CH 15

Cao gonggong was a ceremonial rites supervisor. Although his power was incomparable with a few others in the Bureau of Internal Affairs, he still carried himself proudly in front of the Emperor. He had pronounced that he would take care of Cui Xie’s matter. Hence, he took up his pen to write a letter, directly sent from the Yongping Residence up to the Ministry of Justice, putting it in order so the matter would be properly arranged. No one would dare to dismiss the charges sent down in Qian’an.

Gonggong is how to refer to a taijian. Eunuchs, who were men that were castrated, are not the same as taijian as taijian refers to specific positions in the Imperial palace and government which were occupied by men that were castrated

Yongping is a county in the Yunnan Province; this Yongping Residence was a prefecture-level administrative division in the Ming and Qing Dynasties where government officials and envoys deal with the court/political matters and oversee the counties they are assigned.

Cui Ming had spread malicious rumors, slandering and accusing Cui Xie of unfilial piety. He had also mentioned that the Official Cui husband and wife intentionally sent down a severe punishment to their stepson. Thus, he was sentenced with the crime of berating the head of a household; the other crime was stealing a master’s wealth for personal gain. Since it was a servant who was found guilty, his crimes were two grades higher than if an ordinary person was found guilty of stealing. He was to be hanged. Both crimes were punishable by law, and he was to be detained in prison for the time being.

Since Cui Xie was a person from the modern ages, he was unaccustomed to how the law could be bent as one wishes, a life could be taken with a single command. Naturally, he felt compelled to plead for Cui Ming’s life.

Before he could speak, Gao gonggong had long seen through his thoughts, and beamed, “After seeing this thief’s sentence is hanging, you feel pity for him? This kind of moral character that rots to the bones cannot be let off so lightly. You are a child who lives alone in the countryside, how would your father and mother have news about you? It is all due to these deceitful servants that fiddle and stir up enmity. In the future, if you suffer hardship but do not tell anyone, he will wage his tongue in front of your parents, and your parent’s affections for you will slowly fade into nothing”

As a taijian, from his head to his feet, his honor and disgrace was tied to the Emperor. Taijian were precisely the most afraid of straying from the center and having someone stir up enmity in front of the Emperor, getting smeared and framed. This was why Gao gonggong was considerably empathetic with this case. He felt that due to Cui Ming’s actions to destroy one’s future prospects, his fawning behavior, yet also harboring malicious intentions towards his masters, this was deserving of execution. Leaving his whole body intact was letting him off easy.

From the side, Colonel Xie smiled and persuaded: “His additional crime of berating the elders of the household was initially too much of a stretch. In addition to his crimes of stealing, it is not enough to warrant a beheading. Although Gao gonggong has kindly sheltered and helped Young Master Cui, the Imperial Censorate is closely watching the Eastern Depot and Inner Branch Depot. If a trifling thief were to provide them ample excuse to impeach gonggong, contrarily, it would be bad. The convict will have to hand over the originally stolen goods. At that time, Official Cui will become aware of this matter and will definitely search his household rigorously to make note of any additionally stolen items. Then, this case can be settled.”

Censorate was a high-level supervisory agency in ancient China. During the Ming Dynasty, the Censorate was a branch of the bureaucracy paralleling the Six Ministries and five Chief Military Commissions, directly responsible to the emperor. The agency was divided into 3 branches: Palace Branch, Admonishment Branch, Detection Branch.

There are three secret intelligence organizations that popped up in the Ming Dynasty: the Eastern Depot (spy/secret police) run by eunuchs. They were responsible for spying on officials of any rank, including military officers, scholars, rebels, and the general populace. The Eastern Depot would investigate and arrest suspects, and then hand them over to the Jinyiwei for interrogation. The Western Depot was created to search for witches but became a rival to the Eastern Depot. Inner Branch Depot was created to counter the two depots and the jinyiwei.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Depot

Sorry for the long historical explanations everyone, I hope you guys don’t mind :)) In this case, by bending the laws in his favor, Cao gonggong must be careful in how he conducts himself. He is most definitely involved in the Eastern Depot, so Colonel Xie is warning that this matter is conducted thoroughly to avoid the Imperial Censorate to have any grounds of impeachment and reduce power.

Cao gonggong nodded a few times and smiled, “It is still Colonel Xie who is more thoughtful. This is Official Cui’s household affair and it is not good for us to interfere. We will have to notify him that his child has been wronged outside so that he can feel distressed.”

Cao gonggong’s gaze swept over Cui Xie briefly and he raised his hand to beckon him over: “Young Master Cui is most likely unaware of who helped you send up the request for a commendation up to the Imperial Court right? It is this Colonel Xie—Ever since the demon case had come to a close, he repeatedly asked Commander Wan to send down an Imperial decree. Yesterday, he was finally able to request it the day before our arrival. This official is only a person who sends the decrees, you will have to thank Colonel Xie for his kindness.”

Colonel Xie is in charge of a qianhu office. The Ming Dynasty had multiple marshal offices and administrative offices set up under high commanderies. Qianhu, is one of many types of administrative titles given to senior and junior commanders to take care of. There were a total of 17 Qianhu offices, or chillarchies, each office and their colonel in command of 1,000 households.

Commander or wanhu are myriarchies, in command of 10,000 households each. There are only four Wanhu offices.

Colonel Xie requested for the commendation?

Cui Xie was truly feeling a bit stunned because at Qian’an, it was Colonel Xie himself who said not to ask for such a request for him. He did not expect that the man would do so secretly…perhaps the Emperor’s commendations were hard to obtain. Maybe Colonel Xie had not mentioned anything beforehand because he feared that if he failed to request one, it would disappoint Cui Xie?

Cui Xie quickly rose and cupped his hands, thanking Colonel Xie for his care. County Magistrate Qi and County Deputy Tian, who were seated, secretly exchanged glances, reassessing Cui Xie’s identity.

Colonel Xie calmly accepted Cui Xie’s thanks and supported Cui Xie up with his arms. The corners of his lips curled slightly and his smile was like a spring breeze, “Young Master does not need to be polite. That demon case was a case that was assigned to me by the Emperor, it was of great importance. You helped me capture the demon Patriarch Xu, which in of itself is a great achievement. Moreover, you have a loving mother. After I handed the correspondence to the Cui Residence, your mother especially ordered people to donate a hundred taels of silver. Naturally, the intentions behind it asked me to take care of you…”

‘like a spring breeze’: idiom; a metaphor that means to be warm and comfortable

夫人(fū ren): the mistress/wife, also a general term to refer to an official’s wife/madam.

Cui Xie’s eyes widened, and he could not wrap his head around Xu Furen’s chess move this time around.

Colonel Xie’s voice dropped several octaves and he gently murmured closer to Cui Xie’s ear: “There seems to be a misunderstanding between your father and the jinyiwei. It has been so long, but I still have not received a reply to my correspondence. It is almost as if he had never seen my correspondence. Xie-mo cannot easily guess at his intentions. I could only regard your mother’s silver as one of compassionate intentions and helped you obtained a ‘righteous’ commendation.”

Official Cui had not received the correspondence? Xu Furen bestowed the jinyiwei one hundred taels of silver? Could it be that she intercepted the correspondence in the middle and did not want Official Cui to know that his eldest son had obtained some meritorious service outside? As a result, Colonel Xie misunderstood that she had been bribing the jinyiwei, so he used this money to handle things and got him a sacred Imperial decree sent down to commend him…

-mo is a term that officials and high-ranking ministers use to refer to themselves, similar to I, analogous to when Emperors refer to themselves in third person with ‘zhen’.

Jinyiwei: means the ‘Embroidered Uniform Guard’; and was essentially the imperial secret police that served the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. They are given the authority to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecutions with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating, and punishing anyone, including nobles and the emperor’s relatives. The guards would usually don a distinctive golden-yellow uniform with an identifiable plaque hanging near his torso and carrying a special blade weapon. 

What a good misunderstanding!

Seeing Cui Xie thinking so hard but then finally come to a realization and even with a secretly delighted smile, Colonel Xie could not hide his smile. He patted Cui Xie a few times on the shoulder and loudly declared: “It is getting late, Young Master might as well stay behind and just have lunch here at the yamen. Later, go back with Cao gonggong to receive the decree.”

yamen: administrative government office of a local bureaucrat/official

Cao gonggong added, “This official was also thinking the same way. I heard that Young Master Cui possesses an excellent wine-brewing recipe, can he drink?”

Colonel Xie glanced at him and shook his head slightly: “What kind of wine would he drink at such a young age? Let me and some of the Qian’an da-ren accompany a few drinks with Cao gonggong instead.”

Da-ren: the honorific term used to call government officials and someone of higher rank

The yamen had long prepared the banquet hall. Several da-ren clinked their wine cups together at the reception pavilion. There were another set of tables outside the lively hall for the jinyiwei. Cui Xie was eating a table of food in the side wing, all by his lonesome self, the witnesses who had come together with him had left for their respective homes. The yamen runner attending to him poured sweet, thick rice wine for him, saying that he would not get drunk from this wine. But Cui Xie had not even drunk too much before a few cups of that rice wine made his eyes blurry and ears hot.

He did not feel like eating too much, so he simply set down his chopsticks and went outside to get some fresh air outside the veranda.

That acquaintance, Military Officer Dong who had also overindulged in food and drink, came out to relieve himself. Catching sight of Cui Xie leaning on a pillar, he squinted his eyes and recognized the figure. Then, he came over to greet him, “What’s wrong Young Master Cui? Did the wine get to your head?”

Cui Xie shook his head slightly: “No, Dong da-ren does not need to worry. I am just about to receive the Emperor’s Imperial commendation and couldn’t eat from the excitement. I know that this time, I was able to receive this honor due to Colonel Xie’s contributions, and do not know how to express my gratitude.”

Military Officer Dong laughed, “What thanks, our Colonel would not want your thanks on this matter. He just could not stand your family’s stepmother giving you so much trouble.”

He looked to his left and right. Seeing that there was no one, he lowered his voice and said, “Did you know that when our Colonel’s correspondence was sent out, because the demon’s case had not been completely closed, the writing was a bit vague. It only mentioned your injuries to your parents on their behalf. It then requested that some servants be sent from your Cui Residence to come to serve you in Tongzhou. In the end, when that correspondence was sent it was like throwing a stone and seeing it sink without a trace in the sea. You were left in Tongzhou with no care and then your household’s Furen rewarded us with a hundred taels of silver. Is this asking the Colonel’s office to raise her son or is she implying that our office was meddling in other people’s business?”

‘ throwing a stone and seeing it sink without a trace in the sea’: idiom; phrase meaning to elicit no response

It only then did Cui Xie finally understand why Xu Furen had gifted a hundred taels of silver. He could not help but ask, “Does Colonel Xie know her thoughts as well? Just now, he told me he asked for my commendation because he was impressed by her motherly heart….”

Military Officer Dong roared with laughter, waking up from his wine-induced stupor: “These words are to be taken at face value, no need to take seriously. Our Colonel precisely loathes these kinds of shady dealings and also cherishes you, so he wanted to help you. Now that you have this ‘righteous hero’ merit to your name, you have the Emperor’s grace protecting you, those elders in Official Cui’s household will no longer be able to bully you.”

Hearing this Cui Xie’s scalp went numb and his eyes were a little red.

He and Colonel Xie were not relatives, and if strictly speaking about who had the credit for capturing the demon, it was actually the jinyiwei’s. At best, he was just a successful hostage who had come back alive. Colonel Xie had helped him so much, naturally, a wine-brewing recipe is certainly not enough. But what else could he bring out?

Did he really have to offer immortality pills?

*Jindan: golden pill referring to the alchemic term that once this pill is taken, a person can become reborn and become an immortal, obviously just a ploy Emperors liked to believe in because they wanted to live forever

Cui Xie propped up his chin and pondered over it seriously. Military Officer Dong lifted his hand to pat Cui Xie’s shoulder and tried to comfort him. His palm fell, but his hands did not firmly descend. There was someone holding his elbow from behind who lightly said: “What are you guys making a ruckus about in the yard? The whole courtyard can only hear your stupid laughing and Gao gonggong even asked about it.”

Military Officer Dong picked up his courage and turned his head to catch that voice’s face, nervously grinning, “This officer has forgotten his position, this officer…this officer will go relieve himself and then go back.”

Cui Xie raised his head and saw Colonel Xie standing in front of him. He was so excited that he went to kowtow.

Colonel Xie held his shoulders in place and pressed Cui Xie against the pillar. Asking amusedly, “Just how much wine did you drink, why are your eyes so red? Don’t listen to Dong Cheng’s nonsense. It really did not take much effort to request a commendation. My father was one of Commander Wan’s protégé and our office’s conduct is more than enough for Wan da-ren to be willing to give us some face.”

Cui Xie said, “But I have nothing to repay…”

Colonel Xie made an ‘En’ sound and replied, “I did not say that I did not want you to repay me. Young Master Cui, didn’t I already say it back in Tongzhou? I am still waiting for when you take the Imperial Examination at the capital and become a palace official with me. At that time, if there is anything you want to repay for, this Colonel will not be polite.”

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The day that Cui Xie met the Imperial envoy, Cui Que also received news that Cui Xie was going to receive a commendation.

After he left the office, he went to a restaurant to drink with a few colleagues, but there happened to be a few Imperial relatives with meritorious service. Ever since the Tumu Fortress Crisis, the status of these noble statuses plummeted and they usually avoided those officials who had climbed their way up through the ranks through Imperial examinations. However, this time, these nobles greeted these officials uncharacteristically and frivolously congratulated him by pouring him a cup of wine, “Congratulations Cui da-ren! Da-ren’s esteemed son is receiving the Emperor’s commendation, this is a rare honor, even this Marquis is envious!”

The Tumu Fortress Crisis was a frontier conflict between Northern Yuan and the Ming Dynasty and the First ruler of the Mongols of the Northern Yuan, Esen Taishi, captured Ming Emperor Zhengtong, on September 1, 1449. With him gone, the court put his younger brother, Emperor Jingtai , and he was put in charge. But then Zhengtong eventually returned and took back his throne. That’s why he was regarded as the sixth and eighth emperor of the Ming dynasty. This was quite shameful of an incident in Ming history. I suggest you look at Wikipedia if you want more information.

A trace of disgust flashed in Cui Que’s eyes. Frowning slightly, he probed, “What commendation? This official has never heard of such a matter.” 

The Marquis of Yongkang approached him with a smile, “In Tongzhou, your esteemed son assisted the jinyiwei in capturing the White Lotus Society’s demon leader. People from the Northern Division personally requested a commendation for him. Not only did the Emperor immediately approve it, but he also issued a decree, ordering Gao taijian to supervise the ceremony in addition to Colonel Xie, who was the one who put in the request to issue the decree in person…”

Organizational Structure of the Jinyiwei:

Source: https://www.quora.com/q/theeducationalblog/What-did-the-Ming-dynasty-secret-police-the-Brocade-clad-guards-%E9%8C%A6%E8%A1%A3%E8%A1%9B-do-and-how-were-they-organized-Were-they-also-a

“Tsk tsk, since the founding of this dynasty, there have been many Governors from all over the country who requested the title of ‘righteous’ for their wives, but your esteemed son is the first to receive one invited by the jinyiwei on his behalf. Really makes one envious!”

Jinyiwei invited a commendation on the behalf of someone?

Just what was going on? The jinyiwei were merely a group of rough martial artists, how could they substitute Governors in requesting a commendation on someone’s behalf! Didn’t that degenerate son of his merely run into the jinyiwei handling a case in Tongzhou? How could he have become close to them, and even move the jinyiwei to request a commendation on his behalf?

This kind of commendation*(TN: look below), wouldn’t it be the laughingstock of the entire heavens! How could the Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet ignore such absurd things!

*TN: For the commendation, this title is usually granted to unmarried widows who commit to being faithful to the memory of their betrothed by never marrying again and it is often requested by wives whose husbands passed away. It can also used to grant loyal and righteous citizens who did good deeds.

Although he had to sometimes have no other choice but to interact with some profane and secular officials, the bottom of his heart had always been as clear as a lake. This shameless son actually went all the way to the jinyiwei, circumvented his father, and asked the jinyiwei to grant him a righteous title. It was….really exceedingly like Cui Xie’s vulgar and ignorant maternal grandfather and maternal uncle who only looked out for profit!

Cui Que only felt that his colleagues were mocking him from the bottom of his heart and the compliments from the esteemed honoraries turned into ridicule into his eyes. He could not help but hurriedly bid farewell to the crows and left the restaurant, returning home with a gloomy and dark face.

TN: Colonel Xie and Cui Xie are so cute together!! Also I forget how old Cui Xie is, but Cui Xie should be around 14 and Colonel Xie is around 17-19, mayhaps even older (I know age differences in Chinese novels tend to be bad…). I think it’s safe to say, as the translator, that Colonel Xie will probably be one of the male interests. But Cui Xue’s father is really too hypocritical. He degrades his son for only seeking profit without shame but isn’t he the one who indiscriminately beat Cui Xie in the first place without properly investigating? His partialness to the step wife and son is really too disgusting, that’s technically considered as going against Confucian principles, but whatever…hope you guys enjoyed it!

*As a tangent, I want to say the Ming Dynasty was very corrupt, but most dynasties were to a certain extent. For the Ming Dynasty, corruption was huge because of the change in the organization of the government and the elimination of the Prime Minister’s role. Now that the Emperor was the sole authority, nothing could be accomplished and they cared more about rebellions than corruption/nepotism. Secondly, the creation of the jinyiwei meant officials accused other officials of corruption, but they could not impeach officials for any other crimes. In addition, the Ming Emperor’s lack of knowledge of economic issues caused paper money to be useless, and the rise of silver replaced it. While this led to better accounting, the ledgers were never clear so the Imperial family could do whatever they wanted. Lastly, Confucianism exacerbated economic issues because while the Sage advocated a barter economy, that was insufficient as trade is essential to economic efficiency. Bureaucrats would exploit this to their own use. HOWEVER, I want to say that the level of corruption may be overly exaggerated as this history was written by government officials of the Qing Dynasty. Additionally, while Emperors were described as lazy, the highest political power was actually helped by the ‘cabinet’, heads of the Six Ministries, and the unscrupulous powers of the Head Eunuchs.