In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 940 My Heart Will Always Face the Bright Moon

The somber mood in the capital lasted for two more days.
It was soon late April.

Neither the Embroidered Uniform Guard nor the Imperial Palace Administration could uncover any useful information; instead, they caused widespread panic in the palace.

The impeachment memorials against these two government offices arrived in droves, piling up on the emperor's desk in no time.

Today, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty sat quietly behind his desk, his gaze sweeping over the documents on the table.

His gaze was quite subtle, and the corners of his mouth would sometimes curl slightly, and sometimes reveal a mocking expression.

However, he never annotated these memorials.
After reading each letter, he would casually toss it aside.

Seeing this, the eunuchs standing nearby all lowered their heads in fear, not daring to look up again.

After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang finished reading all the memorials impeaching the two government offices.

He suddenly let out a soft chuckle, then sat on the dragon throne in silence for a long time.
"Go, summon Zhao Mian here."

"Yes."

The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran out of the Wuying Hall.

Inside the imperial city, in the Ministry of Revenue, one of the six ministries.

Zhao Mian, the Minister of Revenue, was sitting in his official residence.

He looked at the tax accounts of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions this year with a solemn expression, shaking his head repeatedly, his expression full of meaning.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, followed by the flustered voice of a clerk:

"Minister, His Majesty summons you to the Wuying Hall immediately."

Zhao Mian paused slightly in the hand holding the document, his eyes slowly narrowing as he replied with a forced smile:
"understood."

Despite this, Zhao Mian continued to look down at the documents, showing no intention of getting up.

This scene left the officials and the eunuchs outside the door sweating profusely with anxiety.

"What is Lord Zhao doing? Why hasn't he come out yet?"

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency. Lord Zhao has been busy dealing with tax matters lately, and he is probably organizing documents to submit to His Majesty."

Please wait a little longer, please wait a little longer.

Strangely, when the officials and clerks of the Ministry of Revenue passed by,
Seeing the two locked in this stalemate, he was not surprised at all.

Even the old eunuch could sense the subtle atmosphere within the yamen.

It seemed that no one welcomed him.

Even worse, when several young officials passed by him,
He even deliberately let out a heavy, cold snort.

The sound was clear and crisp, without any attempt to conceal it.

Faced with this, the old eunuch could only lower his head even further, pretending to be oblivious to what was happening around him.

Soon, half an hour passed.
Zhao Miancai slowly got up.

He carried no documents, his hands were empty, and he glanced indifferently at the old eunuch and clerk outside the door:

"Let's go."

The old woman, hearing his cold voice, tensed up and whispered a reminder:
"Lord Zhao, did you forget to bring the memorial?"
Our family has been waiting here for quite some time.

Zhao Mian's eyes remained expressionless as he glanced at him indifferently.
"There's no memorial to the emperor, let's go."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked out of the yamen.

The old eunuch pursed his lips, the fear in his eyes finally turning into a chilling coldness.

But as soon as he stepped out of the government office, a bright smile immediately appeared on his face.

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhao Mian, dressed in the everyday robes of a second-rank official, slowly walked in.

His steps were light and slow, yet they were remarkably clear in the vast hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat at the head of the table, no longer looking at the documents, but watching him approach with a deep gaze, his expression calm and his eyes unchanged.

"Your subject Zhao Mian greets Your Majesty."

"stand up."

Zhao Mian straightened up, looked straight ahead, and said nothing more.

The hall fell silent once again.
The two remained locked in a tense standoff, one above the other, making the eunuchs and servants nearby feel extremely uncomfortable.

After a dozen or so breaths,
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was at the head of the table, slowly began to speak:
"Minister Zhao, have the accounts of last year's taxes from various regions been settled?"

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is still calculating."
Currently, only four regions—Huguang (Hubei and Hunan), Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi—have been completed.

A dangerous glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. His hand, held slightly at his side, clenched tightly as he asked calmly:
"What about the North? Have the tax figures for the northern provinces been calculated?"

Zhao Mian bowed deeply, his expression remaining unchanged, his voice calm:
"Your Majesty, many provinces in the north are places of prolonged warfare, and the people are suffering from poverty."

To allow the people to benefit from imperial grace, the imperial court has repeatedly exempted taxes.

Taxes from the north are already meager, so the government plans to conduct a final calculation.

"call"

Zhu Yuanzhang's breathing became heavier, and his gaze towards Zhao Mian held a hint of ambiguity.
The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly heavy.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Minister Zhao, now that we have done a good job of calculating the southern provinces, it is time to calculate the northern provinces as well."

At the very least, we need to calculate the taxes for Beiping, Guanzhong, Henan, and Shandong.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is short-staffed and cannot attend to all matters at once."

Zhu Yuanzhang pursed his lips and said again:

"Since there is a shortage of manpower, I will not force it."

But surely it wouldn't be unreasonable to calculate the taxes levied on Zhili?

"Your Majesty, calculating taxes is the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. How can it be considered excessive?"

"Okay, when should we start the calculations?"

"Your Majesty, the calculations for Zhili may have to wait until they are carried out together with those for the North."

"It's not that I'm unwilling, but these days there's been constant turmoil in the capital, and everyone in the government is filled with anxiety and has no heart for their work."

The Ministry of Revenue was located inside the Imperial City.
How could external turmoil possibly involve the Ministry of Revenue?

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice grew colder, and the wrinkles that had been gathered together gradually smoothed out as he fixed his gaze on Zhao Mian with a faint expression.

"Your Majesty, although the Ministry of Revenue is located in the Imperial City, all officials at all levels reside outside the Imperial City."

Furthermore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been making frequent moves in the capital recently, and often comes to the Ministry of Revenue to arrest people, causing panic among the officials and clerks, making it impossible for them to concentrate on their work.

Moreover, others will inevitably be wary of those who have been arrested and then released.

This makes it even more difficult to succeed.

After saying that, Zhao Mian's voice fluctuated for the first time, and even rose slightly.

He stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, I impeach Mao Xiang, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, for disregarding the law and disrupting the court. I humbly request Your Majesty to imprison him in the Three Departments Prison and execute him in the autumn!"

Zhu Yuanzhang listened to his powerful voice, his lips twitched, and he remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he said calmly:

"Mao Xiang did act without any sense of proportion, but executing him in the autumn was too harsh."

"I will punish him. As for the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, I hope Minister Zhao will be lenient and expedite the calculation of taxes from various regions."

"Your Majesty, officials at all levels of the Ministry of Revenue are working tirelessly day and night to catch up on the work."

However, it will take some time to calculate all the taxes levied in various regions. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me.”

How long?

"Within two months."

Upon hearing this deadline, a fierce glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and nodded slightly.

"As quickly as possible, the Ministry of Revenue must complete the calculation of taxes in various regions within one month."

"Your Majesty, if we wish to prioritize calculating taxes from various regions..."

Then I can only suspend the personnel responsible for calculating commercial taxes and devote all my efforts to calculating total taxes, striving to present the report to Your Majesty within a month.

"Huhu."

Zhu Yuanzhang's breathing became increasingly heavy, and he could barely contain his anger.

"How many people does the Ministry of Revenue need? I will allocate some to you."

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has exceeded its staff by 313 people."

What I mean by "no one is available" is that most of the clerks in the government office have been demoralized by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and live in constant fear.
How can one do a good job in this state?

"hehe."

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and shook his head slightly:

“Zhao Aiqing, you are quite an interesting person.”

"Your subject dares not. The Ministry of Revenue is a solemn and dignified place, and I dare not show the slightest disrespect."

"I wouldn't dare. I see you have quite the audacity."

Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject and asked again:

Why wasn't the tax revenue of Zhili Province calculated beforehand?

"Your Majesty, according to the Ministry of Revenue's register, Zhili belongs to the northern region, so the calculation needs to be postponed."

"Outrageous! Zhili is where the capital is located, a vital area surrounding the capital. How can it be considered last in the calculation?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly rose, his tone stern, but his movements remained unchanged; he sat calmly at the head of the table.

Zhao Mian bowed deeply and kowtowed:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Zhili is right under the emperor's nose, and many court officials reside here. Everywhere you look, the administration is clean and efficient, and there are very few petty and despicable acts."

Therefore, the officials in the Ministry of Revenue believed that the tax revenue of Zhili was the easiest to calculate and the least likely to cause problems, which is why they calculated the tax revenue of other regions first.

The words fell,

The hall fell into a long silence.

Neither of them spoke again, and the oppressive atmosphere in the hall was almost overwhelming.

After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang impatiently waved his hand.

Zhao Mian bowed deeply, his voice resounding: "Your subject takes his leave."

After Zhao Mian left the Wuying Hall,

Not long after, Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, walked in.

His steps were heavy, each one accompanied by a dull thud.

"His Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if trying to dispel all the troubles in his heart.

He looked at Mao Xiang and said in a deep voice:

"How are things going at the Six Ministries lately?"

Mao Xiang's eyes were deep-set, and a dangerous glint shone in them. He said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, the six ministries are now outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, openly and secretly opposing the relocation of the capital."

Some people even made extremely disrespectful remarks inside the government office.

"What did you say?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not say."

"Say!"

Some say that you are old and senile, and instead of staying in the perfectly good city of Yingtian, you insist on moving to that icy and snowy place in Shanxi.

"hehe."

Strangely, Zhu Yuanzhang did not get angry after hearing this; instead, he laughed.

Mao Xiang felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

His Majesty was rarely seen like this in the twenty years he had served the emperor.

And each time, it was accompanied by earth-shattering events.

He immediately bowed and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, after I leave the court today, I will have those people arrested and taken back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison to interrogate them about their corruption!"

"Forget it. It's easy to arrest people, but difficult to change their hearts."

The more people arrested, the more thorough the opposition from the court officials became.

Release all those people we've arrested recently.

"what?"

Mao Xiang suddenly looked up, staring at Zhu Yuanzhang with a look of astonishment.

When his gaze met that of the person at the head of the table, he suddenly froze.

Since when, His Majesty's beard and eyebrows have turned white, old age has made his eyes deeply sunken, and even his figure has become much thinner.

Mao Xiang reacted instantly and quickly said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, the traitors in the court have not yet been purged, we absolutely cannot release them!"
If we release them, the deterrent effect will be lost.
They'll only get worse!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Mao Xiang calmly, his voice hoarse:
"Has the mole within the Embroidered Uniform Guard been found?"

Mao Xiang's face stiffened, and he lowered his head heavily:
"Your Majesty, it has not been found yet."

"hehe."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed again, but this time his laughter was full of mockery:
"The Imperial Guards in the capital only have so many people. They can't even find a traitor among themselves, so how can they find out the rebels in the court?"

"Let them all go; keeping them locked up any longer is pointless."

Mao Xiang suddenly realized,
A strong sense of danger enveloped him.

A bead of cold sweat slid down his cheek; he suddenly realized something.

If even the Embroidered Uniform Guard cannot stand firmly on His Majesty's side, then he, as the commander, probably has no reason to exist.

Mao Xiang felt utterly wronged.
This is the current state of affairs in the imperial court.
He was a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
How could they afford to offend those important officials?
But he didn't hesitate at all; he knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to grant me three more days!"
Within three days, I will surely find the traitor within the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

"Hehe. Stop making trouble."

Release him. You can find out about the mole yourself.

Mao Xiang was covered in sweat and bowed his head heavily.

"Yes!"

After Mao Xiang left, the Wuying Hall fell silent once again.

I do not know how long it has been,

A figure slowly walked out from the side hall.

This man was over forty years old, with a rugged appearance and dark skin; one could tell at a glance that he was a Northern Yuan person.

"His Majesty."

His voice was deep and resonant, echoing throughout the Wuying Hall.

Upon hearing the noise, Marquis Guo Ying of Wuding, who was outside the hall, quickly strode in.

He immediately spotted the tall figure standing below him, his eyes filled with confusion.
Who is this? Why is he in the hall?

At this moment, the figure slowly turned its head, revealing a profile, and looked at Guo Ying with a half-smile.

Upon seeing his appearance clearly, Marquis Guo Ying of Wuding's pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in shock:

"You're not dead?"

"Greetings, Lord Wuding. I have been staying at home for the past few years due to illness, and have been recuperating."

Having recently recovered from a serious illness, he immediately went to the capital to meet the Emperor.

"you"

Marquis Guo Ying of Wuding stared at him blankly, then suddenly looked at Zhu Yuanzhang. Seeing that His Majesty was still sitting calmly, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

No wonder. No wonder the Embroidered Uniform Guard never appointed Assistant Commanders or Vice Commanders.

It turns out His Majesty wasn't worried at all about the Embroidered Uniform Guard having no successors!

Since there was no one in front, I started looking in the past.

As he was pondering, the figure turned around, performed the traditional five-pointed prostration to Zhu Yuanzhang at the head of the table, and said in a deep voice:
"Your subject, Daerma Shili, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang, sitting at the head of the table, manage a slight chuckle:
“Darma, go back to your post in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, temporarily serve as the Deputy Commander.”

Your trusted confidante, Du Pingping, has also been summoned back to the capital. This time, you should all have a good get-together.

"His Majesty!"

Daerma Shili interrupted him, saying in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, the enemy is now in the shadows, while we are in the light."

If I were to appear now,
Not only does it make things inconvenient, but it also makes you a target of malicious attacks.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry; instead, he asked:
"how do you want to do it?"

"Your Majesty, now that Du Pingping has arrived in the capital, with his abilities, he will naturally be able to find the traitor."

After he discovers the mole, I will meet with him secretly.

If even he can't find out,
Then he would be unfaithful.

Daerma Shiliji's voice was powerful and resonant, carrying the unique solemnity and arrogance of the grassland people.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes:
"You decide how to do it."

You once served as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so you know how to act.
I have only one request.
Find the mole within the Embroidered Uniform Guard and those in the palace who are colluding with him.

Da'erma Shili rose and knelt in worship:

"Your Majesty's grace will not be wasted!"

"it is good"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded, quite satisfied with his reply.

Guo Ying, still in shock, stared blankly at Daerma Shiliji.

Since the southerners in the court are unwilling to move the capital, then let the northerners handle the affairs.

This Daerma Shiliji was once the commander of the Imperial Guard Commandery, which was the predecessor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
Since the establishment of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he has faded from the court.

In the twenty-first year of the Hongwu reign (1389), because he was a Northern Yuan person, he also served as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He led his men to receive the surrender of the former Duke of Yuan, Lao Sa, the Chief of the Imperial Academy, Nie Qie Lai, the Deputy Chief of the Imperial Academy, Yi La Ha, and the Minister of the Imperial Academy, Da Bu Dai.

But after that, the man died inexplicably.
He's still alive!

Guo Ying was momentarily unable to accept this fact.

After leaving the Wuying Hall, Zhao Mian did not return to the Six Ministries, but went straight to the Hanlin Academy to find his father-in-law, Hanlin Academician Liu Sanwu.

Upon arriving at the Hanlin Academy, the scholars greeted Zhao Mian with undisguised admiration.

This Lord Zhao passed the imperial examination in March of the eighteenth year of Hongwu (1388), ranking seventy-first in the second class. As a candidate for the highest degree, he could only be considered excellent.

But because he had a good father-in-law, he rose to the position of Minister in just four years.

Such a rapid promotion is rare in this world!
Seeing Zhao Mian head towards the inner hall, everyone turned their gazes to him, secretly making up their minds.
You must perform well at the Hanlin Academy!

If they could catch the eye of Tantanon, they could rise to the top in one step!
Inside the main hall, Zhao Mian bowed deeply to his father-in-law, who was sitting behind the table.
"Father-in-law."

"Hmm, what is it?"

Liu Sanwu didn't even look up, still staring at the "Great Proclamation" in his hand, his brows furrowed.

“Father-in-law, His Majesty summoned me today and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to calculate the taxes in the north and Zhili.”

"Oh? How did you deal with it?"

Liu Sanwu paused slightly and asked with a hint of surprise.

"I did not agree, and I believe His Majesty is aware of my thoughts."

Liu Sanwu laughed and nodded slightly:

"Your Majesty is exceptionally intelligent; how could you not know the trickery involved?"

In Beijing these days, everyone is pretending to be confused.

"Father-in-law, why don't we add fuel to the fire?"

Liu Sanwu's movements suddenly stopped, and after a long while, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes:
"I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shone on the ditch."

Since His Majesty remains obstinate, then let's add fuel to the fire.

(End of this chapter)