LRAB Chapter 162 Dissuasion
Chapter 162 Dissuasion
Chapter 162 Dissuasion
When Wang You heard the emperor summon him, he had a bad feeling.
Hearing that the Emperor had assigned him the task of investigating the Prince Chong's rebellion, he could only smile bitterly to himself.
Wouldn't you say this is like digging a hole and burying yourself?
However, whether he liked it or not, he had to accept the job.
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Wang You bowed and replied.
The other officials in the hall all changed their expressions slightly, but since the Emperor mentioned the late Emperor, they had no reason to stop him.
It's a fact that Chong Wang plotted a rebellion; we can't just say we didn't investigate, can we?
The Emperor nodded slightly and said, "Please follow me to the Jiying Hall for the banquet."
With a new emperor ascending the throne and foreign envoys present, a banquet must naturally be held to entertain them.
According to the rites, banquets cannot be held while the national mourning period is still ongoing. However, the late emperor left a will stating that the national mourning period would end after 27 days, which does not constitute a violation of the rites.
During this period, the officials also had a very difficult time. During the national mourning period, they could only eat vegetarian food. Even if they secretly ate a little behind closed doors, no one would know. But very few people actually dared to do so.
If word gets out, it could be a huge problem.
Besides, everyone loses weight during the national mourning period, so wouldn't it be strange if I looked radiant?
Today, facing such a lavish banquet, the officials should be happy, but instead, they find it utterly unappealing.
They did not expect that the emperor would announce a thorough investigation into the case of Prince Chong's rebellion so soon after ascending the throne.
Nobody knows how far things will go.
After all, there were quite a few civil officials who supported the prince's rise to power. If you have any connection with these officials, you might get implicated.
Wang You was no better off; other officials thought the emperor only wanted to investigate Wang's alleged rebellion.
Although I'm worried about being implicated, nothing has happened yet, so I'm not too worried.
But Wang You knew perfectly well that the government wanted to use the investigation into Prince Chong's alleged rebellion to make money.
This kind of thing is bound to offend a lot of people, which is giving Wang You a big headache.
After finally enduring the banquet, Wang You left the palace with the officials.
Why would the Emperor entrust such a task to you?
As soon as he got into the carriage, Wang Min's face turned grim.
Previously, the father and son were not together at court meetings and banquets, and had never had a chance to speak.
"How would I know?"
Wang You said, "Perhaps it's because of Princess Jia that the Emperor entrusted this matter to me."
"You'er".
Wang Min instructed, "The Emperor has already assigned this task to you, so there's no way to refuse. But remember, you can deal with the military officers that the Prince of Yan has bribed, but absolutely do not involve the civil officials."
"I understand."
Wang You had no choice but to agree, even though he was in a difficult situation.
The father and son returned home by car, and Wang Min called him to his study to inquire about his plans.
Wang You then said that he didn't know what to do for the time being and that it depended on the Emperor's decision.
Wang Min knew that the final decision rested with the Emperor, so he could only admonish Wang You to think things through carefully and not to act rashly.
As the father and son were talking, a servant came to report that the Commander of the Imperial City Guard was requesting an audience.
"He's definitely here to ask you about the investigation of the rebels. Go quickly, and remember my words," Wang Min instructed again.
"I understand."
Wang You nodded, left the study, and headed to the main hall.
"Yu Xingzhi, Commander of the Imperial City Guard, greets Compiler Wang!"
Yu Xingzhi, who was drinking tea, quickly put down his teacup and bowed when he saw Wang You enter.
"Commander Yu, you're too kind."
Wang You returned the greeting and smiled, saying, "Please sit down."
"Compiled by Xie Wangxiu".
Yu Xingzhi waited until Wang You sat down before he sat down himself.
His rank was fourth grade. Although there was a big difference in status between military officers and civil officials, he did not need to be so polite to Wang You.
But since there had been some rumors about Wang You and the Princess of Yong before, the Emperor has now put Wang You in charge of investigating the rebels.
"Commander Yu, have you come to investigate the matter of the rebel party?" Wang You asked.
"That's right!"
Yu Xingzhi nodded and said, "His Majesty has appointed Wang Xiuzhuan to be in charge, with the Imperial City Guard assisting. I've come to ask Wang Xiuzhuan what the next steps should be."
He had previously completed the late emperor's task of investigating how Prince Chong had bribed the commanders of the city defense camp and the five city garrisons, but he had not received any reward.
Even in the subsequent arrests, the late emperor did not use the Imperial City Guard.
This extinguished Yu Xingzhi's newly ignited fighting spirit once again.
Unexpectedly, the new emperor ascended the throne so quickly and even used the Imperial City Guard to investigate the rebels.
Although there was still someone in charge above him, it rekindled his hope.
"I've just taken over this job and haven't figured out where to start yet."
Wang You shook his head and asked, "Does Commander Yu have any thoughts?"
"Since Wang Xiuzhuan hasn't made up his mind yet, why don't we search the Prince of Yan's residence first? The Prince of Yan is plotting a rebellion, so there might be some letters or account books left in his residence. If we find these, we can wipe out his traitors in one fell swoop."
Yu Xingzhi had already prepared his speech when he arrived.
In his view, Wang You was only there to gain experience; to get things done, he still needed to rely on him.
"Is the Prince Chong's residence currently guarded?" Wang You asked.
"A small number of Imperial Guards from the Palace Guard were stationed there."
Yu Xingzhi said, "Shortly after the Prince of Yan was arrested, everyone else in the Prince of Yan's mansion was also imprisoned."
"Then I'll trouble Commander Yu to lead men to search the Prince Chong's residence. Whatever they find, you must not leak a single detail. Tell me first," Wang You said.
"I understand. If Wang Xiuzhuan has no further instructions, then I will go now," Yu Xingzhi said.
"etc!"
Wang You stopped Yu Xingzhi and asked, "The Imperial City Guard oversees Bianjing City. Do you have any confidential intelligence regarding officials in the court?"
"Wang Xiuzhuan is unaware of this."
Yu Xingzhi explained, "Although the Imperial City Guard is responsible for monitoring Bianjing City, it does not dare to collect information about those officials without an imperial decree."
We can only pay attention to public opinion in Bianjing.
Wang You pondered for a moment and said, "Then I'll trouble Commander Yu to send someone to investigate all the officials in the capital and collect information about their families, the more detailed the better."
"What about His Majesty—" Yu Xingzhi hesitated upon hearing this.
The Imperial City Guard only obeyed the Emperor's orders, and the Emperor only issued an edict ordering him to assist Wang You in investigating the rebels.
If Wang You were to assign him to investigate matters related to the rebel party, he certainly wouldn't hesitate.
Investigating all officials in the capital was a huge undertaking; he dared not agree to it.
"You don't need to worry about this."
Wang You said, "I will report this to the authorities."
"I really wouldn't dare to investigate this matter without the Emperor's decree," Yu Xingzhi said.
"It was my oversight. Commander Yu, please search the Prince Chong's residence first. We'll discuss this matter after I obtain the Emperor's decree," Wang You said.
"Thank you for your understanding, Compiler Wang!"
Yu Xingzhi thanked him, bowed respectfully, and took his leave.
Wang You personally escorted him to the gate of the mansion. He had intended to go to the palace, but considering that the Emperor had drunk too much at the lunch banquet that day and was probably still drunk, he refrained from doing so.
After receiving Wang You's permission, Yu Xingzhi returned to the Imperial City Guard and mobilized his troops to go to the Prince of Yan's residence.
The imperial guards stationed at the Prince Chong's residence also knew that the Imperial City Guard had received an imperial decree to investigate the rebellious party, so they did not stop them.
-
Yu Xingzhi led his men into the Prince of Yan's residence, and after a thorough search, he actually found quite a few useful things.
He searched the entire Prince Chong's mansion inside and out several times to make sure nothing was missed before taking what he had found to the Wang family.
"Take these back and seal them for now. I'll make arrangements after I see the Emperor tomorrow," Wang You said in a deep voice after quickly glancing through them.
He did not expect that the Prince Chong not only kept some of the letters from officials, but also registered and recorded in detail the gifts that officials gave him.
The accounts recorded by the Prince were no ordinary gift lists.
The struggle for the throne before becoming king already required a large amount of money.
Whether it's winning over officials in the front or bribing the generals of the city defense battalion and the five city garrison, money is needed.
Prince Chong was only a county prince, so naturally he didn't have that much money.
These were provided by officials and merchants who supported the king.
It seems there are quite a few merchants who want to emulate Lü Buwei's strategy of hoarding rare goods.
With this ledger, the rest became much simpler.
Since they gave so much money to the King of Chong, they must be very wealthy.
Those who are not wealthy are unwilling to spend both money and manpower to support the prince.
If the goal is simply to make money, confiscating the money from the merchants who are supplying the prince would suffice.
Wang You was unsure whether the government simply wanted to make money or retaliate against those officials.
If it's the latter, then some officials will probably have to be taken into custody.
How much to move, and how to move it, all depend on the Emperor's decision.
"yes!"
Yu Xingzhi agreed and left with the account books and letters.
Not long after he left, officials began sending people to the Wang family to deliver gifts.
Upon learning this, Wang You knew that it must be some officials with guilty consciences who had been keeping an eye on the Imperial City Guard's movements.
The news that Yu Xingzhi had searched the Prince Chong's residence and then came to see him should have already been known to those officials.
These officials may not have participated in the rebellion; most of them were probably people who had previously given money to Prince Chong.
Although Prince Chong was still one of the candidates at that time, they favored him and naturally wanted to help him.
However, it is a fact that they had dealings with Prince Chong, so they were naturally afraid that some evidence about them would be found in Prince Chong's residence.
After hesitating, Wang You ordered that all the gifts sent be accepted without exception.
After receiving them, all the records were made, and they were packed and sealed away.
Upon hearing the news, Wang Min rushed to Wang You's courtyard.
"Are you crazy to accept gifts at a time like this? What if they're setting you up?"
Wang Min's face darkened as he said, "If you accept so many gifts, and someone impeaches you later, you won't be able to defend yourself even if you have a hundred mouths."
"Father, please calm down."
Wang You said, "If I don't accept the gifts at this time, those who give them will find it hard to feel at ease."
As for whether it was a trap, I was prepared and have already ordered people to record and seal those gifts.
"But what if they impeach you for using the pretext of investigating the rebel party to force them to submit your case?" Wang Min asked.
"If they dare to do that, I'll say they're fishing for me. Anyone who gives me a gift has something to hide. I accepted it to keep evidence," Wang You said.
"But that would mean you'd offend people terribly," Wang Min sighed.
"Father, they're all trying to kill me, can't I even flip the table?"
Wang You comforted him, "Don't worry, the Emperor's attitude is unclear at the moment, and those officials are still watching. Even if the child is replaced, the replacement may not meet their expectations. At this time, it would be pointless to use tricks against the child."
"When I enter the palace tomorrow, I will first inform His Majesty of this matter."
"Your considerations make some sense. In that case, let's do it your way," Wang Min said after thinking for a moment.
The following morning, Wang You arrived at the palace and, after being informed, was taken to the Longtu Pavilion.
The Longtu Pavilion was where the emperor conducted his daily work; it was also known as the Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Wang You bowed and said.
"No need for formalities!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The emperor waved his hand, dismissing all the servants in the hall, and asked, "Have you come to inquire about the investigation of the traitors?"
"Exactly."
-
Wang You said, "We have already found some evidence in the Prince Chong's residence. I would like to ask Your Highness, how far do you intend to investigate this time?"
"There's been progress so quickly?" the official exclaimed in surprise.
"This is all thanks to the Commander of the Imperial City Guard."
Wang You said, "He suggested searching the Prince's residence, and he personally led the search."
"Imperial City Guard?"
The Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "I remember now. The Wude Division, established by Emperor Taizu, was renamed the Imperial City Division during his reign."
Emperor Taizu also granted the Imperial City Guard the right to operate according to ancestral laws, independent of the Censorate.
According to the rules of the Song Dynasty, all official departments were subject to the supervision of the Censorate and the Remonstrance Bureau.
Even the prime minister of the current dynasty is an example of this.
The only exception was the Imperial Guards of the Palace Guard, but even then, the commanders of the Palace Guard were still subject to impeachment by the censors.
The only entity truly free from any restrictions is the original Wude Division, now known as the Imperial City Division.
The initial powers of the Imperial City Guard can be more clearly understood by directly comparing them to the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, this was just the idea of the founding emperor. Later, it was met with collective opposition from the officials, and these rights became meaningless and existed in name only.
"Now it seems that Emperor Taizu was very wise; the Imperial City Guard is extremely useful."
Prince Yong was very dissatisfied with the civil officials in the court and didn't know how to deal with them.
Now, upon suddenly hearing about the Imperial City Guard, and recalling the power that Emperor Taizu had granted to the Imperial City Guard and the collective opposition from the officials, he sneered, "They stopped Emperor Taizu from spreading the Imperial City Guard throughout the land back then; I'd like to try it myself."
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Wang You exclaimed urgently upon hearing this.
The emperor glanced at Wang You and said indifferently, "As long as you are loyal, there is nothing to fear."
"It's not that I'm afraid."
Wang You said, "Doesn't Your Majesty think that, based on the powers initially granted to the Imperial City Guard by the founding emperor, there is simply no one within the Imperial City Guard capable of checking and balancing it?"
"The Imperial City Guard obeys my orders, so why is there a need for checks and balances?" the Emperor retorted.
"The Imperial City Guard obeys His Majesty's orders, but the Imperial City Guard is not a knife or a sword that can be drawn to harm people when needed and sheathed when not needed."
Absolute power only leads to absolute corruption. If the Imperial City Guard has too much power, it will inevitably lead to deception and cover-ups over time.
"And no one can check the Imperial City Guard. If His Majesty is deceived, the consequences will be extremely serious."
Those in power greatly appreciate having an organization similar to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Because it makes them feel like they truly control the world.
Since such institutions embody the emperor's will, they are naturally not subject to any constraints.
If you restrict it, wouldn't that be the same as restricting yourself?
This can be seen from the power that Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty emperor, granted to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
He was confident that the knife would not harm him.