Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 311 I Want to Buy at the Bottom
Pei Yuan let the two centurions do their work on their own, and he was mentally prepared for a fierce confrontation with the Buddhist sect and the forces behind it.

As for Pei Yuan himself, he went to visit Gu Dayong.

On the one hand, Pei Yuan wanted to meet Taoist Zhiwei to see if there were any hidden dangers in the land tax method. On the other hand, Pei Yuan had previously promised to help Gu Dayong rebuild the West Factory, so this matter should be put on the agenda.

The unpleasantness between Pei Yuan and Zhang Rong, as well as the current situation where he had completely broken off relations with Liang Chu, made Pei Yuan increasingly aware that he could not protect himself with just the skin of a Jinyiwei.

If you want to make other parties wary of you, you still have to increase your weight.

From Pei Yuan's own perspective, the best way is to greatly strengthen the presence of the Thousand Households Office for Suppressing Evil.

Back then, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, established the Thousand Households Office to Suppress Evil in order to hunt down the remnants of the Ming Cult.

During the reign of Emperor Taizu Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty, the main target of the Thousand Households Office for Suppressing Evils was changed to hunting down the eight monks of the Huangjue Temple who were suspected to be the remnants of Emperor Jianwen. After the Buddhist Mother Tang Sai'er launched the White Lotus Rebellion, the office was also responsible for tracking down cults such as the White Lotus and Maitreya Sect.

During the Chenghua period, the case of the demon Li Zilong broke out. Because the case involved the palace, the Thousand Households Office for Suppressing Evils was unable to control the situation. So Emperor Chenghua established the Western Factory, whose main purpose was also to track down demons and evil creatures.

From a historical perspective, the Western Factory was originally an extension of the authority of the Thousand Households Office for Suppressing Evil within the palace.

Therefore, the process of revitalizing the Suppression of Evil Thousand Households and rebuilding the West Factory are closely related and can form a linkage.

As for the method to achieve the goal, Pei Yuan and Gu Dayong had already understood it tacitly after a few brief exchanges.

If you want to make a hammer important again, the best way is of course to put nails all over it.

According to the original history, the White Lotus rebellion in Henan was a good opportunity.

However, in order to attract the Bazhou rebels to move south to Huai'an, Pei Yuan deliberately destroyed the Bazhou army's retreat route and chose to inform Gu Dayong, causing the White Lotus Rebellion to break out ahead of time.

This incident will certainly arouse the court's vigilance, but since the cards have already been played, it is not so alarming.

Therefore, if they wanted to achieve the goal of rebuilding the West Factory and enhancing the prestige of the Thousand Households for Suppressing Evil, they had to find other nails to knock on.

Isn’t this just a coincidence? Pei Yuan just happened to know where this nail is.

That is the Luojiao, which was born during the Zhengde period and is still in its infancy.

Speaking of Luojiao, it is quite extraordinary.

This religion was derived from Buddhism, and its purpose is: this world originated from eternal vacuum, vacuum is the basis of all things in the universe, and there are great gods born without reproduction.

If you read a lot of online articles, you must have heard these eight words.

——"A vacuum hometown, no birth parents."

This world view and this level of style immediately shocked the religious figures of that era.

The old evil cults at that time, the White Lotus Sect and the Maitreya Sect, all said, "Brother, you are generous, so am I."

So the two old men revised the purpose of their society overnight.

Luo Jiao: “?”

As for the teachings of this religion, they are even more powerful.

In addition to stitching together a lot of Buddhist content, the teachings of Luojiao also boldly plagiarized the content of Journey to the West!

Not at all shy.

For example, in the classic "Longhua Ritual" of Luozuism, there is a story about Luozu's study experience. During his practice, Luozu was known for his five lectures and four beauties, and was given the Dharma name "Wukong".

According to the honorific title within the Luozu religion, the full name of this Luozu is "Saint Lord Luozu of Shandong, the Great Sage Who Protects the Country and Is Equal to Heaven".

This title is now equivalent to "Shandong's No. 1 Invincible Ultraman".

If this title were given to a modern adult, the embarrassment would almost be enough to carve out a three-bedroom apartment on the spot.

But don't panic, you gave it to the wrong person.

What if you give this title to a child in the second grade? What if you give this title to a child in the second grade?
You will definitely receive countless envious looks, okay!
During the Ming Dynasty, most people had no opportunity to receive education, and there was almost no enlightenment of the people.

Not to mention that they don’t understand which god is powerful, they can’t even explain the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the temples.

But you have to tell them, "Our boss is Sun Wukong."

They can kneel down where they are.

Therefore, Luozu Sect developed wildly relying on the stories of Journey to the West, quickly formed among the people of Shandong, then spread along the canal, and finally developed a large number of believers among the canal troops.

Later, the members of the Luojiao colluded with the eunuchs and officials in the palace. Because the empress of Emperor Wanshou of Xuandu Realm believed in the Luojiao, the Luojiao once appeared as a formal religion.

Captain Pei’s background and starting point were too low, and there was no capable military advisor to give him a “Longzhong Plan”.

Therefore, his development ideas are more persistent in his "Grand Canal Strategy."

This Grand Canal, which runs through the north and south, brings together the most abundant materials and the most sufficient manpower of this era. Once it can be successfully mobilized.

That can definitely become a purple gold beam across the sea in the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

The propagation path of this Luo sect was highly similar to Pei Yuan's Grand Canal strategy, which meant that he was destined to die.

Pei Yuan organized his thoughts along the way and soon arrived at the house where Gu Dayong lived outside the palace.

When Pei Yuan told his name, Gu Dayong, who had been staying at home for a long time, happily came out to greet him in person.

As soon as he saw Pei Yuan, Gu Dayong laughed and said, "Finally, someone can have a few drinks with us."

Apart from the debt relationship between the two, Pei Yuan and Gu Dayong can be considered friends in need.

He asked in surprise, "Why? Didn't Eunuch Zhang and Eunuch Qiu come to talk to Eunuch Gu?"

Gu Dayong's face immediately drooped, "Don't mention it."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and gestured to Pei Yuantang to speak.

Pei Yuan was puzzled, wondering what new events had happened.

Logically speaking, Gu Dayong has the merit of the battle of Yanggu, so it is a foregone conclusion that he will be reinstated. We cannot expect Zhang Yong, Qiu Ju and others to be of help in times of need, but they should at least have the wisdom to add icing on the cake, right?

Pei Yuan followed Gu Dayong into the hall.

The two of them sat down, and Gu Dayong asked the servants to leave. Then he sighed to Pei Yuan, "They are not having an easy life either."

Pei Yuanqi asked, "What's going on?"

Gu Dayong said sourly, "You may not know that Lu Ting has already marched into Henan. Those rebels in Bazhou almost fled at the sight of Lu Ting and have already headed all the way to Huguang."

"At the beginning, my family discussed with Lu Wan that if we want to completely wipe out the Bazhou rebels, we must destroy the Bazhou rebels' mobility and make their cavalry completely lose their power."

"That's why Lu Wan and I risked the possibility of threatening Huai'an and chased the Bazhou rebels into the Huai River basin."

"Lu Wan and I spent so much energy and consumed countless money and grains of the imperial court, but in the end, we failed." Pei Yuan remained silent. He also had a share of credit for this matter...

Gu Dayong continued with some reluctance, "I thought that since those Bazhou rebels had already fled into Henan, they would definitely continue to roam in Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong."

"I didn't expect that Lu Ting was so lucky. These thieves actually headed straight to Huguang."

"Huguang has a lot of water, and there is a big river blocking it. Even Cao Mengde, who had 100,000 elite cavalrymen, suffered a great loss, let alone a few bandits."

"Then Lu Ting will really get the credit for nothing."

Pei Yuan asked curiously, "This matter has nothing to do with the father-in-law, right?"

After hearing this, Gu Dayong hesitated to speak.

Pei Yuan immediately said sincerely, "Eunuch Gu and I have a life-or-death friendship. Moreover, rebuilding the West Factory will be of great benefit to our Qianhu Office. We will have mutual interests in the future. How can I harm Eunuch?"

Gu Dayong then sighed and said somewhat dejectedly, "Although your majesty is sentimental, he is still the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. I am afraid that I, an old slave, and others will be despised and unusable."

Pei Yuan was stunned.

Thinking about what Gu Dayong just said, I understood a little.

It was probably the poor performance of the "Seven Tigers" that greatly disappointed Zhu Houzhao.

Just at this time, the old people of Hongzhi, represented by Lu Ting, began to exert their strength, which made Zhu Houzhao pay attention to this force.

In addition, the "Seven Tigers" behaved weakly and sat on the fence when Liu Jin fell, which naturally made Zhu Houzhao think of "why not try a different group of people."

Although Gu Dayong had made great contributions to Yanggu, he returned at a wrong time.

When Zhu Houzhao had the intention of changing the cage and replacing the bird, the other "Seven Tigers" were still in a panic and naturally had no time to care about Gu Dayong.

Pei Yuan asked tentatively, "Has the emperor already made a clear attitude, or is the eunuch overthinking it?"

Gu Dayong leaned closer and whispered, "The day before yesterday, the emperor issued an order to have the eunuch Cui An, the supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration, guard Nanjing, and the eunuch Geng Zong, the commander of the Imperial Horse Administration, guard Liaoyang."

Guarding Nanjing and garrisoning Liaoyang were both extremely important positions.

One is the mainstay that suppresses the Southern Capital, and the other is an important border town with powerful troops.

Coming out of the Imperial Stables and taking up these two important positions in the local area was undoubtedly a high achievement.

Pei Yuan still didn't understand what Gu Dayong meant, "This matter has nothing to do with the father-in-law, right?"

Thinking about what Gu Dayong had just said about Lu Ting, and remembering that Lu Ting was the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration, he said, "Lu Ting came back from the border town, and he may not be close to these two people. Eunuch, you are probably overthinking it."

Even if the old people of Hongzhi wanted to make a full revival, it would not be done overnight.

There is only one position of the eunuch who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department, and the winner must be decided between Lu Ting and Xiao Jing.

Gu Dayong then continued to tell an explosive news, "The emperor originally planned to use Zhang Rui to supervise the Eastern Depot, but he was still a little hesitant, so he moved Cui An and Geng Zong aside and let the two brothers Zhang Rui and Zhang Xiong go to the Imperial Stables first."

Only then did Pei Yuan realize that the problem was serious.

The most important positions in the palace are the seal-holder of the Silijian, the pen-holder of the Silijian, and the seal-holders of the East and West Factories.

Now that Gu Dayong's Western Factory has been abolished, Qiu Ju's Eastern Factory will soon be replaced. If Pei Yuan remembers correctly, Zhang Yong will also be taken down by Qiu Ju who is fighting among himself.

If we take into account the dead Liu Jin, doesn't this mean that the Eight Tigers when Zhengde ascended the throne will face a total defeat?

Pei Yuan never dared to believe historical records lightly, nor did he ever believe the false and hypocritical words contained therein.

The history he values ​​never cares about the process, but only the results.

Because the process can be modified, but the result is there.

The history Pei Yuan was referring to was the period in which the “Seven Tigers” regained power after their total defeat.

Even when Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne, many people went to claim credit for supporting him.

Pei Yuan immediately sensed the benefits here. If the next one or two years were the most embarrassing time for the "Seven Tigers", wouldn't that mean he could take advantage of the situation and buy at the bottom to gain the greatest benefits?

Pei Yuan's heart began to pound with excitement.

These are the Seven Tigers in the palace, the real long-term white horses of the Zhengde Dynasty. As long as they can catch this wave, they can definitely make a fortune.

So, how did this turn of events happen?

Pei Yuan quickly thought about the little known history, trying hard to guess the power struggle behind the text.

If Pei Yuan remembered correctly, according to history, Gu Dayong's most glorious moment was when Zhengde went to control the border troops and was responsible for guarding Juyong Pass.

Both were brave emperors, but if we compare Emperor Yingzong of Ming and Emperor Wuzong of Ming, we can tell who was better by just this small operation.

Emperor Yingzong of Ming was surrounded by foreign tribes in Hebei, cut off from water and food, and Yang Hong, who commanded a large army, watched the emperor die with a smile.

As for Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, he ignored everything else and first transferred the Imperial Censor Wang Qin away, and asked his trusted eunuch to guard Juyong Pass and firmly protect his retreat.

So in the end, one got off the plane abroad, and the other returned as a king.

When Pei Yuan thought about this, he was basically certain of one thing, that is, Zhu Houzhao still trusted the Seven Tigers, but their performance was too poor, which made Zhu Houzhao think of changing people and trying.

So, what made Zhu Houzhao shift his focus from ability to loyalty?

As Pei Yuan was thinking about it, the incident in his mind where Zhu Houzhao asked him to investigate Emperor Yingzong's past emerged.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan's doubts were immediately cleared up.

Taking Gu Dayong as a benchmark, the resurgence of the "Seven Tigers" occurred when Zhu Houzhao led his troops north.

When Zhu Houzhao led his troops north, the first thing he had to break was the restrictions imposed by civil officials on the imperial power to control the military.

Judging from the fact that Zhu Houzhao asked himself to secretly investigate Wang Zhen's past, Zhu Houzhao wanted to break this shackle and chose to reverse the verdict on Yingzong head-on.

The process of this incident is not recorded in history.

As for the result, Zhu Houzhao failed in the contest with the civil officials, but the emperor, who had accumulated some military power, relied on the strength in his hands to force his way to the north and took control of the military power of Xuanfu and Datong.

At the same time, the "Seven Tigers" launched a full-scale counterattack and regained power in the inner palace.

Pei Yuan slowly sorted it out, his eyes becoming brighter and brighter.

As the news from the palace became more complete, everything was woven together like a spider web.

Although the secrets hidden in the cracks of history are still hiding from Pei Yuan, Pei Yuan is like a hunting spider, patiently sensing the vibrations on the spider web and filling in the overall picture bit by bit.

(End of this chapter)