I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 383: The Attack of the Imperial History

After the court session was over, Zhou Bingzhou took Yuan Xian'an and Li Zhibin to a private room in a tavern he often visited, and served them three dishes, one meat and two vegetables, a plate of peanuts, and a pot of the cheapest "fine rice wine".

This is the highest consumption for three people!

They all had to support their families, and they were able to squeeze out this little money to buy all the food and wine under Gao Gong's oppression. They had already tried their best to be frugal.

After pouring a glass for each person, Zhou Bingzhou raised his glass and said, "Come on, my dear friends, let's have some fun today. Let's drink to our heart's content!"

"Okay! Let's drink together!"

The three drank it all in one gulp. Zhou Bingzhou wiped his mouth and exclaimed, "Shopkeeper Wang is really becoming more and more conscientious. This fine rice wine has less and less water added to it."

Yuan Xian'an agreed: "Yes, today's rice wine is only mixed with 10% water. Conscience is really getting better and better."

The three of them looked at each other and smiled. As they smiled, tears began to flow from their eyes.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince made a major change to the official system and increased allowances for Ming officials. His colleagues are now living a life of luxury and have no time to praise His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for his kindness.

What about us!
The donkey is entering the high arch!
Li Zhibin wiped away his tears and said, "Brothers, to be honest with you, I really can't bear it any longer. I really want to resign and return home."

Yuan Xian'an slammed the table hard and said, "No, we will stay here. We want to watch him grow a big beard, watch him build a mansion, watch him entertain guests, and watch his mansion collapse."

When he said the last sentence, he sang with tears in his eyes, his singing voice was sad and mournful.

Zhou Bingzhou looked at his two friends coldly, full of indignation with nowhere to vent, and said lightly: "Now Gao Da Hu Zi is bossy and overbearing, even more so than in the first year of Longqing."

Li Zhibin was so angry that he slammed the table and cursed: "This tall bearded guy has evil intentions and a rotten heart. He will definitely not have a good ending in the future!"

Yuan Xian'an glanced at him and said, "What's the point of scolding? There are so many people scolding him. If scolding was useful, he would have died countless times. It's a pity that he is still alive and well now."

Li Zhibin sighed, "Brother Wei committed suicide because he forced him to do so. We had no choice but to go to Chaoyang Gate to beg for money in order to collect money for Brother Wei's funeral. We didn't want to be envied by the big bearded man Gao, so he moved us to the Imperial Archives.

Here, we are completely controlled by him."

Yuan Xian'an smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, the Imperial History Bureau is nominally managed by the Taichang Temple, but the financial expenditure is directly allocated by the Ministry of Revenue. The big bearded man Gao chose this place after careful selection to deal with us.

The daily maintenance expenses of the Imperial Archives were fully allocated. Our salaries were also fully allocated. However, the additional allowances and subsidies that were added after the prince's reform were deducted with various excuses, and we were not allowed to see a single cent.

Without those allowances and subsidies, relying solely on the old salaries, the three of us would not have frozen to death or starved to death, but we had become ascetic monks in this glamorous world of the capital.

No, those prodigal monks had a much better life than us!
My colleagues are receiving subsidies and living a comfortable life, but we have to live a hard life, worse than stray dogs!"

Li Zhibin drank another glass of wine and said angrily: "Some relatives and friends whispered that you are stupid. The Ministry of Revenue allocated so much money for the daily maintenance of the Imperial History Bureau. You secretly embezzled some of it and still lived a good life!

Bullshit! The tall bearded man is just waiting for us to embezzle the money of the Emperor Shicheng so that he can send us to the market and have us stabbed. Only then will he feel truly relieved!"

The two men became more and more sad and angry as they talked, pouring glass of wine into their mouths one after another.

Zhou Bingzhou got anxious and snatched the wine jug away, "We only ordered this one jug, you guys have finished drinking it, what should I drink!"

After saying that, he filled his own glass, drank three glasses in a row, burped lightly, and then put the wine jug, which had little wine left, back on the table.

"My dear friends, we have studied hard for twenty years and won three consecutive victories to get the honor and wear this official uniform. What have we done to offend the heaven and earth? Why should Gao Da Hu Zi treat us like this?"

Zhou Bingzhou's words made Yuan Xian'an and Li Zhibin turn their heads and stare at him with sharp eyes.

“We, the Chaoyang Five Heroes, took great risks to go to Chaoyang Gate to beg for funds for Brother Wei’s funeral and his family. Finally, Brother Wei’s family was able to carry the coffin back to their hometown and settle down.

People called us the Chaoyang Five Heroes. What about now? There are only three of us left in the Five Heroes, and we are still called the Three Salted Fishes of the Imperial History!

My two friends, can you swallow this?" Yuan Xian'an stared at Zhou Bingzhou with bulging eyes, "Brother Zhou, what do you think we should do? Should we go to Gao Da Huzi on his way back home today, block him, pull him out of the sedan chair, and beat him up?"

Zhou Bingzhou glared at him and said, "Don't be so angry. We have another way. Brothers, come closer."

Yuan Xian'an and Li Zhibin quickly leaned over, and Zhou Bingzhou whispered something to them.

"Brother Zhou, is this reliable?" Yuan Xian'an asked thoughtfully.

Without waiting for Zhou Bingzhou to answer, Li Zhibin replied viciously: "Whether I can be trusted or not, I am willing to do it! As long as I can disgust Gao Da Huzi, I am willing to be dismissed and sent back to my hometown!"

Yuan Xian'an's mind moved, and he slammed the table fiercely: "Yes, as long as it can disgust Gao Da Hu Zi! Brother Zhou, I am willing to do it too!"

"Okay! Let's get ready tonight! We'll teach Tall Beard a lesson tomorrow!"

"it is good!"

The three of them raised their glasses and drank them all in one gulp happily!

"Good wine!"

"It's good wine! Rice wine mixed with only 10% water tastes good!

Just after seven o'clock the next morning, officials began to line up at the Left Gate of Chengtian Gate, which is the smallest gate on the far left. These were cabinet officials.

After Yu Changde cried at the Meridian Gate, Zhu Yijun ordered that the Chengtian Gate be guarded more tightly, and no one without a badge was allowed to enter. Even the servants who were responsible for the daily cleaning and maintenance of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Altar of Land and Grain had to bring a badge to enter and were not allowed to walk around at will.

Under the pretext of clearing up the defense, Zhu Yijun also moved the six departments' duty rooms in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Altar of Land and Grain to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to work together. Everyone with an eye on this knew that His Royal Highness wanted to merge the six departments into the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

Six departments supervise the central government, and twelve departments supervise the local areas.

These officials, who had their badges checked, bypassed the Taimiao and walked towards Zuoshun Gate, preparing to enter the Wenyuan Pavilion to work. However, they saw Zhou Bingzhou, Yuan Xian'an, and Li Zhibin, each wearing a half-new official uniform with patches faintly visible inside. They stood in front of Zuoshun Gate with solemn expressions, each with a bowl in front of them and a banner above their heads with a line of large, emotional characters written on it.

The officials were all dumbfounded.

This is crazy!
The three sons of the Imperial History Bureau, you are going to make history by moving the bowl from Chaoyang Gate to Zuoshun Gate. It seems that Gao Da Huzi finally fulfilled your wish by moving you to the Imperial History Bureau.

The Imperial Archives was located in the southeast corner of the imperial city. Officials there basically went through Dong'anmen to go to and from get off work, and then walked to the Imperial Archives from the Donghuamen alley.

But it was also very convenient for them to walk out from Zuoshunmen. Fengchensi was only responsible for the closing of Wumen and Chengtianmen, and had no responsibility for Zuoshunmen with its door wide open.

All the officials in the cabinet looked at him sideways, and couldn't help but admire in their hearts: The third son of Emperor Shicheng is so righteous!
The three sons of Emperor Shicheng are tough!
The third son of Emperor Shicheng is tall and hard!
You have been promoted from the Five Righteous Men of Chaoyang Gate to the Three Righteous Men of Zuoshun Gate!

Some officials were discussing quietly.

"If the elders saw this scene, I wonder what they would think!"

"The elders won't be able to see it today."

"Why?"

"You don't know yet? The day before yesterday, Xiyuan issued an order, asking the cabinet ministers, the six ministries, the five temples, the two courts, the military government's vice ministers, the junior officials, and the governors and above to come to Taiji Hall this morning to discuss matters."

"What are you discussing?"

"The former Prime Minister Xu Gong has retired and returned to his hometown. The court has been discussing the addition of cabinet ministers. This morning, the ministers discussed this matter!"

Everyone took a breath of cold air.

No one would have thought that the road to the cabinet of Mr. Gao, who is highly respected and popular, would be so bumpy and bumpy. It is really sad!
(End of this chapter)