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

Chapter 125 Dr. Zhang's 'Donation' Therapy! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The shadow of Zhu Yuanzhang raising his butcher's knife loomed over the hearts of every noble and high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty, but the morning in Yingtian Prefecture was bright and sunny.

Just like Zhang Biao deep in the imperial prison, he seemed completely unaffected.

After finishing the last bite of braised beef, he took a satisfied sip of wine, and then broke into an impromptu, off-key singing session:
"Eat pig's head meat~ eat braised beef~ drink a little wine~ even the emperor can't compare to me~ hiccup~~!"

The off-key singing, mixed with burps, sounded particularly jarring and irritating in this gloomy place.

"Boss!"

In the shadows, a younger member of the Imperial Guard was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead. His hand was pressed tightly against the hilt of his Embroidered Spring Blade, and his teeth were grinding together: "I...I can't take it anymore! This bastard is too arrogant!"

The other, more mature-looking man, also had a livid face and whispered, "Boss! I really want to kill this bastard! Sew his lousy mouth shut!"

Jiang Huan, who was leading the undercover surveillance team, had a grim face and icy eyes. He spoke in a low voice, rebuking them:
"Shut up, all of you! Watch the show! Anyone who makes another sound will go back and get a hundred lashes!"

The Imperial Guards immediately fell silent, but their gazes toward Zhang Biao's cell still seemed to spit fire.

Jiang Huan's gaze inadvertently swept over Zhu Gaosui, who was pretending to patrol but actually eavesdropping not far away.

The third prince of the Yan Prince's Mansion tried his best to keep a straight face, looking up at the dark ceiling of the prison, silently humming the tune Zhang Biao had just played, and even tapping his toes to keep time. He looked like he knew nothing and was just a heartless deliveryman, but his slightly trembling shoulders betrayed that he was struggling to suppress his laughter.

Jiang Huan's eye twitched almost imperceptibly as she silently turned her gaze back to Zhang Biao.

At this moment, Zhang Biao's 'talent show' came to an end.

He let out a loud burp, and his gaze once again locked onto Guo Ying in the next cell, who was still trying to maintain the demeanor of a military general, but whose face was darker than the bottom of a pot.

"Tsk tsk."

Zhang Biao smacked his lips, patted the gate bars with his greasy hands, making a 'bang bang' sound:

"Old Marquis, you're so tense, like a stone pillar. Aren't you tired?"

"You have stiff muscles, blocked meridians, deficiency of both qi and blood, and a dark complexion. These are typical late-stage symptoms of VIP syndrome in the Imperial Prison!"

"Yellow-mouthed kid!"

Guo Ying suddenly opened his eyes in anger, his rage uncontrollable: "Don't you dare curse me again! What storms haven't I weathered?!"

"Oh! You're being stubborn, aren't you?"

Zhang Biao slapped his thigh, as if he had become interested: "That's how patients are! They're reluctant to seek medical help! It seems you won't shed tears until you see the coffin unless you get some serious medicine!"

As he spoke, he suddenly stood up and shouted to Zhu Gaosui in an extremely flamboyant tone, "Third Brother! Quickly bring out my 'Hua Tuo Reborn, Amazing and Invincible Super Treatment' Supreme Set!"

"Huh?" Zhu Gaosui was secretly humming a tune when he was suddenly called out. He almost jumped up, looking completely bewildered: "What...what outfit?"

He really didn't understand.

"It's that one! Long! Iron! That can get red-hot! That 'Muscle-Relaxing Thunderbolt Massager'! And that box of 'Soul-Soothing and Peace of Mind Giant Health Supplements'!"

Zhang Biao gestured as he spoke in a low voice, making sure Guo Ying could hear him: "Hurry! The old Marquis's illness can't be delayed!"

"Muscle Relaxing and Moisturizing Massager?"

Zhu Gaosui pondered deeply, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him. His eyes widened, and he stammered as he confirmed:

"You mean... that wood-chopping axe, and that iron... iron pestle?!"

"That's it! These are the ones!"

Zhang Biao gave him a look of approval, thinking, "You're a smart kid." He continued, "We even have a small stove! Make it burn brighter! Let's give the old Marquis a full set of fire therapy, cupping, and acupuncture!"

"Wow——!"

Not only Zhu Gaosui, but even the Embroidered Uniform Guards hiding in the shadows let out a low murmur of commotion.

Cupping with a red-hot axe?! Acupuncture with an iron pestle?!

Is this some kind of healing or corpse refining?!
"Boss."

Even a commander of the Imperial Guards couldn't help but look at Jiang Huan.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang had issued an edict to "tighten up" Guo Ying, he didn't say he would "kill" him!

"Shut up!"

Jiang Huan interrupted the commander in an unquestionable manner.

Guo Ying's face instantly turned from black to green, then from green to white. Pointing at Zhang Biao, his finger trembled like a leaf: "How dare you treat me like this?! I am the Marquis of Wuding, appointed by the imperial court! You..."

"My lord, please calm your anger!"

Zhang Biao's expression suddenly became extremely serious: "As the saying goes, doctors have the hearts of parents! In the face of illness, there are no kings or generals, only patients!"

"Your illness is caused by pathogenic cold penetrating to the bone; only strong fire and intense acupuncture can expel it! Although the process may be a bit stimulating, the results are guaranteed to be excellent!"

"After one course of treatment, I guarantee your back won't ache, your legs won't hurt, you'll have the energy to climb stairs, and you'll be able to scold ten censors in one breath without breaking a sweat."

As he spoke, he began gesturing with his hands, as if possessed by a divine healer:
"First, we'll use the back of that red-hot axe, 'snap!' and stick it on your back. This is called 'fiery cupping,' which is specially designed to dispel deep cold!"

"Then, with that giant health needle, 'thump thump thump!' it will tap all the major acupoints on your body. This is called thunder massage, which unblocks the meridians!"

"If that doesn't work, we have a last resort: bloodletting therapy to fight poison with poison! Of course, how much to bloodletting depends on the effectiveness of the treatment."

"."

As Guo Ying listened to this outrageous 'treatment,' imagining the red-hot iron being branded on her back and the thick iron pestle being smashed on her acupoints, cold sweat poured down her forehead, and her stomach churned violently.

He was a fierce and courageous man throughout his life, but this unprecedented 'torture therapy' challenged the limits of his understanding.

"Sorcery! This is sorcery!"

Guo Ying's voice trembled as she tried to mask her fear with anger.

"How can this be sorcery? This is science!"

"Bullshit science! You have no right to torture me!"

"Ha! It seems the old Marquis is still young at heart despite his age! He's quite shrewd!"

"Hmph! Don't try to fool this old man!"

"Nothing!"

Zhang Biao interrupted Guo Ying again, smiling as he said, "Considering that you are getting old, Your Excellency, and your tolerance may be limited, I have a gentle, painless, and even somewhat pleasant 'memory therapy' here."

"What memory therapy?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Guo Ying regretted them.

But Zhang Biao smiled like a cunning fox: "For example, let me help you recall. In the eighteenth year of Hongwu's reign, you were in charge of supervising the construction of an auxiliary project for the imperial mausoleum in Fengyang. The budget was 30,000 taels of silver, but the final expense was 48,000 taels."

"Was that extra 18,000 yuan used to burn paper money for the local earth god?"

"you!"

Guo Ying's pupils suddenly contracted, and her expression changed slightly, but she still forced a smile: "It's just that the prices of materials and labor have increased, and the wages of craftsmen have risen. What's so strange about that?!"

"Oh, the cost of labor and materials has gone up?"

Zhang Biao seemed to suddenly realize something, and drew out a long sound. Then he picked up a chopstick and started drawing on the ground:
"I remember checking the market prices of timber and stone in Nanjing at that time, and even asking a few veteran craftsmen."

"In total, it cost at most 29,000 taels. Could the extra 19,000 taels have been offered to the King of Hell, begging him to protect the project from collapsing?"

"You're spouting nonsense!"

Guo Ying stood up abruptly, her finger trembling as she pointed at Zhang Biao. "Don't rush, don't rush, the treatment has only just begun."

Zhang Biao smiled and waved his hand, as if to reassure the patient: "Let's recall again."

"Your third son, Guo Yong, did he 'buy' 120 mu of prime paddy fields from Wang Laowu's family for 60 taels of silver in our hometown of Fengyang the year before last? Wang Laowu refused to sell, and the next day he 'accidentally' fell into the river and drowned?"

"Are you aware of this matter, sir? The Prefect of Fengyang is one of your old subordinates."

"That traitor"

Guo Ying's face instantly turned from black to white, and her breathing became rapid: "What does that unfilial son's behavior have to do with me?!"

"is it?"

Zhang Biao feigned surprise: "But I heard that the final land deed for those 120 acres of land ended up in the name of the younger brother of your most favored seventh concubine?"

"This roundabout way of doing things is truly a case of keeping the good stuff within the family!"

"puff--!"

Guo Ying was so anxious that she almost spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered to the side, leaning against the wall for support.

Zhang Biao, however, seemed to have started talking non-stop, his speech becoming increasingly rapid, like reciting a menu:
"And then there's your precious grandson, Guo Xuan. He's studying at the Imperial Academy, but his studies haven't improved at all. Instead, he's learned how to hire courtesans and spend three hundred taels of silver in one night! Where does the money come from?"

"Your old family mansion with its five courtyards is over the bounds, isn't it? The stone lions at the gate are half a foot taller than those for a prince!"

"You had a commander named Zhao Desheng who died mysteriously last year. How did his beautiful concubine end up as the head of your sewing room in the blink of an eye?"

"you"

"Shut up! Shut up! You shut up, you old man—!!"

Guo Ying finally broke down completely.

These dirty laundry and family scandals that he thought he had hidden well were exposed by Zhang Biao in public, one by one, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Each item was like a knife, stabbing his old face hard, stripping away his pitiful dignity without leaving a trace.

He trembled violently, pointing at Zhang Biao with eyes wide with rage, yet he was powerless to refute, because almost everything Zhang Biao said was true.

The shame and fear of being completely exposed and stripped naked in public overwhelmed him.

The Imperial Guards hidden in the shadows were dumbfounded. Although they also investigated cases, they had never seen anyone like Zhang Biao publicly recite other people's private and shameful secrets.

Jiang Huan's brows furrowed even more.

Just how bizarre is this madman's intelligence source?!
Zhu Gaosui's eyes lit up with admiration for Zhang Biao, reaching the peak of his adoration.

Brother Biao even knows about someone else's concubine! That's amazing!
Looking at Guo Ying, who was on the verge of collapse, Zhang Biao finally stopped reciting the menu, sighed, and his tone suddenly became sincere:
"Old Marquis, look, these messy debts and troubles are like festering sores in your body. If you keep them bottled up, they'll only fester deeper. Speak them out, donate them, and everything will be fine!"

He once again resorted to his old 'donation therapy' rhetoric:

"You donate a treasure to me, and I'll help you resolve a worry. How about that? Isn't that a good deal? After all, treasures are inanimate, but people are alive!"

Guo Ying collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, her mental defenses completely shattered.

He lay sprawled on the cold ground, as if his spine had been ripped out, wailing weakly and feebly.
"Here you go. You can have it all. I have a bronze sword and a seven-star gemstone dagger."

"Hey! That's more like it!"

Zhang Biao clapped his hands, his face beaming with joy.

Everyone was stunned by Zhang Biao's series of punches, their minds buzzing.

This is actually possible?!

Li Jinglong breathed a sigh of relief, extremely glad he had made a wise choice, and even felt a little sorry for Guo Ying.

He had secretly decided that if he could get out, he would definitely voluntarily 'donate' all the best treasures in his house to Zhang Biao.

Even if it means being buried alive with someone, Zhang Biao must leave in a 'glorious' manner, otherwise he'll wake up in his dreams at night terrified by his astonishing treatment.

At this moment, Jiang Huan knew it was time for him to make his appearance.

Without a word, he led his men out of the shadows, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"Marquis Wuding, the Emperor has decreed that there are some old accounts concerning the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue that you need to carefully recall and explain. Please proceed."

Upon hearing this, Guo Ying's body stiffened abruptly.

What was supposed to come finally came.

Moreover, this was after being 'forced' to donate by that bastard Zhang Biao.

It seems that Jiang Huan and his group have been watching from the shadows, waiting for Zhang Biao to break them down before making their move.

Thinking of this, Guo Ying couldn't help but look at Zhang Biao in the opposite cell, then at Li Jinglong who was trembling with fear, and finally at Jiang Huan's cold face.

A sense of sorrow and resolve welled up in my heart.

He knew that this trip would likely end in disaster.

How many of those real secrets could be kept? He didn't know, but at least the things 'donated' shouldn't benefit the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Just as two Imperial Guards stepped forward to open the prison door, Guo Ying suddenly raised his head, but his gaze did not fall on Jiang Huan. Instead, he looked at Zhang Biao again, his voice dry yet unusually clear, even carrying an eerie calm:

"Imperial Censor Zhang!"

Everyone was stunned, including Jiang Huan, who subconsciously looked at Zhang Biao.

Zhang Biao raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"

"What I donate, if I say it's for you, then it is for you!"

"Ah!"

Zhang Biao laughed, his eyes narrowing as he laughed.

"how?"

Guo Ying stared intently at Zhang Biao and said, word by word, "You can't even protect your own things, can you?"

His words actually had two meanings.

One thing is, we cooperated with you and gave you things, but they were useless. You're just a liar.

One message was to remind Li Jinglong to stop dreaming, that Zhang Biao was nothing, and to stop saying things he shouldn't, or he'd die even faster.

Zhang Biao and Jiang Huan naturally understood his two meanings, and so they looked at each other.

But Zhang Biao spoke first: "Commander Jiang, did you hear me clearly? What's given to me is mine!"

"Hmph! The Emperor has decreed that all their possessions shall be confiscated and deposited into the Imperial Treasury!" Jiang Huan sneered.

"is it?"

Zhang Biao smirked, then stared intently at Jiang Huan: "Then go back and tell the Emperor that if he dares to steal my things, I will audit his private treasury!"

"Remember! This is not a threat, it's a notification!"

"presumptuous--!"

Jiang Huan suddenly drew his sword.

Zhang Biao glanced at him disdainfully, then threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha!"

(End of this chapter)