Chapter 234

Jiajing's lips twitched slightly as he stared fixedly at Zhang Juzheng on the screen, roaring low.

"Hey! You brat think you can bully Zhu family orphans and widows? I'll fight you to the death!"

"Great Ancestor Emperor, where is your talisman? Let me pass quickly! I must teach this fellow how to be a proper subject!"

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could reply, Jiajing immediately turned and roared at Chen Hong in the distance.

"Chen Hong, Chen Hong!"

"This slave is here."

"Issue an order: Zhang Juzheng, Lecturer of the Prince of Yu's Wang Fu, shall be fined three months' salary!"

Chen Hong's lips twitched slightly; he raised his head in confusion and asked Jiajing.

"Ah?"

Jiajing glared angrily.

"What 'ah'? Go do it immediately!"

Chen Hong dared not slack off and hurriedly said.

"Yes!"

Inside the chat group, all the Zhu family Emperors stared fixedly at Zhang Juzheng before them.

People say affection grows with each generation skipped; the more generations skipped, the closer the bond. Especially since Zhu Yijun was only around ten years old now.

Even during the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yijun was at an age where he was held in the palm of one's hand, feared to melt.

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily.

"Where exactly does this fellow come from? How dare he scold my Sun Er?!"

Only Zhu Youjian beside him urged.

"Great Grandfather, actually Grand Tutor Zhang meant well. When Grand Tutor Zhang governed, our Great Ming was full of vitality..."

Before Zhu Youjian could finish.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately interrupted.

"Is this about whether he meant well or not? Isn't this deliberately making our Zhu family uncomfortable?!"

"By the way, what was this young man's final fate?"

Zhu Youjian's lips twitched slightly, then he said.

"He nearly had his grave dug up and his corpse whipped, his family estate confiscated, and the entire family exiled two thousand li..."

Upon hearing Zhang Juzheng's fate.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately fell silent.

"Uh... this punishment seems a bit severe."

"No, you people, don't you know anything about the Doctrine of the Mean?"

Zhu Youjian said angrily.

"Great Grandfather, I believe Lord Zhang Zhong essentially offended those great aristocratic families."

"He vigorously implemented the Capital Inspection Law, forcing these scholars and officials into a corner, then conducted a nationwide land survey, touching the silver of all gentry under heaven."

"Taking advantage of the fact that Grandfather Emperor was still young, they abolished Grand Tutor Zhang's new policies. Had the Single Whip Law been enforced without interruption, the Jurchens in Liaodong would never have grown so powerful!"

A deathly silence fell over the chat group.

Jiajing sighed softly.

"Thousands of words, but in the end, it was because the Prince of Yu died too early."

"If the Prince of Yu had held on a few more years, until Zhu Yijun grew to adulthood, things would not have ended this way."

"Sigh."

Jiajing's sigh.

Only none of the Emperors in the chat group noticed.

When Zhang Juzheng mentioned the floods in the Wu region, a look of confusion inevitably appeared on little Zhu Yijun's face.

After Zhang Juzheng finished a lesson.

Little Zhu Yijun, full of grievance, looked at Zhang Juzheng and asked.

"Mr. Zhang, I have already been frugal to this extent in my daily life; why does Heaven still punish me?"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhu Yijun, hesitated to speak, then finally turned his head away and said sternly.

"Since Heaven sends a warning, Your Majesty must have done something wrong."

"Shaanxi and Gansu also reported drought this year..."

Zhang Juzheng hesitated for a long time.

"It is also due to Your Majesty's loss of virtue."

Hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, little Zhu Yijun felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head.

Tears inevitably welled up in his eyes.

In Zhu Yijun's heart.

He was already doing his utmost to be a good Emperor.

"If Heaven does not send rain, it is because I lack virtue; if it rains too much, it is still because I lack virtue..."

Although he was the supreme ruler.

At this moment, Zhu Yijun was, deep down, just a child.

A child of this age.

Values the approval of parents and teachers more than anything else.

Hearing Zhu Yijun's murmuring.

The emperors in the chat group couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

Watching the little Zhu Yijun in the scene read page after page.

Until the sky grew dim.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but curse.

"Damn it, has that surname Zhang gone mad? Such a small child, reading this book endlessly?!"

"It's been six or seven shichen already; surely the child must be allowed a meal?!"

Even when Old Zhu himself studied back in the day, he never worked that hard.

As for the other emperors.

There was no need to say more.

Although Zhu Gaochi was already renowned for his benevolence, his build could not support him sitting in a chair reading for long periods.

Zhu Yijun's diligence in studying was famous all the way to Gao Li.

From the first year of Wanli to the tenth year of Wanli, envoys from Gao Li, Annan, and other nations had only one evaluation of Zhu Yijun.

"Not comparable to Longqing's cloud."

Until the sky grew very dark.

When Empress Dowager Li sent someone to call, Zhang Juzheng finally put down his brush, looked at Zhu Yijun, and bowed, saying.

"Your Majesty, today's lessons end here."

"Your Majesty's progress today was much slower than usual; I hope Your Majesty can find your state of mind tomorrow."

"Your subject takes his leave."

Hearing this.

Zhu Yuanzhang nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

So today was still much worse than usual performance?

You, surname Zhang, are not letting anyone live, are you?

Having said this, Zhang Juzheng slowly walked out of the main hall.

And inside the Qianqing Palace, the twelve-year-old Zhu Yijun wore a look of reluctance.

"@Emperor Shizong Su, did you hear that?"

Jiajing, also in the group, immediately shivered and whispered.

"Great-Grandfather, this descendant heard it."

"Punish that dog's son by deducting three months of salary!"

"Ai!"

Zhu Yuanzhang, anxious, paced back and forth in the main hall.