Chapter 369: The Demon King Reincarnates, Bloodthirsty
Some people say that the 28th year of Jiajing was a year with too many things happening, not to mention the capital, but also the rest of the country. For example, there was a snowstorm in the northwest a while ago.
According to the treacherous Yan Song, the Ming Dynasty was so big that every year there were floods here and droughts there. These were all natural disasters and were inevitable.
But a group of gentlemen scoffed at this. While drinking and flirting with the prostitutes in their arms, they criticized the Yan Party's argument.
"This is all the interaction between heaven and man! If there are treacherous people in the court, heaven will use natural disasters to warn the emperor."
"The Yan Party controls the government and only cares about their own interests, which leads to constant natural and man-made disasters!"
Several scholars were hugging prostitutes in a brothel, sometimes using their hands and feet, and sometimes criticizing the treacherous officials in the court with a stern face. The expressions changed so quickly that even a master of changing faces would have to kneel down.
A scholar hugged the prostitute, kneading her clothes with his right hand, and suddenly said, "I heard that the man is coming back."
"Who?" The other scholar seemed to have returned to his childhood, his head almost buried in the chest of the prostitute beside him. Hearing this, he raised his head and asked.
"That great Mohist scholar." The scholar said, "It is said that once this man returns, the capital will be bustling."
"No wonder Yan Song looks more energetic."
……
"Motosuke!"
"Meet Yuanfu."
"Yuan Fu is in good spirits today!"
"Really?" Yan Song touched his old face. Even though he knew it was flattery, he was still in a good mood.
When I entered the Zhilu, Zhu Xizhong and Cui Yuan were both there.
Xu Jie arrived late today.
"There is something going on in the Ministry of Rites today, so I will go there first." Xu Jie was still in charge of the Ministry of Rites.
In fact, as a prime minister, unless he is the chief minister who holds the power of voting, otherwise as the second or third minister, if he does not control one of the six ministries, he is really just a staff officer without a chief, and his fart is not even audible.
Yan Shifan just came in and met Xu Jie who was about to leave.
"Dad, those people said they wanted to teach Long Wilbur a lesson."
Zhu Xizhong cursed: "Those bastards, are they going to impeach Qingzhi?"
After Jiang Qingzhi went south, the scholars launched an offensive. Yan Dang and Zhu Xizhong and others actually became allies. They worked together to resist the attacks of those people. Over this period of time, their "feelings" became much deeper.
"It's not impeachment, but criticism." Yan Shifan sat down and saw Xu Jie standing at the door, so he asked, "Lord Xu, are you not leaving?"
Xu Jie wants to hear some news, but you, the young minister, won't allow it?
Even Cui Yuan felt that Yan Shifan was too harsh on Xu Jie.
Xu Jie coughed dryly and said, "Let's go now."
He walked out of the duty room and was greeted by a wave of snowflakes. Looking at the gray sky with countless snowflakes flying, Xu Jie could not help but be at a loss for a moment.
After Jiang Qingzhi went south, the Yan Party took over the pressure from the literati. Yan Song and his son gave Xu Jie a lot of space for the first time, for example, they began to discuss certain political affairs with him.
This is a good sign.
But with the news of Jiang Qingzhi's return, Yan Song and his son never called Xu Jie when discussing state affairs again.
Xu Jie was at a loss for a moment, then reached out to brush away the snowflakes on his eyelashes. He had a tough personality, but after a moment of frustration, his eyes became more resolute.
"go!"
Xu Jie and his entourage disappeared in the snow.
"Young Lord, Lord Xu has gone far away." The attendant went in to report.
The posture of strictly guarding against Xu Jie returned again... Zhu Xizhong looked at Yan Shifan with amusement, thinking why didn't this guy hide it from me?
It must be because I, Zhu, am deeply trusted by Your Majesty!
The shameless old playboy knew that the biggest reason why Yan Song and his son did not suppress him was not because the emperor trusted him, but because the old playboy could only be a close minister to the emperor.
As the hereditary Duke of Chengguo, Zhu Xizhong could not hold an important position. In other words, even if all the civil officials in the court died out, Emperor Jiajing would not allow Zhu Xizhong to enter the Council of State and serve as prime minister.
This is a small tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects.
Zhu Xizhong suddenly felt melancholy and thought, it would be great if his younger brother were here.
"Those people outside are making a fuss, saying that Chang Wei Bo led his army to kill countless people in the south and captured more than a thousand Japanese pirates in two battles. Logically, they should have presented the prisoners to the capital, but Chang Wei Bo was bloodthirsty and ordered his men to kill all the prisoners..."
"Take your time." Yan Song handed over the tea and reached out to brush away the snowflakes on Yan Shifan's head.
Yan Shifan held the teacup, feeling the warmth. "Those people said that Chang Wei Bo was a demon from heaven who lived by killing. The Tiger Guards who followed him had already become demons."
"What does this rumor mean?" Zhu Xizhong asked.
Yan Shifan glanced at him, with a hint of superiority in his intelligence. "The people of the capital believe in such judgments of ghosts and gods the most. Chang Wei Bo was about to return to the capital in triumph, but after all this hype, I'm afraid he can only tuck his tail between his legs and return to the city in disgrace."
"He is indeed a treacherous villain!" Zhu Xizhong cursed.
Nowadays, everyone in the world says that Yan Song and his son are treacherous and treacherous. You, Zhu Xizhong, say what treacherous and treacherous in front of them. Isn't it like pointing at a monk and scolding a bald donkey?
Cui Yuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw that Yan Song and his son were a little angry.
"Prince Consort Cui, I heard that you have been going to temples frequently to pray to the gods and Buddha recently. Is there any way?" The old playboy pointed his target at Cui Yuan.
Cui Yuan said calmly, "Chang Wei Bo's killing was excessive. If more than a thousand captives were brought to the capital, how much would it boost the morale of the army? Has he ever thought about it?"
"What happened next?" Zhu Xizhong asked, "After seeing these prisoners, the Beijing Guards will be reborn? Nonsense!"
Zhu Xizhong turned away in anger.
The duty room was quiet for a long time, and then Cui Yuan got up and left.
"After a brief period of cooperation, it seems that it is time for each of us to go our separate ways again," Yan Song sighed.
Yan Shifan said disdainfully: "Zhu Xizhong did it on purpose, his purpose is to alienate us. He is cunning and shameless... If Jiang Qingzhi does not come back from the south, I bet he will take the initiative to approach us."
"This is the way for the nobles to survive," Yan Song said, "They rely on the emperor's favor and the reputation of their ancestors. Not taking sides is their way of protecting themselves."
"Zhu Xizhong has taken sides." Yan Shifan sneered, "He and Jiang Qingzhi are close friends. Jiang Qingzhi is a great figure in the Mohist school, and Zhu Xizhong is a supporter of the Mohist school. If this isn't taking sides, what is this? Once Jiang Qingzhi is disgraced, those people will flock to him and devour this Duke Cheng."
"He and Jiang Qingzhi share a relationship of mutual benefit and mutual loss. Jiang Qingzhi went south to avoid the limelight and came back. Those people have been preparing for a long time, just waiting to strike him. If Zhu Xizhong is smart, he should keep a low profile at this moment to avoid being implicated."
Yan Song drank a sip of tea. In his eyes, all the friendships and allies could be abandoned before interests. This is also a feature of the Yan Party, which is to form a party with interests as the core and driving force. Such a small group is invincible when it is in power. But once it loses power, it will fall apart in an instant.
……
"Go and ask how far Qingzhi is from the capital." Zhu Xizhong returned to the duty room and ordered someone to inquire about the news, and then sent someone home to pass on the message.
"Tell the Madam to prepare plenty of wine and food, and go outside the city to welcome Qingzhi that day."
The attendant came back and relayed the words of the wife of Duke Chengguo, "The lady asked if this violated any taboos?"
"Those people want to turn Qingzhi's triumphant return into a retreat to the capital with his tail between his legs. Your Majesty, how can you just sit back and watch? Just make preparations."
……
"I heard from them that those people were trying to ruin the atmosphere of my cousin's triumphant return to the capital."
At the old place, Prince Yu squatted outside the gate, and Prince Jing leaned against a wooden pillar, crossed his arms, and said, "My cousin defeated the Japanese pirates in the south this time, and his reputation is great. Those people want to suppress this spirit, so they are making noises everywhere. What devil king, what bloodthirsty nature."
"This matter is not easy to handle." Prince Yu held his chin with both hands. "If my cousin goes to the city in disgrace one day, it will become a big joke. In addition, if such rumors are allowed to spread, it will also be detrimental to my cousin's reputation. Hey! Are you smart enough to do something?"
"You are playing dumb again!" King Jing said coldly, "But you don't have quick wits. I think you are really dumb this time."
Ha ha!
Prince Yu was not angry either, "Tell me."
King Jing said calmly: "Do you remember the lesson that our cousin taught us?"
"what class?"
"The war of public opinion in unrestricted warfare!"
"Tsk! That's right, use propaganda to fight back. How do we do it?"
"Those people dare to spread rumors because the people of the capital only know about the cruelty of the foreign races outside the Nine Borders, but they don't know the severity of the harm caused by the Japanese pirates in the south..."
……
"Your Majesty, the two princes have gathered the people around them and said they are going out to look for something."
Emperor Jiajing was startled and asked, "What are you looking for?"
"I don't know what happened next." Huang Jin felt a little embarrassed and felt that he had failed in his duty.
"The fact that they were able to hide it from you shows that those two guys have made progress."
Emperor Jiajing was quite pleased, "How far is Qingzhi from the capital?"
"Two days."
"it is good."
The Taoist's eyes were dim, "I want to see what those people are doing..."
……
"Second Master, someone in the capital is spreading rumors that the Second Master is the reincarnation of the devil and is bloodthirsty."
The old dandy's entourage brought this news which made Jiang Qingzhi smile.
"The Duke said so, so we should prepare wine and food, and make sure the Second Master has a glorious triumphant return."
"Tell Lao Zhu not to do this." Jiang Qingzhi said.
"Second Master, don't underestimate these things. They have spread everywhere in the capital now."
"Go back and tell Lao Zhu, is this the reincarnation of the devil? I like it very much."
After the visitor left, Xu Wei, whose face had turned blue from the cold, asked, "What does Lord Bo mean by... to establish a good image for himself?"
"What is the Mohist School? What kind of personality do I, Jiang Qingzhi, have... These all need to be characterized. The Mohist School and I are currently in decline, so if we want to break through, we naturally cannot be friendly. The reincarnation of the devil, bloodthirsty by nature, this character setting is just right."
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "From now on, we will have a legitimate reason to take action."
Didn’t you say that I was the reincarnation of the devil and was bloodthirsty?
Then I'll beat you up, does that fit with this character?
"Then this time we return to the capital in triumph..." Xu Wei looked at the soldiers on the way, "I'm afraid these soldiers will be wronged."
"The devil's subordinates naturally don't care about these things." Jiang Qingzhi said lightly.
Morning of the third day.
Outside the capital.
A group of scholars were drinking in a long tent nearby, ready to watch Jiang Qingzhi's excitement.
"I'm coming!"
More than a thousand riders came in the snow.
The soldiers looked quite tired, but their eyes were still sharp.
The capital city is right before our eyes. According to custom, there should be people welcoming us, hot food and wine...all of which are enough to comfort our tired bodies and minds.
When Jiang Qingzhi informed the entire army that someone in the capital had spread rumors, the soldiers were not only angry but also became more depressed.
Facing such an opponent, the only thing they could do was to keep killing...keep making achievements and slap them in the face with good news.
The brothers who stayed behind in the Huben Zuowei had already prepared everything and were waiting for them to return and enjoy it.
"Just be patient for now!" Ma Fang said to his indignant subordinates as he looked at the city gate where few people were entering or leaving.
"Jiang Qingzhi is here." In the long tent, the scholars came out with wine glasses, drank the hot wine, and looked jokingly at the soldiers who were covered in snow.
Suddenly a shout came from inside the city gate, "They are coming."
Following this shout, countless people rushed out.
"It's Long Wilbur who went down south and came back."
The people were either carrying bamboo baskets, backpacks, or bundles...
The Tiger Guards' Left Guards cheered as they marched towards the triumph.
(End of this chapter)
