Chapter 49: The Most Overbearing Person in the Great Ming Dynasty
Chapter 49: The Most Overbearing Person in the Great Ming Dynasty
“Censor Liu, you’ve come! These bandits forced their way in to do evil. Fortunately, my friend here acted with courage and justice to subdue them. If not, the women in the inner quarters would have surely been shamed!”
Chen Yujie, holding the Grand Pronouncements, suddenly popped out from behind Yang Xin, speaking with a look of pleasant surprise.
The Censor took a deep breath.
“I can bear witness!”
Wang Wang immediately popped her head out next, adding fuel to the fire.
“This is so frightening. I was just about to visit Assistant Supervisor Xu’s residence to seek his advice when these people brandished weapons, smashed open the gate, and fought their way in. Even my household servants were injured by them. Everyone says the Capital City is a place of highest virtue, so how can there be bandits breaking into people’s homes, fighting and killing? Even in the poor, remote countryside of Huguang we don’t have such things! If not for this brave man’s help, this humble woman would likely have lost her virtue this time. Censor, you must uphold justice for this humble woman!”
She patted her chest, appearing genuinely fearful.
The Censor took another deep breath.
“What is right and what is wrong shall be decided by this official. Whether it was they who illegally entered the residence, or this man who assaulted and injured people, none of you are qualified to make that determination. Take them all to the yamen first, then we’ll talk!”
He said with a gloomy face.
Going to the yamen was not an option. Once there, whether they would be released would be up to them. Moreover, finding some excuse to give Yang Xin forty solid blows with the heavy rod beforehand was almost guaranteed. Under the Great Ming Code, there was a clause allowing officials to freely beat someone up to eighty blows. A simple ruling of ‘Improper Conduct’ would suffice. As for what constituted ‘Improper Conduct,’ that was entirely up to the double-tongued officials. This catch-all ‘Improper Conduct’ could result in anything from forty light lashes to eighty heavy blows with the rod. No matter how tough Yang Xin was, after receiving a real eighty blows, he would be a cripple. The application of the rod was an art. If one didn’t intend to truly injure someone, even eight hundred blows could leave the person fit and healthy a month later. If one wanted to kill, eight blows could easily do the job…
“Where is the Vermillion Warrant?”
Chen Yujie stretched out his hand and said with an innocent look.
“This official being present, what need is there for a Vermillion Warrant!”
The Censor said angrily.
“Censor Liu, you are you, but the court’s regulations are the court’s regulations. Even if you were to write the Vermillion Warrant right here on the spot, it would still need to exist. Even the Imperial Guard needs an Arrest Warrant when apprehending someone. Without issuing a Vermillion Warrant, on what grounds are you making an arrest?”
Chen Yujie said.
Beside him, Yang Xin stepped on the Green Robed Scholar beneath his foot.
The latter immediately let out a scream…
“Ah, this bandit is trying to break free again!”
The instigator said with an innocent face.
“This official is not arresting him, but taking him back to understand the case!”
Censor Liu said, suppressing his anger.
At this time in the Great Ming Dynasty, because the Wanli Emperor secluded himself in the inner palace and disliked managing affairs, a purely civil-service government led by the Grand Secretariat had ultimately formed. The drawbacks were obvious, but there was one benefit: regulations were upheld. The civil officials could not form individual powerful ministers. Although they were overwhelmingly dominant as a group, due to factional strife, those officials still had to genuinely abide by the rules…
Otherwise, rival factions would seize upon any pretext.
They also had to abide by the regulations, even if they themselves had set them.
For example, when the Minister of Personnel was blocked in the street by a shrew yelling at his sedan chair, he still had to pretend to be broad-minded in the end.
And a City Patrol Censor had to have a Vermillion Warrant to make an arrest.
Moreover, once this Vermillion Warrant was issued, even the Wanli Emperor had to hand someone over if the order was to arrest someone in the Imperial Palace.
There had been precedents before: a City Patrol Censor issued a Vermillion Warrant sent to the palace, demanding Wanli hand over a eunuch they sought to arrest. Although his close confidants urged Wanli otherwise, he still handed the person over, because the Vermillion Warrant represented the law.
But making an arrest without a Vermillion Warrant was also unacceptable. Not just the City Patrol Censor; even the Imperial Guard had to first present an Arrest Warrant when apprehending someone.
“Then what is this cangue for?”
Chen Yujie pointed at the wooden cangue in the soldiers’ hands behind him.
If they didn’t put a cangue on a beast-level threat like Yang Xin, what was the point of arresting him?
“Government Student Chen, this official does not need you to teach me how to handle a case!”
Censor Liu finally lost his temper and shouted.
“Well, well, this City Patrol Censor is even more overbearing than us Imperial Guards. When we have an Arrest Warrant to apprehend someone, it’s like deploying riders that stir the world. Yet they come to clamp a heavy tens-of-pounds cangue on an innocent person without even a Vermillion Warrant?”
Mocking laughter suddenly rose from behind.
Censor Liu turned back in surprise.
He saw Xu Xianchun sitting on his horse, looking at him with disdain. However, this fellow wasn’t in official uniform, and neither were the few companions behind him. Clearly, they were not on duty. At this time, he was just a guard officer. When on duty, he served in the palace; when off duty, he did as he pleased. He was obviously preparing to go outside the city to hunt somewhere, and they even carried Matchlock Guns. The few behind him were also sons of noble families. However, his appearance still surprised Yang Xin somewhat, because the relationship between the two sides hadn’t reached the point where Xu would speak out courageously for justice.
These nobles were all very cunning.
They wouldn’t even look favorably upon a commoner like Yang Xin.
“Assistant Imperial Guard Commander Xu’s duty lies in palace guard, but this civilian case in the capital probably does not require Assistant Imperial Guard Commander Xu’s concern!”
Censor Liu said with a cold laugh.
At this time, the Imperial Guard utterly failed to live up to their formidable reputation. Wanli himself avoided the civil officials. Without the emperor’s absolute support, neither the Eastern Depot nor the Imperial Guard had the conditions to run amok. Forget about deploying riders to stir the world; at this time, even the courtyard of the Imperial Prison was overgrown with wild grass. The Five City Military Inspectorate dared not offend the Imperial Guard because they had to cooperate with the latter in joint operations.
But Censor Liu was not from the Five City Military Inspectorate.
He was a Censorate Official from the Censorate.
He was a Censorate Official patrolling the eastern city, similar to the Circuit Inspector in operas, except the latter patrolled a province while he patrolled a district of the capital. But his status was no different. Even if a eunuch in the Imperial Palace committed a crime, he dared to issue a Vermillion Warrant for arrest. Why would he fear someone like Xu Xianchun? If Xu Xianchun were in the Brocade Guard’s Judicial Bureau, he would have the standing to speak on this matter. The Imperial Guard had a special status and also had jurisdiction over capital security matters. But Xu Xianchun was merely a guard officer without real power, put bluntly, someone idling in the palace relying on his ancestral privilege.
His official rank was indeed much higher.
Assistant Imperial Guard Commander was a fourth-rank military official, while City Patrol Censor was a seventh-rank civil official.
But he was a military officer. What use was a higher rank? Even Li Ruzhen, a first-rank official, was besieged for daring not to pay respects to Wang Keshou, a third-rank official. And that Wang Keshou was also from the Imperial Guard and had once overseen the Brocade Guard’s Judicial Bureau. When it came down to it, organizations like the Eastern Depot and Imperial Guard in the Great Ming were all rubbish. The Censors were the ones you really couldn’t afford to mess with. Only under the control of a strongman like Nine Thousand Years Old did the Depot and Guard truly become powerful. But in the Wanli era, the civil officials were in charge. The Censors were the most overbearing. Although their own descendants in later times prettified them as victims of surveillance-state rule, victims who dared to send arrest warrants to the palace and force the emperor to hand people over?
I’ll believe that when pigs fly!
“Censor Liu, I’m just saying what’s fair. Illegally entering a private residence is a crime no matter what, right?”
Xu Xianchun said.
He also had self-awareness.
“Who says we illegally entered a private residence? We came to capture a fugitive, to send the fugitive to the Ministry of Justice for punishment. This bandit committed murder and went into hiding. Sheltered by treacherous factions, he not only evaded the law but also continuously committed assaults. We all draw salary from the court and take upholding justice in the world as our duty. How could we simply stand by and watch!”
A Green Robed Scholar pointed at Yang Xin and shouted with righteous indignation.
“That’s right!”
…
A chorus of indignant condemnation rose around him.
Then Yang Xin stepped on the unlucky Green Robed Scholar under his foot again…
“Ah, this bandit is trying to break free again!”
He said with a smile amidst the latter’s screams.
“Here are the Taizu Emperor’s Grand Pronouncements. You ignored my explicit warnings and forced your way into my uncle’s residence by breaking the gate. If this isn’t illegally entering a private residence, then what is? I don’t care what your business is. This is the private residence of the Xu family. Anyone who enters without the Xu family’s permission can be beaten to death.”
Chen Yujie said, holding up the Grand Pronouncements.
“Government Student Chen, this official is the law enforcer, not you. Only this official here can determine who is a criminal!”
Censor Liu said with a cold laugh.
“Even law enforcement must be reasonable, no?”
Xu Xianchun said.
“This official is just about to take him away to discuss reason!”
Censor Liu said.
“Have someone bring a heavy tens-of-pounds cangue? Was it him who illegally entered the residence, or these people?”
Chen Yujie said.
“Since Government Student Chen speaks of Taizu Emperor’s regulations, then this official will discuss Taizu Emperor’s regulations with you!”
Censor Liu said with a cold laugh, eyeing Yang Xin.
“Do you hold any official examination rank?”
He asked.
“No!”
Yang Xin answered bluntly.
“What is your household registration? Farmer? Merchant? Military? Artisan?”
Censor Liu asked.
“Farmer!”
Yang Xin answered.
How would he know what kind of identity Huang Zhen had gone back to arrange for him!
However, Huang Zhen was of merchant registration, while his hired hands were a mixed bunch, basically all of commoner registration, meaning ordinary farmer status. So, the most likely thing Huang Zhen arranged for him was commoner registration. His method was probably using a substitute identity, meaning bribing the local baojia heads to assume the identity of someone who had just died accidentally. In these times, there were no photos for verification, let alone DNA tests. At most, there was a brief written description. As long as he bribed the baojia heads and local Gentry, no one would ever find out if the person was an impostor.
Huang Zhen’s hired hands were all like that.
And the government’s rule over localities relied precisely on the Gentry and baojia. Once these people were bribed, there was nothing to worry about. In fact, someone like Huang Zhen who dealt in Illicit Salt must certainly have local Gentry backing him. Otherwise, who would he sell the Illicit Salt to after transporting it to Hejian?
He needed partners.
“Commoner registration, no examination rank, meaning a Commoner. Under Taizu Emperor’s regulations, Commoners are not permitted to adorn themselves with gold or jade, and the hem of their garments must be at least five inches from the ground. You improperly wear a jade pendant, and your garment hem is less than five inches from the ground. Both constitute violations of regulations. So today, this official will apprehend you according to Taizu Emperor’s regulations. You talk of regulations to this official. Do you think you understand them better than this official? This official has plenty of reasons to apprehend you. This official can always find a reason to arrest you! Men, apprehend him immediately. This man is fierce and savage. To prevent his escape, he must first be cangued. Government Student Chen, Assistant Imperial Guard Commander Xu, is this official being unjust in enforcing the law?”
Censor Liu said triumphantly.
The archer-soldiers quickly moved forward with the wooden cangue and leg irons…
“Can I hit him?”
Yang Xin whispered.
“I think you should run at this point. Once you enter the yamen, I guarantee the first thing he’ll do is break both your legs. You’ve really made yourself intensely hated today.”
Chen Yujie said in a low voice, expressionless.
“Then what about you if I run?”
Yang Xin said.
“They weren’t beaten by me.”
Chen Yujie said.
“That’s fine then!”
Yang Xin said with satisfaction.
As he spoke, he began rolling up his sleeves again.
“What are you doing?”
Chen Yujie said with alarm.
“Since I’m going to run for it anyway, I naturally need to settle the score first. I can’t just leave like this, can I? That would be too disappointing for the audience!”
Yang Xin said with a vicious grin.