Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Zhu Biao leaned against the side of the boat and whispered to Zhu Han, "Uncle, the steward just gave us very detailed instructions. It seems that this clue is very important."

Zhu Han nodded: "Well, they acted cautiously, which means there is a bigger mastermind behind the scenes. What we have to do this time is not only to find out the whereabouts of these weapons, but also to find out the whole game behind them."

As he was talking, a boatman walked by with an oil lamp and glanced around vigilantly: "Hey, you two, what are you doing standing there? Go and secure the box at the stern!"

Zhu Biao was slightly startled, and nodded quickly: "Yes, we will go now."

When the boatman walked away, Zhu Biao asked in a low voice: "Uncle, it seems that these people are always on guard against us. We may be exposed if we are not careful."

Zhu Han chuckled: "Biao'er, this is the time to test us. Remember, only by taking risky actions can we catch the enemy off guard."

The two men came to the stern and pretended to be busy when they found that the locks of several boxes were loose. Zhu Biao's mind moved and he quietly pried open a gap with his hands. He took a closer look and immediately gasped.

"Uncle, it is indeed a weapon!" he said softly, with a hint of solemnity in his voice.

Zhu Han walked closer and checked the long swords and armor in the box in the faint moonlight. He sneered and said, "These weapons are excellent and cannot be made by ordinary vendors. It seems that this clue is indeed not small."

At this moment, footsteps were heard in the distance. Zhu Biao quickly closed the box and pretended to check the board with Zhu Han. Several boatmen walked by and looked at the two of them. One of them asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhu Biao responded casually: "The box at the stern was a little loose just now, let's come over to take a look."

The boatman nodded and said, "Be careful, don't fall into the river, or you will be in big trouble."

Zhu Biao showed a simple smile: "I understand, thank you!"

After those people walked away, Zhu Han said softly: "Biao'er, your reaction is getting faster and faster."

Zhu Biao curled his lips and said, "I learned it from my uncle."

The two smiled at each other and continued to observe the movements on the boat.

The boat finally arrived at the Jinling wharf the next morning. The boatmen began to unload the cargo busily. Zhu Biao and Zhu Han mixed in the team, looking around from time to time.

On the dock, a middle-aged man in brocade clothes had been waiting for a long time. His eyes were sharp, and there was a sense of oppression in his every move.

Zhu Biao whispered, "Uncle, who is that person?"

Zhu Han looked at it carefully and replied in a low voice: "This man is Zhou Wenqing, a powerful merchant in Jinling. The fact that he came in person to welcome these goods shows that this matter is extraordinary."

The two men pretended to be ordinary boatmen, quietly moving the cargo, and eavesdropping on the conversation between Zhou Wenqing and the steward.

"Are all the goods here?" Zhou Wenqing asked in a low and cold voice.

The steward nodded: "They are all here, please rest assured, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Wenqing sneered, "Recently, the situation has become tense, and some people in the capital have also begun to investigate. You must be careful and not make any mistakes."

The steward whispered in agreement: "I understand, everything is going according to plan."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao whispered to Zhu Han, "Uncle, Zhou Wenqing is indeed the key figure. We must follow him closely and find out the final destination of these weapons."

Zhu Han nodded, his eyes deep: "Let's go, don't let people get suspicious."

Zhu Biao and Zhu Han continued to carry the goods, with the same inconspicuous expressions on their faces as ordinary boatmen. They waited patiently for the opportunity and secretly watched Zhou Wenqing and the steward's every move.

When the last box of goods was moved to the dock, Zhou Wenqing whispered to the steward: "The people on the ship must also be cleared out, and no hidden dangers should be left. Do you understand what I mean?"

The steward was slightly startled, then lowered his head and replied: "Yes, Mr. Zhou, I will take care of it."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, turned sideways and whispered to Zhu Han: "Uncle, it seems that these people are not only good at hiding, but also very cruel. They even don't let their own people go."

Zhu Han gently warned: "Don't act rashly. If they want to take action, it will be a good opportunity for us to create chaos."

Sure enough, the steward quickly gathered a few boatmen and took them to the warehouse on the side of the dock under the pretext of counting the number of people. Zhu Biao and Zhu Han looked at each other and followed quietly.

In the warehouse, the manager glanced coldly at the boatmen in front of him and said in a deep voice: "Thank you for your hard work on this trip, but the goods have been delivered to Jinling, and what happens next has nothing to do with you."

One of the boatmen asked in confusion: "Manager, what does this mean? We are following the rules on this trip. Could it be that..."

Before he finished speaking, the steward suddenly waved his hand, and several strong men behind him drew their short knives, revealing their fierce eyes. Several boatmen suddenly changed their faces and retreated one after another.

"Butler, we didn't do anything wrong! Why are you treating us like this?" an older boatman shouted in horror.

The steward snorted coldly: "It's not that you did anything wrong, but you know too much. Don't blame me for being cruel, this is the rule."

The atmosphere in the warehouse suddenly became tense. Just as the knife was about to fall, Zhu Biao and Zhu Han rushed out at the same time. Zhu Han raised his hand and threw a handful of small stones, hitting the wrists of the two strong men accurately, and the knife fell to the ground. Zhu Biao took a step forward and knocked down the remaining strong man with one punch.

"Who is it?!" The manager was shocked and turned to look at the two of them.

Zhu Biao sneered, pulled off his bamboo hat, and revealed a calm and majestic face: "You are not worthy of knowing who I am, but what you did today has violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

Seeing this, the steward ran away immediately. Zhu Han was quick-witted and kicked over the wooden barrel under his feet. The steward fell to the ground with a thud, and before he could struggle, he was pinned down by Zhu Han.

"Tell me! Where are you going to send your goods? Who is behind this?" Zhu Han's eyes were as sharp as knives and his tone was cold.

The steward panicked and struggled to say, "I... I don't know! I was just following orders, and I never asked about the destination of the goods!"

Zhu Biao stepped forward, slowly drew out the short knife he carried with him, and placed the blade against the steward's neck. He said in a low and powerful voice: "If you don't tell me, I will make you regret your life. I will give you one more chance."

The steward trembled all over, and finally stammered, "It's... it's Mr. Zhou. He said that this batch of goods will be shipped to the capital, and will be taken over by a... a gentleman named Xu. As for the rest, I really don't know!"

Zhu Han frowned: "Xu? It seems that the connections behind this are not simple." Zhu Biao said coldly: "Since he has spoken, take him with you and let him identify the Lord Xu later."

"Yes, yes! I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you everything!" The manager nodded quickly, with cold sweat on his forehead.

Zhu Biao and Zhu Han settled the few surviving boatmen and told them not to leave Jinling for the time being. Then they took the steward and quietly returned to the outskirts of Zhou Wenqing's mansion.

"Uncle, what should we do now? Should we just rush in or continue waiting?" Zhu Biao asked in a low voice.

Zhu Han shook his head: "Zhou Wenqing is very cunning. Any rash action will only alert the enemy. Since he is so important, we must try to find his deeper secrets."

"Then this steward..." Zhu Biao turned his head and glanced at the tied-up steward.

Zhu Han pondered for a moment and sneered: "Since he knows some of Zhou Wenqing's arrangements, why not let him take us in."

When the steward heard this, he was so scared that he quickly shook his head: "No! If Mr. Zhou finds out that I brought outsiders in, I will be dead!"

Zhu Biao's eyes turned cold and he took a step closer: "If you don't cooperate now, do you think you can walk out of here alive?"

The steward gritted his teeth and finally compromised: "Okay...Okay, I'll take you in, but you have to ensure my safety."

Zhu Han patted his shoulder, his voice low but unquestionable: "As long as you cooperate, you will be safe. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences yourself."

The steward led Zhu Biao and Zhu Han into Zhou Wenqing's mansion through a secret back door. Along the way, Zhu Biao carefully observed and found that the mansion was extremely heavily guarded, with secret sentries everywhere.

When entering the backyard, Zhu Han whispered, "Biao'er, the security here is so tight, which means Zhou Wenqing really has a secret. We have to be careful."

Zhu Biao nodded, and the two of them followed the steward carefully. Finally, they arrived at the door of a cellar.

The steward pointed at the door and whispered, "Mr. Zhou doesn't allow me to get close to here. I don't know what it is exactly. But I know that all the important things are inside."

Zhu Han smiled slightly: "Very good, you have done enough. We will take care of the rest."

The steward was relieved and stepped back. Zhu Biao put his ear to the cellar door and listened carefully for a while. After making sure there was no movement inside, he gently pushed the door open.

A cold wind blew out of the cellar, accompanied by a faint smell of rust. Zhu Han pulled Zhu Biao, signaling him to be careful, and then the two walked into the dark cellar together.

With the dim light, they could see the scene in the cellar clearly - rows of weapon racks were neatly arranged, with various weapons on them, shining coldly. In addition, there were several tables with many documents scattered on them.

Zhu Biao walked quickly to the table, picked up a piece of paper and looked at it carefully. His face suddenly became gloomy: "Uncle, these documents actually record the distribution list of weapons in detail, as well as several target locations. This is obviously a large-scale conspiracy!"

Zhu Han also picked up a document, frowning: "Not only that, the names on these lists are all well-known figures in the capital. If these weapons really fall into their hands, the safety of the Ming Dynasty will be in jeopardy!"

Zhu Biao clenched the document in his hand, his eyes burning with anger: "No matter what, we can't let this conspiracy succeed!"

Zhu Han nodded, a firm look flashed in his eyes: "Let's go, take these evidences back to the capital immediately and let His Majesty make the decision!"

Zhu Biao and Zhu Han quickly collected the documents in the cellar, wrapped them up in clothes, and made sure that no key clues would be missed.

"Uncle, these evidences are related to the overall situation and must be sent back to the capital safely." Zhu Biao held the package tightly in his arms, his eyes calm but anxious. "But since Zhou Wenqing is a key figure, I'm afraid he has noticed something. We have to leave here as soon as possible."

Zhu Han looked around the cellar with sharp eyes: "Yes, we have to clean up before we leave. We can't let Zhou Wenqing find out what we took." He quickly walked to the document rack, lit an oil lamp, and placed the remaining papers close to the flame.

Zhu Biao held his hand and shook his head slightly: "Uncle, if we burn everything, it might arouse Zhou Wenqing's suspicion. We only need to take away the most important part and leave the rest where it is to give them a false impression."

Zhu Han nodded: "That makes sense. Leave enough clues to confuse them, and Zhou Wenqing won't dare to act rashly."

They quickly sorted out some unimportant documents and rearranged them. After making sure there were no flaws, they carefully left the cellar and closed the door again.

When I returned to the backyard, it was already dawn. The number of guards in the mansion gradually increased, and the atmosphere was tense.

"Biao'er, this place is no longer safe. We must evacuate immediately," Zhu Han fixed his eyes on the shadow at a corner of the courtyard wall and whispered, "Climb out from there and try to avoid their sentries."

Zhu Biao nodded slightly, and the two of them moved quickly under cover. When they were about to reach the wall, a cold shout suddenly came: "Stop! Who are you?"

A guard and several others approached quickly, their eyes full of vigilance.

Zhu Biao lowered his voice and answered in a hoarse tone: "We were sent by the steward. We were just sorting out supplies in the backyard and now we have to go out to do some work."

The guard looked at them for a moment, and his tone was suspicious: "The palace is under martial law right now. What are you going to do? Do you have a warrant from the supervisor?"

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, thinking to himself that this was not good. As he was thinking about how to deal with it, Zhu Han calmly stepped forward, took out a token, and said coldly: "This is a token specially approved by the steward, is it enough?"

The guard was startled, carefully identified the token, and immediately became respectful: "So it was arranged by the steward. Excuse me, please continue."

Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to Zhu Han, "Uncle, where did this token come from?"

Zhu Han raised his lips slightly and laughed softly, "Of course I got it from the manager. All is fair in war."

The two of them took advantage of the gap when the guards made way and quickly climbed over the wall, disappearing into the morning mist.

After escaping Zhou Wenqing's residence, the two came to an abandoned post station outside the city to rest for a while. Zhu Biao spread out the documents in the package one by one and examined them carefully.

"Uncle, there are several distribution locations for the weapons mentioned above, including several mansions in the capital and manors outside the city. If we go directly into the palace and hand them over to our father, he will definitely order a thorough investigation immediately." Zhu Biao raised his head with a firm look.

Zhu Han shook his head slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of deepness: "Biao'er, things are not that simple. The forces behind Zhou Wenqing are not small. Any rash action may alert the enemy. We need to confirm the authenticity of these locations and verify them one by one before handing them over to His Majesty."

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and nodded, "Uncle Huang is right. If we present a piece of evidence full of loopholes, it will make our father lose trust in us."

"Well," Zhu Han pointed out the addresses in the document one by one, "let's split up into two groups. I'll go check out the manors outside the city, and you'll be in charge of the mansions in the capital. Move quickly, but also be careful." (End of this chapter)