I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1043 Everything about the Wanli Reforms grew out of the fields.
Shen Shixing and Gao Qiyu started arguing. Although Zhu Yijun enjoyed watching the excitement, the commotion was getting a bit too big.

The protégés and former officials of both sides have begun to submit memorials to each other, and the court officials are also taking sides in this round of conflict. If it is not stopped, it will turn into factional strife.

Shen Shixing is right. The official factories of the Ming Dynasty are all public property. It is inevitable that some ambitious people will try every means to get their hands on them. How to prevent this? The loyalty screening that Shen Shixing carried out was a way to prevent problems before they occur.

Wang Chonggu did not turn the Yongsheng and Yongding woolen factories, the Xishan Coal Bureau, and the Yongping Coal and Steel Plant in the capital into his own private property. He even gave all his silver to His Majesty, asking His Majesty to distribute the dividends as Chonggu Progress Awards.

Gao Qiyu argued that conducting year-end audits of official factories was sufficient to oversee them, and that doing so was unnecessary. Extending political maneuvering into material production would disrupt production and delay the Ming Dynasty's revival.

Like war, people can only decide how to start a war, not how it will end.

The scale, intensity, and scope of political struggles are beyond people's control. If it expands to government factories, the general managers, co-managers, and agents of these factories will inevitably expand the scope of the struggle downwards. The increasingly fierce struggle will destroy the Ming Dynasty.

This is by no means an exaggeration. Both the Northern and Southern Song dynasties perished due to factional strife. Even when the Jurchens and Mongols were at their doorstep, the factional struggles in the court continued relentlessly.

It is a matter of political morality and self-cultivation not to extend the petty squabbles among bureaucrats beyond the bureaucracy; once they are extended beyond the bureaucracy, the methods become far more drastic.

"Stop!" Zhu Yijun struck the small bell in his hand forcefully, the tinkling sound filling the entire imperial study.

The Ming emperor took decisive measures to stop the two from arguing further.

Even when Zhu Yijun was still in Songjiang Prefecture, the two had already begun to clash over whether to continue expanding the screening, each with their own reasons, and the argument was endless.

After the emperor returned north, this confrontation did not dissipate upon meeting again, but instead intensified.

Neither of them was willing to give in; they were both doing it for the good of the Ming Dynasty. Why should you be right?
"I have been thinking about this matter since I was in Songjiang Prefecture, and I will stop at the university." Zhu Yijun said to Shen Shixing. "Grand Secretary Shen, the struggle document makes it very clear that the biggest problem with the struggle is that it is uncontrollable. If it continues to expand, not only Grand Secretary Shen, but even you, and even I, will not be able to stop it."

Struggle is a good method, but the only problem is that as the scale, scope, and intensity of the struggle increase, the methods used by the two or more parties involved will become increasingly extreme, eventually leading to complete loss of control.

How to prevent the struggle from getting out of control is a topic that has been repeatedly discussed throughout the struggle manual.

Gao Qiyu also highly approved of conducting loyalty screenings for the university, because it did not involve production, people's livelihood, or shake the foundation of the country. However, if it were extended to government factories, it would be more than just a simple matter of trouble.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Upon hearing His Majesty's decision, Shen Shixing let out a long breath and accepted his defeat.

Shen Shixing was somewhat unwilling to lose to Gao Qiyu, but His Majesty had already issued a clear decree that continuing would be disrespectful to the Emperor's authority and defy His Majesty's will.

Shen Shixing was confident that he could keep the large-scale screening within the ranks of government officials and bureaucrats. He had served Zhang Juzheng in the Ministry of Personnel for many years and was confident that he could control the scope of the struggle. However, His Majesty and the ministers did not seem to trust him to have this ability.

If Zhang Juzheng were still in court, still serving as Grand Secretary, would His Majesty be willing to trust him?

"Your Majesty is wise." Gao Qiyu bowed again with his hands clasped. He remembered that he had made a mistake before and had knelt outside Xuanwu Gate for several days before he finally saw His Majesty returning to the palace from farming. His Majesty in his youth and His Majesty now were no different. He always made various decisions very rationally.

This rationality, unaffected by emotions, is the foundation of all wise decisions.

Zhu Yijun could tell from Shen Shixing's expression that he was unconvinced and believed that as long as Zhang Juzheng was still alive, the matter could be resolved.

Zhu Yijun glanced at Chen Mo, the commander of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Chen Mo immediately understood the emperor's intention and quietly withdrew to the residence of the Marquis of Yicheng. Chen Mo did not ask Zhang Juzheng to do anything; he only needed to tell Zhang Juzheng what had happened in the imperial study, and Zhang Juzheng would naturally know what to do.

Zhu Yijun, Shen Shixing, and Gao Qiyu discussed state affairs for a long time before letting the two leave.

As Shen Shixing and Gao Qiyu approached the gate of Tonghe Palace, they saw You Shouli, whose temples were already streaked with gray.

"Sir, please invite Grand Secretary Shen to come over." You Shouli glanced at Gao Qiyu before speaking to Shen Shixing.

Gao Qiyu suddenly took a step forward, stopped You Shouli, and asked, "This matter involves me. May I come along?"

You Shouli sighed, shook his head slightly, and said, "The master specifically instructed that it cannot be done."

“Lord Gao, you are now a high-ranking official in the court. There are some things that I, a mere servant, should not say. Lord Gao, please let it go.”

The master and disciple relationship had ended in the second year of the Wanli reign, but Gao Qiyu himself couldn't let go. He no longer needed to rely on Zhang Juzheng as a big tree to shelter him from the wind and rain; Gao Qiyu himself was a big tree that could provide shade for others.

Gao Qiyu was silent for a moment, his expression somewhat out of control. He smiled, his lips twitched slightly, waved his hand, and left the Tonghe Palace gate without saying a word, though his figure still looked somewhat desolate.

Others are not him, and this is not an act of pretense. In the 44th year of the Jiajing reign, he was nominated for the imperial examination, but he was only the 172nd-ranked scholar in the third class. This meant that this was his life's limit, with the highest rank being a fourth-grade prefect.

Those who were top-ranking scholars in the imperial examinations during the Ming Dynasty had a very clear path to promotion: county magistrate, prefectural assistant magistrate, prefectural magistrate, and prefectural governor.

The Ming Dynasty had more than 2,000 counties, more than 600 prefectures, and 172 counties. The worse you did in the exam, the worse the county you would be assigned to. You would have to be transferred to different counties at the same level multiple times before you could climb to the position of prefect. It would take a lifetime to climb that path.

A fourth-rank prefect was practically the upper limit for Gao Qiyu.

Gao Qiyu failed the imperial examination the first time and watched as the top scholar, Shen Shixing, toured the capital. The second time, he became a third-ranked scholar, but he was not at all ambitious. He sought help everywhere, hoping to find a mentor and a benefactor to change his fate.

At that time, the homes of Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng were always bustling with visitors, and there was never a shortage of scholars who wanted to serve them.

Gao Qiyu, a third-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), had nowhere to turn. He sought out several mentors, but none of them offered him any support. Finally, he tried sending a formal letter of invitation, and unexpectedly, he was recruited by Zhang Juzheng. He then entered the Hanlin Academy as a Hanlin scholar and was appointed as an editor in the Hanlin Academy three years later.

This was already the treatment of a top-ranking second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations); he had defied fate and changed his destiny.

Later, his career progressed smoothly and he rose rapidly. However, at the height of his success, he was expelled from his teacher's school.

Everyone has their own unresolved issues, and clearly, twenty years later, Zhang Juzheng still hasn't forgiven him.

lay down?

Gao Qiyu paused beneath the yellow tiles and red walls, glanced back at the direction of the Imperial Study, and then strode forward. He was determined to prove that his teacher had not misjudged him.

The Marquis of Yicheng's residence is very close to Tonghe Palace, right next to the General's residence, and only a five-minute walk from Tonghe Palace.

When Shen Shixing arrived, Zhang Juzheng, who hadn't been reading his novel, was standing under the elm tree, inspecting the potato harvest, and said with a smile, "Ru Mo has arrived?"

"Greetings, sir." Shen Shixing quickly bowed and greeted him.

“There’s no need for formalities between us.” Zhang Juzheng showed no airs of a scholar-official at all. He put down his hoe, picked up a potato about half the size of his fist, and said, “This is Ningfeng No. 4, a late-maturing potato variety, which Xu Zhenming has just developed.”

"It is a potato variety cultivated in Daningwei that is suitable for planting in Liaodong."

“If you plant 3500 plants per mu, you can produce 3000 jin per mu per year, which is 600 jin when dry. That’s five shi of dry food. If you use water, fertilizer and refined salt, you can produce more than 4000 jin per mu, and some can even produce 6000 jin, which is seven to ten shi of dry food per mu.”

"This is incredible, this is incredible!"

Zhang Juzheng, clutching the potato in his hand, couldn't stop smiling. He looked at Shen Shixing and continued, "The thing I'm most proud of in my life is that I've taken on a few students: Xu Zhenming, you, Xiong Tingbi, and Gao Qiyu. They've all been very successful."

"Ru Mo, the government's decrees and the official factories run by Wang Laoguan are not that important. The most important thing in the Wanli Reform is agriculture. Without grain, there is nothing."

Everything else is meaningless; without grain, you have nothing; with grain, you have everything.

The official factories were important, but the hundreds of thousands of artisans working there didn't engage in farming. They still needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. Where did they get their food? It came from farming. This was the most fundamental aspect of the Wanli Reforms.

Zhang Juzheng put down the potatoes before saying, "Everything from the Wanli Reforms grew out of the fields; nothing is more true than that."

“You can conduct screening of official factories, and His Majesty supports it. No matter how much commotion there is in official factories, it’s still not that bad. How chaotic can it get? But once it’s down to the artisans and farmers, it will be completely out of control.”

Shen Shixing hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice after thinking carefully, "If you were in court, His Majesty would definitely approve."

"Nonsense!" Zhang Juzheng stood up, patted the dirt off his backside, and sneered, "If I did that, His Majesty would only slam his fist on the table at me, and politely call the person in front of him to speak calmly?"

Zhang Juzheng knew His Majesty the Emperor all too well! His Majesty would only argue with him by banging on the table, and if he couldn't win the argument, he would even get on the table himself. If he still couldn't win the argument, he would call in the imperial guards. He would never be so polite.

His Majesty really did sit on the table. In the ninth year of the Wanli reign, after Zhang Juzheng underwent hemorrhoid surgery and recovered very well, he secretly had someone prepare some chili peppers without informing Luo Sigong and You Shouli. Luo Sigong, with his dog-like nose, smelled them.

That time, the emperor was truly angry. He summoned Zhang Juzheng and had a huge argument with him. His Majesty even said: "If I can't deal with you, Zhang Juzheng, can't I deal with your subordinates? If anyone tries to present you with chili peppers or other such things again, I'll hang them at the Quan Chu Guild Hall and see who dares to do it!"

Zhang Juzheng naturally knew that His Majesty was speaking in anger, because His Majesty had never taken his anger out on anyone in the ten years since he ascended the throne. However, Zhang Juzheng had never eaten spicy chili peppers since then.

The truth is, even if Shen Shixing and His Majesty don't have a good relationship, and Zhang Juzheng and His Majesty argue fiercely, nothing will really happen. After all, Zhang Juzheng is the Emperor's tutor, and no matter how fierce the argument, life still goes on.

However, His Majesty cannot and will not summon Shen Shixing to his presence and give him a good scolding, nor can he even reprimand him severely. With Zhang Juzheng's retirement, the relationship between the ministers and His Majesty is now simply that of ruler and subject. Therefore, it is necessary to leave more room for each other's dignity and prevent discord between them.

"So, His Majesty doesn't want you to do it because he's afraid that the infighting within the government factories will spread to the farmers, do you understand?" Zhang Juzheng explained.

Shen Shixing frowned, full of doubt, and asked, "An official factory is an official factory, so how could the struggle be escalating to the farmers?"

"It will not only expand to farmers, but also to the Beijing Garrison." Zhang Juzheng clicked his tongue in amazement. He said with a smile, "Lord Wencheng did it before, but the official factories weren't as large as they are today. You can imagine it, do you think Lord Wencheng couldn't?"

"Once Duke Wencheng started, he expanded the operation to farmers. The fire almost reached the capital garrison. If it had, Duke Wencheng would have had ten thousand heads to be chopped off."

"The process of the struggle escalating was complex and intricate. In short, the artisans did not appear out of thin air, but came from the farmers; the soldiers did not appear out of thin air either, but were selected from the artisans and farmers."

"It was after that incident that Duke Wencheng realized that agriculture, industry, and the military were actually one entity, three divisions of labor within a single collective."

When Zhang Juzheng got to this point, his expression was full of sighs. Wang Chonggu was a treacherous minister, and he never changed his nature. He suppressed the matter until Ling Yunyi returned to the court and reformed the official factories, eliminating the long-standing problem of excessive favoritism. Only then did he discover the old case and present it to the emperor.

Because it involved Wang Chonggu's posthumous reputation, His Majesty made a brief note of the case and let it go lightly.

“The student is dull-witted.” Shen Shixing seemed to understand, yet also seemed to understand nothing at all.

The matter is actually quite simple. In the seventh year of the Wanli reign, Wang Chonggu began to investigate the loyalty screening of official factories. Soon, the scope of this screening expanded from the management of official factories to the artisans. The risk spilled over from official factories to the engineering corps.

The engineering battalion stopped repairing the roads and spent all their time conducting screenings. Soon, Wang Chonggu discovered signs that the problem was spreading from the engineering battalion to the military garrison.

Once it spreads to military garrisons, to farmers, and to the Beijing garrison, it's only a matter of time.

Doing things in a university is fine, since it's not related to production, so it's not a big deal. But if it involves production or screening, then it becomes a very dangerous activity.

"I understand, student." After hearing about the mess Wang Chonggu had made back then, Shen Shixing wiped the sweat from his forehead, still feeling a bit scared.

Will the instigator have no descendants? Once this precedent is set, the door to evil is opened, and then whatever happens will be out of control.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng had already been very lenient by not explaining things completely, but Shen Shixing understood.

Zhang Juzheng's meaning was very clear: ordinary people are not born to follow them.

If the court does the right thing, it will naturally gain support; if the court does the wrong thing, over time, justice will prevail in people's hearts, and they will naturally follow others.

As a regent, Shen Shixing must not act recklessly. He is no longer a Ministry of Personnel official under Zhang Juzheng's protection, but a regent of the empire.

Although Gao Qiyu didn't know so much information, he had a good idea of ​​how things would develop. Clearly, Gao Qiyu's skill in the struggle was far superior to Shen Shixing's, which was why he was so desperately trying to stop him.

“You don’t need to hold a grudge. What’s meant to be yours won’t belong to Gao Qiyu.” Zhang Juzheng looked at Shen Shixing’s face and said with a smile, “The Grand Secretary is yours, and no one can take him away.”

“This…” Shen Shixing was slightly embarrassed and said no more.

This is extremely unfair to Gao Qiyu. No matter how many times Gao Qiyu wins, he will never become the Grand Secretary or even enter the cabinet. This is not due to his status as a third-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), but rather due to the mistakes he made in the past.

Just as Wang Chonggu could win many times but still couldn't do anything to Zhang Juzheng, the imperial court wasn't a game for children; there wasn't much fairness to speak of.

As a traitor to the Zhang family, His Majesty will not allow Gao Qiyu to advance any further in order to maintain the continuation of the new policies. Even though he can now move around in the Western Study and is jokingly called the Grand Secretary of the Western Study, it is still just a joke. Without a proper title, one's words will not be righteous.

Emperor Zhu Yijun disliked Shuntian Prefecture because when he returned in September, the smog disaster in Shuntian Prefecture had already begun. This feeling was very unpleasant, like being stuck in the mud.

Upon returning to the capital, he had to wear a cotton mask to cope with the discomfort.

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, an autumn rain fell in the capital, which finally swept away the smog and made the sky and earth much clearer.

As memorials from various regions arrived in the capital, it proved that the emperor's insistence on reducing land taxes was correct. As a result of the severe drought in the summer, torrential rains indeed came in the autumn, and snowflakes began to fall in Suiyuan in September. The snow fell heavily, and the third wool harvest of the year could not be shorn in time before winter arrived.

Memorials from Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Gansu and other places indicate that this year's autumn rains were unusually heavy.

Rainfall in Jinzhou, Shaanxi Province, exceeded twelve inches in just two days, equivalent to a year's worth of rain. The resulting flood destroyed the city of Jinzhou, forcing residents to relocate to the foot of Zhaotai Mountain.

During the autumn floods of the thirteenth year of the Wanli reign, half of Jinzhou was destroyed by a massive flood. It was around that time that Hanzhong Prefecture began to build a new city at the foot of Zhaotai Mountain, called Xing'an. In recent years, people have been continuously relocating to the new city. This flood completely destroyed the old Jinzhou.

This is the danger of autumn floods. In autumn, when everything withers, floods carry large amounts of silt and sand, posing a threat to cities near the river.

People in Shaanxi have long believed that the name Jinzhou should be abandoned and replaced with Xing'an Prefecture, which means prosperity and peace for the people.

This large-scale autumn flood affected six provinces, eleven prefectures, and seventy-six counties, with a total of 3.84 million mu of farmland affected. The Ministry of Revenue urgently allocated 1.5 million taels of silver to local governments for disaster relief.

Zhu Yijun issued an edict exempting the disaster-stricken areas from land taxes for three years to allow them to recuperate and rebuild. He also issued a separate, strict edict forbidding any deception.

In the early years of the Wanli reign, local government offices often used the excuse of natural disasters to evade the imperial court's tax collection efforts. Every year, a large number of people were unable to pay their taxes and were exempted from land taxes due to natural disasters.

Since the implementation of the performance evaluation system, the practice of not reporting disasters began to emerge because reporting disasters required dealing with the court's scrutiny.

It's a classic case of either stifling growth with strict control or causing chaos with lax control; if the imperial court tightens its control even slightly, things become rigid.

The emperor's strict decree to all localities was actually meant to ease their burdens, as local finances were in dire straits. As long as it wasn't excessive, the court could grant such disaster relief measures depending on the circumstances.

The imperial court levied land taxes to hold those in power accountable for the source of the taxes. If the taxes were to be completely reduced or exempted, it would be tantamount to the imperial court abandoning the farmers.

Zhu Yijun was slightly tired. He rubbed his temples and looked at the drizzling autumn rain outside the window. The situation was much better than he had thought.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities are often used together. In fact, the people of the Ming Dynasty were not too afraid of natural disasters. The people had lived on this land for thousands of years and had accumulated enough experience to deal with various disasters. What they feared most was man-made calamities under natural disasters, because they were unavoidable.

Fortunately, it was just a large-scale autumn flood natural disaster, and there was no large-scale man-made disaster.

When Zhu Yijun was stationed in Songjiang Prefecture on official business, the court investigated and punished a large number of corrupt officials.

Those who break their promises and mock the emperor will be considered bad elements and directly questioned by local authorities. At best, they will be questioned and ordered to return the goods; at worst, they will be imprisoned.

For the officials, the crime of mocking the emperor might be more serious, since local officials presented the imperial court with the written promises of divine intervention signed by the gentry as New Year's gifts for the emperor's birthday.

When local gentry and officials mock the emperor, it's equivalent to local officials mocking the emperor. If the censors, who love to find fault, find out, they will submit memorials to impeach the emperor. Local officials are not high-ranking officials in the capital, and they simply cannot withstand such attacks.

The promise made in response to the celestial anomaly was something Zhang Juzheng had created when he was promoting the narrative of gratitude. When the celestial anomaly was discovered by the court, Zhang Juzheng took the opportunity to ask local officials to prepare such a congratulatory gift.

This gift became an important means of curbing man-made disasters.

"The Grand Minister of Rites makes sense, and the Junior Minister of Rites also makes sense. Whom shall I listen to?" Zhu Yijun looked at the two memorials in front of him.

Grand Minister Shen Li believed that these corrupt gentry should not be severely punished; their land should be confiscated and they should be exiled to places like Luzon. His reasoning was the same as Gao Qiyu's opposition to Shen Shixing's large-scale loyalty screening at the official factory: to prevent the scope of the struggle from spreading.

The Junior Minister of State, Gao Qiyu, thought that if they dared to play tricks on His Majesty, what else wouldn't they dare to do? Sending them to Luzon, Palembang, and Kinchi—these three governorates were already isolated overseas. Wouldn't this just increase the centrifugal force in these overseas governorates?

Gao Qiyu's opinion was that it would be better to just kill them all. If the punishment is not severe, it will not have any deterrent effect. If they are not killed, how can other petty people be deterred? Wouldn't this be tantamount to telling these local gentry that breaking promises does not require too much of a price?
Shen Li is right. It is very important to prevent the struggle from becoming too widespread and to prevent it from escalating. Gao Qiyu is also right. The traitors have already jumped out on their own. If they are not killed, they cannot be deterred. How can the Ming Dynasty survive the upheaval?

“Logically speaking, the Grand Minister of Rites is a cabinet minister who oversees all affairs of the Ministry of Rites. Therefore, the Grand Minister of Rites should pay more attention to his memorials. Otherwise, the Ministry of Rites will be controlled by Gao Qiyu in the future.” Feng Bao said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, it is true that Gao Qiyu is a powerful minister. However, he is also very ambitious.”

Feng Bao's words were actually a subtle reminder that Gao Qiyu had completely grasped the Emperor's pulse and knew his inclinations. His memorial was entirely aimed at currying favor with the Emperor and seeking advancement. As a result, Shen Li, the Grand Minister of Rites, was completely sidelined.

The cancellation of the court council, the establishment of the Western Study Office and the appointment of the Western Study Office Grand Secretary had already weakened the power of the cabinet ministers. With this happening repeatedly, Gao Qiyu was effectively the Grand Minister of Rites.

It wasn't Feng Bao trying to sow discord between Gao Qiyu and Feng Bao; Gao Qiyu's memorial itself made no attempt to conceal his true intentions.

"I think it's better to compromise and select a group of the most heinous criminals to be beheaded. This will both deter those with ambition and prevent these censors from spouting nonsense about the reforms being too hasty." Feng Bao chose a compromise: kill only a portion of them, so as not to let Gao Qiyu be too smug.

Zhu Yijun thought about it carefully and said, "Alright, then let the Ministry of Justice know in the next chapter. Anyone with blood on their hands will not live."

"Your Majesty, I obey your decree." Feng Bao bowed his head and accepted the order, then said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, I believe Li Yougong is capable of undertaking important responsibilities. He has been out there for so many years, what do you think of letting him serve before Your Majesty?"

When Zhang Hong heard Feng Bao mention this matter, he also spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, Li Yougong grew up with Your Majesty, you know him well, and he has been entrusted with important responsibilities many times. He is thorough in his work and has never made a mistake. Why not transfer him from the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard in the Capital to the palace to serve?"

"Have you two made a decision?" Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao and Zhang Hong and asked.

Zhang Hong hurriedly replied, "Before the southern tour, Feng Da Dang had already discussed it with me. Your Majesty knows me well; I am not very capable, and all I have is loyalty."

The position of the ancestor is not something anyone can just take. Zhang Hong is ruthless and loyal, but lacks ability. In some matters, he is indeed not as good as Feng Bao. In recent years, he has only been able to assume the position of the second ancestor, taking care of His Majesty's food and water. Any more than that would be beyond Zhang Hong's capabilities.

Li Yougong was also very loyal and even more capable. He served as a military supervisor on several expeditions and as an envoy to Luzon and Japan, which proved his talent.

Putting everything else aside, there are very few eunuchs who can keep up with His Majesty and run the entire twenty li (about 10 kilometers) of morning exercise.

"Feng Daban, you're only seventy this year, aren't you? Are you already thinking of retiring?" Zhu Yijun asked, tapping his fingers on the table.

When things reach their peak, they often turn in the opposite direction. Choosing to retreat gracefully when things are "just about to reach their full potential" is already a great thing.

Yang Bo chose to retire gracefully, giving himself and everyone else dignity. He even received a posthumous title, and his son, Yang Junmin, was still entrusted with important responsibilities.

If Yang Bo had refused to step down and had stubbornly resisted Zhang Juzheng's implementation of the performance evaluation system and prevented Zhang Juzheng from becoming Minister of Personnel, Yang Junmin would probably never have been able to serve as an official again.

If it weren't for His Majesty's protection, Feng Bao wouldn't even have the power to retire. He didn't have it, and neither did Zhang Juzheng.

Feng Bao said with a smile, "Your Majesty, seventy years is already a rare age, and I am too busy to keep up with the pace of life."

The affairs of the Directorate of Ceremonial were already extremely energy-consuming, and managing the palace's whistleblower box made it even busier. At seventy years old, it was time to leave. If he lingered on, he would become universally disliked and hated.

"What do you plan to do after leaving the palace?" Zhu Yijun asked, which was considered an agreement.

Feng Bao said with a smile, "I'm going to Fengyang to farm and enjoy my retirement."

(End of this chapter)