Chapter 225: Fall
This year, Zhang Rongling was forty years old and Chen Luo was sixty-three years old.
His hair is gray and his face has wrinkles, but long-term practice makes him look younger, and his spirit and energy are still at their peak.
Zhang Rongling's momentum is getting stronger and stronger, and he doesn't show his emotions. Everyone around him feels awe when facing him, and his momentum is more and more like those of the cabinet elders. Now Zhang Rongling has become the banner of the New Party. His own power is mixed in the New Party, making his influence in the New Party decisive.
“This is an opportunity.”
In the small courtyard at the back of the mansion, Zhang Rongling and Chen Luoling were sitting by the pond, holding two fishing rods in their hands.
Green bricks, green tiles, a pond, two people, a tree and setting sun.
After seven years of serving as an official in Dizhou, the uncle and nephew both had this hobby. The purpose was not fishing, but they liked the process. The calamity on Zhang Rongling became heavier, his power became stronger, but the Rongling elders in the outside world became weaker and weaker, and the calamity began to erode his foundation.
The foundation of the Tao is the basis of every cultivator who has established his foundation. If the foundation is destroyed, the path of the Tao will be gone.
"The offender is Prince Consort Qi, and the Princess and Prince Rui are involved behind the scenes. Elder Zhou obviously doesn't want to get involved in this matter, so he threw it to me."
Zhang Rongling sat here as usual and expressed his views on the matter.
"What are you going to do?"
Chen Luo asked the fifth question.
The inner demon calamity is also a heavenly calamity, and is also divided into different calamities.
Every choice is a calamity, and the choice Zhang Rongling made is a calamity.
"Naturally, I am impartial."
Zhang Rongling's eyes flickered, and he already had a plan in mind.
"Only in this way can I maximize my benefits. I need a good reputation. Only a higher reputation can help me enter the cabinet and become a prime minister!"
If people have colors, Zhang Rongling is now pure gray. There is no black or white in him, and there is no way to tell whether he is a good person or a bad person. When interests are needed, he is a good person, an iron-faced and impartial judge. When interests are not needed, he is the most greedy dog official, a wicked person who sucks blood out of people.
His original intention has never changed from the beginning, and what he pursues is still "fame, wealth and power".
“This will offend a lot of people.”
Chen Luo looked at the fishing rod in his hand and clearly felt that the Heart Demon Sutra had absorbed more power. When the heavenly tribulation absorbed Elder Rong Ling, the Heart Demon Sutra intercepted a part of it from the heavenly tribulation. This intercepted power was the main source of power for the Heart Demon Sutra.
Before, when Chen Luo practiced the Heart Demon Technique, he always felt that his Qi refining speed was not fast enough. Even after he integrated the Black Stone Secret Technique, the speed of Qi refining was still average after the technique was completed. Compared with the Demon Bone Array Pattern Technique, it was completely not on the same level. At that time, Chen Luo didn't understand why the Mummy Brain would be interested in this technique. Now he knows.
“You can only gain if you give.”
Zhang Rongling put down the fishing rod and walked out of the yard.
Looking at his back, Chen Luo withdrew his gaze, and his body began to absorb the surrounding calamity energy like a black hole.
This year, Zhang Rongling entered the Dali Temple and tried the "Prince Consort Murder Case" despite pressure from many parties.
He was an iron-faced and impartial man who killed many people. There were more than 20 royal relatives involved in the case, and more than 100 officials from the capital to the local areas were implicated. It can be said that the whole world was shocked. Zhang Rongling's name spread all over the world for the first time. Countless scholars regarded him as an idol, and the groups whose interests were violated hated him bitterly. But these did not affect Zhang Rongling's path to rise. After handling this case, his name was deeply rooted in the emperor's heart, and he was nominated by the cabinet and had the hope of joining the cabinet.
For a while, the gate of Zhang's house was crowded with people.
Time passed, and another two years passed. Zhang Rongling was 42 years old.
He finally heard the news, and the emperor wrote in red to appoint him to the cabinet.
Everything will be settled tomorrow.
As long as he takes this step correctly, he will have the chance to become the prime minister when he is fifty years old. By then, he will have the most power in the world and be the most powerful official in the country! With such momentum, even Lord Zhou can't suppress him. More and more people are gathering around him, and there is a tendency for him to separate from the New Party and become the third party.
night.
Light rain.
Zhang Rongling stood in the middle of the yard. The lanterns on both sides of the corridor swayed in the rain and wind. In the distant pond, some small fish occasionally poked their heads out of the water to breathe. The ripples from their breath and the ripples from the rain intertwined, making the entire water surface a mess.
"Second Uncle, I have finally reached this point."
Zhang Rongling looked back at Chen Luo behind him. Chen Luo was now 65 years old. He had more white hair on his head. Unlike ordinary old people, Chen Luo's health-preserving skills were more profound. He was wearing a gray coarse cloth robe and standing in the rain behind him. He looked like a ghost. If you didn't look at him deliberately, you couldn't sense his existence at all.
Zhang Rongling had long been aware of his second uncle's abilities and knew that he was practicing health-preserving exercises. Judging from the current situation, his second uncle's health-preserving exercises should have been successful in his practice.
Should I practice it too?
This thought flashed through Zhang Rongling's mind. He also wanted to be like his second uncle and still have such energy and spirit when he was in his sixties.
"Congratulations."
Chen Luo's eyes penetrated Zhang's house. In the distant sky, the calamity began to surge again. How could the heavenly calamity let Zhang Rongling go smoothly? It would definitely give him a new calamity, causing him to sink in his choices again and again.
As if to confirm Chen Luo's guess, there was a sudden burst of noisy noise outside, followed by the sound of armor colliding, as if a large number of people broke into the mansion.
The peaceful rainy night was suddenly disrupted.
"Who are you? Do you know where this place is?!"
"Ouch."
Zhang Rongling's face turned cold, and he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Bang!
The wooden door of the backyard opened, and two rows of soldiers filed in. A general with a sword in one hand walked in, and his eyes looked around, finally landing on Zhang Rongling.
"Master Zhang, I'm sorry."
The general smiled very proudly, with the pleasure of revenge flashing in his eyes. Zhang Rongling had offended many people in the past few years when he was in power, and this general was one of them. Maybe Zhang Rongling didn't even remember when he offended this person, but the other party remembered.
"Do you know what crime you would be charged with if you lead soldiers to break into the residence of an imperial official late at night?" Zhang Rongling also noticed the problem.
But his expression remained unchanged; he was waiting.
Wait for his subordinates to bring him news.
"Haha, I don't know whether I'm guilty or not. I'm just following orders." After saying this, the general pressed the sword in his hand and spoke to the soldiers behind him.
"Seal off the Zhang residence. No one is allowed to enter or leave before dawn."
"yes!"
A group of soldiers quickly dispersed and blocked off the Zhang Mansion inside and outside.
Zhang Rongling and Chen Luo were also blocked in the backyard, isolated from the world, and had no idea what was happening outside.
The torches in the soldiers' hands lit up the yard so brightly that the drizzle in the sky was ignored compared to the light.
Soon, there was another burst of hurried footsteps.
A eunuch dressed in palace clothes ran out quickly, lowered his head and said something in the general's ear, then stuffed something into his hand. This person did not even look at Zhang Rongling from beginning to end, and left in a hurry after handing over the things.
Zhang Rongling's heart sank. He recognized the eunuch from before. He had interacted with this person before and he was someone close to the emperor.
"Master Zhang, please accept the order."
The general looked at the imperial edict in his hand and smiled. He knew that the matter behind the scenes had been settled, and all that was left was the revelry. Zhang Rongling, the upstart who was a little slow, was destined to lose power in this great change and be brought down to dust once again.
Those who have been offended by him will definitely find an opportunity to retaliate.
Power is like this. When you stand in a certain position, all you can do is keep climbing up. Once you stop, those around you will immediately turn against you and join forces to push you into the abyss.
"When will it be General Wu's turn to read out the imperial edict? This is the law of our dynasty."
"Master Zhang, please say less. Today is different from the past. The late emperor passed away last night. The imperial edict in my hand was issued by the new emperor."
As he spoke, the general unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and began to read out its contents.
"The Japanese pirates in the southwest are invading, violating the majesty of the Holy Dynasty. I order Minister Zhang to go there immediately to quell the rebellion."
This means he will be transferred out of Beijing!
Otherwise, how could such a military task as suppressing a rebellion fall on the shoulders of a civil official like him, and a civil official with the title of Shangshu. This group of people had planned everything long ago. If you think about it in depth, the death of the previous emperor might have been the work of these people. Zhang Rongling stood in the middle of the yard and felt a little cold for a moment.
For the first time he felt the energy of the 'old party'.
If this new party banner is eliminated, the remaining Zhou elders will certainly not have an easy time. The best outcome would be retirement and returning to the countryside. In serious cases, they may even be imprisoned and their reputations ruined.
The sky gradually brightened.
When everything was settled, Zhang Rongling was expelled from Beijing for the second time.
The imperial edict did not leave him any time and ordered him to go to the southwest immediately on the grounds of military urgency.
In the carriage.
There were only three people leaving Beijing this time, and the woman who used to sit next to Chen Luo was gone.
"Uncle, I understand something new."
Zhang Rongling's eyes gleamed. This time he was sent down to the capital, which was different from the last time. He was a Beijing official who was suppressing the rebellion. He could return as long as he completed his mission. Of course, those people in the capital had a thousand ways to prevent him from returning. As long as he missed the opportunity, he would never be able to ascend the throne and become a prime minister.
"It turns out that games can be played this way. I used to be too rule-abiding."
Zhang Rongling's mentality changed again. In the outside world, black flames covered his body, and his aura had fallen to the initial stage of foundation building, and the collapse of his Tao foundation accelerated further.
This disaster is almost over.
With Zhang Rongling's last change of mentality, his Heart Demon Tribulation completely failed, and all that was left was the ashes of the Tribulation burning everything and waiting to die. The power Chen Luo absorbed was getting stronger and stronger, and he didn't even need to activate the Heart Demon Art. He absorbed the Tribulation Qi at an unimaginable speed, and the spiritual power dragon in his body began to condense rapidly, which was faster than taking pills and assisting with spiritual veins.
When he arrived at the place, Zhang Rongling changed his behavior from seven years ago.
This time, he left the task of suppressing the pirates to his subordinates, and began to make money by any means necessary. With his experience in governing the prefectures and cities, he quickly colluded with local tyrants and plundered the people. In just half a year, he had gained a huge amount of wealth.
With money as a guide, he quickly contacted a group of people who had not been cleared out of the capital, and got in touch with a eunuch. Not only that, he also colluded with Japanese pirates, making these roving bandits a knife in his hand. Whenever he was too greedy to settle his accounts, the Japanese pirates would come out to wreak havoc, burn, kill, rob, and settle all the accounts.
He colluded with eunuchs and allowed bandits to run wild.
Under his rule, countless people could not bear to live and rose up in rebellion. Rebellion was not uncommon in the Holy Dynasty, nor was it as serious as imagined. In the three hundred years since the Holy Dynasty was established, there have been more than two hundred peasant rebellions, of which nineteen were large-scale rebellions. The government could easily suppress small local rebels like these.
It's nothing more than another bill on public security expenses.
After "enlightenment", Zhang Rongling abandoned the last "original heart" in his heart, driven by desire, and slid into the abyss.
(End of this chapter)
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