Chapter 126: The Timely Order

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Seeing this, Gao Naiqian felt somewhat reluctant and wanted to speak up to persuade Zhu Hao. However, Zhu Hao anticipated Gao Naiqian’s intent and quickly interrupted: “Commander Gao, as the commander of a garrison, you should know that without orders from the Five Armies Governor’s Office, you cannot arbitrarily deploy soldiers. Today, I will overlook it, assuming you acted to maintain local order, but remember, this must not happen again. Otherwise, do not blame me for reporting your actions to the court!”

Zhu Hao’s words immediately silenced all of Gao Naiqian’s attempts to plead. Inwardly, Gao Naiqian thought, “No wonder all the officials in Zhejiang are talking about this Prince Xin. Although he looks young, he is truly not someone to be trifled with! Brother Prison Warden, you’re on your own now. It’s not that I won’t help you, but you have really kicked a hard iron plate this time!”

With that thought, Gao Naiqian lost the courage to intercede for the prison warden and could only say, “Prince Xin, your reprimand is well received. I acknowledge my mistake.”

Seeing the once boastful Gao Naiqian now utterly subdued, Zhu Hao nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the guards behind him and ordered, “Enter the prison and conduct a thorough search to see if the twenty-three scholars are inside!”

At Zhu Hao’s command, the guards responded in unison and were about to rush into the prison. Just then, a voice came from behind Zhu Hao: “Prince Xin, hold your hand!”

Curious, Zhu Hao thought, “Why is there so much trouble now?” He slowly turned around to look at the newcomer, and his curiosity deepened. “Why is he here?”

The man was Gao Yuan, the Judicial Inspector of Zhejiang.

The Judicial Inspection Office was a provincial-level judicial department responsible for criminal cases and lawsuits across the province. It also acted as a local branch of the central supervisory organ, the Censorate, exercising oversight over local officials.

The Judicial Inspector was the head of this office. In Ming China, the Judicial Inspector and the Provincial Administrative Commissioner were the two highest officials in a province, although the Administrative Commissioner held a rank one level higher—both Administrative Commissioners were of secondary second rank, while Judicial Inspectors were of regular third rank.

This explained why, in meetings at the Administrative Commissioner’s office, Administrative Commissioners sat at the head while Judicial Inspectors took a seat behind.

Though Zhu Hao had little direct contact with Gao Yuan, he naturally recognized the importance of the position and knew who Gao Yuan was.

As Zhu Hao wondered why Gao Yuan had come, the latter, panting, spoke first: “Your Highness, from this moment, the Hangzhou prison is under military control!” He then produced a document and handed it to Zhu Hao, saying, “Please see, Your Highness, this is an official order issued by the Five Armies Governor’s Office!”

Zhu Hao glanced at the document and saw the official seal of the Five Armies Governor’s Office. He couldn’t help but think to himself, “These Zhejiang officials are formidable indeed. Just as I was about to search the prison, a military control order arrives, bearing the seal of the Five Armies Governor’s Office. Do these people have some kind of supernatural power?”

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These thoughts dampened Zhu Hao’s spirits and made him realize that his mission in Zhejiang was not as straightforward as he had imagined.

The military order from the Five Armies Governor’s Office could not be ignored—it was the highest military authority in the Ming dynasty. Zhu Hao turned to Gao Naiqian, the former Hangzhou garrison commander standing nearby, and in a conciliatory tone said, “Commander Gao, I wish to enter the prison to see if the person I seek is inside. Can you grant me this convenience?”

Hearing this, Gao Naiqian, recently reprimanded by Zhu Hao, hesitated and looked to Gao Yuan for guidance. Gao Yuan then said to Gao Naiqian, “Commander Gao, the imperial order is clear. You must not abuse your power. Otherwise, I will be the first to report you!”

Upon hearing this, Gao Naiqian understood that Gao Yuan opposed Zhu Hao’s entry and quickly replied, “Uncle, I will follow your advice!”

This address revealed the relationship between Gao Yuan and Gao Naiqian—they were uncle and nephew. Hearing this, Zhu Hao realized that entering the prison was impossible. Still, he stubbornly asked Gao Naiqian, “Commander Gao, I am still waiting for your answer!”

With Gao Yuan’s hint, Gao Naiqian was now resolute and said firmly, “Your Highness, ordinarily I would not block your request, but with the military order from the Five Armies Governor’s Office here, if I were to act improperly, I would surely be subject to military law. Therefore…”

Although Gao Naiqian did not finish his sentence, the meaning was clear.

Hearing this, Zhu Hao gave up completely and ordered his guards and Qin Hui, “Let’s go!” He shot a hard look at the uncle and nephew before turning and heading back to his imperial commission headquarters.

Back at his headquarters, Zhu Hao grew increasingly uneasy. The sudden and precise timing of the military order—arriving just as he was about to inspect the prison—struck him as suspicious. Did these Zhejiang officials possess some kind of foresight?

Even if they could communicate with someone at the Five Armies Governor’s Office, a round trip to the capital would take at least six days by fast horse. Six days ago, he was still on his way to Hangzhou. How could they have predicted when he would search the prison and made preparations in advance? It simply did not add up.

Unable to solve the mystery, Zhu Hao was convinced there was some hidden scheme. He hastily wrote a letter and sent a guard overnight to the capital to deliver it to Xie Gang, the Deputy Commander of the Left Army, asking for clarification.

Having done this, Zhu Hao’s mind was somewhat eased, but he couldn’t help recalling his meeting with the Zhejiang officials scheduled for the next day.

Zhu Hao knew that it was nearly impossible to get the twenty-three scholars to reveal more clues about the cheating in the provincial exams. He had no idea where these twenty-three were now, or even if they were alive or dead. That left him with only one breakthrough: the test proposed by Qin Hui—the provincial exam champion, Cheng Sanjin. If Cheng Sanjin showed any sign of malpractice, then the cheating scandal would be partially unveiled, making it easier to trace the entire affair back to its source.

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Thinking this, Zhu Hao looked forward to the meeting the next day, but also felt a faint sense of worry. Since arriving in Zhejiang, he had sensed an invisible hand manipulating everything, causing all his efforts to be obstructed in one way or another.

Yet Zhu Hao knew that whether he worried or hoped, everything depended on meeting Cheng Sanjin tomorrow. With that in mind, he went to bed early, knowing he needed to rest well to perform at his best in the coming political drama with the Zhejiang officials.

The next morning, before dawn, Zhu Hao woke, washed up, and prepared everything. He then set out with his escort and Qin Hui for the Administrative Commissioner’s office. This time, no one tried to stop him. News of his actions the previous day had spread among the clerks, so no one dared block Zhu Hao’s way.

Upon entering the Administrative Commissioner’s office, Zhu Hao took his seat at the head of the council chamber and closed his eyes to rest, awaiting the arrival of the Zhejiang officials.

He vaguely felt as if he had dozed off briefly, but attributed it to waking up so early.

He did not know how much time had passed until Li Shoujun quietly reminded him in his ear, “Your Highness, everyone is here.”

Zhu Hao slowly opened his eyes and saw the chamber full to capacity—all the officials, great and small, were present. He scanned their faces and then began, “Gentlemen, I believe you all know why I have come to Zhejiang. I will not repeat it. The imperial examinations are a crucial channel for selecting talent, and cheating in these exams strikes at the foundation of the state. The court and the emperor take this matter very seriously, which is why I have been sent to verify the facts.”

Though he claimed not to elaborate on his purpose, Zhu Hao reiterated his mission to emphasize the seriousness of exam fraud to all the officials.

After a pause, he continued, “The other day, Deputy Examiner Cai said he made a mistake in his duties. I asked him to specify, but he was drunk and gave no answer. Today, in front of all of you, I would like to ask Deputy Examiner Cai again—what exactly was your mistake?”

Cai Xianchen had not expected Zhu Hao to name him outright and hastily stood up, trembling slightly. “Your Highness, I was indeed drunk that day and spoke nonsense. While I cannot say I have been flawless in my duties as Deputy Examiner, I have been diligent. If there were any errors, I humbly ask Your Highness to point them out.”

Listening to Cai’s words, Zhu Hao thought bitterly, “Are you sober now, or have you been coached by someone? Passing the buck like that? If I knew where your mistakes were, would I bother telling you? I would have sent you packing long ago!”