RNP Chapter 1488 What do you need so much money for?
Chapter 1488 What do you need so much money for?
As soon as they entered the city gate, Li Shanchang ran over, covered in sweat, carrying a stack of account books.
"Your Highness! Seventh Prince! You're finally back! Something terrible has happened!"
Zhu Yuanzhang dismounted: "What important matter is it?"
Li Shanchang shoved the account book into Zhu Yuanzhang's hand: "Shen Wansan's grain has arrived. Thirty thousand shi, not a grain missing. But the grain was spotted as soon as it entered the city gates."
"Who's watching?"
“Zhang Shicheng’s men,” Li Shanchang said. “They spread rumors at the city gate, saying that this batch of grain was ‘aiding the enemy’ and demanding that Yingtian Prefecture hand it over. They also said that if it wasn’t handed over, they would send men to seize it.”
Tang He immediately exploded: "Rob him? Zhang Shicheng wouldn't dare! I'll take my men and smash up his recruitment hall!"
"Don't rush," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Shanchang, where are Shen Wansan's men?"
"They're unloading goods at the warehouse in the south of the city. I had them surrounded by three layers of fencing; not even a fly can get in."
Zhu Qiwu walked over and flipped through the account book. Thirty thousand shi of grain were transported from Huguang to Yingtian Prefecture via the secret passage Shen Wansan had mentioned. The transportation cost eight hundred taels of silver, half the price of using the Taihu Lake waterway.
"Fourth Brother, don't worry about the grain," Zhu Qiwu said. "Three layers of enclosure for the warehouse aren't enough; we need five. Also, have Xu Da lead a troop to patrol outside the warehouse, day and night. If Zhang Shicheng dares to try and seize it, he won't leave alive."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Let's do it that way."
Li Shanchang added, "There's one more thing. Lu Wenzhao came to the examination hall early this morning, saying he wanted to check out the examination venue beforehand."
Zhu Qiwu raised an eyebrow: "He went to check out the examination venue?"
"He went. Mr. Bowen accompanied him. After he finished watching, Lu Wenzhao said something."
"What did you say?"
"He said—'This special imperial examination is even stricter than I expected.'" Li Shanchang mimicked Lu Wenzhao's tone, "Then he left, saying he was going back to prepare for the exam."
Zhu Qiwu laughed. Lu Wenzhao was indeed a man of his word. He said he would take the exam based on his own abilities, and he really did go to check out the examination venue.
"Seven Five, what are you laughing at?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him.
"It's nothing," Zhu Qiwu said. "Fourth Brother, I'll go check on the examination hall first. There are still ten days until the special imperial examination; there are many things that need to be confirmed one last time."
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "Go. I'll have Zhou Dexing handle Wang Shouyi's matter. I want to see him brought to the council hall today."
Zhu Qiwu nodded and led Tang He toward the examination hall.
Halfway there, they ran into Song Lian. Song Lian was carrying a stack of papers and was panting heavily.
"Young Master Qi! Young Master Qi! You're finally back!"
"Jinglian, what's wrong? Why are you running so fast?"
Song Lian shoved the stack of papers into Zhu Qiwu's hands: "Look at this. This morning, a man came to the entrance of the examination hall, saying he wanted to take the special imperial examination. I looked at his travel permit and saw he was from Suzhou. But then I looked at his name..."
Zhu Qiwu took it and looked at it. The travel permit read: Name: Zhao Wenbin. Place of Origin: Suzhou. Recommender: Zhang Shicheng.
Another one of Zhang Shicheng's men.
But this name was not on the list that Lu Wenzhao gave him.
Zhu Qiwu scanned the data with his talent assessment technique—Name: Zhao Wenbin. Position: Zhang Shicheng's advisor. Literary talent: Superior. Loyalty: Superior. Danger level: Medium.
Average. Lower than Lu Wenzhao, but much higher than those fourteen people.
Where is he now?
"He's standing at the entrance of the examination hall. He insists on seeing you."
Zhu Qiwu returned the travel permit to Song Lian: "Let's go take a look."
Upon arriving at the entrance of the examination hall, they indeed saw a man standing there. He was around thirty years old, dressed in a blue long robe, holding a folding fan in his hand. He looked somewhat like Zhao Bulan, but their demeanor was completely different. Zhao Bulan was sinister, while this man was refined and elegant.
"You must be Zhu Qiwu?" The man bowed slightly upon seeing Zhu Qiwu. "I am Zhao Wenbin, a staff member under Zhang Wang. I apologize for the intrusion; I wish to take the imperial examination."
Zhu Qiwu walked up to him and looked him up and down.
"Young Master Zhao, what is your relationship with Zhao Bulan?"
Zhao Wenbin's expression changed for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
“He’s my cousin. But I’m different from him. I don’t approve of what he does.”
"Disagree?" Zhu Qiwu laughed. "Your cousin came to Yingtian Prefecture to kill people, and you came to Yingtian Prefecture to take the exam. You're telling me you're different?"
Zhao Wenbin's face turned red.
"Seventh Prince, I truly know nothing about what my cousin did. I came to take the imperial examination because I felt that Prince Zhang wouldn't go far. But I didn't want to betray Prince Zhang, so I thought of this method—if I passed, I would work for Prince Wu. If I failed, I would return to Suzhou, offending no one."
Zhu Qiwu looked at Zhao Wenbin, the True Word Pill still in his mouth, but he didn't use it. Because when Zhao Wenbin spoke, his eyes didn't dart away.
"Young Master Zhao, you are quite frank."
“I can’t be dishonest,” Zhao Wenbin said. “Young Master Qi, I saw the questions for your special imperial examination. To be honest, those three questions stunned me. I worked under Zhang Wang for five years, and no one ever asked me—how do you govern a county? Everyone asked me—how do you flatter Zhang Wang.”
Zhu Qiwu was amused by his words.
"Okay. You want to take the exam, I'll let you take it. But there's one condition."
"What are the conditions?"
"If I pass the exam, you have to do something for me."
"What's up?"
“You’ll find out then,” Zhu Qiwu said. “For now, let’s go register. Fang Zijing, take Young Master Zhao to complete the formalities.”
Fang Zijing ran out of the examination hall; most of the injuries on his face had healed, but there was still a bruise. He saw Zhao Wenbin and paused for a moment.
"Young Master Qi, is this person... also one of Zhang Shicheng's men?"
"Yes. But he's not here to cause trouble. Take him to register."
Although Fang Zijing was puzzled, he still led Zhao Wenbin inside.
Zhu Qiwu stood at the entrance of the examination hall, watching Zhao Wenbin's back, lost in thought.
Tang He, standing nearby, said, "Seven-Five, are you really going to let him take the exam? What if he's also here to cause trouble?"
“He’s not,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Those who cause trouble wouldn’t be so open. Zhao Bulan is the one causing trouble, so he’s keeping quiet. Zhao Wenbin isn’t the one causing trouble, so he’s told everything.”
Tang He scratched his head: "What you're saying... I don't understand at all."
"That's good, you don't understand." Zhu Qiwu patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go in and see how the exam room is set up."
Upon entering the examination hall, Zhu Qiwu first went to see the examination venue.
The main hall of the examination hall had been converted into an examination room, with three hundred tables set up, each three feet apart. On the tables were new writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Liu Bowen stood in the middle of the examination hall, holding a folding fan, inspecting each table.
"Mr. Bowen, how is the arrangement going?"
Liu Bowen turned around: "That's about right. Three hundred seats are enough for this special imperial examination. The proctors have also been arranged; one proctor for every ten seats, a total of thirty proctors. They're all our own people, trustworthy."
"Have the seats for those fourteen people been arranged?"
Liu Bowen nodded: "As you said, arrange them in the very center. They'll be surrounded by our men, keeping a close watch on them." Zhu Qiwu walked to the front of the middle row of seats and looked around. There were fourteen seats, arranged very compactly, with only two feet between each seat.
"Mr. Bowen, these fourteen people, no matter what trouble they cause, cannot escape this circle."
Liu Bowen glanced at Zhu Qiwu: "How do you plan to deal with them?"
“Don’t bother,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Let them slip up on their own. If they dare to cheat during the exam, the proctor will record it. If they dare to pass on answers, our people will catch them red-handed. When the results are released, if none of them pass, they’ll be exposed.”
Liu Bowen thought for a moment and said, "But what if they don't cheat and just take the exam quietly?"
“That’s even better,” Zhu Qiwu laughed. “The fact that they’re taking the test quietly shows they still want to pretend. The longer they pretend, the harder they’ll fall.”
Liu Bowen laughed, but after he finished laughing, his expression turned serious again.
"Seventh Young Master, there's one more thing. After inspecting the examination hall today, Lu Wenzhao said something to me."
"What did you say?"
He said, "Seventh Prince, you've arranged so many people around those fourteen seats. Are you afraid they'll run away, or are you afraid they won't run away?"
Lu Wenzhao is indeed someone who can see through everything.
"What else did he say?"
He also said, "Tell the Seventh Prince that among those fourteen people, one of them is not one of Zhang Shicheng's men."
Zhu Qiwu frowned.
"Not Zhang Shicheng's man? Then whose man is he?"
"He didn't say anything. He only said that one sentence, and then he left."
Zhu Qiwu stood in the middle of the examination room and remained silent for a long time.
Of the fourteen people, one was not one of Zhang Shicheng's men. Whose side was this person? Was he from the Yuan Dynasty? Or a former subordinate of Chen Youliang?
He took out the loyalty test card from his pocket and looked at it.
I can use this card tomorrow.
That afternoon, Zhu Qiwu was busy all day at the examination hall.
He checked the exam room setup again, verified the list of invigilators, and went through the marking process once more. Every detail had to be perfect; Enke only had one chance, and if he made a mistake, it was all over.
Tang He arrived in the evening.
"Seventy-five! Fourth Brother wants you to go to the council hall! Wang Shouyi has been captured!"
Zhu Qiwu put down his pen and followed Tang He toward the Wu Prince's residence.
Inside the council hall, Zhu Yuanzhang sat in the main seat, his face ashen. Wang Shouyi was bound hand and foot and forced to the ground, with his younger brother Wang Desheng kneeling beside him.
Li Shanchang stood to one side, holding a stack of account books in his hand, and was reading them aloud.
"...The Shangyuan County granary originally stored 3,200 shi of grain, of which 2,000 shi were transferred by Wang Shouyi under the pretext of 'post-disaster reconstruction,' and their whereabouts are unknown. The Lishui County granary originally stored 3,000 shi of grain, of which 2,000 shi were transferred by Wang Shouyi under the pretext of 'government allocation,' and their whereabouts are unknown. The experimental fields in Liujia Village were destroyed, and an investigation revealed that this was done at the instigation of Wang Shouyi..."
Wang Shouyi's face was as white as paper.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, spare my life! I was forced! Zhang Shicheng forced me to do this!"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him coldly: "Zhang Shicheng forced you? He held a knife to your throat?"
"No...no. But he said that if I didn't cooperate, he would have my entire family killed..."
"So you're willing to trade the lives of ordinary people for the lives of your entire family?" Zhu Yuanzhang's voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between rocks. "Wang Shouyi, do you know what the people of Liujia Village are eating? Kaolin clay. Do you know how many people died in Lijiawan? More than thirty. The grain you transferred was meant to save their lives. You took away their life-saving grain, so they can only wait to die."
Wang Shouyi collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, unable to utter a single word.
Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and walked up to him.
"Wang Shouyi, I'll give you a chance. Explain where that grain went, and I'll let you die a quick death. If you don't..."
He paused, then looked at Tang He.
Tang He grinned, drew a knife from his waist, and waved it in front of Wang Shouyi.
"I...I'll talk! I'll talk!" Wang Shouyi was so frightened he wet his pants. "The grain...the grain has all been transported to Suzhou! Zhang Shicheng opened a secret granary in Suzhou, and all the grain is stored there! A total of...a total of four thousand shi!"
Four thousand piculs of grain.
Four thousand shi of grain is enough to feed the people of Yingtian Prefecture for two months.
Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze was like a knife piercing Wang Shouyi.
"Four thousand shi. You alone swallowed four thousand shi."
"Your Highness, spare my life... This humble official will never dare to do it again..."
"Spare my life?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "When you were seizing the people's grain, did you never think of sparing their lives? When you sealed off Lijiawan village, preventing the people from leaving, did you never think of sparing their lives?"
He turned to Zhou Dexing and said, "Dexing, take Wang Shouyi and Wang Desheng away. Execute them tomorrow at noon at the city gate of Yingtian Prefecture. Let all the people of the city watch."
Zhou Dexing obeyed the order and dragged the two men out.
Wang Shouyi's cries grew fainter and fainter, eventually disappearing into the night.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat back in the main seat and remained silent for a long while.
Then he looked at Zhu Qiwu.
"Seventy-five, how many days until Enke?"
"Ten days."
"Ten days," Zhu Yuanzhang repeated. "The special imperial examination will be over in ten days. After that, I will attack Suzhou."
Zhu Qiwu was taken aback: "Fourth Brother, are we attacking Suzhou now?"
“Not now,” Zhu Yuanzhang said, “but after the special imperial examination. Those who passed the special examination need to be employed locally. Suzhou has dozens of counties; once we conquer them, we can send them to govern.”
Zhu Qiwu's eyes lit up.
This was Zhu Yuanzhang. He planned every step meticulously. The special imperial examination was not the goal, but a means. Those who passed the exam would be the future rulers of the country.
"Seven-five, go see Shen Wansan tomorrow."
"Where are you going?"
"Ask him for money."
"Borrow money? How much?"
"One hundred thousand taels."
Zhu Qiwu almost fell off the chair.
"One hundred thousand taels? Fourth Brother, what do you need so much money for?"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him, his gaze holding something Zhu Qiwu had never seen before. It wasn't anger, nor murderous intent, but a resolute determination to succeed.
"War requires money. Taking Suzhou requires even more money. Yingtian Prefecture's grain reserves are only enough to last a month, but taking Suzhou will take at least three months. Where will the provisions and pay for those three months come from?" (End of Chapter)