Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 89 The sky is falling

In May, the weather in Shengjing (Shenyang) already showed signs of summer.

The afternoon sun scorched the earth, and even the wind carried a hint of heat. However, the sky was not clear. Large swaths of thick clouds surged in from the southern horizon, like spilled ink, pressing heavily on the emerging capital and brewing an unexpected thunderstorm.

Inside Phoenix Tower, the suffocating sense of oppression was even stronger than the changing weather outside.

The windows were wide open, trying to let in a wisp of cool air, but only stuffy air blew in.

The Great Khan of the Jin Dynasty, Huang Taiji, sat on his throne, dressed in a bright yellow casual robe. He was staring at a report on the table, his brows furrowed.

More than half a month later, the trade route from Guihua, Shanxi, seemed to have vanished overnight.

The agreed-upon pig iron, saltpeter, medicinal herbs, and grains vanished without a trace, as if a stone had sunk into the sea.

At first, he thought it was just that the greedy officials at the checkpoints of the Southern Dynasty were making up excuses again, or that they had encountered some minor troubles along the way. He even had the leisure to joke with the princes, saying that Fan Yongdou and his men had made too much gold to carry.

However, as time went by, the messenger sent to make contact never returned, and the composure in his heart was gradually replaced by a shadow of gloom.

This was not just a matter of money and supplies; it was a lifeline that had been operating for decades, meticulously constructed since the time of his father, Nurhaci.

It is so secretive and so efficient, like a thick blood vessel hidden in the body of the Ming Dynasty, continuously supplying the Later Jin with the blood it needs to survive and grow.

How could such a blood vessel become blocked silently?
At the lower end, Dai Shan, who was quite old and had slightly white hair and beard, closed his eyes to rest, seemingly unconcerned about Da Han's irritability. However, his slightly trembling eyelids betrayed his equally uneasy heart. Meanwhile, Fan Wencheng in the corner had his head down and looked humble, but in his mind, he had already considered all the possibilities countless times. Each outcome made him feel a pang of anxiety.

“Report—!”

A sharp shout pierced the deathly silence inside the building like a sword.

Before the words had even finished, a figure staggered in.

The leader of the intelligence agency specializing in the Southern Dynasty wore a tattered blue cloth robe, stained with mud and dried blood. Beneath his disheveled hair was a face contorted with fear and exhaustion.

He seemed like a demon who had escaped from hell. As soon as he entered the hall, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and making hoarse sounds in his throat, as if he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Adun!" Huang Taiji suddenly stood up, his voice booming, "What happened? Why are you so distraught!"

The spy named Adun suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. He roared with all his might, "Great Khan! The sky... has fallen! Our roots inside the pass have been uprooted!"

"You bastard!" Daishan suddenly opened his eyes and shouted angrily, "The heavens of my Great Jin are in Shengjing! What nonsense about roots, explain yourself clearly!"

A'dun seemed to be awakened by the roar. He trembled as he pulled out a secret report, soaked in sweat and almost crumpled, from his bosom. He raised it high above his head, his voice shrill: "The newly enthroned emperor of the Ming Dynasty... he's made his move! The Shanxi merchants, the Eight Families... they're all finished! Not a single one escaped!"

"All gone?" Dai Shan snatched the secret report, glanced at it briefly, and his hand began to tremble uncontrollably. He roared in disbelief, "This is impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Eight Great Families are deeply rooted in the Ming Dynasty, with officials and merchants colluding in an intricate web of connections."

Our dealings with them were mediated through countless undercover operations and layers of deception. Even when that inexperienced young emperor was at the height of Wei Zhongxian's power, he couldn't catch us! What makes Zhu Youjian think he can?!

"With knives!" A'dun's voice trembled with tears; that memory was clearly a nightmare he would never forget. "It wasn't an investigation, it wasn't an interrogation... it was a bloodbath! Zhu Youjian personally mobilized the elite troops of the Beijing Garrison, together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to simultaneously seal off all the businesses and residences of the Eight Great Families in the capital, Guihua, Datong, and Zhangjiakou! The operation was swift as lightning, without a single word leaking out!"

He paused, as if needing all his courage to speak: "All the main and collateral branches of the eight families, regardless of age or gender, were captured. The ringleader was taken to the execution ground in the capital, where, in front of the entire city… he was subjected to the excruciating punishment of slow slicing! He was cut into pieces a full three thousand six hundred times, and the screams of the prisoners echoed throughout the capital! All other family members, whether they knew about it or not, were executed along with their entire families, extending to nine generations of relatives! Anyone related by blood, whether an official or a commoner, was dismissed from their post, their property confiscated, and exiled to the malaria-ridden land of Qiongzhou, three thousand miles away! Their property, land deeds, banks… everything was confiscated!"

"Lingchi (death by a thousand cuts)...extermination of nine generations of family members..."

These two cold words, seemingly carrying the bloody stench of the execution ground, instantly permeated every corner of Phoenix Tower.

Dai Shan stood there, stunned. The arrogance and rage on his face vanished completely, leaving only horror and blankness.

"Clap!"

A crisp cracking sound.

Huang Taiji crushed a white jade teacup in his hand, the sharp shards cutting his palm and dripping crimson blood slowly through his fingers, but he was oblivious. His gaze was fixed on A'dun, and his voice was terrifyingly low: "What did you find in their home?"

Adun's body trembled even more violently: "They found everything, Your Majesty. The secret letters and account books found in Fan Yongdou and Wang Dengku's home and shop not only contain detailed records of our purchases of iron, gunpowder, and grain over the years, but also a list of officials we have planted within the Ming court!"

Boom!

A muffled clap of thunder sounded outside the hall, as if in response to Adun's words.

The Phoenix Tower fell into complete silence, with only the approaching thunder outside the window and the heavy breathing of the people inside.

Huang Taiji slowly released his grip, letting the shattered porcelain shards and blood fall to the ground. He walked to the window, pushed open the carved window frame, and a gust of wind mixed with moisture rushed in, causing his clothes to flutter.

Outside, dark clouds loomed over the city, threatening to crush it. A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, instantly illuminating his gloomy face, which looked as if it were about to drip water.

He always thought that the young emperor named Zhu Youjian was just a lucky guy who inherited a mess from his muddle-headed older brother.

He was a puppet who was being roasted on the fire by the eunuch faction and the Donglin faction, and could only cry helplessly in the deep palace. He even prepared to send his troops south when the new emperor and his ministers were fighting each other to the death!

“What a fine death by a thousand cuts! What a fine execution of nine generations of relatives…” Huang Taiji’s voice was not loud, but it seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling coldness. “At first, I thought Zhu Chunchen was just a wildfire that was accidentally ignited by the new emperor’s ascension to the throne. Now it seems that I and you all underestimated this new neighbor in the Forbidden City.”

He turned around.

"He is not a lamb to be slaughtered, nor even a lion cub eager to roar."

Huang Taiji spoke slowly and deliberately, each word as if cast from molten iron.

"He is a wolf that knows how to conceal his claws and patiently lurk in the darkness! He doesn't bark when he's not looking, but when he strikes, he'll bite his prey's throat off, skin and bone!"

Rumble——!
A deafening clap of thunder finally exploded over Shengjing, followed by a torrential downpour of large raindrops that instantly shrouded the entire world in a gray, misty rain.

This dark cloud originating from the south finally turned into a real downpour, slamming heavily over Shengjing!

(End of this chapter)