Chapter 16: Loyal Ministers Cannot Save The Great Ming!
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was so vast that the echo of one’s heartbeat could be heard.
Upon the dragon throne, Old Zhu wore his dragon robe, over which was a loose hemp garment.
This was his Zhan Cui Heavy Mourning for Zhu Biao.
Even though Zhu Biao had been buried, he still had not emerged from his grief for him.
He sat there, lifeless, like a stone statue.
And the entire Main Hall was permeated with the lingering scent of incense, candles, and paper money.
Tap, tap, a sound of footsteps slowly approached. He slightly hunched his back and gazed in the direction of the sound with a heavy gaze.
It was the seventh-rank Censor who had been audacious in the Imperial Court, lived luxuriously in the Imperial Prison, and eloquently recited “Limestone Chant” during the Trial by the Three Judicial Offices, leaving the three chief judges speechless – Zhang Biao.
“Your Majesty! The criminal official Zhang Biao has been brought!”
Jiang Huan brought Zhang Biao to the foot of the imperial steps and then, as if merging into the shadows, retreated to the side of the Main Hall.
The atmosphere was deathly silent.
Only the autumn wind whistling outside the hall, brushing past the eaves of the palace, made a sobbing sound.
Although Zhang Biao had achieved his goal and had successfully seen Old Zhu, looking at Old Zhu’s current state, he didn’t seem to be in high spirits.
Therefore, even though Zhang Biao was seeking death at this moment, he did not speak at an inappropriate time.
After all, killing in anger was the key to returning to the modern world. If Old Zhu wasn’t angry, how could this work? What if something went wrong, whose fault would it be?
“Hoo.”
As time continued to pass, until the Main Hall was so silent it felt like water could drip from it, Old Zhu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. With eyes that had once made countless heroes tremble and turn pale, but were now bloodshot, he stared intently at Zhang Biao.
There was no furious roar, no slamming of the gavel, only a deep, bottomless weariness and a chilling scrutiny.
His voice was hoarse and low, like gravel grinding together, “Zhang Biao. You wish to die, is that right?”
“This”
What kind of opening was this?
Old Zhu, you’re throwing me off with this question!
Zhang Biao was momentarily stunned, but he still cleared his throat and said, stretching his neck, “That’s right! Kill me quickly! You’ve killed so many people, you don’t lack one more like me!”
“Heh heh.”
Old Zhu laughed, but his laughter was chilling. “Yes, I have killed many people. Perhaps. It was because I killed too many that Biao suffered heavenly retribution.”
No way, Old Zhu!
Don’t play the sympathy card! You’re ruining my sense of immersion for ‘dying for a cause’!
Zhang Biao was speechless, but he couldn’t help but sneer at Old Zhu, “What nonsense is heavenly retribution! If heaven truly had eyes, it wouldn’t stand by and watch the world suffer endless disasters, wouldn’t let the common people become refugees, wouldn’t let the dynasty be engulfed in war!”
“In my opinion, so-called heavenly retribution is merely an excuse for the incompetent.”
“Audacious—!”
Jiang Huan, upon hearing Zhang Biao dare to call Old Zhu incompetent, quickly rebuked him in fright.
But Old Zhu shot him a cold glance, making his face instantly turn pale, and he involuntarily knelt on the ground with a “thump.”
Then Old Zhu smiled again and continued, “You’re right, I don’t believe in this darn heaven either! It took away my beloved sister, and then it took away my Biao!”
As his words fell, Old Zhu seemed to regain some vitality and returned to the main topic. “Zhang Biao! I heard. You were quite impressive in the Hall of the Three Judicial Offices? You actually left our chief judges from the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court speechless?”
He paused, his gaze like palpable ice, piercing Zhang Biao. “You wish to maintain your integrity in this world. That’s a fine ambition!”
“But I ask you, how much is that ‘integrity’ of yours worth?”
“Can it bring back my Biao?”
“Can it fill the devastating floods in Jiangnan?”
“Can it stop the iron hooves of Northern Yuan?”
“Can it ensure that my Great Ming Dynasty lasts for ten thousand generations?!”
In the last sentence, his voice suddenly rose, carrying the immense grief and indignation that had been suppressed for a long time, along with the imperial might, exploding like muffled thunder in the empty hall.
The invisible pressure surged instantaneously, almost crushing them.
The eunuchs and palace maids standing inside the hall were already terrified, prostrating themselves on the ground and trembling.
Even Jiang Huan, kneeling on the ground, couldn’t help but place his hand on the hilt of his Xiuchun Saber, his knuckles turning slightly white.
The entire Hall of Supreme Harmony seemed to be frozen into an ice cave by Zhu Yuanzhang’s soul-stirring five questions, filled with sorrow and anger.
The pressure descended like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami surging.
However, below the imperial steps, Zhang Biao slowly raised his head. His face showed none of the nonchalance from the Trial by the Three Judicial Offices, nor the fear of being intimidated by the emperor’s might.
His eyes were exceptionally calm, so calm they were almost mournful, directly meeting Zhu Yuanzhang’s blood-red eyes, which burned with boundless pain and anger.
This calmness, however, made Zhu Yuanzhang sense something unusual.
Although Zhang Biao’s words and actions were indeed arrogant and bold, even recklessly courting death, Zhang Biao’s demeanor was completely different from those “loyal officials” who had died for a cause before.
It was as if he not only sought death but also genuinely wanted to do something substantial for the country.
For Old Zhu, who had seen countless people, this mindset was extremely rare.
If he hadn’t had the Imperial Guard investigate Zhang Biao’s background, he would have thought this fellow was a reincarnation of a “sage.”
After all, human nature is complex; there is no one truly unafraid of death, it’s merely a matter of weighing interests.
But this guy Zhang Biao, what was he after?
A person who sought nothing – wasn’t he a sage?
Just as Old Zhu was pondering this, Zhang Biao finally spoke, “Your Majesty asks, how much is my integrity worth?”
His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear, carrying a peculiar penetrative power that echoed in the oppressive, silent hall. “I want to say, Your Majesty’s question is directed in the wrong way.”
“Hmm?!”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s brows furrowed sharply, and a cold light flared in his eyes. This brat dared to say he was wrong?!
Zhang Biao seemed not to notice the killing gaze, his voice remained steady, carrying a desolation of insight into the world. “My integrity cannot save Crown Prince Yiwen, nor can it stop the monstrous floods in Jiangnan!”
“My integrity cannot withstand the curved blades and iron cavalry of Northern Yuan, nor can it save the Great Ming’s foundation for ten thousand generations!”
“My integrity, it can be said, is worthless!”
With every sentence he spoke, the coldness on Zhu Yuanzhang’s face intensified. The withered back of his hand, resting on the armrest of the dragon throne, showed veins bulging.
“But!”
Zhang Biao’s voice suddenly rose, like a sharp sword unsheathed, his gaze blazing, directly facing the emperor’s visage without any fear.
“My integrity can expose the festering sores that are growing beneath the majestic court of the Great Ming!”
“My integrity can expose the vermin that are gnawing at the foundation of the Great Ming!”
“My integrity can expose the fatal diseases hidden by the splendid facade, which are enough to make this empire collapse!”
“Audacious—!!”
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly slammed the table and stood up, his beard and hair bristling, enraged. “How dare you curse my Great Ming empire?!”
Here it comes!
That’s the feeling!
Seeing Old Zhu furious, Zhang Biao’s spirits immediately lifted.
