The rise of the poor

In order to get to Jiaxing as quickly as possible and race against time, Zhu Ping'an passed by his home without going in. When he arrived in Shaoxing, he did not go into the city to visit Li Shu and the children. Instead, he gathered the Zhejiang soldiers who had been waiting for him outside the city, replenished the gunpowder, rotated some of the Zhejiang soldiers, and gathered a total of 6,000 Zhejiang soldiers before heading directly to Jiaxing.

When Li Shu excitedly led the two little ones to the outskirts of the city by carriage, she only saw Zhu Ping'an's departing figure on horseback.

A pair of bright, sparkling eyes instantly dimmed.

"Hmph, if you make me unhappy, I'll beat your kid."

Li Shu lowered the curtains, turned to look at the two chubby little ones in the carriage, and rolled up her sleeves.
"Miss, don't pinch the young master's chubby face, don't pinch the young master's bottom, don't pull the young master's little bird, ah, young master, you're still laughing!" Hua'er's hurried voice was drowned out by the sound of horses' hooves.

With the moon and stars sparse and the night more than halfway through, Zhu Ping'an led the Zhejiang army on a journey through the night and arrived in Jiaxing City.

Zhu Pingan ordered the Zhejiang army to set up camp outside the city, while he led Liu Dadao and others into the city to see Zhang Jing. With the governor's token, entering the city was not a problem, and they arrived at the governor's mansion smoothly.

"I'm sorry, Lord Zhu. The Governor-General has been working for two days and two nights without sleep in order to command the Battle of Wangjiangjing. Now that the Battle of Wangjiangjing has been won, the Governor-General has finally managed to fall asleep. Please let the Governor-General get some rest. The Governor-General has instructed me to wake him up at 3:00 AM tomorrow. You can come to pay your respects at 3:00 AM tomorrow."

The steward of the governor's office looked troubled as he spoke to Zhu Ping'an.

To command the Battle of Wangjiangjing, Zhang Jing both planned and personally directed the battle on the front lines, working for two whole days and nights without closing his eyes. After the great victory at Wangjiangjing, Zhang Jing finally got a rare rest and slept fully clothed.

Before going to bed, he instructed the steward to wake him up at 3:00 AM the next day.

“The matter of causing trouble is of great importance, and I have no choice but to disturb the Governor’s rest. Please inform him immediately,” Zhu Ping’an insisted.

The manager hesitated.

"This concerns the Governor's life." Zhu Ping'an looked at him intently.

"Wang San, you take Lord Zhu to the guest room to wait, I'll go inside to inform him." The steward saw that Zhu Ping'an looked serious and wasn't joking, so he told Wang San to take Zhu Ping'an to the guest room to wait, while he went to the backyard to inform him.

Liu Dadao and his men were arranged to rest in the guards' quarters, while Zhu Pingan went with Wang San to wait in a slightly better guest room.

Although it was late at night, the Governor's Mansion was brightly lit and decorated, and the servants and maids on night duty all looked cheerful.

The great victory at Wangjiangjing was a cause for celebration. The mistress of the mansion gave all the servants a reward, though it wasn't much. But the joy brought a sense of relief, and the oppressive atmosphere in the governor's mansion vanished, replaced by a relaxed and pleasant mood.

Zhu Pingan waited in the guest room for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the steward rushed over, bowing apologetically.

"Lord Zhu, the Governor is fast asleep. His mistress has asked you to come again tomorrow morning. Please go back and rest. Alternatively, I can arrange a guest room for you so you can pay your respects tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Pingan shook his head and insisted, "The matter of causing trouble is of great importance. Please inform them again, saying that it concerns the Governor's life and fortune. If we miss the deadline, it will be too late to regret it."

"Well, I'll pass on the message one more time." Seeing Zhu Ping'an's insistence, the steward had no choice but to bite the bullet and pass it on again.

Zhu Pingan waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the steward rushed over, saying, "The Governor invites you to the study."

"Thank you very much, steward," Zhu Pingan said.

"Lord Zhu, you flatter me. It's all just my duty." The steward led Zhu Ping'an to Zhang Jing's study.

Inside the study, Zhang Jing, dressed in a bathrobe, was wiping his face with a damp towel to refresh himself.

"Zihou, you've come so late at night, saying it concerns my life and fortune. What is it?" Zhang Jing asked, putting down the towel.

"Does Your Excellency know that Zhao Wenhua has already impeached you?" Zhu Pingan asked.

"Hehe, of course I know. I already knew the contents of Zhao Wenhua's memorial before it even reached the capital."

Zhang Jing said without any concealment.

He had long ago ordered strict surveillance of Zhao Wenhua and his associates, and their every move was under his control. He already knew the contents of Zhao Wenhua's memorial; if he wanted, it wouldn't even have reached the capital. However, Zhang Jing was confident in his ability to defeat the Japanese. A victory against the Japanese would be the best response to Zhao Wenhua's impeachment, and Zhang Jing disdained to resort to such illegal means.

"I wonder if Your Excellency has submitted a memorial to His Majesty to report on your duties?" Zhu Ping'an asked with concern.

Zhang Jing shook his head slightly. Seeing that Zhu Ping'an's expression had changed, he couldn't help but wave his hand with a smile. "Hehe, Zihou, there's no need to worry. The great victory at Wangjiangjing is the best response to Zhao Wenhua's memorial."

"Governor, you only went into battle after Zhao Wenhua impeached you. Won't that be interpreted as you only going into battle because you were impeached?! That it just happens to be a consequence of Zhao Wenhua's impeachment?!" Zhu Ping'an cupped his hands and looked at Zhang Jing, posing a fatal question.

"Hahaha, Zihou is worrying too much. Who would think that?! He's ignoring the facts." Zhang Jing shook his head and laughed heartily.

He had assumed Zhu Pingan was in a great hurry to see him because of something, but he never expected it to be this.
Who would think that?!

Emperor Jiajing!
That's what the Jiajing Emperor thought!
Zhu Pingan looked helplessly at Zhang Jing, who seemed unconvinced, and sighed, “Governor, Zhao Wenhua is Yan Song’s adopted son. If Zhao Wenhua impeaches you, Yan Song and his cronies will surely join forces to speak on your behalf. You must know that public opinion can be deceiving, and rumors can spread like wildfire. What if the Emperor is misled by them?”

"Hehe, Zihou, His Majesty is not a foolish ruler, you are overthinking it! Rest in the guest room of the mansion for the night, and tomorrow morning we will march straight to Qingpu with our army! At that time, the five armies will surround and annihilate the Japanese pirates from Tuolin and Xuhai in one fell swoop!"

Zhang Jing chuckled and patted Zhu Ping'an on the shoulder, not taking Zhu Ping'an's warning to heart.

Zhu Pingan insisted, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect, "General."

"Alright, Zihou, I'm exhausted. Let's rest for two hours, then rise at dawn and march straight to Qingpu. With five armies joining forces, we'll annihilate the Japanese pirates of Xuhai in one fell swoop! No matter how many tricks they have up their sleeves, they'll be speechless in the face of the bloody truth!"

"I heard you're trying to recruit Wang Zhi. The Japanese pirates are cunning and untrustworthy. For now, just play along with them. Once you've dealt with Xu Hai, you can then settle things with Wang Zhi!"

Zhang Jing waved his hand dismissively and said, then picked up his teacup, his intention to see the guest out was all too clear.

"This..." Zhu Pingan looked helpless.

"Lord Zhu's guest room is ready. Please go and rest." The steward came to see the guest off at the opportune moment.

Zhang Jing served tea without saying a word.

Zhu Pingan could only sigh and follow the steward to rest. (End of Chapter)