Chapter 1007: The key to the problem is finding the key problem

Feng Bao is doing it for the good of the Great Ming. This iron box really cannot be sent down. Even if the local officials cooperate, it won't work, because they can't withstand the false accusations alone.

And the local officials will definitely not cooperate, or they will turn this iron box into a tool for struggle.

The Imperial Palace and the Tonghe Palace have similar iron boxes. The most things inside are false accusations. The palace is easy to handle. The palace is the Emperor's home. Hanging them up and beating them in the home solves the problem. But looking at the world, it is nonsense.

In fact, Fan Yuanshan clearly knows the harm. He believes that since they are fighting, they should fight fiercely, fight in the open, pull off the skin of these "blue-sky officials," and let the people take a good look at what kind of things these are.

"Can't we put hundreds in Shun-Tian Prefecture?" Zhu Zhu Yijun thought seriously and asked for Feng Bao's opinion.

"Your Majesty, we can't investigate everything. What if we really investigate something?" Feng Bao answered the Emperor's question.

Politics must have elasticity. Just like the Tax Audit Institute auditing taxes, it can also bargain through tax tickets with valuable certificates. Once politics loses elasticity, it will directly resort to force, which is very fatal.

The capital cannot be put either.

"Fine." Zhu Zhu Yijun didn't dwell on it, but he didn't approve Lu Lu Guangzu's memorial. He invited this great god Fan Yuanshan himself. No matter how difficult it was, he had to walk this path.

This policy is not suitable, which means it is not suitable for the current Great Ming, not that it will not be suitable in the future.

The core logic of the Emperor Wanli Reform is still to suffer the barbarians, let the meat-eaters eat meat, and the poor people drink soup. What is sought is a maximum consensus. This is also a change of dynasty, a self-reform of the ruling class for self-salvation. It is repairing and patching on the old foundation and framework. This is also the fundamental reason why Class Theory is not suitable for the Great Ming.

If the core motivation of the reform can only come from the Great Ming itself, then it needs to mobilize the people.

The route is different, so the policy is different. Class Theory naturally became a theory that was disliked.

Although Fan Yuanshan's method cannot be used, Fan Yuanshan said: "Heaven does not grant power to people, and the earth does not lend profit to people. All titles, wealth, and ranks are given by people to people." This point of view is still very useful.

Rights and obligations—these two concepts are extended from the Public-Private Theory. Human rights are not granted by heaven, but by humans.

Once this concept comes out, many things become clear at a glance. For example, why the imperial court collects taxes, why opening the sea requires enslaving the natives like the Western red-haired barbarians, why the Great Ming must be so harsh on Japan, etc., all have results.

Natural human rights have always been a religious concept and a fantasy, while human-granted human rights are the fundamental logic of this world.

Of course, some loyalists can interpret it as: all the benefits currently enjoyed by the people of the Great Ming, and all the benefits brought by the Emperor Wanli Reform, are exchanged by the Emperor with his own reputation. All the evil names of being cruel and unbenevolent belong to the Emperor alone. It is His Majesty, this person, who grants these human rights and benefits to the people.

"The words of the Minister of Rites have become more and more straightforward recently. I don't know if it is good or bad for him." Zhu Zhu Yijun picked up another memorial.

This memorial was an impeachment of Gao Zhu Qiyu for losing his decorum by the Censorate officials. In the last few court discussions, Gao Zhu Qiyu's words became more and more direct, which made some scholar-officials in the court who like to be subtle unhappy, and the impeachments naturally followed one after another.

How can you say things directly?

Facing the impeachment, Gao Zhu Qiyu also submitted a memorial of explanation. He gave two reasons to answer the questioning of the Censorate officials. Since it was not a false accusation, Gao Zhu Qiyu naturally had to give a clear answer.

Gao Zhu Qiyu is a successful candidate in the imperial examination, a scholar-official. He naturally has the cultivation of self-restraint, but he abandoned all self-restraint and chose another way to be active in the center of the Great Ming stage.

There are two reasons for being so straightforward.

The first is that Gao Zhu Qiyu believes that the Great Ming is not efficient enough. Admittedly, compared with the past, under the two whips of the Examination Law and the Official Selection Law, this huge bureaucratic machine of the Great Ming is operating with unprecedented efficiency, but it is far from enough.

Being subtle, deliberately not speaking clearly or explaining, affects the efficient operation of the imperial court.

Under this universal subtlety, the orders of superiors cannot be effectively conveyed, and subordinates need to carefully guess the hidden meaning of their superiors' words, wasting the energy of Great Ming officials on internal friction.

"What the superior likes, the subordinate will definitely do more." To change, we must start from the Zhao Wenhua Hall. If the Zhao Wenhua Hall does not change, it is difficult for the Great Ming officialdom to make changes;

Secondly, Gao Zhu Qiyu believes that as the Minister of Rites and also as a solitary minister, he must speak words that others dare not speak. Being too harmonious and following the crowd means he, Gao Zhu Qiyu, is no longer that solitary minister. This is the path he chose, and he can only continue to do so.

All the difficulties and obstacles on the road are just a bit of wind and frost.

These two answers, one for the ministers and one for the Emperor, mean the same thing: he will not change his style and will be even more straightforward.

"Feng, what do you think?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked Feng Bao, the inner prime minister, for his opinion on Gao Zhu Qiyu.

"Gao the Minister of Rites has a heart of respect and obedience." Feng Bao pondered for a while and answered this question. His Majesty repeatedly chose to knock the bell when Gao Zhu Qiyu was straightforward, not out of dislike, but out of protection.

Feng Bao knows His Majesty too well. His Majesty likes Gao Zhu Qiyu's straightforward personality and also hopes that the Great Ming officialdom can be more efficient.

"Feng, you only pick the words I like to hear." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao sideways and approved the two memorials in front of him. Whether it was the impeachment or Gao Zhu Qiyu's explanation, the reply was the same: "I know."

"The minister is just doing this." Feng Bao answered happily. If he really said the words His Majesty didn't like to hear, His Majesty would be unhappy, so it was better not to say them.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's internal party cleaning had a preliminary result and was written in detail in a memorial, presented for preview.

The biggest reason for the corruption within the Zhang faction is forming cliques for private interests. Corruption has never been one person, but a network. Every node of this network is a nest case, using each other's power, giving each other convenience, and welcoming corruption and sending luxury to each other.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng has governed officials all his life, and he knows the officialdom too well.

The error-correction power of the Great Ming failed against the Zhang faction not because of a lack of backbone and honest officials, but because everyone was afraid of being silenced. As long as any point of this network was attacked, this network would cover it up, and there was no force in the court that could check and balance the Zhang faction. Even backbone and honest officials could only wait for the opportunity.

The Zhang faction before the party cleaning was the Yan faction before its destruction.

If Zhang Zhang Juzheng did not raise his butcher knife, he would follow in the footsteps of the Yan faction. After he died, the Zhang faction would collapse, which would inevitably involve Zhang Zhang Juzheng, and finally involve the Emperor Wanli Reform.

Even if the Emperor Wanli Reform had already passed that fragile time, the collapse of the Zhang faction would definitely bring losses to the Emperor Wanli Reform, such as the Examination Law, the Official Selection Law, the land survey, the return of land, and the Anti-Corruption Division.

If you can't negate everything, start by negating individual ones, and then slowly negate everything. After tossing until the end, if the Emperor Wanli Reform is two-eight split, it will make people laugh their heads off.

No matter which of these new policies is lost, the Great Ming's official governance will become extremely difficult.

And the second reason for the corruption within the Zhang faction is hunting—the hunting of backbone and honest officials has never stopped.

And the means of this hunting is mostly that heroes have a hard time passing the beauty pass. It is not obvious, but if you try slowly, you will always succeed.

This beauty must be the most suitable beauty. Corrupting such an official is to cater to their preferences. Even if they are not good-looking, as long as they can arouse the official's resonance, it is fine.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's background is not good. He came from a family of battalion commanders, guarding the house for the Liao Prince's Mansion, which led to the fact that those who defected to the Zhang school actually didn't have a very good background.

In the Great Ming, one must marry at sixteen. In the folk, most people marry at fourteen. When they pass the provincial examination and the imperial examination, they often already have children.

At this time, the wife is a country person and cannot talk to her husband at all. What the wife says has no meaning to the husband, and what the husband says, the wife doesn't understand at all.

Corrupting such people is really too simple.

Taking Fan Yuanshan as an example, Fan Yuanshan's wife felt that her father's sixtieth birthday needed to be decent, so she needed a piece of national cellar wine.

Fan Yuanshan was on duty in the Tax Audit Institute office, which was very taboo. With Fan Yuanshan's salary, their whole family could buy a piece without eating or drinking for a year. Naturally, someone would mutter whether Fan Yuanshan had raised his hand to some people with great powers during the handling of the case.

Fan Yuanshan couldn't even say it. If he reasoned with his wife, his wife would think Fan Yuanshan was Chen Shimei of the present age, ungrateful. Without his father-in-law's support, Fan Yuanshan wouldn't even be able to study, and he wouldn't have the silver to go to the capital for the imperial examination!

Is it possible to let Fan Yuanshan talk to his wife about Public-Private Theory?

Similar conflicts will become more and more frequent. Fan Yuanshan is so troubled at home. Suddenly, there is a beauty who knows him, understands him, and is wholeheartedly focused on him. Will Fan Yuanshan really not be moved?

Forming cliques for private interests and hunting are the two main reasons for the corruption of Great Ming officials, and the official residence, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the big wolves seem to just restrain these two means.

The official residence has Embroidered Uniform Guards patrolling, and it is in full view of everyone. How can private collusion be carried out in public?

Hunting is also the same. The official residence has a curfew. If you work for the imperial court and go home late, you must have a reason, and you have to verify the reason.

Zhu Zhu Yijun processed the memorials one by one. It was already night. He was a little earlier today, went to Wang Wang Yaozhuo's place, looked at the six-month-old child, and went directly to sleep in the Empress's palace.

The palace change in the twenty-first year of Emperor Jiajing almost strangled the Daoist master. After this incident, the Great Ming Emperor rarely stayed in the harem, but summoned concubines to serve in bed.

This matter of the Emperor staying in Empress Wang's palace was not the first time. No one had ever doubted the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress, and even Li Empress Dowager, the mother-in-law, couldn't say a word.

Li Empress Dowager was still very satisfied with this daughter-in-law, Wang Wang Yaozhuo.

The moon was on the willow tips. Fan Yuanshan was working overtime again. Zhang school's Xu Xu Chengchu was conducting a comprehensive audit of the Zhang school. There were many cases, and Fan Yuanshan could only work until the stars were bright to finish the work.

The accounts could not stump him, but his expression was extremely anxious.

The Anti-Corruption Division was indeed completely different from the Tax Audit Institute. He showed his opposition to others on the first day he arrived at the Anti-Corruption Division, showing his incompatibility, telling everyone that he was a thorn, but he still needed to socialize, and they were all social engagements he couldn't push away.

The Tax Audit Institute specifically handled tax auditing. His Majesty paid taxes in full every year, and powerful families had to pay taxes. Even if the King of Heaven came, he wouldn't be bigger than His Majesty. Therefore, the Tax Audit Institute's work, besides being busy, was actually very relaxed. Whoever evaded taxes, deal with them; no need to pay attention to anyone.

But the Anti-Corruption Division fights corruption, which is the internal struggle of official-selected officials. Besides the complexity, the human feelings and social engagements could not be pushed away at all.

"So quickly brought up the beauty trap." Fan Yuanshan leaned back in his chair, gently rubbing his forehead to relieve his anxiety.

He clearly realized that he was being hunted, and this big net had just opened. He thought that the beginning would be a process of coercion and inducement. After all, even Hence Hai Rui's hunting started with coercion and inducement.

But the first trick he encountered was the beauty trap. Before, Fan Yuanshan scoffed at the beauty trap, thinking it was just a pink skull.

But he found that when he was trapped in this big net, this beauty trap was indeed very powerful.

If the Emperor and the Empress have a good relationship, if after Empress Wang passes away, a woman who looks very much like Empress Wang, has a similar personality, speaks similarly, and acts similarly suddenly appears, what will the Emperor do?

Then there would be no disputes about the Five Great Cases of Emperor Wanli or the Four Great Cases of Emperor Wanli, only the Emperor Wanli False Empress Case. The Emperor would probably kill until the blood flowed like a river.

Really being in it, Fan Yuanshan understood why this beauty trap has been passed down for thousands of years and is still very easy to use, because there is a very roundabout logic in it.

If you think you will be tricked, you won't be tricked;

But if you are tricked, you will think you haven't been tricked.

Fan Yuanshan realized that this was a beauty trap for hunting, so he didn't fall deep into it.

But if one day, would he know it was a trap and still lie to himself that it wasn't? This is the most terrifying thing.

People themselves will deceive themselves, deceiving themselves into believing in illusions.

In fact, many people who are fooled clearly know that they are fooled, but still deceive themselves, willing to do so.

Fan Yuanshan had already finished organizing the accounts in his hand, but he still didn't want to go home. His wife had changed.

The housing deed for the official residence had come down. Fan Yuanshan thought he could rest for a while, but it was not at all. Recently, he was moving, and instead, things became very troublesome. His wife wanted to buy some furniture they couldn't afford at all: a grandmaster chair cost seven taels of silver, and a curio shelf cost four taels of silver. What is the use of these?

But his wife always said that if relatives, friends, or classmates came to visit, it would be a bit shabby. She was unrelenting and just wanted to buy them.

Before, his wife was a very frugal person. If her clothes were old, she would put patches on them and continue to wear them, and she would always say, "Mend and patch for another three years." Later, he became a provincial graduate, and his wife still did her own thing, even a bit stingy.

Since he became a ninth-grade clerk, it seems everything is changing. His wife has changed, and nothing can be worse than others, fearing that people will look down on them.

Fan Yuanshan repeatedly said no need. Official business is done in the office, and only close friends will come to visit at home. If they are close friends, how can they look down on him because of some furniture?

Fan Yuanshan couldn't understand his wife's thoughts at all.

Besides that, there are many, many things that make Fan Yuanshan helpless. For example, the child going to school—what others have, their own child must also have. Pens, ink, paper, inkstones, books—everything must be the best. It wasn't like this before. His wife said that now that they live in this official residence, it is different from before. If the child is not as good as others, it is he, the censor, who loses face.

Fan Yuanshan felt that this was completely wrong. Going to school is for learning. How can you compare these external things everywhere? And the imperial court strictly prohibits comparison in school dormitories, and there are strict regulations on what to carry. The school rules and regulations are very strict.

The facts are also like this. The things prepared by his wife were of no use at all.

Besides that, there are many, many things that make Fan Yuanshan helpless. For example, when the child is sick, he doesn't go to the Huimin Pharmacy of the Imperial Hospital, but to some medical clinics in unknown corners. The reason is always "good wine is not afraid of deep alleys," and "good wine is in the alleys."

This minor illness was dragged into a serious illness, and finally, he had to go to the Huimin Pharmacy to get medicine.

These things are really too many, so many that Fan Yuanshan felt heartfelt exhaustion. In fact, the reason, Fan Yuanshan knows very clearly, is all because his wife's knowledge is a bit short-sighted.

He didn't try to change it. He was already thirty, and his wife was only two years younger than him. She had already formed a stable thinking logic and was already very difficult to change.

"Fan Censor, this is the "Contradiction Theory" sent by Miss Lin, saying it is the official edition of the Three Classics Factory in the second year of Emperor Wanli." Fan Yuanshan's clerk took a book and a letter and put them on the table.

The clerk had just graduated from the Capital University not long ago, was full of energy, and had many ideas. Fan Yuanshan worked until the stars were bright. This clerk lived directly in the official residence of the government office.

If Fan Yuanshan's assessment is excellent for three years, the clerk can be transferred to a ninth-grade clerk, officially get an official status, and can walk Fan Yuanshan's path.

In the clerk's eyes, Censor Fan is a very amazing person, impartial, incorruptible, and dignified without being angry.

"Clerk Zhao, return the book. This one costs twenty-seven taels of silver. I have no blessing to enjoy it." Fan Yuanshan opened the book, looked at it, and handed it back.

He liked it very much, but he couldn't take it.

In the second year of Emperor Wanli, the first edition of the Contradiction Theory was published. That year, a total of 4,000 copies were printed. Later, the Grand Secretary revised the Contradiction Theory again, deleting many words that were relatively taboo and affected His Majesty's holiness, and made a lot of revisions. After the revision, all the confused words were said by Zhang Zhang Juzheng, and His Majesty was holy everywhere.

The first edition of the Contradiction Theory revealed a fundamental fact: His Majesty in the early Emperor Wanli period, although wise and philosophical, had some relatively naive aspects in politics.

This first edition is very precious. Even copies are very expensive.

This Miss Lin is the beauty in the beauty trap. This beauty is very special. Miss Lin is not only young and beautiful, but also has a deep understanding of the Contradiction Theory.

She is different. She understands the Contradiction Theory.

"This letter, it's not necessary, right?" The clerk was also shocked when he heard that the book was so expensive. The Contradiction Theory was everywhere. He thought it was a gift from a friend, so he accepted it, but this letter could not be counted as bribery.

Fan Yuanshan opened the letter, looked at it for a while, put it on the table, and sighed heavily.

"Censor Fan, please be busy first. The subordinate will leave first." Seeing that Fan Yuanshan's expression was wrong, the clerk left hurriedly. It is better to ask less about the superior's private affairs.

"This beauty trap is really hard to guard against." Fan Yuanshan looked at the moon and stars outside the window, his expression heavy.

This Miss Lin really has a sense of proportion. The reason why she handed the book and the letter to the clerk was to show that it was open and aboveboard, telling everyone that there was nothing dirty here, clean and clear.

It was precisely by sending it through the clerk that it appeared generous.

After the Emperor Wanli Reform, the atmosphere of the Great Ming gradually opened up. Some women from official families who studied at home also read books, and some could even be called full of talent, with the style of the female poet Li Li Qingzhao.

This Miss Lin is only eighteen years old this year. She is a woman who grew up in the Emperor Wanli Reform. Her personality is very cheerful, and her actions are quite generous.

The content of the letter is also very clean. It was just that after they met by chance last time, she asked some questions she didn't understand. At that time, Fan Yuanshan gave some brief answers. After she went home, she carefully understood what Fan Yuanshan said and wrote down her insights.

For example, the principle of contradiction succession—contradiction is one after another, but always upward; for example, contradiction is everywhere, and one must prevent the excessive intensification of contradictions.

At the end of the letter, Miss Lin also expressed her distress. She is already eighteen years old, an old girl. Her family is urging her to marry, but once she marries, she can no longer continue to be a female teacher in the family school.

Miss Lin is a female teacher in a family school at Xizhimen. Fan Yuanshan knows this family school very well. It is a private school built by wealthy families who moved to the capital in the large garden area outside Xizhimen, called the Xishan Shou-Shan Academy. There are as many as 1,400 students, both male and female.

This academy teaches the Hundred Schools of Thought, calculation, Contradiction Theory, Public-Private Theory, and Production Theory. It is famous far and near. Even the wealthy families in Shanxi send their children to study here from thousands of miles away.

Miss Lin's talent can naturally teach in this family school, but once she marries and shows her face again, it is not very good, and she needs the husband's family's permission. Miss Lin is naturally quite worried.

"Coincidence?" Fan Yuanshan's hand tapped gently on the table. He is not good at drilling for opportunities and does not like socializing, but some things cannot be pushed away. He had to participate. During the social engagement, he used the excuse of being unwell to rest in the courtyard and happened to run into Miss Lin.

Happened to? How can there be so many coincidences?

This is definitely not a coincidence. He clearly knows that this is hunting.

Fan Yuanshan did not reply to the letter. He turned off the lime spray lamp and stood in front of the door, suddenly a little envious of the young clerk. He could live in the official residence of the government office. It was already late at night. As long as it was this time, whether he went back or not, it was a nagging.

If he doesn't go back, his wife will nag, cry, cry that he is a heartless man, cry that he is ungrateful, cry that he is fooling around outside;

If he goes back at this time, his wife will also nag. The imperial court gives so little salary, is it worth you working so hard that you don't even care about your home?

Fan Yuanshan went home. Just as he thought, his wife's nagging didn't stop until he finished washing up. Fan Yuanshan didn't answer a word, and the nagging became even denser.

His eyes kept flashing with Miss Lin's gentle smile and those peach-blossom eyes that seemed to be shining.

Early the next morning, Fan Yuanshan got up early. When he left, he asked his wife: "Have you made new sisters recently?"

"You are so busy that you don't go home..." His wife stopped as she spoke. She realized the problem.

His wife is just ignorant from the countryside, not stupid. The atmosphere in the family is getting more and more wrong. Her husband is always silent, and even suppresses some anger.

What kind of person her husband is, can she not know?

Before, the husband and wife were family. Now they are even like strangers.

As soon as Fan Yuanshan mentioned it, his wife finally realized that something was wrong. She had met a new sister by chance some time ago. This sister heard about her experience and was always fighting for her. In a few words, Fan Yuanshan could have today because of her father's help.

Once Fan Yuanshan brought it up, his wife finally realized something was wrong. Some time ago, by a stroke of luck, she had met a "sister" who, upon hearing her experiences, was always standing up for her. In just a few words, she implied that Fan Yuanshan's success today was entirely due to her father's patronage.

But Fan Yuanshan had been clever and wise since his youth; even without his father-in-law's support, others would have supported him. Moreover, Fan Yuanshan had repaid this kindness as soon as he passed the provincial examination; between husband and wife, it was never a matter of who owed whom.

Was it really necessary to buy those expensive pieces of furniture? Did she, a woman, really need to manage those messy, trivial rules? Were the children's silk clothes and those miscellaneous items really that important?

"I still have to go sign in, so I'll be leaving first. Think about it carefully." Seeing his wife's expression, Fan Yuanshan said no more and headed to the Southern Yamen, feeling completely relaxed.

The key to a problem is finding the key issue, and Fan Yuanshan had already found it.

The hunt against him had begun long ago—not when he was promoted, but back when he was in the Tax Audit Office; someone had already begun to subtly indoctrinate his family and target his weaknesses.

People are easily swayed; as long as someone stands on your side and says a few kind words, they can win your favor, and then, through gradual indoctrination, they can turn a person into someone else entirely within a few days.

This great net was cast not only over him but also over his family; it was truly pervasive and extremely difficult to guard against.

The Anti-Corruption Office has a morning meeting, which is for the office to discuss various cases; all censors must attend. Grand Secretary Lu had to attend the court meeting, so the morning meeting was presided over by Xu Xu Chengchu.

Today was an exception to the norm. Xu Xu Chengchu, usually very efficient, did not start directly but waited quietly. As Xu Xu Chengchu remained silent, the seventeen censors all sat quietly. After waiting for nearly a quarter of an hour, a Thousand-Household Officer of the Criminal Division walked in with two Embroidered Uniform Guards and carried away one of the censors.

The censor who was taken away turned pale instantly, unable to even walk steadily, and was dragged out of the West Flower Hall by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

All the censors looked at each other, their expressions grave.

"Gentlemen, we are anti-corruption censors. The laws and regulations are fixed; the crime of corruption is increased by three degrees. The Anti-Corruption Office is of great importance, and all officials hate it to the bone. Countless eyes are watching us, and at the slightest sign of trouble, impeachment memorials will arrive one after another. Gentlemen, take this as a warning." Only after the person was taken away did Xu Xu Chengchu speak.

This job is not easy to do. There is the Northern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard specifically targeting officials; once someone is impeached and the guards verify it, the punishment is increased by three degrees.

"Alright, let's begin." Xu Xu Chengchu started today's proceedings.

After the meeting ended, Fan Yuanshan found Xu Xu Chengchu, handed him the letter from Miss Lin, and then told him everything that had happened to him, point by point.

"Can I return to the Tax Audit Office? The Tax Audit Office is quiet." After Fan Yuanshan finished telling his story, he pondered for a moment before saying, "Censor Xu is a protégé of the Quanchu Society, and your waist token was given by His Majesty himself—everyone knows this. They dare not treat Censor Xu this way, yet they dare to treat me like this."

Xu Xu Chengchu had also been hunted, but it was much milder; it was never this aggressive!

A great net had completely enveloped Fan Yuanshan; he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. A single misstep would lead to a catastrophic disaster.

"You are right. I have the backing of the Quanchu Society and am seen by His Majesty as a loyal and upright official, the sharp blade of anti-corruption following Hence Hai Rui. They dare not treat me this way." Xu Xu Chengchu looked at the letter, at those elegant, delicate characters, and said with great certainty, "Censor Fan is upright, and he has managed to hold on even through this. Honestly, if it were me, I'm afraid I would have fallen for it."

Xu Xu Chengchu was a man of Chu and had been under Zhang Zhang Juzheng's tutelage from the very beginning; no one dared to do this to him. Zhang Zhang Juzheng was famously protective of his own, and if they did, Zhang Zhang Juzheng's retaliation would be extremely ruthless.

"Grand Secretary Lu submitted a memorial, but His Majesty did not approve it. State affairs are not child's play. How about this: His Majesty happens to have summoned me to ask about the party-clearing matter, so I will present this to His Majesty when I see him." Xu Xu Chengchu knew that with this transfer, Fan Yuanshan had fallen into a quagmire. He had no backing in the court, and this hunting net would only tighten.

"Thank you, Censor Xu." Fan Yuanshan breathed a sigh of relief; the pressure on him recently had been truly immense.

It was only then that Zhu Zhu Yijun learned from Xu Xu Chengchu that Fan Yuanshan had been hunted in such a way.

"To think they invested such capital! That Miss Lin has long had a reputation for virtue; even I have heard of her." Zhu Zhu Yijun was quite surprised. One side was stirring up trouble, the other was digging for a foothold—with such methods, Fan Yuanshan actually didn't fall for the trap.

"Your Majesty, Fan Yuanshan is very talented. Just after arriving at the Anti-Corruption Office, all the accounts were in perfect order. It is precisely because he has ability that he is worth such a large investment." Xu Xu Chengchu said with great certainty.

If Fan Yuanshan were even slightly incompetent, these people wouldn't have invested so much to hunt him, because it wouldn't be worth it.

"Give him this waist token. If he encounters such a disaster again in the future, tell him to come to Tonghe Palace to find me, and I will back him up." Zhu Zhu Yijun took a waist token from his drawer; this was an Emperor's Party waist token.

Xu Xu Chengchu said with a complex expression, "Your Majesty, I actually think this is not aimed at the Anti-Corruption Office, but at Fan Yuanshan himself—or rather, it is to take the first step and place a bet on Fan Yuanshan."

"This Miss Lin is a heavy bet placed on Fan Yuanshan after his promotion."