"Father, did something happen in the capital?"
Zhang Jingxiu walked in with a lamp. It was already time to light the lanterns outside, but his father's study was still dark. Zhang Jingxiu came in.
Because this was Zhang Juzheng's study, You Chi was the only servant who could enter.
Now, You Chi was a busy man. Zhang Wenming's funeral was all handled by You Chi. It was not a big deal that you couldn't light the lanterns.
Seeing his father sitting there in deep thought, Zhang Jingxiu couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Jingxiu certainly knew his father's character. He had received a lot of letters from the capital these days, but it was the first time he saw his father like this.
"Take a look!" Zhang Juzheng reached out and handed the letter to Zhang Juzheng with a smile on his face.
Zhang Jingxiu nodded. His father usually did this kind of thing. After all, Zhang Juzheng also had to train his son.
Zhang Jingxiu reached out to take the letter and quickly skimmed through it. Then, he raised his head and looked at Zhang Juzheng.
"What did you see?" Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhang Jingxiu and asked in a testing manner.
"The emperor wants to promote the status of the martial artists." Zhang Jingxiu thought for a moment and said, "The emperor wants power. Father, this …"
Zhang Juzheng smiled. "It's not that simple!"
After saying that, Zhang Juzheng took the letter and said, "The emperor is not promoting the status of the martial artists, nor is it simply asking for power. This is a test and paving the way."
"You don't understand?"
Seeing that Zhang Jingxiu still didn't understand, Zhang Juzheng simply said, "This time, after my father left the capital, the emperor will be in charge for the first time."
"A few days ago, someone submitted a memorial to me. However, the emperor severely reprimanded that person and strictly forbade him from submitting such a memorial in the future. The emperor doesn't want to take back power. If he wanted to take back power, he would have to make a move on me."
"The emperor is actually showing his attitude by doing this. It is also a test for the officials."
"Of course, it's also possible that the Emperor wants to take back the military power!"
At this point, Zhang Juzheng laughed to himself. The previous incident between him and Zhang Jing was actually because of the Imperial Horse Supervisor and the Imperial Guard in the palace.
Obviously, the emperor had grown up and didn't want to leave his safety in the hands of others.
After promoting Yu Dayou, Yu Dayou should also be promoted, right?
Because of this, the emperor didn't hesitate to let Yu Dayou idle for several years. Zhang Juzheng also understood afterwards that his emperor's student probably had this idea since a few years ago.
Zhang Jingxiu looked at his father with a complicated expression. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Father, are you …"
Before he could finish, Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and said with a smile, "I know what you want to say.
"Nothing good will come out of the reform. That's what your father-in-law said."
Zhang Jingxiu's father-in-law was called Wang Zhigao. He was also a ruthless person. His father passed away when he was 12, and he was raised by his mother to study.
In the eighteenth year of Jiajing, he recruited a disciple, and the following year, he was given food.
In the 22nd year of Jiajing, he passed the imperial examination and the following year, he became the county magistrate of Jishui County in Jiangxi.
Although he was a county magistrate, Wang Zhigao didn't get his position as an official, but because of his military exploits.
From the trajectory of his promotion, he quelled a rebellion in Henan, fought against the barbarians in Liaodong, and fought against the Tatars when he was the military governor of Shanxi and Shaanxi.
He was the military governor of the capital and the minister of military affairs. He was also promoted to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of War in Nanjing.
Wang Zhigao was also promoted to the two Ministers. In addition, he was Zhang Juzheng's in-law, so he could be said to be in the limelight for a while.
This person, who was known as the rising star of the officialdom and the future Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, chose to retire, and it was a rogue kind.
In the third year of Wanli, Wang Zhigao requested to escort his mother and asked for leave to return to his hometown. He didn't return to the court within the time limit and was impeached.
In any case, no matter what the court said, he didn't go back. Zhu Yijun couldn't do anything. After all, he was filial to his widowed mother. You can't force him to return!
After all, Daming said to rule the world with filial piety. You can't let him be unfilial!
Then what would become of the Emperor?
Wang Zhigao was able to resign. In fact, one of the main reasons for Wang Zhigao's resignation was because of Zhang Juzheng.
Although he wanted to be filial to his mother, he didn't necessarily have to return to his hometown to fulfill his filial piety to his mother!
At that time, Wang Zhigao's next step would be to enter the cabinet, but Zhang Juzheng had already displayed his political ambitions and aspirations.
Wang Zhigao was very pessimistic about Zhang Juzheng's reform and had advised him against it. After all, in history, reformers did not end up well. From the most famous Shang Yang to the later Fan Zhongyan and Wang Anshi, they all had miserable fates!
Wang Zhigao could naturally see that Yin Jian was not far away. However, Zhang Juzheng was determined to reform.
One of the main reasons why Zhang Juzheng believed that he could succeed was because Wanli was his student and had always been very obedient. He was confident that he could nurture the Wanli Emperor into the ruler of his heart.
Glancing at Zhang Jingxiu, Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Father's reputation is now bad. If the reform is not completed, then there really is no way for me to make a comeback.
Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. When I return to the capital, I will push for the reform as soon as possible. Once it's completed, I will resign and return home. "
"Enjoy the rest of your life and play with your grandchildren. When the time comes, I will settle the score with your father-in-law."
When Zhang Jingxiu heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. A smile also appeared on his face. "Good. When the time comes, let my younger brothers have a few more children and spread our Zhang family's branches. When the time comes, let them be happy and listen to Father's teachings."
In reality, in the eighth year of Wanli's reign, Zhang Juzheng used the completion of the reform as an excuse to resign several times. However, he was rejected by the Wanli Emperor or Queen Dowager Li every time.
After all, it wasn't just Zhang Juzheng who didn't want Zhang Juzheng to leave. There was also Feng Bao and a large group of henchmen.
At that time, Zhang Juzheng was already riding on a tiger's back. He couldn't back down even if he wanted to.
As Zhang Juzheng watched his son leave, the smile on his face slowly disappeared. He glanced at the letter in his hand and thought back to the emperor's student when he left the capital. He couldn't help but recall the words "When Teacher returns, it will be time for you to realize your ambitions."
This also made Zhang Juzheng feel much more at ease. This was also a promise from the emperor. There was also the horizontal board that said "Dedicate myself to the country."
The capital, the Forbidden City, the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Zhu Yijun was in a good mood these days. He had finished what he wanted to do. Changding Castle was now beyond his reach and he didn't have the energy to do anything.
There was another reason why Zhu Yijun was in a good mood. He was going to see the beauties tomorrow.
These beauties had gone through layers of selection and learned the rules in the palace for a while. Tomorrow was the day to choose the Queen. As the emperor, Zhu Yijun naturally had to go, but he didn't have the right to speak.
"Liu Seol, have you seen those beauties?" Zhu Yijun turned to look at Liu Seol and asked.