Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 36 The Emperor Threatens Liang Chu
As soon as Yan Song left, Jiang Ruobi asked Zhang Cong: "What do you think of what my teacher said?"

"What's the point of talking about self-preservation?"

Zhang Cong replied expressionlessly, and strolled along the pier. After looking at the willows on both sides of the river, he cast his gaze towards the direction of the Forbidden City in the north.

Jiang Ruobi was startled after hearing this, and then he followed and asked, "So, you want to participate in the discussion?"

"One day the roc rises with the wind and soars ninety thousand miles away!"

At this time, Zhang Cong suddenly recited a poem by Li Bai.

then.

Zhang Cong added: "Although this discussion of rituals is very risky, it also has great opportunities. Moreover, I am already over 40 years old and have long had the ambition to help the world. How can I sit back and do nothing?"

"There are different ways to save the people and serve the country. Bingyong, you don't have to take risks."

"In fact, being a minor official can also help save the people and serve the country."

Jiang Rubi said at this time.

Zhang Cong smiled and said, "I am not exaggerating in front of you, but I am telling you the truth. If I want to be an official, I must be a high-ranking official and do great things!"

"I don't do minor repairs!"

Zhang Cong waved his hand and said:
"If I wanted to be a minor official, to serve my parents and the people, I would have gone to the Ministry of Personnel to apply for an official position as a juren. Why would I have to wait until the forties to take the imperial examination?"

"Besides, I was born in poverty, and I am where I am today because of the public-spirited help from my clan and neighbors. How can I not repay them with a public-spirited heart, repay the world, and do public good for the world?"

Jiang Rubi remained silent.

Zhang Cong said: "Therefore, I must not only discuss etiquette, but also correct it. I cannot let them use etiquette as a tool for personal gain, or even disregard human ethics and social relations."

As Zhang Cong was speaking, a group of beggars ran towards him.

Zhang Cong couldn't help but frown when he saw this.

This also made Zhang Cong intuitively smell a hint of danger.

But at this time, several strong men who seemed to be shopping in nearby shops gathered towards them in advance and surrounded him, Jiang Rubi and their servants.

Seeing this, the group of beggars tactfully moved away.

Zhang Cong and Jiang Rubi were also relieved by this.

"Who are you?"

But these strong men didn't say anything and just dispersed to the side.

Zhang Cong did not ask any more questions. His eyes showed an expression of emotion and he could not help but bow to the north.

Afterwards, he and Jiang Rubi immediately entered the city.

Besides, the outer city has not yet been built in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, so once you leave the inner city, it is very chaotic.

Not only is there a large amount of wasteland, but there are also a large number of idle people from all walks of life gathered here, and the Five Cities Military Affairs Department has no control over this place.

The security in the inner city is naturally much better, after all, there are government troops patrolling the inner city.

After Zhang Cong and others entered the city, nothing else happened.

Not long after Zhang Cong and his companions left, the body of a beggar was carried to a house near where they had originally stayed by two deaf-mute captains from the East Factory.

Lu Song, the new criminal justice officer of the Eastern Depot, was sitting on a stool in the room, looking at the corpse.

Because his wife was Zhu Houcong's wet nurse, he was transferred to the East Depot as soon as he followed Zhu Houcong to Beijing, and worked in the East Depot as a deputy captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After all, it is easy to make achievements and get promoted by working in the East Factory.

Lu Song did not dare to neglect his duties and disappoint Zhu Houcong, so he did not slack off. After Wang Yue, the governor of the East Factory, personally told him that many beggars had gathered here during this period, he came here to wait for someone who wanted to create a terrorist incident through the reform advocate Zhang Cong to appear.

But Lu Song didn't expect that the other party would commit suicide decisively as soon as he knew that the operation had failed.

He had no choice but to have someone search the body, and then they found a short blade.

"Immediately hand this over to the factory owner and report to him that there are indeed a large number of beggars here, and they suddenly rushed towards Zhang Cong, but only got a beggar's body and found a short blade hidden in his sleeve."

After Wang Yue learned about this, he couldn't help but say, "After all, he is a follower of the dragon, and he really does things without hesitation."

Finished.

Wang Yue came to see Zhu Houcong and told him about this matter. He also said: "Fortunately, at that time, Eunuch Wei asked me to take good care of this tribute scholar, so the East Factory saved this tribute scholar. I just ask Your Majesty to forgive me. Although the East Factory tried its best, it was helpless because the treacherous people were also in the dark, so they failed to catch the real culprit!"

Wang Yue knelt down and said, "This is all because of my incompetence!"

Zhu Houcong's face became gloomy and he gnashed his teeth without saying a word.

"Call the Prime Minister!"

"Call the Prime Minister!"

After a while.

Zhu Houcong then spoke, gritting his teeth, and asked someone to call the Prime Minister Liang Chu.

Liang Chu didn't know what had happened, and the emperor was anxious to see him in Qingning Palace. But Liang Chu still went to Qingning Palace under the guidance of Wang Yue, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department.

Soon, the breathless Liang Chu learned the reason from Zhu Houcong.

"Very good!"

"I just learned from the court that the policy of clearing the fields was proposed by Zhang Cong, and now someone is trying to take action against him!"

"If the East Factory hadn't arranged protection in advance, wouldn't it mean that our Ming Dynasty would have seen the first example of someone being killed by thieves in the suburbs before even having the chance to take the palace examination?"

When Zhu Houcong read Ming Dynasty historical materials in later generations, he often saw accounts of rampant thieves in the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Many bureaucrats and scholars were killed for no reason by thieves on their way to or from the capital. For this reason, the Ming court had to allocate official troops from the Beijing camp to serve as patrol camps to catch thieves.

So, Zhu Houcong just said this now.

After hearing this, Liang Chu said, "Your Majesty, calm down. I think it is those nobles and relatives who do not want the court to clean up the farmland who are secretly doing bad things. Their purpose is just to intimidate the officials who advocate the cleanup of the farmland."

"Is it really possible that the threat is from the noble relatives who are unwilling to clean up the farmland?"

Zhu Houcong asked in a deep voice.

Liang Chu was horrified when he heard this, and felt a chill down his spine. He quickly prostrated himself on the ground:
"Your Majesty, please understand. I have no intention of not clearing the fields. Clearing the fields and pacifying the people is the best move for future generations and a way to demonstrate your majesty's virtue, not to confiscate and provide relief at the same time! Confiscating and providing relief at the same time will only damage your majesty's virtue and make everyone in the court feel insecure!"

"The Prime Minister is indeed not confused about important matters!"

Zhu Houcong then smiled.

He just wanted to use this incident to scare Liang Chu and make him make it clear that he supported the clearing of fields. The intimidation had nothing to do with him. He did not threaten the officials in the court who supported the reform just because he did not want the reform.

Now that Liang Chu had made his position clear, Zhu Houcong naturally did not ask any more questions and just let Liang Chu leave.

However, Liang Chu was still trembling after retreating.

He really didn't expect that the emperor was so scheming that he would actually use the fact that the East Factory discovered that someone was plotting to murder Zhang Cong to suspect him, and even force him to make a clear statement on the matter of clearing the fields.

What Liang Chu did not expect was that the Jinyiwei of the Eastern Depot had already begun to work seriously for His Majesty.

And His Majesty has also begun to consciously make a fuss about the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Liang Chu now couldn't help but start to worry whether his conversation with Yang Tinghe had been known by His Majesty through the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

For Liang Chu, this was extremely terrifying when he thought about it carefully!
So, how could this not scare him?
As soon as Liang Chu returned to the cabinet, Jiang Mian and Mao Ji came towards him.

Jiang Mian also said: "Prime Minister, Qi Daluan and others have drawn up a list of treacherous officials. In addition to the eunuch Wei Bin and the Minister of Personnel Wang Qiong, who are to be investigated and impeached, there are also the Minister of Revenue Yang Tan, the Minister of War Wang Xian, the Minister of Works Li Qian, and the Right Vice Minister of Personnel Luo Qinshun."

"enough!"

But at this moment, Liang Chu suddenly shouted sternly.

Jiang Mian couldn't help but be stunned.

Liang Chu then said, "Xia Yan knows that your Majesty is just getting on the throne and shouldn't be involved in a major case. By doing this, where do you think the safety of your father and king will be in jeopardy?!"

"Wang Jinxi is right. The great imperial power is not a tool for personal gain, but should be used to implement the policy of rejuvenation!"

"Since His Majesty has trusted our cabinet and asked us to take charge of the elimination of traitors and the cleanup of the fields, we must live up to His Majesty's trust and not abuse the power granted by the Imperial Constitution!"

"But His Majesty said to clean the house before inviting guests."

"Eliminating the traitors is exactly what Your Majesty wants to do."

Jiang Mian argued forcefully.

Liang Chu looked at Jiang Mian with a sullen face and said, "Although your majesty has said so, but Lord Jiang, between clearing the fields and eliminating the traitors, you have to distinguish the primary from the secondary. Your majesty is not eliminating the traitors for the sake of eliminating them, but to eliminate the traitors so that the new policy of clearing the fields can proceed smoothly!"

"Is that really what your majesty means?"

Mao Ji asked this question at this time.

Liang Chu couldn't help but rub his forehead: "You are still looking down on His Majesty like a child!"

As soon as Liang Chu said this.

Mao Ji and Jiang Mian's faces both tightened.

Jiang Mian took the initiative to ask: "Why do you say that?"

Liang Chu said, "Do you know why His Majesty summoned me? It was to ask me whether I was the one behind the intimidation or murder of the tribute scholar Zhang Cong, or whether it was me or the entire cabinet!"

"That's right. According to the report from the East Factory, the tribute scholar named Zhang Cong was almost assassinated outside the city!"

"Gentlemen, this shows that Your Majesty is not as innocent and pure as he appears to be, and that he has complete faith in us civil officials."

"He reduced rents in the past and later provided relief to refugees, not just to show his benevolence, but to put on an act for us, for the people in the inner court, and for his own old friends in the palace!"

"Your Majesty has always been well aware of the situation in the court, and knows which people can be used."

When Liang Chu said this, he looked at Jiang Mian and Mao Ji: "And until now, we are still trying to force Your Majesty to recognize Xiao Miao as his father!"

Historical records: At the beginning of Jiajing's reign, because Zhang Cong and Gui E supported Jiajing, when the court officials heard that Zhang Cong and Gui E had arrived in Beijing, their reaction was:
"The crowd was in a rage and wanted to kill him. E was afraid and did not dare to go out. Cong waited for several days before he came to court."

From this, we can see that those who opposed Zhang Cong in history wanted to kill him. That is why it is written here that Zhang Cong might have really encountered a situation where he was murdered.

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(End of this chapter)