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

Chapter 138 To accomplish great things, one must either achieve great success or suffer a great defeat. [Seeking monthly votes]

Crash-!
Raindrops the size of date pits fell continuously from the sky above Yingtian Prefecture.

In an instant, the entire Yingtian Prefecture was shrouded in a hazy mist.

This is the first rain in Yingtian Prefecture since the beginning of autumn, and the rain is heavy.

It was as if they were gathering momentum for an impending 'catastrophic flood,' making the already tense atmosphere even more strained.

"Something's happened! Li Mo! Something happened last night—!"

Wu Naida rushed into Li Mo's official residence in a hurry, shouting in a low voice as much as possible.

According to the original agreement, once Shen Lang, Sun Gui, and Zhao Fengman succeeded, they would be contacted through a specific method.

But the agreed time has long passed, and no news has come.

An ominous premonition enveloped the two of them.

Early this morning, Wu Naida used the last bit of his connections in the Ministry of Personnel to risk inquiring, and soon received news that was like a bolt from the blue.

Shen Lang and Sun Gui broke into the Ministry of Revenue's archives at night and were caught on the spot by Fu Youwen and his men. They have now been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail.

Zhao Fengman's whereabouts are unknown. It is said that he took some kind of iron box and escaped during the pursuit, but his fate is uncertain.

"how so."

Wu Naida's face was deathly pale, and he looked at Li Mo in a daze: "Shen Lang and Sun Gui are dead! Feng Man is also missing! Fu Youwen and his men... they acted too quickly and ruthlessly!"

According to the original plan, once Shen Lang and his group succeeded, Li Mo would spread the 'rumor draft' he had written about the account books and use public opinion to fight against Fu Youwen and his group.

Although the unease from last night led Wu Naida to go out and gather information early this morning, he still continued to write the 'rumor draft' as planned.

But now, after hearing the news that Wu Naida had gathered, he was completely stunned. He even dropped the brush in his hand onto the table with a 'clatter,' staining the 'rumor draft' he had just written and was about to spread with ink.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

"Repository Trap"

Li Mo muttered to himself, instantly realizing the key point:

"Fu Youwen did it on purpose! He anticipated that we would investigate his accounts! And that hidden compartment and even that old official Wang were all bait!"

"Now what?"

Wu Naida was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: "Fu Youwen's next target is definitely us! They will definitely use Shen Lang and Sun Gui to fabricate charges and wipe us out in one fell swoop!"

I know you're anxious! But don't rush!

Li Mo said something that left no room for doubt, then closed his eyes and his brain worked at lightning speed.

Desperate situation!

This is a real desperate situation!
A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, a resolute glint in them: "We cannot sit idly by and wait to die! Nor can we expect Fu Youwen to show mercy!"

"Do you have any idea?"

Wu Naida felt like he had grasped at a straw.

What is Fu Youwen most afraid of?

Li Mo countered, his eyes sharp: "What he fears most right now isn't us, but Zhao Fengman, who has already disappeared, and that iron box whose contents are unknown!"

Wu Naida instantly understood: "You mean..."

"Correct!"

Li Mo slammed his fist on the table: "He's terrified the contents of the metal box will be leaked! He's so afraid he'll do anything to get it back! This is our chance!"

We need to make him even more afraid!

Li Mo spoke faster: "Isn't he looking everywhere for Zhao Fengman and the iron box? Then we'll help him find them!"

"We want the entire Yingtian Prefecture to know that Zhao Fengman possesses something capable of killing Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, Zheng Ci, and Zhai Shan!"

"hiss--!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Naida couldn't help but gasp, and hesitated before saying, "Are you trying to put Fengman on the fire? To force Fu Youwen into a corner?"

"No! We are saving him, and we are saving ourselves!"

Li Mo's eyes were cold, and he said with certainty, "Fu Youwen is currently searching in secret. Once he finds Feng Man, he will definitely kill her to silence her."

“If everyone knew about this thing, Fu Youwen wouldn’t dare to kill Fengman so easily! Because if Fengman died, and the thing were to fall out of the loop, they would have even more trouble explaining themselves!”

"We'll muddy the waters! So muddy that Fu Youwen won't dare make a move! So muddy that everyone's curious about what's inside the iron box! Even..."

He paused, then looked towards the palace, his eyes sharp, and said, "We must make sure the Emperor and Jiang Huan notice!"

"This"

Wu Naida was terrified, but he had to admit that this was the only way to break the deadlock, even though it was extremely risky.

"Okay! Just do it!"

Wu Naida gritted his teeth: "I know a few quick-tongued people who specialize in spreading information. They'll do it for money, and you'll never be able to trace the source!"

"Okay! Do it right away!"

Li Mo nodded and said, "The news should be vague, but sensational!"

What constitutes "explosive"?

"For example, a secret box left behind by former Minister Zhao Qian was discovered in the Ministry of Revenue archives. It contains secrets that could overturn the court and the country. It has now fallen into the hands of righteous people. High-ranking officials of the cabinet, such as Fu, Ru, Zheng, and Zhai, are terrified and are frantically searching for it."

"Wonderful!"

Wu Naida's face lit up with joy, and he immediately left in a hurry.

Li Mo looked at the stained manuscript paper on the table, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

[Fengman, Shen Lang, Sun Gui, hang in there!]

[Brother Biao, do you know the secret inside that metal box?]

……

Meanwhile, in the Ministry of Justice's prison, in the torture chambers.

The sound of the whip whistling through the air and the dull thud of it striking continued incessantly.

Shen Lang and Sun Gui were hanging on the rack, their bodies covered in wounds, their tattered clothes soaked in blood.

I was jolted awake by a splash of cold water, and then a new round of interrogation began.

"Tell me! Where is that metal box?!"

The torture officer roared with a ferocious expression, the branding iron in his hand glowing red-hot in the charcoal fire.

Sun Gui spat out a mouthful of blood, his voice hoarse yet mocking: "Pah! I don't know. Go ahead and roast me if you dare!"

Shen Lang's breath was weak, but his eyes remained stubborn. He gritted his teeth and remained silent.

The intense pain nearly made him faint, but only one thought remained in his mind:
Save Zhao Fengman, save that only hope.

The official in charge of the Ministry of Justice watched coldly from the side, his brows slightly furrowed.

Fu Youwen gave a strict order: they must pry open their mouths and get the iron box as soon as possible.

But these two tough nuts to crack are harder than I imagined.

"Use a needle!"

The official in charge of the Ministry of Justice coldly gave the order.

A slender steel needle was taken out and aimed at Shen Lang's fingertip.

This form of torture inflicts far greater pain than whipping, and is designed to destroy a person's last shred of will.

Just as the steel needle was about to pierce through, a jailer rushed in and whispered a few words in the ear of the Ministry of Justice official.

The official in charge of the Ministry of Justice's expression changed slightly, and he waved his hand, signaling to suspend the torture.

He went outside and saw a familiar clerk who quickly walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. His expression changed several times, but he then calmly returned to the torture chamber.

Looking at the barely alive Shen Lang and Sun Gui, he waved his hand with a complicated expression: "Put them down, lock them back in the cell, find a doctor to take a look at them, don't kill them."

The guards looked at each other, puzzled, but did as they were told. Soon, Shen Lang and Sun Gui were dragged back to their cells. Although they were still in hell, they were at least temporarily freed from the torture.

The two looked at each other and saw a hint of confusion and a faint hope in each other's eyes.

Who is helping them?

But Sun Gui spoke first: "Brother Shen, how are you?"

There was a moment of silence on the other side. He struggled to sit up against the wall, spat out a mouthful of blood, and looked at Shen Lang's cell with concern.

He has thick skin and is relatively tough, so his injuries were relatively minor.

Shen Lang was a scholar, and someone who needed special care. He was really afraid that Shen Lang wouldn't make it and would die.

"Brother Shen?!"

Sun Gui called out anxiously again.

"Cough cough."

After a moment of silence, Shen Lang coughed twice in a hoarse voice, then struggled to his feet and looked at Sun Gui with a pale face.

Throughout the ordeal, he felt waves of excruciating pain all over his body, but he gritted his teeth and shook his head, saying, "I'm not going to die yet."

"What should we do now?"

Sun Gui's eyes were filled with resentment and anxiety: "The iron box should have been taken by Fengman, but there are their people all over the outside. Where can Fengman hide? Do Li Mo and Wu Naida know that we are in trouble?"

"Li Mo and Wu Naida are probably in grave danger as well."

Shen Lang endured the pain and forced himself to think calmly: "Since Fu Youwen was able to set up this trap to catch us, he certainly won't let them go."

"At this point, we can only hope that Fengman is clever enough to hide the things well, or to hand them over to a reliable person."

"Reliable people? Who's reliable these days?"

Sun Gui said in despair, "Jiang Huan? The Emperor? If they were reliable, Brother Biao wouldn't be in the imperial prison!"

Shen Lang fell silent.

Although Sun Gui's words were extreme, they revealed a cruel reality.

In this city of Yingtian, they seem to have no strong allies they can fully trust.

"Wait!"

Shen Lang finally gritted his teeth and said, "We can only wait now!"

"Fu Youwen doesn't dare kill us immediately; he still needs to pry open our mouths to find the iron box. This is our chance! As long as we're alive, there's hope!"

"Alright, that's all we can do for now. I really hope Brother Biao finds out about this; who knows?"

"Stop thinking about Brother Biao, he's already done enough. Now it's our turn!"

Shen Lang interrupted Sun Gui, then struggled to lean against the cold wall, letting out a long sigh:
"Those who are concerned about their country are always the ones who grieve for the ages. Brother Biao's path is going to be very difficult!"

“Yes, it was only after last night that I truly understood Brother Biao,” Sun Gui couldn’t help but sigh.

Shen Lang glanced at him and forced a smile: "To accomplish great things, you either achieve great success or suffer great failure. As long as you share the same goals, even if you face many hardships along the way, there will always be a day when the sun shines brightly."

"Yes! At worst, blood will spill on the yellow sand!"

Sun Gui clenched his fists, ready to die.

the other side.

The atmosphere in Fu Youwen's study had dropped to freezing point.

The four reunited, but their previous smugness had vanished, replaced by anxiety, anger, and a barely concealed fear.

"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

Fu Youwen slammed his teacup on the ground in anger: "So many people! And you couldn't even catch Zhao Fengman? You even let him take the stuff away!"

"What's the point of saying all this now!?"

Ru Chang's face was so dark it could drip water: "The key is that iron box! That damned Zhao Qian! What exactly did he hide in it?!"

This is what terrifies them the most.

They knew that Zhao Qian had a secret compartment in the archives, and they also knew that Zhao Qian must have some dirt on them, which was why they were so eager to kill him in the first place.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Zhao Qian died because of Zhang Biao's "bundled sales"; in fact, they also played a part in pushing things along and kicking him when he was down.

For example, the hidden story behind Zhao Qian's proposal to increase taxes in Jiangnan by 30%, and the evidence investigated by Jiang Huan—each of these required their 'help'.

But to their utter surprise, Zhao Qian had such a trick up his sleeve.

And they hid it so well.

Their purpose in creating that fake secret compartment was twofold: to lure out anyone who might know Zhao Qian's secret, and also to be able to secretly access it if needed someday.

Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, the real thing was actually brought out and flew away.

"You say?"

Zheng Ci's voice trembled: "Could it be... about the prince in Shaanxi?"

He couldn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

If the iron box truly contains evidence collected by Zhao Qian regarding corruption in Shaanxi, and possibly even implicating the prince behind them, then they are all finished.

After all, the emperor, who is on the verge of going completely insane, has little patience left with them; this thing is practically a death warrant!

Zhai Shan remained relatively calm, but his eyes were filled with unease: "The most urgent task now is to immediately block the news and intensify the search for Zhao Fengman!"

"We must see him alive or dead! We must get the iron box back!"

"Blocking the news? It's probably too late!"

Fu Youwen gritted his teeth: "I just received news that rumors have started circulating outside! They say Zhao Qian left behind a secret box, and the rest of us are desperately searching for it!"

"what?!"

Ru Chang suddenly stood up: "Who spread this?! Was it those two little bastards, Li Mo and Wu Naida?!"

"Who else could it be but them!"

Fu Youwen growled, "They're trying to escalate things! They're trying to force us to act cautiously!"

"Then let's kill them first!"

Zheng Ci said viciously, "Immediately order the Ministry of Justice to torture Shen Lang and Sun Gui! Force them to reveal the whereabouts of the iron box! At the same time, send men to arrest Li Mo and Wu Naida!"

"No!"

Zhai Shan immediately objected: "Now that rumors have spread, if we use severe torture on Shen Lang and Sun Gui, or if Li Mo and Wu Naida suddenly disappear or die, it will only make things worse! We won't be able to clear our names even if we jump into the Yellow River!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?!" Ru Chang shouted irritably.

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Zhai Shan's eyes: "Find him! Mobilize all available resources, both overt and covert, to search for Zhao Fengman with all our might! But outwards, we must remain calm!"

“We can also spread rumors, saying that the iron box contains new evidence of Zhao Qian’s embezzlement and that we are investigating the stolen money, or simply say that it is a rumor spread by Zhang Biao’s accomplices to disrupt the government!”

"at the same time."

He lowered his voice and said, "Immediately find a way to destroy or bribe those accounts and letters concerning Shaanxi and the princes that can't withstand scrutiny! We must prepare for the worst!"

"it is good!"

Fu Youwen nodded emphatically, forcing himself to calm down. After a moment's thought, he made a decisive decision: "Do as Vice Minister Zhai says! Go and do it immediately!"

After saying this, he looked around at the three men, his tone icy: "Gentlemen, now we are all in this together, sharing both glory and ruin! If anyone makes another mistake, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

A fierce glint appeared in the eyes of all four.

They knew that the real crisis had arrived.

That small iron box, like a firework that could explode at any moment, hung over the heads of all of them.

The one who lit the fuse was likely the missing Zhao Fengman.

(End of this chapter)