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

Chapter 229 Awaken, Mad Emperor Hongwu! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Inside the Hall of Literary Glory, the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees after Old Zhu's roar.

The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Jiang Huan and Yun Ming stood still, not daring to breathe.

"What a fine protection! What a massive manhunt!"

Old Zhu's voice rang out again, icy cold and filled with overwhelming killing intent.

His premonitions all came true.

This was not a simple conflict or warning; it was clear that Zhu Fu intended to kill him to silence him.

The so-called 'banquet' was actually a meticulously planned trap to kill the hostage.

"That rebellious son is guilty and wants to kill us all! It seems Zhao Fengman has really found something that can take his life!"

After saying this, Old Zhu suddenly looked at Jiang Huan, his gaze so sharp it almost pierced through him:
"Where are the people we sent?! What were they doing?!"

"Why was there no advance warning?! Why wasn't Zhao Fengman protected?!"

Jiang Huan's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he prostrated himself on the ground to beg for forgiveness:
"I have failed in my duty! According to reports, the Qi Prince's mansion acted extremely suddenly and swiftly, and our men failed to detect it in time."

"By the time our men noticed the anomaly, Imperial Censor Zhao had already disappeared, and the search of Prince Qi's residence had begun..."

"Our people are doing everything they can to find Imperial Censor Zhao, but so far... there is no news."

"waste!"

Old Zhu shouted angrily.

But he also knew that in the fiefdom that the King of Qi had cultivated for many years, it was indeed difficult to completely prevent the enemy from launching a sudden attack.

He paced rapidly within the hall, each step feeling as if he were stepping on flames.

With Zhao Fengman missing, the evidence may have been partially destroyed or fallen into enemy hands. Qi King Zhu Fu is clearly desperate and will do anything to cover it up.

Things took a turn for the worse.

A moment later, Old Zhu suddenly stopped, all the anger in his eyes replaced by a deeper, colder resolve.

The emperor's reason prevailed over his father's anger, even though the anger was more directed at the challenge to power.

"Jiang Huan!"

"Chen is here!"

"listen!"

Old Zhu issued the order in a stern tone and at an extremely fast pace:

"First, order all the spies and informants in Qingzhou to spare no expense and use all resources to find Zhao Fengman for us!"

"We need to see him alive or dead! Most importantly, we must get the evidence on him!"

"Secondly, increase manpower to closely monitor every move of the Prince Qi's residence, especially the movements of Zhu Fu himself and his confidants!"

"Keep a close eye on them and see what they do next!"

"Third, send an order to the Shandong Military Command, instructing them to 'prepare our troops and prepare for war.' Without our explicit decree, not a single soldier may move rashly. However, we must put pressure on the Prince of Qi's residence to prevent them from acting recklessly!"

"fourth!"

Old Zhu paused for a moment.

His gaze turned south, as if piercing through the palace walls, and he saw the figure stirring up trouble in Jiujiang Guard:

"Try to leak the news that Zhao Fengman had gotten into trouble in Qi and that he was suspected of having irrefutable evidence of corruption in the Qi King's canal transport to Zhang Biao."

Jiang Huan looked up abruptly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before asking, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

"Didn't that madman want to avoid getting involved in the canal transport case?"

Old Zhu revealed a cold and calculating smile: "Let's give him a reason that he has no choice but to investigate!"

"Let him know that the canal transport case he didn't want to investigate has implicated one of his brothers!"

"Let's see if this madman dares to provoke the King of Qi, after the King of Qin, the King of Jin, and the King of Zhou!"

He's trying to shift the blame eastward and use someone else's strength against them.

Zhang Biao's lawlessness and investigative abilities may be the key to breaking the King of Qi's predicament.

At the same time, this was also an extreme test for Zhang Biao.

"Your Majesty...understood! Do it immediately!"

Jiang Huan understood immediately, kowtowed deeply, and then got up to leave and make arrangements.

Old Zhu stood alone in the hall, looking out the window at the deep night.

After a moment, he slowly walked back to the dragon throne and sat down, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrests.

The assassination of Li Mo and the disappearance of Zhao Fengman were like boulders thrown into a calm lake, completely shattering the surface balance.

The frenzied counterattack by Prince Qi, Zhu Fu, foreshadowed the bloodiest and most brutal stage of the canal transport corruption case.

[Zhu Fu, if you dare to harm the imperial envoy, we will make you pay the price!]

[Zhang Biao, will your mad blade dull from here, or will you carve another bloody path for us?]

[It's time for the heavens of this Ming Dynasty to be thoroughly cleaned up!]

In the candlelight, Old Zhu's eyes were as deep as an ancient well, a mixture of murderous intent and anticipation.

"Your Majesty!"

Jiang Huan had barely left when he returned shortly after.

Old Zhu was slightly taken aback upon seeing this, and couldn't help but frown and ask, "Is there anything else?"

"Your Majesty, I had only just left home when I received an urgent report from Southern Zhili."

Jiang Huan reported the news cautiously.

But then Old Zhu snorted coldly and uttered a single word in a deep voice: "Speak."

"It's about Imperial Censor Zhang Biao..."

Jiang Huan took a deep breath and, forcing a smile, said:
"According to urgent reports from Jinyiwei in multiple locations, after Jiujiang Wei, Anqing Wei, Tongling Wei, and even further to Chizhou Wei... a total of seven garrisons were all... all 'audited' by local people in just a few days!"

Old Zhu suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with sharp light: "The people audit the garrison? On what grounds?!"

"Based on...based on the Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty..."

Jiang Huan's voice grew softer as he presented the stack of documents:

"The reports from various places are largely the same: the people are holding copies of the 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty,' using Zhang Biao's actions in Jiujiang Garrison as a 'model,' claiming to uphold the ancestral emperor's sacred intention of 'severely punishing officials and bringing peace to the people,' and demanding an audit of the military households' and arms accounts..."

"When the garrison officers tried to stop them, they were accused of 'defying ancestral rules' and 'cruelly oppressing the people,' which led to a larger gathering and...recitation of the 'Ancestral Instructions'..."

Old Zhu snatched the document and quickly began to read it.

The more you look at him, the more ashen his face becomes, and the heavier his breathing becomes.

The document details how local military garrisons fell into chaos under the guise of the "glory of ancestral precepts":

The commander of Anqing Guard was forced to draw his sword and stab it into the table, breaking down in tears.
The Chizhou garrison warehouse was 'inspected' by a group of elderly men and women wielding rulers and embroidery needles to assess the quality of military equipment.
Even more shockingly, some soldiers in the garrison opened the warehouse door voluntarily because their family members were among the "auditing" team...

"Nonsense! Absurdity! This is outrageous!!"

Old Zhu could no longer contain his raging anger and threw the document on the ground.

"How dare he! How dare he do this?!"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang had long received Song Zhong's memorial, which stated that Zhang Biao had used the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" to open the treasury of Jiujiang Guard and even incited the people to participate in auditing the guard posts, he never expected that not only Jiujiang Guard would be audited, but other guard posts would also suffer one after another.

Moreover, he has already issued an edict ordering Zhang Biao to stop using the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" for auditing.

However, it takes time for an imperial edict to be issued.

In other words, even before the imperial edict reached Zhang Biao, he was already frantically inciting the people to use the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions" to audit other garrisons.

"Damn it! A bunch of damn bastards! What was Song Zhong doing? Why didn't he stop that madman?!"

"Our ancestral precepts are a law passed down to future generations for all time! How could they become Zhang Biao's shield to incite troublemakers and storm government offices?! How could they become his pretext for gathering crowds to cause chaos?!"

He was trembling with rage, pointing south as if he wanted to strangle Zhang Biao from afar:
“We asked him to investigate the canal transport, and he went and overturned our garrison! He even used our ancestral precepts as a pry bar to break down the door!”

"Now look what's happened! Seven garrisons! And it's only been a few days?! At this rate, he'll turn all the garrisons in Southern Zhili upside down!"

After his initial rage, a deeper, colder fear coiled around Old Zhu's heart like a venomous snake.

He suddenly realized an even more terrifying problem.

Thanks to Zhang Biao's actions, the solemn and sacred original intention of the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty"—used to restrain the imperial family and officials and lay the foundation for the eternal rule of the Ming Dynasty—has been completely distorted and vulgarized!
It has transformed from a governing classic hanging high in the imperial court into a tool that ordinary people can use at will to attack the government!

Today, ordinary people can use the "Ancestral Instructions" to audit the military garrisons; tomorrow, can they use it to resist taxes? The day after tomorrow, can they use it to question the government's judgments?

If people in other places with grievances follow suit and all come to plead their cases with the "Ancestral Instructions," what will Zhu Yuanzhang do?
Suppression? Wouldn't that be slapping our own ancestral teachings in the face? Denying our own instruction that "the people are the foundation of the state"?

If we don't suppress them, and allow them to 'misinterpret the emperor's will' and act recklessly, where is the authority of the government? Where is the rule of law? If this continues, the country will cease to exist!
What made Old Zhu break out in a cold sweat even more were the civil officials!

Compared to ordinary people, the civil service group, who are full of benevolence and morality and are best at quoting classics, are the most difficult to deal with!

If they also learn this trick, and then use snippets of the "Ancestral Instructions" to control and manipulate their successors... how can the emperor then exercise absolute power?!

Wouldn't his Ming dynasty be confined by these civil officials using his own "Ancestral Instructions"?
"hiss--!"

Thinking of this, Old Zhu couldn't help but gasp, a chill running from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He stopped abruptly, his pupils contracting in extreme fear.

Could it be... could it be that Zhang Biao's intention is here?!

[He's not just fooling around, he's digging up the very foundation of our Ming Dynasty!]

Is he trying to fundamentally undermine the foundation of our rule that we're leaving to our descendants?

Boom!

This thought struck Old Zhu like a bolt from the blue, sending shivers down his spine.

"No! Absolutely not—!!"

Like a tiger whose tail has been stepped on, Zhu Yuanzhang let out a low, almost manic roar. He no longer cared about imperial dignity or his serious illness, and rushed out of the main hall like a madman.

"emperor!"

Jiang Huan was startled and quickly followed.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, what's wrong...?"

Yunming and the eunuchs guarding the door were also terrified and rushed forward to help him up.

"Go away-!"

Old Zhu shoved Yunming aside. His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared at the imperial scribes and Hanlin Academy officials who had rushed to the scene, his voice distorted with rage:

"Issue the decree! Issue our decree! Immediately! Stop it!"

"Stop all matters related to the compilation of the 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions' at the Hanlin Academy! All printed but undistributed copies of the 'Ancestral Instructions' must be recalled and sealed! Not a single sheet is allowed to circulate!"

He was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, as if that roar had exhausted all his strength, but the fear and determination in his eyes burned like a flame.

"Without our personal permission, anyone who dares to speak recklessly, misinterpret, or misuse a single word of the Ancestral Instructions will be punished for treason! Their entire family will be exterminated!!"

After shouting those last words, Old Zhu swayed and almost lost his balance.

Yunming and the eunuchs quickly helped him up.

The entire Huagai Hall was deathly silent.

All the palace servants and officials knelt on the ground, trembling, their faces pale with fear at the emperor's sudden and almost insane decree.

Should the compilation of the "Ancestral Instructions" be halted? Should the already printed copies be recalled? Should those who dare to criticize it be treated as treasonous?
Has the Emperor been driven mad by Zhang Biao?

Or perhaps... something truly terrible has happened to the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty," which he personally oversaw the compilation of and which symbolizes the eternal legal lineage of the Ming Dynasty.
No one dared to ask, no one dared to think.

Only Old Zhu himself knew that he wasn't crazy; he was afraid.

He was utterly terrified by Zhang Biao's insidious scheme of undermining the foundation of the nation and distorting the "Ancestral Instructions".

He must immediately sever this dangerous chain that could endanger Zhu Mingguo's foundation.

Even if it means abolishing the "Ancestral Instructions," we are willing to do so.

In his view, the brilliance of the Ancestral Instructions should not be 'illuminated' in every corner of the Ming Dynasty in this way.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Raozhou Guard.

As soon as Zhang Biao and his group stepped into Raozhouwei, they were met with the imposing atmosphere of a military fortress.

Within the high walls are neatly arranged barracks, a solemn drill ground, and soldiers with vigilant eyes everywhere.

The air was filled with a metallic, leathery, and faint smell of sweat, completely different from the outside world.

Geng Zhong gave Zhang Biao no chance to catch his breath, and led him directly to a secluded courtyard, which he called the "Imperial Envoy's Residence," but in reality it was no different from house arrest.

Outside the compound, there were both overt and covert sentries, and patrol teams came and went in an endless stream, making no attempt to conceal their surveillance.

“Imperial Censor Zhang, this place is simple and humble, I’m sorry to trouble you.”

Geng Zhong gave a forced smile: "What do you think? Should we rest first, or start the 'audit' immediately? I've already ordered the warehouse ledgers and files to be prepared and delivered at any time."

He made up his mind to restrict Zhang Biao's activities to this small courtyard, and all auditing work could only be carried out under layers of surveillance, and he could only look at the accounts that he 'allowed' to be looked at.

"Commander Geng is really efficient!"

Zhang Biao seemed completely oblivious and nodded happily.
"Then I'll trouble Commander Geng to bring all the account books and files of Raozhou Guard for the past five years, including personnel replenishment, grain and salary disbursement, and military equipment storage and allocation. I'll stay here and 'study' with Commander Geng."

Geng Zhong's eyes twitched, thinking to himself that this madman's appetite had grown quite large in the past five years.

But confident in his thorough preparation, he scoffed, "Fine! I'm just afraid that Imperial Censor Zhang... won't understand the unique document format of my garrison!"

Soon, heavy boxes of account books and files were carried into the courtyard, almost filling half of the hall.

"Old Qian! Take the two of them to see the grain and fodder!"

"Old Sun! Take these two men to see the armaments!"

"Song Qianshi, you take your men and go help too!"

Just like with the audit of Jiujiangwei, Zhang Biao skillfully made arrangements.

Before long, Lao Qian, Lao Sun, and Song Zhong all led their people to start reviewing and verifying the documents.

Time passed by minute by minute.

The clattering of the abacus beads and the turning of pages continued incessantly.

Zhang Biao would occasionally pick up an account book and casually flip through it, or whisper a few words to Song Zhong, but his gaze remained sharp as an eagle, scanning every number and every item on the account.

Geng Zhongze sat calmly to the side, drinking tea, occasionally exchanging a knowing glance with the accompanying garrison officer.

He was full of confidence. These accounts had been meticulously "polished" over many days by his experienced subordinates who were experts in this field. The surface was as smooth as a mirror and there was not a single leak.

Even if you investigate for five years, or even ten years, you still won't find any loopholes in the clear accounts.

Sure enough, several hours later, Old Qian, who was in charge of compiling the information, walked to Zhang Biao's side with a solemn expression and whispered:
"Sir, the accounts... are very clean."

“All inflows, outflows, replenishments, and losses are all documented and comply with the Ministry of War’s regulations. The figures are also perfectly consistent, and there is almost no fault to be found.”

Upon hearing this, Song Zhong frowned and looked at Zhang Biao.

This was within his expectations; since Geng Zhong dared to let them in to check the accounts, he must have made thorough preparations.

Zhang Biao's face showed no sign of frustration; instead, a smile of 'I knew it' appeared.

He put down a military equipment inventory book in his hand, looked at Geng Zhong, and said loudly:

"General Geng, your military discipline is rigorous and your accounts are clear. I admire you!"

Geng Zhong stroked his short beard smugly:

"Hmph, Imperial Censor Zhang flatters me. Everyone in Raozhou Garrison is dedicated to their duties and can certainly withstand scrutiny!"

"but……"

Zhang Biao changed the subject, his tone becoming playful: "These accounts are so clear... it's a bit too much."

"After five years, not a single decent deficit or unexpected loss has been incurred? Commander Geng, is your Raozhou Garrison some kind of paradise, completely unaffected by the accumulated problems of our Great Ming Garrison?"

Geng Zhong's face darkened: "What do you mean by that, Imperial Censor Zhang? Does that mean that my Raozhou Guard's accounts are clear, and that makes me guilty?"

"You are not guilty, but with such clean accounts, I think you should be commended by the Emperor and awarded the medal of 'National Outstanding Garrison'!"

"Hmph, what do you mean?!"

"Means nothing!"

Zhang Biao waved his hand and continued speaking eloquently:
"While serving in Jiujiang Garrison, I witnessed firsthand the convenience of using 'beast-shaped tokens' to allocate military equipment. Surely such a convenient method shouldn't be exclusively favored by Jiujiang Garrison?"

"General Geng may not know this, but when we investigated Jiujiang Guard, the accounts were very clean. As a result, we uncovered some shady dealings."

"These are transactions that are not recorded and are based on 'tokens' rather than formal procedures."

He paused here, then looked at Geng Zhong with interest:

"So, Commander Geng, shouldn't you also bring it out so I can 'learn' from it?"

"absurd!"

Geng Zhong stood up abruptly, the feigned composure on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by shock and anger at having his core secrets exposed:
"Zhang Biao! Don't you dare make false accusations! I only have the official accounts stipulated by the imperial court here. Where would any secret accounts come from? Are you trying to slander me because you can't find any problems?!"

After saying that, he pointed at Zhang Biao, his voice sharp and stern:
"All the accounts are here, crystal clear! If you continue to make trouble, don't blame this commander for showing no mercy!"

"feelings?"

Zhang Biao also slowly stood up, confronting Geng Zhong, his imposing manner in no way diminished:
“I am acting on the Emperor’s orders and investigating the law! The Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty state: ‘All matters concerning the interests and health of the people and the military should be openly discussed by civil and military officials and civilians without reservation!’ Now, I suspect that your Raozhou Guard is hiding secrets involving the illegal outflow of military equipment, which endangers the state. Why can’t I investigate this?!”

"Another 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions'?!"

Geng Zhong laughed in anger, then suddenly drew his sword from his waist. With a flash of cold light, he slammed it heavily onto the tea table beside him, sending wood chips flying.
"Zhang Biao! Look carefully!"

"This is Raozhou Garrison! A strategically important military location! Not the Jiujiang Prefecture government office where you can run wild with a tattered book!"

"Without official documents from the Ministry of War, without the seal of the Five Military Commissions! You think you can investigate the core secrets of my garrison just by talking? Dream on!"

He looked around and shouted sternly:

"All soldiers, listen to my command! Without my order, anyone who dares to approach the warehouse or archives, or forcibly demand accounts that are not in accordance with regulations, will be considered a traitor and executed without exception!"

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The soldiers guarding inside and outside the courtyard simultaneously drew their swords, the gleaming blades pointed at Zhang Biao and his group, and a murderous aura instantly filled the air.

Song Zhong and the veterans immediately drew their weapons and shielded Zhang Biao in the middle, creating a tense atmosphere that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

Zhang Biao's eyes were icy, and his right hand quietly reached for his waist.

There, his Glock pistol, with only 14 bullets left, was strapped to the ground.

He was calculating whether he could capture Geng Zhong before the enemy could react and use him as a hostage to control the garrison.

[To catch the thief, first catch the king! Let's take a gamble!]

However, at this critical moment——

"Report——!"

Suddenly, a hurried report came from outside the courtyard. A sentry rushed in, ignoring the tense atmosphere inside, and knelt on one knee to report to Geng Zhong:
"Commander! General Lan Long, the adopted son of the Duke of Liang, has arrived at the gate!"

boom!
This news was like another heavy blow, striking everyone's hearts.

Geng Zhong was stunned at first, then his face lit up with uncontrollable joy, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

He knew that his savior had arrived.

Zhang Biao's brows furrowed instantly, and his hand on the gun handle paused slightly.

[Lan Yu's people? Why would they appear at this time?]

Song Zhong's heart sank, and he knew something was wrong.

Duke Lan Yu of Liang is currently the most prominent and arrogant top nobleman in the army.

His adopted son arrived at that moment, instantly making the situation a hundred times more complicated.

"Quickly, invite him! No! I will personally go to greet him!"

Geng Zhong gave the order loudly, then glanced at Zhang Biao with a cold smile, his tone full of schadenfreude and renewed confidence:
“Imperial Censor Zhang, didn’t you want to investigate the secret accounts? Perfect timing, General Lan from the Duke of Liang’s mansion is here, you can also have a good ‘talk’ to him about this ‘Imperial Ancestral Instructions’!”

After saying this, he ignored Zhang Biao and strode out with his personal guards.

The tense atmosphere in the courtyard temporarily eased, but a deeper and more dangerous undercurrent began to surge.

Zhang Biao slowly released his grip on the gun handle, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

He watched Geng Zhong's departing figure, then glanced at the garrison soldiers around him who, though sheathing their swords, still glared menacingly, and his mind raced.

The sudden intervention of Lan Yu's adopted son completely disrupted his plans.

Was it a coincidence? Or was it a scheme orchestrated by Geng Zhong, this 'old fox'?

"My lord, the situation is dire. We cannot afford to offend Duke Lan Yu of Liang. Perhaps we should retreat for now..."

"What are you afraid of?!"

Before Song Zhong could finish speaking, Zhang Biao interrupted him without any room for argument: "Let's go and meet this 'distinguished person' from the Duke of Liang's mansion!"

He wanted to see whether this sudden "variable" would become a boulder that crushed him, or another lever that would pry open the entire "bandit-raising" chain!
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(End of this chapter)