After hearing what Zhu Zaijing said, Xu Jie quickly expressed his agreement.
"Well, His Highness is right. In a month or two, the mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang will officially mature. We can take this opportunity to purchase raw silk from the people at a low price!"
When Xu Jie's words fell, Zhang Juzheng's eyes flashed with disgust, and he immediately stood up and expressed his views bluntly.
"Mr. Xu Ge, I think this matter is quite inappropriate. Don't forget, before this, His Majesty said that he would buy raw silk at a high price from the people who plant mulberry seedlings!"
After that, Gao Gong on the side also expressed his position: "Yes, if we buy raw silk from those people at a low price, how will those people live their lives in the future?"
When Gao Gong said this, a sad expression appeared on his face and he continued to add.
"You know, right now, the people who grow mulberry farmers in Zhejiang are relying on these mulberry seedlings that are about to mature. If we do this, isn't it equivalent to cutting off their dreams?"
"You know, you can't eat mulberry sprouts!"
Xu Jie obviously did not expect that Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng would oppose his decision so clearly, his face suddenly became extremely gloomy, and he immediately spoke.
"Humph, what do you know? Yan Song promoted the conversion of rice into mulberry in Zhejiang. What was he doing for this?"
"Even if we don't do this, Yan Song will rush to do it. Is it possible that we have to watch Yan Song get rich?"
When Xu Jie said this, the expression on his face became extremely ferocious and he continued to add.
"Our purpose from the beginning was to completely expel Yan Song and his son, as well as the Yan Party, who wantonly corrupt officials and prey on the common people, from the imperial court, and restore a bright future to the Ming Dynasty!"
"Even if the middle-of-the-road methods are worse, in order to completely overthrow the Yan Party, I, Xu Jie, will do it!"
After Xu Jie finished speaking, he seemed to be comforting himself, and then added another sentence.
"When the Yan Party is completely overthrown, when the government is full of justice, and there are not so many corrupt officials and officials who prey on the people, everything will not be a problem, and the people's lives will become easier!"
Hearing Xu Jie's words, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but have a look of ridicule on his face, and said silently to himself: "Huh, they are obviously the same species. Yan Dang's side is greedy for ink and preying on the people, but how much better can it be on Qingliu's side? ?”
At this moment, seeing the atmosphere in the room becoming tense, Zhu Zaijing on the side wanted to stand up and smooth things over, but he turned his eyes to everyone and said slowly.
"Since we are discussing together, it is inevitable that there will be disagreements. Everyone, please calm down!"
Seeing Zhu Zaijing come forward to mediate, everyone had no choice but to give up and temporarily stop the dispute.
However, the atmosphere in the room still became extremely depressing. Soon after, Zhang Juzheng stood up from his seat, bowed his hands to Zhu Zaijing, and said respectfully.
"Your Highness, I am not feeling well today, so I will not stay here!"
After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, without waiting for Zhu Zaijing's response, he flicked his sleeves and left the study.
Seeing Zhang Juzheng leaving, Gao Gong sighed helplessly, and then expressed his intention to leave to Zhu Zaijing.
During this process, Xu Jie just watched with cold eyes and said nothing.
…
As soon as Gao Gong walked out of Prince Yu's Mansion, he found that Zhang Juzheng had not left, as if he was waiting for him on a special trip.
Seeing Gao Gong coming out of Prince Yu's Mansion, Zhang Juzheng immediately stepped forward, bowed to him and said respectfully.
"Lao Gaoge!"
Gao Gong heard this, nodded slightly to Zhang Juzheng, and immediately asked.
"You haven't left yet, are you waiting for me on a special trip?"
Facing Gao Gong's inquiry, Zhang Juzheng didn't mean to hide it at all. He nodded and responded.
"That's right, Mr. Gaoge, please follow me to the mansion to talk!"
Hearing this, Gao Gong hesitated for a while and immediately agreed to Zhang Juzheng's invitation. After that, the two of them took sedans and marched towards Zhang Juzheng's residence in the capital.
Soon, the two of them took a sedan chair and arrived at the residence where Zhang Juzheng lived in the capital.
Zhang Juzheng lives in the capital. The residence he lives in is not large in area. Not only that, the location is also quite quiet.
Zhang Juzheng got off the sedan first, and then came to the high-arched sedan in person to greet him: "Mr. Gaoge, please!"
When Gao Gong saw Zhang Juzheng being so earnest, he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart. In his opinion, this new member of the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng, had a calm personality, was smart and capable, and his future prospects would be immeasurable.
"When I take office, I will leave the position of chief minister of the cabinet to him!"
Suddenly, such an idea suddenly appeared in Gao Gong's mind.
But soon, Gao Gong suppressed this inexplicable thought and got off the sedan with the help of his servant.
"Mr. Gaoge, please!"
"Um."
After that, Gao Gong followed Zhang Juzheng's footsteps and entered the mansion.
Generally speaking, ordinary officials would plant bamboos and other plants at home that are easy to maintain and have high ornamental value. However, the mansion where Zhang Juzheng lives is different. There are many wolfberry trees that grow happily.
As soon as he entered the door, Gao Gong's eyes were attracted by those wolfberry trees. After hesitating for a moment, he asked Zhang Juzheng.
"This...is this a wolfberry tree?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng immediately turned around and responded with a smile.
"Lao Gao Ge is indeed a wise man. Yes, this is the wolfberry tree!"
Gao Gong was also quite surprised by this, and immediately said with a smile.
"Ordinarily, officials and officials like to plant plants such as bamboo and lotus. Today, it is the first time I have seen someone planting wolfberry. It's pretty good."
Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but become interested, and immediately told Gao Gong endlessly about the wonderful effects of wolfberry: "Old Gaoge doesn't know something, but this wolfberry can nourish the liver and kidneys, improve intelligence and improve eyesight!"
"On weekdays, I like to soak wolfberry in water. Wolfberry can nourish the body, prolong life, and is of great benefit to the body!"
After hearing what Zhang Juzheng said, Gao Gong immediately responded.
"Oh, I didn't expect that this little wolfberry could have such wonderful uses!"
Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng immediately suggested to Gao Gong.
"Mr. Gao Ge, I happen to have some extra wolfberries here. How about I send someone to deliver them to your house later?"
When Gao Gong heard this, his eyes were full of smiles, and he immediately responded with a smile.
"In that case, I would be disrespectful!"
After that, the two sides chatted for a few more words, and the atmosphere between the two parties became more and more harmonious. Soon, the two came to the hall for entertaining guests and sat down.
Soon after the two sat down, a servant came forward and brought them a cup of hot tea.
At this moment, Zhang Juzheng was sitting in the main seat. He picked up the teacup on the table and made a gesture of invitation to Gao Gong.
"Mr. Gaoge, please!"
"please!"
Gao Gong picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and praised him.
"Well, this tea is really good. It has a mellow taste and is refreshing and sweet. It is a rare and good tea!"
After saying this, Gao Gong put down the teacup in his hand, the smile on his face disappeared, and then he changed the subject and asked.
"Brother Taiyue (Note: Zhang Juzheng's nickname is Taiyue) came to me for more than just tasting tea, right?"
When Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting in the main seat, heard this, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face. He slowly put down the tea cup in his hand and responded.
"As His Highness Prince Yu's teacher, I would like to ask Brother Suqing, what do you think of His Highness Prince Yu?"
Gao Gong obviously did not expect Zhang Juzheng to ask such a question. After being stunned for a moment, Gao Gong responded with a smile: "His Royal Highness, King Yu, has a kind heart and is extremely intelligent. He is also extremely hard-working in studying and is very good at dealing with others. Impeccable!”
When Gao Gong said this, he paused for a moment and then continued to add.
"Of course, the most important thing is that His Royal Highness Prince Yu always thinks about the people. In time, he will definitely grow into a qualified emperor!"
After Zhang Juzheng heard Gao Gong's evaluation of Zhu Zaijing, he sneered and exposed Gao Gong's lies without hesitation.
"Mr. Gao Ge, you and I both know very well that His Royal Highness Prince Yu is completely out of the game!"
"He is not a qualified prince at all. In fact, he is not even a qualified prince!"
When Gao Gong saw Zhang Juzheng criticizing his student Zhu Zaijing mercilessly, a trace of anger flashed across his face, he clenched his fists and reprimanded.
"Zhang Juzheng, what do you mean?"
Zhang Juzheng didn't care about Gao Gong's anger, he just looked back and said coldly.
"Hmph, His Royal Highness Prince Yu has never cared about the common people in his heart. All he wants in his heart is to follow Xu Jie's instructions and expel the strict party from the court!"
"He does not regard himself as a prince or a prince at all. He regards himself as a member of Qingliu. Only Xu Jie follows his lead. In other words, he is Xu Jie's successor..."
Before Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he was interrupted angrily by Gao Gong: "Zhang Juzheng, you actually dare to slander His Highness Prince Yu in front of me, a teacher. Do you know the consequences?"
After Zhang Juzheng heard what Gao Gong said, he became even more angry. Immediately, he slammed the table and said in a deep voice.
"What, do you dare to do it but don't admit it?"
"Mr. Gao Ge, you have clearly seen His Highness Prince Yu's behavior for so long!"
"Then I would like to ask you, for so long, has His Royal Highness Prince Yu ever thought of doing something practical for the people, even if it is just such a trivial thing?"
After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he answered without waiting for Gao Gong to respond.
"No, not even once!"
"Zhu Zaijing only thinks about how to obey Xu Jie's instructions and how to better deal with the strict party. In his heart, the people are just like pigs and dogs, no, not even as good as pigs and dogs!"
At this moment, Gao Gong was surprisingly angry. He suddenly stood up from his seat, came to Zhang Juzheng, grabbed his collar, and threatened him word by word.
"Zhang Juzheng, if you dare to say another word, don't blame me for being rude!"
Facing Gao Gong's threat, Zhang Juzheng didn't seem to care. His eyes were full of indifference and he said slowly.
"Mr. Gao Ge, don't forget, I, Zhang Juzheng, am also the group assistant of the cabinet!"
Hearing this, Gao Gong sneered, turned his gaze to Zhang Juzheng, and immediately spoke.
"Zhang Juzheng, do you think that since you are a cabinet minister, I, Gao Gong, can't deal with you?"
When Zhang Juzheng heard what Gao Gong said, a warm smile appeared on his face, and he immediately suggested to Gao Gong.
"I believe Gao Ge Lao has this ability. It won't help if we continue to be in this stalemate. Why don't we calm down first?"
After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he stopped talking. After thinking about it for a moment, Gao Gong also released his grip on Zhang Juzheng's collar and sat back in his seat.
Gao Gong knew very well that everything Zhang Juzheng said just now was true, but he couldn't accept it himself.
Seeing that Gao Gong's mood had almost calmed down, Zhang Juzheng cleared his throat before continuing.
"Mr. Gao Ge, do you know what kind of land the local mulberry farmers in Zhejiang will end up in if they follow Xu Jie's method?"
After Gao Gong heard what Zhang Juzheng said, he continued to think along this line of thought, but soon he was shocked by the scene that emerged in his mind.
Because he saw the scene of people dying of hunger all over the land, people not having enough to eat, and selling their children and daughters just for a life-saving grain.
Thinking of this, Gao Gong closed his eyes in pain.
Zhang Juzheng seemed to have seen what Gao Gong was thinking, and then added.
"Mr. Gao Ge, you are right. If you buy raw silk from those people at a low price, then all the efforts they have made so far and all the suffering they have suffered will be in vain!"
"Currently, nearly half of the land in Zhejiang is used to grow mulberry seedlings. The food gap caused by this is immeasurable!"
"Therefore, we can only buy the raw silk from the people at a high price so that they can use their money to buy enough food. Otherwise, Zhejiang will be in chaos soon!"
When Zhang Juzheng said this, he became very angry and continued immediately.
"This is a result that anyone with a discerning eye can see, but His Royal Highness Prince Yu turns a blind eye to this and only wants to use this matter to attack the strict party. Mr. Gao Ge, do you think he has the common people in his heart?"
After listening to Zhang Juzheng's words, Gao Gong sighed helplessly and turned to speak.
"You are right. Now that His Highness Prince Yu is like this, as his teacher, I have an unshirkable responsibility!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng's tone softened, and he immediately comforted him softly.
"Lao Gao Ge, there is no need to blame yourself. Anyway, His Royal Highness Prince Yu has been eliminated from the competition for the position of crown prince!"
"The best ending for him is to be an idle prince and spend the rest of his life peacefully!"
(End of chapter)
