Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 189 Hongmen Banquet

The rear office of the Tianjin Garrison Command had been converted into a temporary imperial palace a few days earlier.

The once empty space where military officers drilled and shouted is now brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

The light was so intense, almost inhumanly so, that it banished all the shadows, leaving them nowhere to hide.

Inside the banquet hall, the extravagance was astonishing.

On the rows of rosewood tables, elaborate dishes were laid out, each one exquisitely crafted.

But none of the guests in the room were paying attention to the delicious food in front of them.

Led by Wang Fu, a group of wealthy merchants sat upright, their chopsticks seemingly weighing a ton, yet the food they picked up tasted like wax when they brought it to their mouths.

They frequently raised their glasses, seemingly toasting each other, but in reality, they were desperately trying to send inquiries to the officials they knew out of the corner of their eyes.

They were disappointed.

Whether it was the salt transport officials who usually treated them like brothers, or the garrison generals who had received countless benefits from them, they all looked like clay figurines just taken out of the kiln, their eyes downcast and their faces whiter than a poached chicken soaked in ice water.

Their hands, holding the wine glasses, trembled slightly, and the cold sweat on their foreheads glistened eerily in the blazing candlelight.

No one knew what the emperor really wanted to do.

This unknown is the ultimate source of fear.

Everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the head of the table, like moths to a flame.

There, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was lounging in a large chair.

He rested his chin on one hand, while the other hand toyed with a crystal-clear glass wine cup. The amber-colored imperial wine inside rippled gently with his movements.

The emperor seemed quite satisfied with the delicious food before him. He even had the leisure to turn his head and whisper a few words to Bi Ziyan beside him.

The more relaxed and carefree he appeared, the more uneasy his subordinates felt.

Wang Fu felt his shirt was completely soaked with cold sweat, clinging tightly to his back, wet and cold. He forced himself to drink another glass of wine, the spicy liquid sliding down his throat, but it did nothing to dispel the chill rising from the bottom of his heart.

Just as he was about to find an excuse to get up and say something, the emperor on the main seat seemed to finally feel that he had been savoring this appetizer for long enough.

He put down the glass in his hand, gently raised his eyelids, and gave Bi Ziyan beside him a look.

A gaze that was utterly ordinary.

However, in that instant, all the sounds in the entire banquet hall came to an abrupt halt.

The huge banquet hall fell silent for a moment, so quiet that you could hear the soft crackling of the candlelight and the frantic beating of countless hearts.

Bi Ziyan slowly stood up under everyone's gaze.

This highly respected veteran official, who had served in Tianjin for many years, now had a somber expression, and his eyes held a coldness and determination that no one had ever seen before.

He took out a thick account book from the wide sleeves of his official robe.

With a "thud," he placed the ledger on the table in front of him.

……

As he stood up, Bi Ziyan's mind flashed back to a scene from two days ago in the Dragon Boat Pavilion.

It was also in front of this young emperor that he first saw another booklet—a secret scroll exuding an aura of death, presented by Tian Ergeng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

“Minister Bi, you’ve been in Tianjin for many years, take a look at this.”

The emperor spoke calmly, as if he were admiring a piece of calligraphy or painting.

Bi Ziyan took the secret scroll, and after flipping through only a few pages, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Having spent decades navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, he considered himself accustomed to the corruption and depravity of the bureaucracy, and also well aware that smuggling was a chronic problem in Tianjin, a place rife with wealth.

He himself had arrested and killed people during his tenure, and thought he had a good understanding of the depth of this situation.

But it wasn't until he saw this secret document that he realized how naive and ridiculous his so-called understanding was.

What's recorded there is no longer some small-scale smuggling.

That was... that was treason—emptying the national treasury!

The annual output of Changlu Saltworks, the issuance of salt permits, and the tax revenue of the Salt Tax Bureau, all openly recorded each year, formed a shockingly large gap with the amount of smuggled salt flowing out from various unknown wild salt wharves, which were secretly monitored by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This void swallows up enough silver each year to arm another Guan Ning cavalry!
On the secret scroll, a series of familiar names were prominently listed.

There were his former trusted subordinates, the gentry who shared drinks with him, and the salt merchants who always appeared humble and submissive in his presence... They were like a giant spider web, intricately intertwined, covering the entire salt administration, canal transport, and military affairs of Tianjin.

At the very center of this network were Salt King Wang Zonghai and his capable steward, Wang Fu.

They not only evaded taxes, but also raised private armies equipped with muskets and Japanese swords bought from the Portuguese; they even bribed the coastal garrisons to transport private salt to Liaodong and sell it to... the Jianzhou Jurchens!
By the end, Bi Ziyan's hands were trembling uncontrollably.

"Shocking, isn't it?" The emperor's voice came from above, still calm, but with a cold sarcasm. "I was also shocked when I first saw it. My ministers and my merchants know better than the barbarians beyond the Great Wall how to stab the Ming Dynasty in the heart."

At that moment, Bi Ziyan, a veteran official of two dynasties, bowed deeply to the young emperor, his voice hoarse: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I failed in my duty as an official, allowing the problem to fester and grow into a serious illness. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

The emperor shook his head: "Your crimes must be addressed, of course, but not now. Minister Bi, you owe me a clean Tianjin. Tonight is the time for you to repay your debt."

As the memories receded like the tide, Bi Ziyan's gaze grew increasingly cold.

He looked at the panicked faces below the hall, feeling no trace of old affection or pity left in his heart.

He slowly opened the blue ledger, his tone devoid of any emotion, and began his interrogation:

"In the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the Tianjin Salt Transport Office paid 1.23 million taels of silver in salt tax to the imperial court. In the same year, the official salt production of the Changlu Saltworks was 2.8 million shi."

His gaze swept across the face of the Salt Transport Commissioner, an official who was usually pampered and privileged, now pale as paper and sweating profusely.

"However, according to confidential files jointly examined by the Ministry of Revenue and the Directorate of Ceremonial, the estimated amount of smuggled salt flowing out of Tianjin's various salt routes without paying a single coin in taxes is no less than five million shi!" "Ah!"

An uncontrollable gasp rippled through the crowd. This number was terrifying enough to condemn everyone present to eternal damnation!

Ignoring the commotion, Bi Ziyan slowly traced his fingers across the ledger, his voice suddenly rising:
"Prefect Sun, I would like to ask you, with such a huge difference between the 2.8 million shi of official salt and the 5 million shi of smuggled salt, are you, as the chief official in charge of salt transport, blind, or... blind in your heart?"

The Assistant Magistrate Sun knelt down with a thud, trembling like a leaf, and incoherently pleaded, "Your Excellency, please understand... This humble official... this humble official was unaware! This is all due to the rampant and lawless activities of salt smugglers, this humble official... this humble official is powerless to stop them!"

"Willing but unable?" Bi Ziyan sneered. "What a fine 'willing but unable' statement! Then where did that warm pavilion in your mansion, built of golden nanmu wood, and that phoenix hairpin with the Eastern pearl on the head of your newly acquired eighteenth concubine come from?!"

Magistrate Sun choked instantly, his mouth agape but unable to utter a single word. He collapsed to the ground, limp as a lump of mud.

Bi Ziyan's gaze shifted and landed on another river management official: "Chief Li, all the rivers and wharves in Tianjin are under your jurisdiction. Do you think those millions of shi of smuggled salt have grown wings and flown out to sea on their own?"

The scene was completely out of control. The officials' wails and the merchants' whispers of defense mingled together, turning this magnificent banquet hall into a marketplace before execution.

Just then, a mournful cry drowned out all the noise.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Wang Fu, the leader of the salt merchants, struggling to get up from his seat, banging his head on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty is wise! Your Excellency is discerning!"

He raised his head, his face streaked with tears, his expression so heartbroken that it would move anyone who heard or saw him to tears.

"We...we are all law-abiding businessmen! We are the victims!" He pounded his chest with his fists, making dull thuds.

"Those damned salt smugglers, they have knives and guns, they kill and rob, they do all sorts of evil! They drive down salt prices and disrupt the market, and we law-abiding merchants are being squeezed out by them... we're almost unable to survive!"

This performance was so genuine and heartfelt that even the most renowned actors in the capital probably couldn't portray such a heart-wrenching emotion. Many gentry who were unaware of the full story even showed expressions of sympathy.

Seeing this, Wang Fu felt somewhat reassured. He knew this was his last chance, so he knelt forward a few steps and kowtowed deeply to the emperor on the throne, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"This humble subject...this humble subject is well aware of the court's difficulties and the shortage of military funds for the nine border regions. In order to share the Emperor's burdens and to help the court eliminate these lawless salt bandits, this humble subject, Wang Fu, on behalf of all the merchants of Changlu, is willing to donate...donate another one million taels of silver! I only ask that the Emperor send heavenly troops to restore a bright and clear world to Tianjin!"

One million taels!
The moment this figure was revealed, everyone was astonished. What a grand gesture! What a wise and righteous businessman!

All the salt merchants held their breath, watching the emperor with bated breath.

They placed their last hopes on the one million taels of silver and Wang Fu's performance of feigning retreat.

The emperor, who had been silent all along, listened to Wang Fu's tearful plea, and his smile seemed to deepen.

Even though he made no move, his overwhelming aura instantly enveloped the entire hall, making everyone feel breathless.

Zhu Youjian took a step and slowly walked to the center of the hall.

He clapped his hands.

"well said."

Zhu Youjian looked at Wang Fu, who was kneeling on the ground with an expectant look on his face, and nodded with a smile that even carried a hint of approval.

"Well said. Since you all understand the greater good and are willing to share the nation's burdens..."

The salt merchants were on tenterhooks.

The emperor's smile appeared somewhat inscrutable in the candlelight, and he spoke the second half of his sentence, word by word:
"Then I... will wipe out these bandits for you!"

The moment he finished speaking, he casually tossed the glass wine cup he had been toying with forward.

"Bang!"

A crisp, cracking sound rang out.

The wine glass shattered on the ground!
The voice was like a command from the deepest hell, a signal that had been rehearsed a thousand times!

At the same time as the crisp sound rang out, the two heavy mahogany doors of the banquet hall were slammed shut and locked from the outside with a loud "bang"!
Immediately afterwards, all the windows around the room were also blocked off by people outside at almost the same time!
The magnificent banquet hall, which was filled with singing and dancing just a moment ago, has now turned into an airtight prison of despair!
"what!"

Finally, someone could no longer bear the extreme fear and let out a piercing scream.

Immediately afterwards, the side doors on both sides of the banquet hall leading to the backyard were kicked open!

Dressed in flying fish robes and wielding unsheathed embroidered spring knives, the Jinyiwei captains filed in like demons emerging from hell!

Their faces were expressionless, their eyes were cold, and the blades in their hands reflected a chilling glint of death in the candlelight.

The entire process was lightning fast, with perfect coordination and not a single lapse in efficiency.

Tian Ergeng, who had quietly left his seat earlier, appeared behind the emperor like a ghost, standing bowing and silent, as if he had always been there.

All the officials, gentry, and wealthy merchants in the hall collapsed to the ground.

Some cried out for mercy, some urinated and defecated, and some fainted from fright.

Those faces, usually so aloof and superior, were now twisted and distorted, filled with the purest despair.

Wang Fu knelt on the spot, his body so stiff that he could not move.

The emperor slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the hellish scene before him, his face remaining calm and expressionless.

He coldly uttered four words to the ashen-faced crowd and the chaotic elite of Tianjin:
"Start taking people."

These four words seemed like a silent edict, piercing through the thick walls.

The moment the words fell, outside the banquet hall, as if in response to his command, the silent night sky of Tianjin was suddenly torn apart!
First came the resounding boom of countless torches being lit simultaneously, dispelling the darkness and illuminating half the sky with their glow.

Immediately following was the distinctive, heavy, and rhythmic thud of the Beijing garrison's new iron boots, like a dense drumbeat, coming from all directions, making one's heart tremble.

The clatter of warhorses' hooves on the bluestone pavement, along with the occasional neighing, mingled with the officers' short, cold commands.

Immediately following was a series of loud, explosive sounds as countless doors were smashed open by heavy axes or human shoulders!
The loud bangs, accompanied by the shouts of the servants and the screams of the women, rose and fell in waves, forming a continuous cacophony.

(End of this chapter)