I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 80 Another one left

"It's almost time, we have to catch the next game."

Zhu Yijun stood up and said.

Catch the next one?
Xu Wei and Nangong Ye were stunned for a moment, then they understood what the prince meant.

Someone is leaving the capital today, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to see him off in person.

The three of them left the teahouse, got into the carriage parked at the door, and left quietly under the escort of plain-clothed Jinyiwei military school officers and soldiers from the Warrior Battalion.

At the same time, in Huafeng Building opposite, Zhang Juzheng said goodbye to Gao Gong.

"Mr. Xinzheng, you will be leaving for your hometown tomorrow, so I will not see you off."

Gao Gong looked at Zhang Juzheng and said with a smile: "Uncle's coming here today is a testament to the friendship between colleagues in Prince Yu's Mansion. I will remember this in my heart."

I’m afraid you’ll remember everything.

I know your temper, Gao Da Huzi. I will never believe that you have no hatred in your heart after suffering a great loss at the hands of the prince.

But if you have jealousy, just keep it in your heart.

If you still think of waiting for Prince Yu to ascend the throne and then summon you back to Beijing to join the cabinet for revenge, you are totally wrong.

There are many reasons why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was able to let you and Yang Bo escape unscathed this time.

The most important point is that he is still only the crown prince. Even His Royal Highness Prince Yu has not been officially confirmed as the heir to the throne, let alone him.

Under such circumstances, he did not want to wipe out the Jin Party in one fell swoop, nor did he want to offend his teacher Xu Jie. He also did not want to offend another major force in the court, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Party, and fell into endless party struggles.

Gao Da Hu Zi, if you are thinking of lying low for a few years and waiting for Prince Yu to ascend the throne before competing with the Crown Prince for victory or defeat, then you are risking your own life and property in a battle of pride!
But Zhang Juzheng couldn't say these words.

Even if he spoke from the bottom of his heart, Gao Gong would just laugh it off and not take it seriously because he was the prince's tutor and Xu Jie's favorite student.

Zhang Juzheng sighed inwardly, cupped his hands and said, "Duke Xinzheng, take care of yourself!"

Gao Gong bowed and politely escorted Zhang Juzheng to the stairwell on the second floor.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's figure disappear on the first floor, a man wearing a gray and white straight dress and a square scarf on his head quietly walked to Gao Gong.

"Uncle Zhang left so early?"

Gao Gong turned around and saw that it was his good friend, Right Censor-in-Chief Wang Lin, and knew that he and Zhang Juzheng had always been at odds.

He nodded: "They are all tutors in Prince Yu's Palace, so they will come."

Wang Lin asked softly, "He is still the tutor of the prince. Between Prince Yu's Mansion and the prince, which side does the Duke of Xinzheng think he is on?"

Gao Gong remained silent.

Not saying anything expressed his attitude.

Wang Lin looked around and said softly, "Duke Xinzheng, stay in your hometown to study and recuperate, and stay dormant for a few years. The emperor is old, and Prince Yu is in his prime. The situation is on our side."

Gao Gong stroked his beard and remained silent, but he could not hide the pride in the corners of his eyes.

Zhang Juzheng sat in the sedan chair with his eyes slightly closed.

The prince's actions were extraordinary.

Following the emperor's "ancestral teachings", a shocking case arose. Starting directly from the Gengxu Incident more than ten years ago, thousands of heads were chopped off, and a cabinet minister and a minister of the Ministry of Personnel were sent away.

The Jin Party collapsed across the board, and its power and territory were completely wiped out by the Crown Prince's Party.

Now it seems that the teacher is still the one who sees things more clearly.

When the Coordination Office was trying to seize the interests of maritime trade in the southeast, the southeastern families and the Jiangsu and Zhejiang parties were outraged and wanted to join hands immediately to strangle the Coordination Office in its cradle.

Fortunately, the teacher took action and suppressed the restless Jiangsu and Zhejiang party.

In the end, only a dozen or so noble families, not too big or small, were killed, without causing any serious harm.

The Coordination Office will expand and strengthen the maritime business, and the Southeast Family can also make money together.

Looking back now, many core party members in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are breaking out in cold sweats.

If I had not listened to Lord Shaohu's advice and insisted on tearing my face off to the end, the Crown Prince would have definitely launched a major case and killed many people on the charge of colluding with the Japanese.

Hu Zongxian was in the southeast at the time, with dozens of brave generals such as Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou and tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command. Now the court has basically been determined, the prince has inherited the true teachings of the emperor, and his means of controlling his subordinates are better than his master, so the ministers just need to take it easy.

But judging from today's banquet, Gao Gong did not seem to realize the essence of the problem.

He couldn't swallow that humiliation and waited for Prince Yu to ascend the throne so that he could make a comeback.

By then, the prince had no emperor's support, and Gao Gong wanted to compete with him to see who was better.

Why bother!
The sedan chair swayed out of Chaoyang Gate and came to a restaurant next to the pier outside Chaoyang Gate on Tonghui River.

"Hehui Building".

The rich and powerful would hold a farewell banquet in advance at several famous restaurants in the city, such as Huafenglou. On the day of the official departure, they would see the guests off for another 18 miles, and then send them to the post station 20 miles away, reciting poems to each other, which was very elegant.

Having no money or power, they just set up a table in a small restaurant near the pier, drank a glass of sake, and traveled all over the world from then on.

When he arrived at the bottom of Hehui Building, Zhang Juzheng saw several familiar faces, and the prince was also there.

When he arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, the Jinyiwei military academy and soldiers from the Warrior Battalion who were on guard recognized Zhang Juzheng and bowed to let him in.

"Mr. Gangfeng, you are going to your hometown to worship your ancestors and visit your relatives. It has been a month since we last met. I am here to give you some wine to see you off."

Hai Rui raised his glass and answered respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Drink it all in one gulp.

Zhang Juzheng walked in and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Mr. Gangfeng, Mr. Dazhou, Mr. Wenchang, Brother Nangong, I am late."

"Mr. Shuda is here, please take a seat. Hehuilou is not as good as Huafenglou, so the food and wine are not to my liking, please forgive me, Mr. Shuda."

"Your Highness, you are too kind."

Everyone sat down again, and Zhu Yijun continued, "Mr. Gangfeng, it's a long journey back to Hainan this time, and I don't know when we can meet again. I'll toast you again."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Hai Rui was able to escape from the imperial prison safely this time, all thanks to the careful management of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

He took advantage of the fact that the emperor was in a good mood because he had washed away the shame of the Gengxu Rebellion and obtained a large number of confiscated properties from Shanxi merchants, and secretly joined forces with two Taoists, saying that it was an auspicious sign bestowed by heaven and that there were loyal ministers in the court.

During this period, Hai Rui was the most loyal minister recognized by both the government and the public.

Emperor Jiajing then took advantage of the situation and issued an edict to scold Hai Rui, and then ordered him to return to his hometown to worship his ancestors, study, and reflect on his mistakes.

Hai Qingtian was saved, and Zhu Yijun greatly increased his reputation among the upright and loyal ministers in the court and the country.

Hai Rui looked at the energetic Zhu Yijun with mixed feelings.

Deep down, Hai Rui longed for Zhu Yijun to become a wise ruler who could revive the Ming Dynasty, but he also hoped that Zhu Yijun would be less influenced by Emperor Jiajing, not be fond of using political schemes, not believe in Taoism and worship Taoism, and not waste money excessively.

But after some contact, he had very complicated feelings towards Zhu Yijun.

On the one hand, he agreed very much with Zhu Yijun's approach, such as attacking the southeastern noble families, Shanxi merchants and the Shanxi Party behind them.

These bastards who occupy farmland, exploit the people, embezzle public resources for their own benefit, and even collaborate with the enemy and sell out their country for personal gain, will not feel relieved if they are all killed.

On the other hand, he disagreed with Zhu Yijun's methods and ideas. For example, he loved to use tricks and did not pay attention to self-cultivation and moral cultivation.
However, in Hai Rui's heart, the prince can still be rescued and will definitely become a wise ruler to revive the country.

"Mr. Gangfeng, this time you are going south, you will pass through Huguang, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi. Now many pirates from Fujian and Guangdong have entered Jiangxi and transformed into mountain bandits.

In the western part of Huxi, the chieftains of Guizhou Province refused to obey the king's rule and sometimes rebelled and sometimes surrendered. Guangxi borders Annan, which is instigated by Annan. There has been chaos since the Chenghua period.

The imperial court has been using both suppression and appeasement, with varying results. The southwest cannot continue to be corrupted like this. I would like to entrust Mr. Gangfeng to conduct an on-site investigation of the actual situation in these places during his trip south.

Mr. Gangfeng is upright and fair, and will certainly be impartial. "

Hai Rui readily responded, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will investigate the matter truthfully."

"You still hold the title of the head of the Ministry of Revenue. I will assign you four more Jinyiwei military academies. First, they will protect your safety. Second, their presence will also deter some scoundrels."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Hai Rui said solemnly.

Watching the boat that Hai Rui and his family were on gradually sail away, Nangong Ye couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Gangfeng, I wonder when you can come back?"

Zhu Yijun said calmly: "They will come back, they will all come back!"

　Three updates today, I continue to shamelessly beg for votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)