Chapter Thirty: Fury

  Historically, Donglin Party members were lenient with themselves but strict with others. Zuo Guangdou's memorial fully embodied this point. At that time, they didn't care about the dignity of scholars or the teachings of sages. They used such methods to force a woman to leave, which can be said to be extremely vicious. Once it spreads, Li Xuanji will be accused of seducing her own son, not only will she be disgraced, but also likely to be infamous for generations.

  Gently placing the memorial on the desk, Wang An stood respectfully to one side and looked up at Crown Prince Zhu Youjian. Seeing the prince narrowing his eyes, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, and furrowing his brow, he seemed to be pondering a crucial issue.

  After a long while, the Crown Prince let out a soft sigh and glanced at Wang An beside him. In a low voice, he asked: "Wang Gonggong, how many years have you been by Father's side?" To this old eunuch, Zhu Youjian knew he could fully trust, without needing to avoid anything. He was not Li Jinzhong; this person understood reason and was loyal and unwavering.

  "Your Majesty, it has been 26 years. I have followed the previous emperor for 26 years." Wang An didn't know why the crown prince asked this, but he could only answer seriously, with a tone of sighs and emotion.

  Looking at the somewhat aged Wang An, Zhu You ordered the eunuch below: "Get a stool for Duke Wang." Then he turned his gaze to Wang An and said in a deep voice: "From now on, you are exempt from paying respects in the palace. At your age, it's not easy."

  "The old slave is grateful, thank you, Your Highness." Although Wang An said so, he was actually very pleased in his heart. This prince had not forgotten him after all, and his many years of dedication had not been in vain. For Wang An, he was an incomplete person, and for 26 years, the only one who had been good to him was Emperor Taichang. The loyalty of this old eunuch to Emperor Taichang was flawless. Loving the house and also loving the crow, towards Emperor Taichang's son, Crown Prince Zhu Youjian, Wang An naturally loved him even more. Moreover, Wang An had watched Zhu Youjian grow up, and in a certain sense, he even regarded Zhu Youjian as his own child.

  "Life is short, years are fleeting, how many twenty-six years does a person have in their lifetime!" The crown prince's sigh brought Wang An back from his memories, he really didn't know how this young master could suddenly have such a profound feeling.

  "King Gong, you said that the memorial to the left of Guangdou is for what?" He picked up the memorial on the table and Zhu Youxiao's eyes fell on Wang An's face, asking seriously.

  Wang An knew that if he didn't say anything, the crown prince would definitely be unhappy. After a moment of hesitation, he said: "This old slave thinks that Left Grand Secretary is loyal to the country and is a top talent. Although this memorial is worded sharply, it is also for Your Highness." Wang An was obviously biased towards helping Zuo Guangdou. In his view, this Left Grand Secretary did so in order to let the crown prince ascend to the throne smoothly.

  With an ambiguous smile, Zhu Youxiao put the memorial on the table again and said in a low voice: "Reading the books of saints and sages, understanding the principles of gentlemen, after so many years of reading, I don't know where it has gone. The mouth is always loyal to the king and loves the country, but who knows what's in their mind? Some people's words cannot be disbelieved, yet they also cannot be fully believed."

  Looking at the unfathomable crown prince, Wang An's heart sank, it seemed that he had underestimated this crown prince. Or rather, not just himself, but also Zheng Guifei and Li Xuancai in the palace, as well as the civil and military officials outside the palace, all of whom had underestimated this crown prince.

  Wang An's face was filled with incredulity, and Zhu Youxiao smiled softly, saying in a low voice: "The countless people and events throughout history have told us that many things in this world are not as simple as they seem. Many people appear to be treacherous officials, but I believe that great loyalty can be mistaken for treachery." After gazing deeply at Wang An, Zhu Youxiao continued: "In the past, Zhang Juzheng, the Prime Minister of Jiangling, could be said to be a capable minister, one of the few in history. Yet many people called him a treacherous official, saying he abused his power and misled the country. Do you know why?"

  Wang An did not expect that this former crown prince who did not read books would say such a thing, it is indeed "after three days, one should look at each other with new eyes". In those years, the Wanli Emperor was one of the few emperors in history who were stingy and unkind. Zhang Juzheng was given the reputation of monopolizing power and misleading the country by this emperor, and his death meant the end of his policies.

  Seeing Wang An not speaking, Zhu Youxiao continued: "Because of interests, the world is bustling with people coming for profit, and the world is crowded with people going for profit. Isn't there a saying that doing official business thousands of miles away is only for wealth? Those people are not truly for the country. Those who opposed Jiangling Prime Minister, send East Factory's people to investigate, which one of them is not a giant rich man, with good fields and thousands of acres."

  "The officials of Jiangling are going to collect taxes from them, and they stood up for themselves. Why? For their own pockets, for their own interests. The so-called reading of sacred books, repaying the king's kindness, is just empty talk. Who truly works for the country and the people? It is Zhang Juzheng, the Jiangling official who was slandered as treacherous. But what about his fate? His death marked the end of his policies, and his ambitions were lost to the flowing waters, pitiful and lamentable!" Zhu Yubiao's emotions seemed somewhat abnormal, and he slowly walked out from behind the desk, his right hand grasping the precious sword at his waist.

  Wang An was now at a loss for words. The crown prince was clearly venting his dissatisfaction with the Wanli Emperor and the ministers of the current dynasty. These words the crown prince could say, but he himself could only pretend not to have heard them, and could only take them to his grave. He made a gesture to the eunuchs and palace maids in the great hall, and it wasn't until everyone had left that Wang An let out a sigh of relief.

  When Wang An was deep in thought, Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao suddenly drew out his treasured sword and chopped it heavily on the pillar of the great hall, with a very ferocious expression, shouting loudly: "Qin had Shang Yang, only then could he unify the six states, but I ended up being torn apart by five horses. In the Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi was keen to change laws to enrich the country and strengthen its military, but in the end, the person did not die, the policy died first. In our dynasty, Jiangling Chancellor Zhang Juzheng reformed and innovated, hoping to revive the great Ming, but in the end, he ended up with his own death and the extinction of his policies, and yet there are still people who want him to be infamous for ten thousand years."

  With a mighty pull, the precious sword was drawn out. Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao shouted loudly: "This palace has not yet become emperor! These people are eager to put a name on this palace's head, Li Xuan is Wu Zetian, what is this palace? Is it Li Zhong who drools over his stepmother? The Li Zhong who lost his own kingdom?" The last sentence was shouted out by Zhu Youxiao, and at the same time he fiercely threw the sword in his hand.

  The precious sword was stuck in the gate not far away, constantly trembling and shaking. At this time, Wang An finally understood why the prince was so angry. Thinking of the content of this memorial, once it spreads out, the damage is not only to Li Xuan's reputation, but also to this prince who has not yet ascended to the throne. The prince has not yet ascended to the throne, and these people have already splashed dirty water on the prince's head, what do they want to do? Thinking of this, Wang An suddenly felt a chill all over his body.

  Seeking recommendations and collections, also thank you for the rewards from my dear friend Shao Jia! I'm deeply grateful!