Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

"We plan to go back early tomorrow morning. The war is so intense.

"What, Your Majesty, have you figured it out?" Zhang Shikang asked with interest.

"Shh, Lord, please keep your voice down. If this news leaks out, it will be terrible." Wang Chengen said very cautiously.

"It's quite interesting. I'm looking forward to it." Zhang Shikang showed a strange smile on his face.

……

Woke up early on the 29th.

As soon as the eastern sky began to brighten, the Meridian Gate was already filled with officials who were coming to attend court.

Last night, Yang Sichang committed suicide in the Ministry of Justice prison out of fear of punishment. The news spread through the Ministry of Justice and spread throughout the capital.

An official with ulterior motives had already found out that Yang Sichang died suddenly after Guanjunbo visited him, and that he had drunk poison.

The Ministry of Justice would search the person's body when he was imprisoned. How could there be poison in the prison?

This must be Uncle Champion’s doing!

The officials who came to the court were also filled with indignation. Such blatant behavior showed a complete disregard for the laws of the Ming Dynasty.

They held the memorial impeaching Zhang Shikang in their arms, waiting to impeach Guanjunbo at the morning court session.

"This Guan Junbo really doesn't know his place, does he really think he can do whatever he wants as long as the emperor is protecting him?

This morning, we will let him know the price."

"We are united in purpose and must make every effort this time. If we can take this opportunity to convince His Majesty to cancel that ridiculous imperial edict, it will be a pleasant surprise."

Everyone was cheering each other quietly, but the Minister of Personnel Zheng Sanjun was frowning. It was already this late, and it should be time for the morning court session.

But I haven't seen anyone from the Honglu Temple come to report it. Could it be that Your Majesty got up late today?

That's unlikely. Your Majesty has always been diligent and attends the morning court regardless of rain or shine.

He scoffed in his heart at the discussions among his colleagues. With the emperor's current level of trust in that kid, there was no possibility of bringing him down based on just that few charges.

But he would never destroy the prestige of his own people. No matter what, he would at least suppress the boy's arrogance.

Originally, he wanted to make use of Yang Sichang's parade to make something of himself, but now he has no chance. However, Yang Sichang is dead after all.

The enemy of the Donglin group of people in the future has changed from Yang Sichang to Zhang Shikang today.

Compared with the former, Zhang Shikang was more arrogant and domineering, but Zheng Sanjun felt that everything was an illusion.

Compared with Yang Sichang, who was known for his strategy, what kind of waves could a dandy nobleman who had little knowledge make?

"Look, use the seal." Prime Minister Liu Yuliang pointed in the direction of the palace gate.

I saw a group of eunuchs walking towards the palace gate. They were not officials from the Honglu Temple, but Fang Zhenghua, the general manager of the Imperial Stables.

"The emperor is in poor health and will not attend court today. Please return to your duty rooms to do your work," Fang Zhenghua said to the ministers.

He stood straight and spoke in a deep voice, none of the shrill voices of eunuchs in movies and TV dramas. Since he had always been in charge of the military, his words were full of momentum, so some officials who wanted to ask questions did not dare to say too much.

"Manager Fang, I saw His Majesty walking briskly yesterday, how come he suddenly fell ill? I wonder what's wrong with His Majesty?" Zheng Sanjun walked forward and asked.

Fang Zhenghua glanced at Zheng Sanjun, then cupped his hands, a trace of worry on his face:

"This morning, His Majesty suddenly felt a splitting headache. Alas, this is actually His Majesty's old illness. Before, His Majesty was afraid that you would worry after knowing it, so he kept it a secret.

I didn’t expect it to suddenly get worse today.”

Zheng Sanjun was stunned when he heard this. He had never heard of this matter before.

"What does the imperial physician say?" Liu Yuliang asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Headache is not so easy to diagnose and treat. Doctor Zhang didn't diagnose the cause, he just prescribed a prescription." Fang Zhenghua replied.

Zheng Sanjun and Liu Yuliang looked at each other. Headaches are indeed difficult to treat, and many times the cause cannot be found.

At this point, they had no choice but to give up. This was extremely unacceptable to the officials who were waiting to impeach Zhang Shikang, and many of them even complained on the spot.

Fang Zhenghua was not going to tolerate this either. Once the general manager showed his power, those officials immediately stopped their movements.

Shaoqing, the officials outside the Meridian Gate gradually dispersed. Fang Zhenghua looked at the empty palace gate with a worried look on his face.

"Oh, I hope everything goes well."

At almost the same time, a carriage drove out from the side door in the southwest corner of the Forbidden City.

This carriage is very plain, without a trace of royal nobility, and is usually used to deliver things to the palace.

The carriage stopped in a remote corner, and two people got on stealthily. One was wearing a lavender gown, and the other was dressed as a servant.

The carriage went out from the side door, creaking as it moved forward. After leaving the palace gate, it crossed Chang'an Street and headed towards the Duke of England's mansion.

……

After more than half an hour, it was already bright.

Outside the Duke of England's mansion, three hundred imperial guards from the Imperial Camp were already ready to go. Zhang Shikang was burping, with bags of varying sizes hanging all over his body.

"Dad, Mom, you guys should all go back. It's not far. What's there to send?"

When Zhang Shikang walked out of the house, his personal guards had already taken over the bag from him, which contained spare clothes and food prepared for him by Sun and Xing.

"My son, take good care of yourself when you are outside. If you can't beat the enemy, don't forget to run away!" Sun said with red eyes.

Zhang Shikang fought a brilliant battle in Jiazhuang, but a mother always worries when her son is away from home. Although the journey was not a thousand miles, Sun was still very worried.

After all, the enemy is the Tartars. It is no exaggeration to say that every citizen in the capital city shudders at the mention of the Tartars.

"Okay, how can I tell my son this? My son will definitely be victorious this time. Dad will wait for you to have a drink at home." Duke Yingguo Zhang Zhiji complained to his wife for talking nonsense and turned to Zhang Shikang.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll bring some Tartar wine for you to drink with me when the time comes." Zhang Shikang jumped on his horse and grinned.

His words showed his confidence in this battle. He turned his head to look at the carriage at the end of the team, and his confidence became even stronger.

"Son, why is there another carriage? I didn't see it just now." Sun said, looking at the end of the team.

"Oh, I brought some pork. I need to eat on the road." Zhang Shikang said nonsense.

"Son, go away. It's cold outside. You guys go back."

After saying that, Zhang Shikang waved his hand, and three hundred guards immediately rushed towards Anding Gate.

During the process, Zhang Shikang glanced at the carriage from time to time, but always ignored it.

After leaving Anding Gate and walking a few miles, dozens of strong men on horseback suddenly jumped out from a forest.

Everyone thought they were encountering bandits, and the captain of the personal guard, Hong Xiucheng, immediately shouted:

"Protect the Lord! Who is so blind as to dare to assassinate me in the capital?"

Hong Xiucheng knew that his uncle had offended many people in the capital, and that his enemies were coming to assassinate him.

His expression was solemn, and his eyes were fixed on the group of gangsters rushing towards him.

Hong Xiucheng came from a family of martial artists, and he could tell at a glance that the people there were not ordinary, perhaps all of them were martial artists, so he couldn't help but frown.

His hand subconsciously reached into his waist, and when he took it out, he already held three shining throwing knives in his hand.

"Xiucheng, don't do anything reckless. We are one people."

……