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

"It's finally here."

Zhu Han closed the interface and stood up.

"Prepare the horses."

"Where is Your Highness going?"

Zhu Han looked toward the imperial city, his tone low and firm.

"Go see someone I should have met a long time ago."

The streets outside the Prince Han's mansion were empty and deserted. Zhu Han, wearing a dark cloak, glanced back at the plaque of the mansion before mounting his horse, and said in a calm tone: "Tighten up the covert operations. After tonight, the capital will be in chaos."

The guard responded in a low voice.

The sound of hooves was soft, yet exceptionally clear in the silence.

Zhu Han's destination was not concealed—the Imperial Clan Court.

This is a place that has not been in the spotlight for a long time. It houses the imperial family's genealogy records, salaries, and ceremonial documents. It seems quiet, but it is precisely the place where the imperial family and its members have the closest interactions.

Zhu Tan, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, came from the Prince of Qin's residence. He was clearly taken aback when Zhu Han arrived late at night.

"Prince Han? At this hour..."

Zhu Han didn't exchange pleasantries and went straight inside.

"Give me the list of imperial family members who have entered the capital in the past three months."

Zhu Tan's expression changed slightly: "Your Highness, this is against the rules."

Zhu Han glanced at him, his gaze calm yet suffocating.

"Rules are for protecting the imperial family, not for shielding them from harm," he said calmly. "Or do you want to wait for the imperial decree to be issued before giving it to them?"

Zhu Tan remained silent for a few moments before finally bowing his head: "Someone, fetch the register."

The list was laid out on the table, and Zhu Han turned the pages one by one, his fingertips extremely steady.

"People from the Chu King's residence come frequently."

"The Prince Qi's residence has quite a few."

He stopped flipping to the last page.

"The Prince of Zhou's residence was raided three times at night."

Zhu Tan's forehead was covered in sweat: "He said... he was visiting his family."

Zhu Han closed the booklet: "Does one not visit relatives during the day, nor through the main gate?"

Zhu Tan dared not argue further.

Zhu Han looked up: "Who else from the Zhou Prince's residence is in the city tonight?"

Zhu Tan lowered his voice: "The King of Zhou himself has been staying at the villa in the west of the city for five days."

Zhu Han chuckled.

"it is good."

At the same moment, in the Eastern Palace.

Zhu Biao, still awake, sat at his desk, where a memorial to the throne was yet to be completed.

He wrote, then crossed it out, crossed it out again, then wrote it out again, but he couldn't bring himself to put pen to paper.

Gu Qingping stood to the side and said softly, "Your Highness, please rest for a while."

Zhu Biao looked up, his eyes filled with barely concealed exhaustion.

"Qingping, am I... really too soft?"

Gu Qingping was taken aback, then shook her head: "It's not that Your Highness is weak, it's that Your Highness has too many people in your heart."

Zhu Biao smiled bitterly: "But if I can't even protect myself, how can I protect the world?"

Just as Gu Qingping was about to speak again, there were suddenly hurried footsteps outside.

The eunuch whispered, "Your Highness, a message has arrived from the Prince of Han's residence."

Zhu Biao immediately stood up: "What did you say?"

"The Prince of Han said, 'Don't sleep tonight, and don't move tomorrow.'"

Zhu Biao was taken aback, then realized what was happening and took a deep breath.

"The Imperial Uncle has already made his move."

West of the city, a separate courtyard.

The lights were on, but there was no singing or dancing.

King Zhu Su of Zhou sat in the hall with wine in front of him, but he did not touch it.

"Does Prince Han really dare to come?" someone asked in a low voice.

"It would be strange if he didn't come," Zhu Su said calmly. "He has always disliked anyone touching the Crown Prince."

Zhu Han entered without bringing a single soldier with him.

"Sixth Brother." He stopped and bowed.

Zhu Su narrowed his eyes: "What brings you here so late at night?"

"For a single sentence." Zhu Han looked up. "The Crown Prince cannot be touched."

Zhu Su laughed: "You think it was me who moved?"

"Whether it is or not is not important," Zhu Han said calmly. "What is important is that someone wants to use you to test His Majesty's bottom line."

Zhu Su's expression darkened slightly.

"Do you think the river engineering case was my idea?" he said coldly. "If I really wanted to fight for that position, I wouldn't have chosen such a stupid path."

Zhu Han nodded: "That's why I'm not here to interrogate you."

"That is?"

“It’s a reminder.” Zhu Han looked at him. “Some people are spreading rumors among the imperial clan, saying that His Majesty is getting old, that being the Crown Prince is difficult, and that the imperial clan should think one step further for the sake of the ‘clan’.”

Zhu Su remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

"Brother Han, you're standing further ahead than I expected."

“Because I can’t back down,” Zhu Han said. “If I back down, Biao’er will have to face it all alone.”

Zhu Su looked at him with a complicated expression: "Do you know that by doing this, you will sooner or later be regarded as a thorn in the side by all the members of the imperial clan?"

“I know,” Zhu Han replied quickly. “But if they’re targeting me, not the Crown Prince, then I’m willing to be a thorn in their side.”

There was silence in the hall.

After a long while, Zhu Su picked up the wine and drank it all in one gulp.

“I will restrain the people in the manor from getting involved in these matters again.” He put down his wine cup. “But you must be careful, there are people who are more anxious than we are.”

Zhu Han nodded: "I'm getting impatient waiting for him."

Before night had faded, the lights in the western courtyard were going out one by one.

When Zhu Han left, the streets and alleys were still quiet.

Instead of returning to the Prince's Palace, he rode his horse around half the city and entered an inconspicuous courtyard outside the Imperial City.

This place was originally the old archives of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but it was later abandoned and neglected after several fires. Now, however, he has secretly taken over it.

The courtyard gate closed, and Zhu Han took off his cloak, his steps unhurried.

There were already three people waiting in the hall.

One was Jiang Yue, a former general who rose through the ranks of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; another was Shen Qing, the head of the inner court's secret agents; and the third was Lin You, an old official in charge of the movements of the imperial clan.

The three of them stood up and bowed at the same time.

Zhu Han waved his hand and sat down directly.

"We don't need to keep an eye on the Zhou Prince's Mansion line for now."

He spoke softly, yet his words commanded respect: "He's not the one who's truly in a hurry."

Jiang Yue whispered, "Your Highness, is it Prince Qi?"

Zhu Han shook his head: "King Qi loves excitement but dislikes taking responsibility. He likes to watch the fire burn brightly from the sidelines, but he refuses to add fuel himself."

Lin You hesitated for a moment: "Then it's only the Prince of Chu's side. Recently, people from the Prince of Chu's residence have been frequently entering and leaving the inner city, and have even made contact with former members of the Shangyi Bureau several times."

Zhu Han raised his eyes: "The Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs is just the surface. Investigate along this line, but don't alert anyone."

Shen Qing replied, "As Your Highness instructed, all the loose threads were concealed at night, and even the Eastern Depot didn't notice."

Zhu Han nodded without saying anything more.

He stood up and walked to the wall, where a map of the capital city hung, densely marked with points.

Those points were not concentrated in the palace, but scattered in the Imperial Clan Court, the villas of various princes, and a few inconspicuous houses.

"Rumors won't stop," Zhu Han said calmly, "but they won't last long. Sooner or later, those who spread rumors will have to prove themselves with facts."

Jiang Yue was taken aback: "They're going to make a move?"

"It's not that we're going to do it, it's that we've already started," Zhu Han said calmly. "We're just moving slowly, afraid of being seen."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left.

Before dawn, he returned to the Prince of Han's residence and rested for less than an hour.

When the morning bell rang, the capital city appeared to be as usual.

The morning court session proceeded as scheduled, with officials lined up in attendance. Zhu Yuanzhang sat calmly on his throne, showing no sign of anything amiss.

But those who pay close attention will notice that today's court proceedings were less verbose and drawn out than usual.

The case files of the old river works project were resubmitted. The person who brought this up was a usually low-key censor. His tone was cautious, but every word he said pointed to several former officials who had handled the case back then, implying that someone was using the case to dredge up old grievances in an attempt to disrupt the court.

After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak immediately, but only glanced at Zhu Han.

Zhu Han nodded slightly and then stepped forward.

“This case was settled back then.” He said in a flat tone, “If we bring it up again today, we must investigate it again. And if we investigate it again, we cannot just look at the surface.”

The official's face turned pale, and before he could reply, Zhu Yuanzhang had already raised his hand.

"allow."

The moment the word was uttered, the entire court fell silent.

Zhu Biao stood on the throne of the crown prince, his back ramrod straight. He could feel several gazes lingering on him before quickly shifting away.

After the court session, Zhu Biao did not return to the Eastern Palace, but was kept behind by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Inside the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang flipped through the memorials on the table, as if he were casually reading them.

“You didn’t sleep last night,” he suddenly said.

Zhu Biao was taken aback, then lowered his head: "Your subject..."

"Prince Han told you not to sleep," Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him. "He's right. If you make a single mistake in today's game, things will go awry."

Zhu Biao remained silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the memorial and looked at him: "What do you think your imperial uncle is shielding for you?"

Zhu Biao looked up, his voice low but firm: "To take the blow."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "Then you must remember, this is not a single blade. It can block once, but not forever."

Zhu Biao took a deep breath: "Your subject understands."

"Good that you understand." Zhu Yuanzhang stood up. "Go back. For the next few days, there is no need for further words or actions."

On the afternoon of the same day, the Imperial Clan Court suddenly received a secret order.

An investigation was launched into the activities of members of the imperial clan in Beijing over the past six months. Anyone who entered the inner city at night was registered and their identities verified one by one.

The order was small, but extremely unusual.

When Zhu Tan received the order, his palms were sweaty. He knew very well what this order meant—it meant that someone was no longer willing to wait.

That night, a servant of the Chu King's mansion was stopped on his way back to the mansion.

There were no weapons, no shouts or interrogations.

It was just a letter, which was quietly slipped into his sleeve.

The letter was short, containing only one sentence:

"The conversation ended too quickly."

The attendant's expression changed drastically, and he changed his route overnight, but was still stopped by the Imperial Guards at the city gate.

As dawn broke, the market was already bustling with activity. Cloth vendors set up their wooden stands, and porridge vendors lifted their pot lids, the steam carrying the aroma of beans spreading through the chilly morning air.

A middle-aged man in an old blue robe hunched his shoulders and hurried through the crowd.

He walked very fast, as if afraid of being seen by someone, and kept pulling his sleeves in to cover the hand that wore the old jade thumb ring.

"Manager Liu!"

Someone shouted from behind.

The man froze, but instead of turning around, he walked even faster.

The next moment, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly arose.

"Make way—the Embroidered Uniform Guard is on a mission!"

A commotion broke out at the street corner, and the people instinctively retreated to both sides.

Several Imperial Guards dismounted, and the captain in the lead stepped in front of the middle-aged man and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Liu Qiming, the witness in the old river works case." The captain's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "Someone accused you of embezzling seven hundred and forty taels of silver from the river works. Do you admit it?"

Liu Qiming's face turned deathly pale.

"What nonsense are you spouting! I—"

Before he could finish speaking, the captain raised his hand in a gesture of greeting.

Two imperial guards stepped forward and directly searched his arms, finding an oilcloth bag inside.

When the cloth was lifted, several newly exchanged banknotes and an account book were revealed.

A low murmur rippled through the crowd.

“You kept these records yourself.” The captain flipped through two pages. “You remember the year, the month, and the entry more clearly than anyone else.”

Liu Qiming's legs went weak, and he almost couldn't stand up.

"take away."

The sound of the iron chain fastening onto the wrist was particularly jarring in the early morning.

Someone whispered among themselves, "Isn't this the one who gave the toughest testimony in the river works case back then?"

“It was him. I remember, he spoke so righteously and sternly in court back then.”

"Tsk..."

In less than an hour, the news had spread throughout half of the capital.

Just as things were starting to cool down in the south, things were stirring up in the west.

Two silk shops were shut down at the same time.

When the soldiers entered, the shopkeeper was still doing accounts behind the counter. When he looked up and saw the official's uniform, the abacus in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"Sir, what... what does this mean?"

"I'm here by imperial decree to investigate the accounts," the man said coldly. "You have frequent dealings with Liu Qiming, and the accounts are unclear, which may involve you in an old case related to the river works."

"River works?" The shopkeeper's voice changed. "That happened so many years ago!"

"That's why we need to investigate." The officer raised his hand. "Seal off the gate."

The neighbors gathered around, pointing and gossiping.

"Weren't these two the companies that supplied materials to the river works back then?"

"Yes, I remember attending court."

"So it wasn't thoroughly investigated after all..."

By the afternoon, the wind direction had quietly changed.

In a teahouse in the south of the city, the windowsills on the second floor were full of people.

"Have you heard? Liu Qiming was arrested this morning."

"I heard that he left the evidence himself; he can't deny it."

"So, does that mean there really was something fishy about the river works case back then?"

The other person lowered his voice: "I told you long ago. If it really was Han Wang's men who did it, why would we wait until now to bring it up?"

Some nodded, some remained silent.

No one mentioned the phrase "the Prince of Han usurped power" anymore.

At dusk, at the Prince of Han's residence.

Zhu Han sat behind his desk, on which lay only a cup of tea. He neither looked at the files nor wrote anything; he simply listened quietly.

Shen Qing knelt on one knee and reported the events of the day in detail.

"The man was arrested in Nanshi, right there on the street. Everyone saw it."

"Is the ledger genuine?" Zhu Han asked.

"It's true," Shen Qing answered steadily. "We didn't slip it to him; he kept it himself. He was afraid of getting into trouble, so he kept more detailed accounts than anyone else."

Zhu Han nodded.

“The other two trading companies have been seized,” Shen Qing continued. “They have no open dealings with the royal family, but they secretly use the connections of the Prince of Chu’s residence.”

Zhu Han picked up the tea, blew on it gently, but didn't drink it.

"What about the rumors?"

“Things have changed,” Shen Qing said. “This morning they were saying the prince was abusing his power, but this afternoon they started saying there were other hidden details in the old case.”

Zhu Han smiled faintly.

"That's right."

Shen Qing hesitated for a moment: "Your Highness, shall we eat it while it's hot—"

"No need," Zhu Han interrupted him. "Let it burn on its own."

He put down his teacup, got up, and walked to the window. The courtyard was quiet; even the wind was gentle.

"Stepping in now will only give them a way out."

Zhu Han said, "What I want is for them to be unable to stand on their own."

The western courtyard of the Chu King's residence.

Shadows were cast on the window paper as people paced back and forth, their footsteps disordered yet kept low. Several attendants stood guard at the door, not daring to utter a sound, only occasionally exchanging glances.

Inside the room, King Zhu Zhen of Chu had a gloomy face, clutching a newly delivered secret report in his hand.

"He was imprisoned in the streets of Nanshi and his shops were shut down in Xicheng..." he read in a low voice, then suddenly sneered and slammed the letter on the table. "Zhu Han has brought a knife right to the table."

An advisor cautiously said, "Your Highness, he didn't name names, yet his words were ruthless. The winds in the capital have shifted; if this drags on any longer, I fear—" (End of Chapter)