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

Chapter 202 Fanning the flames
The Emperor has set up camp in Texas!
Another night!
Night fell upon the eaves of the Wen'an Hall at the Dezhou Post Station, spreading a deathly black.

Inside the hall, candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows.

A steady, strong hand is meticulously wiping every detail of the white jade dragon pendant with a silk handkerchief from Huzhou, from the dragon's angry eyes to the scales and claws of its tail.

Zhu Youjian's extreme calmness contrasted sharply with the frantic wind outside the window and the suffocating tension inside the hall.

The person standing beside the emperor tonight is Wei Zhongxian.

This once powerful and influential official, who could shake the capital's bureaucracy with a stomp of his foot, now resembled an ant roasting on a hot coal.

His deeply lined old face appeared unusually pale in the flickering candlelight, and his thin, claw-like fingers twitched uncontrollably within the wide sleeves of his robe.

He opened his mouth several times, but each time he swallowed his words back, his Adam's apple bobbing and making a soft gurgling sound.

Finally, unable to contain the turmoil within him, he carefully bowed his back—a back he had never truly bent before in front of the officials—and whispered in a trembling voice, tinged with pleading, a voice only he and the emperor could hear:
"Your Majesty... my heart is as restless as the wind outside, constantly on edge. Look, it's been almost twenty days... Shandong is a treacherous place, a den of wolves and devils. Every day we stay here is another day of danger. If we linger... I fear there might be trouble brewing right under our noses!"

The emperor still did not respond verbally.

It was as if Wei Zhongxian's existence was no different from the sound of the wind outside the window.

However, his action of wiping the jade pendant suddenly paused for a moment, almost imperceptibly.

In the blink of an eye.

Immediately, the hand resumed its original steady and rhythmic pace.

On the low rosewood table beside Wei Zhongxian, a stack of secret reports sealed tightly with sealing wax was neatly arranged.

These secret reports came from all directions of the Ming Dynasty and were delivered to this place day and night by the most elite imperial guards at the fastest speed of six hundred li.

Wei Zhongxian had just opened one of the letters, a secret report from Songjiang Prefecture in Southern Zhili, and his sharp eyes quickly swept over the letter.

With just a few lines of text, his usually composed face visibly lost all color.

He suddenly looked up at the young king on the throne who was still focused on wiping the jade pendant, his lips moving as if he had a thousand words to say.

But in the end, he still bit his lip tightly.

Because Wei Zhongxian knew that beneath this calm surface, a storm powerful enough to overturn the world was brewing.

The eye of the storm is no longer just Texas.

……

Songjiang Prefecture, Tax Office.

A hand covered in calluses and ink stains, like an eagle's claw ready to crush its prey, pressed firmly onto a fish-scale picture book that was already yellowed and whose pages were curled at the edges.

The booklet was densely filled with drawings of the shapes and ownership of fields; each small square represented a piece of wealth, a piece of history, and a life.

The head of the Songjiang Prefecture Tax Office, a seasoned veteran who had spent his entire life in officialdom and was over fifty, was now covered in sweat, with the veins on his forehead throbbing.

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace at the excessively young imperial envoy before him, whose eyes were as cold as a blade.

"Lord Yang... Lord Yang," he stammered, "this...this is an old file from the Wanli Emperor's time, it's ancient history, it can't be turned upside down, it really can't be turned upside down...turning it upside down will implicate countless families, it will cause...it will cause a huge mess!"

Yang Sichang's face was as expressionless as a mountain rock covered in ice and snow.

Behind him stood several young accountants who had been directly transferred from the "Da Ming Bao Chao General Bank" in the capital.

These people were young, but each of them had eyes as sharp as eagles, and they gripped abacuses tightly in their hands, their knuckles white, like a pack of wolves that had smelled blood and were waiting for their master's command.

Yang Sichang didn't waste any words with the official in charge.

He simply reached out and gently, yet with immense weight, placed a secret edict bearing the vermilion seal that read "Treasure for the Emperor's Personal Inspection" onto the fish-scale map.

"I, by His Majesty's decree, will thoroughly investigate the accumulated tax arrears of Songjiang Prefecture over the years and reassess the land area. Anyone who obstructs this will be punished as an accomplice to the rebels."

He raised his eyes, his gaze piercing into the depths of the officer's cloudy eyes.

Do you want to be the first one?

……

Songjiang Prefecture, Sanyuan Tower.

In contrast to the tense atmosphere at the tax office, the scene inside the top-floor private room of the most famous teahouse in Songjiang Prefecture was quite different.

The aroma of the tea is enticing; it is the finest Wuyi Da Hong Pao.

The melodious music was the strains of a famous courtesan playing "High Mountains and Flowing Water".

But beneath this refined facade, the air inside the private room was as cold as an icebox.

Hou Xun, a former Donglin Party general, is now a henchman of the imperial court, sitting comfortably in the main seat.

He personally took the teapot and poured tea for each of the several white-haired, highly respected scholars across the south.

His movements were refined and polite, flowing smoothly, and his tone was as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Gentlemen, His Majesty knows that you are exemplary figures of the Jiangnan school of thought and role models for scholars."

He spoke with a smile, as if he were catching up with an old friend.

"This land survey is not intended to make things difficult for the gentry. It is simply to clarify the long-standing problems of fraudulent land registration and concealment, so as to replenish the national treasury and allow the border troops in the north to have a full meal."

We urge these elderly gentlemen to be lenient and set a good example by truthfully reporting the clan's land holdings. This act would be a way of sharing the nation's burdens and benefiting all people.

His words were gentle and refined.

However, behind that carved screen, the figures of two Jinyiwei commanders could be seen faintly.

They made no attempt to hide it; the iconic embroidered spring knife at their waists, with its gilded hilt reflecting a cold, piercing light from time to time.

This light is more convincing than Hou Xun's words.

An elderly man with white hair and beard trembled violently as he held a teacup. The scalding tea spilled all over him, soaking his expensive silk robe, but he seemed oblivious, his eyes glazed over, muttering to himself:
"This is...this is trying to uproot us..."

……

Yangzhou, the Wang family study.

A steward rushed in, his face covered in fear and sweat. "Master! Master! Urgent news from Songjiang Prefecture! The imperial court has sent people with the account books to start auditing the books! Hou Xun is forcing the gentry of Songjiang Prefecture to disclose their assets and land holdings!"

In the study, Wang Zonghai was playing with a white jade dragon pendant from the previous dynasty. Upon hearing this, a terrifying fierce light suddenly flashed in his small eyes.

"Crack!"

With a sharp crack, the priceless jade pendant was smashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"An audit?!"

Wang Zonghai's voice was like the growl of an enraged beast, his eyes bloodshot, like a gambler who had lost all his chips.

"After inspecting the fields, the next step is to inspect our salt permits! Investigate our clandestine salt trade that has been going on for years! We can't wait any longer! We absolutely can't wait any longer! What did the Prince of Fu say? What about the descendants of the sage in Qufu? Send someone to tell them that if we don't take action soon, we'll all be skinned alive and die together!"

……

Luoyang, the Prince of Fu's Mansion.

In stark contrast to the gloomy and desolate atmosphere of Yangzhou, the Prince Fu's Mansion in Luoyang was still filled with singing and dancing, and decadent music could be heard all the time.

Zhu Changxun, the fattest prince of the Ming Dynasty, was reclining on a soft couch covered with tiger skin, with women on his left and right, admiring the graceful dance of the dancers below, occasionally letting out nauseating giggles.

Just then, a trusted old eunuch slid silently to his side like a ghost and whispered a few words quickly in his ear.

The smile on Prince Fu's face froze instantly.

He abruptly pushed away the beauty in his arms, grabbed the old eunuch by the collar, and half-lifted him up, his fat face contorted with rage.

"What did you say?! The Emperor's men are investigating the imperial estates in Henan? And they want to reassess the stipends and land of the imperial clan?! He... he's trying to tear a piece of my flesh! He dares!"

The old eunuch, nearly suffocating from being choked, nodded with difficulty.

Prince Fu released his grip, and a ruthless glint, the kind of ferocity that only emerges in dire straits, suddenly flashed in his eyes, which were usually filled with nothing but greed and lust.

“Go,” he growled through gritted teeth, “tell those salt swindlers in Yangzhou that as long as they have enough money and grain, I can raise this banner of ‘cleansing the court of corrupt officials and punishing treacherous ministers’ for them at any time!”

……

Qufu, the Confucius Mansion.

The air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood in the study of Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzhi.

He held a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals in his hand, his gaze fixed on the pages, but he couldn't concentrate on a single word.

His heart was more turbulent than the wind outside the window.

The study door was suddenly pushed open, and an elder of the clan rushed in without regard for etiquette.

"My lord! We can't wait any longer!"

The elder's voice was hoarse and urgent, as if it were being scorched by fire.

"That little emperor's chariot has been stuck in Dezhou for almost a month now, neither advancing nor retreating! This is clearly a trap! He's waiting! Waiting for us, the fish driven to the brink, to jump in ourselves!"

He slammed the letter on the desk with a loud crack.

"Look!" The elder tapped his finger on the letter. "His Highness Prince Fu of Luoyang has sent a secret letter! The Wang family salt merchants in Yangzhou are pleading with tears in their eyes! Even the officials Qian Qianyi and Qian Longxi from Jiangnan have sent urgent letters, urging us to make a decision!"

He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Kong Yinzhi, his voice filled with desperate madness.

“They’ve all seen it! If we keep waiting like this, until the emperor’s butcher’s knife is brought down one by one, until the Shanxi merchants and grain merchants’ yesterday becomes Qufu’s tomorrow, then it’s all a dead end! We…can’t sit here any longer and wait for that brat emperor to come knocking with his knife!”

"My lord!" The elder's voice suddenly rose, tinged with a hint of sorrow, "The scholars of the world are now all tied to one boat! If we do not seize this opportunity to raise the banner of 'purging the emperor's corrupt advisors,' and wait for him to defeat us one by one, then all that will be left is the loss of our entire families!"

Kong Yinzhi slowly closed the book "Spring and Autumn Annals" and placed it on the desk.

He walked to the window, his gaze fixed on the distant Confucius Cemetery, where the ancestors of the Confucius family were buried, and remained silent for a long time.

The sound of the wind seemed like the sighs of the ancient sages.

After a long while, he finally turned around.

At that moment, all the hesitation and confusion in his eyes disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented resolve.

He turned back to his desk, flicked his sleeve to clear the books from the table, and spoke in a voice as cold as ice:

"Grind the ink! Lay out the paper! Today, I will personally draft a manifesto!"

His gaze swept over the excited elder, then he lowered his eyes and looked at the blank Xuan paper in front of him, as if he could already see the blood and fire that would soon be stained on it.

"The text informs all academies, literary societies, and scholars of our generation that the monarch has been misled by treacherous officials, has abandoned ancestral laws, persecuted loyal and virtuous people, and is competing with the people for profit. We, the educated generation, should emulate the sages of the past and carry out the task of 'restoring order'!"

……

Texas.

Several more nights passed.

The candlelight was still flickering.

Wei Zhongxian respectfully presented the secret memorial he had just compiled to the emperor on the throne.

On those thin sheets of paper, the emperor's anticipated movements and signs of collusion were clearly written.

The emperor received the secret report and read it quickly.

Wei Zhongxian stared intently at his face, trying to catch even the slightest emotional fluctuation.

However, he was disappointed.

The emperor stood up, walked slowly to the window, and opened it a crack.

"I hereby issue a secret decree to Hou Xun via express courier, which will travel 600 li."

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath.

"I have heard that the Xu family of Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, is descended from Xu Jie, the former Grand Secretary of the previous dynasty. They have a long history of scholarship and abundant land, making them the leading gentry in Jiangnan and known as 'Xu Half the City'."

"Have him go with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to pay a visit on my behalf."

(End of this chapter)