Chapter 288

"The officials of our Great Ming court—do you think you can arrest them at will and release them at will?!"

Old Zhu had always looked down on merchants.

Now, suddenly, so many merchants had come to plead on behalf of Su Qiao.

Zhu Yuanzhang's anger shot up with a "Zeng!"

Yet these merchants were surprisingly calm.

They simply knelt silently outside the palace gate for a long time.

Only then did one person slowly rise from the ground.

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang before him, he shouted loudly,

"Your Majesty, Lord Su is merely strict and impartial; he is by no means guilty, Your Majesty!"

"I, a commoner, dare to implore Your Majesty to heed the people's voice and show leniency!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth, staring at the merchants kneeling before him.

He asked in a low voice,

"Are you deaf? I said Su Qiao is guilty of gross disrespect!"

"Now that I have arrested and then released Su Qiao, how can I, in the future, control the hundred officials of the court?!"

"You—do you not fear death?"

That merchant looked up, nearly in despair.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, if you insist on killing Lord Su, I am willing to trade my life for his, to secure Lord Su's safety!"

Having spoken,

that merchant prostrated himself on the ground once more.

He refused to raise his head again.

If Su Qiao could not come out,

then not only would his lifetime savings be gone,

he would even have to shoulder a huge debt.

Rather than this, these merchants would rather trade a life for a life to get Su Qiao out.

Someone would take care of their families in the future.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was utterly shocked by the scene before him.

Since ancient times,

only tenant farmers rising in rebellion had been heard of.

But no one had ever heard of merchants daring to rebel.

Why?

Because merchants fear death!

But today,

all of Zhu Yuanzhang's previous understandings were completely overturned.

These merchants seemed to have become fearless of death overnight.

This signal

was far more terrifying than the common people rising in rebellion.

Because merchants are not like tenant farmers.

Even if tenant farmers risk their lives,

they are merely worthless lives, with three or five red-tasseled spears.

They cannot even find a decent suit of armor.

But these merchants,

they truly have money, they have grain, and they have even read as many books as the scholars of the entire court!

Once these people harbor treacherous intentions,

it is not something ordinary tenant farmer uprisings can compare to!

And the power of Su Qiao's Pandora's Box lies precisely here.

The power of capital.

It gives merchants, who were originally greedy for life and fearful of death, a bottom line.

Once someone crosses that bottom line,

merchants who were once as gentle as sheep

will have no choice but to rise up and resist.

This,

is the power of capital!

161, Old Zhu: Release them!

Beneath Chengtian Sect,

Zhu Yuanzhang felt for the first time that the situation was so urgent.

So urgent that Old Zhu's forehead could not help but bead with thin sweat.

It is controlled by no one.

Yet it can control anyone.

The moment it broke free from the bonds of Pandora's Box, it was already destined that nothing could ever return.

The outcome awaiting this beast is only two.

Either become his slave.

Or tame them!

Beneath the Chengtian Sect.

A desolate scene.

Everyone stared fixedly at Zhu Yuanzhang before them.

After a long while.

Old Zhu gritted his teeth and ordered,

"Let me think about it again."

"Thank Your Majesty! This commoner thanks Your Majesty!"

Hearing Old Zhu was willing to soften his stance.

These merchants immediately began kowtowing repeatedly.

Seeing the merchants who still wished to serve him as their ruler, Zhu Yuanzhang secretly felt a wave of relief.

Even after returning to the Qianqing Palace.

Recalling the change in these merchants.

Zhu Yuanzhang still felt a lingering fear.

Before Old Zhu could even drink some water.

Two Xiaohuang Sect eunuchs ran over from outside and whispered to Zhu Yuanzhang,

"Your Majesty, those merchants are still, still kneeling outside."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately let out a cold snort and said,

"Kneel? If they want to kneel, let them keep kneeling!"

The emperors in the chat group.

Were also stunned by the scene before them.

Zhu Di slowly stood up and, looking at the scene, asked in confusion,

"Is, is this really a merchant?"

According to the understanding of these emperors.

These merchants were the least likely to defy imperial decrees.

Because they had wealth but no power.

If they harbored even a slight thought of disobedience, their family estates would be utterly destroyed.

Therefore, whenever the court issued an edict, these merchants would execute it without hesitation.