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

Chapter 238 We can’t afford to delay, and the Emperor can’t wait any longer!
August of the twenty-seventh year of the Wanli reign.

Another autumn has arrived.

With the end of the Bozhou Campaign, Li Rusong, the main general who quelled the rebellion, returned to the court victoriously again.

This time, His Majesty the Emperor not only met with this beloved general in person again, but also conferred on him the title of "Shao Bao", one of the "Three Orphans".

In addition, His Majesty the Emperor also bestowed on Li Rusong the title of "Ningyuan Earl".

Such many honors and rewards are truly enviable, not to mention the gold, silver and treasures that the Emperor has also given other rewards.

The officials who already had prejudices against Li Rusong could only feel jealous about this, and when they met him, they could only greet this unruly "Li Shaobao" with a smile.

……

Honglu Temple, Chief Clerk's Office.

"Hey, why is Master Ye here?"

Looking at Ye Xianggao's sudden visit, Zhang Chonghui's face was filled with surprise. After all, it had been a long time since the two of them had worked together or done anything shameful.

"Your chief clerk's office is really quiet." Ye Xianggao looked around with his hands behind his back. It seemed that he was observing the environment, but in fact he was checking whether there were any spies following him.

"Yes, after everyone avoids me, a sinner, the place will naturally be peaceful." Zhang Chonghui said, pointing to the tea that had been brewed on the table, and said:

"Sit down and have a cup of tea. No one is watching me here. I don't have to be so careful."

Ye Xianggao glanced outside the door of the chief clerk's office again, and after making sure that no one would suddenly arrive, he withdrew his gaze and sat down at the desk diagonally opposite Zhang Chonghui.

"Even the tea is ready. It seems that you guessed that I would come?" Ye Xianggao looked at the tea that had already cooled down in front of him, picked it up, and then put it back: "I don't drink cold tea."

"Then don't drink it. It's not prepared for you anyway." Zhang Chonghui said indifferently.

"Who is it prepared for?" Ye Xianggao seemed to be just asking casually, not caring about the answer, and then changed the subject and said:

"Li Shaobao is very popular now. I happened to run into him on my way here just now when he was entering the palace to meet the emperor. I greeted him, but he didn't even bother to look at me."

"Is that so?" Zhang Chonghui said, "Maybe he is hard of hearing."

"How can a soldier be hard of hearing?" Ye Xianggao said, lowering his voice and adding an ambiguous meaning:

"Li Shaobao has never been on good terms with the civil officials in the court. You must be very capable. A mere 8th-rank official like the Chief Clerk of the Honglu Temple can actually get the shop that he personally gave you to open the Donglin Bookstore. It's really amazing."

The atmosphere suddenly became quiet. Zhang Chonghui did not respond immediately, but he roughly knew how Ye Xianggao knew about this.

"Come to think of it." Ye Xianggao continued, "You are really lazy in naming. You just copied the name of Gu Shushi's academy. Aren't you stealing his reputation?"

"Have you told the prince?" Zhang Chonghui suddenly asked.

Ye Xianggao smiled with satisfaction: "If I tell the prince, won't you be exposed?"

"Did the prince ask you to investigate, or did you take the initiative to investigate?" Zhang Chonghui asked again.

Ye Xianggao said truthfully: "The prince asked me to check it."

Zhang Chonghui asked again: "What do you want to do by telling me this? Do you want to hold something against me?"

"No, no, no." Ye Xianggao shook his head and smiled, "I know that the reason you dared to deceive the prince like this is that you must have other cards in your hand. Although I don't know what cards you are holding, but... I am too lazy to guess."

"so what?"

"So, it was you who gave Yu Shenxing the idea to ask the emperor to hurry up and plan a marriage for Prince Fu, right?"

"Ah."

"You want to force the emperor?"

"Hmm? What are you forcing?"

"Once Prince Fu gets married, he will go to his fiefdom." Ye Xianggao guessed, "The emperor loves his son very much. When the time comes, he will definitely bring out all the things you have instigated the prince to do over the years..."

"Okay." Zhang Chonghui interrupted Ye Xianggao and said, "If you know, don't say it. Also, it was Gu Xiancheng who asked you to tell me this, right?"

Ye Xianggao was slightly surprised for a moment, then nodded: "His guess is really accurate."

"Did he have anything else to say?"

"No, Uncle Gu only asked me to test you."

"and then?"

"He asked me to cooperate with you."

"How to cooperate?"

"You ask me? Shouldn't I be the one asking you?"

"..."

The two chatted for a long time, and their voices became lower and lower.

Maybe he was thirsty because he talked too much. Ye Xianggao, who had previously said that he would not drink cold tea, actually drank up all the cold tea in the teacup.

Time flies, and it's time to disperse.

In order to avoid suspicion, Ye Xianggao left first. After Zhang Chonghui packed up his things, he also prepared to leave.

I thought that if one person left first, they would not meet again, but who would have thought that as soon as he stepped out of the gate of the Honglu Temple, Zhang Chonghui saw Ye Xianggao again.

Ye Xianggao was seen talking to a middle-aged man in his thirties with an elegant and calm temperament.

It was quite lively outside the Honglu Temple at this time. If Zhang Chonghui deliberately avoided them at this time, it would arouse suspicion. So he simply walked towards the two of them, just like he used to join in the fun with other colleagues, and he came forward uninvited to join in the fun.

"Master Ye, what a coincidence, we meet again." Zhang Chonghui said politely:
"I heard that your birthday is in a few days. I will ask my fifth uncle to come to your house and wish you a happy birthday."

Ye Xianggao knew that Zhang Chonghui came up to say hello on purpose, so he cooperated very well and acted out his disgust for Zhang Chonghui in front of the passers-by, saying coldly:

"Although your fifth uncle is my disciple, there is no need to spend so much money."

"Oh." Zhang Chonghui changed his previous enthusiasm and said coldly: "In that case, I won't spend any money. Goodbye."

Zhang Chonghui just left like that. People passing by thought that he was trying to curry favor with Ye Xianggao but failed, so he left in anger and shame.

"Master Ye, who was that just now?"

Sun Chengzong looked at Zhang Chonghui's back as he left with a confused look on his face, feeling that something was wrong.

For some reason, he always felt that these two were acting...

"It doesn't matter who he is." Ye Xianggao decisively skipped this question and continued the previous topic of conversation.
"So, Zhisheng, the imperial examination will be held in more than a year. At this time, do you really want to go to Datong, a frontier fortress filled with wind and sand and in turmoil? How can you concentrate on studying there and wait for your name to be on the list of successful candidates in the future?"

"Master Ye, I am almost forty years old..." Sun Chengzong sighed slightly:
"To be honest... I think I might be more suitable to be a teacher.

Moreover, I had actually made the decision long ago. I had promised Fang Shoushi that I would go to Datong to continue teaching his students.

I will be leaving for Datong in two days. Before I leave, I came to say goodbye to you, Master Ye."

Seeing that Sun Chengzong had already made a decision and promised others, Ye Xianggao, as a teacher, could not say anything else, but just nodded: "Since you have made up your mind, then go."

Sun Chengzong smiled with relief and said, "Thank you, Master Ye, for your understanding."

"Then, will you come back to take part in the imperial examination next year?" Ye Xianggao asked.

Sun Chengzong nodded, then shook his head, "I don't know either. Let's wait and see. I want to calm down first."

……

Qianqing Palace.

Li Rusong was somewhat relieved that the Emperor finally did not force him to drink again. But the Emperor himself, perhaps too happy, drank several glasses of wine on an empty stomach and even spoke with a lisp.

"The frequent rebellions in the southwest are really annoying!" Zhu Yijun said drunkenly, slapping the table:

"I plan to split Bozhou into two as proposed by the cabinet. I will set up two prefectures, Zunyi and Pingyue. The former will be under the jurisdiction of Sichuan, and the latter will be under the jurisdiction of Guizhou. Li Qing, what do you think?"

Li Rusong hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, I am a rough man who only knows how to fight and I don't understand these things."

"Haha, if you don't understand, let's not talk about this." Zhu Yijun drank another glass of wine and said, "Come on, drink!"

Li Rusong could only drink with the emperor, but the emperor didn't seem to be able to drink much, and soon he started bragging.

"Li Qing, if you want any reward, just tell me! I will satisfy you!"

Li Rusong still said cautiously: "Your Majesty has rewarded me with a lot, I am already grateful, I only ask to swear loyalty to Your Majesty until death, I dare not ask for anything else!"

"Haha, you're welcome." Zhu Yijun didn't know whether he was sincere or intentional, and laughed:

"Since you, Li Qing, don't ask for a reward for yourself, you can ask for it for your family."

If someone with a more normal mind heard such "considerate" words, he would probably thank God without saying a word.

But serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. When Li Rusong, who was used to being cautious, heard these words, they had a different meaning.

Would he dare to ask for rewards for his family? Or, in other words, weren't the rewards from the emperor given to the Li family enough?
When suppressing the rebellion in Bozhou this time, Li Rusong brought his younger brothers along as usual, and naturally his younger brothers were not included in the list of rewards submitted to the court.

Li Rusong knew all this, and His Majesty the Emperor certainly knew this.

Now, if he still greedily asks for rewards for his family, it means he is either too greedy or he thinks that the rewards the emperor had previously bestowed on the Li family were not enough!

Li Rusong certainly did not dare to ask for rewards for his family members, but he could not reject the emperor's kindness.

After a brief thought, Li Rusong came up with a way to solve the dilemma!

“Your Majesty, the suppression of the rebellion in Bozhou was not achieved by me alone. This was not only due to the bravery of our Ming army soldiers, but also the advice and suggestions of other generals!

In particular, there is a man under my command who not only gave me advice during the Bozhou Rebellion, but also saved my life many times and saved me from danger! Therefore, I want to ask for a reward for him! "

"Oh?" Zhu Yijun suddenly stopped being drunk and asked, "You want to ask for a reward on behalf of an outsider?"

Li Rusong said firmly: "Your Majesty, he saved my life!"

"Well, since Li Qing insists on this, then I will agree to your request." Zhu Yijun looked uninterested, but in his heart he was extremely satisfied with Li Rusong's tact. He said:

"It just so happens that Bozhou will be divided into two prefectures, Zunyi and Pingyue. In the early days of the establishment of the prefectures, the local people will surely cause many troubles due to dissatisfaction. I believe in your judgment of people, Li Qing, so I will let the person you recommend be the general of one of the prefectures to help me share my worries."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"This person is so admired by you, Li Qing. What is his name?"

"Your Majesty, his name is Qin Liangyu!"

……

The Bozhou Rebellion is over. I don’t know who came up with the idea or whether it was the rule of our ancestors.

Another prisoner presentation ceremony is about to be held.

With the vibration of the butterfly's wings, the time came to December 20th, the 27th year of the Wanli reign.

On this day, the Honglu Temple was extremely busy again.

Emperor Wanli once again personally went up to the Meridian Gate and held a ceremony to receive the prisoners of war from Bozhou under the rhythmic singing of the Mingzan officials.

Yang Yinglong had died a long time ago, but his death did not prevent the imperial court from chopping his body into pieces.

Yang Yinglong's son Yang Chaodong was also dismembered in the market. The death was so horrific that not many people wanted to go and watch it at the end of the year when it was snowing heavily.

The 27th year of Wanli's reign passed with both great fanfare and yet also with great dullness.

Zhu Yijun felt that this year was relatively peaceful and tranquil for him as an emperor.

Apart from the occasional incidents of civil unrest instigated by mining supervisors in various places, there were also various admonitions and impeachments "thrown" at him by civil servants in the court.

Zhu Yijun didn't care about these things at all, because he couldn't solve these problems at all. He had no way to cover the mouths of the civil servants, and he had no way to give up mining and making money.

Because he needs money, he loves money, he loves money too much.

This year, Zhu Yijun began to look for a wife for his beloved son Zhu Changxun.

This year, Zhu Yijun discovered that Zhang Chonghui finally stopped being lazy and would send him some "good news" from time to time.

For example, not long ago he heard from Chen Ju that Zhang Chonghui had tricked the prince into a black market that sold illegal salt.

When Zhu Yijun heard the news, his first reaction was: "He is indeed my son. He loves money just like me."

……

The twenty-seventh year of Wanli passed and the twenty-eighth year of Wanli arrived.

With the arrival of the new year, everyone thought that there would be a new beginning. However, something happened again in the southwest region.

In February of the 28th year of the Wanli reign, Wu Guozuo, a Miao from Pilin, Guizhou, gathered a group of people to rebel and called himself "Emperor General".

……

"I heard that something happened in the southwest again. This bunch of chieftains is really restless. It seems that the court is going to go to war again."

Zhang Yunxiu seemed to be just mentioning it casually, and seemed to be sighing about something.

"The fight won't last long this time." Zhang Chonghui replied calmly.

Seeing that Zhang Chonghui had no interest in this battle, Zhang Yunxiu changed the subject and said, "I heard that Yu Shenxing submitted his resignation several times. Did you know that?"

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

Zhang Yunxiu sighed and said, "Now the mining issue is becoming more and more heated. The emperor ignored the impeachment of the censors, and the censors could only go to the cabinet to make trouble. I heard that two days ago, Yu Shenxing was so angry that he almost knelt down to those people. I think he may really not want to do it anymore. But if he leaves, who can we rely on in the future..."

This time, Zhang Chonghui did not respond, but just concentrated on carving the small wooden ball in his hand.

Seeing that Zhang Chonghui didn't respond, Zhang Yunxiu asked another question: "Speaking of which... recently...you and Ye Xianggao seem to be very close in private?"

Zhang Chonghui responded: "Yes."

Zhang Yunxiu seemed to be quite displeased with Ye Xianggao, the so-called teacher, and said bluntly: "To be honest, although I am Ye Xianggao's student in name, I don't like him as a person. He is too insidious."

"Haha." Zhang Chonghui laughed twice and said, "To be honest, Ye Xianggao said the same thing about you."

Zhang Yunxiu: “…”

Zhang Chonghui had stopped smiling by now. He carefully carved the wooden ball while saying:
"It doesn't matter whether we are teachers and students or not, whether we like it or not, what matters is that we have to consider the next step."

"Next step?" Zhang Yunxiu asked, "You mean... compliance test?"

Zhang Chonghui nodded and said, "Well, the layout is almost done, it's time to continue."

"So... we are going to give the Emperor... wine?"

"Ah."

"just in case……"

"Even if there is a chance, there is nothing we can do." Zhang Chonghui stopped what he was doing and said seriously:
"We can't afford to delay, and the emperor can't wait any longer."

(End of this chapter)