The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

Since Wang Shouren came to Yingtian, he lived with Chang Feng and three generations of his family.

On this day, Emperor Zhengde issued an order to summon Wang Shouren.

Chang Feng brought Wang Shouren into the palace early in the morning. Then Emperor Zhengde ordered Chang Feng to leave first. He and Wang Shouren had a private conversation.

Since Emperor Zhengde ascended the throne, the emperor and his subjects had never held a private conversation for more than half an hour. But this time it was unprecedented.

It was already noon when Zhang Yong walked out of the hall.

Chang Feng asked, "Eunuch Zhang, has Mr. Yangming finished talking to the Emperor?"

Zhang Yong smiled and said, "No. The emperor served the meal and said he wanted to talk with Mr. Yangming while eating."

Chang Feng asked: "Oh? What did you talk about?"

Zhang Yong shook his head slightly: "I don't know. The emperor ordered me to stand forty steps away. Lord Chang, please don't wait here. At this rate, I'm afraid we'll have to talk for another afternoon."

Chang Feng smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll wait a little longer."

Zhang Yong ordered one of his disciples, "Go and bring a chair to Lord Chang, and serve him some tea and snacks."

Chang Feng suddenly asked: "Oh, by the way, why didn't I see Jiang Bin today?"

Zhang Yong snorted coldly, "Humph. Yingtian is a prosperous place with lots of women and high-ranking officials. He will naturally be busy looking for flowers and asking for willows, enjoying skinny horses, playing with women, sleeping with boat girls and nuns. He will also meet local officials and take bribes. He has no time to stay in the palace."

Chang Feng nodded: "That's right. A mouse falls into a rice jar, so it will naturally eat heartily."

Until this moment, Chang Feng had never thought that Jiang Bin would have the intention of rebellion. He was worried that Emperor Zhengde was too oppressive on the civil officials. Some of the civil officials might take the risk.

Wang Shouren's imperial prelude lasted from noon to the afternoon.

Chang Feng sat at the entrance of the palace, feeling frightened from time to time. After a while, the dragon roar of Emperor Zhengde was heard from the palace: "You are deceiving the heaven! Wang Shouren, you deserve to die!"

After a while, the hearty laughter of Emperor Zhengde was heard again: "Hahaha, Mr. Yangming is truly a god!"

It was not until dusk that Zhang Yong came out again.

Chang Feng asked, "Is the Emperor serving food again?"

Zhang Yong replied: "Yes. The emperor wants to have dinner with Wang Shouren. They may continue the conversation."

Chang Feng laughed and said, "This afternoon, Wang Shouren offended the emperor at least five or six times."

Zhang Yong said, "Who says it's not true? Those damn civil servants all say that our emperor is narrow-minded. But my brother and I have served him since he was a child. You should know that he admires capable people the most. He is always generous to capable people."

Chang Feng said: "Yes. The emperor treated Yang Yiqing in the same way. He also treated Wang Shouren in the same way."

Zhang Yong said, "I will wait for the emperor to finish his meal. You and I can go to the imperial kitchen to have a drink. I think today's imperial prelude may last until midnight."

Just as Zhang Yong said, the competition lasted from early morning till midnight.

Finally, Wang Shouren walked out of the hall.

Chang Feng went up to him and asked Wang Shouren, "What did you talk about?"

Wang Shouren replied: "Military affairs and psychology."

At this moment, a eunuch's voice was heard from inside the palace: "Call Chang Feng."

Chang Feng was able to enter the hall.

Emperor Zhengde made a startling statement: "Uncle. After I return to Beijing, I will first transfer Wang Shouren to Beijing to serve as the Minister of War. Let Yang Yiqing be the chief minister. When Yang Yiqing is old, I will let Wang Shouren replace Yang Yiqing and become the chief minister of the cabinet."

Chang Feng said quickly: "Your Majesty has a keen eye for talent. Your Majesty is wise!"

Emperor Zhengde said: "Not only that. I will also help Wang Shouren to promote the School of Mind and replace Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. The School of Mind is the real bright learning and the great knowledge of doing things!" Chang Feng was stunned.

If Wang Shouren was allowed to be the Prime Minister, there would be only a few pounds of resistance. But if the School of Mind replaced the School of Principle, there would be a huge amount of resistance.

Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is the lifeblood of civil servants. To abolish Neo-Confucianism and promote Neo-Confucianism is probably no easier than to change the dynasty.

Emperor Zhengde added: "I don't know how many people in the court dislike Wang Shouren. Chang Feng, you are his old friend, you must protect him. This man is a sharp sword given to me by God."

Chang Feng cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Three generations of the Chang family are willing to risk their lives to protect Mr. Yangming."

Emperor Zhengde said, "Well. That's good."

Let's talk about Zhang Zhong, the eunuch who was bullied by Wang Shouren in Jiangxi, and he went to a dilapidated temple outside the city in the middle of the night.

There was a man wearing a bamboo hat and a black veil on his face in the dilapidated temple.

The man in black veil said, "We need to do it quickly. Jiang Bin is a brainless man. You need to use your eloquence to persuade him."

Zhang Zhong cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, sir. I have persuaded Jiang Bin to rebel. But if that man dies, I wonder if the people in Beijing will support us?"

The man in black veil said, "Although the capital has not expressed its position, sometimes, not expressing a position means tacit consent. The good thing about that man is that he has no offspring. Once he dies, who will replace him will not be decided by the people in the capital?"

Zhang Zhong said: "I am afraid that Chang Feng and the Empress Dowager Zhang behind him will ruin our business."

The man in black veil smiled and said, "Don't worry. We dare to take that man's life. What about Chang Feng? We will never let Chang Feng leave Jiangnan alive. When the dynasty changes, you, Eunuch Zhang, will be the new prime minister of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhang Zhong said: "I am afraid of failure."

The man in black veil said, "Don't worry. Even if the plan fails, it was Jiang Bin who plotted the rebellion. What does it have to do with us? Go find Jiang Bin immediately and persuade him to act quickly. That man is not leaving any chance for us and those in Beijing to survive. If he returns to Beijing safely and lets Yang Yiqing follow him, we will really have no chance to survive."

Zhang Zhong cupped his hands and said, "Okay, I'll go find Jiang Bin right away."

Midnight, in Jiang Bin’s temporary headquarters.

Zhang Zhong said, "Marshal Jiang, the emperor summoned Wang Shouren today and held a secret meeting for nine hours. I don't know how many bad things Wang Shouren said about you in front of the emperor. If you don't take action, I'm afraid the emperor will put the knife on your neck."

Jiang Bin frowned: "What? Nine hours of secret discussion?"

Zhang Zhong nodded: "After the secret meeting, the emperor also summoned Chang Feng. Chang Feng is the royal family's killer. The emperor summoned him, I'm afraid it will be bad for you."

Jiang Bin remained silent.

Zhang Zhong added: "Time waits for no one. If you want to accomplish great things, you must act decisively. The arrow is on the string and must be shot!"

Jiang Bin finally nodded: "Okay. It's not that I have any rebellious intentions. I'm just trying to protect myself and survive."

Zhang Zhong suggested: "The key now is to control the Nine Gates of Yingtian. The Nine Gates are now in the hands of Qiao Yu, the Minister of War in Nanjing."

Jiang Bin said: "That's easy. I can't even deal with a retired officer from the Ministry of War."

Zhang Zhong asked: "Have you contacted all your old subordinates?"

Jiang Bin nodded: "Don't worry about that. Who among those people doesn't want to be a duke or a marquis?"

Zhang Zhongyi waved his hand and said, "Hey! Everything is ready, except for the east wind! The east wind is the Nine Gates of Yingtian."

Jiang Bin said, "I have an important task for you. When the uprising begins, you will lead people to kill Zhang Yong, Chang Feng, and Wang Shouren."

Zhang Zhong cupped his hands: "I obey your command!"

The words "obey your order" were particularly useful to Jiang Bin. (End of this chapter)