Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 52 I accepted the silver on behalf of my father.

Imperial College.

The daily morning classes were tightly scheduled. First, the students would ascend the hall and pay their respects. After the ceremony, the chief priest would usually give a short lecture. Then, the doctor would lead the students in a series of lectures, repetitions, and memorizations.

Even students at the Imperial Academy had to memorize the texts every three days, including but not limited to the Great Proclamation, the Original Classic, and the Four Books.

Compared to children in private schools, their requirements were naturally higher. They not only had to memorize words and phrases, but also understand the principles and be able to converse with scholars.

Previously, Zhang Yunxiu was in Guangye Hall, and Wang Honghui used this place to examine the students of the Imperial Academy.

However, once you arrive at the Zhengyi Hall, the doctors and students there are not as "interesting" as those in the Guangye Hall.

Most of the students at the Zhengyi Hall were sons of officials, and the Doctor was a mild-mannered old gentleman.

Even this old gentleman was startled when he saw Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Yunxiu wasn't afraid of memorizing these things; he could even recite them backwards fluently. But when he got to school, he would pretend to sway his head and nod along with the other students.

After a morning of reading, Zhang Yunxiu felt dizzy and nauseous, and vowed never to come to this lousy school again.

After finishing his morning classes, Zhang Yunxiu listlessly followed the group of students out of the school. His Taoist robe made him stand out in the crowd, but his "bad reputation" had clearly taken root in people's minds, and once inside the school, this identity could not be concealed.

Walking in the crowd, Zhang Yunxiu looked at his classmates who treated him like trash, and managed to create a circle in the crowded throng.

He was furious. How could students these days resort to bullying?
Just as he was getting bored, Zhang Yunxiu, with his sharp eyes, spotted three furtive figures among the crowd emerging from Guangye Hall, seemingly trying to avoid him.

Zhang Yunxiu took another look.

Hey! Who else could it be but Yuan Zongdao and his two companions?
He immediately became interested and waved to greet them.

"Brother Yuan, Brother Liu, Brother Geng! What a coincidence!"

Before Zhang Yunxiu could finish speaking, the group immediately turned and ran away.

They actually dared to run away?

Zhang Yunxiu lost his temper. He had trained his body under his fourth brother, Zhang Jianxiu, and his physical foundation was much better than that of ordinary scholars.

After relentlessly pursuing them, they eventually cornered the three of them in a corner of the Imperial College's walls.

Yuan Zongdao and the others almost cried. What on earth was this person doing?

Knowing he was in the wrong, Liu Dongding squatted down against the wall, panting heavily, and begged for mercy with a mournful face.

"Young Master Zhang, we spoke without thinking and offended you rashly. Please spare our lives!"

"You guys run really fast!"

Zhang Yunxiu flashed a bright white smile.

"I almost couldn't catch up."

The three were speechless. Zhang Yunxiu was agile and swift, like a jackal or tiger, and had driven them into a "dead end," yet he still claimed that he was fast.

Yuan Zongdao's dignified demeanor vanished, and he bowed and said.

"Please forgive us, Young Master Zhang. We truly did not know that you were the son of the Grand Secretary. If that were the case, we would never have dared to speak offensively."

Yuan Zongdao was also suffering in his heart!

What legitimate son of a Grand Secretary would disguise himself and use an alias to trick these insignificant students of the Imperial Academy into revealing information?
Now it's all over. We've been targeted by someone like Zhang Yunxiu. There are rumors that Zhang Yunxiu is extremely vengeful.

Even the imperial censors of the court were verbally abused by him and eventually beaten half to death. How could they possibly have a good ending?

Zhang Yunxiu's smile faded as he said, "You know? So you don't dare to say it? If I weren't here, would you still dare to continue to speak ill of my father?"

"Don't dare."

The three shook their heads repeatedly, their heads bobbing like rattles, showing none of the commanding presence they had displayed earlier, becoming as docile as sheep.

Yuan Zongdao stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and was still trying to make amends.

"Please understand, young master, that we did not intentionally criticize the Grand Secretary; we are simply accustomed to speaking our minds without restraint. As for the new policies of the court, we still admire them."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Yunxiu narrowed his eyes and said...

"Do you all know what the crime is for arbitrarily slandering court officials?"

The three men were terrified! Yuan Zongdao, sweating profusely, said, "Please forgive us, young master, we'll wait, we'll wait!"

Even the usually eloquent Yuan Zongdao lost his confidence in the face of Zhang Yunxiu's "powerful" authority.

He knew in his heart that he couldn't let this go. To have his son speak nonsense about his father in front of him, he wouldn't have let it go either!

Being expelled from the Imperial Academy would be the best possible outcome.

Geng Zaichu hurriedly cupped his hands and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Please, Young Master Zhang, understand that we have committed the sin of speech today, but it does not warrant death. I have some wealth; if I could offer some silver to gain your forgiveness, I would be willing to do so."

It was common knowledge that Zhang Yunxiu had stolen his father's painting of immortals to pawn for money.

Whether the other party was short of money or not was unimportant, but this was the only way Geng Zaichu could think of to salvage the situation. "Silver?"

Zhang Yunxiu's eyes lit up immediately.

How much can you afford?

Geng Zaichu was stunned for a moment, knowing that this move might work. After hesitating for a while, he stammered.

"One or two thousand taels of silver, I can manage to come up with that if I grit my teeth!"

“The students can also contribute 1,500 taels!” Liu Dongding quickly added.

Yuan Zongdao sighed and said, "I can afford a thousand taels!"

His face contorted with pain and distress, like a young bride being forced into marriage.

Zhang Yunxiu knew that the others were not convinced, but he didn't care whether they were convinced or not. Silver was the only thing that mattered, so he quickly bluffed out four thousand five hundred taels of silver.

As expected, the title of the Grand Secretary's son is quite useful!

However, Zhang Yunxiu felt no guilt. These damned scholars, they talk about benevolence and morality all day long, telling the emperor and the people to be frugal, but they have so much silver hidden in their homes!
All this money is a sin!

I, Zhang Yunxiu, have come to the Ming Dynasty to atone for their sins!
Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu's face immediately lit up with joy. He stepped forward and patted Geng Zaichu, almost making him collapse.

"Not bad, not bad! Brother Geng is the only one who understands things! I, Zhang Yunxiu, am not an unreasonable person either. I cannot tolerate you speaking ill of my father."

But if you are willing to contribute money and effort for the people of the city, I, Zhang Yunxiu, will forgive you on behalf of my father.”

"Young Master Zhang is a genius, and he's also incredibly kind!"

Geng Zaichu wiped the sweat from his brow, finally feeling relieved. Problems that could be solved with money weren't really problems; it was better than losing his life.

“But…” Zhang Yunxiu’s expression turned serious again.

Geng Zaichu and the other two felt a jolt in their hearts.

What kind of trouble is this living ancestor up to now?

Zhang Yunxiu smiled, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"I may be spared the death penalty, but I will not be spared punishment. You all need to do me a small favor."

Qianqing Palace.

Zhang Cheng, holding a newspaper in his hand, waved it excitedly as he ran into the palace and said this.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, good news! The latest issue of the Wanli Xinbao has been published."

"Oh?"

The Wanli Emperor, who had been lying on his bed idly flipping through the book "Discourses on Salt and Iron," immediately threw down the densely annotated book and got up to greet him.

"Quickly! Let me see it."

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Zhang Cheng quickly and carefully handed it over.

Emperor Wanli snatched the newspaper and immediately began to read it without waiting a moment.

This time, he didn't look at the section on vernacular novels first, but rather at a newly published section in the newspaper.

A Casual Talk on Curing the Plague

Upon seeing the lifelike image of the fox spirit, which vividly and comically portrayed things like "don't eat raw water, ventilate frequently, isolate patients, and wear masks when going out," Emperor Wanli felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

It's much more comfortable than governing the country.

He exhaled and said with a beaming smile.

"Excellent, excellent! Zhang Shiyuan truly wins my heart!"

Emperor Wanli turned to Zhang Cheng and asked him somewhat urgently.

"I ordered you to go to the streets and find out what the common people think of this story. Have you gone to find out?"

Zhang Cheng immediately smiled and said.

"Your Majesty has given the order, how could I dare disobey? I went out of my way to inquire about it in the streets."

"Oh?"

Emperor Wanli's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly.

"Quickly! Tell me!"

(End of this chapter)