Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 18 Cut off your own arm? Forced!

"Weizhen, I'm so sorry, I'm really too tired." Shen Shixing said apologetically.

Since the chief minister had apologized like this, Xu Guo naturally did not dare to blame anything, not to mention that Xu Guo also knew that Shen Shixing was pretending not to hear.

"Rumo, it's getting late. You should go back and rest when you are so tired." Xu Guo comforted him first, and then asked tentatively: "Then these two memorials will be sent together to the emperor tomorrow? "

Shen Shixing smiled: "Weizhen, this Ming Dynasty belongs to the emperor. According to the ancestral rules, all memorials must be shown to the emperor. You have been an official in the court for decades, why do you still ask me such questions? It seems that you I’m tired too, so go back and rest quickly, we have to go to court tomorrow morning.”

With Shen Shixing's answer, Xu Guo knew what was going on. He smiled and said, "Okay, in that case, let the emperor take a look."

While lamenting that Shen Shixing was "ruthless", Xu Guo recalled what Li Zhi and Jiang Dongzhi said.

Sure enough, Shen Shixing chose to cut off Pan Jixun's arm.

And 'they' only replaced Pan Jixun, the Minister of Punishment, with Dong Ji, the small head of the Ministry of Punishment.

Not only is this wave not a loss, Shen Shixing's future journey in the court will also be even more difficult!
  Xu Guo is not unhappy. As long as Shen Shixing is forced to leave, Xu Guo will become the next chief minister of the Ming Dynasty cabinet!
  ……

Xu Guo simply finished cleaning up and went home first, but Shen Shixing was still sitting in his seat in a daze.

He knew that there would be a big disturbance in the court tomorrow morning, and he even knew that Pan Jixun, who was willing to stand up for him, was about to fall.

Shen Shixing was reluctant to let Pan Jixun go. After all, Pan Jixun was one of the few people who were willing to stand by his side to support and defend him.

He could obviously have stopped Pan Jixun's memorial and then went to privately persuade Pan Jixun to avoid the turmoil.

But there is no such thing as Shen Shixing.

"Weiliang, I have no choice..."

Shen Shixing felt sad. He knew that he was sorry for Pan Jixun, and he knew that he was breaking his own arm. He knew everything, but he could only choose this way.

……

After personally drafting the plan to continue searching the Zhang family, Shen Shixing got up and returned home.

It was already very late. The moment he walked out of the Wenhua Palace, Shen Shixing suddenly remembered that there were still four words written by the emperor himself hidden in his sleeve.

Maybe the night wind blew up the past, and Shen Shixing couldn't help but think back to the four big characters that the emperor wrote to him last time.

That was twelve years ago. At that time, the emperor Zhu Yijun was still a ten-year-old child. Although the little emperor was still young, he was already able to write neat and powerful large Chinese characters with a pen.

At that time, Shen Shixing received four big words: blame Chen Shan.

The little Emperor Wanli at that time hoped that his Mr. Shen could promptly advise him of his mistakes and give him good suggestions.

The meaning of the four words "blame Chen Shan" is so profound. When Shen Shixing received these four words, he was filled with the honor of being favored by God.

In the blink of an eye, twelve years have passed, and what he received was no longer 'blaming Chen Shan', but 'the lesson is not far away'...

Raising his head and looking at the square sky above the Forbidden City, Shen Shixing's eyes became a little dazed. The night wind ruffled a few strands of white hair on his temples, and also shook his unshakable heart.

He didn't know whether the "Wanli Rule" that he dreamed of realizing would be successful; he didn't even know if he could prove to that person that he was right.

Looking at the dark night sky without moon or stars, Shen Shixing closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, his eyes were no longer blank, but regained their previous firmness.

"Uncle, I will prove to you that I am right!"

……

Cining Palace.

As usual, Queen Mother Li knelt down in front of the Guanyin statue and recited scriptures in a low voice. The beads in her hands were twirling back and forth regularly, just like her daily life.

She was the most noble woman in the Ming Dynasty. Even if the years passed by, she was particularly fond of her appearance, so that she was not old and was still beautiful. Twelve years have passed since the death of the late emperor. She has lived in such boring and boring days for twelve full years.

In fact, it wasn't that long. To her, to be precise, it should be two years.

"The Queen Mother, there is news!"

A little palace maid ran into the hall in a panic. After hurriedly saluting, she said excitedly:
  "His Royal Highness King Lu returned to his residence after coming out of Qianqing Palace. He looked very happy and held a big box in his arms when he went back. The servant inquired about it and heard that the emperor had given several beloved treasures to Lu. Your Highness."

After hearing the news, Queen Mother Li stopped reciting, but she was still twisting the beads in her hand. Although she didn't say anything, she showed a happy smile on her face.

When the master didn't say anything, the little palace maid took the initiative to smile and compliment him: "The emperor treats King Lu as well as the Queen Mother treats him. It can be seen that you and the emperor, mother and son, are connected and have the same mind."

It was originally a compliment, but Queen Mother Li's smile suddenly disappeared after hearing this.

The little palace maid didn't know what she said was wrong, but it made her master unhappy. Even if it wasn't wrong, it was still a mistake. She hurriedly begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, forgive me..."

"Next time, don't rush in so rashly. This is a palace, not a vegetable market. The rules must not be lost." Empress Dowager Li said in a gentle tone, without much intention of blaming her.

Because it wasn't this that made her smile disappear.

"I realize my mistake. Thank you Queen Mother for your forgiveness." The little palace maid didn't dare to think about anything else, so she hurriedly thanked her.

"What does the Emperor do in his free time these days?" Queen Mother Li asked casually.

"Returning to the Queen Mother, I heard from Eunuch Zhang, who is serving the Emperor, that apart from studying and practicing, the Emperor has been practicing calligraphy the most recently." The little palace maid replied.

Hearing the words 'practice calligraphy', Queen Mother Li smiled bitterly. She couldn't help but sigh: "As expected, he still can't let go..."

Others may not know it, but Queen Mother Li knows that the reason why Zhu Yijun is obsessed with practicing calligraphy is actually an act of revenge.

Her son is very smart. At the age of ten, he can write many large characters that are difficult for adults to write.

Children like to play zither, and Zhu Yijun, even the emperor, is no exception.

The little emperor knew that his handwriting was beautiful, and he would show off in front of everyone from time to time, especially Mr. Zhang, who liked to call him, to watch him write.

But Mr. Zhang was not as gentle as Mr. Shen. He said directly to the little emperor: "Your Majesty, your calligraphy is already very beautiful, but as an emperor, the most important thing is moral character. You can practice calligraphy, but you can't indulge in practicing calligraphy." Playing with things makes you lose your mind.”

The little emperor was very sad. The teacher said that his calligraphy, which he was so proud of, was regarded as a plaything to lose one's ambition.

What made Xiao Wanli even more sad was that Zhang Juzheng even directly decided to cut off his calligraphy courses and only let him study classics and history.

From the perspective of the former Empress Dowager Li, she did not think there was anything wrong with Zhang Juzheng's actions. She also did not know how rebellious Zhang Juzheng's actions would arouse in her son.

Now she knows, but it's too late.

Zhu Yijun is her son. Although mother and son are connected, they do not have the same heart.

Especially since Zhang Juzheng's death, her son, who used to be obedient to her words, seemed to have changed overnight. First, he pulled out all the spies she had set up, and in the end, he directly eliminated her confidant Feng Bao.

Queen Mother Li knew that she could no longer control the emperor's son who was growing up, and she didn't want to control him anymore. She just wanted to eat fast and chant Buddha's name in the deep palace to end her remaining life.

I thought that after Feng Bao's house was ransacked, the past could be forgotten.

But what Empress Dowager Li didn't expect was that even if Zhang Juzheng was dead, her emperor's son would still not let go of the Zhang family...

Looking up at the statue of Guanyin with a kind-faced face, Queen Mother Li thought of the majestic figure that she once admired so much.

"Mr. Zhang, this may be the last time I help you..."

　Please read it! Asking for all kinds of support!

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)