The Ming Dynasty began in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

He was the Duke of Cheng of the Ming Dynasty, and if he did not surrender, he would surely be killed by the bandits.

If he surrendered to the rebels, he should be able to secure a future under Li Zicheng's command, and perhaps even preserve his vast fortune!

Only Zhu Chunchen himself knew the true extent of the wealth of the Duke of Cheng's mansion.

Through generations of accumulation and his own rampant enrichment, Zhu Chunchen now possesses millions of gold and silver, hundreds of shops, and hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land...

Thinking of the impending fall of the capital and the end of his good days, Zhu Chunchen couldn't help but sigh:

"Alas, the Ming army is so useless. For the sake of our families, we have no choice but to buy official positions from the bandits. Two hundred thousand taels of silver should be enough to buy a noble title..."

Zhu Chunchen knew that the rebel army did not have a duke, and he dared not hope to continue being a duke, but buying a count's title should not be a problem...

"Bang..."

Just as Zhu Chunchen was secretly making plans, the gate of the mansion was suddenly violently smashed open, and a group of people rushed into the Duke of Cheng's mansion.

Most of the servants in the Duke's mansion were conscripted by Emperor Chongzhen to guard the city, and tonight only a dozen or so servants remain in the mansion to guard the gate.

The servants were startled when the gates were suddenly flung open. They hadn't expected anyone to dare trespass on the Duke's mansion. The squad leader hurriedly shouted:

"How dare you! You dare to force your way into the Duke's mansion? You have a death wish!"

A dozen or so servants grabbed their knives and spears, ready to step forward and stop the intruders!

Zhu Cilang shouted sternly:

"Kill them all, leave no one alive!"

"Here you go!"

Gao Wencai and Fang Zhenghua received the order and immediately led their men to surround the servants of the Duke of Cheng's mansion...

These servants were good at bullying ordinary people, but when they encountered the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) and Xichang (Western Depot) experts, they were powerless to fight back and were all killed in a short time.

Zhu Cilang's operation was top secret; he couldn't let anyone discover the location of the sunken silver, so he certainly wouldn't let these servants escape.

As for Zhu Chunchen himself, Zhu Cilang would not kill him, nor would he let him off too easily.

Zhu Cilang believed that Liu Zongmin would make the Duke of Cheng, who had nothing to show for it, wish he were dead...

Zhu Chunchen was plotting how to send silver to Li Zicheng when his steward, Zhu Fu, rushed in to report:

"Master, something terrible has happened! A group of bandits have broken into the manor..."

Zhu Chunchen was furious upon hearing this:

"What?"

"Who dares to be so audacious as to trespass into the Duke's mansion?"

Zhu Chunchen, the former commander of the Beijing Garrison and Duke of Cheng of the Ming Dynasty, held absolute power. He was about to go out and reprimand anyone who dared to be so insolent when the chief steward grabbed his leg.

"My lord, you must not go out. The visitors are hostile; it's best to be cautious..."

"this……"

Zhu Chunchen was startled upon hearing this. With the rebels besieging the capital, anything was possible. He immediately stopped and said:

"Quickly, go and inform the madam that everyone must hide in the secret room!"

"yes!"

He sent his steward to notify important relatives of the Duke's mansion to seek refuge, fearing that his family might be taken advantage of the chaos and murdered...

The steward had just stepped out of the room when Zhu Cilang arrived with his men. Fang Zhenghua swiftly drew his sword, and the steward Zhu Fu's head rolled to Zhu Chunchen's feet...

"what……"

"What are you doing? This is the Duke's mansion, how dare you act so wildly..."

Zhu Chunchen was so shocked that he almost collapsed to the ground...

Zhu Cilang gave Gao Wencai a wink, and Gao Wencai swiftly pressed his steel knife against Zhu Chunchen's neck, coldly saying:

"Hand over your gold and silver obediently, and we'll spare your lives. If you disobey in the slightest, the entire Duke of Cheng's mansion will be wiped out..."

Zhu Chunchen was not the first Duke of Cheng. As the former commander of the Beijing Garrison, he had never even picked up a sword. Being afraid of death was his defining characteristic.

Feeling the cold steel blade against his neck, Zhu Chunchen trembled all over, almost losing control of his bladder and bowels. He was no longer the Duke of the Ming Dynasty he once was.

The death of a steward was nothing to Zhu Chunchen, but if he angered the other party, it was possible that the Duke's mansion would be wiped out. Zhu Chunchen dared not gamble.

As soon as Gao Wencai finished speaking, Zhu Chunchen hurriedly called out:

"Don't kill anyone! I'll take you to the treasure vault!"

"Lead the way. If you dare to play any tricks, don't blame us for being ruthless."

He warned Zhu Chunchen and ordered Fang Zhenghua to lead twenty men to continue searching the secret chamber of the Duke of Cheng's mansion. He and Gao Wencai led their men to follow Zhu Chunchen to the Duke's mansion's treasury.

Zhu Chunchen stumbled ahead and led the way, soon arriving at a large iron gate.

He shakily opened the heavy iron gate, revealing piles of gold and silver inside, roughly estimated to be worth at least two hundred thousand taels.

When Emperor Chongzhen called for donations, Zhu Chunchen cried and begged for several hundred taels of silver, leading Emperor Chongzhen to believe that Zhu Chunchen was truly poor.

Now, just one warehouse is worth more than 200,000 taels of silver. The Duke's mansion must have more than one such warehouse. It's outrageous!

Zhu Cilang's eyes were practically spitting fire. He kicked Zhu Chunchen, who rolled more than three meters on the ground before stopping, his old bones almost falling apart...

"Young master, we've found two more storerooms!"

Just as Zhu Chunchen was wailing in agony, the two hidden silver cellars were discovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guards...

"Load everything onto the truck!"

Zhu Cilang did not carefully count the amount of gold and silver, but estimated it to be over two million taels of silver. With the addition of some precious treasures and antiques, the total value was definitely over two and a half million taels of silver.

Zhu Cilang originally intended to kill that old dog Zhu Chunchen and then burn down the Duke of Cheng's mansion, but in the end he gave up.

Rather than killing Zhu Chunchen with a single blow, it would be better to let Liu Zongmin deal with this cowardly traitor...

As the gold, silver, and valuables were loaded onto carts and left the Duke of Cheng's mansion, Fang Zhenghua, the chief eunuch who had become addicted to confiscating property, once again bowed and asked:

"Young master, where is our next stop?"

Zhu Cilang said without hesitation:

"Take the gold and silver back, sink them in sections in the river, and then head to the Earl of Jiading's residence!"

"what……"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhenghua was immediately taken aback. He could understand the idea of ​​sinking gold and silver into the river—it was a precautionary measure to prevent wealth from falling into Li Zicheng's hands. But the Jiading Earl's Mansion…

In ancient times, the country was governed by filial piety, so it was certainly inappropriate for the crown prince to plunder his maternal grandfather's residence. He hurriedly reminded him:

"Young master, please think twice. The Earl of Jiading is the emperor's father-in-law and your maternal grandfather. This action may be inappropriate..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang said calmly:

"No need for further words, execute the order!"

"Here you go!"

Little did Fang Zhenghua know that the Earl of Jiading was extremely greedy, cowardly, and stingy, completely disregarding family ties and the safety of the court for the sake of money.

When Emperor Chongzhen called for donations, he refused to contribute a single penny. Empress Zhou gave him money to set an example, but he embezzled the money given to him by the empress.

After the fall of the capital, he actually handed his grandson over to Li Zicheng, hoping to obtain a high-ranking official position and generous salary.

Li Zicheng despised this kind of person. Zhou Kui was ripped dry of his gold and silver and eventually died tragically under Liu Zongmin's cangue...

Even if it were his own maternal grandfather, Zhu Cilang would not let such a person go.

When Liu Zongmin was tortured, the emperor's father-in-law, who couldn't hand over gold and silver, met with predictable consequences!

Zhu Cilang suggested conscripting servants from the officials' households to guard the city, but he also had his own purpose: to make it easier for him to plunder the gold and silver from the mansions of corrupt officials and nobles.

When bandits besieged the city, Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict ordering officials, their household servants, and all able-bodied men in the city to defend it, with anyone who disobeyed to be executed without mercy.

This time, Marquis Zhou Kui of Jiading dared not play with fire and sent most of his household servants to guard the city.

For the greedy Zhou Kui, sending his servants to guard the city was much better than having to donate money.

In order to show off in front of the officials, only eight people were left in the mansion to guard the gate, while all the other servants went to guard the city.

But Zhou Kui never expected that someone would take the opportunity to rob him, and the robber was none other than his own nephew.