Listening to his younger brother's words, Liao Zhong also fell into deep thought. Obviously, things are not as simple as you think.

Glancing up at his younger brother, Liao Zhong opened his mouth and asked, "Then what are they coming here for this time?" ”

Liao Yuan said helplessly: "They want us to cooperate." ”

"Cooperation?" Liao Zhong said with a sneer: "They are going to rebel and kill His Royal Highness the Prince, this is a crime full of beheading, and they will kill the nine clans." Let us cooperate, how to cooperate? Do you think they can make it? ”

Liao Yuan shook his head, but still said with some hesitation: "After all, there are not many people around His Royal Highness the Prince, maybe ......"

"No maybe." Liao Zhong interrupted his younger brother's words and said, "Don't you know about His Royal Highness the Prince? Has His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ever lost a battle over the years? Who are the Black Dragon Army under His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Those are all elites who have been on the battlefield and kill people without blinking! It's up to us. It's not enough for people to stuff their teeth. ”

"When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince set out on his first expedition, the five thousand Black Dragon Army slashed the fire and screened 10,000 cavalry. How old was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at that time? At that time, the Black Dragon Army had only become an army, but it had such a record. ”

"And now? Now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not personally lead the army. Do you know how strong the Black Dragon Army is now? Do you know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince brought all the Black Dragon Guards this time? Not to mention our people, even if there are 10,000, 20,000, or even 50,000 people, they will be crushed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. ”

"Who are these people? Will they be willing to die for us? You must know that if we rebel, maybe we will directly cut off our heads and go to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to ask for credit. ”

"You must know that there are people from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in my barracks now. At that point, we didn't even do anything, and the people were gone. This kind of thing must not be done! ”

Looking at his eldest brother's resolute attitude, Liao Yuan said with a wry smile: "But there is nothing I can do." His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been arresting people in the city these days, and he also cut down some people at the city gate a few days ago. If we are really found, we are also dead. ”

"It's a dead end, so why not give it a go? Maybe one day it will be a prince and a general. ”

Glancing at his younger brother, Liao Zhong saw the madness in his eyes.

Liao Zhong narrowed his eyes, pressed the hilt of the sword on his waist with his right hand, and then spoke: "You'd better explain things to me clearly, otherwise I won't let you leave here today." There's no way I'm going to let you drag your whole family to death. ”

Seeing his eldest brother like this, Liao Yuan instantly calmed down, and said with a wry smile: "These are the things they said to me. They said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would not let us go, and that we had to take a risk, otherwise there would be no way to live. ”

"You believe what they say." Liao Zhong glanced at his younger brother and said, "They are a group of liars. ”

Pacing back and forth in the room, Liao Zhong finally stopped, looked at his younger brother and said, "Now you tell me about our family's affairs, what have you done?" ”

"That's all you know. We embezzled some of the fields and sold the silk to this gentleman, and nothing else. We bought all this food from him, and we knew there was a problem, but we did it anyway. ”

"It's just money. We've made a lot of money from this over the years, and you know that, big brother. We look beautiful, but it's not that beautiful. If there is no money, then we really can't do anything, and our family will decline, so this money must be earned. ”

Glancing at his younger brother, Liao Zhong said, "I didn't say that you didn't make money right. It's been like this before, everyone does it, and it's understandable that our family does it. However, if you do it, you must take responsibility, if you make a mistake, you must admit it, and if you are beaten, you must stand up straight. We can't think about other things, and if no one checks it, there will be no matter. But now that something like this has happened, we can't hide if we want to. ”

"You get ready, come with me to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Let's confess our sins and tell all the things about this gentleman. As for what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does with us, it depends on His Royal Highness the Prince. Liao Zhong said expressionlessly.

"What if we get beheaded all over the house?" Liao Yuan raised his head and looked at his brother, and said with red eyes.

"That's our sin, too." Liao Zhong looked at Liao Yuan, and said with a sinking face: "But you must not rebel, that is really a dead end." Let's confess our sins, and to tell the truth, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may leave us alive. You don't have to think about anything else, if you don't want to, I'll take you with me. ”

Liao Yuan looked at Liao Zhong, sighed, and said helplessly: "Okay, listen to the eldest brother." Anyway, it's life or death, let's be brothers together. If it is really beheaded by His Royal Highness the Prince, our two families will also have a companion on the road, and it will be neat and tidy. ”

Nodding slightly, Liao Zhong opened his mouth and said, "Then let's go." ”

West Lake, Zhu Houzhao's station.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the two people kneeling on the ground expressionlessly, and said coldly: "I really didn't expect that there would be such a thing in Zhejiang, and I didn't expect you to hide this matter from this palace." It seems that Hongu has done something wrong. Is Hongu too soft-hearted? I should have killed you last time. ”

The two people kneeling on the ground were Han Tai, the political envoy of Zhejiang, and Zhou Yi, the envoy of Zhejiang.

Two people knelt on the ground. Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, he hurriedly spoke: "The ministers are guilty. ”

At this time, Zhou Yi spoke first. He said helplessly: "Your Royal Highness the Prince, the ministers are indeed selfish. ”

"Then let's hear about it." Zhu Hou looked at Zhou Yi and said expressionlessly.

"The last time I went to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to confess our guilt, although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked us to make meritorious contributions, we also know that the crime is extremely evil, and there is no way to turn over if we don't do something."

"That's when we thought of this gentleman. It's just that we don't have any evidence in our hands, and we want to arrest him first, and then send him to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. But when we go. He's already gone. ”

"We have asked our people to investigate, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can go and question our people, and they can all testify for us. We wanted to wait until we caught this person to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but we didn't expect them to be so bold. ”

Zhu Hou looked at Han Tai and the others, nodded, and then asked, "How do you know that he did the assassination?" ”

"Back to His Royal Highness the Prince, he sent someone to find the two of us." This time it was Hankook who spoke.

Han Tae-kook said with some excitement: "He threatened us, saying that if we didn't comply, he would release our incriminating evidence." When the time comes, we will also be a dead end; Instead of a dead end, it is better to fight with him. ”

Zhu Houzhao nodded. Then he asked, "What about the man you know well?" Don't tell the man in this palace that he's not there. Whether that person is running away or dead, you can't get out of it. ”

"Back to His Royal Highness the Prince, no, that person didn't run. He was captured alive by us. Zhou Yi on the side hurriedly said, "Now he is outside." We are truly repentant and will never be complicit in them. Maybe we are greedy and embezzle some money, but we will never betray the Ming Dynasty. Although there is not much left of our conscience, our loyalty to the Ming Dynasty is still there. ”

Han Tai on the side nodded hurriedly, and said with a cursed oath: "We are loyal to Daming, and we also ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to know Mingjian." ”

Zhu Hou glanced at Yang Lian beside him, and then said, "Take that person down and interrogate it, and see if you can ask something." If the question comes out, then take someone to arrest someone. ”

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Prince, the slave and maid will do it." After saying this. Yang Lian turned around and strode out.

Zhu Houzhao sat on a chair. Reaching out and picking up the teacup, he took a sip gently, but he didn't mean to let the two people stand up. Apparently he was unhappy that the two men had concealed it from him.

However, Zhu Houzhao has long known that there is such a person, but he doesn't know who it is.

Because Chen Laosan of Qiwei Zhai had already left this person behind. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't find someone, Zhu Houzhao would have sent someone over to serve it a pot a long time ago.

Zhu Houzhao also knew what Han and Tai said, because he knew that these two people had been hiding from themselves. Originally, I thought that I would kill them together when something happened, but I didn't expect them to run out on their own.

Glancing at Liu Jin beside him, Zhu Houzhao asked slowly, "Have you handed over all their family wealth?" ”

"Back to His Royal Highness the Prince, all of them have been handed over. The slaves and maids have already gone to check, except for some fields in their hometown, nothing else, and all the shop title deeds have been handed over. ”

Zhu Houzhao nodded, then looked at the two people and said, "It's not bad."

Okay, that's the end of this matter, let's go back and do a good job! As for how to deal with you in the end, this palace will report to my father, and I think there will be a result. As for whether there is a good result or not, it depends on how hard you work to make meritorious contributions. ”

According to their charges of dereliction of duty and corruption, if it was in the time of Taizu, it would be appropriate to cut off the head.

But in his father's place, it is estimated that he will sentence a person to be confiscated into the army, and he will not be beheaded. If they have made a contribution in the follow-up, then it is likely that they will be punished lightly, but it depends on themselves.

Zhu Houzhao said this, which is equivalent to letting them live.

Han and Tai hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, praising Zhu Houzhao in their mouths.

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand expressionlessly and motioned for the two of them to retreat.

Han Tai and the others didn't dare to say much, so they turned around and left directly.

After the two of them left, Zhu Houzhao threw the teacup in his hand violently.

Zhu Houzhao was not angry with Han and Tai, but vented the anger suppressed in his heart.

Because Zhu Houzhao knew that Han and Tai were not special cases, nor did he say that he would kill these two people and it would be over, but the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was like this.

The two big officials of Zhejiang Province all fell into this. Even the original governor of Zhejiang was the same, and the newly appointed Zhang Xian just hadn't had time yet.

Zhang Xianming knew that there was a problem here but did not play it, what does this mean? He himself said that he did not object, but in Zhu Houzhao's opinion, Zhang Xian was preparing to go along with it.

It's just that the conditions of the two sides have not yet been discussed, and once the conditions are right, Zhang Xian will immediately throw himself into the arms of these people.

This is the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, and this is the high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty. If one is like this in Zhejiang, what about the other officials of the Ming Dynasty?

Will it be better than them?

In Zhu Houzhao's opinion, it will not, it will definitely only be worse than this; Even if it's good, it's not much better.

None of the officials can stand up to investigation, and if they do, there are all problems.

This reality gives Zhu Houzhao a sense of powerlessness, which is also the source of his anger.

As for that gentleman, Zhu Houzhao could guess where it was with a guess. He was able to carry the silk away, and to put it bluntly, he was a smuggler, and he dared to assassinate himself.

If this kind of person wants to say that it has nothing to do with Jiangxi, he doesn't believe Zhu Houzhao when he kills him.

Otherwise, where does his food come from?

It can be said that the situation in several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River is estimated to be about the same.

Maybe the situation wasn't so bad, but Zhu Houzhao's purge in Yangzhou and the salt works still left some hands after all.

At the beginning, Zhu Houzhao did not arrest all of them, and did not investigate them to the end, but now Jiangnan is in chaos.

These people apparently did not repent, and after no salt trade, they set their sights elsewhere.

Some of them went to Zhejiang to get fields, and then went to sea to smuggle them; Those who are radical among them may have colluded with the Jiangxi side, and in such a situation, the power and destructive power of their outburst are obviously much greater.

Holding down the knife in his hand, Zhu Houzhao's gaze flickered.

He didn't want to waste any more time here now, and originally thought that he could delay it for a few more years, waiting for King Ning to rebel. But now it seems that it can no longer be delayed.

King Ning's strength has developed very quickly, and he has grown very strongly.

It's not that he didn't treat King Ning well, even if he let him develop for a few more years, Zhu Houzhao was not afraid of him.

It's just that Zhu Houzhao can no longer let King Ning stir up like this in the future, if he really stirs up like this, then the whole Jiangnan will not be able to ask for it, and he can only send soldiers to Jiangnan to wash the ground.

It would be a great loss for yourself to wash such a nice place thoroughly.

Then force King Ning to rebel once, and use this opportunity to let him die completely.

Glancing at Liu Jin standing beside him, Zhu Houzhao opened his mouth and said: "Take a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and study ink for the palace, and the palace will write a letter." ”

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Prince, the slave and maid will go." Liu Jin didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly agreed.

Soon the things were taken.

This first letter, Zhu Houzhao, was naturally written to his father.

In the letter, Zhu Houzhao did not hide it at all, and told his father everything that happened here, and then wrote his guesses, and at the same time told his father the method he had prepared.

In addition to this, the rest of the letters were addressed to his confidant ministers, asking them to cooperate with their actions.

As for Zhu Houzhao's method, it is actually very simple. That is to change a fief for King Ning.

Hasn't Da Ming already recovered Daning? Isn't that the fiefdom of your King Ning?

Now give it back to you, do you go, or do you go?

This is Zhu Houzhao's plan to draw salary from the bottom of the kettle.