Chapter 118: Old Zhu: Kill! Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter 15
This bastard thing, he really isn’t afraid of anything!
In fact, he even looks forward to us killing him!
Old Zhu looked at Zhang Biao’s expression of ‘facing death as if returning home’ and gritted his teeth in hatred.
But at the same time, a hint of doubt arose in his heart.
Why would Zhang Biao oppose these pure stream scholars? By rights, wasn’t he also part of the pure stream faction? Wasn’t he also part of the civil official group?
Wouldn’t this course of action cut him off from the scholarly world?
In the future, besides Shen Lang and his ilk, which other scholars would dare to stand with him?
If scholars don’t band together, wouldn’t their influence be greatly reduced? Wouldn’t it be easier for us to kill them without scruples?
You, Zhang Biao, seek death. What about your brothers? Wouldn’t they still die after you’re gone?
Even if we didn’t want to kill them, but like today, someone will always step forward and, in the name of ‘righteousness,’ die for a cause by advising us to kill them!
At that time, wouldn’t your efforts be in vain?
Old Zhu really couldn’t figure it out, but he felt in his heart that it wasn’t that simple.
Just then, Jiang Huan returned, followed by several Imperial Guards carrying thick account books and a scroll of land deeds. They arrived with great speed, astonishingly efficient.
Clearly, the professional standards of the Imperial Guard in confiscating property were etched into their very bones.
Moreover, with Old Zhu in a fit of rage, how would Jiang Huan dare to show any negligence?
“Your Majesty!”
Jiang Huan knelt on one knee and held the account books and deeds above his head:
“Here are the records of charcoal tribute and ink and brush usage from the Censorate and Hanlin Academy, as well as the property registrations obtained from the Ministry of Revenue!”
“Preliminary checks reveal numerous suspicious points. Please, Your Majesty, review them!”
No need for a thorough investigation; a casual glance at the charcoal tribute records showing amounts far exceeding the norm, the exorbitant consumption of ink and paper, and the respectable homes and estates under the names of those implicated pure stream officials and their relatives, which were utterly disproportionate to their salaries—
Everything was already crystal clear!
“Bring them here!”
Old Zhu’s voice was as cold as ice.
Yun Ming quickly stepped forward to receive them and tremblingly presented them to Old Zhu.
Old Zhu didn’t even bother to flip through them carefully. He casually opened a page of the charcoal tribute record and, comparing it with the salary standards provided by the Ministry of Revenue, the veins on his forehead began to throb.
He picked up another land deed and, seeing the familiar official names and the vast acreage, the wrath in his eyes finally overwhelmed his last trace of hesitation.
“Very good!”
Old Zhu’s voice was terrifyingly low, like the dead silence before a storm. “What fine, pure, and upright officials, two sleeves clean! What a perfect example of ‘gentlemen associating without forming factions’!”
He abruptly threw the account book in his hand in front of Li Tiesheng.
“Censor Li, you constantly speak of loyalty and patriotism, and worry about court order. Can you explain to us, and to your colleagues—”
“How did you acquire the three hundred mu of top-grade paddy fields in your hometown of Ji’an Prefecture, Jiangxi, in the second year after you became a Jinshi scholar, at the price of wasteland, from local bankrupt gentry?”
“Your third concubine, whom you took in this year, was originally a ‘virtuous courtesan’ at the ‘Ru Hua’ pavilion on the Qinhuai River. The redemption money was one thousand taels. With your meager salary, how did you manage to save such a vast sum?”
“And that antique Ru ware brush washer from the previous dynasty, displayed in your study, worth an incalculable fortune, who was the ‘confidant’ who gifted it to you?”
“Ah? This…”
Li Tiesheng, just awakened, was struck as if by lightning, and wanted to speak but stopped.
He seemed to have never imagined that these matters could be investigated in such detail.
He trembled like a sieve, his lips quivering, unable to utter a single word, only bowing his head repeatedly with loud thuds. The blood scab on his forehead cracked open again, his face streaming with blood, looking like a vengeful spirit.
Jiang Huan looked at him with a complex expression.
In fact, when they went to audit the accounts, they couldn’t find such detailed records.
But by sheer coincidence, someone had added a detailed document to Li Tiesheng’s file. It was anonymous, but it was easy to guess who provided it.
Old Zhu’s questioning did not stop:
“Editor Zhao, yesterday you cursed Zhang Biao as a traitor in your office. Then, what is your crime for secretly selling the Hanlin Academy’s rare copy of 《 the Map of Mountains and Rivers 》 to a foreign envoy?”
“Supervising Secretary Qian! I still clearly remember your memorial impeaching the border generals for withholding military pay. Have you ever mentioned your brother-in-law’s resale of substandard military cotton clothing even a fraction?”
“And you! You! All of you!”
Old Zhu’s fingers pointed like he was bestowing ranks, one by one at those pale-faced pure stream officials:
“You received more charcoal tribute than a Prince! You took so much ink and paper you could open a bookstore! You own so much land you could be a landlord! Is this the Sacred Learning you read?! Is this your integrity and uprightness?!”
“Your Majesty! We were wrong! We were truly wrong!”
“Your Majesty, spare us! Your Majesty, have mercy!”
Finally, someone broke down, crying and begging for mercy.
“Wrong? Begging for mercy?”
Old Zhu sneered, a smile more terrifying than Zhang Biao’s. “If we spare you, who will spare the Great Ming’s National Treasury? Who will spare the common people you exploited?!”
“Jiang Huan!”
“Your servant is here!”
“Kill—!”
Old Zhu uttered the word coldly, then said with killing intent:
“Have Li Tiesheng skinned and his lamp lit! Skin him now! And these bastards whose names I’ve called! Execute them on the spot!”
“Zhu Chongba—!”
Li Tiesheng screamed in terror, preparing to imitate Zhang Biao and curse Old Zhu before he died.
Old Zhu interrupted him with wild laughter: “Hahaha!”
“Good, good, good! You know not what is good for you!”
“Jiang Huan! Exterminate his entire clan for me! For every word he curses, exterminate a clan!”
“Thump!”
Li Tiesheng instantly collapsed onto the ground, thinking, why? Why!?
Zhang Biao, that scoundrel, could curse him, so why couldn’t I!?
However, Old Zhu ignored him and, with a bloodthirsty gaze, turned to the other pure stream scholars:
“Strip them of their official robes and take off their hats! Throw them into the Imperial Prison and interrogate them thoroughly! Investigate them fiercely! See what demons and monsters are behind them!”
“After the investigation is clear, those whose property should be confiscated will have it confiscated, those who should be exiled will be exiled. With conclusive evidence, they will be executed without pardon.”
“Yes!”
Jiang Huan grinned and took the order, then waved his hand.
Soon, the Imperial Guards swarmed like wolves and tigers.
They completely disregarded the officials’ wails and struggles, roughly tearing off their official robes, removing their official hats, and dragging them away from the square like dead dogs.
“Ah, ah—!”
“No, no—!”
Li Tiesheng’s screams came from a corner, accompanied by the piercing cries and pleas for mercy from the pure stream scholars as they were dragged away by the Imperial Guards.
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, the ministers from the Six Ministries who had been summoned were all kneeling on the ground, their heads buried so low they dared not even breathe heavily, fearing they would be next.
And Fu Youwen and the others in the office were also sweating profusely, filled with lingering fear, while secretly rejoicing that they had not impeached Zhang Biao themselves.
“Phew, phew…”
Old Zhu gasped for breath, his chest heaving, clearly still enraged.
He had executed countless corrupt officials, but every time he witnessed such filth hidden beneath a respectable facade, it still infuriated him.
His gaze finally returned to the instigator, Zhang Biao.
Zhang Biao was watching with great interest, even regretting that Old Zhu hadn’t broadened the scope of the crackdown.
Seeing Old Zhu look at him, he immediately put on that expectant expression of ‘Is it my turn now?’.
Old Zhu looked at him like this, and the anger he had just vented flared up again.
This lunatic! He orchestrated all of this!
Although he had exposed a few vermin, his crime of ‘slandering Sacred Learning’ and ‘blasphemously advocating for the dismissal of Confucianism’ could not be forgiven.
“Zhang Biao!”
Old Zhu’s voice was cold, with the decisiveness of a victor:
“Your audit has merit, and you have exposed vermin, which is one achievement. However, your arrogance and insolence, your slandering of Sacred Learning, your shaking of the nation’s foundation, and your bewitching of the populace are crimes punishable by death!”
“Your merits and demerits do not cancel each other out! Today, I dismiss you from your post as Left Vice Censor-in-Chief!”
“Jiang Huan! Throw Zhang Biao into the death row prison! He will be executed after the autumn!”
Old Zhu finally made his decision.
Not killing Zhang Biao would not quell the wave of ‘Dismissal of Confucianism,’ nor would it awe the court.
However, being executed after autumn, rather than immediately in the market, made Zhang Biao feel a bit displeased.
But just as he was about to urge Old Zhu to kill him immediately, he suddenly remembered his previous experience of seeking death. The faster he sought death, the less Old Zhu would want to kill him.
So this time he learned his lesson and, without further ado, responded loudly: “Your subject receives the imperial edict and expresses his gratitude! Your Majesty is wise!”
Dying sooner or later, one would still die, so there was no need to rush.
After all, Old Zhu had already issued an edict to kill him in front of so many people. Would he go back on his word?
Haven’t you heard that a ruler’s word is his bond?!
However, when everyone saw Zhang Biao’s reaction, their scalps tingled again, and they thought to themselves that this guy was incurably insane.
Fortunately, Jiang Huan didn’t dwell on it and directly called two Imperial Guards forward to prepare to shackle Zhang Biao.
“Wait!”
Zhang Biao suddenly shouted, then brushed off the dust from his body, his gaze passing over Old Zhu to precisely fix on several faint figures behind the window of the adjoining office.
It was Vice Minister of Revenue Fu Youwen, Minister of War Ru Chang, and others.
Fu Youwen and the others, watching the bloody liquidation outside through the crack in the window, suddenly met Zhang Biao’s gaze, which was as sharp and cold as solid matter. They all trembled and instinctively wanted to shrink back.
But it was too late.
Zhang Biao’s lips slowly curved into an extremely ferocious smile, filled with malice and mockery, and he spoke word by word in a voice loud enough for them to hear:
“Vice Minister Fu, Minister Ru, Minister Zheng, Vice Minister Zhai, and all the noble lords in the office…”
“Was it good? Was this play good?”
“Don’t be in a hurry to rejoice, don’t be in a hurry to snicker…”
His voice was like a curse from hell, carrying a heart-stopping madness and certainty:
“The real show has only just begun!”
“Those who died today are merely appetizers, to whet your appetites!”
“Don’t be afraid…”
Zhang Biao’s smile became even more ferocious and terrifying, staring at the window as if he could see through the wooden planks to the pale faces behind it:
“Not one of you will escape…”
“You, and those behind you…”
“Will all die!”
“I will wait for you all together! Then, we will all die together! Hahaha—!”
The mad laughter echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, accompanied by his figure being escorted away by the Imperial Guards, deeply etched into everyone’s hearts, bringing a bone-chilling cold.
Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, and the others felt as if they had been struck by lightning. Their faces instantly turned as pale as paper, their hands and feet grew cold, and they could even clearly hear their hearts pounding frantically.
A madman!
He was a complete and utter madman!
“It’s over, it’s over. He could have died alone…”
Fu Youwen, terrified, exclaimed in panic: “Now he’s going to drag us down with him!”
“Damn you, Li Tiesheng!”
Ru Chang lowered his voice and couldn’t help but curse loudly: “You stubborn beast! Why did you drag Shen Lang and the others into this!?”
“Pedantic scholars ruin the country—!”
“Pedantic scholars ruin us—!”
Countless resentments, curses, and fears reached their peak at the moment Zhang Biao was taken away.
As for Shen Lang and his companions, as they watched Zhang Biao’s retreating back, a nameless fire ignited in their eyes.
As for Old Zhu…
He stood there stunned, silent, his expression shifting between dark and sunny.
So that’s how it is, that scoundrel had already planned it all!
If all the enemies were taken away, who would be able to threaten Shen Lang and the others’ lives?!
He could leave with complete peace of mind.
At this moment, Old Zhu felt an unprecedented chill surge through him.
He knew that the real storm was coming.
Requesting monthly tickets~
【 Thanks to Ding Yuan for the 100,000 Yuan “Mengzhu” reward. 】 I’ve always remembered it, but recently I’ve been too pressed for time and haven’t written it. Extra updates will be arranged later.
【 Thanks to AyeSire7 for the 100,000 Yuan “Mengzhu” reward. 】 Thank you for your support, thank you, great patrons. Extra updates will be arranged later.
Thanks to “The other party has logged in” for 1500 reward. Thanks to the reader with the last four digits 6637 for 200 reward. Thanks to Yu Lianlian for 500 reward. Thanks to Yiran and Feixiang for 200 reward. Thanks to Flove_Wei’er for 500 reward.
I calculated it, last month’s monthly ticket count was 12,500. Excluding 3,500, there should be 18 additional chapters. I have already added 15 chapters.
I would have finished adding them soon, but my tendonitis flared up, so I couldn’t. Maintaining a daily update of ten thousand characters is a victory.
Currently, the “Mengzhu” rewards add up to 9 chapters, and there are three more chapters for monthly tickets. A total of 12 chapters. It will be done soon. Please vote for monthly tickets! Keep voting!
