Chapter 79

After being detained in the Ministry of Justice prison for nearly five days, Xu Hao was released. At this time, the investigation into the Lan Yu case was still in full swing.

The punishment for Xu Hao was neither light nor heavy. Five days in prison offset twenty strokes of the cane, his imperial-awarded Xichun saber was confiscated, and he had to compensate each injured person with eighty shi of grain.

It was said that after the incident, a certain commander of the Forward Guard personally pleaded for him, and the Crown Prince of Qin, Zhu Gaozhi, Mu Sheng, and Xu Zengshou all interceded with the Ministry of Justice. Since no one had died, and given the chaotic situation, he was given a lighter punishment.

At this moment, no one cared about a mere Xu Hao. In the past five days, the three clans of Lan Yu had been completely exterminated. His trusted generals, Duke of Dongping Han Xun and Duke of Xuanning Cao Tai, had confessed and been executed, their clans exterminated and their titles revoked.

Cao Kun's father was Duke of Jingchuan Cao Zhen, and Zhang De's father was Duke of Heqing Zhang Yi. Both were names implicated during the interrogation of Lan Yu and were punished for treason. With Lan Yu's death, whether the treason was real or not could only be guessed by future generations. Along with them, Duke of Zhulu Zhu Shou, Duke of Dongguan He Rong, and other nobles, as well as civil officials like Minister of Personnel Zhan Hui and Deputy Minister of Revenue Fu Youwen, were also sentenced to death for plotting rebellion.

The first thing Xu Hao did upon his release was to find the whereabouts of Zhang De's body. Fortunately, it had not been burned on the spot but discarded in a mass grave outside the city, left for relatives and friends to collect and bury.

At this time, the Zhang family had been completely wiped out. Who among the relatives dared to act rashly? The guards, including Zhang Hu, had placed the bodies of the Zhang family in a separate area. Xu Hao found Zhang De among the pile of bodies and wept bitterly.

He then placed the twelve bodies of the Zhang family in coffins and escorted them to their estate in the suburbs, choosing a spot with good feng shui for temporary burial, planning to move them to the family cemetery when the situation calmed down.

There was no time to even inscribe their names on the tombstones. Xu Hao knelt by Zhang De's grave, burning paper money and muttering words that no one could hear. Nearby, the stonemasons were painting the inscriptions on the stone markers, preparing to carve the characters.

Wang Hu quietly approached and whispered, "Young Master, you haven't slept for many days. Take care of your health and return home."

Xu Hao was silent for a moment, then respectfully bowed to the grave and slowly stood up. His voice, hoarse from days of drinking, said, "I can't go back."

Wang Hu became anxious and said, "Why not go back? Do you know how worried the Old Lady and Madam are? They haven't slept a wink."

Xu Hao had a secret he couldn't reveal. If his uncle Xu Huizhu was confirmed to be part of the Lan faction, the entire family would be in danger. Although the Old Lady and the second and third branches had a fifty percent chance of not being implicated, what if they were? There would be no place to hide in the vast world, but he could go into hiding and find a way to save his family later, which would be better than everyone being caught in the net.

Xu Hao said bitterly, "At this critical moment, let's not talk about it. I will stay in the Yan王府 to gather information and visit the commander to express my gratitude. I won't be returning for a while."

Wang Hu and the other guards had no choice but to agree. In the current state of fear in the capital, the young master's actions were indeed out of necessity. They escorted Xu Hao to the city gate, where the guards were rigorously checking everyone. It was easy to enter but hard to leave.

As they passed through the bustling streets, Xu Hao saw a ready-made clothing shop. After some thought, he decided against buying some old clothes for his escape.

If not for the protection of the Yan王府, escaping might save his life, but his escape would prevent Zhu Gaozhi from rescuing the women in his family. Even if he changed his name and followed the Yan King Zhu Di back to the capital, what could he do? Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was already dead, and his sisters, if they were still alive, would have already suffered greatly in the brothels.

What was one life worth? He might as well die with them. This way, Zhu Gaozhi would have no reservations about acting, and with his status, getting the women out would be a simple matter.

Entering the Yan王府, Zhu Gaozhi's face showed no joy, despite both he and Xu Hao knowing that one of the main culprits of the extermination was the Yan King Zhu Di.

Xu Hao, without hesitation, asked, "What will be done with the families of those accused of treason? Will all three clans be exterminated?"

Zhu Gaozhi shook his head. "It shouldn't be that severe. From what Grandfather's attitude suggests, this isn't as angry as the Hu case. Of course, the families of the traitors will be executed, but collateral relatives, unless implicated, should be safe."

Xu Hao breathed a sigh of relief. In his family, only his uncle and Xu Wen held military positions. His mother, Lady Wang, and Cui Tao, as direct relatives, would be implicated, but the others should be safe from the treason charges.

After this incident, Xu Hao had no intention of staying in the capital. Life here was too unbearable and suffocating. As for the safety of his household, he could do nothing about it. Emperor Zhu Yunwen wasn't as ruthless as his grandfather, so he likely wouldn't punish them, but if he did...

Xu Hao silently wished for their good fortune and said seriously, "Brother, I plan to move the entire family to Beiping in a few years. I will need travel permits and official documents."

Zhu Gaozhi readily agreed, secretly pleased that Qinglian would be nearby. "That's easy. You can take a position in my palace, giving your family an excuse to move north."

Xu Hao thanked him and added, "Moving so many people is no small matter. We will need houses and land to live on. I will prepare the money, and I hope you can help."

Zhu Gaozhi was surprised. "Houses are a small matter. There are land businesses here. Besides, with my Yan王府, why should you worry?"

Xu Hao thought, in a few years, your father will launch a southern campaign, and the entire Yan王府 will have to tighten their belts. With the north and south cut off, and our land likely to be confiscated, if we don't prepare now, the whole family will starve.

Xu Hao said, "I don't want to rely solely on the palace's support. Besides, we plan to live in the north for a long time. What good is it to have no land or property?"

"That's true," Zhu Gaozhi said, smiling and gesturing widely. "There's plenty of unclaimed land that could scare you. You can have as much as you want, and it's very cheap. The problem is the lack of tenants. Without them, the land is useless, and the harvest will be much less than in the south."

Xu Hao thought about it. He didn't know much about farming, and even if he did, it wouldn't be easy to manage. Without skilled farmers, it would be like trying to cook without ingredients.

Xu Hao smiled. "Don't worry about the tenants. I'm not greedy. I just need enough for the family to eat."

Zhu Gaozhi laughed. "You're full of schemes. You're thinking of the military households, aren't you? You're smart. Once you arrive in the north, Father will surely grant you a thousand households, with land already prepared. You won't have to worry about anything."

Xu Hao was surprised. He hadn't thought about that. He just assumed that since Zhu Di was determined to be emperor, he would bring the surrounding provinces' people to his territory to increase tax revenue and food production, ensuring he could recruit tenants.

Being an official was good. In the Ming army, most had to farm to support themselves. Military households were those who farmed in peacetime and trained during the off-season, fighting in times of war.

Xu Hao wasn't enthusiastic about future matters and asked, "Are there many Jurchens in Liaodong?"

"You know about that?" Zhu Gaozhi was surprised. "They are uncivilized people from the mountains and rivers. Compared to the two-faced Mongols, the Jurchens are loyal to our dynasty. These uncivilized people are caught between the brutal Mongols and the aggressive Koreans, and the harsh northwest, with the savage Tungus. They can only rely on our Ming Dynasty to survive and thrive."

Xu Hao despised the Manchus, but in his time, the Han and Manchus were already one family. His brother-in-law was Manchu, and there was no difference in the family. Besides, he wasn't a nationalist, and he didn't want to exterminate all non-Han ethnic groups.

However, Xu Hao added, "Don't underestimate the Jurchens. In the Song Dynasty, the Jurchens occupied half of the country. How long has it been? Now, the Mongols are on their last legs. Who knows if the Jurchens will rise again? In my view, if we continue to favor the Jurchens, we will eventually raise a tiger to our own detriment."

Zhu Gaozhi, well-versed in history, thought about it and found it reasonable. However, what could be done even if he was concerned? The Jurchens were currently loyal, and it would be unjust to attack them without cause. Liaodong was full of dense forests, rivers, and harsh weather. Sending tens of thousands of troops there would be futile, wasting military funds and provoking resistance from the Jurchens and other minorities.

With his father guarding the north against the Mongols, he wouldn't allow Liaodong to be unstable. This was an unsolvable problem for now.

"This isn't something we can decide. We'll talk about it later," Zhu Gaozhi waved his hand.

Xu Hao immediately stopped. His current crisis hadn't been resolved, and the Jurchen issue was beyond his control.

A practical solution would be to continuously send settlers to Liaodong to gain a population advantage. Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty's efforts in the mid-to-late period failed, resulting in the massacre of many Han people, and the survivors becoming part of the Eight Banners.

Additionally, developing coal mines, building roads, and researching firearms, connecting with the West by sea, and aligning with the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration could help.

But was it possible? The highly centralized power of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di made it impossible. Zheng He's seven voyages were purely for show, and these emperors had no interest in colonizing distant lands. The world was the emperor's, and beyond the sea was barbarian territory, not under the rule of the Chinese emperor.

When Zhu Gaozhi or Zhu Gaoxu ascended the throne, Xu Hao would be old. For now, he would do his best, but he had no ambition to influence the government. History was history, and it was foolish to think he could overturn the ancestral laws set by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Xu Hao thought, "I'm just a random穿越者. No one gave me a sacred and great mission when I came."

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