The Guards Fleet sailed at full speed towards Caofei Port.

Also on the Jiangnan was Li Mingyue, who accompanied Zhang Xiaojing back to Beijing because she was worried about her condition.

In order to ensure the healthy growth of the next generation, Zhao Hao's family ended their scattered life and settled in Pudong. Even Jiang Xueying mainly works in Pudong and rarely goes to Suzhou.

Of course, this is also because as the group's organization grew larger, the old headquarters on Shantang Street in Suzhou could no longer accommodate it. Therefore, in the tenth year of Wanli, the group built a new headquarters covering an area of ​​1,000 acres in Pudong.

Currently, the Jiangnan Building in Suzhou is only responsible for the Jiangnan affairs of the group, and all other functions have been transferred to the new headquarters in Pudong.

Li Mingyue succeeded Princess Ning'an as the chairman of Xishan Group six years ago. Although she only worked for two months a year, she had already lost her innocence as a girl and became more and more like her mother.

Zhao Hao comforted Xiao Jing in the cabin, while Li Mingyue asked someone to call Gao Wu to the stern deck alone.

Gao Wu quickly went up to the stern deck and saw the princess sipping black tea leisurely.

He stood still with a solemn expression, and suddenly asked in a deep voice: "What do you want, Princess?"

After getting married and having children, although Brother Gao is still taciturn, his language development has obviously accelerated a lot.

"Is your safety guaranteed when you come to Beijing this time?" Li Mingyue gently put down the teacup.

"It's safest not to go to Beijing." Gao Wu said in a deep voice.

"It's impossible not to go to Beijing." Li Mingyue frowned slightly.

Gao Wu was silent for a while and then said, "As long as you don't go to the palace, everything will be fine."

"Entering the palace?" Li Mingyue asked.

"The Special Operations Department's infiltration of the palace has never been successful." Gao Wu sighed, "And the emperor also has 3,000 eunuch soldiers."

After all, no matter how perverted that person is, he can't force his subordinates to castrate themselves...

"My brother is now the leader of the Han generals. If someone really wants to harm my husband, he should not be able to hide it..." Li Mingyue pondered for a moment and said, "In short, be careful and don't let my husband enter the palace unless it is necessary. If he really needs to enter the palace, he must choose a time when my father is outside the palace."

"I understand." Gao Wu nodded. In fact, he had a backup plan that he hadn't told Li Mingyue.

He has been in this business for 20 years, and one of his most important lessons is that "confidentiality is part of protection."

~~

Four days later, the fleet arrived at Caofei Port. Zhao Hao and his party boarded a flat-bottomed passenger ship and arrived at the capital on the 23rd.

According to Zhao Hao's prior instructions, none of the senior executives of Xishan Group came to greet them. Only Zhao Xian and Zhang Yunxiu went to Datong Bridge Wharf to wait.

Zhao Xian is almost 40 years old, but he doesn't look old except that he is getting fatter. Zhang Xiaojing's fifth brother Yunxiu is already 23 years old, fair-skinned and handsome, very much like his sister. He just won the third place in the imperial examination last year, and the brothers have indeed collected the top three. However, there has been constant criticism from the court and the public, and even the bad words of "wild birds are phoenixes" have been used to ridicule them.

Because his father was seriously ill, Yunxiu looked haggard and had none of the charm of a scholar. When he saw his sister whom he hadn't seen for eight years, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

The brother and sister cried for a while, and then, with the comfort of the Zhao brothers, they got into the car and drove to the capital.

As soon as the carriage entered the capital, we saw that every household set up incense tables and offerings along the streets. In the temples and Taoist temples of all sizes, they hung banners and hoisted banners, and struck bells and chimes, busy as hell...

"They are all for the Grand Tutor's blessing." Zhao Xian whispered to his brother, "It started last month. Even the Emperor has been fasting for a month. It's a pity that it can't relieve the Grand Tutor's illness."

In the tenth year of Wanli's reign, the emperor conferred the title of Grand Tutor on Zhang Juzheng, making him the first civil official to be conferred the title of Grand Tutor during his lifetime in the 200 years of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhao Hao nodded slightly. He knew Zhang Juzheng's condition much better than Zhao Xianke. Since the storm of love, Zhang Juzheng's temperament has changed drastically, he is suspicious and irritable, and no longer trusts anyone. He even suspected that the famous doctor of Jiangnan Hospital who cured his hemorrhoids was instructed by someone to deliberately treat a minor illness... As a result, he became more and more afraid of seeing a doctor. First, he refused to treat his illness, and later he simply refused to admit that he was sick...

Moreover, the reform had entered a deep water zone, and every step forward was difficult and full of resistance. Even with a powerful weapon like the performance evaluation system hanging over the heads of all officials, reforms like the land measurement system, which deeply touched the interests of landlords and gentry, could not be promoted for a long time, and even if they were promoted, they were fraudulent. Zhang Xianggong was furious every day, and he wanted to shoot all those officials who were perfunctory.

There was also a sense of urgency, a sense of crisis that the death of the leader would lead to the end of the government... These negative emotions made him feel like he was in a frying pan, extremely tormented. It was like a burning fire at all times! He would also scold his trusted subordinates at any time.

Even the Deputy Prime Minister was scolded by him and cried. He wrote to his son many times, saying that he wanted to retire and go home to hug his grandchildren. Of course, it was just talk. If he really wanted to quit, Zhao Liben would skin him alive without Zhao Hao's persuasion.

In order to relieve the pressure on the Grand Tutor, his subordinates presented beautiful women to him one after another. Among them, the Hu Jiguang who Qi Jiguang bought from the Western Regions for a huge sum of money was the most effective in relieving his heat.

It's true that this method is effective. Whenever the Grand Master is about to lose his temper, he goes to the inner room to vent his anger, and when he comes out, he is no longer angry. No one will suffer...

But how could an old master in his sixties take care of so many beautiful concubines? He was also very strong-willed and wanted to examine himself in terms of sex. So he ignored the advice of his health doctor and often took various kinds of tiger and wolf medicines. Among them, the sea dog whip presented by Qi Jiguang had the best effect.

After Zhang Juzheng took this medicine, he felt as if a fireball was rolling in his body, and he was extremely excited. His fighting power was indeed doubled. He was also full of energy, and he did not show any signs of fatigue even though he was busy with many things. However, there was one thing: he could not wear a hat even in the dead of winter, otherwise he would feel hot and uncomfortable.

In order to keep in line with their leaders, officials in the capital did not wear hats in winter, and they were all frozen like grandchildren.

Mr. Zhang is over 60 years old. He works too hard during the day and too hard at night, and he refuses to listen to anyone's advice. After a few years of this, even an iron man can't stand it!

Finally, I suddenly fell ill at the turn of spring and summer this year, and my body collapsed... I lost my appetite all day, and my limbs were weak. Later, I developed pain all over my body and could hardly move. My body was so exhausted that only skin and bones remained.

The sons didn't care about objecting and quickly asked the miracle doctor from Jiangnan Hospital to come and treat him. After a consultation with Wan Mizhai, Li Shizhen and Li Lunming, the conclusion was that he had "anal lock hemorrhoids", which means late stage rectal cancer. With the current medical level, it is difficult to cure. They can only take palliative treatment to help him relieve the pain as much as possible...

This raging fire illuminated the Ming Dynasty but eventually burned itself.

~~

The carriage stopped in front of the Grand Tutor's Mansion, and Zhang Xiaojing got out of the sedan first and staggered into the mansion.

When Zhao Hao and Yun Xiu brought the child to the inner courtyard filled with the smell of medicine, they heard Xiao Jing's crying.

After comforting his confused children, Zhao Hao walked into the bedroom with light steps, and saw Xiao Jing crying in front of the bed.

Zhao Hao couldn't help but burst into tears. How could this be the idol Zhang with flowing beard and tall figure that he remembered?

Zhang Juzheng, the regent for fifteen years, the indomitable and insolent Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, was lying there, barely breathing. His eye sockets were sunken, his face was gray, and he was as thin as a dried corpse, his body curled up unrecognizable. Lying on the wide bed, he looked increasingly shapeless, as if he would disappear at any moment...

Even his iconic beard had become unkempt, gray, and dry, as lifeless as a wisp of frosted grass.

Zhang Juzheng raised his hand with difficulty and stroked his daughter's cheek, trying to force a smile, but the corners of his mouth twitched downwards involuntarily.

Turbid tears rolled down, along his deep wrinkles, and flowed into the corners of his mouth.

Xiaojing quickly wiped the corners of her father's mouth with a handkerchief and cried so hard that she almost died.

Zhang Jingxiu, who now looked like a middle-aged man, wiped his tears and nodded to Zhao Hao who came in.

Zhao Hao squeezed his hand tightly and asked in a low voice: "Father-in-law's condition..."

"Dr. Li just took my pulse this morning. You have to press hard to feel it." Zhang Jingxiu said in a hoarse voice, "Actually, father is just holding on and waiting for you to come back..."

At this time, Zhang Juzheng turned his eyeballs with difficulty and slowly looked at Zhao Hao.

Zhao Hao quickly walked to the bed, knelt down, and called "Father-in-law" with tears in his eyes.

Zhang Juzheng's lips moved a few times and his throat made a hoarse sound, but there was only the sound of phlegm and he could not utter a word.

Zhao Hao turned to look at Jing Xiu, who shook his head helplessly: "I couldn't speak five days ago."

Zhang Juzheng's bony hand moved slightly, Zhao Hao quickly grasped it, and said in a deep voice: "Father-in-law, I know what you are worried about."

Zhang Juzheng's eyes did not move, and he stared at Zhao Hao, listening to what he said:

"Don't worry, father-in-law. I will protect the Zhang family at all costs. Even if the emperor wants to take action against Jing Xiu and the others, I will never agree!"

Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly, and the worry in his eyes eased a little.

He still held Zhao Hao's hand tightly, so Zhao Hao continued:

"In addition, I will do my best to protect those officials you promoted and appointed, and prevent them from being slandered or purged, let alone excluded."

"..." Zhang Juzheng nodded gently again, but still did not let go of Zhao Hao's hand.

These are not what he values ​​most, no!

"I will also maintain my father-in-law's reforms..." Zhao Hao said reluctantly.

Zhang Juzheng's expression became ferocious, his throat made a hoarse sound, and he seemed to be about to explode. Unfortunately, he no longer had any deterrent effect...

"Ah..." Zhao Hao sighed and said to Xiao Jing, Jing Xiu and others in a deep voice: "You go out first."

Several people left the bedroom as instructed, and Jingxiu even closed the door to prevent the shocking conversation inside from leaking out.

"Father-in-law, I know you want me to implement your reforms." Zhao Haocai looked at Zhang Juzheng and said in a deep voice:

"But as the regent prime minister, you have the highest power in hundreds of years. If you can't succeed in reform after fifteen years, how can you expect me and my father to complete your unfinished work?"

Zhang Juzheng's eyes revealed deep disappointment and he slowly let go of her hand.

But Zhao Hao continued, "With your wisdom, father-in-law, wouldn't you know why the reform started off well but ended badly and is difficult to sustain?"