Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 96 Wang Xijue, Unconcerned with Worldly Affairs

The northern part of Zhili is freezing cold.

A gentle spring rain fell in southern Zhili.

The pavilions and terraces in the backyard of the Wang family were all permeated with dampness.

Two middle-aged men, one dressed in a plain-colored robe and the other in a blue Taoist robe, were brewing tea around a stove when their conversation was astonishing.

"News from Beitongzhou says that Zhang Jiangling has not attended court for five days. Zhang Jiangling has been suffering from a hidden illness for a long time. You must have heard about it when you were in court, Brother Yuanyu, right?"

"I have already withdrawn from court affairs, why do you bother me again, Brother Yuanmei?"

Wang Xijue shook his head helplessly. He picked up his teacup, took a sip of the Dongting tea inside, a local specialty tea produced in Taihu Lake in Suzhou Prefecture, which was extremely rare to find in the capital.

For a moment, he couldn't help but recall how he used to think about Dongting tea day and night in the capital, and how he would often send someone back to bring him a few cakes.

Dongting tea was not well-known in the capital, but was praised in the Jiangnan region. However, Wang Xijue would treasure any few pieces of good tea cakes he obtained.

"Brother Yuanyu, it has been four years since you returned to your hometown. Don't you feel any attachment to the capital?"

Wang Shizhen felt a surge of resentment and downed the fragrant tea in one gulp.

Wang Xijue shook his head, inwardly lamenting the other party's crudeness and lack of appreciation for the elegance of tea.

With a "dang" sound.

Wang Shizhen slammed the teacup on the table, making Wang Xijue grimace, but then he heard the former say something.

"Brother Yuanyu, do you think this Jiangnan tea is a thousand times, ten thousand times better than the tea from the capital?"

Wang Xijue shook his head and said, "During the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Liutang said in 'Youxian Guchui', 'Everything in Chang'an is expensive, and it is not easy to live there.'"

I think this capital city is much the same as Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty. The price of rice is exorbitantly high, the winters are bitterly cold, and the summers are scorching hot. How can it compare to the water towns of Jiangnan?

"Brother Yuanyu seems quite content, but I feel like I have a sore on my buttocks."

Wang Shizhen poured himself another cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp.

"Since I was dismissed from office in the sixth year of the Wanli reign, I have not been able to have a moment of peace. Seeing that Zhang Jiangling has immense power and has made the Ming Dynasty a mess, even if I could appreciate Dongting tea every day and bathe in the tea soup, I would not be able to enjoy a single day of elegance!"
Dongting tea is excellent, but its true flavor can only be appreciated in the capital!

“Brother Yuanmei, your mind is in turmoil.” Wang Xijue leisurely poured him another cup of tea, clearly still unmoved.

"I am not like you, Wang Yuanyu, who can remain calm and composed when faced with such absurd things!"

Wang Shizhen was furious and slammed something onto the table.

"This is."

Wang Xijue looked down and immediately saw the title.

The Wanli Xinbao (Wanli New Daily).

He chuckled and said, "So it was something that Zhang Jiangling's son made. What did I think it was?"

Brother Yuanmei, do you really think I live a secluded life, oblivious to worldly affairs? This thing is a bit unorthodox, but it's harmless and won't cause any trouble.

What else is there? "The Cases of Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty"—this storybook is truly ingenious. I think Zhang Jiangling's youngest son would be quite suitable to become a storyteller.

Wang Shizhen, his teeth clenched, pointed to the contents with his finger: "Brother Yuanyu, please take a look at this!"

Wang Xijue was stunned for a moment, then looked in the direction the other party was pointing.

At a glance, the content appears to be a report about the recent plague in the capital.

But as he looked at it, his expression became a little strange, and he noticed the headline on the newspaper.

"Forever loyal to His Majesty the Great Emperor"

"His Majesty the Benevolent and Wise Emperor has issued the latest decree regarding the epidemic control efforts."

"Following His Majesty the Emperor's benevolence, our clinic has carried out the following work." Such remarks are truly hilarious.

Knowing what the other party wanted to say, Wang Xijue shook his head and smiled helplessly: "It's nothing. Don't the memorials submitted by court officials usually begin with 'Your Majesty'? Zhang Shiyuan will do anything to please His Majesty."

But he still said with some helplessness, "So Zhang Jiangling is just letting his young son run wild?"

"If Yuan Yu thinks it's nothing, then what about these?"

Immediately afterwards, Wang Shizhen told the other party everything that had happened in the capital, especially Zhang Yunxiu's actions.

From urging the emperor to read storybooks, to stealing all the garlic in the capital to develop a miraculous medicine, to tricking the emperor out of the palace, and finally to his daring raid on the Imperial Medical Academy, which completely destroyed the highest medical institution in the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Shizhen spoke through gritted teeth, and Wang Xijue was also sweating profusely. He had some contact with the outside world, but he hadn't made a point of learning about the news in the capital, so it was still difficult for him to know the details.

Upon hearing the description, a scene immediately popped into Wang Xijue's mind.

That was during the "seizure of affection" incident in the fifth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, when Wang Xijue went to Zhang Juzheng's door to "request" that he plead with the emperor on behalf of the officials and censors who had spoken out against the emperor.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Juzheng drew a knife, held it to his neck, and threatened him.

"Brother Yuanyu, if you think I, Zhang Juzheng, am a treacherous minister, then take this head! Take it! Go ahead and take it!"

That terrifying scene still often wakes Wang Xijue up in the middle of the night.

Hearing about Zhang Yunxiu's deeds now, Wang Xijue felt even more chills down his spine. He exhaled and said...

"I never imagined that Zhang Shiyuan would be even more insane than his old man?"

Wang Shizhen sighed and said, "Brother Yuanyu, are you unaware of the plague in the capital?"

"The plague has spread throughout Beizhili. I have seen that the imperial court has issued various decrees, which I suppose are no different from those before?"

Wang Xijue was naturally familiar with the politics of the court. He knew that the methods for dealing with plagues had always been the same, just different names for the same thing. What was so special about that?

After a few months, once the heat has died down, the plague will be considered over.

"Brother Yuanyu, you are unaware of something."

Wang Shizhen sighed, then sealed off the capital, mobilized the five city garrisons to impose martial law everywhere, and even used the capital garrison to relocate refugees.

"That Zhang Shiyuan caused a great disturbance in the capital, even demanding that all the doctors in the capital become his disciples and be taught some kind of medical skills. Never before in history has such a method of managing a plague been seen?"

"Zhang Jiangling didn't stop it at all?" Wang Xijue frowned deeply, seemingly not quite understanding.

In his eyes, although Zhang Juzheng was autocratic, he still had some sense and there was no reason to let such absurd things go unchecked.

"Not only did they not stop it," Wang Shizhen lamented, then recounted the events that had transpired in the court.

This time, Wang Xijue finally couldn't maintain his complacent demeanor.

"Utterly absurd!" he slammed his fist on the table and roared. "This boy has deceived the Emperor, causing chaos and disorder in the court. He will surely become a scourge to our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Wang Shizhen said with great sorrow, "Now that Zhang Jiangling is seriously ill, and Zhang Shiyuan has gained the Emperor's trust, I fear that the old story of Yan Song and his son during the Jiajing era will repeat itself!"

During the Jiajing era, although Yan Song was the Grand Secretary, he was old and Yan Shifan would advise him on all government policies.

Over time, Yan Shifan ended up handling all the affairs of the cabinet, hence the nickname "Little Grand Secretary".

This was exactly what Wang Shizhen was worried about. In the past, Zhang Juzheng held absolute power. Relying on the late emperor's entrustment of his son and the support of Empress Dowager Li and Feng Bao, almost no one in the court could stand against him.

Now, Zhang Juzheng is finally "terminally ill," but then Zhang Shiyuan emerges.

This Zhang Shiyuan is far more absurd than Zhang Juzheng. If he were to take control of the government, it would be unacceptable to people like Wang Shizhen!

But Wang Xijue still frowned and said.

"Is Zhang Jiangling's prolonged absence from court a mere pretense?"

(End of this chapter)