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

Chapter 289 You know we're keeping a ghost in our house!

Tian Ergeng's vow echoed like thunder in the empty Wenhua Hall, every word filled with ruthlessness and madness.

However, the emperor was unmoved by this.

Zhu Youjian had heard too many grand pronouncements, so he withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, silence reigned once more, as still as a grave.

In a flash, Tian Ergeng's thoughts, which had been a jumbled mess of fear and humiliation, became strangely clear.

Countless previously overlooked details and seemingly casual fragments were forcibly connected and pieced together at this moment, forming a truth scroll that chilled him to the bone.

The Grand Canal? These corrupt officials, rotten to the core, surely His Majesty knows about them?
During the great famine in Shaanxi, there was that unexpected supply of grain and fodder; when the tax arrears were cleared, there was that nine million taels of "pragmatic" silver... His Majesty seemed benevolent at the time, but in reality, he had already tied an invisible thread around the necks of these rats!
What the Eastern Depot presented today is not an exposé, but merely a catalyst that His Majesty has already prepared, waiting only for the right moment to take effect!

Those people who used to be involved in the canal transport changed their tune with the wind, paying grain and silver, and putting on a submissive and obedient posture.

That "pragmatism" actually deprived His Majesty of a pretext for ruthless extermination.

After all, the emperor's sword does not strike those who repent.

But now?

What a fine expression of repentance!
What a wonderful act of compliance!
Beneath this facade of feigned obedience, they secretly committed such heinous acts as forging official documents from the imperial treasury and privately engraving imperial seals!
This is no longer corruption; this is coveting imperial power, this is treason!
Their intentions are despicable! Their actions deserve condemnation!
This is a hundred or a thousand times worse than the initial aggressive resistance!
Upon realizing this, Tian Ergeng felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation, far more intense than the simple fear he had previously experienced, leaving him utterly ashamed.

Those damned sycophants!
This is not only shaking the foundation of the nation and undermining the Ming Dynasty, but also putting Tian Ergeng on a raging fire to be roasted!
They made him the biggest joke in His Majesty's eyes!
A boundless hatred, a mixture of shame and the will to survive, seemed to transform into a tangible force, supporting his already limp body.

Tian Ergeng suddenly raised his head.

In that instant, all the fear, confusion, and bewilderment in his eyes vanished, leaving only a chilling killing intent forged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"His Majesty!"

Tian Ergeng's voice was hoarse, and every word he squeezed out from between his teeth tasted of blood.

"I believe that since one southward campaign wasn't enough, we should launch another!"

He stared into the emperor's unfathomable eyes, his expression resolute.

"And this time it will be even more ruthless, deeper, and more thorough than last time!"

He did not mention any specific plans, nor did he mention how to arrest people, search their homes, or convict them.

But at this moment, any detailed plan seems pale and powerless.

What he expressed was an attitude, a determination to crush all obstacles into dust, a madness that was willing to let the canal transport system bleed to death in order to wash away the shame for the emperor and for himself.

This is the answer the emperor wanted.

On the dragon throne, Zhu Youjian's face, which had always been as calm as ice, finally showed a subtle change.

He looked at Tian Ergeng kneeling below, at the boiling murderous intent in his eyes that was no longer concealed, and slowly uttered a very soft syllable from his throat.

"Ah."

Just one word.

Yet it seemed like a divine decree, heavy as a thousand pounds, setting the tone for everything that was about to come.

Zhu Youjian paused, leaned forward slightly, and reflected Tian Ergeng's figure in his eyes. His voice was so soft as to be a whisper, yet it resounded clearly in the empty hall.

"The water in this canal will probably need to be washed with blood before it becomes clear."

"Go."

The last two words were crisp and clean, devoid of any emotion.

"I...obey the order!"

Tian Ergeng stood up, bowed silently, and then steadily withdrew from the Wenhua Hall.

As Tian Ergeng stepped outside the palace, the dazzling sunlight of a midsummer afternoon shone unbearably on his face, and he exhaled a long breath. It was as if that breath had been held in his chest ever since he entered the palace, and now that it was exhaled, his muscles, which had been tense to the point of stiffness, relaxed slightly.

However, this brief, almost luxurious sense of ease lasted for less than a breath.

As he stepped into his carriage, his relaxed state of mind was immediately replaced by an even colder emotion.

The humiliation that had been nailed to the pillar of shame had now transformed into a boundless killing intent.

The thought that he had been manipulated and nearly lost his head filled him with a murderous intent that surged and boiled within him like magma.

The coachman didn't even need to give any instructions; he was already intimidated by the aura of menace emanating from the commander-in-chief, and with a flick of his whip, he used all his strength to urge the horse on.

Even the elite guards who had come with Tian Ergeng and were used to seeing life and death turned pale and gripped their sword hilts tightly.

……

Normally, when Tian Ergeng returned home, the carriage always traveled smoothly and steadily, and when he got out of the carriage, he walked with ease and his eyes were calm.

No matter how turbulent his heart was, he always presented himself with the dignified composure of a governor who remained unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

But today, everything is different.

The carriage, symbolizing the governor, roared almost to the gate of the mansion, barely coming to a stop amidst a piercing neigh.

Before the driver could put down the footstool, the carriage curtain was suddenly flung open, and Tian Ergeng leaped off the carriage like a tiger released from its gate.

His official robes billowed in the wind as he moved at high speed, the hem fluttering and rustling like a burning flame.

The captains standing at the door stared in astonishment; they had never seen the governor so... out of control.

Do not!
This isn't just losing control, this is rage!
Tian Ergeng completely ignored their salutes and rushed straight to the council hall reserved for the commander.

“That…that’s the Commander-in-Chief?” a young captain stammered as he asked his companion.

"Shut up! Don't you want to live?" The old captain's eyes were filled with horror.

As Tian Ergeng traveled swiftly, all the officials, servants, and guards of Andu Prefecture who passed by, whether they were delivering documents or resting under the eaves, were horrified and gave way as if they had seen a ghost.

What they saw was a face contorted with extreme rage, eyes bloodshot and burning with the flames of madness.

The palpable killing intent seemed to freeze the air along the way, silencing the summer cicadas as if their chirping had been strangled.

A clerk who rushed out of the registrar's office was so panicked that he slipped, and a stack of files in his arms scattered all over the floor with a clatter. He was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, not daring to lift his head, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

But Tian Ergeng walked straight past him, his goal clear—the main gate of the council hall, which symbolized the highest decision-making authority in Andu Prefecture.

The two guards standing at the door were trusted confidants whom Tian Ergeng had selected from among thousands of soldiers. At this moment, they also felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to their scalps.

Just as they were about to bow in respect, Tian Ergeng suddenly raised his foot and kicked the heavy door made of fine nanmu wood!
"boom!"

The sturdy brass lock snapped with a crack, sending wood chips flying everywhere!
The entire Andu Prefecture government office seemed to be frozen in place by the loud noise.

"Send the order!" Tian Ergeng stepped into the room, his back to the horrified gazes of the entire courtyard, and let out a roar that sounded inhuman, "Order Liu Qiao, the Director of the Supervision Department, Zuo Liangyu, the Director of the Anti-Corruption Supervision Department, and Li Ruolian, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to get to me here within a quarter of an hour!"

The messengers scrambled to their posts, and people along the way made way for them, afraid that if they were a step too slow, they would be swept into this unknown, raging storm.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the three most powerful figures in Andu Prefecture arrived with expressions of surprise and doubt.

What they saw was Tian Ergeng with bloodshot eyes.

Tian Ergeng's gaze was like a knife, passing over Liu Qiao and Zuo Liangyu, and first settling on the face of Li Ruolian, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

There was only cold killing intent in his eyes.

Li Ruolian felt her hair stand on end, as if she were being stared at by the most venomous snake.

"Li Ruolian!" Tian Ergeng gritted his teeth, "Do you even know you're keeping a ghost in your house?!"

(End of this chapter)