Chapter 677: Forcing the King's Hand

Song Xiang shot Zhang Yu a helpless look and said, "Fine, I'll go do what you said right now."

"Good." Zhang Yu nodded and said, "I trust you to handle it."

Giving Zhang Yu a glare, Song Xiang walked out.

The Joseon royal palace.

Zhang Fu flipped through the evidence in his hands, his expression shifting between light and dark. After a long moment, he set the evidence down, raised his head, and looked at the King of Joseon, saying, "Your Majesty, these things truly were not done by me. I knew nothing about any of it."

The King of Joseon said nothing.

Zheng Xuhong stepped forward.

At this point, the King was no longer suited to speak—whatever he said would be inappropriate—so it fell to him, as a subordinate, to open his mouth. He couldn't hide now. If he tried to dodge, the King would turn and question him next.

Zheng Xuhong asked, "Lord Zhang, you say these matters have nothing to do with you, that you never did them, and that you knew nothing. But look at what's written here—how many people from your household does it implicate?"

"Your brother-in-law, your son—names and locations are all listed. As long as an investigation is carried out, it will certainly be found. Since Lord Zhang is so confident, why not let me handle this investigation? I'll get to the bottom of it and see what the truth really is. If someone has truly wronged Lord Zhang, then of course we must clear your name and hunt down the real culprit behind it all, making them pay the price."

Hearing Zheng Xuhong's words, Zhang Fu stared at him with dark, gloomy eyes, his expression turning ugly.

Although Zheng Xuhong's words sounded nice, that wasn't what was really going on. He only said that if someone had framed Zhang Fu, he would act accordingly—but he never said what would happen if the evidence was real. So his meaning was already extremely clear: if someone had framed him, he would do as he said; conversely, if the evidence pointed to Zhang Fu, he would handle it according to the law. After all, everything said before was just the proper procedure for an impartial investigation.

Zhang Fu never believed Zheng Xuhong was helping him—he was digging a pit for him.

Zhang Fu turned to glance at the King of Joseon. Seeing that the King remained expressionless, he understood that they would not shield him in this matter.

Thinking it over, he understood. Kim Jeong-min was right outside, and this evidence had come from Kim Jeong-min's hands—there was no way to hide it. If they didn't investigate and wanted to quietly suppress the matter, the only option was to negotiate terms with Kim Jeong-min.

Kim Jeong-min currently held the advantage. If his side went to negotiate terms with Kim Jeong-min, one could imagine how wildly he would open his mouth. Agreeing to Kim Jeong-min's conditions just to protect himself would be a losing bargain. Whether for the King or for his own faction, it was a losing deal.

But Zhang Fu's heart still refused to accept it—or rather, he felt even more unwilling.

He stepped forward and said, "Lord Zheng, may I ask what Lord Kim Jeong-min has to say?"

Hearing these words, both the King of Joseon and Zheng Xuhong's expressions changed.

Zhang Fu's words seemed ordinary on the surface, but in truth they were anything but. After all, Kim Jeong-min was right outside, and what Zhang Fu wanted was to reach a settlement with him. This was telling the King of Joseon and Zheng Xuhong: don't think about selling me out—go negotiate properly with Kim Jeong-min.

There was also a threat hidden within: if you don't help me, then don't blame me for what comes next.

Though a minister shouldn't act this way—it betrayed the heart of a loyal subject—Zhang Fu was not the type of man who had read himself into foolishness. He even felt that he was only the beginning; the other side couldn't possibly stop here.

Hearing this, the King of Joseon pondered for a moment, then said, "Let Lord Kim come in. Let's hear Lord Kim's thoughts and see what he has to say."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zheng Xuhong acknowledged and turned to give the order.

Before long, Kim Jeong-min walked in from outside.

Upon seeing the King of Joseon, Kim Jeong-min bowed and said, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty. Your servant has not seen Your Majesty for many days, and today I see Your Majesty's complexion is so fine! This is a blessing for Joseon!"

"My dear minister, your health remains as robust as ever—excellent!" The King of Joseon's face broke into a smile, wearing an expression of "sincere and delighted," while in his heart he loathed this old bastard to death.

Why don't you just go die?

Sovereign and minister—outwardly harmonious, inwardly at odds.

Kim Jeong-min turned to look at Zhang Fu, his face turning stern as he frowned and said, "I didn't expect you to be here! You actually still dare to stand here? Truly reckless and audacious!"

"Lord Kim," Zhang Fu said with a cold face, "what do you mean by those words?"

Kim Jeong-min let out a cold snort, ignoring him, and turned to the King of Joseon, saying, "Your Majesty, did Lord Zhang hand over the evidence that your servant gave him?"

The way this question was posed was quite skillful.

If Zheng Xuhong hadn't handed it over, then it was Zheng Xuhong's problem. If the King of Joseon said no, then Zheng Xuhong was a man who needed to be dealt with; if he said yes, then could he turn a blind eye to Zhang Fu's affairs?

The King of Joseon could only steel himself and say, "It has already been given to me, and I have reviewed it."

"Then why is Zhang Fu still standing here?" Kim Jeong-min pointed at Zhang Fu and said angrily, "This man not only oppresses the good and honest, he forces good people into servitude, and even colluded with Park In-yong to bring about the death of my student! Such a man is truly disloyal and unjust! What face does he have to remain in this court? I beg Your Majesty to strip him of his official robes, remove his official hat, and throw him into prison. Once the matter is fully investigated, let him face public execution!"

Hearing these words, the King of Joseon's face darkened.

Though he had already anticipated this in his heart, he hadn't expected Kim Jeong-min to be so utterly without tact, speaking to him like this right here.

Although Kim Jeong-min's attitude was not good, the King of Joseon had no choice. After all, the evidence was all there—he could not shield Zhang Fu.

The King of Joseon said, "Lord Kim, the matter has not yet been fully investigated. We cannot convict a court minister based solely on these things. What if he has been wronged? One must be cautious in such matters. Investigate thoroughly, and only speak once the matter has been clarified."

"What Your Majesty says is reasonable." Hearing this, Kim Jeong-min nodded, and his face calmed down, as if the person who had spoken those words moments ago was not him at all.

The few people around breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed there was room to negotiate.

Kim Jeong-min gave a cold smile, stepped forward, and said, "Since Your Majesty wishes to investigate, your servant requests to investigate together with Lord Zheng. This matter not only involves your servant's student, but also concerns the people of Joseon! Though your servant is advanced in years, for the sake of Joseon, your servant will not shirk this duty! I beg Your Majesty's permission!"

Having said this, Kim Jeong-min immediately knelt on the ground, looking as if he wouldn't get up unless the King agreed.

It made the King of Joseon's teeth itch with frustration, wishing he could bite the old man to death.

This old bastard was forcing his hand!

If word got out that he had refused, rumors that he was deliberately shielding Zhang Fu would spread everywhere, stirring up a citywide storm.

"Fine." The King of Joseon nodded and said, "Then I shall entrust this matter to you, my dear minister."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Kim Jeong-min acknowledged, then turned to look at Zhang Fu and said, "Your Majesty, your servant believes that during the investigation, it would be best for Lord Zhang to remain confined to his residence—and doing so would also prove his innocence."

Prove your grandmother's ass!

Zhang Fu cursed inwardly.

This move of Kim Jeong-min's was nothing unfamiliar to him—whenever they wanted to investigate some official, this was the usual approach: confine you to your home, cut off your connections, keep you from finding allies or stirring up trouble.

Of course, that was just the surface. What was more important was telling everyone outside: you're under investigation, and you'll soon fall. Now is the time for those with grievances to air them and those with grudges to settle them. Anyone who had a conflict with him could come impeach him and provide all sorts of evidence. Even if there was nothing wrong, they could dig something up.

At the same time, it made those who wanted to reach out and help afraid to do so. Because once you were cordoned off, the crime was different from that of an official still active in the field. Once word of your crimes spread, no one would want to get themselves dirty at a time like this.

A viciously ruthless tactic!

At the same time, he couldn't very well refuse. Why refuse—did he have a guilty conscience?

The King of Joseon turned to look at Zhang Fu and asked, "Lord Zhang, what do you think?"

A bunch of old foxes!

Zhang Fu sneered inwardly.

The King of Joseon simply didn't want to bear the responsibility—he wanted Zhang Fu to volunteer to stay confined at home, so that the King wouldn't have to carry the reputation of being harsh on his ministers.

At this point, there really was no other way.

Zhang Fu nodded in agreement and said, "Your servant is willing to stay home and confess. After all, my conscience is clear — I have never done such a thing, so I have nothing to fear."

"Very well." The King of Joseon nodded, his face full of approval. "Then let it be done this way."

Kim Jeong-min glanced at Zhang Fu, let out a cold laugh, and said nothing.

In Kim Jeong-min's view, Zhang Fu was a man who absolutely had to be brought down. Zhang Fu currently controlled the Ministry of Justice — once he was toppled, his own people could seize the position.

And this was only the beginning. As long as enough people were implicated, everyone could be brought down. This was a golden opportunity for his faction to launch a full counteroffensive and seize power — if they could pull it off, authority would return to their hands.

Kim Jeong-min looked at Zheng Xuhong beside him and said with a smile, "Your Excellency Zheng, I wonder where we should go?"

"And where would Your Excellency Kim like to go?" Zheng Xuhong said with a smile.

"Let us go to the Ministry of Justice first." Kim Jeong-min said after a moment's thought. "Among that evidence, many people are implicated, including officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Justice, as well as Zhang Fu's brother-in-law and his son. Let us bring them in for questioning."

Zheng Xuhong frowned.

This Kim Jeong-min was truly ruthless — he wanted to blow this matter up! Once more people were involved, false accusations would start flying, and before long, far more than just Zhang Fu would be implicated.

"I think we should start investigating from the periphery first," Zheng Xuhong said after thinking it over. "After all, aside from these things, we have no other substantive evidence at hand. Let us first examine their account books, check their storage locations, and see if there is anything there. If these things can all be verified, then going to the Ministry of Justice will not be too late. The people are all there anyway — they cannot run anywhere — and these materials will be more than sufficient as evidence. What does Your Excellency Kim think?"

In Zheng Xuhong's view, Kim Jeong-min should oppose this.

But something he never expected happened — Kim Jeong-min thought for a moment, then simply nodded and said, "Let us do as you suggest. I also think this is a good approach."

Though he nodded and agreed with a smile, his eyes carried contempt and derision.

This made Zheng Xuhong suspicious.

By all logic, Kim Jeong-min should have objected. The reason he himself had not spoken first was precisely his fear that Kim would go along with it. Now that he had proposed a different idea from Kim's, he had hoped Kim would oppose it, and then he would seize the opportunity to argue with him. When two officials investigating a case clash, the matter would blow up.

Once the matter blew up, they would attack each other, and the case itself would no longer be the issue. Through their mutual conflict, he could even manipulate the case in many ways.

But no one had expected that Kim Jeong-min would actually be willing to do this — willing to agree with him. This made Zheng Xuhong worry: had this old fox arranged some hidden scheme?

Being on the defensive at every turn had made Zheng Xuhong somewhat paranoid.

"What is the matter, Your Excellency Zheng?" Kim Jeong-min looked at Zheng Xuhong with a concerned expression. "If Your Excellency Zheng feels unwell, it is no problem — I can go alone. But Your Excellency should still take good care of your health. After all, you are considerably younger than I am — it will not do for one so young to have poor health."

This old bastard was cursing him!

Zheng Xuhong frowned, though he understood what the old man meant. This was pressure being applied to him — but at this point, he had no choice.

Zheng Xuhong said, "It is nothing. My health is still quite good. Let us proceed as Your Excellency Kim suggests."

The Great Ming Embassy.

Song Xiang placed the dishes on the table, taking them out of the tray one by one, and said to Zhang Yu, who was reading beside her, "Time to eat! Read after you finish eating!"

"It's already mealtime?" Zhang Yu looked up and glanced around.

Outside, it was already growing dark — the sun seemed to have set.

Zhang Yu stood up, stretched, and said, "I didn't expect time to pass so quickly."

"Indeed." Song Xiang nodded. "It really has gone by rather fast."

Sitting down at the table and glancing at the dishes, Zhang Yu said with a smile, "You made these yourself — I can tell at a glance."

With that, Zhang Yu reached out, took Song Xiang's hand, and said softly, "Let the servants handle it. Don't tire yourself out. I'm not picky about food — back when I was at the Imperial Academy, I ate far worse than this."

Song Xiang sat down and said with a smile, "You toil over affairs of state all day long. The only thing I can do for you is this. Eat while it's hot — it'll get cold soon."

Zhang Yu shot Song Xiang a look.

She was playing the virtuous wife and loving mother here.

What did she mean, "the only thing I can do for you"?

Looking at that bearing — no good. He'd need to eat extra tonight.