My father is Jiajing

The bloody smell of Tongzhou Wharf had not yet dissipated, and Zhu Zaigui stood in the study of Prince Yu's Mansion, the secret report in his hand had been crumpled. The bright spring scenery outside the window was in sharp contrast to his gloomy mood at the moment.

Zhu Zaigui never expected that Xu Jie would have such a big reaction and be desperate to such an extent.

Moreover, he even extended his hand to the factory guards, which is an absolute taboo!

You have to know that Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan were not so arrogant back then.

"Your Majesty, Zhu Wu has arrived."

Meng Chong walked in quietly, speaking in a very low voice.

Zhu Zaigui took a deep breath and threw the secret report on the table: "Let him in."

As soon as Zhu Wu entered the room, he knelt on the ground, his forehead against the cold floor tiles: "I am incompetent and failed to protect the witness. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Zaigui stared at the bloodstained Feiyu uniform of the East Factory centurion. The wound on his right arm was hastily bandaged with coarse cloth, and the blood stains had turned black.

Zhu Zaigui suppressed the anger in his chest, but his voice was as cold as ice: "How many people died?"

"Your Highness, three Jinyiwei brothers, four Dongchang soldiers, and the key witness Xu Laoliu are also dead."

Zhu Wu kowtowed heavily on the ground, "I will die a thousand times, but please grant me death, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Zai looked at Zhu Wu, his eyes dim and uncertain, and finally said: "Get up, I know you have tried your best."

Zhu Wu stood up in shame, his eyes still red, and it was obvious that he was extremely remorseful and self-blaming.

Zhu Zaiqi looked at Zhu Wu like this again, he also adjusted his mood, and continued in a gentle voice: "You go down and recuperate first, I will take care of the aftermath of this matter."

Zhu Wu bowed again: "Yes, I will take my leave."

After Zhu Wu left, Zhu Zaigui finally couldn't hold back his anger and slammed the table and stood up!

The teacups on the table were jingling, as a time traveler with foresight and as a regent prince of high status.

Zhu Zaigui had never suffered such a big loss before. In the past, he always saw through other people's clown-like schemes and actions.

But no one expected that Zhu Zaigui would suffer such a huge setback in the matter of Xu Jie!
"How dare you be so rampant in broad daylight, under the Emperor's feet!"

Zhu Zaigui gritted his teeth, he really hated it to the extreme!
He turned and looked out the window; the sunlight shone on his tense profile, outlining a sharp outline.

Seeing this, Meng Chong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, calm down!"

Zhu Zaigui turned around and looked at Meng Chong. After a while, he slowly spoke again: "Meng Chong, do you think Lord Xu is going to rebel?"

Meng Chong was so frightened that he didn't dare to respond.

Meng Chong handed over a cup of fresh tea and said, "Your Highness, right now we only have Zhu Wu's one-sided statement. The traitor only said the word 'Chen Hong' before he died. The evidence is not sufficient yet."

Zhu Zaigui took the teacup but did not drink it. He just stared at his reflection in the tea soup. The water surface was slightly rippled, reflecting his uncertain expression.

"Chen Hong, this is a bit interesting."

Zhu Zaigui murmured these words, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

It seemed that the appearance of the name Chen Hong made Zhu Zaigui feel an indescribable wonderful feeling.

Meng Chong said carefully, "Your Highness, Chen Hong has always been domineering. This time he is involved in such a big case. Should we report to the Emperor to arrest him and interrogate him carefully?"

Zhu Zaigui thought for a while and laughed, "Why catch him? Catching him now will only alert the enemy and fail to achieve the goal. It would be more interesting to let him go and switch the positions of the light and the dark."

Meng Chong lowered his head and said nothing. He was an average-looking man, not particularly smart, and he never tried to be clever.

So when Zhu Zaigui said this, Meng Chong didn't know how to respond.

Zhu Zaigui sighed and laughed again, "I underestimated the heroes of the world, and underestimated the timid Xu Ge Lao. I gave him the nickname of "Host Ge Lao" at the beginning, but now it seems that I was shallow. He is more powerful than Yan Song. It is a blessing for the country to have such a smart person in the court!"

Zhu Zaigui's sarcastic words also made Meng Chong feel a chill.

You have to know that Yan Shifan was so arrogant back then that the prince never even looked at him straight in the eye.

Now Xu Jie only made a slight move, but it made the prince so angry. It was really terrifying!
Meng Chong asked carefully, "My Lord, should I send someone to investigate Chen Hong?"

Zhu Zaigui said, "How can you investigate him? He is now the head of the Imperial Household Department and the governor of the Eastern Depot. If you investigate him, it will only make him desperate and do something even more unpredictable. Let's just leave him alone now. I want to see what tricks he will play next."

"I understand." Meng Chong bowed and replied, but hesitated for a moment, "Your Majesty, should this matter be reported to the Emperor?"

Zhu Zaigui paused, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

The current condition of Emperor Jiajing is not very optimistic. Li Shizhen has been serving him for a long time. He also said that Emperor Jiajing's current condition is no longer suitable for any hard work.

Zhu Zaigui said: "There is no need to alarm Your Majesty about this matter."

Meng Chong understood and was about to leave when Zhu Zaigui stopped him again, "Wait, pass on my order to summon Mr. Zhang to the palace to discuss matters immediately."

At this time, Zhu Zaigui thought of Zhang Juzheng again. Now that Xu Jie could no longer hold back and made a move, as Xu Jie's former disciple, Zhang Juzheng should also take some action.

Otherwise, how could Zhang Taiyue grow up in such a cruel and complex political environment?

After all, the historical trajectory has changed so much that it is still unclear whether Zhang Juzheng can successfully grow into a famous prime minister.

Therefore, giving him more strength and heartbeat, letting him experience more ups and downs and human nature, maybe it will once again stimulate his growth, allowing him to become a famous official in the future who is no less famous than the ones in history!
Meng Chong said yes and went to find Zhang Juzheng.

After Meng Chong left, Zhu Zaigui picked up the secret report again and rubbed the four words "Tongzhou Wharf" repeatedly with his fingertips.

It can be seen that Zhu Zaigui never really suppressed the anger in his heart, he was just enduring it.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang is here."

After a while, Meng Chong's voice came from outside the door, interrupting Zhu Zaigui's thoughts.

"Please come in."

Zhu Zaigui calmed down and sat back in his seat.

Zhang Juzheng walked in and bowed respectfully, "I greet you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Zaigui looked at Zhang Juzheng, who was now dressed in a green robe, with a slightly tired face but sharp eyes, and asked with concern, "Mr. Zhang, have you had a good rest recently?"

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly in his heart, it would be strange if it could get better.

Now officials and scholars inside and outside the capital all think that Zhang Juzheng is a traitor, and he is under great psychological pressure.

Zhang Juzheng replied: "I am not in any trouble, but I have been a little sleepy recently."

Zhu Zaigui smiled and said, "I'll ask the imperial physician or the academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences to prescribe two doses of tranquilizers and sleep aids for you."

Zhang Juzheng bowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two of them had almost finished their greetings.

Zhu Zaigui did not continue to talk nonsense, and directly asked: "Mr. Zhang, have you heard anything about the Tongzhou incident?"

Of course Zhang Juzheng knew about this. This was the biggest vicious case that had occurred in the vicinity of the capital in recent years. Now officials in the court were clamoring to hold the Beijing Special District accountable.

It seemed that this vicious case happened because the Beijing Special Administrative Region failed to take proper responsibility for the public security issues around the capital, which led to such a brutal bandit committing such a horrific crime in broad daylight at the busy Tongzhou Wharf!
Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "I have heard something."

Zhu Zaigui motioned him to sit down: "Mr. Zhang, take a look at this." Zhu Zaigui lightly handed the secret letter in his hand to Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng leaned forward to take it, then looked at it carefully.

It turns out that it's not a big deal if you don't look at it, but it's really scary when you do.

Zhang Juzheng almost jumped up from his chair!

He looked at Zhu Zaigui in disbelief, "Prince, this, this, this. Is this true?!"

Zhu Zaigui looked at Zhang Juzheng expressionlessly, "Do I really need to lie about this?"

Zhang Juzheng immediately bowed again, "I am sorry for what I said!"

At this time, Zhu Zaigui said meaningfully: "Mr. Zhang, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Zhang Juzheng's mind was in a mess at the moment, and he tried hard to calm himself down.

Finally, he took a deep breath and continued to bow to Zhu Zaigui, saying, "Lord Xu's move is a desperate move. He must have known that once the witnesses were brought to the capital, he would be hard to escape, so he took the risk. But because of this, his weakness was exposed."

"Oh?"

Zhu Zaiqi raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhang Juzheng, "Go on."

At this time, Zhang Juzheng also knew that he must not have any wavering thoughts.

Zhang Juzheng said: "Xu Jie has been in power for decades, and his followers are everywhere, and they are deeply rooted. If we act rashly, he will easily bite us back. It is better to clip his wings and cut off his claws and teeth first, and then kill him with one strike when he is isolated and helpless."

Zhu Zaigui seemed to be thinking about something, but he looked at Zhang Juzheng encouragingly: "Mr. Zhang's intention is..."

Zhang Juzheng said: "Now Gao Gelao and Hai Gangfeng are both in Nanjing and Yingtian. They are both upright and unyielding and will never tolerate evil! Your Majesty can secretly order them to collect evidence of the Xu family's crimes, especially what their son Xu Fan did in Nanjing."

Zhu Zaigui chuckled and said, "Mr. Gao and Hai Rui are already doing these things."

Zhang Juzheng took another deep breath. He never expected that Gao Gong and Hai Rui had already had their eyes on Xu Jie.

No wonder Xu Jie was desperate and killed people to silence them. It turned out that he was really hit in the weak spot.

Zhu Zaigui said, "How about this, I will give you a new job in a while. I will appoint you as the Minister of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing to assist Gao Gong. Hai Rui and his men will thoroughly investigate this case. What do you think?"

Zhang Juzheng felt bitter. Although promotion was a good thing, going to Nanjing at this time was definitely not a good thing.

But now he couldn't refuse Zhu Zaigui's proposal, so he could only bow again: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

Zhu Zaiqi hummed, "What should we do? I don't need to tell you again, right?"

Zhang Juzheng bowed again and said, "I understand!"

Zhu Zaigui said: "Okay, let's go back first."

Zhang Juzheng took his leave and left.

Zhu Zaigui sat down again, tapping his fingers lightly, his mind constantly thinking about the next strategy.

A few days later, Nanjing.

When Gao Gong received the edict from Zhu Zaigui to be the regent, he had just learned the news that Xu Laoliu had been robbed and murdered, and he was furious.

"Xu Jie, old villain, how despicable!"

Gao Gong was extremely angry, and immediately turned around and instructed his confidant standing beside him, "Go and invite Yingtian Governor Hai Rui to come to the mansion to discuss matters, and say that there is something important to discuss."

Just one day before Gao Gong and Hai Rui discussed important matters, another major event occurred in the capital!
On the tenth day of April in the forty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign, just after the hour of Mao, the sun rising in the east had already revealed the outline of the Forbidden City from the morning mist.

Zhang Juzheng stood outside the Wenhua Hall. The dew wet his official boots and the coldness crawled up his ankles, but he did not move.

Zhu Zaigui, who had just arrived at Wenhua Hall this time, also took a look at the imperial edict placed in front of him.

After hearing the drumbeat outside, Zhu Zaigui suddenly looked up and said to Li Fang, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department beside him, "Go and pass on the imperial decree."

Li Fang responded: "I obey your order."

Then Li Fang rushed out of Wenhua Hall.

At this time, outside the Wenhua Hall, all the officials stood on both sides, and they all looked up at Li Fang.

At this moment they all knew that something big was going to happen!
Li Fang opened the edict:

"The Emperor, in accordance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: From today on, the Grand Secretaries of the Three Palaces and Three Cabinets will be established independently, not under the Hanlin Academy. Their ranks will remain unchanged, and they will also be fifth-rank officials. They can enter the Cabinet, participate in confidential matters, and assist the Emperor in making announcements to the world. I decree this!"

Li Fang's voice echoed in the square outside the Wenhua Hall, like a knife, slowly and accurately cutting through the old system that had been unbreakable for hundreds of years.

Zhang Juzheng, standing in the line of civil servants, lowered his eyes slightly, his expression calm, but the tight lines at the corners of his mouth revealed a hint of tension. He could feel countless eyes piercing his back - astonished, angry, calculating.

All the officials of the Hanlin Academy looked as if they had lost their parents and their faces were as pale as death!
They stared at the culprit Zhang Juzheng, their lips trembling, but they couldn't utter a word.

At the same time, another edict was issued on the same day.

The content of the edict is even more explosive!

It was an imperial edict concerning the promotion of several senior officials.

The general content is:
"Zhang Juzheng was transferred to Nanjing as the Minister of Justice."

"The Minister of War Hu Zongxian was appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and continued to lead the Ministry of War."

"Minister of Personnel Zhao Zhenji was appointed as Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, in charge of the selection of personnel of the Ministry of Personnel."

"The Minister of Rites Guo Pu was appointed as the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion and concurrently in charge of the ceremonial system of the Ministry of Rites."

"Minister of Criminal Affairs Zhao Wenhua was promoted to Minister of Personnel to fill the vacancy left by Zhao Zhenji."

The official from the Ministry of Public Administration ran out of the palace holding the imperial report stamped with the regent's seal. The sound of horse hooves startled a tree of sparrows.

In less than an hour, the entire capital city was in an uproar.

"Zhang Juzheng is trying to dig up the roots of the Hanlin Academy!"

Zhou Ziyi, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, broke a teacup in the duty room, and the fragments splashed onto the bookcase of the Yongle Encyclopedia.

"Why would Hu Zongxian, a military commander, be allowed to enter the cabinet?"

In a Qingshui government office, several doctors gathered in the corridor and talked in low voices.

"And Zhao Wenhua, who was still trying criminals in the Ministry of Justice last year, and now he's in charge of the Ministry of Personnel?"

Of course, the Hanlin Academy was the most shocked.

The young editors gathered in the library, and one of them threw down his pen in anger: "From now on, we, the upright officials, will never have the chance to join the cabinet, right?"

In the corner, a white-haired old Hanlin silently took off his official hat, stared at the gilded emblem on it that represented his Hanlin status, and sighed deeply, as if he would still have a chance to join the cabinet if the system did not change. . .

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