Chapter 314

After lecturing his son, Master Wang resolved to investigate the officials along the central axis, whether for the sake of his son or the imperial court. Before letting his son leave, Master Wang pressed for details regarding the ambush. Upon hearing of the negligence of the local prefect and the city commander—who had failed to apprehend a single person—Master Wang’s expression turned grim. He remarked that such incompetence was beneath the dignity of an official; they would be better off returning to the fields to farm.

The next day, Master Wang submitted a memorial impeaching both the prefect and the city commander. General Li, who rarely attended court, also submitted a petition. His appearance caused a stir among the officials. The old general first requested that the Emperor punish him for failing to train his troops properly, which had led to such dereliction of duty. Then, shifting his tone, he pointed out that the prefect had failed even to interrogate a prisoner. The old general was willing to sacrifice his reputation for the sake of his family's safety.

Master Wang naturally supported him, the two of them echoing each other. Even if others accused them of abusing their power for personal gain, so what? If those officials had not erred, they would not have provided any leverage. Master Wang did not feel he was making a false accusation.

After the Fourth Prince departed with General Li’s eldest grandson and the Imperial Merchant, the prefect and city commander had been filled with a sense of foreboding. The city commander, in particular, counted the days in terror. Although military power had returned to the court, some authority remained with the old generals. The commander regretted his actions bitterly, forgetting that the Li family’s influence in the military was not to be trifled with.

The prefect was more composed, assuming he would at most be branded with a charge of negligence, which might affect his career but not his life—unlike the city commander. The Li family’s eldest grandson held no major military power, merely training recruits, but one had to consider what his trainees went on to do. Many, like the city commander, were former soldiers of his, yet few were as ungrateful as the one in the city. In a way, the commander had come from the Li family’s ranks, yet he had clearly hitched his wagon to others. When the Li family encountered trouble, he had feigned enthusiasm, but in reality, he had stalled and dragged his feet, only realizing the Li family’s true power once the danger had passed. The prefect sneered; regardless of the Li family, the Imperial Merchant’s current influence was not something they could provoke. The Emperor had publicly expressed his desire to adopt the merchant as his foster son several times, only being stopped by his ministers. The Fourth Prince, however, had adopted the merchant as his foster brother on the Emperor’s behalf, effectively making him a foster son to the throne anyway.

Wang Xiujin knew nothing of the events in the capital; he was busy handling the aftermath of the investigation into the rites official who had schemed against him. That official’s family had some local power, having once been bandits before turning to legitimate business in the early days of the Dalian Dynasty. Privately, however, they still kept many ruffians. Publicly, they claimed these were escorts for their trade, but in secret, these men committed countless atrocities—seizing women, land, and wealth was their daily routine. If not for Wang Xiujin’s connections with the royal family, his own early business ventures would surely have been plundered by them.

Reviewing the information his father had recovered, Wang Xiujin rubbed his neck, marveling at his own good fortune. This family had already infiltrated Wu County when he and the Fourth Prince first collaborated. Had the Fourth Prince’s men not intimidated them, his life would likely have ended there. When he first arrived in the capital, the family had also participated in flooding the market with counterfeit versions of his braised food products, though they had ended up suffering heavy losses themselves. In Wang Xiujin’s view, they were clever, but used their wits in the wrong places; had they focused on honest business, they might have become wealthy long ago.

After the court session, Wang Xiujin heard about the impeachment by General Li and his father. He felt no sympathy for the prefect and commander; had they been diligent, no one would have escaped. Wang Xiujin discussed the documents provided by his father with Li Linshan. They decided not to arrest the rites official’s family yet, instead placing them under close surveillance. Once the official and his accomplices found they could not survive outside, they would inevitably seek an opportunity to return to the capital, and if they found their home undisturbed, they might show themselves.

Before long, the prefect was exiled to a remote area to serve as a magistrate, while the city commander was sent back to the recruit camp for retraining. Upon receiving the order, the commander nearly fainted. The recruit camp was Li Linshan’s territory; the only way out was to retire and return home. If he retired as a city commander, he would receive some respect from local officials, but as a man discharged from the recruit camp, he would be nothing—even his own relatives in the village would look down on him. When he tried to seek help from his former patrons, they turned him away.

Back in the capital, Master Wang was busy with the central axis officials. He was shocked by what he found; it seemed his son’s warnings had not been alarmist. The Censorate spent half a year investigating, discovering that officials on the central axis accounted for seventy to eighty percent of the total, with a significant number below them as well. It was truly alarming. The senior officials of the Censorate trembled as they looked at the list; these individuals would eventually rise to high positions, controlling the court. Even if the dynasty did not change its name, it would effectively be ruled by puppets.

Master Wang could not shoulder this alone, so he invited the heads of the Six Ministries, the Three Courts, and several Grand Secretaries to review the list. Their faces turned grim. While they had their own rivalries and territories, when an outside force threatened their interests, they banded together. They were already in positions of power, but they had to consider their descendants.

They met and discussed how to handle these people, ultimately deciding to transfer some to the Hanlin Academy for editorial work. As for the rest, those who had committed minor errors were suppressed, and those who hadn't were provided with excuses to be demoted. Execution was impossible; there were too many of them.

After their proposal was submitted to the Emperor, he was furious. He did not judge the plan but instead pointed at Master Wang, asking, "What am I to say of you? When the Imperial Merchant said these people were problematic, what did you tell me?" Master Wang’s expression darkened; he had never imagined the scale of the problem. The other ministers, unaware of the history, watched the scene with amusement.

The Emperor maintained Master Wang’s dignity in front of the others. Though still displeased, he approved the plan, much to the relief of the other ministers who had feared the Emperor might resort to mass purges, which would have made him appear tyrannical to the populace.

That evening, Wang Xiujin and Li Linshan were invited to the Wang residence. Master Wang shared the results. Wang Xiujin blinked in surprise—should he become a prophet? His original guess had been a frantic hunch, yet it had proven true. Li Linshan, looking grim, asked if they could do something while these officials were on their way to their new posts; even if they couldn't eliminate them all, they could ensure a few disappeared. Master Wang remained silent for a long time, neither agreeing nor refusing, effectively giving his tacit approval. On treacherous mountain roads, accidents were always possible.

Wang Xiujin remained silent. He could not bring himself to argue that they did not deserve death; if these people had gained enough power to control the court, would they have shown mercy to those who stood before them? He could not be certain.

Wang Xiujin did not pay much attention to the aftermath, hearing only that there were frequent personnel changes in the capital before the New Year as many rushed to take up their posts. Housing prices in the capital fluctuated slightly. Recently, Wang Xiujin’s primary concern was the rites official; word reached him that the man’s associates had returned to the capital. He was so excited he nearly jumped—after such a long wait, there was finally movement. He wanted to arrest them immediately and demand answers, but Li Linshan restrained him.

"Where there is one, there will be more. Do not be impatient; we must not alert them," Li Linshan said, patting Wang Xiujin’s shoulder. "They will not escape."

Reassured by Li Linshan, Wang Xiujin calmed down, though he still inquired daily, only remembering to handle New Year’s preparations when Manager Mi came to remind him. It had not been a prosperous year, with natural disasters in many parts of the country. Fortunately, the national treasury was full, and grain stores were well-stocked; the relief distributed caused little strain. Where there were disasters, there were also harvests, and the balance was much like any other year. Before the government distributed grain, officials—fearing investigation—proactively invited the Censorate to supervise the process.

In the past, corrupt officials might have adulterated the grain with husks or sand. Under supervision, they voluntarily distributed high-quality grain, hoping to win the Emperor's favor. Some small-town magistrates were promoted to prefects. These officials, unaware of the power struggles in the capital, concluded that the Emperor now valued those who truly served the people. They realized that as long as they acted with moderation and avoided greed, promotion was not difficult.

Because it was a year of disaster, the Emperor’s rewards were modest, and the New Year’s banquet was canceled. The Emperor declared a three-day fast from the first to the third day of the New Year to pray for the people, and the ministers, having no choice, followed suit and abstained from meat.