The Empress Zhou did not answer his question, but pulled him to the side, admonishing him with disappointment.
"Father, haven't you had any thoughts about so many officials being imprisoned recently?"
"If you can still listen to your daughter's words, then quickly admit your mistake to the Emperor. No matter how he handles it, the Zhou family must not utter a single word of objection. Otherwise, your daughter will not be able to protect the Zhou family this time."
People who are stingy have one characteristic: they are not efficient in their work.
After Empress Zhou had said all that, Zhou Kui still stubbornly replied, "What are you afraid of? I don't believe the Emperor can really do anything to the Zhou family~"
While father and daughter were in a standoff, with one advising and the other being stubborn, Zhu Youjian had already approached Li Shimin. "I have made you, Old Ancestor, witness this."
Li Shimin glared at him, "What kind of rotten relatives have you found? Didn't you look at your family members' character before getting married?"
Zhu Youjian scratched his head, "Your Majesty, you must not know, this matter is a long story."
When he married Empress Zhou, he was still Prince Xin. The Great Ming Dynasty always adopted a 'pig-fattening' model for princes, providing them with money and food, but princes could not do anything!
They could not be officials, engage in business, or join the army.
Therefore, when he got married back then, he didn't need to worry so much; as long as his wife was virtuous, it was enough.
As for whether his wife's family could take advantage of the princely mansion, or do illegal things under the guise of the princely mansion, such opportunities were very small.
The title of Prince sounded good, but in reality, it was just a rich idler.
Moreover, for Zhu Youjian, even the "rich" part was gone; he was merely an idler.
After a long while, Chonglou returned to the Huangji Hall, dust-covered, holding a booklet. He respectfully handed it to Zhu Youjian.
"Your Majesty, the assets of the Zhou family in the capital are all in this booklet!"
The paper currency of the Ming Dynasty was a joke, so both commoners and officials alike focused on hoarding silver.
However, such methods were laughable in front of a metal detector. None of the many officials had escaped the search, and the same applied to Zhou Kui's home.
Zhu Youjian only looked at two pages before his fury erupted. He strode to Zhou Kui and slapped the booklet onto his face.
"My father-in-law! Explain to me, where did all this silver come from!"
Zhou Kui picked up the booklet somewhat blankly. Looking at the recorded silver amounts and the various rare pearls and jade, he realized his family's wealth had been discovered by the Imperial Guards.
Empress Zhou only knew that her father had a greedy nature like a Pixiu, but she had no idea how much wealth the Zhou family had accumulated over the years.
She took the booklet from Zhou Kui and, after flipping through it, was shocked by the silver recorded on the very first page.
Two hundred and seventy thousand taels!
This figure made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her whole body turning cold. She looked at Zhou Kui with immense pain and questioned him.
"Father! Our family never engages in business, so where did we get so much silver!"
Zhou Kui stammered, unable to answer.
Seeing his silence, Zhu Youjian turned to Chonglou.
"Take all the servants of the Zhou family to the Imperial Guards and interrogate them rigorously! I want to see if this money came from some foolish bribes, or if the Zhou family extorted it from the people!"
"Yes!"
Chonglou cheerfully accepted the order and led his subordinates away from the Huangji Hall once more.
It was then that Zhou Kui understood his predicament. Was the Emperor really going to take action?
He immediately knelt down, hugged Zhu Youjian's leg, and wailed.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you cannot do this! Th-this money, it-it was all sent to the house by others~ "
"Y-yes, sent to the house by others~"
"I-I am the father-in-law. For my birthday every year, I receive gifts. This money has been saved up over the years!"
"Let go!" Zhu Youjian shook off Zhou Kui and sat down behind the imperial desk, angrily reprimanding, "Everything will be discussed after the Imperial Guards extract confessions!"
"Empress, please take these father and son away. Seeing them now irritates me!"
The father and son were taken away and were not allowed to leave the palace for even half a step until the Imperial Guards had obtained the results.
It was not until the next day that Chonglou returned with a thick stack of confession papers to report.
Bribery, corruption, colluding with Grand Secretaries to sell official positions – these were the main sources of the two hundred and seventy thousand taels in savings.
However, after reviewing them, Fang Er noticed that a name mentioned by a gatekeeper of the Zhou family in the confessions: Shanxi merchant, Fan Yongdou!
One of the Eight Great Imperial Merchants of the Manchu Qing!
The Zhou family was actually colluding with them?
He had originally planned to rest for a couple of days and then take Li Shimin to tour Shanxi and Shaanxi, but he hadn't expected the Fan family to surface so quickly.
Facing the confessions, Zhou Kui had no way to defend himself.
Considering that the Zhou family was an imperial clan, Zhu Youjian decided to spare their lives, stripping them of their titles, confiscating all their family property, and demoting them to commoners, never to be employed again.
He sent for Luo Yangxing and Fang Er handed him a list, which contained information on the Eight Great Jin Merchants.
"These people, colluding with the Manchu Qing, smuggling salt, iron, and warhorses – you should know what to do."
Luo Yangxing did not doubt the authenticity of the list. After properly securing it, he cupped his hands and said, "My Lord, rest assured, your subordinate will personally lead men out of the capital to handle this matter!"
The growth of the Eight Great Cavalry of the Manchu Qing was inextricably linked to the Eight Great Jin Merchants!
Ironware, warhorses, salt, and silk – as long as it was profitable, there was nothing they dared not to smuggle!
They even bought military grain, curbed by generals from the Liaodong Army, and resold it to the Manchu Tartars!
No matter what era it was, this was clearly an act of aiding the enemy, and a thousand deaths would not be enough to appease the hatred!
Zhu Youjian did not feel displeased with Fang Er's command to Luo Yangxing to leave the capital. In less than a month, the situation in the Great Ming had been reversed.
He was well aware of who was the root cause of all this.
Among these Tang people who had descended from the heavens, the most distinguished was Emperor Taizong, but the one who made the most decisions on a daily basis was the young Duke Fang before him.
The confiscated officials had filled the national treasury.
This time, when they went to apprehend people, it would likely bring in another considerable income. Thinking of the situation in Shanxi, Zhu Youjian took out the troop dispatch token and handed it over.
"Minister Luo, when you leave the capital, you can bring two thousand men from the capital garrison to accompany you, to prevent riots from refugees!"
"Your subordinate obeys the decree!"
Luo Yangxing took the token and turned to leave the Huangji Hall.
Zhu Youjian's action was somewhat unexpected by Fang Er, but it had to be said that this fellow had become much more sensible recently.