Chapter 232: His Majesty is always as resourceful as ever

Zhu Yijun's Tax Inspection Institute not setting up a Head of the Institute did not exceed Zhang Juzheng's expectations, and the arrest of the censorate officials did not exceed Zhang Juzheng's expectations either.

Even the fact that the Tax Inspection Institute did not set up a Head of the Institute at the beginning of its establishment was acceptable to Zhang Juzheng and his New Policies.

In terms of the current officialdom ecology of the Great Ming, the person most likely to become a stumbling block for the development of the Tax Inspection Institute would be the Head of the Tax Inspection Institute.

The resistance to the Great Ming's New Policies can be summarized in one sentence: it is the feudal foundation of thousands of years, deeply rooted.

It requires more radical means to further comb through it, and Zhang Juzheng's own position and stance determined that he could not go any further. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but that he couldn't; going any further would involve the issue of regency.

Zhu Yijun didn't mind, but the court officials all minded Zhang Juzheng's power overawing the sovereign.

Wan Shihe followed Wang Chonggu's suggestion and went to the Dissection Institute to take Wang Jinglong.

Wang Jinglong was already unconscious. He was still alive, but had completely lost consciousness. According to Chen Shigong and Li Shizhen, it was because of improper medication at one point, which led to brain atrophy, and it was severe.

Moreover, Chen Shigong and Li Shizhen already clearly knew that high blood pressure would affect brain function and even cause various brain diseases. For example, Tan Lun previously had signs of facial paralysis after rushing around for seven days without taking off his armor, which was caused by high blood pressure from many days of fatigue.

The Dissection Institute had opened Wang Jinglong's head and observed the phenomenon.

Of course, it was still possible to carry Wang Jinglong to Zhang Juzheng's mansion and tell him about the dangers the little emperor would face.

Wan Shihe arrived at the All-Chu Guild Hall with full confidence, met Zhang Juzheng, and carried Wang Jinglong before the Grand Secretary. The intention was self-evident.

The little emperor was still too young, his own team hadn't been fully cultivated, and even the Red-Helmet Generals and palace guards in the palace were not His Majesty's trusted aides. If Zhang Juzheng were not in the court, how could it work?

"Is he still alive?" Zhang Juzheng was exceptionally surprised when he saw Wang Jinglong again. He thought Wang Jinglong was already dead.

Actually, with Wang Jinglong like this, does it count as living or dead?

"Grand Secretary, stay. At least let His Majesty reach the age of capping, twenty years old. His Majesty is young; how can you have the heart to let His Majesty face so many storms at such a young age? If something happens again, I fear there will be a great disaster." Wan Shihe said earnestly.

The steps had already been laid out. The Emperor issued a decree, and the officials pleaded for him to stay. Zhang Juzheng only needed to nod, and he wouldn't even need to worry about public opinion. Moreover, as long as he stayed, Zhang Juzheng would immediately become a saint in the hearts of the officials.

Because if Zhang Juzheng stayed, the censorate officials and their family members who had been caught and put in prison could be released without guilt and restored to their original positions.

With Zhang Juzheng still there, the attacks on the Zhang faction were just offering opinions; without Zhang Juzheng, the contradictions would escalate into a struggle of routes.

If Zhang Juzheng stayed, these censorate officials would sing his praises, because the court officials clearly understood the significance of Zhang Juzheng's persuasion for benevolence. History books would also say that the Emperor was young and inexperienced, with a temper that loved to kill, but the Grand Tutor persuaded him to stop, and the world was peaceful.

Everything was ready; they were just waiting for Zhang Juzheng to nod.

Zhang Juzheng, however, shook his head and said, "His Majesty already has sufficient ability to face these storms. Haven't you noticed? Before, when meeting foreign envoys, I would only say 'His Majesty is wise.' Recently, at the Grand Court and the court meetings, I would also only say 'His Majesty is wise.' Recently, even in the Hall of Literary Brilliance, I would also say 'His Majesty is wise.'"

"His Majesty has sufficient ability to shelter the common people of the Great Ming from the wind and rain."

Zhang Juzheng still refused. Wan Shihe was stunned. He had exhausted all his means, but the result completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

Why was this Zhang Juzheng so stubborn!

"His Majesty's wisdom is gradually maturing." Zhang Juzheng signaled for Wan Shihe to carry Wang Jinglong away.

Wan Shihe looked back three times for every step he took. Before he even walked out of the main hall, he hurried a few more steps, walked to Zhang Juzheng, and said urgently in a low voice, "Mr. Zhang! His Majesty relies on you so much. If you leave so resolutely, what if His Majesty harbors resentment in his heart because of your resolute departure?"

"The New Policies, the national situation, the world—do you not care about any of them!"

"Once the Emperor has a knot in his heart, who can smooth it out!"

"To fulfill your own reputation, do you disregard the safety of the state and the society like this!"

Wan Shihe knew too clearly that once Zhang Juzheng left, the Great Ming's invigorating national affairs would have many uncertainties. The departure of the Empire's Grand Tutor and Grand Secretary would affect the national destiny of the Great Ming.

Zhang Juzheng, however, said with a full smile, "No, His Majesty will not put private matters before public ones, and he will not act recklessly. His Majesty hopes for the Great Ming to rise again even more than I do. It is precisely because I know His Majesty will not that I can leave with peace of mind."

"Hmph! Hmph hmph!!" Wan Shihe flicked his sleeves and left angrily.

Wan Shihe went to the Baoqi Department in the Western Garden, had an audience with His Majesty, and explained all the matters in detail, word for word, for fear of causing any unnecessary misunderstandings.

Zhu Yijun's reaction was much better than Wan Shihe had imagined. At least he wasn't angry. The young emperor's calm demeanor was a great fortune for the state.

"Grand Minister, do you know why Mr. Zhang insists on leaving?" Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and asked calmly.

"I truly do not know. I am overstepping, but the matters the Grand Secretary has undertaken cannot be retreated from. As long as he leaves the capital and the Hall of Literary Brilliance, those officials who hate him to the bone will tear him to pieces. Your Majesty, you must keep the Grand Secretary." Wan Shihe clearly knew the outcome of Zhang Juzheng leaving the center of power: it was an abyss from which he could never recover.

Unless the Emperor protected him. But the Emperor had issued several imperial decrees to retain him, and Zhang Juzheng stubbornly refused, making the Emperor lose a lot of face. At the same time, how would the Emperor view the teacher-student relationship during this period, how would he view the Zhang faction, and how would he view the New Policies?

Zhu Yijun stood up, walked to the hall door of the Guanghan Hall in the Baoqi Department, stretched out his hand, and the rain fell into his palm. He said with great emotion, "He is trying to prove one thing: to prove that the Great Ming can still rise again without him, Zhang Juzheng."

"This is what he must prove. Otherwise, once the New Policies leave him, they cannot function normally. That would mean the New Policies are nothing but flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water, and cannot gain further recognition."

"This is Mr. Zhang's purpose."

"I am dull-witted." Wan Shihe could understand, but he didn't agree. Zhang Juzheng insisted on resigning; this kind of behavior in politics was very childish!

Yes, it was childish. Once a person loses power, even ghosts won't come to the door. This is the fickleness of the world.

Zhang Juzheng was equivalent to saying he had bet all his chips on the little Emperor alone. The little Emperor was only fifteen years old; could his tender shoulders bear it?

Zhang Juzheng himself was a practitioner of romantic idealism. He believed in the Emperor, just as the Emperor had believed in Zhang Juzheng completely when he was terrified after the assassination attempt in the first year of the Wanli reign.

This kind of belief was so precious.

"Your Majesty, what should be done?" Wan Shihe was at his wit's end. Zhang Juzheng was stubborn; who could influence his decision? He had exhausted all his moves, but they had absolutely no effect.

"Don't worry, I have another way." Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and revealed a calm smile. He took an imperial decree out of his sleeve and handed it to Wan Shihe, letting Wan Shihe look at his response strategy first.

The more Wan Shihe looked, the wider his eyes became. He flicked his sleeves, bowed five times and kowtowed three times, and shouted loudly, "Ah, Your Majesty is wise! Indeed, Your Majesty has a way!"

Could it be that His Majesty is truly a genius?

To be able to use the power in his hands to such a level of perfection—if he isn't a genius, then what is he?

When everyone couldn't find a strategy, His Majesty flicked his sleeves and had a way. And this way was indeed useful.

If Wan Shihe was a "yes-man" before, a fence-sitter who followed orders and played both sides, now he was a die-hard member of the Imperial faction. His Majesty was always as resourceful as ever, and he took a different path, a different path that left everyone speechless.

Zhu Yijun revealed a trace of a smile, flicked his sleeves, and said, "Eunuch Feng, Eunuch Zhang, prepare the carriage for the All-Chu Guild Hall. I am going to see Mr. Zhang off."

Zhu Yijun handed the imperial decree he had written long ago to Feng Bao, letting Feng Bao go one step ahead to proclaim the decree. He prepared himself and would follow later. He agreed to Zhang Juzheng's resignation and agreed to Zhang Juzheng's mourning, but changed to another method to let Zhang Juzheng continue to exert his influence.

Want to run? Hmph, no way! Being an official in the Zhu family, don't even think about retiring to hide in leisure without squeezing out his last bit of light and heat!

Feng Bao brought a long tail of people and arrived at the All-Chu Guild Hall. After waiting for Zhang Juzheng to come out to receive the decree, he said in a shrill voice, "By the order of the Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

"I have received the mandate of Heaven to be the ruler of the world. I am the master of advancement and retreat; how can it be left to the officials to decide for themselves? The Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng received the entrustment of my late father, assisted me in my youth, displayed loyalty and promoted the way, and helped complete the transformation and governance. By taking on the heavy responsibility of the state, how can I be without you by my side for even a day?"

"However, the words of the censorate are the great ethics of a son. For me to retain the Grand Tutor in office is to be accused of deceiving the world and stealing a name. They slander you as unfilial, denounce you as greedy for position, and curse you as a beast. This is a great humiliation for the court!"

"Your loyal heart for the country is known to Heaven and the ancestors, and it is known to the Holy Mother and my heart. Those treacherous villains who took the opportunity to squeeze you out will naturally be dealt with by the laws of the ancestors. You need not worry."

"You stubbornly refused, and I could not retain you for the sake of the world. I will reluctantly agree to one or two things."

"Now, because of your true loyalty and righteousness, your clarity in official affairs, your broad and peaceful laws, and your appointment of the worthy without regard for status, you have achieved the merit of saving the world. I confer upon you the title of Earl of Yicheng, with an annual salary of eight hundred piculs of grain. Your loyalty is known to Heaven alone!"

"The established constitution of the successive dynasties, spreading virtue and bestowing grace, is announced to the world so that all may hear."

"Respect this."

Zhang Juzheng suddenly raised his head, his mind completely blank... What kind of move was the Emperor making? He agreed to the resignation, but gave a title?

Zhang Juzheng received the imperial decree in a daze, and looked clearly at all the words in a fog. It was indeed conferring the title of Earl upon him. He now had two paths: either agree to the title of Earl, or agree to "retain office despite mourning."

The Emperor gave him an interesting choice.

What the officials of the Great Ming actually pursued was hereditary power. This kind of hereditary power was realized in the form of the gentry. But the Great Ming also had a kind of hereditary officialdom, which was the conferring of titles.

"His Majesty said, you must either not leave and stay in office, or leave and accept this title. Otherwise, if you leave in such an unclear way, His Majesty cannot guarantee that you can return. In this way, with the super-grade Earl of Yicheng on your body, even without the hereditary certificate, you will enjoy the salary for life, and His Majesty can also protect your safety." Feng Bao flicked his whisk and asked with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, how will you respond?"

"I kowtow to thank His Majesty for his great grace." Zhang Juzheng understood the Emperor's worry and could only thank him and accept the decree.

He was previously a Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince of the first grade, receiving the salary of the first grade. That was an additional gift from Zhu Yijun to show the teacher-student relationship when the All-Chu Guild Hall opened in the second year of the Wanli reign. Later, he was promoted to Grand Tutor of the first grade, receiving the salary of an Earl. This was an additional gift, and Zhang Juzheng had declined it many times, but in the end, he couldn't refuse the Emperor.

In the fourth year of the Wanli reign, the actual salary was set, and it was no longer converted into paper money. After giving silver coins, this Earl's salary was real gold and silver.

After the salary was no longer converted into paper money, that was the day the imperial court raised the anti-corruption stick. If the salary was sufficient and they still took bribes, the Emperor would naturally use the Great Ming Divine Sword to behead them.

Feng Bao nodded and said, "That's it. His Majesty previously ordered the Ministry of Rites to select a mausoleum in the Western Hills. The burial place for your father has already been selected. As for building a hut to observe mourning, there is no need. His Majesty has already ordered people to build an Earl of Yicheng mansion nearby. You can go there after the forty-nine days."

"Oh, by the way, His Majesty also said, since you are a meritorious noble of the state, during this mourning period, although you will not handle official business, you must still listen to the court. He ordered the Directorate of Ceremonial to send the daily memorials to the Earl of Yicheng mansion, and take them back the next day. You can still stick the 'floating tickets' (recommendations)."

Since he had accepted the state's title, he couldn't do nothing and just take the salary for nothing.

So, even if he didn't handle business, he still had to listen to the court. The daily memorials would be sent to the Earl of Yicheng mansion in the Western Hills. If Zhang Juzheng had any thoughts, he could bring them up and say them.

"This does not conform to the rites." Zhang Juzheng said in a daze when he heard this.

Feng Bao's face was displeased, and he said with some dissatisfaction, "You have already defied the imperial will and insisted on observing mourning. His Majesty has already reluctantly agreed. If you still resist the decree, wouldn't that make it very difficult for His Majesty? If His Majesty's imperial decrees are defied again and again, I fear the scholars of the world will say you are overawing the sovereign. It is better not to make it difficult for His Majesty."

"I am a slave, but I still have to say a few words of justice. His Majesty has already done his utmost. You should not decline again."

Feng Bao's meaning was very clear: if you, Zhang Juzheng, decline again, could it be that you would only be happy if His Majesty gave the throne to you, Zhang Juzheng?

Zhang Juzheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The Emperor had already compromised a little. If he were still stubborn, he would truly be overawing the sovereign. He wanted to leave because he didn't want to overawe the sovereign.

"Thank you, Grand Eunuch, for the reminder." Zhang Juzheng said very sincerely.

"Hmm, that's right." Feng Bao revealed a smile. He and Zhang Juzheng were political allies. He was actually very worried about Zhang Juzheng leaving the court. During these few days, he really looked at everyone as if they were thieves who wanted to usurp his position as the "big boss."

With His Majesty's method, Zhang Juzheng seemed to have left the center of power, but in fact, he still had a huge influence on the court situation.

Going around in such a circle was wisdom. After twenty-seven months, Zhang Juzheng would return, and he could still participate in politics as an Earl. At that time, Zhang Juzheng would have returned from being the Grand Secretary who held all power when the sovereign was young and the state was suspicious, back to his own position as the Emperor's assistant.

For everyone, this was an extremely good result, and for Feng Bao, it was the same.

"His Majesty still has an oral instruction. His Majesty said: 'I am still young, and presiding over state affairs is bound to have omissions. I fear the court ministers may deceive me and be unwilling to criticize Chen Shan. I hope you will stay in the Western Hills and provide more corrections, to plan for the Great Ming's rise again.'" Feng Bao said His Majesty's final oral instruction.

His Majesty was actually a little worried himself. If he messed up the world and it was about to fall apart, would he have to run to Jiangling to bring in reinforcements? Jiangling was so far away; distant water couldn't quench near thirst.

Placing Zhang Juzheng, this great Buddha, in the Western Hills could suppress the national destiny. If the situation really reached an irredeemable point, he could go to the Western Hills to invite the omnipotent Zhang Juzheng to come out of the mountains to save the day. It could be considered a bottom-line guarantee.

"His Majesty has arrived!" The little eunuchs held up the canopy and arrived in front of the All-Chu Guild Hall.

Everyone paid their respects, but Zhu Yijun did not get off the carriage, but let Zhang Juzheng get on.

Previously, Zhang Juzheng couldn't get on the carriage because he was a powerful minister, the Grand Secretary, and the one governing the nation. Now, with so many titles, only the Earl of Yicheng remained. As a meritorious noble and a partner of the Empire, Zhang Juzheng could now ride in the same carriage as His Majesty.

Besides the Emperor, there was one other person in the carriage: the Earl of Qian'an, Qi Jiguang.

"I pay my respects to His Majesty." Zhang Juzheng got on the carriage and paid his respects again. Zhu Yijun signaled for Zhang Juzheng to sit down and not be overly formal.

"Your Majesty, is this matter of the Earl of Yicheng open to discussion?" Zhang Juzheng said impatiently. He still wanted to decline. With the title, everything conformed to the rites, but this title could not be conferred without military merit.

"Mr. Zhang taught me that state affairs must be rewarded and punished clearly. Do you really think I conferred the title of Earl upon you as an expedient measure?" Zhu Yijun shook his head and said very seriously, "Mr. Zhang, listen to me carefully."

"If it weren't for you, General Qi would still be a Commander in the Dengzhou Guard in Shandong. If it weren't for your full protection, maintaining General Qi's safety, how could General Qi have been able to display his hot-bloodedness and pacify the Japanese pirates and bandits?"

"He couldn't."

"General Yu spent half his life in frustration. Even after winning battles, he was punished. If he fought to a draw, he had to 'atone for his crimes with merit.' The precedents of Zhu Wan and Hu Zongxian are still fresh in my memory."

"What does General Qi think?"

Qi Jiguang said very firmly, "If it weren't for Mr. Zhang's protection, in the 37th year of the Jiajing reign, the Supervising Secretary Luo Jiabin and others impeached me for deliberately letting the Japanese pirates go at Cengang, suspecting me of colluding with the Japanese. I would have died back then. How could there be a future, or even today, accompanying His Majesty?"

Qi Jiguang was grateful to Zhang Juzheng. If it weren't for Zhang Juzheng's promotion, he would never have reached this situation.

"That's it. Once there is a barbarian situation, these base scholars will cover it up in every possible way and send them out of the border. But if General Qi is slightly ineffective in battle, they will react quickly. It's truly damnable." Zhu Yijun knew very well about Qi Jiguang's previous injustice. It was just that the Japanese pirates at Cengang fled to Taizhou to wreak havoc, and Qi Jiguang was still in pursuit when he was sentenced to death by the censorate officials.

Did Qi Jiguang have three heads and six arms, or could he ride a somersault cloud? It seemed that as soon as Qi Jiguang arrived, the Japanese pirates collectively committed seppuku.

Zhang Juzheng had told Zhu Yijun more than once that "meat-eaters are despicable." The Great Ming officials expected short-term results and had no long-term vision, especially in the matter of attacking Japan. The time Zhang Juzheng gave was twenty years, which was completely unacceptable to the base scholars.

Zhu Yijun was young and could afford to wait.

Zhu Yijun said very definitely, "Furthermore, take Yin Zhengmao. If it weren't for you overriding all dissenting views and sending the State Surname Zheng to Liangguang to pacify the Japanese, perhaps this Japanese scourge would still not be quelled."

"And take Li Chengliang. If it weren't for you in the court, that reckless Earl of Ningyuan would probably have long ago become alienated from the imperial court, become too powerful to control, nurtured bandits to maintain his own importance, and neglected defense to favor the enemy. He is also a human; he has to protect himself."

"Strengthening the military in the Capital Garrison, the Grand Minister of War planned it, and you presided over it. In the military exploits since the Wanli reign, which volume doesn't have your name? You have always said you wouldn't take credit for the heavens, but it is truly your merit."

"In state affairs, there must be clear rewards and punishments. If there is merit but no reward, how can I govern the world?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng was persuaded by the Emperor. It was truly well-founded. This was the apprentice he had taught himself; he did things with rules and evidence, and absolutely did not just talk about the mind and nature with empty hands.

"It's also good for you to resign and observe mourning for twenty-seven months, letting the world feel what it's like without you," Zhu Yijun said with a full smile.

After Zheng He, there was no more Zheng He. After Zhang Juzheng, there would be no more Zhang Juzheng.

During the Yongle and Xuande reigns, Zheng He himself would never have imagined that the Great Ming navy, invincible under the heavens, would have its ships completely rot in the harbor in just four years, quietly rotting away.

Zhang Juzheng would also never have expected that in less than five years after his death, the Great Ming would roll off the road of revival, and from then on, there would be no more vitality to speak of.

Does the times create heroes, or do heroes create the times?

Just right, let Zhang Juzheng rest for a few years, nourish his body, make his bones stronger, and let the Great Ming know the feeling of eating a hairy pig without the butcher Zhang.

"Your Majesty, where are we going?" Zhang Juzheng looked outside the carriage and asked with some confusion.

"Chaoyang Gate." Zhu Yijun said concisely.

Outside Chaoyang Gate was the Tonghui River. This was the Great Ming's grain route, the life supply line. The Great Ming's Tonghui River was the barometer of the Great Ming's court situation, which was another strange and reasonable quantitative standard.

Whenever the imperial court was clear, the Tonghui River would be unobstructed, and those powerful people in the capital would not dare to touch the grain trade.

But once the court was dark, the Tonghui River would be full of "black ghosts"—a kind of water ghost—blocking the grain boats on the Tonghui River. The poor people could only pull grain from Tongzhou to Chaoyang Gate, and the price would rise to a level that ordinary people could not accept.

At this time, the Tonghui River was unobstructed. After all, along the Tonghui River, there were 728 heads of people who had secretly colluded with the barbarians, and outside Chaoyang Gate, there was a forest of steles of "lively" people, all of which were epitaphs of corrupt officials.

Zhu Yijun arrived at the Wufeng Tower at Chaoyang Gate, stood by the railing, and pointed at the grain boats on the flat ground.

"That poor laborer with his shirt off is named Zhao Liu. He was a refugee from the great drought in Shaanxi in the fourth year of the Longqing reign who entered the capital. Since then, he has lived outside Chaoyang Gate. Outside the city wall is the grass market, which is where the poor laborers gather." Zhu Yijun pointed to a very tall man in the crowd.

"The commoner who met His Majesty in the third year of the Wanli reign?" Zhang Juzheng remembered. His Majesty knew Zhao Liu. It was Zhang Juzheng who restored the ancestors' established laws, letting the Emperor meet external officials, assistant magistrates, elders, and commoners. This Zhao Liu was the one who had an audience in the third year of the Wanli reign.

"Hmm." Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "I had the Embroidered Uniform Guard find out clearly about his life."

"He is a laborer, making a living by moving grain from grain boats outside Chaoyang Gate. If there are no grain boats, he will go to the banks of the Yongdinghe to move white clay and wool. He has three sons and one daughter. The third child in the family, who is two years old this year, died of a sudden illness the day before yesterday. He went to work yesterday."

"That bag of rice is 150 catties. Look at him, carrying it down from the boat, putting it into the cart on the shore, stacking four bags at a time, and pushing it to the grain warehouses of the major rice shops outside Chaoyang Gate."

"Five wen per trip. In a day, he can have one hundred wen, which is one qian of silver. For this job, he can't even fill a month. One tael of silver a month is about it."

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhao Liu.

Zhao Liu looked very thin and weak, with a flat head. "The body, hair, and skin are received from parents" was a rule only for wealthy families. He actually had a beard, and his hair was very short. This was for work. The fifth month was already getting hot. Zhao Liu, who had already carried three trips, was sweating profusely, the sweat gathering on his bronze-colored back and flowing down.

Zhao Liu sat on a stone in the shade of a tree, found his water bottle, tilted his head, and poured all the water into his stomach. After drinking, he wiped his mouth and revealed a very sunny smile. For him, as long as there was work and he could earn money, his wife and children wouldn't have to go hungry.

On Zhao Liu's shoulder was a piece of burlap. He lowered his waist, his shoulder braced against the grain bag on the grain boat. With just one brace, a bag of grain was carried on his shoulder. The 150 catties of grain bent Zhao Liu's shoulder, but he still gritted his teeth, stepped over the pedal, and placed the grain bag on the cart.

"Some time ago, the Minister of Justice told me that the white clay was transported from the Daning Guard, and some bags were broken. The craftsmen figured out a method of putting hemp paper inside the burlap bags. When the laborers carry the white clay, they won't get covered in dust. And working at the Yongding Woolen Mill, they even provide water. That pottery water bottle in their hands was issued to Zhao Liu by the Minister of Justice." Zhu Yijun said to Zhang Juzheng.

Zhao Liu liked to go to the Yongding Woolen Mill to work because the first time he went, the Yongding Woolen Mill issued an enamel water bottle and provided boiled water. Moreover, the carts for pushing materials were provided for free. As long as he didn't deliberately break them, he wouldn't be made difficult.

But unloading cargo on the grain boats, the carts for pushing materials had to be rented from the cart shop, and there was no water.

Zhao Liu intended to move to the banks of the Yongdinghe, but the price of houses near the official factory had risen very high recently, and he could only save some more money.

The day before yesterday, his youngest son died. Zhao Liu just rolled the third child in a mat and buried him at the foot of the mountain under the cover of night. The mountain belonged to a "great philanthropist," so he could only bury him secretly. If he didn't bury him secretly, he could only throw him into the "dead old child ditch."

Zhao Liu wiped his tears and could only continue to work. As long as he stopped for one day, the family would have to stop cooking. He still wanted to move near the official factory.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhao Liu and said with a full smile, "The Minister of Justice said that what you care about the most is me, but I don't think so."

"In my opinion, what you love the most is still the common people of the world. Back then, you hung up your seal and left, traveling through mountains and rivers for more than three years, but in the end, you still left behind the sentence 'the world is trapped by annexation' and returned to the imperial court, plunging headlong into this dirty vanity fair, sinking and floating for decades."

Jiao Hong didn't like the officialdom. Even if he offended Sun Jigao and couldn't participate in the metropolitan examination, he still had to scold Sun Jigao.

Zhang Juzheng actually didn't like it either. When he was second in the second grade and selected as a bachelor in the Hanlin Academy, his future was bright, but Zhang Juzheng hung up his seal and left. He was also tired of it, but in the end, he still returned to this place he hated.

"Mr. Zhang, if you want to rest, rest for a while. But not for my sake, but for the sake of the common people of the world. Once you have rested enough, return to the court to handle affairs." Zhu Yijun was truly tolerant of Zhang Juzheng, completely different from how he treated other officials.

This was naturally because the three words "Zhang Juzheng" had already become one with the New Policies, a political gesture that had to be made. Secondly, it was indeed the teacher-student relationship.

"Your Majesty, are those arrested censorate officials really going to be executed?" Zhang Juzheng still pleaded for those chattering censorate officials.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "On the day you move to the Western Hills, I will take their dog lives by the Tonghui River! A group of dogs who eat inside and out—if I didn't exterminate their clans, it was still because you persuaded me to be benevolent."

"Beheading by the Tonghui River?" Zhang Juzheng keenly grasped the point. Beheading wasn't at the Meridian Gate, but by the Tonghui River.

All the people killed by the Tonghui River were those who had secretly colluded with the barbarians.

"Hmm, their crime is not just opposing the New Policies, but also colluding with the Japanese." Zhu Yijun said very definitely.

"Then they truly deserve to die." Zhang Juzheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Why oppose Zhang Juzheng's New Policies? Because opening the sea harmed the interests of some people. Were these people really so bold? The Zhejiang Governor Zhu Wan was forced to commit suicide, and Hu Zongxian died in prison. Please vote for the monthly ticket, Awooooo!!!!!!!!!!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 233 =====