Chapter 676: Winning Trust

Kim Jeong-min glanced at Zheng Xuhong, nodded, and stood up, walking out toward the door.

With a soft chuckle, Zheng Xuhong also rose and followed after him.

But before leaving, he cast a glance toward a spot not far away. Standing there was none other than Park Jeong-yang's steward.

For some reason, Zheng Xuhong always felt this steward was strange, and he regretted having overlooked the man since arriving here. As things stood now, he had suffered a great loss at this steward's hands.

Zheng Xuhong raised a hand to beckon over a subordinate, and looking at him, said, "Keep an eye on that steward."

"Understood." The subordinate nodded, glancing toward the steward as he spoke.

The steward stood in place without moving, head lowered as if he hadn't noticed what was happening over there. But inwardly he felt somewhat helpless — his movements had still been too conspicuous, and in the end he'd been discovered.

He had to admit, this Zheng Xuhong really was quite capable. He'd only made the slightest move, and already he'd been caught.

It seemed he needed to withdraw.

This steward was naturally no ordinary person — he was a man of the Great Ming Staff Office, recruited by them long ago. It had been about two years now; otherwise, Park Jeong-yang's household wouldn't have been infiltrated so thoroughly.

Well then, once the job was done, he could go enjoy his rewards.

The steward had already made up his mind — he'd find a chance to slip away soon. With the benefits that gentleman had promised, he could live a life of comfort and security in the Great Ming. Not only would he be free from want, he would even obtain the status of a Great Ming citizen.

Once he reached Liaodong, he would become a proper, law-abiding subject of the Great Ming. In Joseon, he wouldn't even dare dream of such things — let alone in the Great Ming?

Just thinking about it was delightful.

Zheng Xuhong didn't linger long. After arranging everything, he left the Park residence and headed straight for the royal palace.

Within the Joseon royal palace.

The Joseon king looked at Zhang Fu standing off to the side. The sovereign and his minister faced each other in silence, both their expressions extremely grim.

Although Zhang Fu repeatedly swore he had never done such things, the Joseon king remained noncommittal.

The matter now was no longer about whether you'd done it or not — it was about how you could prove you hadn't.

There was evidence showing you did it, so you had to prove you didn't, or else it was you who did it. As for what the truth actually was, no one cared much.

At that moment, a guard walked in from outside and came directly before the two men. "Your Majesty, Lord Zheng and Lord Kim are requesting an audience outside the palace gate."

Hearing this, the Joseon king furrowed his brow.

Why did that old fellow Kim Jeong-min have to come along?

The Joseon king held no grievance against Zheng Xuhong — it was only Kim Jeong-min he was displeased with.

After a brief moment of deliberation, the Joseon king made his decision. He absolutely could not let that old fellow Kim Jeong-min and Zheng Xuhong enter together. With no preparation whatsoever, he could easily be caught off guard, and then things would become difficult to handle. Since matters had already reached this point, there was no need to stand on ceremony.

The Joseon king said directly, "Have Zheng Xuhong come in first. As for Kim Jeong-min, take him somewhere to wait. Arrange things properly — don't treat him shabbily."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard acknowledged and hurried out.

Before long, Zheng Xuhong walked in from outside, holding that box in his hands.

After entering the room, he didn't look at Zhang Fu.

Even though Zhang Fu stared at him intently, hoping he would say something or do something — even a hint would do.

But Zheng Xuhong still paid Zhang Fu no attention, not even a single glance.

Though the truth of the matter was still unknown, Zheng Xuhong knew things had become troublesome.

If this matter couldn't be clarified in the end, Zhang Fu would very likely become the center of a whirlpool — anyone who touched him would be in for misfortune. Whoever grew close to him now would be courting serious trouble.

Zheng Xuhong felt he already had enough worries as it was; he didn't want to invite more trouble of that sort. Even if the two of them belonged to the same faction, there was no reason to drag himself down because of Zhang Fu.

Holding the box in his hands, Zheng Xuhong said, "Your Majesty, these are the pieces of evidence your servant brought back from Lord Park Jeong-yang's residence. Regarding this evidence, there are still some matters your servant wishes to report to Your Majesty."

Zheng Xuhong glanced at Zhang Fu and continued, "Lord Zhang, I must ask you to withdraw."

Hearing these words, Zhang Fu's heart gave a sudden lurch.

Just a moment ago he hadn't been asked to leave. What exactly was in this evidence, that it had reached the point where he had to withdraw?

It seemed this matter truly was not simple. There would be trouble.

At this moment, Zhang Fu had no desire to leave. If he left, he was finished.

Zhang Fu looked at Zheng Xuhong and said, "Lord Zheng, as the saying goes, there is nothing that cannot be said before others. Even if it's evidence of my crimes, what reason do you have not to say it in front of me? If I am truly guilty, I will willingly confess. Before His Majesty, let none of us stir up trouble with slander."

Zheng Xuhong said nothing, turning his head to look at the Joseon king.

He had already said what needed to be said, and his duty was fulfilled. Whether His Majesty let Zhang Fu stay or go was now His Majesty's affair. If His Majesty chose not to let Zhang Fu leave, the responsibility afterward couldn't be pinned on him. To put it plainly, cutting ties with Zhang Fu now was nothing more than shifting the blame.

Under these circumstances, Zheng Xuhong turned his head back and looked at the Joseon king with an expressionless face.

The Joseon king was inwardly torn.

What should he do about this?

If he made Zhang Fu leave, that would truly wound his heart. If Zhang Fu then did something to betray him, things would become troublesome. He couldn't consider matters as simply as Zheng Xuhong did.

The Joseon king stood up and said, "Danger lurks on every side right now — this is precisely the time when we must unite our strength. If even this king cannot trust his own ministers, then who could possibly support this king? Lord Zhang has served at this king's side for many years, always diligent and devoted, with great toil and merit. At a time like this, this king naturally trusts him. So Lord Zheng, do not hold any reservations — speak freely of whatever you have found. This king will naturally see justice done for Lord Zhang."

"In that case, your servant will say no more." Zheng Xuhong nodded, set down the box in his hands, and recounted the entire sequence of events, then said, "Your servant has already had people watch that steward. As for whether those words truly were Lord Park's dying testament, no one can know now."

"Everything in this box should be verifiable. After all, it contains detailed account books, detailed lists of those implicated, and detailed addresses — all that's needed is to arrest people and investigate. This evidence was obtained by your servant from Kim Jeong-min's hands. He is now insisting adamantly that Lord Zhang and Park In-yong conspired together — not only embezzling and forcing good people into slavery, but also trafficking people to Japan. Beyond that, he also insists that Lord Zhang and Park In-yong conspired to murder Lord Park Jeong-yang."

The Joseon king abruptly stood up, his expression turning extremely ugly.

This time, without even calling for anyone else, he went directly to Zheng Xuhong's side, reached out and took the box from Zheng Xuhong's hands, turned and carried it up to the throne, opened it, and began rifling through the evidence inside.

After going through it once, the Joseon king's expression grew even worse — one could say it was so dark it was about to drip water. He turned to look at Zhang Fu, his gaze flickering uncertainly.

He was now beginning to wonder — had Zhang Fu truly done these things?

The evidence here was simply too abundant, even going into great detail about the people in Zhang Fu's household. For instance, the one who handled the business dealings on his behalf was his brother-in-law; his son was also implicated in it.

In this regard, one could say the evidence was overwhelming. It would be hard to claim Zhang Fu himself knew nothing of it. Moreover, there were many letters in Zhang Fu's own hand, some bearing his personal seal — that made things even more troublesome.

All the evidence pointed squarely at Zhang Fu. Now the question lay before him — should he protect Zhang Fu or not?

If he now agreed to Kim Jeong-min's demand to take Zhang Fu down, then should this case be investigated or not?

Once an investigation began, besides Zhang Fu, would other people be dragged out as well?

This was a major case. Once it was stirred up, the court would descend into chaos.

The Joseon king hesitated, somewhat regretting why he had to go and poke that abscess open.

Zhang Fu's expression turned even uglier.

Although the king's words sounded very fine, Zhang Fu had no confidence in his heart at all.

"Your Majesty, could this minister take a look at this evidence?" Zhang Fu said, his face ashen, lifting his head to look at the Joseon king.

"Of course, no problem." The Joseon king nodded and said to Zheng Xuhong: "Minister Zheng, take this evidence and show it to Minister Zhang."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zheng Xuhong acknowledged the order, then carried the evidence over and set it before Zhang Fu.

Zhang Fu picked up the evidence and quickly flipped through it.

The Great Ming embassy.

Song Xiang glanced at the intelligence report in her hand, turned around and walked into the room. Seeing Zhang Yu sitting there, she handed the report over and said: "Take a look."

Zhang Yu took the report, scanned it once, then smiled and said: "Very good, everything is proceeding smoothly. These matters were handled well."

"I'm a bit worried now." Song Xiang looked at Zhang Yu and said: "How do you know they won't reach some kind of agreement with the Joseon king and smooth this matter over?"

"That's fine. As long as they declare Park Jeong-yang committed suicide and Park In-yong committed suicide, I have no problem with it." Zhang Yu smiled as he said this, then continued: "Do you know why His Majesty's words have always been law the moment they are spoken? Why the Emperor's edicts are never changed?"

"Isn't it because of His Majesty's authority?" Song Xiang said after thinking for a moment.

"That's only one aspect." Zhang Yu looked at Song Xiang and said: "Back in the day, when Shang Yang carried out his reforms in the state of Qin, there was a very famous incident — setting up a wooden post at the city gate. It was all about the word 'trust.' Especially for an emperor, he must establish trust, so that officials will feel at ease."

"When the Emperor promises rewards and keeps his word, it puts everyone at ease. This matter was done with such fanfare — who could it possibly be hidden from? If they want to cover it up, can't we just spread the news ourselves?"

"Once this matter is exposed, its nature becomes grave. Selling slaves to the Wa — what a tremendous crime that is! For so many years, Joseon has been at war with the Wa. Many of their people were plundered by the Wa, and how many households have lost their menfolk fighting against the Wa?"

"If the Joseon king shields Zhang Fu and covers up this crime, do you know what that means?"

"It means the Joseon king has lost the trust of his officials and his people. Such a king is the very embodiment of fatuous rule. And we would gain even more. In fact, I'd prefer he did that. If he really did say such a thing, the consequences would be far more terrible than court infighting."

Song Xiang nodded thoughtfully, then said: "I see. There's also another matter — the steward at Park Jeong-yang's house wants to leave. Zheng Xuhong has already set his sights on him."

"Then have him pull back," Zhang Yu said after thinking it over.

"Why not just kill him directly?" A cold glint flashed in Song Xiang's eyes as she said: "He's just one Joseon man after all. We already killed Park In-yong; one more wouldn't make a difference. If he died now, the situation would become even more chaotic, and we could fish in troubled waters."

"No." Zhang Yu's expression instantly turned serious. He turned to look at Song Xiang and said: "You must remember — this land will become Great Ming territory, and these people will become Great Ming subjects. Those who are loyal to us, those who work wholeheartedly for us — we must never harm them. Not only must we not harm them, we must give them ample rewards."

"We must prove to those Joseon people that as long as they work for us, they will receive sufficient benefits, and they need not worry about us silencing them and costing them their lives. This matter is of the utmost importance. Have those Joseon men go and retrieve this steward — have them go rescue him. Tell them we will never abandon any one of them. As long as they serve the Great Ming wholeheartedly, the Great Ming will never cast them aside at any time, and the benefits we give them will far exceed their imagination. That way, they will serve with even greater dedication."

"If that old steward dies, take in all of his family members. No — before the rescue even begins, first move his family out. Tell those people that even if the man cannot be saved and dies, his family will still receive proper arrangements. Once they arrive in the Great Ming, their families will still be granted Great Ming citizen status. Their children can attend Great Ming local schools for free, and in the future they can study, take the examinations, and become officials in the Great Ming. Every year, the Great Ming will provide his family with money and grain until his children come of age."

"Beyond that, if the man dies, his family will also receive generous compensation, and none of the rewards they are due will be missing."

"Handle this personally. You must do the job well. Whether he lives or dies, everything owed must be given. After all, the ones going to rescue him are those Joseon men — you don't have to do it yourself. If anyone sacrifices their life during the rescue, handle it all according to this same procedure."

Song Xiang looked at Zhang Yu. Hearing his last sentence, she rolled her eyes and said: "Here I thought you'd suddenly grown a merciful heart, but it turns out you're still using their own people to trade for their people? Who knows, maybe even more will die during the rescue."

"Attitude," Zhang Yu looked at Song Xiang and smiled: "Attitude is what matters."