Ming Dynasty: Emperor Wanshou is cultivating immortality!

Chapter 233 Zhu Yijun: Lord Zhang, the kings are like rootless duckweed, why don’t you be loyal to my Highness the Crown Prince?
The seventieth year of Jiajing.

On the first day of February, it was raining and snowing.

In the gloomy sky, dark clouds rolled and surged, and sporadic rain and snow were floating in the sky.

"Boom, boom, boom."

A huge bronze fairy track, about twenty meters long, six meters wide and five meters high, departs from "Nanjing Station" and goes directly to "Beijing". It travels on the track, making a roaring sound.

Looking down from the sky, you can vaguely see the black rails on the ground, emitting a bright white light. However, for the people of Yingtian Prefecture, these are no longer strange.

Even foreign envoys or merchants from other countries acted as if it was normal.

Everyone knows that this is a normal phenomenon when the Daming Immortal Track is in use and the rails are filled with spiritual energy.

In fact, spiritual energy is colorless and invisible, but when the Ministry of Works was laying the rails, they deliberately made it into its current appearance in order to prevent civilians or innocent creatures from being harmed by the rails.

Against the dark sky and earth, the railroad tracks emit white light, like a few silver ribbons shuttling across the vast land, magnificent and beautiful.

"Woo!" A loud cry sounded.

This fairy train, which is dozens of times faster than the ordinary fairy trains in Nanjing city, passes through the tunnel outside Nanjing city and drives into the wilderness.

At this time, the wind and snow between heaven and earth became stronger and stronger.

In the blink of an eye, snow was flying for thousands of miles, the earth was covered in silver, and the bronze fairy track was the only color in this wilderness.

The seating arrangement in the front carriage of the Xian Rail is completely different from the conventional layout in other carriages. Rather than calling it a carriage, it is more like a small reception room.

The most amazing thing is that on the wooden floor, there is a dark grey Nvzi carpet which looks very valuable.

On the walls of the luxurious nanmu carriage, one could vaguely see two kinds of flashing patterns, one blue and one red, passing by from time to time.

The blue array pattern is a water-attributed array, the "water condensation array", as the name suggests, it can condense moisture in the air. The red array pattern is a fire-attributed array, the "pretend fire array". The so-called "pretend fire", as the name suggests, is not a real flame array.

It is precisely because of these two magic arrays that even in the dead of winter, the carriage is as warm as in all seasons, and moisture is not lost. Of course, if it is a hot summer day, the array pattern will turn into a wind and water double array pattern to ensure the physical and mental comfort of passengers.

In addition, there are many books in this carriage, including the latest official newspapers, miscellaneous newspapers and story books. In the specially treated ice container, there are also refrigerated spiritual fruits, spiritual wine and spiritual springs.

If necessary, there will be female practitioners in the early stages of Qi training dancing, playing the flute, or singing songs at the piano, and there will also be storytellers in the carriage.

Of course, not everyone can enjoy such a luxurious and well-equipped head compartment.

Well, who can enjoy it? It's very simple! Only those who have power, talent, wealth and nobility!
It goes without saying that officials must be officials of a certain level, at least at the prefectural level. For such officials, their travel expenses are reimbursed by the court, which is a recognition of their official rank.

Talent, of course, refers to people with talent, or famous people from all walks of life, etc.

To be rich, you must have a certain amount of money. Of course, this money is not worldly money, but spiritual resources.

In the city of Nanjing today, as the imperial court tacitly acknowledges the existence of the "immortal cultivation world", there is no more random fighting and killing. The development of immortal ways is growing stronger and stronger, and the various arts of immortal cultivation are booming.

In this way, there will naturally be transactions, currency circulation, and so on.

Nowadays, transactions in the "Da Ming Xiu Xian World" are basically barter. The most basic and popular currency is spiritual rice.

Based on the basic weight unit, for example, one or two taels of spiritual rice, you can buy a certain amount of things that other practitioners need.

Of course, the exchange between the mortal world and the world of immortals has not been completely cut off. For example, one tael of spiritual rice can be exchanged for one hundred shi of rice, but conversely, one cannot use one hundred shi of rice to purchase spiritual rice.

This is because of the court's deliberate control.

Ordinary grains can be exchanged for spiritual rice, which gives ordinary people the opportunity to eat spiritual rice, improve their physical fitness, and even educate their children.

If these children grow up to be officials, join the army, or even work in other industries, and if they eat spiritual rice from an early age, they may become the backbone of the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Even their descendants will have naturally good bodies and may have extraordinary destiny because their parents have used spiritual objects since childhood. Of course, destiny is random and has nothing to do with oneself.

In addition, it can also urge the people not to abandon the farmland on earth. After all, even if the Ming Dynasty develops into an enormous dynasty of immortal cultivation in the future, it is destined to be impossible to completely cut off ties with mortals.

No, it’s not impossible, but it’s not possible!
Mortal beings will not only always be the majority, but they are also the foundation of everything in the Immortal Cultivation Dynasty.

Haven’t you seen that in the world of cultivating immortals, even a behemoth like an academy still needs to cultivate mortal creatures from other "death stars" as fresh blood?
Not to mention academies, even the sects in the world of cultivating immortals still need the territories managed by the families under their command to supply mortal children to the sects at a fixed time every year.

After all, cultivating immortals is always cultivating immortals by mortals.

Therefore, the imperial court always attached importance to the quality of life of ordinary people and included the lives of the people in the evaluation of officials' performance.

In the 65th year of the Jiajing reign, the cabinet discussed and decided to use the annual increase in the "estimated wealth" of each provincial governor during his tenure as the highest rating standard.

Ratings such as the Great Immortal Cultivation City are not included in the assessment rating.

As for why Zhang Juzheng and others were able to come back, there were many reasons. Their political achievements were counted as the first pilot city for cultivating immortals in the Ming Dynasty, which was similar to a project.

In addition, the first stage of Xu Fan's "Spiritual Energy Industrial Era" is "Agricultural Spiritualization", and "Spiritual Energy Refueling Stations" are constantly being built across the country for use in farming.

This shows the importance of human development to the court!
On the contrary, if ordinary money could buy magical rice, it would be a major blow to the development of agriculture in all aspects.

The imperial court would never allow this to happen.

However, even so, some immortal cultivation families in the Ming Dynasty, such as those who run immortal cultivation businesses or those who specialize in planting spiritual fields for the court, are still making a lot of money.

So, this “rich” refers to these people.

The last "贵" covers a wider range, including certain people with hereditary titles, or royal family, royal relatives, etc.

Ordinary people could also afford other carriages. For example, an ordinary carriage from Nanjing to Beijing only cost five taels of silver.

"What are your plans for returning to the cabinet this time?" At this time, Gao Gong sat up slightly on the soft and comfortable recliner in the head carriage, picked up the spiritual tea on the small table and took a sip.

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting in a soft chair by the window, also withdrew his gaze from the wilderness and mountain stream and said, "I was thinking that the emperor wants to add 27 'spiritual warehouses' in South Zhili and North Zhili. It is obvious that he intends to speed up the development of the Ming Dynasty."

"That means that the third and fourth phases of land reform will begin soon, and then the era of war will follow."

"The twenty-seven spirit veins in the north and south, plus the future era of war, mean more and more complicated struggles."

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Zhao Zhenji, who had closed his eyes to rest, slowly opened them and said:

"Taiyue, if I'm not mistaken, what you actually want to ask is, what should we do next?"

After Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, Gao Gong's eyes couldn't help but flash with a strange look, and he felt inexplicably irritated in his heart.

We are all smart people, there is no need to say some things directly, everyone can understand each other clearly.

Obviously, the underlying meaning of Zhang Juzheng's words was to tell the three people that when they enter the court next, they will inevitably be involved in new court struggles, and they will inevitably attack each other because of party struggles in the future.

After all, the three of them each had their own ideals and ambitions. When they were in Nanjing, they had a common short-term goal, which was to return to the capital and return to the cabinet. At that time, they were allies.

Now, the emperor has issued an edict allowing them to return to the cabinet.

In addition, the nine princes are all adults and qualified to participate in court struggles. Naturally, they will choose one of the princes they like to support.

In this way, the three of them will inevitably become political enemies. Since ancient times, the most cruel and ruthless party struggle in the court is the struggle for the foundation of the country.

The winner will be the king and the loser will be the bandit. The successful ones will surely rise to the top, while the unsuccessful ones will be liquidated.

However, in this era of cultivating immortals, there are many more variables. So what even if the position of the crown prince is decided?

Who knows if he will be the eternal crown prince? It’s hard to say, well, to be exact, it is very likely.

As for this emperor, how strong is his desire for power? In addition, he is cultivating immortality, which requires a lot of resources. I am afraid he will not abdicate until he becomes an immortal.

During this period, the position of the crown prince could be abolished, and other princes might also have had opportunities.

However, no matter which possibility it is, the future fate of these people is doomed. The losing party is destined to be purged, and the family is likely to be destroyed in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng and the other two couldn't help but feel melancholy, but none of them thought of quitting.

Perhaps he will withdraw from the dispute over the foundation of the country, and after returning to the cabinet this time, he will focus on building and developing the Ming Dynasty, and then retire peacefully.

In this way, relying on the connections he has cultivated as an official in the cabinet, he can ensure that he and his family will always have a place in the court of the Ming Dynasty.

As for other officials' concerns that they would be purged if they did not take sides, they had no such concerns.

For ordinary officials, it may be very difficult to retire peacefully because they have no control over their affairs in the court. But they have no worries about this. They have seen all kinds of storms in recent years. If they really want to retire peacefully, no one can stop them. They still have this confidence.

"It's too far to talk about these things now." Seeing that the atmosphere was a little depressing, Zhao Zhenji suddenly spoke slowly, "For us, it is enough to just complete the short-term goals."

"This short-term goal is to occupy a place that belongs to us in the court where there is no 'living space' for others under the pressure of the Yan Party and the two kings."

"Only in this way can we be qualified to choose one of the princes as a target of support and participate in the battle for the national foundation!"

"And don't forget," Zhao Zhenji's eyes became dangerous and solemn as he spoke, "Xu Jie has also returned to the cabinet, and he is still the second assistant of the cabinet."

"Our enemy should be this villain!"

Among the three, the one who hated Xu Jie the most was not Zhang Juzheng, with whom Xu Jie had once been a master and a disciple, nor was it Gao Gong, whose political ideas did not agree with Xu Jie, but Zhao Zhenji!
While Xu Jie, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were each planning their own affairs in the court and engaging in fierce struggles, he was quietly making plans behind the scenes and developing his own family and network of contacts.

It can be said that he took every step cautiously and steadily.

Not only that, he also placed a number of chess pieces in some inconspicuous positions in the Six Ministries, the Inspectorate, the Three Camps and the Hanlin Academy, just waiting to defeat Li Chengwu and let the chess pieces take over.

But what he never expected was that he was betrayed by Xu Jie, and then Li Chengwu was kicked out of the court, he was also kicked out of the cabinet, and the six ministries, the Inspectorate... these pawns were also affected.

Years of planning were destroyed!
He would never forget the scene that day in the main hall of Yuxi Palace when Xu Jie betrayed them in front of all of them.

"Oh!"

The small table was shaking from the knock.

"Xu Jie, you old thief!" His fists were clenched high and made a creaking sound.

When this name was mentioned, even though eighteen years had passed, the anger in Gao Gong's heart had not disappeared. Instead, it had become stronger with the passage of time and his diligent efforts over the years.

Now that he has returned to the cabinet, he will definitely make Xu Jie pay a heavy price and let him know what the fate of a traitor is!
"Xu Jie!" Zhang Juzheng's expression also turned cold.

"Xu Jie is different from us," Zhao Zhenji said, looking at Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng who had temporarily put aside their worries about the inevitable hostility in the future. A hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.
"He has Xu Fan's Ministry of Industry behind him, the 'one cabinet and two academies', and the entire 'spiritual industrial era' national policy implementation."

"Our roots over the years have been in Nanjing, and in Nanjing we only have the support of the Wuxun family."

"It's not easy to defeat Xu Jie." Zhao Zhenji said, looking at the heavy snow outside the window, and said in a deep voice: "If we want to quickly gain a foothold in the court, we must seize power."

"Boom, boom, boom." The Immortal Track drove into the tunnel, and a long darkness fell. Then the lighting array in the carriage started.

"How to seize power?" Gao Gong asked curiously.

"The six ministries and the Supervisory Office are all in the hands of the Yan Party and the two kings. How can we seize power?" Zhang Juzheng also looked thoughtful, and then he suddenly seemed to have thought of something and said:
"Five Military Commandery?"

"That's right," Zhao Zhenji nodded and said, "The Five Military Commands have always been under the direct control of the emperor, and they are also the emperor's absolute confidants. This also means that no one else has ever interfered!"

"When the Li Chengwu incident caused such a big stir, the emperor not only did not blame the five military commanders who supported Li Chengwu, but also privately invited them to meet in Yuxi Palace. Not long after, I heard that the five military commanders began to embark on the path of cultivating immortals."

"It is enough to show how important the Five Military Commandery is in the emperor's heart!"

"When the war comes, not only the three major camps will be the main force, but also the various military governors under the Five Military Governors' Office will take action."

"If we can cooperate with the Five Military Governors' Office, and we have the support of Nanjing, we will be able to carve out a place in the court."

"But," after listening to Zhao Zhenji's analysis, Zhang Juzheng seemed to be thinking about something, then frowned and hesitated:

"After Li Chengwu messed up the court, the Five Military Commanders have proven that they are not suitable to interfere in the court. The emperor will allow the Five Military Commanders to participate..." As he was speaking, Zhang Juzheng suddenly shut up and said, "I am so happy. I am so happy. I am so happy. I am so happy. I am so happy. I am so happy. I am so happy. I am so happy. I am so happy.
"Your Majesty will. In the future, the territory of Ming will be unlimited, and the Ninth Prince will have to participate in the management of Ming. In this way, the Ninth Prince cannot be in the court without the support of his own faction."

"In order to allow the Ninth Prince to have a seat in the court, the Emperor will certainly try to find a way to break the impasse. But he cannot directly interfere or favor the Ninth Prince, thus chilling the hearts of Prince Yu and Prince Jing."

"Perhaps the emperor intended for us to return to the cabinet, hoping to use us to carve out a place for the kings."

"In the court today, the only one that can compete with the Five Military Camps and the Shenji Camp controlled by the two princes, as well as the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Revenue controlled by the Yan Party, is the Five Military Commandery controlled by the emperor."

"The garrisons in Nanjing are mainly controlled by the Nanjing Central Military Governor's Office, and they obey the orders of the Five Military Governor's Office of the imperial court," Zhao Zhenji said, while analyzing: "Over the years, due to the relationship between us and the Nanjing Military Merit Family, many people in the army have been transferred to the Five Military Governor's Office."

“These people are our connections!”

"It is impossible that the Five Armies Commander was unaware of our actions in Nanjing. If someone else is acting as a matchmaker, there is a high possibility that they will cooperate with us."

"As for Northern Zhili, there are only two Dusi, namely Wanquan Dusi and Daning Dusi, both of which are under the jurisdiction of the Rear Army Dudufu."

(Note: After the capital was moved during the Yongle reign of the Daning Military Region, there was insufficient historical data. In order to serve the plot, this book sets it as being under the jurisdiction of the Rear Military Governor's Office.)
"If the 49 guards in Nanjing, including the two military governors in Northern Zhili, take action and use the military to disrupt government, a group of officials will inevitably fall, and our people will be able to intervene."

"In this way, the princes we each support will have their own foundation and factions in the future twenty-seven 'Spiritual Warehouses' in the southern and northern Zhili."

Hearing this, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly, and at the same time bowed to Zhao Zhenji and said, "Meng Jing is right. I admire you!"

"Not only that," Zhao Zhenji smiled and looked out the window at the slowly receding mountain wilderness. He turned back to look at the two of them, "I have already thought of the goal of using the military to disrupt the government."

"Xu Jie's son, Xu Fan, is promoting the national policy of 'Spiritual Industrial Age'. If this policy is shelved and delays the progress of the court's development, how can the emperor not be angry?"

Hearing this, Gao Gong raised his fist and said angrily, "Okay! This time I will make sure that old thief Xu Jie will never be able to turn things around again!"

"Beep, beep, beep." Just then, a series of prompt sounds rang out in the car, and then a sweet female voice was heard.

"My Lords, we have arrived at Beijing West Station. After you get off the train, you will be led by a postman and take the Kyoto Immortal Track into the city."

"Buzz." Almost at the same time as the sound fell, the door of the front carriage where Zhang Juzheng and other three were riding slowly opened, while the doors of the other carriages were temporarily closed.

At the same time, sweet female voices were heard in each carriage, informing the people of the Ming Dynasty that they had arrived at Beijing West Railway Station.

"Let's go, it's time to go back home." The three of them cheered themselves up, changed out of their cotton slippers, put on their boots and got out of the car.

Afterwards, the three of them, led by the postman, took the immortal track into the city.

The level of prosperity is no less than that of Nanjing. In fact, compared with the turmoil in the prosperity of Nanjing, the capital city, which also has pavilions, towers, and various huge ancient bronze palaces, has an indescribable solemnity beneath its prosperity.

The three of them naturally knew the reason for this slight change.

As the first city for cultivating immortals in the Ming Dynasty, Nanjing City has always followed a path of wild growth in its development.

For the sake of political achievements, the three of them even allowed the development of the so-called "Ming Dynasty Immortal Cultivation World" in Nanjing city. Although it was prosperous, the immortal way was also thriving, and it was a mixed bag of good and bad people.

However, compared with the capital city under the emperor's feet, it is less serious and more free and frivolous.

Naturally, there are also immortal cultivation families in the capital, which can be roughly divided into two categories.

One type is the family of officials. The second type is the immortal cultivation family, which migrated from Nanjing and opened the Immortal Cultivation Chamber of Commerce.

Not only that, with the development of the world of cultivating immortals, and at that time in the entire Ming Dynasty, only the capital and Nanjing had spiritual energy.

The cultivators from the world of immortal cultivation would naturally travel to and from the capital.

However, these people became well behaved once they arrived in the capital. After all, any detective in the capital had reached the third level of acquired immortal martial arts.

Not to mention, the capital city is a place where many hidden talents are gathered, and one of the officials might be a powerful cultivator.

After entering the Second Ring Road, the three said goodbye to each other and went back home.

When they were banished to Nanjing, their families still lived in their mansion in the capital, and their spiritual veins were not taken back.

However, what Zhang Juzheng did not expect was that as soon as he returned home, he heard his son say that there were guests at home and were waiting for him.

"Lord Zhang, the kings are like rootless duckweed, why don't you be loyal to my Highness the Crown Prince?" As soon as he entered the inner hall, he heard a voice.

Looking closely, he saw a young man with his back to him slowly turn around and smile at him.

Zhang Juzheng was startled when he saw the young man's face, but he still stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Zhang Juzheng greets the prince."

Zhang Juzheng naturally recognized Zhu Yijun!
Moreover, although he has been in Nanjing these years, he is always aware of the developments in the capital.

Zhu Yijun, the little guy that I once held in my arms, is now an adult who is about to turn thirty.

If Prince Yu and I had not parted ways, perhaps I would have been this child's teacher.

But then, his eyes became serious again. What did he just hear? The Crown Prince Zhu Yijun said that he should be loyal to him?

"..."

(End of this chapter)