Chapter 66: Seeing Off

  The old man seemed to pay no attention to the middle-aged person behind him, nor did he put him in his heart. He gently removed the carp from the fishhook and slowly put it into the fish basket beside him. It wasn't until he cast the hook again that the old man turned around and glanced at the middle-aged person behind him, saying faintly, "Is there news from the capital?"

  "Back to the teacher, not yet, last time the early morning things were suppressed by the emperor, this time I don't know what will happen! However, with our current power, the teacher is also in a strategic position, I believe there won't be any problems." The middle-aged man looked at the old man with respect, his eyes full of reverence, and spoke with extraordinary courtesy.

  It seems that the middle-aged man did not hear the flattery in the old man's words, and the old man simply nodded slightly and said faintly: "This matter was sudden, after all, no one expected the death of the previous emperor. I am not in the capital, and the news arrived here a bit late, but with only a few months of preparation, it is likely that those people will not be fooled."

  "Even if it's not a secret, there's nothing to be done about it. It's clear that he'll have to step down anyway, and that position belongs to the teacher." The middle-aged man said with full confidence, seemingly unbothered, smiling as he spoke.

  The old man nodded indifferently and stopped talking, casting his gaze back onto the water's surface, as if wondering whether the next catch would be a big fish.

  Three days later, in the western suburbs of Beijing on a morning.

  At this time, the wide streets can be described as crowded with people, countless officials and followers, countless scholars and gentry all gathered here. The purpose of these people is only one, that is to see off the old gentleman who has resigned but still has a high reputation, Wen Fang from the Imperial Academy.

  Standing at the forefront of this group was an old eunuch. No one dared to underestimate this eunuch, not even those so-called upright officials, because he was Chen Hong, the imperial eunuch who served by the side of Emperor Tianqi. What made people dare not look down on him was that he represented Emperor Tianqi and came to see off Fang Zongliang, making him a unique figure at this time.

  "Fang Taibao, our family has come to see you off on the orders of His Majesty. The things in that carriage over there are gifts from His Majesty to you." Chen Hong pointed to a horse-drawn carriage not far away and said with a smile: "His Majesty had instructed me to bring him a cup of wine to toast Fang Taibao, and also to pass on a message to Fang Taibao."

  Chen Hong slowly poured a cup of wine from a nearby jug and handed it to Fang Congzhe.

  Looking at the cup of wine, Fang Zhe's heart was filled with emotions. The sense of grievance had long since dissipated, and he felt that having reached this point in his official career, he had no regrets in this life. He slowly knelt down on the ground, gently took over the cup of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

  "This wine jug is handed over to you, Master Fang. It was left by His Majesty yesterday evening, especially for you. Please take it with you on the road and drink it as you go! Moreover, His Majesty asked me to tell you, Master Fang, do not worry that there will be no one who knows you on your journey ahead, for who in the world does not recognize a gentleman like yourself." As Chen Hong spoke these words, Fang Zongru was already overcome with emotion, his eyes streaming with tears.

  "I, your humble servant, am fortunate to have lived to meet Your Majesty in this life, it is the greatest honor of my three lifetimes. I wish Your Majesty longevity and boundless prosperity, may the great Ming dynasty flourish forever. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live, forever and ever."

  Fang Zhe has left, perhaps with some regret, but more is relief and gratitude. At this time, his heart has no hesitation, no regret, he knows that the Great Ming has such an emperor, even if he dies, it will be without regret.

  With Fang Zongli's departure, a wave of enthusiasm suddenly swept through the city of Beijing. Whether it was the officials in the imperial court or the common people on the streets, everyone unanimously praised the Tianqi Emperor. Everyone also pinned their hopes on this young emperor, hoping that he would make an extra effort to revive the great Ming dynasty.

  The second day after Fang Zongruo left was the early dynasty, at this time all the ministers had a joyful face. Fang Zongruo's treatment made these people see hope, so every person's face was filled with a yearning smile.

  Every official has his own small abacus in mind, and at this time the Donglin Party people are exceptionally excited. Fang Zongzhe is gone, and the vacant position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet is something they can be said to have a strong desire for.

  "The Emperor has arrived." With the eunuch's shout, all officials knelt down to pay their respects, everything was as usual, without any difference.

  "My dear ministers, the departure of Fang Yizhi has caused me great sorrow. The loss of such a veteran minister is a loss for the Ming dynasty." The voice of Emperor Tianqi was low and melancholic, and after a brief pause, he continued: "A country cannot be without a ruler for even one day, and the Grand Secretariat also cannot be without a chief grand secretary scholar for even one day. Let us elect one today!"

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, without surprising the ministers, Emperor Tianqi brought this matter up as soon as he ascended to the throne. Although the ministers did not speak, they were constantly exchanging glances with each other.

  "I have a candidate." The Minister of Rites, Sun Shenxing, was now eager to reap the fruits of victory and would not allow anyone else to take them away. Moreover, he believed that there was no one on this imperial court who dared to sing a different tune from the Donglin Party.

  "Since you have someone to choose from, let's take a look!" Tianqi Emperor seemed very pleased that Sun Shouxian could stand up and said with a smile.

  "Former Grand Councilor Ye Xianggao is a man of integrity and dedication, with great talent and experience in handling the affairs of the Grand Council. He is the best candidate for the position." Sun Shouxing smiled slightly and recommended his preferred candidate.

  This Ye Xianggao was the chief grand secretary scholar at the end of Wanli, and later retired because he was unable to mediate and resist the Qi Zhe Chu party. However, he had another identity, that is, the leader of the Donglin Party at this time, or the party chief. If he came back to take charge of the cabinet, the entire court would really fall into the hands of the Donglin Party.

  "I request reconsideration."

  "I request reconsideration."

  As soon as Sun Shenxing's words fell, the Donglin Party members quickly stood up and agreed with him. As long as Ye Xianggao comes back, their efforts this time will not be in vain.

  Looking at the ministers kneeling below, Emperor Tianqi smiled slightly but did not speak. At this moment, another person stood up in the great hall.

  "I have a memorial to present." Upon hearing this man's words, the eyes of all the officials focused on him, but he remained expressionless and stood there as before. This man was Yang He, the Left Vice-Director of the Office of Scrutiny for War.

  This man appeared, and everyone was shocked. This Inspector Yang He is one of the few people on the court who does not form cliques. Because he governs with integrity, has the ability to handle affairs, and never participates in party struggles, no one pays attention to him. Unexpectedly, at this time, the Left Supervisor suddenly stood up. Seeing Yang He, a flash of anger passed across Sun Shenxing's face. He did not expect that this person, whom he usually didn't pay attention to, would stand out at this moment.

  "Yang Ai Qing, just say what's on your mind!" Tianqi Emperor said with a slight smile, his face calm.

  There was a power outage at home today, and it still hasn't come back on. I ran around half the city to find an internet cafe with electricity! I wrote a chapter and uploaded it. If the power comes back on tonight, I'll upload more. Thanks everyone.

  I just took a look at the book review section, I think I'm a very conscientious author, but there are still many shortcomings. A reader said that I don't understand Ming history and dare to write about the Ming dynasty. What I want to say is, if I understood Ming history, then I would have written about Ming history. Everyone looks at this kind of thing, it's because it's different from history, if it were the same, wouldn't you just go read a history book?

  I'd like to say that I'm just a new author, and there are many immature aspects about me. I hope everyone can give me more advice. I don't assume that everyone will like my book, even if I were a great god, I estimate it's still impossible.

  So those book friends who can't bear to look at it, please leave quietly. Thank you, really, those book friends who support me, I also thank you. Thanks to Shao Jia book friend and Dang Han book friend for their rewards.

  ;