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

Zhu Han pondered for a moment and said, "You arrange for your people to quietly check on Lao Huang, the supervisor. He was vague in his words several times, and I always felt that there was something wrong with him."

"As ordered!"

Zhu Han paced with his hands behind his back, his eyes cold, "We can't rely on the Jinyiwei to investigate this matter. The enemy has become cunning. I'm afraid they have the support of someone in the court, otherwise how dare they lay such a big net?"

Lu Ping nodded, "Does Your Majesty want to report this to His Majesty?"

"No hurry." Zhu Han's eyes flickered. "If there is no confirmation, won't it be the enemy who will bite back first? I want them to fall into my trap."

That afternoon, Zhu Han went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for inspection as usual. Old Huang, the middle-aged man who was the chief foreman, came forward with a slightly tired look on his face. "Your Highness, there are cracks on the stone slabs of the eaves of the West Palace today. I'm afraid the quality is wrong. I have ordered everyone to remove them all and replace them."

Zhu Han frowned slightly: "Can you find out where the stone was sent from?"

"Your Highness, it was sent from the stone quarry in the eastern suburbs of Shuntian Prefecture. The evidence is here, and I have personally verified it." Old Huang replied with his head down, looking neither humble nor arrogant.

Zhu Han secretly noted it down and said with a smile, "Old Huang has done his best. I have taken note of it."

"I dare not." Old Huang bowed slightly and retreated to arrange the fortifications.

Zhu Han turned and walked into the main hall, only to see a young craftsman carefully adding paint to the base of a column next to the mural. His fingers were slender and his expression was focused, just like a woman.

"What's your name?" Zhu Han suddenly asked.

The young man was startled and almost dropped the paintbrush in his hand. He knelt down and saluted, "My name is Liu San, and I am the new apprentice I recruited this year."

Zhu Han looked at him steadily, then suddenly smiled and said, "Your sister asked you to take over, right?"

The young man was startled, and raised his head to argue, but then lowered his head quickly, "Your Highness, please understand. My sister is sick, and I couldn't bear to see her dismissed, so I... I pretended to be her to replace her for a few days. I have no intention of disrespecting her!"

Zhu Han sighed softly, "Although this is a good act of filial piety, the Imperial Ancestral Temple is a sacred place and cannot be moved without permission. Get up and go back to take care of your sister. I will arrange for someone to take care of the aftermath."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!" The young craftsman kowtowed repeatedly with tears of gratitude.

Zhu Han looked at his departing figure, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

The craftsmen in the Imperial Ancestral Temple were a mixed bunch, and if such a substitution could happen once, it could happen ten or a hundred times. If there really was a spy mixed in, it would cause a disaster.

In the evening, Lu Ping quietly reported, "Your Majesty, Old Huang privately received someone from the East Factory three days ago. The location is Zui Liu Tower in the south of the city."

Zhu Han sneered: "Zuiliu Tower? That is the East Factory's spy base in Beijing. It's just as I expected. He dared to change the source of the stone without permission and secretly met with the East Factory. He must have something to hide."

"Should we arrest him immediately?" Lu Ping looked stern.

"No rush, let him 'go to Zui Liu Lou again' tonight." Zhu Han said slowly, "I have my own plan."

As night fell, Zhu Han changed into a grey cloth shirt and a bamboo hat, and quietly followed Lu Ping and other confidants into Zui Liu Tower.

The building was brightly lit, the sound of stringed instruments was melodious, and the well-dressed people were chatting non-stop. In a secret room in the backyard, Old Huang had already arrived.

"Is everything done?" A man in green with a gloomy face sat behind the desk, his voice as low as a snake's.

"I've done everything you told me to do." Old Huang whispered, "The stone material for the West Palace has been replaced with inferior quality. It will be gone within three months."

"Okay." The man in blue smiled. "Although Zhu Biao and Zhu Han keep saying that they care about people's livelihood, they are actually just using the renovation of the Imperial Ancestral Temple to win people's hearts. When a corner of the Imperial Ancestral Temple collapses on the opening day, the emperor will be furious, the prince will fall out of favor, and the prince will be wronged. Then we can take advantage of the situation to support them... Humph."

"But if it is discovered——"

"Investigate?" The man sneered, "Just follow my orders, we in the court will take care of the rest."

Zhu Han heard it clearly from the window, his face as gloomy as water. He nodded slightly, and Lu Ping immediately waved his hand, and the Jinyiwei swarmed in. Several minions of the East Factory were captured before they could react.

The man in green's face changed drastically. He drew his sword and tried to escape, but was knocked to the ground by Zhu Han's palm.

"Zhu Han?!" He was shocked. "How could you——"

"You underestimated me, and you also underestimated the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Han said coldly, "Do you think you can overthrow the Crown Prince and me by using some despicable means? I will let you know what it means that the net of heaven is vast and wide, and nothing can escape it."

Old Huang collapsed to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, please spare my life, Your Majesty, please spare my life, I was confused for a moment--"

Zhu Han glanced at him coldly and said, "Take him back and personally send him to the East Factory Supervisor tomorrow to see how he explains these 'own people'."

That night, a strong wind blew through the capital city, and the flags and banners high above the Imperial Ancestral Temple fluttered, as if blowing away the haze that had been lurking for many days.

The next morning, Zhu Biao also rushed over after hearing the news, his face solemn, "Uncle, has this alarmed Father?"

Zhu Han shook his head. "I won't report it yet. After the interrogation is completed, you can present it to the emperor in person, so that it will be thorough."

Zhu Biao nodded, but there was still a worry between his brows: "These people are so unscrupulous, I am afraid that they already have their people in the court."

Zhu Han said in a deep voice: "That's what I meant. The Imperial Ancestral Temple is just a starting point. Their real goal may be much bigger than we thought."

Zhu Biao clenched his fists and said, "I will not allow their conspiracy to succeed! Uncle, we must continue to investigate, even if we have to dig three feet underground, we must find them out!"

Zhu Han patted him on the shoulder and said in a deep voice: "Okay, but from today on, you must be more careful. Some people are afraid that you will ascend the throne and have been sharpening their knives for a long time."

The two looked at each other, with determination in their eyes.

Three days later, the repair of the Imperial Ancestral Temple resumed as normal. Although there was panic in the capital, no ripples were caused.

Zhu Han personally sat in the Taimiao and ordered Lu Ping to secretly screen the craftsmen and supervisors. In recent days, several suspicious people have been identified and handed over to the Jinyiwei for secret custody.

However, the calmer he seemed on the surface, the more uneasy Zhu Han felt.

In the evening, Zhu Han walked into the west side hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple alone. The hall enshrined the spirit tablets of the meritorious officials and generals of past dynasties. The hall was solemn and majestic with carved beams and painted buildings. The setting sun shone obliquely, casting a pale golden hue inside the hall.

Just as he was gazing at a statue of a military general, he suddenly heard the faint sound of cloth shoes coming from behind the hall.

Zhu Han remained calm, and with his backhand he grabbed the secret mechanism on the pillar of the hall, and a dagger quietly slipped into his palm.

"Who?" He growled, then turned and dashed away.

I saw a black shadow flash by quickly, trying to escape through the window.

Zhu Han's body was as fast as lightning. He raised his hand and threw the dagger. It flew through the air and hit the man's shoulder. The black shadow groaned and staggered to the ground.

Lu Ping and the Jinyiwei arrived upon hearing the noise and surrounded them with swords in hand.

Zhu Han stepped forward and pulled off the black veil, revealing a handsome young man's face, who was the Liu San from a few days ago.

"Is it you?" Zhu Han frowned, feeling a chill in his heart.

The young man's face was covered in blood and sweat, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I... am not a spy!"

Zhu Han's eyes turned cold, "Then why did you sneak into the West Side Hall?" Liu San panted, took out a secret letter written on oil paper from his arms, and handed it over with both hands, "I am here on the orders of my father to deliver the letter to the prince."

Zhu Han took it and unfolded it. He saw the beautiful handwriting on it, but it was written in women's script. It read:

[The Northwest Border Guard was captured by bandits. Someone in the court secretly communicated with the bandits and intended to use the renovation of the Imperial Ancestral Temple to cover up the conspiracy. There is a list of spies hidden in the beams and pillars of the main hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Check it out quickly. Be careful. - Qingyi Shanren]

Zhu Han was shocked. The hermit in blue was the secret agent appointed by the late emperor. He was closely related to the safety of the country. His whereabouts were mysterious and he seldom contacted others.

If this letter is true, it means that the repair of the Imperial Ancestral Temple is far from being as simple as an internal struggle in the court, and it actually involves the connection between border troops, Hu people, and rebels!

"Who is your father?" Zhu Han asked in a deep voice.

Liu San bit his lip, "My father is Liu Jun, the former Lieutenant General of the Northwest Pacification Division. Three years ago, he was ordered to escort military supplies but was ambushed on the way and died at the border. Now there is only an orphan girl and a widow left. I am his youngest son."

Zhu Han's heart moved slightly. No wonder this young craftsman had a military heroic air between his brows.

He calmed down for a moment and ordered Lu Ping: "Seal off the main hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, thoroughly check the interior of the beams and pillars, and do not alarm outsiders."

Lu Ping took the order and left.

At night, Zhu Han personally led people to dismantle an ancient beam in the southwest corner of the main hall. They found a thin bamboo tube hidden in the beam. Inside the bamboo tube was a piece of silk paper as thin as a cicada's wing. On the paper was a list of more than 20 people, all of whom were names of officials of all ranks in the court. It was astonishing.

Zhu Han's eyes were as sharp as torches as he scanned them one by one. He saw that among them there were many important officials from the Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, East Factory, and Hanlin Academy, and even a person from the Cabinet.

Zhu Han rolled up the list, his expression solemn, but his heart grew colder.

"What a great situation." He whispered coldly.

This was not just about repairing the Taimiao, but they wanted to take advantage of the repair to deploy spies, transmit intelligence, or even create accidents, provoke the crown prince, shake the foundation of the country, and even cooperate with internal and external forces.

He secretly thanked his lucky stars that Liu San delivered the secret letter in time, otherwise if this disaster had happened, the Taimiao would have caught fire, the list of spies would have been burned, the prince would have lost power, the border troops would have been in chaos, the Hu bandits would have invaded the south, and the Ming Dynasty would have been in danger.

Zhu Han secretly summoned Zhu Biao that night and handed the secret letter and the list to the prince.

Zhu Biao's eyes turned bloodshot after seeing this, and he laughed in anger: "Good, good! I thought it was just a power struggle in the court, but I didn't expect that the traitors were lurking in the court!"

"Your Highness, do not act rashly." Zhu Han advised, "This is related to the safety of the court, and we don't know if all the people on the list are rebels, so we need to investigate carefully. If we act suddenly, they will be killed and then bite us back."

Zhu Biao took a deep breath and calmed himself down: "Uncle, what you said makes sense. I will follow your instructions."

Zhu Han nodded and immediately ordered: "Tomorrow, repairs will be carried out as usual. Secretly let Lu Ping take over the craftsmen from the West Palace to the East Side Courtyard. All those on the list will be tracked down and their families will be sealed. Report it to His Majesty secretly, but it still needs to be slow. I will arrange an insider in the East Factory, and after finding out the truth, I will choose the right time to capture them."

Zhu Biao agreed solemnly.

Zhu Han looked at the night outside the palace, his eyes becoming increasingly cold: "This game has just begun."

Far away in the north city, in a secret room of a tavern, an elegant old man with half white hair and beard was standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of the Taimiao with an indifferent expression.

"Zhu Han, Zhu Biao, how long can you hold on?"

He gently picked up a small jade chess piece from the table, slowly placed it in the center of the chessboard, and uttered a word that sounded like a spell:
"The game is set, destiny doesn't exist."

Outside the window, the night is dark and the moon is covered by dark clouds. A conspiracy that will shake the country has surfaced.

The secret room of the North City Tavern is called "Tinghezhai". On the surface, it is a gathering place for elegant scholars, but in fact it is the place where the "White Sparrow Society" conspires.

The elegant old man had a gentle face, holding a scented fan in his hand, with fluttering sleeves. If you were not familiar with him, it would be difficult to associate him with the head of a spy organization like the "White Sparrow Leader".

He is Feng Zongyao, who is known as the "Smiling Face with Human Skin" in the underworld.

He looked out the window at the looming roof of the Imperial Temple and smiled calmly:
"Zhu Han is too cautious after all."

A woman in white was leaning against the wall, her face was cold, it was the deputy envoy of the White Sparrow Society, Feng Hongyi. She said softly:
"This time the spy hid in the main beam of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He found him. We have already lost a move."

Feng Zongyao didn't take it seriously, and gently fanned his folding fan: "One move? It's just a trick to shock the enemy. The real killer move is still hidden in that 'Lord Governor'."

Feng Hongyi frowned: "That guy from the East Factory... is he willing to cooperate to the end?"

Feng Zongyao sneered: "If he doesn't cooperate, he will have no way to survive. He doesn't want to be a dog for others and wants to start his own business, so we have to create a way for him to survive."

He took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Feng Hongyi: "Have him send the letter to Qian Taishi of the Hanlin Academy, saying 'old friend, night talk, invite you to visit Qujiang'. He will understand."

Feng Hongyi took the letter, nodded slightly, and disappeared into the night.

At the other end of the Taimiao, Zhu Han was in a side room, having a secret conversation with Lu Ping and another mysterious person.

The man was dressed like an ordinary clerk, with thin lips and sharp eyes, standing with his hands behind his back. His name was Sun Shuting, a secret agent trained by Zhu Han himself, currently hiding in the East Factory, helping Zhu Han to find out the movements of the supervisor Li Tingrui.

"The governor has had a lot of contact with the Hanlin Academy recently, and even visited the Yongning Marquis's residence privately." Sun Shuting said in a deep voice, "I have found a clue that Qian Hongwen of the Hanlin Academy has a history with the Bai Que Association, so he might be the insider."

Zhu Han frowned: "The name of the White Sparrow Society has surfaced frequently recently."

Lu Ping added in a low voice: "I have asked Liu San to go to Qian's house to spy on the situation under the pretext of delivering a work badge. If there is anything wrong, we can arrest him on the spot."

Zhu Han shook his head slowly: "No hurry. If you want to catch the fish, you can't stir the water. We need to borrow Qian Hongwen's body to draw out the true background of the governor Li Tingrui."

His eyes were as cold as frost. "Now the Imperial Ancestral Temple is under my control, and the secret agent has been obtained. But the situation is not solved - the Crown Prince is not stable, the East Factory has not been eliminated, and the Hu people have not retreated. This is a triple chasm."

Lu Ping said: "If it is true as the secret letter says, the border troops have been infiltrated, and the capital will change sooner or later."

"So, I want you to set off immediately and rush to the northwest overnight, in the name of 'inspecting the materials of the Imperial Ancestral Temple' and also to check the deployment of border troops - but you have to be careful, Feng Zongyao may have already deployed his men."

"Yes." Lu Ping clasped his fists and left quietly.

Zhu Han turned his gaze to the window and saw dark clouds rolling in the night sky, the moon hidden and the stars hidden. He said softly:
"Everyone says that the Taimiao is the place where loyal souls are kept, but few people know that this place is the place where evil intentions are hidden."

At this time, inside the palace.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao already had the list handed over by Zhu Han, but he did not take any action. Instead, he quietly handed a copy of the list to... the Queen.

The master of the central palace has always been taciturn and indifferent, and acts in a mysterious way.

When she took the list, she glanced at it expressionlessly and said calmly:
"Among these people, there are my people."

Zhu Biao was surprised and asked, "Mother?"

Queen Zhu looked up at him, her eyes as cold as a knife:

"My child, the court is not a place that can be stable with just loyal ministers. If you want to be an emperor, you must know how to control everyone - whether loyal or treacherous." (End of this chapter)