I, Jiajing, successfully cultivated immortality

"When the time comes, I will command the Shenji Battalion to join the battle!"

When Zhu Xizhong finished speaking, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou's pupils suddenly shrank, and they stopped suddenly, with expressions of disbelief on their faces.

After all, the Duke Cheng Guo in front of him is the most top clan member and noble in the Ming Dynasty, and his status is extremely respected.

Then, Qi Jiguang summoned up the courage, turned around and looked in the direction of Zhu Xizhong, and asked: "Mr. Cheng Guo, what you just said was that you want to command the Shenji Battalion to participate in the war..."

Zhu Xizhong, who was sitting in the main seat, took in the expression on Qi Jiguang's face, waved his hand, and responded nonchalantly: "This is natural, His Majesty has already known about this!"

After receiving Zhu Xizhong's affirmative reply, Qi Jiguang's mood did not feel relieved in any way, but instead became more solemn.

However, this expression only lasted for a moment, and even Yu Dayou, who was closest to Qi Jiguang, did not notice anything was wrong.

Later, after Qi Jiguang expressed his gratitude to Zhu Xizhong who was sitting on the throne, he seemed to be running away and left the Chengguo Palace with Yu Dayou.

After walking out of the Chengguo Palace, looking at the solemn expression on Qi Jiguang's face, Yu Dayou had a look of confusion on his face and asked curiously: "Brother Yuan Jing, what's the matter? What happened? ?"

When Qi Jiguang heard this, he didn't mean to avoid it. After thinking about it for a moment, he said all the guesses in his mind: "Brother Zhifu, don't you find it strange that Cheng Guogong is a royal relative and nobleman? It’s time to take command of the Shenji Battalion and go into battle with us to kill the enemy!”

"And before this, there was no news between the DPRK and China that Duke Cheng Guo would command the Shenji Battalion and join the war together!"

After being reminded by Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou also reacted suddenly. After seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and said.

"Yes, logically speaking, as the top clan member and noble of our Ming Dynasty, Duke Cheng Guo has no need to personally get involved in dangerous situations. If something happens accidentally, it will be a huge loss to our Ming Dynasty. !”

"Is it possible that there is some other plan in this, and His Majesty seems to know about it too..."

Just when Yu Dayou wanted to continue speaking, he was stopped by Qi Jiguang: "Let's stay here for now. Let's visit the Governor some other day and ask him to provide us with advice!"

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Yu Dayou agreed to Qi Jiguang's proposal after pondering for a moment.

After that, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou immediately left the Chengguo Palace in a sedan chair without stopping at all.

……

At this moment, near Zhang Juzheng's residence in the capital, a figure was wandering back and forth.

If he hadn't been wearing official uniform, he would have been chased away by the boy at the door as an idler.

At this moment, a biting cold wind blew by, causing the visitor to subconsciously wrap up the cloak he was wearing to keep out the cold.

"Hey, it's so cold. Why hasn't Mr. Zhang Ge come back yet?"

After the words fell, the person who came was seen stamping his feet vigorously, causing the slightly frozen soles to regain consciousness.

After doing this, the visitor looked eagerly into the distance, waiting quietly for the sedan that Zhang Juzheng was riding.

The person who came was the one Gao Gong mentioned to Zhang Juzheng before, who was talking about the official Ma Ziqiang at the banquet.

Jingyan was the place where the emperor listened to lectures on books and history. Since the Song Dynasty, all officials who served as scholars and lecturers were called Jingyan officials.

Its main duty is to explain the meaning of scriptures to the emperor, which is usually performed by officials of the Hanlin Academy. This official position can be said to be very noble.

At the same time, since the main responsibility of the Jingyan Lecturer is to explain the meaning of the scriptures to the emperor, if you are lucky enough, you can easily gain the appreciation of the emperor and soar into the sky.

Having said that, since Ma Ziqiang took up the post of lecturer of the Jingyan Festival, he has never seen any opportunities.

A year ago, Ma Ziqiang, like most of his colleagues, lined up to pay his respects to the elders in the capital.

Unexpectedly, during this process, Ma Ziqiang was personally invited to the hall by Zhang Juzheng and received him warmly.

Although Ma Ziqiang participated in the Shaanxi Provincial Examination last year and won the first place in one fell swoop, he had just entered the official career and had insufficient qualifications, so he was still undervalued.

Moreover, Ma Ziqiang's official career was not very smooth, and he was ostracized many times.

The unsatisfactory official career made Ma Ziqiang a little discouraged. However, at this time, he received the hospitality of Zhang Juzheng, the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Bachelor of Wenhua Palace.

Zhang Juzheng's behavior was like a ray of light that shone into Ma Ziqiang's heart, making him feel that a scholar would die for his confidant.

Today's visit was also the result of Ma Ziqiang's long consideration.

In his opinion, he must seize this opportunity firmly and strive to get close to Zhang Juzheng's lap in order to have a smooth career.

Although he has made up his mind, Ma Ziqiang is still worried about gains and losses. After all, his current identity is just a lecturer at the banquet.

However, Zhang Juzheng's identity is an important court official deeply trusted by the emperor, Minister of the Ministry of War and Bachelor of Wenhua Palace!

It is no exaggeration to say that at present, there is an insurmountable gap between Ma Ziqiang and Zhang Juzheng.

"Oh, I don't know if Mr. Zhang Ge will agree..."

Just as Ma Ziqiang's thoughts were racing, out of the corner of his eye, he accidentally caught a glimpse of a sedan heading this way in the distance.

"That's Mr. Zhang Ge's sedan!"

Almost instantly, Ma Ziqiang recognized the sedan not far away, which was the sedan that Zhang Juzheng rode in every day.

After that, Ma Ziqiang suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, respectfully stepped aside, and quietly waited for the sedan chair Zhang Juzheng was riding.

On the other side, Zhang Juzheng was opening the sedan curtain, supporting his chin with one hand, and looking boredly at the scenery on both sides of the road.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng saw a figure leaning down and waiting quietly at the door of his house.

"Who is waiting there in such a cold weather?"

Seeing this situation, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but have a look of curiosity on his face, and then he ordered the bearer of the sedan chair to speed up.

After the sedan approached, Zhang Juzheng saw clearly the figure not far away. Zhang Juzheng had a good memory. After thinking about it for a moment, he recalled the identity of the person.

"Hey, that person seems to be Ma Ziqiang, the official at the Sutra Banquet who came to pray last time?"

At this time, although there was no snow in the sky, it was still cold and windy.

Ma Ziqiang stood waiting outside alone, his lips already pale from the cold. Although he was trying his best to control himself and not show any abnormality, his body was still shaking slightly uncontrollably.

After the sedan stopped, Zhang Juzheng refused the support of the bearer and got down from the sedan on his own.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's arrival, a look of excitement flashed across Ma Ziqiang's face. Then, he leaned down and said respectfully: "I'm a Hanlin bachelor. I've met the official Ma Ziqiang at the banquet. I've met Mr. Zhang Ge!"

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng looked Ma Ziqiang up and down, and then he responded in a subtle way.

After that, Zhang Juzheng took off the big cloak he was wearing to keep out the cold, put it on Ma Ziqiang himself, and then said, "If you have anything to say, let's talk about it later when we get in!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang Ge!"

Ma Ziqiang looked at the cloak that was wrapped around him to keep out the cold. His face was filled with tears of gratitude. He lowered his head and responded in a deep voice.

Afterwards, Ma Ziqiang followed Zhang Juzheng's steps and walked towards the mansion.

……

"I really didn't expect that there is actually a wolfberry tree planted in Mr. Zhang Ge's home. Could it be that the trend of using wolfberry to drink water, which is very popular in the court, started here from Mr. Zhang Ge?"

When Ma Ziqiang saw a few well-growing wolfberry trees not far away, he sighed secretly.

After entering the hall used to entertain guests, Ma Ziqiang felt a warmth wrapping around him, and his previously frozen body gradually began to regain consciousness.

Looking around, there was a charcoal fire burning brightly in the corner of the room.

Just when Ma Ziqiang felt a little at a loss, he heard Zhang Juzheng's voice: "Sit down first!"

"Thank you Mr. Zhang Ge!"

After bowing to Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting in the main seat, Ma Ziqiang was seen sitting on a seat beside him, sitting upright without any movement.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng was a little surprised by Ma Ziqiang's sudden visit.

Before the New Year, Ma Ziqiang came with his colleagues to congratulate him. At that time, Zhang Juzheng was bored and accidentally glanced at the guest list, and then saw Ma Ziqiang's name.

After seeing Ma Ziqiang who came to congratulate him, Zhang Juzheng was naturally overjoyed. After all, he was currently short of manpower.

Ma Ziqiang's ability to gain Gao Gong's recognition cannot be underestimated.

But despite this, for the sake of safety, Zhang Juzheng personally invited Ma Ziqiang to the hall and secretly inspected him through small talk.

The results of the inspection made Zhang Juzheng very satisfied. This Ma Ziqiang, as Gao Gong described earlier, was not a rotten scholar who only studied books. He had unique insights on many things and was a rare talent.

After that, Zhang Juzheng took Ma Ziqiang's name close to his heart.

Zhang Juzheng knew very well that this matter could not be rushed and had to be done step by step. After all, few people will cherish something that is too easy to obtain.

Therefore, after that, Zhang Juzheng left Ma Ziqiang aside and spent his New Year holiday leisurely.

However, what Zhang Juzheng did not expect was that Ma Ziqiang would actually visit him in person in this way, and it seemed that he had waited for a long time, which was enough to show his firm determination.

"Is this the Cheng Menlixue mentioned in the book?"

For no reason, such an idea suddenly flashed through Zhang Juzheng's mind.

At this moment, several servants entered the hall and brought teacups filled with wolfberry water for Zhang Juzheng and Ma Ziqiang.

Then, Zhang Juzheng's face was filled with a warm smile. He picked up the teacup, looked in the direction of Ma Ziqiang, and then spoke.

"Come on, try it. These wolfberries are different from those sold outside. They are harvested from the wolfberry trees planted in the courtyard!"

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, without waiting for Ma Ziqiang on the side to respond, he picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Ma Ziqiang on the side couldn't help but be deeply touched when he heard Zhang Juzheng's words, and secretly sighed: "According to what Mr. Zhang Ge said before, the wolfberry soaked in this tea cup was harvested from the wolfberry trees in the yard!"

"No matter how high-yield those wolfberry trees are, the number of wolfberries that can be harvested is still certain. Nowadays, the price of wolfberry has reached a prohibitive level, but Mr. Zhang Ge is willing to take out such precious wolfberry to entertain I……"

Seeing Ma Ziqiang's delay in making any move, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but have a look of doubt on his face, and asked, "Would you like me to have someone change it into tea for you?"

When Ma Ziqiang heard this, he suddenly came back to his senses and hurriedly explained: "Mr. Zhang Ge, you misunderstood. I just thought of something."

Then, Ma Ziqiang picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

Zhang Juzheng took in the expression on Ma Ziqiang's face. After pondering for a moment, he chose to get straight to the point: "Is there anything you want to do when you come to visit so late?"

Although Ma Ziqiang had already prepared a draft in his mind before this, and anticipated what questions Zhang Juzheng would ask, when he actually faced Zhang Juzheng, all the drafts he had prepared before were gone. disappeared from his mind.

After being stunned for a moment, Ma Ziqiang came back to his senses, looked at Zhang Juzheng who was sitting in the main seat, and said timidly: "Mr. Zhang Ge, I'm... I came here specifically to express my gratitude this time, sir... Last time..."

Seeing this situation, Zhang Juzheng waved his hand quite casually, and then said: "It doesn't matter, it's just a small matter, don't worry too much!"

When Ma Ziqiang heard Zhang Juzheng's words, a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes: "Sure enough, for Mr. Zhang Ge, this is just an insignificant thing, but I..."

Then, I heard Zhang Juzheng's slightly emotional voice: "But, this also allowed me to discover a rare piece of jade. I agree with many of your insights!"

When Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Ma Ziqiang raised his head sharply, his face full of shock.

Compliments like this were heard frequently after Ma Ziqiang took part in last year's provincial examination and won the first prize.

But at the moment, the person who said this to him was Zhang Juzheng, an important minister of the dynasty who was deeply trusted by the emperor. At the age of thirty-six, he served as Minister of War and Bachelor of Wenhua Palace!

Zhang Juzheng's recognition made Ma Ziqiang, who had encountered many ups and downs when he first entered the official career, feel like he had found a confidant.

Afterwards, Ma Ziqiang suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart. He knew that now was the time to express his feelings and officially show off his cards.

After that, Ma Ziqiang organized his words in his mind, stood up from his seat, faced the direction of Zhang Juzheng, and said in a deep voice.

"Mr. Zhang Ge, even though I am a lecturer at the Sutra Festival, I have heard a lot about your deeds, especially your decision to abolish the post station and reform the original system at the risk of the world's disapproval. This officer is deeply moved!"

"According to my official opinion, you are just like Mr. Zhang Cong and Mr. Zhang Ge back then. You are both a reformer with great determination and perseverance, caring about the people, forging ahead, and forging ahead. My official has the utmost respect for Mr. Zhang Ge!"

When Ma Ziqiang said this, he paused, looked directly into Zhang Juzheng's eyes, and continued: "Mr. Zhang Ge, please accept my bow!"

After that, Ma Ziqiang bowed to the ground respectfully.

Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting in the main seat, saw this situation and stroked his beard, with a look of relief on his face.

After all, he originally planned to use some more methods, but now it seems that it is not necessary.

Then, Zhang Juzheng stood up from his seat and personally helped Ma Ziqiang up from the ground. After looking him up and down, he said slowly: "Well, not bad, I always think highly of you!"

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he patted Ma Ziqiang's shoulder gently to show encouragement.

At this time, everything around him seemed like a dream to Ma Ziqiang.

Before this, he had not expected that things would go so smoothly. From now on, he is Zhang Juzheng's man!

……

Just when Ma Ziqiang was still immersed in it and couldn't extricate himself, the sound of Zhang Juzheng's ancient voice brought him back to reality.

"Sit first!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang Ge!"

After answering, Ma Ziqiang returned to the seat next to him and sat down. At this time, Ma Ziqiang's face looked more relaxed than before.

Then, Zhang Juzheng turned his eyes away, looked in the direction of Ma Ziqiang, and said, "You have been the lecturer of the Sutra Banquet for some time. Tell me what you think!"

When Ma Ziqiang heard this, he sat upright and responded without thinking: "This is to Mr. Zhang Ge, although the position of an official at the banquet may seem noble, in fact, it does not have much effect!"

After Zhang Juzheng listened to Ma Ziqiang's views, he nodded and said, "You have just entered the official career. As usual, you have to temper your impatience!"

When Zhang Juzheng said this, he paused for a moment and then added something: "Compared to empty talk, Your Majesty prefers officials who can do practical things. Do you understand?"

When Ma Ziqiang heard this, a look of gratitude appeared on his face. He stood up from his seat, cupped his hands in the direction of Zhang Juzheng, and said respectfully: "Thank you, Mr. Zhang Ge, for your advice!"

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly, changed the topic, and continued: "There is always something I need you to do next. If you do it well, you will soon be in His Majesty's eyes!"

When Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Ma Ziqiang became nervous. He swallowed subconsciously and his breathing gradually became rapid.

He knew that this was an opportunity given to him by Zhang Juzheng, and it was up to him whether he could seize it.

If you can successfully complete the task, you will definitely get Zhang Juzheng's attention in the future. On the contrary, if you accidentally mess up, your career will end and you will never turn around.

Afterwards, Ma Ziqiang suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart and asked Zhang Juzheng in a slightly trembling voice: "May I ask what Mr. Zhang Ge needs to do when he is dismissed?"

"No matter what Mr. Zhang Ge orders, I will definitely go through fire and water for Mr. Zhang Ge, even if I die!"

Zhang Juzheng had an inexplicable smile on his face when he heard what Ma Ziqiang said.

Then, Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and gave instructions: "It's not a big deal, I guess you should know about the case of the Yuan family in Jiaxing that made a big fuss in the court not long ago, right?"

Seeing Zhang Juzheng suddenly mentioning the Jiaxing Yuan family case, Ma Ziqiang, who was confused, suppressed his curiosity, leaned down, and responded respectfully: "Yes, Mr. Zhang Ge, I also know something about this case." Hear it!”

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng glanced at Ma Ziqiang and then said to himself.

"The imperial court confiscated 12,820,000 taels of silver from the Yuan family's home in Jiaxing. The confiscated silver has naturally been lost to the national treasury, but the remaining 198,600 acres of land are still there. It’s been delayed and not dealt with!”

When Ma Ziqiang heard Zhang Juzheng's words, he suddenly realized that after all, the imperial court had done this kind of thing more than once before.

Then, he mustered up the courage, looked in the direction of Zhang Juzheng, and asked tentatively: "Is it possible that Mr. Zhang Ge intends to recommend his subordinates to go to Zhejiang to distribute these lands to the people who have no land? "

Seeing that Ma Ziqiang understood what he meant, Zhang Juzheng nodded and said in agreement: "Well, that's right, this is what I planned!"

"The imperial court has done something like this more than once. It has accumulated a lot of experience and trained many officials. When the time comes, you just need to follow the rules."

After listening to Zhang Juzheng's explanation, Ma Ziqiang's originally worried heart gradually relaxed.

After all, as Zhang Juzheng said before, the whole thing is not difficult and not a big deal.

This was obviously a sweet potato given to him by Zhang Juzheng, allowing him to take this opportunity to go to the local area and experience it.

When Ma Ziqiang thought of this, a look of gratitude appeared on his face. He leaned down and said in a deep voice: "Yes, Mr. Zhang Ge, I will definitely live up to your trust and handle this matter properly!"

When Zhang Juzheng heard the words, he responded in an incomprehensible manner, and then, as if he suddenly thought of something, he added another sentence.

"Although His Majesty has issued an edict to exempt the people from taxes for one year before this, when you get to the place, you should pay more attention to this situation for me!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang Ge!"

When Ma Ziqiang heard this, his expression immediately became serious and he responded in a deep voice.

Then, Zhang Juzheng looked away from Ma Ziqiang, nodded, and encouraged him: "Do it well. You know, Song Yiwang, who was demoted all the way to Yiling Prefecture, relied on this matter to enter the position of His Majesty." In his sight, he turned over!"

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang Ge, for reminding me. I understand!"

When Ma Ziqiang heard this, his face was full of humility and he responded respectfully.

After that, Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and issued an order to expel the guests.

"Okay, it's getting late, let's get here first!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang Ge, I will resign immediately!"

After Ma Ziqiang bowed to Zhang Juzheng, he immediately left the hall without any hesitation. (End of chapter)