Ye Yongjia has been struggling with one question on the road: Should he report this matter to the court? The establishment of the new army may be a blessing to the country, but once an opening is opened to introduce foreign merchants, it may lead to endless troubles. This is not a question of who will bear the responsibility. Even a hundred people cannot shoulder such a huge responsibility.
He thought for a long time, but there was still only a mess in his mind. At this time, the sun was about to set, and he had successfully arrived in the capital.
Ye Yongjia had no choice but to stop thinking. After changing his outfit, he planned to go to the palace to find Niu Yuan. When he arrived at Zhongshu Province, he was told that Prime Minister Feng had returned early today due to physical discomfort, so he turned to find Liu Zhennian.
In the courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Liu Zhennian was rocking a bamboo and rattan recliner under a tree, closing his eyes and meditating. The chair kept creaking, but it did not affect his ears at all. When a few voices came from outside the door, the recliner suddenly became silent.
He immediately opened his eyes and looked outside the door, but only saw two blurry figures. Then he sat up and shouted, "Who is it?"
"Prime Minister, it's Mr. Ye!" The gatekeeper turned around and reported.
Before Liu Zhennian heard clearly, he saw Ye Yongjia walking over wearing official uniform.
"Tinglong?" With a puzzled look on his face, he slowly stood up holding the chair.
"Enxiang," Ye Yongjia hurriedly stepped forward to help. "The Ministry of Revenue and the lower officials argued for a long time, but they still refused to agree to allocate the money. So I decided to find another way, so I came back to inquire."
"Find another way...what do you mean?" Liu Zhennian signaled that he didn't need to help him.
"I went to find a... Westerner in my humble position. He had a lot of contacts with some merchants on the sea. This person wanted to ask the imperial court to lift the ban and allow the merchants' guns and artillery factories to be established in the Chinese dynasty. Although this could alleviate the current difficulties, I don't know. What trouble will be caused."
"It's best to be cautious, but don't kill this road." Liu Zhennian nodded slightly, obviously appreciating his idea, "I will help you persuade the Ministry of Household Affairs first. If it can be done, there is no need to spend a lot of money. It's over; you can go and inquire in the next few days, but be careful not to reveal this matter. And don't tell Niu Yuan, he can't control it."
"Everyone understands his humble position." Ye Yongjia bowed, as if he was about to resign, but his feet only moved two steps as if to retreat.
Liu Zhennian saw what he was thinking and smiled: "If Tinglong has any doubts, just ask, why have I ever been wary of you?"
Ye Yongjia hurriedly saluted again: "The Prime Minister has been kind to me, how dare I be wary? I'm just doubting Zeng Liang."
"What's up with him?"
"I secretly think that although Zeng Liang is famous, he has only been an official for a short time and has little experience. I don't know why he was chosen by the emperor."
"This is my idea. This person is quite friendly to us, and he is liked by the emperor and a large number of clans. He also belongs to the same noble clan as the ministers and has many interests, so why not use it? As for him being against you now, he is also defending them. The power of the scholars must be prevented from being influenced by the New Deal. It is understandable to 'in their position, seek their own government'."
"I don't understand your humble position. You are already a man of authority in the court. Why are you still seeking compromise? Replacing him with an honest one will be of great benefit to the new policy. The people on the border will be even more grateful to you."
"I have considered these principles since I entered Beijing," Liu Zhennian sighed softly, "At that time, things were done vigorously and resolutely, and there were corpses everywhere. But as time went by, although they did not dare to disobey, But there are ways to deal with you. For example, if you ask someone to cultivate 100 acres of wasteland, they will cultivate 80 acres; if you ask someone to levy one piece of cloth from the people, they will insist on levying five pieces. Do less good things, and do more bad things. Do something, and the responsibility ultimately just falls on me.”
At this point, he was still not satisfied. He grabbed Ye Yongjia's arm and asked him to listen. He sat back on the recliner, as if he wanted to express all his feelings: "I am not saying this to complain about this gang." There are many bad scholars, but they know a truth because of this. When it comes to "conquering the country", the military power in my hands is very easy to use. What if I want to take over the country? I have to rely on these civil servants. I don't shy away from talking about this. People who have been able to usurp the throne and seize power throughout the ages, Didn’t that person cater to the interests of the scholars in every possible way to gain their support? As for me, I started to carry out reforms with great enthusiasm, which caused a lot of troubles, everyone was reluctant, and few major things happened. In order to implement the New Deal in recent years, I finally learned some political skills and followed their wishes while letting you carry out reforms. I have just seen some results and have implemented them more or less..."
"I don't want to talk nonsense. If I were the kind of power traitor who deceives the world and steals fame, and only focuses on the glory and wealth of villains, I would have dragged the emperor from his position long ago!" He said with a sneer.
"They all don't understand my thoughts, and they all regard me as a powerful official who kills without blinking an eye. This is the first time I have said this..." As he spoke, he rocked on the recliner, and his eyes gradually closed. On it, there was a slight snoring sound.
Ye Yongjia looked at his wrinkled face and felt deeply. But this feeling just flashed through my mind, and there were no more ripples. At such moments, he always thinks of his father's resolute face and the tragic circumstances of his father's death. He cannot let go of this sworn enemy no matter what. His fists were clenched tightly, and his sympathy turned to hatred.
Seeing that he was fast asleep, Ye Yongjia stood up quietly. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly heard a creaking sound on the wicker chair.
"Tinglong, I have done a lot of wrong things before..." Liu Zhennian tilted his head while half asleep, "Especially to you and the Ye family. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope you don't have to. Be on guard against me at every turn..."
Ye Yongjia pursed his lips, wondering whether he should agree or not. After being stunned for a while, he heard the familiar snoring again and walked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion silently.
In these most painful days, Ye Yongjia naturally could not be idle. After meeting Liu Zhennian that day, he wanted to go back to Beitang to meet Wu Sixing, but unfortunately it rained heavily and the church was closed, so he had to return in despair. The road was muddy, so he walked a few steps slower. When he returned to the capital, it was already the curfew in Guancheng, so he had no choice but to rest for a day at the post.
At dawn the next day, he entered the city at dawn. Although the fog was still heavy, the sun emitted a faint light from the sky, indicating that it would be a sunny day.
Ye Yongjia felt tired and was still thinking about Wu Sijing, so he walked through the door absentmindedly.
"Sir," a servant suddenly walked out of the house and almost bumped into him, "yesterday at noon, a letter came from a priest named Priest Wu."
Ye Yongjia was shocked and immediately asked for the letter in his hand and read it carefully.
