Chapter 355: Repaying Kindness with Revenge

In March, people go for an outing at Gaoliang Bridge, listen to the orioles at Wanliutang, play the qin, and burn incense at Yue Temple in Zhuozhou to welcome the emperor.

In April, you can see plum blossoms at Xishan, crabapples at Haitangyuan, and peonies at Fengtai. You can also make friends by cooking beans and bid farewell to the spring festival.

These are some of the places that Ming nobles and common people liked to go to during spring outings.

Gaoliang Bridge outside Xizhimen has existed for a long time. Due to its beautiful scenery, there are many wine shops and teahouses here, making it a favorite place for the people.

Sitting on the shore, brewing a pot of tea, watching the birds flying and the grass growing, one can't help but recall that many years ago, there was a car god who left the legend of donkey cart drifting here, which no one has been able to simulate to this day.

Wanliutang, where one can hear the chirping of swallows and the sounds of orioles, is roughly located in the area of ​​Yuyuantan and Diaoyutai in later generations. It is a favorite place for literati, elegant guests, and royal relatives.

During the early Yuan Dynasty, it is said that Lian Xixian used Diaoyutai as a villa, built a hall on the pond, planted hundreds of weeping willows around the pond, and named it "Wanliutang". There are many lotus in the pond, and every summer the willows are shaded and the lotus is fragrant, and the scenery is lovely.

At this moment, the men and women from the Duke Chengguo's mansion were living in Wanliutang.

When the eldest son Zhu Lin received the news that Zheng Futian was captured alive, his expression froze. He immediately called his servant and instructed him, "Find a way to contact Zheng Futian and tell him that I will take care of your wife and children myself, so don't worry."

The servant boy responded and immediately turned around and left Wanliutang.

But when he contacted the military officers of the Beijing camp who had been recruited and dismissed at will, he found that all of them had been suspended.

Only then did the book boy realize that something was wrong, but he had to do what the eldest master had told him to do, so he had to think of another way.

While the book boy was racking his brains for a countermeasure, in the temporary prison cell of the Beijing Camp, Zhang Tai, the Right Censor of the Censorate, sat upright on the armchair. His eyes pierced through the dim candlelight and shot directly at Zheng Futian, who was tightly bound by thick ropes. He slowly said, "You bold lunatic, why don't you confess the truth? Who on earth did that to you?!"

Zheng Futian raised his head with difficulty, looked directly at Zhang Tai and replied: "I did everything alone, no one was behind it... I just felt dissatisfied with those Jiangxi people because Lord Qiu was too partial."

Zhang Tai said coldly, "Humph! You are just a general. How can you let the commander cooperate with you? It's ridiculous!"

"I am not afraid to tell you that as the Right Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, it is my duty to find out the truth. This matter has alarmed His Majesty, and His Majesty is furious. If you are the mastermind, you will be severely punished and your entire clan will be exterminated as a warning to others!"

"Don't think anyone can save your family. I will keep an eye on this matter."

Zhang Tai's words revealed a determination that made Zheng Futian shudder. He knew how terrifying these imperial censors were when they went crazy. They dared to confront even the powerful Liu Jin, not to mention that His Majesty was paying attention to this matter.
"Listen carefully. I won't give you too much time. If you don't answer today, I will report you. With you as a scapegoat, the person hiding behind will surely reveal his flaws, and then I will be able to catch him in one fell swoop!" After Zhang Tai finished speaking, he took a sip of tea leisurely.

At this time, a military officer came over, saluted and said, "Greetings, Sir Zhang, news has come from the Three Thousand Battalion that Mao Daxiong and Xu Ruoyu have been captured!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Tai smiled, glanced at Zheng Futian, and said, "Very good, let's go! Go meet them."

"Master Zhang!"

When Zheng Futian heard that his two companions were arrested, he immediately felt nervous and quickly stopped Zhang Tai who was about to leave: "Wait! I, I have something to say to you alone."

Zhang Tai turned his head and looked at Zheng Futian, with a bit of impatience in his expression: "If you have anything to say, just say it directly."

"Master Zhang, these are very important words! If you shout them out, there will be no room for maneuver." Zheng Futian stared at Zhang Tai, his expression very solemn. "Okay, I'll believe you for once." Zhang Tai walked over and approached Zheng Futian.

Zheng Futian leaned close to Zhang Tai's ear and whispered, "Master Zhang, I am working for Master Zhu. Marquis Ningyang and Marquis Anyuan know all about these things."

Looking at Zhang Tai, who looked serious, Zheng Futian smiled and asked, "Master Zhang, are you still investigating?"

"Words are not enough, where is the evidence?" Zhang Tai suppressed the joy in his heart and asked Zheng Futian.

Zheng Futian shook his head: "No, I'm just an errand boy. I don't care about other things and I don't know anything about them."

Zhang Tai took a deep look at Zheng Futian, turned around and walked out of the cell, and said to the military officer at the door: "Keep a strict watch on this man! No one is allowed to move him unless there is an imperial decree from His Majesty."

Military officer Sun Da responded, "Yes!"

After those military officers who were dragging his feet in the Beijing camp were eliminated, Qiu Yue was finally able to show his talents.

He registered the number of soldiers again, and after confirming the number, he did not rush to fill the vacancies. Instead, he personally led the soldiers in training and promptly eliminated those who did not meet the requirements.

At the same time, he did not forget to write a memorial to Emperor Zhengde, stating that from that day on, the soldiers of the Beijing camp would no longer participate in any construction projects, and all war horses would no longer be loaned out.

As soon as Emperor Zhengde agreed, Qiu Yue recalled all the soldiers who were building the Leopard House.

When the other nobles saw that even those who worked for the emperor had been transferred back, they thought it would be somewhat treasonous if they still occupied their positions.

In just a few days, all the soldiers from the Beijing camp who were working outside returned.

Only Boss Zhu was so numb that he stood in front of the unfinished palace and cursed Qiu Yue for being ungrateful, ungrateful, and a traitor. Ou Zanghua, who was standing aside, could not help laughing happily.

After Emperor Zhengde had vented his anger, Ou Zanghua took out the contract, walked over cheerfully and said, "Your Majesty, do you need a construction team? We are the First Construction Bureau of the Ming Dynasty under the Honglu Temple. We have thousands of craftsmen of all kinds, all of whom have intangible cultural heritage-level craftsmanship. We can help you build a magnificent palace."

"Mr. Ou, have you been waiting for this moment?" Emperor Zhengde laughed angrily and asked Ou Zanghua.

"Look at what your majesty said, it is very rare for a humble minister to support so many old soldiers!" Ou Zanghua smiled. Anyway, it was you, Zhengde, who imposed this burden on me. If I am unhappy, you will not be able to have an easy life either.

"Ha, good, good."

Emperor Zhengde nodded, rudely took the contract away and opened it. He was stunned and asked, "I built this Zhenbei Palace. Your Daming First Construction Bureau only needs 20,000 taels?"

"Your Majesty, yes." Ou Zanghua nodded.

He did not have the heart to tell Emperor Zhengde that after deducting various expenses from the 20,000 taels, the First Construction Bureau of the Ming Dynasty could still earn 3,000 taels.
Emperor Zhengde felt like his head was about to explode. He waved his hand and Zhang Yong, who was waiting on the side with a hunched back, came over.

"Arrest the doctor of the Ministry of Works and torture him severely!"

"The slaves obey the orders!"

(End of this chapter)