“My lords, yesterday His Majesty already ordered me to dispatch the Factory Guards to Suzhou to investigate. We will certainly get to the bottom of this,” Huang Jin said slowly.
“His Majesty is wise,” the ministers in the hall chorused in praise.
“This humble servant believes that while the Factory Guards conduct their investigation, Zhu Ping’an should be detained and brought to the capital for questioning. This would prevent him from falsifying evidence, intimidating the populace, or colluding on testimonies in the locality, which could unnecessarily complicate the Factory Guards’ work,” a member of Yan’s faction stepped forward, suggesting Zhu Ping’an’s immediate detention.
“I second that.”
“Seconded.”
Several more Yan faction members rose in support.
“His merits and faults are yet to be determined—how can we presume guilt and justify detention?!” Censor Guo Kui firmly opposed.
“Heh, speaking of which, Zhu Ping’an is Xu Jie’s prized protégé, isn’t he? I hear Zhu Ping’an not only corresponds frequently with Lord Xu but also sends festive gifts every holiday—quite a close relationship. So, Lord Xu, did you know about Zhu Ping’an falsifying his achievements and fail to report it, or are you deliberately shielding him?” Yan Maoqing interjected as soon as Guo Kui finished, redirecting the attack toward Xu Jie and using Zhu Ping’an as a weapon against him.
*Old fox, did you think we didn’t know Guo Kui is one of your men?! These upright officials belong either to you or Li Mo. If we dig hard enough, what secrets can stay hidden from us in this world?*
“Heh, Lord Xu hasn’t secretly memorialized His Majesty again to denounce Zhu Ping’an’s crimes, has he?” Yan Maoqing added with a barb.
This jab referred to the incident with Qiu Luan the previous year.
Qiu Luan was a man of limited ability but great luck and a knack for opportunism. Born into a military noble family as the grandson of Marquis Xianning, Qiu Yue, he inherited the title because his disabled father couldn’t. Four years after becoming Marquis Xianning, the “Great Rites Controversy” erupted, and Qiu Luan staunchly supported Emperor Jiajing, earning his favor and trust. This propelled him step-by-step to the rank of general.
In the 29th year of Jiajing’s reign, while guarding Datong, Qiu Luan knew he couldn’t match the Tatars in battle. But he was bold and resourceful with money, bribing the Tatar leader Altan Khan with hefty sums: *You can plunder anywhere—why not take my gold and silver and raid somewhere else instead of Datong?*
Altan Khan agreed and kept his word, bypassing Datong to plunder eastward after taking the treasure.
Qiu Luan was initially pleased, but days later, he realized—*Oh no, eastward is the capital!*
If Altan Khan let slip anything about their deal during negotiations with the capital, Qiu Luan’s scheme would be exposed, and the emperor might have him flayed alive.
Panicked, he hurriedly led his troops toward the capital.
As a result, he became the first “loyal” force to reach the capital, earning lavish rewards and even greater favor from Jiajing.
After the Tatars retreated, Jiajing promoted Qiu Luan to command both the capital and border armies, making him a towering figure in court—rivaling even Grand Secretary Yan Song.
Initially aligned with Yan’s faction, Qiu Luan grew unwilling to remain under Yan Song’s shadow as his power and imperial favor swelled.
So, he broke from Yan’s faction, setting up his own camp and vying with Yan Song for favor, their rivalry fueled by clashing interests.
Following the simple principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Qiu Luan forged a strong bond with Xu Jie. They interacted frequently, often sharing drinks after work at Wuyi Hall, practically becoming bosom buddies.
Yan Song, a veteran of decades in court, wasn’t about to let an incompetent like Qiu Luan siphon off his power and profits.
He bided his time for an opportunity.
It came soon enough. Qiu Luan proposed opening horse markets with the Tatars, but disputes arose, and the Tatars raided Ming territory again. Lacking real skill, Qiu Luan couldn’t bribe them to attack elsewhere this time—other nations were poorer than the Tatars—and he couldn’t hold them off in battle either. His incompetence in warfare and talent for falsifying reports were quickly exposed.
Yan Song seized the chance, rallying his followers to impeach Qiu Luan, even enlisting锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei) commander Lu Bing in the effort.
At the same time, Yan’s faction, aiming to kill two birds with one stone, targeted Xu Jie as well.
Their impeachment mirrored today’s: *You, Xu Jie, were so close to Qiu Luan—working together, drinking together, known to all in court. You and Qiu Luan were thick as thieves. He was incompetent and lied about military affairs—didn’t you know? Were you complicit in hiding it? Were you shielding him?*
They thought they could take down both Qiu Luan and Xu Jie in one fell swoop.
Unexpectedly, Jiajing spoke up: *Before your memorials impeaching Qiu Luan, Xu Jie had already secretly reported his crimes.*
*What the—?!*
This stunned Yan Song, Yan Shifan, and the entire faction, deepening their wariness of Xu Jie.
No matter how submissive Xu Jie appeared, some in Yan’s faction remained perpetually suspicious—and this was a key reason why.
Yan Maoqing, one of Xu Jie’s impeachers back then, brought it up today with biting sarcasm: *Back then, Qiu Luan was your iron brother, yet you ignored friendship and secretly reported his crimes to save yourself. Now, your protégé Zhu Ping’an is suspected of falsifying reports—have you once again preemptively reported him to His Majesty to wash your hands of it?*
“Lord Yan, you’re overthinking this. Zhu Ping’an is my protégé, yes—but he’s also Zhao Wenhua’s protégé, and many others’. The imperial exams—village, provincial, metropolitan, palace—all produce protégés. If we’re counting that way, we’re all protégés of the Son of Heaven.”
“As for secret memorials, there were none. However, I did submit a letter to His Majesty. Yesterday, Zhu Ping’an sent it via the Suzhou victory courier. It details the Suzhou defense battle vividly—as if one were there. After receiving it, I made a copy for myself and presented the original to His Majesty for review.”
“As for Zhu Ping’an, I believe him to be an honest and loyal man, unlikely to fabricate such exaggerated achievements. Killing innocents for merit? From what I know of him, he’d never do such a thing. Of course, I can’t rule out the possibility that he’s hidden it well and I’ve misjudged him. After all, I’m just an ordinary man.”
Facing Yan Maoqing’s attack, Xu Jie deftly deflected it in a few moves, spoke in Zhu Ping’an’s favor, but slyly left himself an out.
If the Suzhou victory turned out to be flawed, well, Zhu Ping’an must have hidden it deeply, and I misjudged him.
After all, I, Xu Jie, am merely a mortal.
Yan Maoqing and the others’ faces darkened.
This old fox was slippery as ever. No secret memorial this time—instead, he’d sent a letter to His Majesty to show loyalty.
