The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 324

"Summon all the centurions and junior officers you trust."

Zhou Chu looked at Yu Haidao.

"Yes, my lord."

Knowing that Zhou Chu was determined to attend the banquet, Yu Hai dared not delay and hurriedly went to find people to help him.

Soon, nearly a hundred Imperial Guards gathered in front of Zhou Chu. Most of them were junior officers, and a few were captains and centurions.

Zhou Chu gave Shen Lian and the dozen or so centurions who had come with him a flintlock pistol each, and also gave Yu Hai one. As for the others, Zhou Chu did not give them any.

Firstly, they only brought a few dozen flintlock pistols, which wasn't enough. Secondly, Zhou Chu wasn't sure if any of these people had any problems, and even Yu Hai wouldn't dare say that none of them had any issues.

If you fire a gun at the wrong person, it's like putting the back of your head under someone else's gun barrel, which is extremely dangerous.

Zhou Chu was always very cautious, and his principle was that if you don't want someone to betray you, don't give them the opportunity to betray you.

Zhou Chu led over a hundred people in a grand procession toward the Wang family. Just as they were about to reach the Wang family, Zhou Chu encountered a rather luxurious sedan chair.

This sedan chair was arguably the most luxurious Zhou Chu had ever seen, bar none. Zhou Chu glanced at it from front to back and saw that it was carried by thirty-two people. Was it perhaps of the same standard as Zhang Juzheng's sedan chair later on?

Are there still people in Datong Prefecture who dare to use this kind of sedan chair?

Zhou Chu looked at Yu Hai beside him with a questioning look in his eyes.

"My lord, this is the Prince of Dai's sedan chair. He is probably going to a banquet at the Wang family's residence. The Prince of Dai's residence and the Wang family have a close relationship. You must be careful."

Yu Hai reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu suddenly realized that if he remembered correctly, the Prince of Dai, Zhu Junzhang, was extremely licentious. After the death of Prince of Dai, Zhu Congmo, this guy continued to be licentious during the mourning period and was demoted to a commoner. It was not until the twelfth year of the Hongzhi reign that he inherited the title of Prince of Dai.

The Prince of Dai's Mansion was stationed in Datong. It would be strange if they didn't know what the Wang family and those Shanxi merchants were doing. If they knew but did nothing, there is only one possibility: the Prince of Dai's Mansion had business dealings with these people.

This exchange of interests probably reached its peak after Zhu Junzhang, a licentious and dissolute man, became the Prince of Dai.

Zhou Chu immediately signaled to the group of Imperial Guards to make way for the Prince of Dai's carriage. This was a matter of etiquette, and Zhou Chu would not overstep it.

The Prince of Dai's sedan chair stopped in front of Zhou Chu.

"Is that Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, outside?"

A middle-aged man's voice came from inside the sedan chair; it was clearly the voice of Prince Zhu Junzhang of Dai.

"Your Majesty, I am preoccupied with official duties and unable to perform the full ceremony. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

Zhou Chu, seated on his black horse, clasped his hands in a salute.

"Lord Zhou is quite impressive. I have heard about what Lord Zhou has done."

Zhu Junzhang's sarcastic voice rang out.

"This is my duty as an official; it is my bounden duty to share your burdens."

Zhou Chu spoke so succinctly that Zhu Junzhang, who had originally intended to find fault, felt as if he had punched a cotton ball.

"The King invites Lord Zhou to enter the sedan chair for a chat."

The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, and a very beautiful maid looked at Zhou Chu and said.

"I apologize for disturbing you."

Zhou Chu was not afraid of the Prince of Dai, after all, the Prince of Dai was surnamed Zhu, and all his power and everything he had came from the Ming Dynasty, which was surnamed Zhu.

Even if the Prince of Dai's mansion had some business dealings with these Shanxi merchants, it wouldn't really side with them; at most, it would just turn a blind eye.

What Zhou Chu needed to do was to win over the King of Dai to his side.

No matter how licentious Zhu Junzhang was, he was still a prince, and how to deal with him was a matter for the Ming Dynasty court and the emperor. Zhou Chu did not have the authority to deal with princes, and unless necessary, Zhou Chu did not want to be enemies with the Prince of Dai's Mansion.

Zhou Chu handed the reins of the black horse to Shen Lian, then dismounted and casually boarded Zhu Junzhang's sedan chair.

After entering the sedan chair, Zhou Chu glanced at the scene inside and was immediately amazed.

The sedan chair looked big enough from the outside, but once inside, the space was even larger. It was divided into several rooms, with Zhu Junzhang lying on a large bed in the middle, where several beautiful women, half-undressed, were serving him.

"This, I have offended you."

Upon seeing the women's appearance, Zhou Chu hurriedly spoke.

"It's alright, they're just some trinkets anyway. If Lord Zhou likes them, I can give them all to you."

Zhu Junzhang laughed heartily, completely unconcerned about the exposed skin of the women around him.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I am not fortunate enough to enjoy it."

Zhou Chu smiled.

"sit down."

Zhu Junzhang pointed to a piece of furniture next to him that resembled a sofa but he couldn't tell if it was a chair or something else, and said.

Zhou Chu didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly.

"What is the purpose of Your Majesty's summons?"

Zhou Chu looked at Zhu Junzhang and asked.

"I heard you took care of Lu Ying?"

Zhu Junzhang looked at Zhou Chu and asked.

“It’s not just Lu Ying; most of the centurions and commanders in the military camp embezzle military pay and exploit soldiers. One of the reasons I’ve come here is to thoroughly investigate this matter.”

Zhou Chu answered truthfully.

"Is there anything else?"

Zhu Jun asked casually.

"Of course there is. We will thoroughly investigate which merchants in Datong City are colluding with the Mongols and bring them to justice."

Zhou Chu didn't hide anything and spoke directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Junzhang's gaze sharpened. He was genuinely afraid that Zhou Chu would investigate this matter, because the relationship between his Prince Dai's Mansion and those merchants was unclear. Although his Prince Dai's Mansion had never helped those people, if an investigation were to be launched, he would probably not be able to escape involvement.

"Are you really going to investigate?"

Zhu Junzhang's expression instantly turned extremely cold.

“Of course we need to investigate. Given the Ming Dynasty’s policy toward the Mongols, those Mongols should have been unable to invade the Ming borders long ago. But what happened to those Mongols recently? If His Majesty hadn’t taken precautions and replaced the generals in advance, Datong City would probably have already fallen.”

Zhou Chu said solemnly.

"Your Majesty, consider this: if Datong City falls, will the Prince of Dai's residence be spared? Will Your Majesty be spared?"

Zhou Chu looked at Zhu Junzhang and said with certainty.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Junzhang fell silent. He had been terrified when the Mongols attacked earlier, and he knew that if Datong fell, the best outcome would be for them to escape.

He was, after all, a descendant of the Zhu family. No matter how dissolute he was, he couldn't accept this possible situation.

Datong was his fiefdom.

"How far do you intend to investigate, Lord Zhou?"

Zhu Junzhang asked tentatively.

"I only investigate those merchants and the officials who collude with them. I am only responsible for matters within my authority."

Zhou Chu said.

These words were like a reassurance to Zhu Junzhang: I will only investigate within my authority, and your Prince Dai's Mansion is not within my jurisdiction.

Zhu Junzhang clearly understood Zhou Chu's subtext, and his expression instantly brightened, revealing a smile.

"Lord Zhou is indeed a remarkable man. As a descendant of the Zhu family, I abhor such acts of collusion with the enemy and betrayal of the country. If Lord Zhou needs it, I can secretly cooperate with you."

Zhu Junzhang raised his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.