Chapter 133: Casting the Net

That night, at the Fuzhou Post Station.

Inside Zhu Biao's quarters, candlelight shone brightly.

Zhu Yong, Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di were present, along with Zhao Cheng, a Jin Yi Wei Small Flag disguised as a retainer.

"Prince, I covertly investigated today: the Fuzhou Shipyard has just over three hundred craftsmen, about seventy percent of whom are temporarily recruited refugees, and their wages have been deducted by thirty to fifty percent."

Zhao Cheng continued in a low voice: "Regarding materials, pine was replaced with fir, iron nails were made of raw iron instead of wrought iron, tung oil was mixed with rapeseed oil… Roughly estimated, the cost of a Fortune Ship was inflated by at least thirty percent."

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "How did the investigations in Quanzhou and Fuzhou turn out?"

"The Quanzhou Prefecture Shipyard is larger and the problems are worse; of the two hundred thousand taels allocated by the Bu Zheng Shi Si Official, only one hundred fifty thousand taels remain in Quanzhou Prefecture, and only one hundred twenty thousand taels at the shipyard."

"Quanzhou Governor Wang Zongxian is a disciple of Li Wenyun,"

Zhu Biao wrote several names on the paper.

Li Wenyun, Tu Jie, Li Zhi, Wang Zongxian…

"Big brother, arrest them outright! These corrupt officials deserve death!" Zhu Di said angrily.

The Yongle Emperor's murderous nature is no small matter!

Zhu Biao shook his head and said, "It's not possible yet; we only have evidence from the Fuzhou Shipyard, and it's merely craftsmen testimonies, insufficient as proof."

"Li Wenyun has been operating in Fujian for years; everyone up and down is his man. If we act rashly, he might resort to desperate measures."

"Then what shall we do?" Zhu Shuang asked.

Zhu Biao tapped his finger on the table and said, "Tomorrow I will go to the Bu Zheng Shi Si Official Yamen to request inspection of all accounts. Yong Er, you take men to Quanzhou and covertly investigate Wang Zongxian.

Lao San, Lao Si, and Fifth Prince, stay in Fuzhou, follow Zhao Cheng, and continue gathering evidence from the shipyard."

He looked at Zhu Yong and said, "Second brother, be careful in Quanzhou; Wang Zongxian is a local tyrant and may have private troops."

Zhu Yong chuckled foolishly, "Big brother, don't worry; no matter how many soldiers he has, I'm not afraid."

The next day, Zhu Biao took Zhu Shuang and the other two brothers to the Bu Zheng Shi Si Official Yamen.

Li Wenyun indeed had prepared early; the accounts were airtight, at least on the surface.

Every expense had a detailed breakdown—material procurement, craftsmen wages, miscellaneous costs—all listed clearly.

Zhu Biao flipped through page after page, reading for the whole day.

"Lord Li, these accounts are meticulously kept," Zhu Biao said lightly as he closed the last Account Book at dusk.

Li Wenyun forced a smile and said, "I dare not be negligent; shipbuilding concerns Coastal Defense, and every tael must be spent on the blade."

"Indeed, on the blade, I will go to Quanzhou tomorrow to take a look; Lord Li, will you accompany me?" Zhu Biao said, standing up.

"I… I still have official duties at the Yamen; let Inspector General Tu Jie accompany Your Highness," Li Wenyun said.

"Very well."

That night, Zhu Yong set out with Zhang Wu, Chen Heng, and ten Imperial Troops, departing overnight for Quanzhou.

Zhu Biao ordered Zhao Cheng to secretly send a message to Mao Xiang, requesting more Jin Yi Wei to be dispatched southward.

The third day of the third month, Quanzhou Prefecture.

Wang Zongxian, in his early forties, had a round slightly plump face and wore a genial expression.

He personally met Zhu Yong outside the city gate.

"I, Quanzhou Governor Wang Zongxian, pay my respects to Prince Wu," he said while bowing, his eyes covertly assessing the legendary simple‑minded king.

Zhu Yong rode his horse, looking down from his height, and said, "Lord Wang, my elder brother sent me to inspect the shipyard."

"Yes, yes, please, Your Highness," Wang Zongxian said, leading the way.

The Quanzhou Shipyard is larger than Fuzhou's; over twenty warships under construction are moored on the river, and there are more than five hundred craftsmen.

Zhu Yong doesn't understand accounting, but he has strength and eyes.

He walked to a ship, reached out and pressed his hand on the deck planking.

"Crack!" the wood board split.

Wang Zongxian's complexion changed.

Zhu Yong frowned and said, "This wood isn't solid."

"Your Highness's Divine Strength, ordinary timber naturally cannot withstand…" Wang Zongxian hurriedly replied.

Zhu Yong ignored him, walked to a pile of iron nails, picked one up, and snapped it with both hands.

The raw iron nail broke with a sound.

"This nail is brittle," Zhu Yong said, tossing the broken nail at Wang Zongxian's feet.

Wang Zongxian sweated on his forehead and said, "This… perhaps the craftsmen were careless in material selection; I will investigate thoroughly…"

"No need to investigate… Lord Wang, take me to the warehouse for a look," Zhu Yong said naively.

"The warehouse… it's messy, I fear it would soil Your Highness…"

"Lead the way," Zhu Yong said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Wang Zongxian had no choice but to lead.

The warehouse was piled high with timber, ironware, tung oil and other materials.

Zhu Yong casually picked up a piece of timber, examined its growth rings, and sniffed its scent.

Although he didn't understand wood, vague memories from his past life gave him some knowledge: good timber has dense rings and a mellow aroma.

Inferior timber has sparse rings and a pungent smell.

The piece in his hand was clearly substandard.

He opened a barrel of tung oil, dabbed a bit with his finger, and rubbed it.

The tung oil mixed with rapeseed oil lacked viscosity and smelled off.

Wang Zongxian stood nearby, sweating profusely.

"Lord Wang, how much money was spent on these materials?" Zhu Yong turned, looking at him, and asked.

"All… all purchased at market price…"

"Market price… let me see the procurement ledger," Zhu Yong said as he walked up to the ledger clerk.

The ledger clerk looked at Wang Zongxian.

Wang Zongxian gritted his teeth and nodded.

The ledger was handed over, and Zhu Yong opened it.

Pine wood, procurement price five taels per piece, quantity three hundred pieces.

Zhu Yong pointed at the timber in the warehouse and asked, "These, are they pine wood?"

"Yes… indeed…"

Zhu Yong went to a pile of timber, counted and said, "Here there are fewer than two hundred pieces, and another hundred?"

"Already… already used on the ships…"

"Which ship were they used on? Take me to see."

Wang Zongxian stammered, "Prince, the shipyard is so large, I can't recall at the moment…"

Zhu Yong stared at him, then gave a simple smile and said, "Lord Wang, you seem very nervous."

"No… no…"

"Good, then… I'll stay in Quanzhou for a few days and watch slowly." Zhu Yong patted his shoulder; the force was considerable, making Wang Zongxian stagger.

That night, Zhu Yong moved into the Quanzhou Post Station.

Late at night when it was quiet, Zhang Wu returned from outside and whispered, "Prince, I've found that Wang Zongxian has a private residence west of the city, where he keeps more than thirty guards, all skilled.

Furthermore, the Quanzhou Military Commander is his brother‑in‑law; the guard has five hundred troops who might obey his orders."

Chen Heng also said, "Over at the warehouse, I discovered that someone secretly moved a batch of timber during the night and replaced it with new material. It seems they wanted to patch the hole overnight."

Zhu Yong nodded and said, "Understood, keep watch and don't scare the snakes."

"Prince, should we strike first? Wang Zongxian might act desperate," Zhang Wu said.

Zhu Yong thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "My elder brother sent me to gather evidence, not to fight. We'll speak once the evidence is complete."

But he knew in his heart that Wang Zongxian would not sit and wait for death.

Sure enough, early the next morning, Wang Zongxian came to the post station to pay his respects, followed by a burly military officer.

"Prince, this is Quanzhou Military Commander Liu Meng, my brother‑in‑law," Wang Zongxian introduced.

Liu Meng clasped his fists and said, "The junior commander pays his respects to Prince Wu."

Zhu Yong glanced at him and asked, "Commander Liu, something wrong?"

"I heard the Prince is investigating the shipyard materials, and I thought the guard also has some knowledgeable Old Soldiers who might help," Liu Meng said.

"No need, I'll handle it myself," Zhu Yong waved his hand and said.

A flash of malice crossed Liu Meng's eyes, but he said nothing more.

For the next three days, Zhu Yong went to the shipyard each day, looking east and feeling west.

He didn't check the ledgers, only inspected the goods; when he asked the craftsmen, the conversation was about everyday matters—how many people were in their families, whether their wages were enough for meals, and if any were being deducted.

At first the craftsmen dared not speak, but seeing the Prince's simple honesty, some gradually whispered their grievances.

"Prince, my wages have been deducted by thirty percent; the overseer says that's the rule…"

"The timber is substandard; the last ship we built started leaking after three months at sea…"

"Prefect Wang's nephew handles material procurement, charging two taels for a tael of iron nails…"

"..."

Zhu Yong had Zhang Wu record every fragmentary testimony.

On the seventh day of the third month, Zhu Biao sent news from Fuzhou that Li Wenyun could no longer stay still and had begun covertly moving his assets.

Zhu Yong knew it was time to cast the net.

That afternoon, he returned to the shipyard warehouse, and in front of Wang Zongxian, kicked a stack of goods over.

Inferior timber scattered across the ground.

"Lord Wang, are these pieces worth five taels each?" Zhu Yong asked.

Wang Zongxian's face turned pale, and he forced a smile, "Prince, the quality of wood can't be judged by appearance alone…"

"Then what should we look at? This is the price list from the Fuzhou timber firm—premium pine at three taels per piece, yet your procurement price was five taels, and you bought this sort of goods.

Where did the price difference go?" Zhu Yong slowly took a list from his pocket and said.

Wang Zongxian stepped back and said, "Prince, regarding this matter… allow me to explain…"

"No need to explain… Zhang Wu, Chen Heng, seize them," Zhu Yong waved his hand and said.

The Imperial Troops stepped forward.

"Hold!" Liu Meng, leading a squad of Quanzhou Guard soldiers, rushed in and surrounded the warehouse.

"Prince Wu, without evidence, why are you arresting people?" Liu Meng drew his sword.

Seeing this, Wang Zongxian gathered courage and said, "Prince, I am still an official appointed by the court; you cannot just believe the words of a few troublesome subjects and…"

Before he could finish, Zhu Yong moved.

He stepped forward, and everyone saw a flash; the knife in Liu Meng's hand was already in Zhu Yong's grasp.

"You… intend to rebel?" Zhu Yong said slowly, looking at Liu Meng.

Cold sweat streamed down Liu Meng's face; he hadn't seen how the knife was taken.

"Junior commander… I dare not…"

"If you don't dare, get out." Zhu Yong threw the knife onto the ground.

Liu Meng clenched his teeth, but seeing Zhu Yong's calm gaze, he ultimately did not move.

Wang Zongxian collapsed to the ground.

That day, Quanzhou Governor Wang Zongxian was taken into custody, Quanzhou Guard Commissioner Liu Meng was stripped of his Military Authority and placed under soft house arrest.

Zhu Yong searched Wang Zongxian's residence and uncovered three ledgers, eighty thousand taels of private silver, and more than ten sealed letters exchanged with Li Wenyun.

The evidence was conclusive.

On the tenth day of the third month, Zhu Biao received the news and immediately ordered the arrest of Li Wenyun, Tu Jie, Li Zhi and other senior Fujian officials.

Thus began a corruption scandal in Fujian that would shake the court and the realm.

While Zhu Biao was conducting a thorough investigation of Li Wenyun in Fuzhou, Zhu Yong, in Quanzhou, received an unexpected report.

"Lord Wang, a craftsman reported that Wang Zongxian, besides embezzling ship‑repair funds, also colluded with the Japanese pirates," Zhang Wu whispered.

Zhu Yong's gaze tightened.

The Japanese pirates…

He knew that the Ming Dynasty's problem with the Japanese pirates had persisted throughout, only being quelled during the era of Qi Jiguang.

In this life, he could resolve it ahead of time.

"Tell me the details," Zhu Yong said.