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

Chapter 95 Bloodshed (Seeking First Subscription)
Capital.

The sweltering heat of the summer night was like thick syrup, covering every inch of the capital city. Not even a breath of wind was spared. The cicadas, which were usually the noisiest at this time of year, seemed to have had their tongues cut out tonight, leaving only a desolate silence.

Qian Qianyi was suddenly awakened from his dream.

He sat up abruptly, his heart feeling as if gripped by an invisible hand, each beat accompanied by a dull ache. Cold sweat had soaked through his close-fitting silk nightgown, sticking stickily to his back, causing him indescribable discomfort.

In my dream, there was blood.

A towering sea of ​​blood, and countless heads wearing official hats floating in it.

He listened intently, panting heavily.

There was no wind or insects outside the window; even the distant sound of the night watchman's clapper seemed to be swallowed up by the thick darkness of the night.

Dead silence.

The deathly silence was both unsettling and strangely familiar to him.

Qian Qianyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

He remembered.

The night the emperor massacred the eight major Shanxi merchants and Zhou Yanru and others was like this: first, the whole city fell into an eerie and unnatural silence, and then came the soaring murderous intent and the indelible bloodshed.

no, I can not……

He tried to comfort himself, thinking that it might just be a nightmare. After all, since that young emperor ascended the throne, who in the capital's officialdom wasn't plagued by nightmares every night?
Qian Qianyi lifted the thin brocade quilt and stepped barefoot off the rosewood canopy bed. The cool, hard tile floor sent a chill down his spine, making him shiver.

at this time.

"what--!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was almost inhuman, ripped through the night sky without warning.

The sound seemed to come from a great distance, yet it also seemed to explode right next to my ear. It was sharp and short, filled with endless fear and despair, but it only lasted for half a sound before it stopped abruptly.

It was as if a cuckoo crying blood had its throat grabbed and then snapped!

Qian Qianyi's body stiffened instantly. He rushed to the window and pushed it open.

Total darkness.

"puff!"

Another sound.

This time the sound was incredibly clear, with a smooth, wet texture.

It was the sound of a sharp blade piercing into warm flesh.

Qian Qianyi's ears could even distinguish the subtle sound of a knife cutting through muscle and crushing internal organs.

then.

A deafening roar!

"The Western Depot is investigating! Those who resist will die!"

A cold, emotionless declaration, like the pronouncements of Yama, the King of Hell.

Immediately afterwards, the suppressed killing intent erupted!
"Guards! Guards..."

The cries for help turned into a gurgling sound as blood rushed back into his throat before he died.

The sharp whistling of the embroidered spring knife cutting through the air, the crisp sound of bones shattering, the terrified screams of women… countless sounds representing death and fear intertwined in the huge mansion diagonally opposite the alley, creating a symphony from the depths of hell.

Qian Qianyi's teeth were chattering, clattering together, and his knuckles, gripping the window frame, were pale and even twisted from the force.

He wants to see it.

He has to see it!

He needs to know exactly what happened!
"Someone! A ladder! Quickly!" he roared at the door, his voice distorted with extreme fear.

Two servants scrambled in, their faces pale with terror. They had clearly heard the commotion and, upon hearing their master's orders, dared not delay. They hurriedly carried a long ladder from the corner of the courtyard and propped it against the wall.

Qian Qianyi shoved the servant aside, and his pampered body suddenly burst forth with astonishing strength. He almost used both hands and feet to climb the ladder, peering out and looking at the center of the carnage.

With just one glance, his stomach churned violently.

He saw it.

He saw it in the faint starlight and the occasional flicker of torchlight.

Groups of ghostly figures clad in black robes were carrying out a one-sided massacre within the mansion of Zhang Wan, a major grain merchant in the capital, with chilling efficiency.

Every swing of their weapons at this moment will inevitably take a life.

Their movements were devoid of any unnecessary frills, consisting only of the simplest and most direct stabs, chops, and slashes.

Like a butcher dissecting livestock, precise yet numb.

The Zhang family's servants and guards, who usually ran rampant on the streets, were as fragile as paper dolls in front of these people. In the blink of an eye, in a single exchange, a hot corpse would fall to the ground.

There was no fighting, no standoff, only crushing!

Qian Qianyi saw a burly head guard brandishing a broadsword, seemingly quite skilled in martial arts, roaring as he charged at a guard. The guard swayed like a ghost, appearing behind him and silently stabbing the guard in the back with his short blade.

The burly man's angry roar was still frozen on his face when his body went limp and he collapsed.

The Imperial Guard!

They are the elite of the imperial guards!

Qian Qianyi's gaze was fixed on the clothing of those people. Although they were all dressed in black, there were subtle differences between their clothes and those of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot.

Western Factory!

That terrifying institution that was abolished many years ago, but was quietly rebuilt by the current emperor!
The sounds of killing didn't last long.

Before an incense stick could burn.

Then, everything fell silent again.

The Zhang family mansion seemed to have experienced a devastating storm in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn; now, after the storm has passed, only a desolate and lifeless scene remains.

Qian Qianyi slid down the ladder, his body limp. If the servants hadn't caught him in time, he probably would have fallen to the ground.

An intense, pungent smell of blood, carried by the night wind, forcefully entered his nostrils. The smell was so familiar, so strong, like the wails of countless souls entangled his sense of smell, making him bend over and gag violently.

……

Time ticked by, second by second, in the suffocating wait.

An hour.

A whole hour.

Qian Qianyi sat there in the cold study, lost and dejected, without saying a word. He dared not sleep, nor could he sleep. He knew that what had happened tonight would not end there.

"Master! Master!"

The study door was flung open, and Qian Fu, the trusted butler, stumbled in, his face deathly pale, his voice filled with barely suppressed fear and trembling.

“Speak.” Qian Qianyi’s voice was hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

"Gone...gone!" Qian Fu gasped for breath, almost kneeling on the ground. "The Zhang family...the Zhang family is gone! I sent people to secretly check, and the entire house was surrounded by the West Depot's men, the torches were so bright it was like daytime! All we could hear inside were the cries of women and children!"

Qian Qianyi's body swayed suddenly.

Another entire family executed?! "It's not just the Zhang family!" Qian Fu's voice trembled with tears as he continued, "Just now, the men I sent out reported one after another that Wang's Rice Shop in the East City, Li's Grain Shop in the West City, and those large granaries from Suzhou outside Chongwen Gate... all of them were attacked at the same time just now!"

"It was the Western Depot that carried out the operation! And Zhou Quan led the team!"

West Depot! Thorough!
For what?
Just for a few grain merchants who hoard and speculate?
No, that's not right!

This matter could have been handled by the Shuntian Prefecture or the Ministry of Justice. The fact that the Western Depot was used to carry out such a massacre suggests that the underlying meaning was far more complex than that.
A bolt of lightning shattered Qian Qianyi's chaotic mind, connecting all the fragmented clues from the past few months.

Shaanxi!

It's a major disaster in Shaanxi!
He remembered.

Those chaotic thoughts, amidst the overwhelming stench of blood, were finally cleaved apart by a cold bolt of lightning, and everything became crystal clear.

Recently, the imperial court has been embroiled in a fierce debate over relief efforts for the major disasters in Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces.

Wang Yongguang, the Minister of Revenue, stood there with a face full of difficulty and loyalty, constantly repeating the same phrase: "The national treasury is empty; it is not that I am unwilling to do it, but that I am truly incapable," thus passing the buck around in circles.

The censors of the Censorate, who prided themselves on their integrity, were unwilling to let go of this opportunity to demonstrate their own existence. They turned their attention to the Shaanxi officialdom, submitting a mountain of impeachment memorials that denounced their ineffective disaster relief and concealment of the disaster situation, and strongly requested the court to send an imperial envoy to thoroughly investigate and severely punish them.

He himself, along with the vast Donglin Party group behind him, were more like skilled chess players, subtly criticizing the harm of the secret police's interference in politics through this game concerning the lives of millions. They cited classical texts to explain the advantages and disadvantages, earnestly requesting the emperor to eliminate redundancies, open up channels for public opinion, and govern the country together with the scholar-officials, implementing the benevolent governance advocated by the most sage teacher...

Those scenes flashed through Qian Qianyi's mind like fleeting shadows, but now, recalling them, they seemed so absurd and ridiculous!
Everyone was talking about reason, and everyone was quoting the classics of sages, as if they were the only loyal ministers who were truly serving the country and its people.

They were all vying for power and profit, cleverly seeking the greatest political advantage for themselves and their own factions amidst the cries of the disaster victims.

They are all using the millions of disaster victims thousands of miles away, who are eating their own flesh and even exchanging children to eat, to whitewash themselves and attack their opponents, and to achieve their political demands that cannot be told to outsiders.

But it seems that no one really cares about those hungry, helpless lives.

Apart from…

Except for the emperor!

While these civil officials, hailed as pillars of the nation, were arguing heatedly about the source of a mere few hundred thousand taels of disaster relief funds, the emperor had already personally used his blood-stained sword to seize grain for the disaster victims in Shaanxi!

Instead of painstakingly allocating funds from the national treasury, which was already riddled with holes by termites, they robbed the warehouses of grain merchants who took advantage of the national crisis to sell a shi of rice for ten taels of silver and make a fortune in the most barbaric way!

How ruthless! How direct! How unreasonable!

A chilling cold suddenly shot up from the soles of Qian Qianyi's feet, making his blood seem to freeze in that instant.

The new emperor's way of thinking and doing things is on a completely different level from those civil officials who have been immersed in officialdom for decades and who value rules, dignity, and checks and balances in everything they do!

They are still carefully adhering to the rules of the game that have been passed down for hundreds of years, trying to maximize their own interests within the framework of the rules.

And he would just flip the tables over one by one!
"Master, we..." Butler Qian Fu's voice trembled, clearly also intimidated by the somber atmosphere and at a loss.

Qian Qianyi waved wearily, signaling him to leave.

He sat alone, stiff in the cold, dark study, until the sky began to lighten with a pale, fish-belly white.

……

A new day has arrived, but the sky above the capital seems to be shrouded in a blood-red haze that can never be washed away.

Qian Qianyi slowly got up, walked heavily to the window, and looked towards the majestic Forbidden City in the east.

It was no longer merely a symbol of imperial authority; it was the eye of the storm, a place where a young monarch, whom he could not fathom, gazed upon the entire world with his icy eyes.

A fear that was deeper and more specific than before gripped his heart, making him feel suffocated.

Such a thunderous strike was by no means a spur-of-the-moment decision!

The forbearance and scheming hidden behind this are what truly send chills down one's spine.

To capture all the grain merchants in the capital, it was not as simple as just knowing their names, addresses, and assets.

Even more terrifying is that when the sword of slaughter is raised in the capital, in the Jiangnan region of Suzhou and Hangzhou, thousands of miles away, in Huaiyang, which is connected by the Grand Canal... in all those places that truly control the lifeline of the Ming Dynasty's grain supply, a net must have already been laid, waiting for the same command to be issued so that they can be launched simultaneously!
At the same time, in different cities thousands of miles apart, precise and deadly attacks were launched against countless different targets; and the swift and decisive seizures, blockades, and suppression were carried out, leaving no opportunity for anyone to tip off or transfer wealth...

Behind this lies an intelligence network of immense size and so sophisticated detail, capable of covering the entire core territory of the Ming Dynasty!

What is needed even more are secret forces that are so disciplined and responsive, capable of silently infiltrating every corner of the empire!

When exactly did this silent, yet powerful, web that controls the very lifeline of the empire's economy begin to be woven?

One month? Three months?

Suddenly, a thought, like a cold lightning bolt, cleaved through his chaotic thoughts, making the hairs on his body stand on end!

Shanxi merchants! The Eight Great Families of Shanxi Merchants!

You should know that the case of treason and extermination that shocked the world has only just been settled!

This means that while the emperor was planning to investigate and bring down this earth-shattering case, an equally massive and deadly net to hunt down these grain merchants was also being secretly laid out simultaneously!

Two major events that could shake the very foundation of the empire, two deadly lines that required massive manpower and resources and countless meticulous calculations, had their preparation times completely overlapping!

This young king was able to simultaneously orchestrate two life-or-death games, capable of upending the very foundation of the nation, right under the noses of all his courtiers and wealthy merchants!

He was terrifying!
……

While these officials in the court were still running around and shouting for factional struggles, personal interests, and so-called righteousness, the emperor's henchmen—the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and that newly born monster, the Western Depot—had already spread their webs all over the capital and even the entire Ming Dynasty, like the most patient spiders!

Their every move and word may have already become secret reports submitted to the emperor!

Qian Qianyi's shock transformed into a profound sense of crisis regarding his own safety at that moment.

He knew that whether it was the Shanxi merchant case before or the grain merchant case tonight, he himself, the entire Donglin Party behind him, and even the entire court were not clean!

They certainly did not personally collude with the enemy or betray their country, nor did they hoard goods for profit.

They were a group of upright individuals, leaders of the intellectual community, who prided themselves on their integrity and cherished their reputation.

But beneath this apparent innocence lie countless intricate connections!

How many of those Shanxi merchants whose properties were confiscated were once the financial backers of the Donglin Party?
How many of the sons and nephews of those grain merchants who were exterminated were studying under the Donglin scholars, and had deep-rooted teacher-student, classmate, and fellow townsman relationships with them?
The gifts of ice and charcoal during festivals, the tokens of friendship from students and old friends—which of these can truly withstand thorough scrutiny?
They simply didn't personally engage in those sordid activities, yet they comfortably enjoyed the benefits brought by this corrupt system.

If this continues, it's inevitable that one day, that blood-dripping knife will be held to their necks!
However, what made Qian Qianyi even more desperate was that he had no way to deal with it.

When the Shanxi merchants' case came to light, the emperor presented a mountain of account books and correspondence in the imperial court, an ironclad case with both witnesses and physical evidence!

The evidence was like a mountain, suffocating everyone who wanted to plead for leniency or argue their case.

Undeniable! Indefensible!
He was certain that this time would be no different!

Before the Western Depot's executioner's blade fell, the emperor must have already firmly grasped irrefutable evidence that all grain merchants colluded with officials, manipulated grain prices, and profited immensely from the national crisis!
He doesn't act unless he's absolutely certain, but when he does, it's with overwhelming force, leaving his opponents absolutely no chance to turn the tide.

The emperor kills people, but he also destroys their spirit!
He wants you dead, and he wants you to die in a way that is legally and morally sound, so that everyone in the world thinks you deserve to die!

This approach goes beyond mere cruelty; it is a chillingly calm political maneuver.

Thinking of this, Qian Qianyi felt his hands and feet turn icy cold, and an unprecedented chill surged from the deepest part of his heart, freezing the blood in his entire body.

so horrible.

This emperor is terrifying!

He was neither a kind-hearted elder like Emperor Renzong, nor a mischievous child indulging in pleasures at the Leopard Chamber like Emperor Wuzong. He was neither a reclusive Taoist like Emperor Jiajing, who locked himself away in the Western Garden and was obsessed with Taoist alchemy; nor was he a weary monarch like Emperor Wanli, who spent thirty years refusing to attend court, nor like Emperor Tianqi, who regarded the vast land as worthless with a room full of wood chips!
He was a monster they had never seen before, cloaked in the guise of an emperor! A monster who was calm, rational, and cruel to the extreme!

But what exactly are these so-called pillars of the empire in his eyes?
Is it an arm ligament? Or... a cyst?
Qian Qianyi slumped into the armchair, dejected. The daylight was bright, and the sunlight streaming in through the window dispelled the darkness in the room, but it could not dispel the gloom in his heart that was even thicker than the dead of night.

The world in the capital is about to change completely.

Do not!
The world of the Ming Dynasty is about to change completely!

(End of this chapter)