Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 14: The power of the royal guard, Xu Jie pays respect to Yan!
kill!

Kill hard!

Zhu Houcong knew that these slaves were used to being unruly. If he didn't kill some of them and punish others, even if the treasury was a mountain of gold, it would still be embezzled clean.

When Lu Fang heard the emperor mention the Qingming Festival Along the River, he knew that his two godsons Meng Chong and Shi Yi were in trouble.

But this is also the fault of Meng and Shi's stupidity. The Along the River During the Qingming Festival was bought from the young cabinet minister Yan Shifan, and now everything in the Yan Mansion is under the surveillance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Four million taels of silver and the Qingming Festival Along the River, when the silver and the payment are completed, the whole process can be seen by the Jinyiwei.

Knowing clearly that the Jinyiwei had escaped the control of the Imperial Household Department, he still did not think deeply about it or blame the emperor.

They each spent two million taels of silver to buy the Qingming Festival Along the River, but only left one million taels of silver for the emperor.

What about sending beggars away?

Lu Fang had expected the emperor to be furious, but he did not expect that Meng Chong and Shi Yi would be killed.

After death, even the private residence will be confiscated.

Lu Fang thought for a moment before answering, "I obey your order!"

Godsons are adopted by eunuchs in the palace for the purpose of providing for their retirement. It is impossible for Lu Fang to sacrifice himself for the sake of his godson. If he did so, he would not have to provide for his retirement.

Lü Fang put down the fifth account paper and was about to leave the abode to announce the imperial decree. Zhu Houcong suddenly looked at him, then slowly stared at Lü Fang, as if he wanted to look at him upside down: "Do you think you can save Feng Bao like this?"

Two lives are human beings.

Zhu Houcong could see through Feng Bao's treachery at a glance, and he also knew that Feng Bao would not tell the truth when he returned to the Imperial Household Department after reporting the auspicious sign yesterday.

This was also confirmed by the secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

For a hundred years, although the Jinyiwei was controlled by the Silijian, they always wanted to turn the tables.

The Imperial Household Department was trying hard to sow discord within the Imperial Guard, and the Imperial Guard was also trying hard to infiltrate the Imperial Household Department.

Everything that happened inside and outside the Silijian duty room was recorded and depicted truthfully by the Jinyiwei secret agents.

Including the conversation between Lu Fang and Feng Bao, the adoptive father and godson.

In order to rescue Feng Bao, who was accused by the emperor of dereliction of duty and usurpation, Lu Fang made so much effort and staged such a big drama. How could there not be qualified audiences?
Zhu Houcong picked up the fifth piece of account paper, on which was clearly written "Feng Bao, two million silver coins". It would be too easy to think that the drama would end like this.

Lu Fang was stunned for a moment, then knelt down and said, "Even if your majesty is wise and sage, I want Feng Bao to live."

"But Feng Bao doesn't want to live." Zhu Houcong sneered.

If Feng Bao accepted Lu Fang's arrangement and went to Chaotian Temple, where he could live with the fresh mountain breeze from then on, he would have been spared. However, Feng Bao still could not give up his power and wanted to stir up trouble in Prince Yu's mansion.

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard is compared to the emperor's eagle, then the Eastern Depot is the emperor's dog.

A hunting eagle can be somewhat unruly, but a guard dog cannot deliberately cause trouble.

In Zhu Houcong's view, Feng Bao was a disobedient dog. If left unattended, he might cause big trouble in the future.

Lu Fang immediately kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, Feng Bao wants to live."

Even with his head lowered, Lu Fang could still feel the emperor's cold murderous intent. If he was going to kill two eunuchs in charge of the Imperial Household Department, why would he care about killing one more eunuch who was the governor of the Eastern Depot?
In order to save Feng Bao's life, Lu Fang decisively ignored his previous promise to send Feng Bao to Prince Yu's Mansion. Staying alive is more important than anything else.

"Send him to Chaotian Temple and let him become a Taoist priest." Zhu Houcong's murderous intent slowly subsided.

If Feng Bao had gone to Chaotian Temple as a eunuch, he might have been able to return to the inner court, but after being ordained as a Taoist priest, there was no possibility for him to return to the inner court.

Lu Fang raised her head and looked at Zhu Houcong sadly, "Your Highness, I am counting on Feng Bao, your godson, to take care of you in your old age."

Entering Buddhism means becoming a monk, and entering Taoism also means becoming a monk. If you become a monk, Feng Bao, your godson, will be gone. At this time, Lu Fang was really distressed. She had spent so much time and effort, teaching and raising him, and now he was gone.

"He has been the governor of the Eastern Depot for only four years, but he has accumulated a surplus of two million taels of silver. How many people have been killed by this? I asked Feng Bao to go to the Chaotian Temple to pray for the souls of those he killed and to repay his sins. This is a pardon outside the law. Lu Fang, you should understand this." Zhu Houcong's eyes slowly turned sideways.

Lu Fang treated Feng Bao like a mother doting on her young son; he was the apple of her eye.

When this knife cuts, your heart will inevitably bleed, but it will be fine after you heal it.

If you don't cut it out now, and wait until something happens before cutting it out, then you'll be cutting out your heart.

Lu Fang had done his best to accompany Zhu Houcong for nearly half a century, but Zhu Houcong could not bear to see that day.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Lu Fang kowtowed again and walked out of the hall sadly.

The lights were on, heavy snow was falling outside, and the windows were open.

The cold snow wind blew Zhu Houcong's silk gown backwards.

The cries of begging for mercy from Meng Chong and Shi Yi were faintly carried into Zhu Houcong's ears by the wind. Zhu Houcong remained indifferent. He walked to the imperial court and weighed down the fifth sheet of account paper with a jade paperweight.

Six million taels of silver, three million taels of silver, three million taels of silver, one million taels of silver, one million taels of silver, and two million taels of silver.

The total amount was 16 million taels of silver.

This number will increase after the private residences of Meng Chong and Shi Yi are searched.

Although it could not completely make up for the loss of two million pieces of silk and cotton cloth and tens of millions of taels of silver in the imperial treasury, it made up for 70 to 80 percent of it.

Zhu Houcong was generally satisfied.

Next.

It depends on when the money from the Yan, Xu and Zhang families will be presented.

Perhaps it was a wish come true, as Jinyiwei Commander-in-Chief Lu Bing came to meet the emperor.

Under the surveillance of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, Zhang Juzheng was the first one to give up, or rather, he did not even think about holding on. After waking up from drunkenness in Prince Yu's Mansion, he informed the Embroidered Uniform Guards that they could arrange for the relatives of the Jiangling Zhang family to be resettled as long as they were alive.

Lu Bing ordered a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to go to Jiangling with the Imperial Guards, and gradually lifted the blockade outside Zhang's mansion in the capital. Of course, this did not mean completely giving up the surveillance of Zhang's mansion, but rather turning it into secret surveillance.

The Jinyiwei also has secret agents in Zhang's mansion.

As for the young minister in the Yan Mansion, his terrifying ability to mobilize gold and silver shocked Lu Bing to be honest.

Yan Shifan sold Along the River During the Qingming Festival for 4 million taels of silver. Later, Yan Shifan sold thousands of famous calligraphy and paintings collected in his mansion, and made a total of 6 million taels of silver.

Last year, he sold large materials and timber from Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, and in addition to the corruption that Yan Song embezzled during the past 20 years when he was in charge of the central cabinet, this amounted to another 10 million taels of silver.

In this way, 20 million taels of silver were available, which was only 1.3 million taels short of the 21.3 million taels of silver that Yan Song had mentioned before the emperor.

Yan Shifan said nothing, and Luo Longwen, the Minister of the Ministry of Public Security, and Yan Maoqing, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and other members of Yan's party delivered the banknotes.

In order to collect taxes from all over the country, the Ming Dynasty court had nearly 10,000 tax officials alone. After mobilizing a large number of troops throughout the year, they only collected more than 40 million taels of silver. However, Yan Shifan was able to mobilize more than 20 million taels of silver in just one day and one night. It was so terrifying.

After talking about the Zhang family and the Yan family, Lu Bing did not continue, but aroused Zhu Houcong's curiosity, "What about the Xu family in Songjiang Prefecture?"

"Your Majesty, there is no silver, and just now, Lord Xu visited the Yan Mansion..."

In an instant, Zhu Houcong's momentum exploded, and the coldness in his eyes almost condensed into substance.

(End of this chapter)