After listening to his brother's words, Liao Zhong also fell into deep thought. Obviously, things were not as simple as he thought.

Looking up at his younger brother, Liao Zhong asked, "Then why did they come here this time?"

Liao Yuan said helplessly: "They want us to cooperate."

"Cooperate?" Liao Zhong said with a sneer: "They want to rebel and kill His Highness the Crown Prince. This is a crime that can be executed by the whole family. They might kill the nine tribes. Let us cooperate, how can we cooperate? Do you think they can succeed?"

Liao Yuan shook his head, but still said hesitantly: "After all, there are not many people around His Royal Highness, maybe..."

"There is no possibility." Liao Zhong interrupted his younger brother and said, "Don't you know about His Highness the Crown Prince? Has His Highness the Crown Prince ever lost a battle in so many years? Who are the Black Dragon Army members of His Highness the Crown Prince? All of them.

An elite who has been on the battlefield and killed people without blinking an eye! Just the likes of us are not enough to fill the gaps between people's teeth."

"When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince went out for the first time, five thousand Black Dragon Army killed ten thousand cavalrymen. How old was His Royal Highness at that time? The Black Dragon Army had just formed an army at that time, but they achieved such a record."

"What now? His Highness the Crown Prince no longer personally leads the army. Do you know how strong the Black Dragon Army is now? Do you know that His Highness the Crown Prince has brought the Black Dragon Guards this time? Don't talk about us people, even if there are ten thousand more people

, 20,000 people, or even 50,000 people, were defeated by the Crown Prince in one blow."

"Who are these people under us? Will they be willing to sacrifice their lives for us? If we know that we are rebelling, they might just chop off our heads and go to His Highness the Prince to ask for credit."

"You have to know that there are people from His Royal Highness in my barracks now. At that time, we didn't even take action, and the people were already gone. This kind of thing must not be done!"

Seeing his elder brother's resolute attitude, Liao Yuan said with a bitter smile: "But I have no choice. These days, His Highness the Crown Prince has been arresting people in the city, and he also beheaded some people at the city gate a few days ago. He really found us

If so, we will also be dead."

"Anyway, it's a dead end. Why not give it a try? Maybe one day you will become a prince or a general."

Glancing at his younger brother, Liao Zhong saw the madness in his eyes.

Liao Zhong narrowed his eyes, pressed the hilt of the sword at his waist with his right hand, and then said: "You'd better tell me clearly, otherwise I won't let you leave here today. I can't let you drag me

Let the whole family die."

Seeing his elder brother like this, Liao Yuan calmed down instantly and said with a wry smile: "These are what they said to me. They said that His Highness the Crown Prince will not let us go, and we can only take a risk, otherwise there will be no way to survive."

.”

"You believe what they say." Liao Zhong rolled his eyes at his brother and said, "They are just a bunch of liars."

Pacing back and forth in the room, Liao Zhong finally stopped, looked at his brother and said, "Now tell me clearly about our family, what exactly have you done?"

"Just the ones you know. We appropriated some fields, and then sold the silk produced to this gentleman, and nothing else. We bought these grains from him, and we knew there was a problem.

But I did it anyway.”

"It's nothing more than money. We have made a lot from this over the years, and you know it, brother. We look prosperous, but in fact we are not that prosperous. If we don't have money, we really can't do anything.

The family is in ruins, so we must make money."

Glancing at his younger brother, Liao Zhong said: "I didn't say you were wrong in making money. It was always like this before, everyone did it, and it's understandable for our family to do it this way. But if you do something, you have to take responsibility, and if you make a mistake, you have to admit it.

If you are beaten, you have to stand up straight. We can't think about other things. If no one investigates, nothing will happen. But now that something like this has happened, we can't hide it even if we want to."

"Get ready and come with me to see His Highness the Crown Prince. We are going to plead guilty and tell everything about this gentleman. As for what His Highness the Crown Prince will do with us, it's up to His Highness the Crown Prince." Liao Zhong said expressionlessly.

"What if we are all executed?" Liao Yuan raised his head and looked at his brother, his eyes were red and he said.

"That is also our sin." Liao Zhong looked at Liao Yuan and said with a serious face: "But we must not rebel. It is really a dead end. If we go and confess our sins and tell the truth, His Highness the Prince may give us a way to live.

.You don’t have to think about anything else. If you don’t want to, I will escort you along.”

Liao Yuan looked at Liao Zhong, sighed, and said helplessly: "Okay, listen to elder brother. Anyway, whether it's life or death, we brothers will be together. If His Royal Highness is really to kill everyone, there will be one of our two families on the way.

My companion, it’s nice to be neatly organized.”

Nodding slightly, Liao Zhong said: "Then let's go."

By the West Lake, Zhu Houzhao's residence.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the two people kneeling on the ground expressionlessly, and said coldly: "I didn't expect that there was such a thing in Zhejiang, and I didn't expect that you would hide this matter from me. It seems like I

You did something wrong. Am I too soft-hearted? I should have killed you last time."

The two people kneeling on the ground are Zhejiang Chief Minister Han Tai and Zhejiang Inspector Zhou Yi.

The two people knelt on the ground. After hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, they quickly said: "I am guilty."

At this time, Zhou Yi spoke first. He said helplessly: "Your Highness, I do have selfish motives."

"Then let's talk and listen." Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhou Yi and said expressionlessly.

"The last time we went to His Majesty the Crown Prince to confess our sins, although His Majesty the Crown Prince asked us to accept our guilt and make meritorious service, we ourselves also know that our sins are extremely heinous and there is no way we can get over it unless we do something."

"We thought of this gentleman. But we didn't have any evidence. We wanted to catch him first and then send him to His Majesty the Crown Prince. But by the time we went there, he had already run away."

"We have asked our people to investigate. His Highness the Crown Prince can question our people, and they can all testify for us. We wanted to wait until we catch this person before reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, but we didn't expect that they would be so bold.

"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Han and Tai, nodded, and then asked: "How do you know that he did the assassination?"

"Go back to His Royal Highness, he has sent someone to look for us two." This time it was Han Tai who spoke.

Han Tai said with some excitement: "He threatened us, saying that if we don't obey, he will publish the evidence of our crimes. By then we will also be dead. Instead of dying, it is better to follow him and give it a try."

Zhu Houzhao nodded. Then he asked him, "What about that person you are familiar with? You must never tell me that that person is not here. Whether that person has run away or is dead, you can't get rid of it."

"Go back to Your Highness, no, that man didn't run away. He was captured alive by us." Zhou Yi on the side said quickly: "He is outside now. We really repent and will never join in with them. Maybe we are a little greedy.

, we have embezzled some money, but we will never betray Ming Dynasty. Although our conscience is not much left, our loyalty to Ming Dynasty is still there."

Han Tai on the side nodded quickly and said like a curse: "We are loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and please ask His Majesty the Crown Prince to show his caution."

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Yang Lian beside him, and then said: "Take that person down for interrogation and see if you can ask anything. If you can ask, then take people to arrest him."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will take care of it." After saying this, Yang Lian turned around and strode out.

Zhu Houzhao sat on the chair. He reached out to pick up the teacup and took a sip, but did not let the two people stand up. Apparently he was dissatisfied with the two people for hiding this matter from him.

However, Zhu Houzhao had long known that there was such a person, but he didn't know who he was.

Because Chen Laosan of Qi Zhai had already given up on this person. If he couldn't find the person, Zhu Houzhao would have sent someone over to take care of him.

Zhu Houzhao also knew what Han Tai said, because he knew that these two people had been hiding it from him. He originally thought of killing them together when something happened, but he didn't expect them to run out on their own.

Glancing at Liu Jin beside him, Zhu Houzhao asked slowly: "Have all their wealth been handed over?"

"Go back to His Majesty the Crown Prince and hand over everything. I have already checked. Except for some fields in their hometown, they have nothing else. All the land deeds for the shops have been handed over."

Zhu Houzhao nodded, then looked at the two people and said, "Not bad.

Okay, this matter is over here, go back and do your errands! As for how to deal with you in the end, I will report it to my father, and I think there will be a result. As for whether there is a good result, it depends on how you guys do it.

Work hard and make meritorious deeds.”

According to their charges of dereliction of duty and corruption, it would have been appropriate to have their heads chopped off during the time of Taizu.

However, his father would probably be sentenced to exile in the army and not beheaded. If he had made merit in subsequent events, he would probably be given a lighter punishment, but it would still depend on them.

Zhu Houzhao said this, which was tantamount to letting them live.

Han and Tai quickly knelt down and kowtowed, praising Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand expressionlessly, signaling the two of them to leave.

Han and Tai didn't dare to say anything, so they turned around and left.

After the two people left, Zhu Houzhao suddenly threw the teacup in his hand.

Zhu Houzhao was not angry with Han and Tai, but was venting the suppressed anger in his heart.

Because Zhu Houzhao knew that Han and Tai were not special cases, nor did he say that he would be done with killing these two people, but that the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was like this.

Two high-ranking officials in Zhejiang province all fell into this trap. Even the original governor of Zhejiang was the same. The newly appointed Zhang Xian just didn't have time.

Zhang Xian knew there was a problem here but did not file a memorial. What does this mean? He himself said that he had no objection, but in Zhu Houzhao's view, Zhang Xian was preparing to be complicit.

However, the conditions between the two parties have not yet been negotiated. Once the conditions are suitable, Zhang Xian will immediately fall into the arms of these people.

This is the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, and these are the senior officials of the Ming Dynasty. If this is the case in Zhejiang, what about the other officials of the Ming Dynasty?

Will it be better than them?

In Zhu Houzhao's opinion, no, it would definitely be worse than this; even if it was good, it wouldn't be much better.

No official can withstand investigation. As long as we go to investigate, everything will be wrong.

This reality made Zhu Houzhao feel powerless, which was also the source of his anger.

As for that gentleman, Zhu Houzhao could guess where he was from at a glance. He was able to transport silk. To put it bluntly, he was a smuggler, and he dared to assassinate himself.

If this kind of person says it has nothing to do with Jiangxi, even if he kills Zhu Houzhao, he won't believe it.

Otherwise, where would his food come from?

It can be said that the situation in several provinces in Jiangnan is probably similar now.

Maybe the situation wasn't so bad originally, but Zhu Houzhao's cleaning operations in Yangzhou and the salt fields still left some traces behind.

Zhu Houzhao didn't arrest them all at first, and didn't investigate them all. As a result, Jiangnan is now in chaos.

These people obviously did not repent. After they had no business selling salt, they set their sights elsewhere.
To be continued...