I'm really not doing business

Chapter 821: Prejudice in People's Hearts Is Like a Mountain

"Oh, Dad accidentally used too much strength." Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "Feng Banban, find some more."

"Isn't Daddy angry?" Zhu Changzhi asked cautiously.

Zhu Yijun was stunned and asked in confusion: "Ah? Why do you ask that?"

Zhu Changzhi looked around and whispered, "They say that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. You must be careful when doing things, and the distance between your steps must be accurate. The things that your majesty often uses must be placed where you can reach them with your hands."

"I secretly heard the palace maids and lecturers say that my father is a big tiger!"

"Nonsense." Zhu Yijun sneered, sat up straight and said, "Dad is not that scary, don't listen to their nonsense, as long as it's not intentional and it's just a mistake, Dad won't blame the servants."

"If we have to make things difficult for you, we should make things difficult for the officials in the court, not for these servants. Making things difficult for the servants is nothing."

Zhu Changzhi clenched his fists and said, "That's right. It's nothing to embarrass the servants. Those scholars and officials are the real tigers!"

In Zhu Changzhi's world, those scholars who had stern faces all day long and read like they were chanting scriptures were scary; his own father was not scary at all.

While waiting for Feng Bao to bring the new mortise and tenon joints, Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang once told me a story. I'll tell you today."

"It is said that during the Northern Song Dynasty, late one night, Emperor Renzong of Song felt thirsty after handling government affairs. He wanted to order a palace servant to fetch water, but he saw that the servant had fallen asleep in the outer hall, so he endured the thirst and did not call anyone."

"The next day, the empress asked why he did not order someone to fetch water. Renzong told her: If I had called someone, someone would have been punished for dereliction of duty. I cannot bear to blame someone for a glass of water."

There are five such stories in total: enduring thirst without asking for water, keeping silent about half-cooked food, being thirsty while visiting the garden but not speaking, 28 fresh crabs cooked by the Shangshi Bureau, and the salary of this Cao, all of which came from the people's hard work (he was frugal and did not repair palaces or waste money).

These short stories are all from "The Illustrated Emperor's Mirror". Song Renzong was truly benevolent and very capable, but unfortunately, he had no son, and without a son there was no foundation for the country. All his policies had no heirs, and no one followed him to the end.

"Is Emperor Renzong a good emperor?" Zhu Changzhi asked curiously.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Song Renzong is a well-deserved good man, but a good man cannot be a good emperor."

"Why?" Zhu Changzhi asked puzzledly.

"Because the court officials are all big tigers, good people will only be eaten by tigers, so the only way is to be a bad guy, and a strong bad guy, otherwise how can these tigers be willing to obey?"

Zhu Yijun rubbed Zhu Changzhi's hairpin and said with a smile: "Teacher taught me: reward with the left hand and punish with the right hand. Without one of them, you can't govern the country and you can't control your people."

Faith in rewards and punishments is the core concept of governing the country that Zhang Juzheng repeatedly mentioned during his lectures.

"I understand, kid." Zhu Changzhi couldn't fully understand it, but he felt that it was just like those doctors of the Department of Investigation who would praise him if he did something right and reprimand him if he did something wrong during class.

But what Zhu Changzhi didn't know was that this was not normal. Those lecturers didn't dare to punish him, and their admonitions were mainly persuasion. This was the prince, who would dare to offend him to death? When he ascended the throne in the future, he would hold a grudge, and it was not a joke.

Zhu Yijun actually did not intend to force Zhu Changzhi to become like this.

He himself had no choice. Wang Jinglong had run to the Qianqing Palace with two knives, one long and one short, ready to kill people. Every aspect of the dynasty had become so corrupt that the only option was to fight for one's life. Zhu Yijun became the emperor as soon as he came. He had to take the throne even if he didn't want to.

He sacrificed his life for Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang more than once in exchange for basic stability of the country.

Zhu Changzhi is a natural nobleman. If he is pushed too far, he will probably have to sit at the same table with Li Chengqian.

Fortunately, Zhu Changzhi's growth process was not perfect, but in general, he was no worse than Zhu Yiliu. Wang Yaozhuo was not a kind mother, and her requirements were even stricter than Zhu Yijun's. When Zhu Changzhi grew up, at least he would not be like Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, who became a confused Wala student.

The imperial edict of the Ming Emperor was sent to the cabinet, and Wenyuan Pavilion was renovated when the central axis of the imperial palace was built.

After the renovation, the walls of Wenyuan Pavilion became thicker and better insulated, and it also became a warm pavilion. The hot water in the copper pipes made the entire Wenyuan Pavilion very warm.

Wooden houses have many disadvantages. They have poor thermal insulation, are cold in winter and hot in summer. No matter how many stoves there are, you will shiver when handling official documents in winter, and it is extremely hot in summer. They are prone to fire. As a place to store documents, once a fire breaks out, all the truth will be drowned in the sea of ​​fire. They are easily affected by moisture and insects, and are also easy to attract rats. It is very common to see documents from several years ago eaten away beyond recognition.

The new reinforced concrete columns and sandwich masonry walls solved these problems.

"Prime Minister, you can't look down on Gao Qiyu when he goes to Japan again. People always make mistakes. Zhou Liangyin was a lowly Confucian scholar before." Wang Chonggu wrote the floating note and approved the imperial edict of His Majesty.

Gao Qiyu was a good candidate and his ability was unquestionable. If Zhang Juzheng had not suppressed him, Gao Qiyu could have competed with Shen Li for the position of Minister of Rites.

"Important matters of state do not allow for personal feelings. If he does a good job, he will naturally be promoted. I will not deliberately make things difficult for him." Zhang Juzheng also posted a floating vote, approving this candidate.

Wang Chonggu said with emotion: "That's right, let the past be the past. The prejudice in people's hearts is sometimes as huge as a mountain."

Wang Chonggu was willing to say a few good words for Gao Qiyu because he felt the same way. If it came to getting into trouble, he would have almost poked a hole in the sky, but now he is still the second assistant. Your Majesty has done much better than Zhang Juzheng required in appointing people based on their merits.

Minister of Rites Shen Li frowned and said, "The Grand Herald is a fourth-rank official in Beijing. Isn't it too much of a courtesy to Japan to send a fourth-rank official to Japan? According to the "Annotations to the Regulations of the Kingdom of the Fan State", it would be enough for Japan to send a seventh-rank Supervisory Censor or a Secretary."

What Shen Li meant was: Japan is a tiny country, a small state. How could a fourth-rank official of the Ming Dynasty be worthy of being sent as an envoy?
"This is a serious matter. The Ming Dynasty wants all of Japan's gold, silver, copper and iron mines." Wang Guoguang expressed his attitude. He approved of His Majesty's choice of candidate. Gao Qiyu was a high-ranking official and could represent the Ming Dynasty in the negotiations. If such a high-ranking official was sent, the Ming Dynasty could only ask for more, not less.

Shen Li thought about it again and again, and felt that what Wang Guoguang said made sense, so he nodded and said, "I have no problem now."

The cabinet ministers unanimously agreed that the Six Ministries had to recognize this imperial edict even if they did not agree. The Six Ministries' Secretaries and the Censors of the Censorate did have the power to seal or reject matters, but without the cooperation of the cabinet ministers, they could not seal or reject the imperial edict at all.

"Your Majesty, are you too lenient? How can you tolerate the gossiping of people like Zhao Nanxing?" Wang Chonggu talked about the recent hot topics in the capital. It is surprising that such a despicable and corrupt scholar who has been eliminated by the times is still alive.

Zhang Juzheng said helplessly, "I have suggested more than once that the control of public opinion be tightened, but Your Majesty disagrees. What can I do? Your Majesty said: The Ming Dynasty is so big that it can tolerate a few lowly scholars barking wildly. If it's not this dog barking, it's that dog barking."

"Your Majesty said they were..."

When Zhang Juzheng got to this point, he felt that it was a bit disrespectful and would affect the majestic image of Your Majesty, so he did not finish his words.

Shen Li asked curiously: "What is it?"

"The Ancient Tomb Sect." Zhang Juzheng thought about it and finally said it out. Your Majesty's criticism of these people was very sharp.

"Hahaha!" Wenyuan Pavilion was filled with a joyful atmosphere. The Tomb School is a state of mind. It does not refer to age but to thoughts.

There are many Hanlin scholars in the Hanlin Academy who are obviously very young, but their thoughts are corrupt and they are unwilling to accept any new ideas. Their understanding of the world is a bit like a frog in a well, limited to the sky they see inside the well.

They are not as good as these old guys who are more receptive to new cultural shocks.

The Tomb Sect may be young in body, but their souls have been completely buried in the soil. They live like an old scholar in a tattered robe, wrapping the rotten smell into a long banner. Their souls are already dead, but they insist on competing with the human world for a bit of liveliness and beauty. Even their newly cut brocade robes cannot cover up the rotten stench that permeates their bodies.

They live in humble circumstances, but they want to establish their minds for the world; they are confused, but they want to bring peace to the world. When they see new words and new ideas, they tremble as if they saw a dog eating the moon; when they see vernacular documents, they want to expose the proclamation of the decline of morals; when they encounter new products, they want to cry out lamentations about the collapse of rituals and music;
He calls himself a madman who sings and cries, and thinks that everyone else in the world is drunk but he is the only one sober, but he completely fails to see that the world situation has changed.

Their only fate is to become worthless victims of the times in the great wave of the Wanli Reform; their self-satisfied views will be washed away by the waves in the long river of history and eventually become the mud at the bottom of the riverbed that sticks to the soles of shoes.

If criticism is not allowed, then praise is meaningless. The emperor allowed them to live. The Ming Dynasty is so big and has so many people. The purpose of the existence of Zhao Nanxing and other Tomb Sect members is to remind the emperor that the Ming Dynasty is good, but not that good.

None of the Ming cabinet ministers discussed another candidate, Oda Nobunaga's sister Oda Ichi. Sometimes, eunuchs are indeed better at playing tricks on people.

The candidate of Oda City is both a threat and the best person to persuade Oda Nobunaga to surrender.

"Hou Yuzhao will take up his post in Zhejiang next year. His final gift to Liaodong is the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau." Wang Guoguang took out a memorial and circulated it to other cabinet ministers. The Agricultural Reclamation Bureau planned by Hou Yuzhao was a gift and the ultimate solution to the Liaodong issue.

After reading it, Wang Chonggu said sincerely: "The Agricultural Reclamation Bureau is not just about farming, but about hammering nails into the Ming Dynasty and repairing horseshoes. Only when this nail is hammered in and this horseshoe is repaired, can the Ming Dynasty's hinterland be connected with Liaodong and truly become the heartland of the Ming Dynasty."

"There is nothing better than this. This is the only plan. Hou Yu Zhao should return to the court to be a wise official. Unfortunately, he is too upright and is not suitable for the intrigues in the court."

The reason why Wang Chonggu said it was like hammering nails and repairing horseshoes was because Liaodong was not at peace, and the Ming Dynasty could not open the sea with its full strength. It also had to always guard against the warlordization of Liaodong, which would threaten the heartland of the Ming Dynasty.

If Liaodong is not at peace, the world will not be at peace.

Only when Liaodong is completely stabilized and the forces on land that can truly threaten the core of power of the Ming Dynasty disappear, can the Ming Dynasty boldly go out to sea and compete with the West.

This empire on which the sun never sets was done by the small barbarian countries in the West, and naturally by the Ming Dynasty.

"With your Majesty's protection, I think there will be no problem. Even if he disobeys your Majesty, your Majesty will not be willing to punish him." After reading the memorial, Zhang Juzheng said with certainty: "This is not a gift to Liaodong, but a gift to the Ming Dynasty. It is a blessing for the country."

Hou Yuzhao, a scholar-official who often went against the flow and was out of tune with others in the early years of the Wanli period, was neither a member of the Zhang Party nor a member of the Jin Party. He went to the Daning Guard of the Beijing Xingdusi to reclaim wasteland, to Liaodong to reclaim wasteland and farm, and served as the governor of Liaodong. Fourteen years of hard work was his way to success, and the final establishment of the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau was the result of his hard work.

Wang Guoguang thought for a while and said, "I think so too. We can leave the Ministry of Revenue to him. The most important thing for the Ministry of Revenue is farming. Having enough food is more important than silver."

Zhang Xueyan is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Wang Guoguang is getting older, and most of the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue are handed over to Zhang Xueyan. It is a foregone conclusion that Zhang Xueyan will enter the cabinet. As the senior official of the Ministry of Revenue, Hou Yuzhao is a good choice.

Shen Li read the memorial most carefully. He also copied down some key points and said, "Then let Hou Yuzhao return to Beijing before the New Year. He will be appointed to Zhejiang next year. When the land restoration in Zhejiang is completed, we will recommend him to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue."

Wang Guoguang was ready to retire. He was old and his energy was not enough to support him to continue to be loyal to His Majesty and do his best for the country. If he continued to occupy the position, he and Zhang Xueyan would become enemies from close friends. Wan Shihe chose Shen Li, Wang Guoguang chose Zhang Xueyan, Wang Chonggu chose Wang Jiaping, and Zhang Juzheng chose Shen Shixing. The four cabinet ministers of the Wanli Reform were slowly leaving the forefront of the reform tide. Time flies. The Wanli Reform has been going on for fifteen years, and they are also slowly moving towards the end and the other side.

Talents emerge in every country, and the old are replaced by the new.

The official document from Beiya to Liaodong was required to arrive in five days. In fact, it took only three days for Hou Yuzhao's transfer order to reach Liaodong, and the remaining two days were redundant. The iron horses could keep running as long as there was coal, but the post station, where both the horses and the men were exhausted, took half a month to reach Liaodong.

"No! Absolutely not. The court only talks about the court's affairs. Old Zhao, you can't leave. If you leave, what will happen to me in Liaodong?! If the court sends another governor to Liaodong, and I don't get along with him, those cheap scholars in the court will eat me up. If you want to leave, let's leave together."

"Yes, I'll go with you!" After seeing the transfer order from the court, Li Chengliang decided to return to Beijing to celebrate the New Year.

Whoever wants to stay in this wild land of Liaodong can stay here! Whoever wants to drink this northwest wind can drink it. He is leaving!
He was going to take his entire family, including six concubines, eight sons and three daughters, back to Beijing to enjoy a good life.

"Old Four, you stay behind. When Wang Rulong comes back from Korea, you hand him over. Let's go back to Beijing. This broken place is so cold in winter that the northwest wind blows like a funeral. In such a windy weather, you can't even tell up, down, left, and right, let alone east, west, south, and north. Even so, those scholars and officials in the capital still think I'm a local emperor or a mountain king in Liaodong!"

"They deserve this punishment!" Li Chengliang was a man of quick temper. He returned to Liaodong to support the Korean war. If the Ming army's conquest was not successful, the Liaodong army would be able to resist the Japanese pirates' invasion of the Ming and prevent the war from spreading to the Ming territory.

The Korean battlefield was progressing smoothly, the Japanese pirates were driven into the sea, and Li Chengliang's mission was completed. He began to think about going to the south of the Yangtze River to live a life of debauchery.

In the 13th year of Wanli's reign, he followed his majesty to the south of the Yangtze River, and he swore that he would die in the gentle land of Jiangnan in this life.

Only after going to Jiangnan did you realize how hard life was in Liaodong.

The fourth son mentioned by Li Chengliang is his fourth son Li Ruzhang, who is also brave and good at fighting. Of course, compared with the talent of Li Rusong, he is very ordinary. Li Chengliang has eight sons, and only these two sons are slightly talented. The others are ordinary people.

"How can you say that wind is rain? You don't have the imperial order to transfer. Leaving like this is deserting your post!" Hou Yuzhao was convinced by this living devil. The Liaodong General was in a serious matter. How could Li Chengliang just resign and leave like this? Isn't this nonsense? He was just trying to make trouble by poking a hole in the sky!
"Dad, by leaving your post without permission, isn't that giving those gossiping scholars a reason to impeach you? It's giving them a handle to use against you, Dad." Li Ruzhang was a little anxious. Even when his father was away, he could still control the situation. The seven Outer Khalkha tribes, the Wild Jurchens, and the Haixi Jurchens all had to give him face.

Li Ruzhang's abilities were indeed not great, but his father was Li Chengliang and his brother was Li Rusong. Based on their status, the emperor had to give him some face, let alone these slave chiefs.

As long as Li Ruzhang does not act impulsively and runs outside the city to challenge a group of people alone, no one of these foreign slave chiefs would dare to offend him.

Li Chengliang said earnestly, "Old Zhao, when you enter the court in the future, remember to hold His Majesty's thighs tightly. Hold tight! Do not let go for a moment. Do whatever His Majesty tells you to do. If you have any questions, ask His Majesty first. Got it?"

"You are such a naive person. You were sold out by others, and you are still helping them count the money."

"What do you mean?" Hou Yuzhao frowned and asked with some confusion.

"Let's make a bet. If I resign and leave without permission, His Majesty will not only not blame me, but will also reward me specially. Those gossiping censors in the court won't say a word. Maybe one of them will write a memorial to praise me, old Li, for being sensible." Li Chengliang smiled and asked his sons to pack their bags and return to Beijing to enjoy life!

Hou Yuzhao thought about it for a while and gradually understood that the Korean War had completely ended and now it was a war to destroy Japan. The court only mobilized him, Hou Yuzhao, not because it had forgotten Li Chengliang, but to test him.

Li Chengliang was not a stupid roe deer in the snow. He was as smart as an old fox. Everyone in the court knew his character.

Li Chengliang took the initiative to choose to leave, and everyone was respectable, so the establishment of Liaodong Province could continue to move forward;

Li Chengliang pretended not to understand. Hou Yuzhao, the only governor partner who was on good terms with Li Chengliang, had left. If Li Chengliang was unwilling to take the initiative to request a transfer, then he probably had other intentions. He might not necessarily want to secede, but he must have his own army and wanted to be a mountain king.

The imperial court should have made preparations early and completely eliminated the dangerous factors while Qi Jiguang was still around.

Li Rusong was the deputy general of the Beijing Camp and Li Chengliang was the general of Liaodong. It would be fine if Qi Jiguang was there, but it would be too dangerous for the father and son to lead the elite troops of the Beijing Camp and the border army at the same time.

“Why are people’s hearts so complicated? It would be better for me to continue farming in Liaodong.” Hou Yuzhao sighed, if only everything were as simple as farming.

Li Chengliang patted Hou Yuzhao on the shoulder and said, "Old Zhao, you think people's hearts are complicated. Others think farming is difficult. Your Majesty sent those officials in the court to Liaodong to reclaim wasteland. Well, they couldn't reclaim any land. In the end, I arranged for them to become teachers at Liaodong Academy."

"My last name is Hou!" Hou Yuzhao corrected weakly, but it was useless to correct him because Li Chengliang would not change it.

The reason why Li Chengliang insisted on calling him Lao Zhao was actually because of the saying "Yan and Zhao are full of generous and tragic people", and it just so happened that Hou Yuzhao's name had a "Zhao", so he called him that.

Hou Yuzhao was a typical man of generosity and tragedy, and he lived in the tide of the Wanli Reform. If the world was dark, a man like him would never have been able to make a name for himself.

The wise and resolute scholars and law-abiding officials who care about the world, have the skills in their hands, and persist in doing things are indeed the pillars of the country. However, the world is always like this, and the pillars of the country may not necessarily be valued.

"By the way, when you leave, bring some New Year gifts to His Majesty. Bring a few of the bighead carp I caught from Chagan Lake." Li Chengliang never forgot to give His Majesty New Year gifts every year.

Chagan Lake is called Chagan Pao, which means a big white bubble. It freezes in winter, and breaking the ice to catch fish becomes the only source of supplementary food for nearby tribes.

When Chaganpao still belonged to the Liao Dynasty, the emperor of Liao would go to Chaganpao for inspection and fishing and hunting every year. During the Jin Dynasty, there were first fish banquets and first goose banquets.

This place is very suitable for aquaculture. When the fish fry are one foot long, they are put into a large pond. They grow up to be very large in four years. One acre of fish pond can raise fifty fish. Bighead carp is a local specialty and tastes extremely delicious.

Li Chengliang planned to turn the bighead carp into a tribute and create a local bighead carp industry.

After winter fishing, the fish are thrown directly into wooden boxes and some ice cubes are added. They can be sold in the freezing places in the north.

Since he is called the King of Liaodong, he must also make some contribution to Liaodong. Chagan Lake has excellent natural endowments. If the industry can be developed, it will be of great significance to the reclamation cause of Liaodong. It can also be regarded as leaving a legacy for the establishment of the Liaodong Agricultural Reclamation Bureau.

As long as Qi Jiguang did not suffer a defeat on the front line, Li Chengliang would probably never return to Liaodong in his life.

"Let's go." When Li Chengliang got on the train, he stood at Liaoyang Station, waved to the vast snowfield, and left his hometown where his generations had lived. This time he left his hometown and didn't know when he would be able to come back.

The literati in the capital had prejudices against Li Chengliang. They always thought that he was a bandit and that Li Chengliang would become the tyrant of Liaodong and the An Lushan of the Ming Dynasty. He would rebel one day and become a serious threat to the Ming Dynasty.

When Li Chengliang set out from Liaodong and returned to Beijing, and brought all his family members back to the capital, the censors in Beijing were all very surprised.

Before Li Chengliang returned to Beijing, a large number of memorials floated into the Tonghe Palace like snowflakes in December.

Some of these censors said that Li Chengliang had stopped in time and returned to the right path, some said that Li Chengliang was frightened by the emperor's wisdom and the great victory of the Beijing army and returned to the capital on his own initiative, and some said that Li Chengliang was a loyal minister and a good general who should be rewarded lavishly to keep the reputation of a saintly minister and a virtuous minister. There were all kinds of opinions, but no one said that Li Chengliang deserted his post without permission.

Between the warlordization of Liaodong and Li Chengliang's abandonment of his post, the censors would rather see Li Chengliang leave Liaodong on his own initiative. As long as he stayed in Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty would not be able to completely monarchize Liaodong and set up provincial governments, prefectures and counties to directly manage it.

Li Chengliang was the authoritative figure in Liaodong. As long as he nodded, Liaodong would be the Liaodong Regional Military Commission, and the imperial court's government would be in name only.

"Clean up the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion inside and out. Doesn't Ningyuan Marquis like the land of pleasure? Reward him with twelve beauties from all over the world. Every year, the foreign envoys send so many beauties, and all of them are given to Prince Lu, which makes the Queen Mother unhappy. So just give some to Ningyuan Marquis. Remember to send two Persian beauties." Zhu Yijun decided to reward him lavishly.

"Oh, by the way, Lord Hou has also returned from Liaodong, so he can stay in the capital for the New Year. If he wants, we will also reward him with a few beauties from all over the world." Zhu Yijun gave additional instructions. If the beauties from all over the world were not rewarded to Prince Lu's Mansion that year, they would usually be arranged to meet the soldiers and craftsmen in the Beijing camp, and would not stay in the palace for the New Year.

Zhu Yijun has been sending out wives since the large-scale entry of Japanese women into the Ming Dynasty in the ninth year of the Wanli reign (Chapter 541).

This time when Li Chengliang entered Beijing, he no longer got off the train in Jizhou and then reported to the court, waiting for the court to send troops from the Beijing camp to Jizhou to take over his defense and escort him into Beijing. This time, Li Chengliang took the train directly to Chaoyangmen Station before getting off.

He had been sitting in the car for a whole day and his legs were a little numb. When he stood up, he looked out the window, feeling a little confused. In the 13th year of Wanli, the city wall of Chaoyangmen was being demolished. At the end of the 15th year of Wanli, Chaoyangmen Station had been completely built, with twelve highways winding into the distance, and on the platform, there was a crowd waiting to welcome him.

Li Chengliang knew Feng Bao, who was a senior eunuch beside the emperor and was called Zhong Guiren by people at that time.

"Old Zhao, tell me, is the noble here to arrest me and put me in the imperial prison, or to reward me with an imperial edict?" Li Chengliang asked Hou Yuzhao beside him with a smile.

Hou Yuzhao was so angry that he laughed. He shook his head and said, "If you want to arrest someone, why do you need the noble lady? And you still have the cloak with flying fish pattern? Only Yuan Fu and General Qi have it. You should get out of the car quickly and stop showing off. If you offend the noble lady, you will suffer the consequences."

Li Chengliang laughed loudly, adjusted his appearance, and walked out of the car.

Feng Bao took a step forward, and the two eunuchs opened the imperial edict. Feng Bao then flicked his whisk and said, "Marquis Ningyuan, accept the edict."

"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says:"

"I have inherited the mandate of Heaven and rule over the world. Thanks to the kindness of my ancestors and the efforts of my wise ministers, the world is at peace, but we have not yet achieved great harmony. Although the world is at peace, my work is not yet complete."

"The Great Wall stands tall not because of its bricks and stones, but because of its unity of heart; the country is strong not because of its fortresses, but because of its unity of virtue; for a ruler, there is nothing greater than obeying Heaven; for a minister, there is nothing more important than following the example of his ancestors; for a minister, there is nothing more important than being loyal to the ruler and loving his subjects; this is the unity of heart and virtue between ruler and minister."

"In the past, Huo Huqi opened up the frontier but failed to complete it, while Guo Fenyang suppressed the rebellion and finally succeeded. You have combined the two virtues and have guarded the dangerous frontier alone for fifteen years. You defeated the strong enemy with your lone army and kept the people safe with your loyalty. You were powerful in the desert, and your sword swept away the dust of the barbarians. Your spirit spread to Liaodong and expanded the territory by thousands of miles. The beacons on the nine frontiers were all extinguished, and the children and old people in Liaodong were able to farm. You did not rest in peace after your achievements, and resigned your military uniform. Your integrity is even more evident, and you dare to decline the Imperial Court when you return to the court."

"I hereby grant you fifty jars of national cellar wine to reward your heroic spirit; a cloak of flying fish and cloud brocade to show your greatness; and twelve ladies from all over the world to comfort you for your hard work."

"The dynasty became a constitution after a long period of time, it was a good deed and a favor, and the edict was issued to the world, and the envoys heard about it."

"Appreciate this."

(Translation of the imperial edict.)
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Long live the emperor. Long live the emperor." Li Chengliang saluted respectfully and took the imperial edict.

He was willing to return to Beijing because he wanted honor.

(End of this chapter)