The rise of the poor

"Eunuch Feng asked me to give his regards to Lord Zhu."

During the welcoming banquet for the angel, a young eunuch slipped a note to Zhu Ping'an when no one was looking.

Zhu Pingan nodded, discreetly slipping the note into his sleeve, and opened it while he went to the restroom to change.

"Young Master Zhu, please feel free to act. His Majesty's word is law; anyone who impeaches you will first be investigated by the Imperial Guard. Currently, no one dares to impeach you. Furthermore, the Governor-General is about to be appointed, and there are five candidates on the shortlist. Zhou Chong, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, is ranked first, followed by Zhao Wenhua. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Governor-General will likely be one of the two. Young Master Zhu is also on the shortlist, though he is last. However, if the Japanese pirate raids in Jiangnan cannot be quelled quickly, Young Master Zhu may have a chance in the future."

Feng Bao was very cautious; the handwriting on the note was not Feng Bao's, but the message must have been spread by him.

After reading the note, Zhu Pingan stroked his chin. No wonder he hadn't received any news of his impeachment recently. It turned out that Emperor Jiajing had declared that anyone who impeached him would be investigated by the Imperial Guard first. Heh, how many people in this world could withstand such an investigation? That's why no one dared to impeach him for the time being.

It seems that my recent military achievements and the auspicious gift of the white tortoise have had an effect on the Jiajing Emperor.

Well, in exchange, I received a Jiajing-branded amulet for a period of time.

This is a soft reward. Well, all things considered, Emperor Jiajing wasn't too stingy; it was barely acceptable.

Another point is the position of governor-general. Feng Bao mentioned a list of candidates for governor-general, with Zhou Chong at the top and most likely to succeed him, which is consistent with history.

In addition, I was surprised to find myself on the list of five candidates for governor.

Being on the shortlist means that you have been considered and compared, and if the governor changes in the future, people on the shortlist will be given priority.

Feng Bao subtly reminded the reader at the end of the note that if the Japanese pirates in Jiangnan could not be quelled quickly, there would be an opportunity in the future.

This statement implies that Emperor Jiajing and the court hoped to quickly quell the Japanese pirate raids in Jiangnan, and their expectations for the new governor-general were the same. If the new governor-general could not quickly quell the pirate raids and did not meet the expectations of Emperor Jiajing and the court, then replacing the governor-general of Jiangnan would become an inevitable event.

This is consistent with historical records.

After Zhang Jing, the governorship changed frequently until Hu Zongxian took the governorship, at which point things stabilized.

If the governor changes and you perform well, your chances of succeeding him will be much greater.

After the banquet ended and everyone dispersed, it was a bright and windy night. Zhu Ping'an returned to the temporary camp of the Zhejiang army outside the city and burned the note with an oil lamp.

The angel stayed for two days before returning to the capital. Zhao Wenhua then organized Zhu Pingan and a group of others to bid farewell to the angel.

Luo Longwen was missing from the send-off party. He was still injured and bedridden, eating, drinking, and relieving himself all in bed.

In the past few days, the Japanese pirates from Tuolin have launched attacks in all directions and have repeatedly succeeded, with intelligence reports being sent to Zhu Ping'an.

Zhu Pingan sensed that the day when the Tuolin Japanese pirates would attack Songjiang Prefecture was fast approaching.

That day, Zhu Ping'an received a message from Zhao Gou and Wang Tie: Xu Hai had selected six hundred Japanese pirates and ordered them to secretly infiltrate Songjiang Prefecture. The two men knew this because several of their subordinates had been selected. However, due to their low rank, they lacked access to deeper intelligence.

However, based on this information from the two men, it can be determined that the Japanese pirates from Tuolin are about to attack Songjiang Prefecture.

Six hundred Japanese pirates secretly infiltrated Songjiang Prefecture, their intention to breach the city from within and without was now obvious.

These messages, one after another, all pointed to Songjiang Prefecture City.

It will happen in the next few days.

Zhu Ping'an planned to travel to Songjiang Prefecture to meet up with Liu Dadao and three thousand Zhejiang soldiers who were hiding in Jinshan, Songjiang Prefecture. When the Japanese pirates attacked Songjiang Prefecture, they would attack from behind and catch them off guard.

Before setting off, Zhu Ping'an went to see Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian was now the governor of Suzhou and Songjiang. It was only right and proper to inform Hu Zongxian about the battle of Songjiang Prefecture. He could not bypass Hu Zongxian, the local governor.

Hu Zongxian was appointed Governor of Suzhou and Songjiang and was about to depart for Suzhou to take up his post.

Hu Zongxian is still in Jiaxing City. The reason he hasn't set off for Suzhou City yet is because of Zhao Wenhua.

Zhao Wenhua is also going to Suzhou. Because he received a lot of gifts in Jiaxing, he has a lot of wealth and the move will take time.

In addition, Zhu Pingan received news that Hu Zongxian was trying to win over the Shandong soldiers, and that they had reportedly already been brought under his command.

Hu Zongxian also tried to win over the Wolf Soldiers, but failed. The Wolf Soldiers had deep feelings for Zhang Jing and were extremely hostile towards Zhao Wenhua and Hu Zongxian, who had framed Zhang Jing. Hu Zongxian made many efforts, but could not change the Wolf Soldiers' hostility in a short time.

Zhu Pingan arrived at Hu Zongxian's residence early in the morning. At that moment, a long queue had already formed outside the gate of Hu Zongxian's residence.

The long queue included officials, gentry, and wealthy merchants, all of whom had come to pay their respects to the newly appointed Governor of Suzhou and Songjiang, Hu Zongxian.

Zhu Pingan sent a visiting card, and soon Hu Zongxian rushed over to greet Zhu Pingan and bring him inside.

From afar, Zhu Pingan could smell a strong odor of alcohol emanating from Hu Zongxian, indicating that Hu Zongxian had been drinking frequently these past few days.

"Lord Zhu, it is an honor to have you here. I apologize for not being able to greet you properly," Hu Zongxian said with a chuckle.

"Lord Hu, you flatter me. Ping An has come unannounced and has been presumptuous in disturbing you," Zhu Ping An replied with a smile, as he followed Hu Zongxian into Hu Zongxian's residence.

"Not at all, Lord Zhu, this way please." Hu Zongxian waved his hand repeatedly, leading Zhu Ping'an to his study.

It was obvious to the naked eye that Hu Zongxian's residence was much more lively than last time, and there were significantly more servants coming and going.

Upon arriving at Hu Zongxian's study, Hu Zongxian poured a cup of tea for both Zhu Pingan and himself, inviting Zhu Pingan to taste it.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhu Ping'an explained his purpose, stating that he had received intelligence that the Japanese pirates from Tuolin might attack Songjiang Prefecture.

"Is Lord Zhu's intelligence accurate?" Upon hearing this, Hu Zongxian immediately became alert and asked.

"My information is that Tuolin secretly sent hundreds of Japanese pirates in disguise to infiltrate Songjiang Prefecture. The fact that Tuolin sent hundreds of Japanese pirates to infiltrate Songjiang Prefecture without any reason clearly shows his intention to seize the city."

Zhu Pingan spoke slowly, concealing the source of the intelligence, and informed Hu Zongxian of the news that hundreds of Japanese pirates had infiltrated Songjiang Prefecture.

"It seems that the Japanese pirates from Tuolin do indeed intend to seize Songjiang Prefecture. Thank you for reminding me, Lord Zhu. I will write a letter immediately, ordering Songjiang Prefecture to strengthen its defenses and deploy nearby troops to the city for defense, so as not to give the Japanese pirates any opportunity to take advantage."

Hu Zongxian took it very seriously and repeatedly bowed to Zhu Ping'an in gratitude. He was now the Governor of Suzhou and Songjiang; if Songjiang Prefecture fell, he, as Governor of Suzhou and Songjiang, would be in serious trouble. (End of Chapter)