Emperor Longqing was indeed unhappy. He threw the impeachment aside and lay down to read a book.

Learning makes people happy, and reading can relieve worries!

Soon, Zhang Qi's impeachment was sent to Lord Xu's home by the Imperial Household Department.

Well, the eunuchs’ minds are as small as the eye of a needle.

This made Lord Xu, who was already depressed, completely discouraged.

But the dignity of the prime minister cannot be offended by villains, and Zhang Qi's memorial is a complete negation of his half-life achievements. How can Xu Ge Lao swallow his anger?

He wrote another long resignation letter overnight, defending his actions one by one.

He said that he did not have the ability to dissuade the late emperor at the beginning, and that he was not the only one who had flattered the late emperor.

As for the "Last Will", it is not intended to slander at all, but to win back the hearts of the people for the late emperor and to establish grace for the current Emperor Longqing.

Regarding the issue with Yan Song, he explained that Yan Song held a higher official position and was older than me, so if I did not appear to be submissive, how could I protect the officials who impeached him?

I don't know how many people were saved through my mediation and persuasion back then, but this kind of thing is something I have no way of knowing about.

As for Yan Song's failure, it was the result of the impeachment of the censor, the public trial of the court, and the wise judgment of the late emperor. How could it be attributed to my attack? Moreover, I am indeed a relative of his, but I am also a subject to the late emperor. Shouldn't I kill my relative for the sake of justice?

Finally, in response to Zhang Qi's accusation that he "ignored border affairs", Xu Ge Lao's defense was particularly brilliant.

He said that only the prime ministers of the previous dynasty had the power to manage state affairs. The ministers of the political affairs hall of the Song Dynasty were not allowed to participate in military affairs.

The Qing dynasty abolished the prime minister and entrusted the military power to the Ministry of War. The cabinet's duties were limited to drafting, just like the duties of the officials of the Ministry of Justice were only to make suggestions, and they could not act beyond their authority.

If I were to ask about border affairs, Zhang Qi might accuse me of overstepping my authority...

As for the saying that "people in the world only know about the hierarchy, but not His Majesty", it is even more ridiculous. Ask any child, who is the ruler of the Ming Dynasty? Is there anyone who does not think it is His Majesty?

Seeing Yuan Fu's evasive and vague way of shirking responsibility, Emperor Longqing applauded and thought that he had finally learned how to pass the buck today.

But Lord Xu's lazy attitude completely disappointed Emperor Longqing.

He was prepared to approve Xu Ge Lao's resignation on the grounds that Yuan Fu had already submitted his resignation letter many times.

Then, Emperor Longqing suffered from insomnia again.

This time it was not because of reading, but because I had been thinking all night about whether I should agree or not.

Just like a couple who have been arguing about divorce all day long, when it really comes to the moment of signing the agreement, they start to hesitate about all kinds of things.

How can I live without him?

What about the children?

Who will do my laundry and cooking?

This was the case for an ordinary family, let alone the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who had to be separated from his prime minister.

He really couldn't make up his mind, so he had to ask three university scholars to discuss the matter.

"I will not show you Xu Zhi's impeachment." Longqing felt sorry for Lord Xu and said, "It is a misfortune for our family to have such a brother."

"Yes." The three university scholars nodded in agreement.

Looking at Lord Xu's reaction, they could already imagine what a wonderful article it was.

"I will definitely continue to issue decrees to retain him." Long Qing sighed and said, "Do you think it is possible for Lord Xu to stay this time?"

Li Chunfang said nothing. For him, this was a life-threatening question.

Chen Yiqin wanted to say something, but he was a kind-hearted elder, and his good upbringing would not allow him to take advantage of his superior.

Everyone's eyes fell on Mr. Zhang.

He saw that the emperor and the two grand secretaries all focused their eyes on him.

Zhang Juzheng fell into a whirlpool of memories.

There is no doubt that Shi Xiang was his benefactor in his career and mentor in life.

From the moment they met, the master looked at him differently.

When he was in Shuchangguan, his teacher often taught him the principles of governing the country outside of class.

Rice was expensive in Kyoto, and he lived in poverty at that time, so his master often helped his family.

Yan Song was in power and acted recklessly. He also wanted to impeach Yan's party like Yang Jisheng did in the same year, but was persuaded by his teacher again and again.

He did not understand and asked for leave to return home, so the master taught him in a letter the importance of protecting himself, teaching him to be different from others in his heart, to blend in with others in his appearance, and to act according to the situation.

At the right time, the teacher sent him to Prince Yu's mansion and made him a candidate for the crown prince, which led to his sudden rise in the Longqing Dynasty...

Not to mention the grace of jointly drafting the late emperor's will and the feeling of being promoted eight levels.

It can be said that without the Master, there would be no Bugu today.

The teacher is very kind to me, but his kindness is as deep as the sea...

A tear rolled down Zhang Juzheng's cheek. The sunlight shone through the window, making the tear sparkle.

Seeing Master Zhang actually crying, Emperor Longqing couldn't help but be moved by the deep love between master and disciple, sniffling and saying:

"Master Zhang, don't be sad. I will do my best to keep Yuan Fu."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head, took out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears, and then said in a hoarse voice:

"Master is really tired this time. Not being understood by others is bad enough, but even his own brother wants to stab him. How can Master continue to stand in the court?"

Li Chunfang and Chen Yiqin secretly gave a thumbs up when they heard this. As expected of Mr. Zhang, he could stab someone even when he was crying.

Someone took the lead, and the two of them didn't hesitate.

Li Chunfang also sighed and said, "Yes, the Prime Minister was not in good health to begin with. He has been bedridden since this spring, and he has been drafting memorials in Zhilu. The old man's eyesight is not good, and he relies entirely on the young cabinet minister to dictate. After suffering such a heavy blow, I am afraid it will be difficult for him to hold on."

"Yes." Chen Yiqin nodded and said, "Dealing with the Yan Party for twenty years has overdrawn too much of the Prime Minister's energy. Now that there are no treacherous ministers in the country and the politics is clear, Your Majesty should fulfill the old Prime Minister's wish."

"Hmm..." Emperor Longqing asked the three university scholars to talk to him one by one, and he became interested.

After nodding and thinking for a moment, he thought of the most realistic question and asked Zhang Juzheng, "Didn't Master Zhang say that only when the Prime Minister returns can the court resume normal operations?"

"I did say that," Zhang Juzheng said without hesitation, and then changed the subject: "But even if the teacher is not here, there are still ways to deal with it. As long as Your Majesty is determined, there are always more solutions than problems."

"What method?" Long Qing asked.

"The reason why the court stopped functioning once the six departments resigned was because there was no one to 'copy' the papers, and the six ministries and yamen could not receive the copies of the papers."

Then I heard Mr. Zhang's unhurried analysis:

"However, initially, it was not the six ministries that copied the memorials, but rather the Secretariat that performed this responsibility."

"That's right." Li Chunfang nodded and took over the conversation, "Later, Emperor Taizu abolished the prime minister because of the Hu Weiyong case and abolished the Secretariat. Only then did he divide the tasks of passing on information into two parts, half to the six departments and half to the newly established Tongzhengsi."

"I see." Emperor Longqing understood a little. "Then temporarily handing over the power of 'imperial censorship' to the Tongzhengsi, wouldn't that solve all the problems?"

ps. Third update, please give me monthly votes and recommendation votes