Chapter 483: Upholding Heaven's Way

Zhu Biao nodded, "Remember."

"How did you later find out?"

Zhu Biao fell silent for a moment and said, "It was a Squid merchant who turned it in; he said the Ai Family was behind the mischief, and his conscience was uneasy."

"What happened to that person later?"

"The Ai Family silenced him; all thirteen members of his family were burned to ashes in a single fire."

Zhu Yong nodded and continued, "Brother, do you still remember the fifteenth year of Hongwu, when Jiangnan suffered floods and grain prices rose again; you sent people to investigate, and after three months they hadn't found a single corpse."

"You said this couldn't be done by human effort alone, and it remained unresolved."

"I remember…"

"Later I had people investigate; after six months they discovered that the Ai Family colluded with local Canal Transport officials, threw the bodies into the Grand Canal, and let the water carry them away."

Zhu Biao remained silent, his complexion turning even worse.

"Brother, do you still recall the twentieth year of Hongwu, when Jiangnan suffered a locust plague, grain prices rose again, and even opening granaries couldn't hold back the surge; you went personally to Suzhou, stationed yourself at the prefectural office, publicly executed two grain merchants, and only then did the price drop."

Zhu Biao nodded, "I remember…"

"Those two were the Ai Family's shopkeepers; after you killed them, the Ai Family behaved obediently for a few years. In those years, Jiangnan was peaceful, and the Ai Family was also obedient."

"But do you know? They didn't reform; they just became clever."

Zhu Yong looked into his brother's eyes and said word for word, "They no longer appear themselves; instead they find proxies—bankrupt merchants, disillusioned scholars, fallen candidates—and let them conduct business."

"When profit is made, they give them a ten‑percent share; when losses occur, they bear it. If trouble arises, they take the blame, while the Ai Family hides behind the scenes, as if nothing happened."

Zhu Biao's face turned ashen.

"Brother, do you still think one hundred and thirty‑seven people is many?"

Zhu Biao was silent for a long time, then shook his head, "Not many."

Zhu Yong turned and continued toward the carriage. After a few steps he stopped, turned back and said, "Brother, this evidence is enough to doom the Squid People forever."

Zhu Biao stood there, watching his brother's silhouette disappear behind the Carriage Curtain.

Sunlight fell on him, stretching his shadow long.

He stood for a while, then turned and walked back to his own carriage.

On the road back to the city, Zhu Yong sat inside the carriage, eyes closed.

In his mind the scenes of the Squid People being beheaded kept replaying: one hundred and thirty‑seven of them, cut off one by one, the executions lasting the whole morning.

Fresh blood soaked the ground.

He had seen battlefields more gruesome, but death on the battlefield differs from death on the execution ground.

Death on the battlefield is for survival; death on the execution ground is for order.

Without order, nothing can be proper.

When the Squid People break the order, they must die.

Wang Gui sat opposite, watching Zhu Yong with his eyes closed, daring not to speak.

The carriage traveled about half an hour, entered the Imperial City, and stopped before Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Yong got out of the carriage and strode into Qianqing Palace.

Inside the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang sat behind the imperial desk, reviewing documents.

The old man had returned from Europe by train, traveling from Constantinople to Samarkand, from Samarkand to Lanzhou, and from Lanzhou to Yingtian, a journey of about twenty days.

Only a few days after his return, he heard that many Squid People had fled from Europe.

He was angry! He looked up, saw Zhu Yong, and tossed his brush aside.

"Back? Finished the killings?"

"Finished, one hundred and thirty‑seven, all executed."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, "Those Squid People plagued Europe for centuries, then after Europe they came to plague Great Ming. Well done!"

Zhu Yong sat on the chair beside him, took the tea handed by the eunuch, sipped and said, "Father, another one hundred and thirty‑seven have escaped, most went to Europe; I have already dispatched messengers, asking my fifth brother and fourth brother to help capture them."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "If captured, execute them on the spot; no need to send them back to Great Ming, to avoid trouble on the road."

"Understood," Zhu Yong replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his son, was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Yong Er, after killing so many, can you sleep at night?"

Zhu Yong was startled for a moment, then smiled.

"Father, I've killed tens of thousands on battlefields and still sleep at night; these people deserved death, killing them is Upholding Heaven's Way."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him for a while, then nodded.

Leaving Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yong walked toward the Eastern Palace.

Zhu Biao was in the study reading the ledger; when he saw Zhu Yong enter, he gestured to the chair beside him.

The Squid People have siphoned silver from Great Ming over the years, plus from various European countries, totaling over thirty million taels of silver.

An astronomical figure, enough for Great Ming's army to fight a ten‑year war.

"Second brother, what do you intend to do with this silver?" Zhu Biao asked.

"Deposit it into the state treasury; part for railway construction, part for shipbuilding, part for building schools."

Zhu Yong paused, then added, "Set aside another portion to provide relief to the families of civilians killed by the Squid People."

Zhu Biao nodded and asked no further.

Exiting the Eastern Palace, dusk was already falling.

Zhu Yong rode his horse back; the streets were quiet, and the traces of the afternoon slaughter had been cleaned away, even the blood washed out by water.

Yet the metallic scent of blood lingered at his nose, refusing to fade.

Returning to Wu Wang Fu, night had already fallen.

Zhu Huanhuan was supporting Guanyin Nu as they walked in the courtyard; when they saw him return, they both stopped in their tracks.

"Prince, you're back."

Zhu Yong nodded, sat down on the corridor, took the tea handed over by Zhu Huanhuan, and took a sip.

Guanyin Nu walked over, sat beside him, and said softly, "Prince, I heard many people were killed today?"

"Not many, one hundred thirty‑seven."

Guanyin Nu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "They deserve to die."

Zhu Yong looked at his wife.

This former captive Northern Yuan Princess had followed him for decades, from Northern Yuan to Nüzhen, from Goryeo to Wa Country, from South Sea to Australia, from Tie Mu Er's residence to Europe, and finally back to Yingtian Prefecture.

Watching him kill, watching him fight, watching him grow old.

"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.

Guanyin Nu looked at him, a slight smile at the corner of her mouth, and said, "Afraid of what? Prince, you kill bad people, not good ones."

Zhu Yong sighed.

"Father, dinner's ready," Zhu Huanhuan called out from the kitchen.

Zhu Yong stood up and walked into the house.

Zhu Qiongwu sat on a chair, his small hands gripping chopsticks, struggling to pick up the vegetables.

Seeing his father enter, he looked up and, in a babyish voice, said, "Father, older brother sent a letter today, saying he caught many squid people in Europe."

Zhu Yong was startled and said, "Your brother wrote again?"

"Yes, eldest uncle had someone deliver it." Zhu Qiongwu pulled a letter from his chest and handed it over.

Zhu Yong took it and unfolded it.

Zhu Qiongwu's handwriting was crooked, but the content was clear.

"Father, I caught squid people in Europe; Fifth Uncle said this group has been in Europe for centuries. They learned from Great Ming's squid people that we intend to settle the score with them, so they fled back to Europe."

"I asked Fifth Uncle what to do. He said, 'Second Prince's order: capture them and execute on the spot,' so I had people cut them down."

Zhu Yong finished reading the letter, a slight smile curling his lips.

That kid, just like him.