Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight (Additional Chapter Sponsored by “Laughing Drunkard”)

After hearing the guard’s report, Zhu Hao stood up abruptly. With a dark expression, he coldly demanded, "I summoned him, and he just happened to go on a long journey? How convenient! When did he leave? Where did he go?"

The guard, sensing Zhu Hao’s anger, quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, the people at the Cheng estate said that Cheng Sanjin left yesterday for the capital to prepare for next year’s metropolitan examination."

Zhu Hao thought to himself, "The capital? The metropolitan examination? Who are they trying to fool? An unlearned scoundrel like Cheng Sanjin wouldn't dare attend the examination. He would expose himself without me even needing to investigate in Zhejiang. It’s normal for a provincial top scholar to fail, but for his essays to be complete gibberish? How could that go unnoticed? It is clear that the Cheng family is hiding him and claiming he isn't in Hangzhou to prevent me from testing him."

With this in mind, Zhu Hao said to the guard with a scowl, "Go to the Zhejiang Thousand-Man Station of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and summon Commander Feng Gongcheng to see me!"

The guard acknowledged the order and left. The officials of Zhejiang, hearing that Zhu Hao was summoning the Embroidered Uniform Guard, grew uneasy. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats, wanting to protest but fearing his authority.

Finally, Li Shoujun, the Right Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang, stood up and bowed. "Your Highness, please calm your anger! Why do you need to summon the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Is there something my office cannot assist you with? There is no need to trouble them."

Zhu Hao had a decent impression of Li Shoujun, so he replied, "I suspect the Cheng family is intentionally hiding Cheng Sanjin. I intend to search their estate. I appreciate your good intentions, Commissioner Li, but this is a matter for the Embroidered Uniform Guard; searching is their specialty, which is why I have summoned them."

Just as Li Shoujun was about to speak, Xiao Jingao, the Left Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang, stood up and interrupted, "No, Your Highness! You must not do this!"

Zhu Hao frowned at him and asked coldly, "Commissioner Xiao, why must I not?"

Xiao Jingao hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, you are new to this region and may not know that the Cheng family holds a prominent position among the gentry of Zhejiang. If you search their home without proof, it will surely cause panic among the gentry, leading them to relocate their entire households. These families are our primary taxpayers; if they leave, the tax revenue of Zhejiang will suffer greatly! I implore Your Highness to reconsider!"

What Xiao Jingao said was indeed a valid concern for an Administration Commissioner, but to Zhu Hao, it mattered little. Thus, his words failed to move him.

Zhu Hao scoffed, his face still dark. "Commissioner Xiao, aren't you being a bit alarmist? Does searching one estate cause the entire gentry of Zhejiang to panic? If so, their nerves are far too fragile. Furthermore, their roots are here in Zhejiang; they cannot simply pack up and leave. Once I find Cheng Sanjin and uncover the truth, I will post a notice to reassure the people. Even if there is some initial panic, it will not lead to a disaster. You are overthinking this, Commissioner."

Xiao Jingao tried again, "Your Highness..."

Before he could continue, Zhu Hao ruthlessly cut him off. "Commissioner Xiao, say no more. If you continue to obstruct me, I shall begin to suspect that you were the one who ordered Cheng Sanjin to hide! I will suspect that you have a connection to this Zhejiang examination scandal, or perhaps that you are the mastermind behind it!"

These words rendered Xiao Jingao speechless. The accusation was so grave that not even a high-ranking official at the imperial court could bear it. In the Ming Dynasty, examination fraud was no minor matter; it frequently led to mass executions and bloodshed, rivaling the severity of treason cases. The mastermind would face certain death. Xiao Jingao, fearing this, wisely chose to remain silent.

Seeing that Xiao Jingao had quieted down, Zhu Hao waited for Feng Gongcheng to arrive. However, to his surprise, no sooner had Xiao settled down than Gao Yuan, the Surveillance Commissioner of Zhejiang—who had previously clashed with Zhu Hao at the Hangzhou prison—stood up and said, "Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but this course of action is truly inappropriate."

Zhu Hao thought to himself, "Damn it, not one of these people is easy to deal with. They keep lining up to provoke me. If only they would all come at once, I could deal with them all in one go!"

Annoyed by the constant obstruction, he retorted, "And what advice does Commissioner Gao have for me? Speak plainly. Why is it inappropriate for me to have the Embroidered Uniform Guard search the Cheng estate?"

Gao Yuan, an old hand in the bureaucracy, ignored Zhu Hao’s irritation and said calmly, "Prince Xin, although you are a prince, you do not have the authority to interfere in local judicial matters. While you are an imperial envoy, the Emperor has not granted you the power to supervise the region. The legal and judicial affairs of Zhejiang fall under my Surveillance Commission. To make arrests and search homes on Zhejiang soil, you must at least go through us. Using the Embroidered Uniform Guard to bypass local justice is a violation of imperial protocol and undermines the foundations of the state. I cannot agree with your methods."

This was a familiar argument. Zhu Hao knew he had not requested regional supervisory powers before leaving the capital, and the stubborn elders in the Cabinet would never have granted them for a simple investigation.

Zhu Hao realized that he had underestimated the complexity of the task. He was met with nothing but resistance from the entire Zhejiang officialdom. Even the seemingly decent Li Shoujun turned out to be all talk and no action.

Zhu Hao was at a stalemate. If he insisted on using the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he would be guilty of undermining the state, which would lead to his recall and the end of the investigation. He couldn't bring himself to manufacture a charge of treason against the Cheng family just to bypass the rules, as that would only lead to further criticism later.

He glared at Gao Yuan and asked coldly, "Commissioner Gao, are you determined to obstruct me?"

Gao Yuan bowed, playing his part perfectly. "Your Highness, you are an imperial envoy and a prince; I would only be too happy to assist you! If you truly believe the Cheng estate is problematic, I am willing to serve you. I can have the Surveillance Commission conduct the search for you. This way, you avoid the appearance of using a privileged organization to violate local law, and it remains in line with imperial protocol. What does Your Highness think?"

Zhu Hao knew exactly what Gao Yuan was up to. "What a hypocrite. If I let you search, it will be a mere formality, and you'll report that you found nothing. Then, I will be the one branded as unreasonable and disruptive."

Seeing the faint, smug smile on Gao Yuan's face, Zhu Hao realized the man was confident in his trap. He could not afford to fall for it.