The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

Wang Shouren went to Yingtian to offer prisoners without asking for permission, which was in itself a violation of the law.

There is another serious problem here. The captive Wang Shouren presented to Emperor Zhengde was Prince Ning, a rebel prince who had been plotting rebellion for more than a decade.

Although the rebellion has been quelled, who knows if any of his remnants will hijack his prison van along the way?

Therefore, when Wang Shouren went to Yingtian, he had to bring at least a thousand garrison troops to protect him along the way.

Without the order to lead the Jiangxi Garrison Army to the capital Yingtian, Wang Shouren would not have enough heads to chop off even if he had ten.

But the reason why saints are called saints is that they have both theory and practice. The so-called practice, to put it bluntly, is to know how to do things.

Wang Shouren came up with a perfect idea.

Since the early years of the Zhengde reign, escort agencies have emerged in Jiangnan. The so-called escort agencies are similar to the courier companies + armed escort companies of later generations.

Merchants in Jiangnan would entrust their valuable goods to the escort agencies.

The Ming Dynasty banned armor, crossbows, and firearms, but not swords, guns, and bows and arrows. The escort agents of the escort agencies usually wore short clothes and were good at using swords, guns, and bows and arrows. Their combat power was not much worse than that of the garrison troops.

Hiring an escort agency requires money. As soon as the war ended, the official money of the Nangan Governor's Office was used to pay the soldiers and provide relief to refugees. Governor Wang obviously couldn't afford the escort bonus.

He summoned the four largest escort agencies in southern Jiangxi and began to make big promises: "Everyone, I plan to use your escort agencies to escort the rebel king to Yingtian. If this is done, it will be enough for you to brag about for the rest of your life! If you can escort the rebel king smoothly, ordinary goods will naturally be no problem. In the future, won't those wealthy businessmen be scrambling to ask you to transport goods?"

The shopkeepers of the escort agency were so stunned by Wang Shouren's trick that they not only gathered 800 strong men to help Wang Shouren escort Prince Ning for free, but also brought their own dry food for the journey.

On the day of departure, Wu Wendi saw Wang Shouren off in front of the Ganzhou city gate.

Wu Wending said: "There are more people in the court than ghosts. Lord Yangming's journey may be more dangerous than suppressing the rebellion."

Wang Shouren smiled calmly: "A man does not talk about strange things. I am upright and incorruptible. The most important thing is..."

At this point, Wang Shouren pointed to his head and continued, "This head is not afraid of ghosts."

Wu Wending asked: "Lord Yangming, how should we deal with eunuch Zhang Zhong? If he is charged with forging a false imperial edict, he will be beheaded."

Wang Shouren said, "Let him go. It is better to make a big deal out of a small matter or a small matter out of nothing."

Wu Wendi bowed and said, "It's all up to Lord Yangming. Lord Yangming, I'll be waiting for you in Ganzhou."

Wang Shouren returned the greeting and embarked on a dangerous journey.

It is said that the army that marched south had to stop and go along the way, and it was not until September that they left Shandong.

When Emperor Zhengde learned that Wang Shouren had gone to Yingtian to offer captives without permission, he summoned his trusted attendants to discuss the matter.

Emperor Zhengde said: "Wang Shouren, the second sage of Longchang, is really bold. He dared to take Prince Ning to Yingtian without my order."

Zhang Zhong was Jiang Bin's confidant. Wang Shouren detained Zhang Zhong, which made Jiang Bin hate him to the core. Hearing what Emperor Zhengde said, Jiang Bin hurriedly said: "Father, Wang Shouren does not follow the law and is rampant. I suggest that Wang Shouren be dismissed from all official positions because of the fact that he surrendered the prisoners without the emperor's order."

Chang Feng stroked his graying beard and said, "Why, Master Jiang wants to tell the world that the emperor only uses people who work for him, and that he will kill the donkey after it has been unloaded?"

Jiang Bin quickly said, "That's not what I meant."

Chang Feng murmured, "What do you mean?"

Emperor Zhengde thought for a moment and said, "Wang Shouren must pass through Hangzhou to go from Jiangxi to Yingtian. Jiang Bin, Zhang Yong, and Chang Feng. The three of you should go to Hangzhou immediately, hand over Zhu Chenhao, and take him to Yingtian. As for Wang Shouren, pass on my oral order to promote him to the governor of Jiangxi. Order him to return to Nanchang immediately."

Emperor Zhengde was judging others by his own standards. He thought that Wang Shouren's going to Yingtian to offer his captives was equivalent to telling the world that Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao was captured by him, Wang Shouren. The rebellion was also suppressed by him, Wang Shouren. It had nothing to do with me. In that case, I would have to acknowledge his great contribution in suppressing the rebellion. For such a great contribution, I would have to at least confer him the title of Earl or even Marquis.

I led my army far and wide, but in the end, I did not achieve any success. All the credit was taken away by a minister. Where is my dignity?
Therefore, Wang Shouren must be stopped from going to Yingtian to offer captives.

It was very different when my three trusted men handed over Zhu Chenhao in Hangzhou. The rebel king was escorted to Yingtian by my three trusted men, which shows that the credit for suppressing the rebellion lies with me.

As for Wang Shouren, I will not treat you unfairly. I will promote you from a minor governor to a major governor, and give you a step up in your official career.

In this way, you get promoted and I get a lot of credit.

Emperor Zhengde's behavior was simply like covering one's ears and stealing the bell.

As a maggot in the stomach of Emperor Zhengde, Jiang Bin immediately understood his leader's intention: "Your Majesty is wise! I will set off now! Your Majesty ordered me to go to Hangzhou to capture the rebel king Zhu Chenhao!"

Chang Feng glanced at Jiang Bin, and he keenly noticed the word Jiang Bin used: "capture" instead of "handover".

You are really good at taking credit for others' work.

Emperor Zhengde nodded slightly and said, "You should set off tonight."

The three of them left the big tent. Jiang Bin said with a smile, "Eunuch Zhang, Lord Chang. The emperor regards the three of us as his confidants, otherwise he would not have bestowed such a great achievement on the three of us out of thin air."

Chang Feng pretended to be confused: "What great achievement?"

Jiang Bin said: "Of course it is the great achievement of capturing the rebel king."

Zhang Yong was somewhat disdainful: "Merit must be gained through fighting on the battlefield. What kind of ability is it to steal other people's merits?"

Chang Feng put up his book bag and said, "I remembered a story in the Book of Rites."

Zhang Yong said, "Please speak, old Lord."

Chang Feng squinted his eyes and said, "During the Warring States Period, there was a disaster in Qi State, and thousands of miles of starving people were dying. In the capital of Qi State, there was a kind-hearted man named Qian Ao. Every day he would put food on the roadside and give it to the starving people."

"One day, Qian Ao saw a starving man who was staggering with hunger. He picked up a bread in his left hand and a bowl of soup in his right hand, and shouted to the starving man, 'Come and eat!'"

"The hungry man saw Qianao's contemptuous look and responded with disdain, 'I just don't want to eat food given out of pity, so I have come to this!'"

"This is the allusion to the saying that a gentleman does not eat food given out of pity."

Jiang Bin chuckled: "Old Lord Chang is implying that I am not a gentleman. If I am not a gentleman, then I am a villain. You are worthy of your title of Jinshi, and you can curse people without using any dirty words."

Chang Feng pretended to be old and confused: "How dare I say that Jiang Shuai, who is at the peak of his career and has the emperor's favor, is a villain."

Jiang Bin restrained his smile and said, "Lord Chang, let me be frank. Wang Shouren is an old friend of yours. This time Wang Shouren went to Yingtian to surrender the captives without an imperial decree. To put it bluntly, he was just showing off his merits and asking for a reward. Naturally, you have to help him."

Chang Feng said, "Wang Shouren went to Yingtian not to show off his achievements or ask for rewards. Do you believe it?"

Jiang Bin said: "If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. What other purpose could he have?"

Chang Feng smiled and said, "You and Wang Shouren are not of the same kind. Naturally, you can't guess what he's thinking. I guessed it."

Jiang Bin asked, "Old Marquis, don't keep us in suspense. What is the reason for him to do this?"

Chang Feng stopped talking and shouted, "Come on, prepare the horses, and go to Hangzhou!" (End of this chapter)