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

Chapter 98 Who Will His Majesty's Thunderous Wrath Strike?

The Chen family of Suzhou.

Carrying the bloodless knife, Tian Ergeng strolled through the hell on earth he had created, step by step toward the Chen family ancestral hall.

When he kicked open the ancestral hall door, Chen Wannian was holding a torch high, with a pile of account books drenched in kerosene at his feet. Dozens of core members of the Chen clan, regardless of age or gender, were kneeling on the ground, trembling and weeping.

"My lord! Give my Chen family a way out!" Chen Wannian roared hoarsely.

A cruel smile appeared on Tian Ergeng's face as he crushed the path of life step by step. "A way out? His Majesty already gave you a way out two months ago."

Tian Ergeng's voice was like the whisper of a demon, "It's all clearly written in the imperial edict, don't say we didn't warn you! Chen Wannian, do you still remember how you mocked His Majesty's youthful ignorance at the dinner table?"

Chen Wannian trembled violently, and the madness on his face froze instantly.

Tian Ergeng continued, "Your younger brother, Chen Tingyi, who is an official in the capital, confessed everything in the imperial prison."

“His Majesty has no interest in negotiating with you,” Tian Ergeng glanced at the Chen family members in the ancestral hall. “Disobeying the imperial edict and hoarding grain for profit is the same crime as treason! By imperial decree, all members of the Chen family registered are traitors and their entire clan will be exterminated!”

These words shattered Chen Wannian's last mental defenses. The madness in his eyes faded, replaced by endless despair!
Exterminate their entire clan!

"Don't say I didn't warn you..." Chen Wannian muttered to himself absentmindedly.
Tian Ergeng looked at him coldly and gave his final order: "Seal off all granaries and warehouses, and inventory and register all property. Detain all members of the Chen clan, regardless of age or gender. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without exception!"

……

The stench of blood and burnt food lingered in the night wind. Tian Ergeng stood with his hands behind his back on the watchtower at the highest point of the Chen family manor. A trusted commander walked quickly over the rubble, knelt on one knee, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"Commander! Based on the confiscated account books and the interrogation of the core members of the Chen family, we have made a preliminary investigation!"

He swallowed hard, lowering his voice as if the number weighed a ton.

"The Chen family's hidden grain reserves in banks and granaries throughout Jiangnan, Xi'an, Datong, and even the capital amount to no less than 200,000 shi! The value of their gold, silver, jewels, land deeds, and other valuables is no less than seven million taels!"

This is a number that would drive any high-ranking official in charge of a region crazy.

However, Tian Ergeng felt no ripples in his heart, nor any greedy joy. Instead, he felt an extreme admiration and fear for the young emperor who was far away in the Forbidden City in the capital, rising from the depths of his bones.

While the Shanxi merchants case was being investigated simultaneously, this was a carefully laid net of conspiracy, personally cast by His Majesty, covering the entire realm.
That imperial edict from two months ago was not a warning at all!
His Majesty had long known that these powerful merchants and clans who wielded immense influence in Jiangnan and were deeply entrenched in officialdom would never take an empty imperial edict seriously.

He had calculated their greed, their arrogance, and that they would unite and use their most familiar methods—ignoring, delaying, and feigning compliance to oppose imperial power.

What the emperor wanted was never their obedience or cheap grain.

What he wants is the act of disobeying orders itself! It's that evidence of their crime!
With this evidence, he would have a legitimate reason to... raise the butcher's knife!

Tian Ergeng's gaze deepened with horror. He recalled His Majesty's words before his departure: "All charges must be made into an ironclad case."

His Majesty intends to kill not only a few families who "inflated grain prices and defied imperial orders."

He wanted to kill a complete and utter monstrous criminal who ran rampant in the countryside, murdered and seized land, abducted women, colluded with the government, smuggled contraband, and undermined the foundation of the nation!
Therefore, the Jinyiwei's "friendly interrogation" was not only to force them to reveal the location of the gold and silver, but also to uncover all the crimes they had accumulated over generations!
Those coded messages hidden in the corners of the ledgers, those coerced and bribed witnesses, those withered bones buried deep in the backyard... all of this will be transformed into ironclad cases with clear case files and solid evidence under the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

This meticulously planned and chillingly elaborate scheme, this ruthless method of turning everything into a just trial... sent a chill down Tian Ergeng's spine, even though he was the head of the most ruthless organization in the land, the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The emperor wanted more than just their money and lives.

What the emperor wanted was not only to grind them to dust, but also to nail them to the pillar of historical shame, turning them into a group of heinous criminals for whom even their most sympathetic people could not defend them!
What he presented to Wang Ji, who was ordered to investigate, was not a bloody battle report, but a case file with airtight evidence and irrefutable proof!

That tactic, that cunning.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Tian Ergeng gazed at the northern night sky, in the direction of the Forbidden City.

However, just as this feeling of pride and excitement reached its peak, an even more chilling sensation, more intense than before, suddenly shot up from his tailbone to the top of his head.

Your Majesty's plan is flawless.

Where are the people who can execute the plan?

Was he, Tian Ergeng, and the tens of thousands of Imperial Guards under his command truly... flawless?

Tian Ergeng's facial muscles twitched almost imperceptibly. His gaze slowly shifted from the burning Chen family manor at his feet to the figures in flying fish robes who were counting and escorting prisoners.

Once upon a time, these figures were an extension of his power and authority, his proud lackeys and hounds. But now, in his eyes, these figures revealed a dangerous, intolerable glint.

Just before heading south, a secret report from the Northern Garrison Command mentioned that a certain centurion in the capital, after drinking, boasted to the steward of a relative of the emperor that he had handled the case files of the Shanxi merchants and knew far more than the useless people in the Censorate.

In the capital, there were also households with close ties to wealthy merchants, and it was an open secret that they accepted bribes of ice and charcoal. However, because this person was capable in handling the case, I suppressed the case file at the time and only gave him a minor punishment as a warning.

On his way to Suzhou, he saw more than once the greed and longing in the eyes of his subordinates, who were eager for the prosperity of Jiangnan.

They talked about how soft the silk was, how beautiful the gardens were, and how charming the women were, as if this southward journey wasn't a life-or-death struggle, but an armed parade-style get-rich-quick scheme. They were getting carried away.

From him, the commander, down to everyone below him, they all got a little arrogant!

Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has grown increasingly formidable.

From the capital to the provinces, from civil officials to nobles, everyone turned pale at the mere mention of the "Jinyiwei" (Imperial Guard).

The successive handling of earth-shattering cases such as the Shanxi Merchants Case further enhanced the prestige and power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to its zenith.

Success is the best aphrodisiac, but also the most potent poison.

They began to look down on others, to get used to the smooth workings of interpersonal relationships, and to walk the line of the law in order to gain some deserved benefits for themselves.

Some people began to think that since they were His Majesty's confidants and the cornerstone of the empire, doing dirty work that could not be seen in the light but was of vital importance, what did it matter if they smuggled some money and enjoyed some privileges?
Tian Ergeng had always tacitly accepted this unwritten rule, and in the past, he also believed that it was a necessary bone to control this pack of jackals and tigers.

Water that is too clear has no fish. As long as they can serve Your Majesty and kill Your Majesty's enemies, a little flaw is not a big deal.

Tian Ergeng frowned deeply, realizing how terribly wrong his thinking was!
In Your Majesty's game of chess, where the margin for error is almost zero, any flaw could lead to total defeat!
During this trip to Jiangnan, His Majesty repeatedly ordered him to keep it absolutely secret, only allowing him to reveal the true objective to his core personnel at the last minute before taking action.

Looking back now, was His Majesty only wary of the ministers in the court?

Do not!
His Majesty is also wary of these Imperial Guards under his command who have begun to lose control of their mouths and hands!
Tian Ergeng was almost certain that if he had revealed the fact that his target was the Chen family, the Zhang family, and other major families three days in advance, no, even just one day in advance, he would not have been greeted by a few nouveau riche who surrendered without resistance, but by empty shells whose properties had long been abandoned and whose assets had been transferred!

If the task is botched, who will His Majesty's wrath be unleashed upon?
It could only be him, Tian Ergeng!
The thought of the consequences sent a chill down Tian Ergeng's spine and into his official robes, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He will be escorted back to the capital like a stray dog, and Zhou Quan, the West Depot director who has been lurking in the shadows like a venomous snake, will be the first to jump out with a pained smile on his face and confess his heinous crimes to His Majesty!

At that time, the best outcome for Tian Ergeng would probably be losing his position as commander.
But if he is no longer the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then those court officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants he had offended before...
Tian Ergeng dared not think about it anymore!
"comprehensive……"

Tian Ergeng squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, his eyes turning incredibly cold.

He knew that the emperor's favorites must have planted countless spies to keep an eye on the mistakes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But then, Tian Ergeng shook his head self-deprecatingly.

Is what I fear merely thoroughness?
No.

What he truly feared were His Majesty's eyes!
Those were eyes that could see right through people's hearts.

If Your Majesty can see through the greed of Chen Wannian and his ilk, then you can also see through the corruption and depravity under your own rule.

The fact that he gave Chen Wannian a two-month "chance" was also giving Tian Ergeng and the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard a chance.
Your Majesty uses people like you use a knife: if the knife is sharp, use it; if it becomes dull, sharpen it; but if the handle is rotten, rusty, or even shows signs of turning against its master…

Tian Ergeng had no doubt that the young but decisive emperor would not hesitate to melt it down and forge a new sword!

I must never become that old knife that gets melted down!

"Guards!" Tian Ergeng's voice suddenly turned stern.

"exist!"

The trusted commander shuddered, instantly straightening his back as if an invisible blade were pressed against his back. He had never heard such a chilling, murderous will in the commander's voice! This voice was more piercing than ice splashed on molten iron in winter!

Tian Ergeng slowly turned around.

He no longer looked at the inferno he had created with his own hands, nor at the unreachable symbol of imperial power to the north. With his back to the myriad lights of homes and the prosperity of the empire, he poured all his mountain-like oppressive weight onto the trembling subordinate before him.

When he spoke, every word seemed to be carved from the coldest depths of ice, carrying an undeniable, iron-blooded authority:

"Issue my secret order: starting immediately, beginning in Jiangnan, any member of my Embroidered Uniform Guard who solicits bribes, extorts, or leaks information during law enforcement is to be dealt with without interrogation or reporting—"

He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as cruel as the firelight beneath his feet.

"Capture him as a comrade and execute him on the spot! His head shall be displayed at the gate of the garrison as a warning to others!"

"Upon returning to the capital, immediately establish the 'Discipline Bureau,' which I will personally lead! Thoroughly investigate all personnel currently in office in the Northern and Southern Garrison Offices and the Fourteen Garrisons! Anyone with unclear criminal records, close ties with outsiders, or unexplained sources of wealth will be imprisoned first, and then further investigated!"

He took a sudden step forward, his flying fish robe fluttering wildly in the night wind, like a ferocious beast opening its bloody maw to devour its prey!
"Who dares to hand a knife to those childless eunuchs of the Western Depot! Who dares to leave even the slightest stain on His Majesty's grand strategy!"

He looked at the commander, who was so terrified he was almost kneeling on the ground, and said coldly:
"I will personally remove him and everyone behind him from the list of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stroke by stroke, skin and bone!"

(End of this chapter)