In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 660: If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext.

Duan Zhengze, the deputy commander, summoned his trusted confidants and hurriedly left the government office.

As he moved, he made no attempt to conceal his murderous aura.

This caused the large crowd that had gathered at the entrance of the military headquarters to disperse.
I was both confused and unsure of what had happened.

Shi Yu and Hu Chongyi, who had just been summoned,
They all stared blankly at the scene before them, their minds racing with thoughts.

A glimmer of hope appeared; could it be that they were going to catch the murderer?
Having not slept all night, Shi Yu looked extremely listless.

His once neatly groomed white beard was now disheveled, making him look like an elderly man in his twilight years.

He stared at Hu Chongyi with bloodshot eyes and questioned:
"Manager Hu, you keep saying there will absolutely be no problems."

"The guards were all your trusted men, how did they end up like this?"

Hu Chongyi's face darkened, and he became somewhat angry upon hearing the question:
"How would I know why it turned out this way!"

Someone must be jealous and will try to sabotage us in secret!

Shi Yu didn't say anything more, but just waved his hand helplessly and walked straight into the military headquarters.

Upon seeing this, Hu Chongyi quickly followed, sighing as he went.

If so much sugar could be sold on the grasslands, even just 30% would be a considerable sum of money.

Now not only is the silver gone, but even the warehouse that cost a fortune to build has been burned down.
Furthermore, the unauthorized transportation of white sugar was discovered.

Now, even if it's not poop, it's still poop now that the mud has fallen into my crotch.

On Anhe Street in the north of the city, in front of Kangle Trading Company, the queue of people was still incredibly long.

But the scene was quiet; no one made a lot of noise or argued, and even the pushing and shoving that had been common in the past few days had disappeared.

The reason for all this was the group of armored soldiers positioned on both sides of Anhe Street.

Their eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed intently on the crowd.

Anyone who causes trouble or makes noise will be dragged out.

Although the punishment afterward was not much, it would definitely delay the queue, which made many people wary.

Where can you find such a good job that pays ten coins a day?
On the east side of Anhe Street, the shopkeeper Huang Huai stood at the street corner with several servants.

Watching several managers scrambling to recruit people not far ahead,
"Ten coins, ten coins, those who haven't bought it today, come on over."

From initially being secretive to now being open and honest,

Everyone noticed that the commander seemed to be turning a blind eye to such matters.

But strangely, the shopkeepers seemed to have a tacit understanding...
Even when people fought tooth and nail to buy the goods, they still didn't break the ten-coin limit.

However, while there is an upper limit, the lower limit is not so certain.

At the shack in the north of the city, two coins can buy a person an hour of their time to queue up to buy candy!

Even more extreme, some children would steal a moment from their busy schedules to quickly finish their chores at home and then come out to do this kind of work, earning only a penny.

Just then, Huang Huai heard a commotion behind him.
He turned around with his hands behind his back and saw a man who looked like a steward, accompanied by several guards.

He brought a group of ragged people with him, and the noise was deafening.

The manager's eyes were full of pride, while the common people's eyes were full of impulsiveness and longing.
Seeing Huang Huai standing there, the steward hurriedly ran forward, looking humble:
"Shopkeeper, look at these heads, they're all from the shacks in the north of the city."

"With so many people, it only cost three qian of silver."

Huang Huai looked the steward up and down, noticing some mud on his trousers and clothes, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Well done, get back to work."

"Hey, hey, hey!" The manager's attitude became increasingly humble, with a fawning smile on his face.

With the shopkeeper's praise, this year's reward should be quite substantial.

At this moment, a young man stood beside Huang Huai, his brows furrowed as he looked at the scene before him.

He is Huang Yunfan, Huang Huai's son, and appears to be in his early twenties.

Dressed in white, and holding a folding fan with an air of importance, he looked quite elegant.
However, it seems somewhat out of place in such a noisy environment.

"Father, won't what we're doing displease Commander Du?"

Huang Huai remained expressionless and chuckled lightly:
"The officers are busy counting their silver; they have no time to care about us."

Besides, the money we earn is the money the Commander earns, so why would they interfere?

Huang Yunfan calmed down a bit, pointed to a group of people not far away, and whispered:

“Father, Manager Mi and his men didn’t use such methods.”

"The child has always been somewhat uneasy about what we've been doing."

Huang Huai's gaze skipped over the crowd and landed on Mi Chen and his group not far away, letting out a cold laugh:
"The two brothers were terrified by the commander."

Why not make money when you can?
What is this? You idiot!

Huang Yunfan watched those people chatting and laughing, and felt that this was not right.
"My son, don't let your studies in Beiping go to your wits' end."

The business world is like a battlefield; in this chaotic world, you have to be ruthless if you want to make money.

"If we had lived in fear, we wouldn't have been able to build such a large fortune."

"But I think ten coins are nothing to us."
But for these ordinary people, it was a lifeline.
Perhaps that's exactly what the commander was planning.

Huang Huai frowned slightly, unconvinced by his statement.

"Father, for the lords of the Commandery, living in peace and prosperity in Daning City is more important than anything else."

Moreover, judging from the recent actions of the Commanders, they are all acting for this purpose.

Post notices, put up slogans, conduct propaganda and education, and educate farmers.
Today, Daning City is almost more peaceful than Beiping City.
My son came back two days ago, and I could hardly believe my eyes.

Therefore, I think that some small amounts of money should be put away; we shouldn't lose more than we gain.

Huang Huai was about to retort, but then he remembered that he sent his son to study in Beiping precisely to broaden his horizons.

These words today are certainly not those of a son who used to obey him without question.

Thinking of this, Huang Huai felt a sense of satisfaction and nodded thoughtfully.

“My son said so.”

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps and the clanging of armor interrupted him.

Not far behind, more than a hundred soldiers led by Duan Zhengze rushed over and stopped directly in front of Huang Huai.

Duan Zhengze, who was in the lead, looked down at him.
Gone is the warmth of the past, replaced only by a chilling and desolate chill!

"Manager Huang, you seem quite relaxed," Duan Zhengze said coldly.

Huang Huai immediately bowed deeply:
"Greetings, Lord Duan. May I ask what brings you here?"

"It's nothing, I just want to invite you to the prison of the military commander for a chat."

Duan Zhengze's voice was gentle, but his words were incredibly cold.

The next moment, his voice suddenly rose in pitch:

"Take it!"

Two soldiers rushed over in an instant.

Without saying a word, he knocked down the guards and servants who were blocking Huang Huai's way.

Then, the two men held Huang Huai tightly!

Only when Huang Huai was tightly bound, his hands bent backward, and his head forced to look down at the slightly damp bluestone pavement beneath his feet did he suddenly realize what was happening and hurriedly shouted:

What crime did Huang commit?

"Manager Huang knows what he has done. Take him away!" Duan Zhengze sneered.

Huang Huai, looking completely bewildered, was restrained by two soldiers and pushed toward the prison cart behind him.

Huang Yunfan's brain had shut down; he was completely unable to react.

Not far away, another commotion broke out.

There stood Wang Ze, the manager of the Wang family's shop on Daliang Street.

He was also detained by a group of soldiers and taken away without explanation, causing a commotion.

Many people in line lowered their heads upon seeing this.
I want to be like an ostrich burying its head in the desert, oblivious to everything around it.

For a moment, the scene was deathly silent!
But what they feared did not happen.

The two groups of soldiers came and went quickly, disappearing in no time.

The scene suddenly became noisy, with employees of Kang Le Trading Company using megaphones to shout incessantly:

"Quiet down, quiet down, everyone, please quiet down."
Do not argue loudly, and do not push or shove!

Not far away, Mi Chen stared blankly at everything that was happening.

Once he realized what had happened, a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.

He looked at Huang Bin beside him, his voice filled with surprise:
"We guessed correctly, Lord Lu and Lord Duan are indeed Robin Hood figures."

"Use our money to give money to those people!"

Huang Bin also came to his senses, his mind reeling:
"Yes, yes, these two have been very arrogant these past two days, dropping the price from ten coins to one coin."

In the morning, they even incited some gang members to force people to line up.

Soon, Huang Bin remembered something else, and his sense of crisis increased dramatically.

He leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, Hu Chongyi did the same thing yesterday in the warehouse."

Mi Chen's expression changed: "Watch your words!"

He lowered his voice, "The matter hasn't been investigated thoroughly yet, so how can we make wild guesses?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Bin understood his elder brother's meaning and nodded in realization:

"It's good to be a proper businessman like us."

"Brother, should we increase the amount of money given to the people?"

Mi Chen shook his head:

"What are you talking about? A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment. Ten coins are a good thing."

Our money didn't grow on trees.

"If it weren't for the adults' explicit instructions, I wouldn't have wanted to spend this little bit of money."

"What my elder brother said is true. People from the Baiyun tribe will be coming after the New Year."

Once the first batch of white sugar is sent out, a huge amount of money will come in.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the money received has to be given away.

"The Commander's eyes would light up if he saw this much money."

Mi Chen looked at the crowded people ahead, his beard twitching, and slowly smiled:

"It's good to have a big tree to lean on; in the past, smuggling also required guarding against dikes on both sides."

While it's not exactly aboveboard now, it's pretty much there.

We'll mix some goods in and send them to the Baiyun tribe together.

Although making money from sugar isn't profitable, there are other ways to make money.

Mi Bin also laughed:
“Brother is wise. By the way, the Three Guards of Doyan sent a letter saying they also want to do business in white sugar.”

"Why didn't they ask the Commander directly? Why are they asking you?" Mi Chen asked, somewhat surprised.

"They want to get the goods from us and hope we can give them a cheap price."

They also promised not to sell them to the northern grasslands, but to the "wild men" of the Liaodong mountains.

"We don't even have enough sugar to sell ourselves, how can we take care of them?"

However, Mi Chen soon looked thoughtfully at the Wang and Huang families' dejected shop assistants and managers.

"If Hu Chongyi and his men fall, a large area of ​​sugar in the city will be left empty."

Perhaps we can eat it.

Tell the people of the three tribes of Duoyan not to rush, but to plan carefully.

"I see."

The prison of the Regional Military Commission was located in an alley behind the Commission, occupying a large area.

The outside is an ordinary government office, but the prison is located underground.

Huang Huai and Wang Ze were brought in, and the stench that hit them made it almost impossible for them to think.

The only thing to be thankful for is...

Because it's underground, the temperature here isn't too cold.

Walking through the central corridor of the prison, you can see the prisoners in the cells on both the left and right sides.

They were all disheveled, wearing only thin clothes, huddled in a corner, shivering.

Bloodstains could be seen dragging on the ground, clearly indicating severe torture.

Although the two had been wandering the martial world for many years and had experienced many ups and downs,

But this was the first time he had ever seen such a scene, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

The burlap in their mouths prevented them from speaking.

Before long, the two were taken to the innermost cell.

The place was filled with instruments of torture, and in the center was an iron furnace.
There was a charcoal fire inside, which was now burning bright red.

Several instruments of torture, with sharp spikes and a slightly pointed tip, were placed inside, glowing red-hot, with rust flakes falling off them.

Duan Zhengze didn't give the two a chance to explain at all, and waved his hand.
They were tied to two upright wooden stakes.

"Each person should be given twenty lashes!"

The two had hoped to be able to explain or ask questions.
But Duan Zhengze's words caused their pupils to contract suddenly, and their whole bodies tensed up.

Two burly men with ferocious faces, each holding a long whip, slowly walked forward, their eyes filled with ruthlessness.

The two shook their heads slightly, as if to say "no".

But the thug ignored him.

The cracking sound of whips echoed in the cell as the thugs swung their long whips with fierce force, accompanied by a sinister grin.

The intense pain caused them to close their eyes tightly, their bodies began to tremble violently, and they could barely breathe.

As they struggled, the wooden stake clanged and swayed from side to side.
But the more they did this, the stronger the excitement in the eyes of the two thugs became!
The force of the swings gradually increased, and the speed also accelerated.

The pain had now turned into numbness.

Their eyes were red and they kept crying.

It hurts, it hurts so much.
Both men came from noble families on the grasslands, though their fortunes have declined.
But he was a rare big merchant in Daning City, and he had never suffered such hardship.
Duan Zhengze sat on a chair to the side, sipping his tea.

Watching the two of them shake their heads incessantly and twitch their limbs,
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

His former arrogance had completely vanished.

For some reason, Duan Zhengze felt a secret sense of satisfaction.
He had long disliked these disrespectful merchants.

The twenty lashes were quickly finished.

Duan Zhengze waved his hand, and two soldiers stepped forward to remove the hemp cloth.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

In an instant, heart-wrenching screams filled the entire cell.
Duan Zhengze turned his head slightly, his eyes filled with increasing amusement.

"Alright, alright, what are you howling about?" Duan Zhengze snorted coldly.

"Duan Zhengze, what have I done to offend you? Why are you acting like this!"

Huang Huai was panting heavily, glaring angrily, tears and snot streaming down his face, looking extremely disheveled.

Duan Zhengze slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the two of them.

His gaze grew increasingly cold, and he let out a soft snort:
"Have the two managers forgotten what we said to you in the Commandery's meeting hall a few days ago?"

The two of them shuddered, their expressions changed slightly, and saliva dripped down their chins.

On the way here under escort,

They had considered many possibilities and had even made this guess, but they never expected it to actually be true.

Before the two could even offer any excuses, Duan Zhengze paced back and forth in front of them, speaking thoughtfully:
"Was the fire in the city yesterday caused by the two of you?"

"what?"

The two shopkeepers looked up in astonishment.
But the muscle twitching that followed made them quickly lower their heads again.

Wang Ze quickly began to explain:
"What does yesterday's fire in the city have to do with us?"

Hu Chongyi brought in a batch of cheap white sugar from Beiping.
"Do you dare say that you weren't driven by jealousy, which is why you burned it down?"

Duan Zheng stared coldly at the two of them.

The two were even more shocked.

At first glance, their hatred wasn't directed at Duan Zhengze, but rather...

Instead, it's Hu Chongyi, who is still at large!

We agreed not to use underhanded tactics.

Not long after, cheap white sugar from Beiping arrived in the Ming Dynasty!
"Your Honor, we are innocent! We knew nothing about Hu Chongyi's transportation of sugar. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Honor!" Huang Huai quickly said.

Duan Zhengze ignored their explanations and waved his hand lightly. A soldier then stepped forward with a tray.

Above is a waist tag and a set of keys.

Although the two are completely unrelated,
However, they all bear the distinctive logos of their respective trading companies.
"A frame-up, sir! This is a frame-up!"

Wang Ze started shouting.

Ignoring the excruciating pain, he began to struggle rapidly.

Duan Zhengze frowned as he listened to the two start arguing.

Two soldiers stepped forward and stuffed burlap into their mouths again.

This left them only able to make whimpering noises.

"You two should reflect on your actions here and think about how to exonerate yourselves."

Duan Zhengze turned and left.
But as he reached the door, fearing they might not understand, he chuckled softly and reminded them:

"Remember, only you can save yourselves."

(End of this chapter)