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

Chapter 92 What?! Our Great Ming Dynasty is doomed?! [Bonus Chapter 3 for Monthly Tickets]

Outside the Huagai Hall, outside Old Zhu's bedroom.

Zhu Yunwen was carrying ginseng soup when Yunming stopped him outside the room.

“Eunuch Yun, I heard that the Emperor has been awakened. I was extremely worried and have personally prepared ginseng soup to serve you. Please inform him.”

Zhu Yunwen spoke with a sorrowful tone and adopted an extremely humble posture.

Yunming glanced at him expressionlessly, then at the soup bowl in his hand, and said in a calm, even voice:
"Your Highness's filial piety is commendable, but the Emperor has just woken up, and the imperial physician is inside taking his pulse. He has instructed that no one should disturb him. Your Highness, please return."

Zhu Yunwen's sorrowful expression froze, and he hurriedly said:

"Eunuch Yun, I, Sun Chen, will wait outside. I will not disturb Your Majesty's treatment. I only ask that Your Majesty may have a sip of my heartfelt gift later."

"Your Highness."

Yunming's voice hardened, carrying an unquestionable tone: "The imperial decree cannot be disobeyed. Please return."

Zhu Yunwen met with a firm rebuff. Looking at Yunming's unyielding face, he felt a surge of anger, but dared not lash out. He could only force a smile and say, "Then I, your humble servant, will wait outside and will not disturb Your Majesty."

He held the bowl of soup tightly in his palm, refusing to let go even though it was scalding his hand.

Yunming, standing to the side, observed all of this with approval in his heart, but remained outwardly composed.

Meanwhile, Old Zhu leaned against the dragon bed, his face still sallow, but his eyes were frighteningly sharp, showing no signs of drowsiness.

After the imperial physician finished taking the pulse with trepidation, he bowed and said:

"Although His Majesty's pulse is still weak, it has stabilized. He only needs to rest and recuperate, and must not get angry again."

"Our life or death is none of your business."

Old Zhu interrupted him in a hoarse voice, waving his hand: "Go down and brew the medicine."

The imperial physician, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, scrambled out of the room.

"Yunming".

Old Zhu suddenly spoke up.

Yunming, who was outside the door, immediately responded, "This servant is here!"

"Go and summon Jiang Huan!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Yunming bowed slightly and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly heard Old Zhu's voice again: "Is that Yunwen outside?"

Yunming paused for a moment, then glanced at Zhu Yunwen and said, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Second Grandson of the Emperor was concerned about your health and specially prepared a soup to bring you here. I was afraid of disturbing you, so I didn't let him in."

"eventful."

Old Zhu said two words in an ambiguous tone, then said indifferently, "Let Yunwen in, we're a little thirsty."

"promise."

Yunming acknowledged, then smiled at Zhu Yunwen and gestured, "Your Highness, the Second Grandson of the Emperor, please."

"Thank you very much, Eunuch Yun."

Zhu Yunwen was overjoyed, but he politely expressed his gratitude to Yunming, making Yunming feel very comfortable.

Soon, he stepped into Old Zhu's bedroom.

"Grandpa Huang!"

When he saw Old Zhu sitting on the edge of the bed, his face ashen, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, his eyes instantly reddened, and his voice choked with emotion: "Are you...are you alright?"

"Silly child. We've fainted from anger three times already, how can we be alright?"

Old Zhu chuckled self-deprecatingly, then beckoned to Zhu Yunwen, saying, "Come, come to your imperial grandfather's side."

"Yes"

Zhu Yunwen, his face filled with sorrow, walked to Old Zhu's bedside, and, holding the bowl of ginseng soup that had scalded his hands red, handed it to Old Zhu, saying:
"Grandpa, it's probably getting a bit cold. It's all my fault for being so useless; I can't even make a proper soup..."

"hehe."

Old Zhu smiled warmly, said nothing more, took the bowl of soup, picked up the spoon, scooped a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. The first taste was a rich ginseng flavor, along with a sweetness that was perfectly cooked.

"Yes, Not Bad."

Old Zhu nodded in satisfaction, and just as he was about to chat with Zhu Yunwen about everyday matters, Yunming's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Your Majesty! Commander Jiang has arrived!"

"Let him in!"

Old Zhu changed the subject, holding the bowl of ginseng soup in his hand and staring intently at the doorway, while Zhu Yunwen stood still, holding his breath.

"emperor!"

Jiang Huan walked in, glanced quickly at Zhu Yunwen, and then respectfully bowed to the old Zhu.

But then Old Zhu said calmly and indifferently, "During the time we were unconscious, did anything happen?"

"This"

Jiang Huan hesitated for a moment, seemingly worried about whether Zhu could withstand the news, but feeling Zhu's piercing gaze, he steeled himself and reported:

"Your Majesty, something did happen during the time you were unconscious, and it was a momentous event."

He gave Lao Zhu a heads-up beforehand, lest Lao Zhu faint from anger again later.

But Old Zhu, unperturbed, picked up the soup spoon again and said calmly:
"Tell me, we want to hear it too. What's more earth-shattering than fainting three times? Tell us so we can be even more surprised."

Jiang Huan chuckled twice, a rare occurrence, before taking out a small booklet and reading it aloud as if reciting a familiar story:

Just five hours ago, Zhang Biao, along with Shen Lang and the others, went to the Ministry of Revenue under the pretext of demanding unpaid wages, to conduct what they called an 'audit'.

At 2:45 AM, they broke down the gates of the Ministry of Revenue!

[Zhang Biao personally revealed the details of Fu Youwen's embezzlement of funds for dike repairs in Zhejiang, misappropriation of military pay in northern Xinjiang, and the theft and sale of stored grain from official granaries!] [Exactly accurate!]

[Minister Fu collapsed on the spot! Zhang Biao used the Ministry of Revenue's treasury as 'debt settlement,' emptying out thirty-five tables and chairs, seven boxes of documents, and even the kitchen's pots and pans! The estimated value exceeded ten thousand taels!]

Σ(°Д°|||)
So Old Zhu got his wish and looked at Jiang Huan with a shocked expression.

Jiang Huan, seemingly oblivious to Old Zhu's stunned expression, steeled herself and continued reading with an indescribable feeling:
[At 1:15 AM! Ministry of War! They've climbed the roof of the Ministry of War's office with ladders!]

Minister Ru attempted to intimidate the veterans by using them to receive pensions, but Zhang Biao's direct reimbursement only fueled their resentment!

[Immediately afterwards, Zhang Biao mixed soot from the bottom of a pot with lard and wrote down Minister Ru's crimes on the white walls and pillars of the Ministry of War's main hall!]

[One case after another! Private sale of 3,500 taels of obsolete military equipment from Liaodong! Kickbacks on the purchase of winter clothing for the Beijing garrison! A deficit of 30,000 shi of grain in the Shaanxi-Gansu military settlements! Receiving salaries without working! Tolerating servants fraudulently claiming Beijing garrison pay! All have specific dates, locations, and individuals involved!]

Minister Ru was so frightened that he burst into tears and knelt down, begging for mercy!

The veterans were so shocked by the charges that they completely switched sides to Zhang Biao, then interrogated Minister Ru, opened the Ministry of War's offices, and let Zhang Biao and his men in.

[Immediately afterwards, they removed forty waist knives, twenty sets of leather armor, and even three wooden barricades used for drills from the Ministry of War's armory!]

Finally, they distributed the goods they had acquired 'in exchange for money' to pay off their unpaid wages to the veterans and their families who came upon hearing the news, and then drove them away.

The reason given was the fear that if the emperor woke up, it would implicate the veterans and their families.

[At noon! Ministry of Personnel!]

They exposed one case after another of the Ministry of Personnel's corruption, bribery, and falsification, terrifying the Vice Minister of Personnel, Zhai Shan, to the ground, begging them to come in and audit the documents!

Finally, they entered the Ministry of Personnel's confidential archives and recorded all the performance evaluation and promotion records the Ministry had kept over the years on the walls and pillars of the Ministry's office, exposing the Ministry's ugliness to everyone and utterly humiliating them!

[At 2:45 PM! At the Duke of Cao's residence! Zhang Biao leads his men to audit the gate of the Duke of Kaiguo's residence!]

[Duke Li Jinglong was so frightened that he hurriedly welcomed them into his mansion. In the end, the Duke was forced to donate 30,000 taels of silver!]

[When the Duke claimed he had no cash, Zhang Biao threatened to "pay off the debt with assets," and proceeded to strip the Duke of his collection of paintings, calligraphy, jade artifacts, and antiques from previous dynasties, even removing the curtains. The front hall of the Duke's mansion was practically emptied!]

But that wasn't all. He then forcibly revived the Duke, who had fainted from anger, treated them to a meal, and only then left triumphantly.

[At 6:45 PM! At the Marquis of Wuding's residence! Old Marquis Guo Ying feigns illness and remains indoors!]

Zhang Biao actually climbed over the wall with acupuncture needles and a short axe! He declared that he would perform 'acupuncture and axe therapy' on the Marquis!

[Lord Guo was so frightened that he was "cured" on the spot and voluntarily donated three thousand taels of silver! He only asked them to leave quickly!]

And now! It's the beginning of the 5-7 PM!

Jiang Huan's voice was already trembling:

They are marching in a massive force towards the Ministry of Works! Tens of thousands of people are watching along the way, cheering wildly! Under the guise of 'demanding unpaid wages' and 'auditing,' they are actually looting and ransacking homes!

[In the six ministries and the mansions of nobles, everyone is living in fear; Yingtian Prefecture is in chaos!]

Rumble——!
This series of news, like thunderclaps from the heavens, each more powerful than the last, struck Old Zhu's bedroom!

Zhu Yunwen was so frightened that his face turned pale and he froze on the spot.

Even though he was extremely good at disguising himself, he was terrified by this abstract, absurd, yet terrifying 'mobile audit'.

This is not just lawlessness, it's uprooting the pillars of the Ming Dynasty!

silence!

The entire dormitory suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

These precise moments!
These shocking details!
This scene was like a locust swarm passing through, or a painting of hell!

Did this really happen right under the emperor's nose, right under the nose of the Hongwu Emperor?!
When Jiang Huan reported that the Ministry of Revenue had been emptied, Zhu was already swaying precariously.

When he heard that the Ministry of War had written the charges against him on the wall pillars, that the Ministry of Personnel had suffered a social death, that the Duke of Cao's mansion had been ransacked and that he had been forced to treat the "murderer" to a meal, and that the Marquis of Wuding had been so frightened that he sat up in shock on his deathbed and donated three thousand taels of silver, his lips trembled like leaves falling in the wind.

Finally, when they heard phrases like "they are marching towards the Ministry of Works," "the people are cheering," "everyone is in danger," and "Yingtian Prefecture is in chaos,"
The Ming Dynasty he envisioned had collapsed!

The glorious Ming Dynasty! The Hongwu Era!
Six noble families! Pillars of the nation!
In just a few short hours!

Right here in broad daylight!
He was taken by a madman!
He led a group of poor peddlers carrying abacuses and chamber pot lamps!
Like bandits, they kicked down each door and emptied the house of all its belongings!
It shattered all dignity and self-respect!
This is no longer an abstraction; this is a naked collapse!
It is the disintegration of order, an apocalyptic scene!

"Clang-!"

A crisp, piercing cracking sound suddenly shattered the deathly silence of the bedchamber.

The lukewarm ginseng soup and porcelain shards were splashed all over the floor.

Old Zhu, however, was completely unaware.

He looked as if his soul had been ripped out; his face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his eyes were wide open, filled with extreme shock, fear, and a sense of utter bewilderment as if his worldview had completely collapsed.

audit
搬空
Copy home
逼捐
These seemingly ordinary words, when put together, are so astonishing.

Zhang Biao, that bastard.
How dare he? !

How could he?!

Is he really going to destroy our Great Ming Dynasty?!

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(End of this chapter)