Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 158 I Have Not Lost!

Xishan Thousand Household Office.

After the workshop was completed, tens of thousands of refugees outside the western suburbs of the city gradually withdrew, which relieved many people in the capital.

The refugees were resettled, and the officials in the capital had fewer worries; it should have been a win-win situation.

However, for the imperial court, settling the refugees in Xishan was not without its problems.

In the western suburbs, the gathering of displaced people raises concerns of potential rebellion. Would the problem disappear if they went to the Western Hills?
While keeping these people "detained" in the Western Hills was much better than leaving them in the western suburbs, it could not completely dispel the court's suspicions.

Therefore, the Xishan Thousand-Household Office was established, equipped with about a thousand Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), and also had positions such as centurion, general, and junior officer, which was the proper way to temporarily manage and monitor the affairs of Xishan.

In addition, Zhang Yunxiu's position as the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would facilitate the establishment of guard posts and provide convenience for various tasks.

Zhang Jianxiu looked annoyed as he escorted Zhang Siwei into the Thousand Household Office.

"Ah, cut~"

He sneezed loudly, and couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"Damn it! Which bastard is trying to cricket me again?!"

Then Zhang Jianxiu turned his head and saw Zhang Siwei, who seemed somewhat dazed, and became furious.

Along the way, the old man kept shouting and yelling, which was incredibly annoying.

With so many people around, Zhang Jianxiu didn't dare to act openly.

Fearing that the group of upright officials would find out and cause a ruckus in the court, saying that Mr. Ziwei's crime was not so serious and that Zhang Shiyuan was utterly depraved, not even sparing a mad old man.

Now that he was inside the Qianhu Office, on his own territory, Zhang Jianxiu could finally act freely.

He had long harbored resentment towards Zhang Siwei, so he went up and slapped him on the head, angrily saying...

"Damn it!"

"Zhang Ziwei! Stop pretending to be stupid. You are now just a clerk. If you continue to act strangely, I will punish you severely!"

Zhang Siwei, with his disheveled hair, fell down on the steps with a thud, his face filled with terror, and he burst into tears.

"Outrageous! Outrageous! I am the Grand Secretary! How dare you humiliate me like this! I will definitely take this to the court and impeach you before His Majesty!"

"You old bastard!"

Zhang Jianxiu's eyes were wide with anger, and he was about to step forward and slap him twice more.

"Fourth Brother, you mustn't be rude. Mr. Ziwei's visit is an honor for our Qianhu Office. From now on, we will rely on your assistance in all matters of the workshop."

Before the people arrive, the sound comes first.

Zhang Yunxiu was dressed in a crimson undergarment, wearing a black gauze helmet and an embroidered spring knife at his waist, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.

He walked out from the inner hall, his steps powerful and swift, a smile on his face as he looked at Zhang Siwei.

The old man, who was curled up on the ground pretending to be pitiful, shivered involuntarily when he saw Zhang Yunxiu.

He didn't dare to look Zhang Yunxiu in the eye, and soon turned his head away, muttering something.

"I am the Grand Secretary of the current dynasty! I am the Grand Secretary of the current dynasty!"

Seeing his behavior, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but casually remind him.

"Mr. Ziwei is a well-read scholar, but he doesn't know that in the past there was King Yue, Si Jiuqian, who endured hardship and humiliation, Sun Bin who pretended to be crazy, and Sima Yi who feigned illness to seize power. These are all famous figures in history books."

"This Dynasty"

Zhang Yunxiu scrutinized the other person with a meaningful look.

"Is Mr. Zhang Ziwei of this dynasty trying to protect himself by pretending to be insane, or is he trying to emulate the old story of enduring hardship and biding his time? This is not a good omen."

Zhang Jianxiu still had a resentful expression. He always felt that his fifth brother was often too soft-hearted.

But after hearing these words, he immediately burst into laughter.

He pointed at Zhang Siwei and scolded him.

"How dare you, Zhang Ziwei! Do you intend to emulate Sima Yi and plot a rebellion? I will immediately report this to His Majesty and have you imprisoned and severely tortured!"

Upon hearing this, the manic expression on Zhang Siwei's face abruptly ceased, as if he was truly afraid of being misunderstood as "keeping a low profile."

For historical figures, "keeping a low profile" is a positive term.

But for the ministers in the imperial court, it was a derogatory term that they dared not touch.

The main reason is that, if you go back a few years, there was an emperor who rose to power by keeping a low profile.

Back when Emperor Jianwen was reducing the power of the princes, Zhu Di was also acting crazy and disheveled in his palace in order to mislead his opponents. There were even rumors that he was robbing passersby of their food and drink on the street.

With Zhu Di's example as a warning, which of the imperial family members or court officials in later generations dared to say that they were "keeping a low profile"?
Are you perhaps planning a rebellion?

Sure enough, after Zhang Yunxiu said those words, Zhang Siwei stopped being crazy and just curled up, muttering something to himself.

"A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs~" Zhang Jianxiu heard the other party's words clearly and was so angry that his eyebrows stood on end. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Siwei's collar and said.

"Old man, do you really think I can't do anything to you?"

Even Zhang Jianxiu could see that Zhang Siwei's agreement to stay in the capital and his unprecedented willingness to serve under Zhang Yunxiu was because he was certain that the Zhang family wouldn't dare to do anything to him.

If he continued to feign madness, Zhang Yunxiu would really have no way to deal with him. If he were to lose his life, it would be a disgrace for the Zhang family.

Therefore, Zhang Siwei was able to act with impunity.

They probably want to bide their time in Xishan and seek an opportunity to rise again!
Having already seen through the other party's thoughts, Zhang Yunxiu chuckled and said.

"Fourth Brother, there's no need to make things difficult for Mr. Ziwei. I imagine Mr. Ziwei has suffered these past few days. Please invite him to the main hall so we can have a good chat."

"I'm not going! I'm not going!"

Zhang Siwei was back to his usual rascal ways, a far cry from his former commanding presence in the imperial court.

"be honest!"

But Zhang Jianxiu didn't give him a chance to break free. He grabbed the other man by the collar with his right hand and walked towards the lobby.

After entering the lobby, Zhang Yunxiu not only did not criticize the other party, but also had a pot of good tea served and a large plate of fruits and snacks prepared.

Seeing the fruits and snacks laid out in front of him, Zhang Siwei didn't stand on ceremony and began to wolf them down without any hesitation.

Seeing this, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but admire him.

Zhang Siwei, who was once a formidable figure, has witnessed the fickleness of human nature after losing his power.

To avoid bringing trouble to his family, he even cut off all contact with them.

The Shanxi merchants had cultivated their influence for many years and finally managed to get Zhang Siwei into the cabinet. Now that their efforts had been in vain, they naturally wouldn't treat Zhang Siwei well.

If this person hadn't acted so rashly, how could such consequences have occurred?

Xu Xuemo is the scapegoat, and Zhang Siwei should also take the blame.

He staked his entire fortune on this gamble, and naturally lost everything.

Zhang Yunxiu also heard rumors that after the other party was dismissed from all his official posts, although his home was not searched, all the officials who had been on good terms with him in the past abandoned him like trash, for fear of getting involved with him in the slightest.

Even in his hometown in Shanxi, all the land and houses belonging to his family were taken advantage of and wiped out.

Of course, Zhang Yunxiu felt no sympathy for this person, and even felt that this punishment was too lenient on him.

However, matters of the imperial court are not like the carefree tales of wandering heroes; they require a strong sense of strategy and skill.

This four-dimensional model is the best entry point to uncover the hidden power of Shanxi merchants.

Seeing Zhang Siwei wolfing down his food, almost stuffing the plate into his mouth.

Zhang Yunxiu snatched the plate back in one swift motion.

"mix--"

Zhang Siwei was still a bit possessive of his food, and the moment he looked up, he wanted to curse.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu's scrutinizing gaze, he stopped talking and kept chewing.

"Gudong Gudong~"

He then drank the tea in front of him in one gulp.

Zhang Yunxiu chuckled to himself.

"Is Mr. Ziwei planning to continue living like this for the rest of his life?"

Zhang Siwei paused for a moment, seemingly regaining some energy from the pastries, his eyes vacant, and turned his head away as he spoke.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Zhang Yunxiu sighed and said, "Mr. Ziwei schemed and plotted, but who could have imagined this outcome? If it weren't for my suggestion to His Majesty to let you stay in the capital..."

After Mr. Ziwei returns to his hometown, I'm afraid he won't have a good ending.
I was reminded of Grand Secretary Yan during the Jiajing reign. He was a powerful figure in the court his entire life, but in his old age, he was stripped of his official rank and sent back to his hometown, where he died living in a cemetery. It was truly a sad story.

The glory days in the imperial court have all become illusions, and former colleagues who were once close have become strangers.

The concept of "loyalty" seems to be only related to power and interests.

These words seemed to have stepped on Zhang Siwei's tail, and he suddenly became angry, jumping up and pointing at Zhang Yunxiu.

"Zhang Shiyuan! Don't push your luck!"

"You're nothing but a cunning and despicable person who relies on some strange skills to resort to despicable tricks!"

"I'm just unlucky!"

(End of this chapter)