An Appeal to the Emperor

Emperor Yuanjing knew that court infighting was like cooking a small fish; only by simmering it slowly over a low flame could a satisfactory flavor be achieved.

Win over some people, suppress others, and proceed gradually. In the process, it is necessary to give the enemy opportunities to retaliate and vent their frustrations, gradually wearing down their morale and fighting spirit.

If he, as the ruler of the country, were to defy public opinion and forcibly convict Wei Yuan, the result would be a repeat of the situation after the death of the Prince of Huai, when the courtiers surrounded the Meridian Gate.

The fact that his ministers surrounded the Meridian Gate was precisely because he had used excessive force.

The subsequent operations and planning, gradually reversing the nature of the Chuzhou case, perfectly align with the theory of slow and steady progress.

Emperor Yuanjing strolled through the palace, gazing up at the distant blue sky. But that was when he was trying to maintain the balance of fortune and prevent it from leaking out. Now, however, he was about to shake the balance of fortune.

Since the Yan and Kang kingdoms are in such dire straits, he will take matters into his own hands.

Although the nature of the battle could not be definitively determined that day, differing opinions emerged in the imperial court. For the astute officials in the capital who were adept at analyzing the political situation, this was a very important signal.

Those who need to take sides must make their choice now.

Those who are not taking sides should just keep quiet and observe the situation.

Over the next two days, several grand and small court assemblies were held. Members of the former Wei faction refused to budge, engaging in fierce debates with the Wang faction and the supporters of Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao.

As in the past few decades, Emperor Yuanjing held his throne high and watched the two tigers fight.

The most surprising thing is that Chief Minister Wang, who has been fighting with Wei Yuan for half his life, has stood firmly on the side of the former Wei party members with an incredible attitude. He has done his best to protect Wei Yuan's reputation and to define the nature of this battle.

In front of a small courtyard in the north of the city.

A luxurious carriage slowly pulled up to the side of the street. A middle-aged man in casual clothes stepped out of the carriage and, surrounded by his entourage, knocked on the door of the small courtyard.

The woman who opened the door was a pretty young married woman dressed in a cloth skirt. She was startled to see so many men standing at the door and quickly closed it.

The attendant raised his hand to stop him, scolding, "How dare you be so rude! Do you know who's standing in front of you?"

Unable to close the door, the young woman retreated in a panic, calling into the house, "Mother, we have guests!"

An elderly woman with a full head of silver hair, leaning on a cane, came out of the house and warily sized up the group of uninvited guests. "Who are you?"

The old woman, who had once been very wealthy, recognized the middle-aged man's unusual status with just a glance, from the expensive fabrics and exquisite workmanship of his clothes and the jade pendant hanging from his waist.

This made the old woman even more wary.

Those lackeys of the imperial court had a very clear goal: extortion. Although they were hateful, at least they did it openly. Moreover, now that my family is destitute and life is hard, I no longer bother with those inhuman lackeys.

What brings this middle-aged man, whose status must be of high rank, before us?

It's definitely not about the money.

A middle-aged man stood in the yard, a few clucking hens in the corner, and the faint smell of chicken droppings in the air made him frown slightly.

"Are you Lu Zhennan's first wife?" he asked.

Lu Zhennan is Lu Ye's real name.

The old woman suddenly burst into a loud wail, threw down her cane, and sat down, employing the usual tactics of a shrew: first, play the victim and cry foul, placing herself on a moral high ground—that's always the right thing to do.

The old woman was illiterate and had never been to school; these were lessons and wisdom she had learned from her experiences in the marketplace.

But the middle-aged man's words instantly silenced the old woman's cries, making her sound like a hen being choked.

Do you want to overturn Lu Zhennan's conviction?

Was Lu involved in human trafficking and rape? Or should the case be overturned? The old woman neither nodded nor refused; she simply stared blankly at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man smiled and used words he could try to make the common woman understand:

"The high-ranking official who exiled your son was named Wei Yuan, the head of the Nightwatchers watchman's office. He's now dead on the battlefield. Some people are thinking of exonerating those innocent people who were framed by Wei Yuan, restoring their innocence, and bringing order to the bureaucracy."

"As long as you go to the Meridian Gate after lunch and beat the drum to appeal, accusing Wei Yuan of excessive greed and slandering innocent people, I can guarantee that your son, who has been exiled to the frontier, will return to reunite with you before the spring sacrifice this year."

The old woman's eyes suddenly lit up, and she became radiant.

Then, a sense of fear crept in, and he muttered under his breath, "Complaining to the emperor will get you punished with a beating."

According to the laws of the Great Feng, anyone who appeals beyond the proper channels shall be punished with fifty strokes of the cane.

If you win, there will be no further consequences. If you lose, you will be exiled two thousand miles away or even lose your life.

At her age, fifty strokes of the cane would be enough to prevent her from going to court; she would be reunited with the dead old man on the spot, and the couple would be reborn together.

The middle-aged man sneered, "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe. If you die, wouldn't all our efforts have been for nothing?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the attendants beside him.

The attendant dropped a gold ingot and a written complaint.

The middle-aged man said, "The indictment has been written for you. If this matter is handled well, not only will your son be able to return, but you will also receive a reward of fifty taels of gold, enough for your family to live a life of luxury."

The old woman gritted her teeth and said resolutely, "Thank you, sir, for upholding justice for me!"

The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction. "I'll teach you the process and methods of appealing to the emperor now."

On that day, a loud drumbeat resounded outside the Meridian Gate. An old woman, accompanied by her daughter-in-law and grandson, beat the Dengwen Drum outside the Meridian Gate, accusing Wei Yuan of excessive greed and slandering innocent people.

Emperor Yuanjing, who had neglected his duties for twenty-one years, was furious upon hearing this and ordered the Censorate to thoroughly investigate the matter.

The news spread rapidly among officials in Beijing, stirring up undercurrents in the capital's officialdom.

The old woman was immediately taken away by the censors of the Censorate. She was taken to the Censorate's interrogation room, where she trembled and lowered her head.

Ordinary women have a natural fear of the government.

"Is that Lu Lishi down there?"

After the major case, the presiding judge's authoritative voice rang out.

"That's me," the old woman said in a trembling voice.

"Raise your head," the authoritative voice said again.

The old woman slowly raised her head and saw the official sitting high behind the desk. She was so surprised that she almost cried out. This official was the middle-aged man who had visited her not long ago and instructed her on how to file a lawsuit with the emperor.

"I, Yuan Xiong, what grievance do you have? Tell me the truth."

"What I, this humble woman, have to say is all written in the petition."

"That's not enough, I need more details. I'm asking you questions, and you must answer without concealing anything, understand?"

"Yes"

"Has your husband, Lu Zhennan, engaged in human trafficking, kidnapping innocent women, children, or adult men?"

"Absolutely not! My wife's husband is a small cloth merchant, a hardworking and honest man. How could he possibly sell a person?"

"Then why does Master Dao of the human trafficking organization insist that Lu Zhennan is the leader of the organization?"

"This humble woman knows nothing about him. I've never even heard of him. Besides, my husband had already passed away by then. They're just using their mouths to slander me, taking advantage of the fact that the dead can't speak."

"Oh, a trumped-up charge." Yuan Xiong nodded, then asked, "What happened to you after the Lu family was raided?"

"Those Nightwatchers come to our house every few days to cause trouble and demand money."

"Oh, extortion, exploitation of the people. What else?"

They even harassed my daughter-in-law.

"Oh, you've defiled your daughter-in-law, you've raped a respectable woman."

Soon, Yuan Xiong brought the interrogation results to the palace to report to Emperor Yuanjing.

Emperor Yuanjing immediately summoned all the officials and held a small court meeting in the imperial study.

"Bang!"

Emperor Yuanjing slammed his fist on the table, his imperial face contorted in fury:

"The night Nightwatchers are greedy and exploitative, causing families to break apart and still not letting go, squeezing every last drop of wealth and defiling women. The evils of these petty officials have been accumulating for a long time, and I never imagined that the night watchmen, Nightwatchers all officials, would be so corrupt. I am deeply saddened. I am very disappointed in Wei Yuan."

"I treated him with the utmost respect, yet he became a traitor."

Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong stepped forward and said urgently, "Your Majesty, this matter concerns Duke Wei. Such a major case should be tried jointly by the three judicial departments. We cannot listen to the words of Yuan Xiong alone."

He was Wei Yuan's confidant, and he had to avoid suspicion in this case. All members of Wei Yuan's faction had to avoid suspicion and were excluded by Emperor Yuanjing from interfering in the case.

Emperor Yuanjing sneered, "The three judicial departments will conduct a joint trial. Can you even get any results? When you investigated the case of Consort Fu, what did you find out about the Crown Prince? It was all just passing the buck."

The gentlemen were speechless for a moment.

Chief Minister Wang stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this case is of great importance. This is against the rules. I request that the three judicial departments conduct a joint trial."

Qin Yuandao, the Vice Minister of War, immediately stood up to refute, saying:

"During the Capital Evaluation, Nightwatchers's office, from the highest-ranking to the lowest, were imprisoned for embezzlement and bribery. This corrupt practice has a long history, and now that Wei Yuan is dead, these corrupt and lawless scoundrels have lost their protection. I believe this is the perfect opportunity to thoroughly investigate the Nightwatchers and eradicate this deep-seated problem."

Emperor Yuanjing stopped looking at him and stared at Yuan Xiong, saying:

"Minister Yuan, I am now entrusting the Nightwatchers's Office to you. Investigate thoroughly and eradicate all the deep-seated problems, restoring to me a clean and upright Nightwatchers's Office."

Overjoyed, Yuan Xiong didn't let his emotions show, and shouted, "Yes!"

After the officials dispersed, the Minister of War hurried to catch up with the Grand Secretary Wang and whispered, "Grand Secretary, what should we do now?"

It's obvious that His Majesty intends to use this to smear Duke Wei. When the various "dark" aspects of the Nightwatchers's office are exposed, how clean can Wei Yuan, as the leader of the Nightwatchers, really be?

At that time, forget about loyalty and martial prowess, forget about being a duke.

The Grand Secretary Wang replied, seemingly unrelated to the question, "Have you noticed that more and more people are becoming silent?"

The Minister of War's expression changed.

The Grand Secretary Wang said calmly, "Keep an eye on your own people. In officialdom, once someone leaves, they're forgotten—a truth that has remained unchanged for thousands of years."

The old man turned around, glanced at the palace, and looked utterly exhausted.

Yuan Xiong left the palace in a carriage, neither returning to the Censorate nor making any grand entrance as a new official, heading straight for the Nightwatchers's Office.

"The Nightwatchers best is definitely the Nightwatchers himself. If you want to get things done quickly, you can't do without that person's help."

Yuan Xiong squinted, his fingers tapping discreetly on his knee.

The wheels rumbled as he left the imperial city and traveled for half an hour through the inner city before arriving at a mansion.

The Zhu family mansion!

P. S.: This chapter is a bit short; I'll make up for it tomorrow.