Chapter 43: Taking the Challenge

The official documents from the Ministry of Punishments and the Court of Judicial Review had also arrived. They were largely similar to the missive from the Bureau of Military Affairs, all urging the swift resolution of the case. The only difference was that these documents leaned heavily toward cementing the Shuntian Prefecture's jurisdiction over the matter. In other words, the Ministry of Punishments and the Court of Judicial Review were essentially saying: consider it your bad luck to have fallen into this fire pit; we want nothing to do with this case, and at most, we will merely dispatch personnel to assist in the investigation.

Wang Jianzhi could only look at his private secretary and ask, "What on earth is to be done?"

"Sir," the secretary replied, "it is blatantly obvious that the Duke of Ningguo's estate intends to drive the Marquis of Wuning's estate to their graves. If you refuse to comply with the wishes of the Bureau of Military Affairs, their strict orders could strip you of your official post with a mere snap of the fingers."

"I am well aware of that," Wang Jianzhi said. "However, should I offend the Prince of Nanhai, my position here at the Shuntian Prefecture will likewise become untenable."

"Under the current circumstances, this hot potato cannot be tossed away. Our only recourse is to find a way to shift the responsibility."

"How?"

"Frame it as a case of utmost gravity and drag the Three Judicial Offices into it. Hold a joint trial. Since it involves the Imperial Guard, pull the Bureau of Military Affairs in as well. In short, even if Your Honor acts as the chief inquisitor, with a whole row of superiors sitting above you, whatever verdict is eventually reached will have nothing to do with you."

"Your Honor need only act according to public consensus."

"A brilliant strategy," Wang Jianzhi declared. Yet, a trace of hesitation lingered as he added, "If we do that, the case will only grow larger and increasingly harder to bring to a close."

The highest tier of judicial procedure in the Great Xia Dynasty was the imperial trial, wherein the Emperor personally presided over the case. Although this standard was grand indeed, across five successive dynasties, scarcely a handful of emperors had ever personally tried a case; it existed almost entirely in name only.

Next down the tier was the joint trial.

Now, by dragging all these departments into the fold, Wang Jianzhi was effectively initiating a joint trial.

The Three Judicial Offices, the Shuntian Prefecture, the Bureau of Military Affairs—if the Grand Secretariat were to be hauled in on top of that, it would reach the absolute pinnacle, a standard second only to an imperial trial.

Naturally, a case of such magnitude was a monumental one.

Every monumental case was notoriously difficult to wrap up cleanly.

Should he make the slightest misstep, he, the chief judge, would be the one dragged down with it.

"Oh, my dear master! Do you still imagine this case to be a minor affair? The Duke of Ningguo's estate is determined to hurl the Marquis of Wuning's estate into utter destruction. Can any case capable of crushing a marquis's estate in this dynasty ever be considered minor?"

After a brief moment of reflection, Wang Jianzhi struck upon a terrifying realization and said, "Judging by its scale, this will be the greatest case since the Crown Prince's Rebellion."

Upon hearing this, the secretary shivered involuntarily and blurted out, "Sir, please say no more. That is dreadfully inauspicious."

Logically speaking, there was nothing flawed about the assessment. Ever since the Crown Prince's Rebellion, the Emperor had grown weary of state affairs, choosing instead to allow the realm and its people a period of recovery. Consequently, virtually no major cases of this scale had surfaced since.

Yet, the mere memory of the Crown Prince's Rebellion—with heads rolling in the dust—was enough to send a shudder through the secretary's entire body.

*******

Zheng Bangcheng was paying exceedingly close attention to this development.

Barely had the faintest whisper of wind reached his ears than Zheng Bangcheng immediately summoned He Chongan.

"How are things proceeding of late?" he inquired.

"Exceedingly well," He Chongan replied. "With the one hundred thousand taels borrowed from your esteemed estate, I shall be able to repay the debt in full once the New Year has passed."

By throwing its weight behind He Chongan, the Zheng family had elevated his political backing to a level nearly matching that of the Duke of Ningguo. Consequently, the various factions in the capital dared not rashly take sides.

Meanwhile, He Chongan had successfully integrated the entire industrial chain.

Coal mining, transportation, and coal-ball production were now all consolidated tightly within his grasp.

He Chongan had not even begun to overhaul the specific production processes; merely streamlining the logistical links had dramatically cut his costs. Should the Fengyu Firm attempt a price war now, He Chongan was confident he could drive prices down even further.

Ever since Pei Zhixiao’s death, the He family had ceased restricting the Fengyu Firm from moving goods outside the city.

Yet, even so, the Fengyu Firm's commercial network could no longer be pieced back together.

It had practically surrendered the coal-ball market to He Chongan on a silver platter.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, not just the capital, but the prefectures and counties surrounding it would soon find their coal-ball trade monopolized by the He family. Earning one hundred thousand taels in half a year would be an absolute certainty.

"The Pei family has already made their move," Zheng Bangcheng said, briefing He Chongan on the Pei Zhixiao case before asking, "How do you intend to handle this?"

He Chongan thought to himself, *It has finally arrived.*

He had waited a very long time for the Pei family to strike.

Otherwise, he would have had no idea how to play his ultimate trump card.

"To think the Pei family would actually use this case as a springboard; they are truly foolish," He Chongan remarked. "However, I have my own means of response. Please set your mind at ease, Uncle Zheng."

"What means?"

He Chongan smiled and asked, "Uncle Zheng, do you truly wish to know?"

A ripple stirred in Zheng Bangcheng's heart. Although he was pulling the strings behind this endeavor, knowing the exact details was a delicate matter.

Knowing more was not necessarily better. The more one knew, the greater the risk of becoming an accomplice.

Besides, He Chongan dared not reveal his ultimate trump card to Zheng Bangcheng for fear of frightening him away, which was why he was deliberately being evasive.

Seeing how utterly confident He Chongan appeared, Zheng Bangcheng refrained from pressing further and merely said, "As long as you know what you are doing."

"Is there anything you require my assistance with?"

"I ask only one thing of Uncle Zheng."

"What is it?"

"Please help me escalate this matter all the way to the imperial court."

Taken aback, Zheng Bangcheng exclaimed, "Escalate it to the imperial court? That will blow the matter wide open! How do you expect to bring it to a close when the time comes?"

"It is precisely my intention to blow it wide open. Only by standing before His Majesty can I hope to execute my plans. Besides, if we do not bring it before the Emperor, how else is Uncle Zheng to discern His Majesty's inclinations?"

Zheng Bangcheng turned the thought over in his mind. Indeed, his entire reason for backing He Chongan was to test the Emperor's intentions.

If one did not force the Emperor to make a decision, how else could one probe his mind?

"You must consider this carefully, however. The current Emperor..." Zheng Bangcheng trailed off, momentarily at a loss for how to describe his sentiments toward the sovereign. "In short, everything in this realm lies within His Majesty's sight. What the outcome will be once this is brought before him is beyond my knowing. You must prepare yourself mentally."

He Chongan replied, "Please rest assured, Uncle Zheng. No matter what transpires, I shall have no regrets."

Naturally, He Chongan knew that every action carried risks.

The arena of power, in particular, was far more perilous than any battlefield. On a battlefield, one could at least distinguish friend from foe with certainty. In the halls of power, however, turncoats who flipped their faces as easily as turning the pages of a book were far too numerous.

Yet, holding a royal flush in his hand, if he dared not press forward now, when would he?

"Very well. I shall be attending court these next few days and will seize the first opportunity to thrust this matter before His Majesty."

Zheng Bangcheng patted He Chongan on the shoulder and said, "Take care of yourself, however."

********

Upon returning to the He estate, He Chongan recounted these developments to Madam He.

Madam He turned pale, her expression brimming with undisguised anxiety as she asked, "How do you intend to deal with this situation?"

"Shuntian Prefecture will summon our household to court shortly, and I shall naturally have to make an appearance. Please set your mind at ease, Mother. I have already visited the Prince of Nanhai's estate, and I am confident in this matter."

Madam He fell silent for a moment before declaring, "I cannot interfere with affairs in the outer court, but there is one matter I can control, and it must be done immediately."

"What matter?" He Chongan asked.

"Open the ancestral hall and have your name officially entered into the family genealogy."