Chapter 683: Nineteen Under the Roof Beam

After the two finished their conversation, Zheng Xuhong left the Joseon royal palace and brought his men directly to Zhang Fu's residence.

By this time, the street was already packed with people. Someone had leaked the news, and in an instant, the crowd was seething with indignation.

Every day people had been throwing rotten vegetable leaves, stones, and broken eggs at Zhang Fu's house, and from time to time someone would come to make trouble. Now that word had spread, even more people gathered — many of them simply there to watch the excitement and stir up trouble.

Some people walked back and forth through the crowd, spreading out and muttering to those around them, occasionally putting on a look of righteous fury; others furtively whispered things, looking as though they knew some inside story.

Zheng Xuhong walked over with a frown, his expression very ugly.

He knew someone had to be manipulating this from behind the scenes — otherwise it wouldn't have come to this.

These past days people had been stirring up trouble everywhere, some even going to the palace gates to weep. Without someone arranging it, ordinary folk wouldn't dare act so boldly.

Who was behind it? No need to even think — it had to be the elders faction. Their methods were utterly despicable!

Originally no one had any particular notions. But with them making such a fuss, the whole city was now seething with indignation — and they'd even drawn the attention of the Great Ming envoys. The Great Ming might not have cared about any of this before, but after this commotion, they couldn't very well ignore it anymore.

Zheng Xuhong seethed inwardly, his gaze sweeping through the crowd as he beckoned to one of his men.

A man hurried over, came to Zheng Xuhong's side, and said in a respectful tone, "My lord."

"Have our people keep watch. If anyone starts trouble in a moment, see who's inciting the crowd the most fiercely, follow them quietly, and seize them." Zheng Xuhong lowered his voice and instructed.

"Yes, my lord." The subordinate nodded hastily in agreement, but inwardly he was groaning.

For the subordinates, this was a thankless task — how easy did they think it was to catch people?

If someone really was stirring up trouble, following and trying to arrest them might well get you stabbed in the back.

But there was no choice — they had to obey Zheng Xuhong. Refusing at a time like this would only end worse.

"Go knock on the door." Zheng Xuhong nodded and said.

The subordinate dared not delay. He hurried up the steps to the Zhang family's gate and gently rapped the door knocker, calling for someone to open up as he knocked.

But no matter how much he knocked, no one answered.

Zheng Xuhong's expression shifted, and he said, "Find a few men with good skills. Climb over the wall and open the door."

"Yes, my lord." The subordinate acknowledged and went to find people.

Before long, several men came over.

Two or three of them formed a human ladder and climbed over the Zhang family's courtyard wall.

The door opened from the inside.

Zheng Xuhong stepped inside, his expression grave.

The Zhang household was in a terrible state of neglect, as if no one had cleaned it in a very long time — weeds had grown up all over the courtyard. And it was silent. Eerily silent.

Zheng Xuhong's face suddenly turned very ugly. He hurried deeper inside, saying, "Quick, quick — search for people!"

"Yes, my lord." The subordinates acknowledged hastily and scattered in all directions to search.

As Zheng Xuhong walked deeper in, he asked one of his men, "Haven't we had people keeping watch here all along?"

"Yes, my lord." The man nodded.

"Bring him here." Zheng Xuhong said after a moment's thought.

Before long, the man was brought over.

The man came before Zheng Xuhong and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, my lord."

Zheng Xuhong glanced at him, then waved a hand and said directly, "I ask you — how many days has it been since anyone in the Zhang family went out?"

"To answer my lord, people have been watching the area all along. We'd know whenever anyone from the Zhang family came out. The last time was about four days ago, I believe. Before that, whenever commoners came by, the Zhang family members would get stones and rotten vegetable leaves thrown at them the moment they stepped out. Every night servants also fled — some climbed over the walls, some simply walked out the front gate and left."

"But rest assured, my lord — those people have all been detained. Our men are watching very closely. If any of them makes the slightest move, they absolutely cannot escape our eyes. My lord need not worry about the Zhang family making contact with the outside."

Zheng Xuhong's expression grew even uglier. He looked at the man and asked, "So the Zhang family hasn't gone out to buy supplies in four days?"

"That's right, my lord." The man nodded, his tone somewhat puzzled. "The Zhang household is so large — they should have some food stored up. Even without buying anything for four days, their grain supply would certainly be enough. And even if they'd run out of grain, four days wouldn't starve anyone to death."

Zheng Xuhong waved his hand to dismiss the subordinate, his expression turning even darker as he hurried deeper inside with urgent steps.

The subordinates understood nothing. They couldn't see what was coming.

He had just passed through the front courtyard and entered the main hall when he heard a heart-stopping scream erupt from the courtyard.

"What's happened?" Zheng Xuhong was greatly alarmed and rushed back inside.

People were already running back from within — their faces pale with terror, their steps frantic, as if they'd seen a ghost. When they saw Zheng Xuhong, they nearly ran straight past him.

"Stop! What is the meaning of this?" Zheng Xuhong bellowed. "Look at yourselves — what a sight! What's happened?"

"My lord, my lord — terrible news! Everyone in the Zhang family is dead!" A man came before Zheng Xuhong, panting heavily.

His expression was panicked, and he was even trembling as he spoke. He must have been truly terrified.

It was over!

Zheng Xuhong's heart lurched. The thing he'd feared had come to pass.

He hastily gathered up his robes and hurried inside, walking quickly, grabbing the arm of the trembling subordinate as he went and asking, "How did they die? Where are the bodies?"

"My lord, the bodies are in the main hall." The subordinate was helplessly dragged along by Zheng Xuhong, his body instinctively shrinking back.

If Zheng Xuhong hadn't been holding onto him, he might well have turned and fled.

When Zheng Xuhong reached the main hall, quite a few people had already gathered there.

Everyone was huddled anxiously at the doorway, but no one dared go inside.

"What's going on?" Zheng Xuhong shouted harshly as he reached the entrance.

"My lord." A man in his forties came forward.

He had broad shoulders, a thick back, and a sturdy build — clearly a brave and formidable man. A long blade hung at his waist, and he cut a sharp figure. Yet even this man's face was pale now, his eyes filled with terror.

"Li Changcheng, what exactly has happened?" Zheng Xuhong looked at the man before him and asked.

This man was named Li Changcheng — one of the men close to the King of Joseon, and a very courageous one at that, more than capable on the battlefield. But his current bearing was nothing like that of such a capable and resolute man.

Zheng Xuhong knew something had happened — something major.

"My lord." Li Changcheng came before Zheng Xuhong and clasped his fists. "Everyone in the Zhang family has hanged themselves. All nineteen members of the household — all of them are… they're all hanging from the beam right now."

After hearing this, Zheng Xuhong's face instantly turned pale.

Dead—all of them dead? Was it really necessary to be so ruthless?

Though he hadn't yet seen what was inside, just from what they said, Zheng Xuhong felt that it must already be a living hell in there.

But he had no choice; he could only steel himself and walk in.

He had to go see for himself.

The main hall was dim, with curtains drawn all around. Zheng Xuhong hesitated and slowly approached, only to see beneath the crossbeam three chi above his head, shadowy figures hanging there—all dressed in white, suspended motionless.

Thump, thump—his heartbeat pounded like a drum, and Zheng Xuhong's heart leapt into his throat.

Drawing closer step by step, Zheng Xuhong looked up. Many of the corpses had blood seeping from their seven orifices, tongues lolling out and hanging at the corners of their mouths, heads drooping limply downward. Some corpses still had their eyes open, expressions fierce and contorted, as if dying with lingering grievances.

Zheng Xuhong shuddered violently, stumbling back several steps before falling to the ground with a thud. He scrambled up and turned to move toward the exit, but his legs would barely carry him.

He was afraid. If he kept standing here, Zheng Xuhong felt he would go mad—it was too terrifying!

He finally managed to make it to the doorway, and though the sunlight fell upon him, Zheng Xuhong still felt a bone-chilling cold. He gasped for breath, his expression dreadful.

"Sir, what do we do?" Li Changcheng came before Zheng Xuhong and asked hesitantly.

"Lower the bodies first," Zheng Xuhong said after a moment's thought.

But Li Changcheng did not immediately agree; instead, he looked around.

The men he had brought were already in a daze, and some were even leaning against the wall vomiting. The others were no better off—some were trembling, others babbling incoherently.

This scene was simply too horrifying—so horrifying that a single glance might cause nightmares forever. The visual impact left everyone feeling as if their very hearts and minds were splitting apart.

Zheng Xuhong noticed Li Changcheng's gaze and followed it as he looked around, but said nothing more.

Faced with such a situation, he himself had been trembling with fear, nearly scared out of his wits, his stomach churning and constantly on the verge of vomiting.

For these men to behave this way was only natural—they had already been scared out of their wits.

If he ordered them to go in and carry out the corpses now, it would be sending them to their deaths. Or perhaps not death—these men would likely scatter in all directions and simply disobey orders.

Zheng Xuhong waved his hand and said, "Don't send your men in. I'll go to the palace to see His Majesty and request some coroners and morgue attendants. They might have a way."

"Thank you for your consideration, sir." Li Changcheng hurriedly bowed.

This matter was indeed Zheng Xuhong showing them consideration—if Zheng Xuhong ordered them to go, Li Changcheng would have no choice but to comply. But doing so would likely cause problems, and stirring up conflict would be bad. Whatever the final outcome, Li Changcheng felt he would surely be finished.

"You stay here and keep watch. Don't let anyone in or out, and don't let a single word leak out. Wait for me to return before discussing anything further." Zheng Xuhong looked at Li Changcheng as he spoke.

Li Changcheng naturally understood the gravity of the situation.

Things had already reached this point—there was absolutely no room for further delay. If anything went wrong, he could not bear the responsibility.

Li Changcheng nodded vigorously and said, "Go ahead, sir. I'll keep watch here. I absolutely won't let anyone enter, and no news will get out."

"Good." Zheng Xuhong nodded and said, "I'll leave this place to you."

With that, Zheng Xuhong turned and walked out.

This was no time for pleasantries; getting things done quickly was what mattered. Any further delay would only make things worse.

The King of Joseon had never imagined that Zheng Xuhong would return so quickly, and when he saw him, there was still a look of surprise on his face.

But seeing how terrible Zheng Xuhong's complexion was, the King of Joseon became even more puzzled.

At this moment, Zheng Xuhong's face was pale, his eyes bloodshot, his spirit utterly listless, and his demeanor somewhat dazed.

This was not the Zheng Xuhong the King of Joseon remembered. Though this minister was young, he could be considered battle-hardened, and had always handled matters with great maturity and steadiness, rarely making mistakes. It was precisely for this reason that he had earned the king's trust and favor.

How could a single visit to Zhang Fu's house have reduced him to this state?

The king had never seen him like this before.

The King of Joseon asked, "What exactly has happened? What is wrong with you, my minister?"

"Your Majesty, Zhang Fu is dead." Zheng Xuhong looked up and said.

"How did he die?" the King of Joseon asked, though his expression barely changed.

Zhang Fu's death was within his expectations. Whether suicide or murder, either was possible.

"We do not know yet." Zheng Xuhong shook his head.

The King of Joseon was taken aback. He looked up at Zheng Xuhong, his face full of disbelief, and said, "He's already dead—did you not see the body?"

"Your Majesty, your servant did see the body. However, the corpse is still hanging from the beam and has not been taken down, so we cannot yet determine whether they hanged themselves. It's not just Zhang Fu's body still hanging from the beam—the bodies of everyone in his household are hanging there as well. All nineteen members of Zhang Fu's family, dressed entirely in white, hanged themselves in the main hall of their home."

"The bodies are still suspended there now, and the officers and soldiers who went in were all terrified. The scene was extremely horrifying, which is why your servant returned."

"If we wish to determine the cause of death, we must first take down the bodies. The men who accompanied me no longer have the ability or composure to lower them—they were too frightened. So your servant was thinking of finding other people to take down the bodies." Having said this, Zheng Xuhong looked up at the King of Joseon, only to find his Majesty sitting there in a daze, mouth hanging wide open, face somewhat pale, as if he had not yet recovered his senses.

Clearly, he had been frightened by what was just said.

But thinking back on that scene, Zheng Xuhong's expression grew grave, his heart heavy with worry.

Nineteen people all suspended beneath the beam, all dressed in white—it truly was too terrifying. That scene, no matter where it occurred, would be enough to scare a person to death.

After a long while, the King of Joseon finally came to his senses. His expression turned very ugly as he stared straight at Zheng Xuhong and asked, "What exactly is going on?"