Chapter 71: CH 71

When the group of servants and maids in Cui Que’s courtyard chased after Cui Xie, Cui Xie had already grabbed a servant and asked him to take him to the yard where horses were raised in the Cui Residence.

Nowadays, times had changed and as the Eldest Young Master of the Residence, he was the child prodigy about to enter the palace to have an audience with the Emperor. Naturally, the servants vied to curry favor with him. When he said “I want a horse”, those coachmen didn’t even ask Laoye whether they could agree to the request or not, whether Cui Xie would need a carriage or not and just immediately saddled and attached the bridle on the horse to rush him out the door. A servant sent by Official Cui came from the rear courtyard and shouted for someone to stop him from exiting, but Cui Xie had already mounted the horse and threw off the Cui Household, rushing towards the Imperial city.

Before entering the capital, he had already inquired that the Northern Administrative Division was located on the west side of the Corridor of a Thousand Steps outside the Imperial City. He strictly neared that location and passed through the street next to the Right Chang’an Gate. Both places were easily found. With this trip to the Northern Administrative Division, he had to first visit a prisoner and then head over to the Office of Transmissions to submit a petition so as to appear genuine.

Although the Northern Administrative Division’s reputation was not great, it could be said that he had a backing there and if he mentioned his deep love for his mother, this matter ought to be no problem.

While en route, he went to a restaurant to order several kinds of food. Holding the food box in one hand and gripping the horse reins with the other, he reduced his pace as he headed towards the Northern Administrative Division.

There were several yamen located next to each other on the west face of the Corridor of a Thousand Steps and the Jinyiwei were the ones closest to the Right Gate of Chang’an. Entering the street, the first thing one could see was the lofty and majestic government office of the Northern Administrative Division. Adjacent to the back of the office was the residence of the Commander-in-Chief of one of the Five Chief Military Commissions, the Office of Transmission and the Three Judicial Offices. These were all places that interrogated prisoners under tortue and employed soldiers, hence, the buildings exhibited a somber and desolate feeling. Outside the Northern Administrative Division’s office, there were Imperial bodyguards, armed with swords, patrolling the entrance. Each and every guard had tall and vigorous physiques, their aura majestic and threatening.

Just as Cui Xie was about to turn the corner and enter the Office, several servants from the Cui Residence ran over from the opposite side, panting and shouting, “Young Master, you cannot go!”. They pounced over with their eyes closed, prepared to use their bodies to obstruct Cui Xie’s horse.

Cui Xie’s left hand lightly pulled on the reins and he pressed his heels against the horse’s abdomen. The horse obediently turned towards the right, its four hooves spreading out as it springed up over the crowd, leaping over the half-crouched bodies. A guardsmen patrolling near the Jinyiwei’s office happened to catch sight of this and could not help but let out a sound of surprise and cheer, “Good horsemanship!”

It was rare to see such a weak and feeble-looking scholar have such nimble and dexterous riding skills.

A few of the guardsmen who had been patrolling with him heard the commotion and looked over, just in time to see Cui Xie, who was holding the reins with one hand. He avoided pedestrians while his left hand was still holding the food box firmly to the point that it didn’t appear the lid was the least bit crooked. A few of the guardsmen saw him ride towards the yamen gates and advanced to ask: “This place is the Northern Administrative Division’s office, military-civilian people are not allowed to enter without rhyme or reason. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Cui Xie extricated both his feet from the stirrups, pressed his left hand on the horse’s back, lightly and skillfully using the borrowed force to jump off. This action caused a few scattered applause in the distance: “Horsemanship is not bad, this scholar, you are carrying a food box, just who do you want to bring the food to?”

The man’s voice was not loud or distinctive, but it hammered into people’s ears like a wedge, making it so that people had to listen to his words.

Cui Xie could not refrain from joining the patrolling guardsmen to look over towards the source and saw that the man was about forty years old, wearing dark red straight-bodied official robes, with a tiger and leopard embroidered plaque on his chest [1]. The man sat astride his horse as he bowed his head to look at Cui Xie, revealing a tanned face and a strong, prickly and dense beard on his chin. Behind him were a few officials in teal robes, their postures tall and straight, valiant and heroic. Paired with strong and tall horses, they were particularly eye-catching.

Cui Xie had ridden such a horse from the Cui Residence and now that he was standing, he found it embarrassing to raise his head in front of their horses.

Among them, there was an individual who looked particularly familiar-looking and he had leaned his head halfway to the side to see the food box in Cui Xie’s hands, seemingly to be somewhat surprised at Cui Xie’s appearance here.

The guardsmen immediately saluted and called out to the da-ren of the group, “Zhu da-ren”. Cui Xie also raised a cupped fist salute in greetings and introduced himself: “This student is Cui Xie, a xiucai from Qian’an County. My father is an official in the Ministry of Revenue’s Yunnan Division. Because my stepmother, Xu-shi , has been found guilty and detained in the Imperial prisons, when this student became aware of it, I brought some food to visit my stepmother.”

Cui Xie from Qian’an!

He was the one who wrote that《Antithetical Couplets from the Four Books》, the book that had seduced Xie Ying into studying in his house during his free time to the point where he refused to go out to enjoy recreational activities!

The Jinyiwei’s impression of him were complicated: On one hand, he was a righteous citizen who the Jinyiwei had requested a commendation on his behalf and naturally, he belonged to their faction; On the other hand, he was a pedantic scholar who published books encouraging people to study, which makes people’s brain hurt just thinking about it. These two different images had always been difficult to amalgamate in the mind and after meeting the real person, it made people feel even more awkward.

Such an attractive and intelligent youngster with such good horsemanship ought to be like a little general like Zhao Yun from the Three Kingdoms Period ah, so why did he become a pedantic scholar instead?

Zhu Ji couldn’t help shaking his head as he inquired, “Are you here to see your stepmother? Do you know what she has done?”

Cui Xie attempted to squeeze out a tear, but he really couldn’t coax one out, so he was forced to lower his head deeply: “My mother has violated national law, how can this student not know of this? This student also knows that were it not for the Jinyiwei impartially enforcing the law and ascertaining the facts, it would have disgraced and wronged such an honest and upright official like County Magistrate Qi. This student came here today, not only to visit my stepmother, but to also thank the Sirs and da-ren for getting to the bottom of this matter. Qian’an county is now full of splendid, bright blue skies.”

He faced Zhu Ji and kneeled into a deep bow. Zhu Ji waved his hands and said:”You don’t need to thank me for this. Xie Ying was the one in charge of this matter. If it were me, I wouldn’t have the patience to look after a small County Magistrate.”

The corners of Cui Xie’s lips slightly hooked up and he promptly tensed, revealing reddish eyes that he had desperately blinked into being while bowing. In a choked voice, he spoke, “Many thanks to da-ren.”

Visiting his stepmother was bogus, but his gratitude was genuine. Therefore, his expression was more natural at the moment. Behind Zhu Ji, Xie Ying half-bowed with a cupped fist salute, laughing, “It is good that you have such intentions. Us Jinyiwei was just doing errands for the Emperor and the truth ought to be uncovered, so as not let the Emperor suffer from crafty and deceitful characters.”

Zhu Ji held and ran his fingers through his beard, nodding along.

After Xie Ying showed his sincerity, the smiling expression on his face was suddenly restrained, and he coldly stated, “However, the prisoners held in these Imperial prisons are those whose arrest has been ordered by the Emperor and the Imperial court. Besides those with the Emperor’s personal Imperial decree to question the prisoners, water and fire are not even allowed to enter, even more so for visitors. Zhu da-ren sees that you have a filial heart and does not desire to punish you. But, this official can be considered as having seen you grow up, today, I must lecture you a few words…”

Lu Xi consoled, “Forget it, why bicker with a scholar like him? Aren’t all scholars like Min Sun[2] and Wang Xiang[3]? Even if you persuade him, he will remain unchanged. Just ask him to head back, da-ren is still waiting to observe the drills of the guard battalion.”

With a smile on his face, Zhu Ji glanced at them and said, “Why argue with a child? Just properly ask him to leave. Those who tried to stop him are from the Cui Residence right? Tie them up and have them sent back to let the family head discipline them.”

A few guardsmen had already apprehended the servants from the Cui Residence earlier and Cui Xie bowed while still holding the food box, “Many thanks to the da-ren’s lenience. Cui Xie still has two more presumptuous requests…..”

Zhu Ji’s eyebrows raised, “You also know it is a presumptuous request?”

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Cui Xie hung his head and said: “Although my mother has sinned against the government, she was the one that graciously raised me for ten or so years, how can this student forget it? Since this student cannot enter to visit, nevertheless I will pay my respects to my mother in the courtyard from a distance, as to show my heart. This food box was just bought by this student from a restaurant, it contains freshly prepared dishes. I would like to invite the prison guards in the division who are guarding my mother to sample the dishes and thank them for watching over my mother.”

Tsk tsk, this son’s moral character was much firmer than his father’s. Without hearing the stepmother’s crimes, the father had already urgently claimed that he had no relationship with the individual. It is just that Cui Xie had read to the point of pedanticism and was somewhat too unquestioningly filial. Even wanting to visit such a virtuous and vicious mother.

Zhu Ji faced the side and pursed his lips and at once, there was a guardsman that took the food box and told Cui Xie, “We all have agreed to this matter, pay your respects quickly and then be on your way.”

Zhu da-ren took the procession and left first. Xie Ying turned his head around to glimpse at Cui Xie and seemed to faintly nod, as if it were a quiver caused by the jolting of the horse. Cui Xie followed them with his eyes and afterwards, he still needed to put on a play, the full set. Partitioned by the courtyard wall, he called out “Mother” a few times and clearly narrated that he would atone for her crime on her behalf. Afterwards, he made a deep bow with a cupped fist salute and then did three kowtows in a row. Upon getting up, he wiped the rims of his eyes. With red eyes, he pulled on the horse’s reins to depart and made a beeline for the Office of Transmissions.

The Office of Transmissions was not simply a place where court councilors could submit their documents, but it was also a place where military-civilians could present a memorial stating their injustices. Cui Xie used his identity as the son of an Official in the Ministry of Revenue. It wasn’t like he wanted to bypass the ranks to accuse someone so he simply submitted a full account of the matter, which could not be considered as having violated the rules.

On the road, he reflected whether he should cry or not and after plucking a hair out from his scalp, he rubbed it over his eyes and tears gushed forth with a “swoosh”, looking much more realistic than before.

With red eyes, he entered the office to hand over the document. The Office of Transmission’s Administrative Clerk had also heard about his family’s case, and seeing that he was going to submit a document expressing his feelings, he kindly persuaded him: “This is a case that was compiled and published by Imperial command, the facts are there and it cannot be reversed. Even your father wants to cut ties with that criminal woman, do you still care about how she’s doing? Purchase a good coffin later and help prepare her funeral, find a place to bury her bones and this will fulfill your duty of filial piety.”

A solitary teardrop rolled from Cui Xie’s eye and he closed his eyes to reply: “This student also knows the Imperial court’s laws, but as the son of man, how can I watch my mother suffer hardship? Since the Matriarch is my mother, this student must do my best to be like a son and help her. This is to say nothing of the paternal grandparents and the younger siblings who have yet to become adults in the Cui Residence. If my mother is executed, just who will take care of the old and young in the household……”

The Administrative Clerk was born in Guanyin and although he had never taken the Imperial examinations, he had read Confucian classics growing up and could only praise his filial piety. In the end, he couldn’t persuade Cui Xie to not be filial to those he should not be filial to. Observing Cui Xie’s eyes that had gone swollen from crying and his flushed nose tip, he inevitably sighed that the heavens were unfair. How could such a vicious wife have such a good son? The Administrative Clerk shook his head and consoled, “Just go home to await the news. Even if you camp out at our office, it will be useless. I will just send your memorial up is all.”

He urged Cui Xie to leave and then upon his return, he put the memorial into the pile of other full accounts from people all over the countr,  as well as the memorials stating their grievances to the Emperor, and then handed them in.

The documents submitted by the Office of Transmissions would be first inspected in the Imperial court early the next day. When the Inner Councilor-in-Chiefs of the Directorate of Ceremonial inspected the memorials, seeing that Qian’an xiucai, Cui Xie, had submitted a full account for his stempther, Xu-shi, a thread of peculiar feeling emerged in their hearts.

Wasn’t this Xu-shi case from a few days ago who, on account of her jealousy and hatred for her stepson, found people to send a notice framing an official of the Imperial court? Just why did her son write a memorial stating his case on her behalf?

Did we have a Min Sun in our Great Ming?

Gaogonggong [4]had once helped Cui Xie to say good words in front of the Emperor and immediately took the memorial. In his audience with the Emperor, he spoke in a congratulatory tone and had prepared his cadence ahead of time: “People say that faithful officials must stem from households with filial sons, but as I see it, this saying should be reversed, a filial son must stem from loyal and righteous characters. Is this not because the Emperor had commended his loyalty and righteousness previously, so he became increasingly righteous, devoted and filial through introspection, and has such great filial piety today?”

Another Brush-Holding taijian named Xiao Jing glanced at the document and slowly spoke in a thin and soft voice, “Although Gao gonggong says it as such, but Xu-shi’s case was ordered by the Emperor. If Cui Xie wants to help exonerate Xu-shi, then that would be due to the Emperor’s grace and special favor.”

Gao taijian insipidly explained, “A mother and son relationship are family relations defined by heavenly principles, isn’t it the natural order of things for a son to want to exonerate their mothers? Besides, this little high-minded and righteous person also understands the principle of being devoted to one’s ruler, Xiao gonggong has not even read the document, how do you know he must absolve his stepmother?”

Grand taijian Qin Chang flicked his horsetail whisk and helped the two to broker a compromise: “Whether that document is acceptable, naturally it is up to the Emperor to decide. Gao gonggong, recite it out loud.”

Emperor Chenghua squinted his eyes as he reclined on the Imperial throne, also curious as to the meaning behind Cui Xie’s memorial.

Was there really such a perfect person in the world who didn’t hate their stepmother for framing someone and even wanted to exonerate her? If there was this kind of person who was completely filial and loyal in all respects, then it may be possible to ask the Crown Prince to study this kind of aspiration. At this age, Imperial Noble Consort Wan had harmed her body because of him, had no heirs and wasn’t obsessed with power. Just why did the Imperial courtiers and the Crown Prince refuse to tolerate her?

The Emperor sighed and listened to Gao gonggong recite the document.

Surprisingly, Cui Xie didn’t ask for Xu-shi’s exoneration and didn’t even write that much about how Xu furen took care of him. He only wrote that he was born without a mother and since childhood, he grew up under the care of his grandmother. His stepmother, Xu-shi, needed to be filial to his maternal uncle and aunt, and also needed to attend to her husband as well as take care of her own son. As such, she could not frequently keep an eye on him. But Xu-shi presided over the provisions, nurturing the sons and daughters and all such arduous hardships had fallen into his eyes. How could he not feel gratitude and not be filial to this Matriarch who had toiled bitterly to manage the Cui Residence?

However, Xu furen had unexpectedly sent out a notice framing an official and narrowly harmed an upright and incorruptible Qian’an County Magistrate Qi Sheng who loved the common people as his own children. As a County Magistrate, Qi Sheng acted like a parent to the common people under his jurisdiction, loving the people, and had even personally helped Cui Xie make progress in his studies. Without County Magistrate Qi’s care, supervision and urging, he would not have achieved the first rank in all three levels of the entry-level examinations.

Now that his mother wanted to harm the elderly da-ren from his hometown, Cui Xie had found himself in a quandary. He didn’t dare to plead leniency for his mother, but he also could not help but plead for his mother anyways. Although Xu furen’s crime could not be pardoned, as a son, how could he watch his mother become a criminal? Since childhood, he had endured the pain brought by losing his mother. How could he steel himself and let his underage younger siblings also taste the same pain of losing one’s mother?

He truly had no other strategy left to try and no other choice left, but to beseech for the Emperor’s kindness and allow him to take the blame on his stepmother’s behalf. This way, his mother could return as a married woman and be disciplined by the family head.

As Gao gonggong parroted, he couldn’t help but glance at the Emperor, for fear that the Emperor would actually approve of Cui Xie’s request and make him bear Xu-shi’s sins. Fortunately, Emperor Chenghua’s measure was very large and he had not been moved by this letter that was unable to differentiate good from bad. On the contrary, with half-lidded eyes, the Emperor sighed, “This Cui, Cui Xie, did a good job. The eldest son, should have, bearing and attach most importance to family harmony…..”

Qin Chang cautiously and solonely inquired: “Does the Emperor mean to permit his request and pardon that criminal woman, Xu-shi’s crimes?”

A pardon….it could not be given so easily.

Xu-shi ordering people to send notices to the Imperial censors to frame an official of the Imperial court had started a noxious trend of sending messages to official residences. If it was not punished severely, what would happen to Imperial law? However, Cui Xie’s heartfelt memorial had indeed entered his heart and the Emperor wanted to call the Crown Prince to treat this responsible and filial son like a role model in the future. If the Emperor did not agree to Cui Xie’s request, and severely rectified this matter, in the future, if Cui Xie brought up the matter of filial piety to his mother, the youth wouldn’t be able to enter the palace as easily.

Emperor Chenghua pursed his lips, took the memorial and wrote, “Xu-shi is guilty of sending anonymous notices, the Cui Residence can redeem this crime with copper. But the crime of framing cannot be redeemed. With her biological child still alive, there is no need for the stepston to be tortured on her behalf. On account of the younger generations being underage, the biological son is allowed to escort his mother to the border and then return.”

Footnotes:

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