I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Late May.

Apart from the two guards who remained at the academy, the rest of the Jingwu Academy members gradually left the capital.

As for where they went, what positions they held, and what names they changed to, only Xiao Wanli, the Duke of Yingguo, and Shen Nian knew.

At the same time, Jingwu Academy began its new round of recruitment.

The number of participants is limited to 500, and they will be selected from existing soldiers, choosing the best and strongest to reserve generals for the country.

After Zhao Shizhen's electric cannon was observed and approved by Xiao Wanli, it was successively sent to the border for border commanders such as Li Chengliang and Qi Jiguang to test and provide suggestions for improvement. Once the improvements were completed, the firearm could be mass-produced.

Emperor Wanli was very willing to spend money on the firearms battalion, and the entire court was also willing to invest in this area.

After all, firearms were the most powerful weapons against northern cavalry, determining just how strong the Ming Dynasty could stand.

……

On the third day of the sixth lunar month, the weather in the capital was getting hotter and hotter.

Just when the government was in good order, Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng fell ill!

Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial requesting sick leave, stating: "Since the beginning of summer, I have been physically weak and overworked, which has damaged my internal qi and blood. I have also been exposed to the scorching heat, which has caused heat to accumulate in my intestines and stomach, resulting in lower body heat syndrome... This illness cannot be cured by medicine. Only by calming my mind, relieving myself of my worries, and taking time to rest may I be able to recover."

The so-called "lower body heat syndrome" is hemorrhoids.

Upon learning of this, Emperor Wanli immediately dispatched four imperial physicians to Zhang's residence for examination and ordered eunuchs to deliver pork, mutton, vegetables, and wine. He believed that Zhang Juzheng's condition was not serious and even issued an imperial edict stating: "Take good care of him and he may also attend to cabinet affairs."

These words were actually just polite remarks, expressing the high regard for Zhang Juzheng.

However, Zhang Juzheng was too physically fit to go to the cabinet office at the time, and only after Yin Zhengmao explained the situation was he able to get sick leave.

After learning that Zhang Juzheng was ill, Shen Nian also made a special trip to visit him.

He knew in his heart that Zhang Juzheng's illness was ostensibly due to a fever in his lower body, but in reality it was caused by overwork and excessive use of "sexual medicine".

After Zhang Juzheng joined the cabinet, he was busy with government affairs and became interested in bedroom arts to relieve stress.

After a woman has drained his body, he has no choice but to use aphrodisiacs.

The aphrodisiacs in the bedroom not only made Zhang Juzheng more energetic, but also made him more addicted to women and unable to extricate himself.

Gradually, its vitality was greatly depleted, and it became difficult to recover.

Shen Nian learned from some rumors that Zhang Juzheng took sexual medicine for many years, and that his steward You Qi and the border general Qi Jiguang had sent him beautiful women many times. In addition, even Tan Lun, the former Minister of War, had taught Zhang Juzheng sexual techniques.

Zhang Juzheng was now physically weak, mainly because he had been chronically poisoned by the aphrodisiacs he regularly took.

At that time, nine out of ten officials in the capital had concubines, so Zhang Juzheng's actions could not be considered a violation of regulations.

Shen Nian was Zhang Juzheng's student and could not persuade him that "the medicine for sexual intercourse is poisonous and one should not indulge in excessive sexual activity." However, Shen Nian did ask Yin Zhengmao to remind Zhang Juzheng privately, but unfortunately, the effect was not significant.

After a long day of hard work in the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng would take aphrodisiacs and indulge in women, which had become his daily routine.

Shen Nian felt helpless.

Feeling powerless to change Zhang Juzheng's lifespan, Zhang Juzheng was already at his last gasp.

Even if Li Shizhen were to diagnose him at this moment, it would be too late to save him.

……

Three days later, Zhang Juzheng was still lying on his sickbed.

Emperor Wanli once again dispatched a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial to inquire about Zhang Juzheng's condition, bestowing upon him forty taels of silver, a box of sweets, and a box of dried pastries, and inquiring when Zhang Juzheng would be able to return to the cabinet.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Give me another five or six days, and once my health has gradually recovered, I can go to the capital."

In the past few days, the cabinet has been entirely managed by Yin Zhengmao and Shen Shixing.

Sixty-nine-year-old Yin Zhengmao has also become somewhat frail this year. Sometimes he falls asleep while sitting in a chair, and his memory has also deteriorated, but his temper remains as fierce as ever.

……

June 12th, early morning.

Having recovered slightly, Zhang Juzheng returned to his cabinet office and attended the daily lectures of the young Wanli Emperor the following day. Shen Nian noticed that Zhang Juzheng's face was pale and could clearly sense that the latter's body had weakened further, but he was currently at a loss for what to do.

……

June 17th, around 4 AM.

Shen Nian took the tabloid that Aji handed him and boarded the carriage heading to the Cabinet Office.

Currently, Shen Nian obtains information from two main sources: his steward Aji and Wang Jia, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat.

In summer, dawn breaks very early, and with the carriage windows open, Shen Nian began to read a tabloid inside the carriage.

Before long, Shen Nian came across a piece of news that he found very interesting.

The headline reads: "Mr. Chu Bin took a second wife yesterday, becoming the brother-in-law of Liu Xuancheng, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Works."

Mr. Chu Bin was not a famous scholar, but rather You Qi, the steward in Zhang Juzheng's household.

You Qi, who is in his early forties, is from the same hometown as Zhang Juzheng and has been following Zhang Juzheng for more than 20 years. He is Zhang Juzheng's confidant and it is said that he was the one who connected with Feng Baolian when Gao Gong was expelled.

Some officials said privately: He was good at watching the master's mood and anger, and then he seized power. All the gentry fought to treat him as an elder brother.

As the saying goes: "Even a seventh-rank official is in front of the prime minister's gate."

Because Zhang Juzheng trusted You Qi and entrusted him with many tasks, many officials would try to curry favor with You Qi and address him by his title: Mr. Chu Bin.

According to the tabloids, You Qi's second wife was not only the younger sister of Liu Xuan, the censor of the Ministry of Works, but also came from an official family.

Imagine.

The daughter of an official family, the sister-in-law of a high-ranking official, was forced to become a concubine of a household slave.

There is only one possibility: currying favor with Zhang Juzheng.

Shen Nian had met You Qi several times. The latter was tall and thin. When he saw You Qi, he first bowed and bent over, then smiled. He seemed very easygoing.

But in reality, when he faced other lower-ranking officials, he acted like a high-ranking official, often speaking on behalf of Zhang Juzheng.

Shen Nian knew that some of Zhang Juzheng's bedroom medicines were provided by You Qi, and that many of the female concubines were also arranged by You Qi. In addition, You Qi had done some shady things behind Zhang Juzheng's back.

Because Zhang Juzheng needed him and trusted him greatly, he was unaware of what the latter had done behind his back.

Shen Nian planned to investigate You Qi, find evidence of his violation of the law, and hand it over to Zhang Juzheng, forcing Zhang Juzheng to expel him from the Zhang residence. Then, she would subtly advise Zhang Juzheng to avoid women.

In this way, Zhang Juzheng's lifespan might have been extended.

Even if it cannot be extended, it can at least prevent people from attacking Zhang Juzheng with "You Qi's crimes" after his death. Shen Nian absolutely does not want to see Zhang Juzheng's reputation ruined after his death.

"Aji, come in!" Shen Nian called out.

Aji, who was sitting with the coachman at the front of the carriage, immediately climbed into the carriage.

"Investigate this person!" Shen Nian said, pointing to a line in the tabloid.

At present, Aji also has a group of Shen Nian's intelligence informants under his command, so that any information discovered by civilians can be reported in a timely manner.

As a cabinet minister, one must have many "eyes"; otherwise, being slow to react will inevitably lead to big problems.

When Aji saw the person in the tabloid, he was taken aback and lowered his voice, saying, "Young Master, this...this...investigating him...is the same as investigating...investigating Grand Secretary Zhang?"

Aji has always been completely obedient to Shen Nian.

But Zhang Juzheng was Shen Nian's teacher and the two had a very good relationship, so Aji was a little puzzled.

Shen Nian paused for a moment and said, "This person is not good; he is outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. If I find out about this, it will allow my teacher to eliminate this cancer around him as soon as possible. If others find out about this and it is brought up in court, the nature of this matter will become complicated!"

“Okay, I’ll send someone to investigate later!” Aji said.

"We must not let this slip out. We must not let Grand Secretary Zhang know, nor can we let the Embroidered Uniform Guards who are protecting us know," Shen Nian reminded him.

"Understood!" Aji nodded seriously. (End of Chapter)