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

"what?"

A bunch of question marks suddenly appeared in Hong Xiucheng's head.

"But you are the crown prince of my Ming Dynasty!"

"Yes..." Zhu Cilang showed sadness on his little face.

As the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, he was not allowed to go to the New World, let alone leave the imperial city. This time he came out secretly without telling the court officials.

Even when his father personally led the army to fight the war two years ago, he was able to do so quietly, without any drum beating, and he basically went and returned quickly.

But to go to that land, you not only have to leave the capital, but even leave the entire old continent.

The mountains are high, the roads are long, and the pits are deep. It will be impossible to come back in a year or two. Even if you use your toes, you can tell that the court will not agree.

Zhu Cilang even felt that even his father would not agree.

But this is a matter for the future after all. Zhu Cilang couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and turned the topic to his master.

"Master did this because he probably doesn't want to be the Grand Marshal anymore.

But if the imperial court loses its master, can it really achieve revival? "

Zhu Cilang seemed to be talking to Hong Xiucheng, but it seemed more like he was asking himself.

He has changed a lot in recent years. At first, the old ministers in the court instilled Confucian classics into him. Later, he found that none of those old ministers were doing what was said in the Confucian classics. They were all corrupt, accepted bribes, and seized wealth by trickery.

After his master came out to save the country, he followed his master. His father once said that if he could learn three things from his master, he would be able to become a qualified emperor.

Over the past year or so, the master didn't actually teach him anything, nor did he make him study the scriptures every day like those hypocrites.

At first, Zhu Cilang was very confused and felt that he would not learn anything if he continued like this.

But later he finally understood that his father asked him to follow his master so that he could learn his master's way of dealing with people and things, or in other words, his way of thinking and way of thinking.

My father said that although Confucianism is wonderful, it puts everyone in a cage, including the emperor.

This cage is so strong and it is so difficult to break it. It is difficult for those who are inside to discover the existence of this cage, and even if they do, it is difficult to break it.

But Master is different. His thinking is always unexpected. He can always jump out and break through all obstacles from another angle.

In the Manufacturing Bureau, his master asked him to observe Grandpa Song planting new crops, Grandpa Wang smelting steel, and Grandpa Bi improving muskets and cannons.

In the barracks, his master asked him to observe the soldiers' appearance, morale, and equipment, the conflicts between soldiers, the friction between soldiers and generals, and the impact of the new military regulations on the barracks.

Outside the military camp, his master asked him to go to the fields and listen to the voices of the grassroots people, including their feedback on the new policies and new contradictions that urgently needed to be resolved among the people.

All of the above require one thing: talk less and watch more.

Over the past year or so, Zhu Cilang thought he had learned a lot.

But it was also because of this that Zhu Cilang discovered that he had too much to learn.

People are always like this. Those who sit in a well and look at the sky think they know everything, but after seeing more things, they feel ignorant.

Master once said that compared to ignorance, what is more terrifying than ignorance is arrogance.

What hindered the progress of the Ming Dynasty was not stupidity and ignorance, but more likely arrogance.

His father once told him that he had spent more than ten years in his life proving his failure, but his rigid mindset made change so difficult that he had no confidence.

He said that as long as his master was there, the court would be safe and he didn't want to struggle anymore.

But he didn't want to be like this, as it would make the Zhu family seem irresponsible.

Of course, my father also gave his own answer. If he, the crown prince, was not capable of maintaining the situation of the Ming Dynasty.

Then there is the final solution - at all costs, let the master serve the court for life.

Master is still young and can protect the Ming Dynasty for at least another fifty years.

Zhu Cilang certainly doesn't want to be so incompetent that he needs to restrain his master for the rest of his life.

But he also didn't realize that his master...he actually wanted to give up so quickly!!!

"No! This is absolutely not possible! I must find a way."

Zhu Cilang suddenly became worried and didn't say a word on the whole way back.

When he arrived at his residence, he didn't even have time to eat before he started thinking.

So Zhang Shikang, the Duke of Zhenguo and the Grand Marshal of the Army, who was just a few dozen steps away, began to worry.

"Sir, everyone in Yongping Prefecture is praising your kindness, saying that you are their adopted parent!"

A captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard reported to Zhang Shikang in a flattering manner, but Zhang Shikang just waved his hand to let his men retreat, and then he showed a mysterious smile.

"Hehe, all that's missing is a wave of the hand and a yellow robe!

Brother, brother, I don’t believe you can just ignore this.”

Although he was playing with fire, Zhang Shikang was not worried at all. There were many people in this world who wanted him dead, but there was only one person who could actually kill him.

But he knew his brother. Not to mention that he was just bluffing, even if he was serious, his brother probably wouldn't be willing to kill him. At most, he would just put him under house arrest.

After all, he was the one who founded the Imperial Guards and promoted a series of reforms. The nobles in the court were also tied to him and the Zhang family, and the involvement was too great.

But Zhang Shikang was too lazy to rebel, so this was not within his consideration. He just wanted to take the opportunity to provoke his brother in the capital and try to activate his brother's suspicious nature.

Then, taking advantage of his brother's suspicion and anger, he resigned from the position of Grand Marshal of the Army to give an explanation to everyone.

He felt that this plan was perfect and that he was a genius at conspiracy!

Of course, resigning from the position of Grand Marshal of the Army does not mean handing over all military power. He will have to hold on to the navy for at least another two years, and then let it go after it has grown and is on the right track.

However, the imperial court didn't attach much importance to the navy, and naval battles rarely occurred, so...

As long as he resigns as the Grand Marshal, he will be free from then on. The sea is wide enough for fish to leap and the sky is high enough for birds to fly. Hahaha!

"Husband, what are you laughing at?"

Seeing her husband sitting there with a silly smile, Ma Lingqi asked curiously. Zhang Shikang then realized that he had lost his composure and immediately replied:

"Oh, I remember something happy."

The flood in Yongping Prefecture came and went quickly. With the emergency rescue of tens of thousands of troops and Zhang Shikang's call for various prefectures to organize disaster relief with the Marshal's Order, the disaster in Yongping Prefecture was greatly alleviated in less than ten days.

On July 22, the 14th year of Chongzhen, at Zhang Shikang's command, tens of thousands of guards rushed to the capital and set off again.

Along the way, the people of Yongping Prefecture lined the streets to see them off, and many of them took the only remaining rice in their homes to give to the Guards' saviors.

The Guards had never been as proud as they were on that day. They did not accept the kindness of the people. They stood straight and held their chests high.

The people knelt down spontaneously, shouting "Long Live the Marshal!" Zhang Shikang bowed and accepted everything with a smile, as if everything was what he deserved. However, he was only muttering in his heart that he hoped everything would go well.

Sun Weifan and Liu Wenbing looked at each other, and the former muttered something, hoping that everything would go well.

Zhu Cilang looked at the last departing messenger and murmured, "I hope everything goes well."

Sun Dasheng patted Xu Wenyuan on the shoulder. The two of them glanced at their elder brother secretly, both showing guilty expressions.

hope everything is fine.

……