Chapter 249

Staring at Jiang Huan in disbelief, he asked,

"What?!"

"Has that Su Qiao lost his mind?!"

Jiang Huan lowered his head and said,

"When this humble official entered the palace, the Wucheng Garrison had already rushed over to fight the fire."

Zhu Yuanzhang nearly tumbled straight off the dragon throne.

"Then just how many banknotes were actually salvaged?!"

According to the denomination Zhu Yuanzhang had set for the Great Ming banknotes,

these thirty-eight million-plus guan of banknotes

would have required at least seventy to eighty thousand jin of mulberry-bark paper!

Jiang Huan, head lowered, said,

"Your Majesty, the banknotes are in dire straits. The Wucheng Garrison is also trying to keep the fire from spreading to the neighboring yamen."

Hearing this,

Old Zhu felt as if his heart were bleeding.

"He's mad, he's absolutely mad! Prepare the imperial carriage for the Jusiya Sect!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to rush off to the Banknote Jusiya Sect, he was utterly unaware

that the news of Su Qiao's great fire burning up all the court's banknote reserves

was spreading throughout all of Jin Ling.

"Spring waters warm before the duck knows it"—plenty of merchants, scenting the wind, had already begun buying up the "Great Ming Banknotes" circulating among the populace….

146, Zhu Yuanzhang: You call this stuff gold?!

A crowd of bureau officials stared dumbfounded at the fire scene before them.

Before the bureau officials could collect themselves,

they heard a eunuch in the distance shout at the top of his lungs,

"His Majesty has arrived~!"

Hearing this cry,

every single bureau official of the Banknote Jusiya Sect was utterly dumbstruck.

They'd just beaten up an inner-court eunuch,

and now they'd immediately gone and caused such an enormous disaster.

Wouldn't this Old Zhu flay them alive?!

When Old Zhu hurried to the Banknote Jusiya Sect,

the fire at the Jusiya Sect had already become completely uncontrollable.

Even though firefighting facilities in the Ming Dynasty were actually already quite well-developed—

the Wucheng Garrison's main firefighting tool was a kind of water-squirting gun called a "jiton"—

the principle was the same as a modern fire engine: pressurize a water container, then squirt the water out.

The reason it could have such an advanced design

was mainly because when it was first designed, what it sprayed out wasn't water but fire oil.

And on the battlefield, these "jitons" had an even more resounding name—

—the Fierce-Oil Cabinet.

But limited by the available pressure,

clearly the water pressure of these "jitons" was so pale and feeble before such raging flames.

By the time Zhu Yuanzhang arrived at the Banknote Jusiya Sect,

he gazed in anguish at the raging inferno in the distance.

"That's all money!"

Su Qiao reminded him from the side,

"Your Majesty, no need to feel too bad—it's just paper."

Zhu Yuanzhang snapped,

"That's because you don't run a household and don't know how dear the firewood and rice are! Even if it's paper, it's still seventy or eighty thousand jin of mulberry-bark paper!"

"Several thousand taels of silver!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart felt as if it were bleeding.

Pointing at Su Qiao, he cursed,

"Why didn't you keep an eye on things? Couldn't you read what that sign says?"

"'Storage Area—Beware of Fire!' Do you know how grave a crime this is?!"

Clearly Old Zhu assumed Su Qiao was a newly appointed official who'd carelessly let the warehouse burn down.

Looking at the sign hanging in the distance,

Su Qiao let out a breath of relief and said,

"Oh, Your Majesty needn't worry about that even more."

Old Zhu's face darkened, and through gritted teeth he looked at Su Qiao and asked,

"What do you mean?"

"Someone tried to murder you?!"

GLOSSARY:

【Jiang Huan, Jiang Huan, Su Qiao, Su Qiao, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang, Old Zhu, Old Zhu, Jin Ling, Jin Ling, Wucheng Bingmasi, Wucheng Garrison, Baochao Tijusi, Banknote Administration, Tijusi, Administration, Jusiya Yamen, Administration, Great Ming, Great Ming, Great Ming Baocchao, Great Ming Banknotes, Jitong, jiton, Menghuo Yougui, Fierce-Oil Cabinet, Eunuch, Eunuch, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Yamen, yamen, Shuguan, bureau official, Neiting, inner court, Longyi, dragon throne, Baocchao, banknotes, Sangpizhi, mulberry-bark paper, Guan, guan, Liang, tael, Jin, jin】

Hearing this, a murderous air instantly rose between Zhu Yuanzhang's brows.

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the case thoroughly.

Su Qiao stared at Zhu Yuanzhang and said

"I did it on purpose."

Inside the Baochao Tijusi, there was utter silence.

Every official stared in disbelief at this newly appointed Baochao Tijusi Su, my lord, who had just taken office.

Is there even such a way to seek death?!

But then.

Something happened that shocked this group of officials even more.

Inside the chat group.

Jiajing stared fixedly at Zhu Yuanzhang and urged,

"Grandpa, please don't get angry! Please don't get angry!"

"Your son guesses this Su Qiao must have a follow-up move. Grandpa must not lose the big picture for the small!"

Hearing Jiajing's words.

Zhu Yuanzhang barely managed to suppress the fury in his heart.

Zhu Yuanzhang, his face blackened with soot from the blaze, stared at Su Qiao. After his teeth chattered a few times, he said through almost clenched teeth,

"Fine, fine!"

"Jiang Huan!"

"Here, sir!"

"Let's go!"

"Huh?"

With that, Zhu Yuanzhang strode out of the Viceroy Yamen with great steps.

"I'll be waiting to see what flowers you can make bloom for me!"

"I'll be waiting!"

Only a group of Tijusi officials were left, staring open-mouthed at Zhu Yuanzhang's retreating back.

Leaving?!

He's just... leaving?

He burned down the storehouse and he's just leaving?!

Not only is he leaving, but look at Old Zhu — though he's angry, why does he look like... he's actually looking forward to it?!