June 4th, true or false, among eunuchs there are also Donglin

  "Nonsense!"

  In the imperial study, Chongzhen of the Great Ming dynasty slammed the secret memorial on the desk, his face filled with anger.

  By his side was Cao Huachun, the eunuch director of the Eastern Depot, who bowed his head and showed no emotion on his face.

  That's what he submitted, and of course, he was very clear about its contents.

  "What nonsense! These vertical sons, the Taizu Emperor's skinning and grassing, are all cheap for them!" Chongzhen's anger had not dissipated: "Obviously a meritorious minister, but was forced by them to only reveal his family's secret skills to the public!"

  What was said in the secret memorial was indeed about the Yu family's pearl auction method. It's just that from Nanjing to Beijing, it took a relatively late time, and this wasn't an urgent military affair of 800 miles, so when Chongzhen received the secret memorial on February 19th, even if he had wanted to stop this matter, he couldn't have done so.

  "His Majesty, please calm down, His Majesty, please calm down." Cao Huachun was very familiar with this emperor who had been by his side for many years. He carefully said: "As for how to deal with this matter, it is entirely up to Your Majesty's wise decision. If Your Majesty feels that the little archer surnamed Yu has suffered injustice, then it is not his misfortune, but rather his great good fortune!"

  "You think you can talk back to me with that old mouth of yours? I don't know what's going on in that head of yours?"

  Chongzhen couldn't help but scold Cao Huachun, but his expression was a bit better. Indeed, if it weren't for those greedy officials who kept pressuring him to sell the technique of cultivating pearls, Yu's family wouldn't have had such a good opportunity to gain favor with the Yu clan.

  So this is indeed Yu Guozhen's great fortune!

  After a moment of contemplation, Chongzhen said: "Since it's like this... I'll leave this matter to you to handle. If I were to intervene personally, it would inevitably lead to another big fuss, which may not be good for Yu Guozhen. Guozhen, Guozhen... what a great name."

  "It's true, the wise and sage Emperor has brought about this heroic young man! If it weren't for the Emperor's wisdom and virtue, how could such a talented youth have emerged?!" Cao Hua-chun flattered him with a few words, then continued: "In my humble opinion, it was only because of the Emperor's wise governance that he eliminated the corrupt Wei Zhongxian, which led to the emergence of such loyal subjects. Even someone as foolish and stubborn as Qian Yi has been inspired by the Emperor to secretly recruit brave warriors and assist Yu Guo-zhen in achieving meritorious deeds."

  Chongzhen, of course, knew that Cao Huachun's words were actually a reminder not to forget Qian Qianyi's merits. Chongzhen was very disgusted with the cliques among his ministers, which was also the fundamental reason why he kicked out the eunuchs and then drove Qian Qianyi and other Donglin Party members out of the court after that.

  He glanced at Cao Huachun without a word, and Cao Huachun immediately knelt down: "This slave has some private thoughts, but unexpectedly couldn't deceive the wise Emperor. When this slave first entered the palace, she followed the original eunuch Wang An Gonggong, learning from him to be loyal and devoted to the Emperor..."

  Chongzhen still had a deep impression of Wang An, the former Director of the Imperial Guard who had passed away many years ago. If it weren't for this eunuch, his father Zhu Changluo and brother Zhu Youjian might not have ascended to the throne smoothly. He himself could also be said to have indirectly received favors from him, but later Wang An was killed by Wei Zhongxian. Thinking of this, Chongzhen said, "What does it have to do with Wang An?"

  "When Wang An died, the Wei bandits were at the height of their power. Later, Qian Yannian wrote a temple inscription for him." Cao Huachun said: "I know that Qian Yannian is a party that harms the country, and I have no intention of doing it..."

  Chongzhen snorted, feeling somewhat pleased with himself. The thoughts of these officials were indeed not hidden from his eyes. He had disliked Qian Qianyi for some time, and Cao Huachun dared to bring up this matter, which also proved that this eunuch was not blindly catering to him.

  After a while, he said with a hint of regret: "Get up, Qian Yi has been in Jianghu, but has not forgotten national affairs, and has made contributions. Unfortunately, his mother passed away suddenly, and he can only observe mourning... Let the cabinet draft an edict to posthumously confer a title on his late mother to commend his merits."

  "Yes, yes."

  Cao Huachun got up, and before he could stand straight, Chongzhen said in a low voice: "Take his silver, it's considered my reward to you. You old thing, get out."

  Cao Huachun hastily knelt down again, he heard that Chongzhen did not have any real anger, and with a flattering face said: "Your humble servant has no children, it's just greedy for some wealth. When one day Your Majesty feels that your humble servant is old and useless, after your humble servant leaves, you can also be a rich man. Anyway, the money of these corrupt officials, used on your humble servant, also counts as saving some for Your Majesty..."

  "Rolling, you old goods are still making progress inch by inch." Chongzhen couldn't help but burst out laughing, but his smile was full of fatigue.

  Donglin or eunuchs, they are all corrupt officials. It's just like Wen Tiren, the current Grand Secretary, who has never been reported by either the censorial officials or the imperial guards for his own corruption.

  "Qian Qianyi is a man of talent but not virtue, he can be used but not greatly relied upon." He thought to himself, and as for Yu Guozhen, at this time he had already completely forgotten about him.

  "It's better if those people forget about us." Xiang An thought with a smile in the quiet courtyard of Xiuli Bieyuan, Yu Guozhen.

  "Today's auction is a done deal, they can't forget it even if they want to." Yu Yixuan also smiled.

  The two of them looked out, a large group of various merchants and shopkeepers were walking into the inn. When they saw the person in front, Yu Yixuan smiled: "I didn't expect him to come in person, the one in front is Bao Xingzhi, the current master of the Bao family of Shangshu Fang."

  The Bao family is a prominent Hui merchant family with close ties to the imperial court. In addition to the Bao family, representatives from other influential families such as the Su, Xu, Wang, and Guan families also arrived, but since the head of the Bao family came in person, their status was naturally different, so they walked at the very front.

  There was also a young man at the end of the crowd, Yu Guozhen glanced at him, this person's eyebrows were majestic and proud, looking only in his early twenties, with not much worldly sophistication on his face, but instead looked quite elegant.

  Bao Xingzhi walked at the front, and everyone else yielded to second place. Just then, another group of people came over from a distance. Seeing this group of people, the Huishang merchants suddenly stopped yielding, and their original harmony turned into a subtle hostility. Yu Guozhen looked and was slightly stunned: "Fifth Uncle, do you know these people?"

  "Hmm, I don't recognize any of these people, could they be merchants from other places who have come after hearing the news?"

  Without them asking, the sound of argument had already spread from below. One of the Huizhou merchants sneered and said: "What are you Shanxi merchants doing here? This is Anhui territory, not Yangzhou City, nor is it Shanxi!"

  "Shanxi merchants." When Yu Guozhen heard these words, his eyebrows slightly raised.

  "Good, good! I was worried that these Huizhou merchants would collude to lower prices. With the arrival of Shanxi merchants, it's even better!" Yu Yixuan stroked his hand and smiled.

  "We only invited Huizhou merchants, not Shanxi merchants. I didn't expect them to come too. Second Brother, you should go out and greet them, or else they might fight...I didn't know the relationship between Huizhou and Shanxi merchants was so tense."

  "That's natural, just last year, both sides had a dispute over whether the Huishang in Yangzhou could register and participate in the imperial examination, and it happened that the governor of Yangzhou was from Shanxi." Yu Yixuan was on his way to Shandong along the Grand Canal to recruit men at that time, so he knew about this matter.

  "Heh heh, they've come at just the right time. I was just about to... have some things spread through their mouths." Yu Guozhen's eyes suddenly turned icy cold.

  He couldn't control his emotions in front of Yu Yixuan, so Yu Yixuan clearly felt that he was murderous. Yu Yixuan's heart skipped a beat: What have these Shanxi merchants done to Guo Zhen?

  Yu Yiqin stepped forward, and there was no conflict between the two sides. The Huishang and Jinshang were both good-tempered, and after entering the wine house, they divided into two distinct camps. Between each other, not a word was spoken, but within their own groups, they chatted and laughed freely.

  Huizhou merchants talk about poetry and literature, whose children's studies are doing well; Shanxi merchants talk about buildings and pavilions, whose daughters' needlework is exquisite.

  There is no high or low distinction, it's just that the customs of wealthy merchants in different places are different. The literary style of the south is extremely prosperous, and as for the Jin Fu, the Datoong girls are famous all over the world.

  After a while, seeing that these giants did not show any anxiety, Yu Guozhen knew they were well-prepared and nodded to Yu Yiqin, indicating that she could begin.

  Yu Yiqin walked out again, and the wine house quieted down. Yu Yiqin clasped his hands together in a polite gesture: "Today was originally an invitation to some acquaintances to discuss business, but I didn't expect so many people to come. The hospitality is not good enough, please forgive me."

  "Alright, alright."

  A smile on the face but not in the heart, this is how businessmen talk business, whether they are Huizhou merchants or Shanxi merchants.

  "There's something I need to explain to you all, the technique of cultivating pearls in our Yu family is mainly managed by my nephew Guo Zhen, so today's matter will also be handled by him." Yu Yiqin added.

  Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants each have their own influence. The Huizhou merchants have a close relationship with the imperial concubines, eunuchs, and some royal relatives in the palace, while the Shanxi merchants also have their own influence in the officialdom. Most of the people present had done some investigation on the Yu family and naturally knew what kind of person Yu Guozhen was!

  So they were not surprised by Yu Yiqin's words.

  But when Yu Guozhen appeared before them, they still looked surprised one by one.

  Just because Yu Guozhen looked too young, with a 16-year-old face that still seemed to have a hint of childishness and big, spirited eyes. Thinking that this youth had taken the lives of at least ten people or more, both Huishang and Jinshang found it unbelievable.

  He looks so refined and elegant, seemingly no different from a young boy, yet he has accomplished so many great things!

  "Gentlemen, you have come to Xiang'an today, no doubt for the sake of cultivating the Pearl Technique." Yu Guozhen made a gesture, and behind him, Xiaolian and Liu Rushi each brought up a porcelain plate.

  Among the two, Liu Ruyi was naturally stunningly beautiful, and Xiaolian was also elegant and charming. After being dressed up by Yu Guozhen, they looked like two foreign dolls from a later era. Of course, the pearl decorations on their bodies added to their beauty.

  Liu Ruyi was elegant and poised, while Xiao Lian seemed a bit shy. Originally, Yu Guozhen had wanted to assign another maid to do this task, but after thinking about it, he decided that they were more suitable.

  Moreover, he also intentionally let Liu Ruzi and Xiao Lian experience some things. Xiao Lian is naturally completely trustworthy, and Liu Ruzi has also tied her fate to his since she was freed, so she can also be trusted completely. In the future, Yu Guozhen will also need to rely on the strength of these two women; if they don't dare face strangers at all, how can they help him?

  Although Huishang and Jinshang were amazed by the two women's appearance and temperament, what caught their attention even more was that ceramic plate.

  I am a divider line

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