Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 732 Undercurrents in the Capital
After leaving the training ground, Zhang Huan hurried through three streets and alleys, glancing back every now and then. Once he was sure no one was following him, he slipped into an inconspicuous teahouse. Inside a private room on the second floor, three people were already waiting.

"Lord Zhang, you're late." A middle-aged man in a brocade robe toyed with a jade thumb ring in his hand, his voice neither warm nor cold.

Zhang Huan wiped the sweat from his brow, disregarding formalities: "General Liu, something terrible has happened! The Crown Prince has obtained the capital garrison's account books and is preparing to thoroughly investigate the embezzlement of military funds!"

The man in the brocade robe was none other than Ma Wensheng, a trusted confidant of Liu Xun, the General of Datong, and a senior official in the Ministry of War. Upon hearing this, the jade thumb ring in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter," and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Account books? What account books? Aren't the accounts of the Beijing Garrison all..."

"It's that bastard Lin Che!" Zhang Huan gritted his teeth. "I don't know where he got his hands on these detailed account comparisons, even data from three years ago!"

A hush fell over the private room. In the corner, an elderly man in a greyish-blue Taoist robe slowly opened his half-closed eyes: "Lin Che? Is that Lin Che who once served in the Hanlin Academy and later resigned to live in seclusion?"

“It is indeed this man,” Zhang Huan nodded. “Now he is a guest of honor of the Crown Prince, and he specializes in coming up with terrible ideas for reforming the military system.”

The old man stroked his long beard, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "This man has an extraordinary background. I remember he served in the Embroidered Uniform Guard ten years ago, but then suddenly resigned for some unknown reason."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Ma Wensheng suddenly stood up. "No wonder he was able to get his hands on those confidential ledgers!"

"What's the panic!" The fourth person, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. This man was dressed as a merchant; he was Zhou Tingyu, the younger brother of Zhou Tingru, the Vice Minister of Revenue. "It's just account books; there's no direct evidence pointing to us. The most urgent matter is to stop the Crown Prince from going to Datong."

Zhang Huan smiled wryly: "The Crown Prince has made up his mind and will depart tomorrow. That scoundrel Lin Che even suggested starting the reforms in Datong first; he's clearly targeting General Liu!"

The old man took a brocade pouch from his sleeve and pushed it to the center of the table: "General Liu was prepared. Inside are fifty thousand taels of silver notes, enough to bribe the officials in the court. As for the Crown Prince..."

He lowered his voice and said a few words. Zhang Huan and Ma Wensheng were startled at first, then slowly nodded.

"This plan is brilliant!" Zhang Huan chuckled sinisterly. "It can both hinder reform and leave no trace."

At the same time, inside the Imperial Study in the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the memorial in his hand, his brows furrowed: "Biao'er, are you sure you want to go to Datong personally? Things haven't been peaceful in the north lately; the Mongol prince has repeatedly invaded the border."

Zhu Biao bowed respectfully: "Father, it is precisely because of the instability on the border that I must go. The reforms of the capital garrison are showing initial results, and I wish to try them out in Datong to boost the morale of the border troops."

The old emperor pondered for a moment: "Is your strategist, Lin Che, reliable?"

"Mr. Lin is a master of military strategy, and what's even more commendable is his deep concern for his soldiers." Zhu Biao's eyes gleamed with admiration. "His method of 'treating soldiers with sincerity' has already proven remarkably effective in the Beijing garrison."

Zhu Yuanzhang gave a noncommittal "hmm": "I heard that he had a dispute with Zhang Huan today? And what kind of account books did he produce?"

Zhu Biao's heart tightened; he was surprised at how quickly the news had spread. He cautiously replied, "It is indeed true. Mr. Lin discovered instances of embezzlement of military pay within the army, and I am about to conduct a thorough investigation."

"Corruption in the military has existed since ancient times," the old emperor's voice suddenly turned cold, "but if anyone uses this opportunity to form cliques for personal gain, we will not let them off lightly!"

A cold sweat broke out on Zhu Biao's back: "Your subject understands." After leaving the imperial study, Zhu Biao went straight to a side hall of the East Palace. Lin Che was studying a defense map of Datong under the lamp. Seeing him enter, he immediately stood up to greet him.

"Your Highness seems to be in trouble. Is something wrong?"

Zhu Biao recounted his meeting with the emperor in detail, then said with great concern, "Father seems wary of you, sir. What's even stranger is that our conversation with Zhang Huan reached Father's ears so quickly."

Lin Che seemed thoughtful: "It seems Zhang Huan went to see certain people as soon as he left the training ground. And these people have direct access to the Emperor."

He walked to the window, gazing at the pitch-black night: "Your Highness, our adversary is more powerful than we imagined. Liu Xun's backers in the court are likely not limited to the Ministry of War."

"Then tomorrow"

"We'll depart as planned tomorrow." Lin Che turned, his eyes gleaming with determination. "The more this is the case, the faster we must get to Datong. Once we have concrete evidence, all the rumors will fall apart."

Zhu Biao nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, where did you get that account book today, sir? Zhang Huan said you used to work in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Lin Che's hand paused slightly, then he continued organizing the map as if nothing had happened: "That happened ten years ago. Back then, I was young and impetuous, and I couldn't stand the corruption in officialdom, so I resigned and went into seclusion." He looked up to meet Zhu Biao's probing gaze, "As for the account books, there are righteous people secretly helping me."

Zhu Biao knew he didn't want to talk more, so he didn't press him: "In any case, sir, you helped me reorganize military affairs, and I will always remember this kindness."

In the stillness of the night, Lin Che stood alone in the courtyard, taking out a bronze token from his robes. Under the moonlight, the words "Jinyiwei Northern Garrison" on the token were clearly visible.

"Ten years," he murmured to himself, "I never thought I'd need it one day."

The following morning, a lightly armed entourage set off from Nanjing, heading north at breakneck speed. Zhu Biao declined the large entourage, taking only twenty elite guards and a few trusted confidants, including Lin Che.

On the evening of the third day, the group stopped to rest at the Xuzhou post station. The postmaster was very hospitable, but made a mistake when arranging accommodations—he assigned Zhu Biao and Lin Che's rooms to opposite ends of the post station.

"Your Highness, this matter is strange," Lin Che said in a low voice. "According to regulations, the Crown Prince's accompanying officials should stay in adjacent rooms in case of unforeseen circumstances."

Zhu Biao understood: "Sir, you mean someone wants to separate us?"

Just as Lin Che was about to answer, his ears twitched, and he shoved Zhu Biao aside! With a "whoosh," a crossbow bolt grazed Zhu Biao's sleeve and embedded itself in the pillar!
"Assassins! Protect the Crown Prince!" The guards immediately drew their swords and formed a circle around him.

In the darkness, several shadowy figures swiftly fled. Lin Che's eyes sharpened, and he leaped after them. A moment later, several short, sharp sounds of fighting echoed in the distance, followed by silence.

When Lin Che returned, he had a waist tag in his hand—it was the military tag of Xuzhou Garrison!
"It really was them!" Zhu Biao's face darkened. "They even dared to assassinate the Crown Prince; these people have lost all conscience!"

Lin Che, however, remained unusually calm: "Your Highness, this proves we've chosen the right path. The more frantically they try to obstruct us, the more it proves the importance of the Great Harmony Journey."

The next day, the group changed their route, bypassing the official road and continuing north along a side road. Along the way, Lin Che was extremely vigilant, personally checking Zhu Biao's food and lodging every night.

(End of this chapter)