Chapter 94

The Emperor really doesn't attend to his proper duties. Main text, Chapter 94: Only this method can resolve the dilemma. Zhang Zhang Juzheng has already been very tolerant toward the gentry.

They control the vast majority of the Ming Dynasty's means of production—land—and then use the characteristics of personal attachment to these lands to kidnap a large number of tenant farmers, servants, and vagrants, while also maintaining excellent relations with bandits in the mountains, using bandits to carry out further armed coercion to maintain their deep-rooted status in the local area.

The high degree of land annexation in the Ming Dynasty has reached the point where it cannot be annexed any further.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Song Yangshan's correspondence is close, mainly to urge Song Yangshan not to be too hasty and mess things up. Zhang Zhang Juzheng only let them return the land and did not want to do anything more excessive to them. If there was anything, it was that Zhang Zhang Juzheng had prepared a massive net, waiting for Xu Xu Jie to jump in himself, to be the chicken killed to warn the monkeys.

"What is Su-Song most lacking?" Gu Gu Shaofang, the Juren son of Gu Gu Zhangzhi, the Mayor of Yingtian Prefecture, said quite accurately: "Grain."

"Lacking grain?" Everyone present, who had been frowning, immediately understood Gu Gu Shaofang's meaning. Su-Song, that is, the Suzhou and Songjiang Prefecture area, is most lacking in grain.

Gu Gu Shaofang continued: "Su-Song has a lot of cotton fields, occupying about more than 70% of the land. Su-Song does not produce grain itself; most of this grain is bought from outside. And the imperial court's tax on us in Su-Song is two out of ten—a 20% tax, the highest tax in the whole world!"

"After you gentlemen go back, just start raising the price for the rice shops, raise it little by little, no matter what the reason, raise it a little every day, without being obvious. The poor commoners and laborers can barely fill their stomachs with their daily work. Once the rice shops raise prices, there will inevitably be famine. If we call for it a little, saying that the imperial court is treating us poorly, we can just aim the spearhead at the imperial court."

Poisonous! Poisonous! Poisonous!

When Xu Fan hurried to the poetry gathering, he heard Gu Gu Shaofang's poisonous plan and was terrified! Is this something a person can say? Usually, they keep "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust" on their lips, but now that the imperial court says it wants to return the land, they resist like this. What are they trying to do!

Gu Gu Shaofang looked quite upright, and when he smiled, he looked quite elegant and easygoing. He said with a full smile: "What can we do? The imperial court has taken away our land, and the landlord's family has no surplus grain either. With empty pockets, we naturally cannot sell grain to turn things around. We all have to tighten our belts to live. If the price of rice soars, if we don't blame the imperial court, who should we blame? When the time comes, if they gather together, you can't blame us gentry for not being able to settle the people; we don't have that ability, right?"

"When the time comes, everyone prepare some silver. As the price of grain soars, there will inevitably be many poor commoners and laborers who have to sell their children and land to survive. When the time comes, everyone help out our fellow villagers. We can't just sit and watch this kind of suffering, right?"

"Then no one will be able to say we are unbenevolent or unrighteous."

Xu Fan took a deep breath, calmed his panting from running, walked to the center, looked at Gu Gu Shaofang, raised his hands, and asked: "Gu Gu Shaofang, I have some questions to ask you."

"Your plan is good, but these commoners have no grain. How can you guarantee that they will aim their spearhead at the imperial court instead of at us? Where there is grain, where can they find grain? If the poor commoners and laborers gather together and break through the prefectures and counties, it will invite the imperial court's heavenly soldiers to suppress the rebellion. Yu Yu Dayou capturing eighteen strongholds is on everyone's lips, and everyone is clapping and cheering."

"Gathering the small commoners, a group of starving people, their eyes are red with hunger. On one side are the imperial court's heavenly soldiers and generals, and on the other side are the guards in our homes. You tell me, who will these starving people aim their spearhead at first?"

Xu Fan's question woke everyone present up!

Throughout history, in civil disturbances, the gentry are always the first to die.

Gu Gu Shaofang frowned. This Xu Fan is Xu Xu Jie's son. Since Xu Xu Jie is here, shouldn't Xu Fan be on their side?

Xu Fan's words completely disrupted Gu Gu Shaofang's entire plan. No matter how you look at it, Xu Xu Jie's son was here to wreck the place.

But Gu Gu Shaofang had to answer Xu Fan's question.

Gu Gu Shaofang thought for a while and said: "That's why we have to raise prices little by little, take it slow. The resentment in the hearts of the common people will accumulate deeper and deeper, but before they starve to death, if they gather together, they won't aim at us, but will be increasingly dissatisfied with the imperial court's cleanup of the occupation."

"Fart!" Xu Fan didn't even have a shred of gentility left, pointed at Gu Gu Shaofang, and scolded sternly: "Stinking and unbearable!"

"You!" Gu Gu Shaofang slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Xu Fan, looking at Xu Xu Jie—Xu Fan was scolding people!

Xu Xu Jie himself couldn't argue with Xu Fan and couldn't control his son, so he didn't say anything. Xu Xu Jie, the old man, didn't interfere in the debate of the young people. He had snuck out to attend the poetry gathering, and his son had even chased him out.

"Why do I say you're farting?" Xu Fan sneered and said: "I have three questions. If you can answer them, I will apologize to you and kneel on the ground and kowtow to you three times!"

"Do you dare to take the challenge! If you don't dare, shut that stinking mouth that stirs up trouble!"

Gu Gu Shaofang was furious, looked at Xu Fan, and said sternly: "Ask!"

Xu Fan raised his hands, looked around, and gradually regained his demeanor, as if he wasn't the one who was just being arrogant and swearing. He sorted out his thoughts and said: "The poor commoners and laborers are an extremely complex group. Every family is different. You say you want to raise prices to the point of maintaining them without starving to death, using their resentment. How can you determine which point is the last mouthful of grain in the commoners' rice jar?"

"Even the most skilled musician doesn't know which amount of force they use is the last bit of force that won't snap the strings!"

"Answer me."

How much force should be used to squeeze downward to ensure the force is just right? Let alone Gu Gu Shaofang, even an old official like Xu Xu Jie didn't know where that specific bet was.

"Speak." Xu Fan looked at Gu Gu Shaofang and asked.

Gu Gu Shaofang looked around, flicked his sleeves, and said stubbornly: "I don't know. If some commoners starve to death, they starve to death!"

"Stubborn." Xu Fan sneered and continued to ask: "The second question."

"Human nature is greedy. Our gentry's occupation is against the imperial court's laws. Gathering here is because we don't want to return the occupied land."

"Human nature is just so greedy. We occupied what we shouldn't have, and the imperial court didn't do anything to us, yet we gathered together to make the imperial court look bad."

"How can you guarantee that when the price rises to the point of not starving, everyone present won't raise prices further for the sake of huge profits, reaching into the commoners' rice jars for their last mouthful of grain? Snapping that string?"

"By relying on the conscience of everyone present?"

"Does such a thing exist?"

This question was also unanswerable. If they could really stop their greed, could they gather so many powerful people together to discuss countermeasures?

Human nature is greedy, and greed blinds the heart. When the time comes, they definitely won't maintain it at a level where people won't starve, but will become increasingly urgent. On the day the anger in the hearts of the poor commoners and laborers is hooked, how can a cup of water extinguish such a raging fire?

Gu Gu Shaofang was a bit stunned by the questions. He looked at several elders for help, but the elders seemed to be thinking as well.

When did the eldest son of the Xu family become so sharp-tongued?

"Answer me! Relying on what!" Xu Fan asked loudly.

"I don't know." This time Gu Gu Shaofang didn't try to be brave and only answered "I don't know." If the initiator has no descendants, once this end is opened, its development process cannot be controlled at all. When the time comes, it will inevitably be a raging fire that burns everything clean.

"Hmph." Xu Fan walked forward a few steps, looked at Gu Gu Shaofang, and said: "You have the ambition of a wolf, and you are not trying to oppose the imperial court's cleanup of the occupation at all, but to eat us!"

"When the price rises to the point where the common people can't bear it, your Gu family of Kunshan will definitely open the granaries to release grain, allowing the starving commoners to rush into other people's homes, destroy other people's ancestral halls, kill other people's family members, and then appear as a great philanthropist, using grain to appease the common people, taking the opportunity to annex our Xu family and Shen family!"

As soon as Xu Fan said this, Gu Gu Shaofang's face changed drastically. The expressions of everyone looking at Gu Gu Shaofang changed. Most people frowned because the Gu family's grain granaries controlled almost all the grain routes in Su-Song. When the time comes, the Gu family will release grain, use the starving people as their protective umbrella, and sit back and reap the benefits.

This accusation can be said to be extremely serious.

Gu Gu Shaofang suddenly became anxious, waved his hands, and said: "You are slandering me, you are talking nonsense! Since I proposed it, naturally we advance and retreat together!"

"Fine, even if you advance and retreat together, how can you guarantee that a group of us who are blinded by greed can advance and retreat together? With the imperial court's heavenly soldiers on the side and the common people's anger soaring, who can guarantee that everyone won't surrender to please the imperial court?" Xu Fan clearly knew that Gu Gu Shaofang had fallen into his trap and immediately added a sentence to express his meaning clearly.

There is a contradiction between the imperial court and the gentry of the Southern Metropolitan Area, but are the gentry a tightly united, inseparable whole, an unbreakable alliance?

There are also contradictions among the gentry, and Xu Fan's words directly shattered this alliance that could be broken with one blow.

Who can guarantee that there won't be mutual backstabbing in the process of opposing the imperial court? There will definitely be mutual backstabbing, and it will be extremely brutal.

How much can a small fish eat to be full? A big fish in the stomach can make you burp!

Gu Gu Shaofang was stunned. Is this Xu Fan so good at debating?

Xu Fan is actually not good at debating; he was just so urgent to protect his father and his family from being dragged to the vegetable market to be beheaded. To survive.

If things get rowdy, the imperial court might appease others, but their old Xu family of over seventy people won't be able to run away; they will all end up at the vegetable market. Because Zhang Zhang Juzheng has clearly set up his horses and cannons, he is just taking their old Xu family as the chicken killed to warn the monkeys. His own father refuses to admit he is old, and even more refuses to admit that Zhang Zhang Juzheng is stronger than him, Xu Xu Jie, and insists on fighting. He doesn't see that the butcher has already sharpened his knife.

"Does that mean we just let it go?!" Gu Gu Shaofang became anxious and said urgently: "The imperial court wants us to return the land; is your family just going to return it?"

"Return it, my family has returned it." Xu Fan spread his hands and nodded: "The imperial court asked my family to return the land, and my family has returned it all. The imperial court even left my family ten thousand mu."

Only then did Gu Gu Shaofang remember that the old Xu family was the first to take the lead in returning the land. Although it was forced by the situation, this was indeed a fact.

"Of course, we can't just let it go." Xu Fan turned to look at everyone and said: "What do we have the most of in Suzhou and Songjiang Prefecture?"

"It's cotton fields, tenant farmers, displaced commoners, servants, and vagrants. What do these add up to? It's cotton cloth, raw silk, silk, and white silver!"

"Of course we can't just let it go! The imperial court wants us to return the land, so we ask the imperial court for ship permits! Go to sea and sell cotton cloth and silk to the four oceans! White silver piled up at home is money! A few mu of broken land, rolling in the yellow earth every day, can you beat out silver?!"

After Xu Fan finished speaking, he looked at everyone with some trepidation.

At the moment, the imperial court is a sharp spear, and they, the gentry, are the sturdy shield. The imperial court's spear is too sharp. Xu Fan judged that the gentry could not fight the imperial court at all, especially now. Zhang Zhang Juzheng seems to be fulfilling the power of a minister, but that is in the Zhao Wenhua Hall. Outside the Zhao Wenhua Hall, Zhang Zhang Juzheng is simply fulfilling the imperial power he has usurped!

And it is an imperial power supported by the Emperor!

The little Emperor added a sentence to the imperial edict—just that one sentence, "The imperial edict has arrived, the relevant departments shall execute it." Xu Fan saw it! He knew that the little Emperor had been completely bewitched by the magnificent blueprint for the revival of the Ming Dynasty depicted by Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

The spear wielder is Zhang Zhang Juzheng, and the spearhead is the three thousand elite soldiers led by Yu Yu Dayou. You must know that back then, General Qi led three thousand elite soldiers from the north to the south, from Zhejiang to the two Guangs, and killed the Japanese pirates clean.

Three thousand elite soldiers are more than enough to kill all the family servants and guards of these gentry!

And the gentry's shield is full of internal contradictions, cannot be of one mind, cannot cooperate, and still wants to fight Zhang Zhang Juzheng and the imperial court. If they really fight, wouldn't it be more straightforward to just slit their own throats?

When contradictions collide, doubts inevitably arise. Once doubts arise, they must be resolved, and a feasible solution must be put forward. Xu Fan gave a plan: once the idea of opening the sea is raised, the world will instantly become broad.

"The eldest son of Grand Tutor Xu is indeed a unicorn talent! Like father, like son." Shen Shen Changming heard Xu Fan's solution, then looked at Gu Gu Shaofang's solution, and it was truly a world of difference.

Shen Shen Changming looked at Gu Gu Shaofang and said: "Third Gu, you should read more books and prepare for the spring examination next spring. Pass the Ming Jinshi examination first. Look at the unicorn talent of Grand Tutor Xu's family; isn't that the logic?"

"Thank you, Uncle, for your instruction." Gu Gu Shaofang also took the stairs down. People's unicorn talent, the Grand Tutor Xu's son, has a broader vision, so naturally, his actions are more organized. It's not shameful that his method wasn't good.

Shen Shen Changming looked at everyone present and asked: "What do you gentlemen think?"

"Grand Tutor Xu is indeed good at teaching his son. He is worthy of being a Grand Secretary; he is indeed a unicorn talent!"

"Exactly, exactly. Grand Tutor Xu is indeed a master of poetry, books, rites, and music; it's just different. The method he proposed is indeed a good idea!"

"I think Grand Tutor Xu saw through the situation and knew that we were seeking our own death, so he specially came to the poetry gathering to save everyone's life! Everyone should thank Grand Tutor Xu for saving our lives!"

"Who says not? The imperial court is tough, holding a knife; the common people are strong, and if they aren't fed, they will gather together. We are caught in the middle, suffering. Grand Tutor Xu is truly both tough and hard!"

"From now on, we will definitely follow Grand Tutor Xu's lead!"

Xu Fan breathed a sigh of relief. His proposal had finally won the recognition of some people.

Fujian has Yuegang. With ship permits from the imperial court, doing business is legal, and the money earned is more than what they earn rolling in the dirt for a year. That white silver, in the past few years, even the Yangzhou "slender horses" have been rushing to Yuegang. The prostitutes in the Qinhuai River have become ugly and withered.

There are also people in Su-Song who go to sea and do business, but they don't have ship permits, so they are destined to be eaten by those who have them. Moreover, it's sneaky, and the scale is far from Yuegang.

In the past few years, the gentry in Fujian have transformed themselves, becoming wealthy and spending money like water. When a top prostitute is sold, they throw thousands of taels of silver at it without blinking.

These gentry in Su-Song mock the Southeast merchants as country bumpkins, but in their hearts, who doesn't envy them? That is white silver.

The imperial court received the land, and the gentry in Su-Song received ship permits. There were losses, but with new ways to make money, they are still the high-and-mighty meat-eaters. Their social status has slipped slightly, but they still control the means of production.

After discussing the serious business, the poetry gathering entered its main theme. Scholars gathered together, nothing more than prostitutes, wine, and poetry. Xu Fan was not very interested in these. He sat beside Xu Xu Jie, his hands shaking violently. He drank several cups of hot tea, but couldn't suppress his heart-pounding fear.

Just a little bit, just a little bit more, if he had come a little later, the old Xu family would have been finished.

"Young Master Xu is quick-witted and truly a talent. Let me toast you." A woman with a face full of powder came over to toast. The high-end goods among the Yangzhou "slender horses" are getting more and more expensive. In such a large poetry gathering, they are all prostitutes.

Xu Fan said quite peacefully: "You drink. The physician at the pharmacy won't let me drink, otherwise you won't see Young Master Xu next year. You just dance and play music."

"Father." Xu Fan poured a cup of tea for Xu Xu Jie and whispered: "Let's leave after this cup of tea. This is a place of right and wrong, not suitable for staying long. This is a critical moment; being seen here will cause trouble."

With so many gentry gathered together, and the public opinion about investigating the occupation, if this reaches Zhang Zhang Juzheng's ears, I'm afraid there will be another disaster.

"Then let's go." Xu Xu Jie watched for a long time. These prostitutes were all mediocre and vulgar, and he couldn't even see the shadow of a Yangzhou "slender horse." Where the money is, the Yangzhou "slender horses" are.

Yangzhou "slender horses" are women, specially trained, and can be considered high-end goods among the lowly status of prostitutes.

Xu Xu Jie excused himself for feeling unwell and said goodbye to everyone. Before he could even leave the door, he was stopped by a man. This person was burly and full of ferocity, with a Qi-style waist saber tucked in his waist. His identity was self-evident: he was a Southern soldier, and a scout.

"My Commander invites you. The two of you, follow me." The big man led Xu Xu Jie and Xu Fan to a private room on the second floor.

As soon as the door opened, Xu Fan gasped. He knew everyone sitting inside!

Sitting in the center was the Regional Commander of Songjiang and Left Regional Commander, Yu Yu Dayou; on the left was the Governor of Yingtian, Song Yangshan, and the Governor of Songjiang, Wang Daokun; on the right was the Eunuch in charge of Songjiang Garrison, Zhang Cheng; and the Eunuch in charge of military preparedness in the Southern Metropolitan Area, Zhang Jin.

The big man walked over and sat behind Yu Yu Dayou; it was the Deputy Regional Commander of Songjiang, Chen Lin!

These six people were in this Taibai Tower of the poetry society, and looking at this posture, they had long been clear about what was happening outside.

Yu Yu Dayou stood up with a full smile and said: "I just saw Grand Tutor Xu and wanted to say hello. Come, sit, sit, sit. Grand Tutor Xu is indeed good at teaching his son. This is indeed a good child, with great promise, great promise."

Yu Yu Dayou praised Xu Fan, praising him so much that Xu Xu Jie found it difficult to handle.

Yu Yu Dayou let Xu Xu Jie sit beside him and said with a smile: "Grand Tutor Xu is indeed loyal to the country. You have already retired, yet you are still running around for the country. I should have toasted you, but that Imperial Physician Chen Chen Shigong won't let me drink, so let's use tea instead of wine to toast Grand Tutor Xu. Grand Tutor Xu is righteous!"

Xu Xu Jie was truly like a mute eating coptis—he had bitterness but couldn't speak. He wasn't running around for the imperial court at all. He had originally planned to lead the gentry to stage a big show so that the imperial court's decrees couldn't be implemented. As a result, his own son had ruined everything. Every sentence praising Xu Fan was a slap in his face.

"What does Grand Tutor Xu think of what your noble son said?" Yu Yu Dayou asked casually after exchanging pleasantries about the sunny weather tonight.

Yu Yu Dayou knew Xu Xu Jie very well. He could see the intense unwillingness in Xu Xu Jie's eyes, but his son seemed determined to make Xu Xu Jie willing.

"Good, very good! I have a good son!" Xu Xu Jie exhaled a turbid breath and cooperated with Yu Yu Dayou's praise.

Zhang Jin, the Eunuch in charge of military preparedness in Nanjing, placed Xu Fan's seat between himself and Zhang Cheng.

"Since Young Master Xu is here, I am Zhang Jin, the foster son of the Old Ancestor. His Majesty thinks highly of me and sent me to the Southern Metropolitan Area. This is our first meeting. Since we are on the ground of the Southern Metropolitan Area, I have to rely on Young Master Xu for care. I have read few books, so I admire scholars whose minds are sharp. Young Master Xu's words today were extremely brilliant and enlightening. Young Master Xu is a great talent." Zhang Jin toasted Xu Fan with pleasantries.

"Eunuch Zhang, you are too flattering, too flattering." Xu Fan stood up and drank it all in one gulp. He didn't dare not to drink. This is the foster son of Eunuch Feng in the palace, the head of the eunuchs in Nanjing, much more powerful and difficult to deal with than Zhang Cheng.

"It is Young Master Xu who is flattering himself. Come, good things come in pairs." Zhang Jin was so polite because Xu Fan didn't belittle himself. As for those gentry outside, he wouldn't even look at them straight, even if they kowtowed to him, and he wouldn't even count Xu Xu Jie among them.

As a person from the palace, Zhang Jin was also meeting Xu Xu Jie for the first time. He didn't drink with Xu Xu Jie, but spoke to Xu Fan first.

People's faces are all fought for by themselves. They are all thousand-year-old foxes. Everyone knows clearly why Xu Xu Jie came to this poetry gathering.

"Young Master Xu, I observe Young Master Xu's conversation. Have you read *On Contradictions* written by His Majesty?" Zhang Jin signaled Xu Fan to sit down and talk. Looking at Xu Fan's remarks, the more he looked, the more familiar he felt. Looking at it, Xu Fan's path was not the path usually taken by the Confucian school; every sentence was inseparable from practical implementation, every sentence was inseparable from the spear and the shield.

Xu Fan said quite earnestly: "His Majesty is naturally wise. I keep his words and discussions in my heart and dare not have any negligence. Upon first obtaining this heavenly book, I couldn't put it down, thirsty and hungry. All kinds of doubts before were like 'the willow trees, the flowers, another village,' and I felt enlightened. His Majesty's wisdom is gradually opening, and our Ming Dynasty has its own spirit of harmony. I am a subject of the Ming Dynasty, a person of the Ming Dynasty, and my heart is filled with excitement, which words can hardly describe even one ten-thousandth."

"I congratulate the Ming Dynasty, I congratulate His Majesty!" After Xu Fan finished speaking, he picked up the wine and drank a cup himself.

Xu Fan has hereditary rank and official status—he is a Court of Imperial Entertainments Minister who doesn't handle affairs—so naturally, he can call himself a subject. He hasn't been stripped of his official status.

After Xu Fan finished speaking, he continued: "To put it more clearly, my Xu family is gentry. Only when the Ming Dynasty is good can my Xu family be better. In the days when the country was in decline and Japanese pirates were rampant, my Xu family was also restless, fearing that we would have no place to be buried. To put it more directly, when the Ming Dynasty has money, my Xu family will only be even wealthier."

This is what Xu Fan thinks. Only when the Ming Dynasty becomes better can his Xu family have more opportunities than ordinary people, not fewer. Only by being able to grasp opportunities can the Xu family be better. How could there be a good ending if they oppose the imperial court?

Even if the imperial court really withdrew the decree to return land because of the gathering of refugees, the imperial court would still have to kill their Xu family to vent their anger.

"Young Master Xu, a sensible person." Zhang Jin nodded in affirmation after hearing Xu Fan state his thoughts so directly: "Young Master Xu, I have just arrived in the Southern Metropolitan Area and have nothing good. Here is a copy of *On Contradictions*, which is a transcript of the lecture notes from the Zhao Wenhua Hall, containing every word and discussion between His Majesty and the Grand Secretary. It is more complete than those publications outside."

"I'll just give it to Young Master Xu."

Zhang Jin took out the collector's edition of *On Contradictions*. The content inside was even richer. It was a summary of the lectures from the Zhao Wenhua Hall, produced extremely exquisitely, with gilded hard covers, and the paper was Goryeo tribute paper, as white as jade. The woodblocks inside were also carefully carved, with absolutely no errors or omissions, and there was punctuation, so there would be no misreading.

The most important thing is the content inside, which is the summary of the lectures.

"Thank you, Eunuch!" Xu Fan opened the book box, looked at the scroll inside, and was quite excited. He actually still had some doubts, and this book was too precious.

Xu Fan took out the salt permits and handed them over, saying: "A little token of my heart, to express my feelings."

Zhang Jin pushed the salt permits back and said with a smile: "I said I was giving it to you, so I'm giving it to you. If you really have feelings, don't forget your pure and sincere heart. Look at those annoying faces outside. They live in confusion and die in confusion. 'You cannot talk about ice with summer insects, you cannot talk about the sea with frogs in a well, and you cannot talk about the Dao with shallow people.'"

"They are even more pitiful than those summer insects and frogs in a well, living in confusion until they die."

This passage quoted by Zhang Jin comes from *Zhuangzi: Autumn Floods*: "You cannot talk about the sea with frogs in a well because they are restricted by the place they live; you cannot talk about ice with summer insects because they are restricted by the season they live in; you cannot talk about the Dao with shallow people because they are restricted by the education they have received."

It means:

You cannot talk about the sea with frogs in a well because they are restricted by the place they live;

You cannot talk about ice with summer insects because they are restricted by the season they live in;

You cannot talk about the Dao with shallow people because they are restricted by the education they have received.

Feng Bao relied on his reading to kill all sides in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, stood firm, and scolded this and that all day long without being impeached, living a very comfortable life. As Feng Bao's foster son, how could Zhang Jin not read books? And he was also a book seller.

Zhang Jin also reads *On Contradictions*. Feng Bao is the Old Ancestor, the shield; the Qianqing Palace eunuch Zhang Hong is the Second Ancestor, the spear. The spear is stabbing the shield. Feng Bao wants to keep his status as the Old Ancestor, so he must show his irreplaceable value and make this shield sturdy.

In Zhang Jin's view, as long as his foster father doesn't make mistakes, Zhang Hong has no chance, because Feng Bao is the Old Ancestor!

Xu Xu Jie was the most unhappy at this wine party. Everyone was chatting with Xu Fan about the specific procedures for returning land in exchange for ship permits, leaving Xu Xu Jie to drink his sorrows away alone.

Song Yangshan, the Governor of Yingtian, wrote what he saw and heard today into a memorial, while Zhang Jin and Zhang Cheng wrote secret memorials from their respective perspectives and sent them back to the Directorate of Ceremonial in the capital.

Song Yangshan and Zhang Jin went to Songjiang Prefecture to borrow troops, worried that the land return matter would cause trouble, and wanted to communicate with Yu Yu Dayou in advance to get some support.

Yu Yu Dayou happened to receive a scout report that these gentry were gathered together, so he brought a bunch of people to watch the fun.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng looked at Song Yangshan's memorial in his hand, his fingers tapping on the table incessantly. He had laid out a massive net and made all the preparations, just waiting for Xu Xu Jie to jump in, but Xu Fan had saved the Xu family twice, which made Zhang Zhang Juzheng somewhat emotional.

He wanted to take the Xu family as the chicken killed to warn the monkeys, to deter the gentry of the Southern Metropolitan Area, and he had to return the land.

Xu Fan saved the Xu family using *On Contradictions* written by His Majesty. Although most of the endless logic of all things in it was summarized by him, Zhang Zhang Juzheng, this was a boomerang that hit him, Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

Using his, Zhang Zhang Juzheng's, endless logic of all things to deal with his, Zhang Zhang Juzheng's, massive net.

"Interesting, but it's all in vain." Zhang Zhang Juzheng evaluated Xu Fan's actions this way. He clearly knew that Xu Fan's actions were all in vain.

Thanks to book friend "Support Never Backs Down" for the 1500-point tip, thanks to book friend "First Mountain in the Southwest" for the 1000-point tip. Thanks for the recognition, thanks for the support!! Question: Why did Zhang Zhang Juzheng say that what Xu Fan did was useless? Seeking monthly tickets, Awoo!!!!!!!!!!