Volume One, Chapter 14: Dividing the Spoils

“Shen Rong, tell me, how do you expect me to spare you?” Zhu Zhuo sat firmly in his high position, speaking with a cold calmness.

Shen Rong grew increasingly frantic, hastily gathering the scattered documents from the ground. As he opened them, the contents nearly caused him to faint in terror.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had only been officially established that very morning, yet how—how could they have been so efficient? Events from the past few years were laid bare in meticulous detail.

Could it be that the court had long been watching the Shen family? The deeper Shen Rong thought, the more panicked he became, feeling a bone-chilling cold seep deep into his marrow. It was as if a sharp sword was about to fall upon his head.

He immediately knelt and kowtowed, begging for mercy: “Your Highness, in light of the Shen family’s past service in helping Your Majesty construct Yingtian Prefecture, I beg you to spare the Shen family this once. The Shen family will never offend again! Please spare my entire family, Your Highness!”

“I would indeed like to spare you all, but His Majesty’s foul temper, I’m sure you are well aware of it,” Zhu Zhuo said, his voice unhurried as he looked at Shen Rong’s miserable state.

“Give me a reason, Shen family scion. I’m sure you understand,” he continued.

Hmm? This was unexpected. Shen Rong paused to consider—money, perhaps? That made sense. If the intent was to kill his entire family, surely the Embroidered Uniform Guard would have arrived already.

Relieved at this thought, Shen Rong’s heart lightened somewhat. The Shen family had wealth enough to rival a nation; the only fear was that Zhu Zhuo might not want it.

Zhu Zhuo silently observed Shen Rong’s gradual relaxation and found it somewhat amusing.

On one hand, Shen Rong was foolish to think he could guess the prince’s desires; on the other, he was clever enough to do so, which underestimated the appetite of the Zhu family.

As the saying goes, a man is innocent until his treasure brings him trouble.

This time it was money; next time, it might be the entire Shen clan’s lives.

Zhu Zhuo smirked inwardly but wore a gentle smile outwardly. Calmly, he asked, “Oh? It seems you’ve made up your mind, Shen scion?”

“Your Highness, I have indeed.” Shen Rong gritted his teeth and declared, “I offer one million taels of silver to the people of the realm. Would that be enough to spare my entire family’s lives?”

To the people? Nonsense—probably all into your own pockets.

“Is that so? I recall you gave far more to Hu Weiyong’s faction. It seems this prince is not as formidable as I thought,” Zhu Zhuo said with a courteous tone that, to Shen Rong, sounded like a ravenous beast ready to devour him.

“Your Highness, I meant to offer one and a half million taels as a contribution to the development of the Great Ming,” Shen Rong hastened to correct.

“Hmm, it appears I’ve misunderstood you. A man as clever as you would hardly make such a grave error. It seems my Embroidered Uniform Guard has been negligent. Qin Yi, return to the guard and accept your punishment,” Zhu Zhuo said, rising from his seat.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Qin Yi bowed in acceptance.

“Shen scion, I shall report to His Majesty immediately and will not linger. But be cautious from now on. My Embroidered Uniform Guard will not make the same mistake twice,” Zhu Zhuo warned as he passed Shen Rong, fixing him with a piercing gaze that struck deep into his heart.

“Yes, Your Highness. I shall conduct business with utmost caution,” Shen Rong replied, lowering his head submissively.

“Good. Those donations will be collected shortly,” Zhu Zhuo said before departing without looking back.

Shen Rong remained standing in his humble posture.

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Just outside the Shen residence, Qin Er excitedly said to Zhu Zhuo, “My lord, now that we have the money, don’t forget your Qin Royal Guard. Two units of troops require considerable funds.”

Zhu Zhuo’s momentary joy from the newfound wealth stiffened on his face.

Irritated by the interruption, he glared at Qin Er, about to speak, when Qin Yi also chimed in:

“And the Embroidered Uniform Guard just went public. Developing them won’t be cheap either. My lord, don’t forget my share in this money,” Qin Yi said, following up with a demand.

Zhu Zhuo looked at these unfortunate subordinates and nearly spat blood. He hadn’t seen a single cent himself, yet they were already dividing spoils.

“Qin Yi, you’re definitely getting the punishment today!” Zhu Zhuo growled fiercely. “Qin Er, you’re going with your brother. If you want money, at least let me feel satisfied first.”

“Eh, as long as there’s money, beat me if you want,” Qin Er replied indifferently.

“Qin Royal Guard, take two hundred thousand taels to improve the troops’ rations, but training must be tightened. I won’t stay in Yingtian Prefecture forever. Sooner or later, I’ll accompany my third brother to war. I can’t bear to leave him alone,” Zhu Zhuo suppressed his displeasure and began issuing orders.

“As for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, thirty thousand taels. I provide the funds, but you must guarantee the guard’s presence throughout the Ming realm, including within the homes of court officials. I will not be blind.”

“As you command, Your Highness!” Qin Yi and Qin Er responded in unison.

“Good. I trust you as brothers. This is the first time I’ve stepped forward to act—don’t let me lose face.”

“Also, send thirty thousand taels to the Eastern Palace. Another thirty thousand to the Empress in the harem. Publicly, claim only twenty thousand. As for my father, no funds are needed.”

Zhu Zhuo quickly allocated most of the money, except for his father’s share.

“Qin Er, gather a group of skilled firearm craftsmen. Give them two hundred thousand taels to produce a batch of firearms.”

“Reserve fifty thousand taels. Tell those craftsmen that whoever can improve the firearms will be rewarded generously. I even allow promotions and wealth. This order remains in effect indefinitely.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Qin Er replied respectfully but with some confusion. “My lord, what’s there to improve about firearms? I’ve used them, and they are less effective than a blade.”

“If firearms can be improved—even just increasing range or power slightly—they could save countless brothers’ lives. They’re much more formidable than blades or arrows, even able to take an enemy’s head from a hundred meters away. Trust me,” Zhu Zhuo said, recalling scenes from his previous life with a hint of emotion.

“Enough. Get back to your duties. Don’t follow me. And don’t forget the punishment.”

Zhu Zhuo shook his head and left alone, leaving the two men speechless.

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The next day, in the imperial garden:

“Your Majesty, the Qin Prince took over one million taels from the Shen family. Most went to the Qin Royal Guard and Embroidered Uniform Guard, three hundred thousand to the Eastern Palace, and two hundred thousand to the Empress,” reported Zhu Yuanzhang’s personal eunuch.

“Hahaha, so much silver! Truly my good son! The court urgently needs funds, and this solves our immediate crisis! My good son, how much more did he bring?” Zhu Yuanzhang said proudly, oblivious to any impropriety.

“Your Majesty, the Qin Prince did not give any to you,” Eunuch Li Biao replied with a wry smile.

“Unfilial son! Unfilial son! Summon him to the palace immediately!”