Wei Caiwei didn’t hear Chen Jingji’s words. The moment she saw Chen Qianhu dressed in mourning clothes, a surge of rage erupted in her mind, burning her soul from top to bottom.
Chen Qianhu was a hypocrite and a true scoundrel who deceived his comrades and betrayed his promises.
In her previous life, during the Gengxu Incident, Mongol Altan Khan led his troops straight into the heart, pillaging in Beijing’s outer city for half a month.
The outer city became a scorched wasteland, and the people fled toward the capital to escape the war. But at this time, Chief Grand Secretary Yan Song of the Inner Cabinet ordered the city gates closed, saying that once Altan Khan had looted enough, he would naturally retreat. If they opened the gates now, the Mongol soldiers pursuing behind the refugees would likely rush into the capital along with them.
Lu Bing, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, couldn’t bear to watch the refugees kneeling outside the city, begging to enter.
Lu Bing was the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and also Emperor Jiajing’s milk brother, most trusted by the emperor. Lu Bing requested that the emperor open the city gates to let the refugees in first, and he would dispatch a team of Embroidered Uniform Guards to cover the refugees’ retreat, preventing Mongol soldiers from rushing into the capital.
This operation was extremely risky. The team of Embroidered Uniform Guards sent out would essentially be a suicide squad. The Great Ming had enjoyed peace for a long time—only the southeastern coast troubled by Japanese pirates, while the north had been free of war for over a hundred years. Most soldiers were just earning their meals, but there were always some whose blood ran hot.
Wei Caiwei’s father, He Qianhu, volunteered to join the suicide squad to cover the refugees’ retreat. Before leaving the city, He Qianhu entrusted all his family assets to his comrade and in-law Chen Qianhu, and arranged his final affairs:
“My journey will likely end in disaster, but fortunately our children are already betrothed—we’re one family. If I cannot return… my eldest daughter’s dowry has long been prepared. The He family property—the two sisters shall each have half. After the three-year mourning period, my eldest daughter will marry into your Chen family. The sisters are deeply attached, and she will surely bring her younger sister along when she marries. By then, the second daughter will also be ten years old. After troubling the Chen family for a few years, her elder sister and brother-in-law can arrange a stable marriage for her, and she too will marry out.”
Chen Qianhu shed tears, patting his chest and readily agreeing: “Why speak of two families when we’re one? How many years have we been friends? We’ve been good friends since we wore split-crotch pants. I’ve always regarded your two daughters as my own. Don’t speak such inauspicious words—you will surely return.”
He Qianhu trusted Chen Qianhu. With his family entrusted and his mind at ease, he followed the Embroidered Uniform Guard suicide squad out of the city. Refugees poured into the inner city, but only this team of Embroidered Uniform Guards moved against the current, advancing toward the outer city.
Sure enough, Mongol scouts saw that Beijing’s Fucheng Gate and several other gates had actually opened to receive refugees, and immediately dispatched troops to attack.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard suicide squad engaged the Mongol vanguard. To protect the refugees and the city gates, none retreated—all died in battle.
He Qianhu died in service to his duty and should have been rewarded. Why did he become a criminal whose property was confiscated, with his two daughters sentenced to become government slaves?
Chen Qianhu was the chief culprit.
The Gengxu Incident was the Great Ming’s greatest humiliation since the Tumu Crisis over a hundred years earlier (when the Ming’s Zhengtong Emperor was actually captured by the Mongols). After Altan Khan retreated, the people were outraged. The ultimate culprit was naturally Emperor Jiajing, who hadn’t held court for over twenty years, allowing military affairs to deteriorate while practicing alchemy in his palace.
But the emperor was the sovereign—could the sovereign be wrong?
No. The core values of feudal society were ruler-minister-father-son relationships. The emperor could not be wrong, only be deceived.
When a monarch erred, women or ministers needed to take the blame and whitewash the ruler’s reputation.
Emperor Jiajing was notoriously harsh and ungrateful toward his empress and consorts. Without a favored consort like Yang Yuhuan to take the blame, he could only push ministers forward for execution to appease popular anger.
Chief Grand Secretary Yan Song pushed forward Minister of War Ding Rukui to take the blame, sentencing him to death with reprieve.
As the Great Ming’s intelligence agency, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was completely unaware of Altan Khan’s attack on Beijing—they certainly had “crimes of delaying military affairs and failing in surveillance.” But Lu Bing, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, was Emperor Jiajing’s milk brother, so naturally no one dared impeach him. The responsibility fell to the next level of officials.
The dead He Qianhu and the living Chen Qianhu were both Embroidered Uniform Guard officials responsible for intelligence. Seeing that their families were about to be confiscated and exterminated, Chen Qianhu panicked. He sold all the property He Qianhu had entrusted to him, plus half the Chen family fortune, gathering fifty thousand taels of silver to bribe Yan Shifan, son of Chief Grand Secretary Yan Song, seeking guidance.
Yan Shifan took the money and pointed him toward a way out: “If the executioner’s block doesn’t claim a few officials and confiscate a few properties, how can popular anger be appeased? That He Qianhu is already dead, isn’t he? Dead men can’t speak in their own defense. You can push the responsibility for ‘intelligence errors and delaying military affairs’ onto him.”
Chen Qianhu hesitated somewhat: “But… he’s my in-law.”
Yan Shifan smiled: “In-law is perfect! Wouldn’t that make you righteously exterminating relatives? Not only would you be blameless, you’d actually have merit!”
Faced with the choice between friendship and his future, Chen Qianhu unhesitatingly chose the latter.
Chen Qianhu forged several intelligence reports about “Altan Khan’s unusual movements,” writing He Qianhu’s name as the receiving official. Thus, it became He Qianhu who neglected his duties and failed to report intelligence timely—making him the criminal.
He Qianhu was sentenced to complete family execution and property confiscation. Fortunately, Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Lu Bing still remembered He Qianhu’s merit in volunteering for battle. He submitted a memorial saying that although He Qianhu delayed military affairs, he had died fighting to protect refugees. Balancing merit against fault, he requested leniency and sparing the two daughters from death.
The final judgment was commutation to confiscation and sale as government slaves. To prevent word from leaking and Guard Commander Lu Bing from interfering again, Chen Qianhu pretended to be benevolent, purchasing the two sisters and keeping them on a rural estate.
Chen Qianhu originally intended to let the sisters fend for themselves, but his son Chen Dalang lusted after his former fiancée Miss He’s body. Using the younger sister’s life as leverage, he coerced the elder sister into compliance, raping Miss He and getting her pregnant.
Chen Dalang was a man without responsibility. He told his father about this matter, asking his father to clean up the mess, claiming repeatedly that Miss He had actively seduced him.
At this time, Chen Qianhu was arranging a new marriage for his son. Hearing this, he flew into a rage, telling his son to first pacify the sisters and not let them spread rumors. He planned to let the elder sister die along with her unborn child, then eliminate the younger one after a few years to avoid gossip.
All of this came to light later when Grand Eunuch Wang Daxia secretly cooperated with court officials to bring down Chief Grand Secretary Yan Song, throwing his son Yan Shifan and accomplices like Chen Qianhu into the Eastern Depot prison, where they were severely tortured and interrogated.
Yan Shifan was beheaded, Chen Qianhu’s entire clan was exterminated.
Wang Daxia helped Wei Caiwei achieve her revenge.
In this life, seeing her dead enemy Chen Qianhu still alive, and his subordinates having nearly shot and killed the young Wang Daxia before his self-castration, how could Wei Caiwei not be furious?
She wished she could take up a blade and hack Chen Qianhu into a thousand pieces!
“Shuntian Prefecture is holding night court!” Chen Jingji stopped the mule cart by the roadside. “Come, let’s go listen to the trial.”
Embroidered Uniform Guard Chen Qianhu and Northern District Military Commissioner Wang Boda met at the yamen entrance. Both were notable figures in the capital, so after meeting, they didn’t engage in unseemly brawling. Each took a step back, requesting Shuntian Prefecture yamen to interrogate suspect Wang Daxia through the night.
Several barriers stood outside the courtroom, with people packed like dumplings beyond them, crowding so tightly that not even water could pass through. Chen Jingji, experienced in navigating the marketplace, had his methods.
He told Wei Caiwei to follow closely behind, turning sideways to squeeze directly into the crowd, pushing forcefully while loudly shouting, “Don’t push! Everyone stop pushing! I’m being squashed flat!”
Chen Jingji was like a loach, leading Wei Caiwei as they squeezed to the front row of the barriers, where they could see the brightly lit Shuntian Prefecture yamen courtroom.
In the courtroom, the Shuntian Prefecture Prefect sat solemnly, with an advisor standing on each side.
Chen Jingji explained in a low voice: “That’s Prefect Wang, nicknamed Wang the Loach—extremely slippery. The criminal law and revenue advisors are nicknamed the Humming and Hawing Generals.”
Wang the Loach didn’t even strike his gavel: “We’ve been making noise until now—everyone’s tired. Come, sit and talk.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard and Northern District Military Commission sat on the left and right respectively, continuing their standoff. Wang Daxia plopped down beside his father: “Father, you finally came! If you’d arrived a step later, your son might have been chopped into mincemeat!”
Slap!
Wang Qianhu smacked the back of Wang Daxia’s head: “Because of you, this troublemaker! Nearly cost my Northern District Military Commission several officers!”
Wang Qianhu immediately adopted Liu Bei’s gesture of throwing A-Dou to appease his injured subordinates from the group fight.
The Northern District Military Commission officers all said: “Sir, you misunderstand—this really wasn’t Second Young Master’s fault.”
Wang Qianhu pushed Wang Daxia: “You still have the face to sit? In the courtroom, you’re a commoner who should kneel when answering! Where’s your seat? You don’t know proper etiquette!”
No wonder they say it’s harder than climbing a mountain for commoners to sue officials? Those with scholarly degrees or official positions could see officials without kneeling, but wastrels like Wang Daxia, who had no learning or achievements and remained commoners, had to kneel when speaking and defending themselves in court.
Wang Qianhu didn’t cause trouble, first disciplining his son properly. Treat me with a foot of respect, and I’ll return a yard. Wang the Loach gestured with his eyes, and immediately a clerk brought over a soft cushion.
Wang Daxia knelt on the cushion, his bottom resting on his heels—a kneeling position.
Wang Qianhu bowed formally to Chen Qianhu: “I was shocked to hear that your son met with trouble in the northern district. I too am a father and can understand the pain of losing a child and the urgency to solve the case. I immediately ordered the Northern District Military Commission to increase patrols and assist Shuntian Prefecture in solving the case. Later I heard that Chen Qianhu’s subordinates had some misunderstanding with my son, resulting in a street conflict that stretched from Wanping all the way to Daxing, even breaking the grievance drum at Shuntian Prefecture yamen. Though I don’t know the cause, the matter ultimately began because of my son. I apologize to Officer Chen first.”
Despite Wang Qianhu’s humble stance, Chen Qianhu remained expressionless: “You have three sons—if this wastrel dies, you still have two. But our Chen family has had single heirs for five generations. I have only one son. Married eight years without holding a single grandchild, and now with Dalang’s… departure, our Chen family line ends, our bloodline severed. How can you understand my grief? No matter who killed my son, I will certainly have them pay with their life.”
Chen Qianhu coldly swept his gaze over the improperly kneeling Wang Daxia: “Better to kill a hundred innocents than let one guilty person escape. Everyone who had conflicts with my son has been arrested and sent to the Imperial Prison for questioning. All were obedient and cooperative—only your son was different. Not only did he resist arrest, he fled through the streets, causing citywide chaos. Wang Qianhu, if it were your son who died and a suspect reacted so intensely, wouldn’t you also suspect him of being the murderer?”
Wang Daxia cried out his innocence: “It wasn’t me! Really wasn’t me! I left early in the morning and only returned to the city at dusk. My mother’s house was rented out by a broker without my consent. I beat up the broker and wanted to discuss the tenant moving out. All this happened in Wanping County—I never set foot in Daxing County where Chen Dalang was killed.”
Wang the Loach finally remembered his duties and asked: “Do you have witnesses?”
Wang Daxia said: “The neighbors in Sweet Water Lane and the beaten Chen Jingji can all testify for me.”
Wang the Loach struck his gavel: “Someone bring the Sweet Water Lane residents and Chen Jingji to court for questioning.”
Chen Qianhu raised his hand: “The Wang mansion’s west side borders Sweet Water Lane—they’re all neighbors who would naturally speak for Wang Daxia. Their testimony can’t be trusted.”
Wang Daxia said: “Then find Chen Jingji. I beat him up, so he holds a grudge against me. He certainly wouldn’t favor me and would state the facts directly.”
Wang the Loach said: “Then let’s find Chen Jingji. We’ll recess first, go rest in the back, have some tea, and resume when Chen Jingji arrives.”
Behind the barriers, Chen Jingji heard the officials wanted to question him and immediately lowered his head, playing dead. As a merchant, it was best not to get involved in lawsuits. Tonight I won’t go home to sleep—I’ll find a friend to stay with.
Just as he was thinking this, Wei Caiwei behind him screamed “Don’t push! Don’t push!” while pushing Chen Jingji forward. Chen Jingji’s lower abdomen struck the wooden rod of the barrier, causing him to gasp in pain, but he held back from crying out—if Wang Daxia heard him, being dragged in as a witness would be terrible!
But how could Wei Caiwei let Chen Jingji play the coward and allow Wang Daxia to suffer injustice?
When one plan failed, she devised another. Wei Caiwei feigned concern, gently patting Chen Jingji’s back: “Chen Jingji! Are you alright! Don’t hurt your kidneys!”
Hearing this familiar voice call that name, Wang Daxia, kneeling on his cushion, turned around and looked carefully: “Oh, what a coincidence! Chen Jingji! Come quickly, come quickly! The Prefect is looking for you to question! Quickly explain when, where, and how I beat you!”