Chapter 56

Originally, Yang Sichang had merely submitted a memorial to the throne as a routine formality.

He had not expected it to be approved at all.

But never in his wildest dreams did he expect that the moment Yang Sichang's memorial was delivered to the palace,

it was approved with red ink by the Directorate of Ceremonial in less than half an hour.

Seeing that the silver came from the Inner Treasury, the ministers did not think much of it.

After all, the war was currently the most important matter for the Great Ming.

However, very soon, these civil and military officials began to sense that something was amiss.

The next day, the Minister of Revenue, Bi Ziyan, submitted another memorial requesting three million taels of Bai Yin for disaster relief in the northwest.

The Minister of Works submitted a memorial requesting one million five hundred thousand taels for the production of armor and weapons.

It was approved again!

Immediately following, on the third day, then the fourth day.

From the Inner Treasury of the Forbidden City, more than fifteen million taels of silver were approved in scattered installments.

Looking at Zhu Youjian, who appeared flushed and vigorous during the morning court,

and then at the Father-in-Law of the State, Zhou Kui, who had been on leave for many days,

every civil and military official in the court could not help but feel an ominous premonition.

Could this silver being allocated possibly be our coffin funds?!

Hong Hong Chengchou was the first to snap out of it.

After court was dismissed, Hong Hong Chengchou did not even take his sedan chair.

Upon exiting the palace gate, he directly mounted his horse and rode straight for the Bofu Sect of the Marquis of Retainer; upon arriving at the Bofu Sect, Hong Hong Chengchou did not even bother with etiquette.

He jumped off his horse, pounding on the door and roaring,

"Old Bi Deng! Where is my money?!"

53, Chongzhen: I never said the game was over; this game is not over until it is finished!

In less than half an hour,

the gate of the Bofu Sect of the Marquis of Retainer was swarmed by civil and military nobles coming to cause trouble.

These "righteous gentlemen," who were usually gentle and refined, whose words always concerned the common people of the world and whose actions always concerned the rise and fall of the state, tore off all their fig leaves at that very moment.

Everyone stood outside Zhou Kui's residence, screaming and cursing until their voices were hoarse.

"Zhou Kui! Do you truly not fear death?!"

"My Zhang family has been loyal and heroic for generations; do you not care about the lives of your family's descendants?!"

"..."

As for Zhou Kui,

he had long since run into the Forbidden City to play chess with Zhu Youjian.

His own children and grandchildren had also been sent back to their hometown by Zhou Kui a few days ago.

Zhou Kui had seen everything clearly.

His entire family had been completely dragged onto this carriage by this good son-in-law.

If the Great Ming survives,

the Zhou family's wealth remains the Zhou family's.

If the Great Ming falls,

there would be no need for any Chong bandits or Tatars.

Before these civil and military nobles could even surrender the city, they would have to sacrifice their own heads to the banner.

Outside the gate of the Bofu Sect of the Marquis of Retainer, the autumn wind blew bleakly.

Hong Hong Chengchou felt his blood surging up through his entire body.

The civil and military nobles now regretted it so much their intestines were turning blue!

Among them, there were those who had long suspected that Zhou Kui was simply a fraud.

There is no such profitable business in the world.

But seeing the interest paid out batch after batch,

their hearts were greedy!

Everyone had approached this with the mindset of placing a high-stakes gamble against Zhou Kui.

Some had even drafted memorials to impeach Zhou Kui for forming cliques and seeking personal gain.

The moment Zhou Kui showed any sign of moving, they could use this as a pretext to charge him with a crime punishable by the execution of his entire family!

But these scholar-officials, who prided themselves as the talents of the world, ultimately miscalculated one move.

The continuous flow of silver from the Inner Treasury had already proven it.

The entire affair was a setup orchestrated jointly by Zhu Youjian and Zhou Kui!

Who could have expected that behind Zhou Kui stood Zhu Youjian?

Actually, it was not that they had not thought of it.

It was simply that they were unwilling to admit it from beginning to end.

This matter, seemingly a gamble between Zhou Kui and them,

was essentially just Zhou Kui acting as a mouthpiece.

The person they truly needed to deal with

was themselves.

To be precise, it was the greed deep within their own hearts!

So long as greed arises, it will surely burn itself to ashes!

Hong Chengchou, who had been swindled out of most of his family fortune, collapsed at the gate of the Earl of Retainer's manor.

In the end, Hong Chengchou suddenly scrambled up from the ground.

6

Staring fixedly at the towering palace city in the distance, he said through gritted teeth,

"This old man is going into the palace to see the Emperor right now!"

"Those who aren't afraid of death, come into the palace with this old man!"

After all, he was a clever man.

He quickly came to his senses.

Would seeking out Zhou Kui do any good?

The one behind all this was no one else.

It was precisely that man they had once regarded as the ruler doomed to lose the realm—Zhu Youjian!

Anger and despair seized the minds of every powerful official in the court in an instant.

The moment Hong Chengchou spoke these words,

everyone outside the Earl of Retainer's manor immediately rose up in agreement.

"The dynasty has nurtured its scholars for three hundred years—how could we sit idly by and watch such an absurd affair!"

"Let Your Majesty judge the matter for us!"

"……"

The civil and military officials of the entire court, who had only just dispersed from court not long ago, instantly reversed their course and once again marched in a mighty procession toward the Forbidden City.

And in the Palace of Heavenly Purity,

Zhu Youjian was staring at the chessboard before him with great interest.

With the events of these past few days,

this prince, who had originally been enfeoffed as the Prince of Xin,

had finally acquired, under Old Zhu's personal tutelage, a few traces of imperial bearing.

Zhou Kui, seated across from Zhu Youjian, had beads of sweat the size of soybeans continually seeping from his forehead.

The chess piece in his hand had long since been gripped into a sweat-soaked mess.

Yet Zhu Youjian paid it no heed at all.

He said softly and suddenly,

"Father-in-Law, it is time to make your move."