Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

"Master Wang, don't be so naive..." Qu Shangzhong shook his head, his brows furrowed tightly, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened. He was extremely disappointed with Wang Zheng's naivety. "I just told you, this matter is a conspiracy, a conspiracy against you salt merchants!"

"Targeting us? Why?" Wang Zheng looked puzzled, his eyes slightly narrowed, full of confusion and puzzlement.

He stared at Qu Shangzhong closely, eagerly hoping to get a reasonable explanation from him, and his forward-leaning body and unconscious grip on the armrests of the chair showed his inner tension and uneasiness.

"My Lord Wang, what else could it be? What else could they be thinking about you?" Qu Shangzhong's voice rose involuntarily, and he said with some regret.

"Is...is...money?" When Wang Zheng said this word with trembling lips, he had already realized the seriousness of the problem, but was unwilling to believe it was true.

"What else could it be besides money? Otherwise, even if he wanted to intervene in such a small matter, as long as he mentioned the name of Commander Shi Kefa, how could Young Master Wang not give him face? Not only did he not say anything, but he deliberately made a big deal out of it, and even went so far as to shoot a constable in the street! What was he doing for? Just to make you go to him for justice and make the matter bigger!" In order to win Wang Zheng's support, Qu Shangzhong was using all his tricks to fool him.

"Why make things so big?" Wang Zheng asked.

"Of course it's for the purpose of settling scores later. Think about it... when Chongzhen ascends the throne again with the support of the three towns, what will the conflict between your son and him become?" Qu Shangzhong's eyes revealed a hint of cunning. He deliberately paused and looked at Wang Zheng, wanting to observe his reaction.

At this time, Qu Shangzhong was like a cunning hunter, slowly leading the prey into the trap he set.

"That would be an offense to God..." Wang Zheng muttered to himself.

Wang Zheng's face turned pale and his voice became weak. This answer had exhausted all his strength. His body trembled slightly, and his hands let go of the armrests of the chair and hung limply on both sides of his body.

"He deserves death, and his entire clan must be implicated!" Qu Shangzhong sighed, with a heartbroken expression on his face, as if he had already seen the tragic end of Wang Zheng's family.

His voice was low and heavy, and every word was like a hammer, hammering hard on Wang Zheng's heart: "When the time comes, the Jinyiwei will come to confiscate your family's property. Won't the wealth accumulated by your Wang family for a hundred years fall into the hands of Chongzhen?"

"He...why did he do this?" There was a hint of anger and confusion in Wang Zheng's voice. His hands once again tightly grasped the armrests of the chair. The veins on the back of his hands bulged, showing his inner anger and unwillingness.

"Why? What does he need most if he wants to regain the lost territory after he ascends the throne? That is of course money! Yangzhou is the most prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty. There are countless wealthy merchants in the city, and you Lianghuai salt merchants are even richer than a country! If the money doesn't come from you, who will?" Qu Shangzhong said with a cold smile.

"But if he attacks us, isn't he afraid of causing unrest in Yangzhou City? Isn't he afraid of discouraging these merchants?" Wang Zheng said in a timid tone.

"You're underestimating Chongzhen, and even more so, overestimating you businessmen!" Qu Shangzhong said with a cold smile, a hint of disdain on his face, his eyes filled with mockery. "The whole world is in chaos right now, so why would Chongzhen care about Yangzhou? Besides, can you really let Yangzhou become chaotic? As long as Chongzhen has military power, why would he be afraid of you doing anything? Forget him, even Gao Jie dared to attack Yangzhou, so why wouldn't he?"

"This..." Wang Zheng was speechless. An expression of helplessness and despair appeared on his face. He sat down on the chair, and his body collapsed like a deflated ball.

Wang Zheng was not a genius in the Wang family. The reason why he was put in charge of the salt merchant was because he was proficient in business and had managed the family business in an orderly manner for many years. However, he was far inferior in dealing with interpersonal relationships and intrigues. Therefore, he was frightened and at a loss after being deceived by Qu Shangzhong.

"To be honest, I came to see Master Wang this time not just to tell you about this, I'm here to help you..." Qu Shangzhong said hurriedly when he saw that the time was right.

"Help me? How can father-in-law help me?" Hearing this, Wang Zheng suddenly became more energetic. His eyes lit up and he looked at Qu Shangzhong with expectation, hoping that he could bring him a glimmer of hope.

"Master Wang, you know I am loyal to the current emperor. Chongzhen is just the emperor of the previous dynasty. I cannot let him ascend the throne again!" Qu Shangzhong cleared his throat and said, "So I plan to eliminate Chongzhen before he reveals his true identity!"

There was a hint of ruthlessness in Qu Shangzhong's deliberately low voice, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"You...you're planning to assassinate the Emperor? That's a capital crime! No, no!" Wang Zheng shook his head like a rattle, a look of fear on his face, and he unconsciously recoiled. "You know he lives in the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion, where security is tight. There's no way we could assassinate him...and even if we succeed, how could Shi Kefa let us go?"

"So we have to be quick! Do it before Emperor Chongzhen reveals his identity! And once we succeed, do you think Shi Kefa will search for the murderer?" Qu Shangzhong said with a smile.

Qu Shangzhong leaned forward closer to Wang Zheng, wanting him to understand his plan more clearly. "Right now, everything they do is done in secret. If Chongzhen dies, will these people come forward to reveal Chongzhen's identity? By then, it will be too late for him to cover up!"

"This..." At this point, Wang Zheng was finally shaken. His eyes revealed a hint of hesitation and struggle, and a fierce struggle was going on in his heart.

Wang Zheng's brows were furrowed, his lips were trembling slightly, and he was rubbing his hands constantly, not knowing how to make a decision. On the one hand, he was afraid of Chongzhen and worried about the fate of his family. On the other hand, he was afraid of the assassination and uncertain about the consequences.

"Master Wang, I know you have a large family behind you, so I won't force you to come forward," Qu Shangzhong said. A hint of understanding flashed across his face, but a subtle cunning glint flickered in his eyes. "I don't have any suitable personnel with me when I come to Yangzhou, and this matter is extremely urgent. There's no time to transfer anyone from Nanjing. I hope Master Wang can help me find some good people to cooperate with me. What do you think?"

"This..." Wang Zheng lowered his head and thought for a long time. He gritted his teeth, slammed the table, stood up and said, "Let's go for it! I'll arrange as many manpower as you need!"

A look of determination appeared on Wang Zheng's face. Qu Shangzhong's words finally made him make up his mind. If he didn't fight hard, Wang would die, but if he fought hard, there might be a way to survive!

What he didn't expect was that he was led step by step by Qu Shangzhong into the abyss.

"Great!" Qu Shangzhong laughed heartily, a satisfied smile on his face. "Don't worry, Master Wang, we've been acting with care and understanding. I'm 80% confident this will work! Once we're done, I'll report the Wang family's righteous act to His Majesty! Hasn't Master Wang always wanted the title of General Merchant? By then, wouldn't the position be something the Emperor can decide?"

"Eunuch, thank you for your good wishes. If I can escape this disaster, the Wang family will definitely reward me handsomely!" Wang Zheng bowed deeply, with a look of gratitude on his face.

"Time waits for no one. What the three towns and Shi Kefa discussed today must be related to this. We must hurry up to prepare. This matter must be done before Chongzhen reveals his identity," Qu Shangzhong said seriously.

Although Wang Zheng was persuaded, Qu Shangzhong was still a little nervous and anxious. He paced around the room while talking, thinking about every detail of the action plan.

"Okay, I'll arrange some staff right away!" Wang Zheng nodded and said.

The Wang family of Puzhou is a salt merchant family with a history of hundreds of millions of dollars. How can they make such a big piece of fat meat without some means of self-protection?

Salt merchants traded salt across vast territories. In order to transport salt to these areas smoothly, they needed to organize a large transportation team. During the transportation process, they also needed to deal with various natural and man-made challenges, such as weather changes, river blockages, and robbery by thieves.

Therefore, every salt merchant family maintained a formidable private army. These soldiers were a diverse group, including veterans, powerful figures from the underworld, and so on. While these soldiers weren't as skilled as regular soldiers in the battlefield, each possessed considerable individual combat power. Through long-term training and accumulated combat experience, they possessed considerable combat prowess and adaptability, making them a crucial force in protecting the salt merchant families' interests in complex environments.

According to Qu Shangzhong, the assassination should be carried out that night without delay. However, time was urgent, so the two of them made preparations separately.

Wang Zheng was a local tyrant in Yangzhou City, knowing every corner of the city like the back of his hand. He quickly mobilized his connections and resources to investigate the situation at the Governor's Mansion. Before long, he had a complete and complete understanding of the situation.

Chongzhen had a small courtyard of his own in the Military Governor's Mansion. He had few guards around him, and usually only had three or five people following him closely. The courtyard where he lived was close to a street outside. This provided certain conveniences for his movements, but also increased the risk of being discovered.

Although Commander-in-Chief Shi Kefa also had hundreds of retainers, he was known for his modesty. Most of these retainers were stationed in the city's military camp, leaving only thirty to fifty men on guard duty within the Commander-in-Chief's residence. This made the residence's internal defenses relatively weak, but Shi Kefa's reputation and influence within Yangzhou City still intimidated anyone who wanted to attack the residence.

Qu Shangzhong was a meticulous and decisive person. He carefully considered every detail based on the information Wang Zheng had provided, and then finalized the action plan for that night with Wang Zheng.

After everything was planned, Qu Shangzhong called his trusted eunuch Qu Keqi, who had come with him to Yangzhou, to his side and took out a handwritten letter. "You must leave for Nanjing immediately and give this letter to Eunuch Lu Jiude. Have him report it to the emperor. Understand?"

There was a hint of nervousness and anticipation in his eyes, and his voice was low and serious as he solemnly handed the letter to Qu Keqi.

"Master, don't worry, I will definitely hand this letter to Eunuch Lu!" Qu Keqi said with a determined look on his face. After taking the letter, he carefully placed it in his arms.

"Okay, let's set off immediately!" Qu Shangzhong waved his hand and said.

After watching Qu Keqi leave, Qu Shangzhong looked at the sunset in the sky. The afterglow of the sunset dyed the sky orange-red, which was beautiful and strange.

He sighed deeply. Success or failure depends on tonight...