Zhao Hao waited for half a day before he saw Zhang Juzheng walking out of Dong'anmen with tired steps.

The bleak setting sun shone through the city gate, stretching Mr. Zhang's shadow very long and making his footsteps look so heavy.

"Father-in-law." Zhao Hao hurried to greet him.

Zhang Juzheng waved his hand to indicate that he did not want to talk, and continued walking forward in silence.

Zhao Hao quickly signaled the carriage to follow behind, and the accompanying Jinyiwei and guards quickly cleared the area so that Mr. Zhang could enjoy an undisturbed walk in this city of millions of people.

Then Zhao Hao followed him along Nanheyan Street all the way to East Chang'an Street, and then along East Chang'an Street to Chongwenmennei Street.

It was already dark, but Mr. Zhang still had no intention of turning back. Instead, he turned into Dongbiaobei Hutong and stopped in front of a newly renovated mansion.

With the help of the lantern's light, Zhao Hao could vaguely see the plaque on the bright gate, with the three slightly ostentatious characters "Zhongjie Temple" engraved on it. It was the handwriting of his father-in-law.

Zhang Juzheng then slowly spoke: "This is the old residence granted to Yu Shaobao. You single-handedly helped to put an end to the Zhengtong Jisi Rebellion. He was sentenced to death in the first year of Tianshun, and the whole world felt sorry for him. Nine years later, he was reinstated in the second year of Chenghua. That year, he turned this place into an ancestral hall and set up a statue for worship. Twenty-three years later, he was given the posthumous title of Sumin, in the third year of Hongzhi..."

Zhao Hao suddenly realized that this was Yu Qian’s former residence.

“It looks like it’s been newly renovated.”

"Yes." Zhang Juzheng nodded slowly. At this time, the old soldier guarding the temple had arrived and opened the gate, so he walked into the Zhongjie Temple that smelled of tung oil.

"People are always forgetful. A hundred years have passed, and the officials and people of the capital have forgotten about Yu Shaobao, who held up the world with his hands. It was only when I asked about it by chance a few years ago that I learned that this place had long been in disrepair, so I sent a decree to Shuntian Prefecture."

There was a vicissitude that transcended time in Mr. Zhang's voice. He walked slowly through the hall in the front yard and came to the main room in the inner courtyard which was converted into a hall for offering sacrifices.

"At the beginning of the year, we received a report that the Zhongjie Temple had been repaired. I have been wanting to come and see it for a long time."

At this time, the courtyard was quickly lit up, and the couplet in front of the Xian Hall read:

'Thanks to the spirit of the country, the country already has a king, and I will devote my blood to it;

I will use all my strength, and then die, leaving my innocence in the world! '

The horizontal banner reads 'His contribution will last forever'!

Prime Minister Zhang dressed properly, walked into the hall, burned incense to the statue of Yu Qian, and then stared for a long time at Yu Shaobao, whose eyes were as sharp as lightning and whose majesty was evident even without anger.

Zhao Hao stood at the side with bated breath, secretly hating himself for not having invented a camera. He could only remember this historically significant scene in his mind.

After a long while, Zhang Xianggong finally spoke up: "Why do you think Yu Shaobao was unable to retire after achieving success?"

"Because he is too naive." Zhao Hao said softly.

"..." Zhang Juzheng sensed a dangerous atmosphere in Zhao Hao's words, so he brought the topic back to himself: "Are you talking about your father? Have you been holding this in for a long time?"

"I dare not." Zhao Hao said in a low voice.

"I dare not, so I am just blaming you for something else." Zhang Juzheng sneered and shook his head slowly, saying, "How can you know about state affairs? It's up to God. Go now."

Zhao Hao knew that this nonsensical sentence was exactly what Yu Qian said to his son Yu Mian.

In the battle of seizing the gate, Xu Shi conspired, and his subordinates knew about it and reported it to Yu Qian. At that time, Yu Qian had a large army and was powerful throughout the country. It would have been easy for him to destroy Xu Youzhen, Shi Heng and other clowns, but he kept his troops in place.

Later, his son Yu Mian became anxious and advised his father not to let Yingzong return to the throne. As a result, Yu Qian cursed:

"How can you know about state affairs? God has His will. Go ahead."

What do you know about national affairs, kid? Everything is determined by fate, get out of here...

~~

The inside and outside of the Xian Hall had been completely blocked by the security department. Only the east wind could blow into the hall.

"It's destiny..." After hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, Zhao Hao snorted and said, "What destiny? Isn't it just that Emperor Jing is terminally ill and the crown prince died young?"

"Right." Seeing that Zhao Hao had hit the point, Zhang Juzheng no longer hesitated and said, "Emperor Yingzong Rui is the chosen one by heaven, and Yu Shaobao has no choice!"

"You don't dare to choose!" Zhao Hao said coldly, "What a bullshit destiny master! Being played around by eunuchs, stupid! Losing the army and humiliating the country, personally burying hundreds of thousands of troops, waste! Helping the Tartars to knock on the door, despicable! Giving the guards' wives and daughters to the Tartars, vicious! Yu Shaobao regards this kind of person as the destiny? Saying that he is childish is giving him face!"

"Ministers cannot choose their own emperors, they can only choose whether to serve or not." Zhang Juzheng shook his head slowly and said, "Once a minister chooses his own emperor, he will become a reckless person and be despised by all the world."

"I'm afraid the emperor has already mistaken his father-in-law for Huo Guang." Zhao Hao said coldly.

With a snap, the candle flame exploded and Zhang Juzheng froze there. This was exactly what he was most worried about.

After a while, the old man, who was wearing the same dragon robe, jade belt, black gauze and black boots as Yu Qian, sighed desolately: "The Queen Mother never thinks about me, and only wants to squeeze every last drop out of me. The more I try to break free, the tighter she holds me. From today on, I have no way to save myself."

"So, father-in-law came to see Yu Shaobao?" Zhao Hao swallowed the words "It's good to be a reckless person" and asked softly.

"Yes, I have no choice but to follow his example and give my life to the Heavenly Family." Zhang Juzheng's body trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with fear for the future. He said, "But I shouldn't end up like him, with my head and body separated."

"What happens next?" Zhao Hao asked quietly.

"After that..." Zhang Juzheng sighed again and said, "I'll have to ask your father to take care of it."

"My father is not a guardian, and he does not have the favor of the Queen Mother." Zhao Hao said with a wry smile.

"But he has you." Zhang Juzheng smiled again, and this time his smile was more genuine than before. He seemed to have finally let go of the burden that had troubled him for many years, and he felt relaxed.

The most torturous thing in the world is a dilemma. As long as you make a choice, no matter whether it is right or wrong in the end, you will feel relieved.

"Although we all want the best for the Ming Dynasty, it is clear that we have different definitions of the Ming Dynasty. As a father, I will not force you to be like me, but you cannot force me to be like you either." Then he turned around, patted Zhao Hao on the shoulder and said:

"After this, as a father, you should do what I should do. Let's use the next few years to work hard and see who among us can change the world!"

"Yes." After a while, Zhao Haofang nodded heavily.

"In addition," Zhang Xianggong pondered for a long time before making up his mind. He lowered his voice and said to Zhao Hao:

"I will ban all academies next month, so you can use this opportunity to stop visiting. Including Xiaojing, you must not allow her to return to her parents' home, and completely draw a line between you and me..."

"Father-in-law..." Zhao Hao's eyes suddenly turned red. Of course he understood what his father-in-law meant.

"This may buy you and your son a few more years, so that I won't be implicated when I die." Zhang Juzheng said in a voice that only two people could hear:

"If my path proves to be wrong in the future, then go your own way..."

After saying this, Zhang Juzheng bowed deeply to Zhao Hao and said:

"Please."

~~

Not long after that day, Zhao Hao left Beijing and returned south.

Since his father-in-law has chosen his path, Zhao Hao can only follow his own path unswervingly.

On the way, he saw Mingfa's "Confession of Sins" in the imperial copy. Wanli told the whole story of his scandal to the world and made a profound self-examination. The words in the confession of sin really wronged the emperor, but he could not pass the test if he did not write it in this way. This time he really lost face.

If the emperor was treated like this, his close ministers naturally could not get away with it. Sun Hai and Ke Yong were first demoted to the lowest level of small firemen and sent to Nanjing Xiaoling Mausoleum to grow vegetables.

But Feng Bao felt that the punishment was still too light, and requested that the two be assigned to the Jingjun. He also proposed that the eunuchs Sun Dexiu and Wen Tai of the Silijian, and Zhou Hai, the seal holder of the Bingzhang Bureau, all deserved the punishment, and ordered all other eunuchs to confess and make real corrections. Of course, Wanli approved all of them. As a result, Feng Bao took this opportunity to eliminate all his confidants, leaving the emperor completely alone.

Zhang Xianggong also wrote a memorial to self-criticize, but at the same time he finally accepted the emperor's invitation to stay, returned to work, and made suggestions in person to show his loyalty.

And according to the Queen Mother's instructions, from now on, "the palace and the government are one, and there should be no difference in promotion and punishment. "I am waiting for the punishment and counselor, and I should be informed of all the affairs in the palace in advance. "

That is to say, even the affairs of the inner court will be under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Zhang from now on...

Soon after, the imperial court issued another decree, ordering the inspectors and educational officials across the country to conduct thorough investigations and convert all privately built academies in the provinces into government offices; the grain fields established by the academies were all investigated and returned to the local areas; and teachers and students from all over the country were not allowed to use these as an excuse to gather for meetings and disrupt the local area.

For a time, the whole country was in an uproar, and the scholars were furious. They wrote letters to denounce the rulers for cutting off the cultural heritage of the country and blocking the way for speech. The local government also waited and waited to see what Zhang Xianggong's son-in-law would do.

Zhao Hao, who was pushed to the forefront, could only sit back and relax. In the next few months, he traveled to various academies under the Jiangnan Group, had earnest conversations with teachers and students, confessed to them the difficulties they were facing, and told them that the whole world was watching them and that they could not bear it any longer and had to close down first. He also assured all teachers and students that no matter how great the difficulties were, they would not stop the light of science from shining on the Ming Dynasty!

In addition to speaking high-sounding words, Zhao Hao also gave everyone two options to choose from.

First, the ten major colleges will temporarily move overseas, and teachers and students who are willing to follow will be welcomed with open arms, and they will be guaranteed to be provided with the best teaching and living conditions.

As for teachers who don't want to go, they can be transferred to other positions within the group. Students who don't want to go abroad can also keep their student status and continue their studies when the college moves back to China.

As a result, except for a few who really couldn't leave home, the vast majority of teachers and students chose to study and run schools overseas.

This shows that the education in the academy is still very successful. Science has become a valuable part of the lives of teachers and students that cannot be separated.