Chapter 197: Remove The Ruler’s Assistants?! Old Zhu Postpones Grand Court Session! 【 Requesting Monthly Tickets 】
Inside the Huagai Hall, a deathly silence hung, broken only by Old Zhu’s heavy gasps.
The blood he spat out, like scattered red plum blossoms, splattered on the dragon robe and the cold golden bricks, a shocking sight.
Jiang Huan and Yun Ming were so frightened their faces turned ashen. They wanted to step forward but were forced back by Old Zhu’s predatory gaze.
Old Zhu didn’t wipe the bloodstains from the corners of his mouth.
He merely propped himself up on the imperial desk with his hands, his knuckles turning pale white from excessive force, trembling slightly.
【Auditing the princes…】
These four words were like a curse, or like a red-hot branding iron, burning and roaring repeatedly in his mind.
Bringing waves of tearing pain and bone-chilling fear.
He felt like a craftsman who had spent countless years building a towering structure, proud of its stability, only to be hollowed out from within by a ‘mad ant’ he himself had placed at its foundation.
Regret! Overwhelming regret!
This was all Old Zhu felt at that moment.
He couldn’t help but ask himself.
【Why did I pardon Zhang Biao back then?】
【Was it because of that bloodstained 《Public Order Memorial》? Was it because of that heart-piercing question about Xiong Ying’s death?】
【Or was it because deep down, that sliver of almost obsessive desire for truth, and a trace of utilizing Zhang Biao’s ability to see through darkness, which even I am unwilling to admit?】
In fact, he had always had an inexplicable ‘favor’ for Zhang Biao.
He had even once considered Zhang Biao a ‘savior’ of the Great Ming.
But as Zhang Biao’s various actions threw the Great Ming into chaos, he began to see Zhang Biao as a great ‘threat’.
For example, auditing corrupt officials. Given Old Zhu’s hatred for corrupt officials, would he be angry because Zhang Biao audited them?
Normally, he wouldn’t, and would even heavily employ Zhang Biao.
However, all of Zhang Biao’s words and actions, even his unconventional methods, made him feel an inexpressible sense of provocation.
Even if he knew Zhang Biao might be right, he couldn’t tolerate someone beyond his control.
One must know that his own personality was that of an extreme obsessive.
Coupled with his almost pathological suspicion.
Even if Zhang Biao said ‘The weather is really nice today,’ it could still provoke his sensitive and irritable nerves.
Let alone the four words ‘auditing the princes.’
【Does that madman truly want to force me to kill my son before he is satisfied?】
【That is my own flesh and blood son!】
Old Zhu’s hand on the desk trembled, and he wished he could immediately issue a decree to dismember Zhang Biao.
His sons, enfeoffed outside the capital and holding significant military power, were his weapons to ‘protect the imperial family and eternally uphold the Mandate of Heaven,’ yet they were also a constant hidden worry.
He suppressed them and restricted them, yet he had to rely on them to guard the borders and consolidate his rule.
Did he not know the hidden danger of the princes becoming too powerful? He was also hesitating, weighing the timing and method of abolishing feudal lords.
But Zhang Biao, in the most brutal, direct, and unforgiving way, had publicly lit the fuse of this powder keg in front of everyone.
【How will he investigate? What can he find out?】
Countless terrifying images flashed through Old Zhu’s mind:
Zhang Biao, with his set of ‘heretical theories,’ storming into one of his sons’ princely mansions, auditing accounts, interrogating, or even… taking action?
With that madman’s style, he would absolutely do it!
And then?
Would those sons, accustomed to arrogance, submit tamely? Would they willingly be humiliated by a seventh-rank censor, a ‘mad dog’ in their eyes?
Resistance!
It would be fierce resistance!
At best, they would refuse entry; at worst, they would resort to arms!
Some might even be driven to the brink and raise the banner of ‘removing the ruler’s assistants’!
【Removing the ruler’s assistants… removing the ruler’s assistants…】
Old Zhu’s pupils contracted sharply. He recalled Chao Cuo from the Han Dynasty.
Did that madman want to be Chao Cuo?
Or did he want to force a rebellion from the princes?
If one prince moved, how would the others react? Would they observe and wait? Would they imitate? Or would they be forced to unite by the court’s suppression?
Civil unrest!
A scale far exceeding any previous civil unrest!
The Great Ming, which had just quelled small rebellions in various regions, would immediately plunge into a bloody civil war that swept across the entire empire, personally orchestrated by the Zhu family’s own blood.
The cavalry of the Northern Yuan would be watching covetously. Those powerful families he had suppressed and the remnants of the civil official group he had purged, how much trouble would they stir up?
At that time, with beacon fires rising everywhere and the land shattered, wouldn’t the Great Ming Empire he had painstakingly built and governed for over twenty years be torn to shreds?
Kill him?
Would killing Zhang Biao now quell all this?
The slogan ‘auditing the princes’ had already been shouted; it was like spilled water, impossible to retrieve.
If Zhang Biao were killed, what would happen to his previous audits of the Six Ministries and the nobles?
What would those officials, enticed by high salaries and incited by his words, think?
How would those forces that were already dissatisfied with the princes view this?
Wouldn’t his sons, with ulterior motives, think that their Imperial Father didn’t dare to touch them, and become even more reckless?
Don’t kill him?
Should he just watch this madman, under the guise of the ‘Anti-Corruption Bureau’ he himself had decreed, stir up trouble and drag the Great Ming into the abyss?
Caught between a rock and a hard place!
Truly caught between a rock and a hard place!
Old Zhu slowly, and with great difficulty, raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky outside the hall.
It was as if countless wronged souls were weeping in the gloomy sky, or perhaps it was the groaning of the Great Ming Empire’s foundation loosening under its unbearable weight.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
At this moment, this Hongwu Great Emperor, who had once commanded the wind and clouds, this founding monarch known for his iron fist and ruthlessness, felt for the first time a bone-deep powerlessness and aging.
He had eliminated countless meritorious officials, purged innumerable corrupt officials, and thought he had the world firmly in his grasp.
But in the end, he was defeated by a trivial, madman who acted erratically, defeated by his own unresolvable suspicion, his obsession with truth, and… that imperial strategy of attempting to balance everything, which ultimately led to complete loss of control.
【Biao’er… Xiong Ying… Sister…】
【What… what did I… do wrong…】
A silent cry, mixed with blood and tears, echoed thunderously in Old Zhu’s heart.
After an unknown period, he cleared his dry throat and called out, “Yun Ming!”
“Your… your servant is here…”
Yun Ming quickly and cautiously responded.
Old Zhu didn’t even look at him, then said indifferently, “Postpone the Grand Court Session by an hour… I am a bit tired. Have the officials wait in the side hall. Also…”
At this point, he turned to Jiang Huan:
“Take people to dismantle Zhang Biao’s stall! Say that Zhang Biao’s ‘high-salary recruitment’ does not comply with the court’s rules for employing personnel. Even ‘auditing the princes’ requires my approval.”
“At the same time, tell everyone watching that although I approve of Zhang Biao establishing the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Zhang Biao has no financial or personnel authority!”
“The rest, we’ll ignore for now. After the Grand Court Session, I will settle accounts with him.”
“Your subordinate （servant）… obeys the decree!”
Jiang Huan and Yun Ming exchanged glances, then spoke in unison before swiftly exiting the hall.
As Old Zhu watched them leave, his face darkened, and he narrowed his eyes.
【Zhang Biao, whatever your purpose, once I establish the Imperial Grandson, everything will be settled…】
【I know you support Yunteng, but I will not establish him. I will not let you use Yunteng to attack my sons…】
He believed that Zhu Yunteng’s hatred for his princely uncles was incited by Zhang Biao.
The purpose was to force a choice between two.
If he didn’t act against his princely sons, Zhang Biao would use Zhu Yunteng’s hatred for Zhu Biao’s death to make Yunteng act against the princes.
【This scoundrel! What a vicious heart!】
Old Zhu violently pounded the desk, his body filled with killing intent.
【Once I uncover the truth and no longer need you, I will have you sliced to death by lingchi…】
【You wait for me…】
…
On the other side, outside the Gate of Heavenly Acceptance.
When Zhang Biao shouted the four words ‘auditing the princes,’ the scene instantly fell silent.
The officials who had been crowding around the stall, eagerly looking at the high-paying positions and roasted sweet potatoes, had their expressions of desire and eagerness freeze, then turn to a pale horror.
The Supervising Secretary, still holding a half-eaten piece of sweet potato, trembled, and the golden flesh ‘splat’ onto the ground, unnoticed by him.
He opened his mouth wide, like a fish out of water, making a guttural sound in his throat.
The seven or eight officials surrounding the stall recoiled several steps as if struck by invisible whips.
It was as if the broken table, the recruitment plaque, and Zhang Biao, dressed in a costume vest behind the table, were the source of a plague that devoured people!
The area in front of the Gate of Heavenly Acceptance, which had been as noisy as a marketplace, was now as silent as a graveyard.
Just as everyone was utterly shocked by Zhang Biao’s words and actions, a roar filled with righteous indignation and anger exploded like thunder:
“Zhang Biao! You insolent wretch! How dare you deceive the masses here and disrupt court order?!”
The crowd looked towards the source of the voice and saw a minister in a scarlet robe stepping out from the crowd. It was Yuan Tai, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.
Since Zhan Hui, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, had been thrown into the Imperial Prison by Old Zhu, his fate unknown, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate was the highest-ranking official in the Censorate.
Moreover, this Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate named Yuan Tai was known for his integrity, and even Old Zhu greatly valued him.
He had even summoned him for private consultation regarding the matter of 《abolishing the princes’ salary system》.
However, at this moment, he was so angry his beard was trembling as he pointed at Zhang Biao’s nose and cursed:
“Zhang Biao! How long will you continue to make trouble?!”
“Do you not know what the princes mean to the Great Ming? How dare you arbitrarily speak of auditing the princes!?”
Another Vice Minister from the Ministry of Rites took the opportunity to attack, sternly stating:
“Outside the Gate of Heavenly Acceptance, the site of the Grand Court Session, is where the court’s majesty is displayed!”
“You actually set up a stall and hawk your wares here, engaging in commercial activities. What kind of conduct is this?! It is utterly disgraceful and blasphemous to the court!”
“And this so-called high salary!”
A Director from the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward. He couldn’t stand anyone being more generous with money than his own ministry:
“Far exceeding the court’s regulations, it incites people’s hearts! This is presumption! This is chaotic governance! What do you, Zhang Biao, intend to do?!”
With several high-ranking officials taking the lead, the officials who had been too scared to speak earlier seemed to have found their backbone and chimed in:
“Exactly! Lord Yuan is right! Auditing the princes shakes the foundation of the nation!”
“Setting up a stall here is like being a street ruffian, disgracing the court!”
“Zhang Biao, you must give all the officials an explanation today!”
In an instant, accusations rained down on Zhang Biao like a storm.
The officials who had been somewhat tempted by the high salary and sweet potatoes earlier now quickly retracted their necks, distancing themselves from Zhang Biao, fearing implication.
Facing accusations from all sides, Zhang Biao remained indifferent, even picking his ear and flicking away non-existent earwax.
He slowly stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and a playful smile of ‘finally, they’re here’ appeared on his face.
“Esteemed Lords, please calm yourselves.”
He said lazily:
“Auditing the princes is for the eternal stability of the Great Ming Empire, to prevent people from undermining the Great Ming. How has it become shaking the nation’s foundation?”
“Do you esteemed Lords believe that the princes are all… clean, without any problems?”
As soon as he said this, Yuan Tai and the others became even more furious, their faces turning ashen. This scoundrel dared to retort?!
“Eloquent but deceitful!”
Yuan Tai angrily said, “Even if there are problems, the Imperial Clan Court and His Majesty’s judgment are there! How can you arbitrarily criticize and instigate trouble here! Guards! Seize this villain!”
After all, Yuan Tai was the current highest-ranking official of the Censorate and had some prestige in the court.
At his command, several officials responsible for maintaining order at the court session looked troubled, but they still forced themselves to direct their subordinates to prepare to apprehend Zhang Biao.
However, at this moment, a commotion suddenly arose from the periphery.
In several different directions of the Gate of Heavenly Acceptance plaza, a group of ‘beggars’ swaying came into view, their style so bizarre it was astonishing.
Leading them was One-armed Old Zhou.
He held a broken bowl and swung his empty sleeve with great vigor, like a martial artist on stage twirling his sleeves. As he swung, he wailed in a strangely rhythmic, crying tone:
“Kindhearted officials, please be charitable—!”
“Pity me, who has no arm! My children at home are so hungry they’ve gnawed half the doorstep away—!”
“Look, this sleeve is empty, how can it hold anything but the northwest wind!”
He deliberately approached the high officials wearing purple and scarlet robes, his empty sleeve ‘accidentally’ sweeping past them, carrying a foul odor. His eyes darted towards them, as if weighing their ‘importance.’
Next was Lame Old Li.
He didn’t walk properly but adopted an extremely contorted posture, as if he would fall apart the next second, yet always managed to maintain his balance in a precarious ‘mysterious stepping’ manner.
He specifically chose spots on the ground with cracks between bricks or small stones to step on. His body swayed with each step, but his gaze swept through the crowd like a spotlight.
“Oh dear! The ground is uneven, it’s hurting my lame leg!”
He spotted a Director from the Ministry of Personnel who had just returned from inquiring at Zhang Biao’s stall. With a stumble, he lunged towards the official, his hands flailing seemingly randomly, yet precisely grabbing the hem of the official’s robe:
“Official! Are you alright? Did I bump into you? Your robe is made of such good material, so smooth!”
The Director stumbled from being pulled, embarrassed and annoyed. He tried to break free, but Old Li held on tighter, muttering:
“Official, you look like a kind person. Can you spare some food? My leg was crippled fighting for the court in the Northern Desert…”
Then came Blind Old Sun.
He didn’t close his eyes but narrowed his good eye to an almost invisible slit.
His blind eye rolled upwards, and he leaned on his jujube wood cane, modified by Zhang Biao, like a blind person feeling his way, but he precisely headed towards the small circles of officials gathered, discussing in hushed tones with grave expressions.
He approached them, pretending to bask in the sun and doze, but his ears were perked up like a rabbit’s.
“Cough… cough cough…”
Injured Old Qian also coughed violently, as if trying to expel his lungs, weakly extending a broken bowl with a chipped rim, at the bottom of which some strange symbols seemed to be drawn with a charcoal pencil.
He specifically sought out officials who looked more refined and might be more sympathetic, such as Censors or Hanlin scholars:
“Offi… Official, please be merciful, spare… spare a copper coin for medicine…”
“Cough cough… My health, these are old wounds from my time in the army, and now… cough cough… I’m afraid I won’t survive this autumn…”
His cough was so sincere, his nose and tears almost falling, his miserable appearance made several young Censors look sympathetic.
These old soldiers perfectly demonstrated the essence of Zhang Biao’s personally taught 《Zhang’s Survival Guide for Disabled Persons and Quick Course in Performance Art》.
Rotational falls, gradual falls, indiscriminate ‘insurance fraud,’ exploiting contempt, transmitting fragmented information… all sorts of ingenious tricks were employed in turn.
The guards who had stepped forward to apprehend Zhang Biao were thrown into disarray by their interference.
After all, they were fellow soldiers, and one couldn’t treat fellow soldiers heartlessly, could they?
If this got out, how would they be gossiped about?!
Yuan Tai and the others saw that the guards had been stopped by the old soldiers, their faces darkening like the bottom of a pot.
“What conduct! What conduct is this!?”
An old Hanlin scholar, his beard trembling with anger, pointed at this group of ‘demons and monsters,’ unable to speak coherently.
“This… this must be Zhang Biao’s doing!”
An official from the Ministry of War exclaimed in shock and anger, “What does he want? Does he want to turn the Grand Court Session into a beggar’s assembly?!”
“Hahaha! Look at the one swinging his sleeve, it’s like a whirlwind!”
Some bold, mischievous low-ranking military officials couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Tsk tsk, this ‘insurance fraud’ skill is superb! More professional than the rascals caught by the Five City Patrols!”
The officials were at a loss whether to laugh or cry at the bizarre ‘begging’ methods of these old soldiers. If they tried to drive them away, they were disabled veterans, a sensitive identity.
If they didn’t drive them away, the scene was simply too unsightly.
The chaos escalated further.
Zhang Biao stood behind his broken table, watching the ‘old soldiers’ beggar troupe displaying their divine powers’ drama he had orchestrated, his mouth almost splitting to his ears.
He even felt it wasn’t chaotic enough and struck a gong again, adding fuel to the fire:
“Fellow colleagues, have you all seen? This is the current situation of disabled old soldiers in our Great Ming! They bled and were wounded for the country, but now they have to rely on these ‘skills’ to make a living!”
“Why? Isn’t it because the garrison system has collapsed, the military households are suffering unbearably, and the relief funds are being withheld layer by layer!”
“Our Anti-Corruption Bureau will not only audit the princes but also clarify the military farms, recover deficits, and allow these old soldiers who fought for the country to live with dignity!”
He skillfully linked the absurd behavior of the old soldiers to the flaws in the military registration and garrison system, connecting his ‘recruitment farce’ and the thunderous ‘auditing the princes’ with the blood and tears of the lower-ranking military households.
This time, not only the onlookers, but even the officials who had initially scoffed at Zhang Biao, began to have doubts.
“Zhang Biao! Stop spewing nonsense!”
Yuan Tai was furious, grinding his teeth and pointing at Zhang Biao, roaring again, “You are gathering a mob and disrupting the court’s laws! I will impeach you before His Majesty today!”
“Exactly! Censor Zhang has repeatedly caused trouble! Unpardonable, defying heaven and reason!”
The Director from the Ministry of Revenue also sneered, “He’s still hoping we’ll fall for his trick! What kind of high-salary recruitment is that! Do you think we are all fools?”
“Hahaha! This Lord Zhang is just a showman! Does he think anyone is foolish enough to audit the princes with him?”
“Hey, didn’t you forget? He had a few lackeys before, but those lackeys ran away. Now he’s found a few beggars and thinks everyone will be fooled and follow him to their deaths!”
Hearing these retorts, curses, and taunts, the atmosphere around them shifted again.
The crowd, which had been packed tightly, now retreated like a tide, leaving a large empty space, with only Zhang Biao and the disabled old soldiers standing out conspicuously.
However, just as the atmosphere became extremely awkward, Zhang Biao slowly took out a… large, red-paper-covered wooden box from under the table.
On the box, written in even cruder strokes, were five large characters:
【Anonymous Complaint Box】.
Next to it was a line of small print:
【Provide illegal clues about princes and related officials. Upon verification, reward ten catties of sweet potatoes, silver… fifty taels! And priority for an interview qualification at the Anti-Corruption Bureau!】
Boom!
Seeing the five characters and the line of small print next to it, the surroundings were as if struck by lightning, and silence fell instantly.
“Cough cough!”
Zhang Biao cleared his throat, put on a sincere expression of ‘I’m thinking of everyone,’ and patted the complaint box:
“Fellow colleagues! Don’t be afraid! The cause of anti-corruption is long and arduous, requiring everyone’s joint efforts!”
“I know that some things you see with your own eyes and feel in your hearts, but due to certain pressures, you dare not speak, cannot speak!”
“Now, the opportunity has come!”
“You don’t have to come to my Anti-Corruption Bureau, you can still earn merits and get money!”
He forcefully slapped the box, making a dull thud, startling everyone around him again.
“See this box? The Great Ming Anti-Corruption Bureau’s specially established ‘Anonymous Complaint Box’! If you have any clues, write them down and put them in! Without anyone knowing, without anyone finding out!”
“Don’t worry! This box will be personally guarded by me and submitted directly to the Emperor! Absolutely confidential! Absolutely safe!”
“And your salary will not be reduced by a single cent!”
His gaze swept over the officials with pale faces, his tone full of temptation, yet with a hint of undeniable threat:
“Think about it, some of you may have been bullied by princely mansion subordinates, perhaps a close friend’s property was unjustly seized, or perhaps you simply can’t stand certain people holding positions without doing any work and enriching themselves at the expense of the country!”
“Now, there is an opportunity to vent your anger, eliminate harm for the court, receive rewards, and even… strive for a future career!”
“Think of the five hundred taels annual salary! Think of the honor of working directly for the Emperor!”
His words, coupled with the conspicuous complaint box, made Yuan Tai and the others’ scalps tingle and their backs grow cold.
This madman… he not only wanted to court death himself but also to drag everyone down with him!
He was encouraging informing! He was provoking conflict between officials and princes!
Once this box was established, everyone present today would become a potential ‘informant’!
Even if they did nothing, if a prince were investigated in the future, who could say for sure that there wasn’t a note they had dropped into that box?
At that time, what would the princes think? Wouldn’t they think that everyone present today was Zhang Biao’s ‘accomplice’?
This was no longer a fire pit; it was a bottomless abyss! It was a disaster that could lead to the extermination of nine generations of a family!
“Buzz—”
The crowd erupted completely, not pushing forward, but scattering backward in terror, as if the complaint box were a primordial beast.
Some, with their official hats askew, didn’t bother to straighten them, only wanting to immediately distance themselves from this place of trouble, from Zhang Biao, this harbinger of disaster.
Outside the Gate of Heavenly Acceptance, the solemn and dignified order had completely collapsed, descending into chaos.
Zhang Biao, however, sat back behind his broken table and tapped the gong he held.
“Clang!”
“The Great Ming Anti-Corruption Bureau, auditing princes, anonymous reporting, in full swing! A rare opportunity, don’t miss it!”
His voice, amidst the chaos and silence, sounded exceptionally clear, and exceptionally… chilling.
All the officials looked at him not as a madman, but as a terrifying vortex source, about to drag the entire Great Ming bureaucracy, and even the entire Zhu Ming imperial family, into a great storm!
This was not recruitment at all!
It was clearly outside the Gate of Heavenly Acceptance, in front of the Emperor and all the officials, raising a banner of rebellion… no, ‘anti-corruption’!
And the first blade of this banner precisely and accurately struck the most sensitive and vulnerable nerve of the imperial family.
This maneuver was so audacious, so audacious it made the soul depart the body!
Seeking monthly tickets~
Had something come up today, so the update is late. Apologies.
