In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 988 Eradicate the Weeds at the Root! Leave No One Alone

The night was as dark as ink, and the side gate of the imperial city slowly opened.

Guo Zhen, clad in black iron armor and with a long sword at his waist, led five hundred imperial guards out of the imperial city without a sound.

The horse's hooves, wrapped in thick linen, made only a soft, muffled thud as they stepped onto the bluestone pavement.

The moonlight shone on the armor, giving it a cold, sharp gleam.

He reined in the horses and glanced back at the outline of the imperial city.
Without the slightest hesitation in his eyes, the military order he received contained only one sentence:

"Leave no one from Lianbao Trading Company alive."

He understood the ruthlessness in her words better than anyone else.

Such a thing, done without trial or inquiry, is a direct and complete elimination of the problem.
The Ming Dynasty has not appeared for many years.

Five hundred imperial guards moved silently through the city and soon arrived at the south side of the city.

"Sir, the main branch of Lianbao Trading Company is just ahead."

The guard lowered his voice to report, pointing to a patch of lights not far away.

The gatehouse of Lianbao Trading Company is exceptionally grand.
A gilded plaque hangs above the vermilion gate, flanked by two stone lions at the entrance.
Four burly guards stood there, pacing back and forth, each holding an iron rod.
The huge lanterns overhead emitted a hazy glow, illuminating the open space in front of the door in a bright red.

Guo Zhen narrowed his eyes, dismounted, and lowered his voice to a whisper:

"Proceed according to plan! One team blocks the back door, one team breaks through the front door. Don't let a single one escape! Move out!"

The Imperial Guards responded with a resounding roar, their movements as swift as leopards.

The imperial guards at the main gate drew their crossbows and aimed them at the gatekeepers.

With a "whoosh," the arrow pierced the night sky.
Before the guard could utter a sound, he collapsed to the ground.

Just as the remaining guards were about to resist, the imperial guards who rushed up swung their swords and cut them down. Blood splattered on the vermilion gate, making the paint on the gate even more intense.

"Break the door!"

At Guo Zhen's command, two imperial guards slammed into the gate.

"Bang!"

The latch broke, and the door was kicked open.

Panic-filled shouts immediately erupted from inside the shop.
Several accountants ran out, clutching their abacuses.
Before he could speak, he was pinned to the ground by the Imperial Guards, and a long sword was placed against his neck.

"By order of His Majesty, investigate and confiscate the traitorous merchants' businesses and annihilate them all!"

Guo Zhen, carrying a knife, walked into the shop step by step, his gaze sweeping across the courtyard.
A dozen or so men were running towards the back door.
However, they were stopped by the Imperial Guards blocking the gate, and cries for mercy rose and fell.

A steward in a brocade robe ran out from the inner courtyard, clutching an account book in his hand, his face deathly pale.
"General! It's a misunderstanding! We are a legitimate business!"

Guo Zhen didn't waste any words with him and immediately swung his knife.

The manager's head rolled to the ground, the ledgers were scattered all over the floor, and the pages flew everywhere.

"Search! Check every room, account books, letters, don't miss a single one!"

Guo Zhen gave a stern order, and the Imperial Guards immediately dispersed.
The doors to each room were kicked open, and the sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets filled the air.

In the backyard storeroom, several workers were about to set a pile of letters on fire.
The Imperial Guards had already broken down the door, but before the fire could even be lit, the men were hacked to the ground.

Guo Zhen walked in, picked up an unburned letter,

The sign reads: "The seafood is ready and will be delivered to the palace tomorrow."

He sneered and then looked at the crates of seafood piled up in the warehouse.

The clams inside were still spitting out water, their shells covered with a faint red algae. Many had already been picked out and piled up to the side.

"Seal all these things and take them back to the palace!"

Guo Zhen gave the order, his gaze sweeping over the corpses in the courtyard without a trace of pity.

Half an hour later, all the lights inside the shop were extinguished.
All that remained were bloodstains and corpses.

Guo Zhen, accompanied by the Imperial Guards, carrying account books and sealed boxes of aquatic products, headed towards the Imperial City.

In the darkness of night, the gatehouse of the trading company remained imposing, yet it exuded a deathly stillness.

Before long, a group of thirty Imperial Guards quietly arrived.

They raised their hands and extinguished the lanterns at the entrance of the shop.

Centurion Wang Tong stepped forward, smelling the blood seeping from inside.

With a serious expression, he gave the order in a deep voice:
"The lord has ordered that all corpses be destroyed and all bloodstains be cleaned up!"

"Yes!"

The group gave a low shout and quickly rushed into the shop.

Wang Tong followed them in, and the overwhelming smell of blood made everyone hold their breath.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and he saw that the hall was littered with severed limbs and dismembered bodies.
Some were even chopped in two, their bodies separated.

The long trail of blood stretched a considerable distance, clearly indicating that the person had not died immediately.

Even with his extensive experience, Wang Tong had never seen such a bloody scene in the capital.

He took a deep breath and spoke loudly:
"Hurry up! Search the bodies and houses again, and take away anything suspicious!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, outside the Jingning Marquis's Mansion on Zhangde Street in Dagongfang,
Xu Huizu was dressed in the court robes of a Duke, with a long sword bestowed by the Emperor by his late father hanging at his waist.

Standing at the gate of the Marquis's residence, his face was so dark it could drip water.

He was followed by Du Pingping and a group of Imperial Guards.

Two hundred imperial guards surrounded the Marquis's residence completely.

The guards at the entrance of the Marquis's mansion were so frightened by the commotion that they hurriedly closed the gate, only to have it pushed open by the Imperial Guards, who instantly placed long swords against their necks.

"Ye Xingyao, come out and receive the imperial decree!"

Xu Huizu's voice was loud and clear, penetrating the walls of the Hou Mansion and reaching the inner courtyard.

Ye Xingzhen, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Jingning, was sitting in his study examining the estate's account books.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside the courtyard.
Immediately following was the crisp sound of armor clashing, mixed with the guards' startled shouts.

He suddenly looked up and asked sharply:

"what happened?"

The account book fell from his hand onto the desk. He strode out of the study, and just as he turned the corner of the corridor,
A dozen or so imperial guards stood in the center of the courtyard, swords in hand.

The dark armor gleamed coldly in the lantern light.

The leader was dressed in the robes of a duke and wore a long sword at his waist.

"Wei Guogong?"

Ye Xingzhen's heart sank. Suppressing his shock, he quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting:

"You've arrived at the Han residence so late at night, and with so many imperial guards—is there some misunderstanding?"

His eyes swept over the courtyard gate, where the guards had been pinned to the ground.

With a long knife held to his neck, he had no chance to resist.

Xu Huizu didn't look at him, his gaze sweeping directly towards the inner courtyard, his voice chillingly cold:

"By imperial decree, arrest the traitor Ye Xingyao. All irrelevant persons, step back!"

"Rebel?"

Ye Xingzhen's expression changed drastically, and his fingers clenched tightly around his sleeves:

What does the Duke of Wei mean by that?
My younger brother, Xingyao, has always been well-behaved; how could he be a rebel? Is there some mistake?

Xu Huizu turned to look at him, his eyes devoid of any warmth:
"Ye Xingzhen, His Majesty's decree cannot be wrong."
Ye Xingyao is colluding with the rebels; the evidence is irrefutable. If you continue to obstruct him, you will be an accomplice!

These words struck Ye Xingzhen like a heavy blow.
He staggered back a step, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

"How could this be? There must be some misunderstanding!"

He wanted to argue further, but Xu Huizu raised his hand and waved it away:
"Search! Bring Ye Xingyao out!"

The Imperial Guards immediately dispersed, kicking open the doors of each room. The sounds of breaking wood and screams of women filled the air.

Ye Xingzhen tried to step forward to stop them, but two imperial guards held him down by the shoulders, rendering him unable to move.
"Young Master Ye, we are acting under orders, please do not interfere!"

"Let me go! Do you know where you are? This is the Jingning Marquis's residence!"

Ye Xingzhen struggled, but was held down firmly by the Imperial Guards.
They could only watch helplessly as the doors to the inner courtyard were smashed open one by one.

Before long, two imperial guards dragged a man out; it was Ye Xingyao.

His hair was disheveled, and he was still wearing his pajamas.

One shoe was long gone, his ankles were covered in mud, and his face was ashen.

Upon seeing Ye Xingzhen, tears welled up in his eyes instantly:
"Brother! Save me! I didn't commit treason! They framed me!"

Du Pingping stepped out from behind Xu Huizu, holding a scroll of documents in her hand, and said calmly:
"Second Young Master, whether this is a frame-up or not, we need to go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters to find out."
There's no need to rush here.

Ye Xingyao's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the flying fish robe he was wearing, and his lips trembled:

"I won't go! I've been framed!"

"take away!"

Xu Huizu ignored his struggles.

At a command, the Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward and put an iron chain around Ye Xingyao's neck.

Ye Xingyao struggled as the Imperial Guards dragged him away.

As he passed Ye Xingzhen, he reached out to grab the other's sleeve, but was kicked away by the Imperial Guard.

"be honest!"

"Big brother! Save me! Go find Father! Get him to save me!"

Ye Xingyao's cries echoed throughout the courtyard.
But they were quickly drowned out by the footsteps of the Imperial Guards.

Ye Xingzhen watched his younger brother being dragged away.

His face was extremely pale, yet he couldn't move at all. Until Ye Xingyao's voice completely disappeared...

Xu Huizu turned to look at him, his tone still cold and hard:

"Effective immediately, the Jingning Marquis's residence is under lockdown."

No one in the manor is allowed to step outside the gates, awaiting inspection!

"Seal off the Marquis's residence?"

Ye Xingzhen looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief:

"Duke of Wei! This is utterly absurd!"
"My Ye family has fought for the imperial court for half our lives, and can't we even earn a word of trust in return?"

"Merits and demerits cannot offset each other; the crimes of the traitors will result in the extermination of nine generations of their families."

Xu Huizu interrupted him and waved his hand:
"Everyone move to the courtyard and continue the search!"

Du Pingping stepped on the scattered pieces of wood in the yard and walked straight to the study.

The lantern light shone through the mess on the ground—scattered books, broken porcelain vases, and...

A faint scent of ink lingered in the air.

However, the tense atmosphere disrupted everything.

His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on the bookshelf in the center.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were masters of concealment.
Ordinary drawers and the bottom of boxes can never hide important things.

Du Pingping walked to the bookshelf, her fingertips brushing over classics such as the Analects and the Zizhi Tongjian.

Suddenly, it stopped in front of the bottom row of the "Great Ming Code".

The spacing between these books is half a finger wider than elsewhere, and they sound hollow when tapped, unlike a solid wooden frame.

He pushed forward with a little force, and the bookshelf slid back half an inch, revealing a hidden compartment.
Inside was a palm-sized rosewood box with a rusted copper lock.

"My lord, we've found it!"

The Imperial Guards who followed in had their eyes light up.
Just as he was about to reach for it, Du Pingping raised her hand to stop him.

He pulled a small silver knife from his waist, carefully pried open the brass lock, and lifted the lid of the box.

There were no gold or silver treasures inside, only a few yellowed letters tied with red string, the writing on the covers already somewhat blurred.

Du Pingping picked up a letter, her fingertips twisting the yellowed paper.
By the light of the lantern, I examined the letter closely. It was from when Hu Weiyong was prime minister.

The contents of the letter discussing military supplies for the Western Barbarians with Ye Sheng revealed a familiarity between them.

The other letter was from Li Shanchang to Ye Sheng, which discussed the land reclamation project in the tenth year of the Hongwu reign and urged him to be careful with his words and actions and not to get involved in factional strife.

"Ah"

Du Pingping chuckled softly and put the letter back into the wooden box.
These old letters might have been just routine official correspondence back then.
But now that Hu and Li are both members of the rebel party, these letters have become evidence of their crimes.

"Seal the box tightly and take it back. There can be no mistakes whatsoever."

"Yes!"

The young Imperial Guard quickly took out oiled paper, wrapped the wooden box tightly, and stuffed it into his robes.

Xu Huizu's voice came from outside the study:
"Lord Du, have you finished searching?"

Du Pingping carefully put the wooden box inside and left the study.
Seeing Xu Huizu standing in the courtyard, watching the Imperial Guards gather all the servants of the Marquis's residence under the eaves,
Men and women huddled together, their faces pale.

Ye Xingzhen was held down by the shoulders by two imperial guards.

Standing at the very front, his face ashen, he no longer struggled.

"Duke of Wei, we found some account books and letters, and this too."

Du Pingping pointed to the wooden box in her arms, without revealing its contents.

Xu Huizu understood, and his brows furrowed even more:

"Leave fifty Imperial Guards to guard the area, affix seals, and no one is allowed to enter or leave."

Xu Huizu walked up to Ye Xingzhen, his tone still cold and hard:
"It's not that I'm being ruthless, but His Majesty has decreed that the matter of the rebels must be thoroughly investigated."

If you stay put, and it is later found that you have nothing to do with this, your innocence will be cleared.

If you dare to collude with outsiders, don't blame me for not showing any mercy.

Ye Xingzhen raised his head, his eyes filled with anger:
"With the Duke of Wei acting like this today, what old friendship is left to speak of?"

Xu Huizu stopped looking at him and turned to the commander of the Imperial Guards behind him, saying:
"Keep an eye on this place. Tomorrow morning, the three judicial departments will come to interrogate you."

"Yes!"

The commander bowed in response and immediately ordered someone to fetch the seal.
The white-on-black "封" (seal) character was particularly glaring under the lantern light, and it was pasted on the main gate and side gate of the Marquis's mansion.

Du Pingping followed Xu Huizu out of the Marquis's residence, casually glancing around. Several figures flashed by in the shadows.

It's obvious without even thinking that they were people from other powerful families in Zhangde Street who came to scout out the situation.

Xu Huizu ignored him, mounted his horse, and said to Du Pingping:
"Send the evidence to the palace as soon as possible; His Majesty is waiting for a reply."

"Don't worry, we'll interrogate Ye Xingyao tonight and get some information out of him."

Du Pingping also mounted her horse, and the two led the people towards the imperial city.
Only the imperial guards remained at the entrance of the Marquis's mansion; a gentle breeze carried a chilling atmosphere.

It was late at night, but the lights in all the houses on Zhangde Street were already on.
Gone was the usual liveliness; only whispers rose and fell, along with a lingering sense of panic.

Why did it start again?

The iron gates of the Imperial Guard prison were pushed open.

A cold wind, carrying the smells of mold, rust, and blood, swept over us, causing the torches to flicker violently.

Ye Xingyao was dragged by two prison guards, staggering and falling into his cell.

His knees slammed heavily against the cold, damp flagstones, causing him to gasp in pain.

"Let me go! My father is the Marquis of Jingning! How dare you treat me like this!"

Ye Xingyao struggled to get up.
But the jailer stepped on his back and forced him back to the ground.

The rough linen prison uniform rubbed against the stone slab, making his skin sting.

Deep inside the prison cell, Du Pingping sat on a wooden chair, toying with an iron ball in her hand.

He looked at Ye Xingyao writhing on the ground, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips:
"Once you're in this prison, even if your father comes, you'll have to behave."

Second Young Master, if you know what's good for you, confess to your treason to avoid physical punishment.

Ye Xingyao raised his head, his hair disheveled and plastered to his face, his eyes filled with terror and resentment:
"I didn't! That's a frame-up! I didn't commit treason!"

Du Pingping waved his hand, and a member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward and slammed the document into his face.

"Look, the evidence is conclusive."

Ye Xingyao, having gained a brief moment of freedom, scrambled to his knees and began flipping through the documents.

The blood from between his fingers smeared onto the paper, making it blurry.

His pupils slowly dilated, his face grew increasingly pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"I do manage the Lotus Treasure Trading Company, but I have never seen any red tide algae! Nor have I ever harmed the Crown Prince!"

"never seen it?"

Du Pingping took an account book from the guard beside her and threw it in front of Ye Xingyao. The account book unfolded, revealing the writing inside.

"These are account books seized from Lianbao Trading Company. The handwriting on them is not yours."

"A hundred pounds of algae were harvested for preserving aquatic products. What kind of algae is this?"

Ye Xingyao stared at the handwriting in the ledger, his face suddenly turning pale:
"I remember now!"

The manager said, "This is just ordinary seaweed, used to preserve seafood so it doesn't die on the way!"

I had no idea that stuff was poisonous!

"Ordinary seaweed?"

Du Pingping stood up, walked to Ye Xingyao, and stepped on the account book:

"Last year, a fisherman at Huangyao Saltworks stole clams from the saltworks and died suddenly after eating them. Why wasn't this reported?"

Did you have someone throw the body into the river?

"I don't know! I didn't have anyone dispose of the body!"

Ye Xingyao's voice began to tremble.
He had indeed heard that people had died at the fishing grounds.
But the manager said it was just an accidental drowning and he never thought of investigating it further.

Du Pingping shook her head and gave the jailer beside her a wink:
"It seems that Young Master Ye wants to experience the methods of the Imperial Prison and try the torture with the cangue."

Two jailers immediately stepped forward and took Ye Xingyao's hands.

He inserted his fingers into the rusty clamp.
The clamps were still stained with dried blood, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

"My lord, spare me! I really didn't know!"

Ye Xingyao struggled desperately, tears and snot streaming down his face, his former arrogance completely gone.

"Do it."

Du Pingping turned her back, unwilling to witness the bloody scene.

But they could clearly hear the creaking sound of the clamps tightening, and Ye Xingyao's heart-wrenching screams.

"Ah! My hand! It's broken! I'll confess! I'll confess!"

Ye Xingyao trembled all over in pain, his prison clothes soaked with cold sweat, and his finger bones felt as if they were about to be crushed.

But after shouting, he just collapsed to the ground, repeatedly muttering:
"I don't know. I really don't know you've made a mistake. You've made a mistake."

Du Pingping turned around and looked at Ye Xingyao, whose forehead veins were bulging and whose face was as pale as paper, with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Ordinary sons of noble families would be terrified at the mere sight of torture instruments, let alone the torture rack.

How could Ye Xingyao stubbornly refuse to admit it?

Is there really something hidden?

(End of this chapter)