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

Zhu Biao turned around slowly, his eyes firm: "Even if the emperor doesn't support it, he will acquiesce."

He paused and lowered his voice, "But I am ready. If he really hesitates, I will take action myself. The Ming Dynasty today is no longer just a court struggle, but a game of life and death."

"In that case," Zhu Han took a deep breath, his eyes gradually becoming sharper, "we must take out enough chess pieces to suppress Zhao Mian and his forces."

Zhu Biao nodded gently: "That's right. If we don't take thorough action this time, Zhao Mian's power will be like a cancer, gradually corroding the foundation of the court."

"There is one thing you must be careful about." Zhu Han suddenly whispered, "Your father's position has always been delicate. If you act rashly, I'm afraid he will doubt your intentions."

Zhu Biao's eyes flashed with hesitation, but it was soon replaced by determination: "Father's eyes have always been limited to the territory of the empire, and I am going to fight for the future of this territory."

"What you have to do is not only to expose Zhao Mian, but also to destroy the power behind him step by step. Only if you can completely dismantle the secret lines of the Six Ministries and the East Factory, you can regain the initiative." Zhu Han's voice was low and his tone was rigorous, as if every word was calculated to the exact degree.

"I understand." Zhu Biao nodded slowly, with determination in his eyes.

The next morning, Zhu Han was still in the side hall of the imperial palace, looking down at a new piece of information.

The spy from the Shenjiying brought back shocking news: Zhao Mian had been in frequent contact with the cronies of the Dongchang recently and seemed to be planning some secret operations.

And Hu Jian's name appeared again in these secret letters.

"Hu Ji'an..." Zhu Han muttered to himself, feeling a strong sense of uneasiness in his heart. "It turns out that he is not just involved with the Japanese pirates. There is obviously a deeper conspiracy behind him."

"Uncle, what are you thinking about?" Zhu Biao's voice suddenly sounded, breaking Zhu Han's thoughts.

Zhu Han raised his head and looked at the prince standing in front of him. "You are right, Zhao Mian is just a bait, the real mastermind behind this may be Cao Jing from the East Factory."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly. "Cao Jing? His relationship with Zhao Mian has long been public. If those officials are really involved, I'm afraid the entire court will be overthrown."

"We must act as soon as possible." Zhu Han's voice was steady and powerful. "This is not only about exposing Zhao Mian's problems, but also about thoroughly dissecting the corrupt forces hidden deep in the court. Cao Jing and Zhao Mian are the real manipulators of this situation."

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, and suddenly whispered: "If I want to completely eliminate these forces, I must first control the six ministries and weaken their power. And Zhao Mian must be the first person to be killed."

Zhu Han nodded, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. "Once we act, we must be quick and clean, and not give them a chance to breathe. We must take advantage of this dispute in the court to create an opportunity to destroy them."

Zhu Biao's expression was stern, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife. "Tomorrow is the time for the court meeting. At that time, I will publicly expose Zhao Mian's collusion with the East Factory in the hall, and take this opportunity to propose an emergency plan: rectify the six ministries and investigate all officials related to Zhao Mian."

Zhu Han smiled slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes: "You really have a comprehensive plan."

Zhu Biao's move had quietly changed the situation. In the hall, all the officials took their seats, and Zhao Mian also sat in the middle, looking calm, as if everything was under control.

However, Zhu Biao stood up, cleared his throat, and swept his eyes across the court. His eyes were calm, yet extremely firm, as if he was ready for a decisive battle.

"My fellow ministers, what we are discussing in court today concerns the future of our Ming Dynasty." Zhu Biao spoke in a sonorous and powerful tone.

"A few days ago, I learned a fact that cannot be ignored - Zhao Mian and Cao Jing of the East Factory colluded with the Japanese pirates and posed a great threat to the Ming Dynasty."

This sentence, like a heavy bomb, instantly exploded the entire court. Everyone looked at each other and whispered. Obviously, no one expected that the prince would expose Zhao Mian so bluntly.

Zhao Mian's face suddenly turned pale and his body trembled slightly, but he quickly calmed down.

He sneered in a low voice, with a dangerous light flashing in his eyes: "Prince, this is a bit too heavy. Where is the evidence? Are you going to drag me into the butcher's knife?"

Zhu Biao looked at him directly, his eyes like a knife: "I will present the evidence. And this evidence will be the key to determining your fate."

"Today, we will not only try Zhao Mian, but also eliminate those corrupt people who support him behind the scenes." Zhu Biao's voice rang out again, with an extremely firm determination.

This sentence was like a final announcement, and the entire court seemed to tremble at this moment. Everyone was waiting for the final result of this duel.

As soon as Zhu Biao finished speaking, the atmosphere in the court froze instantly, like a sky covered by dark clouds, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

The ministers had different expressions, some were shocked, some were doubtful, and some were even calculating in their minds how to respond to this sudden accusation.

Zhao Mian sat steadily in the chief seat. Although his face was a little pale, his eyes still showed calmness and ruthlessness. He smiled slightly, seemingly unmoved by the prince's words.

"Your Highness," Zhao Mian said in a steady and authoritative voice, "If I really colluded with the East Factory as you said, why didn't you produce evidence earlier? In the court today, is it just the Crown Prince who acted arbitrarily and accused his subjects at will?"

Zhu Biao did not back down, his eyes became more determined: "Zhao Mian, do you think you can get away with it easily? The conspiracy behind you can no longer be hidden. Everything you did was recorded by the spies, and all the evidence has been prepared."

The ministers' eyes began to wander between the two men, and their inner turmoil was difficult to conceal. Some people looked uneasy, and it was obvious that they had realized that this fight was far from as simple as it seemed.

Zhu Han also stood up at this time. He was tall and had sharp eyes. He walked slowly to the side of the prince and added: "What I said today is not empty words. If Zhao Mian is not convinced, you can let him defend himself, but please use his actions to prove his innocence. Otherwise, it will be unforgivable. It is not the fault of the court, but the disaster of the country."

A hint of anger flashed across Zhao Mian's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "In that case, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness Prince Zhu, since you have this evidence, why don't you present it in court and find out what crime I have committed."

At this time, Zhu Biao turned his head and looked at the people standing in the court, and said word by word: "From now on, all officials who colluded with Zhao Mian will be strictly investigated."

He paused, "I will personally launch an investigation and must produce hard evidence within three days to eliminate all the filthy people in the court who secretly collaborated with the East Factory."

A sneer finally emerged on Zhao Mian's face. "Prince, if you really have this ability, why not wait three days to see if you can find real evidence. Otherwise, the whole court will probably be turned upside down by your words." Zhu Biao stared at him, his eyes like a knife, "No need to wait three days, you can interrogate him today."

"Interrogation?" Zhao Mian snorted coldly, "You are so careless, aren't you afraid of hurting innocent people by mistake?"

"Innocent?" Zhu Biao raised his voice a few notches. "Do you think you can use these empty words to cover up the scandal behind you?"

"Your Highness, if that's the case, I am willing to help you investigate this matter." A minister suddenly stood up, his figure was tall and straight, with a calm smile on his face, "Since Zhao Mian is so resistant, he must be hiding something. Why not arrest Zhao Mian and his officials together and dig deeper into the person behind him."

"Okay!" Zhu Biao responded softly, his eyes sharp as a knife, "But we have to be careful about this matter and not cause more waves."

At this moment, another minister, Lord Li, who had always been close to Zhao Mian, stood up abruptly, his voice full of anxiety, "Prince, although Zhao Mian's words are fierce, he is after all concerned about state affairs. If we act rashly, it may cause turmoil in the court, which will not be worth the loss."

This made sense, but Zhu Biao sneered, his eyes revealing a deep coldness, "Turbulence? If this court can really be controlled by one person, it is not what our Ming Dynasty wants. If we don't get rid of Zhao Mian today, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to govern tomorrow."

The moment he finished speaking, Zhu Han turned around and waved his hand outside the hall, signaling several Jinyiwei to come in. The Jinyiwei walked in unison and immediately came to Zhao Mian.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Mian's face turned gloomy in an instant.

"Minister Zhao, the crown prince orders you to take him away temporarily." Zhu Han's voice was as cold as iron, merciless.

Zhao Mian was stunned for a moment, and a sly light flashed in his eyes. Then, he sneered, as if he had been prepared. "Since that's the case, since the prince has decided to do so, please go ahead and investigate."

The Embroidered Uniform Guards immediately took Zhao Mian away from the hall, and at this time, the ministers had already started talking.

Some people were secretly happy in their hearts. Apparently they had heard about the collusion between Zhao Mian and the Eastern Depot a long time ago. The prince's actions today undoubtedly gave them strong support.

However, there were also some people whose eyes were filled with worry. They knew that if today's action could not quickly eliminate Zhao Mian, it would inevitably plunge the court into deeper chaos.

"If the prince does not have solid evidence for today's incident, it will probably cause a huge backlash." Gu Qingping gently held Zhu Biao's hand and whispered.

Zhu Biao's eyes flashed with determination, "I know, but if I don't act now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to end it in the future."

A few days later, Zhao Mian was placed under house arrest in the palace, and officials who had close ties with him were interrogated one after another. As the evidence piled up, almost no one could escape.

"Father, although Zhao Mian has been captured, there are still many hidden crises in the court." Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang deeply.

"Now, the power of the Six Ministries and the Eastern Depot has been severely damaged. If we don't take action in time, I'm afraid the enemy will have an opportunity to take advantage of us."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at his son, and was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke: "Biao'er, I know what you are worried about. However, the matter under the imperial edict is not as simple as Zhao Mian. You must remember that there is a force in the court that is always waiting for an opportunity."

Zhu Biao's eyes flickered, "Father, have you noticed it already?"

"Yes, Biao'er." Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice, "This power is not just what you see before your eyes. It has been deeply rooted in the court and even before you were born."

Zhu Biao frowned and looked questioning, "Father, what do you mean..."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a long time, and finally whispered: "The East Factory is just the tip of the iceberg. What you are facing is this dark force that has been hidden for a long time. If you really want to resolve this power struggle, you must thoroughly uncover those hidden secrets."

These words were like a bolt from the blue, hitting Zhu Biao's heart and leaving him stunned for a moment.

Zhu Biao stood silently in front of the long table in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, his hands on the table, his eyes flashing with complex light.

"Who exactly is this dark force that my father was talking about?" Zhu Biao whispered to himself, with a barely perceptible hint of fatigue in his voice.

Zhu Han, who was standing next to him, did not respond immediately, but sighed softly, with a solemn look in his eyes.

"Prince, your father's meaning is very clear." Zhu Han finally spoke, his voice low and deep, "The power of the East Factory is backed by a much larger system. Zhao Mian is just one of the pawns, but this power is already deeply rooted, entrenched in the court, the palace, and even within the six ministries."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and finally looked up at Zhu Han: "Are you saying these words because you want me to completely let it go and allow this dark force to continue to spread? My father has pointed out the seriousness of the problem himself. If this force is not eliminated, I am afraid that the entire Ming Dynasty will fall into turmoil."

Zhu Han's eyes became sharper, and he slowly walked to Zhu Biao's side and whispered, "Biao'er, that's why you need to be more cautious. If you act rashly, it may cause a bigger counterattack. Now, none of the ministers in the court are simple."

Zhu Biao's eyes flashed with pain. He understood that Zhu Han's words were not groundless. "But if I don't take action, this corrupt force will become a chronic disease of our Ming Dynasty and will eventually devour everything."

Zhu Han nodded, his eyes deep: "You need to find the source of this power first, and then eradicate it completely. If you can't do this, a simple counterattack will surely fall into the enemy's trap."

Zhu Biao gritted his teeth and thought, his mind racing. He knew that this situation was far from a simple court struggle, but was related to the future survival of the entire empire. "Then how should we deal with it?"

Zhu Han walked to the table and slowly spread out the map. "What you want is a silent struggle in the dark. The counterattack in the court may only be superficial. You need to use some covert means to gradually consume the enemy's strength. And, most importantly, find out the enemy's mastermind."

Zhu Biao stared at him, and suddenly an idea came to his mind. "Do you have a solution?"

Zhu Han smiled slightly: "Maybe, the time has come."

Three days later, Zhu Biao quietly decided to launch his plan. Although he knew the danger of this move, as the crown prince, standing in the court, if he did not act decisively, he would be attacked by those conspirators sooner or later. He could not delay any longer. (End of this chapter)