Chapter 13: Dog Bites Dog

Recalling the name Choi Seong-su, Wei Zhongxian couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

He had long harbored dissatisfaction with this leader among his Five Tigers.

Choi Seong-su had passed the imperial examination and, back when the Donglin faction was at its peak, had fawned on them with such exaggerated zeal that he nearly sold out everything.

Yet, for various reasons, Choi Seong-su was ultimately rejected by the Donglin faction.

He was shameless enough that the very next day after being rejected, he turned around and pledged allegiance to Wei Zhongxian.

At that time, Wei Zhongxian had few capable men under his command, and since Choi was unscrupulous in his flattery, he gradually pushed him to the position of Minister of Works.

In this lucrative post, combined with the major palace renovations in recent years, Wei Zhongxian knew that Choi had embezzled at least a million taels of silver.

If they seized him, even after accounting for hidden assets, they could easily uncover a million taels in silver for His Majesty.

Not to mention the houses and fertile lands...

Wei Zhongxian had already credited himself with a significant achievement.

These accomplishments were crucial to whether he would end his days peacefully.

Of course, Wei Zhongxian chose to take down Choi Seong-su first not just because he had embezzled a lot.

He knew some of his other protégés were even more corrupt.

Take, for example, the current Minister of Personnel, Zhou Yingqiu, the leader of the Ten Dogs.

Zhou was nicknamed “Zhou Ten Thousand Taels,” because the silver he collected daily from selling official positions could amount to ten thousand taels.

Though these matters were all carried out under Wei Zhongxian’s direction and he himself took no small cut, he had since distanced himself from these men, hadn’t he?

Flexible in thought and principle, Wei Zhongxian had undergone a profound transformation since the emperor’s ascension.

Now, his ultimate goal was to serve His Majesty well.

The reason he targeted Choi Seong-su before Zhou Yingqiu was mainly that Choi was utterly useless to the new emperor.

His Majesty had recently inquired about affairs in Liaodong, signaling a greater focus on military matters.

Choi Seong-su was a complete failure—not only was he unfit for warfare, he had scarcely even visited the training grounds.

How could His Majesty tolerate such incompetence as Minister of War?

Taking him down would surely align with the emperor’s wishes.

Another reason was personal grievance.

Two years ago, after the former emperor drowned, Wei Zhongxian sensed that Choi Seong-su had begun colluding with the Donglin faction.

At that time, his own power had already started to waver.

What confirmed this suspicion was Choi’s sudden reassignment.

Just half a month before the former emperor’s passing, Choi, who had served as Minister of Works for several years, was abruptly transferred to Minister of War.

It was obvious this was the result of some deal with the Donglin faction.

With this in mind, Wei Zhongxian sneered coldly: “If I truly lose power, do you think this will save your skin?”

Now, his personal and national grievances could be avenged together!

A grim smile spread across Wei Zhongxian’s face.

The young eunuch attending him felt the temperature in the room plummet and began to tremble.

Soon after, Wei Zhongxian knelt before Zhu Youjian in a mix of reverence and fear.

This was no pretense; he was genuinely afraid.

“Your humble servant prays for Your Majesty’s health and long life!”

“Your Majesty, the preparations for the previous house searches are nearly complete. However, upon recent review, I found that confiscating all the illicit silver could yield not fifty thousand taels as initially estimated, but at least one million taels!”

The original plan was for fifty thousand, but by slightly expanding the scope and adding some of his own funds to round the sum, Wei Zhongxian found the task easy.

Zhu Youjian nodded, offering him some encouragement.

Wei Zhongxian’s heart warmed, and he hastened to continue, “Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for this grace and will serve to the death for Your Majesty!”

“However, I come not only to report this matter but to seek Your Majesty’s judgment on another.”

“I have a protégé named Choi Seong-su, currently Minister of War, but utterly ignorant of military affairs. Moreover, during his tenure as Minister of Works, he engaged in massive corruption. I have in my possession key evidence of his crimes.”

“If convicted, I can seize at least a million taels of illicit silver from his household. What does Your Majesty think...?”

Zhu Youjian replied, “Do not act against him yet; continue gathering evidence.”

Zhu Youjian had heard Choi Seong-su’s name mentioned in accusations on his first day at court.

After reviewing his record, Choi’s fate was sealed then, though it was not yet time to execute him.

Hearing the emperor’s words, Wei Zhongxian understood that Choi was effectively doomed and quietly rejoiced that his judgment of the emperor’s will was accurate.

“Your humble servant receives Your Majesty’s order and will diligently collect further evidence.”

Zhu Youjian nodded: “Also, tomorrow at court, arrange for someone to accuse Tian Ergeng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian felt a mixture of joy and surprise.

He was glad that the emperor’s straightforward command made him feel like a trusted eunuch, which was deeply gratifying.

He was also surprised that the emperor would move against the Embroidered Uniform Guard so swiftly.

But Wei Zhongxian knew this was not the time for second thoughts.

After kneeling and responding, “Your humble servant obeys,” he hurried off to carry out his duties.

Back at the Directorate of Ceremonial, Wei Zhongxian began contemplating the emperor’s orders.

Given His Majesty’s temperament, ordering him to impeach Tian Ergeng was surely a direct move to bring him to ruin.

This was easy enough.

One of the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s key functions was conducting house searches, and Tian had amassed no small fortune from this over the years.

Pinning this charge on him would certainly be a capital offense.

At the same time, Wei Zhongxian understood something else.

The money Tian took was only a small portion; the civil official faction behind him took the larger share.

Once Tian was impeached tomorrow, the entire interest group would try every means to save him.

But Wei Zhongxian was unconcerned.

What His Majesty wished to do was not something these men could prevent.

What mattered most was how he could best demonstrate his value before the emperor in tomorrow’s court struggle.

That was the paramount task.

...

After Wei Zhongxian left, Wang Cheng’en approached Zhu Youjian with respectful words: “Your Majesty, Cao Huachun has arrived in the capital from Southern Zhili.”

Zhu Youjian nodded: “Bring him in.”

About half an hour later, the tall and robust Cao Huachun entered the Palace of Heavenly Purity, led by Wang Cheng’en.

Along the way, Wang kept telling him how greatly the emperor’s style of governance had changed since his ascension, and how in just a few days the atmosphere at court had been completely renewed.