PFC Chapter 14: A Great Traitor Appears as a Loyal Man, Yet Zhu Ignores Him!
Chapter 14: A Great Traitor Appears as a Loyal Man, Yet Zhu Ignores Him!
Hulong Mountain Villa.
Iron-Blooded Marquis Zhu Wushi was practicing calligraphy in his room, holding a wolf-hair brush and splashing ink freely on the Xuan paper.
The four secret agents of the Dragon Guard Manor, representing Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, stood to one side, looking troubled, but none of them dared to make a sound to disturb them.
After Zhu Wushi finished writing, the four characters "Loyalty to the Emperor and Service to the Country" appeared on the paper.
Every character is powerful and exudes an air of dominance!
Zhu Wushi put down his pen, wiped his hands with a clean, warm towel, walked to a chair and sat down before speaking to the four secret agents: "Speak, what is it?"
Cheng Shifei, the top secret agent of the Yellow Bureau, said anxiously, "My lord, something terrible has happened! People from the Western Depot have just arrived, saying they want to collect the taxes and grain owed by the Dragon Guard Manor over the years!"
Zhu ignored him calmly: "How much does he want?"
"A total of 880,000 shi of grain!"
"Give it to him!"
"Godfather!"
Cheng Shifei screamed in shock: "This is all grain from the Dragon Guard Manor! And you're just giving it to the Western Depot like this?!"
The next moment, Zhu Wushi's eyes narrowed, and the pressure around him dropped to the extreme.
"presumptuous!"
"The Western Depot works for His Majesty; its orders are His Majesty's orders!"
"The Dragon Guard Manor was established for the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and its secret agents serve the Emperor!"
"The Dragon Guard Manor belongs to His Majesty. What's wrong with His Majesty taking back his own grain?!"
Zhu ignored the awe-inspiring righteousness and sternly rebuked Cheng Shifei.
Cheng Shifei was stunned into silence and at a loss when Zhu Wushi rebuked him like that.
Cheng Shifei was different from the other three secret agents. He was originally a street thug who later joined the Dragon Guard Manor.
The other three secret agents, Duan Tianya, Guihai Yidao, and Shangguan Haitang, were all imperial secret agents trained by Zhu Wushi since childhood.
Therefore, Cheng Shifei's understanding of Zhu Wushi was far less profound than that of the other three secret agents, and his cunning was also relatively shallow.
Although Zhu Wushi spoke with righteous indignation, appearing to be utterly loyal to the court and His Majesty.
However, after Cheng Shifei joined the Dragon Guard Manor, through various clues, he always felt that Zhu Wushi was not as loyal as he appeared.
After angrily rebuking those who had wronged him, Zhu Wushi turned to the other three spies: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is the ruler of all under Heaven; behind him lies the majesty of the entire Ming Empire!"
"We are all subjects of the Ming Dynasty. The four words 'loyalty to the emperor and service to the country' must be engraved in your very bones, understand?!"
"Yes, my lord!"
The four secret agents of Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow immediately nodded in agreement.
"Shangguan Haitang".
Zhu Wushi looked at the only female agent among the four secret agents and ordered, "You shall immediately have Wan Sanqian prepare 500,000 taels of silver, which you shall personally escort to the capital and present to His Majesty."
"Just say that the grain is gone and has been replaced with this silver. As for the extra amount, consider it as interest on the tax grain owed by the Dragon Guard Manor."
"Yes, Godfather!"
Shangguan Haitang, the number one in the Xuan category, has a face as beautiful as a peach blossom and is peerless in beauty. He may seem like a handsome young man in a turbulent world, but he is actually a beauty who can topple kingdoms. He embodies the essence of heaven and earth and is incomparably elegant.
At the same time, she controls the number one manor in the world, which houses three thousand of the world's top talents in various fields.
Among them are the world's strongest man, the world's greatest illusionist, the world's greatest thief, and so on.
The most important person in the village is Wan Sanqian, the richest merchant in the world.
Wan Sanqian was incredibly wealthy, with businesses spanning the entire Ming Dynasty. He was the richest man behind the number one estate in the land.
At the foot of the Dragon Guard Manor, there is no one else besides Wan Sanqian who can immediately produce 500,000 taels of silver.
After Shangguan Haitang accepted the order, Zhu Wushi did not let her leave immediately, but instead looked directly into Shangguan Haitang's eyes.
"Haitang, you must personally present this silver to His Majesty, understand?"
Shangguan Haitang's heart skipped a beat, and her whole body became incredibly stiff.
"Haitang... I understand!"
Shangguan Haitang gritted her teeth and bowed to accept the order.
But the thought of that man with the most prestigious status in the entire Ming Dynasty made Shangguan Haitang's heart pound, and she broke out in a cold sweat with tension.
Zhu ignored the meaning behind his words, but how could Shangguan Haitang not understand?
With the Ming emperor possessing the wealth of the entire world and three thousand beauties in his harem, would he really be interested in her?
"You may all leave."
"Your subordinate takes his leave."
After the four spies left the room, Zhu Wushi's face darkened.
In the early years of the Hongzhi reign, he was ordered by his elder brother, the Emperor, to establish the Dragon Guard Manor in the martial arts world to secretly protect the imperial power.
However, Zhu ignored this man, who was a treacherous villain disguised as a loyal one, and possessed enormous ambition.
Zhu Wushi got up and walked into a secret room. On the ice bed in the secret room lay a woman dressed in white with a beautiful face.
The woman lay quietly on the ice bed, her eyes closed, her breath faint, and she showed no reaction to the outside world.
She slept for twenty years.
Zhu Wushi came to the woman's side, reached out and stroked her face, and unknowingly burst into tears.
"Suxin, don't worry, no matter the cost, I will find the Heavenly Fragrance Bean and awaken you!"
Zhu Wushi clenched his fists, his eyes filled with determination!
……
Beijing.
The messenger, traveling at breakneck speed, finally arrived at Xie Ge Lao's home in the capital after several days of travel.
When Xie Qian saw the secret letter written by Xie Zheng, he was both shocked and furious, and the next moment he burned the letter.
"To demand back taxes? This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
After pondering for a moment, Xie Qian called out to his servants, "Prepare the sedan chair; we're going to Grand Secretary Liu's house!"
After Xie Qian arrived at Liu Jian's house, he also summoned another Grand Secretary, Li Dongyang.
Xie Qian then told Liu Jian and Li Dongyang about it.
"Your Excellencies, what should we do now?"
"Now, not only are there eunuchs guarding various places, but these eunuchs are also collecting back taxes from those places."
"Heaven and earth bear witness, these taxes were all abolished by order of the late Emperor. Your Majesty is defying the late Emperor's decree!"
"The people of this world are going to suffer again!"
Liu Jian frowned deeply, just as distressed as Xie Qian.
Li Dongyang, on the other hand, remained silent and observed coldly.
One's position determines one's thinking. Xie Qian and Liu Jian were both officials who rose through the ranks from prominent local families.
They have a large family and a vast amount of land and property in their hometown.
The tax exemption policy was something they devised to benefit their own family.
They had previously profited the most, but now they are suffering the most severe losses.
Li Dongyang resided in the capital as a military officer, and there were no members of his family in the local area for a long time.
Zhu Houzhao's pursuit of tax arrears in various places had nothing to do with him. He remained a bystander, coldly watching the two anxious men.
"Grand Secretary Liu, how about our cabinet, along with all the officials, submit a petition to His Majesty requesting that he cease the pursuit of overdue taxes?" Xie Qian asked tentatively.
"No!"
Liu Jian immediately stopped him: "Have you forgotten that last time you advised His Majesty to send troops to Xuanfu, you were immediately thrown into the Six Doors prison?"
"Do you think His Majesty's executioner's blade isn't sharp enough?!"
"What should we do then?"
Xie Qian asked anxiously, "Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"
Liu Jian was equally agitated.
Zhu Houzhao was not, after all, like Emperor Xiaozong who was completely sidelined; he wouldn't be as subservient to the cabinet as Xiaozong was.
Zhu Houzhao held the power of the Imperial Guard and the Six Doors, making him a truly powerful emperor.
Killing them is like killing dogs; there's no fear whatsoever.
Liu Jian sighed: "Now we have no choice but to wait."
"Your Majesty's sweeping reforms will inevitably infringe upon the interests of more and more people."
"As His Majesty offends more and more people..."
A sharp glint flashed in Liu Jian's eyes: "Our chance has come!"