances—though not very often. Yet, despite his good looks, the eunuch in charge of announcing punishments would never truly experience women, yet he could still marry beautiful palace maids as wives! The world was too unfair—how many of these poor court officials could afford to support a family? Even finding someone to serve them was illegal!

The high-ranking officials remained unshaken, as it was difficult to accuse officials above the third rank of improper behavior unless they had already lost the emperor’s favor or committed something too serious to speak of. But the next memorial read by the eunuch made it impossible for them to maintain their calm composure.

The Prince of Yue had occupied a hundred hectares of civilian land and even forced commoners to death? How could such things go unreported in advance?

The Minister of Communications, who had endured countless gazes, now hung his head in silence. He knew that when the memorial was submitted, people from the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau were already waiting there. He only had time to copy down the names before being forced to watch as the document was delivered—without knowing what was inside. Though he wasn’t sure whether the emperor truly intended to take action against the King of Yue, such courage on the part of the censor was already remarkable. Thus, the Minister of Communications, who thought it was time for him to retire that year, seemed oblivious to the eager looks from the high-ranking officials around him, as if asleep.

At today’s morning court session, each department sent the loudest voice to present their cases before the emperor; imperial edicts and the reading of censors’ accusations were also delivered by the loudest eunuchs. Those who tried to submit memorials last night and then accuse others early in the morning, spitting insults in their faces, were long gone. The censors who still lacked outstanding memorials envied the luck and admired the courage of the censor at the end of the line. But when they heard the sentence, “It was discovered that things didn’t go as planned, and someone even tried to assassinate the victim,” many gasped in shock.

So, it seemed there had almost been a death in the capital as well?

Although Zhang Yue had once been in charge of the Guangdong Provincial Administration, there was no educational supervisor at that time. The emperor personally selected candidates for the provincial examinations, and it was Shen Can who traveled thousands of miles to Guangzhou. He could have stayed to see it through, but an imperial edict forced him to go to Jiaozhi to assist with military affairs, causing him to miss the examinations. By the time he arrived in Beijing, the palace examinations had already ended. So, he only knew the names of the three scholars from Guangdong; he had only met them recently.

As for their writing skills, he had heard a bit from Shen Can. But at this moment, reading that lengthy memorial made him nod in approval. The author didn’t use fancy rhetorical flourishes; every word was solid, and each sentence hit the mark. The writing itself was truly admirable, not to mention that, filled with righteous indignation, it was emotionally charged—far from being the kind of memorial made over trivial matters. So, when the eunuch finally finished reading, he really wanted to take a look at the end of that long line.

He had been well-prepared, but he never expected the people in the prince’s mansion to be so brutal. Fortunately, Yang Ji’s men reacted quickly, and the soldiers from the Eastern City Garrison happened to be passing by; otherwise, lives would have been lost!

Zhu Zhanji on the throne appeared calm, but only Wang Jin, standing by his side, knew how terrifying the emperor’s expression had been when he saw that memorial last night. The fate of a mere commoner could be disregarded by the emperor—after all, injustice existed everywhere in the realm, and the emperor was not meant to resolve it. Yet what angered and infuriated the emperor was the fact that, in broad daylight, some servants from the princely households dared to disregard the imperial officials. Had it not been for the righteous commoners and the quick action of the Eastern City Military Command, a major scandal could have erupted under the emperor’s rule, and then who would still believe in the notion of a prosperous era?

“This is a serious matter. According to the laws, the guilty servants shall be immediately arrested by the Jinyiwei for thorough investigation.”

It had always been the custom to punish only the servants while sparing the princes, so although the court officials exchanged glances, none raised any objections. But just as the eunuch finished speaking, the emperor’s steady voice came from above: “Since the Prince of Yue allowed his servants to commit such grave crimes, two more tutors shall be assigned to him, forcing him to study the Imperial Ancestral Instructions!”

Previously, due to the princess’s descent from the throne, various princely households and the princess’s residence had already added tutors and other educational officials. These positions were usually permanent, but given the huge difference in rank, actual supervision was difficult. Yet the emperor sent more tutors to the Prince of Yue’s household at this time, with the task of teaching the Imperial Ancestral Instructions, which inevitably led to speculation. Moreover, committing crimes as a servant was fundamentally different from allowing one’s servants to commit crimes!

Additionally, since the Prince of Yue was originally stationed in Quzhou, the Ministry of Works had once gone there to build his palace. It was said they had even planned to move it to Shunde Prefecture, which would require further construction. Rumors suggested that the palace council was already discussing the schedule for the prince’s relocation. Given the emperor’s anger, could it be that he intended to send someone there even before the palace was completed?