The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 630 Hongmen Banquet

"There will be a Hongmen Banquet tomorrow. Wang Heng is probably going to fight to the death. Will Zhang Jinglie go?"

"Go, why not? Fifty years ago, my father fought against many enemies with a small force and was not afraid of Wang Xijue at all. Fifty years later, why should I be afraid of Wang Xijue's son? And a useless son at that!"

Kang Guangxu was stunned and speechless for a long time.

"Tomorrow, I, the official, will go alone. You will stay at the Governor's Mansion and wait for the court's assistance. Inspector Kang, do you have that medicine?"

Kang Guangxu looked confused.

"Oh, I only have the Diamond Powder, no poison."

Zhang Yunxiu looked slightly disappointed and asked, "Doesn't the Kang family have that potion that Yuan Shaobao took in Japan?"

"No."

Although the Kang family is a medical family, Kang Guangxu himself is the eighteenth inheritor of Vajra Powder (the seventeenth generation is his father Kang Yingqian), but poisons such as arsenic and crested red are not within their business scope.

Kang Guangxu asked anxiously, "Does Zhang Jinglie also want to die with Wang Heng?"

Zhang Yunxiu remained silent, which was considered as his agreement to the question.

"The Wang family is well-defended, with three to four hundred retainers. All the thieves in the city work for Wang Heng. If we want to implement the new policies in Taicang, we must remove this thorn! If we wait for reinforcements to arrive, Wang Heng would have already fled. This is our opportunity."

Kang Guangxu murmured to himself:
"Advanced hunters often appear as prey."

The others were not so carefree and they all advised Zhang Jinglie not to put himself in danger.

Li Zicheng said, "Zhang Jinglie, Emperor Guangde has entrusted you to me. If anything happens to you, how will I explain it? If you insist on going to the Wang family, I will bring my guards with you tomorrow."

Zhang Yunxiu refused, "I will attend the meeting alone tomorrow. No need to persuade me. I have my own plans. Wang Heng has killed so many inspectors. It's time to settle the feud between him and me."

How could Li Zicheng agree to this? He refused to compromise and threatened death to protect Zhang Jinglie.

"Well, General Li and Inspector Kang will come with me, and the rest of you will stay here. I will make my own arrangements."

Kang Guangxu was shocked. He didn't expect Zhang Jinglie to drag him into this...
If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have tried to persuade him.

~~~~~~
Taicang Palace.

Surrounded by pink walls and green willows, push open the vermilion animal-faced gate, and you will see paths connecting to each other in the courtyard, dotted with rocks, and a lush garden, it is magnificent and splendid.

Walk along the corridor through several courtyards, past the ancestral hall, through the patio, and arrive at the reception room.

The surroundings were filled with bright incense and candles, brocade curtains and embroidered curtains, and a huge eight-immortal table was already filled with various dishes.

Wang Heng sat at the top seat with a smug smile on his face.

Zhang Yunxiu sat next to him, followed by Kang Guangxu and Li Zicheng.

The palace servants stood behind the table, each holding a sharp knife.

A group of servants stood densely at the door, all wearing armor and with unfriendly faces.

Outside the yard, there were hundreds of thugs scattered around, all of them ferocious-looking, waiting for Wang Heng's signal to smash the cup so that they could rush in and avenge their companions.

Prince Wang was surprised that Zhang Yunxiu would come to the banquet.

However, he remained calm on the surface, raised his glass and said:
"I've heard of your great name, Zhang Jinglie. You've been in Taicang for so long, but I've been busy with other things, sending people who are eager to be reincarnated on their journeys. I haven't been able to welcome you. I'm so ashamed, so ashamed."

Zhang Yunxiu looked at the couplet on the wall behind him: "The sun and the moon are the eyes of heaven and earth; poetry and books are the hearts of sages." He didn't listen to what Wang Heng was saying at all.

"Zhang Jinglie, please."

Zhang Yunxiu pointed at the silk robe Wang Heng was wearing, his eyebrows raised:

"According to the laws of the Great Qi, common people without any rank are not allowed to wear silk and satin at will. As far as I know, it seems that you didn't even pass the imperial examination..."

Wang Heng raised his wine glass, and the servants around him immediately put their hands on the scabbards.

Li Zicheng held his breath and concentrated, like an old monk in meditation, sitting there motionless, only his eyebrows twitching slightly.

"Well, I forgot to tell Zhang Jinglue about this."

Wang Heng caught a glimpse of the ancient goose-feather knife on Li Zicheng's waist, and felt a murderous aura coming towards him. He gently put down the wine glass he had raised high.

He stretched out three fingers and said to Zhang Yunxiu:

"Zhang Jinglue, I am currently the magistrate of Jiading, Wuxian, and Kunshan counties..." Seeing that Zhang Yunxiu did not speak, Wang Heng continued:
"Since my father and the governor's father are old friends, you and I can be considered half friends. I won't say anything empty."

"I am an official in Taicang. Apart from the imperial robe, I can wear whatever I want. I wonder if this answer satisfies Zhang Jinglie?"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded, staring at Wang Heng and said:
"So, your county magistrates were all bought? Does our Great Qi have any rules against selling official positions? How many heads do you have left to chop off?"

Wang Heng laughed heartily and said calmly:

"Great Qi doesn't have this rule, but Great Ming does. The three county magistrates were all bought by the Hongguang Emperor during his reign. After all, Zhu Changying was short of money when he attacked you! Qi inherited the Ming system. The retired emperor said three years ago that officials in the prefectures and counties of Jiangnan, except for those who plotted treason and committed serious disrespect, could be reinstated..."

Zhang Yunxiu said coldly: "Why are you buying so many officials?"

Wang Heng laughed and said, "Buying an official position is, of course, for the sake of making money! Are you trying to become a saint like you? There's silver everywhere in Taicang City!"

Kang Guangxu was amused by his words. He looked at the magistrates of the three counties with sharp eyes, regardless of the danger he faced.

"Whose money do you want to make?"

“We earn money from whoever has money.”

Kang Guangxu said with a sullen face, "The Emperor of Daqi is the richest man. Do you want to earn his money?"

Wang Heng shook his hand: "I didn't say that."

"You all came and didn't let me make money properly. Not only did you not let me make money, you also wanted to kill me."

Kang Guangxu smiled and said:
"County Magistrate Wang, please explain clearly. How did we block your path to wealth?"

Wang Heng raised his glass: "Please."

Zhang Yunxiu just picked it up when Kang Guangxu winked at him. Wang Heng smiled and said:
"Don't worry, it's not poisonous. I'm just a small-time magistrate. How dare I murder you, my superiors?"

Kang Guangxu laughed:
"Come, come, come, come, Magistrate Wang, you're too polite. Everyone in Jiangnan knows the Wang family of Taicang. You're a prominent figure in Taicang, and the local gentry and officials at all levels must give you some respect."

Wang Heng spread his hands and smiled:
"What's the point of being a prominent figure? Every day, I have to feed thousands of people, dozens of staff, and a whole family. All of their food, drink, and defecation all depend on my meager salary. I can't even make ends meet."

Zhang Yunxiu asked, "Times are tough. How did Magistrate Wang survive on such a small salary?"

Wang Heng smiled and said, "Zhang Jinglie, that's a good question. Do you know what kind of business I'm in?"

"do not know."

Kang Guangxu explained: "Most of the silk, tea, porcelain, and skinny horse businesses in Jiangnan are run by princes."

Zhang Yunxiu laughed and said, "So, Young Master Wang is very rich now, and he made the right choice to ask you for the land survey."

Kang Guangxu laughed and winked at Li Zicheng.

Wang Heng said indifferently:
"You're too kind. I'm just bringing goods to the Lord."

"Bringing goods?"

"It's smuggling. From Rakshasa in the north to Java in the south, the Zheng family has business there."

Zhang Kang and the other man looked at each other. They had never expected that Wang Xijue's son would be so wild. Instead of doing his job as a county magistrate, he mixed with pirates and even expanded his business to Java.

"This is a disgrace to my family. I'm not cut out for studying, and painting can't support a family. All I can do is hang out with pirates... It's a shame that even this path is about to be cut off."

"Why?" Zhang Yunxiu asked knowingly.

Wang Heng was indignant:

"Zheng Sen was so beaten that he dared not return to Fujian. After a month, he finally managed to break out of the siege with a boat, but you intercepted it.

Suzhou style, Guangzhou craftsmanship.

Utensils made of fragrant rhinoceros horn, elephant, clam, tortoise shell, bamboo, wood, rattan, and tin are all the best in the world.

These precious commodities were sold overseas in previous years, making the Wang family a fortune.

Now, the maritime trade business is almost entirely monopolized by the Da Qi Chamber of Commerce, and all the money is earned by the Chamber of Commerce.

"The Wang family has stood in Taicang for hundreds of years. You came, confiscated our land, suppressed our business, and killed my people. Aren't you trying to force me to rebel?"

(End of this chapter)