Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 102 I am irreconcilably opposed to evil! [Seeking monthly votes]

Old Zhu was plotting against Zhang Biao in the palace, and Zhang Biao received a report from a minor official that Jiang Huan had taken over their warehouse with his men. These events happened almost simultaneously.

When Zhang Biao heard the report, although he was surprised, he was not angry. Instead, he revealed a more amused smile and patted the clerk who had brought the news on the shoulder:

"What's the panic? If the Emperor wants to take over, then let him take over! We're demanding our wages in a civilized manner; we need to reason with him, right?"

As he spoke, he glanced around at the tense crowd and raised his voice, "Brothers! Perfect! With the warehouse under control, we're free of burdens! Let's have even more fun tonight!"

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other.

Zhang Biao smiled, then raised his hand and said, "Jiang Huan is just trying to lighten our burden! Come on! Don't think too much, cheers!"

The words were spoken, but no one responded.

The atmosphere turned cold.

Fear gripped the hearts of these low-ranking officials in the capital once again.

Just as the atmosphere was about to freeze, Shen Lang, whose drunkenness had been somewhat sobered up by fear, cautiously leaned closer and whispered:
"Brother Biao, what exactly does the Emperor mean by this? Giving money and taking from the treasury, could this be..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture and lowered his voice even further, saying, "Feed us first, then kill us?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts jumped into their throats.

Sun Gui had lost all interest in lighting the young lady earlier. Looking at Zhang Biao, he said with a mournful face:

"All the silver we painstakingly audited is gone! What good are eight thousand taels of reward silver now? That's over eighty thousand taels!"

Li Mo was relatively calmer, but his face was still pale. He stood up, supporting himself on the table, and said worriedly:
"Brother Biao, the Emperor's actions are probably not as simple as they seem on the surface."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately listened attentively.

But then Li Mo said thoughtfully:
"The Emperor openly affirmed our audit, spared our lives, and even rewarded us. But secretly, he has placed us in a precarious position, making you the target of public criticism."

"The entire court, especially those nobles and powerful figures, probably wish they could tear us apart alive right now!"

"Continue the investigation? Investigate whom? Investigate how? This is clearly a scheme to use someone else to do the dirty work!"

"If we are asked to tear others apart and make enemies of the whole world, we will probably not escape our fate in the end."

He paused, took a deep breath, and uttered four words in a deep voice: "When the birds are all gone, the bow is put away."

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

Some people's hearts suddenly started racing.

Someone was clinging tightly to the official's robe.

But Li Mo hadn't finished speaking.

He looked at Zhang Biao with admiration and said meaningfully, "Brother Biao, you suspended the audit today by tearing up the imperial edict. I'm afraid you're worried about us, aren't you?"

"Indeed! How could we not understand Zhang Qianxian's intentions?"

"Yes! Brother Biao is righteous!"

Zhao Fengman and the others nodded in agreement, their faces filled with worry and lingering fear.

Imperial grace is boundless? Bullshit!

They felt that this 'grace' was like a red-hot iron, burning their hearts and making them tremble with fear.

Zhang Biao, however, seemed oblivious to their concerns. He picked up a piece of cold pig's head meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly. His eyes darted around, as if he was savoring the aroma of the meat, or perhaps pondering something deeper.

"Why are you panicking?"

He swallowed the meat, chuckled, and broke the silence: "Old Zhu's move was indeed insidious, but it was also somewhat expected."

"As expected?" Everyone was taken aback.

"if not?"

Zhang Biao glanced at them: "Who do you think Old Zhu is? He's an emperor who crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood! Do you think he can be completely manipulated by our little tricks?"

After saying this, he tapped the table and continued, "He was so angry that he fainted because he couldn't save face, because his sore spot was touched."

"But when he wakes up, the first thing he'll do isn't impotent rage, but scheming! How to turn this storm that's against him into a weapon in his favor!"

"The lists and accounts we uncovered are ready-made knives."

"His reward to us is to sharpen the knife, hand it to me, and force me to kill for him! To clean up those people he has wanted to deal with for a long time, but because of their entrenched connections and the fact that moving one would affect the whole situation, he has never had the opportunity or the excuse to do so!"
“In his eyes, we were just a pack of ‘mad dogs’ that he threw into a pack of wolves.”

"He profited by killing the wolf."

"If he is killed by wolves, he will only have some peace and quiet, and he will not lose anything. He will not lose anything either way."

Zhang Biao's analysis was cold and insightful, sending chills down Shen Lang and the others' spines, as if they could already see themselves being torn apart by a pack of wolves.

"Then what should we do?" Li Mo asked in a dry voice.

Zhang Biao smiled faintly, then straightened his back and said solemnly, "Naturally, we are irreconcilable enemies with evil!"

"Bam—!"

The pleasure boat suddenly rocked violently.

It felt as if I had been hit hard by something.

Suddenly, the painted boat was in disarray, with cups and plates scattered everywhere and wine spilled all over the floor. The singers and dancers screamed in terror.

"what happened?!"

"A ship collision?!"

"Who the hell dares to ram my boat?!"

Zhang Biao steadied himself and rushed to the side of the boat, cursing all the while.

A government ship, even larger than the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix, yet decorated in an extremely understated manner and exuding a somewhat menacing aura, suddenly appeared close to them.

There were no lanterns on the bow of the boat, only a few dark figures standing silently, as if blending into the night. A cold, sharp voice, filled with deep mockery, came from the official boat, clearly drowning out the waves and lingering clamor of the Qinhuai River:
"Imperial Censor Zhang has quite the refined taste!"

"With the Emperor's reward money, they live a life of debauchery and carefree pleasure on the Qinhuai River!"

"I wonder if the families and children of those brothers who were having fun with you are as safe and sound as you are right now?!"

Boom!

The moment the words fell.

Almost all members of the 'audit dream team,' including Shen Lang, were struck dumb.

A chilling cold instantly shot from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads, making their scalps tingle, their bodies shiver, and they swayed as if they were about to collapse.

"Clap!"

The wine bowl in Shen Lang's hand fell to the ground and shattered.

The chamber pot lamp in Sun Gui's hand swayed, and the candlelight suddenly went out.

Li Mo's face suddenly turned ashen.

All the members of the "audit team" were completely blank-minded.

Zhang Biao's drunkenness and cynicism vanished instantly, replaced by extreme coldness and rage.

really!

What is coming has finally come!
Old Zhu, you damn alpaca!

This is all your doing!
Those being audited have started resorting to underhanded tactics!
They actually threatened my family!?
boom!
Zhang Biao slammed his fist hard against the railing of the pleasure boat, sending wood chips flying.

His gaze was like a knife, fixed on the official boat that lurked in the darkness like a ghost. He forced out a sentence through clenched teeth, his voice not loud, but carrying a terrifying killing intent that echoed across the suddenly silent river:
"you--!"

"Dare to lay a finger on them and see what happens?!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by uncontrollable maniacal laughter.

The laughter was full of disdain, mockery, and contempt.

"Imperial Censor Zhang, what an imposing official you are!"

On the opposite bow, a figure took a step forward, the dim lamplight outlining his splendid attire, his voice still sharp and sarcastic:
"Touch a hair on their head? Tsk tsk tsk, the way you put it, it's as if we're some heinous bandits."

“We are all law-abiding citizens, respectable people! How could we do such a despicable thing?”

Then, his tone shifted abruptly, becoming sarcastic and laced with a strong threat:
"However, the world is not peaceful these days!"

"I've heard that there are more refugees in Yingtian Prefecture lately, and petty theft and kidnapping are happening from time to time."

"Your brothers' families don't seem to live in any high-class or wealthy households, do they?"

"The courtyard walls are low, and the door panels are thin."

"Tsk tsk, what if the window isn't closed properly at night and there's a fire?"

"What if I go out to buy groceries and accidentally get hit by a spooked horse-drawn carriage?"

"What if a child in the family falls into an uncovered, dry well while playing?"

"Oh dear, we're really in a desperate situation!"

Every "what if" was like a cold awl, piercing deep into the hearts of Shen Lang, Sun Gui, Li Mo, and the others.

Their faces turned from deathly pale to ashen, and their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.

They seemed to already see the tragic fate of their family members, and the sense of helplessness and fear instantly overwhelmed them.

The chamber pot lamp in Sun Gui's hand fell to the deck with a 'clatter' and rolled to one side.

Shen Lang's legs went weak, and he could barely stand.

"Oh, right!"

As if just remembering something, the man reminded them with a malicious tone:
“Censor Zhang, you are a bachelor, with no ties or worries, and you fear neither heaven nor earth. You can be your ‘madman’ in the Fengtian Hall and indulge in your ‘refined’ ways on the Qinhuai River.”

"But you can't let these good brothers who followed you to plead for the people and die for the country end up with their families destroyed and their lives ruined, can you?"

"Then you're really being a 'hot-tempered guy' in a very unfair way!"

"How heartbreaking it is for my brothers!"

Murder and kill!
This is a naked conspiracy!

By threatening the safety of their families, they were forced to back down and Zhang Biao was forced to submit.

They also wanted to sow discord among these brothers who had just gone through life and death and shared the same ideals.

"Hehehe"

A low, sarcastic laugh escaped Zhang Biao's throat.

The rage and coldness on his face gradually faded, replaced by a mocking look, as if he were watching a clown.

He even slowly straightened his clothes, which had become somewhat disheveled from his excitement.

Then he raised his head, his gaze piercing through the night, precisely locking onto the blurry figure on the bow of the opposite boat. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out the sound of the flowing river, carrying a chilling calm:

"Finished?"

The laughter and words on the other end stopped abruptly, as if they were taken aback by Zhang Biao's unusual composure.

Zhang Biao, however, didn't wait for a response and nodded to himself, as if commenting on a poor performance: "Terrible."

(End of this chapter)