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After the case was uncovered, the area around the vegetable market was filled with a vibrant red for an entire month. Zheng Moru subsequently retreated along with a group of disabled soldiers. Under the arrangements of the Sang Family, Zheng Moru was granted a noble title and appointed to a nominal position in the Ministry of War. Due to his leg disability, he did not attend court regularly and seldom ventured outside, only occasionally visiting the Ministry of War. During his spare time, he dedicated himself to studying military strategy and even published several books that were well-received by warriors.
Zheng Moru had once appeared in court on behalf of the Sang Family and was one of the few who spoke out against their injustices. At that time, the tyrannical emperor did not hold his physical disability against him, allowing him to escape punishment. Even now, he only spoke well of the Sang Family, demonstrating such unwavering loyalty that Xuande Emperor praised him multiple times.
Lao Lu was one of the victims of the Cotton Clothing Incident. After Jingjing City fell, his wife ran off with someone else, and his child died in an accident. His parents and brothers drove him away. Fortunately, the Sang Family did not forget him; they arranged for someone to visit him afterward, avenging him and helping him find a place to settle down.
When the Sang Family faced trouble, Lao Lu felt powerless due to his low status and could only privately set up a memorial tablet to worship daily, reminiscing about past events. Life went on relatively peacefully for him.
One night while he was on watch, he accompanied a friend who collected slop for a while. When they reached the back door of the Zheng Family, not only did they receive slop but also some discarded items. His friend cheerfully accepted them and mentioned that although they seemed like waste, sorting through them could yield quite a bit of money.
As they chatted happily, his friend taught him which items were valuable and where to sell them for at least how much. Lao Lu found it quite interesting and listened attentively while helping sort through the items. With the dim light from his lantern, he noticed some charred pieces of paper among the waste. Piecing together a few sentences revealed letters that involved military defenses and connections to the neighboring Dayu Dynasty.
Could it be that Zheng Moru had ties with Dayu Dynasty? Lao Lu found it hard to believe. In his memory, this capable scholar-general had always been polite to everyone during military affairs and could even engage with rough men like them. Lao Lu recalled having shared drinks with him before; when Zheng Moru was first arrested during those times, Lao Lu had signed a joint letter without hesitation.
As Lao Lu's memories drifted back, he connected the joint letter to the Cotton Clothing Incident. Was it true that Zheng Moru bore no responsibility as the logistics commander? When clothes arrived, didn’t they check a few items first? This clearly seemed like dereliction of duty.
Oh, at that time, his explanation was that the Sang Family Army had existed for four dynasties over nearly a hundred years; the court had never interrupted their military pay or falsified supplies. Out of trust in the court, he genuinely did not think to conduct inspections.
This reasoning was still somewhat plausible; everyone easily accepted it and did not pursue his accountability further. Perhaps because Lao Lu's life lacked hope, whenever hints of suspicion regarding that deeply damaging case arose, he found himself unable to sleep, replaying past events over and over again without missing any details.
In fact, he came up with several suspicions again. For instance, given Zheng Moru's position at that time, his annual salary was considerable enough that he didn't need to wear cotton clothes issued by the court. It would be warmer and more visually appealing to wear cotton clothes from nearby counties instead.
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