"You are not good at government affairs? Haha, in my humble opinion, you are full of strategies for governing a country. It is not an exaggeration to call you a political genius."
Yang Jisheng looked down at Zhang Juzheng, his eyes sharp and bright, like a bonfire lit in the dark night, and his voice generous.
"Thank you for your praise, brother Nian. I am unworthy of it." Zhang Juzheng shook his head with a guilty smile, and clasped his fists to thank Yang Jisheng.
Yang Jisheng was as passionate as a pot of boiling iron, while Zhang Juzheng was calm and peaceful like a lake.
At this moment, the two seemed to be in two seasons, one in the bright sunshine of midsummer, and the other after dusk in late autumn.
"However, it is precisely because of this that it shows how cunning your uncle is." Yang Jisheng returned to the topic.
“Brother Nian…” Zhang Juzheng looked helpless.
"Uncle Da is full of strategies and such a political genius, but is this his only opinion on Zihou's impeachment? Sheng, I don't believe it." Yang Jisheng knocked on the table, looked at Zhang Juzheng with burning eyes, and slowly shook his head.
shrewdness
No
I just see more clearly and farther.
Zhang Juzheng did not shy away from Yang Jisheng's gaze. He looked calm and shook his head slowly. "Juzheng really only knows this much. I would like to hear your opinion."
"hehe... ... "
Yang Jisheng moved the corners of his mouth and chuckled, "Uncle, just pretend to be ignorant even though you know the truth."
"I am ignorant, please help me solve my doubts." Zhang Juzheng clasped his hands and said sincerely.
Yang Jisheng said nothing, looking at Zhang Juzheng with burning eyes. Zhang Juzheng looked at Yang Jisheng calmly, his expression unchanged.
One second
Two seconds
Three seconds
After the two looked at each other for three seconds, Yang Jisheng smiled, "Haha, forget it, I know you understand it in your heart, so forget it if you don't want to say it."
Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly.
"It's like scratching an itch through a shoe..."
Yang Jisheng picked up the teacup, scraped the tea lid twice slowly, took a sip, and then said four words in a mindless but meaningful manner.
Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng's eyelids twitched slightly, but only for a moment. The next second, Zhang Juzheng's face was calm again.
Yang Jisheng had been staring at Zhang Juzheng. Although Zhang Juzheng adjusted his expression quickly, it still did not escape Yang Jisheng's eyes. Seeing this, Yang Jisheng couldn't help but smile.
"Uncle, have you ever thought deeply about why your memorial fell on deaf ears? Why did Zihou impeach Zhao Daying, the commander of the West City Army, and then a new commander, Gao Botai, who was even worse than him, came out? Just like leeks, they grow back after being cut. Why?"
Yang Jisheng stared at Zhang Juzheng with a smile on his face, and asked one question after another, his voice once again magnetic.
Zhang Juzheng was silent for two seconds and was about to speak.
But I heard
Yang Jisheng raised another question.
"Why was Shen Lian beaten with a stick in the court, imprisoned and exiled to the frontier?!"
"Why did Prime Minister Xia die?!"
"What caused the Gengxu Rebellion?!"
"Now that the crisis is under control, who is using the beautiful words to paint a picture of peace and prosperity for His Majesty?!"
... ...
As the questions were raised, Yang Jisheng's expression became more and more solemn, his face became redder, his voice became louder, and the veins on his neck became more and more bulging.
Under the bombardment of such questions from Yang Jisheng, Zhang Juzheng's face was no longer as calm as before. When he heard Shen Lian's question, Zhang Juzheng became a little restless. When he heard Xia Shoufu's question, Zhang Juzheng could no longer sit still. When Yang Jisheng brought up the Gengxu Rebellion and Qingci Huazhang, Zhang Juzheng could not help but stand up from the table and looked out the window nervously and carefully.
After looking from a distance, Zhang Juzheng was still worried, so he took two quick steps to the window and looked out again.
"Ahem, before I knew it, the sun has already set. Ju Zheng is not hospitable enough and forgot to prepare wine and food. Brother Nian, wait a moment. Ju Zheng will go out and ask the servants to prepare some light wine and food. We can eat and chat at the same time."
Zhang Juzheng coughed, and to cover up his recent gaffe, he pretended to be someone who suddenly realized it was getting dark.
Without waiting for Yang Jisheng's response, Zhang Juzheng took two quick steps to the door, walked into the yard, looked around, and then shouted loudly to the outside: "You Qi, You Qi..."
Soon, a man who was about the same age as Zhang Juzheng came in. He was not tall, but very strong, with muscular body. He was obviously a martial artist, but he was not a man with strong limbs and a simple mind. From his pair of clever eyes, it can be seen that he was a smart and quick-witted man.
This man was You Qi. He was the steward of the Zhang residence and also an attendant of Zhang Juzheng.
"Master, you are looking for me."
You Qi came up to Zhang Juzheng and said while bending over.
"Go and ask the kitchen to prepare a few of their signature dishes quickly, and bring two jugs of wine as well," Zhang Juzheng ordered.
"Okay, young master. I'll tell the kitchen right away." You Qi nodded and turned around to make arrangements.
"Wait." Zhang Juzheng called out to You Qi.
"Young Master." You Qi turned around and approached Zhang Juzheng with his head lowered.
"You stand guard outside the yard. No one is allowed to come in. When the kitchen delivers the wine and food, you just bring them in." Zhang Juzheng pointed to the gate and whispered to You Qi.
"Don't worry, young master. With me here, not even a bird will approach the study." You Qi lowered his head and replied in a low voice, his voice full of confidence.
"Well, go ahead."
Zhang Juzheng nodded with satisfaction, waved his hand, and let You Qi leave. Zhang Juzheng couldn't be more confident in You Qi's work.
You Qi is of similar age to Zhang Juzheng and grew up with him. From being his study companion when he was a child to going to Beijing together to take the imperial examinations when they grew up, You Qi has always been by Zhang Juzheng's side and is deeply trusted by Zhang Juzheng.
Moreover, You Qi was a serious and responsible person who was loyal to Zhang Juzheng. The most important thing was that You Qi was very good at understanding Zhang Juzheng's intentions and made it easy for Zhang Juzheng to use him, which saved time, effort, worry and energy. As a result, You Qi became Zhang Juzheng's absolute confidant.
After You Qi left, Zhang Juzheng turned around and walked into the study with peace of mind.
When Yang Jisheng, who was sitting there sipping tea, saw Zhang Juzheng come in, his eyes showed four parts admiration, three parts ridicule and three parts disappointment.
Be cautious in your overtures, but be too cautious.
I just raised a few questions, and Zhang Juzheng became restless, like a frightened bird. Haha, no wonder Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial, but it fell into oblivion, and he never submitted another memorial again.
Too cautious.
After a failure, he becomes dormant like a rat or a bug, completely devoid of courage.
Yang Jisheng couldn't help but shook his head in his heart.