Chapter 007: Ruthless Individuals

As for the powers of the Eastern Depot in supervising the Jinyiwei, they were not initially very extensive, and this supervision did not equate to jurisdiction. During the Yongle period, the Eastern Depot and the Jinyiwei were still on equal footing.

Wei Zhongxian was quite agitated; originally, he had placed his bets on the wrong horse

Fu Yingxing is the nephew of Wei Zhongxian, and this is something Taichang is certainly aware of. He intends to allow Wei Zhongxian to appoint his relatives without restraint, and naturally, he will not expose this matter.

He had not yet reached the main gate when a loud singing came from outside: "The imperial decree has arrived, Lu Shouji and the officials of the internal inspection agency are to receive the decree."

Will you accept it or not

Wu Mengming readily clasped his hands and said: "This humble servant obeys the command."

Upon seeing Wei Zhongxian's hesitant expression, Taichang could not help but smile inwardly, for he certainly knew that at this moment, Wei Zhongxian was no match for Lu Shou.

However, when he saw that Li Jinzong was seated in the courtroom, a hint of surprise could not help but show in his eyes

Imperial edict

This time, we must handle the matter efficiently, so that the Emperor can see the capabilities of our family

Cui Wensheng finds this utterly baffling; he truly does not understand what Wei Zhongxian intends to do

Here, Wang Ancai had prepared the imperial edict for the dismissal of the officials of the Internal Affairs Office, while over there, Wu Mengming had already entered briskly, respectfully cupping his hands and saying: "Your Majesty, everything is ready."

He spoke like a storyteller, calmly and unhurriedly reciting the testimony he had prepared in advance

Ah!

Wei Zhongxian, however, did not hesitate to say: "Execute the punishment!"

Tai Chang nodded slightly and said: "Well, why not replace all twelve of the major heads of the external affairs office as well, to avoid any trouble? Do you have any suitable candidates under your command?"

At this moment, Wei Zhongxian truly had very few trusted confidants under his command. He thought carefully and then expressed his regret: "I can find people to replace the various levels of eunuchs and servants in charge of internal affairs, such as the head of the department, the foreman, and the supervisors. However, for the chief of punishment and the hundred and thousand household officials, I do not know so many of the Jinyiwei's thousand and hundred household officials, and I really do not know how to arrange this. By the way, Your Majesty, what do you think of General Fu Yingxing?"

Wei Zhongxian angrily rebuked: "I am called Wei Zhongxian, not Li Jinzong. Do not spout nonsense here. I will ask you one last time, will you confess or not?"

In a state of helplessness, he could only kneel on the ground with the officials of the Internal Affairs Office to receive the imperial edict.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Li Jinzong saw him, he picked up the wooden block and slammed it down forcefully, saying in a stern voice: "Cui Wensheng, will you confess or not?"

The Eastern Depot is responsible for overseeing the Jinyiwei. Typically, the Jinyiwei would avoid encountering the agents of the Eastern Depot, not to mention that the commander of the Eastern Depot is stationed at the Internal Investigation Office.

Consort Zheng was indeed the most favored concubine of the late emperor, yet he actually intended to have her killed

Wei Zhongxian thought carefully for a moment and then cautiously said: "Your Majesty, the primary responsibility of the Eastern Depot lies within the internal investigation office, while the external investigation office's subordinates merely act on orders. The internal investigation office has only about thirty to forty personnel in total. We only need to bring several hundred Jinyiwei to surround the internal investigation office, and then send in a few skilled individuals to announce the imperial decree. This would include dismissing the supervisors, managers, and other eunuchs in charge of the internal investigation office, as well as the chief and deputy officers in charge of punishment, replacing them with our own people. That would be nearly sufficient. At that time, the twelve major heads of the external investigation office, along with their thousands of subordinates, would either follow orders or be dealt with accordingly, whether that means capturing them or executing them, which would not be difficult at all.

He immediately expressed his profound gratitude to Taichang, bringing Wu Mengming to the square outside the hall. He summoned several of his trusted subordinates and assembled twelve captains along with over a thousand imperial guards. With this large group, he marched boldly and confidently towards the internal investigation office.

The Eastern Inspection Office, abbreviated as Dongchang, was established in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty. It was a renowned privileged supervisory and secret agency of the Ming Dynasty

In principle, he should not be required to answer.

The Jinyiwei actually dared to surround the Internal Investigation Office, this is outrageous

He has the support of Consort Zheng, so what does the edict of the young emperor count for!

Everyone in the hall was wide-eyed in astonishment, their faces filled with shock.

There is no way, he cannot read!

He was in a daze when Wei Zhongxian immediately shouted angrily: "You refuse to confess, huh? Bring in the torture instruments!"

He instinctively paused for a moment

In the hall, many people could hardly bear to look, yet Wei Zhongxian did not even blink, as if the one being punished before him was merely a beast, not a human being

He walked directly into the main hall of the Internal Affairs Office, took his seat in the main position, picked up the wooden block on the official case and slammed it down with force, then announced in a loud voice: "Bring the case forward, Wu Mengming, take people to bring Cui Wensheng over."

If this confession were to be leaked, how many people would lose their heads

Is this guy out of his mind

Wei Zhongxian let out a cold snort of satisfaction, and then summoned his trusted aide Li Yongzhen, shoving the imperial edict into his hands

These things, when used on living beings, can undoubtedly cause unbearable pain.

Li Xuanshi was originally his master, yet he sold him without any hesitation

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian awkwardly said: "Well, Your Majesty, Lu Shouquan wields immense power, and he also has the support of the imperial concubine. It would be quite difficult to persuade him to relinquish the position of the Director of the Eastern Depot."

Li Jinchong is notorious for his ruthlessness. Over a hundred Imperial Guards would definitely be no match for the thirty or so subordinates in the Internal Affairs Office. If he dares to refuse the imperial edict, there is an eighty to ninety percent chance that Li Jinchong will take action

Ah!

Cui Wensheng let out a mournful scream, as one of his fingernails had already been torn away from him

To speak frankly, the torture instruments of the Eastern Depot are indeed quite terrifying, such as clamps, inserts, dismembering tools, excavators, branding irons, and so on. These do not seem like instruments for interrogating people; rather, they resemble tools used by forensic examiners for autopsies

Wei Zhongxian did not care about any of this; in order to seize power, he was capable of doing anything. The deaths of Consort Zheng, Lady Li, and the Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang factions were of no concern to him; it would not matter to him if they all perished.

Cui Wensheng had just begun to recover a bit when he was unexpectedly taken out by the Jinyiwei again

He personally checked for a breath, and after confirming that Cui Wensheng had truly passed away, he calmly walked over to Li Yongzheng, who was recording the testimony. Without even glancing at the recently recorded statement, he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it aside, then coldly said: "The testimony should be written like this..."

Lu Shou received the news and immediately stormed out with several trusted aides, filled with anger

What did Wei Zhongxian say

Li Yongzheng respectfully received the imperial edict, unfolding it to read aloud.

He couldn't help but curse loudly: "Li Jinzong, are you out of your mind! You are also involved in this matter, and if it comes to light, everyone will want to tear you apart. Don't push me!"

The Internal Investigation Office is located just outside the Eastern Huamen Gate of the imperial palace, less than one mile from the Qianqing Palace. Thousands of Imperial Guards surged out from the Eastern Huamen Gate, quickly surrounding the Internal Investigation Office so tightly that not a drop of water could leak through.

To speak frankly, at this moment he is indeed a bit afraid, because the imperial concubine has made it clear that she intends to cast him aside to vent her anger on the emperor. Who knows whether the emperor might accidentally kill him!

The original purpose of the Ming Chengzu in establishing the Eastern Depot was primarily to suppress the opposing forces within the court and the populace. After all, the Jianwen Dynasty, which he overthrew by force during the Jingnan Campaign, was the legitimate rule of the Ming Dynasty, and his claim to power was neither justifiable nor legitimate. There were still many opposing forces within the court and among the people.

Unexpectedly, he was able to turn misfortune into fortune and was promoted to the position of Supervisor of the Eastern Depot

When Wei Zhongxian received the imperial edict, it was indeed a mix of joy and concern. As the head of the Eastern Depot, he naturally desired this position, but the problem was that with his current strength, he simply could not secure this position

Tai Chang secretly laughed to himself, but on the surface, he pretended to frown and said, "I see, then what do you suggest we do?"

He pretended to be curious and asked, "What is it, Wei Aiqing"

At this moment, Wei Zhongxian has just been appointed as the Superintendent of the Eastern Depot, and it seems that he still faces some difficulties in smoothly taking over the Eastern Depot. This is because the current Superintendent, Lu Shou, is a favored official of the late Emperor Wanli, and he is one of the most prominent eunuchs in the imperial harem, wielding power only second to Consort Zheng and the Western Li.

He picked up the prepared confession and blew on it, then walked over to the corpse of Cui Wensheng, took hold of Cui Wensheng's left hand, and pressed a large handprint onto the testimony using the blood on the ground.

Next, the screams in the hall were incessant. Wei Zhongxian ordered his men to use all the torture instruments on Cui Wensheng. Cui Wensheng was in a terrible state; within less than an hour, he had been tortured to the point of being utterly disfigured and was on the verge of death.

He thought that the Emperor had been persuaded by Empress Xi Li, and that sending Li Jinzong just to make a gesture would suffice

Because this fellow Li Jinzong actually barged in with over a hundred Imperial Guards, brandishing an imperial edict and exuding an imposing presence

Wei Zhongxian darkly remarked: "Ah, still wanting to frame the mixed families, let’s give him a more formidable one!"

Are you out of your mind? How can I have a good time if I have to deal with you

The general meaning of this imperial edict is that the Supervisory Office, led by the Eastern Depot Commander Lu Shou, along with the officials of the Internal Investigation Office, colluded with Concubine Zheng to plot treasonous activities, and all of them are to be dismissed from their positions and investigated

What he means is that Consort Zheng and Lady Li have colluded with the Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang factions with the intention of usurping the throne and plotting against the Emperor

However, this punishment of the thousand households is merely a dog leash in his hand, and it cannot be given to Wei Zhongxian's nephew

If it were someone else, Lu Shou might have resisted a little, but in front of the ruthless Li Jinzong, he truly did not dare to. He could only obediently accept the order and was taken by the Jinyiwei into the detention room of the Internal Affairs Office.

The chief executioner of the Eastern Depot, the hundred households in charge of punishment, and the heads of the major files, along with the subordinates they oversee, are actually all drawn from the Jinyiwei, with the heads of the major files being equivalent to the hundred households of the Jinyiwei

This person is truly ruthless; just yesterday he was calling someone his brother, and today he treats that person as if they are not even human. This is not merely coercion; it is simply a means to torture someone to death.

Tai Chang nodded slightly and personally handed the imperial edict to Wei Zhongxian, then patted him on the shoulder and said kindly: "Wei Aiqing, everything is entrusted to you, go ahead."

However, no matter how cunning and deceitful you may be, you must still drink my foot bath water

You haven't even risen to power yet, and you already want to place your confidants in positions of authority

What am I recruiting for? Are you still not clear about what we have done?

Wei Zhongxian was indeed pushing people to their limits; even when Cui Wensheng was on the brink of death, he still did not order a halt. In less than two hours, Cui Wensheng was brutally killed by him.

Wei Zhongxian is currently too occupied to deal with these individuals, as he has yet to attend to the matters entrusted to him by the Emperor

The mad dog has finally been unleashed

I will first see how many trusted confidants you have now

Soon, the execution officer Fu Yingxing arrived with a group of executioners, carrying a pile of torture instruments

Having spoken, he respectfully turned around and walked briskly outside

However, upon seeing the grandeur of the imperial edict being conveyed, he dared not refuse to accept it

If he foolishly takes the imperial edict to assume the position, it is highly likely that an "accident" will occur, as Lu Shou is not someone to be trifled with

What other parties are there like Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang? Did they provoke you or offend you?

Cui Wensheng, upon seeing this situation, could not help but exclaim in panic, "Li Jinzong, what do you intend to do?"

Lu Shou could not have anticipated that retribution would come so swiftly; he had just accompanied Consort Zheng to the Qianqing Palace to discuss matters with the Emperor, and now, not even a quarter of an hour had passed, with his seat still warm, when the Jinyiwei surrounded the office of the Internal Affairs Office.

However, later on, with the emergence of powerful eunuchs such as Wang Zhen, Liu Jin, and Feng Bao, the authority of the Eastern Depot gradually increased, eventually surpassing that of the Jinyiwei. Under Wei Zhongxian, the eunuchs' power reached its zenith; he was essentially the father of the Jinyiwei, and the commander of the Jinyiwei, Tian Ergeng, was his godson

Tai Chang pretended to frown and pondered for a moment before slowly saying: "The total flag will be promoted by one level, which is just a hundred households. Fu Yingxing can serve as the magistrate of a hundred households, as for the other candidates..."

We are all on the same side, if you force me to recruit, you will also be doomed

He indeed has a bit of brains

He pretended to lift his head and glanced casually, then immediately called out: "Wu Mengming, you go select twelve hundred households, and then gather the subordinate Jinyiwei to follow Wei Aiqing to take over the internal investigation office"

Would such a person willingly relinquish the power in their hands

Cui Wensheng was left dumbfounded; he truly could not understand what was going on with Li Jinzong.