Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

Zhu Cilang's left shoulder sank, avoiding Zhang Wu's arm, and his voice suddenly rose:

"Ambassador Li!"

"The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing loved to watch the waves, splash ink, and brew tea at Yanziji. Last month, he even invited me to discuss the 'Memorials on the Revenue System'."

These words, though seemingly casual and refined, actually contain a hidden veil of sarcasm.

The "Memorials on the Expenditure" was a special document discussing national finances, and was by no means something that ordinary merchants could access.

He deliberately brought this up here to imply that he was no ordinary merchant, but rather someone who could be easily manipulated, as Ambassador Li had described him, by using the name of Shi Kefa, the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing.

He spoke at a measured pace and continued:

"Why not have Ambassador Li's official document with vermilion annotations, along with the Ministry of Revenue's yellow register from the eighth year of the Chongzhen reign on Grand Secretary Shi's desk, brought before the Emperor for a thorough examination?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ambassador Li's triangular eyes twitched violently.

The mention of Shi Kefa, the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, struck him like a thunderbolt. His fingers, gripping the yellow silk, involuntarily tightened, and his official boots took a barely perceptible half-step back.

Zhu Cilang glanced over and saw that Zhang Youyu, the Vice Minister of Revenue, had a goatee trembling slightly and pupils contracting repeatedly, as if he was trying his best to calculate and weigh the options.

"presumptuous!"

Ambassador Li, as if struck on a sore spot, immediately shouted again.

"Minister Shi has always despised the ways of merchants; why would he discuss memorials with you?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"Take him down! Tear this madman's mouth apart for me."

Amidst the shouts, five constables sprang into action, the lead tax collector drawing his goose-feather saber three inches from its sheath with a clang.

The glint of the blades reflected the terrified faces of the onlookers, instantly filling the dock with a chilling atmosphere.

The old fisherman tucked his grandson into his clothes, his hunched back bent like a shrimp to protect the child.

His bony shoulder blades stood out high, ready to withstand blows from sticks at any moment.

"Ambassador Li, please wait!"

Zhang Youyu suddenly stepped forward, inserting himself between the two.

In an instant, all movements froze, with only the gleaming blade hanging from its sheath, reflecting the astonished and uncertain faces of the crowd.

The youngest constable's gaze shifted between Zhang Youyu and Ambassador Li's faces, and his arm holding the knife trembled slightly involuntarily.

Zhang Youyu turned to Ambassador Li, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a calm tone:

"I have a past relationship with General Ma Jinzhong of Jiangxia. I hope Ambassador Li will give General Ma some face and allow my young master this time."

Zhu Cilang's gaze sharpened.

Ma Jinzhong?

Of course he remembered—when the man nicknamed "Hun Shiwan" led his followers to surrender, the Ministry of War's report praised him as "brave and skilled in battle, and sincerely surrendered."

This man came from humble origins, but after surrendering to the righteous order, he repeatedly distinguished himself in battle and became a fierce general under Zuo Liangyu.

He often led his troops to repel raids by bandits, and merchants and travelers in the Wuchang area were able to pass through without hindrance because of his garrison. Officials and civilians alike feared his reputation.

He is indeed a formidable character not to be underestimated!

"General Ma? Haha—"

Ambassador Li shouted with a loud, exaggerated, and dry laugh, his triangular eyes narrowing dangerously into slits.

"General Ma's troops are all fierce and ruthless; how could he possibly be on friendly terms with you merchants and accountants?"

"First they made trouble for Minister Shi, and now they're dragging General Ma into it. Such nonsense might fool a three-year-old."

His cold laughter abruptly stopped, and his official sleeve suddenly twitched:

"Guards! Don't listen to this scoundrel's excuses!"

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, rolling across the stone-paved road.

"Who's making a fuss about our name?"

With a loud shout, the river wind suddenly tore apart, and the bells rang out like thunder.

A troop of Ming cavalry galloped up from the left. The leading general suddenly pulled on the reins, and the chestnut warhorse reared up, its iron hooves coming to a screeching halt just three inches from Ambassador Li's official hat.

On horseback, the bearded general reined in his horse and looked down, his leopard-like eyes flashing with cold light—it was none other than Ma Jinzhong, the general of Jiangxia.

Zhu Cilang raised an eyebrow and looked over. The man's face was as dark as iron, and his features were hard. His riding whip was still stained with blood, and his armored guards behind him were like a dark cloud pressing down on the city.

"I drifted on the river for three days and three nights. My ears have been tempered by the smoke of war in Liaodong. I can even hear a turtle burping clearly."

Ma Jinzhong drew his sword and dismounted.

"Let's see who's making fun of us!"

Ambassador Li caught a glimpse of the wooden "Water Camp Order" plaque dangling from the waist of his personal guard, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He lifted his official robe and darted to the front of the horse, pointing at Zhang Youyu:

"General Ma, you are being disrespectful! This merchant's accountant dares to falsely claim to have a past relationship with you."

Ma Jinzhong suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Youyu, his eyes narrowing:

"You are...you are..."

He paused, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of the knife.

He seemed to be trying to retrieve a familiar figure from the depths of his memory, but a wary look appeared in his eyes.

"You fucking... ouch... you look familiar?"

Zhang Youyu rushed forward, grabbed Ma Jinzhong's arm guard, and dragged him into the shadows of the cargo warehouse by the dock without saying a word.

The shadows swallowed their figures.

Zhu Cilang's ears twitched slightly, and he vaguely heard the sound of armor scraping against the brick wall.

In the dappled light filtering through the back window of the warehouse, Ma Jinzhong's goose-feather saber tassel swayed violently, and the three gilded characters "Hun Shiwan" on the scabbard appeared and disappeared intermittently.

Just then, a cargo ship's mooring line suddenly tightened, and the creaking sound just happened to cover up the three characters "Shi Gebu".

Ambassador Li's official robes fluttered in the river breeze, and he unconsciously took half a step forward, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

Two shadows intertwined, Ma Jinzhong's bushy beard almost poking Zhang Youyu's beard, and he made a strange gesture with his right hand.

"Ha ha--!"

Ma Jinzhong suddenly burst into thunderous laughter, a laugh tinged with a sense of realization.

"Back then, Minister Gao (Gao Hongtu)..."

The extremely low sound drifted on the wind, only to be swallowed up by the sharp cries of the seagulls.

Before the laughter had subsided, he had already put his arm around Zhang Youyu's shoulder and strode out of the shadows, as if they were old friends.

Ambassador Li unconsciously straightened his back, his eyes darting around.

"Mr. Zhang and I have a past connection. Ambassador Li, are you doing me a favor by doing me a favor?"

Ma Jinzhong suddenly leaned forward, his imposing presence like a mountain. Ambassador Li hurriedly forced a smile, his lips stiffening.

"Ma Shuai is joking!"

"Even if I had ten lives, I wouldn't dare to offend you."

Ma Jinzhong suddenly drew a horn bow from his personal guard's waist, pointing the bow tip at the old fisherman on the ground.

"And these fishermen, you fucking seized all their boats, cutting off their livelihood! My navy still depends on them to deliver supplies and scout!"

Ambassador Li's triangular eyes darted between Zhu Cilang and Ma Jinzhong several times, and his spine, which was covered by a robe, suddenly slumped three inches.

He pulled at the sleeve of his official robe to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his official hat tilted askew in the river wind.

"Since he's an old acquaintance of Commander Ma..."

He let out two dry laughs.

"Today's bento box is a welcome dinner for the governor. It was all a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly flung his python-patterned wide sleeves at the tax collectors.

The iron chain in the hands of the yamen runner fell to the ground with a thud.

The towed fishing boat bounced back suddenly, and the reed hut debris fell into the river, startling two or three silver fish into leaping out of the water.

The old fisherman suddenly began to tremble violently, clutching his grandson tightly.

His cloudy old eyes looked back and forth between Zhu Cilang and Ma Jinzhong several times with a blank expression.

After the initial shock came an even greater sense of bewilderment. His legs went weak, and as if he had finally understood, he suddenly knelt down in front of Zhu Cilang.