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

Chapter 19 Procedural Justice
Wei Zhongxian pushed the black lacquered wooden box towards Zhang Weixian again. The box slid on the wooden board, making a slight friction sound.

"It is inconvenient for Your Majesty to hand over this knife personally. After all, a monarch must maintain his dignity. When killing someone, especially someone of such high standing, one must act with a just cause to avoid giving others grounds to accuse him of being cruel and ungrateful."

Wei Zhongxian smiled.

"It is most appropriate for you to deliver it. After all, you are the head of the nobility and their elder brother. If you are the one to clean house, no one can say a word against it. His Majesty said that this is called... 'procedural justice'."

Looking at the wooden box in front of him, Zhang Weixian felt as if he were seeing not a pile of account books, but a bloody, still dripping human head.

That was Zhu Chunchen's head.

The emperor wanted him to personally send Zhu Chunchen to the execution ground.

Moreover, instead of using traditional charges like treason or forming factions, they used the most humiliating method—publicly revealing his account books, making him look like a thief caught red-handed stealing chickens and dogs, utterly disgraced in front of the world and all the civil and military officials!

This is even more ruthless than killing him; nothing could be more cruel than destroying his spirit.

"I'll take my leave now. Please rest well, Your Excellency." Wei Zhongxian bowed and, just as he had come, silently retreated into the darkness outside the door, as if he had never been there.

Only Zhang Weixian and the death ledger, which was enough to stir up a monstrous storm, remained in the study.

He reached out his hand, the hand that had once commanded thousands of troops with unwavering stability, but now it was trembling slightly as he slowly stroked the cold, smooth lid of the box.

He knew that the moment he walked into the Fengtian Hall with this thing in his hand, the last shred of affection between him and his 'old friends' would be completely severed by this silent butcher's knife.

He had no choice between loyalty to the monarch and 'betrayal', or rather, from the moment he accepted that bowl of shredded pork noodles, the emperor had already made the choice for him!

……

Three days later, there will be a meeting.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, massive golden pillars with coiled dragons support the towering dome. Sunlight streams in obliquely through the mica stone window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the polished golden bricks, making the entire hall appear even more spacious and majestic.

The civil and military officials, dressed in court attire, stood in complete silence on both sides.

But beneath this silence, undercurrents were surging. Everyone sensed that the court was filled with the oppressive atmosphere of an impending storm.

The civil service, especially the young censors, had excitement and anticipation in their eyes, while the ranks of the nobles were filled with a chilling atmosphere, like a pack of wolves preparing for battle.

On the dragon throne, the young emperor wore a dragon robe with twelve symbols and a crown that reached the heavens. His face was expressionless, his eyes were lowered, and one hand rested on the armrest of the dragon throne. His fingertips tapped lightly unconsciously, as if he was indifferent to everything below.

Duke Zhu Chunchen of Chengguo stood at the head of the ranks of meritorious nobles.

Today he wore a brand-new Qilin-embroidered robe, and the jade belt around his waist was polished to a shine. He held his head high, his chin slightly raised, and his face carried an undisguised provocation and sneer.

He hasn't been idle these past few days.

He had already connected with most of the dukes, marquises, and earls in the capital, and even through marriage, he had contacted several influential officials in the Censorate and the Six Ministries.

They were prepared. As soon as Zhang Weixian dared to mention the Beijing Garrison again in court, they would immediately launch a collective attack on him, bringing him down completely on charges of "disrupting the morale of the army, framing loyal officials, and forcing meritorious ministers to rebel."

Zhu Chunchen believed in the age-old ironclad rule that the law does not punish the masses!

No matter how powerful the emperor was, he could not possibly wipe out all the descendants of these dozens of founding heroes!
This empire was won by the Zhu family and other families of meritorious officials together!
He refused to believe that the emperor would dare to risk shaking the foundations of the country and making an enemy of the entire noble class!

He was waiting for Zhang Weixian to make his move.

Zhu Chunchen was ready for a fierce life-or-death duel with him, concerning ancestral laws, the dignity of nobles, and the morality between ruler and subject!

Zhang Weixian stepped forward.

He walked steadily to the center of the main hall.

He did not, as Zhu Chunchen had expected, passionately expound on the necessity of reorganizing the Beijing garrison.

He didn't even glance at Zhu Chunchen, as if he were nothing but air.

He calmly took out an account book wrapped in a blue cover from the wide sleeves of his court robe.

He bowed to Zhu Youjian on the dragon throne and said loudly, "Your Majesty, when I was investigating the accounts of the Beijing Garrison, I found several suspicious transactions that I could not figure out. Today, I would like to ask the Duke of Cheng for some advice in front of all the civil and military officials."

"consult?"

These two words were like two small pebbles thrown into a still lake, creating ripples.

The entire court was stunned. What kind of move was this?
In the imperial court, there is only impeachment; there is no consultation.

Zhu Chunchen was also stunned.

All the sharp retorts he had prepared were instantly silenced by those two words.

Zhu Chunchen felt like a boxer who had been holding back his strength, but when he threw a punch, he hit nothing. He felt indescribably uncomfortable.

What... what's going on here?
On the dragon throne, Zhu Youjian's fingers, which had been lightly tapping the armrest, stopped. He slowly raised his eyelids, a barely perceptible interest flashing in his eyes, like a cat spotting an interesting ball of yarn.

"Oh? What is it that you, Duke of England, have troubled you with? Tell me. Duke Cheng is a pillar of the nation; surely he can clear up your doubts."

Zhang Weixian opened the ledger, his voice not loud, but thanks to the echo effect of the main hall, it resonated clearly in everyone's ears.

"Duke Cheng, during the investigation of the land owned by the Beijing Garrison, we discovered a plot of 3,200 mu of superior military land in Tongzhou called 'Changlepo.' The land deed from the third year of the Tianqi reign (1623) has somehow been transferred to your name. The document documenting the change of land deed states 'offset against military pay.' However, a thorough search of the archives of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War has yielded no record of such 'offset' by the court. Could Your Excellency please enlighten us on this matter?"

Zhu Chunchen's mind went blank, as if he had been hit hard by a sledgehammer.

That piece of land in Changlepo!

That was the most lucrative piece of all his illicit goods!
He spent three thousand taels of silver to bribe the chief officer of the Beijing Garrison and also to smooth things over with the minor official in charge of land registration at the Ministry of Revenue, so that he could get his hands on it without anyone noticing. He thought he had done it flawlessly, so how could it possibly be discovered?!
Zhu Chunchen's face turned pale instantly, and his arrogant aura deflated completely like a punctured balloon.

"This...this...this is an old story, there may be some misunderstanding...I will go back and investigate..." He stammered, trying to brush it off.

Zhang Weixian ignored his explanation and continued flipping through the ledger as if he hadn't heard him. His tone remained calm, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to himself, like an abacus devoid of emotion.

There is still one question.

Thirteen pawnshops in the capital, including Yongchang, Liyuan, and Futai, all have intricate connections with your esteemed household. According to their internal accounts, their annual profit margin is as high as two hundred percent. I have read several books on mathematics, and I truly cannot imagine what kind of business acumen could produce such high returns. I wonder if the Duke of Cheng could offer some guidance?”

If the issue of the military farmland had merely shocked Zhu Chunchen, then the pawnshop's accounts sent a chill down his spine!

Even this was discovered?!

This is no longer just investigating the Beijing garrison; this is confiscating his assets!
This is Wei Zhongxian's tactic!

No, even more ruthless than Wei Zhongxian!

When Wei Zhongxian investigated someone, he even accused him of "forming cliques for personal gain," and Zhang Weixian actually... actually confronted him about it in court?!

No. Zhang Weixian doesn't have that ability!
Zhu Chunchen looked up suddenly and began to tremble uncontrollably!
"You...you're slandering me!" Zhu Chunchen finally reacted, pointing at Zhang Weixian and roaring fiercely but weakly, "Zhang Weixian! You're using this to settle personal scores! You're fabricating charges! You're defaming me!"

Zhang Weixian finally closed the ledger and looked up at him directly.

There was only a deathly, cold pity in his eyes, as if he were looking at a prisoner who had already been sentenced to death.

"If Your Excellency believes that what I have said is untrue, you are welcome to produce evidence and confront me in court. I can submit this account book to the Censorate and the Three Judicial Offices for joint verification."

"I..." Zhu Chunchen stammered, cold sweat streaming down his forehead and soaking the collar of his brand-new court robe.

A confrontation?

What can we use to confront them?
Are those account books really in Zhang Weixian's hands?
Zhu Chunchen dared not gamble.

Just then, the young emperor who had been silent all along, sitting on the dragon throne, suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, but in the deathly silent hall, it sounded particularly jarring, like a needle piercing the tense atmosphere.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zhu Youjian leaned slightly forward from the dragon throne. This subtle movement carried a sense of oppression, like a cheetah pouncing on its prey, making everyone's hearts leap into their throats.

He looked at Zhu Chunchen, whose face was ashen, and asked with great interest, his tone not like a monarch interrogating a subject, but more like a merchant asking for advice on how to make money:

"Duke Cheng, your 'return on investment' is much higher than that of the national treasury of my Great Ming."

"Why don't you give me, and all the officials in the court, a good lesson? Share your 'success experience'? My Ministry of Revenue is in dire need of someone like you."

"boom!"

Zhu Chunchen's last line of psychological defense completely collapsed under the emperor's piercing words.

He got it.

It's all part of a scheme.

A deadly trap personally set by the emperor!

He wasn't fighting Zhang Weixian; he was fighting the emperor!
Zhang Weixian was just the knife that was handed to him!

"Plop" sound.

The Duke of Cheng, who had been so arrogant just moments before and was about to display his prowess in the court, suddenly collapsed onto the cold gold bricks, his legs giving way.

His official hat was askew to one side, revealing his hair soaked with sweat, making him look utterly disheveled.

His face was ashen, his eyes were unfocused, and he mumbled something but couldn't utter a single word.

Zhu Chunchen knew he was finished.

Zhu Youjian's smile vanished instantly.

His voice became like a winter chill, cold and authoritative, devoid of any emotion.

"Duke Zhu Chunchen of Chengguo, as the descendant of a founding hero, enjoys a generous salary from the court but does not know how to repay it. Instead, he embezzles military property, competes with the people for profit, and enriches himself, thus his virtue is not commensurate with his position and his conduct is improper!"

"I, considering the merits his ancestors had made to the state, cannot bear to impose a severe punishment upon him."

"Effective immediately, his title of Duke of Cheng is revoked, all his official positions are stripped, and he is confined to his residence, never to leave for the rest of his life!"

"All the farmland and shops they seized will be confiscated! Half of the proceeds will be deposited into the national treasury, and the other half will be used to compensate the wounded and disabled soldiers of the Beijing Garrison!"

The imperial edict was issued like a thunderbolt from the heavens, crashing down with a deafening roar.

Two fierce-looking palace guards stepped forward, one on each side, and lifted up Zhu Chunchen, who was already limp as mud, and dragged him out.

Zhu Chunchen did not resist or shout, like a dead dog whose spine had been removed.

A political storm that could have caused a major upheaval in the imperial court was so easily dismissed and packaged as a "financial audit."

There was no charge of treason, nor any accusation of forming a faction.

There is only one cold, irrefutable reason—

You don't deserve it.

No one dared to step forward.

Because no one dared to gamble that the young emperor they were looking up at might still have other people's account books in his hands!
Silence fell once again inside the main hall.

All the nobles bowed their heads, their faces ashen, not daring to even breathe. As they watched Zhu Chunchen's disheveled figure being dragged away, they seemed to see their own future reflected in his image.

For the first time, they truly felt fear.

They were not afraid of the emperor killing people.

Throughout history, how many meritorious officials have been killed by emperors?

What they fear is this method of killing.

Each of them has a messy record of debts.

No one can withstand this kind of "financial audit"!
(End of this chapter)