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

Chapter 272 Xu Ge Lao's Do-or-Die Strategy

With the bright moon high in the sky, the two rode back to the group.

"Kid! Get on your horse!"

Zhu Yinghuai spurred his horse and pulled the apprentice Chen Hong onto the saddle. The latter exclaimed in surprise, but curiously lay on the horse's back, his eyes wide open.

Amidst the bumpy ride, Chen Hong saw one carriage after another behind him, forming a grand procession.

He couldn't help but ask, "Master, how does our Xishan Theater compare to the Imperial Academy in the capital?"

Zhu Yinghuai was only a few years older than Chen Hong, but nowadays he spoke with the air of an elder.

"Hey, don't look down on our opera troupe. We're not some lowlife. I guarantee that our Xishan Opera Troupe will be just as successful as those who go on stage to fight the enemy!"

With Zhu Yinghuai's insight, it was not difficult to see Zhang Yunxiu's purpose in establishing the Xishan Theater, coupled with this trip to Jiangnan.

It can be said that as long as this new policy is implemented, Xishan Theater will definitely be inseparable from it.

Where are we going next?

Zhu Yinghuai replied impatiently, "Boy! We'll go to Nanjing later and show you the prosperity of the wartime capital, and also let you see how our master punishes villains!"

"Master? Then wouldn't I have to call him Grandmaster?" Chen Hong was not even ten years old, and his huge head was disproportionate to his body.

"Grandmaster?" Zhu Yinghuai looked quite displeased and slapped his disciple on the forehead. "How dare you call me that? Don't try to curry favor with me for no reason. There are plenty of people in this world who want to curry favor with their masters. Who do you think you are?"

Chen Hong shrank back somewhat aggrievedly, counting on his fingers as he said, "This generational order isn't wrong~"

Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture.

A fast horse stopped directly outside the Xu family's gate, and servants stumbled and rushed into the mansion, shouting something.

"It's terrible! It's terrible! I need to see the master! Take me to the master at once!"

An hour later, Xu Jie, dressed in a white undergarment and wearing a cloak, looking haggard, sat down again in the main hall.

Seated below were Wang Shizhen, Wang Xijue, and their two sons, Xu Fan and Xu Kun.

The atmosphere in the lobby was rather oppressive.

Xu Jie wanted to lift the teacup beside him to take a sip, but his wrist trembled uncontrollably, causing the tea to spill all over his pants.

"Bastard!"

With a loud "bang," the teacup in his hand was thrown hard to the ground, splashing tea everywhere, causing the four people sitting below to shiver.

The eldest son, Xu Fan, looked worried and quickly came forward to wipe the tea off his father's body with his sleeve before gently handing his own tea to Xu Jie.

After a series of twists and turns, Xu Jie was finally able to drink tea. His white beard was stained with tea, and his face turned even more ashen.

Seeing this, Xu Fan stood to the side and couldn't help but offer a reminder.

"Father, you haven't slept well for three or four days. You mustn't get angry again."

Given Xu Jie's age, Xu Fan was genuinely afraid that a single glare from him would cause him to faint.

Although he also hoped that the old man would die soon so that he could inherit this huge fortune.

But this was absolutely not the right time. The imperial court is now coming on strong, and the Zhang family father and son are showing no mercy, and things have escalated to the point of no return.

If Xu Jie were to pass away, who would be left to unite the scattered people of Jiangnan?

The gentry of Jiangnan were inherently divided and each harbored their own ambitions. If it weren't for people like Xu Jie, they wouldn't have been able to unite and fight against the imperial court.

"No more getting angry?" Xu Jie said through gritted teeth. "I also want to close my eyes, but as soon as I close them I see you all being played around by that brat. How can I be at ease?"

His face turned bright red, and he immediately began to cough repeatedly.

Xu Fan quickly brought over another bowl of ginseng soup, which Xu Jie drank, and his condition improved somewhat.

“Lord Xu, it’s not our fault,” Wang Xijue said with a sigh. “Who knew that Zhang Shiyuan would come up with so many tricks, even setting up some kind of theatrical troupe to spread his so-called new policies and loan laws everywhere. The people believed what was in the plays and became even more enamored with Hai Gangfeng. It was completely useless for us to send our students and scholars to give lectures everywhere!”

In recent days, the gentry of Jiangnan have been instigating unrest among scholars in various places, hoping to make the court wary. The first target is the Nanjing governor's office.

The Jiangnan gentry had meticulously planned this uprising for a long time. First, they made a big scene outside the governor's office, then they instigated the Jiangnan weavers to lead an uprising, especially to completely eliminate the Jiangnan Textile Bureau. Then, countless students would actively respond, write manifestos, and unite with local gentry to launch a joint uprising, directly petitioning with a petition from the people.

In the minds of the gentry, such a set of measures would make it impossible for even Zhang Juzheng to sit idly by. In order to prevent unrest in Jiangnan, the court would have to make some concessions to Jiangnan.

As for what to do next, it will simply involve pushing out a few weavers and those scholars from above to take the blame.

The idea itself was perfect, but it ran into major problems in its implementation.

At the entrance of the Yingtian Governor's Office, Hai Rui was stabbed, intending to cause even greater chaos, but unintentionally, it allowed more people to witness Hai Rui's integrity and incorruptibility.

With the Xishan Theater, which has recently been spreading its educational propaganda throughout the country, Hai Rui's reputation in Jiangnan can be said to have reached an unparalleled level.

This official, who went around preaching to the people and resolving the student unrest, how could the Jiangnan gentry have succeeded without the people he had persuaded to come?
Wang Xijue gritted his teeth when he mentioned this matter.

"Now, my child Chenyu has disappeared without a trace. I'm afraid he was also killed by Zhang Shiyuan. I hate him so much that I want to tear him to pieces!"

News from Jiangnan came a little slower, but Wang Xijue also learned about Wang Heng's situation. The boy had been bewitched by the "new learning" and had run away from home. His fate was still unknown.

“Brother Yuanyu, there’s no need to be so anxious.” Wang Shizhen, though impatient by nature, comforted his old friend. “Chenyu has been well-mannered and knowledgeable since childhood. He must have simply gone astray. Even if Zhang Shiyuan captures him, he certainly won’t dare to do anything outrageous. Once this matter is settled, I will accompany you to the capital.”

The two chatted back and forth, seemingly having completely forgotten about the events in Jiangnan. While the events in Jiangnan were important to them, their son was clearly even more important.

"Enough!" Xu Jie said in a hoarse voice, looking up at the two of them. "Still being so petty? If Jiangnan is gone, what good will become of us? The most important thing right now is that if the Jiangnan Textile Bureau continues to be implemented, how will we manage our own businesses?"
The crux of the matter is now a fight to the death!

At first, Xu Jie and his group were not quite convinced of the terrifying efficiency of the Tiangong Textile Machine, but when they found a machine to test it out, they immediately became as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

These textile machines, nearly ten times larger, are practically undermining the foundations of the Jiangnan gentry!
If every commoner could use this machine, what profit would these gentry who run workshops and shops make?
However, Zhang Yunxiu also promoted a so-called "loan" system, limiting each household to one machine, offering almost no preferential treatment to gentry and merchants.

The gentry could not obtain the spinning machine, nor did they know how to replicate it; they could only sit and wait for their doom.

However, Xu Jie would never give up so easily. He looked down at Wang Xijue and Wang Shizhen with bloodshot eyes, like a dying dragon.

"Since that's the case, we can no longer hold back. Now that Zhang Shiyuan has gone this far, we must use all our strength, or we will die without a burial place!"

"What does Master Xu mean?" Wang Shizhen was startled, fearing Xu Jie might do something outrageous given his aggressive demeanor. "A business worth a million taels of silver a year!" Xu Jie emphasized. "Taking someone's money is like killing their parents!"

Wang Xijue quickly tried to comfort him, saying, "Master Xu, you mustn't do that. At worst, we can just humble ourselves. How can we go to the point of being irreconcilable enemies?"

He was terrified that Xu Jie might suddenly decide to assassinate someone, whether it was Zhang Juzheng or Zhang Yunxiu. If the assassination succeeded, all would be well, but if it failed, it would give others leverage against them.

Needless to say, their lives and livelihoods were in danger, let alone their textile business in Jiangnan.

While it's one thing to oppose the imperial court, it's really not worth risking the lives of one's entire family.

"I may be old, but I'm not senile."

Xu Jie's voice was slightly hoarse, whether he was laughing or gritting his teeth.

"We don't need to take too much action; someone else will take care of it for us."

"What does Master Xu mean?" Wang Xijue was somewhat puzzled, but he also had some guesses. However, even just guessing made him break out in a cold sweat.

"That's still not enough." Xu Jie seemed about to deliver a powerful blow, and couldn't help but laugh contemptuously.

"Those Shanxi merchants are all cowards. They were scared by a young brat and are timid and hesitant when it comes to doing things. If they don't work hard, they will only be slaughtered by others."

Wang Shizhen then said, "The Shanxi merchants did help us, but they were indeed afraid and only dared to act behind the scenes."

“Being behind the scenes means being honest,” Xu Jie said with a sneer. “Once we take over the Jiangnan Textile Bureau and control the futures market, those Shanxi merchants will probably not dare to be as arrogant as before.”

Xu Jie not only wanted to suppress the imperial decrees, but also wanted to seize the cash cow and lucrative asset in Zhang Shiyuan's hands.

This time, it was Wang Shizhen and his companion who took the lead.

Wang Shizhen cautioned, "Master Xu, the Zhang family father and son are shrewd and calculating; they are probably not as simple as they appear. I think we should consider this carefully. We have already lost quite a few men in this matter of recruiting scholars."

"It is easy to prevent minor problems, but difficult to save major ones!"

Xu Jie, however, refused to listen and spoke very firmly.

"If that brat starts an uprising now, it will be much more difficult to deal with him in the future."

Seeing that Wang Xijue and Wang Shizhen were about to speak, Xu Jie waved his hand and said.

"You two don't need to say anything more. I already have a plan in mind."

He took a deep breath and looked at his second son, Xu Kun, who had been sitting silently.

"Zifan, I asked you to contact the gentry in Jiangnan. Have you made any progress?"

Xu Kun was a bit slow-witted, but upon hearing his father's question, he immediately stood up and answered.

"Father, everything has been arranged properly. The gentry all admire your reputation and have said that if the Xu family is willing to contribute funds, they will naturally lend a hand. This is a time of life and death for the Jiangnan region, and we must not slack off."

Listening to the question-and-answer exchange between the father and son, it was as if a real war was unfolding in Jiangnan.

This inevitably brings to mind the two battles fought between Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang to establish their rule over the country, one in the Longwan area of ​​Yingtian Prefecture and the other in the Poyang Lake area.

In this battle, who is Chen Youliang, and who is Zhu Yuanzhang?

Wang Shizhen and Wang Xijue looked at each other, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

late at night.

Inside the Zhang family study, a rare scene unfolded.

Zhang Juzheng and his son Zhang Yunxiu were sitting in the study, quite far apart, but their postures of burying their heads in their writing were remarkably similar.

The dim light in the study flickered constantly, and there was the occasional sound of grinding wood.

Zhang Juzheng would occasionally pause his writing, glance at his young son, and, seeing that he had no reaction, shake his head and continue processing the memorials for the day.

After a while, Zhang Yunxiu's voice came from the other end of the line. Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but look up and see what was going on. He found that the brat had gotten up secretly for some reason and sneaked out the door.

Upon seeing their furtive appearance, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but sigh and mutter something to himself.

"Still has the temperament of a child."

Then he glanced up at the picture of a raccoon dog hanging in the corner of the hall and narrowed his eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Juzheng was so engrossed in drafting memorials that he didn't notice the changes around him until he smelled a rich aroma of meat in the air, which startled him.

When night falls, people are always hungry, and Zhang Juzheng used to always have a bowl of chicken soup made with ginseng.

However, recently, the doctor at Renmin Medical Clinic advised Zhang Juzheng to control his diet and reduce his intake of highly nourishing foods, so he resumed his life like a monk.

Now, with the aroma of meat in the air, how could anyone resist?

Zhang Juzheng finally couldn't bear it any longer. He put down his pen and said subconsciously.

"You Qi, didn't I tell you that you absolutely must not eat anything hot or spicy these days? What's been served today? Is it something roasted? Keep a little, and you can distribute the rest to the servants."

But before he could finish speaking, his words came to an abrupt halt.

When Zhang Juzheng looked up, he saw not the food that You Qi had brought, but his unfilial son Zhang Yunxiu, who was feasting on a golden-yellow roast duck, which was served on a sheet of fine Xuan paper.

But this kid had a real knack for eating. He used a small knife to cut off the skin and meat of the roast duck, dipped it in sauce, and ate it with the steaming hot pancakes. He even added some green vegetables to the pancakes. He was extremely particular about it.

But he didn't eat properly at all; he wolfed down a whole wrapped roast duck in one bite.

The way they wolfed down their food was quite disgusting, especially the aroma that filled the air, which made Zhang Juzheng even more irritated.

"Gudong!"

Zhang Juzheng swallowed hard, but his face was filled with anger as he spoke.

"Zhang Shiyuan!"

(End of this chapter)