What a coincidence. At this time, lightning and thunder suddenly broke out in the dark cloud-covered sky, and thunder rolled over the entire capital.
An unexpected thunderstorm is brewing.
Not long after, streaks of lightning pierced the sky, turning the sky above the Forbidden City pale, and the heavy rain that followed made the slightly sultry weather feel cooler.
Even a little wet and cold.
The pouring rain moistened the dry land, and the strong wind swept in through the window lattice, waking up Zhang Juzheng who was in a daze.
He closed the window and listened to the sound of wind and rain outside. Zhang Juzheng said a little irritably: "Go to the inner house to see if the fourth child is back."
The maid waiting at the door quickly responded: "Yes, sir."
Then the pretty maid quietly left the room.
Zhang Juzheng seemed to be restless, pacing slowly in the room, listening to the heavy raindrops beating on the window lattice, and pondering something.
After half an hour, the door of the room was gently pushed open, and Zhang Jianxiu, wearing a third-grade military general's official robe, walked quickly into the room.
It seemed that the commander of the Jin Yiwei had just come back from outside. His luxurious Feiyu uniform was soaked from the waist down, and even his official boots were soaked through and dripping with water.
Zhang Jianxiu, who was caught in the rain, rushed to the study before he could change his clothes. He turned around and gently closed the door, and then said softly.
"Father."
Seeing that his most capable son had returned home, Zhang Juzheng felt relieved and said, "Yes."
He sat down on the Taishi chair.
Zhang Juzheng picked up the mutton-fat white jade paperweight and put it aside. Listening to the sound of wind and rain outside the window, he mused: "Fourth, what do you think of today's events?"
As the only military official in the Zhang family, Zhang Jianxiu hesitated to speak. Today, he was also present and witnessed the whole process of forcing the palace to be forced into the palace directed by his father.
As the fourth son of the Zhang family, Zhang Jianxiu looked at his strict father in front of him. This powerful official who had controlled the Ming Dynasty for nearly ten years hesitated to speak, and suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
He actually felt that what his father did today was a bit excessive.
But I dare not say it.
a long time.
Zhang Jianxiu held back a sentence: "The most ruthless family is the emperor's family, then... after all, they are the emperor."
These words were a bit harsh, but they showed his son's attitude and seemed to disapprove of what he did. At this time, Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly and instinctively wanted to lose his temper but held it back.
Finally, Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and woke up. He actually felt a little regretful and should not have been in such a quarrel with the emperor.
But the situation at that time...
He was working hard in Wenhua Palace. When he heard that the emperor had moved to Xiyuan with gongs and drums, even the dragon bed was moved out from Qianqing Palace.
Is this good enough?
So he, a teacher, was so angry that he rushed out of the Wenhua Hall with the cabinet ministers in a fit of rage, and then a series of changes occurred.
Actually, thinking about it now.
As for what?
Perhaps it was because habits came naturally. After so many years, he had made it a habit to discipline the emperor.
But then...
Zhang Juzheng shuddered involuntarily when he thought about the disaster that had almost occurred. Fortunately, there was no danger, and Xing Yushi was not seriously injured.
When Zhang Juzheng came back to his senses, his face was gloomy and uncertain, and he suddenly remembered his daughter's advice in the past few days.
I don't know what happened to his precious daughter recently. She was always inadvertently and gently persuading him to calm down his stubborn temper and stop standing up to the emperor all the time.
At that time, Zhang Juzheng didn't take it to heart and even scolded him a few times, but after today, he smelled some unusual danger.
Now that his son and daughter had persuaded him again and again, Zhang Juzheng had to think seriously and secretly made up his mind that it was time to curb his hot temper.
But.
This thing is easier said than done, facing the emperor who behaves recklessly, shooting guns, moving houses, and beating gongs and drums in his ears every day.
As a teacher, he couldn't help it!
So the father and son were silent in the study.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Juzheng, who came to his senses, suddenly remembered a person, the young man who helped him and the emperor, rescued everyone, and averted a catastrophic disaster.
Recalling the young man's somewhat honest face, Zhang Juzheng looked confused and said slowly: "What is the background of the young man who rescued people in Xiyuan during the day?"
Zhang Jianxiu seemed to have been prepared, and said hurriedly: "My son has asked someone to inquire. The man's name is Shen Lie, and he is someone close to the emperor."
As Zhang Juzheng's eyes flashed with doubts and he kept chanting the word "Shen Lie" repeatedly, he felt that the name seemed familiar. He had heard it somewhere.
As the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty, he was a top student who studied the Four Books and Five Classics since he was a child, and was the top academic master in the Ming Dynasty. His memory is his strong point.
The more Zhang Juzheng thought about the name Shen Lie, the more familiar it became.
Wait a minute!
As there was a burst of thunder outside, a flash of inspiration flashed in Zhang Juzheng's mind. He suddenly remembered that his precious daughter had opened a small shop.
What's the name of that little shop?
Right.
It's called Cheap Shop.
For Zhang Juzheng, who is busy with everything, he had long forgotten about this little thing, but now he is gradually recalling it.
The shopkeeper of the small shop in which his daughter has a stake is named Shen Lie.
The vague impression gradually became clearer, and he still remembered that the man was proficient in arithmetic and used Arab qualities to invent a very powerful accounting method called double-entry accounting.
Feng Bao, the chief eunuch, attaches great importance to this accounting method and has mentioned it to him several times. Now this accounting method has become popular in the palace, and many deficiencies have been found.
It was precisely by relying on this peculiar accounting method that Feng Bao saved more than 30% of the monthly expenses of various yamen in the palace, and caught many big bugs.
With Feng Bao's upright character, he naturally killed everyone in the palace and caused quite a stir.
Moreover, Zhang Juzheng had also seen that strange accounting method. He thought it was very good and was planning to implement it on a large scale in the Ministry of Household Affairs while the enthusiasm for the reform had not passed.
It's just not too late yet.
Zhang Juzheng pondered, his eyes gradually brightened, and a young and honest face appeared in his mind involuntarily.
"So it seems..."
Zhang Juzheng said softly: "This Shen Lie is not simple."
He felt that although this man was young, he had the demeanor of a wise man who was both wise and foolish. He was also full of talent and knew how to hide his clumsiness. He was a talent that could be made.
So Zhang Juzheng asked softly: "Have you found out? What is this person's background?"
Zhang Jianxiu looked helpless and said softly: "My son is incompetent and I can't find out. I only know that this Shen Lie's ancestor came from a thousand households in Jinyi. He often goes in and out of Xiyuan these days and is very close to the emperor."
Zhang Juzheng frowned, and the more he thought about it, the more strange he felt.