Huangming

Chapter 78 Intrigue and Despicable Maneuvering: Cleansing the Inner Court (Please continue reading!!!!)
October 5th of the first year of the Taichang reign.

After winter sets in, the weather becomes increasingly cold.

One quarter of the morning.

The Forbidden City was still shrouded in darkness, and the air was bitterly cold; ice flowers even grew along the palace walls.

Located in the southwest corner of the Forbidden City, on the east side of the Qianqing Palace, in the "Inner East Road," adjacent to the Rijing Gate and next to the Imperial Pharmacy and the Imperial Kitchen, was the place where the emperor stored his private treasury, called the Inner Treasury.

This place was used to store imperial gold and silver utensils, jewelry and jade artifacts, foreign tributes, and to safeguard important royal property, such as the emperor's wedding book and gold artifacts awarded to meritorious officials.

It can be described as the most dazzling place in the Forbidden City.

Because of its importance, the four guard battalions of the Imperial Horse Administration took turns patrolling, sentries were set up around the warehouse, and additional musketeers were deployed at night.

It also features triple access control:
The first layer: the main gate of the warehouse, guarded by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The second layer: the storeroom door, which requires three keys from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, the Directorate of Palace Attendants, and the Directorate of Imperial Supplies to be opened simultaneously.

The third layer: the iron door to the cellar, the key to which was kept in the Qianqing Palace, its location known only to the emperor's trusted eunuchs.

The cold wind at dawn, carrying fine ice shards, swept across the vermilion gates and walls of the inner transport warehouse, and the copper bells on the eaves rang softly like shattered jade in the darkness.

Three eunuchs in python robes stood in a triangle in front of the warehouse gate. Liu Yong, the supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration, wore a dark blue bullfighting robe with silver python patterns that looked cold in the light of the lantern. The wooden order for the musket battalion was pressed against his wrist in his sleeve. The musketman on duty tonight had long been replaced by his confidant.

Zhang De, the eunuch of the inner palace, was wrapped in a black fox fur cloak. The gilded key at his waist jingled as he stomped his feet to warm himself. It was the key to the second gate under the control of the eunuch's office.

"A total of one hundred and eight jeweled gold ewers were used for the Emperor's wedding."

Li Ming, the Imperial Household Supervisor, slowly unfolded the yellow silk booklet. His brocade robe with peacock embroidered patches gleamed with a faint blue luster under the lantern, and he lightly tapped the numbers with his fingertips, the ink still wet.

With the new emperor ascending the throne, the imperial concubine selection will begin next year, and the Imperial Household Department has been preparing wedding items for some time.

Of course, there were far more than 108 gold artifacts displayed in front of everyone; those who know, know what's going on.

"We urgently need the gold-threaded bridle for the stables, and we also need gold thread to repair the horse tack," Liu Yong suddenly raised his voice.

He looked around at the crowd and said, "I need five hundred taels of gold thread."

Li Ming, the eunuch of the Imperial Workshop, sneered inwardly. What kind of horse tack repair requires five hundred taels of gold thread?

It would be good if they could use fifty taels.

But everyone had a tacit understanding.

After the second storeroom door was opened, the Imperial Guards on duty moved the gold artifacts into the storeroom, leaving twenty pieces of gold artifacts remaining.

Li Ming said slowly, "These are all substandard gold artifacts; it would be a shame to throw them away."

Zhang De, a eunuch from the Inner Palace, said with a smile, "Let's follow the old practice and transport it out of the palace first."

These palace eunuchs were different from the garrison eunuchs outside the palace, who could manipulate things and receive bribes.

Since they were in the palace and didn't have this advantage, they could only rely on the mountains and rivers for sustenance.

If they don't take something out of the palace, how can they live a life of luxury after retirement?
As for why they still dared to commit crimes despite the fact that the warehouse manager eunuch was arrested a few days ago?
Is not this nonsensical?

They have powerful backers!
Wei Chao, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Wei Zhongxian, the Director of the Eastern Depot, were their backers; they had even received tributes from them a few days ago.

With the old patriarch and the eunuch in charge of the Eastern Depot around, who would dare to investigate them?

"Send the 'cleaning soldiers' of the Palace Guard to clean up the filth. Have the servants load these things into the dung carts and send them out of the palace."

The Palace Attendant was under the jurisdiction of the Twenty-Four Offices of Eunuchs, and was responsible for cleaning the palace and transporting filth. It had a "cleaning army" of one hundred people (most of whom were convicted eunuchs).

As for "Xiao Huo Zhe," that was another name for a low-ranking eunuch.

Soon these 'filth' were cleaned up and sorted into different categories and placed into the inner compartment of the chamber pot.

These manure buckets were originally specially made, with no interlayer at the bottom and no gaps in the body. They were made of pine wood and swelled when exposed to water, making them even more difficult to disassemble.

However, rats have their own ways, and after some modifications, they became tools for transporting treasures.

The dung cart exited the palace through the Donghua Gate this time.

The guards on duty at Donghua Gate were the Jinwu Guards, one of the Twenty-Six Guards of the Upper Guard, responsible for inspecting the entry and exit of officials and supplies.

In fact, the dung cart team from the Imperial Palace Supervisor had a second route to take: through the Xuanwu Gate.

However, Xuanwu Gate was defended by the Shenshu Battalion under the jurisdiction of the Beijing Garrison. These were nobles, and they generally did not use this gate if they were smuggling anything.

Yin hour three quarters.

A cold wind was blowing in gusts, making people shiver.

As soon as the thirty-odd manure carts arrived at Donghua Gate, the leading eunuch of the eunuch army sensed something was amiss.

The Imperial Guards, who usually dozed off leaning against the vermilion gate, were now dressed in flying fish robes. Beneath their scarlet cloaks billowing in the cold wind, the scabbards of their embroidered spring knives gleamed with a bluish light. Something was wrong!
The Imperial Guards are supposed to be stationed at the Meridian Gate and the left and right side gates, so why are they here at the East Prosperity Gate?

However, before the leading eunuch could react, the Imperial Guards had already surrounded them.

"Lift the bucket."

The commander of the Imperial Guard tapped the pine barrel of the manure cart with his finger. His eyes, like those of a hawk, were hidden beneath his black leather cap, and he seemed oblivious to the stench emanating from the cart.

"His Majesty has decreed that all items leaving the palace must be strictly inspected."

The hand of the palace attendant gripping the hemp rope suddenly turned white.

The first manure cart made a crisp "click" sound as two spies skillfully pried open a hidden compartment at the bottom of the bucket with iron hooks. A gilded ewer inlaid with rubies and sapphires rolled all over the ground, and valuable paintings and calligraphy wrapped in yellow silk were scattered everywhere.

Clearly, they knew the location where these things were hidden beforehand.

There are spies!
There's a traitor!
There is a traitor among us!
Just as everyone in the palace was living in constant fear, a sharp sound rang out, nearly causing them to collapse to the ground in terror.

"The factory manager has arrived!"

Suddenly, sixteen ram-horn lamps lit up in the darkness, making the gold-threaded dragon patterns on Wei Zhongxian's sable cloak look like coiled venomous pythons.

He strode closer, stepping through the dust, his pale face gleaming with a cold, porcelain-like light under the lamplight, the Eastern Depot token hanging from his waist swaying gently with each step.

Meanwhile, Liu Yong, Li Ming, and Zhang De were escorted by the Imperial Guards to the side of a manure cart, their calves were kicked, and they immediately knelt before Wei Zhongxian.

"Lord Wei, spare my life!" Liu Yong, the Imperial Horse Supervisor, crawled two steps on his knees, his dark blue bullfighting robe stained with dung and mud.

This situation today clearly indicates that Wei Zhongxian had prepared in advance.

He had clearly given the tribute in advance, so why did Wei Zhongxian still come to arrest him?
Is it because they didn't give enough?
Wanting to live, Liu Yong whispered, "This servant is willing to offer three thousand taels of silver. Please, Eunuch, show mercy!"

Seeing that Wei Zhongxian remained unmoved, Liu made a pointed remark and said in a deep voice, "This servant is from the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

He deliberately repeated the title of "the eunuch in charge of the seal".

Now that Wei Chao rightfully occupies the position of Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Liu Yong believes that Wei Zhongxian must be somewhat wary of him.

To everyone's surprise, Wei Zhongxian's murderous intent intensified upon hearing this.

"How come we didn't know there was an ancestor in the palace?"

Seeing that Wei Zhongxian showed no regard for the Wei Dynasty's reputation, Liu Yong swallowed hard and said again, "This servant is willing to offer up my three-courtyard house in Tongzhou."

Before he could finish speaking, the embroidered spring knife was already at his neck.

"No, this servant is willing to give all my possessions to the eunuch!"

The embroidered spring knife pierced his neck, and Liu Yong panicked completely.

The eunuchs Zhang De of the Inner Palace and Li Ming of the Imperial Household Department kowtowed repeatedly, so frightened that they soiled themselves. They pleaded desperately, "We are willing to give all our wealth and property to the eunuch, please spare our lives."

Faced with the pleas of the crowd, Wei Zhongxian merely sneered.

"You are all His Majesty's henchmen, receiving the Emperor's favor, yet you dare to commit such a deceitful act. The gods and spirits have stolen your souls, and you still dare to hope for mercy?"

Wei Zhongxian bent down and picked up a gold dragon and phoenix buckle inlaid with pearls, his fingertips tracing the engraved characters "Made by Imperial Order of Wanli" on the buckle.

Your property belongs to His Majesty; do you still need to give it to him?
Do you think I wouldn't raid their house?
Thinking of this, Wei Zhongxian sneered, threw the gold clasp at the palace wall, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, and roared through gritted teeth:

"copy!

In an instant, torches outside Xuanwu Gate blazed like dragons, and hundreds of guards, following a pre-arranged route, kicked open the vermilion gates of each prison.

Inside the Imperial Pharmacy, a eunuch is stuffing a Hetian jade pendant into a medicine box; beneath the stove in the Imperial Kitchen lies a Ru ware celadon sunflower-shaped washer; and hidden among the pillars of the Inner Palace is a golden nanmu box.
They were all exposed to the bright firelight.

The chief executioner unfurled a seven-foot-long, gold-flecked register, and with each name read aloud, the iron chains rattled.

"Li Ming embezzled five hundred taels of gold thread from the Imperial Workshop."

"Zhang De stole thirty-seven pieces of tribute goods from the Inner Transport Warehouse."

"Liu Yong, without authorization, deployed the musket battalion for personal gain."

By the time the morning bell rang at dawn, the prison of the Northern Garrison Command was already overflowing with convicted eunuchs who had removed their eunuch robes.

The demons and monsters in the inner palace have been completely wiped out!

PS:

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(End of this chapter)