"My lord, this must not be done! The prince commits a crime, he faces the same punishment as the commoners! Since Wang Yongan has been involved in this case, regardless of whether he has just dipped his toes in or is deeply entangled, he must face the punishment he deserves! I have no ties with him, and my father-in-law’s family has already cut off relations with Wang Yongan. Moreover, my lord, you are carrying out your duties by imperial edict this time, and who knows how many eyes are watching you, you must not make any mistakes!"
"Although I am but a Scholar, I know the values of loyalty, propriety, integrity, and shame, and I would certainly not trouble my lord for someone like Wang Yongan, a disgrace to the scholarly class! Please rest assured, my lord!"
Song Chongjin hurriedly made clear his stance, that he would not seek to repay a favor with favoritism, and things should proceed as they should, right?
He was also clever not to demand that Zhu Haoran punish Wang Yongan severely, adopting an attitude of impartiality.
Sure enough, Zhu Haoran became even more satisfied.
Over the past few days, he had not only dispatched people to suppress the illegal mines and rescued the miners, but he had also sent people to investigate Song Chongjin’s background.
The ties between Song Chongjin and the Wang Family were laid out on his desk yesterday.
His questioning this morning was not idle chatter, but a test.
If Song Chongjin had concealed his origins, Zhu Haoran’s attitude at this moment might not be as accommodating.
Pleased with what he saw in Song Chongjin, the young man was full of youthful vigor, and seen from the side, bore a strong resemblance to Duke Weiguo, recalling Duke Weiguo’s ambiguous stance, where was there anything for Zhu Haoran not to understand.
In looking at Song Chongjin, there was now a trace of sympathy in his eyes, for he too was a scion of Duke Weiguo, while others from the Capital City lived in opulence.
Yet, this child had strived for a living in the countryside and had managed to pass the examination to become a Scholar by his own merits—truly, the children of the poor had to take on household responsibilities early!
With this in mind, Zhu Haoran’s wariness towards Song Chongjin dissipated completely, and he even began considering taking him under his wing.
Zhu Haoran then inquired about how to deal with the servants in the County Yamen, the Young Servants close to Gao Jin, and the measures for dealing with Wang Yongan and the others.
Song Chongjin, still anxious, replied only by citing the law, not saying a word more about anything else.
Zhu Haoran took note of his reserve, and his interest grew even warmer.
Zhu Haoran belonged to the faction of upright Civil Officials in the Imperial Court. He had come from modest circumstances as well and had become a Top Scholar, a true blessing for his ancestors.
The current Emperor valued such upright officials and gave them important responsibilities, while somewhat restraining the traditional elite.
The nobility had abundant resources, and even within the Imperial Court, they had numerous followers.
The Emperor now felt that the nobility had too much say and had long wanted to divide their power. Therefore, in recent years, he had actively supported these newcomers from the civil examinations, selecting suitable candidates to be assigned to various posts for training, and with slow promotions, there would be a natural shift in influence with time.
And Zhu Haoran was one such Civil Official nurtured by the Emperor to lead this clean stream.
To counter the established noble groups, Zhu Haoran consistently showed flexibility without losing his backbone, maneuvering with finesse.
Seeing Song Chongjin as a promising talent, and moved by his life story, coupled with a gratitude for his life-saving gesture, he gave him a few pointers: to read more, strive to participate in this year’s provincial examinations to gauge his own level, and if not possible, he could introduce him to a teacher, among other words of encouragement not to let outside forces affect his mood.
Song Chongjin naturally expressed his gratitude without further mention.
After these words, Zhu Haoran presented the punishments for Gao Jin and the others, all of which he had already written down on a list.
He handed the paper to Song Chongjin, signaling him to look.
Song Chongjin scanned it quickly from top to bottom and saw that it arranged for Gao Jin, as an Imperial Court Official, who failed to serve the Imperial Court and contribute to the country. Instead, he conspired with local tyrants, acting shamelessly hand in glove with them. He would be directly removed from his post as County Magistrate and temporarily imprisoned in the jail, awaiting to be escorted back to Beijing for retrial with Zhu Haoran.
The local tyrants who owned private mines, having caused harm for so many years, were now caught in one swoop. All their possessions had been confiscated, and the men were locked up in jail, facing either the executioner’s block or exile to distant lands.
As for the family of Gao Jin, his wife, Lady Xia, was the niece of Zhu Haoran’s immediate superior, whom Zhu Haoran now dared not offend.
Zhu Haoran had people confine Lady Xia and her two children in a separate small room, with meals delivered to them thrice a day.
No one dared to mistreat these three, a gesture of accountability to his superior.
As for Gao Jin’s concubines and servants, nearly a hundred of those registered were allowed to be redeemed by their families. Of course, personal servants like Gao Jin’s young servant were directly imprisoned with Gao Jin, awaiting transport to the capital for trial.
The concubines were at once made official servants, waiting for traffickers to take them away and sell them off.
Gao Jin’s subordinates, such as the scholars involved with the private mines—like Wang Yongan—had their titles stripped if they had any, and if not, were merely beaten with boards and sent back home.
Upon hearing that his scholarly title would be stripped and that he would be beaten, Wang Yongan immediately volunteered to confess and sought to redeem his crimes with merit.
He exposed everything he knew about Gao Jin’s affairs, and tearfully complained that his daughter had been forcibly taken by Gao Jin as a concubine...
When Gao Jin was brought over for confrontation and heard this, his eyes reddened.
At the end of his tether, in desperate straits, what words could he not utter?
The two men started to betray each other in front of Zhu Haoran, selling out the tyrants thoroughly.
Thus, Wang Yongan managed to gain some small merit. Zhu Haoran stripped him of his Scholar title, banning him from participating in the imperial examinations for life.
After hearing his sentence, Wang Yongan exclaimed in disbelief, "Impossible! I have atoned for my sins! I have atoned for my sins!"
Seeing this, Gao Jin felt a great sense of satisfaction and couldn’t help but say, "Heaven’s justice is clear, retribution is certain! Wang Yongan, you despicable and shameless Little Ren! You deserved to end up in such a state!" He believed that aside from his fondness for beautiful women, he had still taken care of his subordinates.
For Gao Jin, the most unbearable thing was being backstabbed by Wang Yongan. The outcome was already sealed for Gao Jin, a few more or fewer accusations made no difference now.
However, being betrayed by someone he regarded as a confidant was simply an indelible disgrace.
Now, seeing Wang Yongan in such a state, the pent-up anger inside him finally found release.
Wang Yongan, charged with disturbing the court with his outbursts, was immediately dragged out and beaten with ten boards before being thrown at the entrance of the County Yamen.
Watching these judgments, Song Chongjin’s eyes finally showed a hint of relief.
Gao Jin was finished!
Wang Yongan’s life was also over! He had been stripped of his most prized Scholar title, and now he would have to struggle in the world for a livelihood, just like those people he had always looked down upon. For someone like Wang Yongan, this was indeed the cruelest punishment!