Chapter 79: I Don't Know How to Conduct Trials

Zhang Heming frowned slightly, then suddenly said, "Your Highness, everyone is waiting now. How long must we wait?"

Zhu Xu looked at Zhang Heming—it was as if Zhang were the presiding judge, not the accused.

Zhu Xu was no pushover either. He immediately widened his eyes, looked at Zhang, then slowly turned his head toward Liao Tianyong.

Liao Tianyong had been uneasy in his heart, wondering what this Prince Hui had actually done outside, but at this moment he could only steel himself and bark at Zhang Heming: "This is the main hall of the Ministry of Justice—how dare you rant here! Wait!"

Seeing Zhu Xu's reaction, Zhang Heming grew even more uneasy. But he was only uneasy—he did not believe Zhu Xu could do anything to him.

He had been at court for decades and had long since figured things out: if the crime were minor, a crowd would be eager to trample him; but if it were major, a crowd would protect him! By his calculations, the worst he faced was demotion and exile—nothing truly dangerous.

Before long, Cao Wenzhao came rushing in, breathless.

"Speak in the back."

Seeing this, Zhu Xu stood up and walked toward the side door.

Liao Tianyong and the others wanted to stop him and ask questions, but they had no pretext, and could only fret helplessly.

Zhang Guoji's face was worried; he hesitated a moment, then followed through the side door as well.

"Your Highness, everything has been sealed and seized."

Cao Wenzhao followed behind Zhu Xu, speaking with considerable excitement.

Zhu Xu could barely contain himself either. He stopped and asked, "Tell me the situation."

Cao Wenzhao paused, organized his words, and said: "Apart from what the Ministry of War had already confiscated, we've gathered the account books from all the offices. A rough tally comes to over fifty million taels."

Zhu Xu's brow immediately rose. This was only a rough count—adding in the various offices' hidden coffers and the private stashes of clerks and soldiers, the actual figure was even larger than he had estimated!

"The capital truly is prosperous."

Zhu Xu's lips curled slightly, and he sighed with a half-smile. At this time, the most prosperous place was actually not the capital but Jiangnan. The north had poor, cold, damp soil, and with the threat of war, it was far less prosperous than Jiangnan, which had enjoyed centuries of peace.

He couldn't help but wonder how much "tax revenue" he might collect if he raided both the south and the capital.

Zhang Guoji walked in from outside and, hearing the exchange between Cao Wenzhao and Zhu Xu, his expression soured as well. Though he did not involve himself in court affairs, he knew full well that the Great Ming's annual tax revenue was only 2.5 million taels!

Fifty million taels versus 2.5 million taels—what a mockery!

Zhu Xu glanced at Zhang Guoji, not bothering to hide anything from him, and said: "We must move quickly now—don't give them time to react. Gather your men and transport all the goods to the imperial palace. Be fast!"

Zhu Xu had already given these instructions beforehand, so Cao Wenzhao nodded without hesitation: "Yes, Your Highness!"

The moment Cao Wenzhao left, Zhang Guoji finally snapped back to reality. His face changed dramatically as he stared at Zhu Xu: "Your Highness, you... you truly raided all the Six Ministries' offices?"

Zhu Xu blinked his big eyes and said with an innocent look: "Duke, you've seen it all—I don't know how to conduct trials. I was only following the instructions of that Vice Bureau Director from the Ministry of Justice."

Zhang Guoji was hardly fooled by Zhu Xu again. Pained and earnest, he pleaded: "Your Highness, stop while you can! You're about to poke a hole in the sky! This is not simply a matter of the Six Ministries' offices..."

Zhu Xu naturally knew that the roots of the Great Ming court had long since rotted clean through—there were no so-called incorruptible officials left. With interests so deeply intertwined, touching even one ministry would shake the entire court, let alone the fact that he had now moved against nearly all the great lords of the court at once.

Zhu Xu nodded repeatedly: "Mm-hmm, fine."

Seeing this, Zhang Guoji's old face twisted in distress: "Your Highness, this is truly not the time for horseplay. Yesterday His Majesty did not punish you because he did not wish to. If things continue like this today, even if he doesn't wish to, it will no longer be up to him..."

Zhu Xu reached out to pat Zhang Guoji's shoulder, then realized he wasn't tall enough. He cleared his throat and said: "Rest assured, Duke—I know my limits." With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked out.

Zhang Guoji wanted to advise him further but no longer had the chance. He sighed inwardly—no need to inform the Empress; she had most likely already heard by now.

At that very moment, in the Imperial Study, the Tianqi Emperor looked at Liu Shimin with some alarm: "You're saying that most of the Six Ministries, the Nine Chief Ministers, and the Grand Secretariat's grand secretaries have arrived?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Liu Shimin said, bowing. "The Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries, along with the officials of the Shuntian Prefecture, the Court of Judicial Review, and others—nearly all have come. They are waiting outside the palace for an audience."

Zhu Youxiao's expression shifted slightly, then he said gravely: "What has happened?"

Liu Shimin said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Hui has raided the treasuries of the Six Ministries, the Court of Judicial Review, the Shuntian Prefecture, and other offices."

This time Zhu Youxiao was truly shocked. He looked at Liu Shimin and said: "Say that again?"

Liu Shimin bowed even lower: "Your Majesty, Prince Hui has raided most of the capital's government offices and is transporting the seized goods into the palace."

Zhu Youxiao's face shifted through various expressions, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the desk—but he quickly realized this was Zhu Xu's habitual gesture. His gaze sharpened, and he said: "Tell them I am still ill and will see no one."

Liu Shimin hesitated for a moment, then said: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Outside Jingyang Palace, a crowd of people paced anxiously, glancing inside from time to time. Amid their agitation, they also sighed with regret.

What Prince Hui had seized this time was not a mere hundred thousand or so—it was tens of millions of taels!

Setting aside the loss of so much silver, they also had to worry about the trouble this would cause. After all, they had agreed to report only five million taels—the discrepancy was no small matter, and His Majesty would certainly not let them off easily.

Of course, the most critical point was that they believed Prince Hui's actions struck at the very foundation of the state and absolutely could not be permitted. For the sake of the Great Ming's altars, even at the cost of a death remonstrance, they had to persuade His Majesty to severely punish Prince Hui!

Before long, before the Six Ministries could even organize a protest, carriage after carriage transported ever more goods into the palace—and naturally, word quickly reached Zhu Youxiao's ears.

"How much did you say? Fifty million taels!"

Zhu Youxiao rose from behind the imperial desk, walked up to Liu Shimin, and shouted.

Liu Shimin's face twitched slightly, but he remained bowed: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Heh heh, fifty million taels!" Zhu Youxiao laughed, like a volcano before eruption, radiating scorching fury as he laughed without stopping: "Fifty million taels! That's equivalent to twenty years of my Great Ming's tax revenue! How dare they!"

By the end, Zhu Youxiao was screaming at the top of his lungs.

And how could he not be furious? Over the past decade or more, the Great Ming had endured extreme hardship—natural disasters year after year, wars without end, money needed everywhere—yet the more taxes were levied, the less reached the state treasury. Now he understood: the lion's share had been devoured by these "loyal and devoted" court officials who claimed to serve the country and the people!

Zhu Youxiao paced back and forth before Liu Shimin. In his heart, he wished he could slaughter every last one of them, but he knew he could not. He understood well the principle that the law cannot punish the multitude—and besides, these people held the reins of power over the entire realm. If they rebelled in response, they could shake the very foundation of the state with ease!

"Be cautious, be cautious!"

Zhu Youxiao muttered to himself, his mind racing with thoughts.

Suddenly, he calmed down. In this matter, it seemed that he was the one standing on the moral high ground!

At this thought, Zhu Youxiao felt entirely relieved. He walked back to the dragon throne, his mind rapidly calculating.

After a long while, he suddenly looked at Liu Shimin and asked: "What do you think of Prince Hui?"

——

I've caught a cold, headache is killing me. Trying my best to push through to write the second chapter.