"Surround them all around me!"
Zhu Xizhong commanded the Jinyi guards with a murderous look on his face.
The assassination of his eldest son did not make him lose his mind. On the contrary, he is very sober now.
The murderer and the mastermind behind the scenes acted in a hurry. In this case, it is easier to catch the person, because in a hurry, he will definitely leave clues.
However, Zhu Xizhong is also relatively pleased with his son.
"Ha! Who did you push to the edge?"
"Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers!"
"I know I'm right about you, kid, you still have some tricks up your sleeve!"
At this time, a thousand households came to report.
"Master! Duke Dingguo's mansion has been surrounded and it's blocked!"
Zhu Xizhong nodded and looked at the Dingguo Palace in front of him.
This is the last noble house to be fenced.
Looking at the bloody badge around his waist, Zhu Xizhong clenched his fists.
"Lao Zhu! What's going on? Are you going to rebel?"
Xu Yande, Duke of Dingguo, stood at the door of the mansion and asked with his hands on his hips.
Behind him stood a few family soldiers with unkind expressions.
Zhu Xizhong held the handle of the Xiuchun knife at his waist and stepped forward slowly.
"Tell me everything you know!"
"What do I know?"
"My boss was assassinated, don't tell me you don't know about it!"
A hint of guilt flashed in Xu Yande's eyes.
"What? Zhu Shitai was assassinated? When? How was his injury?"
Zhu Xizhong shook his head, took out the Xiuchun Dao and came to Xu Yande's eyes in two or three steps.
The cold blade was on his neck.
The Jinyi guards present were all stunned. Even the family soldiers behind Xu Yande didn't react, and they didn't even have time to pick up the saber at his waist.
"I don't have time to do Tai Chi with you! Say, who arranged for someone to do it?"
Zhu Xizhong's face was as cold as frost.
"What are you doing? Do you really want to rebel? It's not me who assassinated your son!"
Xu Yande was so frightened that he raised his hands and turned his head.
"You, Xu Yande, have great hands and eyes! Who knows how many spies you have in the capital? How could you not know about such a big thing?"
"I really don't know!"
Zhu Xizhong punched Xu Yande in the face.
Xu Yande covered his nose, and blood continued to flow from the gaps between his fingers.
"Every local official who comes to the capital will come to you to get information. You will be the first to know if anything happens in the palace!"
"You spend thousands of taels of silver every year on various wealthy families, and send Yangzhou thin horses to high-ranking officials. Aren't they your spies?"
"Even the beggars on the street, Boss Yang of the jewelry store, and the Shandong people buying coffins are all your spies?!"
"You earn tens of thousands of taels of silver every year from selling information. Do you think Jin Yiwei doesn't know about it?"
Suddenly being exposed, Xu Yande was no longer strong.
My feet have also begun to feel weak.
"Zhu Xizhong! You...don't accuse me unjustly. Those people are not my spies. You...do you have proof for slandering me like this?"
Zhu Xizhong put away the embroidered spring knife and took out several bloody papers from his arms.
"Then I don't have any proof."
"But every bribe you have paid to me since the 33rd year of Jiajing, as well as the land you have managed overseas over the years, totaling 120,000 acres, are all here!"
"You have to figure it out yourself!"
Looking at the irrefutable evidence in front of him, Xu Yande was nervous and at a loss.
hateful! This old thief actually recorded these things!
In addition, Zhu Xizhong had revealed almost all his informants earlier, Xu Yande knew that Jin Yiwei could ask them all to correct him if necessary.
Or just pull a random person from the street and become his spy.
Looking at Zhu Xizhong's wolf-like eyes again, he finally compromised.
"So you've been keeping accounts all these years?"
"Yes! What I gave to the boss the day he started working on the case contained dirty information about you and not just you."
"The boss has him with him all the time. You can touch it and see that the blood on it is still warm."
Xu Yande smiled helplessly.
"Okay, okay!"
"I know that if your son fails to survive, everyone above will have to be buried with him!"
"For so many years, others thought you were a smooth and flattering person, but I am the only one who has seen you clearly. You, Lao Zhu, are a ruthless person at heart!"
Zhu Xizhong was expressionless.
He has always tried his best to move among the three parties of civil servants, emperors and nobles, without offending anyone, and trying his best to make everyone satisfied with him.
After decades of hard work, his family has finally gained prestige and status among the nobles, and can be said to be one of the top big families.
To this end, he curried favor with Jiajing internally, helped him seek immortality and seek enlightenment, and recruited various charlatans and magicians from among the people.
Outside, he tried his best to flatter Yan Song, giving him money and doing all kinds of dirty work for him.
Finally, after seeing the new emperor's determination to strengthen the country and enrich the people, he knew that his family would still be reused, so he planned to direct the new emperor's favor to his son.
He even made plans to retire and let Zhu Shitai take over.
But he never expected that these people, these people he had known since childhood, would actually harm his son for their own selfish interests!
"Stop talking nonsense and fart quickly!"
"I received the news two hours ago." Xu Yande said, "Zhang Dali, a member of the Thousand Households in Beiwu Camp, has a Yangzhou thin horse that I gave him last year."
"She said that Zhang Dali has been sneaking around these days, and several of the soldiers in his house suddenly disappeared."
"He himself has become manic and restless. He even spent the entire night last night practicing martial arts in his armor. It's very suspicious. You can check it out from him!"
Zhu Xizhong's face became increasingly gloomy as he listened.
He pointed at Xu Yande and said, "If you dare to lie to me, I will drag your whole family with you to death!"
Xu Yande didn't say anything, just stared at the pieces of paper.
Zhu Xizhong suddenly grabbed Xu Yande's throat, crumpled up the pieces of paper and stuffed them into his mouth, and then covered his mouth.
Several soldiers behind Xu Yande couldn't hold it any longer and wanted to draw their swords, but Xu Yande waved his hand to stop them.
Xu Yande struggled with a ferocious expression before chewing up the large ball of paper and swallowing it.
Only then did Zhu Xizhong let him go and patted the saliva on his hands.
"Drink some Simo soup to help digestion!"
"You hundreds of households come with me and go to Beiwu Camp to get people!"
"yes!"
Xu Yande was bent over and retching, and a veteran came forward and patted him on the back.
"Master, this guy named Zhu is too arrogant!"
"After all, you are also the Duke of Dingguo. In terms of title, financial resources, and prestige, you are no worse than him. How dare he treat you like this?"
Xu Yande took the water bag from another veteran and drank several mouthfuls before he recovered.
"You don't know!" He held his stomach, "Zhu Xizhong will do anything for his family!"
