Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 105 Zhang Sicheng, are you satisfied with this arrangement?
hiss.
It hurts.

Early the next morning, a gust of cold wind blew into the room through the window, and Zhang Yunxiu sat up from the bed, staggering.

The pain from the hangover, coupled with his low mood, made him look a little haggard.

After lying on the bed in a daze for about ten minutes, Zhang Yunxiu finally came to his senses.

I looked up and glanced out the window. The heavy snow had stopped. The dazzling sunlight sprinkled on the snow-white roof, forming patches of staggered golden spots.

Zhang Yunxiu took a deep breath, rubbed his face, and slowly moved out of bed.

After a while, Zhang Fu outside brought a basin of hot water for Zhang Yunxiu to wash.

After wiping his cheek with a towel, Zhang Yunxiu tilted his head and asked Zhang Fu, "How did we get back yesterday?"

"You don't remember anything?" Zhang Fu asked carefully.

"Remember what?"

"Nothing. I helped you back to your room yesterday."

strangeness.

This guy must be hiding something from me.

Zhang Yunxiu glanced at Zhang Fu suspiciously, recalling what happened yesterday in his mind.

Yesterday, he knew that Zhao Yong was in danger, so he took his fourth brother to have a few more drinks.

Then they came back staggeringly in the carriage.

Then and then there was no more.

"Forget it, if I can't think of it, then forget it. Let's eat first." After thinking hard for a long time, Zhang Yunxiu still couldn't remember what happened last night, so he shook his head, threw the towel into the copper basin, and walked out of the bedroom.

After a few steps, he arrived at the dining hall, where Zhang Juzheng was sitting alone, drinking the stomach-nourishing millet porridge.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu coming in, Zhang Juzheng stood up first without waiting for him to greet him, and sneered, "Oh, isn't this Zhang Sicheng? What orders and instructions do you have for us today?"

"Cough cough."

Zhang Yunxiu's eyes went dark and he almost stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Father, what are you talking about?"

"How can I be worthy of being your father? You are so arrogant, and you even said you would drive all your concubines away." Zhang Juzheng was still not relenting, puffing his beard and glaring, "Tsk tsk, how about you take charge of this family?"

After Zhang Juzheng's "hint", the memory of Zhang Yunxiu's death began to attack himself.

Getting drunk is not scary, the scariest thing is having someone help you recall your memories.

He glanced at Zhang Juzheng, who was looking gloomy and angry, and thought that since he had already done it, he might as well do it to the end. So he slammed the table and shouted, "I said it, so what? You didn't hesitate to kill people just to please the Empress Dowager Li, and I can't say anything about it, right?!"

"I'm going to beat you to death, you rebellious son."

Zhang Juzheng stamped his feet, pointed at Zhang Yunxiu and cursed.

Zhang Yunxiu took a step back and was about to step out of the door when he suddenly felt a huge force grabbing him.

He turned around and saw that it was his fourth brother.

Zhang Jianxiu smiled at him, then bowed to Zhang Juzheng, knelt down and said, "Father, please give me three months. If I still can't figure out the case within three months, then it will be Zhao Yong's life."

"After all, if the case is closed hastily and something goes wrong afterwards, wouldn't it ruin your reputation and that of the Queen Mother?"

"Yes, father, three months. If I can't figure this out in three months, then I will never interfere in whether Zhao Yong is dead or alive." Glancing at his fourth brother with gratitude, Zhang Yunxiu also knelt on the ground and echoed.

Zhang Juzheng closed his eyes tightly, a hint of relief showing on his face.

"Okay, three months is three months, so that others won't accuse us of taking human lives lightly." Zhang Juzheng said coldly, then suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Zhang Yunxiu and asked, "How about it, Zhang Sicheng, are you satisfied with our decision?"

Zhang Jianxiu widened his eyes and looked at his fifth brother in disbelief.

You have such a high status now?

"Satisfied. Satisfied." Being put here, Zhang Yunxiu could only shrink his neck and smile awkwardly.

The two brothers bid farewell to their father and walked out of the dining room. At this time, snowflakes began to fall from the sky again. Zhang Jianxiu stretched out his palm, caught the falling snowflakes, and let the coolness spread in his hands.

"Come on, take a walk with me." Glancing at his brother, Zhang Jianxiu grinned.

Zhang Yunxiu nodded, then walked in the snow with his brother.

The bone-chilling cold wind hit their faces, and their cheeks turned red from the cold. Zhang Yunxiu became much more sober and couldn't help asking, "Why did you change your temper?"

"What? You are allowed to be passionate as a teenager, but I am not allowed to be passionate as well?" Zhang Jianxiu asked jokingly.

He was able to make this decision after a fierce ideological struggle.

He still remembered that before resigning from office, the old Taishan King Zhigao warned him to have more of the passion of youth and less of the maturity of old age.

He also cited the example of Yang Jisheng, a minister of remonstration during the Jiajing period.

This man was a Jinshi in the 26th year of Jiajing, and was from the same class as his father.

In the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign, he was imprisoned for impeaching Yan Song and was sent to the Ministry of Justice for torture. Wang Zhigao, who was only the head of the Ministry of Justice at that time, felt sorry for him and sent him snake gall to relieve his pain.

Yang Jisheng immediately refused sternly: "I, Jisheng, have courage, why should I be so timid!"

After listening to this, Zhang Jianxiu felt a surge of heat rushing to the top of his head.

The snow in the air became heavier and heavier, and soon, the shoulders of the two men were covered with snow.

Zhang Jianxiu patted the snow on his shoulders and reminded him, "But don't be too happy too soon. We only have three months."

"The most important thing now is to find a witness. If we can't find a witness, Zhao Yong will not be able to escape."

"Well, I have sent Han San to look for him. Even if we have to dig three feet deep into the ground, we must find that person." Zhang Yunxiu said in a calm voice.

"That's one thing. On the other hand, you have to send someone to test the Queen Mother's attitude first. Otherwise, if we make a mistake, the Queen Mother will be embarrassed and you and I will be in big trouble." Zhang Jianxiu reminded him again. Zhang Yunxiu nodded and replied, "Don't worry, I will go to the palace tomorrow to meet the Emperor."

"The Emperor can't."

"Then who can do it?"

"Feng Bao."

Zhang Jianxiu uttered two words, Feng Bao had been in the inner palace for fifty years and was in charge of the East Factory. To Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao was not an ordinary servant, but her "literary advisor".

If Feng Bao is willing to help, it will definitely be twice as effective with half the effort.

"Okay, then I'll go to Feng Bao's mansion and find out what this eunuch has to say." Zhang Yunxiu also felt that what his fourth brother said made sense, so he nodded and agreed.

The two talked for a while, and then went their separate ways.

That evening, a carriage slowly stopped at the gate of Feng Bao's house. When the curtain was opened, Zhang Yunxiu bent down and leaned out.

Stepping on the cold snow, he walked quickly towards the gate.

The guard recognized Zhang Yunxiu and let him in without stopping him.

When he walked into the backyard, Feng Bao was leaning on the armchair in the main hall, glancing sideways at Xu Jue who was standing with his hands hanging down.

Xu Jue noticed his master's gaze, stepped forward and said respectfully, "Master, Master Zhang will be here soon."

"He's here, so do we still have to go out to greet him?" Feng Bao said arrogantly.

"I dare not. I dare not. That is not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?"

When asked this question, Xu Jue didn't dare to respond. He tilted his head and looked at the tip of his shoes.

"Alright, alright, I'm too lazy to argue with you." Feng Bao waved his hand, sat up straight, and asked in a low voice, "You keep an eye on that woman. No one else is allowed to know except us."

"I understand. I understand." Xu Jue nodded repeatedly.

"Okay, go outside and see where Zhang Yunxiu is." Feng Bao waved his hands. Xu Jue received the order and took two steps forward respectfully, then he saw Zhang Yunxiu standing at the door.

"Butler Xu."

"Oh, Master Zhang, you are finally here."

The two exchanged greetings, and Xu Jue, with a smile on his face, led Zhang Yunxiu into the hall.

At this time, Feng Bao also sat up straight. He nodded and smiled at Zhang Yunxiu, motioning him to sit on his left.

"Mr. Zhang, where have you gone to make money recently?" Feng Bao asked jokingly.

"What kind of fortune do you want to make? I've been so worried lately that a lot of my hair has turned white." Zhang Yunxiu didn't respond, but went straight to the point, "I hope you can help a friend of mine."

Although Feng Bao knew what Zhang Yunxiu was doing, he was still surprised and asked, "What is it? Could it be that even Mr. Zhang can't solve it? Tell me, is there anyone with such great ability in the Ming Dynasty?"

"It's true." Zhang Yunxiu smiled.

"Who?"

"Empress Dowager Li."

"Ah, your friend offended Empress Dowager Li?" Feng Bao pretended to be surprised and said tremblingly, "Since he offended Empress Dowager Li, you came to me. I am just a servant and can't help much."

"Eunuch Feng is too modest. You are the most popular person around Empress Dowager Li, and her literary advisor." Zhang Yunxiu smiled sideways and took the opportunity to flatter Feng Bao.

"What is this 'literary advisor'? That's all just rumors spread by outsiders. It doesn't count, it doesn't count." Feng Bao appeared modest on the surface, but was very proud in his heart.

Although the young emperor is wary of him now, he still has a say with Empress Dowager Li.

After a moment of silence, Feng Bao frowned and asked, "Is Mr. Zhang's friend called Zhao Yong?"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded.

"That's troublesome." Feng Bao sighed, stood up from the chair, and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands clasped behind his back. Then he said, "The abbot of Zhaoning Temple, Master Yiru, has always been friendly with Empress Dowager Li."

"The monk who was beaten is now dead, did you know that?"

"know."

"That's the problem. If you kill someone, you must pay with your life. If you owe someone a debt, you must pay it back. Empress Dowager Li doesn't tolerate any sand in her eyes."

"But there was a reason why he beat people, and his death was not necessarily caused by Zhao Yong." Zhang Yunxiu stood up and chased to Feng Bao. He originally wanted to say, "Feng Bangning was only dismissed from office because he provoked and beat people."

But when he thought of the relationship between Feng Bao and Feng Bangning, he swallowed it back.

It's really funny.

Feng Bangning was a bastard. He beat up an official appointed by the imperial court, but a lot of people wanted to protect him.

Zhao Yong punishes evil and promotes good, but ends up with a bunch of people wanting to kill him.

"Master Zhang, we have to advise you too. Sometimes, things are over and done with." Seeing Zhang Yunxiu in a daze, Feng Bao's fair face trembled and he said in a shrill voice, "It's like shit that has already crusted over. It's actually not smelly anymore, but you insist on picking it with a stick. In the end, you're the only one who's going to stink."

"That's not necessarily true. If we go somewhere else, who knows who might get offended." Zhang Yunxiu met Feng Bao's gaze and said confidently.

Feng Bao's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness when he heard this. He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha, well, well, since Master Zhang is so sure, then I won't persuade him any more. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"Go and find out what Queen Mother Li has to say."

"Okay, we'll help you with this."

Feng Bao agreed generously.

"Don't worry, Eunuch Feng. No matter whether the person can be saved or not, we will never forget this favor."

(End of this chapter)