Zhao prison.
Wang Zhi took off his eunuch uniform and wore clean prison uniform. He squatted on the hay and remained silent.
This cell was very clean, obviously it had been cleaned in advance, and he had not been tortured. Even the prison food was served with wine and meat, which seemed to be produced by the imperial kitchen.
However, Wang Zhi still felt uncomfortable, and his heart felt like it was fried.
He didn't understand, he couldn't figure out why the emperor treated him like this, why he was so confident and worked so hard...
Wang Zhi felt aggrieved and sad.
This kind of ups and downs had a huge impact on him.
Thinking back to the time when he beat all the officials with a stick, it was the same way. It was obviously to protect the emperor... Wang Zhi felt bitter in his heart and couldn't help but sigh: Accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger!
He understood that no one would save him this time, and no one could save him.
Even if it is the Imperial Concubine...
"See you, empress...!"
Wang Zhi was startled and looked up at the cell door, only to see the imperial concubine walking slowly.
"Open the cell door."
"yes."
The cell leader did not dare to disobey and immediately opened the cell door.
Zhen'er walks in...
Only then did Wang Zhi react and hurriedly stepped forward to kowtow: "I pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine."
"Get up quickly."
Zhen'er helped him up, unable to hide her distressed expression: "You have suffered a lot these days."
Wang Zhi shook his head slightly, sniffed, and urged: "My queen, please go back quickly. How can you come here?"
He did not ask for help. Firstly, he felt that the empress could not save him, and secondly, he did not want to implicate the empress.
Zhen'er chuckled and said, "Why can't I come?"
"This place is... dirty."
"But you are clean!" Zhen'er said with a smile.
One sentence made Wang Zhi's eyes turn red and he almost cried.
"Your Majesty, I have committed a serious crime. I have brought shame on you." Wang Zhi whispered, like a child who made a mistake.
Zhen'er smiled kindly: "It's not entirely your fault. You're not in Beijing, so how can you control your subordinates? In the final analysis, the burden given to you by the Emperor is too heavy."
"Your Majesty, don't say that." Wang Zhi said quickly, "Thousands of mistakes are all my fault. The Emperor is wise."
At this time, he was still defending the emperor. Of course, it was more to protect the imperial concubine, fearing that the empress would displease the emperor.
"Empress, you... are getting old again."
"Yes, you are getting old." Zhen'er sighed softly, "You are still young and you have to live a good life in the future, you know?"
Does this slave have a future? Wang Zhi felt bitter in his heart, but nodded on his face: "Don't worry, my queen, I will do it."
After a pause, he urged: "My wife, please go quickly. I'm fine here. You don't have to worry."
Zhen'er nodded: "Okay, let's go."
"Hey, eh? We, we?"
"Well, let's go."
"Your Majesty, this slave is an imperial convict."
The cell leader on the side also took the opportunity to say: "The Imperial Concubine, Wang Zhi... Eunuch Wang is an imperial prisoner. Without the Emperor's will, a villain cannot... Please forgive me."
Zhen'er hummed: "Open your dog eyes and see, what is this?"
"Such as……"
The prison head stammered for a long time, his expression suddenly changed, and he immediately knelt down: "My emperor..."
"Okay, okay." Zhen'er interrupted him, "Can I take him away now?"
"Yes, yes, that's great." The little chicken in the cell nodded wildly like pecking at rice.
Zhen'er turned around and said, "Wang Zhi, let's go."
"Hey, okay." Wang Zhi nodded, feeling very dreamy. He didn't expect that he could still walk out of Zhao Prison alive.
It wasn't until the bright sunshine shone on him that he came back to his senses and said in surprise: "Your Majesty, your Majesty will not punish your servants?"
Zhen'er sighed softly: "The emperor is under great pressure. I have been begging for a long time, but I can only take you out first... Alas, it's my incompetence."
"That's it," Wang Zhi was disappointed, and then he said hurriedly: "It's not my fault, I know that I have tried my best. It's my fault that I have put so much effort into it..."
"Okay, let's not talk about this. Let's go back to the palace first." Zhen'er said, "Don't worry, no one will dare to kill you as long as I am here."
"Yes." Wang Zhi nodded excitedly.
After staying in Zhao Prison for more than a month, his psychological expectations were low enough, and he was lucky to be alive.
This is also Zhu Jianshen's arrangement.
In fact, Wang Zhi didn't have to go to Zhao Prison at all, because Zhu Jianshen didn't want to kill him at all. The purpose of letting him go to Zhao Prison was to lower his psychological expectations and make it easier to accept the reality of losing power.
"Your Majesty, you don't need to be in too much trouble," Wang Zhi said. "If you ask me to die, I have to die. Even though your servants are not the emperor's ministers, they are the same. You must not offend the emperor because of your servants."
"Don't worry, it won't happen." Zhen'er felt a little distressed and regretted.
If she had known this, she would not have recommended Wang Zhi in the first place. It would have been nice to have stayed by her side...
~
The news that Wang Zhi escaped from prison was quickly learned by the officials, and in an instant, a new round of impeachment began.
This time, Zhu Jianshen did not remain silent.
He expressed his attitude: Wang Zhi was guilty, but he also had merit. Now that he has been punished, there is no need to discuss it again!
The ministers were unwilling to give up.
With things like this, if Wang Zhi comes back again, will he still punish them to death?
Ever since, he played the old trick again, kneeling at the palace gate.
I will not give up until Wang Zhi is killed!
Zhu Jianshen knew their worries and directly issued an order: Wang Zhi had merits, but he had also made mistakes, and Wang Zhi would not be used again in the future; the West Factory would not be opened until Wang Zhi died!
This is not a verbal promise, but a real decree.
This time, the officials felt at ease.
Although he was still unwilling to do so, he did not push the matter any further, fearing that he would be pushed to the point where the emperor would lift the table.
In the current situation, they were no match for the emperor. It would be great to defeat Wang Zhi now.
It's really... an advantage for him.
Sighing, the civil servant group launched another offensive against Wang Yue.
These scholars are as petty as a needle, and they still hold grudges.
Even... they hate Wang Yue more than Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi is the enemy, and Wang Yue is the traitor. Under normal circumstances, people hate traitors far more than enemies.
Zhu Jianshen had this intention and took advantage of the situation to remove Wang Yue from the post of chief military officer of Xuanfu and only let him serve as the chief military officer of Xuanfu.
The civil servants were still dissatisfied, but Zhu Jianshen could only do this and refused to blame him any more.
The turmoil lasted for more than two months, which made Zhu Jianshen angry. He dismissed one of his ministers and several censors before it came to an end.
At this point, the situation in the DPRK became stable again.
Zhu Jianshen was truly relaxed, very relaxed.
Now, in terms of power, he is directly chasing Taizu Taizong, and is even stronger than Xuanzong.
Civil officials and military generals are all under his control. No one can cause trouble, let alone pose a threat.
After going through Zhengtong and Jingtai, Zhu Jianshen once again completed the centralization of power, and even surpassed the two Renxuan sects, and achieved the execution of orders and prohibitions in a true sense.
No one dares to violate his will and the national policies he implements, and there is no situation that cannot be implemented.
Of course, there are still many shady things in the dark, but relatively speaking, the water is no longer turbid.
Even though it’s still not clear…
~
August, Liaodong.
Li Qing enjoyed the coolness of autumn and felt content.
Construction is far more difficult than destruction. This trip to North Korea took a lot longer than going to Japan to stir up trouble. However, the results are quite satisfactory.
The North Korean royal family was very grateful to him, and also very grateful to the Ming Dynasty, because Li Qing was flying under the banner of the imperial court.
North Korea is the most loyal vassal state to the Ming Dynasty. Coupled with this wave of favors, it will play a great role in the subsequent development of the Ming Dynasty.
Li Qing clearly understood that Ming's rise was coming to an end, even now. In the future, instead of getting bigger, the cake would become smaller and smaller.
One is that the Ming Dynasty is not young anymore, and the other is the climate problem!
This climate... affects not only the Ming Dynasty, but the whole world.
In this increasingly bad climate, all living beings are equal and no one is immune.
All Li Qing could think of was plunder and cooperation.
Therefore, he plundered Japan and cooperated with North Korea. Of course, he has not finished this road yet, and there are other targets.
He just wasn't in a rush for this moment. He had been away for too long and wanted to come back for a visit.
He came back in May and has been in Liaodong for three months.
During this period, I also 'visited' the Jurchens.
However, the Jianzhou Jurchens almost disappeared, and he didn't know which branch the wild boar skin belonged to, so he had no way of starting.
After three months, he didn't do anything practical. It could be said to be a summer vacation.
"I have been sheltered from the heat for three months here. I have learned everything I need to know. It's time to go home and take a look." Li Qing whispered to himself.
He was a little confused.
Should he return to the capital first or to Jinling first?
After struggling for a long time, Li Qing chose the capital. Although Zhu Jianshen was enough to give him peace of mind, the government could not take it lightly. What if the relationship ended?
…
Li Qing traveled very quickly by himself. He traveled day and night and arrived in the capital in just over ten days.
Don’t delay admiring the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
However, there was no one to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with him.
Lianjiatun'er.
Li Qing looked at the brand-new house, and a trace of relief flashed in his eyes: This little brat still has a conscience.
The door was locked, but it made no difference to him whether he had the key or not.
Li Qing pulled green onions on a dry land and easily climbed over the wall.
The living room, wing room, east kitchen, thatched room... were all rebuilt. Not only are they exquisite, but the materials used are also extremely luxurious. The beams are all of the highest quality, and they are also painted with red paint.
Bookcases, tables, chairs, bedding... everything is available, and there isn't even a trace of dust.
Obviously, this is the case because someone comes to clean it regularly.
"Well... this guy's journey has been broadened." Li Qing was very satisfied and pleased that his travels were not in vain.
After stretching, Li Qing lay on the soft mattress and fell into a deep sleep...
During this sleep, he had an extremely sweet sleep. He slept from dusk to the afternoon of the next day. When he got up and washed his face, he felt all energetic and energetic. He was in better condition than ever before.
When he came to Jingshi Street, he chose a pretty good restaurant. Li Qing ordered a table full of delicious food to fill the five internal organs temple.
Did he really eat enough pickles and so on? Daming Ming’s dishes are delicious.
After having had enough wine and food, Li Qing went to Yiqing Building again, listening to music to feel happy... until late at night.
He did not go back to the courtyard, but went straight to the palace...
