My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 94: Records of the Sea Kingdom (3rd update)

Emperor Longqing was also shocked by Zhang Juzheng's behavior!
The official hat is very important. Zhang Juzheng took off his official hat, which was to use his official position as a guarantee, hoping that the emperor would thoroughly investigate the Datong case.

This is equivalent to Zhang Juzheng betting his career as a prime minister!

Emperor Longqing quickly got down from the throne, helped Zhang Juzheng up and said:

"Master Zhang, why bother coming here?"

Zhang Juzheng looked at the emperor and said:

"Your Majesty, I have selfish motives."

Emperor Longqing looked at Zhang Juzheng in surprise. He had never seen Zhang Juzheng like this since he entered Prince Yu's Mansion to give lectures.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng always did things for the benefit of the country, and I have never seen them talk about selfish motives.

Zhang Juzheng said honestly:

"I came here as a vassal of the Liao King!"

Emperor Longqing was stunned for a moment. As an emperor, he knew the grudge between Zhang Juzheng and the King of Liao.

But no emperor would punish his relatives for the sake of his ministers.

Zhang Juzheng then honestly told the Emperor Longqing what he had heard about the King of Liao raping the county lady, and the Emperor Longqing was so angry that he was shaking all over.

I had heard about the various absurd things that King Liao did, but I didn't expect that King Liao would not even let his relatives go!

Zhang Juzheng added:

"If the Dai vassal state is not eliminated, the Liao vassal state will be difficult to eliminate. For personal reasons, I ask Your Majesty to send a trusted minister to Datong to investigate the Dai Wang case!"

Zhang Juzheng was very clear about the relationship between Shi Duchen and himself, and the Jinyiwei could not be unaware of it.

The emperor was also aware of the grudge between Zhang Juzheng and the King of Liao.

So Zhang Juzheng chose to speak out and tell the emperor his selfish motives: he wanted to deal with the King of Liao!
Zhang Juzheng also told the emperor about Shi Duchen's memorial impeaching the King of Liao and the absurd things the King of Liao did in Jingzhou.

The revenge for my grandfather, plus all the absurd things the King of Liao did in Jingzhou, although dealing with the King of Liao is a personal grudge, it is also a public grievance!
Zhang Juzheng's frank statement would not arouse the emperor's suspicion.

As expected, Emperor Longqing remained silent for a long time.

He knew that some of the princes and vassals were not human beings, but he did not expect them to be so inhuman.

Of course, since the Dai Wang incident happened first, we still have to deal with the Dai vassal state first.

Emperor Longqing asked:

"Master Zhang, who should we send to Datong to convince the people?"

This is the key issue.

Things always need people to do the work. In the case of King Dai, the focus now is on the selection of investigators. If the cabinet cannot put forward a strong candidate, it will be impossible to prove King Dai's guilt.

The person chosen to investigate the case must have satisfactory qualifications, be of the right rank, and be competent.

In short, the candidate for the cabinet must be more suitable than the Chief Censor Wang Guoguang.

This is the crux of the matter. If the cabinet really had the right candidate, it would not be stuck here.

It’s impossible for a senior cabinet official to go to Datong to investigate the case in person, right?
Zhang Juzheng said:

"Your Majesty, why don't you listen to Su Zilin's thoughts?"
-
In the Censorate.

Luo Zun was afraid that the situation might change, so he stayed in the Censorate for the past few days.

Shen Sixiao naturally also lived in the Censorate, planning with Luo Zun day and night.

"Jishan, this time it's all thanks to you!"

Luo Zun looked at Shen Sixiao, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became. He was truly a natural censor!
It was Shen Sixiao who grasped the key point and asked the Kedao to put forward Wang Guoguang first, thus occupying the position of the inspector.

The cabinet proposed several more candidates, but the Censorate, under Shen Sixiao's guidance, rejected them for various reasons. Now, it seemed to the entire court that Wang Guoguang was the only one capable of inspecting Datong.

Wang Guoguang also secretly promised in the Censorate that as long as there was any flaw in the case of Prince Dai, he would not close the case at will. As long as the case could not be made into an ironclad case, Su Ze's memorial requesting the abolition of the Dai vassal state would be useless.

By saving the King of Dai, Kedao can continue to attack Pingrong Ce.

Luo Zun sighed, this court struggle was full of twists and turns, and in the end, our Kedao chess team was one step ahead!

Thanks to Shen Sixiao's planning!
Shen Sixiao was a little uneasy.

At this time, a trainee censor came to the Censorate with the "Yuefu Xinbao" tucked under his arm.

Seeing Luo Zun, the young censor was about to hide the "Yuefu Xinbao" but was called to his front by Luo Zun.

"Where did this Yuefu New Report come from?"

This young censor knew that Luo Zun deeply disliked Su Ze. Among the nine ministries in the capital, only the Censorate and the Six Departments did not subscribe to the "New Report of Yuefu". He said cautiously:

"This was sent by my fellow townsmen's association. I wanted to throw it away, but I didn't want to disappoint my fellow townsmen."

Luo Zun asked:

“Is this a new issue?”

The young censor Li Xing nodded quickly, and Luo Zun took the newspaper over.

There was a faint smell of ink; it was indeed the new issue of Yuefu Xinbao.

Nowadays, "Yuefu Xinbao" has become a trend in the capital. Not only government offices, but also some wealthy businessmen have subscribed to the newspaper office. Many guild halls will subscribe to a lot of newspapers and send them to the homes of fellow officials and gentry in the capital.

Some newspapers were distributed to various parts of the country through guild halls, with the fastest distribution being to Shandong and other places. The new issue of "Yuefu Xinbao" could be seen in Jinan city five days later.

However, since the Datong Rebellion, Su Ze seemed to have no interest in running a newspaper, and the fourth issue of "Yuefu Xinbao" has not been published yet.

Now, seeing the new issue of "Yuefu Xinbao", Luo Zun and Shen Sixiao felt a pang in their hearts.

Luo Zun opened the newspaper and Shen Sixiao also came over.

The front page was still the same as before, a simplified version of the court news. Su Ze did not specifically publish news about Datong, but only listed the important court events in recent days.

The third edition is the eight-part essay by Wang Xijue, the runner-up in the same year as Shen Shixing. Wang Xijue ranked first in the provincial examination and second in the palace examination that year. It is of great value and his eight-part essay is also quite excellent. Su Ze asked Shen Shixing to help him write the manuscript.

The fourth edition is still a play by Xu Wei, followed by a joke written by Su Ze.

Luo Zun focused his attention on the second edition.

It was the price index of various places in the capital, and then the article written by Su Ze himself.

"'Haiguo Ji'?"

It turned out that Su Ze had opened a new column in this section. This time it was not a popular science article like the previous three issues, but a geographical travelogue similar to Shui Jing Zhu.

Su Ze invented a traveler who traveled around the world on a ship under the name "Xia Ke" and wrote down his experiences in his voice.

"At the extreme south of the wilderness lies a great state, vast and rich in produce. Its people are adept at growing all kinds of grains, and the 'jade millet' is particularly remarkable. The plant stands over ten feet tall, with ears hanging like golden beads, and its grains as lustrous as agate. These grains can be ground into flour for making cakes and wine. A single stalk bears two ears, and in good years there is enough to feed the people."

"There are also 'potatoes', whose tubers are hidden in the soil and are shaped like pebbles. When steamed, they become soft like butter. In years of famine, they are better than rice and wheat in satisfying hunger."

"I also saw the 'sweet potato', which grows wild, with creeping vines and leaves, and a red-purple root. It is sweet and crisp when eaten raw, and sweet as honey when cooked. It is drought-resistant and easy to grow, and can thrive even in poor soil and thin fields.

"As for 'Tree Tears', it's made from the skin of cut rubber trees, the latex of which has solidified into a paste. It's as tough as tendon glue and can be used to make waterproof shoes and wheels. Boats and vehicles rely on it for stability, and it's truly a remarkable skill."

At the end of the article, Su Ze offered a large sum of money to purchase the seedlings of these four plants.

It’s over, is that it?
Su Ze still wants to publish a newspaper, so he must have a plan in mind.

Luo Zun looked at Shen Sixiao, and both of them saw the uneasiness in each other's eyes.

(End of this chapter)