My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 403 The Ministry of Justice's Self-Defense
Throughout the first ten days of June, the court was embroiled in endless arguments over Su Ze's memorial.

Even Cheng Zixue, the Guangxi Provincial Governor who had been impeached by the Censorate, was no longer of any concern.

Su Ze's memorial this time was only directed at officials serving outside the capital.

However, given Su Ze's style of advancing step by step, this system would eventually extend to officials in Beijing, which would naturally be a deprivation of the Censorate's power.

Such a strong public outcry was something even Hai Rui could not suppress.

The matter escalated to June 20th, and while the Censorate was still fiercely criticizing Su Ze's memorial, news suddenly arrived that Cheng Zixue, the Provincial Governor of Guangxi, had entered the capital!

This caused an uproar throughout the capital.

cabinet.

Gao Gong's face was ashen. He looked at the cabinet ministers and said:

"What do you all think of Cheng Zixue's unauthorized entry into the capital?"

Zhang Juzheng's face was also very ugly. A provincial governor was a local important official. The Ming Dynasty had very strict management of local officials. Even a county magistrate could not leave the county he governed without a reason, let alone an official of the level of a provincial governor who left his territory to go to the capital without authorization.

This is a provocation against the authority of the imperial court.

Zhang Juzheng said:
"Cheng Zixue has abandoned his post and entered the capital without authorization. The Ministry of Justice should be dispatched to arrest him and imprison him. We then request Your Majesty's final decision!"

This time, the cabinet reached a consensus.

The Longqing Emperor was also furious about Cheng Zixue's behavior.

After Cheng Zixue was arrested and sent to the imperial prison, Emperor Longqing dispatched Chen Hong, the eunuch in charge of the Eastern Depot, to the prison to interrogate Cheng Zixue.

The Imperial Prison was a prison for important criminals.

Compared to other prisons, the Imperial Prison was at least clean, though of course, every prison has its share of dark and damp smells.

Chen Hong held a handkerchief in his hand, trying to cover up the musty smell of the prison, but the smell came from all directions and could not be blocked by a handkerchief.

Led by the jailer, Chen Hong arrived at his cell in the imperial prison.

The Longqing Emperor was relatively lenient towards his subjects, and released political prisoners imprisoned in the imperial prison shortly after he ascended the throne.

Therefore, being a jailer in the imperial prison was a leisurely job during the Longqing reign. Cheng Zixue, the Guangxi Provincial Governor, was arguably the highest-ranking official imprisoned in the imperial prison during the Longqing reign.

Chen Hong arrived deep inside the imperial prison and saw Cheng Zixue dressed in plain clothes.

Cheng Zixue was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 30th year of the Jiajing reign. He was already over 40 years old when he passed the examination. After nearly 20 years of ups and downs in officialdom, Cheng Zixue naturally possessed the demeanor of a high-ranking local official.

When Chen Hong saw Cheng Zixue, he didn't understand why his aura had suddenly diminished.

Chen Hong touched the imperial edict in his arms again. He mustered his courage and read the edict aloud to Cheng Zixue in the prison cell.

After the reading was finished, Chen Hong said to the calm Cheng Zixue:

"Lord Cheng, is there anything else you want to say?"

Cheng Zixue kowtowed in gratitude for the imperial edict, and then said:

"This guilty subject requests to plead his crimes and defend himself before the Emperor."

Chen Hong's expression turned even uglier.

If Cheng Zixue had confessed on the spot, he would have accomplished his mission. But he refused to confess and insisted on defending himself before the emperor.
Given the current state of Emperor Longqing, how could he possibly agree to such a request?

Chen Hong said with a stern face:
“Lord Cheng, His Majesty also said that you are a veteran minister of the late emperor’s reign, and have served in the local government for a long time. Even if you have no merit, you have worked hard. If you bow your head and admit your guilt, I can help you put in a good word. His Majesty is lenient towards his ministers, and you can save your life.”

Cheng Zixue, however, said:

"Your Majesty, I only ask to plead my guilty and defend myself."

Seeing that Cheng Zixue was unmoved by reason, Chen Hong continued to threaten him:

"Cheng Zixue! His Majesty sent me here to give you face. If you don't appreciate it, the court will surely investigate your crimes thoroughly. Don't regret it when your family is implicated!"

But Cheng Zixue coldly said:

"This guilty subject requests to confess his crimes."

Seeing Cheng Zixue like this, Chen Hong turned and left.

After Emperor Longqing finished listening to Chen Hong's report, he raised his eyes.

Feng Bao immediately stepped forward and handed a pen to the emperor.

As summer approached, Emperor Longqing's health improved somewhat.

However, his language skills had not yet recovered, so the emperor continued to live a secluded life, and apart from a few cabinet ministers, he was even less willing to meet with foreign officials.

After listening to Chen Hong's report, the Longqing Emperor recalled Su Ze's memorial and wrote on the paper:

"Send Cheng to the Ministry of Justice."

The Longqing Emperor could only write by hand now, so he used very concise language.

Feng Bao quickly understood his meaning and asked:

"Your Majesty, are you sending Cheng Ziqi to the Ministry of Justice to confess his crimes?"

The Longqing Emperor nodded and wrote:

"Inner Court, Censorate, Grand Court, Criminal Court, Justice Bureau"

Feng Bao then asked:
"The cabinet, the six ministries and the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, will send representatives to attend the hearing?"

The Longqing Emperor nodded again, and finally wrote down the character "Su".

Feng Bao immediately said:

"Should we invite Hanlin Su to go as well?"

The Longqing Emperor nodded. He was a little tired now and threw the pen on the table.

Feng Bao immediately said:

"Your servant will go and draft the decree immediately!"
-
On June 21, Su Ze arrived at the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.

Su Ze thought he had arrived early, but he didn't expect Hai Rui to arrive even earlier.

Su Ze had previously corresponded with Hai Rui through the "Fei Ge's Letters" system, and later witnessed Hai Rui entering the capital in person at the city gates.

But this is the first time I've had a face-to-face conversation with Hai Rui.

Hai Rui was also sizing up Su Ze.

The two could be said to have known each other for a long time.

Su Ze rushed forward to greet Hai Rui first:

"Master Hai."

After returning the greeting, Hai Rui also looked at Su Ze.

"When I was in Nanjing, I often heard of the reputation of Hanlin Su. Today, I have seen him and he is indeed extraordinary."

Hai Rui exchanged a few simple polite words and said:

"This is my second time visiting the Ministry of Justice."

Su Ze looked at Hai Rui with a puzzled expression. Hai Rui said:

"The first time was for trial."

Su Ze almost lost his composure. He suddenly remembered that when Hai Rui submitted his memorial on maintaining order, it angered the Jiajing Emperor to the point that he almost vomited blood. The Jiajing Emperor then ordered the three judicial departments to try Hai Rui in the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, but in the end, none of them were able to convict Hai Rui.

So Hai Rui has come back to revisit his old haunts?
Su Ze never expected that Hai Rui would have such a dry sense of humor.

Hai Rui continued to ask:

"Su Hanlin, what's your opinion on Cheng Zixue's case?"

Su Ze immediately said, "Lord Hai, there must be something hidden in this case."

“How come you see?”

Su Ze then shared his analysis:
"I have inquired before, and Cheng Zixue's reputation in Guangxi is quite good."

"As for the floods of the Yong River, Guangxi has experienced torrential rains every year in recent years, and the Yong River has a large flow rate, so the breaching of the dikes is beyond human control."

“Cheng Zixue has been in officialdom for nearly twenty years, rising from a county magistrate in a remote area. If he wanted to embezzle, he wouldn’t have used such obvious methods.”

Hai Rui nodded in satisfaction and said:
"It is you, Hanlin Su, who has submitted a memorial requesting the rectification of officialdom in Guangxi."

Su Ze said:
"It is always right to raise the issue of rectifying official corruption, no matter when it is brought up."

“During Cheng Zixue’s tenure, the chieftains of Guangxi rebelled one after another, costing the imperial court countless military expenses. This was also his problem.”

"If I am wrong, I will write a letter to apologize."

“Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; listen to only one side and you will believe it. That’s why I, Su, submitted a memorial requesting that when dealing with local governors and high-ranking officials, these officials be allowed to submit their own defenses, and that the court should also give a clear conclusion on how to deal with these officials, so that all officials can feel at ease.”

Hai Rui sighed:

"Everyone says that Hanlin Su is devoted to public service, and I believe it."

"This impeachment of Cheng Zixue was also initiated because of me. If Cheng Zixue really has something to hide, I will also submit a memorial to plead guilty."

While everyone was chatting, the others gradually arrived.

The cabinet was led by Cho Jeong-gil.

Dai Cai, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was also one of the Nine Ministers who had little presence.

Mao Kai, the Minister of Justice, was also the least prominent among the six ministers. When Li Yiyuan served as the Vice Minister of Justice, Mao Kai did not take charge of any affairs.

However, this time the emperor set the location for the interrogation at the Ministry of Justice, and Mao Kai still had to come out to greet everyone.

Chen Hong himself came from the Directorate of Ceremonial.

With the addition of some mid-level officials, such as the chief of the Ministry of Justice, the censor of Guangxi Circuit of the Censorate, and the supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mao Kai led everyone to the main hall of the Ministry of Justice after they all arrived.

Mao Kai was stunned and said:
"Take Chengzi to learn!"

The bailiffs led Cheng Zixue to the courtroom. Mao Kai, following the trial procedure, inquired about Cheng Zixue's name and place of origin. After all the procedures were completed, Mao Kai said:

"His Majesty has decreed that this criminal, Cheng Zixue, may plead his crimes in the main hall of the Ministry of Justice."

"Cheng Zixue, the Censorate has impeached you for three crimes."

"Firstly, the use of manpower was abused to carry out the Yongjiang River project every year."

"Secondly, in the succession of chieftains, bribes were solicited from the chieftains."

"Thirdly, they forced the local chieftains to contribute silver to the repair of the Yongjiang River project."

"Can you plead guilty?"

Cheng Zixue lowered his head and said:
"This guilty subject confesses."

Upon hearing this, the officials in charge of recording were in an uproar. It was Mao Kai who slammed the gavel and said:

"quiet!"

"Cheng Zixue, since you have confessed your crimes, why did you not confess in prison, but instead confess in court?"

Cheng Zixue said:
"Please, Your Excellencies, allow me to confess my crimes."

Cheng Zixue said:
"The Yong River has been plagued by floods. When I first took office, the Yong River flooded, inundating seven counties along the river and affecting tens of thousands of people. This disaster was recorded in the local report on the disaster in Guangxi in the first year of my term. You gentlemen can verify this."

Mao Kai frowned, and at this moment Su Ze said:
"Minister Mao, this memorial is kept in the Hanlin Academy. I once read it in the Censorate. You can send someone to retrieve it from the Hanlin Academy."

Mao Kai nodded and instructed the clerk behind him to retrieve the memorials from the Hanlin Academy.

Cheng Zixue then said:

"After assuming office, I made the construction of the Yongjiang River water conservancy project my top priority. Until the spring floods this year, less than half of the county's population was affected by the floods, and the people of Nanning Prefecture were not affected either."

"It's just that Cheng's ability to manage water is lacking. He has repeatedly petitioned the Ministry of Works, requesting that a capable official be sent to Guangxi to manage water, but his petitions have been ignored."

The expressions of the assembled officials turned rather grim.

Guangxi is located in the tropics, so it receives a lot of rainfall and is prone to flooding.

Upon closer examination, it seems that Cheng Zixue was not lying.

It can only be said that the Yongjiang River is difficult to manage, and the combination of several years of heavy rainfall has led to the severity of the disaster.

Moreover, Cheng Zixue's words also revealed his dissatisfaction with the imperial court.

Guangxi was a remote region, and the imperial court did not attach as much importance to it as it did to other regions.

The imperial court would pay immediate attention to floods in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins, and officials from the Ministry of Works would vie to manage them.

However, when Guangxi was hit by floods, the Ministry of Works acted as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Zhenji coughed and said, "We'll go to the Ministry of Works to retrieve the files later. Please continue, Lord Cheng."

Cheng Zixue continued:
"Second one."

“At the beginning of the dynasty, the Tusi (chieftains) all paid taxes to the Ming Dynasty. According to the household registration records of Guangxi at the beginning of the dynasty, 60% of the tax revenue was collected from the Tusi.”

"But by the time the current emperor ascended the throne, the tax revenue collected by the chieftains had already reached less than 10%."

"Do you gentlemen know that the number of people registered under official channels at the beginning of the dynasty was even greater than it is today? Have you ever wondered why?"

Hai Rui said:

“The chieftains do not pay taxes, so it is the Han people who pay taxes. If the Han people pay too much tax, they will flee to the land and become local people.”

"So the population recorded in the household register is even smaller. This cycle continues, and Guangxi's finances are strained. So, Master Cheng, you mean that you didn't solicit bribes from the chieftain, but instead levied taxes on him in this way?"

Cheng Zixue glanced at Hai Rui, then cupped his hands and said:

"As you can see, this is indeed the case."

At this moment, the supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice jumped out and said:
"These are all just Cheng Daren's side of the story, aren't they?"

Cheng Zixue smiled and said:
"The silver dollars sent by the Tusi to the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office were all registered by me and used entirely for public funds. The Guangxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office also used their seals for them."

"Of course, levying taxes on the chieftains in this way was all done by the corrupt official and had nothing to do with the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office. I was just having them act as witnesses."

Everyone fell silent, and the scene became eerily quiet.

Su Ze then said:
"So, the third point, apportioning the cost of building dams to the chieftains, is also because of this, that taxes need to be levied on the chieftains?"

Cheng Zixue said:
“The Yongjiang River has been repaired five times in five years, and the people of Guangxi can no longer bear it. Therefore, starting from the third year of this dynasty, the government has been providing subsidies to families that have given out male offspring. This money was squeezed out from the donations from the chieftains.”

Cheng Zixue simply said:
“In addition, the Tusi (local chieftains) in Guangxi would set up checkpoints to collect tolls. Even the Wuzhou Salt Customs was occupied by the Tusi, who set up checkpoints everywhere to collect taxes.”

Su Ze recalled that Wuzhou borders Guangdong and is located at the confluence of the Xijiang, Xunjiang and Guijiang rivers. It controls the throat of Guangxi's inland waterways to the sea and has been an important military town in Lingnan since ancient times.

Salt was another major trade item in Wuzhou, besides rice. Most of the salt used in Guangxi was sourced from the coastal areas of Guangdong, transported by boat along the Xijiang River to Wuzhou, and then resold to various parts of Guangxi. Salt needed in parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hunan was also transshipped through Wuzhou.

The imperial court established a salt customs office in Wuzhou, which is the most economically developed region in Guangxi.

However, the Tusi (local chieftain) even set up checkpoints near the Wuzhou Salt Customs, which eroded the tax base of the Ming Dynasty.

Cheng Zixue said:
"The corrupt official also condoned the merchant groups that paid their taxes to storm the chieftain's salt checkpoint, and also levied the fire loss of the salt checkpoint's market tax on the chieftain to use for repairing the road to the salt checkpoint. This is his fourth crime."

"All of the above are recorded in the ledgers of the Provincial Administration Office, and these ledgers have been sent from Guangxi to the capital."

After he finished speaking, Cheng Zixue closed his eyes and remained silent.

The officials present were all speechless.

(End of this chapter)