The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

Chapter 336 Zhuge’s clever plan to calm the world, he lost his wife and lost his troops

Chang Feng, like ordinary people, has an incurable disease. Once you hear a name that sounds familiar but you can't remember it, you can't help but think about it, even if it breaks your head.

After thinking for a moment, Chang Feng suddenly asked You Jingwu: "Then Liu Yangzheng's ancestral home is Changzhou, Nanzhili? He has been studying for generations. He should at least have the reputation of being a scholar."

You Jingwu was surprised: "Father, you are so amazing! How did you know?"

Chang Feng said: "Then he is right. This is a long time to say, twenty-four years."

"In the 22nd year of Chenghua, I was ordered to go to Qufu to serve as a priest for hundreds of households. At that time, there was a rumor among scholars that Duke Yan Shenggong raped his maid, which caused an evil dragon to break out in Duke Yan's house in the middle of the night."

"This Liu Yangzheng is one of the sources of the rumors. After I arrested him, Liu Daxia, who was the prefect of Tai'an at the time, admonished him and released him."

"This is the advantage of being on the job for a long time. I have interacted with everyone and everything. It seems that I have experienced all the excitement in the world."

You Jingwu asked for instructions: "Do you think this person should be arrested?"

Chang Feng said: "He is the envoy of the vassal king and the guest of the emperor. We can't catch him. Just keep an eye on him."

You Jingwu cupped his hands and said, "Yes, foster father."

At noon, Changfeng went home for dinner. He saw Chang Ponu holding a book, half lying on a recliner and reading in the sun.

Chang Feng asked: "Why didn't you go to the Yamen for errands?"

Chang Ponu said: "Dad, how could you forget? I am no longer the governor of Shuntian. Now I am the number one idle official in the capital - the minister of Taichang Temple."

Chang Feng said: "Idle officials are also officials, and they must fulfill their duties. Even if you drink tea, read books, recite poems, and write poems in the duty room of Taichang Temple all day long, you still have to stay there."

"The Minister of Taichang Temple is the head of the Xiaojiuqing, and is a third-rank official in the imperial court. But you can read the history books of the Hanlin Academy. At the age of twenty, he was a third-rank official. How many people were there in the Ming Dynasty?"

Chang Ponu said: "I understand. After lunch, I will go to Taichang Temple to listen to the musicians and practice great music."

Liu Xiaoyan came out: "Master, I have a letter from you."

When she was young, Liu Xiaoyan called Chang Feng her husband in front of outsiders during the day, and called Chang Feng "good brother" and "brother" on the bed at night.

Now that I am getting older, my title has become "Master".

Chang Feng asked: "Oh? Whose letter is it?"

Liu Xiaoyan replied: "A letter from Wang Shouren of Guizhou."

Chang Feng heard the letter from his close friend and said quickly: "Show it to me quickly!"

Liu Xiaoyan enshrined Wang Shouren's faith.

Chang Feng opened the envelope and began to read the letter.

The content of the letter roughly has three parts.

In the first part, Wang Shouren said lightly that since this year, various academies in Guizhou have invited him to give lectures.

According to Ming law, he cannot leave Longchangyi. However, officials at all levels in Guizhou have hinted: We will never stop the great Confucians of the time from giving lectures and promoting the way of saints in Guizhou.

So Wang Shouren left Longchang and started a half-year lecturing career. When he was at Guiyang Civilization Academy, he meditated late at night and had some enlightenment. I realized a truth called "unity of knowledge and action".

The great Confucians of the past dynasties are divided into two schools. One school says that it is easy to know but hard to do, and the other school says that it is easy to know and easy to do.

Wang Shouren proposed for the first time that there is action in knowledge and knowledge in action. The two are the same thing, they are mutually exclusive and inseparable. Knowledge is the idea of ​​action, action is the effort of knowing; knowledge is the beginning of action, action is the completion of knowledge.

This is the theory of "unity of knowledge and action".

The last piece of the jigsaw puzzle of the core ideas of Yangming's philosophy of mind, which leads to conscience and the unity of knowledge and action, is finally complete. Yangming's theory of mind, which profoundly influenced the history of Chinese thought, officially entered the stage of history.

Wang Shouren only used a few hundred words to inform Chang Feng of such a major event.

The second part of the letter is the focus. Wang Shouren wrote with great literary talent, describing the scene of returning from lectures and coinciding with the harvest of the newly reclaimed wasteland in Longchang. There are more than a thousand words in the letter, and Wang Shouren's joy can be seen between the lines. It seems that compared to the unity of knowledge and action, Wang Shouren is more excited about the fifty-pound winter melon in the winter melon field in Longchang.

Wang Shouren lamented: "If even the originally barren Dragon Field can be improved, how can the world's people not be improved?"

The third part of the letter is a casual mention. Some Confucian scholars from Nanchang went to Guiyang to listen to his lectures. The Confucian scholars in Nanchang told him that King Ning did not respect Confucianism and liked to associate with local ruffians and even gangsters who killed people and stole goods.

Those extremely vicious thugs came in and out of Prince Ning's Mansion openly and became the guests of the Prince's Mansion.

Chang Feng was not very surprised when he saw this. The noble clan likes to associate with ruffians, which is very common in the Ming Dynasty. For example, the two old uncles of the Zhang family are inextricably linked to the ruffians in the capital.

Chang Feng's Dongchang Eyes and Eyes Network was established by relying on the relationship between the old uncle of the Zhang family and using ruffians.

However, Chang Feng recalled that You Jingwu told him last night that King Ning's envoys were active in the capital and resumed guarding. He was a little wary.

Chang Feng returned to the study and wrote a reply to Wang Shouren. In the letter, he discussed his views on the unity of knowledge and action. At the same time, Wang Shouren was reminded not to interfere with the affairs of the feudal family. To avoid getting burned.

I was just halfway through writing the letter when someone suddenly handed me a name card asking for an audience.

Chang Feng took the name card from the servant's hand and took a look at it. He saw a big call on the name card: "Staff General of Prince Ning's Mansion, Liu Yangzheng."

Chang Feng cursed: "General Staff? There is no official position like this in the Ming Dynasty! Let him come in, I want to see what his purpose is."

Not long after, Liu Yangzheng was brought to Chang Feng by his servant.

Liu Yangzheng handed over his hand: "Student Liu Yangzheng has met Mr. Chang Shuai."

Chang Feng said: "I am only a thousand households in Dongchang now, and I am no longer the governor of Qianshi. I am not worthy of the word 'handsome man'."

Liu Yangzheng said: "Master Chang Shuai is powerful and famous all over the world. He is the greatest contributor to the Hongzhi and Zhengde dynasties! Even if you encounter setbacks, people all over the world still admire your reputation, like the endless stream of a surging river, and like the Yellow River. The flood is out of control. You deserve the title of Handsome Master."

Liu Yangzheng is a good hater.

Chang Feng waved his hand and interrupted Liu Yangzheng's flattery: "Okay, don't praise me. Brother Liu, we had a chance encounter twenty-four years ago."

Liu Yangzheng smiled awkwardly: "Uh, yes."

Chang Feng said sarcastically to him: "Back then you made a rumor in Qufu that Duke Yan Sheng slept with his maid Nian'er. Even how many times he slept in one night, what moves he used, and his expression when Nian'er overflowed, you made it up vividly. .”

"Now that I think about it, it would be a shame for you not to write a dirty book legend!"

In the Ming Dynasty, "novel" was called "legend". To put it bluntly, Legend of the Dirty Book is a color novel.

Liu Yangzheng was so embarrassed that he wanted to dig his feet into the courtyard: "Ah, the students were young and wild at that time, and they talked nonsense. Now I think about it, I am really ashamed!"

Chang Feng raised the name card in his hand: "Let me ask you, what is the official position of Staff General? What rank is it? I am Qianhu and you are a general. You are a senior official than me." Liu Yangzheng said quickly: "Staff General It’s not an official position in the imperial court. It’s just a random nickname given to the students by His Highness Prince Ning. It’s like His Highness Prince Ning raised a dog and jokingly called him the General who bit his trouser legs.”

"This is just a joke in the palace, and it is not against the rules. Don't worry about it, Mr. Chang Shuai. I am just a poor scholar who has tried repeatedly."

Chang Feng smiled and said: "You are too self-effacing. No one in the world dares to say that they are poor. But you can't. I heard that you brought hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and countless treasures to Beijing this time. Every day Make a fortune in Beijing."

Liu Yangzheng hurriedly explained: "Be it silver or treasures, they all belong to His Highness Prince Ning, not to the students. All the adults in the capital serve the Emperor with all their heart every day. His Highness Prince Ning admires him very much. This is why I gave him a gift to express my condolences."

After speaking, Liu Yangzheng took out a banknote from his sleeve, stepped forward and placed it on Chang Feng's desk.

Chang Feng picked up the banknote and found it was in denomination of 70,000 taels.

You know, he has lost power now. He is no longer the butcher Chang who was in charge of the Royal Guards back then. Liu Yangzheng just gave it away for 70,000 taels!

Chang Feng wanted to find out the purpose of Liu Yangzheng's visit to Beijing. He deliberately looked at the banknote again and again: "Ah! Seventy thousand taels! There is no reward for no merit."

"I have never done anything for His Highness Prince Ning. How can I accept such a heavy gift from him? I can't earn seventy thousand taels of silver even if I work for thousands of households in the East Factory for eight lifetimes!"

Liu Yangzheng saw Chang Feng's greedy eyes and smiled secretly in his heart: They say Chang Butcher is a selfless Bao Qingtian. It's really better to meet him than to be famous. Unexpectedly, he is also a mediocre person who loves money as much as his life.

That’s right, that’s right, wealth can influence the gods. Money can make you push ghosts. Not to mention a butcher?

Liu Yangzheng smiled and said: "This is just a meeting gift from His Highness Prince Ning to Mr. Chang Shuai. If Mr. Chang doesn't mind making friends with Prince Ning's Mansion in Tugala, Prince Ning's Mansion will come to you every year from now on to give you iced charcoal silver and four festival gifts."

Chang Fengxu and Wei Snake put the banknotes into his sleeves and said, "Ah! Your Highness Prince Ning has such good intentions, but I will be disrespectful! As the saying goes, eating people is short of mouth, taking people is short of hands, and sleeping people are soft wherever they go."

"Tell me, what business does His Highness Prince Ning have for me to do?"

Liu Yang's expression suddenly changed: "Ahem! Master Chang has misunderstood His Highness Prince Ning! His Highness Prince Ning just admires you. Let me send you money to express my admiration. I don't have anything to entrust you to do!"

Chang Feng asked: "Is there really nothing you can do for me?"

Liu Yangzheng resolutely said: "Really not."

Chang Feng was confused: "This is strange. To express my admiration, I gave him a generous gift of 70,000 taels?"

Liu Yangzheng changed the topic: "Ah, I say it's okay, but actually it's something. Everyone in the world doesn't know that Mr. Chang Shuai is the most popular person in front of the emperor. The emperor calls you 'uncle' in private."

"In the future, please also ask Mr. Chang Shuai to speak kindly to His Highness Prince Ning in front of the Emperor."

Chang Feng waved his hand: "Farewell, Liu Jin is the most popular person in front of the emperor. I am the most has-been person."

"But just to let me speak kindly in front of the emperor in the future, Prince Ning will give me a generous gift of 70,000 taels?"

Liu Yangzheng said: "That's natural. Since ancient times, swords have been weapons, and words are also weapons. Bad words can kill people, but good words can protect people. Mr. Chang's good words in front of the emperor are worth a thousand dollars!"

"It's only 70,000 taels, what does it mean?"

Chang Feng roughly guessed Liu Yangzheng's purpose of going to Beijing. Firstly, it was to take care of everything and restore King Ning's guard. Secondly, it was to weave a network of relationships for Prince Ning in Beijing.

Chang Feng nodded: "Yes, yes. There is absolutely no problem. I will definitely give Prince Ning a good word in front of the emperor in the future."

Liu Yangzheng handed over his hand: "Thank you very much, Mr. Chang Shuai. If you have anything to do in Ganland in the future, feel free to write to Prince Ning's Mansion. Prince Ning's Mansion will definitely help you."

Chang Feng agreed: "Then I won't be polite!"

Liu Yangzheng smiled and said: "Master Chang Shuai and Prince Ning's Mansion are the same family. Why should one family speak two different languages?"

The two chatted for a while, and Liu Yangzheng said goodbye and left.

After leaving the gate of Chang's Mansion, Liu Yangzheng turned his head and glanced at the plaque of Chang's Mansion, thinking: What kind of selfless butcher Chang is, he is nothing more than a greedy person. Since ancient times, money has attracted people's hearts. Is there any official in the world who is not greedy for money?

Liu Yangzheng underestimated Chang Feng.

As soon as he left, Chang Feng sent for Zhang Yong, the governor of the East Factory, and his general file management flag and accounting small flag.

Chang Feng took out the 70,000 taels of silver notes and said: "You all will bear witness for me today. Liu Yangzheng, a retainer of Prince Ning's Mansion, came to Beijing and bribed Chang Feng, the owner of a thousand households in Dongchang, with 70,000 taels of silver. The intention was to make Chang Feng stand in front of the emperor. Prince Ning has many kind words.”

"Now Chang Feng will hand over 70,000 taels of silver to Dongchang. Dongchang will record Prince Ning's bribery of Chang Feng on file. The witness is Zhang Yong, the governor of Dongchang!"

Zhang Yong said with a smile: "My Lord Chang, you are so shady! You took the money but didn't do anything about it. You just turned around and recorded the matter in Dongchang."

"Prince Ning is really stealing the chicken but losing the rice. I have heard about Prince Ning's retainer Liu Yangzheng. Recently he has been spending a lot of money to open roads in the capital to win over powerful officials."

"Hey, I also heard that Liu Yangzheng was nicknamed 'Zhuge Yangzheng' in Nanchang."

Chang Feng said with a smile: "Isn't that Zhuge's clever plan to calm the world, losing his wife and losing troops? It happened that Eunuch Liu ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to cut off 90% of the funds for our East Factory. These 70,000 taels of silver, even if King Ning gave us the East Factory The flowers in the factory are the same as the flowers.”

Zhang Yong suppressed his smile: "To show your courtesy for nothing is to be either a traitor or a thief. In my opinion, Dongchang should send more eyes and ears to Nanchang Mansion to keep an eye on Prince Ning."

Chang Feng nodded: "Yes. It just so happens that Dongchang is about to start setting up hidden pile stations in other provinces. The first hidden pile station will be located in Nanchang."

"Prince Ning is seeking to restore his bodyguards and weaving a network of connections in the capital. I also heard that there are many desperadoes gathered in Prince Ning's palace. It would be weird if he doesn't have some evil intentions in his heart!"

"It's just that the affairs of the vassal clan have always been sensitive. Without conclusive evidence, we cannot rashly participate in Prince Ning's performance in front of the emperor."

Zhang Yong sighed: "Oh. It would be great if all the vassal kings in the world were as law-abiding as King Xing of Huguang."

Chang Feng agreed: "Yes. Prince Xing is simply a role model for the vassal king."

In the next few days, Liu Yangzheng bribed Qian Ning, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and Jiang Bin, Emperor Zhengde's personal favorite and adopted son.

On this trip to Beijing, Liu Yangzheng spent 800,000 taels of silver in Beijing on behalf of Prince Ning, a large number of priceless treasures, and he did not spare any money.

As a result, Prince Ning also earned the nickname "Prince Sending Wealth" among the officials in the capital.

Chang Feng is right, there must be something evil in Prince Ning's heart.

The first generation Ning Wang Zhu Quan was severely beaten by Taizong. Resentment has been passed down for generations.

King Ning's greatest wish was to kill all the Taizong clan in the world and get back "half of the world" promised by Taizong for his ancestors.

Therefore, it is better for people to be honest. If you go back on your word, you will definitely be punished.

Taizong did not suffer retribution when he was alive, but he left a source of rebellion for his descendants.

This evil began to sprout in Nanchang more than 80 years after Taizong's death.

(End of this chapter)