Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Chapter 131 It was all their fault!

The Eastern Depot's prison.

When Zhu Min was taken into the interrogation room, she was still wearing the flying fish robe bestowed upon her by Emperor Zhu Qizhen.

He is 45 years old this year, with a burly build, and his face does bear some resemblance to Zhu Yong.

Xing'an pointed to the chair in front of him: "Zhu Qianshi, sit down."

Zhu Min snorted coldly and sat down rudely: "Xing'an, I'm a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. What do you mean by this?"

Xing'an smiled and said, "Regarding Zhu Jin, the Eastern Depot interrogates criminals, not the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

If you are innocent, we will release you.

He paused, his voice turning cold: "If you're not innocent, then you don't need to go out."

Zhu Min's pupils contracted slightly, then she sneered: "I've done nothing wrong, what's there to be ashamed of?!"

Xing'an picked up a confession from the table: "Zhou Kui has confessed."

From the twelfth to the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign.

The Chengguo Duke's Mansion used border town trading companies to smuggle ironware, gunpowder, arrowheads, and armor to the Oirat Mongols.

"Zhu Qianshi, you're in charge of transporting supplies to the capital, how could you not know about this?"

Zhu Min's expression changed, but she quickly regained her composure: "Zhou Kui? That butler? You can believe what he says? It's clearly a frame-up!"

Xing'an wasn't in a hurry, and picked up another account book: "This is the account book of Zhouji Trading Company's main branch in the capital."

The record clearly states that in March of the twelfth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Duke of Cheng transferred 1,200 catties of gunpowder from the Shenji Camp.

You are responsible for transporting this batch of gunpowder to Ganzhou and selling it to Oirat merchants.

"Zhu Qianshi, would you like to take a look at this account?"

Zhu Min's expression finally changed.

He never expected that the Eastern Depot would even find these account books.

He clearly had Zhou Kui destroy those account books long ago!

"This—this is impossible! Those ledgers—"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Xing'an laughed: "What happened to those account books?"

Are you saying those ledgers have been destroyed?

Unfortunately, Zhou Kui had a backup plan.

He was afraid you would deny it later, so he secretly kept a copy.

Our family has already retrieved it from the cellar of his estate outside the city.

Zhu Min slumped into the chair, cold sweat pouring down her forehead.

After a long silence, Zhu Min suddenly raised her head, a hint of madness flashing in her eyes after despair: "Xing'an, do you think we want to do this kind of thing?"

Do you think we want to be traitors?

Xing'an raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Then tell me, why?"

Zhu Min gritted her teeth: "Because of Wang Zhen!"

Xing'an's heart skipped a beat: "Wang Zhen? Go on."

Zhu Min took a deep breath, as if to expel all the resentment that had been building up over the years.

In the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, Wang Zhen embarked on a large-scale construction project to build the Zhihua Temple.

He sent someone to the Duke of Cheng's mansion, saying he wanted to borrow 50,000 taels of silver.

Fifty thousand taels!

Although my elder brother is a duke, he has always been honest and incorruptible. Where would he get so much money?

At that time, the border pay was in arrears, and the soldiers couldn't even get enough to eat.

My elder brother used all his salary to provide relief to the soldiers, so the household had almost no savings.

But Wang Zhen's men didn't care about any of that; their implication was clear: if you don't lend it to them, you'll regret it later.

Xing'an understood about 70-80% of what was going on.

Wang Zhen's solicitation of bribes was an open secret, known to both the court and the public at the time.

Which official didn't give him gifts? Which government office didn't offer him "tribute"? At best, he would be dismissed from his post; at worst, he would be imprisoned.

Zhu Min continued, "My elder brother had no choice but to scrape together 10,000 taels of silver and send it over."

But Wang Zhen was not satisfied at all.

A few days later, Wang Zhen's nephew, Wang Shan, personally came to visit.

"How can someone with such a large family fortune as the Duke of Chengguo's mansion be satisfied with just ten thousand taels of silver?"

My older brother explained with a forced smile.

Before leaving, Wang Shan said to Duke Zhu, "With the Shenji Battalion and the Jingying Garrison under your command, making some money shouldn't be difficult, right?"

At this point, tears welled up in Zhu Min's eyes: "My older brother understands that Wang Zhen is pointing him in the right direction."

If they don't take this path, the next to be impeached and investigated will be the Duke of Cheng's mansion.

With the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard under his control, it would be too easy for Wang Zhen to bring down a Duke.

"So, Zhu Yong started smuggling?"

Zhu Min nodded: "At first it was just a small-scale operation."

Some iron was deducted from the losses of the Shenji Battalion.

They were then sold through merchants in the border town.

Part of the money was sent to Wang Zhen, and the rest was used to cover the deficit in the mansion.

But Wang Zhen's appetite grew bigger and bigger; he wanted 20,000 today and 30,000 tomorrow.

My older brother had no choice but to expand the business further.

Later, Wang Zhen hinted that he could also sell some gunpowder.

The Oirat people offered extremely high prices; a pound of gunpowder could be exchanged for the equivalent of ten or even twenty pounds of iron.

My older brother initially refused, but Wang Zhen's men said that gunpowder is also a loss, and if we overreport the loss, who can find out?

So, gunpowder began to be sold.

Xing'an hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Did the late emperor know about these things?"

Meanwhile, at Zhu Zheng's residence in Xicheng.

Zhu Zheng's resistance was much fiercer than Zhu Min's.

This commander of the Left Guard of the Imperial Guard is forty-two years old this year. He is tall and strong and highly skilled in martial arts.

When the Imperial Guards stormed into the mansion, he was drinking with several close associates.

When he saw the Imperial Guards coming to arrest him, he didn't say a word, picked up a large knife and started slashing.

He wounded three Imperial Guards on the spot, then fought his way out with two trusted men and fled north of the city.

Upon learning the news, Lu Zhong personally led a team to pursue and capture the suspect.

They chased him all the way to the north of the city wall, where Zhu Zhengcai was cornered in a dead end.

Lu Zhong shouted sternly, "Zhu Zheng! Lay down your weapon, and I'll spare your life!"

Zhu Zheng, covered in blood, grinned maliciously and said, "Spare my life?"

Lu Zhong, do you think I don't know?

Falling into your hands is worse than death!

After saying this, he drew his sword and prepared to commit suicide.

Lu Zhong reacted quickly and shot an arrow into his wrist.

The broadsword fell to the ground with a thud, and the Imperial Guards swarmed forward, pinning Zhu Zheng down.

Zhu Zheng struggled and cursed loudly: "Zhu Qiyu!"

You usurper!

My elder brother sacrificed his life for the country.

You can stop him from inheriting the title.

They're going to raid our homes!

You'll die a horrible death!

Lu Zhong rushed over and punched him in the face: "Shut up! You've betrayed the country and still have the nerve to insult His Majesty?"

Zhu Zheng's face was covered in blood from the beating, but he still grinned maliciously and said, "Treason and collusion with the enemy?"

Half of the silver earned from trading ironware and gunpowder was sent to the palace!

Do you think Zhu Qizhen didn't know?

Of course he knows!

Half of that silver went into his private treasury!

Lu Zhong's expression changed drastically.

Zhu Zheng laughed wildly, "What? You don't believe me? Go and investigate!"

In the twelfth year of the Zhengtong reign, my elder brother sent 50,000 taels of silver to the palace in one go.

Zhu Qizhen received it personally!

That silver was earned from selling gunpowder!

Hahaha----"

Lu Zhong grabbed him by the collar: "You dare to spout nonsense even when you're about to die! You even dare to falsely accuse the late emperor!"

Zhu Zheng looked at him: "Nonsense?"

My older brother is cautious in his actions and never leaves any evidence against him.

But that time he made me personally deliver the silver to the palace.

I saw it with my own eyes; Zhu Qizhen was all smiles as he accepted the silver!

Lu Zhongsong released his grip and staggered back a step.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Take him back!"