Chapter 183: Zhang Biao: I’m Rich! I’m Rich! 【monthly Ticket Bonus Update 16】
When Old Zhu woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the day after he fainted.
He lay on the dragon couch, his face ashen, his eye sockets sunken, as if his spirit had been drained overnight.
The Huagai Hall was filled with a strong medicinal scent, and Yun Ming and several imperial physicians attended him carefully.
“Your Majesty, you are awake!”
Yun Ming exclaimed in surprise.
Old Zhu waved his hand, indicating he was fine, his voice hoarse and dry, “Where is Jiang Huan?”
“Commander Jiang has been waiting outside.”
“Have him come in.”
Jiang Huan strode in, knelt by the couch, and reported in detail the situation from when Old Zhu fainted until this morning:
“Your Majesty, the civilian unrest around the execution ground has been suppressed. The Five City Patrols and the Imperial Guard have jointly dispersed most of the gathered populace and arrested dozens of ringleaders who instigated the commotion.”
“Currently, Yingtian Prefecture has outwardly restored order, but… among the common people, discussions are rife, with words like ‘snow in June’ and ‘Censor Zhang’ being impossible to silence.”
He paused, his voice lowered further:
“Your humble servant has dispatched secret agents to monitor tea houses, wine shops, and major city gates, strictly preventing the spread of rumors.”
“However… the impact of this matter is too great, and it may be difficult to completely contain it. If it spreads to the provinces…”
Old Zhu listened with his eyes closed, his face expressionless, but the knuckles of his hand resting on the brocade quilt were white from clenching.
He knew that public trust, once lost, was difficult to regain.
Zhang Biao, with his life and this strange snow, had drawn an unbridgeable chasm between him and the people.
“Issue my decree.”
Old Zhu spoke slowly, his voice weary but still brooks no argument:
“First, thoroughly vet the arrested civilians. Punish the ringleaders severely, and those who were coerced… teach them a lesson and disperse them.”
“Do not arrest or kill people in large numbers anymore. Stability is paramount.”
“Second, send an urgent dispatch of eight hundred li to summon Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, and Ye Sheng, and have them firmly guard the fiefdoms of the Princes of Qin, Jin, and Zhou!”
“Not a single soldier or officer is to move without authorization. All official matters are to continue as usual, but any dissent, regardless of who it is, will be executed first and reported later!”
“Tell them that securing their fiefdoms is a great achievement!”
“Your humble servant obeys the decree!”
Jiang Huan accepted the order, thinking that His Majesty had finally refrained from making a more drastic decision in his anger.
“And!”
Old Zhu opened his eyes and looked sharply at Jiang Huan, “Go and summon those five young brats, Shen Lang, Sun Gui, Li Mo, Wu Nai Da, and Zhao Fengman.”
【It seems His Majesty is still unwilling to let go of Zhang Biao’s accomplices! 】
Jiang Huan sighed inwardly but dared not speak further, quickly replying, “Yes!”
About half an hour later, Shen Lang and the other four were brought into Huagai Hall.
“Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty!”
They had clearly begun to recover from the death of Zhang Biao, but when facing Old Zhu, they exhibited a demeanor of neither subservience nor arrogance.
Old Zhu leaned on the couch, scrutinizing them carefully, as if searching their faces for any trace of pretense.
“Before Zhang Biao died, did he give you anything? Or, did he say anything special to you?”
Old Zhu’s voice was not loud, but it carried immense pressure, “Especially… regarding my Imperial Eldest Grandson, Zhu Xiongying.”
【Imperial Eldest Grandson, Zhu Xiongying? 】
Shen Lang and the other four were simultaneously surprised.
After all, in the Great Ming Dynasty, the de facto recognized Imperial Eldest Grandson was actually Zhu Yunwen.
Even in terms of address, he was still the Imperial Second Grandson, but it was widely known that Old Zhu intended to make Zhu Yunwen the Imperial Grandson.
Therefore, when they heard Old Zhu mention the Imperial Eldest Grandson Zhu Xiongying, they were first surprised, and then shook their heads in confusion.
However, since Old Zhu had asked, they couldn’t refuse to answer.
Shen Lang, as the representative, replied with a hoarse voice, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Brother Biao… no, Zhang Biao, never mentioned the Imperial Eldest Grandson to us.”
“He only taught us to demand salaries and audit accounts, and that… some things are more important than living.”
“As for the death of the Crown Prince, the corruption in Shaanxi, or even matters concerning the Imperial Eldest Grandson, we know nothing. And the iron box was also an accidental encounter…”
“We wanted to follow Zhang Biao and do something meaningful, but unfortunately…”
At this point, his voice choked, and he could no longer speak.
Sun Gui, standing beside him, with red eyes, added:
“Your Majesty, if Brother Biao had any contingency plans, he would never tell us!”
“He surely knew you would ask us, and telling us would be harming us, wouldn’t it?!”
Li Mo, Wu Nai Da, and Zhao Fengman also shook their heads, their expressions appearing genuine.
Old Zhu stared intently at them, silent for a long time.
He had to admit that that madman Zhang Biao, despite his erratic actions, had truly cared for these five subordinates.
Given Zhang Biao’s shrewdness and ruthlessness, it was impossible for him to reveal truly crucial clues to Shen Lang and the others; that would have been pushing them into a fiery pit.
【It seems they truly don’t know! 】
Old Zhu sighed inwardly, a great sense of powerlessness surging through him again.
Zhang Biao was like a slippery loach, and even in death, he couldn’t grasp his tail.
He waved his hand, dispirited, “Enough. You five, listen.”
Shen Lang and the other four quickly bowed.
“Zhang Biao is dead, and you also acted with him. I will give you an opportunity to atone for your crimes and earn merit.”
“Shen Lang, you are hereby appointed Investigating Censor of Shaanxi and will proceed to the Prince of Qin’s fiefdom.”
“Sun Gui, you are hereby appointed Investigating Censor of Shanxi and will proceed to the Prince of Jin’s fiefdom.”
“Li Mo, you are hereby appointed Investigating Censor of Henan and will proceed to the Prince of Zhou’s fiefdom.”
“Wu Nai Da, you are hereby appointed Investigating Censor of Beiping and will proceed to the Prince Yan’s fiefdom.”
“Zhao Fengman, you are hereby appointed Investigating Censor of Shandong and will proceed to the Prince Qi’s fiefdom.”
The five men were stunned at these words and looked up in disbelief.
They had not expected His Majesty to actively order them to leave the Capital City.
After all, one of Zhang Biao’s arrangements before his death was for them to leave the Capital City and go as far away as possible.
Especially to avoid any association with nobles such as Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, and Lan Yu.
Now, not only was His Majesty not holding them accountable, but he was actively ordering them to leave the Capital. Could it be… did Brother Biao really leave a contingency?
Thinking this, the five exchanged glances.
Old Zhu, observing their expressions, said coldly:
“Do not be surprised. If Zhang Biao truly had a contingency, it must be related to the turmoil he stirred up.”
“Since you were his assistants, go to these places and watch carefully for me!”
“If there is any disturbance, report it directly to me! Perhaps… we can uncover some demons and monsters hiding in the dark!”
His words were half true and half false.
He was using their potential ‘sensitivity’ as bait and spies, while also removing them from the Capital, a place of much contention, to prevent them from being exploited or causing further trouble.
Shen Lang and the other four looked at each other, and finally bowed in unison:
“Your humble servants… receive the decree and express our gratitude!”
They had no choice; they were not Zhang Biao, after all.
Since Zhang Biao had secured an opportunity for them to live, they naturally could not fail his good intentions.
Moreover, Zhang Biao’s dying instructions were already etched into their bones.
Even if they were to die, they wanted to die meaningfully.
“Go, assume your posts immediately, without delay.”
After sending off Shen Lang and the other four, Old Zhu was silent for a moment and said to Yun Ming, “Summon Yu Xin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Huang Zicheng, Hanlin Academy Scholar.”
Yu Xin and Huang Zicheng arrived soon after.
Yu Xin held a thick ledger in his hands.
He reported in detail the imperial family stipends in recent years, especially the enormous expenditures on grain and rewards for several frontier princes, the figures of which were astonishing and had become a heavy burden on the National Treasury.
Old Zhu listened, his face growing darker and darker, and he couldn’t help but recall Zhang Biao’s piercing words in the Public Order Memorial: ‘To raise without teaching is a father’s fault.’
He gritted his teeth, as if making a firm decision.
“Issue the decree!”
Old Zhu’s voice carried a resolute tone of cutting off a limb to save the body:
“Except for the nine great frontier princes, all other princes will have their expenses for luxuries such as brocade, rare treasures, and palace maids, beyond their basic salaries for guards and officials, and necessary rewards, completely abolished! They are to raise their own funds from their fiefdoms!”
Yu Xin was startled, “Your Majesty, this… this will likely displease the princes…”
“Displease?”
Old Zhu snorted coldly:
“Tell them! I will give them one year. After one year, those who are incapable of supporting their wives and children on their own will not be princes! They can go back to Fengyang and farm!”
“But there is one condition: anyone who dares to use their power to extort the people or compete with them for profit, I will immediately strip them of their princely title, without leniency!”
He paused, then added a stunning decree:
“Also, issue a decree that from this day forward, members of the imperial clan may enter officialdom through legitimate means such as the imperial examinations or military merit, or engage in industry and commerce under the supervision of local government offices!”
“My descendants cannot all be good-for-nothings who only live off stipends!”
Yu Xin listened in stunned silence; this was a matter that would shake the ‘ancestral system.’
But he dared not object and quickly took note.
“Also!”
Old Zhu rubbed his temples wearily, “Dismiss Liu Sanwu, Grand Scholar of the Hanlin Academy, from all his posts, and allow him… to return to his hometown.”
Liu Sanwu’s reputation had been thoroughly ruined by his participation in the sentencing this time.
Keeping him would only further escalate the conflict, and allowing him to return home was a measure of some remaining affection between ruler and minister.
“Finally!”
Old Zhu’s gaze fell upon Huang Zicheng, Hanlin Academy Scholar, who had been standing anxiously in the corner, “Minister Huang.”
Huang Zicheng quickly stepped forward, “Your servant is here.”
“You are to draft for me a 《 Decree of Self-Condemnation 》.”
Old Zhu’s voice lowered, filled with indescribable complex emotions:
“Write that I… misjudged people, leading to a wrongful execution, and that heaven sent an unusual phenomenon to warn me… I am deeply ashamed…”
Uttering these words seemed to drain him of his last strength.
He slowly closed his eyes, no longer looking at anyone.
A 《 Decree of Self-Condemnation 》!
The Emperor admitting his mistakes to the world!
For the obstinate and suspicious Zhu Yuanzhang, this was an incredibly difficult choice!
But he had no choice.
To quell public grievance, to stabilize the situation, and also for… the ‘Heaven’s Will’ that might exist in the mysterious unknown.
Huang Zicheng’s heart was deeply shaken, and he quickly knelt, “Your servant… obeys the decree!”
Edicts were issued one after another from Huagai Hall, like stones cast into water, destined to stir new, unknown ripples in this turbulent Great Ming Dynasty.
Old Zhu, in his own way, was cleaning up the mess left by Zhang Biao, and also trying to salvage the already precarious public trust and the fate of the nation.
However, was all of this still in time?
“Biao’er… Xiongying…”
Old Zhu gazed at the ceiling, his eyes vacant, and let out a barely audible whisper, like a cry of blood:
“Your father, this Emperor… is so tired of being one…”
“Tell your father, me… what is the truth…”
“This path for the Great Ming… how should we proceed from here…”
There was no response.
Only the howling wind and snow outside the hall, like a funeral dirge.
【Zhang Biao! Our business is finished, and we will never meet again. 】
A sense of a hero’s end, of being an isolated ruler, had never so clearly surged into his heart.
He had eliminated everyone he believed would threaten the Zhu family’s empire.
Yet, in the end, he might have personally pushed this empire into a more dangerous abyss.
And the madman who ignited all of this and then cruelly mocked him had, in the most tragic and heart-piercing way, permanently escaped his control, leaving endless trouble and questioning for him alone.
Inside Huagai Hall, the candlelight flickered, casting a long, long shadow of the Hongwu Emperor’s suddenly stooped figure.
On the other side, in the modern world.
Zhang Biao’s consciousness drifted in darkness. As he had predicted, there was no sharp pain, only a sense of detached disorientation.
The next second, the familiar feel of a hard bed reached him, and his nostrils were filled with the peculiar smell of a rental room, a mix of dust and faint mildew.
Zhang Biao suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his heart still pounding from the words spoken before his execution.
“Hoo… hoo… thrilling! So damn thrilling! Fortunately, Old Zhu’s decree came in time! Otherwise, I would have been forcibly detained by Jiang Huan!”
He touched his neck with lingering fear, confirming his head was still attached and there was no cut on his neck, before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
【Finally back! 】
【Although the process was dangerous and almost went wrong, the result… well, the objective was achieved. 】
【I wonder what Old Zhu’s expression was when he saw my 《 Public Order Memorial 》… wouldn’t he have fainted again from anger? 】
【Tsk tsk, the world is so beautiful, yet you are so irritable. This is not good, not good… 】
After a moment of reflection, Zhang Biao habitually raised his left arm, wanting to see how long a vacation this ‘dying for a cause’ had earned him.
A pure white countdown number appeared: 【1440:00:00 】
“What?!”
Zhang Biao’s eyes widened instantly, his jaw almost dropping to the floor.
“One four four zero… divided by twenty-four… sixty days?! Holy crap! Sixty days!”
He sprang up from the bed like a carp, so excited he almost hit the low ceiling:
“Two months! A full two months of vacation! Isn’t this just like summer break?!”
This was the longest leave he had received since gaining the ability to transmigration.
Before, it was at most seven days; this time, it had multiplied severalfold.
He forced himself to calm down and recall carefully.
【How long had he stayed in the Great Ming Dynasty this time?】
【From the court session where he ‘died for a cause’ and was forcibly kept by Old Zhu, to imprisonment, demanding salary, then auditing the Six Ministries, and finally experiencing the suspicion surrounding the Crown Prince Zhu Biao’s death…】
【In total, about four months…】
“Four months… exchanged for sixty days of vacation… that’s about a two-to-one ratio?”
Zhang Biao stroked his chin, excitement gleaming in his eyes: “So it’s not a random refresh! The longer you stay, the longer the vacation!?”
He couldn’t help but jump up and stomp his feet, waving his arms, shouting loudly: “Awesome! So damn awesome!”
Before, he thought it was a matter of luck; he never expected there to be a pattern.
In this case, there would be a lot of room for manipulation in the future.
However, before his excitement subsided, his gaze fell on his right arm again.
The previous 【0kg】 mark had disappeared, replaced by a clear 【50kg】.
“50 kilograms?”
Zhang Biao was stunned for a moment, then ecstatic: “It can actually bring things back?! And bring back 50 kilograms of items?!”
Countless scenes flashed through his mind:
【Gold, jewelry, antiques, porcelain… if I could just bring back some good stuff from the Great Ming Dynasty, wouldn’t I instantly reach the peak of my life?】
【What rental room, what sour fish, goodbye to all of it! I want to live in a big villa, drive a sports car, and go to clubs with young models every day!】
But when he subconsciously looked around.
The cramped rental room was still cramped; besides the hard bed he had just jumped on, a peeling wardrobe, and a wobbly computer desk, there was nothing else.
There wasn’t even a single copper coin on the floor, let alone gold or antiques.
“Where are the items? Where are my ‘burial goods’?!”
Zhang Biao was bewildered.
He searched everywhere on and under the bed, in the drawers and cabinets, but not a single extra hair appeared.
“Could it be… that this 【50kg】 refers to the maximum weight limit for the next transmigration?”
He scratched his head; his previous excitement was like being doused with a basin of cold water, and he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed:
“What’s the point of that? It’s too far away to solve the immediate problem! I’m so poor I could eat dirt right now!”
The thought of his current predicament made the heroic spirit of ‘going to death generously’ and ‘swallowing mountains and rivers like a tiger’ from earlier at the execution ground vanish without a trace.
“Gurgle—”
His stomach rumbled unashamedly again.
He sighed, took out his mobile phone with a screen that already had several cracks, and skillfully opened the takeout app.
Looking at the pathetic balance in his account and the monthly bills he still had to pay, and then checking the time, it was only Wednesday. It wasn’t even Crazy Thursday yet. He hesitated for a long time over a set meal from ‘KFC’, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to order it.
“Alas, Old Zhu, Old Zhu, after battling with you for months, I’m back to worrying about a takeout meal costing over ten yuan…”
Just as he was sighing and preparing to order a ‘diarrhea-inducing meal’.
“Bang bang bang!”
A series of rough knocks suddenly sounded, accompanied by a sharp, mean female voice: “Zhang Biao! Open the door! I know you’re in there! Don’t pretend to be dead!”
It was the landlady!
Zhang Biao’s heart sank, and he reluctantly walked over and opened the door.
Outside the door stood a plump, curly-haired middle-aged woman in pajamas, chewing on a toothpick – his landlady.
She stood with her hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke: “Zhang Biao! You’re three days late on your rent this month! When are you going to pay?! If you don’t pay, get out!”
Zhang Biao put on a fawning smile: “Aunt Wang, just give me two more days, only two days! I’ll pay as soon as I find a job!”
“Extend? I’ve already extended it for you for three days!”
Landlady Aunt Wang scoffed: “Cut the crap! If you don’t pay today, you’re moving out tonight!”
“I can move, but then can you return my deposit?”
Zhang Biao tried to negotiate.
“Deposit?”
Aunt Wang acted as if she had heard the biggest joke:
“You’ve breached the contract by owing rent, and you still want your deposit back? I should be charging you for damages! If you talk any more nonsense, I’ll have people come and clear out your things right now!”
After speaking, she glared fiercely at Zhang Biao, waddled away, and left cursing.
“Bang—!”
Zhang Biao slammed the door shut, gritting his teeth in anger.
“Damn it! I pointed at the Emperor and cursed him in the Great Ming imperial court, and now I’m back to being bullied by you, landlady!”
He dejectedly punched the wall, shaking dust from it.
But anger was anger; reality was reality.
No matter how wild he was in the Great Ming Dynasty, he had to concede when he returned.
He only had a few hundred yuan left in his account, which wouldn’t last more than a few days.
He glanced out the window at the hazy sky, contemplating who he could borrow money from.
He scrolled through his contacts; a few friends he was on decent terms with were either just starting their careers or were also struggling, so he really couldn’t bring himself to ask.
The reason he had fallen to this state was that during his internship, his bald supervisor had tried to sexually harass a female classmate in the same group. He couldn’t stand it and, fueled by alcohol, beat up the supervisor.
Later, the supervisor, fearing the situation would escalate, privately gave him a sum of ‘hush money’ and told him to leave.
However, before a few months had passed, he was fired by the company on the fabricated charge of ‘stealing office supplies’.
After that, he faced constant rejection when looking for a job, his savings were almost depleted, and he was on the verge of giving up on life… until he accidentally gained this ability to transmigration between two worlds.
“Sigh…”
Zhang Biao sighed and walked to the window, looking at the bustling crowd below that had nothing to do with him, a sense of melancholy washing over him.
His gaze inadvertently swept over the 【50kg】 mark on his right arm again. The more he looked, the angrier he became.
“This broken ability is useless!”
“I still have to go back and suffer again before I can bring things back?! By then, I’ll probably have starved to death on the streets and be sleeping under a bridge!”
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. He couldn’t help but raise his hand and punch the virtual 【50kg】 mark as if to vent his anger.
The moment his fist landed—
The void in front of him rippled like water, and something dropped out without warning!
“Holy crap!”
Zhang Biao was startled and fumbled to catch it.
It felt heavy, cool, and had exquisite patterns.
He looked closely, and his entire being went numb.
This… wasn’t this the jade belt that Li Jinglong had thrown onto the execution platform?!
The one he had complained had been deformed by its weight…
Did he… misunderstand?
Did it mean he had already brought back 【50kg】 worth of items, not that he needed to transmigration back again?
With this thought, he suddenly looked at his right arm again.
He saw the number on the 【50kg】 mark blur and rapidly change to 【48kg】.
Zhang Biao’s eyes widened like dinner plates, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.
After a brief moment of silence, a roar that almost broke his voice erupted in the cramped rental room:
“Holy hell—!”
“I’m rich—!! I’m really rich—!!”
He tightly gripped the cool, smooth jade belt, which was clearly valuable, his body trembling with excitement, almost jumping out of his skin.
So, this 【50kg】 wasn’t the limit for next time! It was the total weight limit he had already brought back this time!
And… and he could take items out of that mysterious ‘storage space’ by ‘hitting’ the mark.
Li Jinglong’s jade belt weighed at most one or two kilograms, so after taking it out, the limit changed to 【48kg】.
So within the remaining 【48kg】 limit… what else was there?!
In Zhang Biao’s eyes, a light comparable to a searchlight instantly erupted.
Without hesitation, he raised his fist again, with immense excitement and anticipation, and forcefully punched the 【48kg】 mark on his right arm.
“Great Ming Online! Drop gold coins for me—!”
…
Requesting double monthly tickets~
I’m begging for double monthly tickets~
