Di Ming

Chapter 130: Lost Dog

Seeing that the Wang brothers were not playing by the rules, Zhu Yin suddenly realized something.

He said to Lancha, "Lancha, go around to the back of Wangjiawu Fortress to prevent anyone from leaving through the back door..."

"Yes, sir!" Lancha accepted the order and left.

Zhu Yin continued to watch the drama unfold. He refused to believe that the Wang family could get away with it this time.

Unless the Wang family is broke. But unfortunately, the Wang family's assets are more than enough to warrant Tian Yi's investigation.

Even if Tian Yi knew that the Wang family might not be colluding with the Japanese pirates, he would only pretend to be confused.

Meanwhile, inside Wubao, two trusted guards, following Wang Chaoque's orders, sneaked out through the back gate where no soldiers were present, crossed the moat, and galloped away on horseback.

However, just as the two men reached the official road, an arrow flew out from nowhere and shot one of them off his horse with a whoosh.

Before the other man could react, another arrow came flying, hitting him squarely in the face.

Wang Chaoque never imagined that someone had anticipated his every move and had already guessed that he would send someone to chase Hai Rui, and was waiting here.

He was unaware that the men he sent out had been shot dead.

Seeing that the Wang family refused to open the door, the leading eunuch shouted:
"How dare you defy Lord Tian's orders! You're plotting a rebellion! This is a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan!"

The young men guarding Wubao felt their legs go weak again when they heard words like "rebellion" and "extermination of the clan."

Wang Chaoque drew his embroidered spring knife, pointed it at the eunuchs below, and shouted:

"You audacious traitors! You're about to die and you still dare to talk back! Your siege of the official residence today is treason!"

"My Wang family has been blessed by the nation for generations, sharing its fate. We are born to be the emperor's subjects, the henchmen of the Ming Dynasty! Would I rebel against my own people? You scoundrel!"

At this moment, Wang, the registrar, had also changed into the official robes of an eighth-rank civil official and shouted:
"My thousand local militia are just a few miles away! Once they arrive, you audacious scoundrels will have no choice but to surrender!"

The eunuch turned pale with anger. "We're from the palace! You, you..."

Wang, the registrar, sneered: "So what if you're from the palace! There are plenty of petty thieves who sneak out of the palace and commit misdeeds! Even if you are a thief from the palace, you'd better keep your tail between your legs!"

"How many eunuchs who committed evil deeds outside the palace have been beaten to death by the common people? Weren't they all killed in vain? Hmm?"

The two eunuchs, having overheard this, looked at the large number of villagers watching around them and felt a chill run down their spines.

Yes, there have been quite a few eunuchs who were beaten to death by the "common people" outside the palace.

He really died in vain.

When those civil officials unite in anger, even the emperor can't do anything about it.

This Wang, the registrar, was a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, so wasn't he one of the civil officials?
Registrar Wang continued:
"Even if you really are from the Nanjing Palace, if the Emperor finds out about your misdeeds, he'll skin you alive! Hmph, even if His Majesty were here, as his subject, I must still advise him to manage the palace properly! Don't let your servants tarnish your holy reputation!"

"If Your Majesty does not listen, there are many officials and upright ministers in court!"

"Is your master really Tian Yi? If so, summon him to see me! Hmph, I want to see whether Lord Tian is loyal or treacherous!"

"I want to see whether Lord Tian, ​​as the garrison commander of Nanjing, is on your side or on the side of the gentry and common people of Jiangnan, and on the side of the law and order of the country!"

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, is there no law in the mighty Ming Dynasty?! I, an official well-versed in the classics, do not believe that evil can prevail over good!"

"If it was indeed Lord Tian who sent you here, I will also ask him whether he was studying the classics when he was in the Imperial Academy! I will also ask him whether he did this on his own or whether His Majesty ordered him to do it! If he dares to say that it was His Majesty's will, then he is making His Majesty a foolish ruler! He is currying favor with the wicked ruler!"

The two eunuchs fell silent as they looked at the dignified and awe-inspiring Chief Clerk Wang on the Wu Fort.

If the two of them fail to complete the task, and we still need to ask Master Tian to personally step in, will they still be able to be given important responsibilities in the future?

We must not report this to Lord Tian. Otherwise, while the Wang family will certainly not escape this calamity, the two of us will also be sidelined due to our incompetence.

Zhu Yin frowned upon hearing Wang Chaobi's words.

He finally understood why the eunuchs sent out by the Ming Dynasty emperors were often besieged, driven away, and beaten by the "common people."

These eunuchs were expelled or even beaten to death, but in the end, because the law does not punish the many, the cases were often dropped, and the emperor did not avenge his own servants.

Eunuchs who were beaten to death in the local area died in vain.

To put it bluntly, the powerful gentry class who controlled the grassroots government did not take eunuchs seriously.

Let alone the lowly eunuchs, even a powerful eunuch like Tian Yi was never truly in their eyes.
The Wang brothers knew they had to hold their ground. Not only did they have to hold their ground, they had to escalate the situation!

Making a scene might actually give you a chance to survive!

The two had already guessed that Tian Yi was taking advantage of Hai Rui's departure to use the previous incidents involving the Jesuits and Japanese pirates to implicate others and start a major case.

As for the purpose, it was obviously to make money for that person in the palace.

Hmph, who in officialdom doesn't know that the Emperor loves money and likes to confiscate property?

The emperor whose property was confiscated.

There's no way Tian Yi would smear the Wang family with such a serious charge just for Zhu Yin's sake. He's after the Wang family's money!

It is a crime to possess a treasure!
Once the two understood this, they dared not open the door and could only endure it to the end!
If things escalate and Hai Rui returns, Tian Yi will not only be unable to harm the Wang family, but will also bring trouble upon himself due to opposition from officials and gentry in Southern Zhili.

If things escalate, the emperor will lose face, and Tian Yi will become the scapegoat!
Once the public outrage of Nanjing scholars is ignited, Tian Yi himself will be in grave danger!
In this way, the Wang family would not only escape danger but also become famous, becoming a model of resistance against the eunuch party's harm to the people in Jiangnan, receiving protection from the Jiangnan officialdom, and being praised by scholars.

By then, what can His Majesty do?
If Your Majesty takes action against the Wang family, you will offend the officials and gentry of Nanjing!
Thinking of this, Registrar Wang decided to go all out. Using his status as a civil service official, he loudly proclaimed:

"Your Majesty! These people claim to be Your Majesty's servants! They are besieging the residences of court officials under Your Majesty's banner, intending to kill and rob them!"

When the two eunuchs heard him say this, their faces changed drastically, and their legs trembled.

They've gone mad! The Wang family is trying to escalate things!
But then Wang, the registrar, shouted sternly, "The mausoleum of Emperor Taizu is right here in Nanjing! Emperor Taizu's eyes are like lightning, watching you right now! Hai Gong hasn't gone far, and the people are all watching! The people of Nanjing know perfectly well what's going on!"

"You claim to be Tian Yi's men! Summon Tian Yi here! What do I, an official, fear from eunuchs! I, representing the scholars of Nanjing, want to ask him one question: What do you want? Is this still the Ming Dynasty's domain?"

Wang Chaoque also said sternly, "There are eunuchs using Tian Yi's name to ruin His Majesty's wisdom! They have no respect for the emperor or father, and no regard for the law. They deserve to die! Listen up! My Wang family has been enjoying the Ming dynasty's bounty for generations, and we swear to never coexist with traitors!"

"Today, anyone who dares to besiege the Wang family residence will be killed without mercy!"

The Wang family members immediately roared in anger.

"You eunuch! My Wang family ancestors were the personal guards of the founding emperor! They have enjoyed the imperial salary for generations!"

"Get out of here!"

"What is Tian Yi? He's nothing but His Majesty's dog!"

"The founding emperor is watching!"

The morale of the entire Wubao fortress was immediately boosted. Some members of the royal family even drew their bows and fired arrows at the government troops.

Wang Chaoque drew his sword and shouted at the villagers watching outside Wubao: "These evil eunuchs who harm the people come to my Qingqiao to show off their power, kill and rob, do you agree or not!"

The Wang family's tenants shouted, "No way! Get out, you eunuch!"

Many villagers who were not tenants of the Wang family also joined in the commotion.

The Wang family was certainly no good, but eunuchs were no good either. In common parlance, eunuchs had an even worse reputation.

If forced to choose one, the villagers would rather choose the Wang family than the eunuch.

Seeing the commotion in the crowd, the two eunuchs broke out in a cold sweat.

Zhu Yin angrily threw away the cucumber, his small face extremely gloomy.

Damn, the Wang family is trying to escalate this into a major incident!

Once the matter escalates, the anger of the Nanjing gentry will be ignited, and the cheap uncle will be abandoned by Wanli!
This turn of events was something he hadn't expected.

He underestimated the ruthlessness and fighting ability of the powerful gentry in the late Ming Dynasty.

What to do now? The Wang family has high walls and deep moats, and a large and powerful force; it would take at least a thousand soldiers to take them down.

The government troops who raided the house numbered only two hundred; they couldn't even budge the powerful landlord's fortress.

If we go back to redeploy troops, not only will things escalate further, but the round trip will take at least half a day, and the situation will be difficult to control.

Now, it all depends on whether Gong Ji will listen to me and initiate the planned scheme.

Ning Qingchen whispered in his ear, "Duck, didn't you miscalculate?"

Zhu Yin remained silent. He looked at Gong Ji on Wubao, but Gong Ji did not see him, and the two could not meet his gaze.

At this point, the two eunuchs were completely baffled.

They themselves were well aware that this attempt to seize property and make money was completely unjustified.

Tian Gong himself was unwilling to do it, but he had no choice but to do it because it was his grandfather's secret order.

But if things escalate, then it will be troublesome.

At that time, Tian Gong would have no choice but to punish himself to quell the anger of those scholarly officials.

Just as the two were caught in a dilemma, a special cavalryman stepped forward and said:
"Eunuch Qu, a woman with big feet just delivered a note, saying it was a message from her master."

The eunuch took the note and, after a moment of surprise, couldn't help but show a hint of joy.

At the same time, Zhu Yin finally made Gong Ji see him.

When Gong Ji saw Zhu Yin in the crowd, he suddenly felt much more at ease.

He had been hesitant for a moment, wondering whether or not to take action.

Because the situation had changed. The Wang family dared not open the gate, openly defying the garrison headquarters, and even wanted to escalate the matter.

Zhu Yin looked at Gong Ji on Wubao, and subtly raised his small hand, making a throat-slitting gesture.

Can't wait any longer.

Zhu Yin was certain that if the Wang family held onto Wubao and the situation remained deadlocked, more and more gentry would get the news and come to the scene.

When facing eunuchs who represented imperial power, the gentry of the late Ming Dynasty were always united and also very combative. Once they united to fight against the eunuchs, it was usually the eunuchs who suffered losses.

That's the thing. When there are a lot of people and the momentum builds, Tian Yi will have no choice but to back down.

On the fortress, seeing that the two leading eunuchs had been subdued, the Wang brothers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

By now, the Zhang and Liu families must have received the news.

If they weren't stupid, they wouldn't have stood idly by. Only if things escalated would the Wang family have a chance to survive, and they wouldn't have to worry about following in the Wang family's footsteps.

Wang Chaoque ordered, "Men, go to the warehouse and move five thousand taels of silver. Give each able-bodied man ten taels of silver as a reward and guard it well!"

Gong Ji stepped forward and said, "Secretary Wang, rest assured, as long as I live, they will never be able to break into Wubao!"

Registrar Wang nodded and stroked his beard. "Old Gong, do a good job, and I will definitely promote you. You were originally the Chief Constable of Jiangning, and I will definitely help you get that position back."

Gong Jiu thought to himself: You think I don't know that you played a trick on me when I was dismissed? You think I was kept in the dark? I may not be well-educated, but I'm not stupid.

Gong Ji said gratefully, "Thank you for your kind words, Secretary. I will certainly go through fire and water to repay you..."

At this point, the knife in his hand suddenly stabbed at Wang, the registrar!

Although Wang, the registrar, was wary of Gong Ji, he was still startled when he suddenly launched an attack.

"Oh no!" Wang, the registrar, cried out and turned to run. "He's a spy!"

His guards were also startled, and when they saw Gong Ji suddenly attack, they didn't react for a moment.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.

"Get out of the way!" Gong Ji flashed out two slashes, fast and ruthless, and the two guards blocking his way immediately fell to the ground, struck by the blades. Before Wang Zhubu could run a few steps, Gong Ji caught up with him, and he felt a chill in his back as a blade tip pierced through his chest.

"He really is a spy!" Only now did Registrar Wang believe that Gong Ji was a spy.

It turns out that it wasn't that my elder brother was suspicious, but that I was careless.

In the blink of an eye, from the moment Gong Ji suddenly started killing people to the moment he killed Wang Zhubu and two guards, it all happened.

Even the seasoned Wang Chaoque was stunned. He had initially suspected Gong Ji was unreliable, but seeing how diligently he protected him earlier had dispelled his doubts.

I also hope that through this experience, I can truly consider him a confidant.

Little did he know, his suspicions were not unfounded!
"The Wang family is plotting a rebellion!" Gong Jiu shouted, "Kill them!"

A group of his newly trained servants suddenly rose up and stormed the courtyard gate, intending to open it.

"The Wang family has rebelled! Kill them!" The leading eunuch outside Wubao had received Zhu Yin's note and was waiting for this scene. Seeing Gong Ji's attack, he immediately ordered an attack on Wubao.

The once well-prepared and easily defensible Wangjiawu Fortress was now in complete chaos.

Gong Ji was a ruthless man who could defeat more than ten men. He led a group of people like a tiger among sheep, and none could stand in his way.

In the blink of an eye, they had control of the gate.

It was only then that Wang Chaoque realized that Gong Ji's combat strength far exceeded his expectations.

Without such strong military force, even if he turned against them, it would be difficult to control the gate.

How could Wang Chaoque not know that the tide had turned against him?

Although he was terrified, he reacted quickly and ran straight to the inner courtyard.

Very quickly.

Finished!

Now, escape is the only option left. If we can escape, we can flee to Dongshan, temporarily escape to Baohua Mountain, and hide with Green-Headed Monk for a few days.

If the green hills are left, there is no need to worry about no firewood.

Wang Chaoque fled into the inner courtyard with a livid face. He wandered through the magnificent pavilions and towers, amidst the screams of the women in his household.

Wang Chaoque was a middle-aged man, but at this moment he was as agile as a young man. He rushed into the study, stuffed a handful of ordination certificates into his pocket, and hurriedly fled to the back door, not daring to linger at all.

The Wang family manor was very large, and there were no government troops at the back gate. Wang Chaoque hurriedly lowered the drawbridge, crossed the moat protecting Wubao, and looked as lost and bewildered as a stray dog.

A young woman watched his retreating figure, then laughed bitterly and said, "You've finally met your match, you beast..."

She suddenly realized that her previously arrogant and unyielding father-in-law was really like a stray dog.

As soon as Wang Chaoque left Wubao, he saw the bodies of the two guards he had sent out earlier, both of whom had died from arrow wounds.

He was startled and looked around. A burly young man emerged from behind the tree.

"You, you're that guard from the Zhu family?" Wang Chaoque was horrified. He hurriedly pulled out a stack of ordination certificates. "These certificates are worth a lot of silver, I'll give them all to you! Please, sir, have mercy!"

"I...cannot...let you go," the young man said stiffly in Mandarin.

"You, you're not Han Chinese?" Wang Chaoque was very surprised. "Who, who are you?"

The young man took off his hat, revealing a rat tail.

"You are... a Jurchen!?" Wang Chaoque never expected that Zhu Yin would have Jurchen guards from beyond the Great Wall!
……

Just as Zhu Yin was instructing Gong Ji to take action, the Liu and Zhang families, who were not far away, also received the news.

Just then, Zhang Shixun and Liu Yuanchu were playing chess and looked at each other in shock upon hearing the news.

"Impossible!" Zhang Shixun slammed his chess piece down. "How could the Wang family collude with foreigners to cause trouble? Absolutely impossible! They came prepared, and their intentions are not good!"

Liu Yuanchu frowned. "Why are those eunuchs slandering the Wang family like this? If they want to say that the Wang family is colluding with foreign barbarians and Japanese pirates, then we can do that too."

He narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that they're after the Wang family's wealth? Are they going to implicate others wantonly? Hai Rui just left, and Tian Yi is already doing this. That really is a fabricated charge to confiscate their property."

"I've heard that His Majesty enjoys confiscating property."

“Three-word prison.” Zhang Shixun’s expression was cold. He believed that the Wang family bullied men and women and treated human life like dirt. The Zhang family had done just as much.

But if you say he was secretly colluding with foreign barbarians and Japanese pirates to rebel against the Ming Dynasty, he doesn't believe it!

"It's most likely just about confiscating their property and stealing their wealth," Zhang Shixun said, his face ashen. "If they target the Wang family today, what about tomorrow? Will they target us instead?"

Liu Yuanchu frowned. "Eunuchs are perverse and have no bottom line. Most of the evil deeds committed by them are done by the emperor."

"As scholars, how can we stand idly by?"

To be fair, neither of them wanted to get involved in the Wang family's affairs.

But what if the Wang family falls into Tian Yi's hands? He could then use the Wang family to implicate the Zhang and Liu families, thus implicating himself.
The three families have always been closely allied. Since Tian Yi confiscated the Wang family's property for money, then what will happen next...?

The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became.

It is a crime to possess a treasure!
Liu Yuanchu pondered for a moment, then threw the chess piece in his hand fiercely, gritting his teeth as he said, "We cannot stand idly by now! Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"The only way forward now is to make a big fuss about this!"

Zhang Shixun nodded and said, "Brother Taixuan is absolutely right! Our two families cannot stand idly by, otherwise disaster will befall us! Who can guarantee that we won't be implicated? Hai Rui is gone, and no one is taking it seriously! Whether he is guilty or not, isn't it up to Tian Yi to decide?"

"We can't let the eunuchs do as they please! We can't indulge them. This Nanjing isn't their territory yet!"

Liu Yuanchu stood up and said, "I'll go to the Imperial Academy! I'll also send people to the county and prefectural schools to get all the scholars in Nanjing mobilized!"

"It's time to show those eunuchs the unity of the Nanjing literati. I refuse to believe that the way of the wicked will prevail while the way of the virtuous will decline!"

Zhang Shixun also stood up, "I'll gather my men and go to the Wang family to show our support! I'll help the Wang family make a big scene!"

"If we join forces this time, and things escalate, Tian Yi will be the one who gets burned. We can not only protect ourselves, but also uphold justice, honor the integrity of the literati, and set an example for them!"

Liu Yuanchu said, "The key right now is for the Wang family to defend Wubao. Only if they can hold it can we make a big difference in this matter. If Wubao falls, all our efforts will be in vain."

This is obvious.

If Wubao is not breached, Tian Yi will not be able to capture the person immediately, and the matter will only escalate further.

However, once they stormed into Wubao and took control of the royal family, all the so-called "witnesses and physical evidence" could be proven.

Therefore, before Tian Yi reinforces his troops, while the Wang family is still guarding Wubao, the situation must be made as big as possible to force Tian Yi to withdraw his troops.

At that point, if Tian Yi doesn't withdraw his troops, the situation will be unmanageable; if he does withdraw, he will lose all the initiative.

Thus, a flurry of impeachments will inevitably be sent to Beijing, and Tian Yi will be in grave danger. If the officials in the court exert their influence further, they can remove Tian Yi and replace him with a sensible eunuch in charge.

The two went out together, and just as they were about to go their separate ways, a steward rushed in.

"Young Master, Young Master Liu, the Wang family's fortress has fallen, Emperor Wang Chao has been killed, and Wang Chaoque has fled. It's said the Wang family has rebelled..."

What? Upon hearing this, both Zhang Shixun and Liu Yuanchu's expressions changed drastically.

I thought we could at least hold out for a day, but we fell apart so quickly.

How can we escalate this situation now? There's no chance left.

The two exchanged a glance, both with extremely grim expressions.

"We have no choice but to change our plans," Liu Yuanchu said bitterly. "We should prepare generous gifts immediately and go to the garrison headquarters to pay our respects to Tian Yi. We can't let this matter implicate us."

Zhang Shixun exhaled a breath of stale air, "and also actively denounced the Wang family for treason, drawing a clear line between themselves and the Wang family."

"Hopefully, they'll only target the Wang family. I'll send someone to see my father immediately..."

After discussing it for a while, the two felt much more at ease.

.........

At this time, hundreds of able-bodied men in Wangjiawu Fort had already surrendered and were kneeling on the ground.

When the government troops stormed in, their first action was to arrest the Wang family members, seize the warehouses, and seal off the courtyards.

Soon, evidence was found that the Wang family was colluding with foreigners and Japanese pirates to plot a rebellion.

It was simply "shocking and outrageous".

The leading eunuch immediately reported to Tian Yi that he had found evidence of the Wang family's crimes.

However, Wang Chaoque fled too quickly and is currently being searched for.

When the leading eunuch entered the Wang family's treasury and saw the chests of silver, he couldn't help but beam with joy.

The Wang family is plotting a rebellion; good riddance!

If they hadn't rebelled, wouldn't all that silver still belong to the Wang family? There would be no reason for them to take it.

The leading eunuch could tell at a glance that the Wang family's treasury alone held two to three hundred thousand taels of silver!
With the Wang family's property confiscated, Tian Gong's quota of taxes and levies has been largely met.

Of course, the children who come to ransack the house all benefit.

.........

Seeing that Wangjiawu Fort had been breached, the villagers scattered in horror, and Zhu Yin also hurriedly left.

He couldn't let the outside world know that he was involved in this matter.

He must be spotless and without any "blemishes".

Zhu Yin returned home and went straight to a woodshed.

There was a burlap sack in the woodshed, which was moving erratically.

“Open it,” Zhu Yin said.

Kangxi quickly opened the sack, revealing Wang Chaoque's ashen face.

The once high-ranking and powerful Master Wang of the village was now in a sorry state, disheveled and with his hair in disarray. Where was his former air of wealth and power?
Like a stray dog.

When Wang Chaoque saw Zhu Yin, his eyes first showed astonishment, then understanding.

He knew he had underestimated Zhu Yin, but he didn't expect that his underestimation wasn't enough!

Treating this person like a child was my biggest mistake.

Zhu Yin sat down in front of him, ruffled his hair with a twig, and began to chat casually:
“Kong Jiulang died in this woodshed. Before he died, he asked me to find Green-Headed Monk to kill me, and you agreed. If you hadn’t agreed, he wouldn’t have dared to do it.”

“He said, ‘You only agreed to let Green-Headed Monk enter the village and kill me because of this land. Tell me where the treasure is buried. If I know the secret, I’ll give you a quick death.’”

"If you don't cooperate, a quick death will be a luxury. You must believe me to avoid suffering, really."

Wang Chaoque looked at Zhu Yin in disbelief, hoping to see that the other party was not a child.

But he was disappointed.

With that innocent face, clear eyes, childlike voice, and two topknots on his head, he was clearly a child.

But how could there be such an insidious, vicious, and scheming child in the world?

The woman who gave birth to this child deserves to go to the deepest level of hell!
P.S.: The Wang family has finally been wiped out. The Zhu family is rising to power, and the curtain is slowly rising on their dominance over Qingqiao. Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)