Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

The night was as dark as ink, and a large convoy was struggling to move forward on the official road twenty miles south of Gu'an County.

Fifty large carts were lined up one after another, the mules and horses pulling them panting heavily, and the drivers cursing and cracking their whips.

In a lavishly decorated carriage in the middle of the convoy, Qian Maocai, the head manager of Shengtai Company, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and occasionally lifted the curtain to look back.

Three days ago, he received a strict order from his employer to personally escort this batch of "silk" south.

Although the owner repeatedly assured him that the checkpoints along the way had been taken care of, the feeling of guilt lingered.

"Don't worry, Manager Qian."

Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man with a pale face, no beard, and a high-pitched voice.

This man was Li Fu, the adopted son of Liu Shun, the eunuch in charge of the Renshou Palace.

He said with his pinky finger raised, "The permit to leave the city was stamped by the Shuntian Prefecture."

We simply said it was to deliver tribute silk to the Nanjing Textile Bureau.

In this chaos of war, who will bother to investigate thoroughly?

"Eunuch Li is right, he is right."

Qian Maocai forced a smile, but his heart was pounding with anxiety.

He knew exactly what the "silk" on the carriage was.

But he really couldn't understand why the owner wanted to transport these things to the south.

In terms of making money, is there anywhere with higher grain prices than the capital city?

Just then, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the front of the caravan.

This was followed by the driver's exclamation and the neighing of the mules and horses.

Qian Maocai's heart skipped a beat, and he poked his head out: "What's going on?!"

Suddenly, torches lit up the road ahead.

Dozens of riders in black blocked the way.

Qian Maocai's vision went black, and he almost fainted.

The leading centurion shouted sternly, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is handling this case! Everyone in the convoy, kneel down on the spot! Anyone who disobeys will be killed without exception!"

"Sir, sir..."

The head of the guards on the Shengtai, who was leading the team, wanted to step forward to negotiate, but before he could finish speaking, he was whipped to the ground by a member of the Imperial Guard.

"kneel!"

With a loud shout, everyone in the convoy knelt down in fear.

Qian Maocai scrambled off the carriage, and Li Fu followed, his face pale.

The centurion's gaze swept over the trembling crowd, finally settling on Qian Maocai and Li Fu: "Who's in charge?"

Qian Maocai's lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

Li Fuqiang, trying to remain calm, said in a high-pitched voice, "I am Li Fu, the purchasing eunuch of Renshou Palace, and I am here to escort tribute silk to Nanjing."

Who are you?

"Dare to stop the imperial envoy?!"

The centurion sneered, dismounted, and walked up to Li Fu. He pulled out his waist token and flashed it in front of Li Fu's eyes: "Zhao Xiong, centurion of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is here on orders from Commander Lu to inspect contraband. You're saying this is tribute silk?"

As he spoke, he walked to the nearest large truck, used the scabbard to lift the tarpaulin covering it, and then pierced the burlap sack underneath.

The golden millet spilled all over the ground.

Li Fu's face turned ashen instantly.

"Search!" Zhao Xiong gave the order, and the Imperial Guards pounced on the convoy like wolves and tigers.

The tarpaulin was lifted, the burlap sacks were punctured, and cartloads of grain were exposed to the firelight.

Two of the trucks were actually carrying sulfur and saltpeter!

Zhao Xiong shouted, "Take them all! People, vehicles, and grain—not a single one can be missing! Escort them back to the capital tonight!"

"yes!"

Soon, Qian Maocai and Li Fu were tied to horses and escorted north by the Imperial Guards.

Qian Maocai realized that he was finished, and the Shengtai was probably finished too.

Merchants in the Ming Dynasty were allowed to openly sell salt and tea.

However, the only thing that cannot be openly sold is nitrate.

At the same time, in Beijing.

The block where the main stores and main warehouses of the three trading companies, Yongfenghao, Guangyuanhao, and Shengtaihao, were located was suddenly surrounded by the Imperial Guards.

Tonight, the entire Imperial Guard will be mobilized, divided into three groups.

Led by Lu Zhong himself, they headed straight for the owner's residence of Yongfenghao.

Led by a thousand households, they seized the Guangyuanhao main store and warehouse.

Another group was led by a different commander, who took control of all of Shengtai's properties in Beijing and searched the accounting office.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is investigating! Open the door!"

When Zhou Wanjin, the owner of Yongfenghao, was dragged out of his sleep, he was still wearing his nightgown.

Upon seeing the courtyard full of Imperial Guards, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

Lu Zhong walked up to him expressionlessly: "Zhou Wanjin, you are suspected of hoarding and manipulating grain prices."

By imperial decree, all properties of Yongfeng Firm are seized, and all owners are to be imprisoned pending trial.

Zhou Wanjin cried out loudly, "I'm innocent! Your Honor! I've always been a law-abiding citizen..."

Lu Zhong ignored him completely and waved his hand, saying, "Search! Focus on searching the accounting room, study, and secret room!"

Not a single ledger, letter, or receipt should be missed!

Detain all the managers, accountants, and stewards, and interrogate them separately!

Similar scenes also unfolded on the Guangyuan and Shengtai ships.

The prison of the Northern Garrison Command was brightly lit.

Lu Zhong interrogated Zhou Wanjin and Sun Guangli, the owner of the Guangyuan ship, overnight.

At first, the two still held onto a sliver of hope and stubbornly refused to admit it.

They simply said it was normal business, and the accounting issues were due to the employee's negligence.

When Lu Zhong threw the private account book, which recorded their "special transactions" with Renshou Palace Estate and the profit-sharing ratio, in front of them, the two men's psychological defenses began to crumble.

"Speak! How did you collude with Liu Shun of Renshou Palace? Who else in the court are you associated with?"

Whips, finger crushing, water torture...

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard had not yet used some of the most cruel methods, they were already enough to terrify these pampered merchants.

Zhou Wanjin was the first to break down, confessing with tears streaming down his face: "I'll talk, I'll talk..."

Sun Guangli subsequently gave his own account, which was largely the same.

All of this points to Liu Shun, the eunuch in charge of Renshou Palace, who is the key middleman.

Through Liu Shun, they were able to obtain the "right to sell" grain from the official granaries.

You can also obtain additional salt deposits.

They also named several officials with whom they frequently interacted.

As for the Shengtai, the interrogation was taken to a whole new level because nitrates and sulfur were found in it.

Li Fu initially tried to rely on his status as a eunuch and the Empress Dowager's name to resist.

However, after several rounds of interrogation, he also confessed how Liu Shun instructed him to participate in this grain transport.

However, he insisted that he knew nothing about the use of nitrates and sulfur.

West Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qiyu looked at the latest report presented by Lu Zhong and the package of nitrates and sulfur as a sample with a gloomy expression.

"Good, very good, excellent!"

I was just worried about the lack of gunpowder raw materials, and now they've been delivered right to my door!

Lu Zhong, tell me.

Who in Beijing could produce 300 shi of saltpeter and sulfur without making a sound?

Who would dare to sell these things at this critical juncture?

Lu Zhong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the control over saltpeter and sulfur is extremely strict."

For civilian use, a small amount requires government approval, while large-scale production and storage are all handled by government-run facilities.

The main sources were the kilns and mines under the Ordnance Bureau and Armory Bureau of the Ministry of Works, as well as some imperial estates under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Palace Attendants.

They were mostly stored in the Ordnance Bureau warehouses, the Beijing Garrison gunpowder depots, and official granaries in Tongzhou and other places.

The ability to mobilize such a large number of people is beyond the capabilities of ordinary officials.

This must be a powerful figure who controls or has access to these venues and warehouses.

Several names and government offices flashed through Zhu Qiyu's mind.

Minister of Works Shi Pu had been away from Beijing for more than two years and had just returned.

Zhao Rong, the Left Vice Minister, had previously expressed reservations about recalling Shi Pu to the capital.

Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador of the Ordnance Bureau...

The eunuchs of the Directorate of Palace Attendants...

Zhu Qiyu looked at Lu Zhong: "The interrogation needs to be expedited and intensified."

How could Liu Shun, a mere eunuch in charge of the inner palace, have such power and audacity to resell saltpeter and sulfur?

Who else is behind him? Does the Empress Dowager know about this?

He paused when mentioning Empress Dowager Zhu Qiyu.

If the case involving sodium nitrate and sulfur also involves Renshou Palace, or even the Empress Dowager herself... then the matter becomes extremely complicated.

But after thinking about it, he felt that the possibility was unlikely.

Empress Dowager Sun might allow her subordinates to make money.

But she would not do something like directly reselling strategic materials, which could threaten her son's and grandson's rule.

It is more likely that Liu Shun participated in these shady dealings behind the Empress Dowager's back.

Lu Zhong tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, should we take any measures against Liu Shun?"

Zhu Qiyu shook his head: "Don't touch the people in the harem, just find the evidence."

After all, he and Empress Dowager Sun had reached a consensus that the Empress Dowager would handle the affairs of the inner palace herself.

However, it's still possible to help the Empress Dowager find evidence. We can hand the evidence over to her and see how she handles it.