Chapter 134: The Fall of the Zijing Pass

The next day, Xue Rui took half a day off specifically to observe Ye Maoxun presiding over a trial.

Before the trial began, a large crowd of commoners had gathered outside the magistrate's yamen.

Because the Yonghe Grain Shop had been selling grain at low prices, its proprietor had run afoul of the law, resulting in the shop's closure. The commoners were the indirect victims of this situation, and the final outcome of the case bore directly on their immediate interests. Consequently, a vast number of people had come forward of their own accord.

As the time for the court session approached, Xue Rui arrived with his two uncles and found a spot close by to wait for the proceedings to commence.

Once court was in session, the bailiffs shouted out demands for order. Ye Maoxun took his seat, struck the gavel, and ordered the bailiffs to bring the suspects before the court.

A short while later, Liu Ren and the others were led into the hall.

Liu Ren’s clothes were somewhat disheveled, but his spirits were high, and he appeared to have suffered no injuries. The veteran soldiers were also safe and sound, which greatly relieved Xue Rui and the Liu brothers.

Following them, Wang Qihu and his gang were brought in.

However, this group looked rather battered. All of them bore injuries on various parts of their bodies, some even needing to support one another, and their expressions were deeply dejected.

After the trial officially began, Ye Maoxun questioned them about the case and ordered both sides to present their arguments on the spot.

Wang Qihu and Liu Ren each told a different story, arguing until their faces turned red and veins bulged on their necks.

Seeing this, Ye Maoxun halted their shouting and asked Wang Qihu if anyone had been present to witness him purchasing grain at the Yonghe Grain Shop yesterday. Wang Qihu replied that his brothers could serve as witnesses.

Since Wang Qihu's brothers were also suspects in the case, their testimony naturally could not be trusted, which effectively meant there were no witnesses. When asked for physical evidence of the grain purchase, Wang Qihu stammered and could give no reply.

Ye Maoxun then turned to Liu Ren and asked if he could provide evidence showing that Wang Qihu and his men had not gone to buy grain early yesterday morning, but had instead gone to the Yonghe Grain Shop to stir up trouble.

The commotion yesterday had been considerable, and many commoners who were buying grain at the time had witnessed it. All of them could serve as witnesses.

The Liu family had already sought out several eyewitnesses yesterday, but unfortunately, due to Wang Qihu’s fierce reputation, the commoners were afraid of retaliation and were unwilling to come to court to testify, leaving the Liu family deeply disappointed.

Fortunately, in the middle of the night, a man had come to their door, stating that he was willing to testify in court the following day.

This man was also a local ruffian who loitered around the streets, named Zhao Hua. He had a deep grudge against Wang Qihu and his gang, having brawled with them several times. Because he lacked numbers and backing, Zhao Hua had suffered quite a few heavy losses at their hands.

Yesterday, he had happened to witness the scene at the Yonghe Grain Shop, and upon hearing that there was a chance to put Wang Qihu and his cohorts in their place, he wanted to seize the opportunity for revenge, which was why he had come overnight to make contact.

Zhao Hua’s testimony, combined with the injuries verified on the bodies of the Yonghe Grain Shop's manager and assistants, instantly pushed Wang Qihu and his gang into a perilous abyss.

Faced with ironclad evidence as solid as a mountain, and coupled with Ye Maoxun's threat of torture, Wang Qihu and the others, who had still wanted to quibble, were forced to confess to the crime of going to the shop to stir up trouble.

Hearing them confess, the observing commoners couldn't help but clap and cheer, loudly praising the推官 (assistant magistrate) for his brilliance.

Liu Ren, however, was not satisfied with this. He stated that Wang Qihu and his men had come to harass them, and there must have been someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. He requested that Assistant Magistrate Ye investigate the matter thoroughly.

When Ye Maoxun questioned them about this, Wang Qihu and his gang flatly denied it. They claimed that they went to cause trouble solely because the Liu family's grain shop had failed to pay protection money, which was why they were teaching them a lesson, with no other motive whatsoever.

No matter how Assistant Magistrate Ye questioned them afterward, Wang Qihu refused to change his story. Meanwhile, the Liu family could produce no substantive evidence. With no other choice, the assistant magistrate had no option but to announce the conclusion of the case right there in court.

Liu Ren and the others were acquitted and released without charge. Wang Qihu and his cohorts were sentenced to one month in prison for disturbing the peace and assaulting others.

This outcome came as a great surprise to Xue Rui; he truly had not expected things to progress so smoothly.

What they did not know was that Sun He had not hired anyone to pressure Ye Maoxun, nor had he bribed him with silver. Instead, he had made Wang Qihu shoulder the blame entirely by himself.

This was precisely the shrewdness of a merchant. Ye Maoxun had a relatively upright reputation; if Sun He had offered bribes or applied pressure, it would have undoubtedly confirmed that Wang Qihu was acting under his instigation. Should Ye Maoxun prove incorruptible and insist on rendering a fair judgment according to the law, it would only complicate matters further and very likely jeopardize the bigger picture.

By having Wang Qihu take the fall, the investigation into the case would stop with Wang Qihu, allowing Sun He to calmly pursue other methods to force the Liu family into submission.

After bringing Liu Ren and the six veteran soldiers back, the Liu family specially hosted a banquet to welcome the veterans home and express their gratitude.

At the banquet, both sides solidified their intention to continue cooperation, and for a time, both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.

...

Sun He’s failure in the matter naturally could not be hidden from the eyes and ears of Wang Guiqing and the others.

As early as yesterday, several major grain merchants had heard the news that Wang Qihu had been taken away by the assistant magistrate's court, and they were quite worried.

Therefore, early in the morning, Wang Guiqing and the others arrived at the Taibai Tower one after another.

The three of them had barely spoken a few words when they saw Xu Weichang enter with a gloomy expression.

The plump He Liujin smiled and said, "Old Brother Xu, you were blessed with a precious son yesterday; why are you wearing such a long face today? Could it be that you're afraid we'll come over to demand celebratory drinks from you?"

Xu Weichang sat down uninvited, glanced at him, and said coldly, "I heard you want to marry my third daughter. Is that true?"

He Liujin’s smile instantly froze, and his eyes subconsciously shifted toward Wang Guiqing and the other man.

When joking with Xu Weichang yesterday, he indeed had said such things, but he had merely been speaking off the top of his head at the time. Never had he expected that Xu Weichang would actually find out, which left him feeling quite embarrassed.

At the same time, a trace of vigilance arose in his heart.

At that moment, there had been only the four of them in the private room. For such private idle talk to leak out, either there was a traitor among them, or someone had eavesdropped with malicious intent and informed Xu Weichang.

However, Wang Guiqing and the other man also wore looks of utter shock, clearly wondering how those words had gotten out.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room turned rather awkward.

After a long while, Zhou Qi changed the subject and asked, "Old Brother Xu, your concubine gave birth yesterday—was it a boy or a girl? We were all planning to visit and offer our congratulations."

Xu Weichang actually didn't care much for this, but he still feigned anger and said, "Don't even mention it. She gave birth to another one without a dangling piece. I don't know what kind of bad karma my Xu family has accrued, not even a single male heir to carry on the family incense. It's utterly infuriating!"

Hearing that he had gotten another daughter, the others found it amusing in their hearts, but they dared not show it anymore. They hurriedly offered condolences, saying that the next one would definitely be a boy.

Xu Weichang had no desire to dwell on the matter. He glanced around the room and asked, "Where is Sun He? Why hasn't he come yet?"

"We don't know either. Perhaps he's still cleaning up that messy mess of his," Wang Guiqing sneered.

"It's not that I'm talking trash about Old Sun, but his ability to judge character is truly abysmal. That Wang Qihu is fine when it comes to bullying small vendors, but when he actually runs into someone formidable, he can't handle it at all. To think Old Sun spends money to keep a pack of good-for-nothings like that—he must really have nowhere to spend his surplus silver," Zhou Qi also taunted.

"Hehe, I reckon Old Sun is probably right now..."

Just as He Liujin was about to speak, the door to the private room was pushed open heavily.

The men turned their heads to look, and it was none other than Sun He. With an ashen face and a displeased look in his eyes, he glared at them, clearly having heard their discussion.

Xu Weichang glanced at him and said, "Close the door and tell us how things stand."

Since the guild leader had spoken, Sun He still had to show some respect. He turned around, shut the door, found a seat, and said with an air of nonchalance, "It has already been settled."

"Oh?"

Xu Weichang looked at him and asked with curiosity, "I heard that the people you hired were all locked up in the dungeon. How on earth did you settle it?"

Sun He feigned disdain and said, "Yesterday I was merely testing Wang Qihu's mettle, and facts proved that they truly are useless. However, I've already thought of another way yesterday, and I believe we will see results very soon."

Everyone's curiosity was piqued. Wang Guiqing pretended to be displeased and said, "Old Sun, just spit it out. Stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us so we can help you weigh it, lest any other slip-ups happen."

Seeing Xu Weichang also give a slight nod, Sun He said with a hint of triumph, "The Yonghe Grain Shop is located on East Chang'an Street, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Eastern City Garrison. As it happens, my cousin's husband is the commander of the Eastern City Garrison. Yesterday, I went to see my cousin's husband and asked him to keep an eye on the Yonghe Grain Shop. With his help, forget about selling grain—the Yonghe Grain Shop might not even be able to open its doors!"

Calling it "keeping an eye on them" was essentially making things difficult for them; everyone naturally understood what he meant.

"You even have that kind of connection?"

The several grain merchants were quite surprised by this.

In the early Ming dynasty, the Five City Garrisons were established in the capital—namely, the Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central City Garrison Commands.

Initially, the Five City Garrisons were only responsible for patrolling and capturing thieves in the capital, clearing street ditches and canals, guarding prisoners, and enforcing fire safety regulations.

Later on, they were also tasked with managing market order, inspecting market measures, weights, and scales once every three days, registering the names of brokers, and regulating commodity prices.

It could be said that part of the duties of the Five City Garrisons was similar to today's Administration for Industry and Commerce, giving them direct jurisdiction over commerce within the city.

The commander of the Eastern City Garrison did not hold a high official rank, merely being a regular sixth-rank official, but he carried significant weight in the eastern part of the city.

This was because commerce in the east of the city was highly developed. In particular, Tongzhou was situated to the southeast of the capital; after the supplies transported via the Grand Canal reached Zhangjiawan, they would travel by land through Chaoyang Gate to enter the city, arriving at the major official granaries in the east.

For convenience, many merchants also purchased residences and opened storefronts in the eastern district. Over time, it became the most prosperous commercial area in the capital.

The post of Eastern City Garrison Commander held by Sun He's cousin's husband was a lucrative sinecure in the truest sense. With this connection, dealing with a tiny grain shop could be done in several different ways.

Hearing this, Xu Weichang nodded and said, "That is much better. Resorting to those underhanded tactics was already a lower-class approach. Only by using upright and legitimate methods can one 'win public submission'."

Sun He smiled and said, "Old Brother Xu, rest assured. With me, Old Sun, keeping an eye on it, I will never let the Yonghe Grain Shop ruin our plans."

Wang Guiqing and the others were also reassured. Thinking of how they could forge a connection with Sun He's cousin's husband, they showered Sun He with compliments and praise once more. The speed of their attitude shift was truly astonishing.

...

After leaving the Liu family residence, Xue Rui returned to the Directorate of Astronomy.

Today he had only taken half a day off, and he still had to return for duty in the afternoon. He wouldn't feel at ease if he didn't go check on the archives room himself.

As they drew near the Directorate of Astronomy, the carriage carrying Xue Rui came to a halt.

The coachman called out from outside, "Young Master, a great many officials are coming out of the various yamens. We can't get through."

According to the rules, when encountering the carriages or sedans of officials, lower-ranking officials and commoners were required to yield the right of way.

Since Xue Rui was still a commoner without an official rank, when encountering imperial officials on the street, his carriage could not proceed and had to wait until the officials had passed before moving forward.

However, what piqued Xue Rui's curiosity was that it was still working hours; why were a multitude of officials rushing out of the various government offices? What on earth was going on?

Lifting the curtain of the carriage, Xue Rui jumped down and took a look. Indeed, many officials were hurrying out of the yamens on both sides of the street, among whom were quite a few high-ranking officials of the third and fourth ranks.

Just as he was feeling puzzled, he saw an old man emerge from the Ministry of Rites, wearing scarlet official robes with white hair and beard.

Xue Rui recognized this old man; it was none other than Hu Ying, who had personally come to the archives room to invigilate the annual examinations.

It was evident that Hu Ying was in extreme haste. As he stepped out, he shook off the support of several officials behind him, lifted the hem of his official robes, and walked hurriedly outward.

"Running so fast?"

Seeing even Hu Ying, who was over seventy years old, breaking into a trot, Xue Rui's heart sank heavily. Something major must have happened in the capital; otherwise, the officials would not be in such a state of panic.

Bowing and stepping aside to make way, Xue Rui was just thinking of hurrying back to gather information when he saw the passing Hu Ying turn back around. Fixing his eyes on him, Hu Ying said, "Kid, lend me your carriage!"

Without waiting for Xue Rui to answer, Hu Ying climbed onto the carriage using both hands and feet, instructing the coachman, "Quick, quick, quick! Take me to the East Peace Gate!"

The Xue family's coachman was utterly stunned. In all his forty years, he didn't know how many people he had welcomed and sent off, but having a high-ranking official of the second rank practically hijack his carriage left him momentarily at a loss as to what to do.

The East Peace Gate was a mandatory passage for entering the imperial palace. Hu Ying's urgency to go there naturally meant he was entering the palace for a state council.

Coming to his senses, Xue Rui leaped onto the carriage shaft and told the coachman, "To the East Peace Gate!"

Receiving the young master's order, the coachman hesitated no longer, whipping the horse to gallop rapidly toward the East Peace Gate.

Seeing this, several officials from the Ministry of Rites had no choice but to break into a trot behind the carriage all the way.

Once on the move, Xue Rui lifted the carriage curtain, poked his head out, and said to Hu Ying, "Grand Master, I wonder if you still remember this student?"

Hu Ying had been concentrating deeply on something, and being interrupted like this, he said with annoyance, "Xue boy, if I didn't recognize you, how could old man I use your family's carriage?"

"Then this student is truly honored."

Xue Rui couldn't help feeling a mixture of surprise and gratification. Among the current Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, he was already acquainted with two Ministers and one Left Censor-in-Chief—equivalent to befriending a third of the top echelons. This sort of interpersonal network was comparable to that of someone who had been an official for decades.

Seeing that he was still smiling, Hu Ying said with displeasure, "You probably don't know yet, but something huge is about to happen!"

"Ah?"

Ever since the Tumu Crisis, Xue Rui had lost count of how many people had said those words to him and had long since grown accustomed to it. But spoken now by Hu Ying, he immediately realized it must be related to military affairs.

Sure enough, he heard Hu Ying say in a deep voice, "Zijian Pass has fallen, and the Oirat army has broken straight through, marching directly toward the capital!"

"It fell after all?"

Xue Rui's expression froze. He had previously tried to persuade Yu Qian to send an additional three thousand troops to reinforce Zijian Pass—equivalent to boosting its defensive force by a quarter. He had naively thought that with this change, the probability of holding Zijian Pass would increase significantly.

Who would have thought that history could not be altered, and Zijian Pass had fallen once more!

Hu Ying looked at him strangely and asked, "What do you mean by that? Could it be that you had already anticipated this outcome?"

"Not quite that."

Xue Rui smiled bitterly and said, "Earlier at the Ministry of War, when I heard that Minister Yu had reinforced Zijian Pass with troops, this student thought it could be held. Who would have thought it would fall anyway? With Zijian Pass lost, the capital is left with no natural barriers for defense, alas."

The geographical configuration of the capital was rather special. As recorded in historical texts: The land of Yan spans a thousand miles, with tens of thousands of armored troops; this is the realm blessed by heaven... Juyong guards its back, the Yellow River and Ji encircle its front, Shanhaiguan blocks its left, and Zijian controls its right.

From this, one could see just how vital these locations were to the security of the capital.

Now that Zijian Pass had fallen, the capital would be exposed directly beneath the iron hooves of the Oirat army. The capital region would inevitably suffer the ravages of the Oirats, and it could be said that the Great Ming had fallen entirely into a passive position.