I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 98: Fraudulent Confessions and the Revelation of Feng Pangong, Zhang Juzheng's Way of Employing People
In the interrogation cell of the Northern Pacification Prison.

When the Jinyiwei dragged the silk merchant Li Wenlai, the student Feng Yong, the left music director Xu Sanniang, and the dying student Chen Zhi, who had been tortured and interrogated, to Chen Zhengyuan, the owner of the Chen family bookstore, and his son Chen Xin.

Chen Zhengyuan's legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

"I confess! I confess! The Zhang Garden banquet was planned by me...I, the silk merchant Li Wenlai, and the student Feng Yong."

"I am the mastermind, but this matter has nothing to do with my son, nothing to do with my son!" Chen Zhengyuan, who is nearly fifty years old, supported himself on the ground with his hands and changed from a slumped sitting position to a kneeling position.

His son Chen Xin knelt beside Chen Zhengyuan in fear, looking confused.

immediately.

Li Wenlai and others were dragged out again and interrogated individually.

Cao Wei looked at Chen Zhengyuan and asked, "Tell me, how did you plan this?"

"Commander, can you...can you let my son stay outside for now? He...he has nothing to do with this."

Cao Wei looked at Chen Xin.

The latter was so frightened that his whole body was shaking, and his crotch was wet.

He waved his hand and ordered two Jinyiwei to carry Chen Xin out.

"Every word is recorded!" Cao Wei said to the Jinyiwei who was responsible for recording the confession.

Chen Zhengyuan paused and said, "Student Chen Zhi often comes to my shop to buy writing materials and books. After I got to know him, he said he was good friends with Lu Cifu's son and they often talked about their experiences. Then I came up with a plan to make money. I planned to use the name of Lu Cifu's eldest son to hold a banquet for students, candidates, and merchants to get to know each other."

"Then, I found my acquaintances, silk merchant Li Wenlai and student Feng Yong."

"We hit it off immediately. The two of us used the name of Lu Cifu's eldest son to invite merchants, students, and scholars to a gathering. I... I asked student Chen Zhi to trick Lu Cifu's eldest son into going to Zhang Garden, and promised him five hundred taels of silver afterward."

"Silk merchant Li Wenlai, student Feng Yong, and I act as go-betweens. Afterwards, if merchants, students, and candidates collaborate, we'll also benefit. Furthermore, Feng Yong promised to introduce more friends to my bookshop."

"I know that Young Master Lu Cifu has always been a recluse. Even if he knew about it, he wouldn't necessarily know about it. Even if he did, he wouldn't want to exaggerate something that's hard to tell. After all, he went to Zhang Garden, so he's not afraid of any trouble later."

"As for... as for Xu Sanniang, the Left Music Director of the Imperial Music Bureau, she was... my concubine. Furthermore, I asked for her help in the name of Mr. Zhang, the Lu Cifu, and gave her five hundred taels. Naturally, she wouldn't refuse this."

……

Cao Wei frowned slightly and asked, "At the Zhang Garden banquet, scholars and merchants celebrated their hometowns and discussed marriages. It was a great opportunity for scholars and merchants to make friends. Why didn't you go? And your son didn't go either?"

"I... I... don't like those kinds of occasions. I don't want to show up in public. As for my son, he... he might soon become a juren, and next year he might even become a jinshi. I... I don't want him to go to such a dirty place. I only hold this kind of banquet to make money!"

"Humph! You complain about that kind of place being dirty, but you're trying to make dirty money. Aren't you dirty?"

"Commander, there are many middlemen in the capital who act as intermediaries between officials and merchants. You... you can't just investigate me. I'm guilty of using the name of Lu Cifu's eldest son, but those high-ranking officials are also doing this. Shouldn't they be severely punished as well?"

"That's not something you should consider!"

After Cao Wei finished speaking, he left the interrogation cell and went to the next room.

Inside the house, Shen Nian spread his hands towards Cao Wei, indicating that Chen Zhengyuan's confession was exactly as he expected.

After a while.

Jinyiwei Captain Zhou Hai walked in.

He took out the confessions he had just obtained from the interrogation of silk merchant Li Wenlai, student Feng Yong, and music officer Xu Sanniang from the Left Secretary of the Imperial Music Bureau.

Zhou Hai said, "Li Wenlai, Feng Yong, and Xu Sanniang have all confessed. They didn't give Chen Zhengyuan away before because they wanted to frame Lu Xingzhou. Their crimes were minor. If they had given Chen Zhengyuan away, they would have been implicated as one of the masterminds. Their testimonies are reasonable and can corroborate each other. There are no loopholes."

After reading it once, Cao Wei put Chen Zhengyuan's confession together with the confessions of these five people.

If Shen Nian hadn't come to the Northern Pacification Office in the middle of the night and said something.

The case is basically closed at this point.

Lu Xingzhou was cleared of suspicion, Lu Ge Lao returned to the cabinet, and the Northern Pacification Office would also receive praise from the emperor.

Almost perfect.

but--

Cao Wei thought about it carefully, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Shen Nian's guess might be correct.

These people confessed so smoothly, as if they had discussed it in advance.

Li Wenlai, Feng Yong, and Xu Sanniang first jointly framed Lu Xingzhou, and then after the Jinyiwei captured Chen Zhengyuan, they all claimed that Chen Zhengyuan was the mastermind. The details of their confessions were too consistent.

According to common sense.

Li Wenlai and Feng Yong should have a primary and secondary role in organizing the dinner at Zhang Garden. In order to reduce their guilt, they should shift the blame to each other and call each other the second mastermind.

But no.

The two men seemed to have known Chen Zhengyuan's confession in advance. They confessed everything the latter confessed.

At this moment, Cao Wei's curiosity was also aroused.

He was also attracted by Shen Nian's words of "leaving a single page in the history books".

He thought for a moment, looked at Shen Nian, and said, "Let's just cheat!"

Shen Nian looked at Cao Wei and said with a smile, "If the trick fails, I will take all the responsibility!"

"No! If we can't trick it, let's just pretend that this incident never happened. I will hand in this confession!" Cao Wei said firmly, looking at the confession on the table.

……

It was almost three o'clock in the morning, inside the imperial prison.

It was dark.

From time to time, mice would burrow in the dry grass, making squeaking sounds.

Chen Zhengyuan curled up in the corner, very tired but unable to sleep at all.

Few people who were sent to the imperial prison could sleep well on the first night.

Just then, the cell door suddenly opened.

A Jinyiwei walked quickly to Chen Zhengyuan, and another Jinyiwei stood at the door.

"You...you...who are you? What...what are you going to do?" Chen Zhengyuan said in a trembling voice.

The Jinyiwei squatted in front of him and said in a low voice, "I want you to recant your confession immediately. Say that it was Lord Lu who sent someone to threaten your family's lives. Only then will you admit that you were the mastermind behind the Zhang Garden banquet and framed Lu Xingzhou. And the person who threatened you was a Jinyiwei, the one standing outside the prison door right now. Just identify him. Don't worry about the rest. Someone will help you reduce your sentence."

After this Jinyiwei finished speaking, another Jinyiwei turned his head and looked at Chen Zhengyuan.

Chen Zhengyuan looked up and could only see the figure of the Jinyiwei, but could not see his appearance at all.

"You...what are you talking about? I...I don't understand at all." Chen Zhengyuan said.

"If this is accomplished, I can guarantee your son's admission to the Imperial Academy as a Shujishi. If this fails, you and your son will be exiled!"

After saying that, the two Jinyiwei left quickly.

At this moment, Chen Zhengyuan was confused, not knowing whether these two Jinyiwei were his own people.

at the same time.

Cao Wei and Shen Nian stood in a corner of the imperial prison, waiting for Chen Zhengyuan to cry out for justice.

The performance of the two Jinyiwei just now was Shen Nian's strategy to deceive people into confessing.

False confession.

Don't talk too much, but make sure you hit the point.

Chen Zhengyuan had high hopes for his son, but the possibility of Chen Xin passing the imperial examination was not great.

Shen Nian was determined.

Zhang Siwei must have made an extraordinary promise to Chen Zhengyuan in order to make him risk exile.

This promise is most likely to allow Chen Xin to pass the autumn provincial examination and be on the list of the next spring provincial examination.

Only this kind of promise can make Chen Zhengyuan willing to be a scapegoat.

What is more tempting than being on the list of the imperial examination is to enter the academy and become a scholar.

Shen Nian had two Jinyiwei talking to create a tense atmosphere, and had another Jinyiwei only reveal his figure without showing his face, all in order to lure Chen Zhengyuan into the trap.

The more vague some expressions are, the more they make people believe them; some words, when only half said, can make people imagine a more reasonable conclusion.

……

this moment.

Chen Zhengyuan's brain was working fast.

He was wondering whether what the Jinyiwei had just said was true.

"It should be true. Otherwise, who would have thought that the old man Feng Pan Gong (Zhang Siwei) was behind me? Who would have known that Feng Pan Gong promised my son to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi? If I don't follow Feng Pan Gong's wishes, I'm afraid all his promises will not be fulfilled!"

Chen Zhengyuan quickly confirmed that what the Jinyiwei said was true.

On the one hand, he believed that it was impossible for outsiders to know that Feng Pan Gong had promised to help his son pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi.

On the other hand, there is the promise of "entering the academy and becoming a Shujishi". Apart from the emperor, only four people in the dynasty can do it, namely: the three great cabinet ministers and Ma Ziqiang, a Hanlin scholar in charge of the Hanlin Academy.

Zhang Juzheng, Lu Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang would not make such a promise for his son, but Zhang Siwei needed him and could definitely say so.

In addition, the two Jinyiwei were in a hurry when they told him. If they wanted to deceive him deliberately, they would not have been in such a hurry.

After Chen Zhengyuan figured it out, he walked to the prison door, put his hands on it and started shaking it.

Wow! Wow!
The chain on the door rattled.

Chen Zhengyuan shouted loudly: "I am innocent! I am innocent!"

When Cao Wei and Shen Nian heard this shout, they knew: the false confession was successful!

……

About a quarter of an hour later.

Chen Zhengyuan was taken to the interrogation cell again.

At this moment, the person interrogating him was Zhou Hai, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Haven't you already signed and confessed your guilt? Why are you crying out for injustice again?" Zhou Hai asked with a yawn.

"I...I am truly innocent. Someone threatened my family's lives to make me take the blame, so I...I am saying this. I'm afraid someone will kill me to silence me, so I'm crying out for justice." "The Zhang Garden banquet was organized by Lu Xingzhou, the eldest son of Lu Cifu. I...I...I'm just one of his subordinates."

"It was I who told Chen Zhi to deceive Lü Xingzhou at Qingchafang on August 12th, but it was Lü Xingzhou who told me to tell him. He was very cautious and worried about damaging his reputation, but he still wanted to go. So he went from being the organizer to being a deceived guest. This was all his plan."

"He held the Zhang Garden banquet because he felt that Lü Ge Lao was about to retire, and he wanted to establish good relations with some officials who might enter the government in advance."

"After the incident was leaked and the public criticized it, he tried to get me to take the blame, saying I had framed him. For the sake of my family's safety, I had no choice but to..."

"Just tonight, a Jinyiwei threatened me outside the prison, saying that if I dared to tell the truth, he would kill my entire family. I... I was so scared, so I have to tell the truth!"

……

In the next room, Shen Nian and Cao Wei listened to Chen Zhengyuan's explanation and couldn't help but show a look of admiration.

It would be a shame if such a person did not go to a teahouse to tell stories.

It’s so good! It’s really so good!
Although there were still loopholes in his words, this change of confession was enough to put Lord Lu in trouble.

It was because Chen Zhengyuan understood this point that he dared to continue writing this story.

Zhou Hai asked, "You just said that tonight, a Jinyiwei threatened you. Did you see the Jinyiwei's face clearly?"

"I didn't see his face clearly, but he should be about seven feet tall and thin. If I see him again, I might recognize him."

"Come in!" Zhou Hai waved his hand, and a Jinyiwei walked in.

The Jinyiwei walked up to Chen Zhengyuan and made the same gesture as he did in front of the prison door not long ago.

"Is it this person?" Zhou Hai asked.

At this moment, Chen Zhengyuan was a little confused.

What he was thinking was: Could it be... Could it be that Lord Feng Pan has taken control of the Imperial Prison? As long as he can identify this Jinyiwei, and this Jinyiwei bites at Elder Lu again, he can defeat him?

Just as he was about to nod.

Another Jinyiwei came in and said in a low voice, "If this is successful, I can guarantee that your son will be admitted to the Imperial Academy as a Shujishi. If this fails, you and your son will be exiled!"

It was exactly the same sound as before.

Suddenly, Chen Zhengyuan realized that he had been cheated.

"You...you actually lied and made false confessions?"

"I... I don't know anything. I was sleepwalking. You... just kill me. I don't want to live anymore!" Chen Zhengyuan started to act crazy and stupid.

The Jinyiwei is best at dealing with people who pretend to be crazy and stupid.

Two sessions of finger pinching (pressing the fingers with a wooden stick), two sessions of leg clamping (pressing the legs with a wooden stick), and two basins of cold water made Chen Zhengyuan calm down.

……

A moment later, Cao Wei and Shen Nian walked in.

Cao Wei waved his hand, and apart from leaving Zhou Hai to record his confession, he and Shen Nian were the only interrogators left in the room.

"Chen Zhengyuan, tell me, who is behind this?"

Chen Zhengyuan kept silent.

Shen Nian said, "You think that with a powerful backer behind you, your son's passing the imperial examinations is a sure thing? The chief examiner next year may not even be the same person!"

Hearing this, Chen Zhengyuan became nervous.

Although the other party has not yet revealed the identity of the big shot, the purpose of his being instructed has been revealed.

A sinister look appeared on Cao Wei's face.

"The Imperial Prison has a punishment called 'Pipa Playing'. It involves pinning the prisoner to the ground and gently slicing back and forth between their ribs with a sharp knife, like plucking a pipa. The victim's bones fall out, their skin rips open, and they sweat profusely, but it's very difficult for them to die..."

Hearing this, Shen Nian's hair stood on end.

Cao Wei was very humble and polite in front of him, but in fact, this pacification envoy of the Northern Pacification Office was very cruel!
"You...you...kill me, I don't want to live anymore!" Chen Zhengyuan was still not ready to confess.

Cao Wei walked up to Chen Zhengyuan.

"Killing you is pointless. I am going to let your son suffer!"

"My... my son has not committed any crime, he is not aware of it, you... why do you want to torture him!" Chen Zhengyuan became agitated when he heard that his son was going to be tortured.

His son is his weak spot.

This is also the fundamental reason why he dared to frame Lu Xingzhou.

In his eyes, Zhang Siwei was more promising than Lu Diaoyang and could help his son enter the officialdom. Otherwise, he would not have dared to frame the eldest son of the current second-in-command even if he had a hundred guts.

"This is the Imperial Prison. I can torture anyone I want!"

Cao Wei shouted, "Go, bring Chen Xin here and torture him!"

Hearing this, Chen Zhengyuan's eyes dimmed.

"Ugh!"

He sighed deeply and said, "It was... it was Qian Zhong, the steward of Duke Feng Pan, who came to me. He asked me to frame the eldest son of Lü Ci Fu..."

Chen Zhengyuan recounted the incident in full.

On the side, Zhou Hai wrote down everything word for word.

……

Around five o'clock in the morning, two confessions appeared in front of Cao Wei.

He knew that it would be difficult to bring down Zhang Siwei based on such a confession.

But as a Jinyiwei, he must be loyal to the emperor and must present all the information he finds to the emperor.

And this moment.

Shen Nian has rushed to the Hanlin Academy. He has a lecture in the morning, so he must take a short rest and catch up on his sleep.

……

It was noon and the sun was scorching.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, during the break of the daily lecture.

Young Wanli summoned Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian into the side hall at the same time.

Cao Wei and Feng Bao were also standing beside them.

Little Wanli first glanced at Shen Nian, then looked at Zhang Juzheng and said, "Prime Minister, please take a look at these two confessions first."

Immediately, Zhang Juzheng began to read it very carefully.

After reading the first confession, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, obviously happy that Lu Xingzhou was cleared of suspicion.

After reading the second confession, Zhang Juzheng frowned and looked a little puzzled.

Little Wanli turned and looked at Shen Nian.

"Editor Shen, this matter was entirely led by you. Please tell us more!"

"As you command!" Shen Nian bowed.

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng looked at Shen Nian in confusion, wondering what Shen Nian had to do with this matter.

immediately.

Shen Nian told the whole story about how he suspected that this was Zhang Siwei's plan to resist Hai Rui's thorough investigation of Shanxi merchants and officials, and then he ran to the Northern Pacification Office in the middle of the night to falsify a confession.

After listening to this, Zhang Juzheng began to stroke his beard and fell into deep thought.

After Shen Nian finished speaking, he bowed heavily.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty. This matter was not within my responsibility. I consulted with Commander Cao without authorization and used the excuse of border defense and my country to induce Commander Cao to make a false confession. I am guilty!"

Little Wanli curled his lips.

"To prove a hypothesis, you went to the Imperial Prison in the middle of the night to falsify a confession, ignoring the laws of the land. If your hypothesis is wrong, you are guilty of a serious crime. As for how to punish you, we will not discuss it for now."

Little Wanli looked at Zhang Juzheng.

"Prime Minister, Scholar Zhang is in the greenhouse next door. Do you want to confront him? He's actually guessing what I and the Prime Minister are thinking, trying to get away with it. Who knows who he'll drag into this next? This method is truly despicable!"

What the young Wanli hated most was that Zhang Siwei took advantage of his preferential treatment of cabinet ministers and made a big fuss about it.

Zhang Juzheng thought about it and strode out.

"Your Majesty, I believe this matter should be handled according to the first confession, clearing Lü Xingzhou's name and allowing Elder Lü to return to the cabinet. It is not appropriate to confront Feng Pan for the time being."

"The second confession only implicates Qian Zhong, the steward of the Zhang Mansion. Feng Pan is not involved. If he is expelled from the palace, it would be a serious crime. However, if this matter is made public, Feng Pan will definitely not be able to stay in the palace."

"Our Great Ming still needs officials and merchants from Jin on its borders. Feng Pan can only discipline some officials, and he is still needed to maintain some trade. I suggest that we prioritize the overall situation. Hai Rui will arrive in Beijing soon. Once he finds out about the problems with the Jin merchants and officials, we can then determine their guilt accordingly."

"Your Majesty, please put the second confession aside for now. It may be of great use in the future!"

This is Zhang Juzheng's method of employing people.

He knew that Zhang Siwei was still of great use at the moment.

Even if we have to destroy it, we must squeeze out all the value from it.

Little Wanli thought for a moment and said, "Then...then...I'll do as Yuanfu says. From now on, I'll keep a close eye on this Grand Secretary Zhang!"

Zhang Juzheng added, "Also, I suggest that this matter should not be disclosed to Lord Lu for the time being, otherwise the cabinet will be in chaos."

Little Wanli nodded.

Although Lu Diaoyang has always been known for his good temper, if he knew that Zhang Siwei had set up such a scheme for him, he would definitely make Zhang Siwei lose face.

At this time, Shen Nian opened his mouth to speak, but held it back.

He originally wanted to say that Zhang Siwei was no longer suitable to be the chief examiner for next year's spring examination, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that next year, the sons of the other two elders would also participate in the spring examination. If Zhang Siwei was not suitable, then the only one left was Ma Ziqiang.

As a Hanlin official, it was inappropriate for him to recommend Hanlin scholar Ma Ziqiang.

He believed that if nothing unexpected happened, the chief examiner would be Ma Ziqiang. By then, it would be uncertain whether Zhang Juzheng's son and Lu Diaoyang's son would be on the list, and it would also be uncertain whether Tang Xianzu would fail.

Ma Ziqiang is not like Zhang Siwei, who likes to create a perfect situation where "everyone is happy", so that everyone can become one of his own.

(End of this chapter)