Chapter 1482: Storm

The last day of March, Shichang Street.

On the seventh day after Gao Ge Lao returned home, the tightly closed main door of the Gao Mansion was finally opened.

Zhang Xianggong came in person with the emperor's second edict of consolation and retention, inviting him to return to work.

"The Emperor said: You have been loyal and honest in assisting the government, and have been upright and honest without fear of resentment. I have heard all the rumors about you. Why do you want to resign again? You should obey my previous order and immediately assist me to fulfill my sincere wishes. Don't resign again. I decree this!"

After Zhang Juzheng finished reading, he hurried forward and handed the imperial edict to Gao Gong, helped him up with both hands, and said emotionally: "Mr. Yuan, for the sake of the emperor and the Ming Dynasty, go back."

Seeing that he was very upright, Gao Ge Lao, who had been anxious recently, felt greatly comforted. He tightly grasped Zhang Juzheng's hand and said in a trembling voice, "Oh, Uncle, why did you come here in person?"

"That's right. I should have come to visit Mr. Yuan a long time ago and asked him to come back to work. But I thought he would decline, so I asked the emperor for this mission directly. Let's see how you can refuse." Zhang Juzheng supported Gao Gong's arm and whispered, "There are already more than a hundred petitions to retain Mr. Yuan. No one will criticize him in the short term."

"No, it's not the right time yet." Gao Gong shook his head slowly. These days, his disciples and confidants came out in droves, recruiting people from every government office. That's why he was able to collect so many books in such a short time.

But in the eyes of Lord Gao, this is far from enough. He is very ruthless this time and wants everyone to register and pass!

Those officials who tried to retain him in the previous meeting would naturally not be able to criticize him again in the short term. Otherwise, the Ministry of Justice would accuse him of being a two-faced person and send him away.

As for those who dragged their feet until the end, they were naturally the ones who opposed him. When Gao Ge Lao Qian finally came out after much urging, he would kill them all and wipe out the hostile forces in one fell swoop!

So although he was very touched that Zhang Juzheng came in person, Gao still refused to come back. He smiled and said to Zhang Xianggong: "How can the Ming Dynasty not be without Gao Gong? The Ming Dynasty can function just fine without anyone. With you in the cabinet, why should I worry? Just do what you should do, don't be constrained!"

Zhang Juzheng understood what was said. It turned out that Lord Gao wanted to use him to deal with Cao Daye and Liu Fenyong.

No matter what Gao Gong did, it would be embarrassing, so he decided to kill someone with someone else's knife, which was also a way for Xiao Zhang to show his loyalty.

"As you wish." Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to agree. He tried to persuade Gao Gong again, but seeing that Gao Gong was unmoved, he reluctantly left.

~~

After returning to the cabinet, Prime Minister Zhang asked Yao Kuang to bring all the memorials impeaching Cao Daye and Liu Fenyong.

Seeing Yao Kuang put two thick piles of impeachment documents on the table, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but frown and asked, "So many?"

"Almost all the Kedao officials have been listed." Yao Kuang whispered, "They wish they could eat these two people... and Wang Wenhui before, alive."

"Alas, they are just a bunch of trouble after all!" Mr. Zhang felt a headache.

For him, the biggest threat was this kind of censor. The officials in the Ming Dynasty were low-ranking but powerful, and they also had the right to report things upon hearing rumors. If they all started a rebellion, even the Prime Minister would not be able to withstand it, let alone him, the Second Prime Minister.

So he had to be extra careful to avoid becoming the target of the censors.

So Zhang Xianggong asked, "Is there anything special?"

"Yes." Yao Kuang handed him the top book.

Zhang Juzheng took it and saw that it was a memorial from Zhang Ji, the censor of Zhejiang Province, impeaching Cao Daye. However, the text implicitly pointed the finger at himself and Feng Bao.

"In the past, Zhao Gao killed Li Si and brought great disaster to Qin. Also, during the time of the previous emperor, Yan Song accepted bribes from all over the country and made eunuchs his confidants, so as to show his loyalty and encourage Xia Yan's arrogance, which led to Xia Yan's execution, while Yan Song was the only one who was favored. He deceived and alienated the Chinese and foreigners for more than 20 years..."

This is clearly comparing them to Zhao Gao and Yan Song!

Zhang Xianggong's handsome face immediately turned red, and his body moved without any wind. After a long time, he said angrily: "How can Zhang Ji compare the emperor to Qin II?!"

Yao Kuang was full of admiration for Zhang Xianggong's tricky angle of attack, and he passed this on to the eunuch Zhang Dashou.

Zhang Dashou went back to the Imperial Household Department to report to Feng Bao. Feng Bao was furious when he saw Zhang Ji's petition. Does this mean that our family is going to destroy the Ming Dynasty?

He immediately ordered the eunuch Du Mao to go to the Censorate and pass on the message: "Your Majesty, how can Zhang Ji compare to me as the Second Emperor of Qin?!"

He also asked Zhang An and others to go to the Six Departments Corridor to make a statement. The emperor was furious after reading Zhang Ji's impeachment and said he would beat him in court. He also said that when he beat him in court, he would ask him, "Who is Zhao Gao today?"

Gao Gong and his group of Paw Patrol were all newly appointed in the past two years. They had not experienced the bloody storm of "overthrowing Yan" in the last years of the previous emperor, nor had they fought in the cabinet tide in the early years of Longqing. When they heard that the good old Emperor Longqing was angry, they all started to be nervous. To put it bluntly, they were all young puppies who had not experienced anything. How could they have the enthusiasm of their predecessors who were happy to hear the stick and rushed forward one after another to compete for the title of iron-butted censor?

Zhang Ji was so frightened that he thought he was doomed, so he bought boa constrictor gallbladder, a coffin, and leather pants, and waited in the court room every day for arrest. He also asked his family to prepare for his funeral...

Zhang Ji's miserable condition frightened the censors so much that they were silent for a moment and no one dared to insinuate anything about the eunuchs and cabinet ministers anymore.

Seeing that the offensive against himself and Feng Bao was about to end in vain, Zhang Xianggong couldn't help but feel proud. Bu Gu was really a genius. Collusion between inside and outside... Oh no, the more you use it, the better it works.

He happily lit a victory cigar, leaned back in his chair and smoked it. He thought that this cigar was like a woman, he was attracted by her appearance at first, and whether he could continue to be attracted to her depended on her taste. He had to remember to never let the flame of desire go out.

Yao Kuang lit a cigarette for him and asked, "Master, how is this going?"

"It won't be too late to trap Zhang Ji for a few more days and let him have a taste of his own medicine, so as to serve as a warning to others." Zhang Juzheng took a deep puff of his cigar and said, "As for Liu Fenyong and Cao Daye, transfer them to other places. We can't let these censors work in vain."

Give them a slap in the face and then a sweet treat, so that the Paw Patrol can save their life, and this matter should be over, right?

Mr. Zhang thought confidently.

~~

There was not a drop of rain in Beijing throughout the whole of March, but in April, dark clouds finally rolled in from the sky.

In the blink of an eye, noon turned into night, and the strong wind blew up dust and sand, making it impossible to open your eyes. Soon, raindrops with a strong smell of earth began to fall cracklingly.

Amid the thunder and wind, the rain fell heavier and heavier, covering the entire capital...

In the deepest part of Dengcao Hutong, in a narrow courtyard, is the home of Cao Daye, who caused this storm.

He was impeached by his peers and was covered in rubbish, so naturally he had to be registered as a family member and wait for his fate.

Cao Daye was also having a hard time recently. He knew that people were scolding him outside, and he didn't know how much protection Mr. Zhang could give him. He lay in bed every day, thinking about random things, and felt a little regretful.

But it was useless to regret. Before the last chapter, his family had returned to his hometown in Sichuan under the escort of the Huwei Escort Agency. The Huwei Escort Agency was actually backed by the East Factory. If he dared to speak carelessly, there was no guarantee that something might happen on the way.

Hearing the heavy rain and wind outside, but no servant came to close the doors and windows, he shouted twice, but still no one answered. Seeing the rain being blown into the house, Cao Daye had no choice but to get up and curse, and go to close the windows and doors himself.

Just as I was about to close the door, someone suddenly came in.

"You idiot, where have you been?" Cao Daye thought it was his servant and started cursing without thinking.

At this moment, a bolt of lightning struck, making the dark room bright as white. Cao Daye could see clearly that the person who came in was not his servant, but a tall middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. The man had a leopard head and round eyes, and his eyes were bright. Although he was dressed as a scholar, he obviously had a fierce aura.

"Who are you?" Cao Daye took two steps back and asked in a trembling voice.

"Shao Fang, courtesy name Chu Xiu, from Danyang." The man introduced himself and took two steps forward. He looked at Cao Daye with disdain and said, "You dare to frame Yuan Fu. Your crime is extremely heinous. Today is the day you die!"

As he said this, he made a lightning-fast move, grabbed Cao Daye's neck, and lifted him up like a chicken.

Cao Daye immediately felt as if he was being hanged and suffocated. He kicked his legs but couldn't reach the ground. He tried to pry Shao Fang's hands open with both hands, but they seemed to be stuck in a pair of pliers and could not move at all.

He shouted for help with all his might, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of wind and rain outside.

Boundless fear came over him, making him clearly feel the approach of death.

At that moment, future and family no longer mattered; only the fear of death made people tremble.

"Please spare my life, I was forced to do it..." Cao Daye squeezed out a few words from between his teeth.

"Who?" Shao Fang's cold eyes flashed, and the strength in his hands loosened slightly.

"It was Zeng Shengwu..." Cao Daye hurriedly spilled the beans: "He told me last month that the emperor was seriously ill and unconscious, and all the eunuchs in the palace came from Feng Bao. And Eunuch Feng and Prime Minister Zhang are actually the same person. If you impeach Gao now, you will definitely succeed. Once Prime Minister Zhang takes power, he will definitely promote you vigorously... I was confused for a moment..."

Shao Fang then let go of his hand and ordered Cao Daye, who was still exhausted, "Write down what you said and sign your name!"

He despised these scholars the most. They were obviously cowards who were afraid of death, but they looked down on this and that all day long.

Bah! Shame on you!

~~

Outside Dengcao Hutong, on Dengshi Street, there was an ordinary-looking horse-drawn carriage parked, barely visible in the heavy rain.

A figure emerged from Dengcao Hutong and got on the carriage.

In the carriage, the young man leaning on the beauty's lap and listening to the rain with his eyes closed was Zhao Hao.

"Sir, Shao Fang has gone in." The man asked in a low voice, "Do you want to..."

Zhao Hao pondered for a long time, then slowly shook his head and said, "No need. Danyang hero is not that easy to deal with. Besides, in this kind of horrible weather, let him go..."

"Yes." The man responded and ordered his special forces members to retreat.

"Can we afford the risk of letting Gao Huzi know the truth?" Secretary Ma asked puzzledly after the man got off the car.

"It's my father-in-law's risk, not ours." Zhao Hao adjusted his posture to be comfortable and said calmly, "We must have confidence in my father-in-law, and we must have confidence in science."

Sister Ma couldn't help but laugh and said, "I thought you were trying to accumulate virtue for your unborn child."

"That's not scientific. But what's even more unscientific is why you haven't done anything even though we were the first and did it the most times?" Zhao Hao put his face against Sister Ma's flat belly and said in a muddy voice, "I heard that rainy days are more conducive to sowing..."

The carriage began to sway slightly in the rain.

ps. This picture is from yesterday.

(End of this chapter)