Chapter 276: How Could One Possibly Let the Dog Emperor Have His Way!

As a representative of the Ming Imperial Clan, Zhu Zaiyu had made it his obsession to compose music for the Emperor as a wedding gift and to cultivate the Emperor's artistic talent.

Meanwhile, the representative figure of the Ming military nobility, Qi Jiguang, offered his own wedding gift to the Emperor: the great victories at Huining Guard and Yingchang, which severed the fusion between the Northern Hu and the Eastern Yi.

As for Zhang Juzheng, he sent a painting to the capital. This painting was ironclad proof of the bribes Zhang Juzheng had accepted over the years, for it was the "Bamboo and Birds" by Emperor Song Huizong. It was an authentic work, even bearing the Emperor's personal "flower cipher"—a unique, cursive-style signature that claimed he was "the only one under Heaven."

Zhang Juzheng chose to bring out this painting because, among all his collections, it was the most valuable. The "Bamboo and Birds," with its natural powder-coloring that required no ink-tracing, was a treasure fit for the world; it had been a gift from Wang Shizhen when he presented it to Zhang Juzheng to facilitate his return to office.

Zhang Juzheng had indeed helped him return to office. After all, Wang Shizhen came from a family of high officials and held immense prestige among the Restoration faction. He had given Wang Shizhen the opportunity, but if Wang Shizhen himself was useless, who could he blame?

As for how Song Huizong fared as an emperor, it was naturally a case of Prince Duan being frivolous and unfit to rule the world, but his artistic achievements were indeed exceptionally high.

In the painting, the cliff rocks were arranged in a staggered, elegant manner. Phoenix-tail grass growing from the crevices hung low and swayed, while two branches of emerald bamboo slanted out from the stone seams. On each branch stood a mountain sparrow; they perched on the twigs, one raising its head, the other turning back, echoing each other. Their gazes were vivid, their forms lifelike, and they appeared as if they might spring to life at any moment.

"Is it good to look at?" Zhu Yijun stared at the painting for a long time before asking Feng Bao and Zhang Hong. His expression was extremely strange. Perhaps because he disliked Song Huizong, the more he looked at the painting, the uglier it seemed. Looking left and right, that "only one under Heaven" flower cipher looked more like "Northern Captivity" to him.

Zhang Hong squinted for a long time and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, is this good to look at, or is it not? This servant truly cannot tell. To be honest, Your Majesty's own paintings are more realistic."

The Emperor could paint, but he usually spent his time drawing memes or satirical four-panel comics, not these birds, insects, fish, or landscapes.

"This is naturally excellent, but it was bought at the cost of the world." Feng Bao was very knowledgeable about paintings. He didn't care much for Song Huizong's work, nor did he think much of the painting's value. He smiled and said, "If Your Majesty truly likes studying paintings, the Inner Treasury has two versions of 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival.' Aren't they better to look at than this?"

The version by Zhang Zeduan of the Northern Song depicted Kaifeng and Bianliang, while the version by Qiu Ying of the Ming depicted Suzhou City.

"Truly speaking of skill in painting, Zhang Zeduan and Qiu Ying are a cut above." Feng Bao stated his opinion clearly. He generally looked down upon this "Northern Captivity" emperor. Feng Bao's primary identity was as the Director of Ceremonial Eunuches, a political figure. His judgment of Song Huizong was colored by intense personal emotion; after all, if a master was captured, the head eunuch was always the one to take the blame.

For instance, Wang Zhen, the great eunuch under Ming Emperor Zhu Qizhen—when Zhu Qizhen was captured and taken into Northern Captivity, it was all Wang Zhen's fault.

It would be a miracle if Feng Bao could like such a "Northern Captivity" emperor!

"Is the Teacher reminding me that if I don't work hard, I will become Song Huizong?" Zhu Yijun pondered the subtext of Zhang Juzheng sending this painting.

Feng Bao thought it over and chose to speak the truth: "This servant thinks the Teacher just picked the most expensive one to send. Nothing else matters; it's just expensive."

"The most expensive?" Zhu Yijun was startled.

"This servant thinks so too," Zhang Hong echoed, nodding in agreement.

"Hmm?" Zhu Yijun frowned, then realized what they meant. He slammed the table and shouted, "Audacious!"

Zhu Yijun understood. These two weren't even being cryptic; they were saying the Emperor was stingy, so Zhang Juzheng had catered to his preferences by picking the most expensive gift. And that was the truth: Zhang Juzheng had told You Qi to pick the most valuable item from his home, and this painting was chosen. Zhang Juzheng had no metaphorical intent.

It was hard for Zhang Juzheng to imagine Zhu Yijun being captured; he would likely rather die in battle than be taken prisoner.

If the Northern Hu or the Jin soldiers truly besieged the capital and the Ming had no relief armies left, in a desperate situation, the Emperor would likely lead his Embroidered Uniform Guards and Red-Helmed Generals out of the city to fight, choosing to perish together. Zhang Juzheng knew this child was capable of that. Like him, Zhu Yijun loved this land deeply.

Even Wang Chonggu and Wang Qian knew that the backbone of the successive dynasties of the Central Plains was never the treacherous sycophants like them. If they had relied on such scoundrels, the empire would have collapsed long ago.

The fate of the nation relied on those backbones who loved this land more than themselves—those pillars of heaven and beams of the sea. The Ming indeed possessed such people; the Night Scouts of the distant beacon towers were living monuments, walking backbones.

Zhu Yijun hoped he could become such a backbone.

Zhu Yijun was very satisfied with Zhang Juzheng's gift. As for the gift from the Lu Song "State Surname" Zheng Mao, it was a large pile of pearls, each round and plump, shimmering with light—top-tier purple pearls. There was also a large chest of pearl powder, used for facial cleansing. Zhu Yijun didn't understand cosmetics, but he knew this stuff was very expensive.

The Nagasaki Governor's Office, led by Xu Wei and Sun Keyi, was even more direct, sending a large pile of gold, silver, copper, and sulfur—the specialties of the Wa nation. Xu Wei was using his utmost ability to contribute to the stable influx of silver into the Ming. Xu Wei, a man with a rebellious spirit who detested the imperial court, even wrote a special congratulatory memorial to the Emperor, hoping the Emperor would continue to be wise. Since the court was rotten, the Nagasaki Governor's Office could only pin its hopes on the Emperor.

The Emperor was the last hope in Xu Wei's heart. He was utterly disappointed with the court. If the Emperor disappointed him too, he wouldn't know where to place his heart. It wasn't just Xu Wei; there were many people in the Ming like him who were completely disillusioned with the court and could only pin their hopes on the young Son of Heaven continuing to be wise. If the Emperor ceased to be wise, disappointment would naturally turn into despair.

Wang Chonggu understood the human heart: if the hearts of the people were scattered, the world, the empire, and the nation would inevitably fall into chaos.

The Qian State Duke's mansion in Yunnan followed old custom and sent a white elephant to the capital. This was the lead vehicle, the mount for the Great General carrying the ceremonial sword. Every year, just transporting the white elephant to the capital was an exhausting and extremely difficult task.

As for the civil officials, they simply wrote a congratulatory memorial that no one would read, counting it as a felicitation for the Emperor's wedding. As for gifts, there were none, because the Emperor had issued a clear decree: no official was to be negligent due to the wedding. He even cited the old incident of the "Birthday Gift Convoy" for Song Huizong, urging all officials under Heaven not to stand on ceremony, not to offer congratulations, and to keep everything as usual.

The civil officials wanted to send gifts, but the Ming Emperor wouldn't accept them at all.

The "convoy transport" was actually very similar to the Ming's Grand Canal transport—both involved the shipping of grain and tax revenue. After Zhao Kuangyin declared himself emperor, he decreed: "From now on, every year, after receiving the people's rent and the taxes from official monopolies, aside from expenditures, all items like silk shall be sent to the capital."

Unlike the Great Ming, where more than fifty percent of local revenue is retained, the Song Dynasty required everything except for the Bureau of Revenue's expenditures to be sent to the capital. This was the concrete manifestation of the Song Dynasty's policy of "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches," intended to ensure that profits returned to the public treasury and to strip away local power.

In the Ming, however, local areas and the court split revenue fifty-fifty. This was naturally related to the situation in the early Ming; after all, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun had been lost for over five hundred years, and the Qin Ling-Huaihe line for over three hundred. At the time, the Ming was severely divided between North and South, and local offices could not stabilize their rule without sufficient financial power.

It was also related to the fact that Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was not truly skilled at financial management. The main reason for the fifty-fifty split in Zhu Yuanzhang's time was that he felt transporting grain to the capital and then back to the local areas involved too much loss along the way. Local retention made it more convenient and simple to ship when needed, resulting in lower losses.

The idea was good, but in practice, the drawbacks of local grain transport were revealed, because nothing could be shipped out at all. The treasuries were empty; even a mouse would leave them in tears.

Zhu Yuanzhang's talent for financial affairs was far less dazzling than his talent for politics and military strategy.

Zhu Yuanzhang's talent for financial affairs was about the same as Zhu Yijun's military talent—not to say he had none, but it was almost zero.

The Qing followed the Ming system, but the local retention ratio in the Qing dynasty never exceeded 20%, and later it was even less than 10%.

The "Birthday Gift Convoy" was a trick Song Huizong devised to amass wealth beyond tax revenue, using the excuse of celebrating the Emperor's birthday.

What the superior loves, the inferior will surely emulate. Soon, those below were all learning the trick. By the end of the Northern Song, various contradictions were already extremely intense, and the birthday gift convoys—from the Emperor down to the officials—became like pouring oil on a fire, causing it to explode with a roar.

"Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander requests an audience." A young eunuch ran in hurriedly.

"Summon him."

The Commander, wearing his Embroidered Uniform sword, hurried to the front of the hall, removed his weapon, and entered. With a solemn expression, he saluted: "Your Majesty, the Sujing Ascetic has entered the capital."

"Hmm? The Sujing Ascetic? Is that the guy who is Wang Xiangu's chief disciple and bed-partner?" Zhu Yijun's expression changed, and he asked in utter astonishment.

"It is he," Zhao Mengyou said, bowing his head.

"He came at the right time. I didn't go looking for them, yet they came knocking on my door instead." Zhu Yijun stood up, slamming the table.

Zhu Yijun had forbidden local officials from sending gifts, but there was still a group of people planning to give the Emperor a "big gift." The representative of the treacherous Confucian Restoration faction, Wang Xiangu's chief disciple, the Sujing Ascetic, had quietly arrived in the capital.

The Sujing Ascetic was detected by the Embroidered Uniform Guards on his second day in the capital. Because the Emperor's wedding was approaching, the capital had begun martial law. On the surface, it was calm, but in secret, everyone entering the capital was being thoroughly investigated.

The person who reported this to the Northern Secret Police was bought off by Wang Qian, the son of the Second Grand Secretary Wang Chonggu. Wang Qian's method of bribery is still proving effective.

"Should we make arrests now?" Commander Zhao Mengyou asked for the Emperor's decree. These treacherous Confucians were too arrogant; they had actually sent thugs into the capital again! This was a slap in the face of the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

If this could be endured, what could not?

"No rush. Let's play with them," Zhu Yijun said with a cold smile. "These thugs entering the capital must have someone cooperating with them. This Sujing Ascetic is bait delivered to my door!"

"Send people to keep an eye on them."

"Wang Qian's people are watching them closely," Zhao Mengyou said, looking slightly helpless when mentioning this. Wang Qian's operating budget was simply too damn sufficient.

Watching closely was different from strict surveillance, and the intelligence obtained was also different. Wang Qian had known the Sujing Ascetic was on the move since he set out, and had tightly controlled his movements until he entered the capital. As soon as he entered, he reported it directly to the Northern Suppressing Fief office.

When the Sujing Ascetic arrived, who he met, what he said, and who he was in contact with—Wang Qian knew it all clearly.

Wang Qian now had a submissive heart and was working for the court. If Wang Qian ceased to be submissive, what then? This was a question the Commander had to pay attention to.

The next day, Wang Qian submitted a memorial through his father, Wang Chonggu, which was sent to the Emperor's desk. Wang Qian invited Commander Zhao Mengyou to the Yanxing Pavilion to watch the fun. This "fun" concerned the Sujing Ascetic, who intended to gather a crowd to lecture in the capital. This required someone in the capital to cooperate. Currently, Wang Qian didn't know who was cooperating with Sujing. If the Emperor wanted to join in the fun, he could see it with his own eyes.

Wang Qian also explained why he submitted this memorial: because there was a suspicion of false accusation. Currently, the information source was extremely singular. If Commander Zhao Mengyou went to listen in, the matter would be secure.

"I intend to go see the fun myself." Zhu Yijun planned to go see this Sujing Ascetic in person. He had to admit, if not for the fact that Zhu Yijun had a bit of political talent, faced with sudden situations, and had brought the Embroidered Uniform Guards to rescue Zhang Juzheng, breaking the chain of suspicion between monarch and minister, there would have been big trouble. This Sujing Ascetic was a man with sharp eyes and decisive actions.

"Your Majesty, this servant thinks it is better to let the Commander go," Zhang Hong offered his opinion from the side. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, and a wise man does not fall into a collapsed nest. As the Emperor, Zhang Hong did not like the Emperor taking risks.

"To die after fulfilling one's path is the correct fate; to die in shackles is not the correct fate." Feng Bao quoted a line from Mencius. A person who dies after doing everything they wanted to do has a "correct fate." To be limited by worldly things, limited by the evaluations of others, and finally failing to finish what one wanted to do—that is not a correct fate, but a "non-fate."

The idiom "to die a non-fate" (to die an unnatural death) originated from this.

Zhu Yijun knew what Zhang Hong and Feng Bao were worried about. He smiled and said, "The Ming is my Ming, the capital is my capital, and the Yanxing Pavilion is even an Imperial Manor. Within the vast lands, is there any that is not the King's subject? Why can I not go? As for this Sujing Ascetic, what do I have to fear?"

"This guy is quite evil," Feng Bao explained his worry. Judging by the rumors in the underworld, this Sujing Ascetic was simply too bizarre—invulnerable to blades and spears, impervious to water and fire, able to walk on the tips of blades, and move unimpeded through water and fire. What kind of terrifying evil spirit was this?

It is better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't. Before the Embroidered Uniform Guards arrested the Sujing Ascetic, it was better not to meet him easily.

"If he truly had any supernatural powers, would he need to travel thousands of miles to the capital? This is under the feet of the Son of Heaven. Is he not afraid of dying an unnatural death? I want to see what kind of skills he really has. My Qi family waist-saber has yet to be proven ineffective!" Zhu Yijun remained insistent. He did not fear such evil spirits, nor did he believe in any supernatural powers.

If the Sujing Ascetic truly knew how to perform head-shrinking sorcery, then Zhu Yijun had mastered the art of "lowering the head"—he was skilled at physically lowering people's heads.

Thanks to Confucius's "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, force, disorder, and spirits," in the Ming court's memorials, aside from the dross of "Heaven-Man resonance," officials rarely used prophecy to threaten imperial power. Zhu Yijun didn't believe in that set at all. He wanted to meet him in person. If the Sujing Ascetic truly mastered any supernatural powers, he would just happen to be sent to the Dissection Institute to be dissected and studied.

The Daoist master had sought the Dao for most of his life and had yet to ascend to immortality by the end. Such a talented and strange person must be invited to the Dissection Institute, served in a private room, and then burned for the Daoist master, fulfilling his lifelong wish.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival—this was a good day. The capital was filled with lantern festivals and temple fairs everywhere, and the streets were packed with people. The Spanish special envoy to the Ming, Li Yashi, was on the street with his wife and child, witnessing the prosperity of the Ming.

The population of Shuntian Prefecture had now recovered to over two million, and the capital alone exceeded one million. On a festival day, the entire capital would be unbearably crowded.

Li Yashi liked this crowding; this was the human world, and this was the human world managed by a human monarch. Li Yashi had received the blessing and protection of the Emperor, so his God could not reach him for breaking his vow of celibacy. If God truly wanted to punish him, he would have to clash with the human monarch first. The Inquisition could not come to the Ming to enforce the law; otherwise, they would have to clash with the Ming army first.

Li Yashi's wife, a vow-breaker, was a very beautiful woman. She was the daughter of the Medina-Sidonia family of the West, named Anna. She had brown-red hair and had fled to Li Yashi with a son and a daughter. On the way, the daughter died of dysentery caused by the change in climate. Only the son survived. The reason Anna had to flee was that her husband was a rebel in the Netherlands region. With nowhere to go, she had to travel far away and found Li Yashi.

Zhu Yijun did not think highly of Li Yashi's marriage. The Ming had many lessons about raising other people's sons, but he didn't know if the West was the same.

Li Yashi was very happy now. He held his wife's hand, and his wife held their five-year-old son's hand, admiring the prosperity of the Ming. He had booked a window seat at the Yanxing Pavilion today, intending for the family of three to spend their first Lantern Festival after marriage.

Li Yashi noticed something unusual. The imperial road from the Xi'an Gate of the Imperial Palace to the residential buildings not far from the Yanxing Pavilion was simply too quiet. That street was an imperial street, and usually, all carriages were forbidden from passing. However, since New Year's Eve, the Ming Emperor had lifted the curfew, and everyone could pass through that street. Today, however, it could not be walked.

Meanwhile, in another private room, a beautiful woman was clinging to a man with a narrow forehead and a slightly sinister look.

"Immortal Official, what's wrong? Did this servant not serve you well?" The beautiful woman suddenly stopped her wandering hands. The Immortal Official was not in high spirits today; he clearly had something on his mind.

The man called the Immortal Official stretched out his hand and quickly performed a calculation. His slightly uneasy expression returned to indifference, and even his sinister look became a bit more harmonious and kind.

If one tells too many lies, one can even deceive oneself. Clearly, this Immortal Official had performed a calculation, felt that nothing was wrong, and then set his mind at ease.

"You go out first. I have important business to do today." The Immortal Official pushed the beautiful woman away, signaling her to leave first. He had serious business to attend to today.

This serious business was to meet someone.

This Immortal Official was naturally the person Zhu Yijun had come to see for fun—the Sujing Ascetic.

Seeing that she didn't need to serve him, the beautiful woman raised her eyebrows, feeling slightly relieved. This Immortal Official was truly hard to serve; every time, he would toss and turn for a long time. If it weren't for the high pay, who would be willing to serve such a person? He wasn't particularly gifted, either; he just had to take some potent medicine before every act, and the tossing was just scratching an itch. She felt happy in her heart, but her tone was extremely mournful: "Immortal Official, after you finish your business, remember to call this servant back. This servant is truly waiting anxiously."

The Sujing Ascetic pulled out a silver ingot, tossed it casually, and smiled: "Good, good, good. I will definitely call you back. Go first."

Having received the silver, the beautiful woman was even happier and left contentedly. Once outside, she looked at the silver ingot in her hand, shook her head, and muttered in a low voice: "Where did this country bumpkin come from? Nowadays, who doesn't use silver coins?"

The beautiful woman was a prostitute from a brothel. Since Liu Qiniang left, she was the only one who could be considered a top-tier beauty. Her appearance wasn't particularly outstanding, but the flirtatiousness that permeated her bones made her somewhat appetizing.

The Sujing Ascetic closed his eyes to rest. It wasn't until the noise outside had quieted down that he slowly opened his eyes. He heard three short and three long knocks on the door and said in a muffled voice: "Enter."

The person who entered was the Sujing Ascetic's maid, who had served him for over a year. She was an extremely fanatical believer in the "Unity" group and firmly believed that Wang Xiangu was about to ascend to immortality. Behind this maid followed a man who appeared drunk. The man pushed the maid inside and shouted loudly: "If you serve this master comfortably today, I will naturally give you silver."

After the man closed the door, his ruffian appearance immediately became serious. He wasn't drunk at all; he had come to see the Sujing Ascetic.

The man didn't even look at the maid, sat on a stool, and said anxiously: "Why did you come again! Didn't I tell you that the situation in the capital is tight right now? The little Emperor is getting married soon, and those lackeys are acting like they've gone mad. There is no curfew tonight; you must leave immediately."

"It is precisely because the Emperor is getting married that I must come," the Sujing Ascetic flicked his sleeve, stood up, and said, "How could one possibly let this dog Emperor have his way!"

"The last assassination failed; you shouldn't have come back. If the court's eagles and dogs find out, the nine generations of our families won't be enough for the Emperor to kill. Leave quickly!" The man was extremely annoyed when he heard this. "You swore last time that even if you couldn't kill the little Emperor, you could kill Zhang Juzheng, or at least cause a rift between the monarch and his ministers."

"As a result, you achieved nothing. The little Emperor now goes to the Yicheng Earl's mansion every month and even stays for a day. That's clearly showing he's not afraid of us, letting us continue to assassinate him, exposing our hands and feet, and letting the eagles and dogs investigate. You still come—I'm truly afraid of you."

The Sujing Ascetic slammed the table and said: "Coward! Don't forget, if it weren't for you, how could the attack at Xishan have been carried out? You're afraid now? It's too late!"

"You!" The man also slammed the table and stood up, but after saying just the word "you," he couldn't say anything more, because the Sujing Ascetic was right. He was already on the pirate ship; how could he get off?

If the Sujing Ascetic were caught, his nine generations wouldn't be spared either. The little Emperor was a tyrannical monarch who would execute nine generations.

"I went to pay a visit to your mansion, and you actually closed the door and refused to see me. If I hadn't used some immortal means, you probably wouldn't have come over." The Sujing Ascetic sat down, his expression becoming even more peaceful. "We are all on the same boat. If the boat capsizes, we will both drown."

On the other side, Zhu Yijun saw everything. "Walls have ears" was not a joke. Zhu Yijun, Wang Qian, Zhao Mengyou, Feng Bao, and others were all in the next room.

The Sujing Ascetic had no supernatural powers. The little Emperor he hated to the bone was right next door, listening to their conspiracy.

After Wang Qian finished listening to the dialogue between the two, the heart that had been in his throat dropped back into his stomach. Previously, the evidence that the Sujing Ascetic was the mastermind behind the Xishan assassination case wasn't particularly sufficient. Now, it was finally sufficient. The Sujing Ascetic had confessed everything and had been in secret collusion with someone in the court. The evidence was ironclad, because this "someone" was right next door.

"Who is that person?" Zhu Yijun asked Feng Bao in a low voice. He wasn't familiar with the figure; clearly, it wasn't a court official.

"Luo Rufang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works," Feng Bao replied, bowing his head. A real power-holder of the third rank in the court. If his three-year term expired, this person would be promoted to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel, key departments. He was only one step away from the position of a "Great Duke."

"Is that the Luo Rufang who gathered crowds to lecture at Guanghui Temple last year and was detested by the Teacher?" Zhu Yijun frowned, remembering exactly who this person was. The former Right Administration Commissioner of Yunnan, who had returned to the capital last year after his term expired.

This person was a "Zhang Party" member and had a close relationship with Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng did not allow private gatherings for lectures, yet this Luo Rufang was still gathering crowds to lecture at Guanghui Temple in the capital. After Zhang Juzheng found out, he sternly reprimanded him and petitioned to dismiss him from office and send him home to await orders.

It just so happened that Zhang Juzheng's father passed away at that time, and the storm over his mourning period covered up this matter.

Luo Rufang was a traitor to the "Chu Party" and had already been expelled from Zhang Juzheng's school. Gathering crowds for lectures was a part of Zhang Juzheng's rectification of academic administration, and it was one of the few policies that both Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu highly approved of. It was Wang Chonggu who had banned lectures throughout the world and shut down sixty-four academies.

This was because Zhang Siwei had been influenced by these schools and acted recklessly, harming the interests of their Wang family.

And this Luo Rufang was also a leading figure of the Taizhou School of Mind.

"Don't forget, you wrote that 'Memorial Impeaching Zhang Juzheng' by Hence Hai Rui with your own hands. I don't have that much literary talent to write such a hearty and fluent passage. The little Emperor has said, 'Those who speak of the Teacher's faults shall be beheaded.' If you are caught, you will surely die." The Sujing Ascetic poured a cup of tea for Luo Rufang and said with a smile, "We are truly on the same boat. You hate Zhang Juzheng, and I hate the little Emperor. It's just right."

Zhang Juzheng's ban on gathering crowds for lectures had completely cut off the path for the spread of the School of Mind and had even turned He Xinyin into a criminal. This was a heavy blow to the Taizhou School of Mind. Luo Rufang indeed hated Zhang Juzheng. He would do whatever Zhang Juzheng strictly forbade. If not for the mourning period storm, Luo Rufang would probably have been sent home to live in idleness already.

Zhu Yijun also learned the true mastermind behind the "Southern Yamen Demon Book Case." No wonder that forged memorial had spread so widely, involved so many people, and found so many accomplices, yet it had taken so long to find out who had fabricated it.

Using Hence Hai Rui's name to write the memorial impeaching Zhang Juzheng not only borrowed Hence Hai Rui's reputation to pin a bunch of crimes on Zhang Juzheng but also sowed discord between Zhang Juzheng and Hence Hai Rui. Had Zhang Juzheng ever, for a single moment, suspected that it was truly written by Hence Hai Rui?

The human heart is the most unpredictable thing. Once the seed of suspicion is buried, it will take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit.

Truly a group of treacherous Confucians skilled at playing with the human heart.

Happy National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone! (づ￣3￣)づ Please vote for me! Awoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 277 =====