Chaos of Ming 1628

The backyard of the county government office.

In contrast to the somber atmosphere in the main hall, this place was filled with singing and dancing.

Holding her wine cup, Ms. Ke gazed at the men below reciting poetry, her eyes narrowed as she carefully observed them.

Tomorrow, we can return to Beijing.

forecourt.

Sun Qing entered the room.

Zhou Ji's wife and children remained kneeling before the mourning hall. When they saw Sun Qing arrive, they dared not utter a sound, bowing their heads hastily as if they were receiving a grand ceremony.

Tian Ergeng smiled slightly and stepped forward: "Young Master Sun, it was actually my wife who invited you to drink with her. She was afraid you would refuse, so she resorted to this tactic."

"Hehe," Sun Qing looked around and saw that apart from the Zhou family, there were no other Imperial Guards. He then realized that Tian Ergeng was probably trying to avoid Madam Ke.

He chuckled lightly: "Commander Tian, ​​please speak frankly."

Tian Ergeng's expression was indifferent. People like him truly both loved and hated intelligent people.

Stupid people are repulsive, while clever and shrewd people are hard to completely trust.

Tian Ergeng handed over a slip of paper: "Please take a look, young master."

Today, he has already used honorifics; prior to this, Tian Ergeng had already disregarded Sun Qing. Others may fear Sun Qing, but what does Tian Ergeng have to fear?

There was no need to look at the note. Sun Qing said with an air of profound mystery, "My divination is never wrong. I suppose what Governor Tian wanted is no longer what he desired."

Tian Ergeng gave a bitter laugh.

Looking at the young man before him, as if to say something, he finally gave a wry smile: "Young Master Sun is incredibly insightful. The Emperor says that Heaven's will is difficult to defy, so why should we go against it?"

"This is clearly telling everyone that the shrine to the living doesn't need to be built anymore. Anyone who still wants to build a shrine to the living is simply defying the heavens."

The Emperor's stance is clear, and anyone with a modicum of sense knows it.

However, this was not enough to convince Tian Ergeng of Sun Qing's trust.

"Sigh!" Tian Ergeng said dejectedly, not bothering to hide it from Sun Qing, "Just today, a message was sent by carrier pigeon from the capital. Besides the matter of the shrine, there was another matter, and you were absolutely right about it."

Tian Ergeng's sharp eyes were filled with anger.

"If it weren't for us, that traitor Yang Weiyuan probably wouldn't even have been able to become an imperial censor."

"Now that the emperor has ascended the throne, he is afraid that something will happen to his adoptive father. He even dared to submit a memorial impeaching Cui Chengxiu, the core of the eunuch faction, for violating the rules of mourning by delaying his leave of absence and for violating the established rites."

When this matter was mentioned, Tian Ergeng clenched his fists tightly, his eyes swirling with emotion.

Sun Qing was certainly aware of this matter; this man had betrayed the eunuch faction in order to protect himself. It was precisely because of this that the first breach in the purge of the eunuch faction was opened.

The officials in the court observed the changing winds and waited for a change in the situation.

It's important to understand that before the meal, both court officials and ordinary people still believed that Wei Zhongxian and his eunuch faction were on equal footing.

It's understandable that Tian Ergeng was angry; he was still dreaming big, fantasizing about being the eldest son and continuing to collect gold and silver for Madam Ke.

So that by relying on the two of them, he could climb to a higher position, or even take over Wei Zhongxian's position.

Sun Qing nodded, but remained silent regarding matters of state.

"Now everyone is eyeing us covetously. I think those members of the Donglin Party are already unable to restrain themselves."

Sun Qing found it amusing, thinking to himself that Tian Ergeng wasn't actually that stupid; he knew that once the door was opened, there would be no way to clean it up.

As for not responding, even though Tian Ergeng seems to be talking about everything at this moment, it's actually a test.

Historically, Sun Chengzong was also a member of the Donglin Party.

Was Sun Chengzong considered a member of the Donglin Party?

The eunuch faction compiled the "Donglin List of Names," directly listing Sun Chengzong's name. Wei Zhongxian was even more convinced that Sun was the Donglin's patron, which is why he did everything he could to suppress him.

Furthermore, Sun Chengzong was a close friend of Zuo Guangdou and Gao Panlong. After the Six Gentlemen of Donglin were persecuted, Sun Chengzong even wrote a poem to mourn them.

Then there's the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, the most famous time being when Wei Zhongxian was pacing around his bed in agony. It was because Yang Lian impeached Wei Zhongxian and was imprisoned, that Sun Chengzong actually wanted to go to the capital to rescue him.

In the eyes of the eunuch faction, Sun Chengzong was undoubtedly a member of the Donglin Party.

However, he himself would rather refuse to join the Donglin Party than engage in factionalism and exclusion.

As Sun Chengzong himself said, "Those who associate with petty people become petty people themselves, while those who associate with virtuous people are not necessarily virtuous people. We should be resolute and stand on our own two feet in this world."

In Sun Qing's mind, he was certain that Sun Chengzong was not a member of the Donglin Party.

Because of his courage in leading his entire family of forty-eight to defend the battlefield during the late Ming Dynasty, he sacrificed his life for his country. He possessed the integrity of a scholar, but also a fierce spirit that scholars often lack.

Take Qian Qianyi, for example. He was the leader of the Donglin Party in the later period. When the country fell, he made a pact with Liu Rushi, one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, to die for the country together. When the Qing army marched south at the end of the Ming Dynasty, he used the excuse that "the water is too cold and my scalp itches" to refuse Liu Rushi's request to drown herself.

Liu Rushi, however, resolutely chose to die for her country.

Sun Chengzong does not belong to any political party.

Now, Tian Ergeng is criticizing traitors and mentioning the Donglin Party in front of him. Is it really that simple?

"Whether it's the Donglin Party or you, it has nothing to do with me," Sun Qing said calmly. "When I consulted the oracle, I was referring to the divination results."

"Good, very good!" Tian Ergeng nodded, but a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes: "You are not a person of the court and do not concern yourself with court affairs, so let's talk about things outside the court."

"Oh?" Sun Qing smiled. "It seems the carriage to the capital has been found?"

"Of course, Madam does this, all for our sake. And she has already explained the reasons, though they are absurd and truly incomprehensible."

As he spoke, Tian Ergeng took out three more copper coins: "Young Master Sun, please ask for another divination."

Sun Qing held the copper coin in Tian Ergeng's hand but did not take it. He simply said, "I have already said what I needed to say."

"Instead of wasting your time, you should think about who will push you into an abyss of no return in the current situation."

Tian Ergeng became more respectful and bowed slightly: "Please speak."

Sun Qing glanced at the backyard, and the sound of string and bamboo instruments coming from there was truly ear-piercing!

He explained in detail: "The matter between the current emperor and Duke Wei was originally a misunderstanding."

"Think about it, before the age of nine, he only wanted to live a peaceful life. Who was it that led him to want to seize power? The reason why such a big incident occurred is because she lived a life of extravagance, her mansion was comparable to that of a prince, and her children were given high-ranking official positions indiscriminately, resulting in huge expenses. That's why you've been making money everywhere."

"Even now, you all do everything for her, but what is she doing?"

"Do you know about the pregnant woman?"

"But what will happen when the Emperor finds out after we arrive in the capital?"

A barrage of questions caused Tian Ergeng's expression to change repeatedly: "You mean, the godmother is the real troublemaker?"

"How do I know you weren't doing this on purpose?"

"What exactly do you want?!"

A person who asks for nothing, yet goes against the grain to think of others, is actually unsettling.

Sun Qing was not without requests. He looked at Tian Ergeng, his tone grave: "The imperial examination system is complicated, and I have nothing to offer. Governor Tian, ​​I am merely a commoner; what can I possibly ask for?"

After he finished speaking, he stared at the mourning hall.

Tian Ergeng's gaze shifted from Sun Qing's face to the mourning hall, finally settling back on her. He laughed heartily, "Well said, very well!"

"With Zhou Ji dead, the position of seventh-rank county magistrate is now vacant. It's time to find a suitable replacement."

Tian Ergeng nodded.

His gaze also turned solemnly to the inner courtyard: "Madam, you have been waiting long. Please."