Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 32: Ju Zheng’s loyalty led him to move to Beijing with his whole family!
There was silence.

In the Ming Dynasty, the chief minister of the cabinet was in charge of the central government, while the second minister of the cabinet was in charge of the actual affairs.

The imperial edict ordered Zhang Juzheng to take charge of practical affairs, which meant that Zhang Juzheng ascended to a high position.

From then on, he was second to none and above ten thousand people.

Xu Jie, the former Second Minister of the Cabinet, feels mixed emotions as he watches his disciple, whom he personally nurtured and now has grown into a towering tree.

He passed the imperial examination at the age of 22, entered the cabinet at the age of 30, and was appointed prime minister at the age of 36. Since Xie Jin, no minister in the Ming Dynasty could match his achievements.

The friendship between master and disciple in the past had long been worn out in the repeated struggles for interests. It can be said that Zhang Juzheng stepped on Xu Jie to rise to the top.

No matter how cunning he was, at this moment, Xu Jie's mentality was unbalanced.

A feeling of hatred gradually welled up in my heart.

Gao Gong and Yan Shifan had never expected that after causing such a big commotion and losing so many people due to impeachment, no one would end up well and they even lost their positions as cabinet ministers.

However, Zhang Juzheng, his little brother (son of a bitch), whom he used to look down upon, got a great advantage.

As for the new cabinet members Li Chunfang and Chen Yiqin, no one cared about them.

These two men have mediocre abilities and no power. In the court, they have nothing but a good reputation.

But Zhang Juzheng could threaten everyone present with his ability alone.

Gao Gong tried hard to breathe and calm his upset mood, while Yan Shifan's eyes were red as if they could spit fire.

Yan Song could no longer remain silent, and looked at the four people kneeling there: "Zhang Juzheng, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Yan Shifan, please accept my order and express your gratitude."

Zhang Juzheng, Xu Jie, Gao Gong and Yan Shifan all bowed their heads and said, "We accept your command and thank you for your grace!"

The four people knelt there with different thoughts in their minds.

Zhu Houcong expressed his position: "Since there is nothing else to do, I will not keep you except Zhang Juzheng."

"I resign!"

After being tricked by the emperor, Yan Shifan was the first to stand up suddenly, helped his white-haired father up, and walked out.

Xu Jie also slowly stood up and looked deeply at Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng met his gaze.

The master and the disciple said nothing, and yet they said everything.

Gao Gong didn't look at anyone, turned around and walked out. Xu Jie sighed and had no choice but to follow him out.

The moonlight outside the Yuxi Palace was so bright that the figures of the two people stepping out of the threshold also melted into the light and shadow along with Yan Song and Yan Shifan, father and son, who left earlier.

"Zhang Juzheng, let me ask you, you have never impeached anyone, so don't you hate Yan Song, Xu Jie, and Yan Shifan?" Zhu Houcong was very puzzled.

Among more than 10,000 impeachments, not a single one was submitted by Zhang Juzheng. Even when Xu Jie presented the "cleansing the house" poem to him, Zhang Juzheng remained silent.

The dust has settled, and Zhu Houcong was encouraging Zhang Juzheng to submit a memorial to impeach Xu Jie.

Xu Jie understood Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Juzheng should also understand Xu Jie. It was too naive for the Xu family of Songjiang Prefecture to think that they could settle down safely just by relying on the land and money they had offered before.

Zhang Juzheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood what the emperor meant. He said quickly, "Your Majesty, the king is the leader of his subjects, the father is the leader of his sons, and the teacher is the leader of his students. I dare not have any hatred."

Selling out teachers for fame and fortune is not uncommon in the 200-year history of the Ming Dynasty, but it could not happen to Zhang Juzheng.

Even if the friendship is no longer there, it is better not to do such a thing if you can avoid it. Otherwise, if I can betray my mentor of many years for profit tonight, who can I betray for profit tomorrow night?
Will there come a day when he sells out the Ming Dynasty for profit?

loyalty.

This is the best answer to the above. I may hate you, but I dare not express it.

This is true for my mentor and also for the emperor.

Zhu Houcong understood that a fox is a fox after all, even if it is young, it is still a little fox. It is difficult to get words out of a fox.

"Lu Bing said that your father and heir should arrive in the capital tomorrow. I will allow you to take a day off tomorrow."

Zhu Houcong was generally satisfied with Zhang Juzheng.

Jiangling County belongs to Huguang and is not far from Zhu Houcong's hometown Anlu, so the distances from the two places to Shuntian Prefecture are roughly the same.

Two thousand five hundred miles, if the Jinyiwei group of killers work day and night, they can reach the destination in three days.

However, Zhang Juzheng's father, Old Man Zhang Wenming, Zhang Juzheng's sons Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Sixiu, and Zhang Maoxiu, who had just turned three years old, set off from Jiangling as soon as they received the news of "moving".

Taking boats and cars, working day and night for half a month without stopping, was inseparable from Zhang Juzheng's letter after letter urging Old Master Zhang to come to Beijing.

Zhang Juzheng was afraid that Old Master Zhang might do something weird on his way to Beijing, or accept bribes from local officials along the way, so he told the Jinyiwei to be polite and keep a close eye on him.

In half a month, they walked 2,500 miles, or more than 130 miles a day, which was quite fast on today's ground roads.

I heard that Old Master Zhang almost lost half his life.

It's time for father and son to be reunited.

"I thank the emperor for his grace!" Zhang Juzheng kowtowed heavily.

The emperor showed his favoritism without any concealment. It would be a lie for Zhang Juzheng to say he was not moved. He felt heavy in his heart.

In this world, the hardest thing to repay is the love of parents, and the hardest thing to repay is the grace of the emperor.

If you treat me as a national hero, I will repay you as a national hero.

Zhang Juzheng never forgot the teachings of the sages until his death. In his view, the high position of the Second Assistant Minister of the Cabinet was not an honor but endless pressure, but also endless motivation. With this position, he was finally able to show some of his ambitions.

"Today is the Waking of Insects. You can stay here with me and have some pear soup."

"Yes!"

It is different from the harmony between the ruler and his subjects in Yuxi Palace.

The Western Garden at that time was named because it was located to the west of the Forbidden City. Its area included the present-day Shichahai Lake. It was originally a royal garden, drawing water from the Tonghui River and was shaded by trees without any high hills.

After the "Renyin Palace Change" in the 21st year of Jiajing, Zhu Houcong moved here and built several large halls here.

Several large-scale construction projects were carried out, and each time they were burned down in inexplicable fires. During the first fire, an imperial censor wrote a memorial saying that due to feng shui, it was not appropriate to build a large hall. His original intention was to persuade Zhu Houcong to move back to the Forbidden City.

Zhu Houcong was furious and punished those who talked about Feng Shui with a stick in the court. After that, no one made any remonstrances. As a result, every time the cabinet members came here, they had to walk a long way along the lake. Although the scenery was beautiful in summer and there was snow in winter, it was still hard work.

There was a sudden change in the cabinet tonight. Xu Jie, Gao Gong and Yan Shifan were expelled from the cabinet. Of course they were not very happy.

Coming out of the high walls of Yuxi Palace, there is only one road leading to the forbidden gate of Western Garden. The bright moon shines on the water, the breeze blows gently, and the waves are sparkling.

Yan Shifan's heart was boiling like boiling water. He deliberately slowed down his pace and let the two people carrying the sedan chair of Yan Song walk far ahead. Xu Jie was in a state of confusion and naturally could not walk fast.

Gao Gong was not happy either, knowing that there would be fighting ahead, so he simply competed with Yan Shifan and Xu Jie.

The three enemies, none of them stopped to let the other walk alone, and there was a breeze in their steps. Those who didn't know would think that these three people were a group.

The two men carrying the sedan chair turned a corner and disappeared. This was like the sound of a war drum. Yan Shifan suddenly stopped, turned his head sharply, and roared, "Gao Suqing!"

(End of this chapter)