I open a history tutorial class in Daming

Chapter 170: Korean spy

Li Shanchang's morning grumpiness is even worse than Song Shen's.

When he was woken up by the servants at home, his old face had turned green and almost black. For most people when they get older, it is very difficult to fall asleep, and it is even more difficult to sleep well.

Apart from people like Zhu Yuanzhang who were born into a strong military family, scholars like Li Shanchang, even if they were strong when they were young, people in high positions often gave up exercise because of fatigue. Even though they knew that daily exercise was good for the body, knowing the theory was one thing, but whether they could do it was another.

Li Shanchang usually didn't even sleep for three hours, sometimes even less than two and a half hours. For well-known reasons, older men with average physical fitness tend to get up at night, and it was difficult for him to get a good night's sleep. Now he was woken up again after finally falling asleep. Even a clay Buddha would be angry.

"It's the middle of the night, someone asked you to pass a sign to ask for an audience, and you come to disturb my sweet dreams? When did the door of this Duke's Mansion become so easy to enter? Is it the same in other mansions? How could I not know!"

Li Shanchang was so angry that the beard on his chin was shaking with anger.

Ordinary gatekeepers have no status anywhere. They are not considered gatekeepers. Such positions require the most skilled people. When someone hands in a note, the gatekeeper at the main gate must know who is the important person in the court, otherwise he might offend someone without knowing how. The higher the family, the more etiquette is valued, and correspondingly, the threshold for entering a high-ranking family is naturally high.

The servant who delivered the message was not qualified to meet his own master, the Duke. He passed the sign and the man's words to the butler, who then brought the man to Li Shanchang's bedroom.

Li Shanchang was usually kind to his servants, at least he would not beat, scold or punish them. When the servant saw him so angry, he was so scared that he knelt down on the spot and kowtowed madly.

"Master, please forgive me, Master, please forgive me! That person took out a waist badge. Although I don't have much experience, I can see that this badge is not an ordinary one. It seems to be written by the palace. It also says who is the guard in charge of the palace gate. I was afraid that there was something important, so I came here in a hurry to report..."

The servant kowtowed and tried his best to explain, and the butler next to him handed the sign and tea to Li Shanchang at the right time.

Li Shanchang first drank a sip of warm tea, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he took the sign and looked at it carefully.

"It is indeed the badge of the palace gate guard."

He was no longer angry, his graying eyebrows furrowed, and he examined the bronze plate in his hand again and again.

He was familiar with this badge. Day and night, there were guards at every gate of the imperial city. The guards were responsible for the palace restrictions. People entering and leaving had to have their identities carefully checked. If they had to go to other city gates for something, this guard badge was their pass and verification talisman. Losing it meant losing their life, and forging the badge was a heinous crime that could lead to the extermination of the entire family.

No matter who the person is, the badge is definitely real.

"How many people are here? Have you identified yourself and stated your name?"

Li Shanchang had already lifted the quilt and stood up from the bed. While asking questions, he signaled with his eyes to the butler beside him to change his clothes. It was obvious that he was ready to meet the guests.

He didn't lose his temper, and the servant calmed down a lot, but he was still a little timid:
"Three people came. Except for the leader, the other two had their faces covered, so their appearances could not be seen clearly and they did not speak. The leader did not mention his official position, but just said, "Mao Xiang is visiting. May I bother you to get up and see me?"

Before he finished speaking, he saw that Li Shanchang's dressing movements had changed.

The old man, who was over sixty years old, seemed to suddenly become nimble. He pushed aside the housekeeper who was slowly tidying up his clothes, put on his clothes and shoes in a few seconds, and shouted loudly:

"Hurry up and invite them in!!!"

It's not scary to have guests visiting you late at night.

But if the person who came was called Mao Xiang, then things would be a bit too serious.

Li Shanchang's forehead was covered with sweat. He glared at the servant kneeling on the ground, and at the housekeeper who was standing there in a daze and obviously hadn't heard that the visitor was called Mao Xiang:
"What are you standing there for? If you were a step later, there would be deaths in the Duke's Mansion!"

"Go, go quickly! Please go to the study!"

…………

A quarter of an hour later.

When Mao Xiang led the two masked men into the study of the Duke's Mansion, he could clearly feel the legs of the servant who led the way were shaking all the way.

This young man probably already knows what the two words "Mao Xiang" mean.

But Mao Xiang really wanted to laugh.

If he knew what the other two masked men represented, he would probably not just be weak in the knees, but would have knelt down on the spot and not been able to get up, right?
Li Shanchang sat upright in his study, his expression so serious that it almost looked as dark as water.

Hearing the noise, the moment he looked up, a sincere and welcoming smile appeared on his face:
"Commander Mao, you——"

I got stuck halfway through saying this.

Li Shanchang was like a chicken or duck with its neck strangled, his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the two masked men behind Mao Xiang.

The two men covered their mouths and noses with scarves, leaving only their eyebrows and eyes exposed. Ordinary people really could not tell their identities and appearances.

But is Li Shanchang an ordinary person?
In the past few decades of his life, he had spent more time talking, working and handling official business with this one of them than with his deceased wife. How could he not recognize her!
"Mr. Han Guo, I am sorry to bother you by visiting me so late at night."

Mao Xiang ignored the Duke who was being strangled, and smiled and bowed:
"I have something important to discuss with you. Can I ask someone from your house to come and ask you to..."

Li Shanchang woke up as if from a dream and nodded in a daze.

He waved to the servant and the housekeeper standing at the door:

"You guys go out, close the door, and step back, stay away. No one is allowed to come near without my order!"

The servant was still in a daze when the butler dragged him away and quietly closed the study door.

After they left, the room was silent for a moment.

Then, Li Shanchang looked at the two masked men with a wry smile:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, there is no one else here now. Do you two still want to cover your faces?"

Although it was just a question, everyone could hear the obvious complaint in Li Shanchang's words.

Or rather, he was still in shock.

It’s really hard for people to stand being frightened when they get older, especially on a dark and windy night like this when they are woken up after falling asleep.

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed unaware.

Thick-skinned, that's what it is. Things like disturbing people's sleep and scaring them are something that only happen once and then they become familiar.

He laughed and took off the scarf on his face:

"Bai Shi, I'm sorry to disturb your dream, but I really have something urgent to do, please don't mind."

Li Shanchang's name was Baishi. Apart from Zhu Yuanzhang, few people could call him that on a daily basis.

Calling each other by their courtesy names means closeness. Close peers can call each other by this name, and elders can also call younger generations by this name. But when it comes to Li Shanchang's status, there are few people who can be on an equal footing with him. Many of his old friends have passed away one after another. In addition, after he retired, he had less government affairs to do, and he seldom met with Zhu Yuanzhang in private. If he counted carefully, he didn't know how long it had been since he heard someone call him by his courtesy name.

He was in a daze for a moment, and when he saw Zhu Biao also took off his face towel, he greeted him:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, and Commander Mao, please take a seat. Please take a seat." "I wonder if there is something important that requires you to come?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat down and looked at him seriously several times, with a hint of subtle scrutiny in his eyes.

But given Li Shanchang's understanding of him, this was actually very obvious.

After a pause, Zhu Yuanzhang got straight to the point:
"Bai Shi, what is your relationship with Hu Weiyong?"

"We heard that you have a close personal relationship with him."

Li Shanchang's head buzzed.

As a founding hero and former prime minister, he has many years of experience working for Zhu Yuanzhang and can be said to have a good understanding of His Majesty's temper.

There are many things that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't ask about, but that doesn't mean he didn't know.

Since he has come to my house today, and even came in the middle of the night with a hidden identity, His Majesty obviously has a plan. If I act like an old man and laugh it off as usual, I'm afraid this matter will not end well!
Thoughts are spinning.

Li Shanchang immediately replied:
"Please understand, Your Majesty. Hu Weiyong and I are from the same hometown. When he was promoted to the position of Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, it was because of your recommendation. Since then, he has been promoted step by step. We have served in the same court. I have always been kind to others and do not want to make enemies. Moreover, we have a good relationship, so I occasionally entertain him."

"A few years ago, his niece married my nephew Li You. Although they are not formal in-laws, they are more or less related by marriage. I, as an old minister, was brought by my younger brother and often visited his family."

"To be honest, we have known each other for many years, so there must be some affection between us, but forming a clique for personal gain is absolutely not the case. I, an old minister, dare to risk my life—"

He just raised three fingers and was about to say that he would guarantee it with his life, but Mao Xiang next to him interrupted him.

Mao Xiang said in a deep voice:

"Duke Han, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Do you think the Yiluansi can't find out about the two hundred taels of gold?"

As he spoke, Mao Xiang secretly sneered in his heart.

Li Shanchang said that he was kind to others and didn't like to make enemies? When he was an official in the court, if anyone offended him, his impeachment memorial would fly to the emperor's desk that day. This is called being kind to others!

This old fellow, others may not know him, but Mao Xiang, the commander of the Yiluansi, doesn’t know him?
He loves gossiping all the time and has a small heart. He used to be at odds with Mao Xiang. In other words, he never participates in the government affairs of the previous dynasty and only does things for Your Majesty that can easily dirty his hands, otherwise he would be impeached!

Upon hearing this, the hairs on Li Shanchang's back stood up!
Even if Mao Xiang did not explain his words clearly, Li Shanchang knew what he was saying when he heard the key words.

Two hundred taels of gold.

The reason why he recommended Hu Weiyong to be the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple was because the other party gave him 200 taels of gold to do him a good job. Otherwise, with so many fellow townsmen from Dingyuan, why would Li Shanchang recommend a fellow townman who had attached himself to Zhu Yuanzhang halfway and whose status was far inferior to his own?

That was what happened in the 27th year of Zhizheng... It happened ten years ago, but the Yiluansi was able to find out so clearly!

Li Shanchang almost gnashed his teeth until they chattered, squeezing out the following words:

"Your Majesty, I...I did receive some benefits from him, but it was only that one time. It was really only that one time!"

"What's more, before Hu Weiyong became the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple, he had already served as the Tongpan of the Prefecture and the Censor of Huguang. He has excellent political achievements. He has good abilities, but he just lacks connections. Otherwise, I would not dare to recommend him so carelessly!"

Seeing that he was excited, spitting and wanted to swear to the sky, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly waved his hand to interrupt him.

This old guy is getting old. If he continues to get so excited, he might collapse and we might have to call a doctor to save his life. It’s better not to provoke him.

"Calm down, we didn't say anything."

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the guest seat in the study with his arms and legs stretched out, his posture making it seem as if he was the master of the room.

He comforted Li Shanchang with a few words and then said:
"I came to see you today because I wanted to know how close you are to him before I could decide whether to ask you to do something."

"Since you are well-informed about his family and your relationship with him is not that good..."

"Bai Shi, do you know if Hu Weiyong has done anything today?"

Li Shanchang was stunned for a moment.

His age does not mean that his brain is broken. On the contrary, it is because his mind is still clear that he chose to retire at the right time and take up some idle position from the Secretariat, so as not to become a thorn in the side of His Majesty.

People with normal brains can easily realize the problem.

Your Majesty posted the imperial edict all over the city during the day, announcing the opening of a special imperial examination to recruit craftsmen, but in the evening he came to my house to inquire about Hu Weiyong's actions. Why?
When it comes to investigating the situation, the people from the Yiluansi must be more professional than Li Shanchang. They can even find out that they accepted two hundred taels of gold ten years ago, let alone go to the Prime Minister's Mansion to follow them.

Are you asking despite knowing the answer? Not really.

Li Shanchang pondered for a moment and replied:

"Hu Weiyong contacted many people and planned to invite them to his home for a banquet at night. He also sent the invitation to me, but I declined."

"Later, I asked my younger brother, and he actually accepted the invitation. He also said that half of the people in the Secretariat would go tonight, and he kept urging me to go too. However, as an old minister, I have always disliked participating in such banquets since I am old, so I firmly refused and did not go."

It's not that he doesn't like to attend banquets.

He was afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion and had his annual salary cut last year for the crime of disrespect. After the warning, Li Shanchang became much more honest and dared not do anything weird again. Especially since Hu Weiyong had obviously become more powerful in recent years, seeing that His Majesty was getting more and more angry, he was even more unwilling to get involved in these matters.

Look, didn’t he come to my door today?
Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and uttered "oh" thoughtfully. It took him a long time to think about it.

He knocked on the table and smiled at Li Shanchang:
"In that case, I wonder if Baishi would be willing to do us a small favor?"

This tone, this look, this attitude...

Li Shanchang had goose bumps all over his body.

I always feel like someone is going to die.

But he couldn't refuse. If he didn't refuse, someone would die. If he refused, he would be the one to die.

He gritted his teeth and said:

"But please command, Your Majesty!"

This time, the smile in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes was much more genuine than before.

"Well, Bai Shi is worthy of being the right-hand man of the Ming Dynasty and the pillar of the court!"

"We want you to accept Hu Weiyong's invitation to the banquet, and then tell him that the Yiluansi has set its sights on him, and ask him to make plans early and not end up like Yang Xian."

(End of this chapter)