The Feathered Forest Guards successively brought people out from the office, while a recorder stood to the side making verifications one by one. Su Jin observed from afar that besides various clerks large and small, there were also Assistant Magistrate Sun Yinde, Vice Magistrate Zhou Ping, and two magistrates.
After the recorder finished checking the roster, he quietly reported to the man with the drooping mustache.
The drooping mustache’s eyebrows rose in anger as he barked: “Hurry up and find him! Anyone else can be missing, but not him!”
Su Jin guessed they were talking about her. She circled around the Feathered Forest Guards, emerged from the crowd, and said: “My lord, this subordinate official is here.”
The drooping mustache glanced at her askance, raised his chin and gave the Feathered Forest Guard beside him a look.
The Feathered Forest Guard immediately shoved Su Jin. She stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
Liu Yichu smiled obsequiously from the side: “Assistant Minister, you see, perhaps there’s been a mistake. On the day of the disturbance, if not for Magistrate Su, Lord Xu would not have escaped with his life.”
The drooping mustache sneered coldly: “Magistrate Liu has hit precisely upon the point. Where is there any Lord Xu now? Xu Yuanzhe engaged in nepotism and fraud—he is a traitor to the court. And this fellow Su… Su what was it?”
The recorder beside him replied: “Su Jin.”
“This fellow Su Jin harbored and shielded a traitorous minister. Instead of reporting his crimes, he saved his life—his offense is compounded. Someone, put the cangue on him!”
As he finished speaking, two bailiffs approached from left and right carrying a neck cangue.
Su Jin was slender of frame—if locked in this thousand-pound neck cangue for two hours, wouldn’t it break his shoulder bones?
“This prince sees who dares!”
Suddenly, an explosive shout came from behind the crowd. Zhu Nanxian, dressed in purple robes with python embroidery, emerged from the night.
The Feathered Forest Guards recognized him and immediately withdrew to both sides, clearing a path and kneeling in unison: “We pay respects to the Thirteenth Prince!”
Zhu Nanxian walked straight up to the drooping mustache and kicked him: “What kind of thing are you? The Ministry of Justice is arresting people, and you come along to make trouble?”
The drooping mustache fell face-first into the dirt. Enduring the pain, he crawled into a proper kneeling position and replied: “In response to the Thirteenth Prince, this subject is the Assistant Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments. I have come with the Ministry of Justice to arrest people only because I was commanded by His Majesty.”
Zhu Nanxian hooked his little finger to clean out his ear, as if he hadn’t heard clearly: “Court of Imperial Entertainments? That office full of cooks and kitchen helpers?”
The drooping mustache’s face pressed against the ground, yet his tone held hidden resentment: “In response to Your Highness, this subject is a northern subject. Previously, I submitted memorials together with northern scholars regarding the examination fraud case. Now that His Majesty has investigated and clarified the truth, he wishes to give this subject and the other scholars justice, which is why he commanded this subject to come arrest the principal offenders.”
Someone from below brought a chair out from the office. Zhu Nanxian didn’t sit but planted one foot on it: “Oh, then you should explain exactly who the principal offenders are.”
The drooping mustache glanced at the recorder beside him. Understanding, the recorder presented the roster in his hands to Zhu Nanxian. The drooping mustache said: “In response to Your Highness, it is precisely the people on this roster. His Majesty personally reviewed and approved it in vermillion.”
Zhu Nanxian held up the roster and examined it by firelight, making a sound of acknowledgment: “Indeed quite a few.” He then said to the drooping mustache: “This prince gives you an entire night. You kneel there and explain to this prince one by one exactly what crime each person on this list committed and why they are principal offenders. Don’t explain clearly and you’re not permitted to rise. Understand?”
The drooping mustache dared not resist. Of all the princes this could have been, it had to be a legitimate imperial prince.
Emperor Jingyuan and the late Empress had shared deep affection. The late Empress bore three sons: the Crown Prince, the thirteenth prince, and the seventeenth prince. Of these three, her most beloved was Zhu Nanxian.
Therefore, aside from Emperor Jingyuan and Zhu Minda, no one in the palace could control him.
The drooping mustache’s face pressed against the ground, his teeth nearly grinding through as he squeezed out: “This subject obeys your command.”
Zhu Nanxian asked again: “Where is the Prefect?”
Hearing this, Yang Zhiwei quickly shuffled forward on his knees to Zhu Nanxian’s presence and kowtowed three times.
Zhu Nanxian instructed: “You take Su… take your office’s people and return inside first to rest well for the night. Wait until tomorrow morning when this prince has finished interrogating this meddling busybody, then escort those who should be escorted into the palace.”
Yang Zhiwei repeatedly agreed. He paused slightly, then condescended to help Su Jin up first before leading the office’s people silently back inside.
Assistant Minister Lu, kneeling at the back of the crowd, watched as Zhu Nanxian’s display of warning was clearly determined to be played out to the end. He silently gave a look to a minor clerk kneeling beside him.
Understanding, the clerk quietly shuffled backward on his knees and withdrew from the crowd.
At the fourth watch, the Seven Ministers completed their audience and withdrew from the Fengtian Hall, returning to their respective offices.
Liu Chaoming had not slept all night. He was discussing matters with Zhao Yan while drafting a memorial when he suddenly heard three knocks at his door. It was the Censorate clerk he had sent to follow Assistant Minister Lu of the Ministry of Justice in making arrests.
The clerk recounted what he had witnessed through the night, concluding: “Originally the arrests were proceeding smoothly, but the Thirteenth Prince suddenly blocked both the Assistant Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments and the Assistant Minister of Justice outside the office gates, demanding they explain clearly what crimes each person being escorted had committed.”
Liu Chaoming’s brush paused: “Why?”
The clerk said: “Though the Thirteenth Prince didn’t say explicitly, but… anyone with eyes could see that all this was for Magistrate Su.”
Liu Chaoming slammed the brush in his hand on the table with a sharp sound, saying icily: “Is he brainless?”
The clerk trembled in fright and glanced at Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan shook his head and said to Liu Chaoming: “Don’t be hasty.” But he also found it both exasperating and amusing, frowning as he smiled: “I think if the Thirteenth Prince continues making a scene until dawn, once morning court ends, the entire court will know that Zhu Shisan dared to obstruct even his imperial father’s decree for the sake of a mere magistrate.”
The clerk observed the two supervising officials’ expressions, then added: “Reporting to the two Censor Lords, this actually isn’t entirely His Highness’s fault. Magistrate Su was already injured, and this subordinate observed from afar that there wasn’t a trace of color left on his lips. Yet Assistant Minister Ma of the Court of Imperial Entertainments insisted on putting the neck cangue on him. The Thirteenth Prince was probably afraid he couldn’t endure the night, which is why he made such a scene.”
Liu Chaoming raised his hand to massage his temples and sighed: “Forget it. I’ll go bring him back.”
—
Author’s Note:
1. The “one cup of clear tea” couplet is not my own creation. I saw it in a book previously—I couldn’t write such a couplet myself, hehe.
2. Junior fire-tender: refers to eunuchs of the lowest status (Ming Dynasty).