Chapter 186: Zhang Biao: Tremble, Great Ming, I Have Returned! 【seeking Double Monthly Tickets】
Zhang Biao watched the netizens’ replies with great interest, nodding occasionally and sometimes bursting into laughter.
Some of their wild suggestions coincided with his own thoughts, some gave him new inspiration, and others were purely for comedic effect.
Seeing suggestions like ‘potato and sweet potato seeds’ and ‘technology tree data,’ he couldn’t help but recall the emaciated people and backward production techniques he had seen in the Great Ming.
If he could truly bring these things back, perhaps he could change something?
But this thought only flashed by.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I’m just someone who muddles through life by ‘auditing.’ Why think so much? I don’t even know how long I’ll be able to stay there this time.”
“What if I get killed by Old Zhu and sent back right after arriving? That would be so awkward!”
However, the netizens’ discussion did give him more ideas about that 【50kg】 quota.
“High-tech data… probably won’t be useful for now, and I don’t have the equipment.”
“High-purity salt, white sugar, MSG, those are worth considering. They’re small in volume and high in value.”
“A compound bow is also good, essential for self-defense. And antibiotics are lifesavers…”
“Hmm, I need to plan this carefully.”
He silently noted down some of the suggestions he found reliable.
Then, he closed the forum, temporarily casting aside the heavy thoughts of transmigration and the intricate power struggles in the Great Ming.
Unknowingly, Zhang Biao felt that his appetite had been whetted by the netizens.
He felt the substantial bank card in his pocket, and a surge of extravagance welled up.
“Damn it, in the Great Ming, I’m constantly playing cat and mouse with Old Zhu and risking my life with corrupt officials. Why am I still thinking about this after coming back? Am I going crazy!”
He suddenly stood up from the newly purchased computer chair, his movement so sudden that he almost knocked the chair over.
“I must splurge tonight!”
He grabbed his mobile phone and his fingers flew across the screen as he muttered:
“Crayfish… I need a large portion! Three jin each of garlic, spicy, and thirteen-spice!”
“No, five jin! It’ll make me happy just looking at them if I can’t finish them!”
“Skewers! Lamb skewers, beef skewers, tendon, kidneys, chives… twenty skewers of each to start!”
“Beer… hmm, a box of original draft beer first! Chilled!”
“Can’t just eat meat, need some vegetables… a smashed cucumber?”
“No, too cheap! How about… how about a luxurious fruit platter!”
“Bring whatever’s expensive, cherries, durian, all of it!”
As he furiously placed his order, he smacked his lips:
“Ah, the prices in modern society are truly… so blissful!”
“In the Great Ming, even five jin of meat had to be eaten with extreme caution!”
After placing the order, he still felt unsatisfied, looking at his room, which contained nothing but the computer, desk and chair, and various unopened packages he had just bought. He frowned.
“No, this environment doesn’t match my feast tonight!”
He snapped his fingers and picked up his phone again:
“Hello? Happy Home Services? Yes, right now! Send me two… no, four aunts!”
“Deep cleaning? Yes! Make it so I can see my reflection in it! Money is no object!”
After hanging up, he looked around, still feeling something was missing.
“Atmosphere! Yes, atmosphere!”
He opened a shopping app again and searched for ‘atmosphere enhancers.’
“Fairy lights? Send a set! Hang them on the window!”
“Scented candles? Get one that smells like ‘Rainy Bamboo Forest,’ pretending I’m investigating a case in Jiangnan?”
“A Bluetooth speaker is a must! I’ll listen to something while I eat… hmm, 《Most Dazzling National Style》? That’s outdated!”
“Get something that suits my temperament! 《Under the Wine Cover》 is good!”
After a flurry of activity, his bank card balance visibly shrank, but Zhang Biao didn’t care. His face was beaming with the joy of a nouveau riche.
“What’s the point of making money if you don’t spend it! I risked my neck in the Great Ming, and I’m not allowed to enjoy myself when I come back?”
Soon, the cleaning aunts arrived first.
They looked at the young customer and his pile of new packages with some confusion, but under Zhang Biao’s “add more money” persuasion, they enthusiastically got to work.
Then, delivery drivers began knocking on his door one after another.
The aroma of crayfish and the smoke from the grilled skewers instantly filled the room.
Zhang Biao directed the aunts to arrange the luxurious fruit platter, hang the fairy lights, light the scented candles, and connect the Bluetooth speaker…
As the stirring melody of 《Under the Wine Cover》 filled the room, Zhang Biao had already put on his disposable gloves. Before him was a mountain of glistening, bright red crayfish and fragrant grilled skewers, with chilled beer beside them.
He took a deep breath, his face filled with bliss, “Ah! This is how humans should live!”
He picked up the largest spicy crayfish, skillfully peeled it, dipped the meat in the sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth, his eyes closing in satisfaction as he mumbled:
“Mmm… amazing! Much better than arguing with Old Zhu in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!”
Then, he picked up a sizzling lamb skewer, took a big bite, and washed it down with a large gulp of ice-cold beer.
“Ha! Wonderful! A hundred times better than eating roast chicken in the Imperial Prison!”
As he devoured his meal, he swayed his body to the rhythm of the music, completely immersed in this simple and direct pleasure.
The fatigue, tension, and scheming of before seemed to have been washed away by the food and music.
The aunts cleaning the room watched the eccentric but generous young man, exchanging glances that suggested ‘Is this kid an idiot?’ but their hands moved faster.
After all, who would refuse money?
Full of food and drink, Zhang Biao let out a loud burp and slumped onto the sofa, which had just been polished to a shine by the aunts. He patted his round belly and sighed contentedly, looking at the city’s neon lights outside the window.
“It would be great if I could combine Old Wang’s pig’s head meat with these crayfish… Alas, I don’t know if I can bring people back.”
This thought flashed by, and he soon sank back into the laziness and satisfaction after his binge.
“Whatever! Tomorrow’s problems can wait! Tonight, I’m going to live like there’s no tomorrow!”
He picked up the last skewer of grilled kidney and took a fierce bite, as if competing with an emperor six hundred years ago.
Full of food and drink, with a loud burp smelling of crayfish and grilled skewers, Zhang Biao sprawled on the sofa, patting his round belly, yet felt that this ‘luxurious’ night was still missing something.
“Just eating takeout at home, what kind of rich person is that?”
He mumbled drowsily, his mind searching for places he had only heard of in legends, places of indulgence.
“Right! Escorts and models! I want to experience what high-end consumption is like too!”
He attempted a somersault… and failed, almost rolling off the sofa.
Staggering to his feet, he took out his phone and searched for the most famous high-end private club in the city – ‘Cloud Top Wonderland.’
“Tsk tsk, what a grand name! That’s the one!”
He changed into his most expensive T-shirt and a pair of trendy jeans, pocketed the bank card that had just been slimmed down, and drove spiritedly towards ‘Cloud Top Wonderland.’
Upon arrival, it was indeed grand.
A discreetly luxurious entrance, with two burly men in well-tailored suits, wearing earpieces, standing guard. Their eyes were as sharp as searchlights.
Zhang Biao puffed out his chest and was about to walk in.
“Sir, please wait.”
One of the burly men held up a hand to stop him, a standard professional smile on his face, but his eyes were scrutinizing:
“Do you have an appointment? Or are you a member of this club?”
“A member?”
Zhang Biao blinked, then waved his hand grandly, imitating a tycoon from a TV show:
“Do it! Get me a membership right now! I’m not short on money!”
The burly man’s smile remained, but his tone carried a hint of imperceptible disdain:
“Apologies, sir. This club operates by invitation only.”
“Membership requires a recommendation from an existing member, and an asset verification is required, with personal liquid assets needing to reach…”
He paused slightly and stated a astronomical figure that instantly sobered Zhang Biao by half: “Over three hundred million RMB.”
【How… how much?!】
【Three hundred million?! And liquid assets?!】
Zhang Biao felt like his ears had been damaged by the spicy crayfish.
The total assets of the corrupt officials he had audited probably didn’t add up to this amount.
The arrogance on his face instantly froze, replaced by shock, then embarrassment, and finally, his face turned red.
“How… how much?”
His voice changed tune: “Is your club rimmed with gold or something?”
Another burly man stepped forward: “Sir, our membership standards are as stated.”
Although he maintained his politeness, his tone carried an undeniable meaning of escorting him out:
“If you do not have an appointment or membership, please leave and do not obstruct other guests.”
Occasionally, luxury cars would stop nearby, and well-dressed men and women would cast curious or disdainful glances, piercing Zhang Biao like needles.
He felt like a bumpkin who had stumbled into a flock of swans. The pride of a ‘nouveau riche’ he had felt at home was instantly shattered.
“Damn… people looking down on others…”
He cursed under his breath, but under the gaze of the obviously professionally trained physique and cold eyes of the guards, he ultimately didn’t dare to cause trouble.
He retreated to the roadside, crestfallen, looking at the grand entrance he couldn’t even step over, a nameless anger mixed with a strong sense of frustration surging to his head.
“Three hundred million… three hundred million…”
He repeated the number through gritted teeth. The humiliation of being nakedly despised by money in modern society made him involuntarily think of the Great Ming…
He thought of the place he had never touched, but always wanted to touch.
“That’s right! The Imperial Treasury! Old Zhu’s Imperial Treasury must have a lot of good stuff in it!”
Zhang Biao’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had found an ‘outlet’ and a ‘lighthouse’ of hope.
“I can’t even get through a door here, and your Zhu Chongba’s storerooms are full of treasures.”
“Even some of the things I audited are in there. Why should it all be yours?!”
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the angrier he became, the more he thought.
“Clearly, I have money, yet I have to endure this humiliation?!”
“No! I can’t let this go!”
The ‘trouble-making’ desire, which had been temporarily pacified by his meal, reignited fiercely.
He glared fiercely at the ‘Cloud Top Wonderland’ entrance one last time, as if to record this humiliation and repay it tenfold.
“Just you wait! When I get back to the Great Ming! If I don’t make several hundred million, I’ll take your surname!”
The remaining ‘vacation’ was spent more low-key by Zhang Biao.
His relationship with Chen Jingming, the owner of the Treasure Pavilion, quickly warmed up through several successful private transactions.
He was invited to almost every private auction by Chen Jingming.
During this time, Zhang Biao successively sold a few more small items he had brought back from the Great Ming.
A high-quality mutton-fat jade pendant and a pair of gilded filigree enamel sachets were not as conspicuous as those belonging to a Duke, but they still sold for considerable prices.
Chen Jingming, that old fox, had long suspected that Zhang Biao’s items were unusual, but he adhered to the rules, never delving into their origins, only discussing the quality of the items.
He appreciated Zhang Biao’s ‘straightforwardness’ and ‘connections,’ while Zhang Biao valued his ‘reliability’ and ‘influence.’
Therefore, after the last transaction within two months, Zhang Biao casually mentioned:
“Old Chen, you have wide connections. Can you help me get some… things that are not commonly seen on the market?”
“Heh, Brother Zhang, with your youth and potential, and your great capabilities, is there anything you can’t handle?”
Chen Jingming joked with a smile, but did not directly refuse.
This was because he still couldn’t see through Zhang Biao’s true capabilities.
Zhang Biao smiled and played along:
“As they say, specialization is key. My skills can only be used in specific areas. For those non-specific areas, it’s hard to say.”
He neither denied his abilities nor revealed his limitations, making him seem even more profound and mysterious.
Chen Jingming looked at him deeply, then picked up his tea, took a sip, and said lightly:
“What kind of things do you want?”
“Easy!”
Zhang Biao smiled and quickly listed the items he had been planning for a long time.
These items would be ‘divine objects’ in the Great Ming, even life-saving ones, that could usher in a new era.
However, in modern times, they were just things that were not easy to obtain or had complicated official procedures.
After listening, Chen Jingming was first surprised, but it wasn’t unacceptable. He pondered for a moment, then nodded:
“They won’t be cheap, and they’ll take a few days.”
“Money is not an issue.”
Zhang Biao cheerfully transferred the deposit.
A few days later, Chen Jingming indeed had the items ready.
After inspecting the goods, Zhang Biao was very satisfied. He paid the remaining balance directly and quietly transported these items back to his suburban villa.
However, shortly after returning to the villa, as he was about to order another Crazy Thursday special and wait for his ‘return’ to the Great Ming –.
Woo—woo—woo—!
The piercing sound of a fire alarm suddenly came from afar!
Zhang Biao leaped up from the sofa, strode to the window, pulled back the heavy curtains, and looked out.
He saw thick smoke billowing from the southwest direction of the city, and flames were faintly visible in the night sky, illuminating a small patch of the sky.
That direction…
Zhang Biao narrowed his eyes, identified it carefully, and a strange expression appeared on his face.
“Huh? That looks like… the old district where I rented a house before?”
He stroked his chin, recalling the sharp-tongued landlady, Aunt Wang, and a smirk of schadenfreude couldn’t help but appear on his lips.
“Tsk tsk, it seems that as a person, you can’t be too immoral.”
“Heaven itself can’t stand it anymore~”
“Aunt Wang, your luck… heh heh…”
He chuckled with no sympathy, drew the curtains, shutting out the noise outside, and snuggled back into the comfortable sofa as if everything happening outside had nothing to do with him.
He was now only concerned with one thing:
【Three hours later, returning to the Great Ming!】
This time, he was better prepared and determined to make bigger waves under the sky of six hundred years ago.
【Tremble, Great Ming, your Censor Zhang has returned!】
On the other side, in the Great Ming World.
The ‘June Snow Phenomenon’ had cast an unknown curse over Yingtian Prefecture, lingering in the air.
Even though Old Zhu grudgingly issued a 《Edict of Self-Reproach》, it did not achieve the expected effect of stabilizing the empire.
In fact, rumors that ‘the Hongwu Emperor’s excessive killing caused a celestial anomaly’ had grown wings, and even the Imperial Guard could not effectively suppress them, quickly spreading across the land.
This led the local powerful families, remnants of the former Yuan dynasty, and even some desperate commoners who were dissatisfied with Old Zhu’s strict laws and heavy taxes, to find a ‘vent’ and a banner of ‘justice.’
In the two months since Zhang Biao’s ‘death,’ rebellions had erupted across the country.
【In Taizhou, Zhejiang, salt smugglers gathered and rebelled, raising the banner of ‘Remove the Ruler’s Assistants, Punish the Treacherous Officials,’ which, though small in scale, subtly pointed to the court’s corruption.】
【In Jingzhou, Huguang, remnants of the White Lotus Society took the opportunity to incite a popular uprising, proclaiming ‘Hongwu is without virtue, disaster has fallen from heaven, a new Buddha must be established,’ and captured a county seat.】
【In Qingzhou, Shandong, a garrison officer, severely punished by his superior for embezzling military pay, took a desperate risk, gathering soldiers to mutiny and seizing the treasury.】
【In the border regions of northwestern Yunnan and Sichuan, the eleven villages of Weimo, the Tusi of Yanjing Guard’s left post, the Simashi Jia Hala, and the Fupán who returned from Yongning Mosuo Cave, once again attacked the Beisheng area.】
Although these rebellions did not gain widespread momentum and were quickly suppressed by local garrisons or hastily dispatched imperial troops.
However, the successive outbreaks of conflict undoubtedly cast a thick shadow over the Hongwu Dynasty, which had just experienced the grief of the Crown Prince’s death, scandals involving the princes, and warnings from celestial phenomena.
“Cough cough… a bunch of waste!”
In the Hall of Huagai, candlelight flickered, illuminating Old Zhu’s increasingly gaunt face, mottled with age spots.
He coughed violently, and Yun Ming quickly stepped forward to pat his back and offer him ginseng tea.
On the imperial desk, the stacked documents were no longer memorials concerning Zhang Biao’s case, but urgent military reports from various regions requesting the suppression of rebellions and demanding money and grain.
Old Zhu paused his coughing, pushed away the ginseng tea, and said in a hoarse and weary voice:
“Yun Ming, tell me, we killed so many corrupt officials and trained so many soldiers, why in the end, can’t we even quell these small disturbances?!”
“This…”
Yun Ming trembled, not daring to answer.
But Old Zhu didn’t seem to expect an answer and walked to the window, looking out.
Although it was spring, the vitality of all things reviving seemed to have never manifested in him.
He murmured to himself, his voice filled with a sense of powerlessness:
“I drove out the Tatars, pacified the four seas, and worked tirelessly day and night, not daring to slacken for a single moment… Why is the world still so troublesome?”
“Why are all my sons good-for-nothings? Why does even heaven oppose me?!”
He increasingly did not understand what he was experiencing.
He should have been one of the greatest heroes in the long river of history, but his current reputation, let alone a hero, was almost on par with Li Longji.
“Sigh!”
He sighed deeply.
Gradually, Zhang Biao’s mocking face once again appeared uncontrollably in his mind.
The problems left by that ‘madman’ were like poisoned thorns, deeply piercing Old Zhu’s heart.
【Do you know how Zhu Xiongying died?】
【Having no father or sovereign… is a great shame in life…】
【The sovereign of the Ming is no longer Han…】
These words, like nightmares, haunted him day and night.
Especially the doubts about Zhu Xiongying’s cause of death, which, when corroborated with Zhu Biao’s death, made the entire matter even more heavy and terrifying.
Old Zhu’s gaze involuntarily fell on the inconspicuous iron box in the corner of the imperial desk.
It was sent by Zhu Yunteng at the risk of his life and contained secrets about his son Biao’s death.
This grandson, Old Zhu admitted he had misjudged him at first. He not only had courage and decisiveness but was also like his father, Old Zhu.
After experiencing so many upheavals, Old Zhu had indeed wavered, wondering if he should consider this more ambitious grandson.
However…
Old Zhu slowly closed his eyes, and the turmoil of the past few months flashed through his mind:
【Chaos in the court, scandals of the princes, rebellions in various regions, and that damnable ‘June Snow Phenomenon’ and the public’s simmering resentment.】
【This Great Ming Empire cannot withstand further upheaval.】
【Now, the Great Ming does not need an heir who is eager for progress and might stir up more waves. It needs stability, benevolence, recuperation, and to pacify the hearts of the scholars and the people.】
Thinking of this, Old Zhu thought of Zhu Yunwen again.
Although this grandson was benevolent and weak, lacking decisiveness, it was precisely this ‘benevolent weakness’ that, at this moment, might be the best choice.
Old Zhu sighed again.
【Biao, if you are in heaven, you should understand your father, right?】
He returned to the Dragon Throne and looked at the iron box again, as if convincing himself in his heart.
【Yunwen is deeply loved by the civil officials; Huang Zicheng, Zhuo Jing, and others all flock to him. If he ascends the throne, he can quickly stabilize the court and gain the support of the literati.】
【Yunwen is gentle and mild-mannered, unlike Yunteng, who has a hidden ferocity and a stubbornness that might investigate to the end. Perhaps this can avoid more palace turmoil and fratricide.】
【Yunwen’s reputation for ‘filial piety and benevolence’ can be used to offset the negative impact of my ‘tyrannical’ image and appease the public.】
【Biao, my daughter…】
【I’m not doing this for myself, but for our Zhu family’s empire, so that it can pass down smoothly…】
Old Zhu explained to himself, and to his deceased son and wife, in his heart.
He was, after all, an Emperor.
Between personal emotions and the stability of the dynasty, he chose the latter.
The matter of establishing a Crown Prince could not be delayed any longer.
He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes completely disappearing, leaving only the coldness and decisiveness of an emperor.
“Yun Ming.”
“Your servant is here.”
Yun Ming quickly bowed and replied.
“Issue an imperial decree!”
Old Zhu’s voice regained its former majesty, but with a hint of barely concealed fatigue: “In three days, there will be a Grand Court Session. I have an important matter to announce.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yun Ming bowed and retreated, vaguely guessing what the Emperor was about to announce.
Old Zhu sat alone on the Dragon Throne, his gaze sweeping over the 《Public Order Memorial》, which had been stained with blood and then smoothed out by him, finally settling on the cold iron box.
He admired Zhu Yunteng’s courage and ruthlessness, but the future of the Great Ming now required Zhu Yunwen’s ‘benevolence’ more.
He just didn’t know what kind of future this decision would lead the Great Ming’s ship to.
Asking for double monthly tickets~
