Chapter 28: The Abduction

Night fell, and the wind was high.

In the courtyard east of the city, lanterns blazed bright, and people came and went.

In the main hall, Zhu Xu sat, turning over a biscuit-like object in his hands, examining it again and again.

"No additives."

Zhu Xu muttered to himself, then took a small bite, chewing it carefully in his mouth.

"Mm, the taste isn't bad."

This piece was salty—Zhu Xu liked it. It lacked the crispness of later generations, but it was soft and delicious.

"Your Highness," Li Deyong said, bowing before Zhu Xu with an excited expression, "this thing... this biscuit, we oversaw the entire process. The cost is very low. If every household in the capital bought ten pieces a day, at a price of less than five coppers, we'd be making a profit."

'I'm not just selling in the capital.'

But he couldn't say too much now. He nodded slightly and asked, "How long can it be preserved?"

Li Deyong immediately replied, "To answer Your Highness, it can be preserved for ten days."

'Without preservatives or vacuum packaging, that counts as a long time.' Zhu Xu thought to himself.

After thinking it over, Zhu Xu said, "Mm, this is well made. The flavors need to be more varied, and it should be positioned as high-end... the expensive kind, not meant for common folk."

Li Deyong was taken aback, then said in a somewhat hushed voice, "Your Highness, this, this... there aren't that many wealthy households in the capital..."

Zhu Xu smiled slightly. He had never intended to make money off the common people. He waved his hand and said, "You go ahead and make them first. When the time comes, I'll send some to the Empress and His Majesty—no need to worry about business."

Hearing this, Li Deyong looked at Zhu Xu with great joy and said, "If His Majesty likes eating these, then we don't need to worry at all—no matter how expensive, it'll sell!"

Zhu Xu had already planned this from the start, so he naturally wasn't going to explain too much to Li Deyong. He said leisurely, "Mm, how are the other four courtyards doing?"

Li Deyong's expression immediately stiffened somewhat, and he stammered, "Your Highness, the others are still being tested. We've run into some trouble."

Although the Great Ming's technology was already quite close to the modern era, producing everything Zhu Xu needed in one go was no simple matter. He patted Li Deyong on the shoulder and said, "No need to rush. Test slowly, and tell me when it's done."

"Yes, Your Highness." Li Deyong felt greatly encouraged. If he were a soldier, he'd probably have knelt on one knee to show his loyalty.

Suddenly, a dark figure rushed in hurriedly from outside.

Zhu Xu turned to look, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "Found him?"

Cao Wenzhao waved at Li Deyong, and after Li Deyong tactfully withdrew, he whispered in Zhu Xu's ear, "Your Highness, Wei Zhongxian has gone to Zhou Yingqiu's residence."

"So it's that bastard..."

Zhu Xu let out a long sigh. The Great Ming produced talented men—earlier there was Gu Bingqian, who at over seventy had his son call someone else 'grandfather.' This man surnamed Zhou wasn't much better. In history, Wei Zhongxian had his Ten Dogs, and this one was the ringleader. He curried favor with Wei Zhongxian's nephew, Wei Liangqing, and his methods of flattery and sycophancy were truly astonishing.

But this man was also extremely clever. At the start of the year, fearing impeachment by the Donglin Faction, he had early on claimed illness and retired, yet who would have thought he'd still be in the capital all this time—and had become Wei Zhongxian's behind-the-scenes strategist.

"Your Highness, what should we do?"

Cao Wenzhao asked from Zhu Xu's side. He knew that Zhu Xu would absolutely never allow Wei Zhongxian to rise from the ashes.

Zhu Xu hadn't expected it to be this man either—sly as a fox, cautious and meticulous. It wouldn't be easy to get a handle on him.

Zhu Xu clasped his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth on the spot, thoughts turning in his mind.

Zhou Yingqiu—this man would stop at nothing to climb the ranks, and his shamelessness was in no way inferior to Gu Bingqian's. According to history, Gu Bingqian would become Chief Grand Secretary the year after next, and this one would be Minister of Justice, later transferring to Minister of Personnel.

To scheme against him, one needed meticulous and thorough methods.

After pacing several times, Zhu Xu suddenly raised his head and said, "Are any of your old colleagues patrolling the city tonight?"

Cao Wenzhao was a former Liaodong subordinate whom Zhu Xu had 'snatched' when he returned to the capital to report on his duties.

He was startled, thought for a moment, and said, "Tonight's patrol should be the Right Guard. Coincidentally, a few of my former soldiers are in there—all of them were wounded and sent back, and I arranged for them to be placed there."

Zhu Xu nodded, his eyes brightening. "Go make contact. Arrest Wei Zhongxian in front of Zhou Yingqiu's residence. Move quietly—besides Zhou Yingqiu, don't let anyone else know. Once he's taken, immediately have the patrol soldiers surround the Zhou residence, then withdraw after the time it takes to burn one stick of incense."

Cao Wenzhao listened, stunned, and said, "Your Highness, what's the purpose of doing this?"

Zhu Xu pursed his lips, smiling like a little fox. "Go carry it out. You'll know later."

Cao Wenzhao was a highly capable executor. Hearing this, he immediately said, "Yes, Your Highness. I'll go personally right away."

Zhu Xu watched Cao Wenzhao's retreating figure, his mood extremely pleased. And so, he began strolling around the courtyard again.

——

——

West of the city, pitch black with no lights, several Right Guard patrol soldiers hid in a dark alley.

"General Cao, you're already a fourth-rank Commander."

"Yeah, and we're still just guardsmen, without even a rank."

"General, why not promote us a bit more? We're all your old Liaodong subordinates."

"Right, you can meet the Emperor anytime. Arranging a few small positions for us shouldn't be hard, should it?"

Cao Wenzhao lay prone at the front, with two or three men at his side, watching the back gate of the Zhou residence while speaking in low voices.

Cao Wenzhao's expression was stern, but hearing this, he chuckled and said, "As long as this job is done well, I guarantee you'll all have official posts and silver. But if anyone leaks a single word of this, beheading won't be the end of it."

These men were all seasoned veterans. One of them, with a fierce look on his face, said, "General, rest assured. We all came out of Liaodong—everything we've done was punishable by death. After today's business is done, tomorrow we won't remember a thing!"

Cao Wenzhao nodded and said, "Good. In a moment, take the man to the place I've arranged. Tomorrow, go to the Zhou Family Silk Shop east of the city—each of you will collect a thousand taels of silver. Once the dust settles, there will be arrangements for you."

Hearing this, the men were overjoyed. A thousand taels—they could patrol the city their whole lives and never earn that much!

Suddenly, the back gate of the Zhou residence opened, and a man in a black robe with his head covered hurried out. He looked left and right, then made for the carriage not far away.

"He's out. Everyone stay sharp."

Cao Wenzhao saw this and immediately shouted in a low voice.

"Wait for it!"

One of the men replied in a low voice, pulled a black cloth over his face, silently drew his gleaming blade, held it flat behind him, and dashed toward the carriage.

All three men were veterans—they moved like the wind, silent and soundless.

"You—"

The carriage driver immediately noticed them, but before he could finish speaking, a flash of light appeared and a sharp blade was at his throat. A cold, murderous voice sounded in his ear: "If you don't want to die, don't say a word!"

At the same time, two other men rushed toward the man in black robes. He was just about to board the carriage when he was startled and cried out, "Who are you people!"

"If you don't want to die, keep your mouth shut." Two blades pressed against his neck as a cold shout sounded in his ear at the same moment.

One of them reached out and pulled open his black robe, revealing a man around fifty years old, with deep wrinkles on his face. His eyes darted nervously between the two men, his expression full of wariness and terror.

Wei Zhongxian!