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

Chapter 33 Even the Emperor's Favorite Son Has to Take a Backseat! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

While undercurrents were swirling in the Eastern Palace, the Tenth Prince's residence was equally turbulent.

At this moment, in the reception room of the Qin King's mansion.

"boom--!"

Zhu Shuang slammed his wine cup heavily on the table, splashing wine high into the air, his face contorted with rage: "They've rebelled! They've gone too far!!"

"That scoundrel Zhang Biao actually dared to throw a tantrum in the Fengtian Hall, demanding money and face from our father?! Is this supposed to be an imperial censor?! He's clearly just a street thug!"

"Our dad's gotten senile! Not only did he not kill him, he even paid for it out of his own pocket?! He even gave him noodles?! What a disgrace! He's completely disgraced the Zhu family! If this were in Xi'an, I'd chop him up and feed him to the dogs!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gang slowly took a sip of wine, his eyes revealing a shrewdness that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world, as well as a hint of barely perceptible worry.

Once Zhu Shuang's anger subsided, he put down his wine cup and said calmly, "Second Brother, calm down. Losing face is a small matter."

"This is still a minor matter?!"

Zhu Shuang's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course it's a small matter."

Zhu Gang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a cold, penetrating force: "Zhang Biao was just a trigger. What he really exposed was the rotten hole that is the Ministry of Revenue! The predicament that the court can't pay salaries!"

As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly, staring at Zhu Shuang, and said, "Second Brother, have you thought about this? If the censor's salary can be delayed for more than seven months, then will the Ministry of Revenue also dare to delay the annual salary of our princes, the rations of our guards, and the expenses of our fiefdoms? Or will they simply not pay us next time?!"

Zhu Shuang's angry expression froze instantly, replaced by bewilderment, which slowly turned into surprise and a hint of panic.

He had a large family and business in Xi'an, and his expenses were even greater, all of which were supported by the imperial court's annual salary and taxes from his fiefdom.

What if the imperial court also defaults on his debts?
"No way, this can't be right."

Zhu Shuang's voice was somewhat weak: "We are princes! Father's own sons!"

"His own son?"

Zhu Gang sneered, with a hint of self-mockery: "Faced with the Ministry of Revenue's empty treasury, even your own son has to take a backseat! Even officials in the capital can't afford to eat, do you think your father, or those people in the Ministry of Revenue, will prioritize ensuring the annual stipends of us distant princes?!"

He picked up the wine pot and slowly refilled Zhu Shuang's empty wine cup, his tone carrying a world-weary melancholy:

"Zhang Biao's outburst has finally punctured the boil. The court is out of money, Second Brother. Next, we either need to increase revenue by raising taxes, which will incur public wrath, or cut spending and cut taxes from whom? Who else can we, the vassal kings who are 'far from the emperor's reach', possibly be?"

Zhu Gang lowered his voice even further, as if whispering, yet every word struck Zhu Shuang's heart: "Today, Father Emperor was willing to spend fifty taels of silver of his own money to shut Zhang Biao up. Tomorrow, will he reach into the bowls of our vassal kings to fill the hole in the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Once you've squeezed us dry, the next step, won't it be to weaken the power of the regional military governors?"

"hiss--!"

Zhu Shuang gasped, feeling a chill instantly travel from his tailbone to the top of his head.

He suddenly looked at Zhu Gang, his eyes filled with fear and lingering dread.

What Zhang Biao's embarrassment and the need to save face at Fengtian Hall are utterly insignificant compared to the terrifying future Zhu Gang depicted.

He picked up the wine that Zhu Gang had just poured for him, but his hand trembled so badly that he spilled the wine all over his hand.

He stared at the swirling liquid in his glass, as if he could see the impending depletion of his fiefdom's provisions, the disgruntled looks of his guards, and Old Zhu's cold, ruthless face. Zhu Gang, seeing his second brother's distraught state, sighed silently, picked up his own glass, and downed it in one gulp.

The spicy liquor went down my throat, but it couldn't dispel the heavy gloom in my heart.

Zhang Biao's seemingly absurd outburst was like ripples created by a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, quietly spreading and impacting the seemingly solid foundation of the Ming Dynasty, while also stirring the emotions of everyone involved.

On the other side, at the Prince of Yan's residence.

"Father, this Imperial Censor Zhang is far too audacious!"

Zhu Gaoxu finally couldn't hold back any longer and broke the silence: "How dare he ask for money and face in front of Grandfather? What's the difference between this and extortion by a street ruffian?! Grandfather should just chop him up with one stroke!"

Zhu Di slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over his three sons before finally settling on Zhu Gaochi, his voice flat and emotionless:
"Kill him? And then what? Let the whole of Yingtian Prefecture know that our Great Ming Dynasty is so poor that it can't even pay the salaries of censors? Give those who already have ulterior motives even more excuse to attack the court?"

Zhu Gaoxu was momentarily speechless, but he stubbornly retorted, "However, we cannot allow him to act so recklessly! He has disgraced the royal family!"

"Face?" Zhu Di's lips curled into a faint, cold smile. "Sometimes, face is less valuable than real money."

He paced back and forth a couple of steps, then looked at Zhu Gaochi: "Chi'er, what do you think?"

Zhu Gaochi leaned forward slightly, his chubby body gleaming with shrewdness in his small eyes: "Your Majesty, I believe that Imperial Censor Zhang's actions, though seemingly absurd and rude, are actually a clever and unconventional approach that strikes at the heart of the matter."

"Oh?" Zhu Di raised an eyebrow: "Tell me about it!"

"One!"

Zhu Gaochi counted on his chubby fingers: "He pointed out the truth about the Ministry of Revenue's deficit and the court's arrears in salaries, which is a fact that no one can cover up. Even if the Emperor is furious, he can only admit it and even has to pay the back salaries out of his own pocket, which is tantamount to admitting the court's financial difficulties."

"Second!"

He then broke off another finger: "His act of exchanging Imperial Censor Shen's jade pendant for a pig's head transformed the concept of 'the court being poor' into a vivid, even somewhat tragic and comical, street tale. If this story got out, its impact would be far greater than ten impeachments against the Ministry of Revenue!"
The common people gossiped about it over tea: "If even the censor is this poor, how can the court be doing well? This is a far cry from the humiliation Zhang Biao committed in the Fengtian Hall!"

Thirdly!

Zhu Gaochi lowered his voice, which carried a deeper meaning: "He portrayed himself and that Shen Lang as 'victims' who were wronged by the court and had nowhere else to turn. If Your Majesty kills him, it will confirm that the court is cruel and ungrateful. If you don't kill him, it will make Your Majesty seem 'compassionate towards your subjects'."

In this seemingly perilous maneuver, Imperial Censor Zhang had inadvertently placed himself in danger, but in reality, he had draped himself in an invisible protective shield.

A hint of approval flashed in Zhu Di's eyes, and he nodded slightly: "You see things quite clearly. So, what do you think? Is this person usable?"

Zhu Gaochi shook his head, his small eyes narrowing into slits: "This man's behavior is too eccentric and difficult to control. Moreover, if he dares to demand unpaid wages in the Fengtian Hall today, he'll dare to do something even more outrageous tomorrow. Using him is too risky, like licking honey off a knife's edge. However…"

He paused, then lowered his voice and said, "He exposed the secrets of the Ministry of Revenue, giving Grandfather a pretext to attack the princes, cut their salaries, and protect their provisions. I think Father should prepare early. Otherwise, hard times are coming for Beiping!"

Zhu Di didn't reply, but his gaze fell on Zhu Gaosui, and he frowned, saying, "Sui'er, what do you think?"

Zhu Gaosui looked up at the roof, and after a long while, he suddenly said, "I think we should have some pig's head meat."

"..."

Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhang Biao is definitely unusable! He's toxic!

(End of this chapter)