Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 157 This world shouldn't be like this.

February of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen's reign.

"What did you do after you captured Xiangyang?"

Inside the interrogation room, a dejected Zhang Xianzhong, strapped to a chair, shook his head and said, "I don't remember."

His hair was pulled up, and a bright light shone on his face.

"If you don't remember, think about it carefully." The interrogator wasn't in a hurry. "We'll talk when you remember."

Zhang Xianzhong was extremely tired at this time, but he could not fall asleep under the bright light.

"If you're going to kill someone, just kill them. Why go through all this trouble?"

"I just want to die quickly~~~"

The interrogator calmly replied, "You can die if you want, but you must explain yourself clearly."

You must confess everything you have done, who you have harmed, what property you have plundered, and who you have bullied.

That is to say, he has a lot of influence as the Eighth Prince.

Lin Dao gave them a chance to confess their crimes.

Anyone else would have dealt with it immediately.

This interrogation method, which differed from physical punishment, was unbearable even for a seasoned villain like Zhang Xianzhong.

In his dazed state, his brain was working at high speed, and he confessed everything he could remember.

He even confessed to the fact that when he was a child in his hometown of Dingbian County, he had secretly watched the eldest daughter-in-law and young widow taking a bath.

He really couldn't take it anymore and just wanted to die as soon as possible.

In the interrogation room not far away, the heroes who had previously shouted that they would live and die together were now inside.

By this time, they had all wilted like cabbages.

Interrogation under intense light, coupled with mental exhaustion, resulted in him answering whatever was asked.

Sun Kewang said, "It was all ordered by my father; we were just following orders."

The interrogation questioned, "Your father ordered you to die, would you go or not?"

Sun Kewang remained silent.

Li Dingguo said, "My father ordered the massacre of the city. What can we do? We can't disobey my father's orders."

The interrogation questioned, "You call yourselves a righteous army, yet you raise your butcher's knives against innocent civilians, sparing neither the elderly nor infants. And you still have the audacity to bark and shout in front of the commander-in-chief?"

Li Dingguo closed his eyes, only wishing for a swift death.

Liu Wenxiu said, "If we don't rob their grain, what will we eat? If we don't forcibly conscript people, where will we get people to fight?"

The interrogation continued, “You’re stealing lives when you’re robbing grain, and you’re taking people’s very roots when you’re kidnapping them. You’ve cut off the people’s livelihood and are using them as cannon fodder. How dare you call yourselves a righteous army? You’re nothing but a bunch of bandits!”

Liu Wenxiu was speechless.

Ai Nengqi said, "In this chaotic world, by taking in those women, we have actually saved their lives."

The interrogation questioned, "You killed their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons, and humiliated women, yet you can speak so righteously. Why don't you offer up all the women in your family?"

Ai Nengqi muttered, head down, "They're all long dead."

Once thrown back into the prison, Zhang Xianzhong immediately lay down on a haystack and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

Huang Degong, who lived in the cell opposite him, was also deeply saddened by this scene.

The Eighth Prince had already experienced what he was going through some time ago.

That thief Lin ordered his men to treat his wounds, and even used the best medicine for them.

However, the questioning and investigation that needed to be conducted did not stop.

"King of Chu, alas..."

Huang Degong's expression was unreadable.

The prison opposite was previously inhabited by the King of Chu.

After being interrogated, the King of Chu quickly confessed everything he could still remember.

They even revealed a shocking piece of gossip.

King Zhu Hua Kui of Chu was not actually a son of King Gong of Chu!

When King Gong of Chu died without an heir, according to the law, he was either stripped of his kingdom or a member of a branch of his family was chosen to succeed him.

Without a doubt, either option directly harmed the interests of Princess Wang.

The Queen Consort of Chu claimed that the late King of Chu had a posthumous child, and that four children were born at once.

King Gong of Chu, who had no children in the thirty years of his life, suddenly had four illegitimate sons after his death.

The eldest among them was Zhu Huakui, who inherited the title of King of Chu.

In the thirty-first year of the Wanli reign, the case of the fake Prince of Chu was exposed, but it was later dropped.

Unexpectedly, under interrogation, Zhu Huakui confessed that the late princess had told him before her death that he was indeed not the late prince's heir, but rather the illegitimate son of the princess's brother.

This is a secret that should never have been revealed, even unto death.

Under interrogation, Zhu Huakui confessed to everything.

Huang Degong still remembers that Lin Zexu arranged for people to take strange things and draw blood from the fake King of Chu, as well as the blood of several uncles of the King of Chu's mansion.

I don't know what to do with it.

The one I was desperately protecting turned out to be a fake.

Huang Degong didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

The prisoner opposite has been replaced; it's now occupied by his old rival, Zhang Xianzhong.

Huang Degong himself was also interrogated, and was asked about everything from childhood to adulthood, big and small.

It's okay if you don't tell me, but I just won't let you sleep.

The intense light shining directly into my face—the mental anguish I feel just thinking about it now sends chills down my spine.

After an unknown amount of time, the soldiers came in, opened all the prison cells, tied everyone up, and took them away.

"Is it time?"

After being released from prison, Huang Degong squinted and looked up at the sky.

The sun was shining brightly, but it wasn't midday.

Everyone thought they were going to the execution ground, but instead they were all loaded into prison carts and set off with the army, not knowing where they were going.

After traveling for many days, they finally arrived at a large city.

Among the bandit leaders in the prison carts nearby, one exclaimed in surprise, "How did we end up in Xiangyang?"

Outside the city gate, countless people had gathered.

Huang Degong finally met Lin the bandit again.

He was still riding a horse, his figure imposing and his demeanor extraordinary.

When he was bored in prison, Huang Degong would sometimes reminisce.

Although this man is a rebel, he is quite dignified, and his every move exudes confidence.

Compared to the emperor, who was always frowning.
I dare not think about it anymore. How could they compare a bandit chieftain to the emperor?!
"You speak," Lin Dao looked at Zhang Xianzhong and the others in the cage. "You are all rebels like me, I have no right to interrogate you."

"Well."

He raised his riding whip and pointed it at the people not far away, saying, "We are the righteous army, and we should strive to benefit the people and rescue them from suffering."

“If the people are willing to forgive you, I will let you go.”

Calling oneself a righteous army is different from calling oneself a bandit.

The rebels still have a glimmer of hope; the bandits are just mountain bandits, brigands, and river pirates, and everyone has the right to kill them.

The cage was opened, and Zhang Xianzhong and his men were pushed into the crowd.

"This is the Eighth King!"

Lin Dao shouted loudly, "And his trusted old thieves too!"

"If you all believe they are innocent, then please disperse!"

"If there is a deep-seated blood feud, then deal with them as you see fit!"

"I will absolutely not interfere!"

The people gradually became restless, but some were still afraid and dared not step forward.

Lin Dao turned and left, and the group of armored soldiers followed suit.

Huang Degong, still locked in the prison van, tried to turn his head and look around.

Finally, countless people surged forward like a tidal wave, engulfing Zhang Xianzhong and his men.

"Oh~~~"

Huang Degong sighed, "Eighth Prince, you've massacred the city! How can the people forgive you!"

The people are simple and honest.

If you have a grudge, then take revenge!
Zhang Xianzhong plundered and massacred countless cities along his way, causing immense suffering.

With the butcher's knife in hand, the people who were harmed could only dare to be angry but dare not speak out.

But if given the chance for revenge, they will never hesitate!
Huang Degong, inside the prison van, was also puzzled.

Why hasn't that thief Lin killed me yet?

The army marched south, passing through Chengtian Prefecture, Jingzhou Prefecture, and Yuezhou, finally reaching the shores of Dongting Lake.

"The water and sky blend into one color, and the wind and moon are boundless."

Standing in front of Yueyang Tower, Lin Dao looked at Li Bai's couplet and stepped into the tower with a smile.

Huang Degong, whose injuries had improved, also went upstairs under the watchful eyes of his guards.

From the upper floor, one can gaze at Dongting Lake, with Junshan Mountain faintly visible in the distance.

Huang Degong, who had been caught in a dilemma the whole way, couldn't help but say, "No matter what, I will never betray the Emperor!"

While admiring the scenery along the forest path, he turned around in surprise and said, "You're overthinking it."

"I have no intention of using it in the Ming court either."

Huang Degong breathed a sigh of relief, but a sense of disappointment couldn't help but rise in his heart.

He asked the question that had been lingering in his mind: "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Because you did not slaughter the people."

Lin Dao smiled and said, "In the Ming court, you are quite an anomaly."

"Although we killed many peasant soldiers, that was battlefield combat. Once you're on the battlefield, you should be prepared."

"After the war, when men and women were captured, they were not killed, but were instead allowed to return to their hometowns."

“I call myself a righteous army, and I speak and act on behalf of the people.”

“You have never harmed the people, so naturally we will not kill you.”

The civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty were quick to kill people and treated the common people like pigs and dogs.

Huang Degong was truly an anomaly among them.

He's good at fighting, otherwise he would have been killed by his own people long ago.

If we're talking about officials who are ruthless towards the common people, then it has to be the officials with wild boar skins.

Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, many local officials realized that various social problems stemmed from overpopulation.

Their solution was to kill.

Kill if there's an excuse, kill if there isn't.

In many local government offices, thousands of civilians were beheaded every year, their heads piling up like mountains.

This was all a planned and organized removal of people from the population.

"This world shouldn't be like this."

Lin Dao looked out over Dongting Lake and said, "The government, the Tartars, the bandits, and the gentry all joined forces."

"They plundered the people's property and killed their relatives."

"But the people have grievances but cannot seek redress, and have grudges but cannot avenge them."

"No one speaks up for them, no one avenges them."

"What they rely on is nothing more than weapons."

"I have come. I speak for the people. I also have weapons."

A flash of blue light appeared on Lin Dao's face.

"The imperial court, the Tartars, the bandits, and the gentry."

“I will teach them exactly how they harmed the people.”

"I'm keeping you here so you can see for yourself what kind of rubbish the court you serve really is."

"Let me show you how much better life will be for ordinary people without these scourges."

"Yuezhou is distributing land; you can go and take a look."

Under the watchful eye of a group of guards, Huang Degong traveled to many places in Yuezhou.

Only then did he realize that there were no more self-cultivating farmers and small landowners in the area.

All land was highly concentrated in the hands of local gentry and powerful princes and nobles.

The common people were reduced to tenant farmers in name only, but serfs in reality.

He even saw that many people were not properly clothed while working in the fields.

The people toiled for a year, and almost all their harvest was stolen. What they had left was not enough to make clothes, let alone survive by starving.

There are even worse cases in the north, but those were caused by natural disasters and war.

The South is usually peaceful, yet it is so desolate.

Without a doubt, this is a man-made disaster.

Huang Degong was in utter turmoil. Was this the Ming Dynasty he had risked his life to protect?

(End of this chapter)