Chapter 173: Old Zhu, Do You Know How Empress Ma… 【seeking Monthly Tickets】
“Your Majesty, please address Censor Zhang!”
This roar, carrying an almost absurd persistence and a final shred of dignity, managed to momentarily suppress Old Zhu’s rage.
The prison cell fell into a peculiar stalemate.
Old Zhu’s chest heaved violently, his gaze fixed on Zhang Biao, as if he would tear this ‘madman’ apart with his own hands the next moment.
Zhang Biao, however, met his stare unflinchingly, his face a mixture of mockery, exhaustion, and a defiant “This is it, what can you do to me?” expression.
Jiang Huan stood at the doorway, cold sweat already soaking through the back of his Flying Fish Robe, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
He had never seen anyone dare to talk back to the Emperor like this, let alone an Emperor who could be ‘stopped’ in such a manner by someone in his fury.
After all, the Emperor had just severed his son’s arm with his sword in Fengxian Hall and killed a consort who managed the Six Palaces.
Such ruthlessness was rarely seen even among ancient emperors.
Yet, this ‘madman’ named Zhang Biao always managed to grasp the Emperor’s ‘seven inches,’ which was truly baffling.
Jiang Huan couldn’t understand, but he kept his head bowed low, his peripheral vision nervously tracking Old Zhu’s every subtle movement, fearing the Emperor might go berserk again in his rage.
His palms were slick with cold sweat, and he had already prepared himself to strike down Zhang Biao first if the Emperor were to lose control.
Shen Lang and the others in the adjacent cell were also petrified, their faces pale, barely believing their ears.
【 Brother Biao… he actually… dared to speak to the Emperor like that?!】
An indescribable shock and sorrow surged through his heart.
Li Mo closed his eyes in pain: 【 Brother Biao… why must you do this… why must you provoke the Emperor?】
Wu Nai Da, however, felt his blood surge: 【 “Well said! That was a satisfying scolding! None of these imperial relatives are good people!】
Shen Lang trembled with worry: 【 It’s over… it’s completely over now… the Emperor will definitely kill Brother Biao…】
Sun Gui stuck out his neck, his soldier’s spirit undiminished: 【 What’s there to fear… whether you die early or late is the same… Brother Biao just said all the things we couldn’t dare to say…】
Zhao Fengman still smiled, but his eyes were a little vacant: 【 If we die, we die together. If we go mad, we go mad together.】
After a long while, the fury in Old Zhu’s eyes slowly receded like a tide, but it was replaced by a deeper, colder chill.
“Censor Zhang?”
He suddenly smiled, a smile devoid of any warmth, filled only with endless mockery and a cruel understanding of everything:
“Bullshit Censor Zhang! Your official hat was taken off by me long ago! You are now just a condemned prisoner awaiting execution in the fall! A prisoner at the mercy of others! Understand?!”
“Hahahaha—!”
Faced with this blatant humiliation and declaration of power, Zhang Biao did not falter; instead, he seemed to hear something amusing and threw his head back in laughter.
After laughing, he tilted his head, looking at Old Zhu as if he were a fool, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and anachronistic detachment:
“Official hat? Prisoner at the mercy of others? You say that as if I belong only to your Great Ming Dynasty? Can you not understand human language?”
He paused, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching Old Zhu and everyone present, carrying an earth-shattering significance:
“I am Censor Zhang for all the people—!”
【 Censor Zhang for all the people?!】
These seven words exploded like thunderclaps in the ears of Old Zhu and everyone present!
【 Brother Biao…】
Shen Lang and the others stared in disbelief.
Jiang Huan felt his heart nearly stop beating.
Old Zhu, however, looked utterly stunned.
Throughout his life, he had heard countless wild boasts and paradoxes, from calls to remove assistants to the ruler, to declarations of wanting to be Emperor. But he had never heard anyone dare to call themselves ‘Censor for all the people.’
This transcended the bounds of a subject, even hinting at the ‘people are most important, the state second, the ruler least important’ tenet that he most feared and loathed.
Old Zhu’s pupils contracted sharply, the muscles in his face instantly tensing. He blurted out, his voice filled with incredulous anger and instinctive caution:
“You… you want to rebel?!”
As he asked this, he himself found it somewhat absurd; a condemned prisoner, rebelling?
But Zhang Biao’s words were too shocking, directly shaking his foundational belief that ‘everything under heaven belongs to the king, and all people under heaven are the king’s subjects.’
“Pfft—!”
Zhang Biao, seeing Old Zhu’s alarmed expression, as if someone was truly about to seize his Zhu family’s empire, couldn’t help but burst into laughter, his laughter filled with pity and mockery.
“Rebel? Old Zhu, Old Zhu, are you suffering from ‘paranoia’? Do you see everyone as a rebel?”
He shook his head, as if pitying the old man sitting at the pinnacle of power yet so profoundly alone:
“If I wanted to rebel, would I be wasting my breath talking to you here?”
“Besides, with this rotten empire of yours, do I need to rebel?”
“What do you mean!?”
Old Zhu’s face instantly darkened.
Zhang Biao looked at him with amusement: “What do I mean? Do you want me to remind you? For example—”
“In the third year of Hongwu, over 100,000 mountain residents in Yangshan County, Guangxi, rebelled. In the same year, Chen Tong in Quanzhou, Fujian, rebelled. In the same year, Sun Gupu in Qingzhou, Shandong, gathered followers and rebelled, calling himself ‘Yellow Turban’.”
“In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, Cao Zhen and Su Wenqing in Guangzhou rebelled with tens of thousands. In the same year, Jiang Zhixian in Fu’an County, Fujian, gathered 8,000 people and rebelled.”
“In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Chanping Wang rebelled in Guangdong.”
“In the eighteenth year of Hongwu, Chanping Wang Wu Jie’er in Huguang, after escaping from his rebellion in the eleventh year of Hongwu, rebelled again.”
“In the twenty-second year of Hongwu, Xia San in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, gathered tens of thousands of people and rebelled.”
Reaching this point, Zhang Biao saw Old Zhu’s face turn a bruised purple and decided not to continue reminiscing, instead clicking his tongue in amazement:
“Look, how long has it been since the founding of the dynasty, and how many people have rebelled against your Zhu family? And this isn’t even the end; I believe there will be many more to come.”
“So, I ask you, if you were truly a good emperor, and your Zhu family truly had the public’s trust, why are so many people rebelling?”
“And don’t talk about everyone wanting to be Emperor! Unless they’re pushed to the brink with no way to survive, who the hell would risk their head to rebel?!”
“You!”
Old Zhu was momentarily speechless due to Zhang Biao’s roundabout questioning and rhetorical questions, but his offended imperial rage remained undiminished.
However, Zhang Biao didn’t give him a chance to react, abruptly changing the topic, his tone becoming extremely serious, even carrying the weight of a prophet, and directly pointing to the core of the issue:
“Of course, I know there are many reasons for rebellion, not all of them because of you, Old Zhu.”
“What I want to discuss with you is, besides you, Old Zhu, what is forcing the people of this world to inevitably rebel in the future?”
He stared intently at Old Zhu, emphasizing each word:
“The answer is obvious: it’s your precious feudal prince system!”
“You parcel out your sons like seeds to various regions, giving them armies, giving them land, letting them enjoy endless salaries and privileges for generations!”
“They occupy the best lands, live off the fat of the land, yet bear no responsibility! They are vermin feeding on the Great Ming Empire! The biggest vermin!”
Zhang Biao became increasingly agitated, suddenly standing up. Though his frame was thin, an invisible force seemed to support him:
“What’s the use of you killing a few corrupt officials now, or clearing out a few prince’s estates? The root is rotten!”
“If you don’t chop down this biggest rotten log, the feudal princes, and abolish that salary system for feudal princes that empties the national treasury, you’ll kill Fu Youwen today, and tomorrow there will be Zhang Youwen, Wang Youwen! Today you confine Prince Qin and Prince Jin, and tomorrow their sons and grandsons will continue to do evil!”
“Then, it won’t be me rebelling!”
“It will be the people of this world, whose land has been taken by the feudal princes, who are forced to sell their children and daughters by heavy taxes, and have no way to survive, who will rebel!”
“It will be the Great Ming Empire itself, drained of blood by your Zhu family descendants, that will collapse!”
This speech was even sharper and more fatal than the earlier ‘Censor for all the people.’
It directly negated one of Old Zhu’s fundamental national policies for consolidating his reign and predicted a future he absolutely could not accept.
Old Zhu’s expression could no longer be described as merely displeased; it was a terrifying look of mixed rage, shock, and a hint of fear from having his core issues exposed.
He stared fixedly at Zhang Biao, as if he wanted to devour him whole.
“Presumptuous! Insolent! I’ll kill you—!”
He almost roared the words out.
However, Zhang Biao acted as if he had completed his final mission, slowly sitting back down, a look of extreme exhaustion but also profound peace on his face, as if watching a pitiful person stubbornly clinging to his delusion.
“Kill me? Easy.”
“But can you kill all the people in the world who can no longer survive?”
“Old Zhu, think carefully…”
“Actually, the matter of the Crown Prince alone makes it clear. Your system of enfeoffment, expecting your sons to guard the empire? Don’t dream!”
“Their ambition, their greed, dictates that they will not be content with their lot. Their descendants will become vermin in this country, devouring your Great Ming bit by bit!”
“Rather than leaving the problem for your grandsons and great-grandsons to solve? Leading to endless disaster! It would be better to resolve it yourself while you can still keep control!”
Having said this, he closed his eyes and fell silent, leaving the enraged Emperor and the heavy truth to the suffocating silence.
Old Zhu stood motionless, trembling, his immense anger and a deeper, instinctual imperial unease intertwined.
Zhang Biao’s words were like a cold chisel, tapping a small but undeniable crack in the fortress of his imperial heart.
After a long pause, Old Zhu finally recovered from Zhang Biao’s words.
He gave Zhang Biao a deep look, his voice becoming unusually calm, yet more chilling than his earlier roar:
“Good, good Censor Zhang. A Censor Zhang who cares about all the people.”
With that, he slowly took a step forward, his shadow once again engulfing Zhang Biao.
“You say I’m acting? That I’m reluctant to kill my son? That I should abolish the feudal princes’ salaries?”
Old Zhu’s tone became incredibly slow, each word like ice beads hitting the ground:
“Zhang Biao, you are clever, you see through things. But have you ever considered why I haven’t killed you immediately?”
Zhang Biao’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Old Zhu caught this slight change, his cold smile widening:
“It’s not because I’m reluctant to take the life of a ‘mad dog’ like you! It’s because I know there’s someone behind you! Someone who knows far more than you’ve revealed!”
His voice suddenly rose, carrying an irrefutable certainty:
“Tell me! Who is the one hiding behind Second Prince, Third Prince, who is truly capable of harming my Biao’er?!”
“Is it some deeply hidden old fox in the imperial court? Or… a ‘confidant’ I haven’t even considered until now?!”
This was Old Zhu’s true purpose for coming.
After the purge of the imperial court and the confinement of his sons, the thorn in his heart regarding the Crown Prince’s death had not been removed; instead, the numerous doubts exposed during the cleansing had only made it fester deeper.
He needed an answer, a final answer that could explain all the irrationalities.
Zhang Biao looked into Old Zhu’s all-consuming eyes, the casual irreverence on his face finally slowly receding.
In fact, he hadn’t expected that someone was manipulating everything from behind the scenes.
And the waters of the Great Ming Dynasty were deeper than he had imagined.
Although Zhu Laosi was the ultimate victor, before Zhu Laosi’s rebellion, it was impossible that no one else had ambitions for that position.
In other words, from the day Zhu Biao contracted his ‘incurable illness,’ the conspiracy had already begun to brew.
Otherwise, the seemingly coincidental yet eerily suspicious events could not be explained.
Thinking of this, Zhang Biao also smiled, a bitter smile filled with pity and sorrow.
“Old Zhu, Old Zhu…”
He shook his head, his tone becoming somewhat peculiar: “Don’t you already have the answer in your heart?”
“Haven’t you killed enough people? Haven’t you investigated harshly enough?”
“Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, these overt vermin; Prince Qin’s Mansion, Prince Jin’s Mansion, those arrogant henchmen; even those concubines in your harem who might have let slip too much… you’ve cleared out all those who needed to be dealt with.”
“But have you found conclusive evidence? Have you found the ‘mastermind’ who could orchestrate all this, who could play all your sons like puppets?”
Zhang Biao’s gaze deepened, as if he could see through Old Zhu’s most unwillingly acknowledged guess.
“You haven’t.”
“Because you know better than anyone that anyone capable of setting such a trap must be deeply hidden, so deeply that you might never catch their tail.”
“Or rather… even if you caught them, you might not be able to bring yourself to do it.”
Boom!
This last sentence struck Old Zhu like lightning once again.
Couldn’t bring himself to do it?
To whom?
Is it Fourth Prince Zhu Di? That brilliant, meritorious, and most capable son, the one indispensable for defending the northern frontier in the future?
Or… the Crown Princess Consort Lü, who appeared ‘filial and virtuous’ but was actually ‘scheming and underhanded,’ yet had a significant connection to the successor position?
Or perhaps… those ‘pillar’ nobles from the Huai West region, whose actions could shake the entire empire and who held considerable influence in the military?
Old Zhu’s face instantly turned extremely grim, his breathing becoming heavy again.
Zhang Biao’s words were like a mirror, forcing him to confront his deepest concerns and the ruthless calculations of imperial strategy.
Seeing Old Zhu’s reaction, Zhang Biao knew he had once again struck a nerve.
He slowly leaned back against the wall, a look of extreme fatigue on his face, as if all his strength had been exhausted.
“Forget it…”
He closed his eyes, his voice as light as a gust of wind: “Old Zhu, I’m tired.”
“I’ve said what I should and shouldn’t say. I’ve done what I should do.”
“As for the truth of it all… you find it yourself.”
“My performance is over.”
Having said this, he stopped looking at Old Zhu and remained silent, as if he had already resigned himself to his fate and was merely awaiting the final outcome.
Inside the prison cell, a deathly silence descended.
Old Zhu stood motionless, as if turned into a statue.
He looked at the ‘madman’ before him, who seemed to have lost all life in an instant, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.
There was annoyance at being seen through, regret at not obtaining a definitive answer, pain at the Crown Prince’s death remaining unavenged, and even a trace of a complex emotion, which he himself was unwilling to admit, towards this opponent who had stirred up so much trouble and retained a bizarre clarity until the end of his life.
Finally, all emotions turned into a very faint, very cold command:
“Jiang Huan.”
“Your servant… your servant is here!”
Jiang Huan quickly responded.
“Tomorrow at noon, Zhang Biao and his accomplices shall be beheaded outside the Meridian Gate!”
“Wait!”
Before Jiang Huan could acknowledge the order, Zhang Biao’s eyes snapped open: “You can kill me, but you can’t kill Shen Lang and the others!”
“Hmm?”
Old Zhu was taken aback, as if hearing the greatest joke, and cast a cold glance at Zhang Biao: “Are you telling me what to do?”
“I am reminding you that Shen Lang and the others are just knives; use them and wipe them clean before putting them away…”
Zhang Biao met Old Zhu’s gaze, his tone light, yet carrying a deadly threat:
“If you kill them, I don’t mind taking your Great Ming Empire down with me.”
“Hmph!”
Old Zhu was finally completely enraged; the Emperor’s dignity could not be challenged like this:
“You think I’ll be threatened by you? If you don’t want me to kill them, I will! Not only will I kill them! I will exterminate their three generations of kin! What can you do to me?!”
To everyone’s surprise, Zhang Biao, after hearing this, did not get agitated. Instead, he nodded with unusual calmness: “Then fine. Kill them.”
This reaction was too calm, unnervingly so.
Old Zhu, Jiang Huan, and even Shen Lang and the others eavesdropping, were stunned.
Given Zhang Biao’s personality, shouldn’t he have been furious? This was completely out of character!
In this eerie silence, Zhang Biao slowly raised his head, looking calmly at Old Zhu, the corners of his mouth slowly pulling up into a very faint, yet spine-chilling arc:
“Old Zhu, do you know how Empress Ma…”
“You scoundrel! How dare you—!”
Old Zhu’s pupils contracted sharply, followed by a roar like a dying beast, interrupting Zhang Biao’s remaining words.
He completely lost control, lunging forward, his withered yet incredibly strong hand moving like lightning to firmly grasp Zhang Biao’s neck.
The immense force lifted Zhang Biao off the ground, pressing him against the cold stone wall.
“Cough… cough cough…”
Zhang Biao’s eyes bulged, his face turned red, but he still managed to squeeze out fragmented, mocking laughter from his throat:
“Heh… heh… old man… I told you… don’t force me…”
“Otherwise… I’ll drag your Great Ming… down with me… to hell…”
Old Zhu’s hand trembled violently. He looked at Zhang Biao’s eyes, which even in his suffocation, still held madness and insight, and an bone-chilling coldness surged from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
He knew what Zhang Biao was about to say!
He didn’t disbelieve; he dared not believe!
He dared not touch that sealed, deliberately forgotten sorrow again!
He dared not imagine if Xiu Ying’s death… also…
The immense fear, even surpassed the pain of losing a son and imperial rage!
As if scalded, he suddenly released his hand.
Zhang Biao fell to the ground, clutching his neck and coughing violently, gasping for air.
Old Zhu staggered back two steps, his chest heaving, looking at the seemingly possessed Zhang Biao on the ground, his eyes filled with extreme complexity.
There was overwhelming killing intent, extreme anger, but deeper still, a fear he himself was unwilling to admit.
He stared intently at Zhang Biao, as if to brand the image of this ‘demon’ into his soul.
After a long while, he squeezed out a bloody sentence from between his teeth, his voice hoarse and weary, but laced with extreme killing intent:
“You… unfilial and unrighteous wretch… deserve to die a thousand deaths!”
With that, he abruptly turned around, not looking at Zhang Biao again, and fiercely shouted towards the prison gate:
“Jiang Huan!”
“Your servant is here!”
Jiang Huan quickly knelt.
“Tomorrow at noon! At the Execution Ground! Execute Zhang Biao! To set things right!”
After issuing the order, Old Zhu strode out of the prison cell, his retreating figure appearing particularly resolute and hurried in the dim corridor.
“Clang—!”
The prison door slammed shut.
In the cell, only Zhang Biao’s gradually calming breaths remained, and the ever-burning lamp, still flickering tirelessly.
“Damn it! I swear I won’t let anyone choke my neck three times!”
Zhang Biao fiercely spat out a mouthful of blood.
Shen Lang in the adjacent cell quickly patted the bars and asked: “Brother Biao, are you alright?”
“Yes, Brother Biao! You don’t have to do this, we agreed to go mad together, to die together…”
“All of you shut up!”
Before Zhao Fengman could finish speaking, Zhang Biao, suppressing the discomfort in his throat, yelled:
“Go mad together, die together? You think your mission is over? Is toppling a few corrupt officials and a few feudal princes enough? Has the unpaid salary been settled? Have your wives and children started living good lives? Has justice for the common people been achieved?”
“Nothing is finished, and you want to die with me? Do you deserve it?”
“Brother Biao…”
Li Mo mumbled and lowered his head.
Wu Nai Da also sighed, speechless.
Only Sun Gui, unwillingly, interjected: “Since there are still so many things left undone, why does Brother Biao want to die? Why not complete them with us?!”
“Heh!”
Zhang Biao gave a faint smile, his tone filled with sorrow and resolve:
“I said before, I am a man of today, doing today’s work.”
“After experiencing these events, you should understand the nature of this world. Why do corrupt officials only increase when killed? Why can feudal princes act with impunity? Because this world is sick!”
“No one takes responsibility for their own ‘evil,’ so when others join in ‘evil,’ it is no longer ‘evil,’ but following the crowd.”
“In other words, everyone does it, and it becomes the ‘pathological state’ of this world.”
“I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying, but there’s only one point I want to make.”
“This world shouldn’t be like this. I want to use my death to awaken those who wish to change it.”
“And you are my evangelists.”
Having said this, he slowly walked to the bars, gripping the cold iron bars with both hands, as if he could see the five people, Shen Lang and the others, his tone becoming more resolute:
“Live on, my brothers, live on well for me.”
“If I fall, there are thousands upon thousands like me.”
“Let my will spread to every corner of the Great Ming.”
“When I was here, I was me.”
“When I am not here, I hope everyone will be me.”
“Hoo”
As Zhang Biao’s words fell, five heavy breaths came from the adjacent cell.
An indescribable emotional tremor and a resolute hope overwhelmed all other emotions.
Although they did not respond to Zhang Biao, he seemed to have a tacit understanding, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upwards. He then turned his gaze towards the direction Old Zhu had left, his eyes gradually becoming hazy.
【 Old Zhu, I saw all your bottom lines.】
【 My bottom line… you know nothing about.】
【 Wait for me to return, and I’ll show you how I’ll turn this world upside down…】
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