Chapter 97 Everyone wants to master Hai Rui's sword! Altan Khan attacks, murderous intent arises! Prince Yu’s Mansion, in the main hall. Wang Yongji was sitting at the very end at this moment, listening to everyone's discussion about Hai Rui, and he felt very uncomfortable. "What is this Hai Rui up to?" Gao Gong, who was upright and hot-tempered, said angrily, "Isn't he said to hate evil and be upright as an official?" "When did you become so smooth in dealing with things?" "You said he never contradicted his superiors, but what about Dinghai County? Could it be that everything that happened before was just a show for him to get promoted to a higher position and have a smooth official career?" "Now that you have been recognized by the Emperor and promoted, are you starting to walk on thin ice?" Gao Gong thought highly of Hai Rui, but after hearing about all the things Hai Rui had done in the northern border, he was very disappointed! Of course, what he valued was that Hai Rui was a sword that could be used to realize his own ambitions! The emperor's time is up and the Ming Dynasty will face a power reshuffle. If the battle with the Yan Party is won, the position of the chief minister of the cabinet will undoubtedly go to the second-in-command Xu Jie. In terms of seniority, among all the people present, only he could become the next deputy prime minister. So if he wanted to climb up, he had to force Xu Jie to step down. Hai Rui was like a good sword! But at this moment, the sword had a flaw! Even if this kind of flaw was something that everyone in the officialdom had, it could be considered perfect on anyone - blending in with the light and dust! But this thing won't work if it appears on Hai Rui! "Too rigid will easily break." As Hai Rui's superior, Zhao Zhenji was impressed by Hai Rui's conservative wait-and-see approach before the situation became clear. "Perhaps he has some considerations."
Well, he is also the Minister of Revenue, and Hai Rui is his man. Hai Rui knows how to advance and retreat, judge the situation, and adapt. Very good! A Hai Rui like this will definitely help him avoid more trouble. "It seems that I have to write a letter to Hai Rui when I get back, and give him some advice on how to be an official..." Zhao Zhenji put his hands in his pockets, lowered his brows and looked calm, but there was some calculation in his eyes. After hearing the comments from the two elders, Wang Yongji felt extremely complicated. Could it be that Brother Gangfeng really changed? Brother Gangfeng actually knows how to take care of his superiors' face and understands the ways of the officialdom? For a moment, Wang Yongji was happy for Hai Rui, but at the same time, he began to sigh helplessly in his heart. The good news is that Hai Rui knows how to adapt, so he will encounter fewer obstacles and be targeted less in the officialdom in the future. As a good friend, he was truly relieved! What is regrettable is that even someone like Brother Gangfeng was eventually assimilated by this officialdom that values blending in with the world...Is it really impossible to distinguish between the clean and the turbid in the officialdom? "Perhaps we have misjudged Hai Rui," Zhang Juzheng said slowly. After a moment's silence, he said, "He is not a pedantic person. I believe he is honest and upright..." "But this man is definitely not a one-track mind. He must have some plan. Besides, there is the Emperor behind Hai Rui..." As Zhang Juzheng spoke, he stroked his beard with his hand, and there was a gleam in his narrow eyes. So what if the emperor is behind Hai Rui? The emperor's time is up after all, and everyone can see it clearly. But, a Hai Rui who knows how to adapt? If so, then this person can be used by him in the future. While Zhang Juzheng was thinking about all kinds of things in his mind, he glanced at Xu Jie and Gao Gong. If the battle in the north is won, the cabinet of the new Ming Dynasty will usher in a new power transition. If you want to realize your ambitions, you must climb up! Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji all spoke, but only Xu Jie remained silent with his head down. "Let's put Hai Rui's matter aside for now." Prince Yu waved his hand and said, "Why don't we think about what the Yan Party will do next?" He didn't care whether Hai Rui knew how to adapt or not. He only cared about victory now, how to overthrow the Yan Party and depose King Jing! As long as he wins, the world will be his. If Hai Rui knows how to adapt, he will have one more chess piece to check and balance the cabinet. He will not allow the cabinet to be without checks and balances. Hai Rui is a sharp sword and should be in his hands! In the main hall of Prince Jing’s Mansion.
"This Hai Rui didn't make trouble this time. This is really unprecedented!" Yan Shifan said strangely. "A sword that knows how to adapt is not very useful." At this time, King Jing in the upper position spoke lightly, "There are more uncertain variables..." Hearing King Jing say this, Yan Shifan's brows also frowned, he took a deep breath, and said earnestly: "It is indeed so." As he said this, he looked at his calm father Yan Song and said: "Dad, I've already given the order. If Hai Rui continues to act in this way, then he might try to take advantage of the conflict between Shanxi merchants and the gentry to completely break the iron wall of Qingliu in the northern border. After all, Hai Rui is part of our plan." Hearing what Yan Shifan said, Yan Song did not speak, but still kept his head down, with a gleam in his turbid old eyes. "Behind Hai Rui is the emperor." After a long while, Yan Song finally spoke under the gaze of Prince Jing and Yan Shifan, and said in a gentle voice: "He is a sword, an emperor's sword that makes the final decision." "Don't worry," Yan Song said as he slowly stood up. Seeing this, Yan Shifan hurried forward to support him. "The way of an emperor is to maintain checks and balances. Your Highness, relax. It never matters who Hai Rui is." "The important thing is that all his actions represent the emperor. The northern border is now a solid block of Qingliu. Qingliu is powerful and we are weak. If we resist, the emperor will not interfere." "Everything can remain the same," Yan Song said, bowing slowly and saying, "Hai Rui's sword is subject to the supreme imperial power." "His current behavior shows that only the emperor can make him flexible and submit." "Now that the matter is settled, Your Highness can try to make friends with them. This is the Emperor's Sword, but you need to ascend the throne before you can use it... It's getting late, and I will take my leave now." Yan Song was the person who knew Jiajing best. Hai Rui's abnormal actions served the imperial power. Therefore, Hai Rui is more like the emperor's will than a variable. Wherever the emperor's will points, that's where Hai Rui's sword will point. After thinking for a moment, King Jing smiled and looked at Yan Song and Yan Shifan who saluted him. He nodded slightly and said, "I have learned your lesson. Come, send Elder Yan away." On the third day of the eighth month in the fortieth year of the Jiajing reign, it was cloudy. The scope of Yuxi Palace and Lingtian Courtyard expanded again. This time, the courtyards on both sides of the courtyard were also opened up, and after some renovation, they were paved with spiritual soil. The entire Lingtian courtyard was in the shape of a "皿". In the middle, with the willow sapling as the center, there are spiritual herbs and the most abundant spiritual energy. On the left, some "spiritual rice" are planted, and on the right, some spiritual plants, spiritual melons, and spiritual fruits are planted. At this time, Jiajing was sitting in the middle of the Lingtian courtyard, and the spiritual energy around him formed a vortex with him as the center. Lu Fang, who was standing by, sat cross-legged at the back door of Yuxi Palace, looking at Jiajing who was practicing in amazement. "Wow!" Suddenly at this moment, the vortex of spiritual energy surged, and the spiritual energy suddenly dispersed, forming a strong wind that made Lu Fang almost unable to open his eyes. After a while, the strong wind of spiritual energy subsided. "Huh," Jiajing exhaled lightly, slowly opened his eyes, and a spiritual energy passed through his eyes. "One hundred taels of spiritual energy, and a loosening of my realm. I should be able to break through to the sixth level of Qi training by the end of the year..." Thinking in his heart, Jiajing slowly stood up and looked at Lu Fang who had already stood up at the door. "Congratulations, Master Emperor, your cultivation has improved!" Lu Fang immediately knelt on the ground and congratulated him. "Yes," Jiajing nodded, looked at Lu Fang, and said, "How has the northern border been doing during this period?"
After this cultivation, Jiajing did not return to the world of immortals. Firstly, he had only been back for a month, and the little ones over there had already started practicing. It would take at least a year or two to get things done in Yeshi, so there was nothing for him to do when he returned. He planned to stay in Daming for a year. By February or March next year, the national policy of stationing troops to promote agriculture will be implemented, and the Wei Suo system will be on the right track. After that, it was his turn to rectify the administration of officials. Therefore, he planned to wait until things in the Ming Dynasty were almost settled before returning to the world of immortal cultivation, and then start to retreat and break through the foundation. "My Lord, the northern border is in chaos." When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's question, his eyes flashed and he whispered: "The Yan Party first suppressed Shanxi merchants and supported the old gentry families. At the same time, it supported the suppressed Shanxi merchants and suppressed some emerging and small gentry families, successfully tearing a hole in the iron plate." "This is expected..." Jiajing commented. "The Yan Party took advantage of the chaos and won over a group of Shanxi merchants and some small, emerging gentry families, which helped them stabilize their position. With the support of these two groups, some military households that were not doing well were willing to return to farming." The master and servant talked as they walked and arrived at Yuxi Palace. "As for these military households who are willing to farm, the Yan Party focuses on supporting them, intending to set them up as role models. At the same time, they continue to suppress them, starting with the 'mutual trade'..." "And Qingliu was not to be outdone and began to fight back fiercely." "But the Yan Party has become a force to be reckoned with. In this second round, the Qingliu Party was defeated." "The only problem is..." Lv Fang hesitated for a moment and frowned, "It seems that Altan has made some unusual moves. The border troops have rioted one after another, which has attracted their attention." "Reports from the border say that spies from the Tumed tribe and some cavalry have been passing through the Mongolian border from time to time, and there have been many conflicts in the trade." "Tang Shunzhi submitted a memorial," Lv Fang said, looking at Jiajing whose face suddenly turned cold, and paused before saying: "The two factions in the cabinet have been arguing over this matter. I am worried that the Qingliu or the Yan Party may use this matter as a bargaining chip to start a third round of war. If it gets out of hand, it may lead to a conflict with Altan Khan..." "Anda!" There seemed to be a cold light surging in Jiajing's eyes, and the murderous intent arose in an instant. "Master, don't be angry. Altan is just a mortal ant. Don't worry." Lü Fang knew what it meant to his master to hear that Altan might attack again. He immediately comforted him and said, "Master is now an immortal. Altan can be destroyed with a wave of his hand. Don't worry about it." In the 29th year of Jiajing, the Mongols forced the Ming Dynasty to open its doors, forcibly open "mutual trade", and force trade. With Altan's strength, if he had focused on attacking at that time, his master would most likely have been the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty to be captured! Until now, Mongolia has continued to harass the border, which is a silent threat. Given the military strength of the Ming Dynasty, if a war really broke out, the outcome would be unpredictable. "After the national policy is implemented, our Ming Dynasty will be stable in a year. By then, we can recuperate and gather strength. Our Ming Dynasty's kingly army may be able to wipe out the Mongolian barbarians and put an end to future troubles." "Let the cabinet discuss politics at Yuxi Palace at noon tomorrow," Jiajing waved his hand and said, "Take a bath." "Yes," Lu Fang responded and went downstairs to prepare bathing supplies. Thinking of Mongolia, Jiajing's eyes flickered. With an idea in his mind, he spread out his palms, and two small talismans the size of his palms floated above his palms. An earth-attributed attack talisman that can split mountains and crack the earth after use. The downside is that it has a limited range, but if used properly, it can be enough to bury the enemy. The other one is the Sky-controlling Talisman, which can last up to one day. Of course, the user's spiritual power must also be considered.
With Jiajing's fifth level of Qi training, flying from the capital to the border and back is no problem for him. These two talismans are different from ordinary five-element talismans and are not cheap. The earth-attribute attack talisman is priced at twenty-five taels of spiritual energy, while the air-flying talisman is priced at forty taels of spiritual energy. He used these two talismans for self-defense, one for attacking and one for escaping. Now it seems he has to use them in advance. But it doesn’t matter, I can just buy it again when I get back. Jiajing stared at the two talismans in his palms, his eyes were calm, but a thousand calculations were already emerging in his mind. What Lu Fang said was right. If he had heard that Altan was coming to attack before, he would have been very concerned. But if Altan really came to attack now, it is not impossible to bury all his elite troops and let these barbarians know... What is God's Wrath! "..." (End of this chapter)