"Father said so."
Xu Ying replied.
Xu Jie asked at this time: "In the past, when the gentlemen of Fuque were executed, I remember that the news was that Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen went to Huijimen one after another, right?"
"Yes, but the specifics are not clear;"
"Zhang Juzheng, Tan Lun, and the young military ministers all remained silent about this matter in the past."
"The person who was the Supervisor of Ceremonies at the time was Zhang Jing, and Zhang Jing was never able to buy anything from him. This person only accepted money, but never spread the news. As a result, although money is being sent out all the time, no news has ever been received. I don’t dare not give it away anymore, I’m going to lose a lot just thinking about it.”
Xu Ying replied.
Xu Jie said: "As long as he can accept it, as for his refusal to bring the news out, it is naturally because of Feng Bao's fate. As long as Zhang Hong is still in that position, he will definitely not dare to say anything."
"This Hong Ba achievement is the same as Feng Bao's back then. He has colluded with Jiang Ling for a long time. At the same time, he took advantage of the trust of the empress dowagers of the two palaces in him to control the inner court."
"It's just that I don't know now whether His Majesty also trusts him."
Xu Jie suddenly said as he spoke: "Actually, there is someone who should know the truth of that day. I'm afraid he also knows the attitudes of the Queen Mothers of the two palaces, as well as the details of Zhang Jing and Zhang Hong, and even His Majesty."
"Who is father talking about?"
Xu Ying asked.
"Living Officer Shen Li!"
Xu Jie said.
Xu Ying said, "What my father said is true, but he is even more difficult to deal with than Zhang Jing. Not only does he not know everything about him, he doesn't even accept money."
After a while, when the sun was gradually obscured by dark clouds, Xu Jie smiled slightly, without any disappointment on his face, and said: "After all, he is a person employed by Jiangling. He is unreliable and will not be responsible for daily life and attention."
"Then father, what should we do now?"
After Xu Ying asked, she complained and said: "Not to mention that the eldest brother was exiled to the army, and the second brother has also been sentenced to prison. My Xu family has never been so useless! Zhang Jiangling simply bullied my Xu family too much! When Yan Fenyi was in power, He also knows how to give our Xu family three-point thin noodles."
Xu Jie said: "Don't worry about this. Jiangling really wants to execute your eldest brother and second brother, or even ransack our home. Even if this is the emperor's will, at worst, my father will go to the capital to hold a farming ceremony or visit the emperor's mausoleum." During the ceremony, stop the imperial driver and beg for mercy!"
"Unless the emperor really doesn't care about his benevolence as a king and the feelings of the scholar-bureaucrats in the world, he will never really do something cruel to me, the chief assistant who has assisted the late emperor for two generations!"
"So what do we have to worry about now?"
Xu Ying asked.
Xu Jie suddenly knocked his cane hard and asked Xu Ying: "Can't you use your own brain?!"
Xu Ying couldn't help lowering her head: "Father, calm down!"
Xu Jie was helpless. He never willingly allowed himself to be driven by others, but with his own sons, he had to take the initiative to drive them. He continued:
"The key now is to know whether Zhang Juzheng wants to change the system. If he wants to continue to change the system, what kind of system should he change?!"
Xu Jie said, "But Ma Tongzhou is the same, he doesn't know anything about it!"
“But there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Xu Jie then said something with a smile.
Xu Ying looked up at Xu Jie curiously.
Xu Jie stood up on crutches and said: "Now it seems that I have to let go of my old face and beg him Jiangling again!"
"Ah! Do you want to beg him again?"
Xu Ying thought that her father would come up with more brilliant ideas, but he didn't expect that he would have to show weakness to Zhang Jiangling.
Xu Jie glanced at him: "Otherwise, do you know how my father defeated Yan Fenyi back then? It was just a sign of weakness!"
As Xu Jie spoke, he ordered Xu Ying: "Ask the clerk in the mansion to write a letter to Jiangling in my name. It must have the following meanings:
First, I asked him to help me save my second brother, and said that if I could save my life, our Xu family would be grateful to him for his great kindness throughout his life;"
"Second, I praise him for his hard work and achievements in the past few years. I also say that I am always thinking about him and hope that we can meet in the forest again in the future to talk about the friendship between teachers and students. By the way, I secretly advise him to stop in time and tell him,' That's enough! It's time to end it. He wants to complete the restructuring after a long time, and our Xu family has cooperated with him to achieve it, and it's time for him to think about his own future!' But he must also make it clear that if he wants to continue the restructuring, The Xu family is willing to continue to work hard to cooperate, even if it means bankrupting the family and getting into trouble, they will work with them to serve the country wholeheartedly;"
"The third is to discuss the marriage. He said that our Xu family intends to marry him. He Jiangling will understand that once he gets married to my Xu family and retreats bravely, he will no longer have to worry about not being able to end well in the future and the world will be dissatisfied with the restructuring. I am afraid that the scholar-bureaucrats will not pursue him fiercely anymore. After all, these scholar-bureaucrats still have to give me the face of the Xu family. And even if there are still people to settle his accounts, I, the Xu family, will try to protect it."
Xu Ying raised her hand and said yes, and asked: "Father, are we asking for peace?"
Xu Jie nodded: "That's right. He Jiang Ling is too powerful. Maybe making peace in time is the best choice, otherwise we will both lose. Besides, Zhang Jiangling can make peace with Gao Gong, why can't we make peace with him Jiang Ling?" Make peace?"
"A smart man like Jiang Ling should understand that if he refuses, he will never have the chance to escape unscathed."
"And if he can make peace with us at this time, and deal with the emperor together, and let the emperor be a holy master and benevolent king who can only maintain his integrity, he can also prevent people like Hai Rui from returning to the court and causing another bloody storm. !”
"He himself can still earn the name of a minister."
Xu Jie then spoke again, and said nothing after that. He just stared at the twilight sky, and after a while he said:
"Tell him Zhang Jiangling that as long as he is willing to reconcile, after he releases a group of Confucian scholars, I, Xu Jie, will personally rectify his name in the name of giving lectures!"
"After all, we are all scholar-bureaucrats. Why should we fight and kill each other instead of living in harmony?"
After Xu Jie said this, he ordered Xu Ying: "Go there in person and ask him what Zhang Jiangling means, and take the nine girls with you. Jiangling likes beauty. As long as Zhang Juzheng is willing, Let your ninth sister be his concubine."
"clear!"
Xu Ying replied.
The wealthy families of this era always regard their female relatives as marriage capital that can win over other powerful families, and basically do not consider the personal feelings of the female relatives.
Of course, in fact, it is not just women, but also personal interests can be sacrificed for the interests of the clan.
After all, this era does not value personal feelings.
Historically, Xu Jie married one of his granddaughters to Yan Song's grandson as a concubine to dispel Yan Song's hostility towards him.
Now, Xu Jie is repeating his old tricks and plans to give his ninth daughter, whom he got in his old age, as a concubine to Zhang Juzheng, who is over 50 years old. As for whether his daughter is willing, he naturally doesn't care.
Xu Ying and Miss Jiu arrived in the capital in mid-April of the seventh year of Wanli and met Zhang Juzheng.
After Zhang Juzheng met Xu Ying and the young and beautiful girl Jiu, he also received a letter from Xu Jie.
"Shidi and Miss Ninth will stay at home first. The servant will answer the old gentleman's letter in person."
"When the time comes, you can take them back together. As for the Second Young Master, please rest assured that I will protect his life. The Jinyi Guards have already warned him that they will not let him suffer."
After Zhang Juzheng read Xu Jie's letter, he smiled and said this to Xu Ying, and then arranged for his second son Zhang Maoxiu to send Xu Ying and others to rest.
"Thank you Yuansuke!"
Xu Ying fell to the ground, choked with sobs and kowtowed to Zhang Juzheng, and asked Miss Ninth to kneel down as well.
Zhang Juzheng said hurriedly: "Please get up quickly! This is just a servant repaying the kindness of the master. It is not worthy of thanks."
With that said, Zhang Juzheng asked Zhang Maoxiu to retreat with Xu Ying and Miss Jiu.
After Xu Ying and Miss Jiu left, Zhang Juzheng lowered his face and said, "Xu Huating is Xu Huating. This move will make my Zhang family not agree!"
"Father! This is indeed an opportunity. The Xu family is willing to marry us and seek peace, which means that our Zhang family may really not have the end of 'the cunning rabbit dies and the lackey is cooked'!"
Zhang Jingxiu said at this time.
After hearing this, Zhang Juzheng glanced at Zhang Jingxiu: "Do you think that as a father, you will really forget your loyalty? Or do you think that as a father, you will really choose to betray your majesty at this time for the future of yourself and the clan? Will you sacrifice your life and death for the benefit of the country?" Abandonment of ambition?”
(End of chapter)
