Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 4 I had a dream

The days are short in winter, and darkness soon covers the entire city of Beijing.

Zhang Yunxiu was taken to a side room by the housekeeper You Qi. You Qi told him to go and inform and let him have a good rest.

Because of the fatigue from the journey and the dim light and warm temperature in the house, Zhang Yunxiu fell into a deep sleep.

Since he was enlightened by Li Banxian, he was not so worried anymore.

The world is so big, if something unexpected happens, the worst that can happen is to flee overseas.

As long as they go out to sea, even if the Ming emperor has a thousand tricks, what can he do?
Who knows, he might even be able to lead the remnants of the Zhang family and become the Pirate King for once.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu raised the corner of his mouth and revealed a rare smile.

Just at this moment, the door opened with a click, and the bright palace lanterns made Zhang Yunxiu's eyes hurt.

He opened his eyes and a tall figure walked in.

The man was about fifty years old, with a dark head and a thin face. He had a pair of hawk-like eyes and a few wisps of beard on his chin, which made him look quite dignified.

It was Zhang Juzheng.

"Father!" Zhang Yunxiu staggered and fell to the ground.

He looked up and saw that Zhang Juzheng looked sick, which made him cry out inwardly, "How miserable!"

Zhang Juzheng was furious when he saw his son coming to Beijing without permission, but he didn't want to scold him in front of his servants.

He simply waved his hand, ordered several servants to arrange the palace lanterns, and then left.

The father and son sat opposite each other. Zhang Juzheng frowned and concentrated, but Zhang Yunxiu felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles, as if a thorn in his back was on edge.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhang Juzheng glanced at his son and asked without joy or sadness, "What are you doing in the capital?"

Zhang Yunxiu thought for a moment and replied, "I had a dream."

"What dream?"

"You...you're dead." Zhang Yunxiu replied with gritted teeth.

As soon as the words fell, Zhang Juzheng's heart immediately filled with anger. It was the first time he had heard such words in person in the entire Ming Dynasty.

He glared at his son coldly and continued to ask: "And then?"

"Our family was confiscated by the emperor, and you became a criminal official." Zhang Xu blinked and said one by one, "My eldest brother died, my second and third brothers were sentenced to exile, and my fourth brother was also stripped of his position and became a civilian."

"Asshole!" Zhang Juzheng stood up suddenly, slammed the table and cursed, "You are so young, but you have such hysteria. I guess you didn't study hard in Jiangling!"

"Go and get the book. I want to test you. If you can't answer, you can't escape the punishment today."

Zhang Yunxiu mustered up his courage and said, "Father, this is not hysteria, but guidance from God."

"Very good guidance!" Zhang Juzheng laughed in anger and said coldly, "It seems that after only a year or so of not seeing you, your knowledge has not increased, but your bones have become a little tougher."

In the past, Zhang Yunxiu would never dare to say such words, never dare to contradict him like this.

If something goes wrong, there must be a demon!

Zhang Yunxiu didn't care about anything else now. He opened his mouth wide and poured out his thoughts: "Father, the ancients said that human affairs are subject to change, and the past and the present are connected. Father's achievements are greater than his master's, so he will suffer from his misfortune in the future."

"How dare you! Are you worthy enough to discuss state affairs?" Zhang Juzheng rolled up his sleeves and slammed the table.

"I'm not discussing state affairs, I'm just trying to protect myself." Under the threat of life and death, Zhang Yunxiu became bolder and continued, "Taijia made three thousand mistakes, and Yi Yin exiled him to Tong Palace. For three years, Yi Yin took over the administration of the country and met with the princes.

Emperor Taijia lived in Tong Palace for three years, repented and became a good person, so Yi Yin welcomed Emperor Taijia back to power, which became a famous story for thousands of years.

"Duke Zhou spit out food before serving it to King Cheng, leaving behind a story that will be passed down through the ages."

"Huo Guang deposed and enthroned the emperor, and controlled the government, but in the end he died and his clan was destroyed."

When Zhang Juzheng heard his son compare him to powerful officials like Huo Guang, he was so angry that his facial features shifted and he shouted, "You little brat, what do you know? The emperor is still young, how can he rule the country?"

"The emperor is already twenty-one, and has passed the age of twenty. When your father is twenty-one, you can't let your grandfather make the decisions on everything." Zhang Yunxiu sneered mercilessly.

Zhang Juzheng was touched in the sore spot, his eyes turned cold, and he asked coldly: "So, you also think that I am a powerful traitor who controls the government and uses the emperor to control the princes?"

Do you even need to ask?
Zhang Yunxiu complained secretly but seemed to relax on the surface. He exclaimed: "Father wielded the power of government and implemented strategies to strengthen the country and enrich the people. He reformed the officialdom and the tax law, strengthened the border defense, and appointed famous generals such as Qi Dashuai and Li Chengliang. In the tenth year of Wanli, who doesn't know about my father's great achievements?" It's good to know.

Zhang Juzheng's expression softened after receiving his son's praise.

Zhang Yunxiu continued, "But, for the sake of our descendants, father should retreat while the going gets tough."

"As the ancients said, if a king is not discreet, he will lose his ministers, and if a minister is not discreet, he will lose himself. If a king loses his ministers, there are still other ministers to replace him. If a minister loses himself, there will be no recovery." At the end, Zhang Yunxiu's tone also turned cold.

Zhang Juzheng's face showed a trace of solemnity. After a moment of silence, he said: "As a minister, I should care about life and death and support the country. Death is just a matter of time. Why should I be afraid?"

"Then please ask father to kill my brothers, mother and aunt first, and I will die later!" Zhang Yunxiu said, and fell to his knees with a thud.

"Great, great, I didn't expect you to be so brave." Zhang Juzheng walked forward with a smile, but suddenly his smile froze and he shouted outside, "Come here, drag this rebellious son away and give him fifty lashes."

Three people pushed open the door and rushed in.

Zhang Yunxiu looked at the men who were coming aggressively and called them to stop, "Wait."

"Why, are you scared now?" Zhang Juzheng asked.

"I will go by myself." Zhang Yunxiu bowed to his father and played the emotional card, "I hope you take care of yourself, your health is the foundation of the country."

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I will record these fifty strokes for now and give them after the autumn examination to avoid delaying the examination."

Several people looked at each other, turned around and walked out.

Zhang Yunxiu was delighted and was about to continue brainwashing his father, but Zhang Juzheng's face turned cold and he waved his hand, saying, "You go down too. If you dare to say these weird things again in the future, you will be punished for multiple crimes."

"Oh." Zhang Yunxiu shrugged his head and walked out.

Inside the room, Zhang Juzheng walked to a chair and sat down, closing his eyes. Recalling his youngest son's passionate speech, he shook his head.

He was surprised by his son's advice, but that was all.

How could he easily give up the feeling of holding great power and having the power of life and death?

Zhang Juzheng was determined to become a figure like Lu Wang and Zhou Gong.

He holds the power of government and is responsible for strengthening the country and enriching the people. Now that the new policy is at a critical juncture, it is impossible for him to give up his post.

Of course, the reason why he holds on to power so tightly is because of something that happened in his youth.

In the 27th year of Jiajing, the Governor of Shaanxi, Zeng Xin, submitted a memorial to "recover the Hetao region". However, the traitor Yan Song seized the opportunity and falsely accused the then Prime Minister Xia Yan of colluding with border officials.

Zeng Xin died unjustly, and the Prime Minister Xia Yan was beheaded in the market, becoming the first Prime Minister to be beheaded.

He was only 24 years old that year and had just been selected as a Shujishi.

From then on, the political struggle in the Ming Dynasty became increasingly fierce, and it was either you or I. Yan Song, Xu Jie, and Gao Gong, which one of them could retire peacefully?

He doesn't want to retreat, and he can't retreat.

If he stepped down, how would his cronies be protected? Even if he died, he wanted to die as the Prime Minister.

"Cough cough."

Thinking of this, he coughed twice and walked out the door.

The biting cold wind hit his face, and he became much more sober.

At this time, it had become completely dark outside. Snowflakes the size of goose feathers began to float from the sky, falling to the ground and instantly blending with the ground.

"Bang bang bang" Suddenly, several explosions were heard.

Several beautiful fireworks broke through the darkness, stirring up brilliant fireworks in the air, and then disappeared.

Zhang Juzheng felt lost, and at that moment, he felt that his whole life was just like these brilliant fireworks.

Although there are splendors from time to time, it will eventually return to tranquility.

Just as he was in a daze, a respectful voice sounded from behind: "Master, are you still going to cut the deer blood tonight?"

"No more cutting." Zhang Juzheng shook his head, tightened his clothes, and returned to the bedroom in the night.

(End of this chapter)