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

Chapter 119 A Lonely Soul and Metamorphosis [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In the cold, damp death cell of the imperial prison, only a few faint rays of light pierced through the small, high windows, illuminating the swirling dust.

Zhang Biao leaned against the cold stone wall, his hands and feet bound by heavy shackles, but his face showed no despair, instead displaying an almost manic calm.

The jailers kept their distance, not daring to approach this 'plague god' who dared to curse even the emperor unconscious and who dared to curse nobles and high-ranking officials even on his deathbed.

"Suppress Confucianism? Ha!"

Zhang Biao muttered to himself, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Those idiots, do they really think I'm going to dig up Confucius's grave?"

He raised his head and stared at the small vent, his eyes sharp as knives, as if they could pierce through the cage and see the vast and decaying body of the empire outside.

But then he muttered to himself:

What Lao Tzu sought to reject was not the doctrines of Confucius and Mencius, nor those lofty sayings about self-cultivation, family harmony, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world!

What Lao Tzu sought to abolish were the tools of governance that, for nearly a thousand years, had used the guise of Confucianism to suppress thought, solidify class divisions, and cultivate hypocrites!

Even though he couldn't express his true feelings, he still carried a sense of indignation and a lucid madness.

They use the rigid hierarchical system of "ruler and subject" to bind people's hands and feet, the "Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues" to stifle people's spirit, and the "ancestral laws" to block all paths to change!

They spout 'benevolence and morality,' but in their hearts they're calculating personal gain, power, and factionalism!

Scholars spend their lives studying classics, only to pass the imperial examinations and become officials; once they become officials, they only seek to amass wealth and power; and then, having gained wealth and power, they use the doctrines of sages to build a virtuous image for themselves!

They are not upholding the orthodox traditions of sages and saints, but rather their own privileges and comfortable lives of unearned wealth!

What use is this kind of 'Confucianism,' this kind of 'pure stream,' to the country? What benefit is it to the people? They are nothing more than a group of termites clinging to the lifeblood of the nation!

In Zhang Biao's eyes burned a flame of idealism crushed by reality.

Lao Tzu audited the six ministries, investigating corruption related to funds and grain, the visible parasites.

Even if all corrupt officials are executed, the root cause of cultivating hypocrites and parasites remains unchanged. With a different emperor or a different reign title, these parasites will still emerge, perhaps even more robustly.

Therefore, I will break through this barrier; I will shout, "Suppress Confucianism!"

Even if it costs me my life, I will tear off that fig leaf and tell everyone that the problem isn't a few corrupt officials, but that the ideological foundation that sustains this empire is rotten!

This empire needs a change of blood! It needs something new!

[Practical knowledge! Knowledge that can be applied to practical matters!]

[The ability to manufacture muskets and cannons—the science of national wealth and military strength!]

[A discipline capable of developing water conservancy projects and benefiting the people!]

Instead of spending all day spouting classical phrases, kowtowing, and spouting nonsense about temperament, reason, and the ways of officialdom!

He yanked on the shackles, making a rattling sound, as if shouting to Old Zhu in the afterlife at the empty cell:

[Old Zhu! You can kill all the corrupt officials, but can you eradicate this pervasive decay?]

[You ask me how to solve those problems? Is that even a problem? Don't you understand? What you need isn't a bunch of moralists who only know how to kowtow and write flowery articles!]

What a pity! You don't dare!

Ultimately, you're still bound by this system. All you can see is me going crazy. You only want to use my 'mad knife' to help you with political purges.

"call"

Zhang Biao exhaled a breath of stale air, his voice tinged with weariness and knowing mockery, and shook his head: "Forget it, I'm doomed this time. I can only wait for the next wave."

"But at least I got to rant and rave this time, and I can finally go home and take a decent vacation!"

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and muttered, "I wonder if those little wolf cubs can figure anything out? Otherwise, I'll have died for nothing."

He closed his eyes and stopped thinking nonsense.

Meanwhile, news of Zhang Biao being imprisoned and awaiting the autumn execution spread like wildfire throughout Yingtian Prefecture.

The entire government and the public were in an uproar.

Some people clapped and cheered.

Some people feel sorrow when the rabbit dies.

Many others remained silent out of fear.

Meanwhile, Shen Lang, Li Mo, Sun Gui, Wu Naida, and Zhao Fengman, who had once closely followed Zhang Biao and were called "wolf cubs" by him, gathered in Shen Lang's small and simple official residence.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as a cloudy day outside.

On the table was a pot of cheap liquor, a plate of pig's head meat, and a cold dish that had hardly been touched.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Fengman finally spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Will Zhang Qianxian really be executed in the autumn?"

His eyes reddened after he said that.

This fat censor, who once wanted to "buy a coffin" for Zhang Biao and addressed him as "Zhang Qianxian" at every turn, felt such genuine fear and indignation for the first time.

He recalled the profound righteousness that Zhang Biao had imparted to him when he attended the "Die-hard Remonstrance Training Course."
He remembered that night when Zhang Biao patted him on the shoulder and said, "You've lost weight, and you're starting to look like a wolf cub."
Recalling the scene at Fengtian Hall Square, Zhang Biao had angered Old Zhu to the point of fainting four times in order to protect them.
Recalling how Zhang Biao had frantically fought back when those righteous people tried to implicate them, tears streamed down his face.

"His Majesty's words are golden and lawful."

Li Mo's voice was relatively calm, but his clenched fists and slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

As a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, he knew best the weight the words "slandering sacred learning" carried in the current emperor's mind.

It was even more earth-shattering than cursing the emperor, auditing the six ministries and nobles, or auditing the imperial treasury.

This is something that truly touches on the red line of governance.

It was already a huge surprise that Zhang Biao received a "execution after the autumn harvest" instead of "death by a thousand cuts." But he could never forget the madness and precision of Zhang Biao's final "on-site audit," and the ruthlessness that tore off the mask of hypocrisy.

The discussions on the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and the sober reflections on governance.

"Damn it! Why?!"

Sun Gui slammed his hand on the table, sending the bowls and plates flying everywhere.

He was an assistant minister in the Ministry of War, and he carried the straightforwardness and courage of a soldier: "Brother Biao found out so many corrupt officials. If it weren't for Brother Biao, Li Tiesheng and his gang of old bastards would still be lecturing people like hypocrites!"

"Why are meritorious officials imprisoned while corrupt officials are only punished by a few? Is there no justice left in this court?!"

"Ah!"

Wu Naida sneered: "What justice?"

He was the oldest and most shrewd official in the Ministry of Personnel: "When has this court ever spoken of the fairness we imagine? There are only interests, only weighing the pros and cons!"

"Did the Emperor want to kill Brother Biao? He was just looking to use Brother Biao to cleanse the corrupt officials and rats!"

"But he had no choice but to kill!"

"Because he wanted to give an explanation to the scholars of the world, and to uphold the dignity of that 'orthodox tradition'!"

"As for parasites and rats, doesn't Your Majesty know they're everywhere in the world? Killing a few will bring some peace for a while, just for show!"

His words were cold and realistic, like a knife slicing open the bloody truth.

Everyone fell silent again.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Lang, who had been silent all along, finally said with a sob in his voice, "Then what do we do? Are we just going to watch Brother Biao die?"

He was the most timid, and his body was still trembling slightly: "If Brother Biao is gone, we probably won't live much longer either."

"Those 'pure' faction members probably hate us to death."

"And Ru Chang, Fu Youwen, Zheng Ci, Zhai Shan, and the others definitely won't let us off the hook either."

"What are you afraid of!?"

Sun Gui grabbed the chamber pot lamp on the corner of the table, his neck stiff, and said, "A head lost is just a scar! I'll be a hero again in eighteen years! I'll fight them to the death! I can go down and reunite with Brother Biao!"

"Compete? What will we use to compete?"

Wu Naida poured cold water on our hopes: "We have no power or influence, what can we use to fight against ministers, dukes, marquises, and nobles? What can we use to fight against the civil service? Are we just going to throw our lives away?"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent again.

An atmosphere of despair permeated the air.

This time, he was relatively quick; after only a moment, Li Mo broke the silence: "We can't fight, nor can we wait to die."

Upon hearing this, all four of them turned to look at him.

But then he slowly said, "Do you all remember what Brother Biao said before he was taken away?"

"Brother Biao said the real show has just begun, and he even cursed Fu Youwen and the others, saying they'll all die, and he'll wait for them all to die together."

At this point, he glanced at the four of them, a clear shrewdness in his eyes: "I think Brother Biao isn't cursing us, he's reminding us!"

"He is telling us that the enemy will not give up easily, and danger has just arrived. He is telling us that we cannot sit idly by and wait for death; we must completely eliminate those hidden dangers!"

"That"

Shen Lang swallowed nervously and asked, "Then what should we do?"

"audit!"

Li Mo uttered two words, his eyes suddenly sharpening: "Don't forget who we are, don't forget what Brother Biao taught us."

"I am a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. I can organize archives and consult classic texts. I can find things they don't want others to know from piles of old papers!"

“Sun Gui is an assistant director in the Ministry of War. He knows the Ministry of War’s bad accounts better than anyone, including military equipment, rations, and vacancies. Continue the audit, continue the investigation! If open methods don’t work, then collect information covertly!”

"And Brother Wu too."

At this point, he turned to Wu Naida and said, "You're the head of the Ministry of Personnel. You know all the shady dealings involved in the promotions and transfers of officials, and you know who's on whose side! Uncover this network of relationships!"

"As for you."

He then looked at Shen Lang and Zhao Fengman: "You are imperial censors! Although your positions are low, you have the power to report matters based on hearsay!"

"In the past, we followed Brother Biao and 'messed around' because it was exciting and fun. From now on, we must learn to use our power to collect evidence, look for opportunities, and strike a fatal blow!"

As he finished speaking, Li Mo's gaze swept over everyone, his voice low yet powerful: "Brother Biao risked his life to pave a path for us and taught us how to use auditing as a weapon."

Even if he falls now, this knife cannot be lost!

"We can't just follow Brother Biao's craziness like before, just be his tools! We need to think for ourselves, make our own judgments, and take action ourselves!"

"We must survive, not by wagging our tails and begging for survival, but by surviving like wolves!"

"Keep an eye on our enemies, find their weaknesses, wait for the right moment, and bite their throats!"

"It's not for fame, it's not for personal gain, it's for..."

He took a deep breath, his expression suddenly becoming serious and solemn: "I have lived up to Brother Biao's life! I have lived up to the expectations of the people of the world!"

Boom!

Li Mo's words were like lightning cleaving through the fog, igniting the almost extinguished embers in the hearts of the other four.

At this moment, they have begun to gradually transform.

(End of this chapter)