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

Chapter 196 The emperor is angry: Get out of here together!
"I don't eat rice dumplings." Zhang Chonghui rejected Gu Xiancheng's sudden 'kindness' expressionlessly.

"Why?" Gu Xiancheng pretended to be surprised and joked: "Is it possible that you have been eating soft rice for so long that you can't even digest glutinous rice?"

Zhang Chonghui was not in the mood to joke with Gu Xiancheng, and said directly: "What's the matter with you?"

Gu Xiancheng smiled maliciously: "It's nothing, I'm just curious about what you and the Queen Mother said."

Looking at Gu Xiancheng's calm and successful smile, Zhang Chonghui was silent for a moment and then asked:
"So Feng Menglong is yours?"

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Gu Xiancheng burst out laughing. He shook his head and said with a smile:

"Hahaha! Wrong! I don't know Feng Menglong at all! I was just trying to trick you!
Actually, I didn’t know that the person meeting you tonight was Queen Mother Li. At first I thought it was Shen Shixing! Hahaha! "

Gu Xiancheng smiled more and more successfully, feeling as if he had finally managed to win the game.

"So?" Zhang Chonghui looked at him coldly: "You followed me secretly all night just to tell me this?"

Zhang Chonghui also saw that Gu Xiancheng did not want to expose his secret meeting with Queen Mother Li tonight.

"When a boy is hard to find, there will always be one." Gu Xiancheng stopped continuing the topic. With a slight smile, he also said goodbye:

Destiny is impermanent, and it is difficult to be a human emperor. Emperor Xingui was the son of destiny and occupied the throne, but he became the king of the Yin and Shang Dynasties.

"Oh." Zhang Chonghui's reaction was very cold.

"I remember there is a saying in the Book of Songs "Da Ming", 'Ming Ming is at the bottom, and Hehe is at the top'.

But even if "Yin Jian is not far away", even if Emperor Xin has learned from the past, wouldn't the Zhou Dynasty eventually fall? "

"What a strange person..."

Shi Niang's eyes were full of surprise. It was only after she saw the rice dumplings that she remembered that the fifth day of May was the Dragon Boat Festival.

"It is clear that you are below, but you are illustrious above. It is difficult to be loyal in heaven, and it is not easy to maintain the king. The position of heaven is suitable, so that it does not threaten the four directions.

Looking at the large pile of rice dumplings on the table, Zhang Chonghui did not take action.

"Having said that, you can't be too casual. Let me just make my own decision and think of a word for you. It's up to you whether to use it or not."

Gu Xiancheng's words were full of tricks, and Zhang Chonghui only replied: "Today is not my birthday."

"The road to Tianshan Mountain is long, the mountains are high and the water is long. Farewell, Minghe."

It’s not too late to play the piano that I owe him someday.

"Ha." Zhang Chonghui laughed and asked: "You gave me such a word, do you think the emperor is not enough and want to kill me?"

It means the greatness of the emperor and heaven, the radiance shining on the world, the excellence of the brilliance, appearing in heaven, but..."

Otherwise, Gu Xiancheng should have jumped out to identify him when Chen Ju brought his people.

"Minghyuk?"

Zhang Chonghui left so quickly that Shiniang didn’t even want to stay.

"No, is this your reaction?" Gu Xiancheng pretended to be unhappy and said:
"Even if we are not close friends, we can still be considered comrades! Even if benevolence and righteousness fail, there will still be business, right?

"Gone?" Zhang Chonghui was filled with disbelief. He always felt that Gu Xiancheng came here specifically for other purposes.

"There's one more thing." Gu Xiancheng continued: "Actually, I think you're not young anymore. It's not good for people to always call you by your first name. It's time for you to choose a different name."

"Hahaha!" Gu Xiancheng also laughed and asked meaningfully:
"If the emperor wanted to kill you, he would have killed you long ago. Why bother to keep you here today?
Do you really think that the emperor doesn’t kill you because you are still useful? "

What's more, before I left, I brought rice dumplings to celebrate your birthday. Aren't you touched? "

I’m leaving anyway, and it’s not certain whether I’ll see you again in this life, so take care of yourself. "

"I don't care what the Queen Mother talked about with you, and I don't care what you do next.

Recalling that the husband spent fifty taels on her overnight, he was always interrupted by visitors. In the end, not only was he unable to listen to her playing the piano, but he also made a dozen rice dumplings for her.

Looking at these two words, Zhang Chonghui suddenly remembered and said:

"Forget it, I didn't scare you, it's really boring." Gu Xiancheng sighed disappointedly, then said seriously:

However, Gu Xiancheng took the initiative and said:

"Remember to eat the rice dumplings, they are your favorite salty and sweet treat."

"I don't like eating rice dumplings. If you like it, just give it to you. I'll go back first." Zhang Chonghui left after saying this, as if he had made some kind of determination.

"Oh, I must have remembered it wrong." Gu Xiancheng did not inquire further, and instead said solemnly:

"That's it?" Zhang Chonghui was also a little surprised as to why Gu Xiancheng was so insistent on choosing a word for him. To this, he only said:
"It's just a title. I don't care. Anyway, people all over the street are calling me the Queen of Sinners."

"Shen Yiguan is about to fall, and it's time for me to go back to teach my book. I'm here to say goodbye to you."

Until Shi Niang came.

Gu Xiancheng left. Before leaving, he left a message:

Shiniang murmured something in a low voice and didn't think much about it. After all, she would have many opportunities to get in touch with this young man in the future.

"Hey, why are there rice dumplings here? Yes, I almost forgot that today is the Dragon Boat Festival!"

As Gu Xiancheng spoke, he dipped his finger in some wine and wrote two words on the table.

Almost as expected by Gu Xiancheng, Zhang Chonghui did not answer, but stood up decisively, raised his hand and said goodbye:
"Uncle Gu, it's almost time to say goodbye. You can go and say goodbye."

Zhang Chonghui stopped talking. It was obvious that what he said next was not a good thing.

……

Taking advantage of the madam's absence, Shiniang secretly hid a rice dumpling and found her good sister who was in confinement.

"Yan'er Yan'er, mom is out! Also, today is the Dragon Boat Festival, I almost forgot!"

"Why is there no Dragon Boat Festival? People like us don't deserve to celebrate any festival..."

"Look, you are so hungry that you have no energy to speak. Look, I secretly brought you something."

"what?"

"Zongzi, something to eat."

When Du Yanyun heard that there was food, Du Yanyun, who had been hungry for a long time, was too lazy to care about whether it was a holiday or not. All he could see was food.

"Quick, Shi Niang, feed me one, I'm so hungry now that I have no energy left in my hands..."

"Shh, keep your voice down. If others hear you, mom will scold you for being greedy again."

"Just scold me. I just ate a few vegetable leaves today. If this continues, I will starve to death."

"Oh, who asked you to talk back to your mother? She said you were fat. Just listen to it. Why are you talking back so quickly? Now it's better. I'm confining you and asking you to go on a diet."

"But I don't think I'm fat either. Besides, the noble people just say I'm lucky when I smile, but my mother says I'm fat!"

"Okay, stop complaining. In fact, mom is doing it for your own good."

"It's for my own good again. It's also for my own good that I'm an innocent person sent to a brothel to be a prostitute. It's also for my own good that I'm starved for nothing. You're all doing this for my own good, so it's settled!"

"Okay, don't be angry. Open your mouth and I'll feed you."

"No, what on earth does this taste like? It tastes terrible, bah bah bah!"

"Ah, does it taste bad? Let me try it... Bah, bah, bah, why is this so sweet and salty! Could it be... he is playing tricks on me?"

"Who gave you the zongzi?"

"Um...a...friend."

"Come on, a prostitute is a prostitute and a friend. Shi Niang, let me advise you, the most taboo thing in our industry is to love the client on the screen. You taught me this before. Don't forget it. ”

"Of course I haven't forgotten it!" "That's good, Shi Niang, when I become famous, I will take you out with me, and we will never deal with these people again!"

"Um……"

"Shi Niang, feed me another bite."

"Ah? These rice dumplings are so unpalatable, yet you still eat them..."

“It’s good to eat some of it, but it’s hard to eat if you don’t chew it.”

……

Qianqing Palace.

Soon after Chen Ju returned, His Majesty the Emperor woke up.

After waking up, Zhu Yijun fell into insomnia again, maybe because he had slept enough that night.

"How are you going to ask?" Zhu Yijun asked.

"Back to the prince." Chen Ju replied with some embarrassment: "Zhang Chonghui said... everything should be done steadily. He must first win the trust of the prince completely, so I'm afraid... it won't be that fast, but it will be soon."

"Haha." Zhu Yijun sneered: "What's the difference whether he said it or not?"

Chen Ju was also speechless. After all, Zhang Chonghui's answer was indeed nonsense.

However, Chen Ju did not feel panic. After all, he could see that His Majesty the Emperor had long known that Zhang Chonghui would talk such nonsense to get through the matter.

Chen Ju also guessed that the reason why His Majesty the Emperor asked him, the eunuch, to go to Zhang Chonghui personally and ask such a question to which he already knew the answer.

Besides wanting to get rid of him, there should be another 'real' purpose.

Things proved that Chen Ju's guess was not wrong. The next moment he heard His Majesty the Emperor ask: "When you went to find Zhang Chonghui, where was he and what was he doing?"

"Back to your Majesty, I met Zhang Chonghui in a brothel. At that time, he was listening to a prostitute playing the piano." Chen Ju replied truthfully.

"Did he go to the brothel by himself? Or did someone take him to the brothel?" Zhu Yijun asked again.

"Back to the Emperor, it was Yang Chunyuan who took him there." Chen Ju told the information he had learned one by one very carefully and said:

"At first, they met a scholar named Feng Menglong. Soon afterwards, Zhang Chonghui went out alone and ordered the prostitute who played the piano."

"During this period, Zhang Chonghui didn't see anyone else?" Zhu Yijun asked suspiciously.

"Go back to your Majesty, I asked someone to find out, but there is no such thing," Chen Ju replied.

"I don't believe it." Even though Zhu Yijun was so sure, he suddenly doubted and asked:
"What is the origin of that scholar named Feng Menglong?"

"Back to the emperor, Feng Menglong is just an ordinary scholar. He failed to win the imperial examination after becoming a scholar in his early years. It is said that he came to the capital this time because his acquaintance in his hometown in Suzhou was bought away and he came to the capital because of his emotional injury. "Chen Ju replied.

"Hometown in Suzhou?" Zhu Yijun noticed something and asked again: "Where is his hometown in Suzhou?"

Chen Ju was almost unable to withstand His Majesty the Emperor's series of questions. After all, he was already old, so how could he remember so much and clearly.

After apologizing first, Chen Ju hurriedly went down to ask where Feng Menglong's hometown was in Suzhou.

Chen Ju went out to ask, but Zhu Yijun had already roughly guessed where Feng Menglong's hometown was. If nothing else, it should be Changzhou.

Sure enough, Chen Ju soon brought back such an answer that he had expected.

"Your Majesty, do you want to investigate this matter in detail?" Chen Ju asked, seeing that His Majesty the Emperor's face was a little gloomy.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and sighed slightly: "There is no need to check, just come when Mr. Shen comes, but... he doesn't even want to see me..."

Chen Ju did not understand why His Majesty the Emperor was so sure that Shen Shixing would come to Beijing. He advised:

"Your Majesty, although Mr. Shen Ge and Feng Menglong are both from Changzhou, Suzhou Prefecture, they are not necessarily..."

"Okay!" Zhu Yijun interrupted Chen Ju and said displeasedly: "I know Mr. Shen better, or do you know him better?"

Chen Ju did not dare to persuade him any more. The emperor would not be able to persuade him.

"Chen Ju." After twisting and turning for a long time, Zhu Yijun finally asked the question he wanted to know most:
"When is Zhang Chonghui's birthday... on?"

Chen Ju felt his heart skip a beat at first, and then said calmly:
"Back to your Majesty, I remember that in July and August last year, Zhao Shizhen held a birthday banquet for Zhang Chonghui to ward off disasters."

"That's it." Zhu Yijun breathed a sigh of relief for no reason and murmured:

"July or August, that's still early."

……

Time is like running water. In a blink of an eye, more than two months have passed.

In the past two months, Zhang Chonghui still made no progress at all. He seemed to have given up on getting closer to the prince, and he had a sense of deja vu.

The reason why Zhang Chonghui was able to have such a short period of peace and quiet was thanks to Emperor Wanli's recent worries about the mine supervisor.

Less than half a year has passed, and the mine supervisor issue has not only not been alleviated, but has intensified.

The purpose of the officials was very clear. They said they would make His Majesty the Emperor stop mining and making money.

Emperor Wanli's purpose is also very clear: I don't care whether you agree with me or not to mine! You ministers refuse to give me money! I'll send the eunuch myself to get the money!

These desperate ministers of the Ming Dynasty were actually helpless against His Majesty the Emperor for a while!

After all, in the governance of the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty the Emperor indeed needs his ministers, and cannot do without his ministers.

But there is no need to mine and make money! Because the emperor has eunuchs!

The eunuchs are a little greedy, but as slaves, they all know that they should leave some money for Long Live Lord!

His Majesty the Emperor was so stubborn and refused to listen to his ministers' advice that the whole court was jumping up and down anxiously.

When the ministers could not see the emperor, they had no choice but to resort to the old method of making trouble in the cabinet.

Among the three senior ministers in the cabinet, Shen Yiguan, as the chief minister, naturally cannot escape the situation of being ridiculed by the crowd.

Now, not only did he have to be scolded and threatened by his subordinates, he also had to endure oppression from His Majesty the Emperor!

Shen Yiguan had actually expected that he would not be long in the job. This elder who was obsessed with 'progress' finally crashed in the 24th year of Wanli and retired from office.

However, this time, it was not Shen Yiguan who wanted to leave, but His Majesty the Emperor who 'drove' him away.

Zhu Yijun actually didn't want Shen Yiguan to leave. After all, it took a lot of effort to find someone who was willing to block the gun for him.

However, being willing is one thing, the key is that this person must also be able to 'block a gun'!

Shen has always been willing, but the mine supervisor incident has become more and more serious. In addition, he is also a member of the civil servant group, so it is impossible for him to really stand on the emperor's side.

There is no doubt that in the eyes of Emperor Wanli, this is Shen Guangyuan's incompetence!
The purpose of His Majesty the Emperor is to send mine supervisors to local areas to supervise mining and collect taxes in order to make private money.

In fact, His Majesty the Emperor does not want to oppress the people, he just wants to make money for himself.

Although the clever Emperor Wanli always knew that wool had to be taken from sheep, why could 'others' take it, but he, the king and father of all people in the world, could not take it?
It’s understandable that I ask my son for money, right?

Emperor Wanli felt that it was understandable. After all, his ministers were all greedy. Why couldn't he, the emperor and his father, be greedy?
Shen Yiguan, who originally didn't really want to leave, had no choice but to leave under such a last resort.

But Shen Yiguan is Shen Yiguan after all, how could he be willing to just leave like this?
Shen Yiguan showed a rare strength. He invited His Majesty the Emperor and said in a roundabout way——

——Your Majesty, as the chief minister of the cabinet, I made a mistake and I should leave! But I can’t bear all the blame alone! Doesn’t Shen Li, the second assistant, have no responsibility?

Shen Yiguan's meaning is very obvious, he is not going to have a good time, and the Donglin Party will never have a good time either!

Emperor Wanli was still too young after all, and he was really fed up with the endless quarrels and fights!

He was so angry that he simply waved his hand - "Then you two, get out of here together!"

(End of this chapter)