Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

"Minister Zhao." Zhu Han spoke in a deep voice. His tone was calm but carried a deterrent force that could not be ignored.

Zhao Mian raised his head slightly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he regained his composure. "Your Highness, you came at the right time. If there is anything, why don't you sit down and talk?"

Zhu Han stepped forward and glanced at Zhao Mian coldly, having already made up his mind. "Minister Zhao, although you and I are officials in the court, there are some things that I dare not continue to pretend to be deaf and dumb."

Zhao Mian's eyes suddenly fixed, and after a moment of silence, he slowly spoke: "What can I do for you, Your Majesty?"

"If you know anything about Hu Jian's affairs, it's best to tell me in time." Zhu Han's words were as sharp as a knife, pointing directly at Zhao Mian's heart.

Zhao Mian raised his eyebrows slightly, then smiled and said, "Your Highness, Hu Ji'an is just a scholar, how could he be involved with the Japanese pirates? If this is true, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you and me to deal with it."

He paused and whispered, "However, if Your Majesty is willing to discuss the plan with me, perhaps we can solve the mystery together."

Zhu Han stood in the lobby of the Six Departments, the sun shone through the carved window lattices onto the golden brick floor, outlining cold and hard light and shadows. His eyes were like lightning, staring at Zhao Mian's calm face.

Zhao Mian closed the book in his hand, his expression neither humble nor arrogant, his tone gentle but sharp: "If the prince suspects that I have something to do with Hu Ji'an's matter, it is better to speak frankly."

"I'm not here to play Tai Chi with you." Zhu Han narrowed his eyes and spoke in a sharp voice, "Last night, the account books and letters that the Shenji Camp found in the Jinshang Villa contained the signatures of your students. Are you trying to tell me that this is a coincidence?"

Zhao Mian was not angry. Instead, he chuckled, stood up, walked to the table, and stood with his hands behind his back: "Your Highness, things in this world are often not quite right. Just like a piece of paper says 'disaster relief', but the signature is 'Zhangjiakou'. How can we determine the truth or falsehood based on just a signature?"

"Then tell me, what is the basis for this?" Zhu Han approached step by step, with a sneer on his lips, "Or do you want to wait for Hu Jian to testify against you in court before it can be considered as ironclad evidence?"

A flash of coldness flashed in Zhao Mian's eyes, but he quickly hid it. He raised his eyebrows calmly: "If Your Majesty wants to investigate, you can do so. But remember - in the court, there is no room for empty talk. If there is no solid evidence, don't blame me for impeaching you for disrupting the court order in the future."

Zhu Han snorted coldly: "Impeachment? Minister Zhao, have you forgotten that you are a minister of the Ming Dynasty, not a disciple of the Shanxi merchants?"

The smell of gunpowder in the air became stronger and stronger, and the two men's eyes exchanged, as if they were going to tear each other apart.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the hall, and a soldier dressed in Jinyiwei uniform walked in quickly and knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has sent a message, please go to the posthouse outside Donghua Gate immediately, there is something important to discuss."

Zhu Han's eyebrows twitched, and his eyes moved away from Zhao Mian. He said in a cold voice: "Minister Zhao, I won't see you off." Then he flicked his cloak and quickly walked out of the six departments.

Zhao Mian looked at his back, a cold arc slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth. When he turned around, he just patted the unfinished "Salt Law Records" on the table.

The posthouse outside Donghuamen is now heavily guarded.

When Zhu Han arrived, Zhu Biao was already waiting in the hall. There was no one in the hall except the crown prince, who was sitting alone. When he saw Zhu Han enter, he immediately stood up and greeted him.

"Uncle." Zhu Biao bowed with a serious expression.

"Biao'er." Zhu Han returned the greeting and glanced around, "What's the matter so urgent?"

Zhu Biao raised his hand and led Zhu Han into the secret room behind the hall. After closing the door, he took out a scroll of silk and whispered, "This letter was sent by the Crown Princess from the inner palace last night. According to her, it was stolen from the private residence of eunuch Wang Ziming."

Zhu Han took the silk book and unfolded it, his eyes suddenly fixed - every stroke on it was clearly visible, it was Zhao Mian's handwritten letter.

The wording in the letter was tactful, but it contained many hidden codes, mentioning how Shanxi merchants "diverted water to the west", "shared the profits from the salt roads", "exchanged sulfur for equipment", and even the term "guests from the east sea", which coincided with the code names used by the Japanese pirates.

"This is a death certificate..." Zhu Han murmured in a low voice, his eyes darkening, "But it also shows that someone in the inner palace has already colluded with Zhao Mian."

Zhu Biao's face was solemn: "Although this letter is crucial, it is not enough to execute Zhao Mian. If we act rashly, we may alert the enemy."

"Is that why you asked me to come?" Zhu Han raised his head slowly, his eyes showing a hint of unexpected admiration.

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "If your uncle can secretly investigate the people Zhao Mian is in contact with and eliminate the spies he has planted in the six ministries, I am willing to report to my father in the name of the crown prince and ask him to issue an imperial decree to thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Revenue."

Zhu Han looked at Zhu Biao in front of him, and suddenly his heart was slightly shaken. From the time he signed in to the system until now, every step he took was to pave the way, but Zhu Biao's calm planning today showed that he was no longer the benevolent crown prince of the past.

"The prince has indeed grown up." Zhu Han said softly, with a hint of smile on his lips, "In this case, I will sneak into Zhao Mian's old residence to take a look."

Zhu Biao nodded: "Zhao Mian will be moving to a new residence soon, and the old house will be unguarded. This is the right time to take action."

That night, Zhu Han, wearing a nightgown, quietly sneaked into Zhao Mian's old house in Xuanwufang. The house was deep and the red door was tightly closed, except for a corner of the side courtyard with a broken wall, which became his entrance.

He quietly passed through the corridor and entered the inner courtyard, searching every room along the way. As expected, the house was empty, but the desks and cabinets were still intact.

Behind a library, he finally found a mechanism in the wall. After pulling out a hollow brick, he revealed a narrow stone staircase leading to the cellar.

The cellar was very deep and the lights were dim. Zhu Han lit a tinder and saw that the cellar was full of account books and letters. Dozens of them had the seal of Shanxi merchants, and several of them had the word "East Crossing" on them.

As he was reading carefully, he suddenly heard a light sound behind him. He turned around suddenly, and a dagger came through the air, almost grazing his forehead!

Zhu Han dodged by rolling over and drawing the dagger from his waist. A black-clad assassin emerged from the shadows, his movements strange, like a swimming snake.

"Who are you?" Zhu Han growled, his figure rose up, and the sword flashed rapidly.

The man in black did not answer, he only attacked and did not defend. After several exchanges, Zhu Han felt that this man had considerable internal strength and was obviously not an ordinary killer.

"Zhao Mian's people?" He sneered, turned the sword, and suddenly used the "Qing Gang Step" bestowed by the system. He flashed and was behind the enemy, killing him with one sword.

Blood splattered, and the man in black staggered to the ground. Before he died, he pulled out a strange smile and uttered a vague sentence from his throat: "... Zhao Mian... is just a chess piece..."

Zhu Han was shocked and leaned over to take a look. On the chest of the man in black was a half crescent moon tattooed, which was exactly the same as the tattoo of Zhao Mian's students in the previous account book. "Sure enough, he is not the only one." Zhu Han's eyes were gloomy. He put all the account books in the cellar into his sleeve pocket and left quickly.

Zhu Han handed the account book to Zhu Biao and recounted what he saw last night. The more Zhu Biao listened, the heavier his expression became: "Are you saying... Zhao Mian was just a cover?"

"That's right." Zhu Han nodded. "The real person behind this is most likely hiding in the inner palace, or even in the East Factory."

"Eastern Depot?" Zhu Biao's face changed slightly. "Could it be... the eunuch Cao Jing?"

"It's still uncertain." Zhu Han twisted his chin, "But if it's him, then you and I are probably facing more than just a simple court struggle."

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said, "Uncle, if I use the name of the crown prince to investigate Zhao Mian and reorganize the six ministries, can you help me cut off this black line?"

Zhu Han's eyes gleamed, and he nodded slowly: "As long as you don't retreat, I will help you soar to the sky."

"Uncle," Zhu Biao said in a low voice, with a sharp gleam in his eyes, "We can't wait any longer. I have found an opportunity to take advantage of father's side. If we delay any longer, the power behind Zhao Mian may become more difficult to deal with."

Zhu Han turned around, his eyes cold and deep. "I know, the time you are talking about is the upcoming court discussion, right? If you take action at this time, the six ministries and other powerful officials will be alert, and the situation will become complicated."

Zhu Biao's eyes were firm and his tone was unquestionable. "So what if it's complicated? This situation is an unavoidable game. If we don't take action, we will never be able to break through these difficulties."

Zhu Han nodded slightly, full of respect for Zhu Biao's determination and wisdom. If it was true as Zhu Biao said, daring to force an attack in the court would be the strongest challenge to these enemies lurking in the dark.

"I will fully support you." Zhu Han's voice was deep and powerful. "But you should also know that once we take action, not only Zhao Mian's fate, but also the future of the entire Ming Dynasty will be changed."

Zhu Biao's eyes shone with complex light. "I understand. If this is the case, we must cut the Gordian knot. If we delay any further, it will be even more difficult to deal with."

That afternoon, Zhu Han and Zhu Biao went to the court together. The court meeting was as usual, with officials from the six ministries and other officials discussing their respective affairs in the hall. Although the atmosphere was calm, it was full of undercurrents.

Especially Zhao Mian, the colleagues beside him cast fearful glances at him from time to time, as if they already knew everything.

"Will my royal brother support the Crown Prince's opinion in this court meeting?" Zhu Han secretly observed the situation around him, but he already had a premonition in his heart.

Given Zhu Yuanzhang's character, he probably wouldn't let go easily, especially when it comes to the transfer of power.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang finally spoke, breaking the silence in the hall: "Today, our court will discuss an important issue. Since the prince is ready to face these issues, let him speak."

All the ministers bowed their heads respectfully, only Zhao Mian's eyes flickered slightly at this moment. He did not show too much emotion, but remained as steady as a rock.

Zhu Biao stood up, looking solemn, and walked to the center of the hall, looking directly at the ministers. "Today, we are dealing with the long-standing problems in the court. Especially the collusion with Shanxi merchants, the East Factory, and even the Japanese pirates. It is no longer a simple economic issue, but a major issue concerning national security."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the court. The ministers whispered to each other, and many eyes wandered around Zhu Biao. Obviously, they did not expect that the prince would openly push the issue to the forefront at such a critical moment.

Zhu Han stood aside, looking sharply at every important official in the court. At this time, Zhao Mian still did not show any abnormality, as if he had expected all this.

"Your Highness," a voice suddenly sounded, it was Zhao Mian's voice.

He stood up slightly, smiling, "Although what the prince said is serious, we must be cautious. The current situation is of great importance. If we are not careful, it may cause greater chaos."

Zhu Biao's eyes fixed, and he did not flinch. "Minister Zhao, do you think we can continue to turn a blind eye to these forces hiding in the dark? These corrupt officials and greedy businessmen, their collusion has already damaged the foundation of our Ming Dynasty. Do you want to continue to cover up for them?"

Zhao Mian smiled faintly, his tone calm but with a bit of pressure. "Your Highness, what you said is not without reason, but how can we easily decide the affairs of the court based on one side's words?"

Zhu Biao's eyes flashed with determination, and he gently slammed the memorial in his hand on the table. "This matter concerns the future of the country. I have decided not to delay any longer. If Minister Zhao cannot cooperate, I am afraid that this matter will be handled by me personally."

This sentence was like a thunderclap. The atmosphere in the court froze instantly, and everyone realized that the prince had decided to take action.

At this time, Zhao Mian's expression finally changed slightly, but he still remained calm.

"Prince, in this case, I can only respectfully obey your command." There was a hint of provocation and dissatisfaction in Zhao Mian's tone. After he bowed his head and saluted, he remained silent.

Zhu Biao turned to Zhu Han, his eyes full of determination. "Uncle, today's situation does not allow us to wait and see any longer. If we do not act now, we may regret it in the future."

Zhu Han nodded and said in a low voice: "I understand. If you decide, I will fully support you."

"Uncle, time is running out." Zhu Biao reminded in a low voice, his tone full of urgency, "We must act quickly, otherwise the forces behind Zhao Mian will take the opportunity to counterattack."

"Don't worry, I will arrange everything." Zhu Han's eyes flashed with a sharpness, "You just need to support me with all your strength, and we will cut off this black line in one fell swoop."

Zhu Biao smiled, and although he looked a little tired, his eyes were still full of determination. "Uncle, if we succeed, we will be able to break these rotten chains and usher in a bright future for the Ming Dynasty."

"It's time to completely expose the dark side of this empire." Zhu Han said slowly, with a coldness in his voice that could not be ignored.

As night fell, the streets of the capital gradually fell silent. However, back in the palace, Zhu Biao's heart was still in turmoil.

"Uncle, the time has come." Zhu Biao stood in a side hall of the palace. The moonlight from outside the window shone through the gauze, making his figure seem somewhat lonely.

"If Zhao Mian really has evidence of colluding with the Japanese pirates, then all the power in his hands will become a huge danger."

Zhu Han looked out the window quietly. The capital city under the moonlight was like a bird in a cage. The intricate web of power bound everyone tightly.

"Do you think the emperor will support your move?" Zhu Han asked in a low voice, with a hint of subtle worry in his tone. (End of this chapter)