Chapter 67 The fourth round of the white-haired injustice, fainted, the cabinet, the confidante, shed tears, and the empty building

As soon as Zhang Juzheng went out, he saw that the second assistant Lu Tiaoyang had also left the house after hearing the news. The two walked through the corridor to the foyer, only to see Zhu Heng being held up and moving forward with difficulty.There were already quite a few officials waiting to meet in the hall, but now they all got up to watch the excitement, and there was a lot of whispering.Seeing the two assistant ministers walking over quickly, they all avoided in fright.But he said that Zhu Heng had to come to the cabinet dragging his sick body, originally to find Zhang Juzheng to vent his grievances and vent his anger, but when he went out, he was blown by the wind again, and suddenly he had asthma again, his throat was blocked severely, and his face was blue and purple .It goes without saying that Zhu Lu and another servant brought him into the cabinet on duty.Seeing Zhang Juzheng and Lu Tiaoyang coming forward to greet him at this moment, he was so excited that he couldn't speak for a moment, he choked up and called out "Shoufu", and he was already in tears.Zhang Juzheng hurriedly invited him into the nearby living room, and ordered the servants to heat the earth dragon even warmer.

As soon as he sat down in the living room, Zhu Heng coughed violently. Zhu Lu quickly took out his handkerchief to catch the phlegm for the master. Zhang Juzheng, who has always been neat and tidy, felt it was indecent, so he turned his face away.As soon as the coughing stopped, Lu Tiaoyang, who was sitting by the side, stammered and asked: "Master Zhu, you, you, you, what, what's the matter?" Zhu Heng took a sip of the hot tea served by the waiter, panted slightly, and immediately said: "Both housekeepers are here, the old man is here to resign!" Zhang Juzheng was not surprised by Zhu Heng's attitude because he already knew about the "Zuoyemen Incident", but he still asked solemnly:

"Master Zhu, why did you say that suddenly?" "The eunuchs are forcing me to go!" Zhu Heng poked his cane heavily, his gray beard curled up and down.Seeing the suspicious expressions on the faces of the two assistant ministers, Zhu Lu bravely interjected and said, "Our master is freezing in front of the Zuoye gate." Then he told what happened.As soon as his words fell, Lu Tiaoyang, who was always dull, was so angry that his facial features shifted, he stomped his feet and said: "Is there, is this, this is the reason, the little gatekeeper competes, dares, dares to play tricks on the court, the court's big arms, ministers, where, where, there is the king, the king's law!"

Zhu Heng was already in a fit of anger, but when he heard Lu Tiaoyang's words, his blood rushed to his forehead, and he almost shouted hoarsely: "I was young and young, and I have read the books of sages all my life. I was a member of the imperial court in my thirties, and I was a crime in the officialdom. I ruled the Huaihe River and was almost drowned in the flood when it was intercepted in Tianjiajiao. When I was building Jiningwei Wharf, I encountered a rebellion from hungry people. , and was almost beaten to death with sticks. Now more than 30 years have passed, the old man has lived in three dynasties, and he has worked for the court sincerely. He has never dared to be negligent. Who knows that it is so shameful and humiliating now that it is seventy years old. It's intolerable! People who are promoted to fight, people who wear clothes, have dignity and cannot be offended, let alone our generation? The ancients said that it is okay to cook with a tripod, but you must not be insulted. Inside the imperial city, under the Meridian Gate, the little eunuch If you are so presumptuous, what does this old man need this official robe for?"

The more Zhu Heng talked, the more excited and sad he became, and he stood up tremblingly, trying to take off his official uniform.Lu Tiaoyang hurried up to stop him, helped him back to the chair and sat down, and said angrily to Zhang Juzheng: "Shoufu, in the past two hundred years of the dynasty, nothing like this has ever happened. If there is no severe punishment, where will the court be?" Zhang Juzheng felt sympathy for Zhu Heng when he came to the cabinet to ask for justice.He was concentrating on how to persuade Zhu Heng to go home to take care of his general, and when he heard Lu Tiaoyang's scholarly words, fueling old Zhu Heng's fire, he felt a little unhappy, so he said:

"This kind of thing happened before. In the 40th year of Jiajing, the gatekeeper of the Zuoye Gate falsely passed the imperial decree and asked Li Xuedao, the censor, to meet him. It was midsummer, and the sun was poisonous and hot. Li Xuedao was exposed to the sun for two hours. Suffering from heatstroke: Later, I found out that the gatekeeper was teasing him, and in a rage, the two wrestled, which alarmed the emperor. As a result, the gatekeeper received twenty shovels, and Li Xuedao was actually demoted to three ranks and sent to the prefecture." "This kind of treatment violates the ancestral system. Li Xuedao was humiliated, why did he have to be demoted to three ranks?" Lu Tiaoyang muttered dissatisfied.

"It's the same in ancient and modern times that eunuchs are favored." Zhang Juzheng sighed and continued, "During Tang Xianzong's time, Yuan Zhen was on a mission to Sichuan. There was a deep and big gash on his face. When the incident spread to the capital, not only did the favored eunuch not deal with it, but he demoted Yuan Zhen to a scholar, and Shilin was furious for a while. Yuan Zhen's good friend Bai Juyi wrote a letter stating that "the envoy Insulting court officials, regardless of their crimes, and the court officials were demoted first, such a treatment, I fear that from now on, stepping out of the palace will become more violent, and there will be no one who dares to speak.' Tang Xianzong received a lot of such notes, and finally Fall on deaf ears."

Lu Tiaoyang and Zhu Heng couldn't taste what Zhang Juzheng said.Does he want to severely punish the perpetrators or put peace and tolerance first? A sense of disappointment welled up in Zhu Heng's heart, and he said angrily, "I think I'm unlucky, so maybe I can't afford to hide? Come today The cabinet will send a note to the emperor tomorrow, and I will resign and go home." After speaking, he stood up and wanted to move away.Zhang Juzheng hurried over to help the weak Zhu Heng to sit down again, and persuaded him: "Master Zhu, please don't be angry. What Bugu said just now does not mean to protect the eunuchs. We are all scholars in my generation, and we cherish each other. How could it be possible to be in cahoots with illiterate eunuchs? Bugu The reason why I mentioned two examples is to show that eunuchs are favored, which is really a great misfortune for courtiers. I, Emperor Wanli, is the first heir to Datong, and I am trying to change the old and revive the court: how can such things be allowed to happen? Master Zhu was insulted by this , Although Bugu was not present, he felt the same. However, the government cannot directly deal with the violation of the law by the internal officials, but the internal officials will directly judge, and Bugu will immediately send personnel to negotiate with the internal officials."

Zhu Heng felt relieved after hearing these comforting words: Lu Tiaoyang took the opportunity to ask: "Master Zhu, there is a sentence that I don't know whether to ask or not." "You said;" Zhu Heng raised his dry eyelids. "Why did this little gatekeeper of the Zuoye gate make such a poisonous move against you? There must be something strange in it." "Yes," Zhu Heng said with difficulty, "After the incident happened, I thought about it carefully. At first I thought it was a problem with the road ticket. I have been in the palace to meet the emperor all these years, and I have never refused to be castrated. I know they hate me to death. Then I thought about it, this has been going on for many years, and even if they wanted to punish me, I couldn’t make it to today. The old man thought it might be last winter month. The new gatekeeper Wang Qi asked the emperor about the five value houses outside the door, but the old man's plan was disturbed by the old man's advice, so he held a grudge, so he chose such a bad weather to clean up the old man. However, after more than an hour The former Pan Jixun visited the old husband's house, and only then did the real mystery be revealed."

"What's the reason?" Zhang Juzheng asked. "It's still about applying for 800,000 dual-use silver for the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau. The old man refused to move the paper, so it planted the seeds of disaster." "Ah, it's actually for this matter?" Zhang Juzheng bit his cheek and thought for a while, and said, "This morning, the emperor sent your memorial to the cabinet to draw up a bill. Master Zhu, your memorial is very well written. Well, Bugu agrees with your suggestion..." Before he could finish his words, he saw a eunuch passing the decree from Qianqing Palace had already stepped across the threshold.The eunuch didn't know Zhu Heng, but he didn't avoid it, and said to Zhang Juzheng:

"Shoufu Mr. Zhang, the emperor asked the servants to deliver the decree. I heard that Zhu Heng, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, ran to the Zuoye Gate in the middle of the night to make trouble. The second-rank minister is so disrespectful. Why? I hope to find out." After the eunuch dryly said these few words, he turned around and left.Zhu Heng, who was calmed down after being persuaded by Zhang Juzheng for a long time, was suddenly dumbfounded.Zhang Juzheng wanted to comfort him, but before he could open his mouth, he saw Zhu Heng let go of the crutch suddenly, rolled the whites of his eyes, leaned back, and slid straight to the ground. After noon, Zhang Juzheng was in no mood to eat, and anxiously waited for Zhu Heng's news in the duty room.After Zhu Heng fainted, Zhang Juzheng ordered someone to quickly invite the imperial physician, and at the same time ordered someone to quickly carry Zhu Heng back to the mansion in a sedan chair.In the new year, a second-rank minister of the three dynasties cannot be allowed to die in the cabinet.Around mid-afternoon, the people sent to Zhu's mansion sent back news that Zhu Heng had been rescued, but he was still talking nonsense.The imperial doctor was afraid of another accident, so he didn't dare to leave even half a step.Only then did Zhang Juzheng feel at ease, and immediately felt tired. He was about to take a nap, and another servant from the Supervisor of Rituals came to report that Eunuch Feng was waiting for him in the silent room of the Wenhua Palace, and he had a few things to discuss .Zhang Juzheng asked Yao Kuang to grab a towel to wipe his face, and then walked over. The sky was still gloomy, and the old north wind blew up and down, making people feel annoyed.The cabinet is not very far from Gongmo's room, Zhang Juzheng felt cold after walking this short distance.Seeing him coming, the eunuch on duty hurriedly raised the curtain and bowed to welcome him in. Feng Bao, who arrived first, got off the armchair and stood up.Looking at him, he smiled and said: "Mr. Zhang, this Beifeng knife is like a knife. Why don't you wear earmuffs when you go out?" "It's just a few steps, why bother." The two greeted each other and sat down again.The office was closed for half a month during the Spring Festival, and now it has been open for five days, and the two have not seen each other for nearly a month.When they first met, it was inevitable that they would pretend to be affectionate and say auspicious words to each other.The waiter brought refreshments, Zhang Juzheng was already a little hungry, so he picked up peach crisp sesame cake and ate a few pieces indiscriminately.Seeing Zhang Juzheng's slightly tired face, Feng Bao said with concern: "Mr. Zhang, you look very tired." Zhang Juzheng nodded, and brought the conversation to the point: "Yes, Zhu Heng fainted in the cabinet today, and I was so busy that I didn't even have time for lunch." "What's wrong with Zhu Heng?" Feng Bao pretended not to know anything and looked surprised.Zhang Juzheng knew that he was acting, so he didn't point it out, he just frowned and said: "Zhu Heng came to the cabinet to complain." "Who are you suing?" "Speak to the officer on duty at Zuoyemen." "Tell him what?" "Fake imperial decree." "Oh?" Feng Baoyin said with a smile, "It turned out that it was because of this matter that Wang Qi, the official on duty at Zuoyemen, told me early in the morning that Zhu Heng was out of his wits, and he ran away in the middle of the night to say that the emperor wanted to summon him. , ask Wang Qi to open the door." Feng Bao spoke loosely, and Zhang Juzheng felt very uncomfortable when he heard it, so he said with a sullen face: "Zhu Heng, a veteran of the three dynasties, has always been prudent, and there is no order from a middle-ranking official. What is he doing at the Zuoye Gate against the north wind?" "That's right, the old man is thinking the same way." Feng Bao tried his best to hide his gloating expression, and sneered, "Wang Qi has Wang Qi's argument. In this matter, the public said that the public is right, and the mother-in-law said that the mother-in-law is right." "In the morning, the eunuch who delivered the edict came to the cabinet to deliver the emperor's order, saying that Zhu Heng went to Zuoyemen to make trouble in the middle of the night, and asked the servants to investigate and deal with the matter." "Not only the emperor, but even the queen mother, are very angry after hearing this!" "Who reported it to the Queen Mother and the Emperor?" "we." "Eunuch Feng, don't you think this is strange?" "What's so strange?" "Zhu Heng, a veteran of the three dynasties, is famous in the court and the public. He acts with sincerity and demeanor. No one goes to his house to pass the decree. How could he come to Zuoyemen? And the sky changed last night, and the north wind was like a knife. According to servant , there must be someone who falsely spread the imperial decree and intentionally harmed Zhu Heng." "Who is this person?" "It must be the middle officer." "Mr. Zhang so sure?" Feng Bao couldn't hold back. Seeing Feng Bao evasively evading his excuses, Zhang Juzheng felt very uncomfortable in his heart, and he was not easy to get angry, so he could only make indirect remarks: "Once this matter spreads, I'm afraid it will be bad for you, Eunuch Feng." "Really?" Feng Bao looked at Zhang Juzheng warily. "The middle official has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor by falsely delivering the imperial decree. You are the head of the inner court. At least, for those who chew their tongues, you can say that you, Eunuch Feng, are not strict in discipline." "I'll go back and investigate to see who did it. If it's true, lock him up." Feng Bao said copiously, paused, and then said, "Mr. Zhang, you have to investigate according to the emperor's order." Check Zhuheng's end." "Eunuch Feng, is this necessary? I dare to conclude that Zhu Heng is the victim." What Zhang Juzheng said was categorical, Feng Bao was not in the mood to argue after hearing that he was not in the mood, so he calmed himself down by drinking tea, and then said: "Mr. Zhang, the old man saw you this time because he was ordered by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor." "Ah, what is the Queen Mother's order?" "There are three things. The first is to set a date for the opening of the emperor's spring sutra feast, the second is to repair the tomb of Wu Qing Bo Li Wei, and the third is to use the bank for the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau." Zhang Juzheng knew that the Empress Dowager would listen to the answers to these three matters, and after a little thought, he replied firmly: "The sutra banquet this spring was discussed with three lecturers yesterday, and the date of the banquet is set to be after the February Flower Dynasty. One day, the lecturers were making preparations according to this date. What is the second thing you said, Wuqing Boxiu's grave?" "Yes," Feng Bao continued, "Uncle Wu Qing said that he saw a piece of auspicious soil in Cangzhou. The Empress Dowager asked you how to decide." "Emperor's relatives and relatives should deal with the Lord's wedding and funeral. All clan houses have rules, so just follow the rules." Hearing that the tone was entirely business-like, Feng Bao knew that Zhang Juzheng had no affection for Li Wei, but he did not reveal it because of the Empress Dowager Li's affection.He originally wanted to mention Li Wei's "bo" promotion to "hou", but after thinking about it, he thought it was not the right time, so he suppressed this thought and asked directly: "What is Mr. Zhang's opinion on the use of bank by Hangzhou Weaving Bureau?" As soon as this topic came up, Zhang Juzheng immediately thought of the conversation he had with Mo Wenlong, the prefect of Hangzhou, in the morning, and his heart was surging.He knew that it was Feng Bao's idea to increase the amount of silver used by the Weaving Bureau to 800,000 taels, and if he talked about it according to his heart, it would definitely collapse.So he played a trick and asked Feng Bao in a roundabout way: "I heard that Sun Long hit a wall when he went to the Ministry of Industry to apply for a document transfer?" "That's right," Feng Bao pretended to be an outsider, "According to Sun Long, he let Zhu Heng come out, and Zhu Heng even wrote a note to the emperor on this matter, and this note has been transferred to you this morning gone." "yes." "How are you going to draft a ticket?" "Zhu Heng came here to make a fuss, and I haven't had time to read the excerpt." Zhang Juzheng prevaricated with a word. Feng Bao had roughly guessed Zhang Juzheng's attitude, so he leaned forward and said mysteriously: "Mr. Zhang, the old man is here to let you know first. Empress Dowager Li thinks that Zhu Hengyi is an old man, and she doesn't like him very much." "yes?" Zhang Juzheng said so in response, but there were waves in his heart: But it is said that when Zhang Juzheng served as the first assistant, Yang Bo, Ge Shouli, and Zhu Heng were retained as three veteran ministers, and his intention was to use Zhong Kui to fight ghosts.At that time, people's feelings were fierce, and it was said that he and Feng Bao played a conspiracy to squeeze Gao Gong away.Zhang Juzheng showed great respect to these three old ministers, which indeed had the effect of "overwhelming the crowd of monkeys and stopping their cries".In less than half a year, he had the situation under control.Some thorny heads with stubborn necks, humming, hahaha, and secretly shooting cold arrows, were all cleaned up by him like pulling onions, and the relegated and relegated, even if there were a few left, they all became old people in the autumn wind. The loofah, hanging there alone, is lonely, and after all, nothing will happen.Now among the 18 major yamen in the capital, Zhang Juzheng really responds to everyone, pointing to the left, no official dares to look to the right, and his authority is much higher than that of Gao Gong, who is known for his iron fist.This situation is not easy to come by. The important reason is that the emperor relied on the chief assistant when he was young to deal with state affairs, but more importantly, it was because Zhang Juzheng made the best use of the situation during the trial.He often said that he was a Bodhisattva with the heart of Thunderbolt.The method of thunderbolt is true, but the heart of the Bodhisattva is invisible. People call him "Prime Minister with an Iron Face" behind his back, which shows the depth of fear. The situation is established, and Zhang Ju is in the process of implementing the New Deal, but he clearly feels that the three veteran ministers are not only unable to continue to play a role in stabilizing people's hearts, but are often hindered by political differences.For example, Zhang Juzheng demanded that all officials with dirty deeds be severely punished.Even those officials who have no bad achievements but are mediocre and incompetent are mostly ordered to resign, and they will never be allowed to delay political affairs.In charge of inspecting and inspecting officials across the country, Ge Shouli, the Zuodu censor who held the power of impeachment and talked about Tianxian, felt that Zhang Juzheng was too harsh.Besides, Yang Bo, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, had some sort of personal relationship with Zhang Juzheng, but he also slandered Zhang Juzheng for his "eclectic" selection of talents.He knew that Zhang Juzheng was determined to reform, and it was difficult to take back the momentum once a discussion had been made.Therefore, he decided to go back to seclusion, and asked the emperor to submit a booklet to be an official.This move hit Zhang Juzheng's heart, but he didn't want to bear the notoriety of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, so when he drafted the emperor's decree, he said only emotional words.Perseveringly, Yang Bo had decided to go to Shu, and finally the emperor had to agree.Not long after Yang Bo left, Ge Shouli followed closely behind and handed over a booklet requesting to retire and return to his hometown. The emperor still ordered him to stay, and after two or three rounds of this, the emperor finally "approved".When the two veterans returned to their hometowns, the emperor presented them with money and sent eunuchs to comfort them.On the day of enthronement, Zhang Juzheng personally led all the officials in Beijing who were above the third rank to attend a feast to see him off. The scene was warm and grand, and the atmosphere was so harmonious and emotional, which was indeed the only one seen by the emperors of the Three Dynasties.Zhang Juzheng tried his best to make such superficial articles as vigorous as possible.Give the two old ministers enough face and let them enjoy the honor. When Yang Bo and Ge Shouli were in power, Zhang Juzheng was preoccupied with how to deal with these two "defensive ministers", but neglected Zhu Heng.When the two old people resigned and left Beijing, Zhu Heng, who was the only one left, suddenly became the star of the world.This Zhu Heng is a rigid person, he does things in a straight line, no one can fool him.In the past, as the censor of the right capital, he was the prime minister of Hedao several times, and he had remarkable achievements in governing the Yellow River, Huaihe River and Canal, so he was also a respected role model in the officialdom.Zhang Juzheng deeply admires his achievements in river control and his upright character.There is no need to worry too much about the affairs of the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry, Zhu Heng is a solid pillar.However, bumps and bumps happened frequently, making Zhang Juzheng embarrassed from time to time.The most typical event was last fall, when Empress Dowager Li suddenly issued an edict to donate money to build a Niangniang Temple in Zhuozhou in her own name.Then the emperor also issued a decree: "Let the Ministry of Industry survey and build." Zhu Heng ran to the cabinet after receiving the decree, and shouted at Zhang Juzheng: "Since the Queen Mother donated money to build the temple, it should not be allocated to the Ministry of Industry." Zhang Juzheng did not agree Not in a hurry, he smiled and asked: "Why not send personnel from the Ministry of Industry to conduct a survey?" Pay this money? In recent years, the finances have been empty, and there is a lack of money in Taicang. You, the chief assistant, know this better than I do. The Ministry of Industry can’t guarantee the normal expenditure. The spring flood is coming, but the repair of several rivers can’t be done due to the lack of money. After the completion of the project, there is still a tael of spare money to build this empress temple that has nothing to do with the national economy and the people's livelihood." What Zhu Heng said was the truth, and to speak from his heart, Zhang Juzheng also had a lot of opinions on Empress Dowager Li's belief in Buddhism to make meritorious deeds. Always refused to give a "yes" word.But he never showed it, and every time the decree came out, he always showed 12 points of enthusiasm.This time the emperor's decree of "the Ministry of Industry's investigation and construction" was drafted by him personally.His original intention was not to allow Concubine Li to take the money first, but to ask the Ministry of Industry to send two people to Zhuozhou to select a site, and then draw a drawing, and then make a budget after the drawing is accurate.The progress of this matter is still under the control of the Ministry of Industry? You took half a year to come up with a drawing, and then submitted it to the Queen Mother for approval. If you are not satisfied, you have to revise it. Didn’t it take another few months? The fastest start of construction will be next year.At that time, when the country's finances improved, how could there be tens of thousands of taels of silver? Zhang Juzheng intended to use the word "delay", but Zhu Heng was so stubborn that he couldn't figure out what Shoufu was thinking, so he insisted that he would never do anything without money.If it is a matter of the Ministry of Household, Military, and Criminal Affairs, Zhang Juzheng has made his thoughts clear.To this Zhu Heng, it was inconvenient for him to tell the truth from the bottom of his heart, he could only hint.But Zhu Heng admits to death and refuses to be flexible.After the cabinet quarrel, he personally wrote a note to the emperor, emphasizing that the Ministry of Industry was in short supply and it was difficult to keep up with it, which made the empress dowager displeased.Fortunately, Zhang Juzheng figured out a way to transfer the Baohe store in Beijing, which was originally under the jurisdiction of the internal officials, to the name of Empress Dowager Li.This Baohe store was specially used to purchase daily necessities for the palace, with an annual income of more than 100,000 taels of silver. Empress Dowager Li got this store and solved the problem of giving incense every year.Although doing so is suspected of acting as a self-serving official, it has solved the big problem once and for all.With this income, Empress Dowager Li is also embarrassed to ask others to donate for her to do meritorious deeds.Ever since this incident happened, Zhang Juzheng had thought about replacing Zhu Heng's Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, but he couldn't find a proper reason for a while, so the matter just dragged on.The occurrence of the Zuoyemen incident this time provided a good opportunity for him to replace Zhu Heng.But things are not as simple as imagined. Zhang Juzheng is also very disgusted with the expansion of wage bank in Hangzhou Weaving Bureau.There are two reasons for this: one is that the Supervisor of Rituals does not discuss with the Ministry of Industry to unilaterally set the funds. Doing so is not only against the ancestral system, but also a dangerous signal. Eunuchs have always interfered in politics. Is there anyone who is not tempted by small things? Once the wish is fulfilled, the next step is to make progress without fear, and finally cause chaos in the court; the second is the sudden increase in wages and silver. Weaving the inside story, so the lion opened his mouth wide, so as to get a lot of money from it.If this happened to others, Zhang Juzheng would have resorted to thunderbolt methods long ago, but for Feng Bao, he had to be cautious.If those who uphold the principles of government don't understand the principle of throwing rats and avoiding weapons, and blindly use their emotions, not only will they suffer disasters themselves, but the search for the country will also be defeated.Therefore, Zhang Juzheng has a good grasp of the sense of proportion in handling this matter.In the end, the matter was satisfactorily resolved.He must achieve two goals: one is that Zhu Heng resigns from his post to become an official, and the other is that the amount of silver used by the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau must be greatly reduced... Zhang Juzheng sat there thinking for a long time like a gourd, Feng Baoku couldn't bear it, and there was no dispatching place, suddenly a small servant rushed in from the outside, Feng Bao recognized that it was the Queen Mother Li's steward Wang Ziwang Three, they asked him: "What are you doing here?" Wang San greeted the two lords, then lowered his hands and said: "My old man, the queen mother asked the servant to pass on a message." "Say it." "The Empress Dowager is tired of listening to the operas of the bell and drum division in the palace. Her old man heard that there is a man named Zhang Jiulang in the capital. He has a unique mouth. palace show." After Wang San finished speaking, he left. Feng Bao looked at his back and smiled, and said to Zhang Juzheng who had just recovered: "Mr. Zhang, I can't sit here for a long time. The queen mother wants to listen to Zhang Jiulang's ventriloquist, so I will arrange it now." "Ah, I have heard of Zhang Jiulang's ventriloquist, but I have never heard of it," Zhang Juzheng said with a faint look, "The Empress Dowager appreciates it." Feng Bao got up to go out, and left a sentence before leaving: "Mr. Zhang, don't look at the Queen Mother being idle, only when she is idle can she have time to think about things. No one dares to disobey what she wants to do. " Walking out of Gongmo's room and back to the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng savored Feng Bao's words along the way, and he recognized the reminder and even the threat.A sentence from the "Book of Rites" suddenly popped up in his mind: "Caution is unseen, and fear is unheard." When he returned to the cabinet, it was already past the closing time. The leader of the sedan chair said: "Go to the Fragrant House." From the Forbidden City to Jixianglu by the Paozi River, it is at least a dozen miles. Zhang Juzheng came here in a sedan chair after leaving work. After walking for two-thirds of the distance, the sky was already dark, and the accompanying guards lit four lamps and died of anger. Feng's oil paper bright red watermelon lantern explored the way, bustling all the way, and only arrived at the gate of Jixianglu at the end of the Xu Dynasty. Since Yuniang lived here, Zhang Juzheng would come here to meet her every now and then, and sometimes he would meet with his confidants here to handle official business.Therefore, Jixiang Cottage, which had been idle for many years, suddenly became lively again.Out of safety considerations, the Wucheng Bingma Division also sent additional guards here, and the guards were so strict all day long that it was impossible for ordinary common people and lower-level officials to take a peek. Zhang Juzheng got off the sedan chair in the sedan chair hall at the entrance, walked around the screen wall with his hands behind his back, and walked to Shanweng Tingyu Building.A large group of waiters had been standing at the entrance of the building for a long time with their hands down, each of them greeted them proudly, but Yuniang was the only one in the crowd.Zhang Juzheng came to sit down in the flower hall on the first floor, and asked Liu Pu, the director of Jixianglu, who came in behind him: "Where's Yu Niang?" "Upstairs," Liu Pu replied respectfully, "Or, the lower officials will send someone to call her down." "No." As Zhang Juzheng said, he got up and walked out of the hall, stepped into the corridor with deep curtains, turned at the end and went upstairs.Ever since Yuniang lived in the Shanweng Tingyu Building, the male waiter in Jixiang Cottage has never come upstairs again.The daily care of Yuniang is all taken care of by the two maids presented by Wang Zhuan.As for the cleaning and arrangement of the upper floor, it will be managed by a few rough maidservants recruited by Liu Pu.Zhang Juzheng wanted to see what Yuniang was doing in the house right now, so when he went upstairs, he tiptoed to avoid making any noise.The Shanweng Tingyu Building is both magnificent and exquisite. Along the zigzagging flower corridors with carved railings and partitions, there are more than a dozen large and small incense rooms on the second floor. Yu Niang lives in the top one called Cuixiu Pavilion. In my house, this is the largest and most ornately furnished room on the second floor. It is surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on the other.Of course, this mountain is not a hill created by nature, but a yellowstone rockery created by Ji Cheng, a master gardener.The mountain is high and full of feet, steep and steep, and the plantains and bamboos are set against it, which reveals a bit of the beauty of the mountains and forests in the south of the Yangtze River.The water on three sides is not a vast expanse that can be seen at a glance. The curved bridges and small pavilions, and Xieyu Luozhou are all well-organized.Therefore, being in Cuixiu Pavilion is like being in a painting, which is so beautiful.Zhang Juzheng walked to Cuixiu Pavilion, the door was ajar, he didn't rush to push the door to go in, but looked at the engraved couplets on both sides of the door with the help of the palace lantern hanging between the beams: Red sleeves add fragrance to thousands of families Cooking wine with green plums and laughing to see the universe This pair of couplets was newly written by him. The original one hanging on it was "Take advantage of the autumn wind to brighten the moon, move and watch the flowing water and quietly watch the mountains". Take it down and make a new one.Zhang Juzheng standing in front of the door, when he saw the words "red sleeves add fragrance", a gentle feeling came from the bottom of his heart. He listened carefully, but there was no movement inside the door, so he gently pushed the door open. The house was dark and silent. "Yu Niang." Zhang Juzheng stood at the door and called out. No one answered. "Little Yan'er." Zhang Juzheng called out the maidservant's name again. "Hey!, With a crisp promise, Xiao Yan'er ran out from another room.Seeing Zhang Juzheng, she hurriedly saluted. "Where's Yuniang?" Zhang Juzheng asked. "She's in the room." Xiao Yan'er poked her head to see the darkness in the room, and quickly turned on the lamp.With the help of the flickering light, Zhang Juzheng could see clearly that Yuniang was sitting motionless in front of the dressing table. "Yu Niang, what's wrong with you?" Zhang Juzheng asked in surprise, and walked over quickly, only to see Yuniang bursting into tears, holding a white silk in her hand. "Miss!" Xiao Yan'er also exclaimed. Zhang Juzheng stretched out his hand to stop her and let her back out. Seeing Yuniang sitting there motionless, he walked up behind her and stood still, stroking Yuniang's fragrant shoulders, and asked softly: "Yu Niang, what happened to you?" Yu Niang trembled a little, but still didn't speak. "Who bullied you?" Zhang Juzheng asked again. Yuniang shook her head, suddenly covered her face with a white silk in her hand, and cried out loudly. Yuniang's abnormal performance made Monk Zhang Juzhengzhang puzzled. When he left here three days ago, Yuniang was still talking and laughing.Why did it suddenly change? Zhang Juzheng didn't know how to persuade him. At this moment, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a piece of paper on the dressing table, and reached out to take it. It turned out to be a signed letter, which read: The thirty-fifth lottery Leaving the nest swallows fly freely Calling out the east wind will never return evening drum morning bell very haggard Looking forward to the return of travelers every year Looking at the style of the signature, Zhang Juzheng knew that it was made by Lu Gongci.Legend has it that Lu Gong Temple is very effective in asking for a lottery. During the triennial examination, many scholars go there to ask about their future.Zhang Juzheng was also dragged by his companions to apply for a lottery before taking part in the Beijing Examination. In his opinion, the words were all ambiguous, and he forgot after reading them.Hearing Yuniang's mournful cry now, he seemed to know the reason, so he leaned down and whispered in Yuniang's ear: "Yu Niang, have you gone to Lu Gong Temple?" Yu Niang nodded, still unable to stop sobbing.How did Zhang Juzheng know that the sadness in Yuniang's heart could not be resolved with just a few words.However, after being rescued by Wang Zhuan from Yaozi Street in the autumn of the previous year and living in Jixiang Lu, Yuniang seldom went out.At first, it was because of blindness in both eyes that it was difficult to move. After careful treatment by the imperial physician, eyesight recovered after half a year. After taking medicine for some time, both eyes were finally back to normal.During this period, Zhang Juzheng often came to visit him, inquiring about his health with a spoon and asking about medicines, and his heart was as gentle as a hair.This kindness finally dispelled the grudge in Yuniang's heart.After getting along for a long time, she slowly tasted the charm of Zhang Juzheng. This famous and authoritative and self-respecting chief executive has a cold and unsmiling appearance, but his passion is as hot as fire and tenderness as water on the inside.His fierce and ruthless side is rarely revealed in front of Yu Niang. What Yu Niang sees is his loving eyes when he looks at her dressing up, and his childlike cunning when he gives orders on the wine curtain... Day after day, month after month, Yuniang's feelings for Zhang Juzheng are also undergoing subtle changes.At first she just didn't reject him, and slowly she fell in love with him, and then she loved him with all her heart and soul, and then, now, she couldn't leave him for a day.She thinks that the poem "If the two loves last for a long time, how can they be in the morning and evening" is the most impersonal poem in the world. If people who love each other don't stay together day and night, what kind of love is it? It is a pity that Zhang Juzheng cannot come to Jixianglu to accompany her every day.Whenever Zhang Juzheng came, she was as happy as a butterfly, and she didn't know where to stop; when Zhang Juzheng was not there, she was like Bihaiqingtian, heart-warming every night, staying alone in her boudoir, lazy and speechless.I only hate seeing each other less often and breaking up more often. Short-term joy is exchanged for long-term parting.More nights, she can only put her endless thoughts in the distant view leaning on the railing or in the strings wrapped around her fingers... In the past two days when Zhang Juzheng did not come, she felt bored, with no way to dispel the lingering thoughts of spring.When I woke up early this morning, I saw that the sunny day yesterday had suddenly changed, and I felt melancholy in my heart.Today is her eighteenth birthday, and she hasn't told anyone.In Jixianglu, from the supervisor Liu Pu to the ordinary servants, everyone smiled and flattered her when they saw her, but she knew that this was not an expression of true feelings, they had to do this because they were afraid of Zhang Juzheng's authority.As the saying goes, during the festive season, I miss my relatives a lot, and when I think of my eighteenth birthday, I will be alone, without even a relative by my side.Can't help but feel sad.Sitting alone in the house, thinking wildly, he suddenly remembered that someone said that the god's lottery in Lugong Temple was effective. This Lugong Temple was not too far from Jixianglu, and they were both by the Paozi River, so he went to Lugong Temple to ask for a lottery.After lunch, accompanied by two maidservants, she took a sedan chair to Lu Gong Temple, and after offering incense, she shook the lottery under the arrangement of the old Taoist.What she was thinking about was marriage, and she hoped that Zhang Juzheng would be married, and a bridal sedan chair would welcome her into the scholar's mansion.However, when she saw that the bamboo stick fell to the ground, and the old Taoist gave her this piece of paper according to the label of the bamboo stick, she was stupid at that time.Back in the Cuixiu Pavilion of Jixianglu, she suddenly felt that life was like a dream, and everything was different.If in the past she had a dim feeling of being unlucky, but now seeing this signature, she felt the pain so clearly.For a whole afternoon, she picked up the signature and put it down, put it down and picked it up... She thought a lot, and suddenly she felt that the relationship between her and Zhang Juzheng was not so much a love affair as a love affair. is a game.She loves him but can't get him. Year after year, she can only wither away in the evening drum and morning bell. For an infatuated girl, what can be more tormenting than "looking forward to the return of the traveler every year"? Thinking about it At that time, she was completely hopeless, and the desolation of her birthday, and the hoarse sky seemed to be a hint.She suddenly lost the courage to live, she dug out a white silk from the cabinet, and wanted to use it to hang her life, but before she took action, she still had the person she loved in her heart, and she hoped that he would Suddenly appearing in front of her at this moment, humming for her the ditty that relatives in her hometown in Jiangnan would sing every birthday, "A Nong Xiao Xiao, A Nong Jiao Jiao..." Just here, he kicked his heart and lungs In the torment of life and death, the person she was waiting for suddenly appeared, and when she heard his calm and charming voice, she burst into tears again. Seeing Yuniang's tears like unbroken pearls, Zhang Juzheng took out a handkerchief to gently wipe her, and asked in a low voice: "Yu Niang, why are you going to Lu Gong Temple to draw lots?" Yu Niang bit her lip, and it took her a long time to choke up and replied: . "Ask about marriage." Only then did Zhang Juzheng understand why Yuniang was sad, he felt a little nervous in his heart, and quickly said: "The signature from Lu Gongci is not valid." 玉娘的声音充满哀怨：“全北京的人都知道吕公祠的签灵验，就你说不灵验。” 张居正苦笑了笑，认真答道：“若是问功名前程，吕公祠的签倒还有几分准头，若论婚姻家事，吕公祠的签真的不灵。” “哪儿灵呢?”玉娘眼中忽然射出一丝期望。 “香山寺。”见玉娘满眼疑惑，张居正深深地叹了一口气，心疼地说，“玉娘，你想出去求签，也该选个好日子，今天北风这么大，还不把你冻坏了。” 玉娘一听这体恤话儿，顿时心头一热，丢了手中的白绫，一把扑到张居正的怀中，双手捣着张居正的胸口，用她那好听的吴侬软语哭道： “老爷啊老爷，今天是奴家的生日啊!”