"Hey, young man on horseback, if you don't mind, you can live with me."
Just as Zhu Ping'an got on his horse and was about to find an inn to stay, he suddenly heard a deep and hoarse voice behind him.
In the post station filled with ridicule and contempt, the voice was very abrupt.
Out of curiosity, Zhu Ping'an grabbed the reins, turned the horse's head, and looked towards the direction of the post station following the sound.
The person who spoke was a square-faced man about 1.75 meters tall, in his thirties. He was dressed rather simply, but he was full of righteousness, standing there like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.
Although this man was dressed simply, the staff at the post station were very respectful to him. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to use the word "flattering" and "fawning" to describe him.
So, Zhu Ping'an became a little curious about this person.
"I couldn't ask for more. It's like a blessing after a long drought. I can't thank you enough." Zhu Ping'an dismounted from his horse, bowed to the man from a distance, and thanked him loudly with a smile.
"Haha, you are quite an interesting young man. My room is quite spacious." The man laughed, then turned to the staff standing beside him and asked in a positive tone, "Am I violating the rules by doing this? Do I need to report this to the postmaster?"
After hearing the man's question, the staff of the post station smiled in flattery and shook their heads repeatedly, saying, "It's not against the rules. There's no need to trouble the post station chief for such a small matter. Lord Yang is really kind-hearted."
The man was not at all impressed by the compliments from the post station staff. He didn't even bother to respond and turned his head away without even looking at the post station staff again.
"Thank you so much, sir." Zhu Ping'an led the horse to the man and bowed again to express his gratitude.
"It's just a small favor." The man waved his hand nonchalantly.
After saying a few words, Zhu Ping'an followed the instructions of the post station staff, placed the horse in the post station stable, then carried the package and followed the man to his room.
This post station is much better than the ones Zhu Pingan has stayed in before. The buildings are much cleaner and more spacious, even better than most inns. The room he lives in is almost the best room in the post station. The room is a two-entry suite, the outer room is slightly smaller, and the inner room is the master bedroom, which is much more spacious.
"You can rest here." The man led Zhu Ping'an to the outer room. "I can't live in two rooms by myself anyway."
Zhu Ping'an bowed and thanked him.
The clothes this person wore were not much better than mine, very plain, probably this person's family was not very well off. He called me at the entrance of the post station, probably because he saw that I was wearing plain clothes and felt pity for me.
I just don't know what position this person holds. Judging from the fawning and flattering behavior of the post station staff, this person must be of a special status.
"Thank you, sir. I'm Zhu Ping'an, from Anqing Prefecture. I haven't asked for your full name yet. I'll be grateful to you in the future when I'm safe." After putting the things in the outer room, Zhu Ping'an bowed to the man.
"Why should I thank you? I can't afford two rooms anyway. I see that you are a juren at such a young age, so you have a bright future. These people in the post station are good at taking advantage of the powerful and the weak, so you don't have to take it to heart. My last name is Yang, and my courtesy name is Zhongfang. Don't call me elder or younger. You are older than me, so just call me Brother Yang."
Yang Zhongfang smiled and shook his head, patted Zhu Ping'an on the shoulder, and pointed at himself.
Yang Zhongfang
After hearing the three words Yang Zhongfang, Zhu Pingan was shocked as if he was struck by lightning. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, was there a person with the surname Yang and the courtesy name Zhongfang? Could it be Yang Jisheng, who was known as the "most powerful man in the Ming Dynasty"
As for why Yang Jisheng is said to be the most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty, there is a reason for this. The censors in the Ming Dynasty were famous for being more concerned with fame than life, and no one dared to scold them, from the emperor to the officials. Yang Jisheng and Yang Lian were the representatives of this group of powerful people, and they were the most powerful among this group of powerful people. Although Yang Jisheng was not a censor, he often did the work of a censor, so it is not wrong to classify him as a censor.
Yang Jisheng was born in a farming family and used to herd cattle when he was young. He did not start school until he was 13 years old, but he passed the imperial examination in his twenties and the imperial examination at the age of 31, the same year as Zhang Juzheng. He had no money and no power. But he had a life and he dared to play with it.
This man has impeached the top military official and the top political official.
Impeaching such a ruthless person will definitely not end well. I won’t go into too much detail, anyway, this guy was imprisoned many times because of impeachment. Once he was beaten with more than 100 sticks before being imprisoned. His skin was torn and his flesh was rotten. This guy broke a bowl in prison and used the fragments to cut off the rotten flesh without changing his expression. It is said that the prison boss who was watching the excitement was trembling and fainted. A colleague wanted to give him a snake gall to relieve pain, but this guy not only refused but also said that I have courage myself, why do I need snake gall!
Therefore, this guy is undoubtedly the most powerful man in the Ming Dynasty.
If it was Yang Jisheng, he should have been imprisoned for impeaching the military prison and then promoted three levels, and recommended by Yan Song to serve as a deputy minister of the military selection department in the capital. This also explains why the people in the post station flattered him so much, because he was recommended by Yan Shoufu. Of course, Yan Song would regret it soon... ...
How lucky he was to see the real person. Zhu Pingan looked at Yang Jisheng and his breathing became a little rapid. Just thinking about it, such an upright person ended up in such a situation, it was really infuriating.
We must do our best to avoid this tragedy from happening.
"Brother Zhu, is there anything wrong?" Yang Jisheng asked curiously when he saw Zhu Ping'an staring at him with wide eyes.
"No, no." Zhu Pingan smiled and shook his head.
"Oh." Yang Jisheng nodded, and then said to Zhu Ping'an, "I see that brother Zhu looks exhausted, he must have come a long way. Turn left when you go out and you will find the kitchen of the post station. You can use my name and have a simple meal. It will be better for you to rest early after the meal. I have something important to do, so I will leave you now."
Zhu Ping'an bowed and watched Yang Jisheng go into the inner room. Then he went to the kitchen of the post station as Yang Jisheng had instructed. Without paying attention to the looks of the post station staff, he ordered two steamed buns and a portion of porridge and a side dish and slowly started to eat.
After dinner, the sun had already set, and Zhu Pingan returned to his room. The oil lamp in Yang Jisheng's room had already been lit. Zhu Pingan made his bed a little, then lit the oil lamp and began to read at night.
The night was quiet, the moonlight was hazy, and the entire post station was shrouded in darkness. Only the two rooms where Zhu Ping'an and Yang Jisheng were staying had lights on. The dim candlelight stretched out the swaying shadows, making the place seem particularly quiet.
Around midnight, Zhu Ping'an collected the books, extinguished the oil lamp, and fell into a deep sleep. (To be continued.)