Chapter 58 Jinling Cangyue (Part 4) "Even a minor official like you, the Crown Prince, has an audience..."

Unexpectedly, the eunuch returned in a hurry only a quarter of an hour after leaving, and reported: "Your Highness, Madam Cui refuses to leave and insists on seeing you. She has even gotten into an argument with the guards."

Yan Chao had no choice but to stop writing, using his eyes to stop Liang Lu from reprimanding him, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know who her husband's family is?"

The eunuch said, "I have asked her. That Lady Cui refused to reveal her husband's official title or name, only repeatedly saying that she is the younger sister of Empress Wenhui and the seventh child in the Cui family."

Yan Chao and Liang Lu exchanged a glance, both filled with deep doubt. Empress Wenhui had several sisters, all of whom were now married. Yan Chao, who spent most of his time in the capital, did not pay much attention to the situation of his aunts.

As for Aunt Cui Qi outside the garden, she vaguely remembered that they were quite close when they were children, but she couldn't remember anything else. She had a rough idea of ​​why Aunt Cui Qi had come; a visit under the moonlight couldn't possibly be anything good.

"Have someone bring her in."

Lady Cui followed the eunuch quietly into the garden. The guards were orderly and on high alert, so she naturally didn't dare to cause any more trouble.

She didn't really know the Crown Prince's character, and couldn't help feeling uneasy. Her risky actions tonight were due to the anxiety she'd felt for her husband over the past few days; if things dragged on any longer, she feared it would truly be beyond saving.

After bypassing the flower hall, they walked straight to a study. Cui secretly glanced up and saw that the surroundings were enclosed, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

After being announced by the eunuch, Cui straightened her appearance, bowed her head, and stepped inside. The pavilion was filled with tall shelves, and the group walked in step by step along the wall. The lights gradually brightened, and when the space in front of them opened up, a simple desk was placed a few steps away. Behind the desk, a man in a dark blue round-necked robe stood quietly, clearly waiting for her.

Bathed in the lamplight, the young crown prince stood tall and elegant, as still as a deep pool and as imposing as a mountain. He bore no resemblance whatsoever to the five or six-year-old child I remembered from over a decade ago.

Suppressing her unease, Cui stepped forward and bowed, saying, "This concubine, Cui, greets Your Highness, may you live a thousand years."

She then apologized profusely, saying, "I have disturbed Your Highness by requesting an audience so abruptly, please forgive me. But I truly had no choice..."

"Please speak frankly, Madam."

Lady Cui was already finding it difficult to speak, but when the Crown Prince asked her directly, she suddenly panicked.

"Yes. Last month, the civil riots in Suzhou Prefecture shocked the entire region. After the riots were quelled, the government investigated and held those responsible accountable. My husband, Lin Zhan, was the then-county magistrate of Changshu County in Suzhou Prefecture. He was imprisoned for his crimes and has been imprisoned for over a month. I heard that he will be executed soon... Your Highness, the cause of this civil riot was not him, and when the riots broke out, my husband did his best to stop them. My husband has served in office for several years, always working diligently and conscientiously. Even if he has not made any great contributions, he has certainly worked hard. He is not guilty of any crime deserving of death. I beg Your Highness to investigate thoroughly."

Yan Chao understood immediately; they had come to plead for mercy.

The county magistrate in charge of agriculture was only an eighth-rank official. Given that such a thing suddenly happened in the area, it was understandable that he would be pushed forward after investigation from all levels. However, Lin Zhan himself probably couldn't escape responsibility either.

However, shouldn't all the corrupt officials involved have been investigated and punished by now?

She nodded calmly: "I came to Suzhou specifically for the autumn tax matter. However, this case is to be tried by the judicial authorities. If you have any grievances, you may go to the yamen to file a complaint. I will certainly uphold justice then."

Upon hearing this, Lady Cui simply shook her head, stammering for a long while before finally speaking with difficulty: "Your Highness, my husband was originally sentenced to death..."

She suddenly fell silent. This time, many officials were involved, and several of her husband's colleagues had already been executed. The reason her husband was still alive was because he had vaguely heard that someone above was protecting him, but even she, his wife, didn't know the reasons. But she knew that once the Crown Prince arrived, he might not be able to protect them anymore, which was why she had come to see him in such a hurry.

With a heavy heart, Cui gritted her teeth, kowtowed deeply, and pleaded, "...If Your Highness doesn't speak, my husband will definitely be sentenced to death. He's just a minor official of the eighth rank, in charge of tax collection. At this crucial moment, no one in the government is willing to protect him. But Your Highness is different. If you give the order, naturally no one will dare to disobey. I only beg Your Highness to save his life!"

Liang Lu, who was standing by, noticed Yan Chao's expression and finally couldn't help but speak up: "Madam Cui, you are asking His Highness to show favoritism! Do you know that this is a crime that will bring disaster to the entire clan!"

Yan Chao said, "Since you know that Lin Zhan's crime deserves death, how dare you come to me for help? I am only seeing you today because of my relationship with the Cui family, but if you ask me to show favoritism, that is absolutely unacceptable. Considering that this is your first offense, I can overlook what you just said. I will instruct the officials to judge Lin Zhan's crime fairly and impartially, and I will ensure that he is not wronged."

"Liang Lu, see the guest out."

Liang Lu responded "Yes" and was about to step forward to invite her. However, Cui refused to leave. In her panic, she suddenly calmed down and looked up at Yan Chao, saying, "Your Highness, my husband has been in office for several years, but he has always been suppressed. Even though he has been rated as excellent in the evaluation, he has never been promoted. Do you know why?"

"Because he is related to the Cui family by marriage. When Empress Wenhui lost the Emperor's favor, His Majesty took his anger out on her maternal clan and banished the Cui family from the capital. After that, not only were the careers of the Cui family's sons affected, but even the families of those who married Cui family daughters were suppressed openly and secretly. My husband is very filial and often goes to the Cui family to serve his elders. He was bullied because he refused to sever ties with the Cui family."

“Now, even a minor official of insignificance, whose life or death is but a word to you, Your Highness, will you still stand by and watch him die?” Cui Shi looked up, and the grief and indignation that had been building up in her heart finally came out, tears welling up in her eyes.

The lights in the pavilion were slightly dimmer. Yan Chao's expression was unreadable. She stared at Cui Shi for a long time, then suddenly remembered something.

Many years ago, the only time she could remember traveling south by boat with her maternal grandparents was many years ago.

At that time, the seventh aunt in front of me was still a young girl. She held her and sat her down by the window. Her pure eyes gazed out the window with curiosity and longing, and she hummed a soft, unknown tune.

Those intermittent melodies drifted past my ears in a daze, and the child in my arms was drowsy. On the windowpane, slivers of golden light danced and twirled with the ripples on the water.

"I will personally look into Lin Zhan's matter. Seventh Aunt, you should go back now."

Lady Cui asked hesitantly, "And then what? Can Your Highness guarantee his safety?"

Yan Chao frowned subconsciously.

In an instant, Cui's face turned pale, her lips trembled, and as if she had made a great decision, she said, word by word, "Your Highness and the Cui family are bound together by fate. If we are all wiped out because of some secret that I, an insignificant married woman, have revealed, Your Highness will suffer a great loss."

.

Inside Nanjing city.

Li Shihuai, holding a cup of tea, lay comfortably in his armchair, listening to his scouts report on the situation in Suzhou.

When the scout mentioned that the Crown Prince had secretly met with Lin Zhan's wife, Cui, Li Shih-huai and the junior official beside him exchanged a knowing smile. Unexpectedly, the scout continued, "...But after that night, Cui did not return to the Lin family, nor did she even leave Zhuoyuan. The news we heard outside is that the Crown Prince announced to the outside world that Cui had suddenly fallen ill and was temporarily staying at Zhuoyuan for treatment. As for Lin Zhan, there was no imperial decree."

Li Shihuai's smile froze, and he asked suspiciously, "Could it be that the Crown Prince has already made a move against the Cui family?"

"I am unaware."

Li Shihai waved for him to leave, then leisurely stretched, half-closing his eyes, seemingly speaking to the clerk, yet also seemingly to himself: "Could it be that the Crown Prince is far from the capital, and holds absolute power in Suzhou, so he thinks that because Lady Cui of Jude requests an audience late at night, he can act recklessly without any scruples? When did he become so careless?"

As soon as he said it, he shook his head in denial. To outsiders, the Crown Prince had always been calm, composed, cautious, and thorough. If he were truly so rash and reckless, he would have been spared the trouble long ago.

The minor official pondered for a moment and said, “A lowly eighth-rank official who has committed a capital offense should not elicit such a reaction from the Crown Prince, whether he lives or dies. Although Cui is of low status, she is still an official’s wife and the Crown Prince’s aunt. It is truly incomprehensible that she is being confined to Zhuoyuan under such an absurd pretext. If word gets out, it will surely cause controversy. In my opinion, as long as the rumors spread, your plan can be brought to an end sooner than expected.”

He lowered his voice and continued, "Now, Lin Zhan's life or death is no longer important. What is worth pondering is what Cui Shi said that made the Crown Prince take such a rash action."

Li Shih-huai pondered for a moment, then stroked his beard and said slowly, "It seems there's more to that Cui family than meets the eye."

.

Since Yan Chao dared to keep people in Zhuoyuan, he must have also considered the issue of public opinion.

The courtyard where Cui was settled was quite far from her residence. It was secluded but not desolate. The courtyard had servants who took good care of her, and no one except the doctor was allowed to enter at will. It was indeed a good place to "recuperate".

As for the Lin family, Yan Chao specifically instructed Cui to write a letter back and ordered his personal attendant to properly appease them. He even allowed someone from the Lin family to visit, and Cui, knowing the gravity of the situation, naturally spoke cautiously. The Lin family found this strange, but dared not say anything more.

Cui was thus placed under house arrest without any warning.

Liang Lu was both annoyed and worried: "If we had insisted on not letting her into the garden that day, it would have been fine. But how could Madam Cui dare to gamble with the entire Cui family if she couldn't see His Highness? Now it's difficult. We can't act rashly, so we have to stay in this stalemate..."

Yan Chao waved his hand and frowned. However, thinking of Cui's threatening words that night, he still had some reservations and hesitated, saying, "Now that Cui has entered Zhuoyuan, Lin Zhan will definitely be targeted."

Thinking of this, a thought flashed through her mind, and she immediately instructed Duan Shou to come in: "Send someone to secretly keep an eye on the Lin family inside and outside. If there is any unusual activity, report back immediately. Also, send a message to Lan Huaien, and tell him to keep a close eye on Jinling, especially Li Shihuai."

Liang Lu seemed to realize something: "Does Your Highness suspect that someone did this deliberately?"

"Something seems amiss."

She specifically asked Mrs. Cui, who had never told anyone about it, so there was little possibility that she had been taken advantage of.

However, Cui's target is Lin Zhan. Lin Zhan's future is uncertain as he is protected by Zhu Yongxing. At present, the only one who can intervene in this matter and decide Lin Zhan's final fate is her, the Crown Prince who has just arrived in Suzhou.

This made her suspicious.

Yan Chao finally relented to Cui that day. However, she had important matters to attend to in Suzhou, and was already overwhelmed with official duties every day. In addition, she had many concerns, so even though she paid close attention to Lin Zhan's matter, she could not be too hasty.

After the day's political discussions concluded, Yan Chao kept Zhu Yongxing behind. The two did not speak in the main hall, but instead went to a pavilion in the garden. The servants served tea and then all withdrew, leaving no one else nearby.

Yan Chao gestured for Zhu Yongxing to sit down before saying, "I have benefited greatly from discussing the tax system with the governor and other officials these past few days. I have already drafted a memorial and submitted it to His Majesty. Let's see what His Majesty thinks."

Zhu Yongxing was slightly surprised, but still nodded and replied, "Yes, the sooner the imperial edict is issued, the sooner the policy can be implemented. However, Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue has been in Nanjing and has not discussed this matter with us. I wonder what his opinion is on this policy..."

“You need not worry about that. Minister Li is burdened with heavy responsibilities and is busy with official duties in Nanjing, so it is inconvenient for him to come to Suzhou. I have already informed him of the results of the discussion, and he has no objections,” Yan Chao said succinctly.

Zhu Yongxing was shrewd enough that he did not press the matter further upon hearing this.

"I was overthinking it," he immediately changed the subject. "The new policy will need to be discussed and refined by the cabinet. I wonder how confident Your Highness is that it will be approved?"

Yan Chaowei took a sip of tea and said softly, "It's hard to say. This is not something I can decide. But in any case, the problem in Suzhou must be solved. We can't just wait for the imperial decree. Some issues, once discussed, will never have an end."

Zhu Yongxing looked up at her in surprise, not daring to reply for a moment.

Yan Chao's expression softened: "This isn't the main hall, it's not that formal. I summoned you here alone because I don't want it to feel too formal with so many people around."

In the past few days, the Crown Prince had occasionally asked Zhu Yongxing some questions in private, his words being slightly more amiable than in front of others. At first, Zhu Yongxing thought the Crown Prince was trying to win him over, but later he thought he might be overthinking it, so he remained cautious in his response.

Therefore, he answered "yes" in a standard and conventional manner.

“I have seen the Yellow Registers. Some are tattered and messy, some are old and rotten, and others are obviously forged. If this continues, the problems will only get worse. And this is just one of many problems.”

This time, Zhu Yongxing was finally able to continue the conversation: "Therefore, His Highness ordered Vice Prefect Zhao Zhizhang to re-survey the land and reorganize the land registers so that the land would have a fixed number and the taxes would be fixed."

“It was he who volunteered first,” Yan Chao said with a pleased expression. “I have heard of Zhao Zhizhang’s deeds. He was quite experienced in handling land disputes in Changzhou County, and the local people had a very good opinion of him. He has also contributed a lot to the discussion of new strategies these days. He seems to be a capable person, and I think it is appropriate to approve his application.”

"Your Highness's trust and reliance on him is a great fortune for Magistrate Zhao."

He had been secretly observing the situation. At first, when the Crown Prince easily targeted the Prefect Zhou Jing, he thought the Crown Prince was easily swayed by words. Later, he realized that the Crown Prince had investigated some people beforehand. The Crown Prince was fully aware of Zhou Jing's actions, which was why he used him to warn others.

The Crown Prince clearly had this in mind when he appointed Zhao Zhizhang.

However, the matters that the Crown Prince is currently concerned with are all within the purview of the Ministry of Revenue. Yet, the Ministers of Revenue in both capitals are located in Nanjing. It seems somewhat incongruous for the Crown Prince to personally handle these trivial matters.

The people below naturally wouldn't say anything; even if they did discuss it, they would only say that the Crown Prince was diligent, cared for the people, and personally attended to every matter.

Zhu Yongxing composed himself, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, the land survey and the repatriation of displaced people cannot be completed in a short time. The most urgent task is this year's taxes. Part of the autumn tax has already been collected, but unexpected changes have occurred. Even if the new laws are implemented, the earliest we can expect to see them is the next..."

"To appease the public, reducing or exempting taxes on grain is the quickest and safest way."

The troubles ultimately originate from the people, and simply punishing corrupt officials will not put the people at ease.

"I share the same thought. However, some officials have previously submitted petitions requesting tax reductions, but these were rejected by the Ministry of Revenue." His expression darkened slightly, and he thought to himself: His Majesty and the Cabinet must have thought of this, yet they still sent the Crown Prince in the end, which shows that the capital is not very willing.

"I have petitioned to reduce or exempt the accumulated arrears of taxes on ancient official land in Suzhou Prefecture. At the same time, in accordance with the imperial edict of the seventeenth year of Xuanning, those who pay one to four dou of grain should have their taxes reduced by two-tenths; those who pay four dou and one sheng to one shi or more should have their taxes reduced by three-tenths. These reductions can be applied to the original grain transport tax to alleviate the hardship of transporting grain for the people."

Zhu Yongxing's eyes lit up.

Although this edict was issued in the seventeenth year of the Xuan Ning era, it was not effectively implemented in the local areas that year due to various reasons and was subsequently shelved. Now that the situation has been brought up again, it may be easier than before. The reason that makes him feel most at ease is that he does not have to worry about being accused of "disrupting established laws".

However, there is no absolute guarantee.

Yan Chao saw his worry and simply said, "The Cabinet will naturally take this into consideration, and I will certainly do my best."

She bypassed Li Shih-huai, which might reduce resistance within the cabinet. However, this would likely displease the emperor.

Outside the pavilion, the sunlight shimmered, birds chirped, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of lotus blossoms.

The two talked for a long time, and Zhu Yongxing's guard had quietly lowered a bit.

After much deliberation, he suddenly said, “Your Highness, all matters have now been arranged, but those appointed are all high-ranking officials in the government offices. We cannot neglect the lower-ranking officials and clerks responsible for the specific tasks, especially the agricultural officials specially appointed in various regions. I would like to recommend someone to the Crown Prince, but this person has a special status and is not currently in office…”

Yan Chao's eyebrows twitched, and he blurted out, "Lin Zhan?"

Zhu Yongxing looked up in astonishment. He immediately realized that he shouldn't be surprised that the Crown Prince knew about this matter, but rather that the Crown Prince seemed to be quite concerned about it as well, and perhaps was intentionally waiting for him to speak first.

Zhu Yongxing rose from his seat, bowed his head, and knelt down, saying, "Your subject is guilty."

Author's Note:

①The Veritable Records of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, slightly modified.