Chapter 108: If The Imperial Treasury Is Not Audited For A Day, I Cannot Rest Easy. Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter 11
Prince Yan Zhu Di received news about Zhang Biao, as did Prince Qin Zhu Shuang and Prince Jin Zhu Gang.
They all reacted differently to Zhang Biao’s madness and made various arrangements.
Zhang Biao, however, was completely unaware of this.
What he needed to do now was to counterattack after Old Zhu refused to audit the Imperial Treasury.
Because Old Zhu’s attitude of letting things slide and almost completely suppressing them would bring them more and greater trouble, even more trouble than the threat that night at the Qinhuai River.
Therefore, he had to counterattack.
If he didn’t counterattack…
This would be the situation.
The high-ranking officials who already hated and feared Zhang Biao suddenly straightened their backs.
Several high officials even gathered, their faces showing schadenfreude and smug smiles as they kicked someone when they were down.
Left Vice Censor-in-Chief? Humph, I think his tenure as a censor is over!
Notify everyone, our people should be smart. If Zhang Biao wants to review any more files, follow the rules and handle it slowly!
Whoever he wants to use, they will all be assigned to other urgent duties.
Also, pass the word to our old friends, if you have any dirt, you can boldly smear it on Zhang Biao! No one is protecting him anymore!
It was almost visible to the naked eye that Zhang Biao and his ‘Audit Dream Team’ felt immense pressure.
Although it was difficult before, at least they still had the ‘Imperial Decree to Investigate Cases’ as a protective charm.
Now, that protective charm seemed to have lost its effect.
When they went to various government offices to retrieve files, they were no longer met with feigned poverty, acting, and perfunctory delays, but with naked obstruction and refusal.
Excuses like lost files, the responsible official being absent, or requiring layers of approval emerged endlessly.
Negative rumors about Zhang Biao also began to circulate in the market.
They said he was auditing for personal gain, colluding with princes, and even being involved with the remnants of the Hongwu Emperor’s three major cases, all asserted with conviction and extreme malice.
Even Shen Lang was ambushed and beaten with a sack on his way home one evening.
Sun Gui received a threatening letter containing razor blades.
An invisible, suffocating pressure began to envelop everyone in the ‘Audit Dream Team’.
“Brother Biao… something’s not right.”
At this moment, in Zhang Biao’s dilapidated official residence, Li Mo, with a pale face, held several returned file retrieval documents and said, “They don’t seem to be afraid of us anymore?”
Shen Lang, bruised and swollen, gritted his teeth and agreed, “More than not afraid! They are openly defying us! It must be from the Emperor’s side…”
Before he could finish speaking, everyone looked at Zhang Biao.
Zhang Biao lay on the worn-out bed, his face showing no trace of panic, but rather an expression of ‘it’s as expected’.
“What are you panicking about?”
He rested his hands behind his head and said calmly, “Old Zhu is playing a beautiful game of ‘watching tigers fight from a mountain.’ He appears magnanimous while borrowing a knife to kill.”
“Then what should we do? How about…”
Sun Gui, clutching his injured arm, whispered, “Should we stop for a while?”
“Stop? Why should we stop?”
Zhang Biao sat up, grinned, and his eyes flashed with a more dangerous light:
“The show has just begun! They think because Old Zhu doesn’t care anymore, they can do whatever they want? Perfect!”
“The more they resist and the more they resort to dirty tricks, the more flaws they will reveal!”
“Fu Youwen and Ru Chang must be overjoyed right now, thinking they have the upper hand? They might even be drinking and celebrating somewhere!”
“Pass down the order!”
Zhang Biao stood up abruptly, “Everyone in the Audit Department, starting today, must travel in groups of three or more for commuting! Everyone gets a whistle, and blow it hard if you encounter danger!”
“Also, pick out a few of the most explosive bits of unverified minor information we’ve uncovered about Fu Youwen and Ru Chang, find some absolutely reliable beggars, and have them sing Lianhua Luo at the entrances of Fu and Ru families’ alleyways!”
“To liven things up for them!”
“They want to play dirty? I’ll play with them until the end! Let’s see who cracks first!”
Suddenly, a noisy, chaotic sound of horses’ hooves, rough curses, and the clashing of metal armor like a cold tide surged from the alley entrance, breaking the silence of the night.
“Damn it! What kind of broken place is this! The road is so narrow! My horse can barely turn around!”
“I heard a bunch of poor censors live here? So broke they can barely ring a coin, yet they have money to have us come here in the middle of the night to breathe the wind?”
“Boss, is it the house at the very end of this alley? It doesn’t look much better than the pigsty back in my hometown!”
“Less nonsense! Minister Ru has ordered us to patrol here and ensure public order! Everyone be alert! Roar!”
The rough laughter, the intentionally heavy sound of horses’ hooves trampling on bluestone slabs, and the clang of scabbards accidentally hitting walls, like tangible whips, lashed against the thin wooden door of the official residence and the hearts of everyone within the courtyard.
“Here they come! They’ve openly arrived!”
A young censor’s voice trembled, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a ‘snap’, shattering into pieces.
Shen Lang sprang up from the stool, a stinging pain on his face, but he endured it and rushed to the door, peeking through the crack.
In the dim moonlight, over a dozen ruffians in patched jackets, wearing tilted felt hats, and with brutish faces, were riding scrawny warhorses, patrolling back and forth in the narrow alley.
They deliberately slowed their pace, their fierce gazes sweeping over the small courtyard like they were appraising fish on a chopping block.
“Get lost! What are you looking at! Keep looking and I’ll tear down your broken door and use it for firewood!”
A ruffian, spotting the eyes behind the door crack, roared ferociously and deliberately spat a thick glob of phlegm at the door.
Shen Lang recoiled, his heart pounding wildly, almost leaping from his throat.
“What do they want?”
Sun Gui subconsciously picked up his extinguished chamber pot lamp, as if it could give him strength, “Should we fight them?!”
Li Mo’s face was ashen, and he tried to remain calm, but his voice trembled, “A threat! This is a naked threat, a brute’s rage, blood splattering five steps!”
At this moment, the curses from outside became clearer.
“You poor scholars inside, listen up! We are on patrol by order to protect you! If you know what’s good for you, get out here and kowtow to us, give us some money for drinks!”
“Otherwise, our swords won’t have eyes! If there’s an accidental fire, or a thief breaks in, you can’t blame us!”
“Hahaha! Maybe there will be flower-picking thieves too! I heard some of you have family members here?”
This last sentence struck everyone’s fear like a sharp knife.
Although most of their families were not at the official residence, this naked threat reminded them of that night at the Qinhuai River.
“Brother Biao—!”
The crowd was almost in tears, crowding around the bed, looking at Zhang Biao pleadingly, as if he were their only lifeline.
“So noisy…”
Zhang Biao grumbled impatiently, got up unsteadily.
He walked to the table, picked up the half-jar of cheap wine, and gulped down several large mouthfuls before slamming the jar back on the table with a ‘bang’.
The wine dripped down his chin, soaking his collar, but his eyes grew brighter.
“Damn it… I won’t be able to sleep tonight…”
Muttering curses, he pushed aside the surrounding people and stumbled towards the door.
“Brother Biao! What are you… what are you going to do?”
Shen Lang asked, trembling with apprehension.
“What am I going to do?”
Zhang Biao didn’t look back, his voice carrying a drunken hiccup and a desperate ferocity, “I’m going to reason with them! Have a heart-to-heart talk!”
Under everyone’s terrified gaze, Zhang Biao, with a ‘clang’, abruptly pulled open the flimsy wooden door.
Outside the door, the group of ruffians were in the midst of their drunken tirade. Suddenly, seeing the door open, a young man in a rumpled official robe, reeking of alcohol, staggered out, and they all couldn’t help but be taken aback.
The ruffian leader reined in his horse, looked Zhang Biao up and down, and sneered, “Yo? Finally, someone with a pair dares to come out? Are you that Zhang Biao who’s been causing trouble?”
Zhang Biao ignored him, squinted, scanned the group of ruffians, and his gaze finally landed on the warhorses beneath them.
The horses were thin, their coats dull, their saddles old, some even tattered.
Zhang Biao suddenly grinned, the smile appearing somewhat eerie in the dim light.
He pointed at the horses and asked the leading ruffian in an extremely serious tone, as if discussing an academic issue:
“Brother, how much is the feed cost for your horses per day?”
“Huh?”
The ruffian leader was stunned by his nonsensical question.
Zhang Biao, however, pressed on, continuing, “Looking at how thin these horses are, they must not be getting enough to eat, right? Did the Ministry of War skim your horse feed money? Just like they skim our salaries?”
He took a step forward, his voice rising, with a touch of stirring sympathy:
“It’s not easy for you brothers! Enduring the sun and wind, protecting the country, and yet you can’t even feed your horses properly?”
“Tsk, tsk, you have to be sent out by your superiors in the middle of the night to do this low-class work, scaring us poor scholars? Isn’t that shameful? Disgraceful?”
The ruffians exchanged glances, unsure how to respond for a moment.
Why isn’t this censor playing by the rules!?
Shouldn’t he be cowering in fear or sternly reprimanding them?
Why is he talking about horse feed? And showing us some sympathy?!
Zhang Biao seized their moment of stunned silence, slapped his thigh, and said with grief-stricken indignation:
“This is all the fault of Ru Chang, that old fat pig!”
“Brothers! We are all victims! We are all unfortunate souls wronged by those corrupt officials!”
“We should sympathize with each other, stand together against the enemy! Why are we turning on our own kind!?”
The ruffian leader reacted, feeling tricked, and cursed angrily:
“Talk nonsense! Who’s your own kind! Stop trying to get close! Hand over the money quickly!”
“Money?”
Zhang Biao’s eyes widened, then he put on an even more exaggerated smile, turned abruptly, and shouted into the courtyard, “Accountant Shen! Department Director Sun! Bring out the reward silver the Emperor bestowed upon us! Let the brothers have a look!”
Shen Lang and the others, hiding behind the door, were so scared their legs turned to jelly.
What’s going on?
Aren’t we supposed to return that reward silver to the Emperor?
The Emperor has already issued a decree!
But upon hearing Zhang Biao’s command, they nervously brought out the box containing eight thousand taels of Precious Notes.
Zhang Biao lifted the lid of the box, revealing the thick stack of Precious Notes inside.
The eyes of the ruffians instantly went wide, and their breathing became heavy.
Eight thousand taels!
They had never seen so much money in their lives!
Zhang Biao picked up a stack of Precious Notes and rustled them in his hand, his voice full of temptation, “See? The Emperor’s reward! Why the reward? Because we exposed corrupt officials! Because we reclaimed hard-earned money!”
Saying this, he changed his tone and pointed at the ruffians:
“Brothers! Think about it!”
“The military pay you’ve been shortchanged, the horse feed money that’s been embezzled, how much is that in total? Don’t you want to get it back?”
“Following those vermin, you can only drink the wind!”
“Follow me, and we’ll audit together! Dig out all the money from the corrupt officials!”
“Then, let alone horse feed, it’ll be enough for you to marry a wife each!”
The ruffians were completely bewildered, their minds unable to keep up with Zhang Biao’s rhythm.
Anger, greed, confusion, a trace of stirred-up grievance – all sorts of emotions mingled on their faces.
The leader swallowed hard, his gaze darting between the Precious Notes and Zhang Biao’s frantic face. He instinctively tightened his grip on his saber hilt, yet felt a sense of powerlessness.
Zhang Biao looked at their reactions, his smile growing brighter.
He knew the time was almost ripe.
He suddenly threw the Precious Notes in his hand up into the air.
Whoosh—!
A sky full of Precious Notes scattered in the night wind.
“I’m in a good mood today! These are for you as a reward!”
“Consider it a treat for you brothers to have a drink!”
“Aoo—!”
The ruffians were stunned for a moment, then let out a frantic roar.
They forgot all about military orders, dismounted, and pounced on the falling Precious Notes like wild dogs fighting for food, pushing, scrambling, and even fighting each other.
The scene immediately descended into chaos.
Zhang Biao stood at the doorway, watching these ruffians debase themselves for a few Precious Notes, and laughed heartily, “Old Zhu, oh Old Zhu! Just you wait, I won’t sleep or eat peacefully until the Imperial Treasury is audited!”
Shen Lang and the others behind the door watched, dumbfounded, their jaws almost hitting the floor.
This… it was solved just like that?
By… by throwing money?
And it was the Emperor’s money?!
Brother Biao’s thinking is always so abstract and effective!
However, amidst this chaos, no one noticed that in the deeper shadows of the alley, a pair of cold eyes were silently watching everything.
They were Imperial Guards secretly placed by Jiang Huan.
He recorded in detail everything that happened that night, including Zhang Biao scattering the reward silver and inciting the soldiers.
This record would soon be placed on Old Zhu’s desk.
Censor Zhang owes money and refused to pay, and even used the Emperor’s money to recruit soldiers and buy horses.
…
Requesting monthly tickets, it’s the last day, don’t waste them.
Requesting monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, follow-up subscriptions, full subscriptions, and all forms of care!
Remember to like the characters.
Also, I have a lot of things to do today, so it’s a bit late. For future chapters, I will write them all and send them out together. Looking at recent subscriptions, important foreshadowing chapters have been skipped! (◎_◎;)
Without foreshadowing, such grand satisfying moments just won’t be satisfying! So those who haven’t caught up, hurry and do so.
