Chapter 21                                                             �

Zhou Mengchen and Zhang Juzheng welcomed Teng Xiang in.

Tengxiang said, "Mr. Zhou, our family is asking questions by sages."

Zhou Mengchen was stunned and didn't know how to salute. Tengxiang explained: "Master Zhou stood and replied."

Tengxiang stood facing south and said respectfully: "See the sage metaphor, ask the doctor Zhou Mengchen, the Imperial Heavenly Supervisor, if Zhou Mengchen is here?"

Zhou Mengchen stood up solemnly and said, "I am here."

Tengxiang said: "The Minister of Personnel impeached you several serious crimes. Do you know that you are guilty?" Tengxiang took out a stack of memorials from his sleeve and handed them to Zhou Mengchen.

Zhou Mengchen took it with both hands, opened it and looked at it quickly, and it was no different from what Yan Shifan showed him just now. Perhaps the only difference was that one was the original version and the other was the copy of Tongzhengsi. Zhou Mengchen didn't need to read it, but he knew what was written here. He just looked in front of Fujixiang.

Zhou Mengchen took a closer look.

However, Zhou Mengchen was thinking about how to reply to the emperor's words.

Zhou Mengchen never felt guilty? But this has nothing to do with his answer to plead guilty or not.

It’s just that the choice is the consequences that you have to face.

Although Zhou Mengchen was a little regretful just now, he came to Beijing in the quagmire. But just like young people in later generations, they all said they would escape from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou when they encountered something. But they only have the possibility of what they really chose. Who doesn’t want to stay?

The same is true for Zhou Mengchen.

I am afraid he will regret it if he makes him live a beautiful famous man in Wuchang for the rest of his life.

He took a deep breath, closed the fold in his hand with a "splash", and said, "I am not guilty."

As soon as Zhou Mengchen said this, Teng Xiang seemed to have a smile on his face and said, "I'll go straight to the inner world by writing a self-defense commentary. I'll wait and see." Then he smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Zhou, Your Majesty has only these two words."

Zhou Mengchen said in his heart: "If I answered to confess my guilt, I would probably just say one sentence."

Zhou Mengchen suddenly understood in his heart what it means to help himself. If he couldn't stand the pressure and confessed his guilt, he would probably have to deal with the crime above and not be able to use it as a chess piece for the emperor.

Zhou Mengchen said, "Please report to Your Majesty, I will definitely not let Your Majesty down. But-------" Zhou Mengchen paused slightly and said, "There are some inside information here, and the officials don't understand it very well. Please give me some advice."

Tengxiang said, "That's natural? Congratulations to you?"

Zhou Mengchen said, "Where does the joy come from?"

Tengxiang said, "You don't know, Xiong Tianguan's memorials have annoyed Your Majesty. It made Your Majesty angry. It's just that Xiong Tianguan has a tough temper, and Your Majesty doesn't care about him too much, especially Master Xia is there. But Your Majesty can't swallow this, so he ordered me to come here."

After hearing Teng Xiang's words, Zhou Mengchen immediately understood a lot. He savored the things in the memorials carefully.

I suddenly felt a hint of hidden meaning.

The so-called wise and wise Majesty is invincible.

There is nothing wrong with the emperor, the one who is wrong must be the people around the emperor.

Unless he is a naughty man like Hai Rui, he will not directly point the finger at the emperor.

Although Secretary Xiong was straightforward, how could he not know the most basic rules? Therefore, this memorial was Xiang Zhuang's sword dance in Pei Gong. Zhou Mengchen was just a minion, and it was obvious. In fact, Secretary Xiong wanted to persuade the emperor.

Of course. It doesn’t mean that Zhou Mengchen is not dangerous.

Once the emperor listens to the advice, the little person mentioned will be very dangerous.

Of course, Zhou Mengchen doesn’t have to worry about the risks above. After all, who is it now? It’s not a day or two for Emperor Jiajing to be soft or hard. It’s almost impossible for Emperor Jiajing to bow his head and admit his mistakes.

But Zhou Mengchen still feels quite bad today.

The reason is nothing else. It is obvious that Emperor Jiajing asked Zhou Mengchen to act as a chess piece to charge and attack the Tianguan of the Ministry of Personnel.

The status, size, and reputation of the two are all asymmetry. Zhou Mengchen's only advantage is that there are the emperor's hints and acquiesce behind it.

But even so, it is not a fun thing.

I think if he could not suppress the Heavenly Officials of the Ministry of Personnel, then he would have no future. It is estimated that the charges in the memorials would be implemented one by one. Even Zhou Mengchen would be even more miserable.

And if you win, are there any benefits?

Perhaps he could receive the reward from Jiajing and be promoted to one of Jiajing's close ministers, but he also cut himself off from the sects and officials and offended the entire sectarian group. Although Jiajing was a powerful emperor, the real master of the Ming Dynasty was these sectarians.

Once Zhou Mengchen loses his reputation, he will be labeled as a lucky minister in the future. It can be said that he will have harm but no benefit to his future development.

This is how the commanders of the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty were.

As strong as Lu Bing, he dared not rush to the front now. It seems that he has become a Buddha after cultivating his mind and cultivating his nature. Isn’t Zhou Mengchen afraid of future events?

Seeing that Zhou Mengchen had been pondering for a while, Tengxiang asked softly: "Master Zhou, Master Zhou-----"

Zhou Mengchen woke up as if he was shocked and said, "Oh----"

Tengxiang said, "Do you have anything to say to Your Majesty? The younger one can pass the message."

Zhou Mengchen took a deep breath and said, "Please rest assured, I will definitely leave Xiong Jia speechless."

Teng Xiang said, "Then Teng is waiting to see Lord Zhou's style."

After Zhou Mengchen sent Teng Xiang away.

Sitting against Zhang Juzheng, there was already an endgame in front of me where the big dragon had just slaughtered.

Zhou Mengchen reached out and picked up the chess pieces one by one, and said, "Brother Zhang, you can move out of my house in a while."

Zhang Juzheng said, "What? Don't you want me to stay at your house?"

Zhou Mengchen said, "Brother Zhang, you asked me knowingly. If you are with me in the future, you will have a bad reputation with you."

Zhou Mengchen was in the capital for only a few days and discovered a fact that he could not stand without a team. It can be said that not to stand by means of an attack from everyone in the political arena. Zhou Mengchen was not from the imperial examination and did not have a master to support him in the same year. His background was discriminated against in the court. If he did not stand by, anyone could really make a move.

Zhou Mengchen has only been in the capital for a few days and has no way to do things peacefully. It is also an important reason to face various problems.

However, Zhang Juzheng's analysis of the court revealed a single dragon.

Above the court were two fierce tigers and one hidden dragon.

Of course, Zhang Juzheng did not know about this hidden dragon. It was not that ordinary people could not be valued by the emperor. Most officials could only choose to stand by the two tigers. Jiajing lived deep in the West Garden, and most court officials could not see it.

Zhou Mengchen has now decided to choose the emperor to stand.

There are two reasons.

First, among Yan Song, Xia Yan and Jiajing, Xia Yan's political life span is about these few years. Yan Song may be more than ten years, but Jiajing is the longest. The safest one is to choose Jiajing. At least Zhou Mengchen has more than twenty years of safety. As for the risks in twenty years, we will talk about it twenty years later. With Yan Song and Xia Yan, it is estimated that neither have twenty years of stable life.

Second, he actually has no choice. No one he follows can enter the decision-making center. Only by being able to pass the emperor can it influence the Ming Dynasty. And the road has been completed, what can it do?

This is also the reason why Zhou Mengchen didn't want Zhang Juzheng to be too close to his past.

There seemed to be a kind of atmosphere in the Ming Dynasty, which was against the emperor. Zhou Mengchen could only stand on the emperor's side in the future, and there was no substantial difference from the Taoist priests raised by the emperor. In the eyes of civil servants and officials, it was simply a crooked way, and it would be strange if he could have any good reputation.

Zhou Mengchen also admitted it.

After all, during this period, Zhou Mengchen also understood one truth, that is, give up his fantasy and prepare for struggle.

The reason why he was incompatible with these people was more of a conflict of thought. The conflict between Zhou Mengchen's modern thoughts and mainstream values ​​in the Ming Dynasty did not mean that Zhou Mengchen could disguise himself. Even if a unicorn is removed, it is not a horse, not to mention that Zhou Mengchen cannot remove the unicorn in his heart.

He doesn't want his reputation anymore. He is devoted to relying on imperial power to promote theories. But Zhang Juzheng is different. Fame is very important to Zhang Juzheng.

He knew Zhang Juzheng's future. He could not implicate the last Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty for his own reasons. So he wanted to make a cut.
Chapter completed!