Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 752 The 24th Year of Wanli
Time flies like water, and time flies like a shuttle.The row of poplar trees outside the Meridian Gate had leaves that turned yellow and then green, green and then yellow.Whether it is a person or a country, they will go through such a process from youth to old age, from prosperity to decadence.This is the way of heaven, and it is difficult to adapt it.

Three years passed in a blink of an eye, and the spring breeze of the 24th year of Wanli was blowing on the land of the ancient empire of Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Wanli in Yongshou Palace has not been in court for nine years.He has completely imitated his grandfather, Emperor Jiajing, who lived deep in the harem, manipulating the courtiers to fight back and forth, and playing tricks on the courtiers.

The Wanli New Deal of Zhang Juzheng, a generation of famous ministers, has long since changed.Corrupt officials have fully mastered the method of taking advantage of the New Deal's loopholes and pocketing a lot of money in their own pockets.

The fiscal revenue of the imperial court is decreasing year by year.The silver deposits in the Taicang treasury are also decreasing year by year.

Fish begets fish, shrimp begets shrimp, and turtle begets bastards.Emperor Wanli deserves to be the grandson of Emperor Jiajing.The silver in the Taicang state treasury is decreasing, but the silver in the emperor's private treasury is increasing year by year.Every winter, the greatest joy of Emperor Wanli was to sit around the fire and listen to the little eunuchs who were in charge of ceremonies, calculating the income accounts of the inner transport depot for a year.

Emperor Wanli would occasionally go to the inner transport depot, looking at the piles of moldy and worrying silver, like an old farmer seeing the harvest of crops after autumn.

The prince still didn't stand.The Wanli Emperor's battle with the Yanguan Group has exhausted his ambitions at the beginning of his pro-government.In his eyes, the people have gradually become a number that can be more or less.

As long as I, the emperor, is safe and sound, will the world live?What is it?As long as there is no rebellion, things in the court should be muddled.

The famous minister Wang Xijue has stepped down as the chief assistant of the cabinet.Now, Ge Kui is Zhao Zhigao.This person is very much like Li Chunfang from the Longqing Dynasty, he is an out-and-out good gentleman with a weak and honest personality.Although he is not greedy or violent, he does not have any real ability to govern the country.

The weakness of the cabinet will inevitably lead to the strength of the chief inspector.Today, there are three horse-drawn carriages running in parallel.The supervisor of rites is in charge of Zhang Jing, and he is in charge of helping Emperor Wanli deal with the officials.Bingbi Wang An is in charge of the East Factory, and Bingbi Chen Ju is in charge of Jinyiwei.Fortunately, Wang An and Chen Ju are good people.Only Zhang Jing, without the check and balance of the powerful chief assistant, and without the check and balance of the old man Liu Ye of Jin Yiwei, became more domineering and domineering.

Zhang Jing has it about forming a party.Corruption, Zhang Jing has it.Zhang Jing has it about accepting bribes. . .It seems that apart from collaborating with the enemy and treason, Zhang Jing committed all the crimes that Jin Yiwei vowed to kill in the "Four Great Kills".

Although Emperor Wanli was well aware of the nasty things Zhang Jing did, he turned a blind eye to it.

harem.Empress Dowager Li no longer had the shrewdness of the past.The blue hair on the head turned into white hair.The only thing she does on weekdays is to eat fast and chant Buddha together with Empress Dowager Chen, praying to the ancestors and ancestors to protect the country and society of Ming Dynasty.

Queen Wang is no longer young.Gradually fell out of favor.Although Concubine Zheng is also a mid-aged lady, she has a strange magic power, and still firmly occupies the heart of Emperor Wanli.At the same time, Concubine Zheng is also Zhang Jing's biggest backer.

As for the birth mother of the eldest son, Concubine Gong, she hasn't seen Emperor Wanli for three years.She can only live with the eldest son of the emperor.All the mothers in the world don't want their sons to be rich and powerful, but only want their sons to be safe.But the eldest son of the emperor is deeply involved in the center of the vortex of the struggle for the country, how can he be safe?
Zheng Guifei and Zhang Jing repeatedly designed to frame the eldest son of the emperor.Fortunately, Wang An and Chen Ju were in charge of the factory guards.He has repeatedly helped the eldest son of the emperor to get rid of his innocent grievances.

Outskirts of the city, poplar forest.

76-year-old He Liu is as old as a burning candle.He pushes a chair with wooden wheels.On the chair, sat the demented Yang Wan.

After Yang Wan was assassinated that year, he has been delirious and has become a disabled person.At this moment, his mouth was salivating, and his eyes were fixed on the leaves of the poplar tree.After a long time, a word was squeezed out between the teeth: "Water."

He Liudao: "Wan'er, do you want some water?"

Yang Wan let out a "huh".

He Liu untied a wine gourd from his waist and brought it to Yang Wan's mouth.He was old, and the hand holding the wine gourd was trembling constantly.

"Gudong Gudong".

He Liu looked at Yang Wan lovingly: "Wan'er, drink slowly. Don't choke."

Behind the two of them, stood fifty Jinyiwei saber wrestlers in the distance.He Liusheng offended too many people.Now the truth of Shizhong's death has not been revealed yet, and he doesn't want to die yet.Bring guards in brocade clothes to protect your safety when you go in and out.

He Liu looked at the green leaves all over the forest and said to Yang Wan: "Wan'er, these leaves remind me of more than 30 years ago. I came here for an outing with a smile and fragrance. Lao Hu was holding a tin jug, Sitting cross-legged on the ground, drinking wine sharply."

At this time, a man wearing a brocade guard uniform came to He Liu.

This person is Hong Lang, the husband-in-law of Yan, the maidservant of the He residence.

Hong Lang cupped his hands and said, "Sixth Lord."

He Liu asked straightforwardly: "Is there any progress?"

Hong Lang shook his head in shame: "No."

He Liudao: "Oh. Then you can go."

The only thing Hong Lang has done in the past three years is to investigate the cause of He Shizhong's death.Every month, he would come to He Liu to report on the progress of the case.Unfortunately, in the past three years, he has not found any clues to the truth.

Hong Lang turned around and was about to leave.But He Liu stopped him: "Wait a minute, where has Zezhen been these two days?"

Hong Lang replied: "It seems that I went to race horses at the newly built racetrack in Tianjin with some friends."

He Liu smiled wryly: "This little wild donkey who can't be tied to the harness is getting more and more wild."

The 17-year-old He Zezhen has not yet come to Jinyiwei to fill in the gaps.He was spoiled by two god-grandfathers, two god-fathers, and a righteous brother who had power over the government and the public.He was just like the ordinary disciples of Shixun in the capital, fighting cocks and dogs on weekdays, brawling and brawling.

He Zezhen actually resembled He Liu when he was young.When He Liu was his age, he also idled around the capital every day, eating, drinking and having fun.

He Liu is not worried about Zezhen's future.People, when they are young, when they are wild and uninhibited.He Liu came from that age.He sometimes even envies his grandson.At least, the grandson has that kind of strength for his ridiculous nonsense.As for him, there was only an old body left.

76, is already the age that is about to be buried.He Liu held back his breath and lived stubbornly.To put it bluntly, this tone was the real cause of He Shizhong's death.

He Liu's daughter, Zhu Xiang, is now 42 years old.With her husband Li Rubo in Jizhou.Every year in early autumn, Zhu Xiang would return to the capital to do two things.One thing is to watch He Liu, and the other thing is to go to the palace and scold Emperor Wanli.

When Emperor Wanli was still the heir of Prince Yu, he followed "Sister Xiangxiang" all day long to catch grasshoppers and crickets.If there is one person that Emperor Wanli, who is now the king of a country, is afraid of, then that person is Zhu Xiang.

Zhu Xiang couldn't bear the sight of Emperor Wanli's neglect of the Queen and Concubine Gong.Every time he entered the palace, he complained endlessly that Emperor Wanli did not care about the relationship between husband and wife.

Emperor Wanli always laughed at Zhu Xiang's nagging.At most, one sentence would pop out: "Sister Huang, it's okay if I'm wrong."

(End of this chapter)