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

"What's the matter?"

"He didn't say it explicitly, only that he wanted to ask for advice."

Zhu Han nodded, washed up, and changed his clothes. "I'll go this afternoon."

After having breakfast, he did not linger in the mansion, but instead took a stroll around the outer city.

He walked along the waterways in the south, north, and east of the city. He didn't linger for long, just observed.

The bridge, the water, the bank, the sluice gate—everything looks just like it did in the old days, yet there are some subtle, imperceptible changes.

He didn't return to his residence to change his clothes until noon, and then went back to the palace.

There weren't many people inside the Wenhua Hall.

Several case files were spread out on Zhu Biao's desk, his brow furrowed slightly.

Gu Qingping was sitting to the side, tidying up the edges of his clothes. When she saw Zhu Han come in, she stood up and bowed.

“Uncle,” Zhu Biao stood up, “I’ve invited you here today to ask you something.”

"Please speak, Your Highness."

Zhu Biao pointed to the file on the table. "This is a new regulation sent by the Ministry of Works, concerning the verification of bridge materials. It's written in great detail."

Zhu Han glanced at it but didn't look through it. "Being thorough is a good thing."

“However,” Zhu Biao paused, “this regulation is different from the old one.”

“The old methods are not enough,” Zhu Han said casually. “With a larger city and more water, the bridges naturally need to be calculated more meticulously.”

Gu Qingping said softly, "Does Uncle mean that we should follow the new rules from now on?"

“If it works, then it works,” Zhu Han replied. “If it doesn’t work, someone will fix it.”

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Uncle is always like this, speaking lightly, but paving the way for everything."

Zhu Han did not respond to that question, but simply said, "If Your Highness has nothing else to say, I shall take my leave."

Zhu Biao nodded, but before he turned away, he asked again, "Uncle, what would you do if you encountered a similar situation again in the future?"

Zhu Han stopped in his tracks without turning around.

"Your Highness will be more reliable than I am."

This is neither flattery nor a refusal, but simply a statement.

As he left Wenhua Hall, Gu Qingping saw him off at the gate and whispered, "Uncle, you've been traveling a lot lately, so please take care of your health."

Zhu Han glanced at her, his smile barely perceptible. "Thank you, Crown Princess."

After leaving the palace, he did not return to his residence immediately, but went to the west of the city.

There is an old neighborhood in the west of the city, where most of the residents are craftsmen and minor officials.

The alley is narrow and the ground is uneven, yet people are always coming and going.

Zhu Han changed into ordinary clothes and walked alone into one of the alleys.

At the end of the alley, there was an old carpentry shop with its door half-closed.

The sound of planing wood came from inside the shop, the rhythm unhurried.

Zhu Han stood there for a while before raising his hand to knock on the door.

The door opened, revealing an elderly carpenter who paused for a moment upon seeing him, then bowed. "Your Majesty..."

"No need for formalities," Zhu Han said. "I've come to take a look."

The carpenter stepped aside to let him in. Several unfinished components were displayed in the shop, with neat mortise and tenon joints and no unnecessary embellishments.

Zhu Han picked up a piece at random and looked at the markings on the bottom. "This design is the old one."

"Yes," the carpenter replied, "the new rules haven't been fully passed down yet, so the old ones are more convenient."

"What's convenient is the easiest to make mistakes."

Zhu Han put the wooden block back, "But you don't have any extras here."

The carpenter lowered his head and remained silent.

Zhu Han turned to leave, then stopped. "If anyone comes to you in the future and offers you privileges you shouldn't have, don't ask who it is, just refuse."

The carpenter paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically.

[Day 11 of consecutive sign-ins: Location—West City Woodworking Workshop; Reward—List of Craftsmen.]

Upon returning home, Zhu Han carefully put away the "List of Craftsmen" but did not immediately examine it. He was more concerned with something else.

Chen Shu handed over a newly arrived document. "Your Highness, this is the maintenance report for the sluice gate in the east of the city."

Zhu Han unfolded it, glanced at it, and his eyebrows twitched slightly. "Who sent it?"

“It was sent directly from the Ministry of Works,” Chen Shu said. “It didn’t go through any intermediaries.”

Zhu Han placed the paper under the lamp and examined each line carefully. The numbers and wording were very neat.

“It got cleaned up too quickly,” he said.

Should we investigate?

"No rush." ​​Zhu Han put the report aside. "Let it sit for now."

That night, he did not go out again, but stayed in his study and reopened the untitled book.

The first few pages contain records of the southern and northern parts of the city, which have already been sealed. The following pages are blank, as if waiting.

He picked up his pen and wrote:

East of the city—sluice gate—water.

[Day 12 of consecutive sign-ins: Not triggered.]

The pen stopped on the paper, and he didn't continue.

Three days later, the East City Sluice Gate was suddenly closed for half a day, ostensibly for routine inspection.

The water level didn't change much, which conveniently allowed them to avoid inspection.

Zhu Han stood outside the East Gate of the city, watching the water level recede slightly.

Beside the gate, there are newly replaced iron parts, their gleaming shine blinding.

"Who supplied these iron parts?" he asked.

The accompanying clerk from the Ministry of Works replied, "It was transferred from the Maritime Trade Office; they said it's new material from another region."

Zhu Han nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

That night, he went to the sluice gate again.

This time, the sound of the water was even lower, revealing a section of the underground channel at the bottom of the sluice gate that had been submerged by water.

In the hidden trough, there were wood chips and iron filings mixed together, which were scattered by the water.

Zhu Han squatted down, picked up a few iron filings, and placed them under the lamp. "New iron."

He followed the culvert to its end, where it connected to an inconspicuous side channel, the entrance of which was half-hidden by stone slabs.

Zhu Han didn't lift it, but only noted the location.

[Day 13 of consecutive sign-ins: Location—East City Sluice Gate; Result—Hidden Channel Mark.]

The next day, the East City Sluice Gate was reopened to traffic.

On the third day, an official from the Maritime Trade Office responsible for the allocation of iron materials was transferred to another city.

The matter has still not been reported to the authorities, and there has been no word of it.

When Zhu Han entered the palace, Zhu Biao was reading documents sent by the Ministry of War. When he saw Zhu Han, he simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“Your Highness need not inquire about the matters in the east of the city,” Zhu Han said first.

Zhu Biao gave a wry smile. "I wasn't planning on asking anyway."

"That's good."

Zhu Han bowed and took his leave, then turned and departed.

On his way back home, he walked across a small bridge.

The water under the bridge was shallow enough to see the bottom of the stones. His reflection was rippled and fragmented in the water.

He stopped and looked for a while.

As the autumn festival approaches, the rhythm of the capital city is deliberately led by a solemnity.

Zhu Han, on the contrary, found himself with more free time.

He no longer frequently left the mansion, and even his routine city patrols were discontinued.

For several days in a row, the study in the Prince of Han's mansion was only lit at night, with the doors and windows tightly closed during the day, as if the master were not there.

In fact, Zhu Han was present most of the time, but he rarely spoke.

Chen Shu hesitated several times before finally holding back.

On the night of the eighth day, someone suddenly came to the palace.

It wasn't an inner clerk or someone from the Directorate of Ceremonial, but an inconspicuous eunuch who delivered a verbal message without any written documentation.

"His Highness the Crown Prince requests that Your Highness enter the palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, not at Wenhua Hall."

Zhu Han took it and nodded. "Understood."

The next morning, he changed into his court robes, but instead of entering the palace by the usual route, he entered through the Xihua Gate.

Outside Xihua Gate, the shadows of the trees are deep, and the stone steps are wet with morning dew.

The eunuch leading the way didn't say much, but simply led him around several side halls, finally stopping in front of a small, warm pavilion.

Only Zhu Biao was sitting in the warm pavilion.

There were no piles of folded documents on the table, only an unsealed wooden box.

The box was very old, with badly chipped edges.

"Uncle," Zhu Biao stood up and bowed, "I invited you here today to show you something." Zhu Han bowed and sat down, his gaze falling on the wooden box, but he did not speak immediately.

Zhu Biao pushed the wooden box in front of him and opened it.

There was only one letter in the box.

The envelope had been opened, and the paper was slightly wrinkled, indicating that it had been examined repeatedly.

Zhu Han picked it up, glanced at it, and his expression darkened.

The letter contained no superfluous words, only listing a few locations, several batches of materials, and the corresponding warehousing dates. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but very steady.

"This was delivered to my desk last night," Zhu Biao said in a low voice. "It was unsigned."

Zhu Han put the letter back into the box. "What does Your Highness think the writer wants?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment. "He wanted me to know that some things are not entirely clean."

"Does Your Highness believe this letter to be genuine or fake?"

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment before saying, "At least half of it is true."

Zhu Han nodded. "That's enough."

"Doesn't your uncle ask who sent it?"

“No need,” Zhu Han said. “The fact that the letter was delivered here already shows our stance.”

Zhu Biao looked up at him, his gaze serious. "Uncle, if we investigate these matters further, the implications will be far-reaching."

“Your Highness,” Zhu Han said calmly, “the letter has already been delivered to you, and the connection has been there for some time.”

The warm room fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, Zhu Biao closed the wooden box and pushed it aside. "I'll handle it."

Zhu Han stood up. "Your Highness is handling Your Highness's affairs."

"And what about your uncle?"

Zhu Han paused for a moment, then turned to look at him. "I will only look at the bridge, the water, and the accounts. Nothing else."

Zhu Biao didn't ask any further questions, but simply got up and saw him to the door.

After leaving the warm pavilion, Zhu Han did not leave the palace immediately, but instead went to a secluded garden outside the East Palace.

Few people visit this secluded garden; the vegetation is sparse, and the stone paths meander. Zhu Han stopped under an old locust tree.

There was a person standing there.

It was neither a court official nor a palace attendant, but a middle-aged man dressed in an ordinary blue robe. Upon seeing him, he bowed deeply.

"Your Highness."

Zhu Han looked at him without showing any surprise. "You arrived earlier than I expected."

“If things drag on any longer, things will become unstable,” the man replied.

"Did you write the letter?"

"Yes."

Zhu Han nodded. "Well written."

The man lowered his head and did not reply.

"How many years have you been with the Ministry of Works?" Zhu Han asked.

"The eleventh year."

"The fact that you can still write such a letter after eleven years shows that you remember the rules."

The man gave a wry smile. "I remember, that's why I couldn't sleep well."

Zhu Han looked at the gravel path in the garden. "You came to see me today not because of that letter."

"Yes." The man took a deep breath. "I would like to ask Your Highness for a favor."

"explain."

"Those iron components at the East City Sluice Gate are not the end." The man spoke slowly, but each word was clear. "They were just a trial run. The real work is yet to come."

Zhu Han's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not interrupt.

"After the autumn festival, the Ministry of Works will conduct another large-scale allocation, ostensibly to replace the old parts, but in reality, they are going to another destination."

"Do you know where they went?"

“I don’t know everything,” the man shook his head, “but I do know of one transit point.”

Zhu Han was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you just report it?"

“Because once it’s reported, I can only say what I know.” The man looked up at him. “But Your Highness can see the whole picture.”

Zhu Han stared at him for a long time before speaking: "You know that after seeing me, you won't be staying in the Ministry of Works for long."

“I know,” the man replied quickly, “but at least things will stop.”

Zhu Han turned and walked deeper into the stone path. "Location."

The man took a step forward and whispered three words.

Zhu Han didn't stop. "Let's go back."

The man stood there without saying anything more, bowed, and turned to leave.

That night, after returning home, Zhu Han locked himself in his study.

There was only one lamp, and outside the window, autumn insects chirped softly.

On the desk lay an old map, an overview of the waterways and city defenses connecting the capital region. The edges were worn, clearly indicating that it had been flipped through many times.

Zhu Han took off his court robe and changed into casual clothes, but instead of sitting down, he stood in front of the table, his fingertips slowly moving along several lines on the drawing.

The East City Sluice Gate is not located on the main river channel, but it connects to three reservoirs.

This is unusual in itself.

He raised his hand to press down the picture, a thought flashing through his mind.

A familiar yet restrained prompt surfaced in my mind, without bringing any unusual sound, like a gentle knock in the still of the night—

[Check-in successful.]

[Obtained: One incomplete copy of an old-style hydraulic engineering manual.]

Zhu Han was not surprised. The system was always like this, saying little and not urging.

He reached into a hidden compartment beside the table and took out the booklet.

The paper is yellowed, the edges are frayed, and the four characters "Made in the early years of Hongwu" on the cover are so faded that they are almost illegible.

He turned to the first page.

The register did not contain engineering blueprints, but rather the dimensions of components, part numbers, and allocation batches, densely packed and clearly regulated.

The more Zhu Han looked, the more serious his expression became.

These things should have been sealed away along with the old system.

But now, they've been unearthed from the depths of the ledgers.

More importantly, one of the batch numbers matched exactly the one listed in the anonymous letter.

Zhu Han closed the booklet and put it back in the hidden compartment.

He finally sat down, picked up his pen, but did not immediately write anything. The candlelight flickered, illuminating his calm and clear face.

He is waiting.

Before midnight, very light footsteps came from outside the window. It wasn't the palace guards on night patrol, nor the eunuchs on night duty.

Zhu Han did not look up.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open a crack, and a slender figure slipped in, closing the door behind him.

The newcomer wore a dark short robe with no belt at his waist and bowed without making a sound.

"Your Highness," the man whispered, "there's movement in the east of the city."

Zhu Han then looked up. "Speak."

"Two cartloads of iron parts were transferred from the Second Warehouse in the East of the City tonight. They were transported by night road, not through the Ministry of Works' official register, but using old documents."

"The people escorting the goods?"

“He’s not from the Ministry of Works,” the man replied. “He’s nominally affiliated with the Military Affairs Department, but he’s not on the official roster.”

Zhu Han nodded slightly. Being listed under the Military Command meant that once these goods left the city, they could be legitimately removed from any further investigation.

Which way should the car go?

"First heading south, then turning east. It's like they're trying to go around the outer city."

Zhu Han picked up a pen, wrote a few words on the paper, then folded it and handed it over. "Send this to the Crown Prince's residence, but don't go through the main gate."

The man took it, responded, and left.

The study fell silent again.

Zhu Han stopped looking at the picture and got up to walk to the window.

The night was as still as water, and the mansion was sparsely lit. He gazed calmly at the distant outline of the city.

He doesn't need to know where they all went.

Knowing just one line is enough.

The following morning, Zhu Han went to court as usual.

There was nothing unusual at the morning meeting.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in relatively good spirits, and several senior officials presented their reports in turn, mostly routine arrangements before the autumn sacrifice. (End of Chapter)