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Chapter 549 Confiscating Property (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

In the sleeping quarters of Shou Kang Palace, the Empress Dowager, feeling hot, crawled out of bed and saw that the Emperor was actually having a banquet with his entourage right next to her bed...

That's when she finally broke down her defenses.

"Mother, take a bite, and we'll leave." Zhu Houzhao said with a grin, picking up a donkey meat sandwich and waving it at the Empress Dowager.

"To get you to eat is the most important thing in the world today!"

"Get out!" The Empress Dowager was so angry that she pounded the edge of the bed and trembled all over, but she couldn't help making gurgling noises in her throat and swallowing her saliva incessantly.

"Alright, alright, let's go eat in the outer room then." Zhu Houzhao didn't insist and led his men to the outer room, leaving all the food in the inner chamber.

Then he set up another table in the outer room and instructed the servants, "No need to fan me anymore, just fan the room to let the Empress Dowager smell the fragrance!"

When it comes to playing pranks, he's absolutely a natural talent.

The emperor clapped his hands again, having come up with a new idea. He instructed another eunuch, "Recite the names of the dishes for the Empress Dowager, and make sure they're crisp!"

"Yes, sir." The little eunuch quickly cleared his throat and loudly announced to the inner chambers:

"Crispy fried pork tenderloin, crispy fried chicken, assorted stuffed sausage, braised duck, sesame oil rolls, stir-fried fresh mushrooms, stir-fried fish fillet, stir-fried fish maw, stir-fried fish slices, stir-fried pork slices with vinegar, stir-fried three delicacies, stir-fried pigeon eggs..."

The aroma of various foods wafted into the inner chambers on the wind, and the voices announcing the names of the dishes pierced the Empress Dowager's ears without missing a single word. For Empress Dowager Zhang, who had endured five days of hunger, this was nothing short of torture.

She covered her ears, curled up on the bed, and hissed in a low voice, "I can't take it anymore, I want to eat, I want fried pork tenderloin, I want braised fish slices..."

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was about to lose her temper and reach for a chicken leg on the ground, Madam Jin quickly ordered someone to restrain her. She then rushed to the outer room, hands on her hips, and angrily shouted, "Your Majesty, how could you torture the Empress Dowager like this! Have you no sense of human ethics?!"

Zhu Houzhao's face darkened, and he said righteously, "What do you mean by that? I brought food to the Empress Dowager's lips and went to great lengths to cure her anorexia so that she would eat. This is filial piety! How is it torture?!"

He glanced sharply at Madam Jin, "On the contrary, you all stay by the Empress Dowager's side all day long, why don't you try to persuade her to eat? Are you harboring some ill intentions? Why did I just hear you trying to persuade her not to eat?!"

Madam Jin was rendered speechless by his retort, and after a long while, she managed to stammer out, "There's a reason why the Empress Dowager isn't eating..."

"What's the reason?" Zhu Houzhao asked, feigning confusion.

"You're attacking her brother!" Madam Jin exclaimed urgently.

Zhu Houzhao scoffed as if he had heard a joke: "I punish the lawless relatives of the empress dowager, and the empress dowager threatens to go on a hunger strike? Has she gone senile?!"

"The Empress Dowager is not even forty yet, far from being senile..." Madam Jin was speechless for a moment, then said in a muffled voice:

"In short, if the Emperor spares her second brother, she will definitely eat!"

"Absurd!" Zhu Houzhao's smile vanished, his expression turning extremely serious. "I have already sent people to investigate whether the Marquis of Jianchang has committed any wrongdoing. We will have the results soon! As long as he is innocent, I will naturally let him go."

Madam Jin was stunned. Could it be that it wasn't just a land issue? She hurriedly said, "The second son is used to making a fuss; surely he can find a problem?"

"Then investigate thoroughly!" Zhu Houzhao declared emphatically. "Even a prince is subject to the law, just like a commoner! Let alone a mere marquis!"

Liu Jin, who had been smiling obsequiously, turned deathly pale upon hearing this, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face...

The Emperor is actually determined to fight the Zhang family to the death! Doesn't that mean I've chosen the wrong side?!
"Do you want your mother to die?!" Madam Jin completely lost her temper, stomping her foot and roaring at Zhu Houzhao's nose.

"It's you who wanted her dead! It's your Zhang family!" Zhu Houzhao roared in fury, pointing at Madam Jin and hurling insults.

"You keep saying you love your daughter, but in reality you treat her as a puppet to manipulate me, and as a cash cow for your Zhang family! You biased old hag, for the sake of your two wicked sons, you instigated the relationship between my mother and father back then, causing them to break off completely! Now you're using your own daughter's life to blackmail me!"

Zhu Houzhao grew angrier as he spoke, his eyes turning red, and his hand trembling as he pointed towards the inner chamber:

"She's been starving for five days, her body is almost broken, but you didn't even blink, only thinking about getting her to force me to let go of your two precious sons who forcibly seized farmland and raped palace maids! Aren't you afraid that she'll really starve to death and cut off your Zhang family's backing? Let me tell you, if that day ever comes, I will definitely wipe out your entire Zhang family, I'll even break the yolks of your eggs!"

Lady Jin, relying on being the emperor's maternal grandmother, had never taken Zhu Houzhao seriously. But seeing the emperor, who was now a head taller than her, with a face twisted with rage, she finally felt afraid and involuntarily collapsed to the ground...

Zhu Houzhao, however, did not let her off the hook, settling old and new scores at once: "You, a woman from the imperial family, have lingered in my Zhu family's palace for over a decade, sowing discord between husbands and wives and mothers and sons! I, the master of this palace, have been forced by you to hide in the Leopard Chamber, unable to return home! You have trampled on the dignity of my imperial family!" "What kind of people are your two sons? Don't you know? Relying on the Empress Dowager's protection, they run rampant, cruelly oppress the people, seize farmland, worship evil gods, and even dared to rape palace maids and wear my father's crown—all of these are capital offenses! Their lawlessness is entirely due to your teachings, you old hag! Now that their crimes have been exposed, you not only show no remorse but also dare to threaten me with the life of your own daughter! Truly, you are defying your superiors and rebelling against Heaven!"

Zhu Houzhao vented all the resentment he had accumulated over the years on Madam Jin. Gasping for breath, he finally concluded his judgment on the limp Madam Jin:
"The Zhang family's downfall is all because of you, you old hag who doesn't know the meaning of death! You are the root of all evil, the source of all wickedness! If you hadn't been so single-minded in using your daughter as a stepping stone to pave the way for your son, and as a shield to protect him from disaster, how could our mother-son relationship have fallen to this state?!"

Having vented his anger, the emperor no longer glanced at the limp, lifeless Lady Jin, and coldly berated the stunned eunuch beside him:
"What are you standing there for? Keep reciting the menu!"

"Yes." The little eunuch trembled with fright and hurriedly replied, his slightly trembling voice ringing out again:

"Mixed chrysanthemum, stewed pork offal, braised liver tips, braised pork intestines, braised heart, braised lungs, braised pork belly, braised pork belly, braised pork belly, fried lungs, pickled cucumber strips, diced pheasant..."

The names of the dishes reached the Empress Dowager's ears clearly, but this time they failed to whet her appetite. Instead, they seemed to be a cacophony of demonic chants, causing her immense pain, making her clutch her head and scream in agony!
But she couldn't go out; she was so hungry she couldn't even get out of bed. If she went out and threw a tantrum, everyone would laugh at her, and how could she keep up the act?
~~
At the same time, a large contingent of fully armed Imperial Guards rushed to the Jianchang Marquis's residence.

"Open the door! Open the door immediately!" The Imperial Guards pounded on the door knocker and then smashed the door with their scabbards, instantly alarming the entire Marquis's residence.

The gate suddenly swung open, and the steward of the Marquis's mansion, along with a dozen servants, stood in the hallway, armed with knives, spears, and clubs.

They had initially been quite confident, but seeing the large, heavily armed and armored Imperial Guards approaching menacingly outside the door, the Marquis's men's courage faltered. The steward, forcing himself to remain calm, reprimanded them:
"Are you all insane? How dare you cause trouble in front of the Marquis's mansion!"

The leading officer of the Imperial Guards brandished a bright yellow warrant and said coldly, "The Western Depot is ordered to search the Jianchang Marquis's residence. All irrelevant personnel, get out of the way!"

"Insolence!" The steward, his face pale, shouted defiantly, "This is the residence of the Emperor's brother-in-law! How dare you touch it?!"

"Today's target is the Imperial Uncle's residence!" With a wave of his hand, the commander of the Imperial Guards swarmed forward and seized the servants blocking the way.

Those servants of the Marquis's mansion, who were usually as fierce as wolves, were disarmed without daring to put up any resistance.

When the Imperial Guards rushed to the front of the main hall, they were blocked by Zhang Zongchang, the son of the Marquis of Jianchang, and his family members.

"I am the current emperor's cousin, so arrest me if you dare!"

"Arrest them!" Without hesitation, the commander of the Imperial Guards waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards pounced on them, arresting Zhang Zongchang and the others like chickens.

Lady Jianchang, along with the women of the household, blocked the way, crying and shouting that they should not confiscate the property. In an instant, chaos erupted, and everything was in complete disarray.

"Let them copy! I'm already dirt poor!" Zhang Yanling's angry shout rang out behind the crowd, his face contorted with rage as he roared.

"Move away all my broken tables and chairs, let everyone see what kind of life the Emperor's brother-in-law is living!"

Just as they were shouting, the Imperial Guards suddenly parted to the left and right. Qian Ning, who had been promoted to the rank of Commander, strode up to him, surrounded by a group of trusted officers, and sized up the tattered and disheveled Marquis of Jianchang.

Enemies meeting are bound to be furious, and the two immediately began to fight like cockfighting!

"It's you?!" Zhang Yanling felt a pang of rage at the sight of Qian Ning, gritting his teeth and wishing he could tear him apart alive.

"Still don't understand the situation, my lord?" Qian Ning sneered. "We're not just here to confiscate your property today."

"What else do you want to do?!" Marquis Jianchang glared at him.

"Arrest them!" Qian Ning ordered in a deep voice. "From Zhang Yanling down, all adult males in the manor are to be arrested and brought to justice! The rest are to be gathered together and locked up on the spot!"

Zhang Yanling was struck dumb. He realized that the other party was serious and panicked, but still wanted to resist by throwing a tantrum. He shouted with his neck stiff, "Who dares to touch me? My sister is the Empress Dowager!"

Qian Ning was too lazy to waste words with him, so he slapped Zhang Yanling hard across the face, knocking him to the ground!
Before he could react, Qian Ning stomped hard on his lower abdomen again.

Zhang Yanling screamed in agony, forever losing his male virility...

Qian Ning then looked down at Zhang Yanling, who was wriggling like a maggot, and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto his face.

"You fool who doesn't know his own death! Tie him up!"

Two Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward and bound Zhang Yanling tightly with a rope made of ox sinew. They then stuffed a rag filled with mustard into his mouth to muffle his cries of pain...

P.S. I'll revise this later, please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)