“Lord Xu has said it all—what more can this humble official add? Words are powerless before facts. True, several people, including Zhao Wenhua, are nominally Zhu Ping’an’s mentors, but his bond with them pales compared to his closeness with Lord Xu. If Zhu Ping’an’s victory report is false, then Lord Xu presenting his letter to His Majesty is, to some extent, aiding Zhu Ping’an in deceiving His Majesty,” Yan Maoqing, a high-ranking member of Yan’s faction, paused for a few seconds after Xu Jie spoke before launching another attack.
“Enough, Weizhong, what do you have to say?” Emperor Jiajing waved his hand, halting Yan Maoqing and the others’ continued assaults, and turned to Yan Song for his opinion.
“Replying to Your Majesty, from the debate just now, it’s clear opinions on the Suzhou victory report are sharply divided and irreconcilable. This old servant fears a repeat of the Zhang Tianxiang and Wang Xianchen case from the Hongzhi reign, where the Factory Guards’ findings failed to convince the court,” Yan Song bowed to Jiajing, speaking with a stooped posture.
The case Yan Song referenced involved an incident from Emperor Xiaozong’s Hongzhi reign.
In the 17th year of Hongzhi, Xiaozong received a victory report from Liaodong, jointly submitted by eunuch Zhu Xiu, Deputy Commander Yang Yu, and Regional Censor Zhang Nai.
The report claimed that in December of the 16th year, bandits from the Taining Three Guards raided Ruichang Fort at night, injuring envoys from the Jianzhou tribute mission and stealing their cattle and horses. Ningyuan’s Deputy Commander Zhang Tianxiang, upon hearing this, led troops in pursuit, catching up at Waidou Mountain. There, he engaged the Taining bandits, killed 27, and chased the fleeing survivors, slaying another 11 along the way. He recovered all the stolen tribute goods.
Emperor Xiaozong, delighted, personally ordered rewards, generously honoring Zhang Tianxiang and his men.
The matter seemed settled—a happy ending.
But days later, Censor Wang Xianchen’s impeachment turned the case upside down by 180 degrees.
Wang’s memorial revealed the truth: the Taining Three Guards had come to Ningyuan seeking essentials like salt and tea from Zhang Tianxiang. From them, Zhang learned of the nearby Jianzhou tribute mission. To claim merit, he had his men injure the Jianzhou envoys and blamed it on the Taining group. Then, under the pretense of pursuing the “bandits,” he massacred a village, beheaded the villagers, and passed their heads off as those of Taining bandits, reporting a great victory to the court.
Zhang Tianxiang had killed innocents for merit, deceived the court, and misled the emperor.
Outraged, Xiaozong ordered the Jinyiwei to investigate. They swiftly confirmed Zhang’s crimes in Ningyuan, and he was arrested, imprisoned, and died in jail.
That should’ve been the end of it, but the Ming dynasty had another institution: the Eastern Depot.
The Eastern Depot conducted a secret probe and found that Wang Xianchen learned of Zhang’s actions through a Ningyuan officer, Zhang Mao, and his son Zhang Qin, who had informed him. Zhang Mao, Zhang Tianxiang’s grandfather’s brother-in-law—his great-uncle—had a family feud with Zhang Tianxiang, motivating his accusation.
Wang Xianchen, as a censor, hadn’t verified Zhang Mao’s relationship or motives, relying solely on his testimony and evidence.
The Eastern Depot further discovered that Wang Xianchen had climbed a local mountain during his investigation, suggesting he’d been sightseeing.
Their conclusion: Zhang Mao and his son had framed Zhang Tianxiang out of personal vendetta, and Wang Xianchen had falsely accused him.
Furious, Xiaozong believed Wang and his allies had fabricated charges against a frontier commander and punished them harshly.
Thus, the Zhang Tianxiang case flipped 180 degrees again—this time for good.
Reversal upon reversal concluded the case, but not the hearts of men.
Even now, opinions in court and beyond remained divided. Many believed Zhang Tianxiang had indeed killed innocents and falsified merits, while others thought he’d genuinely achieved something.
“What’s your suggestion, Weizhong?” Jiajing asked again.
“To ensure the investigation’s findings are convincing, I propose that the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and other relevant offices also send personnel to Suzhou to join the Factory Guards in a joint investigation. This way, the results will naturally carry weight,” Yan Song suggested.
Yan Maoqing’s eyes lit up. *Grand Secretary Yan is brilliant! We don’t know who His Majesty secretly sent from the Factory Guards to Suzhou, but we dominate the Court of Judicial Review and Ministry of Justice. We can send our own people to join the investigation.*
Once involved, the possibilities would expand.
Evidence favoring Zhu Ping’an could be destroyed; evidence against him, if absent, could be created.
“What do you all think?” Jiajing asked the assembly.
“We second the motion,” Yan Maoqing and his allies eagerly agreed, practically raising both hands and feet in support.
Then it was Xu Jie’s turn.
“Grand Secretary Yan’s proposal is prudent and seasoned. I have no objections,” Xu Jie said under everyone’s gaze, endorsing Yan Song’s idea.
This didn’t surprise anyone.
Lately, Xu Jie had been highly compliant with Yan Song, never opposing him.
With the hall unanimously backing Yan Song’s suggestion, Jiajing had no objections either. He nodded, saying, “Very well, the Inner Cabinet will next determine the personnel to send to—” Before he could finish, a shout of “Report!” came from outside the hall.
The discussion hall was heavily guarded, with layers of security. For someone to be permitted to enter and report, it had to be significant.
“Let him in,” Jiajing paused his order for the joint investigation team and instructed the guards at the entrance.
When the messenger entered, Huang Jin, attending Jiajing, let out a surprised “Oh!”
“What’s wrong, Huang Ban?” Jiajing noticed the usually composed Huang Jin’s lapse and asked curiously.
“Replying to Your Majesty, the man kneeling below is Zhao Ang, a hundred-household officer of the Eastern Depot—one of the Factory Guards I sent to Suzhou to investigate. He should be en route to Suzhou, so why has he returned to the capital alone with a report? Seeing him, I couldn’t help but be startled and lost my composure before Your Majesty. Please punish me,” Huang Jin quickly explained, then sought forgiveness.
