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

The supervisor suddenly knelt down and kowtowed: "I am just following orders! I beg you two to look into this matter!"

The setting sun cast long shadows on everyone. Zhu Han looked at the river workers who were winding like snakes, and suddenly took the supervisor's badge and said, "Come to see me tomorrow at this time with your wood purchase receipt. If you try to play tricks again..." He pointed his sword at the center of the river, "I will sink you and these rotten stones together."

That night, the two of them stayed in a thatched hut by the river. Zhu Biao used a branch to stir the fire and said, "Uncle, what we saw today is probably just the tip of the iceberg. These projects are full of exploitation, and in the end, the people are the ones who suffer."

"Your Highness, do you know that 800,000 taels of silver are allocated to river works every year?" Zhu Han added a piece of wood to the fire, "enough to pave this river into a golden brick road."

“So where should we start?”

"From the source." Zhu Han suddenly lowered his voice, "Someone will come to silence us tomorrow."

"What?"

"The word 'Li' is engraved on the inside of the supervisor's waist badge." Zhu Han used the tip of his sword to pick up some ash. "Li Zhong, the Minister of Works, married the daughter of the Grand Tutor just last year."

The sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard in the night. More than 20 masked men entered with knives, and the tip of the leader's knife was dripping with blood. "You two have checked enough, it's time to get going."

Zhu Biao drew his sword to meet him, but Zhu Han held his wrist. Suddenly, the emperor's uncle shouted, "Master Li, wait a minute!"

The masked men were stunned. Zhu Han took the opportunity to overturn the fire, and sparks splashed on their clothes. Zhu Biao immediately understood and threw a few copper coins, hitting the other party's acupuncture points.

"Your Highness, you have great skills in concealed weapons." Zhu Han lifted the mask of the leader and saw the face of Li Zhong's confidant, Chen Zhushi. "Please tell Li Shilang that on the day when the river bank collapsed, I was waiting for him at the top of Jinling City."

Three days later, the two men rode their horses at full speed on the official road. Zhu Biao held a blood letter in his arms, which was the fingerprints of the civilians pressed with their blood: "Uncle, this evidence is enough to bring down Li Zhong."

"It's not enough." Zhu Han looked at the smoke from the cooking fires in the distance, "We need to uproot it completely and find the original account books."

"But the Ministry of Industry is on high alert..."

"Meet in the back alley of the Ministry of Works at midnight tonight."

When the moon was at its zenith, two dark figures climbed over the wall of the Ministry of Works. Zhu Han went straight to the archives, while Zhu Biao stood outside to watch. Suddenly, there was a sound of metal clashing, and Zhu Biao dodged inside, only to see Zhu Han picking up three guards with his sword and using the tip of his sword to pry open the lock of the copper box.

"Found it!" Zhu Han pulled out the yellowed account book, which suddenly changed color. "There's an ambush!"

Before he finished speaking, a net was cast from the roof. Zhu Han swung his sword to cut the rope, but heard Zhu Biao groan - there was a poison dart stuck in his back.

"Your Highness!" Zhu Han's eyes were red with anger, and he threw the account book backhandedly. The account book flew over the courtyard wall like a swallow, and Zhu Han pointed his sword at the pursuers: "Don't even think about surviving!"

Three days later, in the Fengtian Palace in Nanjing, Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and said, "Li Zhong embezzled 780,000 taels of silver from river workers! All of his accomplices, more than 30 people, were brought to justice!" He looked at Zhu Biao, who was lying on the bed with a pale face, and said to Zhu Han, "Brother Han, you have done a great deed this time. But Biao..."

"Don't worry, father." Zhu Biao struggled to get up, "I was poisoned for seven days, and the imperial physician said I only need to rest for half a month."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to the kneeling members of the Ministry of Works and said, "Mr. Zhu's family risked their lives to sneak into the enemy's lair, and no one noticed?"

The old minister kowtowed: "I am guilty. But... there were indeed heavy guards outside the archives that night..."

Zhu Han suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I have a report." He took out the blood-stained account book from his arms, "I was able to sneak in that day thanks to this person's help."

In the cover of the account book, there was a half-bloody jade pendant, which was left by Zhu Biao on the riverbank that day. Zhu Yuanzhang took the jade pendant and suddenly burst into tears: "It's my fault. Twenty years ago, I shouldn't have..."

Zhu Han shook his head: "Your Majesty, I request that you conduct a thorough investigation of river works throughout the country."

The autumn wind swept the dead leaves across the fields. Zhu Han and Zhu Biao went out incognito again, this time with the newly drawn river engineering map of the Ministry of Works.

"Your Highness, look here." Zhu Han pointed to a place on the blueprint, "If we build a sluice here, we can store water in the dry season and divert it in the rainy season, which can protect the farmland on both sides."

"Uncle, that's a good idea." Zhu Biao suddenly pointed to the distance, "Why is that old man kneeling on the ridge of the field?"

The two walked forward quickly and saw a white-haired old farmer crying while holding the dead rice seedlings. Zhu Han squatted down and picked up the soil: "Salt-alkali land? Are there any wealthy families around here?"

The old farmer wiped his tears and said, "The rich man Wang at the east end of the village has thousands of acres of fertile land, and all he uses is good soil and fertilizer..."

Zhu Biao suddenly snatched the rice seeds from the old farmer's hand and said, "Uncle, this rice seed is wrong! I'm afraid the old rice from last year's disaster relief grain was mixed with the seeds!"

Zhu Han's face turned pale: "What a good trick! Let's go and meet this rich man Wang."

In front of the gate of the rich man Wang's house, there were two stone lions covered with moss. Zhu Han knocked on the door. The servant who answered the door saw that they were dressed in ordinary clothes and said with a squinting look: "Go to the back door to beg for food!"

Zhu Biao suddenly showed the jade pendant on his waist, and the servant's legs went weak. A moment later, the fat and big-eared rich man Wang came out, followed by eight guards.

"You two...what can I do for you?" Rich Man Wang rolled his eyes.

Zhu Han suddenly grabbed the copper button on the door knocker and asked, "Master Wang, do you know what the crime of embezzling disaster relief grain is?"

Mr. Wang took a half step back and said, "I...I am innocent..."

"Unfair?" Zhu Biao suddenly flipped the stone lock in the courtyard, revealing the moldy granary underground. "How long will Master Wang eat this old rice?"

Mr. Wang knelt down and said, "It was the head of the village who asked me to stay here temporarily... I am willing to offer a hundred acres of good farmland..."

"I don't want your dirty money!" Zhu Han pointed his sword at the granary, "Give all this moldy rice to the villagers. Your Wang family will have to eat bran and vegetables for three months!"

On the way back, Zhu Biao looked at the people who were returning to the fields and sighed, "Uncle, it will be a long and arduous journey to eradicate these malpractices." "Your Highness, do you know about Dayu's flood control?" Zhu Han looked at the clouds in the sky, "It is better to drain than to block. Instead of confronting the powerful, it is better to..." He suddenly reined in his horse, "Let's go to the school to take a look."

In the dilapidated school, the teacher was writing on the sand with a dead branch. When they came in, the children gathered around him and said, "Teacher, these two gentlemen said they can teach us to read!"

Zhu Han took off his sword and said: "Whoever can use this sword to write the three words 'People are the Most Important' on the ground, I will give him the sword." The children were delighted. The oldest child took the sword and wrote the three words neatly.

Zhu Han clapped his hands and said, "Okay! From today on, you can come to the big tree at the entrance of the village after class every day, and I will teach you a set of sword techniques." He looked at Zhu Biao, "Your Highness, this is the fundamental solution."

In the twilight, the two walked side by side. Zhu Biao suddenly said, "Uncle, I finally understand why my father asked you to teach me."

"oh?"

"You taught me not only how to govern a country." Zhu Biao looked at the darkening sky, "but also... how to make all people in the world live with their backs straight."

In late spring in March on the outskirts of Jinling, the locust flowers on both sides of the official road fell into the mane of the green horse.

Zhu Han and Zhu Biao each rode an inconspicuous mule, with a straight blue cloth body decorated with patches, and the wooden swords at their waists were wrapped in coarse cloth. Only the blue jade pendant hanging next to the saddle shone with a warm glow in the morning light.

"Biao'er, Qixia Town is ahead." Zhu Han pulled the reins and looked at the village with smoke rising from chimneys in the distance.

Zhu Biao took off his bamboo hat and fanned himself, revealing half a silver bracelet under his coarse linen clothes. It was the amulet that Empress Ma had tied for him personally. "My father said that the tax arrears here are very strange. Let's go to the land temple and try our luck." Before he finished speaking, he heard mournful cries from the front. Three women in mourning were kneeling by the road, and their paper money was wet into a paste by the morning dew.

"My Lord! Please help us!" The leading woman suddenly rushed to their mules and horses, tightly grasping Zhu Biao's reins with her skinny hands. The other two women also came over crying and shouting, and the mules and horses were so frightened that they neighed and stood up.

Zhu Han quickly turned over and dismounted, holding the wooden sword in front of him and shouting: "Back off!" The copper bells on the sword tassel jingled, and he really had the momentum of a man of the world. The woman knelt forward, with the silver hairpin in her hair crooked and her hair disheveled: "The two masters must be the imperial envoys from the capital! Our master was dragged away by the yamen runners last night, saying that he was hiding the official grain, but it was the wheat seeds left for the children!"

Zhu Biao had already steadied the frightened mule, and when he heard the word "official grain", his brows furrowed. Last year, when there was a flood in Jiangbei, the imperial court allocated special grain for disaster relief, which according to the law should be personally escorted by local officials. He bent down and helped the woman up: "Sister-in-law, please stand up and talk. Where is your master now?"

"In... in the county jail!" The woman wiped her tears, "They said we would be exiled three thousand miles away! But we haven't even seen what the government grain looks like!" The other two women also kowtowed repeatedly, and the baby in one of them's arms suddenly cried, and the hoarse cry tore through the morning mist.

Zhu Han looked at Zhu Biao, and the two had made a decision when their eyes met. The prince took out half a piece of silver from his bosom and said, "Please lead the way, sister-in-law. We just happen to be going to the county government to do some business." The woman took the silver with many thanks, but she didn't know that this seemingly ordinary silver was actually "dragon pattern silver" specially made by the inner court, and each piece was engraved with nine dragon patterns that were difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

A skinny horse was tied to a locust tree outside the Qixia County government office. A government official was leaning on the doorstep, eating a Hu pancake. When he saw them coming, he didn't get up and spat, "Get away! Can't you see I'm busy..." Before he finished speaking, Zhu Han's wooden sword was against his Adam's apple, and the copper bell of the sword tassel trembled slightly: "Excuse me, we are the inspector from the capital."

The yamen runner's eyes widened, and just as he was about to call for help, Zhu Biao had already thrown out a token. The token was neither gold nor jade, but a dark piece of wood, with "expel the Tartars" engraved on the front and "restore China" on the back - it was the secret patrol token specially granted to the Censorate during the Hongwu reign.

The bailiff's legs suddenly went limp and he crawled in to report.

When County Magistrate Wang Dezhang came out to greet him, Zhu Biao was squatting at the gate of the government office, reading a notice. The newly posted notice, with ink not yet dry, read "Severe punishment for those who privately hoard government grain," and the signature was the official seal of the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture.

Wang Dezhang was about forty years old, wearing a square scarf on his head, with dark circles under his eyes. When he bowed, half of a jade ring slipped out from his sleeve.

"I didn't know the two imperial censors were coming. I'm sorry for not welcoming you..." His voice was soft and tender, a characteristic of Jiangnan, but his eyes kept looking at the jade pendant on Zhu Han's waist. Zhu Biao suddenly pointed at the notice and sneered, "Lord Wang is very clever. The crime of hiding government grain is three times more serious than murder and robbery."

Wang Dezhang's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He was about to explain when Zhu Han shouted, "Take us to the cell!" The cell was damp and smelly, with a dozen ragged men crowded behind the iron bars.

Seeing them coming in, a bearded man suddenly rushed to the railing, and the iron chain clanged loudly: "You son of a bitch! We exchanged our blood and sweat for those wheat seeds!"

Zhu Han took out the wheat seeds given by the woman from his arms. The grains were dry and yellow.

He twisted a seed and took a closer look, then suddenly frowned: "Has this wheat seed been soaked in salt water?" Wang Dezhang's face suddenly changed, and Zhu Biao turned around and stared at him: "Sir Wang, why don't you explain why the wheat seeds for disaster relief were soaked in salt water?"

It turns out that soaking wheat in salt water is a common trick used by the powerful in the south of the Yangtze River. The wheat seeds appear full after absorbing the salt, but in fact they will rot within three days after being planted in the field.

Wang Dezhang knelt down with a plop, and the jade ring knocked against the blue bricks, making a crisp sound: "This humble official has no choice! Lord Zhao, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, forced us to falsely report the number of fertile lands. If we fail to meet the requirements, we will be dismissed and investigated..."

"So you withheld wheat seeds and shifted the blame to the people?" Zhu Biao was so angry that he trembled all over. This was the third similar case they had found since their inspection. Zhu Han held his shoulders and glanced at Wang Dezhang like lightning: "Does Lord Zhao have someone behind this?"

Wang Dezhang suddenly kowtowed: "I beg you two adults to understand! Lord Zhao died suddenly last month, and now in Yingtian Prefecture... Now in Yingtian Prefecture..." Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the cell, followed by a sharp voice: "The imperial edict has arrived--"

Everyone was startled, only to see a pale, beardless eunuch coming in holding a yellow silk imperial edict. Zhu Biao and Zhu Han knelt hurriedly to receive the edict.

The eunuch was in no hurry to announce the decree. He looked around the cell and then said in a sharp voice, "Your Majesty has ordered Zhu Han and Crown Prince Zhu Biao to return to the palace immediately without any delay."

Zhu Biao was about to speak when Zhu Han interrupted him, "Eunuch, do you know what happened?" The eunuch glanced at Wang Dezhang and lowered his voice, "The Hu Weiyong case has implicated a group of people from Yingtian Prefecture. His Majesty has summoned you back to discuss..." Before he could finish his words, Zhu Han suddenly jumped up and used a wooden sword to pry open his clothes. Only then did everyone see that the eunuch had a bloody dagger hidden on his back!
"There's an assassin!" Zhu Han threw his sword at the beam, and tiles fell down. The eunuch's face changed drastically, and a poisonous smoke bomb slipped out of his sleeve. Zhu Biao had already sensed it, and the jade plate flew out of his hand and hit him on the wrist.

The poison smoke bomb fell into the straw pile, and green mist rose up instantly, and the prison was suddenly in chaos.

Zhu Han grabbed the eunuch by the back of the collar and carried him to a ventilated place. Zhu Biao had covered his mouth and nose with a belt: "Tell me! Who sent you here?" The eunuch suddenly laughed strangely, with blood foam overflowing from the corners of his mouth: "You can't find out... The water in Yingtian Prefecture... is more muddy than the Yangtze River..." He died before he finished speaking.

Wang Dezhang collapsed in the urine, and the jade ring rolled to Zhu Biao's feet. The prince picked up the ring and looked at it carefully. The inner circle was engraved with the word "Huai", which was the mark of the Huaixi nobles.

He clenched his thumb tightly, veins popping out: "What a tiger that devours wolves! Using the people as a knife!"

Zhu Han looked at the shadow of the locust tree swaying outside the prison and suddenly said, "Biao'er, let's split up. You go and track down the source of the wheat seeds, and I'll stay and deal with these people."

Then he took off the jade token from his waist and said, "Take this to the Yingtian Treasury and say...say that I am ordered to review the official grain account books."

Zhu Biao took the jade token and stuffed the wheat seeds into his arms: "Be careful." The uncle and nephew looked at each other, and their tacit understanding over the years was unspoken. (End of this chapter)