To be honest, before traveling through time, Zhu Bai had a very shallow impression of Zhu Biao.
Because Zhu Biao never really became an emperor, the description of him in "History of the Ming Dynasty" is fragmented, brief and vague, making it difficult to get a full picture.
Now he feels that if Zhu Biao can successfully become emperor, the future of Ming Dynasty may really be different.
"Twelfth brother." The silent Zhu Biao suddenly spoke up.
Zhu Bai blinked: "Ang?"
Zhu Biao said: "In the past, my father and you, my son, have been doing things like killing people and making trouble. I'm really sorry. From today on, I will do these things myself."
Zhu Bai was silent for a moment and replied: "Yes."
If Zhu Biao wants to sit in this position, he must put on armor, hold a sword, and become a loner.
There is no way around it.
As we were about to arrive, we saw thick smoke rising in the distance.
Zhu Biao and Zhu Bai exchanged surprised looks.
Zhu Biao: "It couldn't be that the military granary was on fire."
Zhu Bai: "It's very possible."
How to destroy evidence?
Of course, it is easiest and quickest to burn the ledger, the remaining food and even the people with a torch.
Zhu Biao and Zhu Bai were anxious, wishing they could grow wings and fly over, but there was no way.
When they got ashore, Wu Zhen was already on the shore to meet them.
Zhu Bai asked as he walked: "Why is it on fire?"
Wu Zhen replied: "I don't know yet. Someone is blocking the low-ranking people from entering."
This was obviously because they were afraid that Wu Zhen and the others would go in to put out the fire and prevent the evidence from being burned out.
Then they jumped on their horses and rode straight to the smoke.
The entrance to the granary was heavily guarded, and when they saw Zhu Biao coming, they dared to stop him.
Zhu Biao became angry and pulled out his sword: "Anyone who dares to block the way of this palace will die!"
Zhu Bai raised his hand slightly, and the others took out their firecrackers and pointed them at the soldiers at the door.
Those people all understood the power of this thing, so they hurriedly got out of the way.
Zhu Bai and the others just wanted to put out the fire at the moment and couldn't care less about these people.
Zhu Biao rushed to the front of the den before jumping off his horse.
Zhu Bai said: "Brother, don't get close to danger anymore."
All the cells were burned to the roof, with flames reaching into the sky.
The beams and roof collapsed, throwing up countless sparks and making a loud noise.
The heat was scorching, and it was impossible to get close.
Wu Zhen's men and those brought by Zhu Bai and others had quickly moved to fetch water and put out the fire.
It took a full hour to put out the fire.
Everything was reduced to ashes.
The heat from the embers has not yet dissipated.
The air was moist and warm, filled with the unique burnt smell of grains.
As expected, no evidence was left at all.
If it is dry and hot in late summer and early autumn, food may spontaneously combust.
But it's February now, and it's warm and cold at first, and it rains from time to time.
Moreover, more than a dozen brothels were set on fire at the same time. It was clear that someone deliberately set the fire on fire.
The pro-military captain had already brought everyone in the granary to kneel in front of Zhu Biao.
Zhu Biao gritted his teeth and said, "Where is the warehouse manager?!"
Every grain of grain is hard work.
There was famine everywhere, and the soldiers at the border were also hungry. Some people even burned down dozens of warehouses of grain! !
He was so angry that he wanted to tear the warehouse chief into pieces.
No one said anything.
Zhu Biao: "Where is the deputy warehouse manager?"
Someone raised his head and said timidly: "The villain is here."
Zhu Biao: "Where's the warehouse manager?"
The man pointed to the blackened cell: "It should be in the last cell."
Zhu Biao's bodyguard ran to take a look and came back and said to Zhu Biao: "Yes, there is a burnt corpse."
Zhu Bai secretly gasped: Hu Weiyong is so cruel. He can give up his own son.
Zhu Biao suppressed his anger and said, "Tell me everything about what happened. If you hide anything, I won't let you go leniently."
The deputy warehouse manager trembled into a ball and said: "The warehouse manager just took office today. I don't know what kind of stimulation he got. After receiving the seal, he kicked us out, then closed the door of the granary, lit all the barns on fire, and committed suicide with the account book. Throw yourself into the sea of fire.”
Zhu Biao squinted at the deputy warehouse manager: "He lit a fire, why didn't you save him or stop him? There are so many of you who may not be able to stop him alone."
The deputy warehouse manager glanced around timidly.
Zhu Biao realized that the person who had stopped him must have also been stopping the deputy warehouse manager and others from putting out the fire.
Speaking of which, he realized at this moment that while they were busy putting out the fire, the soldiers had quietly withdrawn.
Zhu Bai heard an important piece of information in the words of the deputy warehouse manager, frowned and asked: "Just took office today? What do you mean?"
The deputy warehouse manager said: "Yes, this warehouse manager was originally a deputy warehouse manager like Wei Chen."
In other words, the person who died was not Hu Fuchang.
Zhu Biao also realized this problem and asked: "Where is Hu Fuchang?"
The deputy warehouse manager lowered his head and whispered: "Master Hu responded to the sky all night yesterday."
The son was brought back overnight, and the paperwork for appointing the successor arrived in the morning.
What a great scapegoat.
Moreover, how did Hu Weiyong know that they were coming to inspect the military granary in Taicang.
Was it someone who made a whistleblower, or was it the fact that they checked the Yingtian Granary and the Household Department's money and grain account books yesterday that aroused Hu Weiyong's vigilance?
Zhu Biao took a deep breath and asked Wu Zhen again: "So, General Wu hasn't received the military rations yet."
It seems that Zhu Bai didn't tell Zhu Biao about his letter, so he had a tacit understanding and pretended to be stupid.
Wu Zhen cupped his hands and replied, "Yes. After Wei Chen arrived, the warehouse chief kept saying to prepare food, but he never prepared it."
Zhu Biao nodded slightly: "Okay."
Not far from the military granary is the official granary.
Fortunately, the official granary was fine.
Zhu Biao took the initiative and transferred the grain from the official granary and asked Wu Zhen to transport it to Dingliao quickly.
Zhu Biao checked the grain in the official granary and found that it basically matched the ledger.
Thinking about it, since Hu Weiyong dared to leave the official granary here for Zhu Biao to investigate, he should be confident enough that Zhu Bo and Zhu Biao would not find any problems.
Zhu Biao could only escort everyone in the military granary to respond.
Although the Ministry of Accounts still has an account book for the military granary, the food has been burned out and there is no way to reconcile the account books.
Zhu Biao and Zhu Bai knew that the embezzlement of grain might not have anything to do with the new warehouse manager who burned the warehouse.
This new warehouse manager is just a poor man who is forced into a desperate situation and can only save himself in this way.
Even if he didn't burn it, Hu Weiyong would send someone to burn it.
When the time comes, the new warehouse manager will also be found guilty of dereliction of duty, and his only option is death, and his family may also be harmed. It's better to cooperate with Hu Weiyong and let his family get some money to live a better life.
Zhu Biao was so angry that he went to Taicang Guard to find out who was blocking them, but he learned that no one from Taicang Guard came out of the camp today.
Zhu Biao didn't believe it, so he called the Taicang guards to gather, and then personally checked each guard carefully, but he didn't see anyone familiar.
Zhu Bai advised him: "Brother, those people should not be from Taicang Guard."
The Taicang Army Granary not only stores military rations for Dingliao, but also for Taicang Guards. They would not be so stupid as to burn their own rations.
Zhu Biao gritted his teeth: "These people are so bold and cunning."
