I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 707 This kid definitely has something in his stomach!

Zeng Xingwu panted heavily and paused for a few seconds before answering.

"We just received an urgent report that Lord Meilin suddenly fainted in the signing room while on duty at the Rong government. He has been sent to the Beijing General Hospital."

"Fainted suddenly?"

Zhang Juzheng and Pan Sheng looked at each other and asked, "Any news from the hospital?"

“Upon receiving the news, the students immediately took a carriage to the General Hospital.

Lord Meilin has been sent to the emergency room. Dean Li Ting and several famous doctors from the Imperial Hospital, including Gong Tingxian and Sun Yikui, rushed over after hearing the news. After an emergency consultation, Lord Meilin probably had a stroke. "

Pan Sheng couldn't believe it, "Stroke? Lord Meilin had a stroke?

He was born in the seventh year of Zhengde (1512), five years older than me, but only sixty years old. How could he suddenly have a stroke?"

Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "In the 35th year of Jiajing, he was ordered to lead the suppression of Japanese pirates in the southeast. He was exhausted and spent too much effort to deal with internal and external troubles."

This brought back memories for Pan Sheng, and after a while, he nodded in agreement, "Yes, in the 40th year of Jiajing, the voices of the scholars and the Qingliu against Yan were rising, and at that time, Emperor Shizong had an ambiguous attitude.

As a general of the Yan Party, Lord Meilin was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he had to block the cold guns and arrows coming from all directions, and on the other hand, he had to seize the time to wipe out the Japanese pirates.

Exhausted.

If the Emperor had not intervened on behalf of Prince Yu, it would be hard to predict what would have happened to the Merlin Guild."

Zeng Xingwu understood, "Teacher, Shui Lian and Mei Lin are suffering from a hidden disease caused by exhaustion during the suppression of the Japanese in the southeast. Why did they suddenly break out now?"

"That should be the case." Zhang Juzheng nodded.

Pan Sheng frowned. "The Emperor has just promulgated new regulations for the Council of State Councillors to discuss and make decisions. There has been a lot of turmoil in the court over the title of Councillor. Now that Lord Meilin has suddenly fallen, the situation may be even more complicated."

Zhang Juzheng's brows furrowed more and more tightly. "Sansheng, you have been to the General Hospital. What did the doctors say? Lord Meilin, is there any possibility of recovery?"

"President Li, as well as famous doctors such as Gong and Sun, told the students frankly that Mr. Meilin's stroke was very serious and his life was in danger. Even if he was rescued, he would probably be left with complications."

"What's the trouble?"

"The mouth and eyes are crooked, the speech is difficult, and in severe cases, hemiplegia may occur."

Zhang Juzheng and Pan Sheng took a deep breath.

"so serious?"

"A stroke is extremely dangerous. In this case, Lord Meilin may have to retire and recuperate."

Zeng Xingwu could not help but ask, "Teacher, Lord Shuilian and Lord Meilin have retired, so who will run the Rong government?"

Zhang Juzheng looked up at him and asked, "Who do you think it is?"

"Second Hua Gong, Assistant Minister of the Cabinet and Minister of War."

Zhang Juzheng nodded, "Tan Zili's prestige in the southeast is not inferior to Hu Ruzhen. Hu Ruzhen fell ill, so it is natural for him to preside over the Rong government."

Pan Sheng sighed, "One person has one job. Lord Meilin is sick, Tan Zili has moved, and the people below are looking up at those positions. I'm afraid they're ready to make a move again."

Zhang Juzheng looked nonchalant, "Let them move, no matter how they move, the final decision will be made by Xiyuan."

Zeng Xingwu mentioned another incident: "Teacher, I saw the document. Shuntian Prefecture Governor Pan asked Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division to send a specialist to investigate the case of the amusement park vendor license and the case of the Luanzhou Iron Hammer Team members being injured."

"so what?"

"Teacher, your steward You Qi is still in custody in Wuchang awaiting trial. Do you want to send someone to investigate and get to the bottom of it?"

When You Qi was mentioned, Zhang Juzheng's expression changed slightly. "What else are you investigating? Do you really think he is innocent?"

Zeng Xingwu argued, "Teacher, even if You Qi is not innocent, we must find out who framed him. At least let people know that he was framed. You Qi is stupid and hopeless, but we cannot let him ruin your reputation."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said nothing.

Zeng Shengwu looked at him nervously, waiting for his decision.

“Wow-Wow!”

Pan Sheng picked up the teacup and took two sips of tea.

Zhang Juzheng turned his head and looked at him, "Master Pan, is the tea in my house delicious?"

“It tastes good and has a unique aroma.”

"This tea is wild tea produced in Shizhou County west of Jiangling. The Miao people pick it and use a secret method to prepare it. It has a unique flavor."

"I see."

"You Qi asked someone to go to Shizhou County to buy this tea. He has been with me for many years and knows my temperament and taste very well. Now that he is not in the mansion, I feel very uncomfortable and I still haven't adapted to it."

Pan Sheng understood the meaning behind his words, "Uncle, it's not that you don't want to save him, but that you don't dare to save him?"

Zhang Juzheng did not answer the question directly, but asked: "Do you know who set up the trap for You Qi?"

"Who?"

"Teacher already knows who it is?"

Pan Sheng and Zeng Xingwu asked in unison.

Zhang Juzheng glanced at the two men and sighed, "You Qi was sent in by Feng Bao and Pan Yinglong. In other words, Pan Yinglong planned it and Feng Bao sent someone to do it."

"It's actually them!" Pan Sheng found it unbelievable.

"Teacher, how could it be them?" Zeng Shengwu almost jumped up, "Eunuch Feng, isn't he an ally of the teacher? Why is he stabbing me in the back?"

Zhang Juzheng asked: "During the Dragon Boat Festival last year, Feng Bao was sent to Chengde to supervise the construction of the imperial palace. Why do you think so?"

Pan Sheng gave Zeng Shengwu a look and said, "Your teacher is testing you, so you answer it."

"Teacher, it's the Emperor who is criticizing Eunuch Feng."

"Yes, it was the Emperor who was warning Eunuch Feng, and also warning me. After the warning, Feng Bao got scared and retreated."

Of course Feng Bao was afraid. He was a eunuch and his only reliance was the emperor's trust. Unlike the civil servants, he had fellow students and a way out.

If you don't learn your lesson after being hit once, there will definitely be no second time and you will be buried directly in the ground.

"Teacher, what you mean is that Feng Bao teamed up with Pan Yinglong to teach You Qi a lesson mainly for the emperor to see, to show that he and you have no personal relationship."

"That's right. I only found out later that You Qi had close ties with Shen Yi Guan, and through Shen Yi Guan he encouraged Zhang Feng Pan to compete for the post of Minister of Public Administration, and he even promised that he would speak well of me.

I avoided suspicion and did not get involved in this matter, and also asked You Qi not to get involved. However, this kid was extremely greedy and still got involved with Zhang Fengpan and Shen Yikuan.

Feng Bao and Pan Yinglong teamed up to teach You Qi a lesson, not only for the emperor to see, but also to vent their anger. "

Zhang Juzheng did not expect that in another historical dimension, he, Feng Bao and Empress Dowager Li formed a triangle, wielding great power in the court and turning the ten-year-old Emperor Wanli into a puppet.

In particular, he formed a steel alliance with Feng Bao. One held the power of drafting documents in the outer court, and the other held the power of approving documents in the inner court. The powerful alliance created a glorious period for the Ming Dynasty, implemented new policy reforms, and extended the life of the Ming Dynasty for decades.

It's just that the Wanli Emperor in this historical dimension was too powerful, and the original Empress Dowager Li was left with only her son and mother, and became a handful of yellow earth. Feng Bao was even more frightened after being beaten, and dared not have any more extra thoughts.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng was implementing the Wanli New Deal, the degree of which was far subversive beyond another historical dimension, it could be said to be a world of difference, but it was implemented very smoothly, so smoothly that he did not need to rush for quick success and could take it slowly and steadily.

The difference lies in another historical dimension. Zhang Juzheng relied on political tricks to form a power triangle and divided the power. However, this power was not originally his, but borrowed from the Wanli Emperor in that dimension.

But what you borrow must be returned sooner or later.

So not long after his death, he fell into disgrace and his politics ceased. In the current historical dimension, Zhang Juzheng relied on the power of Emperor Wanli in this dimension. He did not need to borrow it, but authorized it, so he did not have to worry about paying it back.

But Zhang Juzheng didn't know all this at the time, and he didn't take Feng Bao's cowardice and retreat to heart.

With the person in Xiyuan, it was the same whether Feng Bao was in the inner court or not. He would approve the memorials that should be approved, and would not dare to presumptuously approve the ones that should not be approved.

It's just that with Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng, they are more informed and there are also people who can say a few good words in front of the emperor.

However, these are relatively unimportant and have little impact on his power as the prime minister.

Zeng Xingwu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Teacher, the matter of You Qi must be resolved. It will not be good for your reputation if it is left hanging like this."

"If it doesn't look good, then it doesn't look good. My reputation has long been ruined in the eyes of the scholars."

Zeng Xingwu was about to say something, but Zhang Juzheng raised his hand to stop him. "Have you read Zhang Fengpan's front-page article in the first issue of Wencui Newspaper?"

"I just received it today, but I haven't had time to read it. On the way from the hospital to the teacher, I glanced at it under the light of the carriage."

"You just glanced at it, so you didn't think about it carefully?"

"No. After a quick look, I never expected that Mr. Feng Pan, a great scholar of his time, would actually fire the first shot against Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism."

"I would only believe it if it was him. But he is still a man of his own nature. The article implies that he fired the first shot under my influence and instructions."

Zeng Xingwu was angry, "Teacher, how could he do this?"

Pan Sheng said at the side: "This Zhang glass ball is leaving a way out for himself. If something unexpected happens later, he will have an excuse to shirk responsibility.

This is why I am so angry. How can the emperor employ such a person who has no sense of responsibility? "

Zhang Juzheng smiled, "No, Siming, I think it was a brilliant move for the emperor to use Zhang Siwei to launch this attack and preside over the affairs of the court."

Pan Sheng sneered a few times, "That's right, neither you nor I can bring ourselves to do this, only Zhang Siwei can do it with a clear conscience."

Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and said, "Don't talk about Zhang Siwei anymore. He has his own way to go and we are not on the same path. As for You Qi, let him suffer more in Wuchang Prison.

Siming, I have something important to tell you. Sansheng, please listen in as well."

"Uncle/Teacher, please speak."

"The cabinet has issued an implementation plan for the first phase of the higher education and compulsory education plan proposed by the emperor. There are some details that I need to discuss with you."

Late at night, in a house near the Datong Bridge Wharf in the east of the capital city, this is a secret detention point of the Jingji Bureau of the Zhenfu Division.

Chen Ronghua has been detained here.

Ren Boan and Yang Guian received the task at Qinglian Tower in the evening. After dinner, they took a car with Shen Wanxiang and went out of the East Gate while the city gate was not closed. They came here to interrogate Chen Ronghua overnight.

"Name."

"Chen Ronghua."

After being detained for more than twenty days, someone finally came to interrogate him for the second time. Chen Ronghua was nervous and expectant, and he answered every question carefully.

In a secret room, Chen Ronghua sat on a stool against the wall, with two oil lamps placed beside him, illuminating his expression clearly.

He raised his head and looked nervously at the three people behind the table opposite. They were hidden in the dark and his figures could be vaguely seen, but the clearest thing was the sound of their questions.

"Hometown."

The person asking the questions was Yang Guian.

There was a small table in the corner where a clerk was taking notes by the light of an oil lamp.

"I am from Wuli Village, Jiasan Town, Dangyang County, Chengtian Prefecture, Hubei Province, and my citizenship is civilian."

"What do you do for a living?"

"Working as a waiter at Chuyuexuan in the east of the city."

"I mean before coming to the capital."

"I followed my uncle to do business, traveling to Hunan, Sichuan and Guizhou."

"Why did you come to the capital?"

"In the 39th year of the Jiajing reign, I followed my uncle to transport a boatload of goods up the river to Chongqing Prefecture. Unexpectedly, the boat capsized before reaching Fuzhou. Not only were all the goods lost, but my uncle was also missing, and his body could not be found.

When I returned to my hometown in Dangyang, my creditors demanded repayment, so I had to sell out my house to fill the hole. Then my uncle's family wanted to kill me. I had no choice but to run away.

He wandered around Wuchang, Jiujiang, Anqing and Nanjing for more than two years. In the 42nd year of Jiajing, he saved the life of a merchant in Jingkou. Upon asking, he found out that he was a fellow townsman from Hanyang Prefecture in Hubei.

After hearing about my experience, he was filled with sorrow and took me to the capital, entrusting me to his good friend, Mr. Zhao Junhai, the owner of Chu Yuexuan.

Mr. Zhao is kind and righteous, so he took me in as a clerk in the store, and I have been working there ever since."

"Why are you thinking of getting a vendor license for an amusement fair?"

"I heard that vendors at the amusement fair made a lot of money last year, so I started to think about it. I have no worries about food and clothing at Chu Yue Xuan, but I don't make much money.

I have always wanted to go back to my hometown but I have no money. When I saw the opportunity, I thought about making some money. I will go back to my hometown first, report my safety to my parents and my brother and sister-in-law, kowtow to them, and then go to Bozhou to have a look. "

"What are you going to Bozhou for?"

"I want to let you know that when I was a merchant, I fell in love with a Miao girl in Bozhou, and we became husband and wife and had a child. In the 39th year of Jiajing, I was in a hurry and didn't have time to take care of them.

It has been ten years, and I don’t know whether they are alive or dead. I just go to see them. If they are still there, I will take them back to their hometown; if they are not there, I will stop thinking about them. "

Yang Guian's heart moved, but he remained calm.

"Are you familiar with Xiu Qiguang from An Liangxing?"

"I know him, but not very well. He is very familiar with my boss, Mr. Zhao, and I served him twice, so I became familiar with him."

"Your boss Zhao Junhai?"

"Yes."

"Do you know why Zhao Junhai and Xiu Qiguang are so familiar with each other?"

"I don't know. I just heard vaguely that the two of them seemed to have become friends at Baoguo Cirenyuan. I don't know the details of the friendship."

"Zhao Junhai and Xiu Qiguang have close contacts?"

"It's pretty close. Anyway, I can see Xiu Qiguang about once a month."

"So do they work together?"

"I don't know. I just served them tea twice and handed them fruit plates twice. They rarely spoke when there were outsiders present."

After questioning for an hour, Chen Ronghua was taken away.

Two more oil lamps were added to the room, making it brighter.

Only Ren Boan, Yang Guian and Shen Wanxiang were left, and the rest retreated.

Shen Wanxiang threw the secretary's notes on the table and said, "You really don't know anything. Jingxiu, Muping, what should we do next?"

Ren Boan and Yang Guian looked at each other and said, "Shen Lingshi, don't be fooled by Chen Ronghua's honest appearance. This guy is quite experienced and must have something in his belly."

Shen Wanxiang's eyes lit up, "You two, what clues have you figured out?"

(End of this chapter)