Chapter 213: I, Zhang Biao, Now Want To Kill Someone! Monthly Ticket Bonus Update 24
Zhang Biao did not immediately take the letter. His gaze first fixed on Song Zhong’s face, and his voice suddenly turned cold: “Kaifeng Prefecture? Where is Li Mo? How is Li Mo?!”
Song Zhong met his gaze and said calmly:
“According to reports, Investigating Censor Li Mo was assassinated three days ago within the Kaifeng Prefecture yamen. He was stabbed twice and was fortunate to be saved by his guards who fought to the death. He is not in mortal danger for now, but requires rest.”
“Rest?! Rest your mother!”
Zhang Biao exploded. He grabbed the front of Song Zhong’s official uniform, his eyes bloodshot, spitting almost into the other’s face, and roared hoarsely:
“Old Zhu used my brother as bait! Was it to send him to his death?! What are you Imperial Guards good for?! Huh?! Someone stabbed an imperial official, an Investigating Censor who represents the emperor in his inspections, right under your noses in a local yamen?!”
“Where is your competence? Fed to dogs?! You claim to be ‘all-seeing,’ but I say you’re all a bunch of useless dregs! Worse than dog excrement!”
He cursed viciously, spittle flying, veins bulging on his forehead, like a cornered beast completely enraged.
The old soldiers nearby watched with pounding hearts, wanting to intervene but not daring to.
Song Zhong’s expression finally turned grim. It would be difficult for anyone to remain calm after such an insult.
“Lord Zhang!”
He suddenly raised his hand, knocking away Zhang Biao’s hand gripping his collar, the force causing Zhang Biao to stumble.
“Please show some respect!”
Song Zhong’s voice was filled with cold anger:
“Investigating Censor Li’s attack was also unexpected for us! The guards indeed had an oversight, but…”
“But nothing!”
Zhang Biao didn’t listen to him finish. Panting, his gaze, like poisoned knives, raked across Song Zhong’s face, finally landing on the blood-stained letter in his hand.
He snatched it fiercely. As his fingers touched the bloodstains that had turned dark brown, he trembled violently.
Immediately after, he roughly tore open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and his eyes rapidly scanned the hasty and weak handwriting.
【 To Brother Biao for his personal review: 】
【 After several months in Kaifeng, Prince Zhou’s mansion is a deep and treacherous place. His second son, Youjian, appears respectful on the surface but is cunning and resentful of his father and brother for a long time. After extensive investigation, I can confidently conclude that Youjian is heavily implicated in the leak of the ‘Red Lead’ elixir formula! 】
【 He may have stolen his father’s secret collection under the guise of ‘research,’ or colluded with outsiders and proactively offered it. 】
【 Recently, I pretended to engage with him and gradually gained his ‘trust.’ Youjian seems to intend to win me over. In his words, he vaguely mentioned the benefits of grain transport, hinting that he has support from behind the scenes, and is not limited to Kaifeng alone. His ambitions are great, and may extend beyond the power and position of a prince’s mansion! 】
【 I have found a key informant who knows about Youjian’s connection to the grain transport’s black accounts and the deficit in the Henan Garrison, and I possess concrete evidence. However, Youjian seems suspicious, and I fear he might resort to desperate measures and silence me. If this letter reaches you, I may have already met my end. 】
【 Brother Biao! The corruption in grain transport is deeply rooted and widespread, potentially implicating imperial nobles! 】
【 This is a festering sore on the nation, and also the key to breaking the deadlock! I hope my brother will be cautious, investigate, and break through it! 】
【 Your brother, Li Mo, writing his final words. 】
The content of the letter ended abruptly.
There were no pleasantries, only calm analysis, concrete accusations, and the final, heavy entrustment: “I hope my brother will be cautious, investigate, and break through it!”
Holding the letter, Zhang Biao stood still, unmoving.
The anger on his face gradually subsided into a calm, like a bottomless, stagnant pool.
Only Song Zhong, closest to him, could faintly feel the surrounding air temperature drop several degrees.
An invisible, intensely suppressed storm was brewing madly within that calm shell.
After a full dozen breaths, Zhang Biao slowly refolded the letter and put it back into the blood-stained envelope.
He raised his head, his gaze falling on Song Zhong’s face again, his expression terrifyingly calm.
“Did you read the contents of this letter?”
Zhang Biao’s voice was very soft, but carried an undeniable interrogative tone.
Song Zhong met his gaze unflinchingly and admitted calmly, “I did. When letters enter the capital, they must be inspected.”
“Have you reported it to the Emperor?” Zhang Biao asked again.
“Not yet. I was just about to report it,” Song Zhong replied.
Zhang Biao nodded, acknowledging this.
Then, in a tone as casual as discussing the weather, he said to Song Zhong, “That’s good. Please tell Old Zhu for me…”
He paused, then said clearly and slowly, “I, Zhang Biao, am now, going to kill someone.”
Song Zhong’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his composure.
He didn’t ask whom Zhang Biao wanted to kill, nor did he try to dissuade him. He simply gave Zhang Biao a deep look, as if to engrave his current state firmly in his memory.
Then, without a word, he slightly bowed and turned, leaving the small courtyard decisively.
Watching Song Zhong’s figure disappear outside the door, Zhang Biao remained in the same posture, standing motionless.
The last rays of the setting sun shone through the worn window lattice onto him, casting a long, solitary, and resolute shadow.
After a long while, he slowly turned around and looked at the old soldiers who had been holding their breath, their faces etched with concern, standing by the table.
The current Zhang Biao no longer had his usual lazy and jocular demeanor; instead, a resolute and stern expression, like solid rock, that they had never seen before, replaced it.
He walked to the table, gently placed Li Mo’s blood-stained letter on it, pointed at the letter, then at the sketches and records of the clues the old soldiers had previously reported, and spoke in a low, clear voice, each word squeezed from his chest:
“Brothers, you’ve all heard and seen.”
“Investigating Censor Li, our brother, almost lost his life in Kaifeng just to expose these vermin!”
“The corruption in grain transport, the remnants of Prince Zhou’s faction, the mole who leaked the elixir formula, and that hidden mastermind… all of these are connected!”
His gaze swept over the faces of each old soldier, his eyes as sharp as an eagle’s:
“Now, I’ve changed my mind.”
“It’s not ‘just cut into this grain transport corruption chain.'”
“Instead, we will use all the power we can muster, regardless of the cost, spare no effort, and investigate Prince Zhou’s mansion’s grain transport corruption chain to death!”
“We’ll start with that fat man with the mole by his mouth, that ‘Mr. Liu’ from Prince Zhou’s mansion, that Commander of the Henan Garrison!”
“I want to know the background of every single one of them, the details of every transaction, the destination of every coin! I want to know who is backing Zhu Youjian, and who wants Li Mo dead!”
“This time, we’re not just tickling them, we’re digging up their roots! We’re digging up their graves!”
His voice was not loud, but it carried a decisive finality and a chilling coldness.
The old soldiers looked at Zhang Biao, who seemed to have undergone a transformation, and felt the unquestionable will and suppressed fury in his words, feeling a surge of hot blood rush to their heads.
They stood up in unison. Despite their physical injuries, they straightened their backs and responded in deep voices:
“Yes! My Lord!”
“Dig up roots! Dig up graves!”
“Let’s kick their asses!”
There were no superfluous words, only a shared determination.
Zhang Biao looked at them and nodded heavily.
“Move out!”
The old soldiers received the order and departed again, but this time, their steps were more steady, their eyes sharper, carrying a killing intent to avenge their comrade and eliminate evil.
In the small courtyard, Zhang Biao was once again alone.
He picked up Li Mo’s blood-stained letter, carefully smoothed out the wrinkles, his eyes as cold as iron.
Li Mo wrote this letter in anticipation of misfortune, meaning the blood on the letter was most likely not Li Mo’s own, but possibly the courier’s.
This indicated that the situation in Kaifeng was more complex and dangerous than described in the letter.
With this thought, Zhang Biao’s gaze sharpened.
“Li Mo, rest assured and recover.”
“Those behind this, every single one, I will make them… pay blood with blood!”
“Old Zhu, this time, watch me completely excise these sores from your Great Ming Dynasty!”
The first strike by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, due to Li Mo’s letter, was destined to be no longer a simple audit and account review, but a war of no quarter fueled by revenge.
As for Song Zhong, after leaving Zhang Biao’s dilapidated courtyard, he did not delay for a moment. He went directly to the Imperial Palace, passing through corridors and halls, to the outside of Huagai Hall to request an audience.
Inside the hall, Old Zhu was contemplating several memorials regarding the progress of the ‘Literary Grand Ceremony.’ Upon hearing that Song Zhong requested an audience and appeared troubled, he dismissed the attendant eunuchs and palace maids, leaving only Yun Ming by his side.
“Your Majesty.”
Song Zhong knelt on one knee, his voice deep, “Your subject has just returned from Zhang Biao.”
“Mm.”
Old Zhu, without lifting his head, tapped the memorials with his finger. “What new trick has he pulled now? Is he complaining about insufficient funds, or has he cursed another yamen?”
Song Zhong hesitated slightly, then presented the blood-stained letter from Kaifeng with both hands:
“Before Li Mo was attacked in Kaifeng, he sent this letter directly to Zhang Biao. Your subject has already verified its contents.”
Old Zhu’s tapping finger stopped.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the envelope in Song Zhong’s hand, his eyes as sharp as an eagle’s.
“Li Mo? Attacked?”
His voice betrayed no emotion, but the air in the hall instantly became tense.
“Yes.”
Song Zhong concisely reported Li Mo’s attack and severe injury, adding:
“According to investigations, the attackers’ methods were professional, not those of ordinary bandits. No obvious clues were left at the scene.”
Old Zhu’s expression darkened.
An Investigating Censor, on an imperial mission, being attacked near a local yamen was not just an insult to the court, but a direct challenge to his authority as Zhu Yuanzhang.
He did not take the copy of the letter Song Zhong presented, but calmly commanded a single word: “Read!”
“Yes!”
Song Zhong respectfully responded and immediately read the contents of the letter, word for word.
When he read the crucial part, “I can confidently conclude that Youjian is heavily implicated in the leak of the ‘Red Lead’ elixir formula,” Old Zhu, who had been closing his eyes and tapping the armrest, suddenly stopped.
He abruptly opened his eyes. In them, which were usually sharp like a falcon’s, there was now an almost tangible, all-consuming, crimson rage.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure instantly filled the entire hall. The air seemed to congeal, and even the candlelight flickered and dimmed.
“You… said… what…?!”
Old Zhu’s voice sounded as if squeezed from the depths of his throat, with a scratchy, disbelieving tremor like grinding metal:
“Zhu Youjian… that scoundrel… is key to the ‘Red Lead’ leak?!”
【 Red Lead Immortal Pill! 】
These four words were like the most venomous curse in the world.
They were the deepest, most painful, and eternally unhealed scar in his heart, the poison that had taken the life of his most hopeful heir, Crown Prince Zhu Biao!
Prince Zhou Zhu Su had previously been certain that he didn’t know who leaked the formula. Now, he was being told that the leak of this poison, which might have indirectly killed the Crown Prince, was by Prince Zhou’s son, his own grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang’s grandson?!
“Bang—!”
Old Zhu slammed his palm onto the hard rosewood imperial desk, emitting a thunderous roar.
The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk jumped together and then scattered to the floor with a clatter.
His entire body trembled with extreme anger. The veins on his forehead bulged, his face first flushed crimson, then turned ashen. His chest heaved violently, like a thoroughly enraged lion about to devour its prey.
“Scoundrel! What a scoundrel—!!”
An unrestrained roar, tinged with blood, finally burst from his throat, echoing through the vast hall, filled with infinite grief, pain, and overwhelming killing intent.
His Biao’er… the Crown Prince he had painstakingly nurtured and placed so much hope in, could it be that he was killed by his own nephew, a scoundrel of Zhu family blood, in collusion with outsiders?!
This was no longer simple corruption; it was parricide!
It was an act that shook the foundation of the nation! It was a heinous crime, unforgivable even with ten thousand deaths!
Song Zhong was startled by this sudden thunderous rage and immediately knelt with a thud, his head buried deeply, not daring to breathe.
He could clearly feel the Emperor’s killing intent, almost solidified, as if the entire Huagai Hall would be ignited and collapse in the next second from this fury!
Old Zhu panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot, his mind filled with the image of the gentle and refined Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and the look of pain on his face before his death.
This heart-wrenching pain, like countless red-hot daggers, churned and twisted in his chest!
【 Kill! Must kill! All involved, dismembered! Dismembered into ten thousand pieces! 】
This thought screamed like a curse in his mind.
However, he was Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Great Ming, a Hongwu Great Emperor who had experienced countless storms and knew the brutality of power struggles.
At the moment of extreme anger and killing intent, about to erupt like a volcano, a deeper, imperial cold reason, like millennia-old ice, forcibly suppressed this destructive impulse.
He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, drawing blood, yet he remained oblivious.
He forced himself to calm down, to be calm!
To act now, to immediately arrest Zhu Youjian? It would tip off the enemy!
It would cause that mastermind, who used the ‘Red Lead Immortal Pill’ for evil, controlled the Prince Zhou’s mansion faction, and might be lurking deeper, to sever all clues and hide even more effectively!
He could not, out of momentary anger, ruin the opportunity to thoroughly investigate the truth and capture all the culprits!
Old Zhu’s chest still heaved violently, but the crimson storm in his eyes began to be forcibly suppressed, replaced by a more terrifying, ice-sealed coldness and calculation.
【 Zhang Biao… Li Mo… 】
【 Li Mo was someone Zhang Biao brought out. Now, he almost lost his life investigating this matter. 】
【 Zhang Biao’s anger now is no less than ours! This mad dog, smelling blood, will surely bite with all his might until he tears the prey apart! 】
Old Zhu took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if to expel the anger and pain from his chest.
He sat up straight again. Although his face was still ashen, his voice had regained a chilling calmness, but beneath this calmness lay surging undercurrents and a surging killing intent.
“Song Zhong.”
Old Zhu’s voice was as cold as iron.
“Your subject… Your subject is here!”
Song Zhong lay prostrate on the ground, his voice trembling slightly.
“Rise and reply.”
“Yes.”
Song Zhong cautiously stood up, still not daring to look up.
“Zhang Biao saw this letter, what did he say?”
Old Zhu asked calmly and indifferently.
Song Zhong took a deep breath and replied truthfully:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Zhang Biao first berated the Imperial Guard’s security as… as dirt.”
“Then, he asked this servant to convey a message to Your Majesty…”
Song Zhong paused, seeming somewhat hesitant to speak, but he pushed on, repeating word for word:
“He said: ‘I, Zhang Biao, am now, going to kill someone.'”
“He wants to kill someone?”
Old Zhu repeated the four words, his face expressionless, neither angry nor surprised, only with an extreme coldness.
Suddenly, he let out a chuckle of unknown meaning.
“Heh… wants to kill someone?”
The laughter was light, but it echoed in the vast hall, carrying a chilling aura.
“Who does he want to kill?”
Old Zhu’s gaze was palpable, pressing down on Song Zhong:
“Is it that Zhu Youjian? Is it the vermin in grain transport? Or… does he think that we tolerated these people, harming his brother?”
The question was extremely sharp, even carrying a subtle hint of killing intent.
Song Zhong bowed his head, not daring to respond.
Old Zhu stood up and slowly walked to the window, gazing out at the darkening night.
His back, in the candlelight, appeared exceptionally tall and also exceptionally lonely.
Li Mo’s letter, like a key, opened another dark door in his heart.
Zhu Youjian… the second son of Prince Zhou.
The leak of the ‘Red Lead Immortal Pill’ was indeed not accidental.
Moreover, it actually involved grain transport and the garrisons.
【 ‘Has support from behind the scenes,’ ‘potentially implicating imperial nobles’… 】
These words burrowed into Old Zhu’s heart like venomous snakes, faintly overlapping with his previous suspicion that this matter involved a prince.
【 Good… truly good! 】
【 My sons, one by one, give me no peace! The dead die mysteriously, the living scheme against each other, and even the grandchildren are starting to cause trouble! 】
【 How many vermin are there in the empire of Great Ming, gnawing at the foundation of my Zhu family?! 】
A cold killing intent, mixed with anger, heartache, and the betrayal by layer upon layer, churned in his chest.
Zhang Biao’s words, “I want to kill someone,” were, in a way, an expression of his own current feelings.
After a moment, he suddenly turned around. All emotion had vanished from his face, leaving only the absolute, unquestionable coldness and decisiveness unique to an emperor.
“Zhang Biao said he wants to kill someone.”
Every word Old Zhu uttered was like ice beads hitting the ground: “I, approve.”
Song Zhong’s heart trembled, seemingly surprised that the Emperor had so easily agreed to such a nearly insane request.
Old Zhu seemed to see through his thoughts, a chillingly cold smile appearing on his lips:
“Someone has reached into the grain transport, sucking the blood from the lifeblood of our Great Ming, and even attacked the censor I sent out.”
“It’s time to see some blood.”
“Zhang Biao wants to investigate grain transport? Let him investigate! He wants to target Prince Zhou’s mansion? Let him target it!”
Old Zhu’s tone carried a cruel indulgence:
“You keep a close eye on him. Whatever he investigates, whoever he meets, as long as he doesn’t openly rebel, facilitate it for him! If he wants to ‘go mad,’ let him ‘go mad’ to his heart’s content!”
“However!”
Old Zhu’s tone shifted, his eyes sharp as knives: “Keep all the evidence firmly in our hands! We must know everything he investigates the moment he finds it!”
“Furthermore, without my explicit imperial decree, do not allow him to touch Zhu Youjian, nor alert the enemy, and disturb that great fish hidden in the deepest part! Do you understand?!”
He wanted to use Zhang Biao, this blade that had gone mad from the blood of his brother, to cut through all the mist and tear apart all the prey, but the hand that would finally pull the trigger must be his, Zhu Yuanzhang’s!
“Your subject understands!”
Song Zhong immediately acknowledged the order.
“Also, for the case of Li Mo’s assassination, have Jiang Huan send his trusted men to investigate! Use all means necessary, I don’t care how he does it, pry open every possible mouth! We must know who ordered it! Who is silencing witnesses!”
“As for Zhu Youjian…”
Cold light flashed in Old Zhu’s eyes, his tone grim:
“Keep him under strict surveillance! Without my imperial decree, do not allow him to leave Kaifeng, nor allow anyone to silence him! I want to see, who exactly is standing behind him!”
“And the grain transport, the Henan Garrison, all officials, generals, and clerks, large and small, involved in this case, are all to be placed on a secret investigation list! As soon as there is conclusive evidence, report it to me immediately!”
“Yes! Your subject obeys!”
Song Zhong felt the bone-chilling coldness and bowed to retreat, his steps more hurried than when he arrived.
Inside the hall, silence returned.
Old Zhu sat alone on the dragon throne, slowly picking up the copied letter, looking at the words ‘Red Lead Immortal Pill,’ ‘Zhu Youjian,’ ‘final words,’ etc., his fingers trembling slightly.
Boundless anger and the grief of losing a son still gnawed at him.
But now, there was more of a cold, resolute determination.
“Biao’er… my son…”
He murmured softly, his voice hoarse and carrying a barely perceptible sob:
“Rest assured… Father will find everyone who harmed you… not one missing… and avenge you!”
He raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Zhang Biao’s small courtyard, his gaze complex and unreadable.
【 Zhang Biao, don’t disappoint us… 】
【 Tear this sky apart for us! Settle this bloody revenge clearly! 】
He let go of his hand and threw the crumpled letter into the charcoal brazier at his feet.
The orange-red flames surged, greedily devouring the letter, the bloodstains, and the handwriting, finally turning into ashes.
Old Zhu watched the leaping flames with a blank expression, as if watching the ultimate fate of certain people and certain forces.
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