Chapter 56 Wei Qing's three-day probationary period...
What should I buy?
Li Shimin couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Those dazzling treasures were all so tempting, but unfortunately, my pockets were empty, and I couldn't collect them all.
Alas, it seems that even the emperor, though noble, is not immune to the embarrassing situation of being strapped for cash. Life without money is truly bitter and unbearable.
Nowadays, even the emperor has started to be meticulous and frugal in his daily life.
"Someone, summon Fang Xuanling and the others to the palace immediately."
Li Shimin made up his mind that he needed to discuss this matter thoroughly with his ministers to see which treasures should be selected.
After all, as emperor, while his personal preferences were important, he also had to consider the country's interests and couldn't squander resources recklessly. In fact, Li Shimin harbored another thought: could he perhaps educate Emperor Xuanzong of Tang?
I don't know when I'll be able to save enough of my salary.
——
Zheng He was worried about how to get the television set back from Zhu Yuanzhang.
Once something reaches His Majesty's hands, it becomes His Majesty's property. You must understand that Zhu Yuanzhang only ever took things in; he never took anything out.
Zhu Yuanzhang was quite interested in the television set; who wouldn't want to see how glorious the empire they had built would be in later generations?
Besides, this TV series is even better than the opera; it suits our taste.
However, when the opening credits of a certain Ming Dynasty TV series appeared on the screen, his brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
"What kind of crap is this?"
In the scene, a slick-haired, powdered-faced eunuch with a high-pitched voice is surrounded by a group of officials, who fawn over him, shouting:
"Nine thousand years old! Nine thousand years old!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Nine thousand years old?"
His voice was terrifyingly deep, like that of a lion about to erupt in fury.
Noticing his father's unusual behavior, Zhu Di quickly explained, "Father, this is a later interpretation..."
It's all fake, fake, these are all fake.
Aside from the TV series about Emperor Yongle, all other Ming Dynasty dramas are fictional, and Zhu Di's idea is somewhat self-deceptive.
Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to overturn and spill tea onto the imperial desk.
"You bastard!"
His roar sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the hall.
"In our great Ming Dynasty, there are actually eunuchs who dare to call themselves 'Nine Thousand Years'?!"
Nine thousand years old, only a thousand years away from ten thousand!
What an overreach! What utter arrogance!
Zhu Yuanzhang stared intently at the screen, watching Wei Zhongxian swagger around in the drama, with officials bowing their heads and some even kneeling and shouting "Long live the Grand Eunuch!"
"What a Wei Zhongxian!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
“At the very beginning of our nation’s founding, we should have established ironclad rules—eunuchs must not interfere in politics! They must not be literate! They must not associate with foreign officials!”
"Who would have thought that future generations would be ridden on by a eunuch?!"
He suddenly stood up, his dragon robe billowing, his anger barely contained.
"Zhu Di!"
Zhu Di immediately knelt down: "Your subject is here!"
"Issue the decree!" Zhu Yuanzhang's voice boomed like thunder, "From this day forward, any eunuch who dares to associate with foreign officials will be skinned alive and stuffed with straw! Anyone who dares to call himself 'Nine Thousand Years' will have his entire family executed!"
Zhu Di's forehead was covered in sweat: "Father, this Wei Zhongxian is a person from later generations, now..."
Besides, we can't generalize and condemn all eunuchs. Not all eunuchs are bad people; Sanbao was a good one.
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "Future generations? Ha! We'll establish this rule today! Let future generations know who dares to let a eunuch ride roughshod over the emperor—"
"Let's crawl out of the coffin and skin him alive with our own hands!"
The hall was deathly silent, except for the eerie laughter of Wei Zhongxian echoing from the television, which sounded particularly jarring.
Zhu Yuanzhang slowly sat back on the dragon throne, his eyes coldly fixed on the screen, and said, word by word:
"Let's see how this 'Nine Thousand Years Old' dies."
All the eunuchs in the hall lowered their heads, not daring to raise them. None of them dared to face Zhu Yuanzhang's rage directly, for they could not bear even a trace of his anger.
The stories of Zheng He made these eunuchs stand tall and proud. Who says that cutting off one's manhood makes one less of a man? Look at Zheng He, he still made his mark on history.
But this Wei Zhongxian really disgraced all the eunuchs, utterly disgraced them.
In the palace, apart from the royal family, only the eunuchs had the strongest sense of collective honor. They were not a minority, but they were the most closely united. Having lost their manhood, they regarded reputation as the foundation of their lives.
Like duckweed adrift, if you want to gain a foothold in this world, you always need something.
The eunuch lowered his head, but his eyes seemed to be filled with venom.
Because of this lowly scoundrel Wei Zhongxian, who knows how many eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty will suffer.
"Announce Zheng He."
This was the scene when Zheng He entered.
Zhu Yuanzhang's rage burned fiercely within the Qianqing Palace, and the eunuchs standing in the hall were already kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear.
On the television screen, Wei Zhongxian was smugly accepting the kneeling obeisance of his ministers, and his expression made Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous intent almost materialize.
"Fourth brother," Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice.
Zhu Di's heart tightened: "Father?"
"You're saying that Wei Zhongxian... was a figure from when one of your descendants was in power?"
Zhu Di broke out in a cold sweat. Although he had never read this part of history, the subtitles on the television clearly stated "During the Tianqi era".
"Father, it should be... the Tianqi Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang squinted and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne.
"Tianqi... I remember, is this the reign title of your lineage?"
Zhu Di dared not respond.
The drama on the television continued; Wei Zhongxian's power grew increasingly overwhelming, even extending to interfering in court affairs and appointing and dismissing officials. Zhu Yuanzhang's expression grew increasingly grim, until—
"Your Majesty! The Ninth Prince requests an audience!"
In the drama, a young eunuch announces in a shrill voice, while the Tianqi Emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, looks delighted: "Quickly, invite the Grand Eunuch in!"
"Bang!"
Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist on the table, and the hardwood table cracked open from the blow.
"You scoundrel! The emperor is actually behaving so humbly towards a eunuch?!"
He suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot.
"How could our Great Ming Dynasty produce such a useless emperor?!"
Seeing this, Zhu Di quickly advised, "Father, please calm down! This is just a later interpretation; it may not be true..."
Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head sharply, his gaze like a knife: "An exaggeration? Ha, there's no smoke without fire! If there weren't such absurd things, how could later generations have made them up?!"
He strode towards the television, stared intently at the cowardly face of the Tianqi Emperor, and suddenly let out a sinister laugh.
"Okay, very good."
"Investigate this for us! How did Wei Zhongxian die in the end!"
Zheng He, forcing a smile, said, "Your Majesty, the play hasn't reached that point yet..."
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "Then hurry up and come in!"
"We want to see this bastard torn to pieces with our own eyes!"
Zheng He's hands trembled as he operated the remote control, the screen fast-forwarding rapidly. Zhu Yuanzhang stared intently at the screen, his eyes blazing with fury that seemed to burn through the television. Suddenly, the scene stopped at Wei Zhongxian being led to the execution ground.
"Stop! Right here!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly raised his hand.
On the screen, the once powerful and influential eunuch, now disheveled and bound hand and foot, was being led to the execution ground. The crowd, filled with rage, rained down rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs upon the powerful eunuch.
"Excellent!" Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming. "That's more like it!"
Zhu Di asked cautiously, "Father, would you like to see how he carries out the execution?"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "Of course I want to see! We want to see what kind of extreme punishment this eunuch who brings disaster to the country and the people should receive!"
The scene shifts to the center of the execution ground. The executioner raises his gleaming executioner's blade, while Wei Zhongxian kneels on the ground, trembling. Just as the blade falls—
"Wait a minute!"
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stopped him. He narrowed his eyes, pointed at the screen, and asked, "Is this how you're going to end it all with one strike?"
Zheng He's forehead was beaded with cold sweat: "Your Majesty, that's indeed how it was portrayed in the drama..."
"Absurd!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared in fury. "How many loyal officials have these treacherous ministers harmed? How many years have they wreaked havoc on the court? And they just want to die so easily?"
He turned abruptly and said sternly to Zhu Di, "Write this down! From now on, any eunuch who interferes in politics shall be executed by slow slicing! At least 3,600 cuts! If even one cut is missing, I will hold the Ministry of Justice accountable!"
Zhu Di quickly agreed, secretly calculating in his mind that even with 3,600 cuts, this man had already become hot pot meat, and not a single cut could be omitted.
At this moment, a voice-over came from the television: "After Wei Zhongxian was executed, Emperor Chongzhen worked diligently to govern the country, but alas..."
Zhu Yuanzhang astutely grasped the key information: "Chongzhen?!"
Zheng He was about to reply when he suddenly saw Zhu Yuanzhang's expression change drastically. The screen had switched to the next scene: on the city walls of Beijing, a young man in a dragon robe was putting a white silk noose around his neck...
"This...this is..." Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly became hoarse.
Zhu Di was horrified to discover that his father's hands were trembling slightly. The iron-fisted emperor was deathly pale, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty..." Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself, then suddenly roared, "Shut it down! Shut it down for us!"
Zheng He frantically pressed the power button, but it was too late. A deathly silence fell over the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stand the presence of treacherous officials, let alone Wei Zhongxian; he wished he could personally kill that brat.
But when Zhu Yuanzhang actually saw Wei Zhongxian die, he suddenly fell silent. The death of a eunuch had actually accelerated the demise of the Ming Dynasty.
This is really...
Zheng He knelt on the lower side without raising his head; now was not the right time to ask for the television back.
———
The mornings at the Songyang County government office were always bustling, especially on payday. Jiang Ge was stunned by the sight before him as soon as he pushed open the door to the clerk's office—everyone who was usually busy with their own things was sitting in the hall, and even Zhuge Liang was waving his feather fan and smiling as he looked over.
"What auspicious day it is today?" Jiang Ge asked deliberately.
"Pay wages!" Yuchi Jingde slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Magistrate Jiang, don't tell me you've forgotten about this!"
Qin Shubao coughed lightly and tugged at his colleague's sleeve: "Jingde, be mindful of your manners."
Hei Fu huddled in the corner, clutching a small bamboo stick covered with a dense list of things Ying Zheng wanted to buy. He stole a glance at Huo Qubing sitting by the window—the young general was intently wiping his sword, seemingly oblivious to his upcoming paycheck.
Django smiled and shook his head: "How could I forget? Come on, one by one."
The system store's screen unfolded in the air, its pale blue light reflecting on everyone's faces.
Kui Shun looked up from the corner. These dazzling goods were right in front of him, yet they seemed so far away. These things could change a country, but giving them to him seemed pointless.
Even if he did have it, he wouldn't dare to take it out.
Fortunately, I just arrived, and I shouldn't have been paid yet, Kui Shun thought to himself, and then lowered his head again.
His way of dealing with things that don't belong to him is simply to ignore them.
You can skip watching Kui Shun, but you can't skip watching Zhou Yu. The megaphone he bought with his last paycheck ran out of power because Lu Meng played with it so much that Lu Meng was scared and thought his "magic power" was gone. He knelt on the ground every day, burning three sticks of incense, praying that he could continue using it.
The seeds I bought last time have just been planted. Although there's no harvest yet, just looking at how well they're growing tells me it's going to be a great success.
The important thing is to take this opportunity to buy some good stuff.
Zhou Yu lightly waved his folding fan, his gaze quickly sweeping across the system shop interface. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he pointed to an item labeled "Pager," smiling at Zheng He beside him, "Sanbao, this thing is much better than a megaphone."
Zheng He scratched his head; he hadn't yet seen the difference between a megaphone and a pager: "Then I'd like to take a look!"
"Gongjin has a discerning eye." Zhuge Liang had appeared behind the two of them at some point, his feather fan waving lightly and carrying a faint medicinal fragrance. "If this were used during the Battle of Red Cliffs, why wait for the southeast wind? A pager could mobilize a million-strong army in an instant."
Zhou Yu's lips curled slightly, his phoenix eyes glancing sideways: "If Kongming is interested, he might as well buy a few when you get your salary next month." He deliberately tapped the pager, adding, "What a pity, new employees always have to get through their first month..."
Since Zhuge Liang and Kui Shun had just arrived, they could only watch with envy.
On the other side, Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao stopped in the weapons section of the mall, their eyes darting around.
Yuchi Jingde excitedly pointed to a long-handled sword and exclaimed, "Old Qin, look at this sword! It's incredibly sharp and truly a weapon for charging into battle!" After saying this, his eyes revealed an infinite longing for the battlefield.
Since arriving in Songyang County, he has rarely gone to the battlefield.
He missed everything about the battlefield and was already longing to go to the battlefield again. Last time, Old Qin had at least killed a few bandits and had his fill of fighting.
Look at him.
He's never even killed a chicken.
This life is so tasteless.
Qin Shubao shook his head slightly and replied earnestly, "Jingde, our salaries are limited, so we should prioritize practicality. Look at this first aid kit; it can save countless brothers from danger on the battlefield. Take a look at these good things first, and we can talk about the rest later."
Although Yuchi Jingde was reluctant, he finally nodded in agreement: "Old Qin is right, I will follow your arrangements."
The two continued to look up, when Yuchi Jingde was suddenly drawn to a particular item. “Old Qin, look at this multi-functional tactical flashlight. Not only does it have excellent lighting, but it can also emit a strong light to dazzle the enemy. It might be surprisingly effective in a critical moment. Moreover, it can be used for lighting at night, just like during the day when you turn it on.”
Qin Shubao examined it carefully and nodded in agreement: "It is indeed a rare and good item. We should keep one on hand just in case."
Next, they moved to the protective equipment area. Qin Shubao took a liking to a bulletproof vest and introduced it, saying, "Jingde, this bulletproof vest is impervious to swords and knives. Let's each get one; it's always good to have an extra layer of protection on the battlefield."
Yuchi Jingde shook his head. This bulletproof vest was too expensive; their combined salaries weren't enough to buy two.
Moreover, this thing is so good, it should definitely be given to His Majesty first.
To prevent assassination.
Yuchi Jingde suddenly discovered a high-tech telescope. "Old Qin, look at this telescope. It can clearly see things dozens of miles ahead, and it can also be used for observation at night. If we get this, it will be twice as effective in reconnaissance." Qin Shubao's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "It is truly a rare and valuable item. It will greatly help our combat operations. If we have it in battle, it will be like having eyes that can see a thousand miles."
Afterwards, the two went to the communications area. Qin Shubao pointed to a walkie-talkie and looked at the product description, saying, "Jingde, look at this. It can hear each other even five kilometers away. I really want to buy one and take a look."
The two of them looked around and wanted to buy everything, but then they realized that their opinions didn't really matter.
His Majesty has already written the shopping list.
Huo Qubing sheathed his sword and walked to the screen. He wasn't interested in the flashy items; his gaze was fixed on the [Tactical Sand Table]. With it, troop deployment would be much more precise.
"This is it." He clicked to buy decisively. As he turned his head, his ponytail swung in the air in a neat arc. Suddenly, he caught sight of the newly added [Saddle Set] in the saddlery section, paused, and a rare look of hesitation appeared on his usually cold face.
Seeing everyone's enthusiastic selection process, Hei Fu couldn't help but glance again at the bamboo strip in his hand. Ying Zheng's list was still missing a few items. He gritted his teeth, deciding to buy them anyway, even if his salary wasn't enough; he'd prioritize completing the earlier items first…
"I hope I can buy the [world map] that His Majesty wants..." he muttered to himself, his trembling fingers clicking the buy button.
Just then, a soft cough came from behind. Turning around, I saw Huo Qubing standing with his arms crossed.
“Magistrate Jiang,” the young general suddenly bowed, “this humble general has a request.”
Jiang Ge, who was calculating wages, looked up and saw Huo Qubing's eyes burning: "Can you bring one more person to work?"
Should we bring one more person?
Django looked back in confusion; this wasn't part of the recruitment plan.
Before Django could even speak...
“This man does not want a salary,” Huo Qubing added, a rare hint of expectation appearing in his usually cold and stern eyes.
No salary?
Moreover, it was Huo Qubing who brought it up, so isn't the answer obvious?
This person is—Wei Qing?!
Not only Django thought so, but everyone in the room thought so too.
The entire room fell silent instantly. Zhou Yu's folding fan froze in mid-air, Zhuge Liang forgot to wave his feather fan, and even Yuchi Jingde gaped in disbelief—the great Han war god Wei Qing actually wanted to work for his own county government?
"Ahem..." Jiang Ge suppressed his excitement and feigned composure, saying, "In principle... new employees must undergo a three-day probationary period..."
-----------------------
Author's Note: I'm adding an extra chapter today, but there won't be any updates tomorrow [sprinkling flowers]. I'll update normally the day after tomorrow. Just to correct something, Wei Zhongxian was actually two noodles stuck together in one skewer. After his death, Emperor Chongzhen used his corpse to vent his anger. I'll make some changes for the sake of the novel's plot.
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