Chapter 91: First Encounter with Zhu Qiyu

"Are you Xue Rui?" Hearing this name, Gao Fei was startled. He never expected that the much-talked-about Xue Rui would be standing right before him. What’s more, he had just offended such a formidable figure in a moment of confusion.

"I am," Xue Rui replied, his expression darkening. "I advise you to hand these men over to me. If you do, today's matter ends here. If not, word of your accepting bribes from traitors will reach the Internal Affairs Tribunal tomorrow. You know well what consequences that will bring."

Gao Fei, realizing the gravity of the situation and intimidated by Xue Rui’s threat, had no choice but to lower his stance and force a smile. "My lord, let’s discuss this. I truly didn’t know they were wanted by the court. Since you discovered them, of course they should be handed over to you. Men, tie up these two criminals!"

His subordinates brought ropes and bound Peng Deqing and his son tightly, dragging them before Xue Rui and his companions.

Seeing the two still struggling, the students of the Astronomical Bureau were furious. They surged forward, beating Peng Deqing and his son to the brink of death.

Fearing they might kill them if the beating continued, Xue Rui intervened. It took quite some time before the others calmed down.

“Bah…” Liu Jin, still not appeased, spat at Peng Deqing and his son. Then, turning to Xue Rui, he asked, "What now? Shall we take them to the Ministry of Justice or hand them over to the Court of Judicial Review?"

"Let me think," Xue Rui replied, sinking into thought.

After crossing into the Ming Dynasty, he had noticed something interesting: among the Six Ministries, five had their offices on the east side of the main court gate, but the Ministry of Justice alone was in Fucai Lane on the west side of the city, next to the other two of the Three Judicial Offices—the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate.

At first, he couldn’t understand why the court would place the Ministry of Justice so far away. After all, it was far more important than the Office of Ceremonies or the Imperial Medical Bureau, and even more so than the Astronomical Bureau.

He later learned from his mentor that since the Three Judicial Offices dealt with criminal cases, which were considered inauspicious, they had to be kept at a distance from the Imperial City and were thus located in the remote Fucai Lane.

They were now at the easternmost part of the city, the farthest point from the Ministry of Justice in the west. It would take at least half an hour on foot to get there. Having just run all this way, everyone was already exhausted. Escorting two prisoners such a distance would surely be a hardship.

After considering for a moment, Xue Rui turned to Liu Jin. "Why not take them to the East Peace Gate instead?"

"What for?" Liu Jin and the others were puzzled.

"Think about it—all officials entering court must first pass through the East Peace Gate before entering the inner palace from the East Glory Gate. It's nearly adjournment time. If we take them straight to the East Peace Gate and hand them over to the Ministry of Justice officials as they exit, won’t that save us a lot of trouble?" Xue Rui explained.

"It’s true, the East Peace Gate is much closer. I just wonder if we’ll make it in time. We’d better hurry—if the court adjourns early, we'll still have to go all the way to the Ministry," someone replied.

Without further delay, they escorted Peng Deqing and his son to the East Peace Gate.

There, a dozen guards stood in formation, halberds in hand. As Xue Rui and his party approached, a general in silver armor atop the gate tower shouted, "This is a restricted area! You are not permitted to approach!"

The guards leveled their halberds at the group.

Xue Rui waved for his companions to halt and bowed. "General, we mean no offense. We are here to wait for officials of the Ministry of Justice as court adjourns. Please forgive us."

The general eyed the bound Peng Deqing and his son with curiosity. "Who are your prisoners?"

"These two are remnants of the traitorous faction, former director Peng Deqing and his son, wanted by the Ministry of Justice. We have captured them to be handed over to the ministry," Xue Rui replied.

"I see," the general said, no longer obstructing them. "The officials have not yet adjourned. Wait a bit further back—they should be out soon."

"Thank you for your warning, General," Xue Rui replied, and the group withdrew a short distance to wait.

Clearly, today's noon court session was of great importance, lasting much longer than usual. It was half an hour before officials began to exit the East Peace Gate in succession.

Curious about Xue Rui and his group with their prisoners, the officials gathered to watch.

"Isn’t that Peng Deqing, the former director of the Astronomical Bureau? How did he end up tied up here?"

"You haven’t heard? He’s been declared a traitor and is wanted by the Ministry of Justice!"

"This scoundrel is still alive? It was he who concealed the omens, leading to our army’s defeat and His Majesty’s capture. Even if he were cut to pieces, it would not be enough to atone for his crimes!"

Recognizing Peng Deqing, the officials erupted in furious denunciations. If looks could kill, Peng Deqing and his son would have died a thousand deaths.

As the crowd condemned them, a group of officials in crimson robes emerged, escorting a young man—that was Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu. After court adjourned, the ministers of the Six Ministries and the Nine Courts had not immediately dispersed but waited at the East Glory Gate, hoping to reason with Zhu Qiyu and persuade him to take further action.

In recent days, as Emperor Zhu Qizhen’s reputation collapsed, the ministers’ disappointment grew, and they began contemplating the enthronement of a new sovereign. To avoid suspicion, Zhu Qiyu had consistently avoided meeting with officials privately, lest he appear to be plotting to seize the throne.

After court adjourned, he purposely delayed before leaving the palace for his residence. Unexpectedly, as he exited the East Glory Gate, he was surrounded by ministers lying in wait.

Feigning indifference to their entreaties, Zhu Qiyu quickened his pace toward his carriage outside the palace.

Just outside the East Peace Gate, as he was about to board his carriage, he noticed a large crowd of officials encircling someone and shouting with all their might.

Alarmed, Zhu Qiyu instantly recalled the brawl at the Left Shun Gate and feared another incident among the officials. He considered slipping away, but as the regent, any chaos in court would jeopardize stability in the capital. He steeled himself and advanced, intent on mediating.

Accompanied by Lu Zhong, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhu Qiyu approached and called out, "Why have you all gathered here? What is the matter?"

At the sound of Prince Cheng’s voice, the officials quickly turned and saluted.

One took the opportunity to explain, "Your Highness, we are here because someone has captured the traitor Peng Deqing. In our excitement, we lost our composure. Please forgive us."

"Peng Deqing has been captured?" Zhu Qiyu was surprised. In recent days, almost all traitorous remnants in the capital had been apprehended, with only a few still missing or at large. Even with the Ministry of Justice’s proclamations, few had been caught. For someone to bring in Peng Deqing was indeed rare.

At his inquiry, the officials parted, revealing Peng Deqing.

Seeing the prince looking at him, Peng Deqing immediately kowtowed and wept bitterly. "Your Highness, I have been wronged! Please investigate and grant me justice!"

An official stepped forward and rebuked him, "How dare you! The evidence is conclusive, yet you still protest your innocence. You simply won’t confess until you reach your grave!"

"Your Highness, I am truly innocent. The defeat of the army was not my fault but due to Wang Zhen’s reckless decisions. He ignored my advice and chose the wrong encampment, which led to the army’s encirclement by the Oirat. I even suffered an hour’s kneeling punishment for remonstrating against him. I am not Wang Zhen’s accomplice—please, Your Highness, see the truth!" Peng Deqing pleaded tearfully.

What he said was half true: he had indeed advised against Wang Zhen’s plan, arguing that Tumu was an inauspicious site for the army, but to Wang Zhen, he was no more than a lackey, and his advice was ignored. For his persistence, he was expelled from the command tent and, along with Kuang Ye, forced to kneel for an hour before being dismissed.

But that hardly exonerated him. After all, his concealment of celestial omens had already been proven, and no amount of argument could undo his previous errors. He would have to pay for the defeat with his life.

Peng Deqing’s self-defense only drew more ire from the officials, and Zhu Qiyu felt a pounding headache from the clamor.

Noticing Yu Qian among the crowd, Zhu Qiyu quickly asked, "Minister Yu, what is your opinion on how to deal with Peng Deqing and his son?"

Yu Qian paid little attention to the two, knowing that with Peng Deqing’s involvement in treason, no amount of pleading would save him. What caught Yu Qian’s interest was the group who had apprehended them—among them was someone he recognized: Xue Rui, the young man who had recently helped resolve the grain transport crisis.

At Zhu Qiyu’s question, Yu Qian bowed and replied, "Peng Deqing and his son have committed grave crimes and should be dealt with by the Three Judicial Offices. I am not in a position to comment further."

The Minister of Justice, Jin Lian, quickly stepped forward. "Your Highness, Peng Deqing is a key suspect wanted by my ministry. Since he has been captured, allow me to escort him back for interrogation and swift resolution."

The President of the Court of Judicial Review, Yu Shiyue, objected. "Your Highness, since Peng Deqing claims innocence, our court is responsible for correcting miscarriages of justice. He should be handed over to us."

"As this is a capital case, whether it’s tried by the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate must exercise its supervisory authority. I request Your Highness permit our censors to participate in the trial," added Chen Yi, Chief Censor, unwilling to concede the credit.

In recent traitor cases, aside from Wang Zhen’s nephew Wang Shan and two vice-commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the rest were minor figures. Now that Peng Deqing—the chief culprit for the army’s defeat—had been caught, all three offices vied for the honor. If nothing else, it was a chance to make their names known to history.

Zhu Qiyu watched the three officials argue heatedly, feeling sorely troubled. No matter whom he favored, he would offend someone, and he found it hard to decide.

At last, he recalled Lu Zhong, his Embroidered Uniform Guard commander and suddenly had an idea. He addressed the three officials. "There’s no need to dispute further. I have decided to assign Peng Deqing’s case to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They have authority over criminal investigations and arrests and should be well capable of handling such a matter."

At present, the highest-ranking officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guard was Lu Zhong. Not long ago, after officials had beaten their commander Ma Shun to death at the Left Shun Gate, they also implicated Ma’s two deputies as traitors. In securing convictions, Lu Zhong had done much to assist the civil officials and was thus spared, becoming the only high-ranking officer of the Guard not dragged down.

Now, hearing Zhu Qiyu entrust the case to the Guard, Lu Zhong was overjoyed—this indicated the prince still relied on their service and enhanced his own standing.

The three judicial officials, seeing the prince’s mind was made up, could only exchange glances and withdraw.

Lu Zhong, not daring to delay, ordered several captains to escort Peng Deqing and his son back to the imperial prison for immediate interrogation and continued to attend Zhu Qiyu.

Once the officials had dispersed, Prince Cheng’s gaze finally fell on Xue Rui and the other Astronomical Bureau students.

Noticing their matching pale-blue robes, yet finding their attire unlike that of students of the National Academy, Zhu Qiyu was puzzled and asked his attendants, "Who are these people? Why were Peng Deqing and his son in their custody?"

Yu Qian, beside him, whispered, "Your Highness, these are students of the Astronomical Bureau. The young man at the front is Xue Rui, the one I’ve mentioned to you before."

Zhu Qiyu had heard Xue Rui’s name several times.

Previously, when arranging for the transport of grain to Tongzhou, Yu Qian had told him that the key strategies had been devised by Xue Rui, an hereditary student at the Astronomical Bureau.

Yu Qian considered Xue Rui clever, resourceful, and compassionate—a talent who, if allowed to take the civil service exams, could become a pillar of the state.

For this reason, Yu Qian had asked Zhu Qiyu to decree a change in Xue Rui’s hereditary status so he could sit for the examinations.

However, altering household registration was against the founding emperor’s rule that "the registers of the realm shall never be changed." Fearing censure, Zhu Qiyu had found an excuse to decline.

The second matter involved the Empress Dowager’s plan for a marriage alliance. Xue Rui’s brilliant advice had dissuaded her from pursuing it.

Most recently, Zhu Qiyu had heard of Xue Rui’s daring rescue of his father from the imperial prison.

With Lu Zhong’s protection, Zhu Qiyu knew well that Xue Rui had succeeded by intimidating the prison guards—an impressive feat for one so young.

Thus, Zhu Qiyu’s curiosity about Xue Rui had only grown, and now, by chance, they had finally met.