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

Chapter 202 The Hongwu Emperor Chases After Him with Sword, Imperial Censor Zhang Circles Around a Pillar! ? [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Last time, when Zhang Biao proposed auditing the internal treasury, Lao Zhu immediately cut off all contact with him.

He also kept the formal letter from Zhang Biao, entitled "Request for the Public Disclosure of the Hongwu Emperor's Private Treasury Accounts and Acceptance of Audit by the Censorate," without issuing it.

It's obvious he's not going to play with Zhang Biao anymore.

He even sent Jiang Huan to monitor the "Royal Treasury Audit Special Task Force" established by Zhang Biao, and even smashed the signboard of the "Hongwu Audit Special Account Clearing Office".

This time, Zhang Biao proposed auditing the internal treasury again, and he did so directly in front of Lao Zhu.

Essentially, the relationship between the emperor and his minister had completely broken down.

If Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to ignore Zhang Biao, it would appear that he, the Hongwu Emperor, was admitting defeat in front of his subjects.

So how could he possibly accept this?!

"Zhang Biao—!"

After a long period of tension, Old Zhu's roar, like that of a wounded lion, echoed wildly throughout the Fengtian Hall, causing dust to fall from the beams and pillars.

"Our tolerance has its limits!"

"If you push me any further! Even if you're hiding a huge secret! Even if we never know the truth in our lives! I will still kill you!"

He emphasized the last two words, "I'll kill you," with extreme force, his eyes turning red and his chest heaving violently.

The killing intent in his eyes was almost tangible, as if he were about to tear Zhang Biao apart with his own hands at any moment.

However, faced with this 'imperial wrath' that could terrify any subject, Zhang Biao remained unmoved, like seaweed rooted to a reef in a storm, and the mocking smile on his face only deepened.

"See, Old Zhu."

Zhang Biao's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through Old Zhu's roar, carrying a chilling, all-knowing quality:

"This is where the problem lies."

"You keep saying it's for the Ming Dynasty, for the country and its people."

"But once your own interests are touched, once your private imperial property, which you cannot even look at, is touched, you immediately fly into a rage, regard it as your own private property, and wish you could tear the person who spoke out to pieces!"

After speaking, he pointed at Old Zhu with a finger, showing none of the reverence a subject should have, but rather as if he were rebuking a stingy miser:
"You would rather see the national treasury empty, the border troops owed wages, the people suffering, and the officials embezzling! You would rather support a group of royal princes who are draining the country's coffers than allow anyone to touch a single penny of your private funds!"

"You demand that everyone in the world be honest and upright, that princes observe mourning rites, and that officials be loyal to the emperor, but what about yourself?"

"How much of your private treasury comes from illegally seized official land? How much comes from taxes that should have gone into the national treasury? How much comes from the people's hard-earned money 'tributed' from various regions?!"

"Your own hands are not clean, so what right do you have to expect others to be incorruptible?! What right do you have to righteously ask me to 'audit the princes' and 'audit the officials'?! Just because you're the emperor, does that mean you can only allow officials to set fires while forbidding ordinary people to light lamps?!"

"You...you bastard!"

Old Zhu was so angry at these extremely hurtful words that he trembled all over. He wanted to refute them, but found that his throat was blocked.

Zhang Biao's words were like the sharpest dagger, piercing precisely into the deepest, most hidden corner of his heart, a corner he himself was unwilling to confront.

[The privileged mindset of an emperor who is above all laws and regulations, and the subconscious belief that the world is his private property.]

But Old Zhu retorted through gritted teeth:

"The imperial treasury is the emperor's private property! It's used to maintain the palace's expenses, reward meritorious officials, and deal with unforeseen needs! How can it be mixed up with the national treasury?!"

He paused, squinted at Zhang Biao, and emphasized, "How dare you, a mere subject, make unwarranted speculations and conduct arbitrary audits?!"

He attempted to use the traditional theory of "the emperor's private property" to maintain his last fig leaf.

"The emperor's private property?"

Zhang Biao sneered and pressed forward relentlessly:
"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are the king's subjects. Since the whole world belongs to you, why make such clear distinctions?"

"When the country is in need, when your people are starving to death, why can't your 'private property of the emperor' be used for 'public good'?"

"Your Majesty, have you never considered that it is precisely because you and your successors separated the imperial treasury from the national treasury so clearly that you gave later emperors an excuse to indulge in extravagance and drain the country's coffers?! And that made the officials of the Ministry of Revenue tremble with fear and dare not speak out when faced with the royal family's expenditures?!"

"The audit of the internal treasury isn't about stealing your little bit of money! It's about establishing a rule!"

"Even an emperor cannot act arbitrarily; the royal family's expenses must be subject to supervision and consideration!"

"So why establish this rule? It's to tell the world that even the emperor must abide by the law! Imperial power is not without boundaries!"

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

Old Zhu was so angry that his vision blurred. He felt that the beliefs and foundation of power he had upheld throughout his life were being frantically shaken by Zhang Biao's unheard-of "fallacies and heresies".

"The emperor is the supreme ruler, appointed by Heaven! Do we need to explain ourselves to a mere censor like you?! What kind of ridiculous rules do we need to follow?!"

"so what?"

Zhang Biao retorted bluntly, "So you can ignore the financial crisis, ignore the people's suffering, and just keep guarding your little treasury?"

"So you can shout about fighting corruption while making yourself and your family the biggest haven for corruption?"

"Old Zhu, if you yourself cannot be upright and honest, how can you expect your sons and your ministers to be incorruptible and self-disciplined?"

"What exactly are you fighting against in this anti-corruption campaign? Are you only targeting others and not yourself?!"

Boom!

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his head buzzing.

Are we going against ourselves?

Listen to this! Is this even human language?!

[Our mighty Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the supreme ruler, the master of the world! And yet he dares to rebel against us?!]

What does this bastard take us for?! Does he really think we're complete idiots?!

"puff--"

Overwhelmed by anger and with his blood surging, Old Zhu finally couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his dragon robe and the golden brick floor in front of him.

He swayed and staggered, managing to grab onto the golden dragon pillar beside him to keep from falling.

"Your Majesty—!"

Faint cries of terror could be heard from outside the hall, but he dared not come in.

Old Zhu wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, raised his head, and stared intently at Zhang Biao with his bloodshot eyes. There was no longer any rage in his eyes, only an extreme coldness and an indescribable complexity.

There was murderous intent, shock, and perhaps a hint of embarrassment at having the truth exposed, as well as a wavering that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

"Zhang Biao..."

Old Zhu's voice was hoarse, like a broken gong: "What you said today...every word is a veiled attack on my heart...you're determined to force me to kill you, aren't you?"

Zhang Biao's eyes flickered slightly as he watched Old Zhu vomit blood, but he quickly regained his brash and unyielding demeanor.

He straightened his back and met Old Zhu's gaze without fear:
"My advocacy for the establishment of an anti-corruption bureau is, of course, to combat corruption!"

"The greatest financial power in the world should, in theory, belong to the national treasury, but upon closer examination, it is actually your private funds."

"Now, I have audited the Ministry of Revenue and discovered many problems. And this is still without directly auditing the national treasury."

"This shows just how terrible the Ming Dynasty's finances were!"

"And you, someone who hasn't even figured out arithmetic, actually controls the greatest financial power in the world. Isn't that a huge joke?"

"If your personal treasury is not thoroughly audited, how can you convince the people? How can you prove that the emperor himself is incorruptible?"

"Fuck your motherfucker!"

Old Zhu completely lost his composure, even swearing, and suddenly stood up from behind his desk:
"Do we need to prove anything to you?! You bastard, you keep provoking the heavens, do you really think we wouldn't dare kill you?!"

"provocative?"

Zhang Biao suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with deep mockery:
"Your Majesty, haven't you realized yet? I'm trying to help you!"

"Help us?"

Old Zhu laughed in anger: "You want to audit our private funds, and you say you're helping us?!"

"A feint to the east while attacking in the west, or a siege of Wei to rescue Zhao—does Your Majesty not understand such a simple principle?"

Zhang Biao shrugged, giving him a look that said, "How could you be so stupid?"

“I clamored for an audit of the princes, set up a complaint box, stirred up trouble, and drew everyone’s attention to them.”

"At this point, if I were to audit your seemingly most untouchable private funds, wouldn't there be much less resistance?"

"Once I thoroughly investigate the imperial treasury and prove that Your Majesty is clean, then when I deal with those vassal kings, who will dare to utter a sound?!"

"This is called setting a benchmark, this is called occupying the moral high ground!"

He paused, his tone hardening, carrying a blatant threat:

"Therefore, Your Majesty, you now only have three paths before you."

"First, agree to let me audit the imperial treasury, and I'll help you subdue those princes."

"Second, if you disagree, then I'll continue to target your son, using my methods. If it escalates into something like 'purging the emperor's inner circle,' don't blame me for not giving you a heads-up."

"Third, the simplest way is to kill me now, and that will end it all."

"You...you dare threaten us?!"

Zhu was furious; he had never seen such an arrogant and unscrupulous subject.

"Yes, it is a threat."

Zhang Biao readily admitted, even nodding, "Besides, I don't think you'd be afraid to kill me. To be honest, I'd really like you to make your move sooner rather than later."

His face revealed an extremely irritating, longing expression:
"Being a lowly official like you, living in constant fear, and having to outwit and outmaneuver an emperor with terminal paranoia, isn't it exhausting? I've wanted to go back for ages!"

"Go back and enjoy yourself! The club's young models, luxury cars, and mansions—aren't they all better than being your punching bag here?!"

"I had no money before, so I had no choice. But now that I'm rich, with tens of millions of taels of silver, why would I put up with your bullying?!"

These words contained so much information that they completely stunned Old Zhu.

[Clubhouse models? Luxury cars and mansions? What on earth is this?]

[Several... tens of millions of taels?!]

Old Zhu's anger was instantly suppressed by a huge shock; his pupils dilated as he stared intently at Zhang Biao:

"Where...where did you get the money?!" "Tens of millions of taels? Even our imperial treasury doesn't have that much! You embezzled?! You accepted bribes?!"

"Don't worry about this."

Zhang Biao waved his hand, as if to say, "This is a trade secret, I cannot disclose it."

"Anyway, the source is legal and clean. So tell me, do you agree to my terms?"

Old Zhu was shaken by the enormous number and Zhang Biao's attitude, but he was, after all, the Hongwu Emperor. He forced himself to steady himself and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Don't even think about it! We will never be threatened by you!"

"If you dare to cause trouble again, we'll lock you up in the imperial prison and have all your accomplices and the veterans who colluded with you executed by slow slicing!"

He thought this would scare Zhang Biao.

However, the sarcasm on Zhang Biao's face deepened. He shook his head and said in an almost pitying tone:
"Zhu Yuanzhang, you really are no good. You can't do anything right except rebel."

Call him by his first name!

Like the last straw, it broke Old Zhu's rationality, and he almost screamed for someone to come in.

But Zhang Biao's next words were like three cold, poisoned arrows, piercing through all his anger, leaving only a bone-chilling cold and horror.

"Have you investigated Zhu Xiong Ying's death thoroughly?"

"Have you found the mastermind behind the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao?"

"I'll kill you—!"

Old Zhu was struck on his most painful wound, and instantly flew into a rage, almost lunging at Zhang Biao to strangle him with his own hands.

Zhang Biao didn't stop there; he continued to stab him in the heart.

"Oh, by the way. You must have noticed something amiss with Empress Ma's death, right?"

Boom——!
These three sentences are a hundred times more powerful than all the previous arrogant and absurd statements combined!
Old Zhu was struck as if by a bolt of lightning from the heavens. He stood frozen in place, his face turning deathly pale in an instant. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

[U.A....Biao'er...Girl...]

These three most important wounds in his life, the most painful and untouchable scars in his heart, were brutally torn open by Zhang Biao.

A moment later, he suddenly turned his head and roared towards the outside of the hall: "Yunming! Bring us our swords—!"

[Holy crap! Old Zhu, are you serious?!]

Zhang Biao was startled.

Just then, the palace door creaked open a crack.

Yunming entered, trembling with fear, holding a richly decorated sword in his hands. His face was even more ashen than if his father had died: "Your...Your Majesty...the sword...the sword..."

Old Zhu snatched the sword, and with a clang, the sharp blade was drawn, its cold light reflecting on his ferocious face.

"You son of a bitch Zhang Biao! If we don't chop you up today, we're not Zhus!"

Having said that, he grabbed his sword and charged at Zhang Biao, looking exactly like a hungry wolf whose food had been stolen.

Zhang Biao was shocked.
He had never experienced being personally killed by Old Zhu and then traveling back to the modern world.

Thinking about it, what if something goes wrong? Wouldn't that be the end of us?
Therefore, he dared not take the risk.

"My God! Old Zhu! No! Your Majesty, calm down! Impulsiveness is the devil—!"

Zhang Biao let out a strange cry and scurried behind the nearest golden dragon pillar.

"Stop right there! If you're a man, don't run away!"

Old Zhu was so angry that he roared and chased after the pillar with his sword.

"Only a fool wouldn't run! You're clearly trying to tear me to pieces!"

Zhang Biao fully demonstrated the agility of a modern office worker in avoiding boss inspections, playing hide-and-seek with Lao Zhu around the pillar.

For a time, the solemn and majestic Hall of Imperial Sacrifice was transformed into a farcical scene of "Emperor Hongwu angrily chasing a mad censor, with a life-or-death race against time under the golden pillars."

The guards who had just rushed in to protect the emperor, as well as Yunming who was holding the sword sheath, were all dumbfounded.

They never expected the situation to change so drastically, and they stood there, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

But the expressions on their faces were quite a sight; they wanted to laugh but dared not, wanted to offer advice but dared not, and could only stare dumbfounded at this unprecedented scene.

Old Zhu was getting on in years and had just coughed up blood, so he was out of breath after chasing a few laps.

He leaned against a pillar, the tip of his sword pointing at Zhang Biao on the other side: "You...you dog...come here!"

Zhang Biao also poked half his head out from behind the pillar, his tongue still sharp:

"Your Majesty, this is utterly uncivilized! You resort to violence when you can't win an argument? This is disgraceful and beneath your dignity!"

"Pah! What's the point of talking about martial ethics and status with a scoundrel like you!"

Old Zhu, panting, cursed, "I'm going to chop you up today!"

"If you were to kill me, that would only cause pain to my loved ones and joy to my enemies!"

While maintaining a safe distance, Zhang Biao began to berate Lao Zhu on his fingers:

"Look at you! Ever since you were a novice monk at Huangjue Temple and were kicked out for stealing offerings, you've never had a good temper!"

"You developed these legs from begging and fighting with dogs for food, right? Now you're pretty good at chasing me!"

"Did you never memorize scriptures when you were a monk? Were you just thinking about how to fight?"

"When you were with Guo Zixing, were you already thinking about how to swindle your father-in-law?"

"."

Zhang Biao's mouth has practically exposed everything about Zhu Yuanzhang... no, it's completely revealed the dirty secrets of the Hongwu Emperor's entrepreneurial history!
Every single sentence precisely hits on Lao Zhu's most sensitive sore spots and dark history that he least wants to be mentioned.

“You…you shut up!”

Old Zhu was so angry his hair almost stood on end, his blood pressure soared, and he didn't care about being tired anymore. He grabbed his sword and chased after them again, howling.

"I'll chop you to death, you foul-mouthed bastard!"

"Oh! Your Majesty, spare me! I haven't even mentioned that you were peeping at Widow Wang from the next village taking a bath yet!"

As Zhang Biao fled in panic, he continued to add fuel to the fire.

"Bullshit! We didn't!"

Old Zhu was going crazy! What was all this nonsense?!

His reputation is the most important thing in his life, how could he stand this?!
Yunming and his guards were completely petrified, their hearts screaming wildly:

[Lord Zhang! Please, please stop!]

[Your Majesty! Please calm down! This...this is outrageous!]

But they dared not move, fearing that if they did, they would become innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

The two, one carrying a precious sword and panting heavily, chased after the other, while the other nimbly dodged, and began an endless loop around the large pillars in the Hall of Literary Glory.

"Stop right there!"

“No!”

We will exterminate your entire family!

"I am the only one left in my nine generations of relatives, please do as you please!"

"We'll skin you alive!"

"Then you'll have to catch me first!"

"I'm so angry!!"

Finally, Old Zhu ran out of strength and stumbled, using his sword for support as he gasped for breath, sweat streaming down his face and soaking the back of his dragon robe.

He pointed at Zhang Biao, who was also exhausted and leaning against a pillar, gritting his teeth, but he barely had the strength to curse anymore:
"You...you...you bastard..."

Zhang Biao was also panting, but his face wore a 'what can you do about it?' smug expression, and he didn't forget to add insult to injury:

"Your Majesty, you see, your physical strength is not good. You should get angry less often, take better care of your health, and try to live to... uh, try to live to be a hundred years old, so you can kill a few more corrupt officials."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu almost spat out another mouthful of blood.

He finally understood that arguing with this stubborn person would only lead to his own demise.

He threw the sword hard to the ground with a loud 'clang,' which startled Yunming and the guards.

"roll……"

Old Zhu waved his hand weakly, not even wanting to look at Zhang Biao again:
"Get the hell out of here..."

"If you can't submit your report in three days...we'll...we'll send you to Liaodong to feed the mosquitoes..."

Zhang Biao's eyes lit up upon hearing this:
Liaodong? What a great place! I've heard the black soil there is incredibly fertile; sweet potatoes there would definitely yield a high yield!

Is Old Zhu going to give me a testing ground?!

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhang Biao quickly gave Old Zhu a deep bow.

Old Zhu simply couldn't figure it out.

Is this bastard deaf?! Or is he truly beyond redemption?!

“Get out of here—!”

Old Zhu couldn't help but roar like thunder.

(╯‵ ′)╯︵┻━┻

He felt like he was about to fly to the heavens in anger!

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(End of this chapter)