Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 924: King Zhou’s Report
In addition to the Jiangnan case, there is now the Fan Yuwei case, which Zhou Anmin has been tracking and leading until now. Now that the net is about to be closed, Zhu Shenzhu asked him to give up the final credit. Zhou Anmin was naturally reluctant, but he did not expect that this was also Zhu Shenzhu's original plan.

Although Zhu Shenzhui and Zhou Anmin were acting, it was also half true and half false. Taking advantage of the previous opportunity to dismiss Zhou Anmin, Zhu Shenzhui also wanted to use this incident to make Zhou Anmin completely leave Jinyiwei and thus leave his job in Jinyiwei.

Zhou Anmin was not an ordinary person. He was the eldest princess's son-in-law and the emperor's brother-in-law. Zhou Anmin helped Zhu Shenzui a lot before he became successful. It can be said that without Zhou Anmin's help, Zhu Shenzui would not have achieved his later results. He might have starved to death because he could not even get enough food.

Whether it was the initial trafficking of private salt or Zhu Shenzhui's gradual expansion, Zhou Anmin always supported Zhu Shenzhui unconditionally. He also used his status and position in the Jinyiwei to assist Zhu Shenzhui a lot. Zhu Shenzhui was finally able to launch an uprising, march into Beijing to control the world, and finally sit on the throne. Zhou Anmin made great contributions.

With Zhou Anmin's merits and status, it would not be too much to give him a higher official position, let alone the Jinyiwei. However, Zhou Anmin has been working diligently for Zhu Shenzhui over the years, never arrogant or conceited, and has won Zhu Shenzhui's trust.

Although the emperor is ruthless, it is impossible for Zhu Shenzhui to be a ruthless person even though he is the emperor, let alone a relative like Zhou Anmin? Using Zhou Anmin to control the Jinyiwei is because Zhou Anmin is a member of the Jinyiwei, and secondly, only when such a powerful organization as Jinyiwei is in Zhou Anmin's hands can Zhu Shenzhui be completely relieved.

But the problem is that the Jinyiwei is not an ordinary department. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, only a few Jinyiwei commanders had a good end. As the emperor's minions and running dogs, the Jinyiwei were simply tools to do dirty work. Once this tool was no longer useful or needed to take the blame, the Jinyiwei commanders would always have a miserable end.

If it were someone else, Zhu Shenzhui would not care about their life or death. He would just throw away a pair of gloves when they were dirty and change them. But Zhou Anmin was different. He was his brother-in-law and always stood behind him to support his loved ones.

Even if Zhu Shenzhui was there and could always protect Zhou Anmin, it was hard to guarantee the future situation would change. If Zhou Anmin continued to stay in Jinyiwei, it would not be a good thing for him. Today he was favored by the emperor, but tomorrow he would lose his head. This kind of situation had happened in every dynasty, and it was the same in the Ming Dynasty. Human nature was something that could not be guessed or judged. In order to avoid these situations, Zhu Shenzhui decided to take this opportunity to let Zhou Anmin quit Jinyiwei directly.

Furthermore, this case is very different from the Jiangnan case. The Jiangnan case only involved officials from the Donglin lineage, including local gentry and businessmen, etc. Even if this case had a greater impact, it was also an act of official politics. Moreover, in the subsequent operations of this case, other parties also took action against the Donglin Party. Because of these people, the Jinyiwei played a relatively small role in it.

But this case is different. This case is a royal family case, and it also involves crimes such as treason and treason. Not only the Jinyiwei will take direct action, but also the Zongrenfu, and the latter is only a judgment after the case, including disposal and so on.

But the Jinyiwei was different. If the Jinyiwei intervened in the cases of royal family, even if it was authorized by the emperor, it would make the royal family extremely dissatisfied. Although most of these royal family members had no power, their status was very noble, and many of them had inextricable relations with nobles and court officials. Once they hated the Jinyiwei, they would regard the commander-in-chief who controlled the Jinyiwei as their enemy. Even if they could not retaliate now, who could guarantee that they would not add insult to injury in the future?
Zhou Anmin didn't have to be on guard against the revenge of the royal family all the time, right? If so, he would have a hard time. Besides, the princess and Zhou Anmin had children, and their two sons were not young anymore. If they were implicated in this matter, how could Zhu Shenzhu bear it?
Therefore, Zhu Shenzhui opposed Zhou Anmin's involvement in this matter, especially the final round of the net. There was no need for Zhou Anmin to appear in these matters anymore, Wu Mengming could do it.

Anyway, Wu Mengming was deliberately used by Zhu Shenzhui as a scapegoat for Zhou Anmin. From now on, any charges or problems will be all Wu Mengming's and will have nothing to do with Zhou Anmin.

He could also take this opportunity to completely get Zhou Anmin away from the Jinyiwei, and then find a reason to give him a new official position after some time. In this way, Zhou Anmin would be able to land safely, and the Zhou family would not have any worries in the future. This shows that Zhu Shenzui racked his brains for this matter and made all the arrangements.

After listening to Zhu Shenzhui's words, Zhou Anmin felt moved and emotional, and was even more grateful that he had spared no effort to help Zhu Shenzhui.

Only one's own people can think about themselves! Zhou Anmin couldn't help but sigh, and he stood up and bowed to Zhu Shenzhui, tears in his eyes.

"Brother-in-law, you don't have to do this. Get up." Zhu Shenzhui quickly helped Zhou Anmin up, holding his hand and sincerely saying, "My family was poor back then. If it weren't for my brother-in-law's help, how could I be where I am today? My brother-in-law has spared no effort to help me over the years. Without my brother-in-law's help, I would not be able to become the emperor."

"Brother-in-law treats me like this, so I should treat him like a great man. How can I not consider him? Since the matter has come to this point, you should not interfere in the future. Just let Wu Mengming handle it. You can rest assured. When the case is settled, I will have other arrangements for you. Don't worry."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness. I cannot repay your kindness even with my life. Please rest assured, I will definitely not let you down..." Zhou Anmin said excitedly with a passionate expression. Seeing him like this, Zhu Shenzhui comforted him with a few words, which gradually calmed Zhou Anmin's mood.

Then, Zhu Shenzhui told Zhou Anmin about the subsequent matters of closing the net. Although Wu Mengming would be in charge of these matters, the specific handover still required cooperation between Zhou Anmin and Wu Mengming. After this matter was completed, Zhou Anmin could officially get away.

The two were discussing the details when at this moment Lu Jiude, the eunuch in charge of the Qianqing Palace, arrived and carefully reported that Prince Zhou of Kaifeng had just sent an urgent memorial.

"The memorial from King Zhou?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Shenzhui and Zhou Anmin were both stunned. They exchanged glances. Zhu Shenzhui remained calm and asked Lu Jiude to bring the memorial.

After Lu Jiude presented the memorial, Zhu Shenzhui waved his hand to let him leave and then opened the memorial and began to read it. After a few glances, his expression suddenly relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.

"Your Majesty, King Zhou...?" "You can take a look at it too." Zhu Shenzhui did not explain and directly gave King Zhou's memorial to Zhou Anmin.

Zhou Anmin took it and looked at it carefully. He quickly finished reading what was written in the memorial. After reading it, he couldn't help but show surprise on his face, and like Zhu Shenzhui just now, he also felt a little more relaxed.

"The King of Zhou is indeed a wise king!" Zhou Anmin handed the memorial back to Zhu Shenzhui with both hands and made this comment at the same time.

Zhu Shenzhui nodded and said, "Prince Zhou's move has saved me a lot of trouble. Moreover, once this matter is launched, it will be much easier to assist the clan office with Prince Zhou as a witness. So, you make some adjustments and have Wu Mengming send someone to contact Prince Zhou immediately. Prince Zhou will cooperate with the Jinyiwei to capture Fan Yuwei and others, and then escort them to Beijing."

He paused, thought for a moment, and said, "Send someone to ask Prince Zhou privately, and ask him to come to the capital to assist the clan court in handling the case. If he is willing to come, Prince Zhou and his party should make good arrangements and must not lose the etiquette and rules. He should be entertained with great care."

"I understand. I will arrange it right away. Is there anything else your majesty wants me to do?"

"That's it. There's nothing else. Go and do it as soon as possible. Explain everything to Wu Mengming. Then you can go back home and rest. Don't leave the house again these days."

"I obey your order..." Zhou Anmin accepted the order, thanked the emperor, stood up and said goodbye.

After Zhou Anmin left, Zhu Shenzhui's eyes fell on the memorial that King Zhou had sent urgently. He was in a very good mood and smiled even more.

Just as he said just now, King Zhou was a smart man and a wise man. The content of the memorial he brought was nothing but reporting the matter of Fan Yuwei to the emperor.

King Zhou told the emperor that a few days ago, a man suddenly came to visit his palace. Normally, King Zhou would not meet ordinary people due to his status. However, the eunuch in charge of his palace told King Zhou that this man was a famous Shanxi merchant with huge business. Although King Zhou owned a fiefdom, the whole Kaifeng belonged to him. With the savings of his palace over the years, King Zhou was not short of money. Although he could not say that he was the richest man in the world, he was also one of the super rich men in the Ming Dynasty.

However, due to the previous war between Li Zicheng and other bandits in Henan, the Zhou Palace cooperated with the officers and soldiers to encircle and suppress the bandits. In addition, Kaifeng was under siege and in danger at that time. In order to save Kaifeng City, King Zhou spent all his money to recruit brave men and defend the city together with the people in the city, paying a huge price for it.

This war alone almost emptied the Zhou Wangfu's family property. After the war, Kaifeng was saved, but most of the Zhou Wang's wealth was lost. After the war, the Zhou Wang also gave the promised rewards, which made him even tighter. These days, the Zhou Wang has been trying to make up for the losses, but as a vassal king, he has few ways to do it. In addition to squeezing the local people, he relies on the income from the fields or makes money from business.

The Zhou king had a good reputation in Kaifeng, and several generations of Zhou kings were sensible people, and they knew that it was not a good idea to reach out to the people to get money. Wasn't it because the people couldn't survive that the bandits in the Ming Dynasty were everywhere? They gathered together to rebel in order to find a way to survive.

Moreover, Henan, including Kaifeng, has suffered from wars in recent years, and the people have a hard time. Now that the civil strife has just subsided, it is time to recuperate. Forcing the people now is like drinking poison to quench thirst? What if it provokes a civil uprising, which is not a good thing? The King of Zhou is not stupid, how could he do this?
As for the income from the fields, it is also limited. The harvest from farming is basically fixed, and it also depends on whether God is favorable.

Therefore, the King of Zhou paid more attention to the business of the palace, which was the biggest part of making up for the losses. So when he heard the eunuch in charge of the palace said that a Shanxi merchant wanted to see him, the King of Zhou was very happy. In recent years, due to the border trade with Mongolia and the sea trade opened by Shandong, the northern merchants, especially the Shanxi merchants, have developed very rapidly. If he could get on this line, it would be a good thing to make some money together with the status of the Zhou Palace.

So King Zhou met this Shanxi merchant, but problems arose as soon as they met. At first, it was normal, and they talked about ordinary things, including some business topics. But as they chatted, the other party actually asked King Zhou about his views on the court, especially his attitude towards the current emperor replacing Emperor Chongzhen, etc.

These words immediately aroused King Zhou's vigilance. King Zhou immediately scolded the other party for what he meant. However, the other party smiled and said that it was meaningless and was just a casual chat. If the prince did not like to hear it, he would not mention it. Please forgive him if he had offended him.

King Zhou immediately became wary of this person. In his opinion, how could a mere businessman care about these things? Moreover, his words did not sound like idle chat at all, but rather had a hint of instigation. Seeing that King Zhou was suspicious, the other party did not continue the conversation. After chatting for a few more words, he stood up and said goodbye. After the people left, King Zhou thought more and more that something was wrong. He directly asked the eunuchs of the palace to ask about the other party's origins. At first, the eunuchs of the palace wanted to conceal it, but King Zhou saw through it directly. In a rage, he beat the eunuch with a stick. The eunuch was beaten so hard that he cried and screamed and confessed. After learning the true identity of the other party, King Zhou was shocked and realized the importance of the matter. He quickly sent the guards of the palace to find the whereabouts of Fan Yuwei, intending to catch this guy and ask the truth.

However, after two days of searching in Kaifeng City, Fan Yuwei was still not found. King Zhou was helpless and finally thought that the matter could not be concealed, so he wrote a memorial and sent someone to deliver it to the capital at full speed and into the hands of the emperor.

(End of this chapter)