Jiang Fan entered the palace and talked with Zhu Youxiao for a long time in the imperial study.
When Jiang Fan left, Wei Zhongxian looked at Jiang Fan with admiration and fear.
Colonel Zhu You was extremely satisfied with Jiang Fan's performance. Although he did not immediately promote Jiang Fan, he gave the Jinyiwei command authority, allowing him to dispatch the Jinyiwei at will and supervise the treasure ship case with full authority.
As long as you do this well, becoming a regular employee is a sure thing.
After Jiang Fan left, Zhu Youxiao ordered Wei Zhongxian to increase monitoring of Donglin's movements, especially those of the Ministry of War.
In addition, corresponding adjustments have been made in terms of taxation.
…
Qingfeng Tea House.
After returning from Prince Xin's Mansion, Lu Wenzhao's heart had hit rock bottom.
Ding Baiying asked: "Brother, what did King Xin say?"
"He wants to kill Hokusai!"
Lu Wenzhao's tone was solemn. A person who could even kill his loved ones to achieve his goals would not care about the lives of his subordinates.
Ding Baiying sighed: "The girl is also a pitiful person. Senior brother, are you going to take action?"
"Don't worry, I've been forced to a dead end now. After Hokusai's death, King Xin's next target is likely to be you and me. These days, junior sister, please be more careful. I'll go meet the governor. Let's see.
Can you find a way out!"
The longing in Lu Wenzhao's heart was extinguished, and now he was thinking about how to survive in the cracks.
At the very least, we must protect junior sister Ding Baiying!
As an old man from King Xin's family, Lu Wenzhao knew very well that there were members of the Donglin Party in the six ministries, the three law departments, the twenty-four yamen, all states, roads, and prefectures.
With just a few clicks of their fingers, these people can turn black into white.
If he wanted to survive, apart from Jiang Fan, Lu Wenzhao had only two options, either to enter the palace to face the saint, or to join the eunuchs.
There are great risks involved. Many of the people around him have already taken refuge with King Xin. If there is any change, they may be killed under clever pretexts.
Jiang Fan's words may not be credible, but now Lu Wenzhao can only give it a try.
Tonight, many people are destined to have sleepless nights!
Jiang Fan actually slept well. He heard the chickens dancing early in the morning and practiced with two swords. After many days of practice, Jiang Fan gradually mastered a trick, which is to integrate Tai Chi into sword skills.
The two swords are strong and soft, capable of sweeping quickly and slashing hard, and are unpredictable. However, due to the lack of suitable opponents, the progress is a little slow.
There is a master who knows what is appropriate, and there is an opponent who knows what is high and low.
At present, Jiang Fan does not have a master to teach him, so he can only figure it out on his own, and it is inevitable that he will take some detours.
Without a suitable opponent, Jiang Fan doesn't know how much ability he has.
Anyway, from Jiang Fan's point of view, there is no one in the entire Jinyi Guard who can fight!
Shen Lian, Lu Jianxin, Pei Lun, Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku, and Xuanwu combined were not enough to warm up Jiang Fan.
After finishing the sword practice, Jiang Fan carried the ancient black gold sword on his back and did some weight-bearing exercises. He broke out in a sweat and took off his shirt in the yard, revealing his strong muscles.
With Jiang Fan's practice and the medicated baths provided, the substitute's physique has become significantly stronger, his body heat has increased, and a unicorn tattoo has appeared on his back, making him look full of wild appeal.
"Pa~"
The tea cup in Zhou Miaotong's hand fell to the ground, he looked at Jiang Fan with a reddish face and swallowed.
When she saw Jiang Fan's body just now, she had the urge to touch it. She was distracted and knocked over the teacup.
Jiang Fan looked for the sound and saw Zhou Miaotong standing awkwardly in the corridor. He picked up the handkerchief on the side and wiped the sweat on his body, and asked casually: "Miss Miaotong, are you okay?"
"No...it's okay. I just accidentally broke the teacup. I'll make another cup for you."
With that said, Zhou Miaotong left in a panic like a frightened rabbit.
Zhou Miaotong stayed in Jiang Fan's mansion for the past two days, and Jiang Fan did not restrict her freedom.
Zhou Miaotong originally thought that Jiang Fan would definitely do some unspeakable things when he brought her back to his home, and she was a little worried.
After spending two days together, Zhou Miaotong discovered that Jiang Fan didn't seem to have any inappropriate thoughts about him and had never done anything out of line.
On the contrary, it made Zhou Miaotong have some self-doubt.
Jiang Fan ignored Zhou Miaotong's thoughts. After washing himself with clean water, he put on his python robe and went to Beizhen Fusi after breakfast.
Lu Wenzhao had been waiting for him for a long time. He made an excuse and the two met in the interrogation room.
"Master Jiang, please save me!"
Lu Wenzhao kept his attitude very low, asking others to do things. Regardless of whether the other party could do it or not, at least his attitude should be clear.
Jiang Fan asked: "What do you think of the current emperor?"
"The emperor was forced by a traitor to ignore the government affairs and indulged in carpentry all day long, which caused the court to be full of chaos and excitement. All ministers jointly impeached Wei Zhongxian for twenty-four crimes, but the emperor still ignored him. Such a foolish and unprincipled king, the Ming Dynasty
When the mountains and rivers are declining, the country will no longer be a country."
Lu Wenzhao did not hide this point of view, at least he believed that what he did was for the Ming Dynasty.
It is true that he wants power, and it is true that he wants the Ming Dynasty to be good. These two points are not in conflict.
"What you see is only the surface, but do you really understand the emperor and Dong Lin?"
Jiang Fan said: "Yang Lian's so-called twenty-four sins seem quite deceptive, but in fact they are empty and logically confusing. It is true that the eunuch party has monopoly on power, but why doesn't Donglin form a party for personal gain and exclude dissidents?"
"People in Donglin think that Wei Zhongxian is suppressing them and not giving them promotions is a serious crime."
"I think it is a serious crime for Jinyiwei and Dongchang to arrest people without the consent of the cabinet, but I don't know that Jinyiwei and Dongchang serve directly for the emperor. The imperial power grants them the right to kill first and report later."
"In other words, as long as they don't follow Dong Lin's wishes, they consider it a major crime. Don't you think they are too whimsical?"
Lu Wenzhao couldn't help but remain silent when he thought of those elders with mental mysophobia who, apart from being great at talking, like to stand on the moral high ground and attack others, had really done nothing.
Jiang Fan continued: "Do you think the emperor doesn't know what Wei Zhongxian did? But you don't know that it was the emperor who ordered Wei Zhongxian to suppress Donglin."
"Why did the people in Shandong revolt? It wasn't because these bosses colluded with government officials and businessmen to annex land, leaving the people without farmland and forced to work hard for the landlords and gentry."
"If the weather is good, they can still have enough food and clothing."
"If there is a natural disaster and the family has no food left, they will starve to death."
"I don't need to say more about the situation in Liaodong. People in Mainland China should also know that the national treasury is empty. The emperor has reformed the tax collection system through the eunuch party, reduced agricultural taxes, and collected industrial and commercial taxes. This is a matter that benefits the country and the people. As a result, Donglin officials have blocked it in every possible way.
, why?”
"Because the emperor touched their money bags, he only cared about his own interests, but never thought that once Liaodong fell, the Jin Dynasty would march in, and the Ming Dynasty would be in danger of subjugation."
"Although Wei Zhongxian is treacherous and evil, he is loyal to the Ming Dynasty. Where do you think the millions of taels of military expenditure in Liaodong every year come from?"
"The eunuch's power is given by the emperor and can be taken back at any time."
"Donglin is different. They belong to the same class as the wealthy merchants and landlords. Once they gain power, they will definitely try to reform taxes, reduce or reduce industrial and commercial taxes, and instead levy agricultural taxes. This will trigger more civil unrest and Liaodong will lack military spending. These consequences will not be ignored by the people of Mainland China.
Ever thought about it?"
Listening to Jiang Fan analyzing the pros and cons of the situation, Lu Wenzhao became more and more shocked as he listened, feeling like he was seeing the blue sky through the fog.
Are you wrong?
King Xin was also wrong!
I originally thought that Emperor Tianqi was on the first floor and they were on the second floor, but I didn't expect that Emperor Tianqi was on the fifth floor.