Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 34: People, money, and materials—not a single thing can be missing!
Silence fell once again in the warm pavilion, a silence even more oppressive than before.

Zhu Youjian picked up the letter that Wei Zhongxian presented with two fingers.

The letter paper was thin, made of fine peach blossom stationery, with a faint scent of ink, but Zhu Youjian felt it weighed more than a thousand pounds, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He slowly opened the letter; the handwriting was Feng Quan's unrestrained running script.

The letter was written in a very cryptic manner and was addressed to Fan Yongdou. In it, "northern" was used to refer to the Later Jin, and "newly arrived goods" was used to refer to the contraband military equipment and supplies. It also mentioned that the other party was very satisfied with the goods and promised to exchange more pearls and century-old ginseng for the next batch of "more important items".

At the end of the letter, he casually mentioned that Fan Yongdou need not worry about the checkpoints in Xuanfu, as he had already spoken to "Brother Tian".

Tian Jia's younger brother.

Wei Zhongxian explained, "Tian Shichun, a military officer from Xuanfu."

Zhu Youjian's hands were trembling slightly.

It wasn't out of fear, but out of a suppressed rage that was almost burning away reason.

Without uttering a word, he picked up another letter, written by Zhou Yanru. As expected of a top scholar, the letter was filled with elegant parallel prose, quoting classical texts and discussing a "long-term strategy" of "promoting border trade through commerce, exchanging goods and resources, and turning hostility into friendship." Every sentence seemed to be a grand narrative for the country and its people, but between the lines, he subtly revealed how to take advantage of the canal transport to circumvent the imperial edict and transport prohibited ironware and medicinal materials from the south to the north undetected.

What did Zhu Youjian see?
He saw a vast network woven together by potential Grand Secretaries, eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial, officials in the capital, and generals of the border armies.

These elites of the Ming Dynasty, these pillars of the nation who were well-versed in the classics and should have been serving the country, were instead using their most brilliant minds and most secretive methods to undermine the country, drink its blood, and feed the vicious wolf that could pounce on them at any moment and tear the country to pieces!

Confucian merchant?

Zhu Youjian let out a chilling laugh in his heart.

What a Confucian businessman!
The root of the Confucian merchant lies here: it's not that merchants learned Confucianism, but that Confucianism itself is engaged in business!
He's an "official," yet he's the biggest boss!

He grabbed the ledger, his fingernails digging deep into the rough cloth with his grip. He flipped to a page haphazardly, and the handwriting on it looked like a swarm of black ants, frantically gnawing at his eyeballs.

"The output was 30,000 catties of iron, 3,000 bolts of cotton cloth, and 50,000 catties of salt... The income was 40,000 taels of silver."

“Three thousand catties of gunpowder and ten thousand catties of sulfur were produced… One hundred and twenty pearls and fifty catties of top-quality ginseng were also received.”

Every transaction is recorded clearly and transparently.

Before Zhu Youjian's eyes were no longer these cold numbers and words.

The deafening battle cries from the Liaodong battlefield echoed in his ears.

absurd!

Shameless!
hateful!

An uncontrollable killing intent, like the coldest storm in Siberia, suddenly rose from Zhu Youjian's chest and instantly swept over his limbs and bones.

Right under his nose, in his court, and within his Forbidden City, there was a group of corrupt officials who were feeding the enemy!

What an absurd joke!

He slammed the ledger shut with a loud, muffled thud.

Wei Zhongxian keenly sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the emperor, an aura that seemed to freeze one's soul.

He knew that the emperor was thoroughly enraged.

"Your Majesty..." Wei Zhongxian began cautiously, his voice carrying a perfectly timed air of righteous indignation, "These scoundrels are worse than pigs and dogs! This old servant has already obtained all the evidence of their crimes. As long as you give the order, this old servant will immediately have the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard mobilized in full force to arrest them all, one by one! Let their heads roll! To appease the people!" His thinking was simple and direct: he was the emperor's sword; whoever the emperor wanted to kill, he would kill, and the faster and cleaner the better!

This is his self-awareness as a tool.

Zhu Youjian shook his head and looked up at Wei Zhongxian.

"Killing them is too cheap."

Zhu Youjian's voice was eerily calm, as if the raging anger he had just felt had been forcibly suppressed and forged into something harder and colder.

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback and looked at the emperor with some confusion.

"What I want is not simply for their heads to roll." Zhu Youjian stood up and slowly paced around the warm pavilion.

"I will confiscate their property and exterminate their clan! I will make them return to me every last penny of the wealth they have plundered from the people over generations, the money and grain they have embezzled from the national treasury, and the mountains of gold and silver they have obtained through treason and collusion with the enemy!"

His voice suddenly rose, no longer suppressed, carrying an unquestionable imperial will.

"The national treasury is empty, the border troops are short of pay, the nine border regions are in disarray, and the people are displaced! I was just worried about not having enough money! And here they are, delivering such a generous gift to me!"

"I will make everyone in the world open their eyes and see what the consequences of treason are! I will let them know that committing such a crime is not only punishable by death, but their families and descendants will also pay the price of eternal damnation!"

Zhu Youjian stopped in his tracks, turned around abruptly, and stared intently at Wei Zhongxian.

"This is what I want."

Wei Zhongxian's heart pounded wildly in his chest. The seventeen-year-old monarch before him was a completely different kind of person from his gentle elder brother who loved woodworking.

In the heart of this emperor lies a ferocious tiger capable of devouring the heavens and the earth!

Wei Zhongxian bowed deeply once again.

"This old servant...understands. Your Majesty...is wise!"

Zhu Youjian walked back to his desk and picked up the most crucial list.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept over the names of Feng Quan, Zhou Yanru, Gao Qiqian, and others.

"Draw up a meticulous arrest plan for me."

His voice returned to its initial coldness and calmness, as if his impassioned words were only meant for Wei Zhongxian, and his true emotions had long been locked away in the deepest, coldest pool of his heart.

"Remember, the capital, Shanxi, and the border towns must be attacked simultaneously. What I want is a swift and decisive strike, to wipe them all out in one fell swoop."

"People, funds, and materials—not one can be missing!"

Wei Zhongxian stretched out his hands, which trembled slightly with excitement, and respectfully accepted the list.

He knew that he was receiving the emperor's supreme trust, the future immense power of the Eastern Depot, and a bloody storm that was about to sweep across the land.

"Old slave... obey your order!"

He raised his head, a bloodthirsty glint in his old eyes.

(End of this chapter)