Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 280: After this farewell, I wonder if we will meet again
After the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict finished reading it, the eunuchs behind him moved the rewards such as gold, cloth, chickens, ducks, fish, meat and even rice into Chen Ce's courtyard one by one.

Everyone was dumbfounded, including Chen Ce.

What does the emperor mean by this? Rewards are either official titles, gold, silver, and land, or gold and silver belts, or at least verbal commendations.

What was the matter with rewarding chickens, ducks, fish and meat? Lun Wenxu had never seen such a reward before... The key point was that this was really a reward from the emperor with an imperial decree.

It feels like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken.

But if you think about it carefully, the emperor must have put a lot of thought into these rewards. He knew what Chen Ce needed, so he rewarded him in such a way. This further shows that the emperor values ​​Chen Ce!

Lun Wenxu had just whispered to Ning Zhijun that the emperor might punish Chen Ce, guessing it was because Chen Ce and Zhang's uncle-in-law were colluding with officials and businessmen.

The emperor did not punish Zhang's uncle, but he could vent his anger on others. But now... uh, he is really rewarding Chen Ce!
The imperial edict said that Chen Ce had made contributions to the reform of the Ministry of Revenue's commercial tax. What did he do? How did he interfere in the reform of the Ministry of Revenue's commercial tax?
Lun Wenxu couldn't figure it out, no matter how hard he tried.

Ning Zhijun, Su Hanmei and other women looked at Chen Ce with complicated expressions. It was obvious that Chen Ce had shocked them again.

After Chen Ce received the imperial edict, the group of eunuchs in the palace bowed and said goodbye.

Looking at the dazed Lun Wenxu, Chen Ce reminded him, "Master Lun, your seal fell off."

Lun Wenxu: "Ah? Oh."

He lowered his head and discovered that the seal awarded to him by the Imperial College, which he treasured like a treasure, had fallen to the ground. This time it had really fallen to the ground. He was so shocked just now that he didn't even notice that the seal had fallen.

As Lun Wenxu squatted down to pick up the seal, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Thinking about how he had just boasted about how precious the seal awarded to him by the Imperial College was, he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

Chen Ce stared at everyone for a while, and everyone also stared at Chen Ce in confusion.

"Is there anything else you can do?"

Chen Ce finally couldn't help but speak, didn't you agree to leave just now?

At this moment, everyone reacted and said hurriedly: "Oh, it's okay."

Chen Ce nodded and said, "Then I won't see you off."

"please."

After everyone left Chen Ce's courtyard with complicated expressions, the courtyard finally returned to peace.

Chen Ce put away the rewards from the palace. There were many daily necessities in the rewards, so he couldn't finish them all. He waited for Madam Wu to come back and give him some.

Since the emperor has given these rewards, it seems that the commercial pilot reform over there by Shangshu Qin has been successful. At the very least, the revenue from commercial taxes must be considerable, which is a good thing.

Only when the people above know the importance of commerce to the Ming Dynasty will they pay attention to the development of commerce.

Chen Ce returned to the study and sat on the armchair to think. The situation in the southwest has basically stabilized. Next, he just needs to wait for Wang Shouren and his party to go to the southwest.

These four people were recommended by Chen Ce himself. Whether the reform of the southwest can be successful in the future and whether the chieftains of the southwest can completely return to their loyalty all depends on these four young people. They will face greater pressure... ahem.

Chen Ce couldn't stop coughing. The blood on the handkerchief was light brown and his forehead was covered with sweat. He forced himself to go to the kitchen to wash his face and rinse his mouth. He returned to the bedroom and lay on the bed. He rested for a long time before he felt a little relieved.

In the evening, Mrs. Wu came back and saw that there was no light in Chen Ce's yard. She curiously took a look and found that Chen Ce was asleep on the desk.

She whispered, "Mr. Chen? Chen Ce? Are you okay?"

Chen Ce looked up in confusion. The lamp on the desk had been lit by Madam Wu. Chen Ce asked in confusion, "How long have I slept?"

Madam Wu shook her head and said, "I don't know. I just came back and saw that there was no light in your room. When I came, you were sleeping on the desk and the door was not closed."

He even forgot how he fell asleep. "By the way, the palace gave us a lot of dishes today. Take some. There are too many. I can't finish them all by myself."

……

Early the next morning, it rained in Peking, and the rain got heavier and heavier.

Inside the pavilion outside Zhengyang Gate, a group of people were seeing Wang Shouren and his three companions off as they journeyed west.

The rainstorm was getting heavier and heavier, and the clerks and soldiers kept asking Wang Shouren and his companions whether they should set off.

But the four of them were looking towards Zhengyang Gate.

Not long after, Wang Wubi said, "Here they come, here they come."

In the rain, a young man in a blue shirt, standing tall, walked towards us holding an umbrella.

After Chen Ce entered the pavilion, Wang Shouren and others discovered that Chen Ce's complexion was not good, as if he was sick.

Tang Yin felt a little distressed. He knew that Chen Ce had been in poor health and it was unknown how long he could live.

Tang Yin was about to speak, but Chen Ce spoke first: "Sorry, I'm late."

Everyone shook their heads.

Chen Ce stared at the four people and said earnestly: "You four will shoulder a heavy responsibility when you go to the southwest. I know that the southwest is not easy to govern. This will test your ability to handle things. Don't be too hasty and don't rush to make achievements. Start with governing people first, and then slowly work on it when you are familiar with everything."

"You still have a lot of time. A lot of time."

"Bo Hu, Xi Zhe, you are still candidates for the imperial examination. Don't forget your studies when you get there. You should still read books when you have time."

"Zhengrun, you are still inexperienced. If you don't understand something, you can ask Boan."

Wang Wubi nodded and said, "Okay!"

Chen Ce finally set his sights on Wang Shouren and said earnestly: "Bo'an, go ahead. The southwest is where you will prove your truth. One day you will be enlightened. You will create a new doctrine that will shock the whole world!"

"Only in a difficult environment can you constantly think and study things, open your mind, and become a saint!"

Since Confucius and Mencius, no one has dared to have this ideal, to become a saint... This is what many scholars have dreamed of, but since Confucius and Mencius, how many have actually achieved it?
It’s not that Wang Shouren hadn’t thought about it, but he kept it in his heart because he knew that if he said this to anyone, it would be considered a joke and outrageous.

No one would understand him or believe him, but Chen Ce said bluntly that he could!
Tang Yin looked at the weak Chen Ce with tears in his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Teacher... take care of yourself!"

"Can I still call you teacher?"

Tang Yin didn't know how long he would stay in the southwest, nor did he know if he would be able to see Chen Ce again when he came back next time.

He was really worried that this farewell would be forever.

Chen Ce smiled slightly and said to Tang Yin: "Of course, as long as you are willing... I have always been proud of you."

Tang Yin turned his head away, his eyes were red, his nose was sore, and tears began to fall.

"Go ahead, everyone, have a safe journey!"

The four of them held umbrellas, walked in the rain, and got on the carriage.

Chen Ce stood in the pavilion, watching the four young men embark on their journey to the southwest.

(End of this chapter)