In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 1062 A tall tree catches the wind; go with the flow.
Inside the room, Lu Yunyi remained calm despite the recent assassination attempt.

As always, I sat behind the long table.
He held a cup of tea in one hand and flipped through documents in the other, his expression thoughtful.

When Liu Heiying came in and saw that he was still so calm, he felt helpless and didn't know what to say.

He walked over, casually pulled up a chair, and sat down, his tone tinged with confusion:

"Brother Yun'er, you just survived an assassination attempt, how can you remain so calm?"

Lu Yunyi's gaze remained fixed on the document, and he casually replied:

"Didn't we also encounter assassination attempts in the capital? It's not a big deal."

"That's different."

Liu Heiying's expression grew increasingly strange; he knew the details of the assassination attempt in the capital.

Lu Yunyi glanced at him with a smile:
"What's the difference? I can survive in the capital, so why can't I survive in my own territory?"

He put down the document, his tone tinged with disdain:

"There is no need to be afraid of dealing with these traitors."

"If they were truly capable, they could have simply led their men into the military headquarters and slaughtered us. Why resort to these sneaky tricks?"

Liu Heiying sensed a hidden meaning in his words, paused slightly, and tentatively asked:
"Brother Yun'er, are you saying that this assassination attempt was just a deterrent?"

"uncertain."

Lu Yunyi shook his head and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table:

"Perhaps we're in someone's way, and they really want to kill me."

At this point, he raised his head, propped it up with one hand, and seemed to be deep in thought:
"But these people must have considerable power to safely transport fifty people into the city."

Who do you think is the mole in this city?

Upon hearing this, Liu Heiying's expression immediately turned serious.

Even the strongest fortress can be breached from within. If there is a traitor hiding in the Da Ning government, the destructive consequences of such collusion are unimaginable.

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Heiying said in a deep voice:
“Brother Yun’er, I don’t think the inside man is necessarily from the military command. Could it be from the government office?”

Many officials in the government office were from the south.
Although Daning City is changing rapidly these days,
But most of them still yearn for the wealth of Jiangnan and want to return to enjoy their newfound comforts.

Lu Yunyi's expression was somewhat subtle, and he nodded slightly:

"This conjecture makes some sense. Although the imperial court has suspended discussions on moving the capital..."

But His Majesty's mind is unpredictable, and he might bring up the old issues again someday.

If someone wants to plan ahead, it's understandable that they might make arrangements in secret.

In that case, let's investigate thoroughly.

A murderous glint flashed in Liu Heiying's eyes, his dark face was filled with solemnity, and his large fist clenched tightly, making a sound.

“Brother Yun’er, we’ve only done the investigation of internal and external affairs once, when we first arrived in Daning City.”

Two years have passed, and the city has undergone tremendous changes. People's lives have improved, and officials' mindsets may have changed as well.

Perhaps some will be blinded by greed and abandon their principles, joining the rebels.

Upon hearing the words "rebel party," Lu Yunyi's expression suddenly turned strange.
He and the Prince of Yan had long been prepared to become rebels, and were now making arrangements in earnest.

It's rather absurd to suddenly investigate the traitors now.

"Alright, we'll investigate as you said."

He interrupted Liu Heiying:

Even if we can't find the real culprit, it's good to take the opportunity to clean up the internal situation.

By the way, those merchants who were arrested should be treated well; just ask them questions indirectly.
If there are no problems, release them as soon as possible.

"Brother Yun'er, isn't it too hasty to let them go so easily?"

Liu Heiying was somewhat puzzled.

"It doesn't matter."

Lu Yunyi said calmly:

“These merchants are incredibly wealthy and have become too powerful. We need to let them know that it will be easy for the Commander to capture them.”

Since ancient times, common people have not dared to fight against officials; without someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, they would not dare to oppose the military commander.

"Alright, I'll arrange for them to be interrogated tonight and released tomorrow morning."

Liu Heiying agreed, but then remembered something else:
"By the way, Brother Yun'er, the gunpowder to be delivered to the Prince of Yan has already set off this evening."

It seems the weapons workshop has figured out a way to store Thunderclap Seeds.
They said there's a test tomorrow, do you want to go and watch?

"So fast?"

Lu Yunyi looked up in surprise, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Clearly, the progress of Jing Leizi was more of a concern to him than the assassination.

In fact it is.

Liu Heiying smiled and explained:

"The gunpowder to be sent to the Prince of Yan was carefully inspected by the craftsmen for a long time before they dared to send it out tonight."

As for Jing Leizi, as the saying goes, everyone should work together, and this method was devised by the people in the textile workshop.

They made a thick, airtight cover, like an eggshell, using fine silk soaked in oil, claiming it was completely airtight.

The people at the weapons workshop said that the "Thunderbolt" wouldn't easily explode unless it was exposed to air, so they planned to try it tomorrow.

Lu Yunyi suddenly realized and nodded:

"It can be sealed so perfectly that it may be possible to achieve long-term storage."

But if it gets bumped or knocked during transportation or storage, it could easily explode. Has this problem been solved?

Liu Heiying scratched his head and replied:

"We can only be as careful as possible, but the sugar mill provides a type of cotton bag to protect against bumps and knocks, which they use when transporting sugar to the north."

Because the roads outside Quanningwei are rugged, the jars containing sugar are easily broken.
They made a thick cotton cover and tightly bound the jar, so it wouldn't break even if the carriage shook, making it perfect for holding thunderclaps.

"Yeah, well done."

Lu Yunyi smiled:
"It seems that our great Ningcheng is truly full of talented people."

"We'll have to try it to see the specific results, but judging from their confident expressions, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Liu Heiying continued:
"If all goes well, we can send Jing Lei Zi to the capital after the New Year."

Lu Yunyi nodded, fell into deep thought, and said softly:
"The power of the Thunderclap exceeded my expectations."

The situation has changed, and our strategy needs to be adjusted accordingly.

The Thunderclap was incredibly powerful; in the eyes of the imperial court, it would render all nine border cities unsafe.
However, in the eyes of others, the appearance of Jing Lei Zi would greatly enhance the military power.

The court officials will certainly do everything in their power to stop it.

We need to take this opportunity to get things done.
"Preserve the supply chains of Yingtian Trading Company and Construction Company."

Upon hearing this, Liu Heiying raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes:

"So urgent?"

"Plans can't keep up with changes."

Lu Yunyi's tone was firm:
"Whether for attacking a city or defending against an enemy, the Thunderclap is a divine weapon."

With this, the chances of victory against the Northern Yuan will greatly increase.

But a tall tree catches the wind, and in such situations, precautions must be taken.

Liu Heiying's expression changed several times.
Although it hasn't happened yet, since Brother Yun'er said so, it's likely to come true.

But he just couldn't understand it:
Why couldn't the Ming Dynasty, a perfectly good court, have harmony between its civil and military officials?
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, civil and military affairs were not separated.

How come the dynasty is becoming stronger and stronger?

It's strange that the civil and military officials are becoming increasingly opposed to each other.

Thinking of this, Liu Heiying suddenly recalled the memorial submitted by the military commander last year regarding the establishment of the three provincial offices, and asked:
"Brother Yun'er, since the situation is so tense, shouldn't we postpone the establishment of the Three Departments?"

Lu Yunyi countered:
"How many memorials have been sent to the imperial court in the past month?"

Liu Heiying replied:
"There were three letters, but the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War replied very few times. The last reply was three months ago."

It seems the imperial court's attitude towards establishing the Three Offices is very clear: they don't want to get involved in matters outside the Great Wall.

Lu Yunyi sighed:
"It's not just outside the pass. Some officials in the court are too lazy to even care about the many provinces in the north."

He paused, then said decisively:

“Continue to send memorials to the court until they agree.”

Although many ministers in the court did not want to establish the Three Offices or manage affairs outside the pass,

But there are always those officials stuck at the fourth or fifth rank who are eager to advance further.

They either had to be transferred to the capital or oust the officials above them, but the higher the rank, the fewer the available positions, making both of these things extremely difficult.

If a new province were established, there would be more than a dozen vacancies for officials of the fourth rank or above. I don't believe they wouldn't be tempted.

“Then I will arrange for the Commander to continue drafting the memorial tomorrow,” Liu Heiying replied.

Lu Yunyi nodded:
"You should go back and rest first. I'm fine."

"Leave the investigation to Zhang Bin; you don't need to work too hard."

Liu Heiying stood there stunned. This was the first time he had ever experienced such leisure.

He asked in surprise:

"Is Zhang Bin alright? I always feel that it's a bit inappropriate to put him in charge of the city's defense forces."

"Don't doubt people who are suspicious of you, don't doubt those who are employed."

Lu Yunyi waved his hand:
"There's no need to worry too much."

Seeing that he said this, Liu Heiying said no more, nodded, and stood up:

"Brother Yun'er, I'll head back now. Shall I take you home?"

"No need, I still have some paperwork to process, you can go first."

"it is good!"

After saying that, Liu Heiying tiptoed out of the yamen.

Watching his retreating figure, Lu Yunyi smiled slightly and turned his gaze back to the document in his hand, as if the assassination attempt had never happened.

The city defense prison was located in the north of the city, near the north gate, and only two streets away from the north camp.

The city defense garrison office, which usually falls silent after sunset, is unusually lively today.

One by one, the merchants dressed in rich brocade robes were escorted to the city garrison headquarters.

In the courtyard of the city defense military headquarters, the snow was trampled into a mess.

The cold wind made the lanterns under the eaves flicker.

The merchants who had been brought in were crammed into the open space of the side courtyard. Their fine clothes were covered with snow and mud, and their once shiny hair was mostly disheveled.

The smugness he had shown in Kang Le Lou was gone from his face, replaced only by barely concealed terror.

Mi Chen was held down by two city guards, his back pressed against the cold stone wall.

He tried to remain calm, lowering his voice to reassure the crowd:
"Everyone, don't panic. We just had a meal with Lord Lu. We haven't done anything wrong. The Commander will definitely find out the truth."

But nobody listened to him.

Hu Chongyi hunched his shoulders, shivering all over. The collar of his cotton robe was soaked with snow water, and his lips were purple from the cold.
"Manager Mi, you make it sound so easy! We were captured as accomplices of the assassins!"

"Lord Lu was assassinated; that's a capital offense, not something easily explained away."

Wang Ze rubbed his hands, which were stiff from the cold, his face pale.
"That's right, the people who brought me here just now said that Lord Lu was assassinated on West Heng Street, and many people were killed or injured!"

"We just separated from the adults and this happened, what a coincidence! We can't explain ourselves even if we jump into the Yellow River!"

Huang Huai squatted on the ground, holding his head in his hands, muttering to himself:

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so greedy for that honorary title of wealthy landowner. Now look what's happened; I've gotten myself into this mess."

The crowd started talking all at once, growing increasingly panicked, and the air in the side courtyard was thick with fear.

They had already experienced Lu Yunyi's methods firsthand, and when they first arrived, they even wanted to contend with this Commander-in-Chief.
Within a few months, they were completely subdued and now they have lost all their confidence.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Duan Zhengze, wrapped in a thick cotton robe, strode in.

His face was full of anxiety. His gaze swept over the merchants being escorted, and he quickly stepped forward to the guard and said:
“These are all honest merchants in the city, and they have absolutely nothing to do with Lord Lu’s assassination attempt. Untie them and let them go inside to warm up.”

The soldiers, expressionless, shook their heads.

"Lord Duan, Lord Zhang has ordered that no one is allowed to approach or be untied without his permission."

Duan Zhengze grew anxious and stepped forward to say something more, but suddenly someone gently pulled him from behind.

He turned around and saw Zhang Bin winking at him, signaling him to come aside and talk.

Duan Zhengze's heart skipped a beat. He followed Zhang Bin to the corridor and asked in a low voice:

"Lord Zhang, what exactly is going on? Why were they arrested out of the blue?"

Zhang Bin sighed and gave him a complicated look:
"Lord Duan, Lord Lu has been assassinated. More than fifty assassins are hiding in the city. Does anyone know if there are any accomplices?"

These merchants just met with the magistrate tonight; it's too much of a coincidence. It wouldn't be right not to investigate.

He paused, then lowered his voice even further:
"I advise you not to get involved in this kind of thing. If someone suspects you of being an accomplice, do you think you can keep your position as a deputy commander?"

Duan Zhengze was shocked, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

He suddenly realized that he had been present the entire evening.

If someone tries to frame him, he is indeed the most likely to be implicated.

His face turned pale instantly, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back, and his eyes were full of gratitude as he looked at Zhang Bin.

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Zhang. I was rash."

"We're all colleagues, so I should naturally remind them of things that need to be reminded."

Zhang Bin patted him on the shoulder:

"The best thing you can do right now is to ignore everything and stay put."

Once Lord Liu and Lord Lu have investigated the truth, they will naturally clear your name.

Duan Zhengze nodded, not daring to linger any longer, and hurriedly left the yamen.
Their steps were even more hurried than when they arrived, as if they were afraid of being caught up in this mess if they were even a step too late.

He had not been gone long when heavy footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard.

Liu Heiying, clad in black armor, strode in, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

His gaze swept over the merchants huddled in the corner, and the murderous aura emanating from him sent chills down everyone's spine.

He turned to his personal guards and said:

"Bring everyone into the interrogation room and question them one by one!"

The merchants were led into the interrogation room one by one.

The house was small, with walls made of dark blue-green stone covered in a layer of white frost. Straw was piled in the corner, giving off a musty smell and a chilly atmosphere.

In the center of the room sat a rough wooden table with an oil lamp burning.

Liu Heiying sat behind the wooden table, his hands supporting him, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's as he stared at Mi Chen, who had been brought in.

Mi Chen was forced to stand in front of the table, her hands tied behind her back. Her lips, which were purple from the cold, trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm.

"Lord Liu, I don't know what crime I have committed to be brought here."

Liu Heiying sneered, his voice low and deep:

"Tonight you hosted a banquet for Lord Lu at Kang Le Lou, and afterwards he was assassinated. Tell me, what crime did you commit?"

"It's just a coincidence!"

Mi Chen quickly explained:

"We are simply grateful for Lord Lu's kindness and wish to invite you to a meal. We have no other intentions whatsoever!"
Moreover, after Lord Lu left,
We were still discussing the donation of grain and the purchase of cotton at Kang Le Lou; Lord Duan can testify to that!

Liu Heiying raised an eyebrow:
"Duan Zhengze? He's in dire straits himself right now, so you should give up on that idea."

He paused, then leaned forward slightly:
"I ask you, who proposed tonight's banquet?"

Was the banquet a cover for the assassin?

"No! Absolutely not!"

Mi Chen shook his head hurriedly, cold sweat beading on his forehead:
"It was a decision made by the common people together; no one really instructed them to do it!"
We only want the title of a wealthy landowner to make it easier to do business in the future; we would never dare to harm you, sir!

Liu Heiying didn't say anything, just stared at him intently, the oppressive feeling in his eyes making Mi Chen feel very uncomfortable.

His back was soaked with cold sweat, and he shivered from the cold.

The interrogation room was eerily quiet.
This kind of silent oppression is more unbearable than torture.

Mi Chen felt uneasy under their gaze and couldn't help but speak up:
"Lord Liu, I am telling the truth!"
If you don't believe me, you can ask Hu Chongyi and Wang Ze. Everyone was present when we discussed this matter!
Besides, our business is doing just fine; there's no need to risk our lives to murder Lord Lu!

Liu Heiying remained silent, staring at him for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Only when Mi Chen was about to collapse did he slowly speak:
"Take him away, next one."

Next, Hu Chongyi, Wang Ze, Huang Huai, and others were brought in for questioning.

Liu Heiying asked the same questions repeatedly, without using any instruments of torture, yet he still managed to throw everyone into a panic.

The chill in the interrogation room grew heavier and heavier.
Merchants were brought in and taken out one by one, their faces turning deathly pale and their eyes filled with terror.

After Liu Heiying finished interrogating the last merchant, he rubbed his temples and said to his personal guards:
"Take them all back to the side courtyard and keep a close watch on them."

The guard acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

Just then, Zhang Bin strode in, holding a document in his hand, his face showing a serious expression:

"Sir, the autopsy results are in!"

(End of this chapter)