Volume 1 Chapter 53 Coercion

The elderly servant shivered all over, stammering, "This..."

"Search!" With a wave of the man's hand, several men began to search the courtyard.

Zhu Youjian pressed himself against the base of the wall, silently moving outward.

"Wait!" the man suddenly said, "Look at this."

He pulled a small paper packet from the steward's sleeve. "Red arsenic..."

"These people," he sneered, "all carry poison with them."

The elderly servant knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Take him away!" The man pointed at the old servant. "Interrogate him thoroughly!"

Several men escorted the old servant out of the courtyard.

Zhu Youjian emerged from the shadows and looked down at the corpse on the ground.

What was the steward trying to say before he died? And who was the person wearing the jade pendant?

He bent down and carefully inspected the steward's body. Inside the steward's boot, he discovered a slip of paper.

On the paper were only four characters: "Who under heaven?"

Just as Zhu Youjian was about to put away the paper, he suddenly heard voices outside the courtyard. He quickly retreated into the shadows of the corner.

"My lord," a voice said, "there seems to be some movement over there."

"Go and check."

Footsteps drew closer. Zhu Youjian held his breath.

"Here!" someone shouted.

Zhu Youjian pressed against the wall base, slowly moving outward. Just then, a figure appeared before him. Before the man could shout out, Zhu Youjian struck him unconscious with a single blow.

He quickly left the courtyard, vanishing into the night. A commotion arose from behind.

"Someone's there!"
"After him!"
"Don't let him escape!"

Zhu Youjian slipped into a narrow alley as the footsteps gradually faded into the distance. He leaned against the wall, catching his breath. Tonight's discoveries made him even more certain of one thing: Wen Tiren's death had hidden depths.

In the distance, the watchman's drum sounded the fourth watch. Zhu Youjian straightened his robes and walked toward the imperial palace. Who on earth was the mysterious man with the jade pendant?

Wei Zhiren stood in the darkness, watching Zhu Youjian's retreating figure disappear into the night.

In the grim and damp dungeons of the Eastern Depot, the air was thick with the stench of blood. Wei Zhiren stood before a cell, watching the old servant hanging from the ceiling beam. The old servant was covered in blood, his clothes torn to shreds by whips. Yet, he still clenched his teeth tightly, uttering not a single sound.

"Will you talk or not?" Wei Zhiren asked coldly.

The old servant raised his head, his eyes filled with hatred. "You butchers... you will get what's coming to you sooner or later!"

"Speak!" Wei Zhiren demanded fiercely. "Who exactly was Wen Tiren in contact with?"

The old servant spat out a mouthful of blood and phlegm. "Torture me, execute me, do as you please!"

"Very well," Wei Zhiren sneered. "Then let you taste the methods of the Eastern Depot."

He signaled his agents to step forward. Several agents carried in a wooden tub filled with an unidentifiable liquid.

"Do you know what this is?" Wei Zhiren dipped his finger into the liquid in the tub.

The old servant remained silent.

"You don't know?" Wei Zhiren sneered. "Then let you experience it!"

He signaled the agents to pin the old servant down, dipped a rag into the liquid, and wiped it across the old servant's body.

"Ah!" The old servant let out a piercing, miserable scream.

The liquid felt like blazing fire, instantly raising blisters across his skin.

"Can you speak now?" Wei Zhiren asked.

The old servant trembled all over, but still shook his head.

"Continue!" Wei Zhiren gestured again.

The agents dipped the rag again and wiped it across the old servant's body.

"Ah!" Another miserable scream echoed.

"Will you talk or not?" Wei Zhiren asked again.

The old servant gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Fine," Wei Zhiren sneered. "Then let's have you taste something even more potent."

He signaled the agents to proceed. Rag after rag dipped in liquid was wiped across the old servant's body. Screams rose one after another. The old servant's skin had already begun to fester and rot, yet he still refused to open his mouth.

At that very moment, Zhu Youjian walked in.

"Your Majesty," Wei Zhiren hurriedly bowed.

Zhu Youjian looked at the old servant. "Speak. Who did Wen Tiren communicate with?"

The old servant raised his head, his eyes brimming with hatred. "You foolish tyrant!"

"Slap!" Wei Zhiren struck the old servant across the face with a whip.

"Insolent!" he roared.

Zhu Youjian waved a hand. "Let him speak."

The old servant sneered. "You think capturing us will let you uncover the truth?"

"What do you mean?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"Master Wen was right..." the old servant said. "You will never know the truth."

"Is that so?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Then let the men of the Eastern Depot help you talk."

The old servant suddenly burst into laughter. "You think I'm afraid of death?" He stared at Zhu Youjian. "I've served in the Wen estate for fifty years, what storms haven't I seen?"

"You..." He was about to say something when he suddenly clutched his throat.

"Stop him!" Zhu Youjian shouted.

But it was already too late. The old servant had ingested poison and collapsed onto the ground.

"Search his body!" Zhu Youjian commanded.

The agents stepped forward and searched, finding a small paper packet in the old servant's sleeve.

"Red arsenic." Zhu Youjian sneered. "These people certainly all carry poison on them."

He squatted down and carefully examined the old servant's corpse. Inside the old servant's boot, he discovered another slip of paper. Zhu Youjian unfolded it, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The paper bore only four characters: "Who under heaven?"

Wei Zhiren looked at the paper, then at Zhu Youjian. "Your Majesty..."

Zhu Youjian stood up. "Search further."

The agents immediately went into action. Soon, they found a small booklet hidden within the old servant's garments. Zhu Youjian opened it and saw several names recorded inside. He was very familiar with these names.

"So that's how it is." He let out a cold laugh. These individuals were all high-ranking ministers in the court.

Wei Zhiren stepped forward. "Your Majesty, should we continue searching?"

Zhu Youjian looked at the corpse on the ground, then at the booklet in his hand. "No need," he said indifferently. "What We came for has already been found."

He turned to leave, but suddenly paused. "Oh, by the way," he said to Wei Zhiren, "hang the corpse on the city gate."

"As you command!" Wei Zhiren replied.

Zhu Youjian walked out of the dungeon, staring at the booklet in his hand. The names within this booklet were perhaps the key to the truth.

Wei Zhiren stood alone in the cell, looking at the corpse on the ground. He touched the jade pendant hidden inside his robe and let out a cold sneer.

"Your Majesty..." he muttered to himself. "You will never know the truth."

He pulled the jade pendant from his robe and looked at the two characters carved upon it. Those two characters were precisely the ones written on the slip of paper: "Who under heaven?"

Wei Zhiren tucked the jade pendant back into his robe and watched as the agents carried away the old servant's body. He knew that all of this was only just beginning.

Zhu Youjian sat in the main hall of the Eastern Depot, the booklet confiscated from the old servant laid out before him. He turned to the first page and carefully examined it by the morning light.

"This name..." He pointed to the first name and asked Wei Zhiren, "Is he from the Ministry of War?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, indeed he is," Wei Zhiren said. "He was just promoted a few days ago."

"Interesting," Zhu Youjian sneered. "Keep reading."

The second page recorded the names of several merchants, accompanied by specific silver amounts annotated next to them.

"These people..." Zhu Youjian looked at the figures, "how much money did they give to Wen Tiren?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, at least a million taels."

"A million taels?" Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes. "Where did they get so much money?"

He flipped through a few more pages and suddenly stopped. A familiar name caught his eye.

"This is..." Zhu Youjian sneered, "Huang Daozhou?"

Wei Zhiren glanced at it. "It is him."

Zhu Youjian stood up and paced back and forth across the hall. "Interesting, truly interesting."

He suddenly halted his steps. "Go and arrest all these people."

"Yes!" Wei Zhiren started to retreat.

"Wait," Zhu Youjian added. "Start with Huang Daozhou."

Wei Zhiren accepted the order and departed.

Zhu Youjian continued flipping through the booklet. Every page recorded different names—some were officials, some merchants, and others military generals. All these people had intricate, tangled connections with Wen Tiren.

At that moment, Wang Chengen walked in.

"Your Majesty," he said softly, "Huang Daozhou has fled."

"Fled?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Where could he possibly run?"

"I hear..." Wang Chengen lowered his voice, "he went to Qingyun Taoist Temple."

Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes. "Qingyun Temple? Qingyun Temple again..."

He closed the booklet. "Transmit Our decree: lock down the entire city."

"Yes!" Wang Chengen withdrew.

Zhu Youjian opened the booklet once more, continuing to scan the names upon its pages. At that moment, Wei Zhiren returned. "Your Majesty, we've caught one."

"Bring him up."

Soon, a man with the appearance of a merchant was escorted in.

Zhu Youjian looked at him. "Speak. What is your relationship with Wen Tiren?"

The merchant knelt on the ground, trembling violently. "This... this humble one does not know Lord Wen..."

"You don't know him?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Then what about this?"

He opened the booklet and pointed to a name. The merchant glanced at it, his complexion draining of all color. "This..."

"Fifty thousand taels every month..." Zhu Youjian recited. "You gave quite a lot of money to Wen Tiren."

The merchant kowtowed like pounding garlic. "Your Majesty, please discern the truth! This humble one was forced!"

"Forced?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "Tell Us, who forced you?"

The merchant swallowed hard. "It was... it was..."