Wanli Emperor Chapter 78 Part 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 78 Part 2: Bitter Medicine to Cure the Sickness

At the Huai River port, someone had received word, and it had spread like wildfire—everyone knew Hai Rui was coming to investigate.

They crowded the riverbank, straining their eyes into the distance.

Besides the ordinary folk, there were also house retainers from various residences, their identities unknown, standing at the port and in the private rooms of taverns, watching for Hai Rui's arrival.

Before long.

A large ship, flying the banner of an Imperial Commissioner, slowly came into view.

Some of the common people were there for the spectacle; others waved their arms in greeting.

The house retainers and official runners exchanged glances, then melted back into the crowd to report to their respective masters.

The ship docked.

On either side, placards for the Governor's procession were raised, ordering silence and clearing the way.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard occupied strategic positions to prevent any assassination attempts.

The first to disembark was Wei Chao, who immediately led a young eunuch away, heading straight for the prefectural office to have the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture transcribe and post the emperor's Edict of Self-Criticism.

Watching the eunuch's retreating back, Xu Jie murmured, "So it is to be proclaimed to all under Heaven. No wonder it was written in plain language. Truly, what spirit."

Hai Rui showed no expression. "This edict is worthy of being seen by all under Heaven, so that they might know... what the greater situation shall be henceforth."

"His Majesty said this is called 'unifying the battlefront to the greatest extent.'"

The unfamiliar term did not hinder understanding.

Xu Jie was left speechless.

The group disembarked one after another.

Xu Jie was surrounded in the middle, like a puppet being herded forward.

From the moment he saw the emperor's Edict of Self-Criticism, he knew that everyone previously implicated in the case was doomed.

The resolve that bled through the paper was something that, short of rebellion, could not be shaken.

He suddenly understood why the emperor had moved to the Western Garden.

At the time, some had speculated that the Grand Secretariat's power was overwhelming and that, in collusion with the Empress Dowager, they had marginalized the emperor.

Others guessed that the emperor was at odds with his court officials and had deliberately hidden himself away.

But in Xu Jie's eyes now, it was clear—this was foresight, a preparation made long ago for just such a time!

Without such caution, the emperor would likely have met an early end.

So, how long had this been planned!?

He could see almost no flaw in this emperor.

Ruthless and cruel, yet open and honorable.

Charging forward relentlessly, yet cautious and meticulous.

He was, quite simply, a despairing opponent.

Xu Jie asked casually, "What do you want of these old bones?"

He was wondering if there was any path of survival left for himself and the Xu family.

Xu Jie was not a man to offer his neck willingly. As long as a sliver of hope remained, he would struggle to survive.

Rebellion? There was no need to even consider it. Since they had already targeted the Marquis of Huaining and the Duke of Wei, it was impossible that they would have made such a great oversight as to give these figures a chance to conspire.

Shedding his skin like a golden cicada? Xu Jie glanced at Hai Rui. Against an ordinary man, he might have been able to play at fake death to escape. Unfortunately, this man was a stubborn, unyielding stone.

Then, a genuine surrender? But the emperor seemed to hate him to the bone. And even setting that aside, he himself no longer had any chips to bargain with.

At this thought, a wave of powerlessness washed over Xu Jie.

If he had still been at the center of power, had he known this emperor's temperament earlier, he would not have fallen to this state!

Hai Rui fell half a step behind and considered for a moment. "First, we find the Nanjing Garrison Commander, Zhang Jing!"

...

Residence of the Nanjing Garrison Commander

"What? Dead!?"

Hai Rui and Xu Jie exchanged a glance, both seeing the astonishment in the other's eyes.

Zhang Jing nodded. "The Marquis of Huaining's residence announced the death this morning."

Xu Jie quickly pressed, "Have you seen the body?"

He hoped it was not some trick, like a body burned beyond recognition.

Zhang Jing, being a eunuch, habitually wore a fawning expression. "Junior Preceptor Xu, I went to see it myself. It is Sun Shizong, without a doubt."

"The Sun family said he died of illness, but... in my view, it was suicide to escape punishment!"

"And not just the Marquis of Huaining's residence. This morning, the Duke of Wei's residence also reported a string of deaths among their clansmen due to illness."

As he spoke, he too felt a sense of disbelief.

It was one thing for the Marquis of Huaining, with whom he had just clashed, to die suddenly overnight. But he had not expected the Duke of Wei's residence to yield so quickly.

Had they been frightened to death by the Imperial Commissioner?

What exactly had happened, Zhang Jing was still completely in the dark.

Hai Rui sneered. "They were all involved in the unauthorized movements of the Huai'an Garrison's Ge Company, the Flying Bear Guard, and the Right Tiger Guard, were they not?"

This was a way of maintaining a semblance of dignity, to prevent the affair from implicating too many. Any discerning person could see it.

The Marquis of Huaining had been ennobled during the Emperor Yingzong's second reign, receiving his title for his role in the "Storming the Gates" Incident, and had always been at the bottom of the aristocratic hierarchy.

[TN: The "Storming the Gates" Incident — A palace coup that restored Emperor Yingzong to the throne after he had been deposed and replaced by his younger brother, the Jingtai Emperor.]

The current Marquis of Huaining, Sun Shizong, was the eighth generation of his line, having inherited the title during the Jiajing era.

As Nanjing Garrison Commander, also overseeing the Central Chief Military Commission, and having operated in Nanjing for so long, he could almost be called the top military figure in the Southern Directly-Administered Region.

And the Duke of Wei was the local tyrant of the region.

As a founding noble whose family had operated in Nanjing for generations, he was unmatched in terms of deep-rooted power.

The various guards and garrisons were all, to some extent, under the influence of the Duke of Wei's residence.

He simply had not expected these two families to yield so quickly.

One could say these men had all been frightened to death.

But this was not the end of it. This matter was likely inseparable from the Ministry of War.

The mere fact that the Nanjing Minister of War concurrently served to participate in advising on confidential military affairs for the Nanjing Garrison Commander was enough to draw him in.

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

A eunuch suddenly ran in and whispered something in Zhang Jing's ear.

Xu Jie, trading on his seniority, slammed his hand on the table. "What is it that I, the Governor of the Southern Directly-Administered Region, cannot hear!"

Startled, Zhang Jing blurted out, "The former Grand Secretary Li Chunfang wishes to see the two Imperial Commissioners!"

Hai Rui and Xu Jie exchanged a look.

Then, without a word, they rose in unison.

……

Though Li Chunfang was a native of Yangzhou Prefecture, he had also purchased a residence in Yingtian Prefecture for convenience in socializing and travel.

The residence was not large, but it possessed a distinctly scholarly air.

Pavilions and towers of gray and black were scattered throughout in a pleasing arrangement, giving an impression of cool detachment.

Even the upturned eaves and carved beams were not ornate, but refined and elegant.

In the center of the courtyard, in a pond of rippling green water, grew plants of an unknown variety, their reds and greens complementing each other.

Li Chunfang casually scattered some feed, drawing the koi to dart back and forth, stirring circles of ripples.

"Master, Xu Shaohu and Hai Gangfeng have arrived," a house servant announced.

Li Chunfang clapped his hands and slowly rose.

He tossed all the remaining feed in his hand into the pond.

Turning, he said, "Please show them in."

The words had barely left his lips when a voice came from behind him.

"This official is investigating a case by imperial decree. I may go wherever the case leads. I do not need an invitation."

Li Chunfang turned to see Xu Jie and Hai Rui entering together. Behind them, a tide of Embroidered Uniform Guards spread out to secure key positions.

Hai Rui looked at Li Chunfang, his expression unreadable. "According to the testimony of the criminal Wang Ruyan, when he was promoted from County Magistrate back to the capital, it was through your connections, Li Shilu. Subsequently, for all his corrupt dealings, he would pay bribes to you. Is this true?"

Li Chunfang glanced at Xu Jie, then at Hai Rui.

He shook his head with a measure of helplessness. "Hai Gangfeng, there is no need to play at seizing the initiative. I truly have urgent business."

Exposed, Hai Rui did not feel the least bit awkward. He spoke again, "Or is it that, with Xu Shaohu's fine example before you, you have been moved and now also wish to surrender yourself?"

Since they had taken the initiative to seek out Li Chunfang, he could not afford to lose the upper hand in the conversation.

Li Chunfang's self-cultivation was excellent; he remained unmoved.

He considered for a moment, then raised his head to look directly at Hai Rui. "I can guess His Majesty's objective."

He paused, his expression turning serious. "I can help His Majesty resolve his worries and break apart the Southern Directly-Administered Region!"

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