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

"Hmph!" Zhang Zhiji saw his children muttering and ignoring him, sending a signal of dissatisfaction.

Zhang Shikang quickly put on a smiling face and said flatteringly:

"Dad, I haven't seen you for a long time. You look a lot younger now, hehe."

Zhang Zhiji could tell his son was talking nonsense, so he replied nonchalantly:

"How's the injury on your left arm?"

Zhang Shikang was a little surprised by this. He looked around and luckily his mother was not around, otherwise he would have to go through so much trouble again.

"It's already scabbed over, it's not a problem. How did Dad know that?"

The clothes at that time were loose, and Zhang Shikang tried to conceal it well, but he didn't expect that his family would find out.

"Shikang, why are you so careless? His Majesty has let you take charge of military and political affairs. I don't know how many people are jealous. You should bring guards with you wherever you go in the future." Zhang Shize advised.

"That's right, I'm not the same brother I used to be. You never know when a street vendor might suddenly pull out a knife and chop you.

But you don't have to worry, brother. As long as my master is here, he will definitely protect me. My master is really amazing!" Zhang Jingyi interrupted.

"Go and have fun. All you talk about is your master. As a lady from a wealthy family, you have no manners at all. How can you be so dignified as to wield swords and guns every day?"

Zhang Zhiji scolded Zhang Jingyi.

Zhang Jingyi pouted, but did not dare to disobey. When she reached the door, she turned her head and said:

"Third brother is not a good person either, but he is still valued by His Majesty." After saying this, he fled from the living room.

"Dad, brother, I heard that many people have given gifts to our family these days?" Zhang Shikang asked.

Zhang Shize took over the conversation and said:

"That's right. Except for Duke Cheng's mansion and the emperor's father-in-law, all other nobles and relatives have come. The most outrageous one is Marquis Taining. He comes every other day to send something, but he is always rejected by my father."

"Why don't you accept something that's delivered to your door?" Zhang Shikang said nonchalantly.

Zhang Shize became anxious when he heard this.

"How can I accept this? They give gifts just to get a job in the army, don't they?

Now that you are in charge of the military and political power, you must not lose sight of the big picture because of small things."

"That's right. With such a bunch of insects, it would be strange if our Ming army could be good."

Zhang Shize felt much better after hearing this, but Zhang Shikang's next words made him lose his guard again.

“But brother, what does this have to do with receiving gifts?

If they dare to give it to us, we should accept it.”

"Can...can I do an errand?"

"An errand? What errand?"

"But they give gifts for errands."

"But we accept gifts just to accept gifts!"

The two brothers started arguing, and Zhang Shize, a serious businessman, almost had his brain shut down.

"My father intends to resign from His Majesty."

The British Duke Zhang Zhiji interrupted the conversation between the two brothers with a word.

"What? Dad, you've just turned fifty, and you're going to retire now?" Zhang Shikang was a little surprised.

"Retire? That's an interesting word, but that's about it.

Now my son is second only to the emperor and above all others. If I still linger on court affairs, I will make those officials wary of me, which will not be a good thing for you or the Duke's Mansion."

Zhang Zhiji had been thinking about this matter for a long time. For more than two hundred years, the imperial court had never had a situation where foreign officials held military and political power.

As the Duke of England, he is already in a very high position in the government, and he also holds the position of governor of the Governor's Office. Now he has a son who is also in a very high position in the government. What do other people think?

"What are you talking about, Dad? You do your thing and I do mine, and you don't want to interfere. I don't agree!" Zhang Shikang said dissatisfiedly.

He wants to retire just after he turned fifty. In the future, when he quarrels with those old bastards in the court, he won't even have a helper.

He was impressed by his father's quarreling skills, as he had never lost.

"You don't have the final say. I will ask His Majesty to resign from the court tomorrow or tomorrow."

"Dad, stop making trouble."

"Alas, you have such a high position. I really don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse for my Zhang family."

"That's why I need my father's help in the court."

"This is not the same thing!"

"How is this not the same thing, Dad?"

"Those inspectors will definitely make a fuss about this. I have made up my mind as a father."

"Dad, it's useless even if you decide. His Majesty won't listen to you."

The two argued for a while, and finally ended with Zhang Zhiji's defeat.

The family had lunch together, and in the afternoon, Zhang Shikang finally let himself go and enjoyed some leisure time.

Eat, sleep, and walk.

Eat, sleep, and walk.

The days of lying down are always pleasant. It was not until the next morning that Zhang Shikang walked out of the gate of the Duke of England's mansion for the first time.

He was invited to the dinner. The brothers finally had a day off, and Liu Jiawei, who had been serving as the prince's tutor in the palace, also came.

Chen's Restaurant had closed down because all the chefs ran away, but the shop was eventually taken over by his brother, who still had the same team, and the business became even more booming.

Everyone finally reunited in the best private room of the restaurant, and couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotion.

When Zheng Chong and others talked about the cruelty of the battlefield, Liu Jiawei was envious, especially since most of them held official positions and had even been awarded titles.

In the past, Wang Jingduo and other pretentious people would have to show off in front of Liu Jiawei.

But after going through all that, they did not show any complacency. A general's success will lead to the death of thousands of soldiers. Before they could succeed, nearly half of their subordinates had died in the battle.

This is not something to be happy about. One day, misfortune may befall them.

On the contrary, people were a little envious of Liu Jiawei, thinking that there was nothing scary about reading books by sages, at least one would not die suddenly.

"Speaking of Jiawei, what kind of person is our Crown Prince?" Xu Wenyuan chatted.

Liu Jiawei has always adhered to his father's teachings and does not like to talk about other people's gossip in casual conversation, especially when talking about the current crown prince.

But this was only for outsiders. When the eldest brother of the Second Sons Group asked him, he confessed very honestly.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a very gentle person. He is courteous to His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Queen, and kind and amiable to his servants.

Even to me, he is always polite. To be honest with you brothers, I have never seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince get angry in the past six months."

Thinking back to the past six months of his interactions with the Prince, Liu Kar-wai was full of praise.

"It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be a wise ruler in the future!" Song Liangzu took over the conversation.

"That makes sense. My little brother Jiawei is luckier than us. He doesn't have to charge into battle, but he can still serve the emperor.

Who knows, in the future, I may need the care of my younger brother Jiawei." Xu Wenyuan said jokingly.

"My brothers, you are joking. Your Majesty is in his prime, and with your great support, my elder brother is making great strides. Your contributions in the future will surely surpass those of me."

Although Liu Jiawei is the youngest, he has the most literary talent and knowledge, and he always speaks in a low-key manner.

But Zhang Shikang frowned.

"Jiawei, the prince never gets angry?"

"Yes, brother, the prince has a very good temper and is never angry with anyone." Liu Jiawei replied.

Zhang Shikang frowned even more.

"How can you be a king without temper?

A soft persimmon must be squeezed and flattened by the court officials, right?

Isn’t this nonsense? "

……