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

Chapter 142 The Drum of Appeal Sounds! Old Zhu Angrily Smashes the Fengtian Hall [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

"We can't wait any longer! The Emperor has already forbidden our men from approaching Shen Lang's cell!"

Fu Youwen paced back and forth in his study, shaking his head and swaying it from time to time, appearing as if he were possessed.

"And Zhao Fengman, I guess we can't find him, but I still feel like something's not right!"

"what do you mean?"

Ru Chang asked, her heart pounding with alarm, "Could it be that someone else is involved in this?!"

"The situation is getting more and more chaotic! Those two little bastards, Li Mo and Wu Naida, probably anticipated that we would deal with them and had already planned their escape route!"

Zheng Ci interrupted sharply, "Moreover, such a high-profile operation of ours cannot possibly go unnoticed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Emperor!"

At this point, he looked around at the three of them and tentatively asked:

"How about we make our own metal box, say we've found it, put some ledgers inside, and find a few scapegoats, like Zhao Qian?!"

"useless!"

Zhai Shan shook his head with a grim expression and said, "Rumors are flying everywhere outside. Everyone is saying that the iron box contains a secret concerning the Crown Prince's Palace. Do you think the Emperor will believe the iron box we hand over? He will only become more suspicious!"

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Ru Chang said angrily, "Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?!"

Just then, a trusted steward rushed in, his face ashen.
"My lord! Something terrible has happened! Someone just found this at the entrance of the Censorate!"

After saying that, he handed over a crumpled piece of paper, clearly hastily crumpled up, with trembling hands.

Upon seeing this, Fu Youwen quickly stepped forward, snatched it, and unfolded it to examine it.

He only glanced at it, but he was struck dumb as if by lightning. The color drained from his face instantly, and his lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

But on the paper was a record of "a donation from Shaanxi locality", the amount of which was outrageously large, while the recipient's signature was very blurry.

Furthermore, the notes also vaguely mention chilling terms such as "a Wang surname official from the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission," "Ru Chang's brother-in-law," and "imperial prison."

Although the content is incomplete and vague, the implications it contains are enough to make Fu Youwen's heart stop.

"It's over..."

The paper in Fu Youwen's hand fluttered to the ground. He slumped into a chair, looking utterly dejected, his eyes vacant and lifeless.

The other three snatched the paper and glanced at it; their faces also turned deathly pale.

"Was it you?!"

Ru Chang glared at Fu Youwen, her anger barely contained, and said, "Did you fail to arrest them, and instead gave them leverage to retaliate against us in this way?!"

"fart!"

Fu Youwen roared in exasperation, "How could two small fry have gotten hold of these incriminating evidence? They must have a powerful figure backing them up!"

After saying this, his eyes were filled with endless resentment and fear: "They're trying to drive us to our deaths!"

"Something's not right! Something's not right!"

Zhai Shan shook his head repeatedly: "Besides us, ordinary people simply can't get their hands on these incriminating evidence! It must be the Prince! Only those close to the Prince could obtain such things!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, the other three were all horrified.

A chilling fear and anger surged into my heart.

But then Fu Youwen murmured, "Has he gone mad? Why would he do this? Could it be that he wants to..."

He didn't say anything more, but everyone understood what he meant.

This is a strategy of sacrificing the pawn to save the king!
Despair and resentment spread among the four like a plague.

They have been forced to the edge of a cliff.

"no!"

Ru Chang couldn't help but growl, "I want to leave the city immediately! I need to see the Prince right now and get some answers!"

Clearly, the immense panic had caused him to lose his composure.

However, just as his obese body was about to rush out, Fu Youwen and Zhai Shan quickly joined forces to pull him back.

"stop--!"

What are you panicking about?!

Hearing their rebukes and feeling two pulls, Ru Chang turned around angrily and said, "What do you want at this point?!"

"Minister Ru, this information won't kill us; it's just a matter of corruption!"

Zhai Shan spoke first, explaining, "If it really is a prince, I don't think it's abandoning us. It's more likely a reminder that these incriminating facts are already in the Emperor's hands, and that we should stop struggling!"

"That's right! That's what I think too!"

Fu Youwen nodded in agreement:

"Now that these things have fallen into the Emperor's hands, the investigation into the iron box cannot continue. Otherwise, everything will truly be over!"

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Ru Chang said unwillingly, "Does this mean we have to admit to corruption to the Emperor and take all the blame?!"

Fu Youwen exchanged a glance with the other two, then frowned and said:
“Admitting to corruption will only hasten our demise. The most urgent task is to completely sever all ties with Wang En and your brother-in-law.”

"Even if they know some things, they don't know much, and the imperial prison won't be able to find out much from them."

"As long as we insist that they are acting in our name and doing whatever they want, and that we know nothing about it, the Emperor will not punish us until he has investigated the matter thoroughly!"

"Not bad!"

Zheng Ci chimed in, "The Emperor has incriminating evidence against us, yet he's been hesitant to act because he wants to find out who's behind us! As long as the Prince doesn't show himself, the Emperor won't easily take action against us!"

"but."

Zhai Shan changed the subject: "We still need to consider another aspect..."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the other three, his voice chillingly somber: "We need to prepare an escape route."

Upon hearing this, the other three felt a chill run down their spines.

The next morning, at the right gate of Chengtianmen.

It was originally just an ordinary place with few carriages and officials passing by.

Suddenly, a hoarse yet unusually persistent voice broke the silence.

"I'm innocent—!"

A ragged old lawyer, with a ruthless look in his eyes, charged desperately toward the Dengwen Drum, instantly attracting the attention of all passersby.

"I have a shocking secret to report to the Emperor!"

The old lawyer shouted hoarsely, holding high a package wrapped in ordinary coarse cloth, but with one corner revealing an extremely exquisite peony embroidered silk edge.

"This is something I found last night on Suzaku Street that was lost from the palace!"

"Inside lies...inside lies an important item concerning the majesty of the Emperor and the stability of the nation! This humble subject dares not keep it to himself, and has come to present it to the Emperor!"

"We beg you, sirs, to convey this message to His Majesty!"

boom!
The crowd erupted in uproar!

Something lost from the palace?

Peony embroidery? This standard...

It concerns the imperial dignity!
Everyone who heard this changed their expression.

The fact that palace items ended up in the hands of ordinary people is a major event in itself. When coupled with phrases like "imperial majesty" and "national stability," the explosive information it contains sends chills down everyone's spine.

The gatekeeper and the low-ranking officials who rushed to the scene were terrified and tried to stop them, but it was too late.

Countless eyes were fixed on the package, and various speculations and terrified whispers spread rapidly like a plague.

The news spread like a hurricane, centered on the right gate of Chang'an, sweeping wildly across the entire Yingtian Prefecture.

Meanwhile, Wu Naida, who was hiding in the shadows, pulled his hat brim down and disappeared silently into the crowd, as if he had never been there. This 'old litigious lawyer,' childless, greedy, and harboring a deep-seated hatred for Fu Youwen, was the most suitable candidate.

at the same time.

Meeting at Fengtian Palace.

This was the first court assembly after Zhu Yuanzhang neglected state affairs.

The atmosphere was no longer as oppressive as before, and was relatively peaceful.

The previous political matters were handled smoothly and steadily.

Just when Fu Youwen and his three companions thought everything was "okay," Old Zhu casually picked up a memorial submitted by the Censorate, impeaching Fu Youwen and others for "lax household management and condoning their subordinates' embezzlement." The content was bland and unimportant, clearly a test.

Old Zhu's gaze slowly swept over Fu Youwen and the other three, his voice flat and emotionless, revealing neither joy nor anger:
"Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, the Censorate has impeached you for condoning your relatives and students to embezzle money under your names. Is this true?"

Fu Youwen's heart pounded, but upon hearing that it was only this level of impeachment, his anxiety immediately subsided.

Just as they expected, the emperor did not act immediately after obtaining those 'handles'; he was waiting and testing the waters.

He immediately stepped forward, knelt down with a thud, his voice carrying just the right amount of fear and grievance:

"Your Majesty, please be wise! We have been preoccupied with official duties and have indeed failed to properly oversee our family members and students!"

"But as for condoning corruption, I would never dare to say that!"

"It must be our subordinates acting recklessly under our name!"

"Your Majesty, I implore you to investigate this matter thoroughly. If it is true, I will not tolerate it and am willing to accept the punishment for my oversight!"

Ru Chang, Zheng Ci, and Zhai Shan immediately stepped forward and knelt down, all pleading guilty in unison, adopting extremely humble postures and pushing everything onto 'the subordinates' misbehavior' and 'their own oversight'.

This performance both acknowledged the minor mistake and absolved them of the major crime, perfectly aligning with their previously agreed-upon strategy.

The court was silent.

Many officials sneered inwardly; everyone knew this was a common tactic, but judging from the emperor's attitude, it seemed...

On the dragon throne, Old Zhu tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, his face expressionless.

He was just about to follow his planned script, temporarily suppress the matter, handle it calmly, and continue to wear them down, as well as Zhang Biao and his men in the imperial prison.

Just as his lips parted slightly, about to utter "This matter will be discussed later"—

"Boom--!"

A deep, loud, and penetrating drumbeat came from outside Chengtian Gate without warning.

It clearly penetrated the relatively quiet imperial city in the early morning, and even faintly reached the tall and deep Fengtian Hall.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The drumbeats didn't stop; instead, they continued one after another.

Heavy and slow, yet carrying a sense of recklessness, it stubbornly struck everyone's eardrums and the hearts of everyone in the hall.

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

The solemn atmosphere inside the hall was instantly shattered.

The officials looked at each other and began to whisper among themselves.

"The Drum of Petition?!"

"Who is beating the petition drum at this hour?"

"What incredible injustice has occurred?"

Old Zhu's eyes snapped open, flashing with a sharp light.

The fingers tapping on the armrest suddenly stopped.

He certainly knew what kind of drumbeat it was.

The petition drum sounds directly to the ears of Heaven!

No information may be disseminated except in cases of profound injustice or major state secrets!
The censor on duty turned pale and rushed out of the hall in a panic to check the situation.

A moment later, a eunuch practically tumbled into the hall, fell to his knees with a thud, his voice shrill and trembling with terror:
"Your Majesty! Outside Chengtian Gate... an old man is beating the Dengwen Drum! The petition... the petition is here!"

The eunuch held up a petition high, his voice trembling as he said, "But what's even more striking is that beside the old man, on the ground, there's an open coarse cloth bundle, and what's inside seems to be..."

"enough!"

Old Zhu interrupted impatiently, "Who are you suing? What are you suing about?!"

"This servant...this servant dares not speak..."

"explain--!"

Old Zhu's roar was like a thunderclap in the hall.

The eunuch was terrified, trembling like a leaf in the wind: "That old man said... he accused the palace of using forbidden drugs and plotting against the imperial heir! And there's also the old case in Shaanxi, related to... related to the Crown Prince..."

He didn't dare finish speaking, but the words "Crown Prince" were like a sharp knife piercing into the deathly silent hall!
"Boom——!"

The entire Fengtian Hall erupted in chaos!

The officials turned pale, and gasps and gasps filled the air.

Forbidden drugs for the imperial palace!

Murdering the imperial heir!

An old case in Shaanxi!

Your Highness!
Every single word is a taboo subject that can lead to the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

At this moment, it was openly shouted out in this way during the court assembly.

Fu Youwen, Ru Chang, Zheng Ci, and Zhai Shan's faces instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.

Fu Youwen's legs even gave way, and he almost collapsed to the ground, only managing to be supported by his colleagues who were standing nearby.

The things they feared most and dared not imagine were brought to the attention of the emperor in the most direct and violent way.

"Hehehehe..."

On the dragon throne, Old Zhu first let out an extremely suppressed, chilling low laugh.

The laughter grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a near-manic, uproarious laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha--!"

But there was no warmth in that laughter, only boundless anger and bone-chilling cold.

"Great! Excellent!"

The laughter abruptly stopped, and Old Zhu suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot, like a primordial beast that had been thoroughly enraged, staring intently at the officials in the hall.

Finally, their gazes, sharp as blades, locked onto Fu Youwen and his group of four, who were practically disappearing into the ground.

"boom--!"

Old Zhu suddenly kicked over the imperial desk in front of him.

Immediately afterwards, the memorial, writing brush, ink, and imperial seal were smashed to the ground with a loud crash, terrifying everyone.

"Fu Youwen!"

Old Zhu's voice was like a chilling wind from the depths of hell, each word deliberate and carrying a murderous intent that could crush everything.

"Ru Chang!"

"Zheng Ci!"

"Zhai Shan!"

Every time he called out a name, the person whose name was called would shudder violently as if struck by lightning.

"Get out here, all of you—!!"

The four of them scrambled out of the hall and collapsed onto the cold floor tiles of the Golden Palace, trembling like leaves.

It's over! It's all over!
The emperor's anger was ignited!

(End of this chapter)