Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 232: Spring breeze is green again, the moon is shining again

After the summer comes, the wind on the river becomes cool.

Zhang Juzheng stood on the side of the boat, letting the river breeze that ran through the north and south brush across his cheeks, and from time to time he looked in the direction of the capital.

We are close to the capital city here and will be able to dock today.

This also means that Zhang Juzheng will soon return to the cabinet and take charge of the political affairs of the two capitals and thirteen provinces again.

At this moment, Prime Minister Zhang couldn't help but let his thoughts wander and think in advance about how to stretch his hands and feet.

The complicated affairs inside and outside the court are fascinating.

Just then, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sir, the doctor has repeatedly told you not to stand for a long time after taking the medicine. You must lie down and rest. Sir, you should go back to your room and rest."

Zhang Juzheng turned around.

I saw my son Zhang Jingxiu holding medicine in his hand with a look of concern on his face.

The pursuit of applying medicine ended up in such a public place like the deck!
Zhang Juzheng blushed for a rare moment, and snorted, "On the 16th day after the operation, the hemorrhoids withered and fell off, and gradually healed. Now, a month has passed, and he is already full of energy."

"You evil son, you've been making a fuss all day long. Outsiders would think I was terminally ill and was taking medicine to prolong my life."

Old Zhang had long exceeded the doctor's prescribed period, so naturally he didn't want to take any more medicine - this is often the case with the elderly who are reluctant to see doctors.

Zhang Jingxiu felt miserable when he saw his father showing off his strength.

Isn't it just spreading the buttocks and applying medicine? What's there to be protesting about?
It would be fine if he always had a stern face, but he also had to scold me.

He had no choice but to bring up the emperor again: "My lord, I am not making a fuss, it is really the emperor's order that is hard to disobey. If I disobey your majesty's will again, I am afraid that I will really be exiled three thousand miles away."

The father and son stared at each other.

Although Zhang Jingxiu said this as if it were a joke, it really seems like something an emperor would do. After all, he had just demonstrated it.

Mr. Zhang’s hemorrhoids are an old problem.

As early as ten years ago, in the fourth year of the Longqing reign, he had frequently asked for leave to seek medical treatment - "My illness is actually hemorrhoids, but I have never treated it as hemorrhoids, and have wasted my time until now."

I have been seeking medical treatment and medication for many years, but have not found a cure.

This time when I returned to my hometown to observe mourning, my hemorrhoids recurred, perhaps due to poor diet or long periods of sitting.

At this time, there was a villager who claimed to have a magic trick called "Sanpin Yitiaoqiang" that could cure hemorrhoids and had been tested many times.

So, after the mourning period was over, Zhang Juzheng tried the medicine himself in the hope of recovering.

The medication went smoothly.

It is probably made by burning arsenic, toad venom or other poisonous substances into a strip and then inserting it into the affected area. After seven days, it turns black, and the edges of the sore gradually crack, and fall off on the fifteenth day.

Anyway, it has reached the stage of regenerating muscles and nourishing blood.

It was supposed to be a happy and joyous event, but when the emperor found out about it, he actually wrote a letter to scold him harshly!
What kind of evil prescriptions are these? They often damage the meridians and cause continuous bleeding, which harms people.

You are the son of a wealthy family and a precious treasure of the country, how dare you belittle yourself and use powerful drugs at will?

It would have been fine if they just scolded him, but they actually arrested the doctor and put him in jail!

If Zhang Juzheng had not repeatedly petitioned for mercy, this kind-hearted doctor would have died.

Although the doctor was let off in the end, the emperor still issued a number of orders on his own, ordering Zhang Juzheng to abstain from alcohol and sex and not to use strong drugs. He also ordered Zhang Jingxiu to serve him well and change the hemorrhoid-hemorrhoid soup.

You can tell that he was really angry.

If he insisted on not applying the medicine, and angered the emperor again...

Zhang Juzheng glanced at the guards accompanying him on the boat, wondering what the emperor would do if the news of his refusal to take medicine reached the palace.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhang Juzheng finally turned around and walked towards the room.

She whispered, "Your Majesty likes to teach others and likes to give advice on everything."

Zhang Jingxiu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had persuaded the old man, and hurriedly followed with the medicine in his hand.

He looked at the Jinyiwei who were accompanying him, and did not forget to make up for his father's story about the emperor's behavior: "Your Majesty is also worried and confused, which just shows that Your Majesty and I are a good match between monarch and minister, and a deep relationship between teacher and student."

While making up for it, Zhang Juzheng also felt very comfortable listening to it.

As his steps drifted, he couldn't help but think more about the student's difficulties: "Concern leads to confusion... Recently, major policies have been implemented, and there are many things that need to be concerned about both inside and outside the court. Your Majesty is probably suppressing a lot of temper in his heart."

The emperor could not be said to be kind, but he would not lose his temper easily, and would not take his anger out on innocent doctors.

This outburst, in addition to concerns about medication, was probably also due to his recent bad mood.

As for why...

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but sigh when he thought of what he had seen and heard on the way to Beijing.

The father and son followed closely and came out of the room.

Zhang Jingxiu quickly stepped from behind his father to the front and gently pushed open the door.

As he placed the medicine on the table, he chatted as usual: "Speaking of major policies, I thought you would wait until the Shandong civil unrest was completely quelled and the land was re-landed before you continued to head north."

The situation in Shandong is outrageous.

Not only was the progress slow, but the land reclamation project also gained a bad reputation among the people.

My father only gave him a beating and then left him alone, which was really not in line with Mr. Zhang's character.

After his son had spread the quilt, Zhang Juzheng lay down on it with ease.

"Your Majesty told me to rest and recuperate, and then summoned me to the capital before July. His calm words revealed urgency. I don't have so much free time to stay in Shandong. We all have our own things to do. I'd better leave Shandong to others."

Being in a hurry is naturally an important reason.

However, there are also some obstacles that are difficult to express publicly.

What does a newly reinstated prime minister want to do by personally intervening in local military and political power while still on the road?
Forget about governing the nine realms. That's within the purview of one's authority. One is at the center, under the emperor's nose, restrained by colleagues and with the Imperial Guards by his side. No matter how powerful one is, he is still rootless.

The Prime Minister dispatches local provinces?

Even the prime minister who was trusted by the emperor would not dare to do this.

It's just that these principles are not convenient to be stated openly. Once my son passes the imperial examination and enters the officialdom, he will naturally understand them.

Zhang Jingxiu obviously didn't think of this.

He closed the curtain and fetched a soft pillow, still not agreeing completely: "I'm afraid that outsiders don't have the ability of adults, and will make the situation more and more chaotic, and finally tip it to the core and it will be adults who will deal with it."

"Especially someone as wild as He Xinyin."

"Yesterday I heard that many gentry in the vicinity of Qufu were hit by riots. When I asked, they all said that He Xinyin had instructed the robbery. It was simply lawless!"

"And Governor Yin, he is certainly capable, but judging from my opinion, he may not have good intentions."

Zhang Jingxiu's words were full of disdain, and he believed in his heart that only his father had the ability to get things done.

After all, the family has such a long history of learning. His father was a famous prime minister and his eldest brother was the uncrowned top scholar. It is only normal for him to be arrogant.

Zhang Juzheng untied his belt, took the soft pillow and put it under his body.

He waited for his son to finish speaking before correcting him, "I heard about what happened in Qufu. That was purely the behavior of vagrants. He Xinyin would not allow people to rob."

"That guy's approach, in the final analysis, is the same as that of forming a society. He established charity houses and opened public schools. In fact, he just wanted to gather together and compete with the gentry and the court in the county and township."

"Such a sour person would never easily overturn the table. He must have eaten something stupid."

The two met once in their early years and looked down on each other.

When Zhang Juzheng was talking about the new policy, He Xinyin bluntly said that he was a traitor to the people and a powerful official, and that his arbitrary and dictatorial behavior would inevitably lead to the demise of the leader and the collapse of the policy.

When He Xinyin was talking about the way of doing things, Zhang Juzheng simply asked in return, although it is easy to form an association in the county and township, why do you think your own "society" can uphold justice for generations?

However, although the two parted unhappily, they had some understanding of each other.

Zhang Jingxiu didn't understand He Xinyin, and seemed to understand but not quite.

Zhang Juzheng did not explain, but continued: "As for Yin Shidan...his guilt is bound to be inextricable, but I cannot easily touch him, so I can only wait for Your Majesty to settle the account later."

With Yin Shidan's ability, the situation in Shandong should not have developed to this point. Since it has developed to this point, it only shows that Yin Shidan did not do his job well.

Perhaps the truth may not be so, but in official circles, presumption is the truth.

However, Yin Shidan was a person invited by the emperor himself, and he made great contributions to the reconstruction of the salt administration and the promotion of salt tickets.

It was not easy for Zhang Juzheng to point out the matter directly, so he could only hint at it indirectly.

Whether or not to settle the matter in the end can only depend on the emperor's order.

"As for the Kong family, after all, they are a thousand-year-old family. They can't come up with a set of rules in just three or five days. I don't have that much free time to wait, so I'd better leave it to Shen Li to do the butchering."

"Shen Longjiang is much more stable than Sun Piyang."

Zhang Juzheng was so excited that he even commented on the affairs of the Kong family.

The people of the Kong family need to be dealt with and the land needs to be cleared. It cannot be done in a short period of time and can only be left to Shen Li.

Among all these governors, Shen Li is the one who has done the best.

Especially compared with the negative example Sun Pi Yang - it can only be said that when Old Zhang passed through Nanzhili, he developed a lot of prejudices against Governor Sun.

Zhang Jingxiu pulled his underwear down, took the medicine and tested its temperature.

When he heard the name Sun Piyang, he couldn't help but laugh: "Governor Sun... I'm afraid there are few officials in the court who can compare to Governor Sun's frivolity."

Not to mention Shen Li, even Yin Zhengmao, who is known for his unruly behavior, is more stable than Sun Pi Yang.

The only person who can be compared to him is probably the one who was choked by a dog when he went to the morning court.

Zhang Juzheng sighed. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when talking about Sun Pi Yang.

"All along the way I have been thinking about how to remove Sun Piyang. He is really not fit to be in charge of a government."

"But he is the governor appointed by His Majesty. If I propose to remove him, it will be discordant."

The reason of frivolity is neither right nor wrong.

If one thinks roughly, frivolity is not a serious enough crime to warrant dismissal; but if one thinks about it carefully, it is really unbearable.

He counted all that Sun Pi Yang had done since he took office.

First, he had a conflict with Li Chunfang, and then he directly offered himself to be planted, insulting the old minister of three dynasties and the current father-in-law of the emperor.

Later, they neglected the land survey and only set a certain amount of land increase for the package of policies to measure the land and clear the households. The specific implementation was entirely left to the local gentry and landlords.

Whatever amount people report, that’s the amount.

Ye Mengxiong was the only one in the jurisdiction who was serious about surveying the area, but his progress was quite slow, so Sun Pi Yang submitted a petition to remove Ye Mengxiong from office.

Although he was reprimanded by the emperor for this, Sun Pi Yang shamelessly made things difficult for his subordinates.

That's all.

When Zhang Juzheng passed through Nanzhili, he heard rumors that the governors of Fengyang and Yingtian were not in harmony.

It was probably because Sun Pi Yang regarded the land survey as a political achievement, and not only did he act rashly himself, he also wanted to "assist" Wang Jiaping next door!
Wang Jiaping was too lazy to pay attention to this guy.

Sun Pi Yang went to the house privately to persuade him.

No matter what, land surveying is a great political achievement, and Southern Zhili is a big pie. If done well, it will be mutually beneficial. Now that the cabinet is vacant, why not get a few more, one for Wang Jiaping and one for him!
When Zhang Juzheng heard this, he was immediately shocked.

How could a high-ranking official in the imperial court be so frivolous?!

While thinking about these messy things, Zhang Juzheng suddenly felt a chill where the two strands of his body met.

"hiss!"

Zhang Juzheng took a breath of cold air.

"Please bear with me, sir."

The affected area after using arsenic is naturally not so easy to heal, and it will be even more painful after applying medicine.

While Zhang Jingxiu was doing all this, he did not forget to talk to his father to divert his attention: "In fact, it is most appropriate for Wang Jiaping to come forward and impeach him."

As soon as he said this, he felt his son's gaze looking at him as if he was incompetent.

He immediately came to his senses and felt that he had been bullying an honest person.

Zhang Jingxiu thought about it and quickly changed his words: "Or, Your Excellency can reward or punish the governors according to the annual examination. In this way, the court will not worry too much about whether Your Excellency is deliberately targeting anyone."

This looks a bit like it.

Zhang Juzheng withdrew his gaze with satisfaction: "I think so too."

Since he was testing them, he also clarified his thoughts and asked, "Besides Sun Piyang, which other governors deserve to be punished together with him?"

Zhang Jingxiu nodded hesitantly and could not answer for a while.

Zhang Juzheng did not wait for a reply, and simply asked and answered himself: "Henan Governor Deng Yizan has violated the official discipline and will be fined three months' salary."

Zhang Jingxiu was somewhat puzzled when he heard this: "Didn't Governor Deng resign to avoid suspicion?"

Zhang Juzheng lay on the pillow and glanced at his son.

The latter suddenly realized: "Oh, your Excellency is just trying to protect Governor Deng with a light punishment."

Zhang Juzheng snorted softly in his nose, which was considered as his agreement.

The chaos in land surveying is of course not limited to Shandong.

A lot of things also happened in Henan.

Governor Deng Yizan was not strict in managing his family. His family members took advantage of the land survey to demand bribes. If the landlords offered bribes, the government would let them do the survey. But if the gentry did not offer bribes, the government would treat them so harshly that their families would be ruined.

After the incident was exposed, it aroused public indignation. The wealthy and powerful blocked the young master of the Deng family who was drinking in the restaurant and demanded an explanation.

After an argument, Deng Yizan's son attempted to escape from the restaurant but unfortunately broke his leg.

In order to avoid suspicion, Deng Yizan took the blame and stayed at home, temporarily handing over the land survey to the inspector-general.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng did not really believe that Deng Yizan was innocent in this matter.

But they had to consider the political aspect - Deng Yizan was also the governor appointed by the emperor, and the fact that he and Sun Piyang were used and dismissed by one another could be considered a slight balance.

Zhang Juzheng continued to look for the next person to be punished.

"There is also the Zhejiang Governor Wang Daokun. The situation in Huzhou is unclear and has not been properly handled yet. It is better for him to retire in Nanjing and sing his "Gao Tang Dream"."

As I learned all the details, I became more and more excited.

After the land reclamation, it was like a war, with smoke rising everywhere.

Zhejiang is not at peace either.

The land measurement in Huzhou Prefecture fell to the gentry families of Dong and Fan. As prominent figures, the two families tried their best to cooperate.

If he had a dispute with the tenants who had contributed the money, he would admit that he had embezzled it and immediately return it.

When the court discovered that the land was large in area and the tax was only paid according to that of small in area, the government took the initiative to correct the situation.

There were hidden servants in the house, and they were not driven out. They cooperated very well in being registered.

They even found the original sellers of the land deeds one by one and allowed the land to be redeemed at half the price of the original sale.

This is a good deed that deserves to be framed.

The result was unexpected.

At this time, rumors suddenly came out that as long as you go to Dong's house and make trouble, you can take the money and leave.

As a result, hundreds of people went to the Dong family every day to demand the return of their money.

Some people even came who had no connection with the party at all.

One said that the Dong family’s hundreds of acres of fertile land were occupied, and the other said that the young master of the Fan family took a look at her and molested her, and he wanted half of the family wealth.

Unexpectedly, a civil riot broke out.

It just so happened that the two families had some official status, which exacerbated the chaos. They had already begun to shout that the government could not be trusted and had begun to climb over walls and bang their heads on the doors.

Among them, Dong Fen, the head of the Dong family, was a scholar in the 20th year of Jiajing and served as the Minister of Rites.

Of course, these all happened during the Jiajing period and don’t seem to be a big deal.

The problem is that Dong Fen was the teacher of Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue.

The relationship with the Fan family is even more direct.

This Fan family is none other than the Fan family of Fan Yingqi, the number one scholar in the Jiajing dynasty, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who has risen rapidly in this dynasty, and the Governor of Granaries.

In other words, the civil uprising in Huzhou Prefecture implicitly pointed directly at the high-ranking officials of the time.

Governor Wang Daokun was unable to handle the situation and kept reporting to the central government, asking what to do.

As a result, the matter that should have been settled long ago has not yet been resolved!
Zhang Jingxiu shook his head repeatedly as he listened to his father talking about these people.

Starting from Huguang, it was difficult to see the land being surveyed in an orderly manner along the way, and there were bound to be some trouble.

Shandong, Henan, Zhejiang, Nanzhili... are all like this.

"Alas, I can't even tell whether it's because the government is difficult or because the evil thieves are secretly doing bad things."

My first reaction was that someone had planned this.

But when I think about how so many places have the same idea, it seems unlikely.

Zhang Juzheng sneered when he heard this: "Of course it's both. The people are dissatisfied in the front, and the evil bandits are fanning the flames in the back. Shandong and Henan are fine, but the matter of Huzhou is so strange no matter how you think about it."

Zhang Jingxiu has finished applying the medicine.

He pulled up his father's clothes, picked up the medicine and stood up.

"I am devoted to the affairs of the world, but there are always such treacherous conspiracies. Alas, governing a country is not an easy task."

Zhang Jingxiu turned his back considerately.

Not only did he share the same hatred for the enemy, he was also worried that the state affairs would affect his father's recovery - he was already frowning on the way back to Beijing, and he didn't know how he would be able to work day and night when he returned to the cabinet.

Zhang Juzheng was completely unaware.

He dressed quickly, saying, "These things are fine, they are confined to one prefecture and one county, and won't cause a big chaos. I'm just afraid that some people will lose their conscience and start to do whatever it takes."

Zhang Jingxiu was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Father said..."

Zhang Juzheng got up from the bed and drew aside the curtains to let the light shine into the room again. "The civil unrest is not worthy of Your Majesty's urgent summons for me to return to the capital."

As for civil unrest, no matter how good the imperial court is, it cannot be avoided. As long as the rioters do not annex counties and states, it is not a big deal.

It must not be that simple to make the emperor rush to summon me to the capital despite my illness.

At this point, both the father and the son lost interest in the conversation.

Fortunately, by the time it took to change the medicine, the official ship had traveled a long distance and the Tongzhou Luhe Ferry was already in sight.

The father and son simply changed into casual clothes in the room and began to get dressed.

Half an hour later, the boat approached the shore.

At the ferry outside Luhe Post Station.

A group of students and former officials were already waiting on the shore. The officials at the post station didn't even have a place to stand and were directly squeezed out of the queue.

Everyone is looking forward to it.

The boat docked and laid out boards and blankets.

Zhang Juzheng, dressed in formal clothes, walked slowly down from the deck with square steps.

"Jiang Ling Gong!"

"Prime Minister."

The prime minister, who had been in power for ten years, was very popular and officials vied with each other to pay him tribute and curry his favor.

However, the person leading the charge was someone Zhang Juzheng had never expected.

I saw Lu Diaoyang, whom I hadn't seen for a long time, wearing a brocade robe and standing at the head of the line with his head held high.

Zhang Juzheng saw this and quickly lifted up his skirt and walked over to him: "Heqing is ill, how can you come to greet me!"

When he came closer, he didn't even wait to greet him, but quickly supported Lu Diaoyang.

The two have worked together for many years and have similar interests, so naturally their friendship is special.

When they were officials in the same court, they paid attention to avoiding suspicion and observing courtesy. Now that Lu Diaoyang is no longer in charge of state affairs, the two of them simply save themselves from the formalities in front of others.

Lu Diaoyang shook Zhang Juzheng's hand with his backhand, looking extremely happy: "Uncle, you have been tired from the journey."

Zhang Juzheng was still somewhat worried about Lu Diaoyang's health and was about to speak to express his concern.

Lu Diaoyang spoke again: "He died of dryness."

Zhang Juzheng was stunned. Ma Ziqiang was dead?
He left Beijing almost at the same time as Ma Ziqiang, one returned to Huguang and the other returned to Shaanxi.

They exchanged a letter on New Year's Day, but unexpectedly, they were already separated by the Yin and Yang.

Lu Diaoyang nodded and explained, "I heard it suddenly, and then looked at myself, it was really a case of the rabbit dying and the fox mourning, so I repeatedly declined your Majesty's request to return home."

"After much persuasion, His Majesty finally agreed. I was originally planning to leave immediately, but when I heard that my uncle had been reinstated and returned to the capital, I waited until today."

He was explaining why he came to greet Zhang Juzheng.

The implication was that after this meeting, he would not return to the capital, but go straight back to Guangxi.

The joy of meeting an old friend weighed on Zhang Juzheng's chest, and he felt suffocated.

He sighed, squeezed Lu Diaoyang's hand tightly, and stretched out his other hand to hold Lu Diaoyang's arm.

The words were spinning on his lips, and in the end he could only sigh: "The mountains are high and the road is long, I'm afraid it will be difficult to see you again in the future."

The saying "the mountains are high and the road is long" is naturally a cliché. As for being an official, as long as you can be promoted, you will be able to see the result no matter how far away you are.

The real reason, of course, was that Lu Diaoyang was almost at the end of his life, and after returning home, he would have to count the days until his burial.

Zhang Juzheng naturally didn't know that Lü Diaoyang's historical life span ended in the eighth year of the Wanli reign.

But he had already seen it when he met this old friend who was a comrade and a fellow traveler just now.

Skinny, this word comes to mind at the first moment.

More than just clasped hands.

There was even a face that could be seen, but it was deeply sunken, and the whole person gave off an air of old age.

at the same time.

Lu Diaoyang also looked at this old friend who had known and accompanied him since the Jiajing period.

When I heard that we could never see each other again, my emotions became even more turbulent.

The two held hands and looked at each other for a while, speechless.

Outsiders naturally had no right to interrupt at this time, so the lively welcome was met with rare silence.

After a long while, Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and changed the subject: "Have you decided on the posthumous title for Tiqian?"

As for Ma Ziqiang, he was just a colleague in work. We couldn't say that they had a very deep friendship, but I didn't feel any burden when chatting with him.

After chatting for a while, the group started moving and walked towards the post station.

Lu Diaoyang shook his head: "Not yet. The Cabinet, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Science and Technology all think that Ti Qian should be enshrined in the Weixin Pavilion. For this reason, there are still some differences on the posthumous title."

Wei Xin Pavilion is almost the Lingyan Pavilion of this dynasty.

If the new policy is successful, it will be a place where fame will last forever and its reputation will be unparalleled.

When the emperor first hinted at bringing Zhu Xizhong in, he was blocked by his ministers.

Of course, there was the reason that Zhu Xizhong "massacred princes in Huguang and committed a crime against the royal family", but more importantly, such a good thing should naturally be taken by civil officials.

Nobles? We'll talk about it after we've occupied enough pits.

It can be seen what an honor it is to be the first court official to be enshrined in the Weixin Pavilion.

Precisely because of this, the posthumous title naturally cannot be wrong, lest future generations say that Wei Xin Ge has no gold content.

But a posthumous title that is too good is not good either.

Ma Ziqiang was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Tutor because the emperor intended to make an exception to pave the way for future generations. Now that Ma Ziqiang was allowed to be enshrined in the Weixin Pavilion first, he was really stealing the limelight!

Under such circumstances, it would be impossible for the Ministry of Rites to come up with a plan that would satisfy everyone without losing a lot of hair.

Zhang Juzheng had already figured out all these messy tricks - after all, they were matters that concerned the court officials personally.

He walked side by side with Lü Diaoyang and asked casually, "What does your majesty mean?"

Lu Diaoyang shook his head: "It was said that the court discussed it together, but since then, His Majesty has not attended the morning court for a month."

Zhang Juzheng was startled, then his brows furrowed.

"Your Majesty, are your government affairs so heavy?"

How could the emperor not attend court for no reason? There must be a reason.

Most likely he was too busy. After all, small meetings were held for important matters, and the morning court was just a formality - Zhang Juzheng still trusted the emperor.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Diaoyang answered ambiguously: "Government affairs are naturally heavy. There is the chaos of land surveying, the tax reform that has been prepared in advance, the revision of the Ming Dynasty Law, the reorganization of the Five Military Commandery, and the exchanges with Sanniangzi and the Korean vassal states..."

"And Concubine Wu is going to give birth in August. After all, it's her first child, so you have to take some time out to pay attention to her. Your Majesty has been working day and night these days without a break."

"But it's not all because things are heavy."

"Your Majesty has been dealing with government affairs to the point of madness recently. Even after the government affairs themselves have been dealt with, Your Majesty has been looking for political affairs to handle. I heard that all the major affairs of the inner court have been arranged until the end of the year."

Zhang Juzheng felt more and more uncomfortable as he listened.

He sighed, "Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty."

Lu Diaoyang had been speaking with some emotion at first, but now he looked relieved: "I can no longer help Your Majesty, but fortunately my uncle has returned to the capital, so he can at least help Your Majesty with some of the burden."

Zhang Juzheng was accustomed to being flattered. If he were an ordinary person, he would have waved his hands and declined the compliment.

However, the relationship with Lu Diaoyang is naturally different.

Zhang Juzheng put his hands behind his back and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Heqing. With me back in the cabinet to sort out the government, everything will be fine."

The speaker is confident, and the listener feels at ease.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

They all looked in the direction of the capital at the same time.

"Leave it to uncle"

"Just leave it to me."

The two waved goodbye and went their separate ways.

(End of this chapter)