Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

Zhu Cilang stepped forward half a step towards the flashing blade and performed a standard bow in Lu Zhenfei's direction:

"This report is submitted by the Road Transport Commissioner; General Gao is wise in his judgment!"

"Perhaps I can find a way to investigate the theft of this salary."

All the officials and guards in the hall turned their gazes toward Zhu Cilang.

A draft swept through the room, swirling the withered leaves around. One leaf bumped against his shoulder before drifting to the ground.

Gao Jinzhong glanced sideways at the young man below, his cheek twitching:

"Hmph, I didn't intend to use you as a scapegoat because you're young, but you've come to me all this time."

Before he could finish speaking, the goose-feather dagger was suddenly placed against Zhu Cilang's neck.

"My sword has slain seventy-two bandit heads. What harm is there in slaying one more ignorant child today?"

A chill ran through him as the blade pressed against his skin, but his expression remained unchanged and his body remained motionless.

"Wait a minute."

Lu Zhenfei flicked his sleeve, and with a flick of his wrist, he parried the goose-feather knife.

His gaze swept over Zhu Cilang's bowing gesture, noticing that the posture was too formal and clashed with the boy's hemp clothing:

"The left hand is like holding a jade tablet, the right hand like playing a zither, the posture is like a pine tree facing the wind... May I ask which scholar taught this Imperial Academy's bowing ceremony?"

Zhu Cilang felt a chill run down his spine, only then realizing that his hasty bow had unconsciously deviated from court etiquette.

"The Road and Canal Administration is too kind."

He answered while maintaining his bowed posture:

"When I was young, I was personally taught etiquette by the Director of the Imperial Academy, so I know a little bit about it. I hope the Governor will forgive my ignorance."

After speaking, he slowly straightened up.

The moment he looked up, Lu Zhenfei's gaze suddenly locked onto his face.

The boy's features... his sharp and clear features... why does he seem so familiar?

He paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"Having received personal instruction from venerable elders of the Imperial Academy, you are certainly not from a humble background. May I ask your father's name?"

What is your father's name?

Zhu Cilang's heart tightened. Was he about to reveal his father's name here?

Summer sunlight streamed across the white hemp rope binding his hair, a symbol of mourning for his father and emperor.

My father's name is...

The words "by inspection" rolled through his throat, but he swallowed them down with a heavy gulp.

"My father died in the capital in the third month of the year Jia Shen."

"I witnessed the blood splattered on the steps outside Chengtian Gate with my own eyes. Now my body is scattered and broken. I dare not tarnish the good name of my ancestors."

Lu Zhenfei's eyelids trembled slightly, and his gaze towards the boy became more moved:

"The nation crumbled, yet loyalty remained; it was the legacy of an old friend..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped, his gaze scrutinizing Zhu Cilang's face.

"I wonder if your father was Liu, the Vice Minister of War who died for his country, or Zhou, the Minister of Revenue who hanged himself?"

Clearly, he regarded Zhu Cilang as the orphan of a court official who had died for his country.

On the day the city fell in the third month of the Jia Shen year, how many people died for their country besides the late emperor?

The number of officials who died for their country in the capital can be counted in the hundreds; if their families, palace maids, and eunuchs are included, the number of deaths and injuries is even greater, easily exceeding a thousand.

Zhu Cilang was considering how to respond.

"fart!"

Gao Jinzhong slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clang loudly.

"This is clearly a delaying tactic. This brat thinks he can pass himself off as a descendant of a loyal martyr by spouting a few pretentious words?"

The blade flashed, pointing at Zhu Cilang once more.

"Drag him out! If he makes another sound, chop him up too."

"Gao Yourong!"

Lu Zhenfei's voice deepened, and his official authority was immediately apparent.

"In the past, Gan Luo was appointed a high-ranking minister at the age of twelve, and Zhong Jun volunteered to lead his troops at a young age. Since this young man dares to offer his strategy in court, why not let him finish speaking?"

Before he finished speaking, he turned to Zhu Cilang and urged him in a deep voice:

"Young man, tell me, how do you plan to investigate this case?"

Zhu Cilang bowed to Lu Zhenfei, his tone calm and composed:

"Returning to the authorities, this case must be traced back to its source. First, we must pinpoint the location of the theft; second, we must carefully examine the scene, for any act committed by human hands will inevitably leave clues."

He glanced around.

"A wild goose leaves its feathers as it flies past, and a snake leaves its tracks as it moves. No matter how meticulously planned, there will always be a flaw to be found."

The words echoed in the empty hall, and Lian Guoshi, standing to the side, stroked his beard and nodded slowly.

Gao Jinzhong's jaw muscles twitched, and he sneered:

"I thought it was some brilliant plan, but it's just a cliché..."

"I guarantee it with my own head," Lian Guoshi said, staggering to his feet while leaning on the corner of the table, slamming his hand heavily on the table.

"The pay must have been stolen at the Qingjiangpu wharf!"

Zhu Cilang astutely seized this opportunity and immediately pressed on with further questions:

"May I ask, Junior Commander, why are you so certain?"

Lian Guoshi straightened his chest, his expression stern, and took out a three-edged iron skewer from his sleeve, raising it high:

"This is an old system from the Yongle era, and the Eastern Depot's verification slip is a must-have for delivering military pay."

"From Nanjing to the boundary marker at Qingjiangpu, I personally inspected it twelve times, and the inscriptions were covered in silver dust. Where else could the crime have occurred?"

This method of testing with an iron skewer involves inserting the skewer into a pre-drilled hole in the box. If the tip of the skewer brings out silver dust, it indicates that the silver ingots in the box are not missing.

It may seem simple, but it is an ancient method for preventing internal fraud.

Gao Jinzhong scoffed, turning his head to glance sideways at Lian Guoshi:

"Young Master Sima, you're quite the schemer. This trick of probing with silver needles is probably just a cover for embezzlement by officials in the Nanjing Ministry of War, isn't it?"

Gao Jinzhong directly accused the Ministry of War in Nanjing of embezzling funds, and had previously even implicated the Lian Guo clan in the granary.

"Gao Jinzhong!" Lian Guoshi was so angry that his beard and hair stood on end, and he stood up and shouted:

"How dare you slander an official appointed by the imperial court! Such outrageous words deserve my pleas for severe punishment from the Regent..."

Lian Guoshi had barely taken half a step forward when Zhu Cilang stepped forward and blocked the way between the two.

This internal strife is exactly what the thieves want. He then turned to Gao Jinzhong and analyzed:

"General Gao, please calm down! If this case is indeed a case of embezzlement by the Nanjing officials, then our efforts here are just playing into the hands of the thieves, making us a laughingstock to the world!"

He then turned his attention to state affairs.

"The most urgent task at present is to follow the instructions of the Junior Sima and quickly investigate the docks, so that we can remedy the situation after the fact."

Suddenly, a rapid neighing of horses came from outside the hall, accompanied by the clanging sound of armor rubbing against each other, causing the hall to fall silent abruptly.

Looking up, scarlet banners fluttered outside the hall, with a large "Liu" character embroidered in the center, the insignia of General Liu Zeqing's Central Army Battalion.

Gao Jinzhong's gaze swept past the banners outside the door, and when he turned to Zhu Cilang, it turned mocking:

"Investigate? With you? What kind of clues could a mere child like you possibly uncover?"

He slammed his sword onto the table with a clang.

"However, what you just said has given me a wake-up call."

His tone suddenly changed.

"If it weren't for Nanjing's interference, that thief would surely be among the bandits roaming the docks."

Zhu Cilang never expected that his words would instantly lead Gao Jinzhong's thoughts to the people outside the hall.

This is the simplest and most direct habitual reaction of a martial artist with a linear way of thinking.

He did indeed grasp a key point:

If the silver was indeed stolen at the dock, in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, surely some of the porters and merchants who were working early in the morning would have noticed some clues.

Zhu Cilang could not accept such a callous disregard for human life.

Gao Jinzhong seemed quite satisfied with his "deduction," and the ruthlessness in his eyes intensified.

Seven years ago, when he wiped out the remnants of the White Lotus Rebellion, he used this method of "collective punishment to extract confessions," which indeed pried open the mouths of many stubborn people.

He roared again:

"Drag him out!"

Two guards grabbed Han Yuanming's arms. Han Yuanming was so frightened that he was limp as a rag doll, and his crotch was soaked.

As he was about to be dragged out the door, he strained to look at Zhu Cilang, his lips trembling as he spoke:

"Help...me..."

"stop!"

A sharp shout rang out in the courtroom.

Zhu Cilang could no longer weigh the pros and cons, so he stepped forward and blocked the path of his personal guards.

The sunlight streaming in from outside cast a firm shadow on the blue brick floor.