Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 170 Betting on Dogs Zhang Chonghui! The reluctant Wanli Emperor!
Zheng Mengjing burst in crying, not to mention Zhu Yijun was stunned, even Zhang Chonghui was stunned.

To be honest, Zhang Chonghui was a little surprised. He had thought that he would be a 'wonderful person' who could bring the lofty Emperor Wanli to the enchanted Concubine Zheng.

However, what Zhang Chonghui saw was a lunatic who, although beautiful, seemed to have some problems with his brain...

Because as soon as this woman rushed in, she pointed at him like a crazy woman and cursed with tears on her face:

"You deserve to die! You have ruined the reputation of the queen and princess! Your Majesty! Kill him quickly! Don't let this kid go out and talk nonsense! Otherwise, the innocence of the queen and princess will be stained!"

Zheng Mengjing looked very excited, so excited that he was even a little abnormal.

It seemed as if he was complaining about the queen and princess, but more like he was eager to 'cover up' something.

Seeing that the woman he loved was so crazy and gesticulating in front of an outsider like Zhang Chonghui, Zhu Yijun was not happy but also became suspicious.

Although Zhu Yijun always knew that Zheng Mengjing was not very smart, no matter how smart he was, he would not be so stupid.

When something goes wrong, there must be a monster. Obviously, something is wrong here!

Please, Your Majesty, please give a direct order to have me dragged out and chopped. "

Seeing that Zhu Yijun was still hesitating and even seemed to be suspicious, Zheng Mengjing had no time to think so much. She just resorted to the old method. After falling to her knees, she hugged Zhu Yijun's thigh and cried and begged:

Looking at Zhang Chonghui's calm expression of calmly facing death, Zhu Yijun's twisted heart became tangled again, and it became tighter and tighter!

Zhu Yijun didn't believe that this kind of thing would happen to him, let alone his beloved Concubine Zheng!

"Draw him back to me!"

Zhu Yijun had long wanted to teach Zhang Chonghui a lesson. He originally wanted to punish him later, but he didn't expect that this kid didn't know the heights of the world and spoke rudely to the woman he loved in front of him!
He, the emperor, has no face!
After the order was given, the Jin Yiwei were about to come up and drag Zhang Chonghui out to beat him. However, at this critical moment, Zhang Chonghui did not beg for mercy at all. Instead, he said "please apologize" firmly:

How could the aloof Emperor endure being threatened like this? He gritted his teeth and laughed, gritting his teeth and saying:
"Okay! Then I will help you! Come here! Drag him down for me! Beat him to death with a stick!"

Just at this moment, Zhang Chonghui said softly:
"Your Majesty, you see, the common people's guess is correct, the murderers and silencers are here."

Otherwise...it is very likely that the person who died is...her stupid brother Zheng Guotai, who was secretly colluding with the ministers...

"Conspiracy! It's all a conspiracy!" Zhu Yijun shouted in his heart. He knew that all of this was a conspiracy, and he even knew that the people around him were plotting against him, the emperor!

Zhang Chonghui's tone was quite sinister, and anyone with a discerning eye would know that he was mocking him.

Since the Imperial Concubine wanted the common people to die so much, the common people followed the Imperial Concubine’s wishes and asked for death.

"My Lady, you really care about the reputation of the Queen and the Princess. I really don't know why these spate of evil books are trying to smear you as a jealous and vicious temptress. It's really unfair."

However, disbelief is a matter of disbelief. Once suspicion arises and seeds of suspicion are planted, they will quickly grow and grow like a vine!
Looking at Zhang Chonghui, who had been dragged to the threshold of the side hall and was about to be beaten to death with sticks, but still calm, the string that was already tense in Zhu Yijun's heart finally broke!

Hook up...

It was known to everyone that the concubine had hooked up with the former ministers, and this was no small matter.

If it gets more serious, fatal things like 'the emperor falls into the water' or 'the palace maid strangles' may happen!

no matter what! Zhang Chonghui must die!

At the same time, Zhu Yijun not only saw Zheng Mengjing who was holding back a smile, but he also saw Chen Ju who looked troubled and worried.

Her sneaky move was noticed by Zhu Yijun.

Zhu Yijun's face was very dark. In his opinion, Zhang Chonghui's behavior was a 'threat' to him, the emperor!

Zhang Chonghui's words of "actively seeking death" shocked everyone present!
Zheng Mengjing's eyes widened in surprise, wondering if this kid was really a lunatic like her brother Zheng Guotai said?

Zheng Mengjing might not be able to hear it, but Zhu Yijun did it instantly.

How could the aloof and affectionate emperor endure the ridicule of his beloved woman after being ridiculed by a sinner? Zhu Yijun said angrily with a stern face:

The dragon order had already come out, and now, almost everyone thought that Zhang Chonghui would definitely die.

no! Don't give him any advantage! Let him die like this!
"and many more!"

"Your Majesty! This son cannot be kept! Why are you wasting so much time with him! Just kill him! I also care about the reputation of the Queen and the Princess!"

Seeing that something was obviously wrong with Zheng Mengjing, Zhu Yijun became more suspicious. He had even guessed that Zheng Guotai's idiot uncle had done something else!
Just when Zhu Yijun was thinking about sending Zheng Mengjing away first, and then coming back to wipe the butts of these troubled brothers and sisters, Zhang Chonghui suddenly started talking again.

He is waiting! Wait for Zhang Chonghui to ask for mercy! He didn't believe that Zhang Chonghui would be willing to be beaten to death with a stick like this! He doesn't believe it!

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Yijun, who was already suspicious, once again recalled what Zhang Chonghui said not long ago!

When he heard the words 'kill people and silence them', Zheng Mengjing panicked instantly! However, now she has nothing else to think about, and there is no time for her to think about it!
Zheng Mengjing knew that her behavior this time was indeed a bit abrupt, but even if she knew it, she had to do it!
She has only one purpose for this trip, and that is to let Zhang Chonghui die!

Zhang Chonghui seemed to be determined and prepared to die. He even stood up on his own initiative, raised his arms, and looked like he was waiting to die.

At this moment, it seemed that all the subtle expressions of everyone around him were seen by Zhu Yijun. Even if it was just so subtle that he blinked just a few times, he could clearly feel it!

And Zheng Mengjing was also shocked! She originally thought that the indecisive emperor would not dare to kill Zhang Chonghui directly due to various concerns, but she did not expect that he would issue a death order so quickly!

"Your Majesty, since you are so angry, it means that the sins of the common people are too serious, and then these ten major crimes are too light.

Once the harem is connected with the former dynasty, a situation like Zhang Juzheng playing with the little emperor is already considered a minor matter.

Zheng Mengjing was so excited that she almost laughed out loud. She was so stifled that she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from actually laughing out loud!

"You are so brave. You dare to talk about the imperial concubine. Someone, drag him down and beat him up!"

Seeing that Zhang Chonghui was about to be dragged out, Zhu Yijun just stared at this scene in a daze.

However, Zhang Chonghui seemed to really not want to live anymore. Not only did he close his eyes and let the Jin Yiwei carry him away, he didn't even want to say a word of his last words!

His beloved woman is so anxious to kill Zhang Chonghui! It shows that Zhang Chonghui must know something!
Could it be that...his beloved concubine is really in cahoots with Shen Guanyin, the second assistant to the cabinet?

"Everyone, get out. I have something to ask him alone!"

His Majesty the Emperor's sudden remorse caused a completely different reaction from everyone!
Chen Ju, who originally looked tangled and worried, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zheng Mengjing, who was originally so excited that she almost laughed out loud, was instantly frightened and panicked!
Although Zheng Mengjing had always known that Zhu Yijun liked to "change orders morning and night," she did not expect that this order could still be changed after it was already spoken.

"Your Majesty, you have already issued an order. A gentleman's words are hard to catch up with. You must not..."

"Just live in peace!"

"..."

In the end, Zheng Mengjing, who tried to 'persuad' the emperor's husband to 'keep his word', was 'driven' away by Zhu Yijun, who was already suspicious.

For a time, only Zhang Chonghui and Zhu Yijun were left in the huge side hall.

"Zhang Chonghui! Are you really not afraid of death?" Zhu Yijun was really curious. After the other party has been struggling for so long, is it really that he is not afraid of death anymore? Is all this in vain?

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? How can anyone not be afraid of death?"

Zhang Chonghui was not so much kneeling as he was sitting, with a casual attitude of 'anything goes', as if he had grasped some of the 'weaknesses' of the emperor in front of him.

"Then just now, why don't you beg for mercy?" Zhu Yijun couldn't help but ask.

"Because I know that Your Majesty is 'reluctant' to let me die." Zhang Chonghui said very confidently, and he was even bold enough to call himself 'I' in front of the emperor.

"Correct your attitude! You are just a guilty queen!" Zhu Yijun was naturally angry because of such lack of rules and regulations.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Chonghui really corrected his attitude.

After all, his "asking for death" and rude remarks just now were just to test Emperor Wanli's "bottom line".

Now that the 'testing' was almost over, Zhang Chonghui also roughly knew where the emperor's 'bottom line' was.

Yes, in fact, the plan this time was completely messed up from the beginning!

From the cooperation with Gu Xiancheng and others to the cooperation with Lu Wang Zhu Yiliu, everything is in chaos!

These temporary 'teammates' all went wrong at the critical moment, either intentionally or accidentally!
The only link that didn't go wrong was Zhang Yunxiu's side. However, Zhang Yunxiu alone is not enough.

So from the moment the plan went awry, Zhang Chonghui has been gambling!
Nothing ever comes easy! Allow everything to happen! Following the trend is the last word!

Facts have proved that Zhang Chonghui seems to have got everything right!
"Your Majesty, there are only two of us here, so the common people will not say those convoluted words." Zhang Chonghui asked straight to the point:
"Your Majesty, the reason why you left the grassroots alone is because you have become suspicious of the imperial concubine, right?"

Zhang Chonghui was straight to the heart when he first came up, but in fact, he had no idea whether Shen Yiguan was connected with Concubine Zheng.

Yes, he is still betting!
Whether there is a real connection or not, it doesn't matter anymore. Just plant the 'seeds' of suspicion and that's enough!
Looking for questions with answers is often more tiring than looking for answers with questions!

Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment, then he immediately denied it and said: "You are so brave! You dare to provoke me and your concubine! Do you really think I don't dare to kill you?"

"Common people don't dare." Zhang Chonghui said he didn't dare, but he boldly raised his head, looked directly at the opponent without hesitation, and said:

"The common people are just telling the truth, and... Your Majesty, you really can't kill me. Not only can you not kill me, you have to reward me, and you have to reward me heavily."

This unruly behavior and these slightly provocative words are undoubtedly based on Zhu Yijun's pain points!

Zhang Chonghui is still betting on whether the emperor's "bottom line" can be "retreated" any longer!
At the same time, Zhang Chonghui is also 'testing' how far he can push himself in the future!
"You are threatening me!" Zhu Yijun was already very angry, and now he could hardly hold it in anymore!
The consequences of the emperor's anger are extremely serious. It is no exaggeration to say that if Zhu Yijun opens his mouth now, he can let the entire Zhang family go down to be buried with Zhang Juzheng!

However, at this time, Zhu Yijun did not realize that in Zhang Chonghui's "testing" step by step, his "bottom line" was being quietly "forced back" by the other party.

Zhang Chonghui could naturally tell that Emperor Wanli was angry. He even saw that the emperor wanted to stand up from his chair several times and beat him. However, due to his limited legs and feet, he could only sit still.

He knew that Zhu Yijun was angry, and this just proved that he really made the right bet!
Emperor Wanli 'didn't dare' to kill him! You can't kill him either! In fact, we can only reward him heavily!

"Your Majesty, the common people guess that you should have already known that the imperial concubine and the uncle spread the news that the empress and the princess were kidnapped by Japanese pirates, right?" Zhang Chonghui said:

"The common people don't know whether you believe in the imperial concubine. They only know that it's easy for you to kill me. It's just a matter of one sentence.

But if you really kill me, then the future reputation of the queen and princess, and even the reputation of you and the entire royal family will be..."

Zhang Chonghui didn't say any more. He had already reached this point. It would be presumptuous to say any more.

Zhang Chonghui's meaning was very straightforward and simple. Emperor Wanli wanted to kill him just by opening his mouth. No one would care if he died as a guilty minister.

But unfortunately, the rumors outside are spreading everywhere now.

Word spread in the streets and alleys that Zhang Chonghui, the criminal, was not only kidnapped by the Japanese pirates along with the queen and princess, but also stayed with the mother and daughter for two full days and nights!

For two whole days and two nights, it was easy to imagine the vigorous men and the weak and helpless young women and girls.

If Zhang Chonghui was executed directly at this time, it would be no different from "there is no three hundred taels of silver here".

Even if the majority of melon-eating people don't want to think about it, they will inevitably think that there are indeed some unspeakable things between the queen and princess and Zhang Chonghui...

In other words, it is very simple for Zhu Yijun to cover the mouth of a criminal like Zhang Chonghui.

But if you want to cover the mouths of everyone in the world amid rumors, it will be difficult to reach the sky.

Not to mention, there are still people with "ulterior motives" who are spreading rumors outside.

Even the ministers of the previous dynasty were eager to use this matter to make their emperor unhappy, and they were even more eager to use this matter to confuse the demon book case even more, so as to achieve the ultimate goal of eliminating dissidents!
Zhu Yijun knew all this, and it was precisely because he knew that he could not kill Zhang Chonghui directly.

Zhang Chonghui's death is a minor matter, but if he, the aloof emperor, is suspected of being a cuckold because of the death of such a trivial criminal... then...

For a moment, Zhu Yijun was so angry that he fell silent. He didn't even know how to deal with Zhang Chonghui, this scourge!

Obviously he is a superior emperor, and he can easily execute this trouble-making criminal with just a few clicks of his fingers!
But Zhu Yijun always found that whenever he wanted to directly kill the scourge Zhang Chonghui, he would always face the dilemma that the 'cons' outweighed the 'benefits'!

Zhu Yijun began to struggle again, and Zhang Chonghui did not rush him. He just looked at the thirty-year-old emperor quietly.

Zhang Chonghui is actually a little strange. After so many years, why is this emperor still so entangled?

Obviously this emperor didn't love his queen, and he didn't care much about his princess. If he killed the queen directly, his beloved concubine could be changed to the queen, and his favorite son Prince Fu could be directly made the queen. The prince.

But he didn't like this emperor. Even though he didn't love the queen, he didn't kill this 'stepping stone' that stood in the way of his beloved woman.

Even though he didn't like the current prince, he was not willing to ruthlessly kill the son he didn't like to make way for the son he liked.

To put it nicely, this is called kindness; but for an emperor, this is indecision.

This troubled emperor has been troubled like this for so many years, and even used the method of "not going to court" to express his unwillingness and dissatisfaction to the whole world.

What's the difference between this and a child trying to attract adults' attention by not eating?

Zhang Chonghui didn't understand why the emperor was so awkward, but he was able to live well until now thanks to Wanli's indecisive and awkward character.

After all, if it were a 'normal' emperor, he would have stopped caring so much and just killed him!
Not only after killing Zhang Chonghui, the criminal, but also the queen, princess, and even the princess!
Zhu Yijun was confused for a long time. Even if Zhang Chonghui didn't explain clearly, he knew what Zhang Chonghui wanted to say.

Was his wife and daughter abducted by Japanese pirates, or were they abducted by Japanese pirates together with Zhang Chonghui? Covering up now will only attract more suspicion from the outside world. It is too late to 'cover' the matter... …

At this point, there is only one way left to calm down the storm.

Zhang Chonghui was right. Not only could he not kill Zhang Chonghui, he even wanted to reward Zhang Chonghui.

Moreover, Zhang Chonghui must be rewarded 'heavily'...

The only way to make things right now is to openly announce the incident, and to express openly that it was Zhang Chonghui who saved the queen and her daughter.

In order to show the 'authenticity' of the matter, the emperor Zhu Yijun had to pretend to 'reward' Zhang Chonghui heavily.

Only by being generous and magnanimous can we dispel some of the dirty doubts from the outside world...

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun felt as if he had eaten a bunch of dead flies and they were all stuck in his throat. He couldn't spit them out, couldn't swallow them, and felt uncomfortable all over his body!
He didn't even want to reward Zhang Chonghui with a single copper! He is even less willing to accept the nonsense that it was Zhang Chonghui who saved his wife and daughter!
But now, whether it is true or not, for the reputation of the queen and princess, and for his reputation as the Ming emperor, Zhu Yijun could only save his wife and daughter by Zhang Chonghui...

Who knew that this boy was the only one who was kidnapped along with the queen and princess... and stayed together for two whole days and two nights...

"You saved the queen and princess, what do you want me to reward you with?"

Zhu Yijun's face was full of reluctance, but he could only grit his teeth and say. He had already anticipated what reward Zhang Chonghui wanted, and specifically added in advance:

"Except to vindicate Zhang Juzheng."

This is Zhu Yijun's bottom line. He will never admit in his life that Zhang Juzheng is not wrong!

Zhang Chonghui 'didn't seem' to have expected that Zhu Yijun would be so unpredictable that he 'rejected' him in advance. The young man's face was filled with astonishment and he remained stunned for a long time.

Zhu Yijun didn't know if Zhang Chonghui was pretending, but when this scene fell into his eyes, which was still unhappy, he actually felt a little inexplicably happy.

But at the same time, he still had the feeling that he didn't know how to face the 'other person'...

"Look back, I'll let Chen Ju pick out some jewelry to reward you." Zhu Yijun waved his hand and dismissed it casually.

Zhu Yijun was already very merciful when it came to rewarding jewelry. What he really wanted to reward Zhang Chonghui was poisonous wine and white silk.

"Your Majesty." Zhang Chonghui looked pitiful as if he had been deceived, and even complained without fear of death:

"The common people saved the queen and princess of a country, and you just rewarded them with jewels? This is too... shabby, isn't it?"

"How dare you despise the things given by the emperor?" Zhu Yijun was very reluctant to give things to Zhang Chonghui, but he didn't expect that the other party would dare to despise him! ?

"Your Majesty, it's not that the common people are dissatisfied." Zhang Chonghui explained: "I just think this reward is too vulgar and can easily arouse people's suspicion that I did not really save the queen and princess."

"Zhang Chonghui, you are getting more and more courageous!" Zhu Yijun said angrily: "What other reward do you want? Do you want me to reward you with a prince-in-law?"

Zhu Yijun just blurted out the words in anger, but what he didn't expect was that Zhang Chonghui only thought for a moment and nodded without saying a word!

"Okay."

"?"

Almost instantly, that terrible dream echoed in Zhu Yijun's mind again!

(End of this chapter)