Ming Dynasty: Emperor Wanshou is cultivating immortality!

Looking at the master in front of him who was immersed in joy, Wang Chengen couldn't help but smile.

He was also rejoicing in his master's victory.

To be honest, from the perspective of these slaves, there is nothing much to pursue.

The only thing they pursue, apart from the immortality that everyone is pursuing nowadays, is the hope of gaining the favor and appreciation of their master, and then they will be happy.

Previously, Wang Chengen was very worried about his master's dangerous behavior, because if this was not handled properly, it would very likely ruin his master's future, and all previous efforts would be wasted.

Even if the emperor blames us, although the possibility is small, the emperor has many sons and grandsons, so it is not unacceptable to abandon one or two of them.

The most important thing is that in Wang Chengen’s view, his master Zhu Youjian was not so irreplaceable in the Ming Dynasty.

There are many royal families in the Ming Dynasty and many outstanding people.

There may be one or two people who are not as good as the master, and there are also people who surpass the master. Therefore, to the emperor, the master is just one of many royal family members and is not so irreplaceable.

Fortunately, my previous worries were unnecessary.

Now the facts have proved that the master's plan was successful, and everything is developing as the master expected.

Perhaps, this time when he returns to the palace, the master will be held accountable, but the situation that he had worried about before, such as being directly deposed or exiled, should not happen.

Perhaps, this is what those struggling casual practitioners at the bottom often say: risks and opportunities coexist.

"Buzz!"

The teleportation array glowed with light, and Prince Yu and Wang Chengen left Donglin Academy and returned to the capital.

At this time, in Prince Yu’s Mansion.

"Sir, what are your plans next?" In the quiet backyard of the palace, this is the residence of Crown Prince Zhu Yijun.

At this time, Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng were facing each other, and Zhu Yijun calmly filled a cup of tea opposite them.

"My Lord, do you have anything to tell me?" Zhang Juzheng did not directly answer Zhu Yijun's question.

Hearing Zhang Juzheng's question, Zhu Yijun smiled and said nothing more. He took a sip of tea and said bluntly, "Sir, I'm afraid you and Prince An will have to go your separate ways from now on."

"There is a saying that once a rift is created, it is difficult to mend it. Even if you tell Prince An that my father will not be able to stay on the throne of the crown prince for long, the result will be the same."

"I know that you have great ambitions and your own unique political aspirations and ideals. You can even forget about life and death for your ideals."

"But if you don't consider yourself, then the descendants of the Zhang family will need a long-term way to settle down and make a living."

Zhu Yijun paused for a moment, then continued, "I believe that with your talent and the power of the Zhang family in the court, other princes will surely compete to win you over when they see the fall of Prince Yu's Mansion."

"But you have already betrayed King An once before. I'm sure the other kings will be wary of you in the future."

"The Zhang family will never be reused."

"Just like the Xu Jie family today."

Zhu Yijun's tone was calm, but what he said was very reasonable. However, Zhang Juzheng did not show any unnecessary expression on his face from beginning to end.

He looked like he was listening quietly, waiting for Zhu Yijun to finish speaking.

Zhu Yijun didn't care much about Zhang Juzheng's unmoved attitude and continued talking to himself.

"Since ancient times, those who have carried out reforms have rarely had a good ending."

"Especially when it is beneficial to the country but not to everyone, and when it harms the interests of everyone, then that person will definitely be abandoned, and even his family will eventually suffer from it."

"Sir, who do you think will be the most hated person in the world once the abolition of the life cultivation system is implemented?"

Upon hearing about the abolition of the innate cultivation system, Zhang Juzheng's originally calm face finally showed a slight change, but soon, he returned to his calm appearance again.

If the innate cultivation system were to be abolished, who would be hated the most by everyone in the world?

There is no doubt that it was Zhang Juzheng, the culprit who proposed this national policy. Secondly, it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who would preside over the reform in the future, Prince Yu Zhu Zaiguo!
As for the emperor?

There are no bad parents in the world, and even less bad kings and fathers. No one can blame the emperor.

As we all know, the people can now have enough food and clothing, and can also live a long and peaceful life, all because of the existence of the emperor.

The Emperor is the first Immortal Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and will also be an Immortal Emperor that no one in the Ming Dynasty will ever surpass. He will ultimately be sacred and flawless, without any blemish.

Therefore, all the dirty deeds and disasters were caused by these treacherous ministers, who deceived the emperor and brought disaster to the people.

"But now, there is a way to ensure that the Zhang family will survive safely after you complete the reform. It depends on whether you are willing to take the risk."

After Zhu Yijun finished speaking, he stared at Zhang Juzheng, waiting for a reply.

"Your Highness, just say whatever you want to say." Zhang Juzheng spoke only after Zhu Yijun had said everything he wanted to say.

"Join Prince Yu's Mansion, and one day in the future, leave the Ming Dynasty and retire after achieving success, just like Zhang Liang did back then."

Almost as soon as Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Zhu Yijun immediately gave his answer.

"I can become an immortal in the future. Before the reform is implemented, there will definitely be more immortals in the Zhang family who will ascend to heaven. There will also be several more scattered immortals in the clan to ensure the safety of the family."

Zhang Juzheng did not give a direct affirmative answer, but said something else in a slow tone.

In fact, he had already thought of these words when he proposed the national policy that day.

"And what I need to do during this period is to keep the Zhang family away from the core of power before the reform begins."

"The Zhang family will gradually retreat, just as the prince said. However, if the Immortal Dynasty wants to develop in the long run, it cannot do without people who are loyal to the court and families with strong backgrounds behind them."

"In the future, the Zhang family will not seek the best. As long as the family continues to exist and becomes the foundation of the empire, that will be enough." Zhang Juzheng said in a gentle tone:
"My thoughts coincide with those of the prince."

Indeed, Zhang Juzheng's previous plan was the same as the method of retirement just proposed by Zhu Yijun.

But the difference is that Zhu Yijun wanted Zhang Juzheng to join the Prince Yu's Mansion, while Zhang Juzheng was tactfully telling Zhu Yijun that without your Prince Yu's Mansion, my Zhang family can still retreat.

And in the future, the family can be ensured to be safe!

Of course, these words also revealed a very straightforward meaning, which is that the conditions given by Your Highness the Crown Prince are not enough for me to join Prince Yu's Mansion.

"Can't Prince Yu's Mansion become the foundation of the Ming Dynasty? The relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the immortal races today is like the relationship between the court and the aristocratic families during the Sui and Tang dynasties."

"Before the Immortal Cultivation World was unified by the Ming Dynasty, the relationship between the Immortal Clan and the Immortal Dynasty was a community of interests."

"But what happens after the previous dynasty is pacified?"

"The political system was completely eliminated by history long after the Sui and Tang dynasties. Why did Grandpa Emperor pick it up again in the Ming Dynasty? Because in the future, the immortal race will inevitably be eliminated!"

"He can even abandon his own son at any time. What do you think he will do for the stability of the dynasty in the future when there is no need for war and no urgent need for manpower?"

"The most important thing is to abolish the life cultivation system. Does Elder Zhang really think that he can abolish it all?"

"As long as the saints live, the great principles will never cease," Zhu Yijun paused and casually explained, "As long as classes exist, there will always be privileges."

"From the perspective of the royal family, this kind of privilege is undoubtedly an unstable factor."

"In order to ensure the permanent stability of the Zhu family, from now on, apart from the royal family, no family or surname can retain the innate cultivation system!"

"Therefore, there will naturally be an extremely bloody suppression and purge in the future. Does Elder Zhang think that his family can really escape this disaster?"

As he spoke, Zhu Yijun had an almost sarcastic smile on his face, and said, "Lord Zhang, never gamble your own and your family's future on the mercy of the Zhu Emperor."

After saying this, Zhu Yijun leaned back slightly and said, "There are only two options before Lord Zhang now."

"Or, join Prince Yu's Palace as a retainer of Prince Yu's Palace, completely withdraw from the Ming Dynasty court, and never touch power again."

"Or, set an example in the future, take the initiative to abolish your destiny, and be the first practitioner of your own reform. In the end, after countless years, the Zhang family completely declined."

"In fact, decline is inevitable, because no family can survive for long."

"At least, if you join my Prince Yu's Mansion, you won't be able to see whether your family will decline in the future. If you can't see, maybe that's the future..."

The lobbying was well-reasoned and insightful, and Zhang Juzheng fell into deep thought.

Zhu Yijun did not say how good it would be to join Prince Yu's Mansion, nor did he give any definite guarantees, but he did offer another option.

Zhang Juzheng naturally thought long-term.

In the future, Ming Dynasty will unify the world of immortal cultivation. Such a large territory will definitely need piglets to guard it.

In some remote areas, the royal kings are destined to rule their own countries in the future. Even if the emperor of the Immortal Dynasty has a way to restrain them, he will certainly not force them too much.

In fact, staying away from the political vortex, quietly withdrawing, and finding an asylum is also an option.

He knew that the emperor was mean and unkind. The most important thing was the royal family of the Ming Dynasty, which was still thriving. In recent years, nearly one-tenth of the resources in the court had flowed into the royal family. When Zhao Zhenji proposed the "Gathering Land and Cutting the Royal Family", the royal family was abolished and the court was no longer responsible for supporting them.

The burden posed by the royal family to the court was resolved.

But now, the fact that the court has continuously allocated resources to the royal family in recent years has already shown that the emperor has been secretly supporting the royal family in order to ensure the stability of the Zhu family's rule.

To use the words of a sober person on the spiritual internet some time ago who insinuated the imperial court, the imperial court has started raising "pigs" again.

That’s right, the imperial court started to support “Zhu” again.

Don't forget that the Ministry of Revenue has been in the hands of the Yan family since the very beginning, and Yan Shifan has always served as the Minister of Revenue.

The emperor knew that the Yan family was greedy, so why did he still let the Yan family be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue? Because there are some things only the Yan family can do.

For example, the matter of raising "Zhu"!

Now it seems that the purpose of raising "Zhu" may be to prepare for the cleansing of the major immortal clans in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but look at Zhu Yijun deeply.

When the Daming Immortal Palace was first opened, Prince Jing's son Zhu Yijin and Prince Yu's son Zhu Yijun were fighting for supremacy.

Zhu Yijin chose the sons of officials and common people, while Zhu Yijun chose to win over the royal family. Therefore, Prince Yu's Mansion may be the most clear about the development of the royal family.

In an instant, Zhang Juzheng had sorted things out.

"I will let Jingxiu's lineage join Prince Yu's Mansion." After a moment, Zhang Juzheng said in a deep voice:

"However, you must also promise me that someone in the direct line of my Zhang family must possess the complete cultivation method."

The lineage of Zhang Jingxiu is naturally the direct line of the Zhang family.

However, there is another meaning in this statement, that is, other branches of the Zhang family will continue to follow the path previously planned by Zhang Juzheng.

This is the same as not putting all your eggs in one basket. It’s never wrong to develop in multiple directions and make multiple moves.

Considering from Zhang Juzheng's perspective, if the direct lineage falls into decline in Prince Yu's Mansion, the Zhang family still has other members. Even if they don't practice the method of life in the future, at least the family will continue.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng agreed so readily was that after Zhu Yijun's advice, he saw the situation clearly.

In the future, the Zhu family's kingdom will be protected by the Zhu family themselves. The Ming Dynasty does not need these immortals to serve as its foundation.

The emperor will not leave any hidden dangers for his children and grandchildren.

"Okay, I agree!"

Zhu Yijun agreed readily and took out a blood contract and pushed it in front of Zhang Juzheng.

Looking at the blood contract that had been written in advance, Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhu Yijun's calm expression and suddenly smiled.

"What a good plan! I suddenly remembered that His Royal Highness Prince Yu once asked me to be the prince's teacher. Now it seems that His Royal Highness is so smart that few people can match him."

As he spoke, Zhang Juzheng signed his name, and the blood contract was split into two, one of which he kept.

"Lord Zhang, you will not regret your decision." Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng who stood up and prepared to leave, and he also stood up and said.

As for Zhang Juzheng's desire to make multiple moves, Zhu Yijun didn't care.

Prince Yu’s Mansion is about to leave, but before that, it needs to make a fortune, which includes but is not limited to people and resources.

Obviously, talents like Zhang Juzheng are what Prince Yu's Mansion needs to absorb.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the emperor will eventually leave, and the Ming Dynasty will inevitably be handed over to the new emperor.

By then, a new emperor will appoint new ministers, and the current cabinet, the Imperial Household Department, the six ministries and other high-level officials will all be replaced.

And this day, in Zhu Yijun's view, will not be too far away. It will come after the war in the world of immortal cultivation is over, the Ming Dynasty invades, and the innate cultivation system is abolished.

By then, when his father's position as crown prince is abolished, it would probably not be long before his grandfather the emperor chooses a new crown prince and completes the handover. At this time, Zhang Juzheng and others would be a valuable political legacy for Zhu Yijun.

If he doesn't make arrangements and start receiving the information at this time, what is he waiting for?

"Knock, knock, knock." At this time, there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard, accompanied by Feng Bao's respectful voice, "Your Highness, the people from Donglin Academy are back."

Hearing this, Zhu Yijun's originally calm and composed expression suddenly turned gloomy.

The good mood of successfully attracting the talented Zhang Juzheng and the family behind him to join the palace also disappeared in an instant.

The cold look on his face was not concealed at all.

"Your Highness, I am leaving now." Zhang Juzheng naturally knew who the person from Donglin Academy was.

At this moment, everyone in Prince Yu's Mansion already knew that the person who had made this matter so complicated and big, and even destroyed Zhu Yijun's steady and cautious approach and all the planning, was Zhu Yijun's grandson Zhu Youjian.

A genius who was fooled by the Donglin Party.

Zhang Juzheng naturally had no leisure time, so he stayed to see how the people in Prince Yu's Mansion handled household affairs.

Today he made an extremely important decision, and he had to go back and tell his son Zhang Jingxiu about it.

"Please come in, Lord Zhang." After calming down, Zhu Yijun personally opened the gate for Zhang Juzheng and saw him off.

"Your Highness, the prince and the Prince of Rongchang have already arrived." After watching Zhang Juzheng being led away by the eunuch, Feng Bao stepped forward and spoke.

"Let's go and take a look!" Zhu Yijun said coldly.

It was the first time that Feng Bao saw such an angry expression on his own son's face.

"Everyone, get out of the way. I want to deal with this beast myself!" As soon as he walked into the hall of the palace, he heard Prince Yu's angry scolding, followed by a dull sound.

Immediately afterwards, a miserable scream was heard.

As soon as Zhu Yijun entered the door, he smelled a strong smell of blood.

At this time, Zhu Youjian was lying on the floor of the hall like a dead dog, and the clothes on his back had become tattered, with bloodstains deep enough to see the bones and flowing out.

The most peculiar thing is that every time some blood dripped onto the floor, a magic circle would immediately appear to heal it.

At the same time, a steady flow of life force is flowing in to ensure that Zhu Youjian's life will not be in danger.

His father, Prince Yu, held a belt made of gold and jade and beat Zhu Youjian hard again and again.

His son Zhu Changluo, who was standing nearby, was also holding a belt inlaid with jade and gold.

Looking at the miserable appearance of his grandson Zhu Youjian, whom he had always placed high hopes on and paid much attention to, Zhu Yijun did not feel the slightest bit heartbroken, but became even more angry.

Without saying a word, he walked forward quickly and took off the gold belt around his waist.

Wang Chengen, who was kneeling nearby, was horrified when he saw this scene. He tried to crawl forward to stop the man and beg for mercy, but Feng Bao glared at him fiercely.

"You blind dog, how dare you be so insolent here!" After scolding, Feng Bao flicked his sleeves, and Wang Chengen vomited blood and flew backwards.

"I'll beat you to death, you beast!" Zhu Yijun ignored all this and hit him again the moment Prince Yu raised his waist. Zhu Youjian screamed again.

"Ah!!!" He had his cultivation sealed, and at this moment, he was being healed and beaten at the same time. Every blow left his skin torn and blood gushing, revealing his white bones.

"I don't accept it!" Seeing that his grandfather Zhu Yijun also joined in beating him, Zhu Youjian instead aroused his rebellious psychology. His face was distorted and he roared ferociously.

"If you dare to disobey, I will beat you to death!" When Prince Yu heard this, he suddenly became ferocious and whipped several times.

"I just don't accept it!" Zhu Youjian roared, "I'm doing this for the Ming Dynasty and for the stability of the Zhu family's empire. Even if you beat me to death, I won't accept it!"

"What a stubborn beast you are!"

Seeing that his grandfather and father had already taken action, Zhu Changluo, whose face had already been distorted and eyes were full of anger, finally could no longer endure it. He picked up his belt and whipped him twice in the face.

The two whips directly hit Zhu Youjian's handsome and elegant face. In an instant, both sides of Zhu Youjian's face arched high, covered with blood, like a pig's head.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha ha..." However, this mixed burst of three generations of ancestors not only failed to scare Zhu Youjian, but instead aroused his ferocity. His face was ferocious, and even with blood all over his mouth, he still laughed:

"Sir, don't be decisive! The prince is pedantic! The prince is weak! The royal grandfather is arrogant and dictatorial, hahahaha..."

"Stir it up, stir it up, hahaha, let's see what you can do to this Ming Dynasty!"

"The Zhu family's world will be in your hands sooner or later!"

"Hahaha!"

"..." (End of this chapter)