Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Chapter 92: Anyone taller than this table shall be executed!

Forbidden City.

Eastern Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace. Zhu You樘 was dining with Zhang Wan'er.

Since summoning Zhang Wan'er to his bedchamber that night, Zhu You樘 had favored her for several consecutive days.

Their relationship rapidly warmed, and Zhang Wan'er was no longer as reserved in front of Zhu You樘 as she had been before.

"Your Majesty, this mutton soup was specially prepared by the Imperial Kitchen at my request. Please, try it and see how it tastes?"

Zhu You樘 took the bowl of soup from Zhang Wan'er and took a sip of the fragrant mutton broth.

"Not bad, very delicious," Zhu You樘 praised casually.

Zhang Wan'er's eyes smiled, her tone gentle: "Your Majesty, winter is almost here. Mutton soup is warm in nature and flavor, warming the middle and dispelling the cold. It has the effect of strengthening the spleen, benefiting qi, and warming and tonifying the spleen and stomach."

"Drinking a bowl of it on a winter night is most beneficial to the body."

Zhu You樘 smiled: "Consort Kang is truly thoughtful. Then, another bowl."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhang Wan'er once again ladled a bowl of steaming mutton soup for Zhu You樘.

Zhu You樘 found the taste indeed delicious and wanted another bowl, but Zhang Wan'er stopped him.

"Your Majesty, one should not eat more than three servings. If you drink any more of this mutton soup, I am afraid the Imperial Kitchen will not dare to make mutton soup for half a month."

"That makes sense, but朕 has summoned you for several days in a row, and 朕 has not seen you afraid to come to my Qianqing Palace."

Zhu You樘 took Zhang Wan'er's hand, his eyes smiling.

Zhang Wan'er lowered her head shyly, softly cautioning: "Your Majesty is always making fun of this concubine."

Zhu You樘 laughed heartily and embraced Zhang Wan'er.

After finishing the meal and rinsing his mouth, Zhu You樘 led Zhang Wan'er to the dragon bed.

The eunuchs of the Imperial Kitchen automatically removed the remaining dishes, and the palace maids tactfully extinguished the two lanterns near the dragon bed.

After the clouds dispersed and the rain subsided, Zhu You樘 was about to go to bed with Zhang Wan'er when a palace maid from the Directorate of Palace Services suddenly announced.

"Your Majesty, Wang Zhi, the Supervising Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, requests an audience."

Wang Zhi?

Zhu You樘 opened his eyes and patted Zhang Wan'er beside him.

"Consort Kang, go sleep in another room."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhang Wan'er obediently got up and, led by a palace maid, went to another room in the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu You樘 then ordered the candles to be lit and had Wang Zhi come in.

"Your humble servant kowtows to Your Majesty. Please forgive me for requesting an audience so late at night."

"It's fine, dispense with the formalities."

"Speak, what is it?"

Wang Zhi stood up, respectfully.

"Your Majesty, this humble servant just received a secret letter from Ma Jinzhong, the chief of the Western Depot. The expeditionary army has arrived in Hami."

"Ahema fled at the sight of the army, withdrawing from Hami Wei, but before leaving, he slaughtered thousands of civilians in the city."

"Finally, Ahema also set a fire, burning Hami Wei to ruins."

"Now, Governor Xu Chang is leading the army westward out of Hami, heading straight for the royal court of the Turpan Khanate, Gaochang."

"Bang!"

Zhu You樘 slammed the table heavily, his heart filled with frustration.

"How dare they slaughter my people! 朕 will never forgive them!"

"Order Xu Chang to resolutely eliminate the Turpan Khanate!"

"The Great Ming will not accept any pleas for peace from the Turpan Khanate, only the head of the Turpan Khan!"

"All young women of the Turpan Khanate will be escorted back to the mainland and distributed as rewards!"

"As for the rest, anyone taller than this table shall be executed!"

Zhu You樘 slapped the table in front of him, his tone sharp.

Wang Zhi looked at the table. The table stood on a soft couch, about four chi above the ground.

Four chi was not low; many children were not even four chi tall.

Your Majesty is still benevolent!

Just as Wang Zhi was inwardly sighing that Zhu You樘 would be so merciful, Zhu You樘 suddenly pushed the table over with a palm.

The table fell to the ground and rolled, its legs facing up, the surface of the table in close contact with the ground.

Now, the distance between the ground and the table was less than an inch!

Wang Zhi's pupils shook, and he immediately understood Zhu You樘's meaning. His expression became stern, and he quickly lowered his head to receive the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, there is another matter, of great importance, that臣 had to report immediately."

"Speak."

"Your Majesty was right. The late Emperor's death is indeed inextricably linked to the inner palace."

"Hmm?" Zhu You樘's gaze became extremely sharp.

Wang Zhi took a deep breath and relayed the information he had found, word for word.

"According to the testimony of a groom from Liu Wentai's household, Liu Wentai, when he was still the Director of the Imperial Hospital, often secretly met with a certain palace maid in the palace."

"And according to the groom's description, that palace maid should have been serving in the Cining Palace."

"But that palace maid was purged by the Eastern Depot during the previous palace purge, so the clue ends there for now."

Zhu You樘 frowned, his face gloomy.

"You're saying… this matter is related to Empress Dowager Wang?"

Wang Zhi quickly clarified his position: "The Western Depot has not yet found any decisive evidence."

"This humble servant dares not make any presumptuous decisions. Everything is up to Your Majesty."

Zhu You樘 pondered for a moment: "What about the Eastern Depot?"

"In response to Your Majesty, since Eunuch Huai took over the Eastern Depot, he has been diligent and conscientious."

"臣 has not found any disloyal behavior from Eunuch Huai."

"As for why the Eastern Depot has not investigated the inner palace… 臣 does not know."

Zhu You樘 breathed a sigh of relief, then waved his hand with some annoyance.

"朕 understands. Before the matter is thoroughly investigated, remember not to startle the snake."

"It doesn't matter if the investigation of the inner palace is slow, but it must be thorough, and no one should be spared."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter, concerning the land survey."

"What is it?"

"According to the report from Qin Lu, the second leader of the West Factory, the land survey team was subjected to bribery from Zhang Hai, the Governor of Shuntian Prefecture, and Liu Zong, an official of the Ministry of Works, during the process of surveying land in Jinghai County, Shuntian Prefecture."

"Fortunately, both Yang Jizong and Wang Yan refused the bribes, and Qin Lu immediately arrested Zhang Hai and Liu Zong and imprisoned them."

"During the interrogation, Zhang Hai and Liu Zong both confessed that Rui'an Bo (Earl) Wang Yuan had instructed them to do so."

"The hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land under Liu Zong's name also belong to Rui'an Bo Wang Yuan, and Rui'an Bo Wang Yuan is the Empress Dowager Wang's own younger brother."

"Your Majesty, how should these Wang brothers and Zhang Hai be dealt with?"

"Bring them here."

"Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant takes his leave."

Wang Zhi bowed and retreated from the Qianqing Palace.

...

Shuntian Prefecture.

Jinghai County.

In the study of Liu Zong's residence, where Qin Lu arrested him, there was a secret room.

At this moment, three people were sitting in the secret room.

"Brother, there is still no news of Liu Zong."

"It has been more than ten days since he was taken away by the people from the West Factory. He wouldn't have snitched on us, would he?"

Chongshan Bo (Earl) Wang Qing looked at his elder brother with anxiety. These past few days of worry and stress had caused his lips to crack.

Rui'an Bo Wang Yuan sat in the main seat, his brows also tightly furrowed.

"Are you sure those underlings didn't kill Liu Zong?"

Mentioning this matter, Wang Qing regretted it so much that he kept pounding his thigh.

"No! The subordinates made their move the moment the West Factory caught Liu Zong."

"But those eunuchs from the West Factory were highly skilled in martial arts and stubbornly protected Liu Zong. Liu Zong was still alive and kicking when he was taken out of the gate!"

It turned out that the group of assassins who attacked the West Factory that day had no intention of saving Liu Zong at all, but wanted to kill Liu Zong to silence him.

"Humph! Good job you did!"

Wang Jun, sitting below, snorted coldly, his tone filled with great dissatisfaction.

"I said that those West Factory guys are impervious to reason, but you insisted on trying to bribe them. Now, aren't you inviting trouble?"

Wang Qing felt wronged in his heart: "How would I know that the people from the West Factory would be so stubborn!"

"They are truly dedicated to serving that little emperor. It's really鬼了."

"Didn't we used to bribe the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard with silver before?"

Wang Jun was so angry that he stood up and slammed the table: "This is one situation, that was another!"

"What is His Majesty's attitude now, what is the state of the capital now?"

"Have you thought about it? You!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming more and more tense, Wang Yuan, sitting at the head, impatiently scolded.

"What's with all the arguing? Is it not chaotic enough already?!"

"Second Brother is also doing it for the sake of our family's fields. At least the starting point is good."

"The starting point is good?"

"Brother! Do you know that his unauthorized attempt to have Liu Zong bribe the West Factory, even with the slightest mistake, would be a catastrophic disaster for the Wang family!"

It would have been better if Wang Yuan hadn't spoken. As soon as he spoke, Wang Jun felt another burst of frustration in his heart.

Originally, he had already prepared to give up the family's fields.

And he had already persuaded his elder brother Wang Yuan to voluntarily return the fields to the nearby people.

As a result, Wang Qing secretly had Liu Zong bribe the West Factory behind his back!

Now that the West Factory is fiercely killing officials, actively bribing the West Factory, is that something a human could do?!

Bribery is one thing, but the matter was handled so badly that the West Factory actually captured Liu Zong alive!

Thinking of this, Wang Jun wished he could personally take a knife and flay Wang Qing alive!

Wang Jun looked at Wang Qing angrily, and Wang Qing lowered his head, not meeting Wang Jun's gaze.

"Alright, the matter has already happened. Now, the most important thing is how to extract the Wang family from this vortex."

Wang Yuan asked, "Third Brother, do you have any ideas?"

Wang Jun sighed deeply: "There's no need to worry about Liu Zong."

"As long as Liu Zong still cares about his wife and children, he will know which words to say and which words to keep buried in his stomach."

"Then we will return the occupied fields to the surrounding people, and say that Liu Zong maliciously occupied the fields. After our Wang family found out, we took the initiative to demand the fields back for the people."

"Placing all the responsibility on Liu Zong is the only way to have a glimmer of hope."

"But, if Liu Zong can restrain himself from speaking, can Zhang Hai restrain himself from speaking?"

"On the same day that Liu Zong was arrested, Zhang Hai also disappeared. Presumably, he should have also been taken away by the West Factory."

Wang Yuan's words exploded in Wang Jun's ears like muffled thunder.

Wang Jun's expression was dull, and he had an ominous premonition.

"Zhang Hai? The Governor of Shuntian Prefecture? What does this matter have to do with him?"

Wang Yuan raised his eyes and glanced at Wang Jun before slowly saying, "I asked Zhang Hai to come forward to win over Wang Yan and Yang Jizong."

"What?!"

Wang Jun was so shocked that he almost jumped up, as if he had been splashed with a basin of cold water, suddenly feeling cold from head to toe.

"Muddle-headed!"

"You are so muddle-headed!"

Wang Jun was so angry that he kept slapping the table, wishing he could die.

If only Liu Zong had fallen into the hands of the West Factory, that would have been fine. They knew all of Liu Zong's secrets.

As long as they planned in advance, they could push all the blame onto Liu Zong and completely absolve the Wang family of responsibility.

But Zhang Hai himself is a high-ranking official of the third rank, and moreover, this person is greedy and timid. I'm afraid that as soon as the West Factory tortures him, Zhang Hai will confess everything.

Wang Yuan looked at Wang Jun with dissatisfaction: "Third Brother, watch your tone! It's not up to you to be presumptuous in the Wang family!"

Wang Qing also chimed in unhappily: "That's right, the Wang family is now headed by Big Brother. You're being disrespectful, what kind of system is that?!"