Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 196: The road ahead is long and difficult

At the critical juncture of counting assets - whether it was farmland, pastures, population, or even treasury silver, it was all pretty much the same - it was very common for someone to panic and make a mistake, accidentally falling to their death.

Just like the Li Guang case during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, after the eunuch Li Guang committed suicide by taking poison, the Censorate accidentally implicated a group of people including the Minister of Personnel Tu Yu, the Minister of Rites Xu Qiong, the Minister of Punishments Bai Ang, and the Minister of Public Security Shen Lu when they searched his house. Then, several blue-collar officials involved died of worry and fear.

However, death from fear and falling from buildings or cliffs are relatively common and elegant, but falling on flat ground is rather rough.

What's more, it roughed up two people at the same time.

This is obviously a loss of official dignity and appears hasty and perfunctory.

The Langzhong in charge of grassland was the accounting officer of the Ministry of Revenue in grassland, and was usually in charge of the Langzhong of the Qinglisi.

Just like the Shaanxi Qinglisi was in charge of the stipends of all officials, the Shandong Qinglisi was in charge of the salt tax in the whole country, the Guizhou Qinglisi was in charge of the customs duties in all directions, and the Yunnan Qinglisi was in charge of the grain transport and the Lin and De warehouses.

Such a backbone who is in charge of a certain aspect is definitely not an insignificant person, especially when it comes to grassland matters.

The Yuanma Temple was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War and was in charge of the gardens, pastures, herdsmen, and foals. It was the direct administrative department for grasslands - one of the three types of pastures.

The Hall Official Yuanma Siqing was a third-rank official who wore a scarlet robe. Even in the regular court, he was a court official who barely had a seat.

Now that they both died suddenly, everyone would understand the strangeness.

The person who was able to straddle the two tribes, collude with the camp guards, and reach out to the grassland, and at this time urgently cut off the third-rank officials, actually had a very small scope.

This makes it seem like such behavior is extremely unwise.

After all, if it was just corruption and his life was not in danger, even if he just sat and waited to be killed, it would be better than the current rampant assassination - of course it was assassination, because in party disputes, suspicion was fact.

Unless... there is something even more deadly behind the invasion of grassland.

While Zhang Hong stepped back to invite the other two, Zhu Yijun paced back and forth in the distance, occasionally stopping to twist the soil under his feet, thinking silently in his heart.

Seeing that the emperor was lost in thought, the ministers did not go up to disturb him, but just stood by with their own thoughts.

Xu Guo approached Xu Jie, who looked like he was watching a show, and casually tried to provoke the latter to talk about sex: "What a person who accidentally fell to death. I don't know why he is so bold."

He glanced at Xu Jie, but saw that he looked calm and composed, with no intention of responding.

Xu Guo had no choice but to turn around and said to Xu Jie, "Master Xu, who do you think is so cruel and crazy?"

For an official in the court, it is crucial to have the ability to see things thoroughly.

Xu Guocai had just stepped into the position of Vice Minister of six ministries, and he thought he was almost there, so he naturally didn't mind hearing the opinions of this senior fellow from Nanzhili.

Xu Jie looked at the emperor's figure and replied nonchalantly, "Maybe it's Wang Chonggu?"

Xu Guo was shocked when he heard this and quickly looked at the reactions of his colleagues not far away.

Seeing his colleagues subconsciously moving away, he finally realized what was happening and laughed dryly, "Master Xu, don't be ridiculous. Elder Wang is the backbone of the country and the foundation of the dynasty. How could he do such a thing?"

Wang Chonggu might be that bad, but he is definitely not that stupid.

After all, Wang Ge Lao's family has a legitimate business.

After the Kaizhong Law was reinstated, his brother Wang Chongde made a fortune with the help of the Shandong Salt Administration.

Wang Chongyi had made great contributions in the matter of Doyanwei, and the emperor specially granted the sea transportation silk business from Nanzhili to Jizhou and Kuanhe trade.

After his son Wang Qian passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi in the fifth year of Wanli, he was sent directly to Chongming Port, waiting to pick peaches from the Chongming Maritime Customs.

If you can become rich just by doing legal business, why bother yourself with the muddy water of a mere grassland?
To take a step back, even if Wang Chonggu really did want to get his hands on the grassland, he would not kill people to silence them. After all, the emperor could only ask him to return the stolen goods.

It is possible that the emperor would take the trouble to comfort Wang Chonggu, hoping that he would not think too much and continue to serve the country well.

So, it is possible that it was Wang Chonggu, but Xu Guo could only say that it was impossible for Wang Chonggu to be the one.

Xu Jie didn't seem to notice Xu Guo's embarrassment. Instead, he seemed to be excited. He smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "How is it impossible? He is greedy by nature."

"Besides, he has the ability to command the Imperial Court and secretly control the Ministry of Revenue's Caochang Langzhong, and he also has enough prestige to connect with the various camps and guards. Isn't he the right person to be the cabinet minister who advises on military affairs?"

Hearing this, Xu Guo coughed lightly and refuted with a serious face: "Master Xu is wrong. Those who are capable of doing something may not necessarily do it. This is groundless."

"Besides, it's not just Lord Wang who is capable of doing this. To put it simply, the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of War, the superiors of Yuanma Temple, are probably also involved and have the same ability."

The Yuanma Temple was established in the 30th year of Hongwu. It was originally a separate government office. However, when redundant officials were cut in the 18th year of Yongle, the Beijing Yuanma Temple was abolished and merged into the Taipu, which also managed the local Yuanma Temples.

Whether it was the officials of the Ministry of War or the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, who served as the purse of the Ministry of War, they all had the ability to occupy grasslands and kill people to silence them.

Therefore, it was unreasonable and groundless for Xu Jie to guess that it was Wang Chonggu.

Xu Jie uttered an "oh" and twisted his long white eyebrows, saying meaningfully: "You also know that the Ministry of War is not immune from the responsibility..."

"Since the Minister of the Imperial Household is here, we'll be able to find out the clues by asking him later."

"It's the official of the Ministry of War. Luo Fengxiang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, is a mere juren. He was able to become an official of the Six Ministries. Isn't it because he, like Wang Chonggu, is from Puzhou, Shanxi?"

"Whether it's the Ministry of War or the Jin Party, they can't get around Wang Chonggu in the end."

Hearing this, Xu Guo frowned more and more tightly: "Master Xu, please be careful with your words."

"Luo Fengxiang was promoted by Yang Xiangyi. When he was promoted from a juren to a fourth-rank Dali Temple junior official, Lord Wang had not even entered the capital yet."

"After that, Yang Xiangyi retired, and Luo Fengxiang was promoted from Junior Minister of the Dali Temple to Minister of the Imperial Household, and even to his current position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. None of these were at the behest of Elder Wang, but rather the Minister of War..."

Halfway through his words, Xu Guo suddenly froze.

He seemed to remember something, and his face became uncertain.

After hesitating for a while, Xu Guo looked at Xu Jie and asked in a low voice: "Master Xu, are you saying..."

He realized belatedly that Xu Jie was trying to guide him and remind him.

Xu Jie waved his hand, interrupting Xu Guo, and said confidently: "Didn't I say that I doubt Wang Chonggu? Minister Xu, don't think too much."

Seeing Xu Guo choke, Xu Jie laughed heartily, finding it amusing, then put his hands behind his back and walked aside, shaking his head.

Xu Guo was just chatting, doing it with ease; Xu Jie was also indifferent and just made jokes.

Just because both of them stayed out of it.

But Chen Jingbang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, was in a much heavier mood at this time.

He pulled He Luowen aside and said solemnly, "I think this matter is not just limited to the grassland, otherwise even a third-rank official would not have fallen to his death."

Whether it is the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War or the job of assisting in the military affairs of the Beijing Camp, they are all within Chen Jingbang's responsibilities and he cannot afford to relax at this moment.

He Luowen was infected by the expression of his classmates and said solemnly: "It is probably related to the camp and guards."

"At the beginning of last year, Qin Yao, the Left Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, proposed the matter of the pasture. The pasture should provide three months of fodder to the soldiers every year. But in reality, after the guards received the fodder, most of them sold it to vendors and had no intention of feeding the horses at all."

Chen Jingbang frowned. Of course he remembered this matter. Although it was a report submitted to the Ministry of Rites, it had at least been discussed in the regular court at that time.

He recalled for a moment and murmured, "I remember that at that time, the Ministry of War and the Imperial Censor were sent to investigate. They said that the troops lived in remote areas. Whenever they encountered grass that could not be transported, they would sell it and then buy more grass when they returned to their base."

This was an understandable reason, and no further investigation was conducted at the time - after all, there were many guards involved, and the law could not hold everyone responsible.

He Luowen shook his head: "It makes sense, but there are doubts."

"In addition to the military and the censors, the Jinyiwei also investigated this matter and said that the market price of each bundle of grass was three cents and two cents of silver, but the soldiers often sold ten bundles of grass for less than one cent and four or five cents."

"We lost more than half of our money. Even if we go back to the base to buy more horse grass, the horses won't have enough to eat. They will have to endure hunger."

With the food cut in half, the horses have less to eat, but it's not impossible to raise them, but there's no hope of keeping them fat and strong.

This was told by his younger brother He Luoshu, who was the Secretary of the Central Secretariat. The emperor was too lazy to avoid the Secretary of the Central Secretariat about such insignificant matters. It could be regarded as the emperor selectively revealing his daily life to the outside court.

Chen Jingbang's expression became more suspicious when he heard this: "You mean, it might involve Ma Zheng?"

Military affairs, when it comes to horse politics, are no small matters.

Especially since the Tatars had been at the capital for only 29 years, and the Shizhou Incident had happened only more than 10 years ago, so horse administration has always been the key issue for the Ministry of War in recent years.

He Luowen shook his head and sighed, "With the grassland in trouble, it would be a foolish dream to expect Ma Zhengtong to make peace."

"Besides, the Minister of the Imperial Horse Temple was in charge of horse affairs, but he suddenly fell to his death. Doesn't this prove this suspicion?"

Chen Jingbang's expression changed.

It’s not that he couldn’t think of it, but he really didn’t want to think about it.

If this is true, then wouldn't there be a huge hole waiting for him as soon as he took office as the Minister of War? ?

Chen Jingbang was heavy-hearted and he and He Luowen looked at each other in silence.

Just then.

Zhang Hong led the two of them and walked over from afar.

Upon seeing this, the ministers silently surrounded the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the people have arrived." Zhang Hong bowed and stepped aside.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun finally stopped twisting the soil and slowly turned around.

Two middle-aged officials approached awkwardly. One was wearing a red robe, meticulous in his work, and looked dignified. The other was wearing a green robe, thin, and looked weathered by the sun and rain.

He had impressions of both of them.

Zhao Yun also came from Yuanma Temple. He was recommended by the Ministry of War and promoted to the third-rank Censor of Shanxi.

But after only one year, he was demoted again to the position of Minister of Yuanma Temple because he did not perform well in Shanxi and received poor grades in the examinations.

Later, he was demoted to the position of Shaoqing of Yuanma Temple for illegally harassing the post stations - that is, public facilities taking on private business.

In the past few years, he has been tempered in the Ministry of War system and was promoted step by step back to the third rank position. He is in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Household Department, and has experienced ups and downs.

Ren Kai was a minor official, so the impression we have of him is much less.

Three years ago, he submitted a memorial proposing four things about grasslands: to investigate the vacant land to prevent hidden occupation; to evaluate the appointed officials to punish laziness; to order the supervisors to personally collect and release the land; and to determine the number of merchants based on the amount of money and grain. Anyone who could shout out the words "investigate the land" obviously had the ability to see the clues and the ambition to be a good official.

Last year, I submitted a memorial to the emperor, saying that the Ministry of Revenue was engaged in many frauds in purchasing grass. Merchants piled bundles of bright grass on top and piled the wet, rotten, and small ones at the bottom to sell them at high prices, and even wrapped bundles of grass with sand to increase the weight.

These were matters that had been discussed in court, and he still had some impression of them. As for his resume, Zhu Yijun did not have the time to remember them.

The two men came up to the emperor and bowed to him.

"I, Zhao Yun, the Minister of the Imperial Household, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"I, the guilty minister, Ren Kai, the person in charge of grasslands in the Ministry of Revenue, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

If one ignores the sweat on their necks and foreheads, both of them appear to be calm and composed, and their Qi-cultivation skills are at an excellent level.

The difference in the way the two men called themselves was the natural gap between a sixth-rank minor official and a third-rank official.

As to whether he is guilty or not, it is hard to say.

The emperor did not immediately ask the two men to stand up, but looked at them without saying a word.

Time passes slowly.

The courtiers looked on coldly.

It was not until the two were under pressure and sweat was running down their cheeks to their chins that the emperor finally moved.

Zhu Yijun let the two of them keep bowing, and gently touched their lips, then said slowly: "Do you have anything to say to me?"

There was no extra emotion in the voice except a hint of coldness.

But these words made the two of them feel more pressured.

Zhao Yun lowered his head, blinked hard a few times, and took a deep breath to ease the fear in his heart.

As if he had rehearsed this countless times in his mind, he bowed again and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the grassland is in serious trouble, and the Imperial Household Department has no choice but to take responsibility!"

"But the most urgent task now is to survey the grassland and return the farmland to grassland. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and allow me to serve under the sentence!"

His tone was firm and sincere, without any intention of shirking responsibility.

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "You have been in the Yuanma Temple and the Imperial Household Temple for many years, but now you say you don't know anything. You are either shirking responsibility or you are incompetent."

"No matter how gracious I am, I will at most allow you to retire and return home." He waved his hand: "Let's talk about something else."

When Zhao Yun heard this, he felt a chill in his heart.

One can only retire if mercy is shown, so what will happen if no mercy is shown? The emperor's words and deeds are self-evident.

The imperial family is truly the most ruthless.

But he just couldn't express his pain.

When he was in Yuanma Temple, he had no foundation and had no say in temple affairs, which were often interfered by the Imperial Household Department.

It was not until later that he became involved in corruption, did some business with the post station, made some money for the people in the temple, and submitted a letter of allegiance to the higher-ups that things started to improve.

Later, he was promoted to the position of Taifu Temple, but because he had lost his ambition and interest in the business, he delegated power to the Minister of Yuanma Temple.

Now that something has happened, not only is he in the dark, but he is also being held accountable by the emperor. He is really angry and upset.

Zhao Yun was feeling depressed and was about to speak.

Ren Kai, the person in charge of grasslands at the Ministry of Revenue, suddenly interrupted and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say!"

Zhu Yijun had a good impression of the young official, so he nodded calmly, allowing him to bypass the hierarchy between him and the third-rank official and speak.

Ren Kai got the approval and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, this year, we plan to distribute 940,000 bundles of horse grass to the five pastures in Beijing, but the actual distribution is only 290,000 bundles!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present suddenly focused their attention on him.

Zhao Yun turned his head in surprise and looked at Ren Kai who was meeting the emperor with him, wondering how come he didn't know about this.

Chen Jingbang frowned, grabbed He Luowen's shoulders and squeezed him so hard that it hurt.

Zhu Yijun and the Minister of Revenue Fan Yingqi looked at each other, and surprise flashed in their eyes at the same time.

The latter couldn't help but ignore etiquette and stepped forward to ask, "How much?"

When people are surprised, they often ask a nonsense question so that they can react better.

Ren Kai looked calm and repeated seriously, "The horse grass distributed in June this year, I only distributed 293,734 bundles!"

Zhao Yun hurriedly shouted, "The documents sent by the Yuanma Temple and your Ministry of Revenue clearly stated that 940,000 hair bindings are enough!"

Ren Kai naturally had something to say. He shook his head and said, "The remaining 640,000 bundles did not pass through my hands, but were taken over by Gao Shi."

Gao Shi was a doctor and the chief officer of his deputy, so naturally there was no mistake to be found in the document.

What's more, the implication is that the chief official who wrote the document, the Minister of Yuanma Temple and the Doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, both died suddenly, which further confirmed his words.

Zhao Yun forced a smile and said in a hoarse voice, "That doesn't mean that only the one issued by Ren Zhushi is the real one."

Ren Kai pursed his lips and said, "He definitely didn't send it. Judging from the tracks left when it left the warehouse, it must be an empty package."

"We can find out the answer by calling the storekeeper at that time and asking him."

After hearing this, Zhao Yun finally fell silent.

Only his changeable expression revealed his mood at the moment.

Zhu Yijun listened attentively for a while and understood the reason why Zhao Yun looked like that.

A mere 640,000 bundles of fodder is not much money, only about 20,000 taels, which cannot even be counted in a corruption case.

This is not the crux of the problem.

Zhu Yijun hesitated for a moment and did not immediately ask anyone to investigate. Instead, he asked Fan Yingqi to confirm, "I remember that the Ministry of Revenue had just called for the purchase of grass bundles this autumn."

As a precaution against the fall, it was customary to store horse grass at the five pastures in Beijing. If it was insufficient, they would be bought out; if it was excessive, they would be sold off.

Of course, it is still the familiar trend. At the beginning, there would be some overflow every year to subsidize the Imperial Household Department. After Hongzhi, it began to remain the same. After Jiajing, it had to be supplemented every year.

Although Fan Yingqi was not the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue at that time, he was at least one of the officials in the Ministry of Revenue. Even if he did not handle the affairs of the ministry, he at least had an eye on them.

He solemnly bowed to the emperor and replied: "Your Majesty, it is true."

"On the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month, the Ministry of Revenue decided that the five grasslands in Beijing should store 1.5 million bundles, in addition to those that have been released. This autumn, we should buy enough of them. From the twelfth year onwards, we should release them every other year and call for purchases every three years. There is no need to set up a new station and store them outside the gate."

"Report to Wenhua Palace for regular court session and get approval."

"The Ministry of Revenue transferred funds in February, and in April it purchased 970,000 bundles of fodder, replenishing its warehouse to 1.5 million."

Although Minister Fan's status as the top scholar may have been due to luck, he still had solid qualities and an excellent memory.

Zhu Yijun nodded, turned around, and looked back and forth between Ren Kai and Zhao Yun: "So, the pasture is not short of fodder to be distributed, but it really only needs this much fodder to be handed over to the guards."

"If this is true..."

Zhu Yijun paused, his eyes fell on Zhao Yun, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and said, "Mr. Zhao, please tell me how many horses our army has now?"

When Zhao Yun heard this, his face suddenly turned pale!
This was why he had to get entangled with Ren Kai just now.

This is not a question of how much greed was involved! It is a question of how much water was in the horses raised by the Ming Dynasty!
There is a world of difference between raising horses that eat 940,000 bundles of hay and raising horses that eat 290,000 bundles!

It's impossible that the soldiers raise horses at their own expense!
So, where have all the horses gone over the years?
Also, how much truth is there in the Ming Dynasty's cavalry on paper?

Zhao Yun stammered for a long time, unable to answer the emperor's question. His knees softened and he knelt on the ground, saying in a sad voice, "Your Majesty, I have only been in office for half a year and I really don't know anything."

Occupying grassland was a dereliction of duty on his part, so he just accepted it.

If Ma Zheng, the foundation of the country, is held responsible, it would be fatal.

The Minister of Rites Wang Zongyi, who had been watching the whole process from the side, suddenly lowered his head and sighed when he saw this scene.

No wonder they dare to occupy grassland so unscrupulously and have no fear of using the grass bundles.

No wonder an official fell to his death overnight over such a minor matter as encroaching on grassland.

It turns out there aren't that many horses to feed...

Wang Zongyi glanced at Zhao Yun, took a deep breath, and suppressed the restlessness in his chest.

This is why, when the emperor was so murderous at first, he tried his best to persuade him, but within just ten days, he quietly changed his attitude.

These people are truly parasites of the country!
Didn't he know that horse politics was the foundation of the country? Did he really not mind that the border troops were vulnerable and could be invaded by the Tatars at any time? Did he really hope that the northern barbarians would treat the Han people well after entering the pass?

Not to mention the emperor, even Wang Zongyi couldn't help but feel irritated and murderous at this moment!
Saying that you are not aware of the situation is simply chilling!
At this time, Chen Jingbang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, seemed to have a telepathic connection with the situation. He flew into a rage and shouted, "You have been here from the Yuanma Temple to the Imperial Household Temple for at least five or six years! How can you get away with it by saying you know nothing?"

This really left a big hole for him.

How can I hold back my anger!
Zhao Yun did not go to see Chen Jingbang, but kowtowed to the emperor repeatedly and explained hurriedly: "Your Majesty! When I was in the Imperial Horse Temple, I was mostly under the control of the Imperial Household Department. When I was promoted to the Imperial Household Department, my immediate superior was promoted to the Minister of War. I have never actually been in charge of horse administration and pastures! I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

Chen Jingbang became angry again and wanted to speak.

But Wang Xijue took the lead and suddenly shouted, "You are still making accusations when you are about to die! Talk about your own problems!"

It is the instinct of all criminal officials to pass the buck.

There's no need to listen to this kind of thing where there's no evidence and people are dragging people into it.

You can't push him out to bear the brunt of the crime just because he is the chief officer. Everyone has a superior.

As the Minister of Personnel, Wang Xijue was obliged to control the impact of the situation on behalf of the emperor.

In particular, the person Zhao Yun was accusing was clearly Luo Fengxiang from the Jin Party.

This member of the Jin Party was promoted by Yang Bo. Above him there were the Minister of War Shi Maohua, the cabinet minister Wang Chonggu, and even the retired former cabinet minister Ma Ziqiang. Who knows where they end?
If we really allow this to continue, things will get out of control.

Especially since we are still at the critical juncture of land measurement and household clearance, we cannot do anything based on hearsay.

Just then, a sigh was heard.

"I know you are talking about Luo Fengxiang."

Everyone turned to look.

The emperor looked emotional and kept shaking his head.

Wang Zongyi hesitated for a moment, but still advised: "Your Majesty, you should let the Censorate investigate before making a conclusion. Don't listen to one side only."

These were mature and prudent words, and all the ministers nodded.

It is impossible that if a subordinate fails to perform his duties, he can just say that his superior is in charge and he knew nothing about it, right?

Zhu Yijun nodded: "I know that it is still unclear whether Minister Luo is involved, and even whether Ma Zheng has any flaws is still unclear."

"We have to check to find out."

Wang Zongyi cupped his hands and was about to call out “The Emperor is wise”.

But the emperor spoke again: "But the Censorate cannot investigate this matter. If we don't turn the Ministry of War upside down, how can we find any clues?"

Over the years, he has been holding on to the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, every personnel, and every purse.

The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War were both controlled by the Jin Party, and Zhu Yijun gave them full respect.

Ma Ziqiang from the Ministry of Rites responded to this respect and has always been very cooperative.

As for Shi Maohua from the Ministry of War, it is difficult to describe him in a few words.

The water cannot be poured out. If the Censorate investigates, all the crimes will probably be blamed on the Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xijue suddenly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I can go back to the capital to assist you."

Zhu Yijun did not answer for a moment.

After a long while, the emperor finally responded.

Zhu Yijun suddenly pulled out the long sword from Jiang Keqian's waist without any warning, and the sword shone with a cold light.

The knife light shone on Zhao Yun's face, and his body suddenly went limp.

He collapsed to the ground, his face horrified, his legs twitching as he kicked back - could it be that the emperor hated him for implicating the Jin Party and wanted to kill him to silence him! ?

When the ministers saw the emperor holding a knife, they were all moved.

Wang Zongyi's eyelids jumped, and he quickly took a step forward: "Your Majesty..."

Zhu Yijun shook his head, suddenly turned the blade, folded his sleeves, and waved it lightly.

A piece of rag was floating in the air when it was grabbed by a hand.

Zhu Yijun turned to look at Zhang Hong and slowly instructed: "Zhang Daban, take these two people back to the capital and hand them over to Wang Chonggu. By the way, give him this sleeve robe for me, and say..."

"Just say that no matter whether it is a problem with the Ministry of War, a problem with the Jin Party, or a problem with Wang Chonggu, I want an explanation."

He paused, then added softly, "Whether this sleeve is a cut sleeve or a robe depends on his thoughts."

After saying that, he waved his hand.

The ministers were silent.

Zhang Hong bowed his head and responded, then he bent over, holding the cloth, and slowly retreated.

Zhao Yun, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and Ren Kai, the person in charge of grasslands at the Ministry of Revenue, followed closely behind Zhang Hong, one walking and one carrying a heavy load.

After Zhang Hong left, Zhu Yijun was filled with thoughts and was about to turn around and leave.

Then he suddenly remembered something.

Zhu Yijun came to his senses, returned the long sword in his hand to Jiang Keqian, and ordered: "Yutian Bo also went back to Beijing to find Gu Huan and Xu Wenbi."

Jiang Keqian retreated in response.

It was not until this time that Zhu Yijun said to his ministers with emotion: "This tour has broadened my horizons. It is like a journey to learn from the scriptures, and I have experienced 72 evils of the times."

“That’s only half the journey.”

He waved his hand and turned around first: "The road ahead is long and difficult, let's keep going."

(End of this chapter)