Chapter 36: Using Public Office for Private Gain

Although the social climate in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty had become increasingly liberal and human nature more liberated, the official moral discourse of the imperial court still encouraged the spirit of "widows remaining chaste."

If a woman remained chaste after her husband's death, local officials could petition the imperial court for a formal commendation. The state might then grant permission to erect a memorial arch—a "Chastity Arch"—which served as a mark of family honor and could even be recorded in the local gazetteer. Under these circumstances, forcing a widow to remarry was a violation of political correctness.

Lu Baiyi’s credentials were admittedly insufficient, but she had managed to remain "chaste" for over a decade without remarrying, which meant an application for a commendation could barely be justified. After all, she was a member of the Lu family; what was the harm in lowering the standards and pulling some strings? Could the county office really refuse to show the Lu family this much respect? While this move seemed underhanded, it would theoretically prevent Lu Baiyi from being used in a strategic marriage. In any case, Bai Yu felt he had repaid his debt to Lu Baiyi, and they were now square.

Once Lu Baiyi stormed off in anger, Bai Yu returned to the office to continue discussing the next phase of operations with Centurion Qian.

"Now that the personnel are in place, have Liu Cunyi come to me to file a report, claiming that seditious doggerel is being spread. We will use this as a pretext to begin investigating the rumors."

Centurion Qian was still hesitant. "Are you sure you want to stir up trouble like this and manufacture your own assignments?"

Bai Yu did not answer directly, saying only, "If we don't find work for ourselves, we will be forced to crack down on 'pseudo-learning.' We won't gain anything from that, and we'll end up offending Grand Secretary Xu Jie. Which would you choose?"

Centurion Qian stopped hesitating immediately. "Then let's just find our own work."

It wasn't that Bai Yu wanted to cause trouble, but how could one advance without making waves? Still, Bai Yu spoke in vague, cryptic terms: "We must wait for the right moment. Only by launching our new work then can we achieve twice the result with half the effort and maximize our benefits."

Centurion Qian asked skeptically, "What kind of moment?"

Bai Yu instructed, "Please, sir, go gather intelligence. See when there is another power struggle in the imperial court, especially one involving the Yan Faction."

Centurion Qian could not understand how their grassroots work could possibly relate to the movements of the imperial court. As he understood it, Bai Yu’s so-called "work" was merely finding excuses to expand their authority, seize territory, capture business, and make money. How could such petty local interests have anything to do with major court affairs?

Bai Yu said enigmatically, "Those of us who do the work must not only keep our heads down to pull the cart, but also look up to see the road ahead."

Centurion Qian was left baffled, feeling that Bai Yu acted more like a seasoned corporate veteran than he did himself. He truly wondered how a fifteen-year-old had learned such things.

After giving it some thought, Centurion Qian replied, "Speaking of power struggles, there is one recently. The old Minister of War, Xu Lun, has resigned. The Yan Faction wants to install the Governor of the Southeast, Hu Zongxian, as the new Minister of War, but the Emperor’s attitude is ambiguous, and many ministers disagree."

Bai Yu nodded. "This is a good backdrop. If everything goes smoothly, I guarantee you’ll be promoted, Centurion!"

Centurion Qian gave a bitter smile. "I wouldn't dare hope for a promotion. It would be good enough just not to be dragged down by you." If he hadn't seen how highly Lu Bing regarded Officer Bai, Centurion Qian would never have dared to follow him in such reckless behavior.

The next day, Bai Yu met Liu Cunyi at Yingzi Alley and brought him to the office located on the West Street of the Imperial Wall. He said to Centurion Qian, "This is the military reserve Liu Cunyi. He came to me today to report some matters."

Centurion Qian went through the motions of having everyone else in the room leave, then asked, "What is it?"

Liu Cunyi glanced at Bai Yu first, and after receiving an affirmative nod, he spoke. "While wandering through the West Yard Alley recently, I heard people spreading a rumor that said, 'Jiajing, Jiajing, every home is stripped clean.' It was truly unbearable to hear, so I came to report it to the officers!"

Bai Yu exclaimed, "What? Under the very feet of the Emperor, such slanderous speech against the sovereign? This is truly rebellious!" He then turned to Centurion Qian. "Since the matter has been reported to us, we must investigate!"

Centurion Qian silently muttered that the young man's acting was too exaggerated and lacked any natural feel. He proceeded according to the original plan, dispatching all fifty of his flag officers to use the West Yard Alley of the Jiaofang Division as a base to scout for clues regarding the rumors. However, he did not tell the fifty officers about Liu Cunyi's report, perhaps to protect the informant's safety. Centurion Qian even emphasized that they were not to let anyone know that Liu Cunyi had appeared there.

After making the arrangements, Centurion Qian teased Bai Yu, "Why don't you want to go out yourself? Don't young people usually love to show off their power in the streets?"

Bai Yu sighed. "If officers go out to scout for clues in the alleys, it will inevitably disturb the households. I cannot bear to witness the harassment of these families with my own eyes, so I will not go out personally."

Centurion Qian: "..." *With that level of moral awareness, you are fit to be a third-rank minister or a high-ranking regional official!*

By the afternoon, another unexpected guest arrived. Bai Yu was sitting and drinking tea with Centurion Qian, with Liu Cunyi serving nearby like an attendant. Suddenly, there was a loud "bang." The three turned to look and saw that the office door had been kicked open.

A Southern Imperial Guard Commander named Yan Hu appeared in the doorway, his expression quite foul. Bai Yu couldn't help but complain to Centurion Qian, "How can our pathetic little station be as leaky as a sieve? Liu Cunyi only appeared here this morning, and by afternoon, this Commander Yan already knows! It seems your emphasis on secrecy was all in vain! We must perform a cleanup!"

Although there was no direct chain of command between them, Yan Hu was a superior in rank, so Centurion Qian and Bai Yu stood up to greet him. Yan Hu didn't even look at them; he stepped inside and stared only at Liu Cunyi. Several flag officers emerged from behind Yan Hu and stepped forward, intending to seize Liu Cunyi.

Bai Yu stepped forward, blocking their path, and demanded, "What is Commander Yan doing?"

Yan Hu said with extreme arrogance, "This Liu Cunyi is suspected of robbery, and I am here to bring him to justice! If you are smart, Officer Bai, you will get out of my way! Otherwise, I will consider you an accomplice!"

Every time he remembered being ordered to investigate Bai Yu last time, Commander Yan felt uneasy, so his tone was naturally harsh. Although the one who had primarily lost face back then was Yan Maoqing and the Commander had made no mistakes, seeing a rival even younger than himself wielding power in front of him made the arrogant Yan Hu feel deeply resentful. Not to mention that this small fry, whom he had once nearly crushed like an ant, was now acting self-important before him—anyone would find that grating.

Bai Yu did not move aside and continued to press him: "Does Commander Yan have evidence? Or can you provide details regarding the time, location, and the stolen goods?"

This question truly stumped the Commander, and for a moment, he could not answer openly. He was arresting Liu Cunyi because of the *Along the River During the Qingming Festival* scroll, but he could not say so publicly because of his own selfish motives. If he made the matter public, it would become an official case, and he would lose the chance to embezzle the painting for himself.

In truth, calling it embezzlement wasn't entirely accurate; he wanted the painting to curry favor with his wretched father. How high he could fly depended entirely on how much effort that scoundrel of a father was willing to spend on him.