Chapter 53: Gathering in the Dungeon

Minister Chian, something major has happened... Xu Jingchang has led men to surround the Ministry of Revenue! The Director of the Bureau of Appointments under the Ministry of Personnel rushed in to report the news to Chian Yi.

Chian Yi froze. The writing brush in his hand trembled, and a blot of ink fell onto the paper, rendering the half-written memorial completely useless... The Grand Secretary of the Heavenly Official was stunned for a moment before waving his hand to dismiss the subordinate.

Then, he fell into deep thought. After a short while, the corners of his mouth even curved upward, revealing an expression of "I knew it would come to this."

This fellow Xu Jingchang was nothing more than a troublemaker in the imperial court, a specialist in stirring up chaos and making something out of nothing. The gazettes and the performance evaluations of officials of all ranks were all things he had cooked up.

Now, as expected, they had handed him the authority to collect taxes, and it would be a wonder if nothing went wrong.

The only question now was whom this brat was going to bite first.

Although he had targeted the Ministry of Revenue first, it was still hard to say who would truly meet their misfortune next. Even he, the Heavenly Official, could only quietly watch... He just hadn't expected that this son of the Marquis of Wuyang would be quite so extraordinary.

Yet, it seemed he wasn't entirely powerless either. Chian Yi grabbed a sheet of paper, hastily scribbled down a few names, then crossed them out, and subsequently filled in the names of a few safer candidates... Clearly, this was the duty of being the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Personnel.

The more chaos Xu Jingchang stirred up and the more men he took down, the more candidates Chian Yi could manage to squeeze in.

Anyway, as long as the foundation of the Ministry of Personnel remained untouched, Chian Yi didn't care; in fact, he was more than happy to see it happen.

The other ministries lacked the transcendent status of the Ministry of Personnel. Initially worried that Xu Jingchang would target them, they had been trembling with fear, until they suddenly heard that the Ministry of Revenue had taken the fall first.

Those fellows were practically overjoyed.

Serve them right!

This was lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own feet.

The root of all this was Xia Yuanji, who had insisted on setting up that Jubao Gate tax station—a trivial matter that had snowballed. Now, the Office of Transmission had reaped the benefits, holding immense power with a sharp sword suspended in the air, leaving all officials trembling.

Yet, since this first blade had fallen upon the Ministry of Revenue, it could only be considered bringing it upon themselves.

They thoroughly deserved it!

This was retribution for Xia Yuanji.

The Minister of War, Liu Jun, sent someone to inquire about how many had been arrested and whether Xia Yuanji had been caught in the net.

"If Minister Xia has gone to the dungeon, we must prepare a banquet of the finest New Year's Eve feast to soothe Minister Xia's shock!"

On the other side, the Minister of Punishments, Zheng Ci, was also beaming with delight as he watched, "Tell everyone, if the evidence of guilt is solid, our Ministry of Punishments will lead the Three Judicial Offices to severely punish a few corrupt officials, letting the whole world know our iron-handed impartiality, and we shall not shirk our duty."

As for the Minister of Rites, Song Li, he was purely watching the spectacle, merely sighing slightly, "What is the point of all this? What is the point? Right before the New Year, turning everything upside down, how dreadful!"

These gentlemen watched the drama unfold until the afternoon, when Xu Jingchang finally sauntered out of the Ministry of Revenue. Behind him, alongside Zhu Yong, were six directors, six vice directors, and twelve supervising secretaries, forming an imposing and aggressive procession.

Xu Jingchang turned his head and said to Xia Yuanji, "Lord Xia, the year is coming to an end, and the Ministry of Revenue is auditing the financial revenues and expenditures of the realm—it cannot be treated carelessly. Can you still hold out?"

Xia Yuanji's aged face turned dark, and he snorted, "Things have come to this, so even if I cannot hold out, I must. At worst, we will work day and night without stopping, giving it our utmost."

Xu Jingchang burst into laughter. "I knew Minister Xia possessed formidable capabilities and brilliant methods. I needn't concern myself with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue; with my troops strong and horses sturdy, I must now go check the taxes."

Turning back, Xu Jingchang addressed the crowd, "You are all men under a cloud of guilt. This is your last chance. If you fail to seize it and cannot faithfully perform your duties, I will immediately submit a memorial asking for your skins to be peeled in accordance with ancestral law."

The score of officials present looked at each other in dismay, bellies full of grievances, wishing nothing more than to strangle Xu Jingchang. Unfortunately, there was truly nothing they could do.

Xu Jingchang's rampage at the Ministry of Revenue, pretending to investigate taxes, was a sham; his true purpose in coming was to acquire a bunch of seasoned clerks familiar with finance and taxation... Otherwise, relying solely on a few thousand soldiers, their execution capacity might be fine, but when it came to actually verifying amounts and collecting them properly, they were quite useless.

We are collecting taxes, not roaming Mount Liang like outlaws; we cannot simply run amok.

Now, all was well. Having snatched personnel from the Ministry of Revenue, he could finally stretch his muscles and wreak havoc everywhere.

"You six directors, each lead three hundred tax soldiers and divide the territory into zones. Inside and outside the capital, every single area must be covered without omission. Do not let slip the two counties of Shangyuan and Jiangning, nor the vessels upon the Yangtze River. Deploy immediately and conduct a thorough, strict inspection!"

Upon this order, the directors were all startled. In the past, when they were in charge of the bureaus under the ministry, they merely audited accounts, set tax quotas, and managed the national treasury... To carry out such a grandiose and domineering campaign across the capital was a first for them.

And to tell the truth, this feeling was rather majestic.

It carried quite the sensation of being a spoiled young aristocrat running wild and defying the law... Wait, wasn't Xu Jingchang the greatest spoiled aristocrat in the capital?

Having fallen under his command, weren't they simply acting as the lackeys of a privileged scion?

Alas, there was no choice; they could only be impartial and enforce the law strictly.

Otherwise, none of them would want to spend the New Year in the dungeon!

Xu Jingchang was fully satisfied and instructed, "Two vice directors and four supervising secretaries, come with me to the Ministry of Works."

With that, Xu Jingchang directly led his men to storm the offices of the Ministry of Works.

Having the drama land right on his own doorstep, the Minister of Works, Luo Qian, was dumbfounded.

"Director Xu, what are you trying to do? My Ministry of Works has always abided by national law, risking our lives for the court's grand construction projects, always taking on the hardest labor and bearing the most curses. How can you humiliate the Ministry of Works? I will submit a memorial to impeach you and demand an audience with His Majesty."

Xu Jingchang wore a smile. "Does Minister Luo know of your predecessor?"

Luo Qian shuddered violently. Of course he knew; the former Minister of Works, Huang Fu, had been done to death by Xu Jingchang over a couple of worthless stones, executed alongside the Minister of War, Ru Chang, with their heads rolling and blood splashing three feet... At this thought, Luo Qian felt a chill run through him, and the look he gave Xu Jingchang completely changed.

"You—are you trying to kill someone?"

Xu Jingchang laughed. "Minister Luo is mistaken. We at the Office of Transmission are merely investigating tax collection issues. Even Marquis Jing'an, Wang Zhong, was only locked up for three months. Rest assured, I do not kill people."

Having said this, Xu Jingchang turned back and ordered his subordinates, "Go ahead and seal all account books regarding the timber and lumber levies of the Ministry of Works!"

Luo Qian turned pale with fright. "Director Xu, you cannot act so recklessly! The year is ending, and the Ministry of Works has several projects underway, including the renovation of the Eastern Palace—that is the residence of the Crown Prince! If you seal the accounts of the Ministry of Works and disrupt major affairs, who will take responsibility?"

Xu Jingchang was entirely unfazed. "The timber and lumber levies are simply transit fees collected on timber; they have nothing to do with engineering construction. You surely wouldn't mean to say that the Ministry of Works collects money only to spend it on engineering and decorating the Eastern Palace?"

Luo Qian froze for a moment, then raged, "That is precisely what it means! So what if it does?"

Xu Jingchang smiled. "Then the matter has become enormous! You are pocketing money intended for yourselves. I have already received several memorials at the Office of Transmission accusing the Ministry of Works of substituting inferior goods and practicing deception... If you still wish to obstruct us, let us go to His Majesty to litigate and thoroughly investigate the matter. Rest assured, as long as it is proven that the Ministry of Works is innocent, I will immediately resign my post in apology, close my doors to reflect, and never enter official service again. Rest assured, my word is my bond."

Bastard!

You can afford to make good on your word, but I cannot!

Luo Qian was on the verge of cursing aloud. Who didn't know that this brat still held a peerless title and didn't care a whit about being the Director of Transmission... Everyone must have been blind to let him take charge of tax collection—this was going to be the death of them!

Left with no alternative, Luo Qian could only allow Xu Jingchang's men to enter and search the premises.

Half a day later, the Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, the Director of the Bureau of Land Mobilization, a vice director, and two supervising secretaries were swept up in one fell swoop by Xu Jingchang, along with a supervising secretary from the Bureau of Waterways... Emerging from the Ministry of Works, Xu Jingchang was thoroughly satisfied.

"Minister Luo, I must take my leave for now. When I have time, I will come by to visit again... Next stop, the Ministry of War!" Xu Jingchang announced in a ringing voice.

...

In these final days before the New Year, the one whose heart beat with the most terror was none other than Wang Zhong. The anger in his heart after being locked up by Zhu Di for three months can well be imagined. He had believed his contributions were so great that such a petty matter had landed him in the dungeon—it was a sheer contempt for meritorious officials and a failure to hold him in any regard... And then, Wang Zhong's eyes were truly opened. The officials of the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Punishments were sent into the dungeon one after another, their numbers growing ever larger.

At this rate, Zhu Di's New Year Grand Court Assembly would have to be held inside the Heavenly Prison.

Wang Zhong gradually became well-behaved. Even the dullest person could now understand that Zhu Di was playing for keeps; civil and military officials across every single office—none of them were going to be spared this calamity, and no one could hope to escape this ghost gate.

Realizing this, Wang Zhong actually found it quite amusing. "I was only locked up for three months, just long enough to spend the New Year... Could it be that all of you have engaged in dereliction of duty and bribery? If that's the case, sixty taels of silver will get you skinned and stuffed with straw. You'd all better eat and drink well, lest you end up stripped of even your hides!"

With that, he raised his wine cup. "Come, let us drink fine wine to the full. Get drunk on today's wine today, and worry about being skinned tomorrow... Ah, I am far too talented, I can even compose poetry now."