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

Chapter 232 Kidnapping an imperial official! Wanli becomes a grandfather!
It turns out that successful obedience testing can provoke stressful behaviors.

Soon after Zhang Chonghui personally presented the plaque to Donglin Bookstore, he was surrounded by a group of sturdy men as he walked out of the door.

Although he did not see anyone familiar among this group of men, Zhang Chonghui guessed that these men were sent by the emperor.

The leader was a tall and strong young man who was about twenty years old. He approached Zhang Chonghui with his fists clenched so hard that they made a crackling sound. He laughed obscenely, "Hehehehe", and no one knew what he was laughing at.

Zhang Chonghui looked at the number of big men and he knew very well that he alone could not defeat so many martial artists.

After a brief moment of quick thinking, he had an idea!

……

Qianqing Palace.

"What? The deputy commander was kidnapped by Zhang Chonghui?"

Zhu Yijun looked at Chen Ju in disbelief and asked, "It was just a warning, why would he tie you up for no reason?"

At this time, Chen Ju was kneeling on the ground, sweating profusely, and said anxiously:
"Your Majesty, it's all my fault... I felt that just warning Zhang Chonghui was too easy for him, so...

I just acted on my own initiative this time... I wanted him to learn a lesson by giving him a little pain... Who would have thought that Zhang Chonghui would react so quickly...

I don’t know where he pulled out a knife from, but he grabbed the leader, Deputy Commander Xu Xianchun, by the neck…”

"Tsk..." Zhu Yijun gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Perhaps he was irritated by the incompetence of the Jinyiwei, or perhaps he was speechless that such a shameful thing had to happen in front of him, the emperor. He was too lazy to lose his temper or blame Chen Ju. He just asked:
"now what?"

Chen Ju hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, Xu Xianchun was dragged into a nearby brothel by Zhang Chonghui. In addition, when Zhang Chonghui kidnapped Xu Xianchun, he said that he had never forgotten what he had promised you. He also said that he would go and do it for you, Your Majesty."

"Do something for me?" Zhu Yijun frowned, puzzled, "What do you want to do for me at the brothel?"

……

Flower shop.

"You are so bold that you just kidnapped an official of the imperial court. Do you know what the consequences will be?"

Xu Xianchun, who was tied up tightly and had a knife at his neck, not only did he not show any fear or tension, he even showed a somewhat inexplicable smile of secret satisfaction?

Zhang Chonghui didn't pay attention to Xu Xianchun's strange smile. After all, it was not uncommon for there to be a few perverts in the Jinyiwei.

Seeing that Zhang Chonghui was about to leave after kidnapping the person, Xu Xianchun thought that Zhang Chonghui was going to take this opportunity to sneak away.

However, Xu Xianchun did not expect that Zhang Chonghui would just walk to the door and then...

Ordered a girl?
"Brother, I didn't expect you to play more extravagantly than me. Why, are you going to do it in front of me..."

"Oh!"

Before Xu Xianchun could finish his words, Zhang Chonghui punched him and knocked him unconscious...

……

Zhang Chonghui waited for a while before the door of the wing room opened. The person who came was not here to rescue Xu Xianchun, nor was he the one he usually ordered, Shi Niang, but a familiar yet unfamiliar person.

As soon as Du Yanyun entered the room, she saw a man unconscious in the corner. Although she was shocked, she was not very scared.

She turned to look at Zhang Chonghui, looking at this not-so-strange man, and deliberately teased:
"Hey, isn't this our Shi Niang's lover? Why did you pick on me for no reason? If Shi Niang saw this, she would probably be jealous."

Zhang Chonghui ignored Du Yanyun's teasing and got straight to business: "It's time now, you should prepare well."

"Heh." Du Yanyun laughed sarcastically: "How many years have passed? Are you only ready now?"

"Now that you are ready, it's up to you to do what you want to do next, little girl who wants to make progress."

As Zhang Chonghui spoke, he opened a window of the wing room. When he saw that there was no Jinyiwei below, he immediately prepared to climb out the window and leave.

"Hey you..."

Before Du Yanyun could say a few words, Zhang Chonghui had disappeared from her sight. She hurried to the window and looked down.

"This is the second floor..." Du Yanyun exclaimed as he looked for Zhang Chonghui.

Because it was pitch black outside, in the end, she still couldn't see where Zhang Chonghui went.

The proud girl was once again humiliated by the same man. It was impossible for her not to be angry, so she turned around and went to complain to her little sister Shi Niang.

As for Xu Xianchun who 'looked' like he was still unconscious in the corner, no one cared about him, not even his colleagues who were still guarding outside.

After Du Yanyun left, Xu Xianchun opened his eyes. He was actually not dizzy at all. After all, it was just a punch. It might be able to knock out the elderly, children, women and children, but it had no effect on someone as strong as him.

Since he was not unconscious, Xu Xianchun naturally heard the entire conversation between Zhang Chonghui and Du Yanyun.

Although there are only a few sentences, the information is enough.

……

the other side.

Since Zhang Chonghui climbed out of the window, he has not seen a single Jinyiwei.

Did the Jinyiwei not know that he would jump out of the window and run away? Of course not, they were following him slowly from behind.

Zhang Chonghui, who was being followed, did not hesitate and turned around and headed towards the East Palace.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Chen Ju reported to the Emperor everything Xu Xianchun had heard, as well as all the information about Du Yanyun.

"My mother really has good intentions. In order to make the Li family prosper, she even sent the innocent daughter of a noble family to such a dirty place as a brothel."

Zhu Yijun smiled coldly, but his expression was exhausted, as if he was sleepy and tired.

If Zhang Chonghui had not reminded him of this, he would probably not know until his death that his good mother not only wanted to control his harem, but also wanted to control his son's harem.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother wants..."

"Forget it, let her do whatever she wants."

"What about Zhang Chonghui..."

"Let him do it. Just in case, he can come up with something."

"The servant knows."

"Chen Ju, tell me, am I spoiling him too much?"

"..."

……

Ciqing Palace.

There are now many more guards at the Ciqing Palace, so Zhang Chonghui can only enter through the main gate.

If it had been in the past, if someone had come in the middle of the night, given Crown Prince Zhu Changluo's timid and cautious nature, he would definitely not have seen anyone.

However, this time, when Zhu Changluo met Zhang Chonghui, he was still wearing an outer cloak and pajamas.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, for disturbing your rest." Zhang Chonghui was about to say some polite words, but Zhu Changluo stepped forward and held his hands, stopping him.

"Minghe, Mr. Guo is gone, and you are the only one I have from now on." Zhu Changluo looked at Zhang Chonghui pitifully, like a helpless and indecisive child.

I don't know if it's real or just acting.

Zhang Chonghui didn't know whether Zhu Changluo was pretending or not, but even if he was, he had to treat it as if it was real.

"I am flattered and grateful for the trust placed in me by Your Highness the Crown Prince. I will do my best to serve you." Hearing these words of loyalty, Zhu Changluo smiled with satisfaction.

Perhaps to express his gratitude, Zhu Changluo pulled Zhang Chonghui all the way to the guest room and said with concern: "It's so late, don't go back, stay here for a night."

Since the prince had extended an olive branch, Zhang Chonghui naturally would not refuse and nodded in agreement.

"Minghe, this time it's really thanks to you." Zhu Changluo looked at his right hand which was still tied with white cloth. There was no regret in his eyes, only a smile of relief.

It was just a broken hand, which was not a big deal for Zhu Changluo. He only knew that if he didn't save his biological mother, Concubine Gong, she would probably die in the cold palace and no one would care about her.

"Your Highness, actually, you don't have to take the initiative to extend your hand this time," said Zhang Chonghui.

"No." Zhu Changluo shook his head, with endless confusion and disappointment in his eyes.

I don't know whether he really believed Zhang Chonghui, or simply wanted to find an elder like Guo Zhengyu who could care for him and listen to him. With no one else around, Zhu Changluo began to mutter:
"Even though I cut off this arm, my father didn't care about me at all. If I don't cut off this arm, I'm afraid my mother won't be able to come out either...

Minghe, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me when I tell you this, but my third brother fell down while playing with the eunuchs, and my father was so anxious.

I broke one of my arms, a right hand that I had practiced calligraphy with for many years, but he only asked me once if it hurt...

Although my mother is no longer imprisoned, I cannot see her on weekdays. My father said that I can only visit her to pay my respects on festivals.

Moreover, after Mr. Guo passed away, no one would care whether I was cold or hungry on ordinary days, whether it was hot or cold.

But... Mr. Guo obviously didn't have to leave...

I don’t understand why my father must let me lose one of these important people?
Minghe, you know my father better than I do. Why do you think he did this? Does he not love me? "

Zhu Changluo's mumbling made Zhang Chonghui feel as if he was listening to a couple who had just had an argument, with one of them complaining.

In this situation, the person who is talking often wants the person being talked to to agree with him or her, that is, to blame the other person in the couple together.

However, if the person being confided in is foolish enough to join in the accusations, the other person may feel comfortable at first, but gradually, he or she will start to speak up for his or her spouse.

Zhang Chonghui knew that Zhu Changluo wanted to hear him continue with his words and curse his biased emperor father.

However, if he really goes along with it, when Zhu Changluo is moved by his old father, the emperor, the first person he will sell out will be him!
"Your Highness, you have to think too much." Zhang Chonghui said, "You are the emperor's biological son. How could he not love you?"

Zhu Changluo subconsciously retorted: "Then why does he always ignore me?"

Zhang Chonghui raised his hand, turned his palm and the back of his hand back and forth, and said:

"Your Highness, the palm and the back of your hand are made of flesh, but the flesh on the palm is thicker than that on the back. Let me ask you, will you care less about the back of your hand because you care more about your palm?"

Zhu Changluo stared at Zhang Chonghui's hand blankly, unable to speak for a moment.

Zhang Chonghui continued, "No one can be completely fair, even when it comes to love for one's children. You think the emperor loves Prince Fu more, but what about the other princes and princesses? In their eyes, the emperor obviously loves you, the eldest son, more. In their eyes, you are also the palm of his hand."

People who lack love are always more easily fooled. After a period of self-brainwashing, Zhu Changluo remembered sporadically the few times of love and care that his emperor father had once given him.

But this kind of care is so little. Since it is so little, we can only make a comparison.

Zhang Chonghui was very considerate and took the initiative to help Zhu Changluo make a comparison. He listed one by one the current treatments of other equally unfavored princes and princesses.

After a one-sided comparison of the two, it seems that Zhu Changluo is indeed more favored than his "unpopular" brothers and sisters.

Not much though.

After being enlightened like this, Zhu Changluo felt much better. Although he lost Guo Zhengyu, he found that Zhang Chonghui seemed to be able to perfectly replace Guo Zhengyu in every aspect.

Not only can she help him solve the problem effectively, but she can also listen to him like an elder, comfort and enlighten him.

Looking at the young but mature Zhang Chonghui, Zhu Changluo suddenly realized that the other party was Zhang Juzheng's grandson...

It was almost inevitable that Zhu Changluo was a little curious about what kind of person Zhang Juzheng was, the person his father hated so much.

Did his father really hate Zhang Juzheng that much?

After dealing with the little prince's sentimentality, Zhang Chonghui suddenly remembered something and asked:

"By the way, Your Highness, didn't the Emperor reward me with an official position today? What position is it?"

Zhu Changluo was puzzled. He looked at Zhang Chonghui and asked, "You don't know yet?"

Zhang Chonghui shook his head: "I don't know."

Zhu Changluo did not ask why the other party did not know yet, but only replied: "He is the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple, who is an eighth-rank official."

"Ah?" Zhang Chonghui was stunned for a moment: "Honglu Temple... Chief Clerk?"

"Yes." Zhu Changluo thought Zhang Chonghui didn't know this official position, so he explained, "It's the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple that your father-in-law once held."

Zhang Chonghui was also puzzled. Why did Emperor Wanli arrange him to the Honglu Temple, a diplomatic department?

Just as he was wondering, Zhang Chonghui heard Zhu Changluo enthusiastically explain to him:

“In fact, at the beginning, my father was still hesitating about what reward to give you, but then that scholar named Wen Tiren took the initiative to propose a proposal.

He said that you had been to Korea to negotiate with the Japanese, and you were fluent in both Japanese and Korean. In addition, you were well-mannered, so you were very suitable for a position in the Honglu Temple.

I originally thought that my father would let you take up a high-profile position like Sibin, but I didn't expect that he would actually assign you to a position like Zhubu, which is mainly responsible for receiving and sending documents... an idle position."

"It seems that the emperor doesn't want me to show up in public." Zhang Chonghui shook his head and smiled. He didn't know whether he should thank Wen Tiren or what to say.

"That's fine, it's just an easy job anyway." Zhu Changluo suddenly became nervous as he spoke, and he asked again:
"No, if that's the case, then you won't be able to come to the East Palace to study with me every day. How can I see you often then?"

"Don't worry, Your Highness." Zhang Chonghui said in a gentle voice, "I will make time to come here more often in the future."

"My father's side..."

"Don't worry, the emperor thought I was helping him spy on you."

……

October, the twenty-sixth year of Wanli.

Since the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the morale of the Japanese army was greatly dampened, and the Japanese army, which had no intention of fighting again, gradually withdrew from Korea.

As a result, the Ming troops that came to aid Korea also returned to Ming Dynasty one after another.

However, the soldiers who had a war to fight could not rest, so Emperor Wanli immediately ordered Li Rusong to be the commander-in-chief and lead the troops to Bozhou to quell the rebellion.

It's the end of another year, and another big, money-burning battle is about to be fought.

After a rough estimate, the cabinet worked out that this war would cost at least two million taels of silver!
Such a staggering figure was not the first time that the Wanli Emperor, as the master of the empire, had seen. After all, the money burned in the previous two major wars had made him anxious and heartbroken. He even cried out in his dreams - "My money"!
Spending a lot of money is one thing, but what scares Emperor Wanli the most is that if the war continues like this, the national treasury seems to be... almost empty.

The fortune that Zhang Juzheng had accumulated for him seemed to be unable to support the gradually aging Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yijun finally began to get anxious. He began to issue decrees frequently, urging Li Rusong to end the war as soon as possible.

As long as we fight faster, we can burn less money.

But Zhu Yijun didn't know that fighting a war cannot be accomplished by just urging the troops, and sometimes being too impatient can lead to mistakes.

As the days passed, Zhu Yijun was wavering in this tangled state of sometimes being anxious and worried, and sometimes giving up and giving up.

Sometimes Zhu Yijun even felt that he was about to become the kind of mentally ill person that Zhang Chonghui had described...

Perhaps God finally realized his love for his son, the Emperor. At the end of this eventful year, God gave Zhu Yijun good news.

On November 14, Wang Xuanshi, who was less than eight months pregnant in the Eastern Palace, was suddenly frightened and went into premature labor.

Fortunately, mother and child were safe, and Wang Xuanshi successfully gave birth to a son.

The Eastern Palace had a newborn son, and Wanli became a grandfather.

(End of this chapter)