Chapter 35: Eradicate the Roots

In the fourth month of the second year of the Guanghe era, in the Western Garden of the Luoyang Palace.

This was a newly constructed residence built by Emperor Liu Hong. It occupied a vast area, for which the western city of Luoyang had been expanded, forcing the Western Market to relocate more than ten miles away. To build this Western Mansion, Liu Hong had gathered exotic flowers and rare plants from across the empire to fill his greenhouses, imported magnificent and peculiar stones from distant lands, and diverted the Luo River to flow through the grounds, crafting a landscape that mimicked the mountains and rivers of the entire realm. Perhaps, while lingering there, he felt as though he held the empire in his embrace and the world in his palm.

Beyond the pavilions and palaces, the Western Garden featured a marketplace with shops where palace maids played the roles of merchants, creating a vivid scene of urban life. This commercial street was intended to be functional, and the volume of trade conducted there was immense. The commodities sold within were official ranks. The astronomical costs of the Western Garden were entirely sustained by the sale of these offices. It was no easy task for an emperor to manage such renovations.

Liu Hong was currently riding a donkey cart through his marketplace, driven by a palace maid wearing little more than a wisp of cloth. However, just as he reached the hot spring lake outside the greenhouse and prepared to bathe, a eunuch rushed into the main hall: "Your Majesty, Colonel of the Capital (Sili Xiaowei) Yang Qiu requests an audience."

Liu Hong frowned, looking somewhat helpless: "Zhang Rang, I had you guard this hall on behalf of the Marquis of Champion so that I might find a moment of peace, yet you always act like my own grandfather..."

"Your humble servant only wishes for Your Majesty to be at ease... That Yang Fangzheng is known for his rigidity and stubbornness. If Your Majesty refuses to see him, I fear he will come every single day, and you shall have even less peace," Zhang Rang explained, bowing his head.

"Enough, enough. You and Zhao Zhong... one acts like a grandfather forcing me to attend to state affairs, and the other like a mother nagging endlessly..." Liu Hong grumbled, yet he put on his robes and headed to the main hall. In the inner court, Liu Hong was quite amiable; he not only referred to his eunuchs as parents but never even used the imperial "We" to refer to himself. However, it was a different matter when he dealt with government officials.

***

"Your Majesty, Wang Meng, the Prefect of Yongle, has confessed in prison that it was the Regular Palace Attendant Wang Fu who ordered him to manufacture weapons and armor... I humbly request that Your Majesty issue a warrant to arrest Wang Fu for investigation!" Yang Qiu was pleading for an imperial edict.

"These are the accusations of a man shifting blame; one should not believe them lightly." Liu Hong shook his head, refusing. His tone was cold: "Yang Fangzheng, I know better than you what kind of man the Marquis of Champion is."

"Your Majesty, I do not believe Wang Fu would commit treason either, but Wang Meng is his adopted son. A son’s words implicate a father’s guilt; I must investigate." Yang Qiu did not relent, bowing again: "Moreover, what was hidden in Wang Meng’s home was the armor of the Imperial Guards. This man served in the Yongle Palace; the matter concerns the safety of Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager. I beg Your Majesty to order Wang Fu into custody for a detailed interrogation."

"Sigh... The Marquis of Champion is loyal and brave; how could he commit treason? No one believes this." Zhang Rang stepped in to mediate. "But then again, Your Majesty, it is precisely because we do not believe it that we must get to the bottom of the matter. Otherwise, would that not instead stain the innocence of the Marquis of Champion?"

At this, Zhang Rang looked at Yang Qiu: "The Colonel of the Capital is a man of integrity; I am sure he will act with discretion."

"Indeed, Your Majesty. I ask only to take Wang Fu into custody for questioning; it is merely to facilitate the investigation. Once the matter is clarified, I shall be able to close the case promptly." Seeing Zhang Rang supporting him, Yang Qiu was slightly surprised, but he followed the lead, changing the request from an arrest to interrogation and cooperation with the investigation. This sounded much more palatable.

Liu Hong thought for a moment and nodded: "In that case, let the Marquis of Champion be summoned to prison to defend himself."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Yang Qiu bowed in gratitude and caught a glimpse of Zhang Rang, who was watching him with a profound look in his eyes. Yang Qiu lowered his head, exited the hall, left the Western Mansion in a hurry, and galloped away.

Shortly after, the cavalry of the Colonel of the Capital swarmed out, and the Regular Palace Attendant Wang Fu was taken to the imperial prison. As it happened to be Wang Fu’s fiftieth birthday, those close to him had gathered to offer their congratulations. The cavalry took advantage of this to conduct mass arrests, sweeping up nearly all of Wang Fu’s kin, including the Administrator of Pei, Wang Ji.

***

Liu Bei was no longer a prison bully; instead, he wore the uniform of a jailer. This was not because he had been recruited by the Colonel of the Capital, but because Yang Qiu wanted to ensure his safety. After all, it was Liu Bei who had baited Wang Meng into incriminating his father, leading to Wang Fu’s imprisonment. Wang Fu’s influence was immense, with his brothers and nephews all holding office. The Colonel’s cavalry was hunting his clan across the empire, and until Wang Fu, Wang Meng, and the others were dead, it was not safe for Liu Bei to step outside.

Not only was Liu Bei in prison, but Zuo Yuan was there as well. However, she was not a jailer, but a witness—testifying in the capacity of a "tribute woman from Pei State" that the Administrator of Pei, Wang Ji, had committed numerous atrocities and murdered commoners to help Wang Fu amass wealth. This was not a fabrication; it was the truth, but it required a witness.

During his tenure in Pei State, Wang Ji killed people at the slightest provocation, or rather, he would fabricate charges and then kill them. Anyone who displeased him, or whom he wished to provoke, would be strung together and dragged behind a horse through the streets. Even if the victims were already dead and their bodies decaying, he would tie their remains together with ropes and continue dragging them until the ropes snapped and the bones scattered. In only a few years as Administrator of Pei, Wang Ji had killed over ten thousand people and amassed over a hundred million in wealth. Most of Wang Fu’s kin shared this depraved nature; Yang Qiu was not wrong to wipe them all out.

With the imperial edict in hand, Yang Qiu acted with extreme ruthlessness.

The edict had ordered Wang Fu to prison to defend himself, but Yang Qiu gave him no chance to speak at all. This "man of integrity" immediately subjected Wang Fu and Wang Meng to brutal torture, never once asking about the charges—he didn't even mention them, simply proceeding with the punishment. The five major tortures included whipping, cudgeling, branding, finger-crushing, and needling. Yang Qiu employed all five, adding flaying and scrubbing for good measure, accompanied by seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. The five tortures were easily understood; flaying involved slicing strips of flesh with a small knife, and scrubbing involved stripping the skin with iron brushes.

Wang Fu endured the torture, begging only for a quick death. Wang Meng remained defiant, cursing Yang Qiu and calling him a lapdog who now dared to bite his master—he had firmly believed the Emperor would save Wang Fu. But Yang Qiu did not blink, personally beating Wang Meng to death with a staff. Wang Fu, too, was beaten to death after suffering through all the major tortures. Right up until their deaths, neither Wang Meng nor Wang Fu had the chance to confess to any crime.

Yang Qiu never asked, either. He knew he wouldn't get a confession, and from the start, he had never counted on Wang Fu to plead guilty. If he had been slow to act, he feared Emperor Liu Hong would have issued an edict to save Wang Fu. But Liu Hong never came, no edict arrived, and even the officials from the Court of the Commandant of Justice seemed to have vanished. That day, the only people in the Luoyang prison were the men of the Colonel of the Capital.

After Yang Qiu tortured Wang Meng and Wang Fu to death, Wang Ji broke down. With Zuo Yuan’s testimony and the fact that Wang Fu had been tortured to death, Wang Ji lost all hope and confessed to every crime in one breath. He even spilled the details of Wang Fu’s corruption, his acceptance of bribes from officials, his violation of imperial statutes, his private assembly of troops, and his collusion with the Xianbei. In truth, Zuo Yuan had never met Wang Ji, but her talent for performance was high, and Wang Ji truly believed she was a victim from Pei County. With a victim present, he would die whether he confessed or not, but at least by confessing, he could avoid the excruciating torture.

Wang Fu never personally confessed, but the charges were deemed proven. His body was dismembered and discarded at the Northern Xia Gate of Luoyang, right where Liu Bei had beaten the Northern Prefect.

However, Yang Qiu was not a benevolent official who would show leniency for a confession. After Wang Ji confessed, Yang Qiu still had him beaten to death on the spot. Wang Fu’s other nephews and kin all died in the prison as well, never even reaching the execution grounds. Yang Qiu said that one must cut the weeds and dig up the roots; if you strike, strike to kill. This was, of course, necessary, as Yang Qiu’s operating procedures were not exactly compliant with regulations; he had to eliminate everyone in the Luoyang prison who was close to Wang Fu to avoid future trouble. This was also done to protect Liu Bei and his companions.

Yet, there remained another troublesome figure in the Luoyang prison: the Grand Marshal, Duan Jiong, also known as Duan Jiming.