Chapter 690: The Last Straw

Lin Dechang smiled and nodded, saying, "Exactly this man. Magistrate Zheng is widely experienced and well-informed—surely you know all about Great Ming affairs as well."

"This Magistrate Zhang is no simple figure. Not only is he a confidant of the Great Ming Emperor, he is also the official most highly regarded by the Great Ming Emperor among the younger generation."

"On this trip to Joseon, although Prince Fu nominally holds the lead, we all know that the one truly in charge is this Magistrate Zhang. If we can persuade him, then naturally there will be no problem."

Zheng Xuhong nodded.

He knew that what Lin Dechang said was true. People like them still understood Great Ming quite well.

In Great Ming, the ones who called the shots were those civil officials, and in the past two years there had also been a new Staff Office. Although Prince Fu's status was noble, when it came to matters of substance, he truly did not necessarily have the final say.

"But there is another matter here." Zheng Xuhong raised his head, looking at Lin Dechang as he asked, "What thoughts do you have on this? Persuading this Magistrate Zhang will probably not be easy."

"Actually, it's simple." Lin Dechang said with a smile, "We don't need to work on Magistrate Zhang directly. Great Ming has quite a few merchants in Joseon, and behind these people stand Great Ming officials—many of them high-ranking Great Ming officials. Having them speak on our behalf will be far more effective than us doing it ourselves."

"They also have great influence over this Magistrate Zhang, so getting them to persuade him should not be too difficult. As long as we give them sufficient benefits, those merchants will certainly be willing to work for us."

Zheng Xuhong nodded and said, "A bit of benefit is no great matter. For the sake of Joseon, getting this done properly is well worth it."

Li Feng smiled from the side and said, "Your Excellency's foresight is truly a model for all Joseon ministers!"

Lin Dechang sneered inwardly.

Just now when you were cursing Kim Jeong-min and the others, that wasn't what you said. Now that it's your own turn, suddenly the reasoning is different. You talk so nobly, but in reality aren't you doing the exact same thing?

That was what Lin Dechang thought, but it wasn't what he said. With a smile on his face, he looked at Zheng Xuhong and followed up with Li Feng, saying, "Master Li is right—Magistrate Zheng is truly the conscience of Joseon."

Zheng Xuhong stroked his beard, waving his hand as he said, "For Joseon, I am willing to give everything until my last breath. These matters naturally count for nothing."

Having said this, Zheng Xuhong turned to look at Lin Dechang and asked, "Are you confident?"

"Rest assured, Magistrate Zheng. Previously I helped Park Jeong-yang with his business, and it was during that process that I came into contact with Grand Prince Bongnim and learned what they were doing."

"But after learning what they were doing, as a Joseon man, how could I go along with them in their dirty work?"

"So I threw in my lot with Grand Prince Bongnim, and I didn't abandon my connections on the Great Ming side either. After Park Jeong-yang died, we actually grew even closer. Those people only care about profit—give them money and they'll do anything."

Zheng Xuhong nodded and said, "Then let's do it that way. This matter will be trouble for Master Li. As long as this is done well, we'll be able to turn the tide."

"Magistrate Zheng, just wait for my good news!" Lin Dechang said with a smile.

Lin Dechang left looking utterly confident.

After he had gone, the expression on Zheng Xuhong's face turned more serious. He turned to look at Li Feng and asked, "Do you think what he said was true?"

"Part of it is true." Li Feng stroked his beard and smiled.

"That's what I think too." Zheng Xuhong nodded and said, "But there's something about this matter that feels off to me—I just can't put my finger on where."

"Perhaps it's this Lin Dechang who is a bit strange." Li Feng said with a furrowed brow.

"Right, it's him who's strange." Zheng Xuhong clapped his hands and said, "According to what he said, he used to follow Park Jeong-yang, so he should be one of Kim Jeong-min's people. But now he's gone over to Grand Prince Bongnim's side, and he's deeply trusted by Grand Prince Bongnim at that. This whole matter reeks of strangeness—there's something going on here."

Li Feng hesitated slightly, then said, "Is it possible that he was always a man Grand Prince Bongnim planted beside Park Jeong-yang?"

"Right, that must be it!" Zheng Xuhong said excitedly, "If that's the case, then everything can be explained. Kim Jeong-min and the others were never the murderers of Park Jeong-yang—this Lin Dechang is probably the real culprit."

Zheng Xuhong didn't say the rest, but the meaning was already clear: the true murderer wasn't this Lin Dechang, but Grand Prince Bongnim.

Grand Prince Bongnim struck against Park Jeong-yang, then framed Zhang Fu, using the opportunity to stir up conflict between the two factions.

Once the two factions were at each other's throats, Grand Prince Bongnim could play both sides. It was only for some unknown reason that they must have fallen out with Kim Jeong-min's side. Now they've come to choose our side, in order to gain our support.

Zheng Xuhong looked at Li Feng and asked, "What does Master think we should do?"

Li Feng also looked at Zheng Xuhong, and said with a bitter smile, "Your Excellency, at this point we probably don't have much choice, do we?"

Hearing this, Zheng Xuhong fell silent.

Indeed, for himself, there truly was little choice.

If Kim Jeong-min and his people succeeded, then he was finished—he might very well walk the same path as Zhang Fu.

It was precisely because of this that he would grasp at this last straw.

"Your Excellency, think about it. You are now in a precarious position—aside from Grand Prince Bongnim, there is probably no one else who can help you." Li Feng said with a helpless tone, "We don't have many options. Regardless of the truth of the matter, having come this far, there's no turning back."

"If the matter succeeds, then the benefits go without saying; if it fails, Your Excellency's fate probably won't be any worse."

Zheng Xuhong nodded, then said, "Master is right."

In any case, Zheng Xuhong had now confirmed that Zhang Fu was very likely innocent, and this Lin Dechang was Grand Prince Bongnim's man. Then Kim Jeong-min and the others were very likely innocent as well.

After all, Lin Dechang had previously followed Park Jeong-yang, and now he followed Grand Prince Bongnim—no matter how you looked at it, it wasn't normal.

At this moment, Li Feng spoke up softly from the side, "Magistrate Zheng, think about it—before all these matters came to light, was there anyone supporting Grand Prince Bongnim?"

Zheng Xuhong shook his head and said with a grim face, "Naturally there was no one. The Crown Prince has been Crown Prince for so many years and has always enjoyed great prestige. In this regard, the ministers had already settled on him—none of the other princes had any chance, not even Grand Prince Bongnim."

Li Feng spread his hands and said, "And now?"

Zheng Xuhong suddenly rose to his feet, another possibility occurring to him.

He paced back and forth in the room, walking faster and faster, until he finally stopped abruptly and turned to look at Li Feng, saying, "What if this Lin Dechang had long been colluding with the Great Ming side?"

Li Feng shook his head and said hesitantly, "They wouldn't dare, would they?"

"What wouldn't they dare?" Zheng Xuhong snorted coldly, "This entire matter has been a conspiracy from start to finish. If Lin Dechang can persuade Great Ming, then why couldn't he persuade Great Ming to keep the Crown Prince there?"

"If that's the case, then everything makes sense. Grand Prince Bongnim first had Lin Dechang follow Park Jeong-yang in business to get in with the Great Ming people, then had the Great Ming side exert pressure to keep the Crown Prince in Great Ming. If they wanted to accomplish this, Master, do you think it would be difficult?"

Li Feng thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "If what Lin Dechang said is true, those people would do anything for money. They certainly wouldn't think much of this matter—after all, it's only the Crown Prince of Joseon."

"All they'd need to do is speak some ill of him before the Great Ming Emperor, or spread some threats—say that the Joseon Crown Prince is overly ambitious and disrespectful toward Great Ming. That would be enough. Though they might not go so far as to take action, keeping the man there would be no problem."

"Exactly so!" Zheng Xuhong clapped his hands and said, "As long as the Crown Prince is kept in Great Ming, Grand Prince Bongnim's opportunity will come. But that way, the other young princes would also have their chances. Grand Prince Bongnim needs support in the court, and the best candidates would be those in the elders faction."

"But the elders faction has no real power, so Grand Prince Bongnim needed to strike against the young Turks faction—using Lin Dechang to deal with Park Jeong-yang, stirring up conflict between the two factions, then using the elders faction to take down Zhang Fu, and now having the elders faction take down me."

"But a conflict arose between them." The more Zheng Xuhong spoke, the more excited he became, his pace quickening as he said, "Perhaps the two sides failed to reach an agreement; perhaps Grand Prince Bongnim's deeds were discovered; perhaps Kim Jeong-min's side didn't want to support Grand Prince Bongnim and wanted a younger prince instead; or perhaps Kim Jeong-min's side never supported Grand Prince Bongnim at all, forcing him to choose others in the court—for instance, us."

"Now we are in a precarious position, and I am in danger from one day to the next. If he extends a helping hand at this moment, we will naturally be moved to tears of gratitude—we'll have no choice but to support him. With the Crown Prince unable to return, plus our support, Grand Prince Bongnim's chances of ascending the throne would be greatly increased."

After hearing this, Li Feng pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm afraid it wouldn't just be greatly increased—it would be all but certain."

"How do you figure?" Zheng Xuhong looked at Li Feng and asked urgently.

"Your Excellency, don't forget the Great Ming side. If they truly acted as Your Excellency has described, then they should have already reached an agreement with the Great Ming side. Lin Dechang's confidence very likely comes from having received promises from the Great Ming side."

"If this time the Great Ming doesn't help Kim Jeong-min and his lot, but instead turns to support Your Excellency and Grand Prince Bongnim, then Grand Prince Bongnim's succession will be all but certain—there won't be any accidents at all."

"So that's it!" Zheng Xuhong said in sudden realization. "No wonder Lin Dechang is so confident."

The moment their eyes met, both felt they had seen through the truth. Even as they found it hard to believe, they were deeply shaken.

Zheng Xuhong finally sat back down in his chair, his expression shifting unpredictably. Then he murmured, "I never imagined our Grand Prince could scheme so deeply."

"It may not necessarily be the Grand Prince's scheme—there could well be others involved. This Lin Dechang is no simple man. I hear there's also a Zhao Chenqi by his side, and that man is no simple figure either."

"Right, right, right—Zhao Chenqi too." Zheng Xuhong said excitedly. "Now I'm beginning to understand why they didn't try to win over Kim Jeong-min. It's very likely Zhao Chenqi who's been throwing obstacles in the way."

"After all these years, Zhao Chenqi's standing in the elders faction isn't low, but compared to Kim Jeong-min, he falls short by more than a little. He wants to topple Kim Jeong-min, but he doesn't have the strength to do it."

"If this business was his brainchild, then he would absolutely never go to Kim Jeong-min and his people. Once Kim Jeong-min and his lot stepped forward, there'd be nothing left for him. But if he joins hands with us, then he stands as his own faction. After Kim Jeong-min falls, he'll probably be able to eat his fill too."

"Though we can regain our influence, we've still suffered heavy losses. What a well-laid scheme!" Zheng Xuhong said admiringly. "These old fellows have quietly accomplished so much without anyone noticing, and every step has been executed so flawlessly—truly formidable!"

Li Feng on the side also wore a look of deep emotion, then praised, "Formidable indeed. All these years, I've looked down on the masses, always believing no one's schemes could match mine. Though I never said it aloud, that's what I'd long thought in my heart. Now seeing the craft of these old fellows, I finally understand—there's always a sky beyond the sky, and people beyond the people."

Zheng Xuhong nodded and said, "That's exactly right. These people are not only ruthless and merciless, their schemes run very deep. It seems we'll need to be careful around them from now on."

"If we can establish a connection with the Great Ming this time, I hope Your Excellency can reach out a hand—ideally find a patron on the Great Ming's side. That way, handling matters in the future will be much more convenient."

Zheng Xuhong thought for a moment and said, "What you say makes sense. This time, let's strive to find a suitable person."

The two conspired further in secret, not retiring to rest until the early hours of dawn.

The next day, the sky was bright with full daylight.

Zhang Yu walked out of the room while stretching, glanced at Song Xiang, and said with a smile, "Why are you up so early? I didn't even know when you got up."

Song Xiang shot him a glare and said, "How late were you working last night? The moment you hit the bed you were dead asleep—and you still have the mind to worry about me?"

Zhang Yu looked a bit embarrassed and said with a helpless tone, "There really are too many matters to handle. Things have reached a critical juncture now—the slightest misstep won't do."

Song Xiang handed him a towel and said, "I know. Don't take it to heart. News just came in from outside—Zheng Xuhong's side has already accepted our olive branch. What do we do next? How do we help him?"

"We can't stick our heads out." Zhang Yu said with a furrowed brow. "We need to let Grand Prince Bongnim's people take the lead—have Lin Dechang represent Grand Prince Bongnim in making contact, and let him make the move."

"At the same time, have them plead for Zheng Xuhong's protection before the Joseon king, saying this is a frame-up. Zheng Xuhong investigated too quickly—the mastermind feared he'd uncover the truth, so they simply killed Zhang Fu to silence him, then framed Zheng Xuhong for it. Have Grand Prince Bongnim go see the Joseon king and present the evidence."

"What if he doesn't want to go?" Song Xiang asked with a furrowed brow. "This Grand Prince Bongnim is single-mindedly after benefits, yet he's as timid as a mouse—he may not dare to go."

"Tell him this is a golden opportunity to win people's hearts. Only if he acts in person will the young Turks be moved to gratitude. With such a great benefit on the line, he'll dare to go." Zhang Yu said with a smile. "If it truly won't work, then have Zheng Xuhong make the request himself."