After having dinner, Zhu Yijun told Empress Dowager Li everything about what happened at Fusi Yamen in Beizhen, and only concealed what he said to Feng Bao.
The queen mothers of the two palaces are very young. They are somewhat at a loss when facing the old monsters in the outer court. Why should they worry?
"How did the emperor come up with the idea of asking Zhang Hong to pretend to be Feng Daban?" The more Empress Dowager Li listened, the brighter her eyes became. Her child seemed to have some precocious wisdom. Without Wang Zhanglong's mistake of admitting the wrong person, how could Feng Bao have been able to get rid of the suspicion so easily? I'm afraid it will cause more trouble.
Zhu Yijun flashed his innocent big eyes and said matter-of-factly: "Feng Daban is the great minister in the palace, and the villain is just a servant, how could he see it? Even if it was really Feng Bao who did it, how could Feng Bao come forward in person? Then The villain Wang Zhanglong insists that it was Feng Daban who ordered him, so there must be something false."
"Okay, okay. Your Majesty is smart. I'm so happy for you. I hope your father can also smile." Empress Dowager Li was slightly moved and her eyes were a little moist. Her husband left. In fact, she was not afraid of anything. What she was most afraid of was that the emperor had no future and no future. I can't keep this inheritance.
Well now, after this catastrophe, the little emperor finally showed some changes, even if it was insignificant, it was enough to make Queen Mother Li happy.
Zhu Yijun held up the lamp and read "Direct Interpretations of the Four Books" under the lamp. He read it for half an hour before rubbing his eyes and planning to rest. Go to bed early and get up early to stay healthy.
Zhang Hong was waiting for the emperor to wash up, but he hesitated to speak. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't say it.
Zhu Yijun handed the scarf to Zhang Hong and asked, "Just say what you want, why hesitate?"
"Your Majesty, it shouldn't be Gao Gong." Zhang Hong finally expressed his inner doubts. When Feng Bao asked His Majesty if he would send troops to capture Gao Gong, His Majesty said wait a moment. Gao Gong might die if he waits that night. No.
Zhang Hong thought it was not Gao Gong, because Zhang Hong lived in Langxia's house and knew that people who came to Langxia's house were not that capable, so he sent people to Qianqing Palace.
Chen Hong couldn't do it, and neither could Gao Gong, because they had lost their power.
"It doesn't matter whether it is a high arch or not." Zhu Yijun looked at the dim crescent moon outside the window and said quite calmly: "It depends on how much benefit we can get from this matter tomorrow."
Zhang Hong lowered the bed curtain for the little emperor, then bowed and retired. He retreated to the door before bowing his head and saying, "I excuse you."
The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty had to leave the Qianqing Palace after midnight, and could not return until the fifth watch. During the Chongzhen period, a eunuch, Chen Derun, entered the Qianqing Palace a quarter of an hour early and was directly demoted from the palace. The crime was: Breaking into the palace without permission.
Zhu Yijun looked at the dragon bed carved from sandalwood and carefully summarized the events of the day and a half before falling into a drowsy sleep.
The moon was waning in the sky, the sky was full of stars, and there were only twos and threes of lights in the entire capital. At this time, the Quanchu Guild Hall on the south side of the east entrance of Luoma City in Xicheng was brightly lit.
Where is the Quanchu Guild Hall?
This is the private residence of Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty.
In front of the door were two majestic and lifelike stone lions. They looked majestic under the palace lanterns at night. It was already past the curfew, but in front of the Quanchu Guild Hall, two people still handed over greeting cards.
It's just a curfew. Those are the rules that ordinary people need to abide by. The captain of the Five Cities Army and Horses Division did not dare to stop these two people.
Not long after, the concierge came out and said very respectfully: "My master said, just pay a visit and no gifts are necessary."
The concierge signaled the two of them to put down the gifts they were carrying before leading them through the door.
Zhang Juzheng accepted money, but he did not accept it from everyone or everything. He could not accept the case of assassinating the king and killing the driver. If he accepted it, he would be impeached tomorrow, and the Queen Mother would be held accountable the next day.
At the entrance of the Quanchu Guild Hall, there is a screen wall with the four characters "Su Fen Zi Yuan" written on it. Behind the screen wall is a corridor with vertical arches. After a few steps, there is a stone bridge. The bridge is made of white marble, with a total of nine folds. There is a century-old hackberry tree at the head of the bridge. On both sides of the stone bridge are In the small lake, several willow trees hang over the water. When the spring breeze blows, the moonlight, starlight, and lights on the lake are completely scattered, making it poetic and picturesque.
After crossing the Jiuzhe Bridge, you will find the Ziwu Well. On the left is the theater building, on the right is the Wenchang Pavilion, and directly in front is the Chuwan Hall, with a span of thirty acres.
This is just the front hall, and there are more than 30 acres in the back house. The Quanchu Guild Hall covers a total area of more than 70 acres, which is about the size of seven football fields.
The land in the capital and the private house of 70 acres are truly extremely luxurious.
After the concierge called again, he introduced the two guests into the Wenchang Pavilion with five rooms and nine shelves. This is Zhang Juzheng's study. They are all made of hardwood furniture. The ancient shelves are filled with various gold and stone antiques. In front of the door of Zhang Juzheng's study Waiting for people to come in before greeting each other.
"The Quanchu Guild Hall is really rich. Going around and around almost confused me." Yang Bo, the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Personnel, looked around and praised.
Zhang Juzheng said quite calmly: "I live here secretly because of the support of my fellow villagers. No matter how luxurious the Quanchu Guild Hall is, it is not as luxurious as Yang Tianguan's Quanjin Guild Hall. Please come and take a seat."
Quanchu Guild Hall is Zhang Juzheng's private residence, but it is not in his name. It was built by Huguang students who raised funds. Every time when Enke comes, Zhang Juzheng will open his private residence for Huguang students who come to Beijing to stay in Chuwan Hall.
Zhang Juzheng is now considered the leader of the Chu Party, but most of Zhang Juzheng's party members are not from Huguang.
For example, Lu Tiaoyang, the second assistant, was from Guangxi, Qi Jiguang, the chief military officer of Jiliao, was from Shandong, Liang Menglong, the right minister of the Ministry of War and military affairs governor of Jiliao, was from Zhending, Beizhili, and Chen Rui, the left chief of Huguang, was from Fujian, etc.
At this time, the Chu Party still had no regional party formation.
After Yang Bo and Zhang Juzheng exchanged a few words and said that the sun was shining brightly tonight, they said: "This time, the main reason for coming here is Wang Zhanglong's case."
Ge Shouli, the General Secretary of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, said quite accurately: "It is not Gao Gong's handwriting at all. The Sanfa Division has proven it false. No matter how loudly Dongchang's fans clamor, it is still an unauthorized artifact. Someone must be framing it!"
"Yuanfu knows best. Gao Gong has always been a man of integrity. Even if he is a virtuous man, he will be punished even if he is angry. Even if he is unfaithful, he will be rebuked even if he is close! He has offended many people. Now the tree has fallen and the monkeys are scattered. Give me a few days and I will decide to deal with this. Find the thief."
Yang Bo looked at Ge Shouli's indignant look, exhaled, and said with a smile: "Mr. Ge, why don't you go to the courtyard to enjoy the scenery first? This Quanchu Guild Hall has always been elegant."
The handwriting is not important at all, what is important is Zhang Juzheng's attitude.
"How can I be in the mood to enjoy the scenery now?" Ge Shouli wanted to say more, but when he saw Zhang Juzheng and Yang Bo both holding tea cups, he could only laugh and went to the courtyard to enjoy the scenery.
The adults have something to say, while the children play.
Zhang Juzheng put down the teacup, considered it for a while and said: "Taizai Yang is a minister of great virtue, and Taizai also has a year-end contract with a certain person. I think it is natural that Taizai Yang knows who wrote the handwriting provided by Chen Hong, otherwise he would not have known it." Will come to my Quan Chu Guild Hall."
Yang Bo said quite confidently: "That eunuch Feng Bao may not be able to tell."
Feng Bao is very smart, but still not smart enough. This is true and false, and there are twists and turns. After Emperor Longqing's success, the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty and the eunuchs headed by Feng Bao had gone through several tricks, and Feng Bao was not worried.
Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "What if you see it?"
Zhang Juzheng didn't care whether Feng Bao could see it or not. He was refusing. He was refusing Yang Bo's solicitation of a gang of snakes and rats, refusing Yang Bo's proposal of Xiao Gui and Cao Sui, refusing to take away the power of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and refusing to allow civil servants to usurp artifacts.
Zhang Juzheng did not intend to follow Xiao Gui, who had high power to seize the power of the Supervisor of Ceremonies. The emperor was too young and his power was weak, so he was unable to fight against the civil servants. If the Supervisor of Ceremonies was again deprived of his power, this fierce dog's wolf would If the teeth are knocked out again, the Ming Dynasty will not be a country.
Zhang Juzheng was well versed in the system of the Ming Dynasty. When this system was designed, it could not function without the emperor.
Yang Bo was silent for a long time, unconsciously rubbing the middle of his index finger with his thumb, and said: "During the two Song Dynasties, the party was full of power. For the sake of the ancestral law, we still reformed the old and made new innovations. We fought to the death, and finally gave up half of the country to the Jin people. , and finally it calmed down."
Zhang Juzheng smiled and immediately replied: "I understand what Yang Dazai meant. The Party is threatening to destroy the country. It is better to let the Tiqi investigate first. If they find evidence, they will do it. If they can't find evidence, they will not do it. I We have no grudge against Gao Gong, so how can we say that the party is imprisoning us? Let’s speak with facts, what do Yang Dazai think?”
Yang Bo shook his head and said: "Tiqi is under the control of the governor of the East Factory. Feng Bao instructed Tishuai to forge a few pieces of evidence. In a few days, this case will be completed and this crime will be pinned on Gao Gong's head." Come on, it was Yan Song the day before yesterday, Xu Jie yesterday, Gao Gong today, and it will be you Zhang Jiangling tomorrow."
"Feng Bao did not do his job well and allowed bad guys to enter the palace. He is a capital crime. Now that he is so arrogant and rampant, we should report it to the Queen Mother and Your Majesty to eradicate him."
What does the Jin Party want to do? The Jin Party wanted Feng Bao's life.
Knock out the weakest link in the iron triangle of Queen Mother Li, Feng Bao, and Zhang Juzheng.
This political alliance seems to be unbreakable. When it comes to major issues, they advance and retreat together, which can easily harm the core interests of the Jin Party.
However, after Feng Bao assassinated the king and killed Jia Jia, he still appeared in the Wenhua Palace and participated in the court meeting. At this time, he should have stopped the loss immediately. If he continued, it would be extremely detrimental to the Jin Party.
Just when Zhang Juzheng was about to speak, Yang Bo stretched out his hand and said again: "Bai Gui, I'm old. I've been guarding the border all year round. I have many old injuries. I've been suffering from many old illnesses recently. The end is approaching. If I leave, I will leave." But our Ming Dynasty is in decline. Back then, Taizu Thirteenth Expedition to the North of Mongolia and Emperor Chengzuwen’s Fifth Expedition to Mobei, the Northern Barbarians were so far away that they didn’t dare to spy on us. Today, we actually want to make peace with the Northern Barbarians.”
"Not to mention everyone talking about Xiaojia, you have also seen that Ge Shouli is straightforward, Wang Chonggu is irritable, Wang Guangguang is cautious, Zhang Siwei... is both a snake and a mouse, and is not a subject of others. If I leave, you, the Quanchu Guild Hall, and I Wouldn’t it be beautiful if all the Jin Guild Halls were integrated into one place?”
"Jiushi, if you want to govern, why do you need to try every possible means?"
Yang Bo threw out the conditions for recruitment. After his death, the leader of the Jin Party can be given to Zhang Juzheng, and the Jin and Chu will merge. By then, let alone the ambition in his heart, even Wang Mang's affairs will not be a bad idea.
There are just orphans and widowed mothers in the palace, and Feng Bao is just a slightly strong dog. What kind of trouble can he make?
If Feng Bao couldn't be knocked off, he poached Zhang Juzheng and turned Zhang Juzheng into a fellow traveler. Feng Bao and Queen Mother Li could only take care of the affairs in the palace.
As for the little emperor? Just a ten-year-old little emperor.
Zhang Juzheng looked at Yang Bo and shook his head and said: "My heart is not that big. The Quanchu Guild Hall is big enough. I am not from Shanxi. Yang Dazai fell in love with me by mistake."
"I also have a daughter who has not yet left the court. She is 20 years old this year. She is a beautiful girl and has been promised to Bai Gui. Bai Gui is also my son-in-law from Shanxi, right?" Yang Bo seemed to have thought that Zhang Juzheng would be like this. He said that Yang Bo did not have a daughter who had not left the court, but he had many family members, and he could just choose one of them to be his direct descendant.
If you don’t have a daughter, can’t you create a daughter?
In-laws are a kind of relationship between relatives and friends, mainly for the sake of this relationship.
Zhang Juzheng also formed a party, but his party had no obvious regional character or in-laws.
Yang Bocai doesn't care whether the chief minister is Gao Gong or Zhang Juzheng, as long as he supports the Jin Party, he is a good chief minister. Doesn't Gao Gong still wear the same pants as Wang Chonggu?
With such generous conditions, Zhang Juzheng remained unmoved and said: "Yang Dazai's words have gone far. Let's go back to Wang Zhanglong's case."
Zhang Juzheng refused. He had been an official for twenty-six years and knew exactly that if he accepted Yang Bo's conditions, he would have no choice but to collude with the Jin Party and give benefits to the Jin Party.
Governance ambitions? All lies.
This is not the first time that Yang Bo has wooed Zhang Juzheng. Since Gao Gong collapsed last June, Yang Bo has been wooing him.
Yang Bo was sincere, and the conditions he proposed were more generous each time, but Zhang Juzheng was somewhat ignorant of praise.
Yang Bo looked at Zhang Juzheng, who was unable to make any progress, and then said: "I can give in if I succeed in the exam."
We finally got to the point. Surrender, surrender, don’t offer some core interests in exchange, just want to settle the matter?
Zhang Juzheng weighed it for a moment, shook his head and said, "It would be more appropriate for Tiqi to go to Xinzheng tomorrow to pass Gao Gong to the capital and ask for details. The reputation of Gao Ge should not be lightly tarnished."
Pursuing Gao Gong is tantamount to pursuing the Jin party supported by Gao Gong. This benefit is not enough.
Yang Bo stood up, looked at Zhang Juzheng and then sighed and said: "The capital will take the imperial examination first. After this is completed, I will serve as an official and return to my hometown. When I am old, it is time to leave. I will always stay in the court." People hate dogs and they find them unpleasant.”
"For official matters, we rely on Bai Gui."
Zhang Juzheng finally moved, stood up and said, "Let me think about it and give Yang Dazai an answer tomorrow."
Yang Bo walked to the door, stood still and looked at Zhang Juzheng, who was less than fifty in front of him, and said with great sincerity: "Bai Gui, I am really sick and old. Just like us, half of my body is buried in the Xishan Mountains at dusk tomorrow." It’s in the dirt, why don’t Bai Gui take over the Quanjin Guild Hall?”
"Send off to Dazai Yang." Zhang Juzheng did not answer and only saw the guest off.
