Wanli Emperor Chapter 103 Part 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 103 Part 2: A Perilous Feast and Fault-Finding

"Consort Commander."

"Imperial Envoy."

"Red Helmet General."

Each addressed him differently. The former Prince of Chu's consort, Lady Wang, the Prince of Chu's various sons, the Prince of Dong'an, and others all offered their greetings in turn.

Wu Jinghe subtly swept his gaze over the slightly portly Prince of Dong'an, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

After everyone had paid their respects, Wu Jinghe asked curiously, "Why do I not see the Prince of Wugang?"

The Prince of Wugang was the Commandery Prince currently managing the affairs of the Chu Princedom. Unexpectedly, he had not even appeared.

The Grand Consort exchanged a glance with the Prince of Dong'an. The latter stepped forward to smooth things over. "General, with the continuous heavy rain recently, my cousin's leg pain has grown severe. He has been unable to walk for some days and has been resting at his residence."

Wu Jinghe was the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Red Helmet General, a general holding real power in the capital, commanding fifteen hundred men. Addressing him thus was less distant than "Imperial Commissioner," nor did it carry the air of assuming an elder's posture.

The Consort Commander's gaze shifted back and forth between the Grand Consort and the Prince of Dong'an, his expression grave, saying nothing.

Only when both began to grow slightly tense did he suddenly break into a smile. "Indeed. It seems we all suffer from this ailment as we age."

"However, besides leg pain, I also suffer from some headaches. I do not know when they will end."

He emphasized the word "headaches" slightly, sighing as he shook his head.

The Grand Consort replied somewhat stiffly, "Jinghe was a top military graduate and even practiced Daoism with Emperor Shizong in the Western Garden. How could his constitution compare to us mortals?"

Though meant to ease the atmosphere, as the Grand Consort spoke, she could not help but glance at Wu Jinghe, whose hair and beard were still black, his face appearing that of a middle-aged man, a look of envy crossing her features.

The portly Prince of Dong'an chimed in, "The Red Helmet General has received Emperor Shizong's grace, entering the Way through martial arts. If the Grand Consort wishes to learn, why not sincerely make offerings to the True Lord Feiyuan?"

After easing the atmosphere with this remark, he gestured toward the hall, reminding them, "The juniors from the Min and Xiang Princedoms are already waiting inside for the feast to begin. Let us go in first."

The Grand Consort immediately understood and invited Wu Jinghe to enter the banquet.

This was the second time they had invoked Emperor Shizong. Wu Jinghe silently noted it.

His face naturally showed no reaction. He still smiled amiably, extended his hand, and invited the hosts to walk ahead.

Having graduated top in the military examinations, tearing apart tigers and leopards with his bare hands was effortless. Though he was older now, he had brought several personal guards and did not worry about safety.

The group exchanged courtesies, entering the hall in perfect harmony.

Zhu Changwen, ignored throughout, stood rooted to the spot, teeth clenched.

Seeing that truly no one came to invite him, he finally let out a cold snort and followed resentfully behind.

…

Some drink alone by the river; some are publicly invited to feast.

Naturally, there were also those who diligently sat at their posts, working earnestly in the main hall of the Governor's Office.

Hai Rui silently organized the testimonies of the River-Patrolling Commander Chen Xiao and the Vice Commissioner for Military Affairs Ji Ruzhi, rubbing his brow with some fatigue.

After the arduous journey by boat and carriage, followed by consecutive interrogations, it would be a lie to say he was not tired.

It was only that his mind was immersed, allowing him to ignore it somewhat.

Hai Rui contemplated what the two men had just said.

The River-Patrolling Commander, Chen Xiao, should have been leading troops on patrol that day; Linxiang County was naturally within his jurisdiction.

But how could one say it was not a chain of events?

Chen Xiao had been invited away that day by a group of wealthy merchants who said they were transporting a batch of goods and hoped he could oversee the shipment.

Between accepting silver for private work and the tedious daily routine of patrols, Chen Xiao had unhesitatingly chosen the former.

Of course, the route conveniently led in the opposite direction from Linxiang County.

Equally conveniently, after the incident, the so-called wealthy merchants had also vanished without a trace.

As for Ji Ruzhi, it was even simpler. Suppressing water bandits was part of his duties.

The Governor's Office issuing an order for him to requisition Tang Bin's personal guard seemed perfectly reasonable to him—besides, he was merely following orders.

With matters stopping at this point, one could say there were no flaws, only that it was too coincidental.

Except for the flaw deliberately revealed to the Touring Censor Shu Ao—the Residence of the Prince of Yueyang.

But it was precisely this flaw that made everything coincidental, yet allowed all blame to be pushed onto a dead man.

The matter formed a closed loop.

Chen Rui and the others, seeing this point, wanted to stop here and close the case.

A clean job. Hai Rui could not help but sigh inwardly.

Fortunately, this was not a criminal case. Those below had methods to resist scrutiny, but they could not withstand the man in the Golden Throne Hall, who needed no evidence—if nothing could truly be found, he could simply find a pretext to execute a few each year. After all, he had just ascended the throne; the good days were still ahead.

Just as he was thinking this, a voice sounded, pulling Hai Rui back to attention.

"Censor Hai, you have toiled for half the day. Have something to eat."

Hai Rui turned his head to see the eunuch Sun Long approaching with a tray.

Sun Long placed several dishes one by one on the desk. "Lotus Root and Pork Rib Soup, Steamed Assorted Cured Meats—both local Huguang snacks. His Majesty specifically instructed me to remind you to take care of your health. After the arduous journey by boat and carriage, followed by such taxing effort, it is just the thing to nourish your stomach."

Having spoken, he took out a serving of Xiaogan Rice Wine and placed it to the side.

Hai Rui gave Sun Long another look, secretly shaking his head.

He had previously dealt with Li Jin, Zhang Hong, Wei Chao, and others. This was the first time he had encountered such an obsequious eunuch.

Let him not lead the emperor astray, Hai Rui thought idly as he accepted the food and offered his thanks.

A glance confirmed it was indeed simple, home-style food.

Hai Rui's mind wandered, but it did not stop him from directly picking up his bowl and chopsticks and beginning to eat.

Just as he brought the bowl to his lips and blew gently on it, he suddenly remembered something.

Hai Rui spoke, making a request, "Eunuch Sun, trouble yourself to invite Governor Zhao here as well."

Sun Long lowered his eyes obediently, asked no questions, acknowledged with a sound, and withdrew.

Before long.

Governor Zhao Xian, his face haggard, entered the public hall from the side.

Seeing Hai Rui holding a file in one hand, reading, while holding a bowl and drinking soup with the other, he could not help but pause.

He called out hesitantly, "Censor Hai..."

Hai Rui looked up. Seeing Zhao Xian had arrived, he rose to greet him. "Governor Zhao has not yet had his evening meal, has he? Come, join me."

Zhao Xian looked at Hai Rui in surprise. He had thought he was being summoned for an overnight interrogation.

He had not expected such amicability.

His mind immediately began to turn, trying to gauge Hai Rui's attitude.

Hai Rui brought over a chair and placed it directly opposite his desk, gesturing for Zhao Xian to sit.

The two sat down together.

Only then did Hai Rui have a chance to speak, his tone somewhat regretful. "I hear that Dongting Lake breached its dikes yesterday. Does Governor Zhao know?"

Zhao Xian nodded silently. Although he had been avoiding involvement in these matters for the past few days to avert suspicion, news still reached him.

However, he was the Governor, concurrently holding the posts of Vice Minister of War and Right Vice Censor-in-Chief; he did not oversee specific administrative affairs, so he could only know of it.

Hai Rui continued, "The River-Patrolling Commander Chen Xiao and the Vice Commissioner for Military Affairs Ji Ruzhi are one matter, but this Qiu Qiao cannot wait for the case to conclude. He must be executed now!"

Qiu Qiao was the Dongting Garrison Commander. With such an incident occurring, he could not escape blame.

Disaster relief and dike repairs could wait, but appeasing the common people could not be delayed.

Zhao Xian understood at once. They needed to borrow a head to quell the people's anger.

No wonder he had been summoned.

Yuezhou Prefecture maintained one Dongting Garrison Commander and one Commander of the Yuezhou Guard, with 5,174 soldiers—of course, that was the official quota.

The former was a civil official, specifically in charge of Dongting Lake, holding the Senior Fifth Rank, equal to the Prefect of Yuezhou.

An Imperial Commissioner could certainly execute him, but Hai Rui's meaning was clearly not that.

The implication was still that he, Zhao Xian, should be the one to carry out the execution, hoping he would help the Imperial Commissioner stabilize the situation in Huguang.

He instantly grasped the unspoken meaning but did not answer immediately.

Instead, he asked, "Did His Majesty not order me to enter the capital bearing guilt?"

It was difficult to say whether the emperor intended to protect a high official or was truly furious, ordering him to enter the capital at once.

But whether to avoid suspicion or due to the emperor's decree, he should not be lingering in Huguang.

Hai Rui took a sip of rice wine, picked up the fermented rice that had spilled onto the desk with his chopsticks, and put it back into his mouth.

Only after swallowing did he smile. "Has the edict not yet been proclaimed?"

"His Majesty ordered me to act at discretion. I have nothing I need to avoid. Governor Zhao, be a monk for a day and strike the bell for a day."

Upon arriving in Huguang, he had immediately stripped Chen Rui and the others of their official caps to establish his authority.

Subsequently promoting Xu Xuemo, and now protecting Zhao Xian, was to stabilize the situation.

Just like the emperor's favorite saying—when doing things, one must pay attention to methods and approaches.

Zhao Xian pondered for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight and said seriously, "Regarding the matter of Zhang Chucheng, I truly had no prior knowledge, nor did I harbor any calculation of secretly indulging it!"

The moment his voice fell, silence descended upon the main hall.

Hai Rui set down his bowl and chopsticks and also sat upright. "The seal of the Governor's Office—who moved it?"

Zhao Xian's face showed bitterness. "The Governor's Office is not a permanent establishment. Its officials are mostly drawn from the Three Provincial Commissions. There are many people, many eyes. There are truly too many suspicious individuals."

Hai Rui remained noncommittal and pressed on, "How did Zhu Yingyan die?"

Zhao Xian gave a self-mocking smile. "I killed him. Or perhaps, his feet left the ground by half a man's height, he leaped up, and hanged himself."

This was the conclusion given by the Three Provincial Commissions' offices.

Hanged himself with his feet dangling in the air.

Or, Governor Zhao Xian had urged him to flee. Zhu Yingyan refused, so Zhao Xian poisoned him.

Hai Rui ignored his self-mockery, nodding thoughtfully.

After a while, he picked up his bowl again and spoke, "I will investigate clearly."

Hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately let out a sigh of relief.

He had feared the Imperial Commissioner was eager for merit and intended to count him among his accomplishments—using him to pacify Huguang, then discarding him like a worn-out tool.

But now, having received Hai Rui's promise, he finally felt some reassurance—Hai Rui's promise was one he was willing to believe.

He did not linger, rising as he said, "Tomorrow, I shall proceed to Yuezhou, execute the Dongting Lake Garrison Commander Qiu Qiao, offer sacrifice to Heaven's wrath, and vent the people's anger."

Seeing him agree, Hai Rui's expression also relaxed. "Have Assistant Administration Commissioner Feng Shiyu accompany you. For the matter of repairing the dikes, act according to the urgency of the situation. Use the silver from fines and confiscations directly."

"There is no need to bring soldiers. The Yuezhou Guard is due to rotate with the Capital Garrisons soon. Commander-in-Chief Liu Zhen, in handling this matter, will also be taking troops to Yuezhou. The Governor may accompany him."

Zhao Xian nodded and was about to turn and leave.

Suddenly, Hai Rui called out to Zhao Xian again. "Governor Zhao, the Governor's Office previously suppressed the native chieftaincies (tusi), and many submitted."

"Are there any who are somewhat friendly, who trade with us?"

Zhao Xian paused. "Native chieftaincies?"

The native chieftaincies were those minority tribes in places like Shizhou and Yongshun.

Why ask about this now?

Hai Rui nodded, his expression meaningful. "Privately forged armor must have a destination, after all."

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