On Chongwenmenwai Street, in the quaint courtyard of the Sanjin Guild Hall.

It is March, and the whole yard is in bloom. Magnolias and crabapples are attracting bees and butterflies. Lilacs and roses are vying for beauty and their subtle fragrance is intoxicating.

In such a season, Yang Bo, Wang Guoguang, Wang Jiaping, Yang Si and a few other old people would certainly not stay in a house with poor lighting and slurp noodles. Wouldn't that be a waste of such beautiful spring time?

So they changed to slurping noodles in the yard.

On the round table, there were still more than a dozen kinds of noodles, such as knife-cut noodles, hand-rolled noodles, ramen noodles, fried noodles, etc. There were also more than ten bottles of vinegar, such as old vinegar, rice vinegar, Laba vinegar, fragrant vinegar, white vinegar, etc., and a bunch of garlic.

Yang Bo threw the peeled garlic into a large bowl, then poured in half a bottle of aged vinegar and started slurping it happily.

Wang Guoguang and the other two were also busy eating noodles, sweating profusely, and no one made a sound.

Shanxi people don't talk while eating noodles, firstly because they love the food, and secondly because they are afraid of choking on the noodles.

After a while, a large bowl of noodles and soup was finished, and Yang Bo picked up the handkerchief on the table to wipe his sweat.

"Uncle, Brother Botong wants to ask Master Shu'an to tell Master Zhang..." Yang Sihe had also finished his noodles and could finally continue talking. "So that Master Zhang can make up his mind."

"Yeah." Yang Bo nodded, looked at Wang Guoguang and said, "Don't go directly, it's too fake, it's better to go around in a circle."

"Yeah." Wang Guoguang nodded and said while chewing garlic: "Let's go talk to Li Yihe."

Botong is Han Ji's pen name. Han Ji is from Puzhou, Shanxi Province. He is a fellow countryman of Yang Bo, Zhang Siwei, and Wang Chonggu. He is a die-hard Shanxi gang member and a regular noodle eater at the Sanjin Guild Hall. Although he rarely comes here after Gao Gong's restoration, his heart still belongs to Lao Chencu.

Shu'an is Wang Guoguang's nickname. He was the Viceroy of the Granary in the second year of Longqing. After many twists and turns, he is still the same official now. This is because he is a student of Xu Ge Lao, and he once impeached Gao Gong during the cabinet movement. Gao Huzi looks rough, but he actually holds grudges. Although he did not retaliate against him because of his identity as a member of the Mian Party, it is inevitable that he will stay where he is.

Moreover, Wang Guoguang and Zhang Juzheng were long-time friends who shared the same ideals and had been actively trying to get closer to him over the years. Although Zhang Juzheng did not establish his own school, he already regarded Wang Guoguang as one of his own.

Lao Xier does things without considering right or wrong, but only considers the benefits. For the wealthy Shanxi businessmen, only by betting on both sides can they hedge their risks well, so as not to get on the wrong boat and suffer a complete failure.

When Yang Bo asked Wang Guoguang to impeach Gao Gong, it was a gamble to prepare for the rise of the Xu Party. Of course, he also bet on Gao Gong, and Han Ji was one of them. In this way, no matter who wins, there will always be Lao Xier standing on the side of the winner.

As a result, Gao Gong lost first and then won, and Wang Guoguang sat on the bench for more than two years. Yang Bo then voted for him to Zhang Juzheng, which became a bet on Zhang's party. No matter who wins, Lao Xier is the winner.

What is a win-win situation? It means Shanxi people win twice!

Of course, in addition to betting on both sides, Lao Xier also has a core demand. After monopolizing the trade with the Mongolians, they set their sights on the sea. Seeing that Jiangnan Group has opened up all the links of maritime trade, they also want to get a share of the pie.

Who would have thought that Zhao Hao would not even give face to Gao Gelao. This matter has been delayed for more than two years, and the old men are so anxious that they are vomiting. They have to eat several heads of garlic to suppress it.

But they would not do this easily, because Zhao Hao did not dare to provoke Gao Gong, but it meant that he did not dare to deal with the Shanxi Gang. The Jiangnan Group, which concentrated the Huizhou merchants and Dongting merchants, had a hundred ways to attack the business of Shanxi merchants. For example, Jiangnan Bank held the power of Xinlong Money House... Oh yes, the Xinlong Bank of the old Westerners seemed to be changing its name to Shanxi Bank. But no matter what it was called, as long as Jiangnan Bank took ruthless action, they would be in trouble.

So this time the Shanxi Gang has been hiding in the back, and only let Han Ji and others continue to instigate Gao Gong to set up the Maritime Transport Office.

Gao Gong's biggest problem was that he had no one under his command. All of his disciples were too inexperienced, so he had to rely on the Shanxi Gang to help him run the shipping office.

Therefore, the reason why Gao Gong always kept a close eye on Zhao Hao was definitely related to the instigation of Han Ji and others.

This time, Han Ji followed Yang Bo's order to incite Gao Gong to kill Zhang Juzheng. They also saw that once Zhang Juzheng stepped down, the Jiangnan Group would lose its protective umbrella, and the affairs of the Shipping Office would be as easy as taking candy from a sack.

~~

While they were eating noodles at the Sanjin Guild Hall, Mr. Zhang also returned to Dashamao Hutong to have dinner with his son-in-law.

A scholarly family like the Zhang family has strict rules, and not talking while sleeping or eating is the most basic one.

So after dinner, the father-in-law and son-in-law went to the study and began to talk.

"Is Xiaojing okay? Did she go back to Beijing with you?" Zhang Juzheng asked as he combed his body with a small comb, trying to hide his longing for his daughter.

"She's fine. It's just that it's not convenient for Mingyue and the others to travel, so she stayed to take care of them." Zhao Hao explained with a smile.

"Oh, you mean..." Zhang Juzheng understood immediately. "And how many people are there together?"

"Three." Zhao Hao couldn't help but show off to his father-in-law.

"What? Xiao Jing is not among the three. Are you biased?!" Unexpectedly, the father-in-law flew into a rage and asked, "Is Bu Gu's daughter so shameless?"

"Father-in-law, calm down." Young Master Zhao said with a smile, "This matter is not up to me. I love Xiaojing the most, but I just have bad luck."

"Hmph, as long as you know what's going on." Zhang Juzheng's expression eased a little, and then he started talking about business, "Today, after the prince finished school, I heard You Qi say that you were here, so I sent the prince back to... the palace, and by the way, I informed the two queens that the two miracle doctors had arrived. Unexpectedly, Meng Chong came out and said that Gao Ge Lao had also invited miracle doctors from all over the world, and they would arrive in the capital in the next two or three days. The two queens meant that in order to avoid repeatedly disturbing the emperor, it would be better to wait until they arrived before entering the palace for consultation together."

"Isn't this urgent anymore?" Zhao Hao said speechlessly.

"First, the emperor's condition has been relatively stable these days. Second, the two ladies are not opinionated people." Zhang Juzheng sighed helplessly. He could roughly guess what was going on. "But it's good this way. The two doctors may not be able to cure the disease that the Imperial Hospital can't cure. When the time comes, they can have a consultation together, and the pressure on them will be less."

"This is not like moving bricks. More people does not necessarily mean more strength." Master Zhao couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Alas..." Zhang Juzheng suddenly sighed and said, "In fact, the Imperial Hospital has already diagnosed it as syphilis. But for the sake of the emperor's reputation, they said it was a stroke."

"My goodness..." Master Zhao finally understood the reason why Emperor Longqing got himself killed at such a young age. It was because he had too much fun.

Since Portuguese sailors brought the disease to the Ming Dynasty 50 years ago, it has gradually spread from Guangdong. Fortunately, due to the inconvenient transportation and strict maritime bans in those days, it took several decades for this Class B infectious disease to spread throughout the country.

This is also the reason why Zhao Hao ordered his sailors and soldiers to wear raincoats when visiting the kiln...

It was a pity that I didn't present the Tamra brand condoms to the emperor because of a momentary thought. Who would have thought that Buzz Buzz was not satisfied with having three thousand powdered daisies and had to go pick wild flowers?

This is good, I got caught...

Zhao Hao put away his complicated thoughts, shook his head and said, "Let's wait for the two genius doctors to diagnose it before we talk about it."

"Yes." Zhang Juzheng nodded, looked at Zhao Hao with sharp eyes and said: "Let the two genius doctors cure the emperor at all costs..."

After a pause, he whispered again: "We must not lose to them."

Zhao Hao understood what his father-in-law meant. Perhaps both sides had good intentions, but there was no doubt that it had now evolved into a contest.

Whichever side heals the emperor will gain a lot of points in the emperor's heart. Maybe it will allow my father-in-law to compete with Gao Gelao...

Zhang Juzheng also told Zhao Hao that recently Eunuch Feng had been urging him to do something while the Imperial Household Department was in control, but he had not made up his mind.

Because in a struggle, only the dominant party has the right to constantly harass the disadvantaged party, so as to disrupt the party's composure, lure the enemy out of its hole, and then kill it with one blow.

Mr. Zhang is now a lowly dog. It is very dangerous to act rashly...

As the father-in-law and son-in-law were talking, You Qi came in outside to report that Li Yihe had arrived.

"Yihe" is the nickname of Li Youzi. He is a fellow townsman and the same age as Zhang Juzheng. He is humorous and strategic, and is one of Zhang Juzheng's close friends.

However, the clock in the corner was already pointing to eight o'clock. This person's late night visit was definitely not a visitor. Zhao Hao tactfully stood up and said goodbye.

Zhang Juzheng hesitated for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Yihe is not an outsider, you don't have to avoid him, stay and meet him."

"Yes, father-in-law." Zhao Hao hurriedly responded respectfully, feeling a little excited. This meant that his father-in-law had included him in his inner circle, and was no longer just paying lip service to his importance... This was called 'it's better to marry well than to work well'!

Eh, something seems to be wrong.

After a while, a big fat man squeezed into the study from outside the door.

In this era, it is really rare to see such a wealthy person. He only has two small mustaches, a sweet smile, and a bit of alcohol... If he holds a whisk and shows his breasts, he will look like Taiyi Zhenren.

"This is Li Yihe. He's from the same hometown as my father. You can just call him uncle." Zhang Juzheng also smiled and introduced him to Zhao Hao.

"Nephew pays homage to uncle." Zhao Hao bowed respectfully.

“Hahaha, I don’t deserve to be your uncle. Young Master Zhao, just call me Li Sanhu.” Li Youzi said with a smile, showing the unique friendliness of a fat man: “You must have heard of my nickname, right?”

"I've heard of it before," Zhao Hao asked curiously, "Which three pots are they?"

"This guy is a drunkard. He can't live without wine at every meal. Once, his wife complained to me that my master has to drink at every meal. He immediately frowned and said, "Bullshit! I drink even when I don't eat!" Zhang Juzheng couldn't help laughing and said, "So he can't live without a wine pot at all times."

"But drinking alcohol can cause trouble. After drinking, he has to drink strong tea to sober up, so he can't live without a teapot." Zhang Juzheng couldn't help laughing and said, "He keeps pouring wine and tea into his stomach, so of course he can't live without a urinal. Wherever he goes, these three pots are with him, so he got this nickname!"

p.s. I’ll write one more update.