Wanli Youming

Chapter 248

Chapter 248

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhou Hua for a long while, then suddenly sighed, and said: "Forget it, follow the laws of the state."

Zhang Jing nodded.

But then, he took out the imperial decree and shouted:

"The imperial edict said, Jia Taishi, Mr. Zhang Zuozhuguo, specially entered Dr. Ronglu, made Jiangling uncle for his achievements in opening up the border, hereditary, and ordered the eight-legged archway of 'Fubi Maoji' to be built in Jingzhou!"

"I will also give Mr. Zhang, the grand master, 5000 taels of silver for his return home travel expenses, four sets of red ramie silk for python clothes, and 40 taels of Jin Fushou characters as a gift!"

"In addition, Ma Shilong, the general manager of the Jinwu Guard, will lead a thousand soldiers to escort him, and he will return home at the post."

After Zhang Jing read it, he bowed and smiled at Zhang Juzheng: "Your Majesty ordered that the gift of thanking you be exempted. In addition, Mr. Ma Qian has led his troops to wait ten miles away."

"The Lord of Ming is so kind, the minister has no merit to accept it, and he has no virtue to admire it, but he dare not resist the order, so he has to be ashamed to accept it."

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help being startled, and then spoke with trembling teeth.

Zhang Jing bid farewell, and left here with the Jinyi guards.

And as soon as he left, the civil and military ministers who were stopped outside by Jin Yiwei also came one after another to bid farewell to Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng only nodded in agreement, and soon pretended to be asleep and ignored him, and only opened his eyes after boarding the boat.

Zhang Siwei and others just watched Zhang Juzheng and his family and left by boat.

Many civil and military officials came to see Zhang Juzheng off.

The censor Jiang Dongzhi also came here at this time, and he could not help but say to Li Zhi who was also here in a low voice: "He died so well, and retired as the grand master!"

"It's just the beginning!"

"If power and traitors are not liquidated, the way of heaven will not be revealed!"

Li Zhi sneered and said something in a low voice.

……

"understood."

After Zhang Jing came back and conveyed Zhang Juzheng's words to Zhu Yijun, Zhu Yijun said this first.

Then, Zhu Yijun asked again: "How is the factory guard going?"

Zhang Jing said: "I have already sent people to Nanzhi!"

Zhu Yijun nodded after hearing this: "Very good! If Mr.'s grievances are not redressed, the way of heaven will not be manifested, and this matter must not go wrong!"

"The old slave understands!"

Zhang Jing replied.

Then, Zhu Yijun took out the secret report that Zhang Juzheng had entrusted before he left this morning, handed it to Zhang Jing and said, "Take it to serve the Imperial Secretary, and ask him to draw up a decree for the person recommended by Mr. to enter the cabinet and enter the political affairs hall to govern." .”

Zhang Jing bowed his hands and said yes.

It turned out that before Zhang Juzheng left, he published a secret report, the content of which was to recommend Pan Sheng and Yu Youding, who resigned due to illness and returned to their hometowns last year, to join the cabinet.

Although Zhang Juzheng said that the emperor will ultimately rely on himself, in action, he still recommended two cabinet ministers to Zhu Yijun who he thought were reliable.

Naturally, Zhu Yijun did not refuse, but approved it, allowing Pan Sheng to be a former official and a bachelor of Wuyingdian; He works in the cabinet, and enters the political affairs hall to participate in the affairs of state.

Needless to say, Pan Sheng is a reformist minister that Zhang Juzheng has trusted for a long time.

And Yu Youding was born in Tanhua, and was Gui Youguang's teacher in history. His greatest political achievement was to advise Zhang Jiayin, the minister of the Ministry of war, to solve the Hangzhou mutiny and avoid a rebellion.

In short, a person's words are good when he is about to die, and the people Zhang Juzheng recommends before leaving are naturally recommended out of public interest.

It is also impossible for Zhu Yijun to be inaccurate.

As for the next chief assistant, Zhang Juzheng did not mention it.

But Zhu Yijun is very clear that Zhang Juzheng has obviously preferred someone for a long time.

It's just that Zhang Juzheng didn't say anything, and he didn't intend to reveal it too early.

At the end of June in the tenth year of Wanli.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, there is a river with clear water.

Zhang Juzheng had the strength to stand up, and stood between the sky and the water, overlooking the land of the Chu River.

The hometown plot seems to have long been engraved in the genes of the Han people, so Zhang Juzheng is no exception.

Being able to return to his hometown safely, his illness seems to have improved a lot, and his complexion has recovered a lot as if he had taken a panacea.

"Father, we are finally back."

Zhang Jingxiu also said something to Zhang Juzheng when he was about to return to Jiangling.

Zhang Juzheng put his hands behind his back, raised his long beard slightly, looked at the blue sky and said with a smile: "Yes, it's a blessing that I haven't died in a foreign land in this life!"

Soon, Zhang Juzheng boarded the shore with the support of Zhang Jingxiu, and accompanied by Ma Shilong and other officers and soldiers, entered Jiangling City, which is the capital city of Jingzhou.

Huguang officials and gentry have naturally been waiting outside the city to greet them for a long time.

After Zhang Juzheng exchanged pleasantries with these officials and gentry for a while, he returned to the mansion without saying much to these officials and gentry on the grounds that his illness had not recovered.

It's just that on the way back to the mansion, Zhang Juzheng found a lot of bad words about him because of the many postings and slogans in the alleyway that had not been cleaned up, and he suddenly gasped for it, and fell down like a mountain toppled.

Zhang Jingxiu hurriedly helped him up: "Father! Don't worry, they may have left this on purpose, just to annoy you. They obviously dare not disrespect you, but secretly they want to make you sick."

"All I know is that there are very few people in the world who know that I am upright! Especially the villagers, they don't even understand me."

Zhang Juzheng began to shed old tears as he spoke, but then said: "As for those scholars who hate me, they will regret and hate me Zhang Juzheng. My departure may not be a good thing for them, and I may even be the last one who can protect me." Live them decent people."

Zhang Juzheng regained his strength after speaking, and with the support of Zhang Jingxiu, he entered his mansion.

But that night, when Zhang Juzheng came to the front yard to look at the place where he was enlightened when he was a teenager, he heard the door knocker knocking outside.

"Father, who do you think it will be?"

"We are all behind closed doors and still have to visit."

"It can't be an official post or an imperial post, right?"

Zhang Jingxiu asked.

Zhang Juzheng said: "Open the door and take a look."

Not long after, people from Zhang's mansion opened the door, and suddenly, Zhang Jingxiu saw many scholars gathered outside the door.

"Greetings to the Grand Master!"

At this time, a young scholar shouted, and then all the scholars bowed to Zhang Juzheng.

"Late birth to Yuan Zongdao."

"Late Geng Ting Li."

"Late born Xiong Tingbi."

……

"You are this?"

Zhang Juzheng was a little surprised.

"The late student Yuan Zongdao and all his brothers and classmates came to Jingzhou to see the Grand Master. At the same time, they wanted to let the Grand Master know that not all the villagers regard the Grand Master as a traitor."

"Since ancient times, justice has been at ease in people's hearts, but today's scholarly style is very bad. There are many bureaucrats and gentry who value profit and few who uphold integrity. Rao, the officials in Huguang and the gentry in Chu also secretly hate the grand master. They obviously respect the grand master, but secretly they don't We villagers are allowed to say good things about the grand master, and the tabloids that praise the grand master will be strictly investigated by the subordinate officials, and the bureaucrats will also look for opportunities to deal with us. Instead, they say bad things about the grand master. If you release it again, even if you are caught in prison, you will still be offered food and drink."

"Besides, they don't allow us to come to see the Grand Master."

"But we can't see it, and we can't let the grand master see that they can't cover the world with one hand."

"So, although we didn't dare to meet the grand master outside the city during the day, we must come to see the grand master now, so that the grand master can know that people's hearts are not completely ignorant of the grand master's efforts to seek the country. I also understand that as long as they remain silent, it means that they don't hate the Grand Master."

Yuan Zongdao cupped his hands at this moment and started talking.

Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help laughing: "Thank you for your concern, if I have all the outstanding people in Chu, then the outstanding people in Chu will surely prosper. Sit inside."

"Grand Master's praise."

"It's just that the grand master is seriously ill, so the late students don't bother the grand master."

Yuan Zongdao said something, and then cupped his hands to Zhang Juzheng: "Farewell."

Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng could only nod his head.

The next day, Zhang Juzheng got up early and had someone carry him to Taihui Mountain to worship his ancestors, and when he saw his ancestral tomb was intact again, he sighed and said: "The ancestors, the unfilial son Zhang Juzheng is back! "

Then, with Zhang Jingxiu's support, Zhang Juzheng forcibly kowtowed his head.

Immediately, Zhang Juzheng was carried back home.

After returning home, Zhang Juzheng's condition suddenly worsened, and he could no longer get out of bed, and after a few days, he breathed in less and exhaled more.

Zhang Jingxiu, Zhang Maoxiu, Zhang Yunxiu and others were naturally crying.

Zhang Juzheng also comforted his sons: "If the fallen leaves return to their roots, it can be regarded as having no regrets in this life. My son need not be sad!"

Afterwards, Zhang Juzheng died without saying anything else, and only the sound of crying and chirping cicadas appeared around him.

58 years ago, in the heat of summer, a baby boy was born from Zhang's family, the guardian of Liao King, Jiangling County, Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang, and came to the world.

Also in the hot summer 58 years later, an old man passed away in Zhang's residence, a military register in Jiangling County, Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang.

And when Zhu Yijun received the urgent delivery of Zhang Juzheng's death, it was already the time of July.

Zhu Yijun was silent about this for a long time, but he didn't say much. He only ordered to stop the court for ten days, and sent Wu Zhong, the eunuch of the ceremony, and Hanlin Sun to go to Jingzhou to pay homage in his place.

(End of this chapter)