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

Chapter 123 Do you think we can reach the other side? [Seeking monthly votes]

Inside the Hall of Literary Glory, candlelight blazed brightly.

Old Zhu did not go to bed.

After days of turmoil, a number of memorials had been piling up that needed to be processed. Even though he had witnessed the decay of the country under Zhang Biao's madness, he had not yet completely given up.

Because the successor to the Ming Dynasty has not yet been decided.

Although he had already decided on his successor before Zhang Biao's machinations, he gradually began to hesitate as Zhang Biao caused trouble and the Crown Prince's palace became restless.

It's not that he has someone else in mind, but rather that he feels he should wait a little longer.

Let's see if Zhu Yunwen can grow or learn something from this incident.

After all, this incident is not only related to the present, but also to the future.

"Cough cough."

Old Zhu coughed twice, stopped writing, and pounded his chest. Yunming, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to offer him tea, but Old Zhu waved him away, saying, "Go and bring me all the memorials from the past few days."

"Your Majesty, you've been busy for over two hours, the imperial physician said..."

Are you teaching me how to do things?

Before Yunming could finish his worried words, Old Zhu gave him a cold look.

"This servant wouldn't dare! This servant will go right away, will go get it right away."

Startled, Yunming trembled all over, hurriedly answered, and then scrambled away.

"emperor!"

Not long after Yunming left, a young eunuch presented him with a memorial.

This is a report that Jiang Huan just sent from the Imperial Prison, detailing the latest developments in the death row section of the Imperial Prison.

The document detailed how Zhang Biao extorted Li Jinglong's glass wine set, how he tried to pry Guo Ying's mouth open, and the subtle and tense atmosphere between the three.

Old Zhu looked at the contents of the document, his face expressionless, only his deep-set eyes gleaming like a hawk's, repeatedly scanning every word on the document.

Even on the verge of death, Zhang Biao still couldn't resist trying to squeeze out some benefits.
Wu Daozi's painting, a jade unicorn from the Western Regions, and a glass wine vessel?

Hmph, that bastard Li Jinglong really has a lot of good stuff hidden away!
That old scoundrel Guo Ying still has some backbone.
But can toughness put food on the table?

To be defiant in the imperial prison is tantamount to courting death!
He kept humming to himself, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the desk until he thought of Zhang Biao's curse in Fengtian Hall Square again, at which point he stopped tapping.

What does Zhang Biao need these things for?
Did he, a dying man, really intend to take those treasures with him to the grave? Or did he have other motives?
Old Zhu is the most suspicious person; any illogical behavior will be magnified in his mind.

Zhang Biao's unusual 'treasure-seeking' behavior made him instinctively feel that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out the key point.

That's fine. No matter what he wants to do, he can't escape our grasp.

Old Zhu snorted coldly, closed the document, and said to the young eunuch standing to the side:

"Tell Jiang Huan to keep a close eye on him!"

"We must write down every word they say!"

"Especially regarding the whereabouts of those embezzled goods! The glass wine vessels that Li Jinglong mentioned, retrieve them and put them into the imperial treasury!"

"Tell Jiang Huan again."

Old Zhu paused, his voice turning icy cold: "We can tighten our grip on Guo Ying a bit. Let's see if his stubbornness is stronger than the torture instruments in the imperial prison!"

"The slaves obey the order."

The young eunuch immediately bowed, accepted the order, and quickly left.

Old Zhu stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the deep night outside. His gaze seemed to penetrate the palace walls and see the entire Yingtian Prefecture.

Li Jinglong and Guo Ying were imprisoned.
This news, along with the news of Zhang Biao's imprisonment, must have spread throughout the court and the public, right?

What are those tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves thinking now?

Just as Zhu had predicted, the news that Cao Guogong Li Jinglong and Wuding Hou Guo Ying had been imprisoned and become Zhang Biao's "prison buddies" was like a thunderclap, once again shattering the night sky of Yingtian Prefecture.

This nearly snapped the already tense nerves of all the nobles and high-ranking officials.

The study of Fu Youwen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, once again became the venue for secret meetings.

This time, however, the faces of the Minister of War Ru Chang, the Minister of Works Zheng Ci, the Vice Minister of Personnel Zhai Shan, and others present were even more grim than before, and even carried a hint of barely concealed panic.

"He's gone mad! The Emperor has truly gone mad!"

Ru Chang wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, her voice trembling slightly: "Li Jinglong! He's the Emperor's only son, his own nephew! How could he be so heartless?!"

"And Guo Ying! He's an old brother who's been through thick and thin with him! And he's just thrown in jail like that?! And he's locked up with that madman Zhang Biao!"

"This is simply..."

He couldn't find the right words to describe the absurdity and horror.

Zheng Ci's hand, stroking his beard, trembled slightly: "His Majesty is... blinded by rage!"

"He wants to use Zhang Biao as a tool to destroy all of us! Li Jinglong and Guo Ying are just the beginning."

Zhai Shan's young face was also filled with gloom: "More importantly, it's about attitude. The Emperor's actions clearly show that he no longer cares about the feelings of any nobles, nor does he trust anyone."

Even Li Jinglong's voluntary resignation and handing over of his property were useless, and Guo Ying's feigned illness was also ineffective.

"This shows that what the Emperor wants is not an apology, but a thorough reckoning!"

Fu Youwen listened in silence, his face so dark it seemed to drip water. He was thinking more deeply than the others.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?"

Fu Youwen's voice was hoarse: "The Emperor has imprisoned Li Jinglong, Guo Ying, and Zhang Biao together; this is the most ruthless move he's made!"

"Zhang Biao is a madman; he dares to say anything and bite anyone!"

"Li Jinglong is a spineless coward; he'll vomit anything if you scare him!"

"Although Guo Ying has some backbone, locking him up with these two people is itself a form of torture and coercion!"

At this point, he looked around at the crowd, his eyes filled with fear:

"Just think about it, if those three start implicating each other in prison, how much will they vomit? How many people will be implicated? Do you think we'll still be safe?"

These words sent a chill down everyone's spine!

Yes!

Zhang Biao knew quite a lot about them!
Li Jinglong will definitely bite indiscriminately in order to save his life!

Even if Guo Ying tries to hold on, how long can she hold on?

At that time, one piece of evidence after another will be presented to the emperor.
They couldn't even imagine what that scene would look like!
"No! We absolutely cannot let them say anything out of line!"

Ru Chang slammed her hand on the table, a fierce look on her face.

"How to stop it?"

Zheng Ci gave a wry smile: "In the imperial prison, right under Jiang Huan's nose, do you think we can silence them?"

Silencing them? The word sent chills down everyone's spine.

To silence them in prison? That's practically suicide!

"Perhaps we could start with their family?"

Zhai Shanyin suggested ominously, "Let them know the consequences of speaking recklessly."

"No!"

Fu Youwen immediately shook his head: "The Emperor is keeping a close eye on them right now. To harm their families would be tantamount to walking into a trap!"

"Moreover, what if they become desperate and give up entirely if pushed too far?"

"What can we do? Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?" Ru Chang growled irritably. A deathly silence fell over the study.

Despair and fear spread like a poisonous fog.

After a long silence, Fu Youwen finally spoke, his voice carrying a desperate and ruthless tone: "There are three options for now."

"First, we must inform the Prince and the Duke as soon as possible. If they don't take action soon, we'll all be buried with that madman Zhang Biao!"

"Second, we need to clean up our own mess as soon as possible! Destroy the evidence that needs to be destroyed immediately, and bribe the people who need to be bribed immediately!"

"Even if I am implicated in the future, I will ensure that there is no way to prove it!"

"third!"

At this point, a hint of madness flashed in his eyes: "Continue to push the upright officials to submit petitions! We can't just impeach Zhang Biao anymore!"

"We must stir up the waters even more! We must emphasize the turmoil in the court, the instability of the border defenses, and the shaky foundations of the nation!"

"We must let the Emperor see this. If this purge continues, the Ming Dynasty will fall into chaos before the truth is even revealed!"

"We must make the Emperor hesitate to act rashly! We must deter him from digging any further!"

This is a risky move, using the "empire" to manipulate the emperor's will.

But at this moment, in order to protect themselves, they couldn't care less about anything else.

"Yes! Just do it!"

"That's all!"

"."

The group quickly reached a consensus and began to plot how to more effectively incite the purists and how to create greater public opinion on the political situation.

at the same time.

Inside the study of the Duke of Kaiguo's mansion, the charcoal fire crackled and popped, but it couldn't dispel the gloom and chill on the faces of the Chang brothers, Chang Sheng and Chang Sen.

"Li Jinglong, Guo Ying."

Chang Sheng unconsciously tightened his grip, almost crushing the teacup in his hand. His face was terribly grim: "This time, His Majesty is serious!"

"Even the Duke and the Marquis said he'd be imprisoned, and he's even being locked up with that madman Zhang Biao. This is clearly a death sentence."

He suddenly looked up at his younger brother, Chang Sen, his eyes filled with unprecedented worry: "Sen-di, something's wrong!"

"His Majesty is not just investigating corruption this time; he is establishing his authority! He is preparing Zhu Yunwen to become the Crown Prince! He is showing us nobles what to do!"

"Second brother, this is what I fear most!"

Chang Sen's face was even paler than his brother's, and his voice was filled with barely suppressed panic:
"That spineless Li Jinglong will definitely spill everything in prison!"

"Even if Guo Ying can hold out for a while, how long can she? None of the scandals in their household can withstand Jiang Huan's interrogation. What if they start implicating each other?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

The powerful nobles were deeply entrenched, with numerous vested interests at stake, and no one could guarantee that they were absolutely clean.

In an attempt to reduce their sentences, Li Jinglong and Guo Ying might make baseless accusations, potentially dragging the entire elite group into the mess.

Chang Sheng's breathing became heavy; his worst fears were becoming a reality.

"more importantly"

He lowered his voice, his tone extremely heavy: "Have you forgotten your uncle?"

The word 'uncle' seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight, causing Chang Sen's body to tremble violently.

Chang Sheng's eyes were filled with deep worry:
"My uncle has achieved many military exploits over the years, but he has also become quite arrogant."

"Occupying farmland, keeping slaves on estates, and indulging in the behavior of retainers—any one of these things, if reported to the Emperor, would be a capital offense!"

"Normally, the Emperor might turn a blind eye because of his military achievements, but now..."

He paused, his voice hoarse: "Now, the Emperor is clearly using Zhang Biao as a tool to eliminate all potential threats before Zhu Yunwen ascends the throne."

“Li Jinglong and Guo Ying are just the beginning! If they, or their men, reveal my uncle’s secrets in order to save their own lives, the consequences will be unimaginable!”

Lan Yu was not only their uncle, but also the Chang family's biggest backer in the army. They shared the Chang family's fate, whether it was prosperity or ruin.

If Lan Yu falls, the Chang family will inevitably suffer a huge blow.

Chang Sen was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat: "Then we have to send a message to our uncle right away, telling him to behave himself and not cause any more trouble!"

"Deliver a letter? How do I do that?"

Chang Sheng gave a bitter laugh, his smile filled with helplessness: "Right now, Jiang Huan's eyes are definitely glued to the movements of all the noble families!"

"If we send someone to contact our uncle now, wouldn't that be an admission that we have something to hide and that we have an illicit relationship with our uncle?"

"What should I do?"

Chang Sen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: "Are we just going to stand by and watch?"

Chang Sheng closed his eyes wearily, rubbing his throbbing temples.

"I just hope my uncle can see the situation clearly and avoid confrontation for now. We're all in a precarious situation right now."

As he spoke, he reopened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window, his tone becoming even more somber:

"And then there's the matter of Yun-hu and his sister paying respects to their elder sister. The more I think about it, the more horrified I get!"

"It's highly unusual that Lady Lü agreed so readily!"

"Especially at this critical juncture, with Yunhu and her brother leaving the palace to pay respects to their mother, what will the Emperor think of our Chang family's hospitality?"

"Won't they think that our Chang family is using the guise of the memorial service to secretly contact our grandson and plot something sinister?"

"Won't they think we're trying to use Yunhu's status to make trouble regarding the crown prince? Or even suspect that we're colluding with our uncle?"

Every "whether or not" was like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of the Chang brothers.

They had experienced firsthand Old Zhu's suspiciousness and ruthlessness.

Chang Sen's voice was trembling with tears: "Second brother, then...then should we still go to the memorial service? Or should we try to cancel it?"

"push?"

Chang Sheng shook his head, his face full of bitterness and helplessness:
"The arrangements with the Lü family are already complete. If we refuse now, it will only make us look guilty and try to cover it up, which will only lead to our demise!"

He took a deep breath, as if making a tremendous decision: "Go! I must go! But I must be more careful than ever!"

"The ceremonial procession and offerings should be kept to the bare minimum; extravagance is strictly prohibited!"

"When receiving Yunhu and his sister, aside from the necessary etiquette and expressions of grief, never utter a word about court affairs, and never ask a question about matters of the palace!"

"After the ceremony, we will immediately escort them back to the palace without lingering for even a moment!"

"You and I will personally select the most reliable and discreet old servants to accompany us, keeping a close watch on us the whole time, and absolutely no mistakes can be made!"

"This is no longer filial piety; it's dancing on a knife's edge."

The imprisonment of Li Jinglong and Guo Ying served as a warning, while there were concerns that Lan Yu might be implicated. Furthermore, contact with the imperial grandson was fraught with danger, like walking on thin ice.
"Brother Sen, do you think we can make it to the other side?" Chang Sheng couldn't help but sigh.

Upon hearing this, cold sweat instantly broke out on Chang Sen's forehead.

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(End of this chapter)