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

Chapter 75 Dad! I can be a rebellious son too!

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng's chest heaved continuously.

He looked at the stack of documents in his hand, which contained not only complaints from his former students and subordinates, but also impeachments against Zhang Yunxiu by officials of all ranks in the capital.

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment; this is a true reflection of Zhang Juzheng's state of mind today.

Even after saying all that, he still felt unsatisfied and continued to speak.

"These things are fine, they're just a bit of nonsense, but you shouldn't have encouraged His Majesty to act so recklessly!"

Do you know that the emperor does not stand under a dangerous roof? If His Majesty were to suffer any mishap, not only you, but even the heads of your father and the entire Zhang family would be hard-pressed to atone for the crime!

Do you really think you can deceive the officials in the court and silence the public?

This last sentence is clearly the most crucial part.

Despite his frivolous antics, Zhang Yunxiu managed to compile newspapers, establish workshops, and open clinics, even though it cost tens of thousands of taels of silver. However, the previous publication, the Wanli Xinbao, served as a model for him.

Zhang Juzheng was still able to endure it, let's see what Zhang Yunxiu is going to do.

Even if Zhang Yunxiu persuaded the emperor to contribute 50,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury, Zhang Juzheng could turn a blind eye. After all, it was the emperor's "private money," and compared to the emperor using it for extravagance, it was more acceptable to give it to Zhang Yunxiu to develop miraculous medicines.

But he was ultimately a scholar who admired traditional Confucianism and Taoism. Even if he was tolerant, the matter of urging the emperor to leave the palace still touched a raw nerve.

Most importantly, Zhang Yunxiu not only instigated the emperor to leave the palace, but also "bewitched" him to abolish the Imperial Medical Academy, and even led a group of people to arrest people in the Imperial Medical Academy!

This audacious act is simply appalling.

Just as Zhang Juzheng was furious, before Zhang Yunxiu could answer, his fourth brother, Zhang Jianxiu, who had been obediently kneeling below the hall, raised his eyebrows, his mind suddenly becoming active, and he began to have some ideas.

Dad's angry again!

What Zhang Yunxiu did this time was even more absurd than his previous petty antics.

In the past, Zhang Jianxiu would have avoided it like the plague, but now he is not so afraid.

Last time, Zhang Juzheng almost beat him to death, and Zhang Yunxiu was still able to turn the tide in his rage. This time, who knows?
Not only did he turn the tide, but on several occasions, Zhang Yunxiu's "confrontation" not only did not earn him a scolding from Zhang Juzheng, but he also earned a reward in the end!

Zhang Jianxiu saw this and was anxious; how could he not be envious!

Suddenly, he became certain of an idea.

No way! We can't let Zhang Yunxiu steal the spotlight this time!
I can be a rebellious son, I can turn the tide, and I can make my father look at me with new eyes!

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Jianxiu suddenly stood up from the ground, looking impassioned, and looked up at Zhang Juzheng in the hall.

"Father, you are mistaken!"

"I also instigated His Majesty to trespass into the Imperial Hospital. Why does Father blame my younger brother? I not only trespassed into the Imperial Hospital, but also assaulted several imperial physicians. This was not for my own selfish reasons; I did it for the sake of the nation."

Zhang Yunxiu, kneeling on the ground, glanced at his fourth brother in astonishment.

He's crazy?
Zhang Juzheng, sitting in the hall, glanced at Zhang Jianxiu, seemingly not wanting to pay him any attention, and spoke in a cold tone.

"Don't make things worse. You're not capable of taking on this responsibility. You're not smart enough to do something like this."

Zhang Juzheng naturally ruled out his fourth son as a suspect.

However, Zhang Jianxiu was not happy at all. In an instant, the corners of his mouth, which had been smiling, fell down.

What do you mean my brain can't do it?

That old scoundrel Zhang Juzheng, how dare you humiliate me like this! Am I, Zhang Jianxiu, inferior to Zhang Yunxiu?!
"You old thief."

Fourth Brother Zhang Jianxiu made a sound from his throat, just as he was about to challenge the mountain of "patriarchy".

But then Zhang Juzheng said impatiently.

"Get out! This is none of your business! Aren't you chaotic enough already?!"

"I'm old."

Zhang Jianxiu wanted to say something, but his composure lasted only a few seconds before he was completely terrified and lost his composure by Zhang Juzheng's few words.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word. All his grand ambitions vanished into nothingness.

"What?" Zhang Juzheng frowned, glaring at Zhang Jianxiu as if he were about to explode in anger.

Now, Zhang Jianxiu had lost all his previous sharpness and shook his head repeatedly.

No. No.

"Then get out of here!"

He shrank back and obediently nodded, saying, "Yes." Zhang Jianxiu got up and scurried away along the path, patting Zhang Yunxiu on the shoulder as he left and whispering in his ear.

"Go for it! Let's win back together, including your brother's share!"

Zhang Yunxiu: "."

"Zhang Sizhe!" Zhang Juzheng's authoritative voice rang out.

Zhang Jianxiu, who still wanted to say something, fled the study as fast as he could.

Once the study had quieted down again, Zhang Juzheng turned his gaze to his youngest son and spoke.

"What, still figuring out how to argue your point?"

Zhang Yunxiu, sitting below the hall, shook his head, looking quite self-righteous.

“Father, you don’t know the whole story, yet you beat and scold me at every turn. I’m not being silly. Everything I’ve done is for the sake of the people of the capital and for the sake of all living beings.”

"What a fine excuse of 'for the sake of the people'!" Zhang Juzheng roared, pointing at Zhang Yunxiu in a fit of rage. "Is this how you instigated His Majesty?"

“No.” Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said. “I am not trying to persuade Your Majesty, but rather to respect Your Majesty. Whatever Your Majesty wants to do, as long as it is beneficial to the country and the people, even if it is absurd, is a good thing.”

"How can they know the affairs of the world or the suffering of the people if they are hidden deep in the palace? The Imperial Medical Academy is incompetent and should be abolished. My training of them to assist the medical clinic is simply making the best use of them."

"Your son doesn't understand. The emperor's actions are all for the sake of the people. Even if some of them are unorthodox, does that mean they are wrong just because they don't conform to the wishes of Father and the Confucian officials in the court? Does that mean they must be stopped? This is ignoring the facts!"

Zhang Yunxiu's words came out like a machine gun, one after another, making Zhang Juzheng tremble with anger.

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and threw a document out, which landed directly in front of Zhang Yunxiu.

"You keep saying you're acting in the best interests of the people, but this is a document sent to your residence by the Shuntian Prefecture. It clearly states that you bullied and harassed the people in Xianyi Ward, and obstructed the Imperial Hospital's efforts to control the plague. What else can you deny?"

Zhang Yunxiu picked up the document on the ground, glanced at it briefly, and said with a sneer.

“Father, this document is a bit outdated. Shen Bang from Wanping County had some complaints before, but if my Renmin Medical Clinic moves out of Wanping County, Shen Bang will be able to kneel down and beg me.”

"You're still trying to argue your point!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng nearly exploded with anger.

But Zhang Yunxiu still smiled and said, "Father doesn't believe me?"

How can I believe it?

These past few days, Zhang Juzheng has been overwhelmed with state affairs, has to deal with the restless faction of reformers, and now has to discipline his young son. He has become extremely irritable.

The most pressing problem is that the plague raging in the capital is difficult to resolve!
However, the youngest son, on whom he had placed high hopes, kept causing trouble everywhere, which made him furious.

But Zhang Yunxiu seemed to have been prepared all along. He took out a document from his pocket, stood up naturally, handed the document to Zhang Juzheng, and said with a smile.

"If I can truly save the world and cure this plague with a 'miracle drug,' what should Father do?"

"This is utter nonsense!"

"Father will take a look and then decide," Zhang Yunxiu said confidently.

This sight made Zhang Juzheng frown, and he felt a little uneasy. He looked down at the document.

Throughout history, controlling plagues has never been a matter of a day or two; it inevitably requires the court to expend enormous human and material resources.

How could Zhang Yunxiu's "miracle drug" possibly solve this problem? Besides, are there really any miraculous medicines in the world?
"If you can truly solve the plague, then you will be the prime minister."

As Zhang Juzheng spoke, he opened the document in front of him, and his voice abruptly stopped.

On the desk, the documents Zhang Yunxiu handed over were very thick, and the paper was much larger.

When Zhang Juzheng first saw this document, he was also a little confused. Had his youngest son drawn a picture book for him?

But when you open it, you see a completely different scene.

On the white paper of the document, squares were printed one after another, with two thick lines extending out from the edge, each ending with an arrow.

There are markings on it, one for the horizontal axis and one for the vertical axis.

On this "axis", categories and corresponding text are marked. The horizontal axis seems to be the dates of January, while the vertical axis is the number of people.
On this table, red dots were marked on the corresponding dates and number of people with vermilion ink, and then connected with lines.

The title above reads "Statistics on the number of patients treated at Renmin Medical Clinic from mid-March to mid-April".

Upon seeing this, Zhang Juzheng, who had originally intended to make trouble, immediately frowned deeply.

(End of this chapter)