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

Chapter 106 Imperial Censor Zhang has fallen out of favor! Kill him quickly! [Seeking monthly votes]

At the entrance of the Censorate, Zhang Biao had just finished shouting slogans with high spirits and was about to lead a group of trembling yet inexplicably excited members to the Imperial Treasury.

Suddenly, a series of heavy footsteps came from the end of the street.

Jiang Huan personally led the team, and a dark mass of Imperial Guards surged in like a tide, instantly surrounding the Censorate.

Swords were drawn, crossbows were nocked, and a murderous aura filled the air.

"Clap!"

Without a word, a Jinyiwei centurion kicked the newly hung sign, still wet with ink, shattering it into pieces. The sign read "Hongwu Audit Special Accounts Bureau" and "Royal Treasury Audit Special Action Group, in Preparation."

"By order of the Emperor!"

Jiang Huan remained expressionless, her voice icy, drawing upon her inner strength to ensure everyone around could hear her:

"Zhang Biao is arrogant and unruly, and has overstepped his bounds. Effective immediately, his so-called 'Audit Department' is hereby shut down! He is forbidden from mentioning the audit of the internal treasury again! Anyone who violates this order will be executed without exception!"

He turned his gaze to Zhang Biao, whose face clearly showed an expression of 'I knew it,' and continued:

"By imperial decree: Zhang Biao and his associates are forbidden from entering the palace, accessing the imperial treasury, or reviewing royal archives! From now on, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will 'escort' and record all your actions! The Emperor does not wish to hear any further comments on this matter!"

Wow——!
The crowd was in an uproar!
This is no longer a rejection; this is a complete ban!
Zhang Biao touched his nose, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, he sneered and shouted at Jiang Huan, "Old Jiang, go back and tell Old Zhu that this isn't over!"

"Shh!"

Jiang Huan suddenly drew his embroidered spring knife: "What did you say?!"

"I said, if you have the guts, kill me now, right now! If you don't, shut up and watch!"

Zhang Biao dismissed it with disdain.

Shen Lang and the others were nearly scared to death, thinking, "Have they really gone too far with their suicidal thoughts?!"
Zhang Biao, completely unconcerned, shrugged at the stunned crowd of people and officials around him and loudly proclaimed:

"As you all see, this is how difficult auditing work is! Even the emperor might not cooperate! It shows that the fight against corruption and the promotion of integrity is a long and arduous task!"

After speaking, he turned around, patted Shen Lang on the shoulder, and shouted to the group of low-ranking officials in the capital:

"Brothers, it's alright! If they won't let us audit the Imperial Treasury, we'll continue auditing the Six Ministries! The work must go on! Let's go! Our target is the Ministry of Revenue's archives! Let's check if the national treasury accounts match the Imperial Treasury's."

As he spoke, he actually swaggered out, as if he wasn't the one who had just received a stern warning.

Jiang Huan and his group of Imperial Guards, their faces dark, had no choice but to follow along and begin their 'full escort' mission.

On the other side, inside the Ministry of Revenue's duty room.

Several seemingly ordinary account books were spread out in front of Fu Youwen, but he was pointing to a few thin pages tucked inside.

"Zhao Langzhong"

He looked at a trusted confidant whose face was pale and said, "You have followed Zhao Qian for many years, and you are most familiar with his seal and handwriting. These three 'Zhao Qian's instructions' must be made flawlessly."

"It would be best to pin the whereabouts of the 80,000 taels of dike funds from the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commission on him. Remember, the approval date should be half a month before his execution."

"My subordinate understands."

Zhao Langzhong's hands trembled slightly:
"But... but this amount is enormous, and it seems that Minister Zhao did not..."

"He 'seems' to be doing more!"

Fu Youwen coldly interrupted:

"The dead cannot speak. If you do this well, I will arrange for your family to be sent to the south, ensuring your lifelong wealth and prosperity."

After saying that, he paused, his tone suddenly turning cold: "If you don't do it well, you know the consequences."

hiss--!
Dr. Zhao gasped, then nodded emphatically.

At this moment, Fu Youwen looked at another person and said in a deep voice:

"Master Sun, tomorrow morning, disguise yourself as a peddler and go to the vicinity of 'Moxiangzhai' in the south of the city. That bookworm Li Mo goes there to hunt for old books every third and eighteenth of the month. You 'accidentally' drop this envelope."

As he spoke, he pushed over an inconspicuous gray cloth envelope:

"Inside are detailed copies of Ru Chang's brother-in-law's private arms transactions with Bian Jiang, with our traces erased, but enough to lure them in."

"Remember, be flustered, be natural, pick it up and run, and make sure he sees the 'soldier' ​​mark on the envelope."

"I obey my orders!"

"besides!"

Fu Youwen picked up a cup of tea and said to his advisor, "The letter to the Gu family in Jiangnan should be written with secret writing liquid and hidden in an ordinary family letter."

"Tell Mr. Gu that there is no need to attack Zhang Biao directly. Just have his disciples and friends mention more in their reports from various places that 'local officials are so frightened by the censors in the capital that they dare not do their jobs, government affairs are stagnant, and the people are suffering.'"

"Finally, let's elaborate on the drawbacks of 'competing with the people for profit.' This dirty water must be poured out silently, yet it is everywhere."

"Your Excellency's plan is brilliant; I admire it."

The advisor smiled and stroked his beard, preparing to turn around and carry out Fu Youwen's orders.

Just then, a minor official rushed in hurriedly:

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! That scoundrel Zhang Biao has set up a new office in the Censorate, called the Hongwu Special Audit Office, claiming it's to audit the Emperor's private treasury!"

"what?!"

Fu Youwen was taken aback. His face turned ashen, and his fingers trembled so much that he could barely hold the teacup.

The atmosphere in the duty room instantly plummeted to freezing point.

In fact, if Zhu wanted to kill someone, he only needed to have the Embroidered Uniform Guard verify the accounts reported by Zhang Biao.

Fu Youwen is absolutely dead.

But Lao Zhu did not do that.

The death of Fu Youwen was not his goal; he wanted to kill everyone connected to Fu Youwen and the corruption within the Ministry of Revenue.

That's the real reason he needs someone to step forward.

Fu Youwen, of course, knew what Zhu was thinking, which is why he kept destroying evidence and expanding his influence, betting on whether Zhu would dare to kill them all. However, the current situation is that Zhang Biao even dares to investigate Zhu's private funds; what are they compared to him?
The little influence you've created is nowhere near as great as the influence of investigating Zhu Yuanzhang's private funds.
"A madman! He's a complete and utter madman!"

Fu Youwen's face was ashen, his eyes filled with fear and resentment: "This isn't an audit, this is digging up the roots!"

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the nation's money and grain. It had intricate and undeniable connections with the imperial treasury's allocation of funds, the designation of imperial merchants in various regions, and the procurement of palace supplies.
Zhang Biao's 'indirect approach' was like a knife to Fu Youwen's heart!
Extremely precise.

He immediately realized that he absolutely could not let Zhang Biao continue his investigation like this!

"quick!"

Fu Youwen suddenly stood up, his voice urgent:

"Immediately summon Minister Ru, along with several officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Personnel! Tell them we have an extremely urgent matter to discuss!"

"in addition!"

He called to his trusted aide, his eyes sharp and ruthless:

"We must thoroughly review all the account books of our Ministry of Revenue related to the imperial treasury, imperial merchants, and procurement over the past ten years, especially the old accounts from before the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign! Any lost records must be lost, and any records that need to be modified must be modified. We must ensure that everything is flawless and leave no room for doubt."

He must unite with other departments that may be affected to deal with the crisis, while destroying evidence as soon as possible.

But just then, another minor official rushed in, panting, and said:

"Your Excellency, the signs for Censor Zhang's 'Hongwu Audit Special Accounts Bureau' and 'Royal Treasury Audit Special Action Group' have been torn down by Commander Jiang and his men. Furthermore, the Emperor has issued an edict forbidding Censor Zhang and his men from approaching the Imperial Treasury, under penalty of death. The Emperor also said that the matter of the Imperial Treasury will be discussed later."

"Om-!"

The entire Ministry of Revenue's duty room was first filled with a buzzing sound.

Then came a burst of laughter.

"Hahaha! God help me too!"

Fu Youwen almost laughed until tears streamed down his face:
"His Majesty has abandoned him! He's treating him like a discarded pawn! Good! Very good!"

He immediately changed his previous order to destroy evidence: "Don't touch the account books! Immediately contact Minister Ru and several vice censors of the Censorate! Tell them that the mad dog is left unchecked, it's time for us to pick up the stick and beat it!"

He realized that the time for a counterattack had come.

Dealing with Zhang Biao now is not only risk-free, but may even be relieving the emperor of his worries.

On the other hand, the same situation was also happening with Ru Chang, the Minister of War.

He was still in his military uniform and sat directly in the duty room, with several burly generals standing in front of him.

"General Wang!"

Ru Chang's voice was deep and resonant, carrying a hint of authority: "How are your men doing in their training lately?"

Wang, the adjutant, understood immediately and grinned:
"Back to the headquarters, the brothers are itching for a good fight and are looking for a hard spot to practice their charges! I heard that the area outside Chengtian Gate is big enough and not far from a warehouse where 'stolen goods' are stored. Perfect!"

"Ah."

Ru Chang nodded expressionlessly: "Drills should look like drills. The sound of hooves should be loud, the dust should be high, and the shouts should be clear!"

"But remember, this is training, not causing trouble. If you damage the flowers or plants, remember to pay for them."

He added meaningfully, "Especially be careful around residential houses, so as not to disturb them."

Another general whispered:

"Minister, the Duke of Fu from the Five Armies Commandery asked if they need his presence."

"No need!"

Ru Chang waved her hand: "The moment the old Duke makes a move, the situation changes. The spontaneous actions of your subordinates are what truly define the morale of the army. Go and do it."

The generals grinned maliciously as they accepted their orders and left.

Ru Chang picked up another blank memorial, ground the ink himself, pondered for a moment, and wrote:
[Your Majesty, I respectfully report: I was shocked to learn of the Imperial Censor's investigation and confiscation of supplies, which has shaken the entire army. Soldiers in the capital garrison all say that their provisions and pay are a matter of life and death, and now that it has been seized like bandits, they fear it may cause internal strife. Although I have tried my best to suppress this, I am deeply worried, fearing only that I will fail Your Majesty's trust.]

Every word was written in blood, every sentence was shocking.

At this moment, a minor official came in and reported to him that Zhang Biao was auditing the imperial treasury.

His reaction was even more furious than Fu Youwen's.

His already obese body trembled violently with anger.

"Auditing the Emperor?! How dare Zhang Biao?! He should just die!"

Ru Chang roared, smashing a beloved inkstone: "And that idiot Fu Youwen! If he hadn't been so incompetent and owed so much salary, how could he have been driven to this state by a mad censor?!"

But he quickly calmed down, and fear overcame his anger.

If Zhang Biao dares to investigate even the imperial treasury, then his collusion with the Tianxia Guard to expose their filthy accounts and prevent Zhang Biao from investigating would be a huge joke.

After all, it's obvious which is more important, the imperial guards or the emperor's private treasury.

"Prepare the sedan chair! We're going to Fu Youwen's residence!" Ru Chang decided immediately.

At this moment, these bureaucrats, who might otherwise have been fighting amongst themselves, must temporarily form an alliance in the face of a common threat.

However, at that moment, another minor official came to report the same news.

Ru Chang reacted just as quickly, a ferocious glint flashing across his fat face: "I knew it! How could His Majesty tolerate such a madman?! Just as I thought!"

"Fu Youwen probably knows by now, as do those old guys in the Five Military Commands. It's time for them to step up!"

"Besides, what about those feudal princes? Which of Beiping, Xi'an, and Taiyuan is clean?!"

"Ah!"

He sneered and said:
"Zhang Biao, you like auditing, don't you? Go ahead and audit! Let's see if you can keep going!"

"A disgraced and cruel official is nothing but a worthless life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he called out to the outside, "Call General Wang and the others back and tell them that the training can be a bit more intense."

(End of this chapter)