The peasant army crossed the Yellow River and invaded Henan, completely breaking the Ming Dynasty's pursuit and interception.
The situation suddenly deteriorated, leaving everyone in the Ming Dynasty at a loss.
But it happened that at this time, Lin Danhan, who had fled to Qinghai in defeat, also came to cause trouble.
In order to make up for the losses, Lin Dan and Han raised troops to invade the Dingbian camp of Yansui. Not only that, Wang Chenggong, the leader of the rebel army who had surrendered to the court, also took advantage of the Mongolian invasion to rebel again.
Hong Chengchou, the governor-general of the three sides, had no choice but to keep his own scope of authority first.
He ordered Chen Qiyu and Wang Chengen to quell the border troubles.
Chen Qiyu and Wang Chengen were both good at fighting. They first repelled Lin Danhan and then pursued and killed the peasant army.
It was not until the beginning of the seventh year of Chongzhen that the chaos in northern Shaanxi would subside.
But the peasant army raging in the Central Plains was always a serious problem for the imperial court.
In view of Hong Chengchou's need to reorganize the trilateral defense and the different powers of governors in various towns, a minister must be established for unified management.
So Chen Qiyu was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of War and the right deputy censor of the capital, governor of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Sichuan, and Huguang military affairs, becoming a veritable governor of five provinces.
This allowed him to surpass Hong Chengchou and become the most prestigious civil servant in the Ming Dynasty.
Chen Qiyu was in power and immediately began preparations to annihilate the peasant army.
The land of Henan is filled with smoke, but neighboring Shandong is peaceful and peaceful.
After finishing Xu Guangqi's funeral affairs, the person who made Zuo Menggeng the most nervous was Xu Ruolin.
"When you are pregnant, you must not only ensure nutrition, but also perform appropriate exercise. Only in this way can you stay healthy and keep mother and child safe."
Putting aside his government and military duties, Zuo Menggeng returned to his role as husband and father.
And his care for Xu Ruolin surprised the people around him.
"Brother-in-law, Po Wen said that after a woman gets pregnant, she must take good care of her, otherwise she will easily develop fetal gas. Why do you still take your sister around frequently?"
Regarding this, Zuo Menggeng is much more confident than the Wen Pos of this era.
"Life lies in exercise. Exercise can make people strong and healthy. Think about it, if a person sits still all the time, will his body become more and more tired and weak? This is the reason for the lack of exercise."
He added: "Of course, in addition to reasonable exercise, pregnant women should pay more attention to nutritional intake. Only in this way will the birth be smooth, and it will be easier for women to recover after giving birth."
The Xu sisters scratched their heads after hearing this, not knowing whether he was right or not.
But after walking around, she broke into a slight sweat, and Xu Ruolin still felt quite comfortable.
"You are a grown man, but you even know about women's pregnancy?"
Zuo Mengeng held his head high and his chest high.
"Don't forget, I have also contributed to our Shandong medical system. Even Minister Deng has benefited a lot from me and has great trust in my theories."
The two sisters laughed and said nothing, allowing him to boast.
"I don't know if my sister is pregnant with a boy or a girl?"
Xu Ruoxin's unintentional words immediately aroused the attention of everyone around her.
In this day and age, boys and girls have completely different meanings.
Especially Zuo Mengeng's children.
Zuo Mengeng was keenly aware of the change in the atmosphere, and even noticed the worry deep in Xu Ruolin's eyes.
"Whether it's a boy or a girl, they are all my children, so what's the difference? I tell the world that women can hold up half the sky, but it doesn't work for me?"
Only then did Xu Ruoxin realize that she was reckless, but she still had to stand up for her sister.
"That being said, if she is really a girl, how will she inherit her brother-in-law's inheritance in the future?"
Zuo Mengeng looked sideways at the door.
"Isn't Wu Zetian also a woman? What's the difference?"
The people around him were greatly shocked. As for what they thought privately, it is unknown.
Xu Ruolin carefully stroked her belly and chattered endlessly to the little life inside.
"You, you, you, because of you, your mother can't even accompany your great-grandfather on his last journey. You have to live up to your expectations, otherwise your mother will be heartbroken."
Zuo Mengeng's head is covered with black lines.
"Don't put too much pressure on your child. No matter what happens to him in the future, he is still our child. As long as he grows up healthy, safe and happy, that is better than anything else."
It's a pity that no one can maintain a normal mentality except himself.
There was nothing Zuo Mengeng could do about it.
When people are in a high position and have great power, they cannot control many things.
The only thing he can do is to rely on his own strength to try to make his family's life as happy as possible.
Xu Guangqi's coffin finally returned to his hometown.
Countless people gathered on both sides of the Huangpu River just to witness the old man's last scene.
The emotions in these eyes are very complicated.
There is admiration, gratitude, sorrow, and regret.
Likewise, there is also gloating, gnashing of teeth, and even some calculations.
The Xu family and their relatives and friends couldn't care less at this time.
Xu Ji and his children, wearing sackcloth and mourning, knelt down at the pier to pick up Xu Guangqi.
Relatives and friends of the Xu family cheered and carried the coffin into the mourning hall.
Then the main door of Xu Mansion was opened to welcome guests and friends from all walks of life to express their condolences.
The arrival of Fang Yuegong, the prefect of Songjiang, obviously attracted more attention.
After he personally kowtowed to Xu Guangqi, he was led to another courtyard by Pan Yunlong.
There are no outsiders here, making it easy to discuss.
"Mr. Xu Ge is the pillar of the Great Ming Dynasty. Now he is riding a crane to the west. The world and the earth are sad. I also ask Brother Pan to express my condolences to the Xu family on my behalf."
Pan Yunlong clasped his hands as a gift.
"The prefect is interested."
Fang Yuegong thought about it for a while, but still did not miss this opportunity.
"Brother Pan is a local celebrity in Songjiang, so I naturally value his love for his hometown. But now many local people are becoming increasingly poor because of the textile industry. They are impoverished and have no food to eat. This is a disaster rather than a blessing. Brother Pan and all the squires, please take a look.
For the sake of my fellow countrymen and elders, it’s better to act cautiously.”
Pan Yunlong's expression changed.
"I am here to run the business, and I never dare to do things without conscience. The local people are in trouble, and they have to rely on the prefect to strategize."
The meaning is obvious.
The difficulties faced by the local people are of course the responsibility of your government. Those of us who are doing business will not bear the blame.
When he said this, Fang Yuegong became angry.
"Local people are coming to make a living from weaving. In the past, every household worked hard and could barely make ends meet. But now that machines are prevalent, not even a cent of the cotton weaved by the people can be sold. If this continues, won't people be forced to death?"
Pan Yunlong refused to give in.
"The market is like this. It has always been the survival of the fittest. The cotton cloth produced by machines and factories is good and cheap. It is not only popular in Ming Dynasty, but also all over the world. This alone earns Ming Dynasty countless dollars every year.
Tax money. Countless people in Songjiang Prefecture rely on this to make a living and support their families. Please ask the prefect to see clearly."
Fang Yuegong looked at him with eager eyes.
"Wealth and honor are what people want. If you don't get them in the right way, you won't get them."
Pan Yunlong's counterattack was sonorous and powerful.
"A gentleman is likened to righteousness, and a villain is likened to benefit. Great righteousness means great benefit, and great benefit is beneficial to the country and the people."
Fang Yuegong sat still, as silent as ink, with dark clouds on his face.