The drizzle of rain kept falling, falling low on the bluestone along the eaves, making a soft sound. From time to time, a thunderbolt passed through the sky, adding a touch of color to the silent spring night.
The lantern on the carriage was swaying, and it slowly stopped outside the small side door of the British Palace. The curtain of the carriage was slightly opened, revealing an old face.
It was none other than Ningyang Bo Chen Mao, who was at the center of the storm some time ago.
The servant who had been waiting outside hurriedly came forward with a respectful voice.
"Greetings to my uncle, the second master and Ren Hou have been waiting in the study for a long time. There are many people at the door, so I can only feel sorry for my uncle and enter through the side door."
Hearing this title, Chen Mao's eyelids twitched slightly, but he soon calmed down, put on his raincoat, got out of the carriage, and followed the servant into the British Duke's Mansion through the side door.
The house is still brightly lit.
As soon as Chen Mao entered the door of the hall, he saw Zhang Mian coming up to him quickly, with an apology on his face.
"Brother Shunqing, I'm really sorry. These days, Jinyiwei has deployed a lot of manpower. In order not to attract attention, I have to wrong Brother Shunqing."
As he said this, Zhang Mi repeatedly raised his hands and sounded very sincere, which made Chen Mao's face look much better.
These days, Chen Mao's mood is indeed extremely bad.
Although judging from the results, being able to keep the title is already beyond expectations.
After he was released from prison, he learned the whole story and how much he had to pay to save him this time. Even Huichang Bo was involved.
But even so, he was still in a bad mood.
Because after he was released from prison, all the relatives in the capital basically alienated him in unison.
There were even some relatives who didn't usually deal with him, who ridiculed him in private gatherings.
In the past, he would have rushed to these people's mansion and taught them a lesson.
But now, although he was not grounded, he was ordered to go back home to meditate. No matter how outrageous the rumors outside were, he could only endure it.
Unexpectedly, when I arrived at the British Palace today, I could only enter through the side door.
Although he knew it was a last resort, he still felt a little uncomfortable.
However, Zhang Xi's hospitality and enthusiasm were able to offset this displeasure slightly. Chen Mao forced out a smile and returned the gesture.
After the greetings, the two returned to the hall and sat down. Only then did Chen Mao have time to look at the people who came this time.
Now Zhang Fu and Xu Bin are on a mission to Oara, Yang Shan has been dismissed from office and ordered to return home, Jiao Jing and Xue Heng are both confined in the mansion, and the Jinyi Guards are guarding them tightly and cannot get out at all.
Therefore, in this hall, the only person Chen Mao knew well was Zhang Shi.
In addition to Zhang Shi, there were also Jiang Yi from the Dingxi Marquis Mansion, and Ningyuan Marquis Renli. To Chen Mao's surprise, Luo Tong, the left deputy censor, was also called over.
During the turmoil in the Zhennan King case, Luo Tong was also a co-trial and should have been punished.
However, Chen Mao took all the blame for his crimes, and Luo Tong made a great contribution by sticking to Juyong Pass during the Battle of Wala.
Therefore, he was not affected in any way. He was only fined a salary, but he never thought that he would appear on this occasion today.
Frowning slightly, Chen Mao looked at Zhang Shi in confusion, so Zhang Shi explained.
"Brother Shunqing, before my third brother left the capital, he asked me to rescue you. This time the emperor will give in, and public opinion in the government and the public is also essential. In this matter, Luo Fudu, the censor, has been very helpful. Brother Sijing Before leaving the capital, I left a letter for me, mentioning that I could discuss anything with Vice-Censor Luo."
Chen Mao nodded lightly and didn't ask any more questions.
Sijing is Yang Shan's name. As for civil servants, he has been active for so long, so Xu Bin must not be the only one who can be trusted.
Although he has left Beijing now, the people he recommended before leaving must be trustworthy.
As he spoke, Luo Tong also stood up and cupped his hands, saying.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ning Yang. I have received the favor of the Supreme Emperor. I think day and night about how to welcome the Supreme Emperor back. If I can do my best, I will be shattered to pieces without hesitation."
With this statement, the atmosphere in the hall became much more relaxed.
After the minor episode subsided, Zhang Xi got down to business.
"The reason why I invite you all to come here at this time is because of the rumors that have been going around in the capital recently. You must have heard about it. Tuotuo Buhua sent a special envoy to negotiate peace with me, the Ming Dynasty. The Ministry of Revenue has already submitted a memorial. It seems that they are planning to start a mutual trade with Tuotuo Buhua."
After the words fell, Chen Mao was the first to speak. He frowned and snorted coldly.
"It's really ridiculous. The reason why the Ming Dynasty and Wala went to war was because they repeatedly robbed the border and used the name of tribute to defraud the Ming Dynasty. Now that we have won the war, we want to open up mutual trade? I don't know if we won the war or not. Lost!"
Despite the encounter, Chen Mao's temper has not changed.
He has a military background and has experienced many battles. In his view, opening up mutual markets is tantamount to initiating peace, which is no different from losing a war.
Ren Li also followed up and said, "Yes, Wang Jianzhai is so bold that he dares to make an agreement with Tuotuo Buhua privately. Sure enough, all the Gongun princes in the court are just clay and wood carvings!"
After the memorial of Honglu Temple was distributed to all the yamen, the happiest person was Ren Li.
He has always remembered the incident at Zijin Pass where he was threatened by Wang Wen with the royal flag.
But not only was Wang Wen not punished for this, but he was promoted step by step and took the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The capital and police were in a turmoil, and he looked like the leader of hundreds of officials.
This allows Ren Li to balance his mind.
So as soon as the news broke out, the happiest person was Ren Li. He had already planned that this time, this smelly and hard old bastard would have to shed his skin even if he didn't die.
Luo Tong also said: "That's true. Wang Jianzhai relied on his power to exclude dissidents. In recent days, he used the capital to act recklessly. All the officials in the court were already dissatisfied with him, but what he didn't expect was that he dared to make arbitrary decisions. , it is really a heinous crime to put Ming Dynasty in a dilemma."
Luo Tong is from the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Now he is in Beijing, assisting in the affairs of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, so he has the deepest feelings about this Beijing Procuratorate.
In his opinion, the Ministry of Personnel's Beijing inspection was simply directed at the Metropolitan Procuratorate. In just half a month, seven or eight censors had been deposed for various reasons.
Several of them are Luo Tong's cronies, and he has been dissatisfied with Wang Wen for more than a day or two.
Zhang Min was a little stunned. He had originally prepared some words to explain the pros and cons of this, but he didn't expect that as soon as he spoke, these people became excited.
It saved him a lot of effort.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xi said: "Everyone is right, but what I am thinking about is whether once this matter is completed, it will pose a danger to the Supreme Emperor in the north."
As he spoke, a hint of worry appeared on Zhang Xi's face, and he continued: "You should all know that although Ye Xian nominally surrendered to Tuo Tuo Bu Hua, they have always been at odds with each other, and Tuo Tuo Bu Hua also wanted to get rid of him. First of all, it’s just that we haven’t taken action because of our strength.”
"Once the mutual trade is reached, the forces of Tuo Tuo Bu Hua will become stronger, and the two sides will inevitably quarrel. At that time, there is no guarantee that they will not become angry and hate the Ming Dynasty because of the mutual trade, and then attack the Supreme Emperor."
"Although our mission has now gone to Wala, it is better not to take this kind of risk."
After a long sigh, Zhang Xi's expression became firm and he said.
"So what I mean is that the mutual market must be stopped. Even if it cannot be stopped, we must try our best to delay it, at least until the mission returns!"
