I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 536: We Workers Have the Power

The person who came was Luan Yongfang.

He has now entered the Imperial College to study. This time, Shuntian Prefecture is organizing the Dragon Boat Festival Carnival, which requires a large number of manpower, so they have borrowed thousands of students from the Imperial College and various colleges to help in the carnival management committee.

Roughly equivalent to volunteer.

Luan Yongfang was one of them, and was assigned to help out in the refereeing group of the dragon boat competition. Just after finishing his work, he turned around and saw Pan Yinglong from a distance. He was overjoyed and found a chance to walk up to him.

Pan Yinglong's expression changed in an instant and then recovered quickly.

He smiled and said, "It's Wen Ting, have you finished your work as a judge?"

"To answer your question, sir, I have just finished my work and that is why I dare to come and bother you." Luan Yongfang replied solemnly with the courtesy of a teacher.

"The competition is about to begin. I'll go and see the referee team's inspection results." Nangong Ye was very observant and turned around and left.

Seeing that there were only two people nearby, Luan Yongfang said, "Sir, my sister is also at the fun party."

Pan Yinglong's eyes flashed, and he asked nonchalantly, "Eunuch Feng went to Chengde, can your sister come out?"

"My sister wrote to him and asked him about it. When he learned that the Queen Mother and the Empress would come, he allowed my sister to come and even asked the people from the Imperial Household Department to help arrange a good seat for her, not far from the Queen Mother and the Empress."

"Oh, the banquet area for the ladies in the harem is arranged by Eunuch Yang and Eunuch Liu. Have you seen your sister?"

"I saw it." Luan Yongfang looked around and quietly handed over a letter.

Pan Yinglong subconsciously reached out to take the letter and stuffed it into his sleeve.

"Sir, I heard that Eunuch Yang and him don't get along well, and they're fighting fiercely in the inner court?"

Looking at Luan Yongfang's expectant face, Pan Yinglong knew what he meant.

Yang Jinshui and Feng Bao don't get along, and he has a very close relationship with Yang Jinshui, so they should join forces to defeat Feng Bao and rescue his sister.

But fighting for the throne is not as simple as you think!
"Wenting, now that you have entered the Imperial College, you should study hard so that you can get a government position in the future and bring honor to your family. As for other matters, you are still inexperienced and do not understand the mysteries involved, so you must not get involved."

Logically speaking, Luan Yongfang was the descendant of a criminal official, so he could not even enter the Imperial College, let alone take the civil service examination. However, Pan Yinglong did not need to do anything about this matter, as Feng Bao had already handled it properly.

I have to say that Feng Bao was really good to his wife and brother-in-law.

Good from the bottom of my heart.

But Luan Yongfang didn't think so. He was deeply ashamed. At one point, he even hated his sister. Why didn't you commit suicide to save your reputation? Instead, he lived a shameful life and devoted himself to a eunuch, causing the world to laugh at him.

But this thought only flashed through her mind, and Luan Yongfang also knew that her sister had no choice. And if her sister had not entered the Feng Mansion, would she be able to return to Beijing alive from the exile in Lingnan?
And changed his name and identity to enter the Imperial College?
Luan Yongfang knew everything, and he understood and loved his sister, but the shame was like countless ants gnawing at his heart.

"Don't worry, sir. I studied very hard in the Imperial College and ranked among the top ten students in the political science department in this monthly exam."

"Well, your sister will be very pleased to see your progress." Pan Yinglong said this and regretted it in his heart.

Why did he mention his sister again?

"Sir, I heard that he was banished to Chengde to supervise the construction of the imperial palace. He lost the emperor's favor. As long as we work harder..."

Luan Yongfang not only regarded Pan Yinglong as a teacher, but also hoped that he could become his brother-in-law.

This kind of brother-in-law is the perfect brother-in-law.

Pan Yinglong felt a little angry when he saw Luan Yongfang was still harping on this matter.

God’s will is unpredictable!

Could the struggle for the court be that simple? Especially since Feng Bao was the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the commander of the Eastern Depot, and nominally the top eunuch in the inner court.

Although he was sent to Chengde to supervise the construction of the imperial palace, he had all the titles.

Besides, the Emperor's mind is more unpredictable than the fucking Pacific Ocean! Even I can't grasp it and dare not easily get involved, so how dare you, an outsider, get involved?

Pacific doesn't know? The emperor decided!
The ocean between Zhenzhou, Genzhou and Xunzhou was named by a Spanish man named Mai, the first person in the world to sail around the world. The emperor decided to use the name.

Pan Yinglong's mind was in a mess and he wanted to scold Luan Yongfang, but the words couldn't come out of his mouth.

Luan Fang'er's appearance appeared in his mind. She looked about 50% similar to his late wife, and was also as talented as his late wife.

But that night ten years ago, his late wife jumped into the river with her one-year-old child in her arms. When he was rescued from prison, he saw two bodies, one large and one small, lying in the coffin.

This is the eternal pain in Pan Yinglong's heart.

He patted Luan Yongfang on the shoulder and said, "Wenting, the struggle in the court is not as simple as you think. If you defeat Feng Bao, your sister and you will be convicted.

I know how you two escaped from the crime before. When the time comes, we will settle all the old and new accounts together. No one in the world can save you two siblings."

Luan Yongfang looked at Pan Yinglong, opened his mouth, and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Nangong Ye walked back and said, "Feng Wu, the referee team has finished their inspection. You, the chief referee, need to sign. The emperor and everyone else are waiting for the game to begin."

Pan Yinglong said goodbye to Luan Yongfang and left in a hurry.

He read the referee team's inspection form and signed it.

The referee announced, "Every team, get ready! The championship race will begin in five minutes!"

Someone nearby struck a drum. Dong, dong—five beats.

Everyone knew that the five-minute game had officially begun, and the volume of the audience seats on both sides suddenly increased by several dozen degrees.

In the eastern audience seats, countless bright lights were flashing, indicating that people were watching with telescopes.

The audience seats on the west side are actually closer to the lake. The hillsides and trees are crowded with people. Vendors are weaving in and out of the crowd, seizing the opportunity to sell their wares.

"Popcorn! Old Zhang's popcorn!"

"Fried peas! Xianghe peas, fragrant and crispy!"

"Turtle peach, Huaidong turtle peach."

"Mung bean cake, Cangzhou mung bean cake!" "Betting on gambling, the last round. Buy if you bet on a winner, starting at a dime. It doesn't matter how much, the more you buy, the more you win! The competition is about to begin, stop betting once the gun is fired!"

Boom, boom, boom! The dense drumbeats rang out. There was only one minute left in the competition, but the audience seats on both sides seemed to have turned on a switch, and the sound suddenly disappeared.

Twelve dragon boats were parked quietly on the water. The dragon boatmen raised the wooden oars in their hands, which looked like two rows of wings, as if the dragon boats would fly across the water in the next second.

boom!
With a loud bang, the starting cannon sounded, shaking the entire Nanyuan.

The rapid and rhythmic drum beats rang out violently, hitting the surface of the lake. The twelve dragon boats suddenly bounced and flew forward like arrows.

The twelve dragon boats cut twelve trails in the water and flew forward almost in unison.

The audience in the west stood up and roared wildly.

The dragon boat team from Shuntian Prefecture was defeated early on, so many people in the capital supported the dragon boat teams from Zhili and Nanjing.

Support Zhili because it is a neighbor; support Nanjing because it is one of the two capitals of the north and the south, and it is the only one worthy of the men in the capital to cheer for it.

Students, craftsmen and merchants from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian who were temporarily living in Beijing cheered for the Guangdong Provincial Government's dragon boat team; those whose family members served in the army cheered for the Yingyang Army and Wusheng Army dragon boat teams; those whose family members served in the navy cheered for the dragon boat teams of the South China Sea Navy, East China Sea Navy, Xuanwu Navy, Dinghai Marine Battalion and Pinghai Marine Battalion.

The navy is awesome, with the navy and the marine battalion squeezing in five dragon boat teams at once.

The business and travel students from Huguang cheered for the Yangtze River Patrol Navy Dragon Boat Team; there was also a support team that was particularly eye-catching. They had about two to three thousand people, all wearing red short-sleeved shirts and wearing red scarves on their heads. They were beating more than twenty big drums and blowing hundreds of trumpets in a very rhythmic manner.

These are many craftsmen who came from Luanzhou to cheer for the Luanzhou Shipyard Dragon Boat Team.

There are dozens of coal, iron, cement, machinery, shipbuilding and other factories and mines in Luanzhou, and only this one seedling has emerged. Of course they have to send representatives to cheer and encourage.

The three major industrial centers of the Ming Dynasty are: Shanghai is a light industry mainly engaged in textile printing and dyeing, plus a part of shipbuilding. Taiyuan and Luanzhou are both heavy industries mainly engaged in coal, iron and machinery manufacturing, but Luanzhou also has a shipbuilding industry.

Among the three major industrial centers, only this one dragon boat team emerged.

Halfway through the race, the teams gradually pulled away.

The dragon boat teams from Zhili and Nanjing became brothers in distress and fell at the end.

In the middle are the Yangtze River Navy, Yingyang Army, Wusheng Army, East China Sea Navy and Xuanwu Navy Dragon Boat Team.

In front of them is the second echelon, which includes three dragon boat teams from the Dinghai Marine Battalion, the Nanhai Navy and the Guangdong Provincial Administration.

At the front were the two dragon boat teams from the Pinghai Marine Battalion and the Luanzhou Shipyard, and the battle was fierce.

The Pinghai Marine Battalion is mainly based in Xiangjiang Port. The soldiers mainly come from Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and other places. Dragon boat racing is their strong point. Coupled with the army's discipline and physical fitness, they are stronger than the Guangdong Provincial Government's Dragon Boat Team.

The dragon boat team from Luanzhou Shipyard rushed to the front, which was really unexpected and a surprise.

However, those who know the inside story know that the dozens of factories in Luanzhou are not that simple. They are managed according to the military model, and propaganda and other means were first implemented there.

Discipline is strict, morale is high, and large-scale industrialization emphasizes cooperation and unity. Moreover, they have money, so they are willing to spend money to let the team members train hard, and they also offer high rewards to encourage people.

After several items, upsets are normal.

Entering the final stage, everyone's attention was focused on the two dragon boats of Pinghaiying and Luanzhou Shipyard. They were almost shoulder to shoulder, rushing forward from the left and then from the right, chasing each other, which captured the audience's hearts.

In the last fifty meters, the drumbeats of the dragon boats of Luanzhou Shipyard became more intense, and everyone was shocked. Damn! They still had some energy left to sprint!
So spooky!
Two rows of oars flew in the water, leaving only afterimages, stirring up two waves. The rhythm obviously accelerated, pushing the dragon boat forward little by little.

The Pinghai Marine Battalion Dragon Boat Team also became anxious and quickened the beating of the drums, but they had little energy left and after just over ten meters they felt even more tired.

Not daring to lose heart at this time, they gritted their teeth and paddled desperately, but in the end they could only watch the dragon boat of Luanzhou Shipyard, leading by about one meter, rushed across the finish line and got the flag!

The dragon boat racers of Luanzhou Shipyard roared to the sky, lighting up the entire Nanyuan.

Tens of thousands of spectators cheered and jumped in unison. Regardless of whether they won or lost, they were all cheering for the champion!
At the following award ceremony, Zhu Yijun personally presented awards to the champion Luanzhou Shipyard Dragon Boat Team and awarded gold medals to the 22 team members.

This honor made the Pinghai Marine Battalion Dragon Boat Team regretful. They should have tried harder at the beginning.

The climax of the Dragon Boat Festival ends with the end of the Dragon Boat Festival, but other recreational activities will continue until the evening of the third day.

The audience could continue to walk and have fun in the South Garden, but Zhu Yijun needed to return to the palace and hold a banquet in the Taiji Hall in the West Garden to entertain clan relatives, nobles, civil and military officials.

Pan Yinglong finally had some free time. He took out the letter that Luan Yongfang had stuffed in from a secluded place. On the letter paper were a few lines of beautiful words: "Falling flowers and flying pearls are separated by a pearl curtain. The curtain is still and the door is closed. I bend my fingers to think of the blooming season. When will the spring flowers be picked?"

Pan Yinglong's eyes flickered, and he exerted force with both hands to tear a hole in the letter paper, then stopped.

"When to Pick Spring Flowers"

He finally folded the letter and stuffed it into his arms.

Hai Rui led everyone away from Nanyuan, returned home and set off with his luggage. He arrived at Tongzhou City just in the evening.

"Master, why are you in such a hurry? You lost the dragon boat race today and someone is chasing you for debt?"

"Now that we are in Tongzhou, we can take the earliest boat tomorrow. I am going to Jiangnan to take up my post. Countless eyes are watching me. I have to find a way to escape."

"Hey, Master, you have turned bad. You are actually trying to play the art of war."

Several people were eating in the inn when they suddenly heard some noise outside. Hundreds of people were shouting outside, and the sound was like a tsunami and a strong wind.

Hai Rui and the other six looked at each other.

"What happened?"

Zhu Yijun returned to the Western Garden and entertained all the ministers. Then he went back to the Wanshou Palace where he lived, washed up, changed into his leisure clothes, and seeing that it was still early, he walked to the Ziguang Pavilion.

Just after reading the memorial for a while, Li Chun hurried in.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the South China Sea."

Zhu Yijun raised his eyebrows.

"An urgent report from the South China Sea, what big thing happened there?"

(End of this chapter)