Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 126 How dare he!

The gates of Nanjing were sealed off, and the entire city was searched.

All the yamen runners from Yingtian Prefecture, Shangyuan County, and Jiangning County were mobilized.

By order of the garrison eunuch and the Central Military Commission, the Nanjing Garrison dispatched troops to assist the yamen runners in capturing beggars throughout the city.

The murder of a noble prince is an unprecedented case.

The entire city of Jinling was filled with fear and unease.

From the perspective of ordinary people, it looks like the sky is falling.

Rumors circulating in the streets and alleys can easily last for a month.

However, from the perspective of the nobles and powerful officials, the situation was quite different.

The nobles had only one thought in mind.

"How dare he!"

The nobles of the Ming Dynasty were essentially no different from the princes.

Having been suppressed by civil officials for many years, he had almost no chance to rise in the political arena.

Although they were in charge of the army, they gradually lost their military power two hundred years ago.

Under such circumstances, the minds of the nobles were focused on making money and enjoying themselves.

Lin Dao's business, in their eyes, is like a golden egg, a dazzling mountain of gold that makes people lose their senses!
Faced with such immense wealth, the face of Qian Qianyi, Ruan Dacheng, and others was utterly worthless.

Only by respecting the eunuch in charge could they barely suppress it.

However, this suppression is gradually loosening as Jubaolou earns more and more money.

It started with Xin Chengbo's attempt to bribe him, but the man didn't even consider it a threat.

This time, it was the Ningjin Marquis's family that stepped forward to test Lin Dao's strength and weakness.

If you are too lenient, the next time they will take advantage of you and keep pushing your limits until they completely swallow you up.

If someone is stubborn, then you need to gradually temper and suppress them.

As long as we're in Jinling City, there are plenty of ways to cause him trouble.

The nobles were not in a hurry.

After all, the eunuch in charge of the garrison would eventually have to leave.

By then, the forest road, which had amassed a vast collection of rare and exotic treasures, would become the toys they could concoct at will.

They thought Lin Dao would retaliate, and the merchant from Luzhou Prefecture had been hidden away long ago.

Unexpectedly, Lin Dao didn't go looking for the merchant, but instead directly attacked and killed the heir of the Marquis of Ningjin.

Although there was no direct evidence, they were certain that Lin Dao had done it.

That's the heir of a noble family, such a prestigious status!
Even notorious thieves have to avoid him.

And it even involved the use of gunpowder!
Even the most notorious thieves couldn't get their hands on this.

Aside from the military, there was only the armory.

The armory, on the other hand, was controlled by the eunuch in charge of guarding it.

The heir of the Marquis of Ningjin has many enemies.

There are countless cases of people bullying men and women, seizing other people's property, and driving entire families to their deaths.

But those victims, at most, come seeking revenge with knives, spears, and halberds.

gunpowder?

It was a quantity of gunpowder so large that it blew the entire carriage to smithereens' graves, a quantity that even the heir of the Marquis of Ningjin couldn't piece together.

The various military camps investigated and indeed found a significant shortage of gunpowder.

But everyone knows where these deficits went; they certainly weren't used for the heir of the Marquis of Ningjin.

The only thing the nobles knew was the whereabouts of the thousands of kilograms of gunpowder in the armory, which was under the control of the eunuch in charge of guarding the garrison. They only had a general idea, not the specifics.

"Lin Dao has the support, or at least the tacit approval, of the garrison eunuch."

"They used gunpowder from the armory, bribed the coachman and others, and secretly hid it on the carriage."

"This is the truth!"

The nobles revealed the truth of the matter.

But they were deeply impressed by Lin Dao's courage.

How dare he!

'Snapped! '

The expensive imperial kiln teacup was smashed to pieces on the ground.

"How dare he!"

Han Zanzhou was furious!

Thinking back, I had previously praised Lin Dao, saying he was bold, ambitious, and exceptionally capable.

His decisiveness in doing things is comparable to that of Zhang Jiangling back in the day.

Unexpectedly, they were incredibly audacious, daring to target even the son of a noble family.

What's even more ruthless is that he immediately used himself as a shield.

Han Zanzhou was both angry and surprised.

How dare Lin Dao?

That's the heir of a noble family!
How dare he!

"Grandfather," Eunuch Wang said with a beaming smile, stepping forward to help Han Zanzhou sit down. "Don't get upset."

He skillfully brewed another cup of tea and placed it in front of his ancestor.

Then he stood behind her and gently massaged her shoulders.

"Ancestor, Lin Dao is making an example of someone to warn others."

"I know," Han Zanzhou said, still furious as he picked up his new teacup. "But they went too far."

"ruthless?"

Eunuch Wang chuckled and said, "If you gentlemen want his life and fortune, then you're not ruthless enough?"

"Actually, this is a good thing."

"He has offended everyone, so he will have no choice but to obey the ancestors from now on."

"His immense wealth, isn't it something that the ancestor could take however he wanted?"

Han Zanzhou's anger subsided slightly. "But what about the lords?"

"To put it bluntly," Eunuch Wang added, "our ancestor will be gone in two years."

"If we leave Jubao Tower behind, all the nobles will fight tooth and nail for it. Who will care about making things difficult for our ancestor?"

"Besides, the Emperor has been urging us to find the person, and all the rare treasures we're offering are thanks to Master Lin."

"Protecting Master Lin for two years is not a big deal."

Han Zanzhou fell into deep thought.

After a moment, she said with a hint of reluctance, "Are we just going to let him take the blame like this?"

"Of course we can't let him off so easily," Eunuch Wang said with a smile. "Putting everything else aside, taking almost a percentage of his Jubao Tower's shares isn't unreasonable, is it?"

"Hmm~"

Han Zanzhou narrowed his eyes. "Go and handle this matter. Let's see if Master Lin knows what's good for him."

If he knows what's good for him, keeping him safe for a year or two wouldn't be too bad.

Once I leave office, I will leave such a bold and reckless person to the nobles to deal with as they see fit.

Back in his residence, Eunuch Wang wrote a letter and summoned his godson to "send it to Master Lin."

“Tell him that I have taken care of things here, and that the ancestor has agreed.”

After his godson left, Eunuch Wang carefully took out a brand new Polaroid camera.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, I happily took a picture of myself with this amazing item.

“We’ll do the job once we get paid; we’ll never take your things for nothing.”

Lin Dao finished reading Eunuch Wang's letter, then casually took out a lighter and lit it.

"You all want my money, aren't you afraid of suffocating yourselves!"

From Lin Dao's perspective, he would dare to forcibly demolish not only the heir of the Ningjin Earl, but even the Ningjin Earl's mansion.

In the eyes of the common people of the Ming Dynasty, these nobles were as unshakeable as the heavens.

In Lin Dao's eyes, they were no different from the wild yellow-eared worms in Yonghe Time and Space.

Nobles without military power are nothing but a fart.

The military camps converted from imperial estates outside the city, nominally numbering eight thousand but actually boasting as many as twenty-seven thousand men, are Lin Dao's source of confidence.

This is a warning shot; as long as it can deter others for two months, that's enough.

When the summer taxes and autumn grains arrive in Jinling City, the forest road will be opened wide.

It's okay if we can't control it; we can just unleash our full power today.

Money and provisions are things that are better to have, but not essential.

No one in the whole world has more money and provisions than him!
Lin Dao stood up, and a sound of chainmail rubbing came from the air.

He stepped out of the door and into the courtyard.

There were over a hundred young guards dressed in iron armor sitting on the ground resting. When they saw Lin Dao come out, they all bowed.

A guard stepped forward, brought a chair, and placed it down.

On a round table to the side, there were several rows of walkie-talkies.

Lin Dao sat down and said, "Wait patiently."

Wait, wait for the reaction of the nobles.

If they had spared this time because of the eunuch in charge of the garrison.

Then they can enjoy two more months of wealth and luxury.

If I can't swallow this anger, I'll have to take action immediately.

There's not much more to say, Lin Dao will unleash his full power today.

Lin Dao leaned back in his mahogany chair and closed his eyes.

"I do hope you guys can be more manly and not just kneel like you're subduing wild boars."

The Duke's Mansion of the State of Wei.

If the garrison eunuch is the most prominent figure in Jinling City, then...

The Duke of Wei was, in a true sense, the person in charge of Jinling.

"My lord~~~"

The contemporary Earl of Ningjin, Liu Yunji, disregarded all decorum and prostrated himself before Xu Hongji, weeping and pleading, "Please, Your Excellency, grant me justice!"

The nobles of Jinling City have been intermarrying with each other for over two hundred years, and have long been intertwined with each other as relatives.

For example, Liu Yunji married one of Xu Hongji's aunts, making him his uncle.

With an air of authority, Xu Hongji raised his hand and patted the rosewood chair. "Get up and speak."

Wiping away tears, Liu Yunji stood up, choking back sobs as she said, "My Hong'er, he died so tragically~~~"

It was truly tragic; they couldn't even find a single corpse.

All the nobles and dignitaries in the city who could come, came.

A crowd gathered there, each with a different expression.

Some people gloated, some shared the same hatred, some watched the spectacle, and some remained indifferent.

Everyone is watching Xu Hongji.

This Duke of Wei, who has held the title for over forty years, is the pillar of stability in the entire city of Jinling.

"Are you sure it was this person who did it?"

Xu Hongji was somewhat surprised. Are young people these days so daring?
That's a noble prince, how dare he!

"It must be this person!"

Xu Wenjue, whose face still bore the marks of a beating, grinned and said, "This man has always been audacious. I heard that it was this man who proposed the establishment of the Jinling Brave Guard to divide up the taxes."

"These eunuchs are truly courting death."

Chang Yanling, who had previously fought with Xu Wenjue on the pleasure boat, then remarked, "He has committed such a treasonous act because he has the support of the eunuch faction."

"Last night it was Brother Liu, who is it today? And who will it be tomorrow?"

"If we are not punished, won't we become a laughing stock?"

Xu Hongji gently tapped the armrest.

He knew very well that the trouble actually started with the people in front of him.

They coveted the eunuchs' gold mines and wanted to steal their business.

As a result, they were stunned when the other person slapped them in the face.

But right and wrong don't really matter.

There is no justice in this world.

If someone takes a liking to your things, it's a sign of respect.

Not only did you refuse to give it to me, but you also dared to resist; you've already committed suicide.

Having thought this through, Xu Hongji had already made up his mind.

He had one last question: "What is the value of the Jubao Tower?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy.

They chattered about the treasures inside the Treasure Pavilion and how valuable they were.

It's obvious they spent a lot of money on it.

Xu Hongji picked up his teacup, took a sip, and calmly said, "After the confiscation, the Duke of Wei's mansion will take half."

Everyone was stunned.

That's an enormous appetite! The treasures inside the Treasure Pavilion are worth far more than a million taels of silver.

Moreover, I've heard that Lin Dao only accepts gold and other valuables, but I haven't seen him take them away.

Such a huge sum of money, and you're asking for half of it?!
"Cough~" Xu Hongji put down his teacup and calmly said, "If the garrison eunuch has anything to say, let him come and talk to me."

This is Xu Hongji's source of confidence!
In the entire city of Jinling, only he was able to withstand the garrison eunuch.

Everyone was overjoyed.

They had long wanted to devour Lin Dao whole, skin and bones.

Everyone knows that those are members of the eunuch faction, protected by a garrison eunuch.

Now that the Duke of Wei has stepped in, we can finally make our move.

"Send a memorial to Yingtian Prefecture."

"Close the store and arrest the people!"

(End of this chapter)