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

Zhu Han watched the prince climb onto his horse. When his blue robe swept past the prison door, he suddenly whispered, "Biao'er, Lord Zhao died suddenly. I'm afraid he was silenced."

Zhu Biao's hand on the horse paused, and his back looked particularly thin in the morning mist: "I know. You check yours, and I'll check mine."

The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away. Zhu Han turned to look at Wang Dezhang, and the wooden sword clanged beside his feet. "Sir Wang, it's time to talk about the origin of the salted wheat seeds."

Wang Dezhang was shaking like a sieve, and suddenly pointed at the locust tree outside the prison: "The tree... under the roots... there is an account book..." Zhu Han gave a wink, and the accompanying Jinyiwei immediately dug up the roots of the tree, and sure enough, they found an oilcloth bag.

The account book was densely packed with dates and names, and the last page read: "On the third day of March, the prefect Zhao personally collected 200 dan of salt and wheat and gave it to the Wu family in Huaixi."

"Mrs. Wu?" Zhu Han's pupils shrank suddenly. This Mrs. Wu was Hu Weiyong's relative, and her property was confiscated and she was exiled last year. He grabbed Wang Dezhang's collar and said, "Since the prefect Zhao died suddenly, how can Mrs. Wu still order you around?"

Wang Dezhang suddenly showed a strange smile, and black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth again: "You...you will never be able to finish the investigation..." Zhu Han was shocked, but it was too late. The county magistrate died with blood coming out of his seven orifices. The prison was suddenly silent, and only the intermittent crying of the baby came from outside the yamen.

Zhu Han rushed out of the cell and saw the three women kneeling at the gate of the yamen holding their children. In the morning light, their shadows were very long, like three blunt knives engraved on the ground.

Zhu Han suddenly realized that the soles of his boots were still stained with rotten soil from the prison. The stench of soil mixed with the smell of blood went straight into his nostrils.

"Your Highness!" The leader of the Jinyiwei knelt on one knee, "Emergency report from Yingtian Prefecture: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was attacked at the dock!" Zhu Han was shocked and was about to ask for details when he saw the yamen runners running over in a panic, "Your Highness! There are so many corpses floating on the riverside... on the riverside!"

When everyone arrived at the riverside, the morning light was shining on the sparkling water. More than 20 corpses were floating down the river, some of them were still wearing the black clothes of Yingtianfu yamen runners.

Zhu Han recognized one of them, the boatman who led them yesterday. He suddenly caught a glimpse of a piece of blue shirt flashing between the corpses, which was the blue shirt that the prince usually wore after rain.

"Biao'er!" Zhu Han jumped into the river, the chilly spring water stinging his bones. When he swam closer, he found that the blue shirt was just a piece of blood-stained cloth hanging on a half-piece of driftwood.

Just as he was about to dive, he felt something entangled around his ankle. He pulled it out and found it was a golden ribbon - the same one around the prince's waist.

Zhu Han's heart suddenly tightened into a ball. There were dark red bloodstains on the gold ribbon, and a strand of black hair was entangled in the tassel.

He recognized it as Zhu Biao's hair. Last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Fengtian Hall, the prince was drunk and resting his head on his knees, and a strand of hair fell on the tassel of his sword. At this moment, the strand of black hair was floating in the water, like a tiny wound.

"Your Highness!" The Jinyiwei went into the water and soon found a dying woodcutter in the reed marsh downstream. The woodcutter was covered in wounds, but he was holding an oil-paper bag tightly in his arms.

Zhu Han tore open the oil paper and found a copy of the account book. On the title page, it was written: "The remnants of the Wu family hid in the Qixia Mountain Iron Mine and colluded with the Japanese pirates to plot evil."

He suddenly remembered the dilapidated temple where he stayed last night. The temple keeper said that there were many unfamiliar faces appearing in the mountains recently.

Zhu Han clenched the account book tightly, and drops of water dripped from his chin onto the yellowed pages: "Pass the order down, block Qixia Mountain!"

As the sun was setting, Zhu Han led his men to surround the abandoned iron mine. The cave entrance was overgrown with weeds and spider silk was floating in the wind.

He lit a tinder and saw dense claw marks on the cave wall, as if some giant beast had passed by. Suddenly, the Jinyiwei at the front screamed and was dragged into the darkness.

"Shoot!" Dozens of rockets lit up the cave entrance, and dozens of men in black climbed into the mine tunnel in a well-trained manner. Zhu Han chased in the front, and used a wooden sword to open the mechanism, and the secret door burst open.

From deep within the mine came the sound of chiseling stones, mixed with the dull thud of iron chains dragging on the ground.

Turning the corner, the sight before him made his blood freeze: Thirty or so naked prisoners in shackles mining, each with an iron skewer stuck behind them, with half a moldy wheat cake stuck on the end.

A man wearing a bronze mask was wielding a whip to supervise the workers. The tip of the whip was dipped in salt, and it made a sizzling sound when it hit the prisoners.

"Your Highness is very brave." The bronze-masked man suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse like the friction of rust, "It's a pity that you came too late.

"He swung his whip at the rock wall, and the entire rock wall suddenly flipped over, revealing a secret chamber filled with sulfur gunpowder.

The fuse had burned halfway, and sparks were crackling. Zhu Han flew up and cut the fuse with his wooden sword, and sparks splashed on the gunpowder pile, producing blue flames.

He thrust his sword into the crack of the rock with his backhand, and used the force to pounce on the masked man. As the two men grappled, Zhu Han caught a glimpse of the tattoo on the man's wrist, which turned out to be a five-petal cherry blossom - the mark of the Japanese pirates!
"You actually colluded with the Japanese pirates!" Zhu Han shouted angrily, and pointed his sword straight at the other party's throat.

The masked man suddenly opened his clothes, revealing a hideous scar on his chest: "Look at this! It was given to me by your government troops!" The scar was in the shape of a Chinese character for Buddha, which was the mark of the government troops when they suppressed the Japanese pirates during the Hongwu period.

Zhu Han was shocked. Last year, there were reports of Japanese pirates pretending to be government troops and looting. The masked man took the opportunity to retreat to the gunpowder pile and lit the fuse with a grim smile: "The tigers and wolves you raise in the Ming Dynasty are ten times more vicious than the Japanese pirates!"

"Your Highness, be careful!" The Jinyiwei rushed over with a cry. Zhu Han rushed to the gunpowder pile and pressed the fuse with his body. Sparks burned his back, and smoke came out of his blue robe. The masked man was stunned for a moment, and was hacked to death by the Jinyiwei who rushed over.

The blast overturned the mine tunnel and Zhu Han was blown away, his back burning with pain.

He struggled to get up, but saw an iron cage deep in the mine, with a disheveled-haired man imprisoned inside. He was the "Prefect Zhao" that Wang Dezhang had mentioned.

"Master Zhao!" Zhu Han rushed over and shook the iron fence, "What's going on?" The man suddenly looked up, revealing a bloody face - his tongue had been gouged out!
Zhu Han felt cold all over, and suddenly saw the man's fingers moving in the dust. He grabbed a wooden stick and watched the man write the crooked word "Huai". The last vertical stroke was very long, like a bloody sword mark.

When night fell, Zhu Han brought the seriously injured Zhao Fuyin back to Qixia Town. The townspeople held torches to welcome them, and three women knelt by the road holding their children.

Zhu Han stumbled when he got off his horse. The burn on his back was still bleeding, but he handed Zhao Fuyin to the woman: "Take him to see a doctor and tell him... tell him that the King of Han owes you a favor."

After returning to the dilapidated temple where he temporarily stayed, Zhu Han was about to treat his wounds when he suddenly heard the familiar sound of horse hooves outside.

He rushed out of the temple and saw Zhu Biao lying on the horse's back, covered in blood. His moon-white robe had several tears in it, revealing a dragon pattern embroidered with gold thread underneath.

"Biao'er!" Zhu Han caught the fallen prince, and his touch was burning hot. However, Zhu Biao tightly grasped his wrist and said, "I found the account book... Wu's... Iron mine..." He fainted before he could finish his words.

Zhu Han then discovered that there was a half-broken arrow stuck in his lower back, with the arrow feathers engraved with the unique wave patterns of Japan.

Zhu Han gently placed Zhu Biao on the haystack. The firelight made the prince's pale face flicker.

The accompanying imperial physician trembled as he cut open the blood-soaked robe. A half-broken arrow was inserted into the waist, with a ferocious wave pattern carved on the tail. "The Japanese pirates' armor-piercing arrow." Zhu Han picked up the arrow feather with tweezers and took a closer look. The arrowhead was quenched with a cold blue light. "The arrow poison is the tears of the mermaids from the East China Sea. It will kill you within half an hour."

The imperial physician knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, spare my life! This poison requires the blood of a living person as a medicine..."

"Use mine." Zhu Han rolled up his sleeves, and the golden snake pattern on his arm glowed coldly in the firelight.

The moment the dagger cut his wrist, he suddenly remembered that snowy night twenty years ago when he had pressed the young man against the wall in the same way, letting the scalding blood drip into the porcelain bowl.

Three drops of blood fell into the wine cup, and Zhu Biao let out a wild beast-like whimper from his throat.

Zhu Han held his spasming wrist and said, "Biao'er, just bear with it for now."

Suddenly, a night owl screamed outside the window. The door of the dilapidated temple exploded, and seven men in black rushed in with Japanese swords, with fresh blood on the blades.

The masked man in the lead lifted the black cloth on his chin, revealing a face covered with burns - it was the bronze masked man in the daytime mine tunnel.

"Prince Zhu is so brave." He laughed hoarsely, and the scar with the word Buddha on his chest looked alive in the firelight. "It's a pity that you can only protect the prince for a while, but can you protect the Ming Dynasty forever?"

Zhu Han pointed his sword at the ground: "The remnants of the Wu family colluded with the Japanese pirates, privately forged weapons and plotted rebellion. Their crimes should be punished by the death of all nine generations of their clan!"

"Rebellion?" The masked man laughed wildly, shaking the dust on the beams. "You Zhu family members rule the country, and the Huaixi nobles are in charge of the court. People like us don't even have a way to survive! Look at this world--"

He ripped open his shirt, revealing a rotten sore crawling with maggots. "The stolen silver poison that infected Lord Zhao, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, is a thousand times more disgusting than this wound!"

Zhu Han's pupils suddenly shrank, and he remembered the bloody "Huai" character drawn by Zhao Fuyin's finger. The masked man suddenly pointed the tip of his knife outside the temple: "Do you know why there are thirty-six prisoners in the iron mine? They are the descendants of the twenty-four generals of Huaixi!"

The night wind, wrapped in the smell of blood, poured into the ruined temple, and Zhu Han's sword trembled slightly. Twenty years ago, the Hu Weiyong case involved tens of thousands of Huaixi men, and those exiled generals' orphans became sharp blades in the hands of the Japanese pirates.

"Zhu Biao must die." The masked man's sword flashed, and seven cold rays formed a sword net. Zhu Han swung his sword to block, and sparks splashed on the haystack.

The unconscious prince suddenly twitched, and half of the broken arrow bounced out from the wound - it turned out that Zhu Han secretly used sword energy to vibrate the arrow body.

"Take His Highness away!" Zhu Han shouted, the sword light shattering the night sky like a silver dragon. Three Jinyiwei carried Zhu Biao and jumped out of the back window. The masked man chased after him, but was blocked by Zhu Han using a burning beam.

"Want to die together?" The masked man grinned and suddenly blew the bone flute. A thunderous explosion came from the direction of the mine, and the whole Qixia Mountain was shaking. Zhu Han's heart was shocked. That batch of gunpowder was enough to flatten half of the mountain!

He rushed towards the explosion like crazy, but saw dozens of black shadows carrying sacks rushing towards the river in the night. Zhu Hanjian picked a man by the collar, and sulfur and saltpeter rolled out of the sack, with the Wu family emblem embroidered on the corner of the sack.

"They want to blast the iron mine into the Yangtze River!" Zhu Han looked at the flickering fire in the distance and suddenly understood the pirates' conspiracy - the iron mine leads directly to the Yangtze River waterway. If the mountain collapses, siltation will block the lifeline of the canal transportation!
The masked man emerged from the thick smoke, his bronze mask split in two. "Prince Zhu is very insightful. But guess how many grain ships are waiting to be swallowed by the mud and sand at the Yingtianfu dock right now?"

Zhu Han was furious. The remnants of the Wu clan had actually conspired with the Japanese pirates to destroy the economic lifeline of the Ming Dynasty by using iron ore and gunpowder. He swung his sword at the masked man, but he saw the other man suddenly rip open his clothes, revealing a chest full of gunpowder.

"Let's die together!" The masked man rushed over with a strange smile. Zhu Han retreated quickly, and the tip of his sword cut off the fuse, but the sparks burned in the man's wild laughter. At the critical moment, he grabbed the burning beam and smashed it into the pile of gunpowder -

With a loud bang, the roof of the ruined temple collapsed. Zhu Han was blown away by the gust of air, and his back hit the ancient locust tree. The masked man lay in the ruins, twitching, and the scar with the word "Buddha" on his chest split open, oozing dark purple blood.

"You...you will never be able to finish the investigation..." The masked man's last finger drew a crooked "Huai" in the mud, which was exactly the same as the handwriting of Zhao Fuyin.

Zhu Han staggered towards the riverside. The sky was already turning pale in the distance. Six grain ships were unloading, and the boatmen pointed at the muddy river water in panic - mud and sand were flowing downstream like a black dragon, and dozens of corpses had floated in the middle of the river.

"Your Highness!" Zhu Han found the unconscious Zhu Biao in the reed marsh, the gold ribbon around the prince's waist soaked in blood. In the morning light, he suddenly found that half of a jade pendant had fallen out of the prince's arms, which was the token he gave to the orphan of the Huaixi general 20 years ago.

Zhu Yuanzhang smashed the jade paperweight to pieces, and the scattered jade pieces gleamed coldly under the candlelight: "The evidence is irrefutable that the remnants of the Wu family colluded with the Japanese pirates, privately forged weapons and blew up the iron mine."

Zhu Han knelt on the altar, with burns on his back oozing yellow water. "Your Majesty, the source of sulfur for iron ore and gunpowder has been traced back to the eight great merchants of Shanxi."

Fengtian Hall was in complete silence, even Zhu Biao's hand holding the pen paused. The eight imperial merchants controlled the northern horse market. If they colluded with the Japanese pirates...

“Shanxi merchants?” Zhu Yuanzhang’s voice was as cold as ice. “Investigate! Start from the Ministry of Revenue!”

That night, Zhu Han sneaked into the Ministry of Revenue archives with injuries. The moonlight shone through the window lattice, revealing the densely packed comments on the yellowed account books.

He suddenly stopped at a certain page - three days ago, a disaster relief fund of 5,000 taels of silver was transferred to the Shanxi Horse Farm.

"Uncle!" Zhu Biao suddenly appeared at the door, holding a bloody secret letter in his hand, "Fan Yongdou, the leader of the eight imperial merchants, committed suicide in the imperial prison last night."

Zhu Han took the secret letter, which was stamped with the Huaixi Cao family emblem. The letter detailed how Fan Yongdou traded sulfur with the Japanese pirates and smuggled contraband on the grain transport ships.

The last line reads: "The problem with iron ore is just the tip of the iceberg. The real borer is..."

The ink suddenly blurred, and Zhu Han used candlelight to heat it, and the hidden words emerged: "... in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

Zhu Biao stood up suddenly: "King of Yan!"

Zhu Han frowned, his fourth nephew Zhu Di's fiefdom was in the northern border. If the Shanxi merchants had any connection with the Prince of Yan's Mansion... He suddenly remembered the confessions of the prisoners in the iron mine, one of whom had vaguely mentioned the "Yan character flag".

"Prepare the carriages and horses." Zhu Han put on his cloak and replaced the sword at his waist with the Seven Star Sword bestowed by Taizu. "Let's go to the northern border."

The north wind blew sand and gravel on his face. Zhu Han looked at the words "Da Ming" on the city wall and suddenly remembered that twenty years ago, when he followed Taizu to the north, his fourth nephew Zhu Di shot and killed a Yuan general here and won the first merit.

"Your Highness, someone is coming from Prince Yan's Mansion." The Jinyiwei escorted a bloody messenger in. When the man saw Zhu Han, he suddenly laughed crazily: "Your Highness, do you know that as soon as you left Nanjing, ten Japanese ships docked in Bohai Bay?"

Zhu Biao drew his sword and put it to the messenger's throat: "Tell me! Who is the person behind Fan Yongdou?" (End of this chapter)