Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

Zhu Cilang turned his head sharply—Zheng Xuan, the Councilor of Grain Transport, was staggering through the ceremonial gate.

He was drenched in sweat, his hair ornament askew, and he held aloft a strip of yellowed mulberry bark paper, shouting hoarsely:

"Ironclad evidence! There's irrefutable evidence!"

The soldier's movements froze instantly!

The cold blade hovered three inches behind Lian Guoshi's neck.

The blade flashed like a sharp point, reflected on Zheng Xuan's trembling fingers—

That half-piece of mulberry bark paper was the evidence that Zhu Cilang had pried out from the crack in the canal boat.

Lu Zhenfei rushed forward like a whirlwind, his voice tense:

"Counselor Zheng, what have you discovered?"

"This is a fragment of the Ministry of Revenue's seal!"

Zheng Xuan staggered and held the tattered paper high, revealing three dark red seal script characters on the back.

"This '卯' character seal is the secret seal used by the Ministry of Revenue to recently verify the authenticity of the silver! It proves that this is the original seal!"

He turned abruptly and glared fiercely at Lian Guoshi.

"If it's the original seal, how could it be left in the tenon joints of the cargo ship? Unless—"

He uttered those startling words, one by one:

"Unless someone secretly replaced the seals on the cargo ship!"

The crowd erupted like boiling water poured into hot oil, and the man in plain clothes who had been slumped on the ground suddenly jumped up.

Zhu Cilang was shocked!

A terrifying thought struck my mind like a thunderbolt.

He instinctively tensed his body, trying to move forward, but his arms, bound by ropes, and the iron hands of the guards behind him made it impossible for him to move an inch.

Zheng Xuan held up the tattered paper:

"A resealing is only possible with the cooperation of both the Household and Military Departments!"

"This fragment is the original document they left behind during their hasty resealing!"

He turned and presented the tattered paper to Lu Zhenfei, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture:

"This humble servant dares to assert—"

"The ink on it is still fresh, and the date on the slip should be the 24th day of the fourth month of the 17th year of Chongzhen's reign, which is exactly the day the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing released silver!"

Zheng Xuan suddenly stopped three inches away from Lian Guoshi.

Therefore, the truth is—

"Someone from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War conspired to steal military pay from the grain transport ships!"

"Otherwise, the Ministry of Revenue's 'half-seal' would never have appeared on the grain transport ship!"

Zheng Xuan's accusations silenced the entire Ministry of Transport.

The clamor of voices froze instantly.

Some people stared blankly, their mouths agape, as if their minds had been shattered by this colossal case;

Some people gasped and involuntarily shrank back;

Some of the able-bodied men clenched their fists tightly, their eyes blazing with fury at the corruption of officialdom, yet they were silenced by the horrifying truth.

Only the wind gently swept across the ancient foundation stones of the Governor-General's Canal Transport Office, whistling through the gaps between the blue bricks.

"Ministry of Revenue...Ministry of War..."

Zheng Xuan's reasoning was intricate and interconnected, yet it sent a chill down Zhu Cilang's spine; even the Six Ministries in Nanjing had degenerated to such an extent.

If the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War had not conspired together, it would have been impossible to steal 180,000 taels of silver for military pay. The details of this case are now crystal clear.

Looking at Lian Guoshi on the rack, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

If these veteran officials from two dynasties have become termites that hollow out the pillars, how many people in the Southern Capital's officialdom can remain unscathed?

In a daze, he saw again the horrific scene of Han Yuanming's blood splattered at the Yimen Gate, and a bitter taste rose in his throat.

In that moment of heavy sorrow and indignation, Zhu Cilang's heart tightened suddenly—

wrong!

This seemingly airtight reasoning still seems to have a certain bottleneck... making it difficult to understand.

Where is the vulnerability? Something must have been overlooked!

"The evidence is conclusive!"

Lu Zhenfei's deep, cold voice broke the deathly silence.

He waved his hand, and the soldiers immediately released their grip on Zhu Cilang and untied the ropes.

The evidence pointed directly to the Ministry of War's involvement in state affairs, so Zhu Cilang was temporarily out of trouble.

The irrefutable evidence presented by Zheng Xuan, the shadow of the torture rack, cut precisely across Lian Guoshi's violently heaving chest.

"Hahaha--!"

A sudden burst of wild laughter ripped through the air.

The sword at Gao Jinzhong's waist jingled loudly as he laughed.

His laughter abruptly stopped, his expression suddenly turned stern, and he turned to Lu Zhenfei, saying:

"Lord Lu! I warned you long ago that there was something fishy about the Ministry of War. Now we can see rat holes in the granaries; 180,000 taels of silver have been fed to rats!"

"What kind of lousy Young Commander is he? He's clearly a traitor!"

He pointed his finger at the soldiers in the field.

"Without pay, how can my brothers fight the Jurchens? How can they defend themselves against the bandits' swords and spears?"

He took two steps to approach Lian Guoshi.

"Young Master, you were just speaking with righteous indignation, but now the evidence is irrefutable. Why don't you utter another resounding fart?"

"How dare you, you brat, insult me!"

Lian Guoshi's blood boiled with rage, but the iron chains on the rack pulled him back, causing him to stumble.

"I have served with utmost loyalty and integrity for twenty years, as Heaven and Earth bear witness! This is clearly a frame-up by traitors!"

Lu Zhenfei approached Lian Guoshi:

"Young Commander, is the Ministry of War truly in cahoots with the Ministry of Revenue? If you reveal the location of the hidden silver now, I may petition the Regent to grant you a proper burial!"

Lu Zhenfei's words, "Requesting to oversee the country," echoed in Zhu Cilang's ears—

At this time, Nanjing had no emperor; only Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, held onto half of the country under the title of regent.

"absurd!"

His beard and hair stood on end as he practiced state affairs.

"Starting from 5 AM on April 24th, the seal has been checked three times a day. How can there be any talk of collusion?"

Blood was seeping from the bloodstains on her neck.

"There's definitely something fishy about this case. Lu Zhenfei, as the chief transport commissioner, how could you... how could you be so oblivious!"

Gao Jinzhong suddenly drew his knife and slashed it into the rack pillar, the blade less than three inches from Lian Guoshi's neck.

"Young Commander, why put on this pretentious act now?"

"Tell me where the money went, and I might grant you a quick death. You're already on your deathbed, why do you insist on making things harder for yourself?"

Lian Guoshi, with a knife to his throat, sneered:

"My innocence is as clear as the sun and moon! Instead of investigating the true culprit, you are throwing mud at an honest official. How can the laws of the Ming Dynasty be trampled upon like this!"

Gao Jinzhong suddenly squinted and moved closer:

"Since you, Junior Commander, refuse to drink the toast offered so politely, you must drink the penalty wine. Don't blame this general for being merciless!"

He drew his sword from the rack and shouted sternly.

"Guards, use torture!"

The two guards immediately took out leather whips, dipped them in salt water, and began to lash Lian Guoshi.

Amidst the whistling sound of the whip cracking through the air, Lian Guoshi's blood splattered onto the rack, a few warm drops landing on Zhu Cilang's cheek, carrying a metallic scent.

Lian Guoshi, however, looked up at the gap in the clouds with his head held high:

Even if it means being torn apart and ripped out of one's bones—the justice of Heaven is clear, what more needs to be said!

Zhu Cilang stared at the blood splattered on the rack and clearly felt that something was wrong.

A jumble of conflicting thoughts churned within my mind under immense pressure:

Wang Fugui described "two identical official ships" in the fog, one of which was covered with an oilcloth;

A few grains of northern oat seeds at the bottom of the hold;

Li Xianggui emptied the entire ship, leaving only half an hour for himself...

They are like scattered beads, each sparkling with doubt, yet the connecting thread cannot be found.

Lian Guoshi had been whipped to a bloody pulp, and he gritted his teeth, letting out a muffled groan:

"My loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon! Do not even think of defiling my unyielding integrity!"

Gao Jinzhong's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked:

"You old scoundrel! If you don't tell the truth within three quarters of an hour, don't blame this general for punishing you according to the law!"

Blood dripped down Lian Guoshi's chin, his voice hoarse:

"What can't you get under the protection of Miki! You... cough cough... even if you kill this old man, it's nothing more than adding more wronged souls to the list!"

"What a loyal and upright minister! I'll see if your neck is harder, or my sword is sharper!"

Gao Jinzhong's face was ashen, and he shouted sternly at his two guards:

"Zhang Hu, Zhang Bao! Bring me my horse-slaying sword!"

The two guards whose names were called suddenly stepped forward, their bodies turning in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, like reflections in a mirror.

They turned out to be twin brothers.

"Twin brothers?!"

Zhu Cilang couldn't help but exclaim.

This intense visual impact instantly cleaved through the chaotic fog in Zhu Cilang's mind!

Twins...two official boats...before dawn...covered...fog...half an hour...emptied the boats...northern oat seeds...

All the previously scattered and suppressed clues and fragments,

Stimulated by this apt analogy, everything suddenly came together.

A conclusion that could perfectly explain all the doubts took shape in his mind.

Gao Jinzhong's horse-slaying saber slashed through the air like a crescent moon, its blade gleaming with a three-foot-long cold light.

The blade, accompanied by a whistling sound as it cut through the wind, slashed straight down—

The wind from the blade had already ruffled Lian Guoshi's disheveled white hair!

"Spare his life!"

A thunderous shout suddenly rang out.

In the afterimage of the grey pigeons taking flight, the boy's figure shot forward like an arrow, reaching within three steps of the execution rack.

"This case has nothing to do with the Junior Commander! I have already figured out the mystery; I know where the silver is, and I also know who stole it!"