Chapter 81: Zhang Jianxian, We’re On The Same Side! Seeking First Subscription
“Hurry! Mortar! Build it a little higher!”
When Zhang Biao and his group arrived at the Ministry of Personnel yamen in a grand procession, the officials of the Ministry of Personnel, who had already received the news, were enthusiastically urging craftsmen to build a new wall in front of the yamen, intending to obstruct Zhang Biao’s group’s reckless actions.
However, upon seeing their actions, Zhang Biao almost burst into laughter, then with a swift movement, he climbed onto a mobile audit chariot that had been ‘offset as debt’ from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, and announced loudly:
“Vermin inside! You are surrounded! If you know what’s good for you, quickly tear down the wall and bring out all the account books! Otherwise, my audit chariot will have no steering wheel and will smash you to pieces!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the crying and wall-building sounds from behind the wall became even more urgent.
Beside Zhang Biao, Shen Lang picked up a pile of account books and said softly to Zhang Biao:
“Brother Biao, we have too many things. If we cause a disturbance later, we will definitely damage a lot of items, which is not worth it!”
“That’s right, Brother Biao. My chamber pot lamp is out of oil. Why don’t we replenish the lamp oil? Otherwise, the insufficient light will reduce our deterrence!” Sun Gui added in agreement.
“And…”
Li Mo pointed to the large group of people behind him and frowned:
“These people are different from us. We have so many debts that they don’t weigh us down, but these people are driven by passion. As the saying goes, ‘I did not give birth to Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me.’ We cannot let them continue to audit the Ministry of Personnel.”
“Exactly! Brother Biao, we can’t let them follow.” Zhang Fengman nodded.
Hearing this, Zhang Biao looked around and thought it was indeed true.
This audit chariot was indeed too cumbersome.
More importantly, these old soldiers and their families who had rushed over upon hearing the news were merely driven by passion and should not be implicated.
With this thought, Zhang Biao immediately had an idea.
“Brothers! All you old soldiers, uncles, and aunts!”
Zhang Biao suddenly shouted loudly:
“We have raided the headquarters of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War and retrieved some compensation! These items, which are essentially the blood and sweat of the people, should be returned to you all today.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the pile of items beneath his feet and said decisively:
“Now! Everyone listen to me, we will distribute these on the spot as offsets for debt. For all the hard-earned money, money for service, and death benefits that the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War owe you, we will use these items to offset the debt!”
As his words fell, a dead silence enveloped the surroundings.
Zhang Biao then bellowed orders:
“Accountant Shen! Immediately verify the IOUs, check them on the spot, and based on the amount of unpaid salary, see how much the items on the chariot are worth and offset them directly. We’ll be rough about it, good enough is fine!”
“Censor Sun! Maintain order at the scene and let the old, weak, women, and children come first!”
“Editor Li! Register everything, record who took what and how much debt was offset! Let the world see that we are not robbing, but seeking justice!”
Boom!
The entire place was in an uproar!
Some clapped and cheered.
Some wept tears of joy.
Some looked on with eager anticipation.
Everyone was impressed by Zhang Biao’s actions.
In reality, they followed Zhang Biao primarily for their unpaid salaries.
Now that Zhang Biao was actively settling the unpaid salaries, they were naturally very willing.
After all, not everyone was bound to Zhang Biao for life and death like Shen Lang and the others.
Soon, an unprecedented debt-offsetting assembly unfolded at the doorway of the Ministry of Personnel.
The officials inside the Ministry of Personnel yamen watched with wide eyes and faces full of disbelief.
Censor Zhang’s methods… how could they get any wilder?!
Even Jiang Huan, who had been watching Zhang Biao and his group from afar, and the Battalion Commander, didn’t know how to complain or record anything.
Shen Lang, with a few flicks of his abacus and a quick verification of the IOUs, immediately announced loudly: “Old Brother Liu! You are owed three years of back pay, totaling twelve taels! This rosewood table is yours to offset it!”
“Thank you, Censor Zhang! Thank you!”
An old soldier excitedly stroked the smooth tabletop, as if in a dream.
Military pay in the early Ming Dynasty was not high; after all, a county magistrate’s monthly salary was only two taels of silver. This rosewood table, worth at least twenty taels, was a considerable profit for offsetting his twelve taels of back pay.
However, Shen Lang and Zhang Biao didn’t care if they profited; the money seized was not considered real money anyway.
Then, Shen Lang moved his abacus again, verified the accounts, and said: “Sister Li! Your husband died in battle, and the death benefits are still eight taels short! Are these four huanghuali chairs enough?”
“Enough! Enough! More than enough! Gracious heaven!”
A woman, holding her child, was about to kneel in tears but was stopped by a low-ranking capital official beside her.
“Alright, let’s continue!”
Zhang Biao looked appreciatively at the low-ranking capital official, casually took an IOU, and announced loudly:
“Editor Zhao, you owe fifteen taels in salary! These reams of high-quality Xuan paper and that Duan inkstone are yours!”
“This, this, this subordinate, subordinate…”
A poor Hanlin scholar was so excited he stammered, hugging the Xuan paper as if it were a treasure.
Zhang Biao continued: “And those few pieces of military equipment, even if they are rusty, melting them down to make a few cleavers or hoes would be good! Whichever soldier needs tools, take them! To offset back pay!”
“We, we, we want them!”
Several old soldiers happily carried away the rusty sabers and spears.
“Leather armor! It can protect against the cold in winter! If you have elders at home, come and take it!”
“Pots, bowls, ladles, basins! Useful for daily life!”
“Podocarpus macrophyllus? Whoever has a large yard, take it back and enjoy it!”
Those few scrawny horses were also led away by some old soldiers who owned land, intended for plowing and pulling carts.
There was no chaos at the scene; instead, there was a strange sense of order and excitement.
People, according to the amounts on the IOUs, chose usable items, their eyes filled with gratitude.
Shen Lang quickly verified the IOUs, crossing out one line of old debts after another.
Li Mo diligently recorded the distribution.
Soon, the mountain of ‘loot’ visibly diminished, turning into tangible joy on people’s faces and heavy objects in their arms.
Zhang Biao looked at the people who had received items but were still gathered around, unwilling to leave, and took a deep breath, shouting loudly again: “Everyone—!”
“The items have been distributed, and some old debts have been settled! But!”
His tone shifted, and his expression became extremely serious: “The excitement is over, it’s time to disperse! Listen up, everyone, take your belongings and go home quickly! Lock your doors, and don’t come out again recently! And definitely don’t follow me anymore!”
After speaking, he pointed to the wall of the Ministry of Personnel and then in the direction of the Imperial Palace:
“What we have done today is a sky-shattering matter! The Emperor has not yet woken up, but when he does, you all know what the consequences will be!”
“I, Zhang Biao, am a dispensable life, not afraid of death! But you still have families, you cannot follow me to your deaths!”
“Take my advice! Live! Living a good life is better than anything! Now! All of you, get out—!”
These words, like heavy hammers, shattered the earlier joy and brought immense realistic fear.
The one-armed old soldier looked at the table and chairs he had received, then at Zhang Biao, suddenly put down the items, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed heavily:
“Censor Zhang! We will remember your great kindness for a lifetime! You, you take care!”
“Take care, Censor Zhang! Take care!”
Others also put down their belongings, bowing or kowtowing, their voices choked with emotion, then picked up their received items, pulled their families along, looked back repeatedly, and quickly disappeared into the streets and alleys.
After watching them leave, Zhang Biao turned to Shen Lang and the others and said with a smile, “How about you all…”
“Brother Biao!”
Before Zhang Biao could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Wu Nai Da:
“What nonsense are you saying?! From the day we stirred up trouble at the Hall of Supreme Harmony court session and lay down together in the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, we never thought of surviving alone!”
“Exactly!”
Sun Gui raised his chamber pot lamp. Although the light was faint, his tone was firm: “Brother Biao, you can’t think of leaving us behind! Where the chamber pot lamp goes, I go!”
Li Mo adjusted his askew hat and said solemnly: “Mencius said, ‘Better to die for righteousness than live in shame.’ To be able to walk with Brother Biao today… Ink has no regrets, even if he dies.”
Zhang Biao was speechless and looked at Shen Lang again.
Then, Shen Lang said calmly and heavily: “If the Six Ministries and nobles do not die, Lang will die with his eyes open!”
This one sentence ignited the passion of all the low-ranking capital officials present.
“Yes! We are not leaving!”
“If we die, we die together!”
“We want to overthrow the Six Ministries with Brother Biao! Overthrow the nobles! Until the end!”
The low-ranking capital officials shouted in unison, their eyes resolute.
Zhang Biao looked at these faces, each ready to die, and his nose felt sore. He cursed with a laugh, “Damn it! You are all a bunch of fools!”
Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, “Since you don’t want to leave, then no one is leaving! We’ll have company on the road to the underworld! I’ll lead you to poke an even bigger hole in this sky!”
“Alright—!”
The low-ranking capital officials shouted in unison, looking around, their morale soaring again.
Although the goods were gone, the people were more united.
Zhang Biao kicked the scrawny horses pulling the cart, and drove this almost empty ‘audit chariot,’ now only symbolic, slowly towards the blocked gate of the Ministry of Personnel.
He cleared his throat, and facing the brick wall behind him, shouted with all his might, those words that made everyone inside’s souls scatter:
“Colleagues in the Ministry of Personnel inside—! Stop building! Doesn’t your hand ache!?”
“I am Zhang Biao, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate! By imperial decree, I audit officials and supervise wrongdoing!”
“Open the door quickly! Let’s exchange ideas on ‘talent selection’ and ‘year-end evaluations’! I guarantee civilized auditing! No rough stuff!”
As his voice fell, a deathly silence instantly descended from behind the wall.
Then, a voice, filled with tears and utter despair, came from Zhai Shan, the Vice Minister of Personnel: “Censor Zhang! We are one of our own—!”
