Chapter 695: The Hanseong Bombing Case

Watching Zhang Yu's departing figure, Song Xiang smiled faintly, then turned and walked into the darkness.

Since her man had such intentions, she would help him.

The Great Ming embassy fell into an eerie silence; everyone was preparing for the final strike.

On the Joseon side, however, chaos reigned — everything was in a complete mess.

The matter was simply too grave this time. A veteran minister like Kim Jeong-min had actually been assassinated in broad daylight on the street — it was a slap in the face to everyone.

Under such circumstances, no one could stand aside; everyone was searching for the killer.

It was at this moment that Zheng Xuhong walked out of his residence, his expression calm and composed as he made his way toward the Joseon royal palace.

This scene affected countless people. No one knew what Zheng Xuhong intended to do.

In truth, by this time some people had already pointed the finger at Zheng Xuhong for the murder of Kim Jeong-min. Because Zheng Xuhong was the key figure in this case — the one Kim Jeong-min had wanted to discipline severely — he was the greatest beneficiary of Kim Jeong-min's death. If Kim Jeong-min had continued down that path, Zheng Xuhong might well have been finished. After all, with Zhang Fu's example right before them, no one dared to speculate on what fate awaited Zheng Xuhong.

The King of Joseon received the news quickly, his face dark and gloomy.

Now he too had begun to suspect Zheng Xuhong — after all, there were not many people capable of pulling off such a deed.

When he saw Zheng Xuhong, the King of Joseon did not beat around the bush and asked directly: "Did you do it?"

Zheng Xuhong shook his head helplessly, then bowed and said: "Your Majesty, this matter was truly not my doing. However, it is true that someone is silencing witnesses."

"What do you mean?" The King of Joseon looked at Zheng Xuhong and said.

"These past days, Your Majesty, your servant has not been idle. I have been secretly investigating this matter all along. I have now fully investigated the entire case, and today I have come specifically to report to Your Majesty." Zheng Xuhong said.

"Tell me, what happened?" The King of Joseon asked with a grim face.

"The earliest root of this entire case goes back to when Your Majesty and the Crown Prince went to Great Ming. At that time, Your Majesty went to Great Ming and returned safely; the Crown Prince also went to Great Ming but never came back. Many people have been speculating about the reason."

"Your servant has now investigated thoroughly — this was the work of someone pulling strings behind the scenes. After the Crown Prince arrived in Great Ming, someone spread word that the Crown Prince was disrespectful toward Great Ming, that he believed Great Ming had gone too far, and that once he ascended the throne he would definitely change this state of affairs. These words were spread by people on the Great Ming side, but the root lies here in Joseon. Their purpose in doing this was singular: to ensure the Crown Prince never returned. And the facts prove they indeed achieved their goal — the Crown Prince ultimately never came back."

Upon hearing this, the King of Joseon's expression changed drastically. He rose to his feet in fury and asked in disbelief: "Who has such audacity?"

"These matters were in fact the work of Park Jeong-yang and his nephew." Zheng Xuhong said: "Over the years, they repeatedly colluded with merchants from the Great Ming side, doing many things and making a great deal of money. Someone paid them handsomely to carry out this task — and besides money, there were other benefits as well."

"So they conspired with certain nobles and magnates on the Great Ming side and pulled it off. By all rights, the mastermind behind the scenes should have been pleased. But when Minister Kim Jeong-min learned of the matter, things went awry. Minister Kim did not agree with their plans."

The King of Joseon said with a dark face: "No need to beat around the bush. Are they plotting rebellion?"

Zheng Xuhong's expression was heavy; he could only nod.

And as for who the conspirators were, there was no need to say — it was certainly some of Your Majesty's own sons.

The King of Joseon narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "Continue."

"Originally, the matter was simple — as long as the Crown Prince did not return, the mastermind's chances of ascending the throne would be very high, or at least his chances of becoming Crown Prince would be very good. But unexpectedly, Minister Kim Jeong-min and others disagreed, and conflict broke out between the two sides. Park Jeong-yang became the trigger for the whole affair. Once the mastermind's deeds were exposed, all their schemes would collapse. So the mastermind made his move against Park Jeong-yang."

"At the same time as they struck against Park Jeong-yang, the mastermind also framed Minister Zhang Fu. As for what happened afterward, Your Majesty already knows — Park Jeong-yang and Park In-yong died, and all evidence and witnesses vanished; Minister Zhang Fu was also hounded to death by the false accusation; and the mastermind completely fell out with Minister Kim Jeong-min, and the two sides began their struggle."

"As the case gradually deepened, your servant uncovered some clues. The reason the outside world was in such an uproar was because the mastermind was backing it. Driven into a corner, the mastermind struck again, killing Zhang Fu's entire family. The ones who did the deed were Zhang Fu's own servants — but your servant had already detained those servants, which could be considered my foresight. As a result, those people then went after Zhang Fu's servants, and all of them died. In this way, every lead was severed."

"At this point, the mastermind approached your servant," Zheng Xuhong raised his head and said: "They used saving me as leverage, demanding that I support the mastermind's rise to power; at the same time, they heavily bribed people in Great Ming to help them. In order to uncover the mastermind, I feigned allegiance — that is why I came to the palace."

"After Minister Kim Jeong-min received word, he could not sit still and rushed toward the palace to stop this matter. But he was ambushed on the way." Zheng Xuhong stopped there and did not continue.

The King of Joseon's expression turned extremely ugly. He raised his head and looked at Zheng Xuhong, asking: "Is everything you said true? Do you have evidence?"

"Your Majesty, much of the evidence has already been destroyed by them — there is no direct evidence left. However, the Great Ming side should still have evidence, after all, their dealings with Great Ming were very close. Moreover, your servant knows of one other thing: the person through whom the mastermind conspired with Great Ming is named Lin Dechang. This Lin Dechang was a man close to Park Jeong-yang and Park In-yong, always hidden behind the scenes — all of these deeds should have been carried out by this man."

"Moreover, after Park Jeong-yang and Park In-yong died, all their legitimate businesses were taken over by this Lin Dechang, who maintained very close relations with the Great Ming side. This time, the plan to save your servant was devised by this Lin Dechang." Zheng Xuhong raised his head and said: "If your servant had not seen through all of this, I too would have been filled with gratitude toward the mastermind. Now that Minister Kim Jeong-min is dead, there is likely no one in the court who can stop him. As long as the Crown Prince never returns, everything can proceed smoothly and naturally."

The King of Joseon slowly closed his eyes.

He naturally knew who Zheng Xuhong was referring to — there was no one else besides his second son.

Looking at Zheng Xuhong, the King of Joseon said: "How dare he? How dare he do such a thing?"

Zheng Xuhong did not reply.

Was there anything strange about this?

Since ancient times, struggles for the throne had never been scrupulous — what was so surprising about such methods?

It was merely that Grand Prince Bongnim had planned so well that people found it hard to accept all at once.

"Moreover, as your servant understands it, the mastermind has not only colluded with Great Ming but has also bought off many people within the military. This Lin Dechang has been collecting evidence of crimes committed by court ministers and military officers everywhere, secretly threatening them into siding with the mastermind. Because of the connections of Park Jeong-yang and Park In-yong, the army that campaigned against Japan is also staffed with their people, and the military equipment provided by Great Ming is also in their hands."

"Your servant has heard that in this assassination of Minister Kim, they deployed a great deal of military equipment, even powerful bows and crossbows. If your servant's guess is correct, these items should all be from Great Ming. By doing this, on the one hand they divert suspicion eastward; on the other hand, they increase the difficulty of the investigation. After all, if Great Ming becomes implicated, Your Majesty would have to tread carefully as well."

"How could this happen?" The King of Joseon said with a dark face: "As you have said, my minister, the weapons used were indeed Great Ming's military equipment, which is why those below have been unable to reach a decision for the moment. Now that I have heard your account, I understand. Under these circumstances, what suggestions does my minister have?"

In his heart, Zheng Xuhong knew that even after saying all this, the King might not fully believe him.

But he had to make the King believe him. If the King did not, things would become very troublesome — in the end, he might well drag himself into it, for this was, after all, sowing discord between the King and his own son. On that charge alone, he would be unable to bear the consequences.

However, Zheng Xuhong was also well prepared. He stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the most critical figure right now is this Lin Dechang. As long as we seize him, everything will be resolved. He is the one who connected everything — once we take him into custody, everything can be investigated clearly."

"There is one more matter. Our war with Japan has already concluded. The soldiers remaining in Japan are all elite troops with the best equipment — they can be called battle-hardened veterans. If your servant's guess is correct, the mastermind's next move will be to recall these men, for they are excellent fighting forces, and with them at hand, one would have confidence in whatever one does. Moreover, these men rendered great service in Japan, and it is indeed proper that they be brought back to the country to receive rewards for their merits."

"Your servant believes that for now we cannot agree to their return. If the matter in Hanseong is not resolved, we must delay them — absolutely must not let them return at this time, or else this affair will become extremely troublesome. However, your servant also knows that if we try to delay, we likely cannot hold out for long. After all, without proper justification — they fought for the country abroad and earned military merits — refusing to let them return would shake the morale of the army, and the loss would outweigh the gain! Therefore, before they return, this entire matter must be resolved and settled."

After thinking it over, the King of Joseon said: "Then you handle this matter. Go seize Lin Dechang and bring him before me. I will interrogate him personally."

Zheng Xuhong nodded, stepped forward, and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Your servant has one more thing to say — Your Majesty might wish to inquire with Minister Zhang Yu. This matter was the work of a group of people, but your servant believes Minister Zhang Yu certainly knows something of the situation. What is the true reason the Crown Prince was detained in Great Ming? If we can learn that, then everything will become clear."

The King of Joseon nodded and said: "Very well, I will send someone to invite Minister Zhang shortly."

"Then your servant will now go seize Lin Dechang." With that, Zheng Xuhong turned and walked out.

The King of Joseon glanced at the man beside him and said: "Send someone immediately to invite Minister Zhang Yu to the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The man beside him acknowledged and turned to run out.

He was the King of Joseon's trusted confidant and knew that something truly serious had happened this time.

After leaving the palace, Zheng Xuhong quickly assembled his men, and a large contingent marched in force toward a merchant establishment in Hanseong called the Dechang Trading House.

This was Lin Dechang's establishment.

Upon arrival, Zheng Xuhong said: "Surround this place. Do not let a single person inside escape."

"Yes, sir!" The men around him acknowledged loudly, then charged inside with their troops.

The trading house immediately erupted into chaos, and soon the sounds of shouting and fighting rang out.

Zheng Xuhong's face changed drastically, and he hastily shouted to the people beside him: "Charge in, charge in! Take them alive!"

In an instant, the entire trading house was thrown into chaos.

But no sooner had the crowd charged inside than a tremendous boom sounded.

With a thunderous roar, the entire trading house exploded, and even the ground trembled.

In that moment, the trading house collapsed in a heap of rubble, dust and smoke billowing everywhere.

And on the rooftops not far away, archers suddenly appeared—they loosed their arrows without a moment's hesitation.

Several men standing at the entrance were struck down instantly.

Zheng Xuhong ducked around a corner and took cover beneath the eaves, his expression turning grim.

Soon, the dust cleared, and the soldiers who had gone inside earlier stumbled out in disarray, their faces twisted in grief as they cried out to Zheng Xuhong: "Sir, all our brothers are dead! Blown to pieces!"

"Did you capture Lin Dechang?" Zheng Xuhong demanded loudly.

"No, sir. After we charged in, a group of men burst out from inside. They came at us with blades and spears, not wasting a single word—attacking the moment they appeared. Our men fought fiercely and pushed deeper inside, but just as they reached the inner courtyard, the explosion went off."

Zheng Xuhong's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He turned and strode out toward the street.

The sound of men and horses could already be heard from outside—clearly his reinforcements had arrived.

Not bothering to deal with the scene, Zheng Xuhong hurried off toward the royal palace.

The Great Ming Embassy.

Zhang Yu adjusted his clothes as he spoke to Song Xiang beside him: "Don't you think you've made a bit too much of a scene this time? You even used gunpowder."

"Don't worry, it's just black powder—not much power to it." Song Xiang said with a smile: "If we don't show them something big, they'll never learn to be afraid. This time, that Joseon king should be scared out of his wits."

Zhang Yu shook his head and said: "He's probably too frightened to even move by now—which works out perfectly for me to go into the palace and offer some reassurance."

"Be careful yourself." Song Xiang looked at Zhang Yu with some concern.

"Don't worry." Zhang Yu said: "Have our people get ready. If nothing goes wrong, this conflict is unavoidable. By the way, Lin Dechang didn't die in there, did he?"

"Don't worry, he got out long ago." Song Xiang shook her head and said: "Right about now, he's probably off rallying people everywhere."

"Good," Zhang Yu nodded and said: "We must get all those people mobilized. When I enter the palace this time, I'll tell the Joseon king that our Great Ming firmly supports him, and urge him to act quickly. The moment he makes his move, you make yours on your end—all of Hanseong must be thrown into chaos, so that we can seize advantage from the confusion."

"I understand." Song Xiang said with a smile.