Chapter 112: Emperor! Execute Censor Zhang! Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter 13
The night was as dark as ink, and the candlelight flickered.
Returning to his official residence, Shen Lang cautiously asked, “Brother Biao, are you really sending us to the Ministry of War tomorrow? Aren’t you going with us?”
“Why?”
Zhang Biao said with a hint of amusement, “Are you afraid of dying again?”
“It’s not that I’m afraid of dying.”
Shen Lang stammered, “It’s just those roughnecks at the Ministry of War. What if they get rough, and don’t kill us, won’t that be torture?”
He still felt lingering fear when he remembered the night he was ambushed.
Zhang Biao smiled and patted his shoulder, saying,
“Don’t be afraid. Take Old Jiang’s ‘Imperial Guard’ with you. If they dare to be rough, they’d be assaulting an Imperial Envoy and defying the Emperor. The crime would be even greater!”
Speaking of this, he looked at the others again:
“Go and ask them if their military equipment inventory, storage records, and actual stock match up. I heard that the silver allocated to them for manufacturing muskets last year seems to be a bit too much.”
“Then I’ll write my will first.”
“I’ll go write mine too!”
“Look at the kind of spirit you all have!”
Zhang Biao impatiently rebuked them, and with a hint of frustration at their lack of progress, asked, “Can’t you all do anything without me?”
The crowd: “.”
Zhang Biao: “.”
After a moment of silence, Zhang Biao couldn’t help but raise his hand to his forehead and sigh, shaking his head, “Didn’t they say this world goes on regardless of who’s in it? Why is it different for me!”
“Brother Biao…”
Li Mo couldn’t help but ask, “If you’re letting us go to the Ministry of War alone tomorrow, what about you? Do you have any arrangements?”
“That’s a good question!”
Zhang Biao’s spirits immediately lifted, and he straightened his posture, saying, “As the saying goes, to drive out external threats, one must first pacify the internal. I’ve decided to audit the Censorate tomorrow!”
“Ah?”
The crowd was stunned.
What kind of outrageous move was this?
Brother Biao was actually going to target ‘his own people’?!
“Brother Biao, you’re not drunk, are you?”
Shen Lang looked at Zhang Biao blankly and said, “I can’t quite follow your train of thought!”
Zhang Biao smiled and then explained:
“Actually, the logic is very simple. All this commotion we’re causing now is under the name of the Censorate. If we succeed, the Censorate’s reputation will soar. If we fail, we die, and they won’t be affected at all, and they’ll have had a good show. Think about it, why should that be?”
As he spoke, he suddenly thought of Zhan Hui:
“And think about it, how does Chief Censor Zhan view us? He thinks we’re doing this for personal gain and to gain a good reputation! What kind of superior is that!?”
“So, if the top is crooked, the bottom will be crooked too. We can’t let them just watch the show and stand by. Even if we die, we’ll drag them down with us!”
Upon hearing this, the crowd instantly understood, and some anger rose within them.
That’s right!
When we were ‘holding the account book to show determination’ in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, they were also watching the show.
Some even stepped out to scold us.
What kind of ‘own people’ are they? They’re all a bunch of self-proclaimed pure stream dogs!
“But…”
Although he understood Zhang Biao’s thoughts, Zhao Fengman couldn’t help but ask, “Under what pretext can we audit them?”
“Pretext? Do we need a pretext? Doesn’t the Censorate receive salary from the court? Doesn’t it use the Ministry of Revenue’s silver?”
Zhang Biao smiled, “Are their accounts all crystal clear? Don’t they have special allowances and carbon allowances?”
“I refuse to believe it! The crows are all black in this world, so the Censorate must be pure and untainted!”
“Why can that old scoundrel Zhan Hui stand there and scold me? Acting all high and mighty, lecturing this, lecturing that, is he sure he’s clean himself?”
“But Brother Biao…”
Li Mo, relatively calm, frowned:
“By doing this, although it seems satisfying, you’ve completely offended the Censorate. Shen Lang and the others will likely have a very difficult time in the yamen from now on…”
“Difficult time? What difficult time?”
Zhang Biao laughed heartily, “Are we having an easy time now? You in the Hanlin Academy, Sun Gui in the Ministry of War, Wu Nai Da in the Ministry of Personnel, which of them doesn’t call us ‘madmen’ or ‘demonic persons’? Are we afraid of a few more enemies?”
“Besides,”
He changed the subject, “Who says we have to audit them openly?”
“Not openly audit?”
The crowd was once again stunned.
Then Zhang Biao chuckled:
“We are auditing by imperial decree, which is legitimate. Tomorrow, you will go to the Ministry of War as usual for ‘New Year greetings,’ inquire about the military equipment accounts, and stall them, putting on a show.”
“As for me?”
He pointed to his nose and said proudly, “As the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, I will go to our Censorate’s archive and accountant’s office to conduct research and learn, to familiarize myself with the work. There should be no problem with that, right?”
“I’ll just take a look at the office expenses over the years, the travel subsidies for censors in various regions, and where all that extra ink and brush money went…”
“I refuse to believe that I can’t dig up some rotten mud!”
“This…”
Li Mo’s eyes lit up slightly, and he said, “Pretending to repair the plank roads while secretly crossing the Chencang? Brother Biao intends to completely control the Censorate and use it for our benefit?”
“Haha! You’re indeed sharp, young man!”
Zhang Biao let out a hearty laugh, then looked around at everyone and said,
“Brothers, think about it. When we hold their secrets in our hands, will they dare to move against us? If they dare, I’ll throw their rotten accounts into the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square and let everyone have a good laugh.”
The imagery was too vivid.
Everyone’s eyes lit up instantly.
Imagine the scene: the Censorate officials, who usually put on a righteous facade and impeached others for corruption at the slightest provocation, having their own rotten accounts exposed. That scene… would be even more explosive than them ‘lying dead’ before.
“Let’s do it!”
Shen Lang was the first to grit his teeth and respond. Although he was still a little scared, he decided to go all out, “We’re already in this situation anyway, so what’s a few more debts!”
“Right! Audit the hell out of them!”
“Let those old guys know how powerful we are too!”
“.”
The crowd echoed his sentiments, and a frenzied atmosphere of mutual destruction filled the air.
Zhang Biao nodded with satisfaction, “That’s more like it. You’re starting to look like wolf cubs.”
In fact, there was another important purpose he hadn’t mentioned.
To engage in an unprecedented public opinion war with Old Zhu, he had to gain control of the Censorate.
“Alright, get lost and go to sleep. We’ll start first thing in the morning!”
“Awoooo—!”
The crowd let out a cacophony of wails.
This night was destined to be sleepless for many.
On the other side.
In the study of Fu Youwen, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the doors and windows were tightly shut, and thick curtains hung down, isolating them from the outside world.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating several faces that were solemn yet harbored hidden sharpness.
Besides the host, Fu Youwen, present were: Ru Chang, Minister of War; Zheng Ci, Minister of Works; and Zhai Shan, Vice Minister of Personnel.
These four were arguably the core figures in the imperial court who feared and hated Zhang Biao’s ‘audit storm’ the most.
“Gentlemen.”
Fu Youwen spoke first, his voice low, with a hint of unconcealed exhaustion and panic, “I believe everyone is aware of the situation in my Ministry of Revenue.”
“That madman Zhang Biao is now using a chicken feather as an arrow, leveraging the Emperor’s power, and entering the Ministry of Revenue archives as if it were his own!”
“If he continues to cause such chaos, will you and I ever have peace?”
“More than just no peace!?”
Ru Chang snorted coldly, the fat on his face quivering, “This isn’t auditing accounts; it’s looting homes! It’s digging up graves! What has gotten into the Emperor to let him act so ridiculously!”
His tone carried a hint of resentment towards Old Zhu, but he dared not say it directly.
But thinking of Zhang Biao coming to the Ministry of War tomorrow to stir up trouble made him grind his teeth with hatred.
Zheng Ci stroked his beard and said,
“The Emperor’s heart is as deep as the sea. Perhaps he intends to use this madman’s knife to discipline us? Or perhaps… there is another deeper meaning?”
He was relatively cautious and did not offer an opinion, then looked at everyone and advised, “The pressing matter is how to prevent this fire from spreading further.”
“What Minister Zheng said is absolutely right.”
Zhai Shan was the youngest but had a meticulous mind. He said slowly, “The Emperor may intend to indulge him, but he definitely doesn’t want to see the court thrown into chaos and state affairs stagnated.”
“Zhang Biao’s actions are no longer about investigating corruption; they are shaking the foundation of the nation.”
“Officials in all ministries are now in a state of panic, unable to focus on their duties. If this continues, government affairs will be neglected, border defenses will be lax, construction will be halted, and selection of officials will be chaotic. This is a monumental disaster!”
“Vice Minister Zhai has hit the nail on the head!”
Fu Youwen’s eyes flashed with brilliance, and he said, “We can’t just think about our own accounts. We need to broaden our perspective! We need to let the Emperor see that the consequence of Zhang Biao’s meddling is the paralysis of the entire Great Ming court!”
He then lowered his voice, leaned forward, and said solemnly,
“Direct confrontation is absolutely not a good strategy at this moment. The Emperor is currently angry, and he seems to intend to use Zhang Biao as a tool. If we step forward to impeach him, it will be easily perceived as guilt, and we will draw trouble upon ourselves.”
“Then, according to Vice Minister Fu’s opinion?” Ru Chang asked calmly and indifferently.
“Use their strength against them!”
Fu Youwen uttered four words, his eyes sinister, “Zhang Biao has offended more than just a few of us.”
“He spoke wildly, intending to audit the Imperial Treasury, putting himself in opposition to all the nobles and royal relatives!”
“His actions are wild and lawless, treating court rules as nothing, and have already angered countless law-abiding civil officials and pure streams who value tradition!”
“Especially those officials from Jiangnan who adhere to Neo-Confucianism and most value court decorum!”
He paused and continued:
“We only need to guide them slightly. Let those pure stream censors and Hanlin Academy scholars who value court decorum and worry about state affairs stagnating step forward!”
“Let them cry! Let them riot! Let them kneel and remonstrate before the Hall of Supreme Harmony! Let them tell the Emperor that if he continues to indulge Zhang Biao’s recklessness, the Great Ming Empire will be dragged down by a madman!”
“Divert the disaster? Let the pure streams take the lead?”
Zheng Ci nodded in strong agreement, “This plan is excellent! Their esteemed positions often make them unafraid of power, and they take ‘dying for a cause’ as an honor. Their intervention will be more persuasive than ours.”
“Not only that. The Jiangnan civil official group has always been at odds with the Huai Xi aristocratic group.”
Zhai Shan added, “Zhang Biao’s actions are aimed at the nobles; they might be happy to see that. However, if we emphasize the stagnation of state affairs and the chaos of court order, which touches their fundamental interests and beliefs, they will absolutely not stand idly by.”
Having said this, he looked around at everyone and narrowed his eyes, “We can pass on the rumors through fellow provincials and former disciples.”
“Right! Let’s do it!”
Ru Chang slapped his thigh, a fierce expression on his face, “Let them scold! Let them scold Zhang Biao for disrupting the court order and causing state affairs to stagnate! Ask the Emperor to execute this scoundrel for the sake of the empire and its people, to set things right!”
“Heh heh, even if we can’t execute this scoundrel, we can buy ourselves time and destroy more evidence.”
“Yes, yes, having time makes things easier.”
The four men unanimously agreed to the proposal and began to scrutinize every detail.
Who would contact which pure stream officials, through what channels would the message be conveyed, when would be the most opportune time to launch it, and they even preliminarily drafted the core arguments for impeachment.
It was not about opposing anti-corruption, but opposing anti-corruption in a way that would destroy court order and bring the country to a standstill.
Zhang Biao was to be portrayed as a ‘disaster-bringing demon’ who disregarded the overall situation, only knew how to destroy, and was more harmful than corruption itself.
The next morning, the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square.
Dozens of censors, Hanlin scholars, supervising secretaries, and some esteemed idle civil officials, all clad in green or blue official robes, led by several highly respected elder censors, knelt in neat rows on the cold golden bricks.
Unlike Shen Lang and his group, whose clothes were ragged and actions absurd, their official robes were neat, their expressions solemn, even carrying a sense of grief and determination.
Leading them was Li Tiesheng, a Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, known for his uprightness and pedantry.
His beard and hair were white, he held an ivory tablet, and his voice, filled with grief and desolation, pierced the morning mist:
“Your Majesty! Your humble subject tearfully submits this memorial! Zhang Biao, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, under the guise of auditing, has committed outrageous acts!”
“He shows no respect for the sovereign, acts presumptuously, and his conduct is erratic and lawless!”
“He forcibly entered ministry offices, seized archives, causing the work of key departments such as the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Works to come to a near standstill!”
“Officials at all levels are in a state of panic, unable to attend to crucial military and state affairs!”
“If this continues, how will the national treasury operate? How will border defenses be maintained? How will water conservancy projects be repaired? How will officials be selected?!”
“This is not anti-corruption, but a disaster for the nation! It is not to eliminate the ills of the Great Ming, but to shake the foundation of the country!”
“This scoundrel Zhang Biao, though seemingly mad, harbors malicious intent! His crimes are inexcusable! His actions are intolerable to heaven and earth!”
“Your humble subject implores Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly, swiftly behead Zhang Biao, to rectify the court order! To bring peace to the people! To ensure the eternal stability and peace of our Great Ming Empire and its society!”
Behind him, dozens of pure stream officials kowtowed in unison, their voices loud and organized, carrying the unique solemnity and power of the civil official group:
“Your humble subjects second the motion! We implore Your Majesty to swiftly behead Zhang Biao, to rectify the court order!”
“The state affairs are paramount, please Your Majesty behead Censor Zhang!”
“The court order cannot be disrupted! Please Your Majesty behead Censor Zhang!”
“…”
The slogans grew louder and more pointed with each repetition, each one more cutting than the last.
They did not directly mention their own interests, but instead raised the banners of the nation, the state, and court order, nailing Zhang Biao to the pillar of shame as a traitor.
And this news soon reached Zhang Biao, who was frowning at the mountain of account books in the Censorate.
Shen Lang and others turned pale with fear: “Brother Biao! This is bad! Many pure officials are kneeling in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, asking… asking the Emperor to behead you!”
“Oh? Is there such good news?”
Zhang Biao raised his eyebrows, put down the account book in his hand, and actually laughed, “I really want to thank them! Go buy five! No! Buy ten pig’s head meats, I want to treat them to meat! Hahaha!”
“No, Censor Zhang! It’s true! I’m not kidding! They are really in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square asking for your execution!”
Zhao Fengman, standing beside him, was almost crying, “And the momentum is huge! There are dozens of people, more than the number of us who ‘lay dead’ in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square last time?”
“Is that so? That’s great!”
He stood up and stretched, “Let’s go, brothers, to send me off on my final journey!”
“Brother Biao—!”
At this moment, Li Mo, Sun Gui, Wu Nai Da, and the others also rushed over upon hearing the news, their voices choked with tears and their faces pale.
“Oh! What’s wrong with you all?”
Zhang Biao impatiently interrupted them, “You’re trying to stop me from dying!? How malicious of you!”
Having said that, he rushed towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square without another word.
Crazy Thursday! Here I come—!
I endured the pain to type this chapter, requesting the guaranteed monthly votes for the beginning of the month.
Brothers, please give me some monthly votes! Please subscribe! Don’t just hoard the book! Over ten thousand words every day! I’m already working very hard!
