Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 116 Come on! Let's hurt each other! [Seeking monthly votes]

Zhang Biao's words, "I only ask for a swift death! Please grant my request, Your Majesty," were spoken with perfect diction and heartfelt sincerity.

It was as if they weren't going to their deaths, but rather to receive some enormous reward.

Old Zhu was so angry at his "dead pig doesn't fear boiling water" attitude that his vision went black again, and he swayed, but Yunming quickly supported him.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Old Zhu uttered three "good"s in succession, his chest heaving violently, and the murderous intent in his eyes almost solidified:
"We'll grant your wish! We'll do it right now—"

"His Majesty is wise!"

Before Old Zhu could finish speaking, Li Tiesheng, the old censor who was nearly driven mad by Zhang Biao, seemed to have finally found an opportunity to show his loyalty. He struggled forward a few steps and shouted in a loud voice:
"Your Majesty! Zhang Biao is a scoundrel, wildly arrogant and rebellious, slandering the sacred teachings and shaking the foundations of the nation. He deserves to die a thousand deaths, and even being torn to pieces would not be too much!"

He first affirmed Old Zhu's decision, then changed the subject, his finger trembling as he pointed to Shen Lang, Li Mo, Sun Gui, and the others kneeling behind Zhang Biao, who were already pale with fright. His voice was as sharp as an owl's:
"However!"

"Your Majesty, please look! Zhang Biao is not the only one who is insane! How could such heretical words go unheeded and unpromoted?"

"Shen Lang, Li Mo, Sun Gui, Wu Naida, Zhao Fengman and others are willing to be Zhang Biao's lackeys and henchmen, colluding with him and serving his cause!"

"They audited the nobles of the Six Ministries and disrupted the court; they are all accomplices!"

"If they can follow Zhang Biao today to slander the sacred doctrines and abolish Confucianism, they will dare to do even more rebellious things tomorrow!"

"These are Zhang Biao's cronies, the very foundation of the nation's calamities!"

"Your Majesty, I beg you with tears in my eyes!"

As Li Tiesheng spoke, he banged his head on the ground, making a loud thud.

It felt like he was just learning and putting it into practice, and he managed to make some of the "art of dying for justice" taught by Zhang Biao work.

His blood instantly stained the gold bricks red.

But the voice did not stop, and it continued in a righteous and resounding tone:

"To prevent future troubles and to set the record straight, I urge Your Majesty to execute Zhang Biao and all his cronies in a public and lawful manner! This will serve as a warning to others and will reassure the scholars of the land!"

boom!
The whole audience was shocked!

"I second the proposal!"

"Zhang Biao's faction must not be allowed to live!"

"Please, Your Majesty, deal with them all at once to prevent future troubles!"

"..."

Other upright officials, as if they had found an outlet for their frustrations and a target to express their loyalty, followed suit, kowtowing and shouting, determined to put Shen Lang and Li Mo to death as well.

They hated Zhang Biao to the core, and by extension, they hated those who "followed the madman."

They also wanted to take this opportunity to completely eliminate dissidents and demonstrate their determination and strength in defending the orthodox tradition.

Inside the duty room, Fu Youwen was taken aback when he saw this scene, then a cold smile appeared on his lips: "Interesting, very interesting."

"Ha, Li Tiesheng, that old fool, he certainly knows how to climb the ladder..."

Ru Chang chuckled sinisterly, then changed the subject, saying, "However, this is exactly what I wanted! These 'mad dogs' are only a nuisance if left alive; let's get rid of them all!"

"Exactly that."

Zhai Shan nodded and said, "If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze."

They were all happy to see the situation escalate, to stir things up even more, and to make Old Zhu wield his butcher's knife even harder, eliminating more destabilizing factors.

However, Zheng Ci disagreed, and his expression became more serious: "Have you all forgotten? That day in Fengtian Hall Square, Zhang Biao's madness?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions immediately changed.

They certainly hadn't forgotten Zhang Biao's insane cry of "Please let the Ming Dynasty die!"

Could it be that this scene will repeat itself today?
really--

Zhang Biao, who had been beaming with satisfaction and a sense of vindication, had his smile vanish the moment he heard that Li Tiesheng and the others not only wanted to kill him, but also to brand Shen Lang, Li Mo, and all his brothers as 'hitmen' and execute them as well.

It was an extreme coldness and anger that replaced the previous madness and mockery.

He turned his head sharply, and his eyes, which always carried a cynical or suicidal desire, now blazed with a terrifying fierce light, like a raging dragon whose scales had been touched.

"You old fool! What did you say?!"

Zhang Biao's voice was no longer high-pitched, but rather terrifyingly low, carrying a chilling, bloodthirsty quality, interrupting Li Tiesheng's wailing and the echoes of the "pure stream" (a group of people who advocate for purity and integrity).

Immediately afterwards, he walked step by step toward Li Tiesheng. The Imperial Guards tried to stop him, but were stopped by a single look from Zhu De.

Old Zhu also wanted to see what crazy things this madman would do if his sore spot was touched.

Zhang Biao walked up to Li Tiesheng, looking down at the old censor whose forehead was bleeding from kowtowing, and said in a cold, piercing voice:

"You just said that Shen Lang and his gang are my henchmen? You want them all executed?"

"Is not it?"

Li Tiesheng was intimidated by Zhang Biao's imposing manner, but relying on Lao Zhu's presence and his belief that he was in the right, he forced himself to raise his head and said defiantly:
"They colluded with you and committed such heinous acts; what are they if not your cronies?! They should naturally be included as well..."

"Fuck your motherfucker!"

Zhang Biao's loud shout interrupted him like a thunderclap, startling Li Tiesheng so much that he choked back the rest of his sentence.

"A henchman? What a henchman!"

Zhang Biao laughed in fury, but his laughter was colder than the cold wind: "I audited the nobles of the Six Ministries, investigating corruption, using open and aboveboard methods! I was acting on the Emperor's orders! They followed me to fulfill their duties and to show their loyalty to the Emperor!"

"How come in the mouths of you old bastards who spout benevolence and morality but are full of lewd and immoral thoughts, it becomes forming cliques for personal gain? It becomes an unforgivable gang?!"

"Don't you always claim to be the orthodox Confucianists and say that 'a gentleman makes friends but does not form cliques'?"

"What? Now you're punishing people only according to their needs, those who obey me prosper, and those who defy me perish?!"

After saying that, he added with a disdainful look, "No wonder Confucius killed Shao Zhengmao; he really set an example for his disciples and followers!"

"You...you dare to slander the saint!"

Li Tie was so angry that he was trembling all over.

"I'm slandering you?" Zhang Biao didn't give him a chance to speak. He suddenly turned around, faced Old Zhu, and glanced around at the upright officials. His voice suddenly rose, filled with resolute madness:
"Your Majesty! Aren't your upright officials trying to kill my cronies? Aren't they trying to implicate everyone? Fine! Very well!"

"but."

Then, he changed the subject, looked around at Shen Lang and the others, and said, "If we just kill us like this, wouldn't that be letting these hypocrites get away with it? Wouldn't that be letting the real parasites hide behind and laugh at us?!"

"Since we're talking about henchmen and crimes, let's get to the bottom of this today! Let's get down to business!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly pointed at Li Tiesheng and other upright officials, his voice like a pronouncement of the Last Judgment:
"You're impeaching me for disrupting the court? For undermining the foundation of the nation? For forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices?!"

"And what about you?!"

"Are you really clean under your own feet?! How much filth and grime is hidden beneath the very traditions you uphold and believe in?!"

"I'm putting my words on this right now!"

Zhang Biao's eyes were ferocious, filled with a mad suicidal rage: "My auditing of the Six Ministries' nobles is just an appetizer! The real big score, I haven't even had time to settle with you yet!"

"Don't you all pride yourselves on being pure and virtuous? Aren't you all innocent and immaculate?"

"Come here! Right here in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, right before the Emperor!"

"I'm going to audit you on the spot!"

"Investigate where all the office expenses of your various government departments have gone over the years!"

"Check if the charcoal and other offerings you received exceeded the permitted limits!"

"Check all the farmland and shops you own back in your hometown. With your salaries, can you afford them?"

"Check whether you accepted the gifts sent by your students and friends!"

"Look beneath the veneer of you supposedly virtuous people, see if you're truly red or black! Look at the kind of people your so-called tradition has nurtured!"

With each word he spoke, the faces of Li Tiesheng and other upright officials paled a little more, until finally they were completely ashen-faced and trembling like leaves.

They never expected Zhang Biao's counterattack to be so fierce and direct.

This is like flipping the table right there and then, tearing off everyone's fig leaves, and burning them all naked on the pillar of shame!

"You...you are so slanderous!"

Li Tiesheng screamed, his voice distorted.

"Slanderous accusations?"

Zhang Biao laughed, his eyes bloodthirsty, and said, "Whether I'm spouting nonsense or not, a simple investigation will tell!"

After saying that, he immediately turned around, cupped his hands to Old Zhu, and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty! I request the imperial decree! Right here and on the spot, verify some of the accounts of the Censorate, the Hanlin Academy, and other prestigious government offices!"

"No need for much, just check three things: charcoal donation records, office pen, ink and paper consumption over the past three years, and the registration of farmland in the hometowns of some officials!"

"If any problem is found, I beg Your Majesty to execute me and this scoundrel together by slow slicing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he pointed at Li Tiesheng: "If two of these are found, every single one of the upright officials present will be dismissed and investigated! If all three are problematic..."

Zhang Biao paused, then revealed an extremely cruel smile: "Then please let Your Majesty see just how true the upright officials of the Ming Dynasty really are! See who is forming cliques for personal gain, who is emptying the national treasury, and who is shaking the foundations of the nation!"

"Even if we deserve to die, we want to die knowing why! So that the world can see the truth!"

"Die!"

He glanced around at Li Tiesheng and the others, and gave a cruel smile: "We'll all die together! No one can hide in the back and watch the show cleanly!"

Crazy! Utterly crazy!

It's so crazy it's terrifying!
This is no longer an audit; it's dragging the entire system of clean-cut civil servants down with it!
The square of Fengtian Hall instantly fell into a deathly silence, resembling a graveyard.

All the upright officials were terrified and dared not even breathe.

How many of them would dare to confidently say that their accounts can withstand such a public and unexpected audit?

Li Tiesheng's vision blurred, and he almost fainted.

He knows his own situation best!

Inside the duty room, the smiles on the faces of Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, and the others had long since frozen, replaced by utter terror.

They suddenly realized that Zhang Biao's fire was really going to burn them!

Before he died, this madman was determined to shatter the heavens completely!
Old Zhu's expression also kept changing.

Looking at Zhang Biao, who seemed like a madman but whose logic was clear and went straight to the point, and then at the group of so-called upright people who were terrified and cowardly, his murderous intent was temporarily suppressed by an extreme sense of absurdity and cold rationality.

He knew that Zhang Biao was forcing him out of his position, using a more extreme method.

But he knew even more that what Zhang Biao said was very likely the bloody truth!
If an on-site audit were to actually take place...

That scene...

Old Zhu couldn't even imagine how ugly it would look.

When the time comes, it won't just be Zhang Biao who gets killed.

The morale of the entire court, and even the scholars of the whole country, will be completely disrupted.

This madman...this real madman!!
Old Zhu stared intently at Zhang Biao, his teeth grinding together.

He now wished he could tear Zhang Biao to pieces immediately.

But he couldn't allow the fig leaf covering these supposedly upright people to be completely torn off in front of him!

If that happened, the Ming Dynasty would be in chaos.

But how should one choose between endless chaos and even more insidious decay?

Old Zhu found himself in an unprecedented dilemma.

Zhang Biao, with his head held high, looked at Old Zhu, whose face was ashen, and the group of trembling Qingliu, a cold and smug smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Anyone who dares to mess with me? Then they'd all be dead!

come!Hurt each other!

(End of this chapter)