The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 128 Descent

"Oh no, oh no, our private granaries have all been seized!"

"Master Zhu, the Duke of Cheng's mansion has sent people to collect a debt!"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has surrounded the area!"

"The Shuntian Prefecture and the Military Command sent people to arrest the accountant and take away the master ledger."

"The shops in the east of the city have been emptied out."

The once bustling and joyful hall is now a mess, with people running around everywhere. Several wealthy merchants even stripped their servants of their clothes and fled for their lives without a care in the world.

We're abandoning all our businesses; let's run, let's get out of Beijing first!

With a loud bang, a doucai cup fell to the ground and shattered into tiny pieces.

An elderly man in fine clothes sat in a chair, muttering to himself, "It's over. The imperial court is about to take action, but it shouldn't be like this. Why so suddenly? The snow disaster wasn't that serious."

Zhu Shouyi turned pale. He sent more than a dozen people to seek help from various places, but the messages that came back were all: do not resist, and do as the court says.

Before he could even resist, his several granaries were emptied, and the rest were sealed off and guarded by the military authorities.

Suddenly, the old man seemed to realize something: "They were forced to make concessions, but they didn't want to give up their own, so they offered us up, and they also got a share of the profits."

Haha, I see. There will definitely be a trial and silencing later. This way, our businesses outside Beijing will not only cover their losses but also generate a profit—impressive! The officials are truly powerful!

Zhu Shouyi's face turned pale, and a sentence came to mind: "If the people squander their wealth, then plunder it from the people; if a popular uprising is imminent, then plunder it from the merchants!"

Then I suddenly thought of my four sons back in my hometown. None of them were very capable; they only knew how to enjoy themselves. If what Old Feng said was true, then they—I had to run away too!

But then, a command came from the doorway: "Seal it off! Don't let a single one escape! Take them straight back to the Ministry of Justice prison!"

The fleeing people were repeatedly pinned to the ground. As the ropes swung, the cries, screams, and curses mingled together, creating a particularly jarring sound in the snowy night.

Zhu Shouyi suddenly took off his outer robe, and while the soldiers around him were busy arresting others, he crouched down and tried to squeeze out through the gap in the side door.

But he had only taken two steps when two burly soldiers strode forward and pinned him down on either side. Rough ropes quickly wrapped around his arms, digging painfully into his skin.

"Brothers, please spare my life! I'm willing to offer a thousand taels of silver. Please be merciful!"

The dark-faced leader sighed regretfully, "No, there are three other groups of people watching us from the outside. We can't have it all to ourselves."

Zhu Shouyi lost the strength to struggle. Was Heaven going to destroy him?

"Let go! Do you know who I am? I have connections. You're all asking for trouble!"

Looking over from the light, Zhu Shouyi saw the handsome merchant who was affiliated with the Yan family. Relying on his status as a disciple of Yan Shifan, he usually acted arrogantly and domineeringly in the capital, hoarding grain and driving up prices.

The soldiers who used to have to smile obsequiously at him were no longer afraid. When they held him down, they even grabbed and pinched his pert buttocks a couple of times.

"This kid smells better than my wife, and his ass is firm too!"

The other man smiled and slapped his hands hard a few times: "What a waste. If you ask me, it would be worth at least a few hundred taels of silver if sold to a brothel."

"If you can shove him between your legs and take him out, that's fine. If you can, you can keep all the money from the sale. I'm not jealous."

.

"He doesn't have that much ability—hey, was this the one ordered to be taken away alone?"

Upon realizing he was about to be taken away alone, the young man's face turned ashen, his legs went weak, and he desperately twisted his upper body, howling in agony.

"Ah! My godfather is a minor Grand Secretary, you'll have to take me there—"

"Yes, that's him. Take him away and get him cleaned up."

Some of the people in this courtyard can be sent back to their homes, while others cannot; they must be silenced forever tonight!

One of them grabbed his arm and dragged him into a quiet alley. A long drag mark was left on the snow. As the two figures disappeared, their cries for help were swallowed up by the deep alleyway and disappeared without a trace.

"Behave yourselves! Line up and proceed to the Ministry of Justice!" The military officer in charge, holding a long sword, shouted the order sternly.

A group of merchants, faced with the sudden iron fist of the imperial court, what power could they possibly resist? Before long, they were all dragged out like dead dogs, kicked and whipped a few times, and then stood up helplessly and were led away.

The team slowly set off in the snow, a long line of people strung together by ropes, trudging forward through knee-deep snow.

Some people sobbed softly, some followed the footsteps in front of them numbly, and some were still looking back in vain.

The once bustling mansion of a wealthy merchant, teeming with carriages and guests, is now a scene of utter desolation, its lights dim and dim, with only the seals fluttering in the wind and snow.

Zhu Shouyi walked in the middle of the group, his hands bound behind his back with rough hemp rope. With each step he took, the rope cut deeper into his flesh.

As the various groups converged in front of the Ministry of Justice's prison, brightly lit, they realized that almost all the major merchants in the capital were there, not just grain and charcoal merchants.

All the prison guards were on duty, sharpening their knives, ready to detain, interrogate, take confessions, and seal up family property tonight. The work was complicated, and no one dared to slack off even a little. Moreover, it was time to distribute the meat, so who could bear to go to sleep?

They couldn't get the big slice, but they always managed to get a bite of the leftover broth. It was so cold, and their wives and children at home were waiting for that bite of meat to keep them alive.

The snow was still falling, and the sleet hit our faces, melting and freezing again, melting and freezing again. A thin layer of frost covered everyone's eyelashes and eyebrows, making them look disheveled and ridiculous.

"Take them all to the prison area and detain them according to their level! The ringleaders will be placed in solitary confinement, while the accomplices will be detained in separate areas. Collusion and visits are strictly prohibited!"

"All the family property, land, shops and grain involved in the case shall be immediately inventoried and registered by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice and the Shuntian Prefecture." With each order issued, the process proceeded in an orderly and progressive manner. Zhu Shouyi was roughly dragged by the prison guards to the deepest part of the prison cell.

He passed through layers of iron gates, listening to the continuous sound of locks and keys falling behind him, and slowly closed his eyes.

He spent half his life pursuing profit, half his life scheming, and half his life climbing the social ladder, ultimately ending up with his family destroyed, his reputation ruined, and his life destroyed.

For whom do the oxen and oxen toil?

After changing into clean clothes and looking much better, Ma Dezhao bowed and reported after entering the palace: "They have made their move. All the wealthy merchants have been arrested and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice prison. It seems they will be interrogated and convicted overnight."

Furthermore, according to Chen Zhao's information, many merchants heavily implicated in the case were executed; their clothes were stripped off and thrown into piles of corpses, claiming they were refugees who had frozen to death.

Zhu Zaizhen leaned against the soft velvet pillow, his plain-colored nightgown loose and comfortable, covered with a thick brocade quilt of dark blue woven gold cloud pattern, and wrapped in fluffy, high-quality mink fur.

Holding the Xuande incense burner in his hands, he wiggled his fingers and said, "Wow, that was fast! Looks like everyone's craving meat."

The Five Cities Garrison, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were busy making arrests. The lower-ranking soldiers and runners received some extra money. The Ministry of Justice conducted trials and recorded confessions overnight. Officials, taking advantage of their authority to inventory property and register accounts, secretly embezzled some small amounts of money.

But these are just small change; the lion's share goes to those at the top.

"Any news from the upright officials and censors?"

"There's been a sporadic outbreak, but overall there's been no activity; everyone's staying indoors."

Logically speaking, such brutal methods would not be tolerated by that group; they would definitely band together to jointly impeach them, accusing them of interfering with people's lives and forcing merchants to rebel.

But the Emperor's methods worked. Prince Yu would get a share of this achievement, and Xu Jie and his associates would definitely suppress the Qingliu faction.

Moreover, now that Zhu Zaizhen has taken on the role of the bad guy, Prince Yu will definitely have to play the good guy tomorrow. But how can he be a good guy if he has no money or food?

Add to that the usual situation, but now there's a disaster. Nothing is more terrifying than the hundreds of thousands of refugees. They are capable of rebellion. The palace may not be able to hold up, and the residences of officials outside the palace may not be able to withstand the onslaught of the refugees.

If they were to be swept away, their entire family would suffer a fate worse than that of the merchants.

However, he can be a bad guy, and everyone can share the meat, but how it's divided is up to him; otherwise, it would be too disrespectful to treat him like a human being.

"Have they all passed away?"

"Zhang Juzheng, Xu Wei, and Qi Jiguang have all gone there, along with Zhang Xing, Tao Ze, and others. I will go over there in a bit to oversee the interrogation and the account books."

Ma Dezhao pondered for a moment and said, "Forgive my bluntness, but Chen Zhao and the officials appointed by His Highness may not be entirely trustworthy."

Zhu Zaizhen had too few capable people under his command, especially those who were truly reliable.

However, it was precisely because of this that he was able to go out and do things. Otherwise, given his father's suspicious and distrustful nature, he would rather let the disaster victims cause trouble than let the prince leave the palace to provide disaster relief. Everything had to be under the control of the emperor and father.

"It's alright. There are still people from the Lü and Lu families. We just need to keep an eye on those grain warehouses. Tomorrow, we will select able-bodied young men from among the refugees who are honest, hardworking, and quick-witted to be incorporated into the temporary grain service team."

All that's needed is three meals a day, winter clothing, and a promise of a stable livelihood after the disaster. As for loyalty, as long as there are many capable people around, no one can secretly take away the grain.

"promise."

"My father is in seclusion for religious rites, while I am still the prince in charge of disaster relief. My brother Prince Yu doesn't dare to confront me directly. If someone really gets impatient, I don't mind following the imperial decree to make an example of them by confiscating the homes of a dozen or twenty officials and gentry, so they can see whether I, the prince who confiscates homes, truly deserve the title."

"This servant will arrange it immediately."

"Hmm." Seeing that Ma Dezhao was about to leave, Zhu Zaizhen said softly, "Daban, wear more clothes, don't catch a cold."

If Zhang Juzheng and his associates are also well-fed, clothed, and given proper official duties, then no one in the capital can cause any trouble.

"Yes, Your Highness." Ma Dezhao smiled. With His Highness's words, he felt very warm inside. What was a little snowstorm compared to that!

"Your Highness, please get some rest. We will need you to take charge of the overall situation tomorrow morning."

"Okay, I'll rest now."

Zhu Zaizhen nodded. He really couldn't fall down. Having fought to this extent, at least tens of thousands more people could live. Moreover, once the snowstorm stopped, he planned to reinforce the city's defenses with the remaining money and grain.

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