Yesterday, those on duty in the cabinet were still Zhang Juzheng and Lu Tiaoyang. Zhang Juzheng first heard that the emperor stopped giving lectures at the Wenhua Palace and wanted to give advice after returning to the cabinet, so he was drafting the manuscript. However, after receiving the imperial edict from the palace, he didn't know what was going on. He was very anxious and quickly arranged for his own people to investigate. He also sent people to inform various ministries and told officials and officials not to discuss the matter of locking the palace.
The news in the palace was obscure at first, but when the palace door was locked and the inside and outside were isolated, not a shred of news came out. Zhang Juzheng was restless, and a series of blisters appeared on his mouth throughout the afternoon. Lu Tiaoyang advised: "Don't worry, chief minister. Since the Queen Mother's instructions are clear, perhaps the palace is really investigating theft. The Emperor and the Queen Mother are together, and there is Feng Bao in the palace, so there is nothing to worry about." Where is Zhang Juzheng? I feel relieved, but I don’t know if there is a real change in the palace. Sometimes I am afraid that there will be a palace change, causing the country to be shaken, and sometimes I am afraid that Feng Bao will cause trouble. After all, Feng Bao is the head of the inner court. If there is a change in the palace, Feng Bao will send a message to his ally. It's a shame, but now that there's no news, how can Zhang Juzheng have the time to work?
Throughout the afternoon, Zhang Juzheng watched people coming and going in the room. Some of them really had something to discuss, but most of them were talking about it. Someone with high authority directly asked Zhang Juzheng what happened. Zhang Juzheng showed the Queen Mother's decree and dealt with it calmly, but he was exhausted mentally and physically. tired.
At dusk, someone close to him walked in and told Zhang Juzheng: "Xu Jue, the housekeeper of Feng Bao's foreign residence, is anxious to see the master outside the palace gate." Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment and asked: "Go and tell him that I am responsible for the affairs of the palace." I already know that it has nothing to do with his master. Let him go to the house and ask You Qi to entertain him." The man responded.
In the evening, Zhang Juzheng returned to his mansion and entered through the side door of Zhang's mansion. No one in the mansion knew about it except his close friends. After entering the study, he asked someone to let You Qi in.
After You Qi entered the study, Zhang Juzheng stepped back and opened the study window. It was quiet and there was no one outside the study. Because the study room is adjacent to water, the wind lamp on the opposite side of the pool shines light from a distance, making the garden dark. Zhang Juzheng concentrated and looked into the distance. You Qi stood quietly behind him with his hands down, not saying a word. After a while, Zhang Juzheng spoke in a low voice, as if coming from a very far away place, and asked, "What can we find out?"
You Qi lowered his hand and replied in a low voice: "Today the palace was searched for theft. The leader eunuch Ji was imprisoned in the Qianqing Palace. He has captured hundreds of palace people-" Zhang Juzheng breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't expect You Qi to really The breaking news came out: "Feng Bao was in trouble. The news came out that he stole the late emperor's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"."
Zhang Juzheng's eyebrows trembled when he heard this. Although he tried his best to suppress it, a trace of uneasiness came out, and he asked in a trembling voice: "Is it true?"
You Qi also had a worried look on his face, stretched out his fingers and said: "I spent this amount to get the accurate information from the Qianqing Palace vigil, saying that Feng Bao and the other three leading eunuchs are still locked up in the palace, but everyone else has been released. "
Zhang Juzheng's mind was spinning. Seeing You Qi's face with worry, he said in a deep voice: "Why are you panicking? Go to Feng Bao's house quickly, activate all the hidden clues, focus on searching his study, and collect the letters and letters exchanged between him and the ministers. Take out all the things. The factory guard may not be here yet, hurry up!" You Qi said to go, but Zhang Juzheng stopped again and said: "Wait a minute, where is Xu Jue now?"
You Qidao: "He is waiting for the master in the front hall, and the eldest young master is accompanying him." Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment after hearing the words, then changed his instructions and said: "Feng Bao may not have put all those letters in one place. Don't go to Feng's house. Arrange for your nephew to go and tell him that if nothing can be done, burn his study! Come back later and follow me to the front hall to meet Xu Jue." You Qi agreed and ran out without looking back.
At this time, all the civil and military officials knew about the lockup in the palace during the day, and all the slaves and housekeepers were like headless flies, running around the capital to find out the news. There were many guests at Zhang Juzheng's house, but they were all told that the prime minister had not returned to the house yet, and those who were willing to wait were waiting in the side hall.
When You Qi returned to the study, Zhang Juzheng ordered You Qi to serve him, put on his official uniform meticulously again, and took him to the front hall.
In the front hall, Zhang Jue's eldest son Zhang Jingxiu accompanied Xu Jue to drink tea and chat. Xu Jue was coaxed by Zhang Juzheng in the afternoon and stayed in the Prime Minister's Mansion. At this time, there was no obvious anxiety on his face. Zhang Juzheng walked into the front hall with a faint smile on his face. Zhang Jingxiu and Xu Jue both stood up. Zhang Juzheng glanced at Xu Jue's face, nodded, and then said to Zhang Jingxiu: "Xu Jue is here?"
Seeing Zhang Juzheng wearing a python robe, Xu Jue said that he was not returning home until now because he was busy with official duties. He was busy paying homage to him. He smiled and saluted and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Prime Minister. I don't know how the situation is in the palace?"
Hearing this, Zhang Jue smiled and waved his hand, and said to Xu Jue: "Can Xu Jue, a thousand households, eat?" After Feng Bao took over power, Xu Jue's situation was rising, and he was falsely awarded the title of "Thousand Households of Jinyi", so Zhang Jue was called Zhang Jue. (Note: In the original time and space, Xu Jue was later awarded the title of Jin Yiwei to command Qianshi, and was promoted to the fourth rank)
Zhang Jingxiu hurriedly replied: "Father, my son has already eaten with Xu Qianhu." Xu Jue bowed again and thanked the prime minister for the meal.
Zhang Juzheng nodded and said: "Well, we had a long-lasting lawsuit with the Ministry of Rites today and got stuck. Many original books in the imperial collection were lost in the palace. The Queen Mother was furious and was searching for thefts in the palace. The main hall, Wenyuan Pavilion, Imperial History We checked everything in the Chen and Jingchang warehouses. Wenyuan Pavilion's Rites Department should be in charge, so I went there in person. Shuanglin Gong was also stumbled by this matter in the Jingchang. Because there was no communication between the inside and the outside, he just sent a message to me."
Xu Jue was in charge of Feng Bao's outer house. The inability to communicate with the outside at night was something Feng Bao would inevitably encounter when he was in the inner palace. He did not become suspicious after hearing this.
Zhang Juzheng paused and said: "The messenger couldn't find you, so he asked me to tell you - he said that some Song editions of scriptures were also kept by Duke Shuanglin outside the palace. Do you know where they are? Get them quickly and put them at my place. , but I will take it to the palace tomorrow."
After hearing this, Xu Jue said: "The master's books are kept in the Shangxin Hall of his frequent residence -" Zhang Juezheng pretended not to care and interrupted casually: "But where is the place where Duke Shuanglin keeps his official documents and letters?" Xu Jue said He just said that Feng Baoshuo and Zhang Juzheng knew it, and immediately replied: "Exactly." Behind Zhang Juzheng, You Qi's fists were clenched so hard that the knuckles turned white. Hearing this, he gently let out a long breath that he was holding.
Zhang Juzheng nodded calmly when he heard this, and said calmly: "This matter should not be delayed, otherwise Mr. Shuanglin will not look good tomorrow. Ask You Qi to accompany you and get the book." Xu Jue and You Qi responded. .
The two of them exited the front hall. You Qi looked back at Zhang Juzheng before going out, and sure enough, she saw Zhang Juzheng watching them two. Seeing You Qi looking back, he made a horizontal gesture with his right hand on the side of the python robe. You Qizhong lowered his head to indicate that he understood, and followed Xu Jue out.
You Qi took Xu Jue out of the mansion through the side door and got on Zhang's two sedans. Xu Jue whispered to the bearers, and the powerful bearers lifted the sedan and blended into the dark night.
In Zhang's Mansion, Zhang Jingxiu ordered the food to be served. Zhang Juzheng said, "Send the food to the study, and I'll eat it there." Mrs. Xuxian Wang came over to change his big clothes, but Zhang Juzheng said no, and told Zhang Jingxiu to send away all future guests. , I still wore the python robe and went to the study.
At nearly three o'clock in the morning, there was a knock on the door outside the study. Zhang Juzheng woke up from his meditation, opened the door himself and put You Qi into the study. You Qi stood with a blue leather bag slung on his left shoulder and a box in his right hand. He came in and kowtowed: "Feng Bao's mansion has been surrounded by Jinyi guards, don't get close!".
Zhang Juzheng's hands shook and he asked in a low voice: "Over there at Shangxintang——"
You Qi gritted his teeth and said: "Feng Bao was indeed on guard against the Prime Minister. All the letters from Shangsintang are here. I flipped through them and found that they were all letters from the Prime Minister. He also left copies of the letters to the Prime Minister. They are all in This." After saying that, he untied the blue leather baggage he was carrying on the big case.
Zhang Juzheng lowered his head and checked it carefully, then closed his eyes to recall, nodded and sneered: "But there is a lot of letters. Where is the person there?"
You Qi leaned over and said: "Everyone who knows the information has been dealt with. In another hour, follow Yexiang out of the city." After speaking, Zhang Juzheng opened the box he was holding in his right hand, glanced at it, his eyelids trembled, and said softly: "That's it, you Let’s find a suitable place to burn and bury it.”
You Qi responded in a low voice. Zhang Juzheng waved his hand, and You Qi bowed and carried the box out of the study.
In the study, Zhang Juzheng picked up the letters on the major case, read each one carefully, and then threw them all into the heating cage to burn them. Looking at the flames rising in the warm cage, his expression was complicated and difficult to understand, but in the end it turned into a long sigh.
At this time, the sky was dark before dawn. When the dawn shone on the palace city, the palace door opened. At the same time, the Qianqing palace door opened. Zhang Cheng stood at the door, followed by two strong men. He said softly: "Eunuch Feng, the emperor asked you to go to Xiaoling to plant vegetables. You should leave now!"
