The rise of the poor

Emperor Jiajing threw Luo Longwen's memorial at his feet, then picked up another memorial and opened it.

"Another impeachment of that boy Zhu." Emperor Jiajing glanced at it and found that it was yet another memorial impeaching Zhu Ping'an.

"Look at what this impeachment is for? Oh, unauthorized killing?! What do you mean? Well, Zhu Ping'an has recently wiped out several Japanese pirate strongholds along the Zhejiang coast, repeatedly reporting his achievements, claiming to have beheaded thousands of pirates. Were all those heads taken by him pirates? No, most of them were unscrupulous civilians who resisted arrest and were killed, not pirates. Their crimes do not warrant death. Zhu Ping'an killed them without authorization to report his achievements, a crime that cannot be forgiven. Nonsense! This Zhu is not that Zhu!" The Jiajing Emperor read the memorial quickly, then chuckled coldly, tossed it to Huang Jin, and issued an order with displeasure, "Send someone to thoroughly investigate him. If he is an honest and capable official, that's fine. But if he is a corrupt, lawless, and mediocre person, hand him over to the relevant authorities for severe punishment!"

"Yes, sir." Huang Jin took the memorial, stepped back a few meters, and turned to walk out of the hall.

After leaving the main hall, Huang Jin opened the memorial to see who had submitted it. It was an accusation that Zhu Pingan had committed unauthorized killing. It was one thing to impeach others for unauthorized killing, such as Lu Tang or Yu Dayou, but to impeach Zhu Pingan for unauthorized killing?!
How ridiculous! Lord Zhu is deeply trusted by the Emperor. His Majesty is well aware of Lord Zhu's character. Moreover, every time Lord Zhu reports his achievements, he submits the heads and prisoners for verification. Those heads are all genuine Japanese pirates, with no elderly, weak, women, or children among them. In fact, the proportion of genuine Japanese pirates is not low. Your accusation that Lord Zhu killed without authorization is nothing but slander.

Zhang Heng.

Huang Jin recognized the name; it was that of an imperial censor from a prominent family in Taizhou, Zhejiang.

If I remember correctly, Zhang Heng was transferred to the capital from another place three years ago. It happened to be the Laba Festival, and he even transported a boatload of seafood from Jiangnan to give to his colleagues and friends in the capital.

This inevitably raises suspicions: did Zhang Heng's family have a business at sea?
So what was his motive for impeaching Zhu Pingan for unauthorized killing?
Huang Jin then quickly glanced through the memorial again. Zhang Heng impeached Zhu Ping'an because during this period, Zhu Ping'an had been sending good news every few days, eliminating one Japanese pirate stronghold after another along the Zhejiang coast and killing or capturing thousands of Japanese pirates. Zhang Heng said that many of the Japanese pirates killed by Zhu Ping'an were not Japanese pirates, but rather unscrupulous civilians who resisted arrest while selling goods along the coast. Although these unscrupulous civilians had made mistakes and committed crimes, they did not deserve to die. Zhu Ping'an killed them to claim credit and presented them as the heads of Japanese pirates. This was unauthorized killing!

Wait a minute, why does this impeachment rhetoric sound so familiar?!
I remembered.

This was the argument used when Zhu Wan was impeached!

Many officials in Jiangnan impeached Zhu Wan on this very ground, which led the Emperor to order Zhu Wan's dismissal. Du Ruzhen, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of War, was appointed to investigate. Zhu Wan, upright and hot-tempered, wrote: "I am too poor to accept bribes, too ill with hemorrhoids, and too resentful to bear criticism. Even if the Emperor does not wish me to die, the ministers will; even if the ministers do not wish me to die, the people of Guangdong and Guangxi will surely do so. I will decide my own fate, not leave it to others." In anger, he drank poison and committed suicide. After Zhu Wan's death, Du Ruzhen reported back to the court and charged Zhu Wan with unauthorized killing.

They succeeded last time, and now they're using the same reason to impeach Zhu Ping'an!

No wonder His Majesty said that this vermilion is not that vermilion!
Zhu Ping'an is not Zhu Wan!

Zhu Wan may be prone to killing!

However, Lord Zhu would never kill without authorization!

The Japanese pirate raids in Jiangnan have been escalating, causing His Majesty much worry and trouble. Now, with Lord Zhu's repeated victories, His Majesty's worries and troubles have lessened considerably, his mood has improved, and his appetite has returned. If you now impeach Lord Zhu for unauthorized killings, and he has made a mistake, wouldn't that mean the Japanese pirate raids in Jiangnan haven't improved or been contained? What, do you think His Majesty's life is too comfortable?!
"You two little monkeys, come here." After Huang Jin walked out of the main hall, he beckoned to two eunuchs not far away.

"Godfather, what are your orders?" Two young eunuchs came running over, bowing and greeting him.

"See this name? You two take the Imperial Guards and investigate him thoroughly in secret. See if he is honest and capable, or corrupt and mediocre. Investigate carefully, thoroughly, and meticulously. Even things like his bedwetting at three or his skirt-lifting at four, you must find out clearly." Huang Jin covered the memorial, only revealing the name and official title to the two of them.

"Godfather, why are we investigating this person? Is it better if he is honest and upright, or if he is corrupt and lawless? Could you give me a hint?"

The two eunuchs exchanged a glance, and one of them said ingratiatingly.

"Why ask so many questions?! Don't you know that in this palace, the less you know, the better?" Huang Jin glared at them.

"Yes, yes, Godfather is right." The two eunuchs shrank back and forced a sheepish smile.

Huang Jin left them waiting for a few seconds before laughing and cursing. He then beckoned to them and whispered, "You little monkeys, don't ask about anything else. Just know that this man just impeached Lord Zhu, and His Majesty has ordered an investigation. Do you understand now?"

The two eunuchs immediately understood. "Godfather, we understand. Don't worry, we will investigate him very carefully."

"Don't overcomplicate things. Nothing can escape His Majesty's eyes. You just need to investigate him carefully and thoroughly. Black can't be turned into white, and white can't be turned into black. What's unclean will never be clean."

Huang Jin added another instruction.

"Don't worry, Godfather, we know what's important and we promise to investigate thoroughly." The two eunuchs assured them.

Finally, the two eunuchs said leisurely, "We've never seen an official who can withstand our investigation."

"Stop joking. The service work is to be handed over to Xiao Linzi and Xiao Zhuozi. You two take people and investigate immediately. Investigate his current and former posts, his hometown, his subordinates, and his family. Don't miss anything. This token is for you. During your mission, you can be dispatched to various factories and guards, and to all those below the rank of Thousand-Household Commander."

Huang Jin gave them some instructions and then took out a token and handed it to them.

"Thank you for your consideration, Godfather. We will certainly live up to your trust and ensure that we do our job well." The two eunuchs were thrilled to see the token. Their godfather's support for them was immense. This token could mobilize the guards and imperial guards below the rank of a thousand households in various regions, and it had great authority. After receiving the token, the two repeatedly promised that they would do their job well and not let Huang Jin down.

"Go ahead," Huang Jin waved his hand.

After bowing, the two eunuchs hurried away.

Huang Jin returned to the main hall, where several more memorials lay at the feet of the Jiajing Emperor. Without even looking at them, he knew they were also impeaching Zhu Ping'an.

One of the memorials was open. Huang Jin glanced at it and realized that it impeached Zhu Ping'an for corruption, accusing him of embezzling the captured pirate property after eliminating the pirate stronghold and failing to hand it over to the court. (End of Chapter)