The two queen mothers finished playing mahjong, had lunch, and enjoyed singing and dancing for a while. The Double Ninth Festival Autumn Appreciation program was over. Zhu Yijun served the queen mothers and returned to the inner palace.
The courtiers saw the emperor off and went down the mountain to leave the palace in twos and threes. The enthusiasm between the two newly promoted earls has not dissipated, and there is still a circle of people around them, making various dinner appointments and building relationships.
Zhang Juzheng walked to the crowd surrounding Li Chengliang and said loudly: "Uncle Ning Yuan is coming with me."
Although the earl was already above the rank, when Zhang Juzheng called out, no one around him thought it was strange. After hearing this, Li Chengliang quickly agreed with a smile on his face and followed Zhang Juzheng down the mountain.
Zhang Juzheng led him into Wenyuan Pavilion, said a few polite words, and asked him to sit and wait for him in the reception room for a while.
Li Chengliang was admiring the calligraphy on the wall in the reception room. A middle secretary of the cabinet came in, made tea for him, and placed a copy of the imperial newspaper next to the tea cup. I thought to myself: "You should slowly understand this during this study time."
Li Chengliang waited and walked around the room. The newspapers were all torn through and Zhang Juzheng did not show up. Seeing that it was dusk, he walked to the door and looked around. He saw that Yuan Fu's signature room was still full of people coming and going, all coming to deliver documents or to report matters, but Zhang Juzheng never showed any intention of showing up.
Li Chengliang had come to Beijing before and often went to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs to file lawsuits over money and grain. He had encountered all kinds of civil servants. But because he is broad-minded and familiar, he has never sat on the bench for such a long time. He did not expect to be left here today by Zhang Juzheng.
He was a little angry at first, thinking that when I went to your house to give gifts before, Zhang Jiangling was not so arrogant. Now that I am an earl, do you still want to embarrass me?
While he was fuming, the nerves that had been disturbed by the knighthood matter in the past few days suddenly came online. Li Chengliang took a deep breath and calmed down completely from his ever-excited state. Then I recalled how flamboyant I had been these days, and beads of sweat formed on my forehead.
He calmed down, walked back to the chair, sat down, and drank the cold tea. Put your hands on your knees, sit upright like a student, close your eyes slightly, and calm down.
After waiting for less than a stick of incense, Zhongshu came in and gave him a cup of tea. Li Chengliang thanked him and was about to drink when he heard a hearty laugh at the door. Zhang Juzheng came in and said, "I've made Uncle Ning Yuan wait for so long. I'm sorry!"
Li Chengliang already knew the importance at this time, and hurriedly straightened the count's pheasant tail beam crown, lifted the front of Qilin Buzi's court uniform, knelt down with a plop and said: "General Soldier of Liaodong, Li Chengliang pays homage to the Prime Minister!" He bent down and kowtowed.
Zhang Juzheng took a step forward, stopped him and said, "Uncle Ning Yuan, please get up. You can't mess with the national etiquette." Although his arms were strained, Li Chengliang's head was still firmly knocked to the ground.
Zhang Juzheng gave him another tug, and Li Chengliang used his strength to get up. Zhang Juzheng asked him to sit at the head, but Li Chengliang didn't dare. Finally, Zhang Juzheng suggested that he sit with the east and west facing each other. Li Chengliang didn't even dare to sit on the east side, so he let Zhang Juzheng sit on the east side.
When Zhang Juzheng saw that he finally knew what he was doing, he thought to himself that this is the only time I can help you, otherwise who would care about your life or death.
The two exchanged some polite words, and Zhang Juzheng asked, "Why is it that what Uncle Ning Yuan said this morning about the Jurchens of the Hezhe tribe is not found in the Liaodong memorial?"
After hearing this, Li Chengliang apologized and said: "This is Chengliang's negligence. Because the Hezhe tribe is far away from Liaodong, and there are Haixi and other Jurchen tribes in the middle, Chengliang did not pay attention to it before and did not report it to the court. Please forgive me. crime."
Zhang Juzheng listened and said coldly: "But you replied to the emperor and said that 'the emperor's words pointed directly to the core of Liao affairs'. How can this be explained by an 'oversight'? Then you used big words to deceive the emperor. What is your intention?" Can I ask at this time?"
Li Chengliang had talked with Zhang Juzheng before, and Zhang Juzheng always encouraged him. When receiving his New Year's gift, he was even more gentle and approachable.
Li Chengliang never expected that Zhang Juzheng would reveal his hidden thoughts in just a few words today, and it was only then that he understood his words.
After listening to Zhang Juzheng's heart-breaking questions, sweat dripped from his face. He stammered: "I see it, Mr. Xiang. Cheng Liang does have some selfish motives. Perhaps he prides himself on his family's affairs in the Liao Dynasty, and his selfish motives are just to protect his family. But he has absolutely no two intentions towards the imperial court! There is absolutely no two intentions!"
Zhang Juzheng chuckled and said: "If you have a disobedient heart, or even do something to support the bandits, all the good people in your family will have met in the underworld. You have not seen the heads of Li Huan, Yang Bing and others. Level? They are all marquis and earls who hold world certificates and retire from the country. How does Ning Yuan compare to them? "
After hearing this, Li Chengliang couldn't sit still. Seeing that there was no one in the room, he knelt down again and said: "Chengliang regrets it so much! I just wonder how the Sacred Heart is now? If the emperor is angry, please ask the prime minister to save Chengliang." One life! I will repay it by holding a ring of grass in my mouth!"
Although Zhang Juzheng reprimanded Li Chengliang, he would never let him kneel down and tell others the truth. Seeing how frightened he was, he still asked him to get up and sit on his original chair.
Li Chengliang really regretted it at this time. These days he is floating in the clouds, always feeling that he is an indispensable pillar of the imperial court in Liaodong. The Hezhe Ministry matter was not as serious as he said, but in order to consolidate the Li family's position in Liaodong, he really exaggerated in his words.
Now after being exposed by Zhang Juzheng, Li Chengliang knew his little plan, and the superiors knew it clearly. Rather than annoy Liu Yingjie, Zhang Juzheng and others, what he was more afraid of at this time was that the emperor would have opinions about him.
When he heard the emperor say something like "Liaodong has been operating for many years" today, it didn't sound like he was praising military generals and honorable ministers.
Now comparing it with Zhang Juzheng's words, is it possible that the emperor would regard him as a general Jiedushi?
If the emperor really thinks so, Li Chengliang can only hang himself at this time, or he may be able to keep the Li family intact. But I didn't dare to think about it or guess, and I was still lucky, so I asked Zhang Juzheng "How is the Sacred Heart?"
Zhang Juzheng was so frightened that his tone changed when he heard him, and he thought it was too late to say it. He also comforted him with warm words: "Uncle Ning Yuan, don't be so frightened. Previously, the emperor told Bu Gu about the method of selecting talents, saying, 'Filial piety is the first of all good deeds, but when it comes to heart, there is no filial son in the world; when it comes to deeds, there is no filial son in the world; all kinds of evil are the first, and filial piety is the first. When it comes to deeds, one does not care about one’s heart. When it comes to one’s heart, no one is perfect in the world.’”
"As our ministers, of course we must be loyal to the Emperor. But if we are all loyal, why are there still those who are convicted? Before the emperor strikes with thunder, he does not first look at what you say, but what matters is what you do. Uncle Ning Yuan understands this. Already?"
Li Chengliang took a deep breath and nodded to indicate understanding.
Zhang Juzheng continued: "Today, the emperor has made it clear that he wants to return Liaodong to its native land. Ning Yuanbo will make the troops in Liaodong the focus of the Liaodong strategy. Your great deeds and great contributions are yet to come. If the emperor and the court If I don’t believe you, how can I give you a chance? The emperor’s verbal hints are just to beat you, lest you make mistakes.”
After Li Chengliang heard this, his heart settled in his stomach. Zhang Juzheng said again: "Although the emperor is kind and doesn't care about your thoughts, Bu Gu cannot help but remind you. One is to preserve a wise and brave general for the court; the other two are for you - take out your statement."
After hearing this, Li Chengliang wiped his sweat and said, "No matter what the Prime Minister orders, Cheng Liang will obey everything."
Zhang Juzheng said: "Nanyuan Martial Arts School is about to start. Why doesn't your son come to sign up and report? This is one."
After hearing this, Li Chengliang slapped his thigh in annoyance. His eldest son, Li Rusong, was credited with blocking Wang Gao's army and killing the fierce Tartar general; his second son, Li Rubai, was credited with seizing Wang Gao's main force and leading the army to encircle him.
Both of these merits promoted more than two levels, so the Li family did not take the grace of using one level after graduating from martial arts seriously.
Moreover, in Li Chengliang's Liaodong General Military Mansion, all important positions were relatives or relatives. Li Rusong was like a prince, with his own team. If he left in one or two years, Li Chengliang would be afraid of other changes.
He had never thought that the emperor's purpose in establishing martial arts was to use martial arts to disperse the generals and disrupt the use of the main force of the generals. To put it bluntly, Li Rusong and Li Rubai should have come to Beijing to report long ago, thinking they were hostages!
But no one in the Li family has seen this. Instead, they stayed in Liaodong and continued to be around Li Chengliang. If Zhang Juzheng doesn't wake up today, the disaster of his Li family is really about to happen.
Li Chengliang has already put aside the excitement of being awarded the title of earl outside the Kingdom of Java, and has already fallen in love with Zhang Juzheng in his heart. After solemnly stating that his two sons should come to Beijing immediately, he asked Zhang Juzheng what else he needed to do.
Zhang Juzheng saw him on the road and suggested: "Previously, your family accounted for most of the business in Liaodong. After the reform of Liaodong begins, the government will definitely give priority to the protection of soldiers, horses, wages and money, and you don't have to bear this stigma anymore - tomorrow you will Go find Zhang Jing and hand over all these business matters."
"In addition, converting the land back to the countryside requires land, land reclamation, seed farming, cattle, etc., and it also requires old farmers to teach the Jurchens to engage in farming. Your family also has a lot of these - you don't have to donate them all, but you shouldn't leave too many more than the Earl's family in Beijing. .”
"After doing these few things, the emperor will be happy. The world certificate is not necessarily obtained by taking the first-level skill on the battlefield. Sometimes, it is not difficult to cooperate with the emperor's plans and get the holy family. This world certificate is not difficult to achieve. How successful was Qi Jiguang in fighting the Japanese? How old are you? Why did I become a knight with you? - With your intelligence, there is no need for me to be verbose."
