My life skills in Daming Liver

Liang Ruyuan entered the capital to overthrow Yan.

Along the way to the north, Liang Ruyuan only saw starvation everywhere, from Lianghuai to Shandong, and then to Gyeonggi, there were groups of refugees everywhere.

Taking a tank boat, the more crowded the road to the capital, the more congested Li Zhi is, he called the boatman and asked:

"How far is the journey to the capital?"

The boatman quickly replied: "There are big water tankers transporting beams and wood in front of them, and these ships have blocked the river going north."

"Transporting beams, is it for construction work?"

"Exactly. It is said that the Ministry of Industry has recruited civilians near the capital to transport these wooden camels to the capital by manpower."

The boatman said with a bitter face: "You two gentlemen, the boat really can't go. Now the two gentlemen disembark and go overland. If you ride a horse, you can reach the capital in less than three days."

Liang Ruyuan and Li Zhi glanced at each other. What the boatman said was true. This place is not far from the capital. Li Zhi looked at the densely packed timber boats in front of him and couldn't help asking:

"Where did the wood come from?"

The boatman was also well-informed: "I heard that this piece of wood was transported from Yunnan, and the transportation cost of just one piece of wood is one hundred taels of silver!"

One hundred taels of silver!

Liang Ruyuan and Li Zhi also gasped.

To rebuild the three halls, more than a thousand pieces of this kind of wood are needed. Just transporting these woods from Yunnan to the capital will cost a hundred thousand taels of silver!

The boatman continued: "The money is just an expense. It is said that such a beam, felled from the mountains in Yunnan, and then transported to the pier, can exhaust several strong men to death."

"The water is running along the way, and there are not many souls among them."

"From here to the capital, it takes only three days to ride a horse. This section of the road is all transported by manpower, and several people will die along the way."

"I heard that people in the outskirts of the capital began to flee, and even the elderly were tied up with ropes to carry logs."

The boatman hurriedly said: "The two of you are traveling by land. When you meet this yamen servant who is arresting you, you must speak nicely and give some money appropriately. Last time I heard that a scholar who went to Beijing was arrested and redeemed by his classmates. By then, people were already useless.”

Liang Ruyuan said angrily: "At the feet of the Son of Heaven, these subordinate officials are so harmful to the people!"

The boatman sighed and said, "I heard that Yan Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry has spoken. This year we must complete the great work."

After a long time, Liang Ruyuan uttered a sentence: "The father and son of the Yan family are really national thieves!"

Li Zhi quickly said, "Speak carefully!"

The boatman also turned pale with fright, fearing that he would be hurt by Liang Ruyuan's words, he hurriedly drove them off the boat.

The two bought horses in a nearby market, and they met the yamen servant who was arresting him. Li Zhi presented them with a certificate of his meritorious service, and bribed them with money to escape.

Some merchants were not so lucky. From the caravan shopkeeper to the buddies to the escort thugs, they were all put in shackles to carry wood.

After seeing the majestic city walls of the capital, Liang Ruyuan said:

"Brother Hongfu, let's be honest, the purpose of my coming to the capital this time is to suppress strictness!"

Liang Ruyuan took Li Zhi to a remote place and said:

"I am a disciple of Master Wang of Taizhou. I have a good friend named Lan Daoxing who works as a Taoist official in the palace and has won His Majesty's trust."

"Now the Ming Dynasty is in dire straits, the top and bottom are greedy, and the people are suffering, all of which are the result of the strict party in power!"

"That's why I want Lan Daoxing to speak strictly in front of His Majesty!"

"As long as the father and son of the Yan family fall, and a Qingliu like Mr. Xu Ge becomes the chief assistant of the cabinet, he will definitely be able to persuade His Majesty to be sympathetic to the people and restore the clarity of the world!"

Liang Ruyuan looked at Li Zhi and said, "Brother Hongfu, this matter is of great importance. The Yan family and his son are powerful, so if you leave now, you can still have peace. Everyone is in danger of life!"

Li Zhi thought that Liang Ruyuan was going to the capital to give lectures, but he didn't expect him to plan against Yan.

Li Zhi is also a crazy man, when he heard Liang Ruyuan talk about such a plan, he said without fear at all:

"The treacherous party is harming the country! Even if it is strict, I will be counted!"

"Sure enough, I'm not mistaken! Brother Hongfu is indeed a member of my generation!"

Li Zhi was told by Liang Ruyuan, but when his blood passed, he suddenly asked:

"Brother Zhu Gan, with the arrival of the strict party, will the government really get better?"

Liang Ruyuan was taken aback.

However, he is also a person with a firm will. He immediately said: "At the beginning of his succession, he also worked hard to govern. He is a rare and wise lord. In recent years, the imperial court has been declining. It is because His Majesty was deceived by the traitor party!"

"As long as the strict party is gone and Qingliu comes to power, there will be good days!"

In fact, Li Zhi was somewhat influenced by Su Ze's theory, and he was also somewhat puzzled by Liang Ruyuan's theory. If the emperor was wise, why did he appoint Yan Song and his son?

However, he didn't say this. The whole journey, including what he saw in Nanzhili, can't be explained simply by the treacherous party harming the country.

Li Zhi even felt that it seemed inappropriate to simply blame anyone, or even think that something was wrong with the emperor.

So what went wrong?

The two went to the city together, and because Lan Daoxing was deeply loved by the emperor, he was given a house in the east of the capital near the imperial palace. Liang Ruyuan handed over the invitation and was ushered into a luxurious mansion by his servants.

Fang Wanghai's mansion in Nanzhili is an official residence, which is already grand enough. For a Taoist priest like Lan Daoxing, the mansion he lives in is even more grand than Fang Wanghai's mansion.

Lan Daoxing accompanied the emperor to practice in the palace on weekdays, and only returned to the mansion at night.

He and Liang Ruyuan can be regarded as senior brothers, and they hugged each other excitedly as soon as they met.

Li Zhi looked at Lan Daoxing, only to see that he had a handsome face, imposing manner, long beard and hair, and he really looked a bit of a master of Taoism.

It's no wonder that Lan Daoxing can be loved by the emperor, and he pulls him to practice together every day.

It is said that Lan Daoxing is also very proficient in divination, which is said to be an ancient secret technique inherited from Shang Dynasty Jizi.

The Jixian divination method uses those natural black and white stones to arrange hexagrams and divination, so as to observe the celestial phenomena and comprehend the principles of the movement of astrology, the four seasons of heaven and earth, the five elements of yin and yang, and the cycle of all things.

Emperor Jiajing believed in his divination skills, and every time there was a major event in the court, he would summon Lan Daoxing for divination.

Liang Ruyuan and Lan Daoxing came to the secret room and began to discuss how to use Lan Daoxing's identity to persuade the emperor through divination and alienate Yan Song and his son. In this way, the emperor would feel disgusted with Yan Song and his son.

Li Zhi, who was at the side, suddenly felt that all this was a bit funny. Liang Ruyuan's method of overthrowing strictness was actually carried out through Taoist priests who were trusted by the emperor, and through divination with auspicious shackles that even Confucian scholars dismissed?

Li Zhi also remembered that his brother-in-law Fang Wanghai once said that Yan Shifan made his fortune by writing Qing Ci for Yan Song, and because Mr. Xu Ge was good at writing Qing Ci, he was able to serve as the cabinet assistant all the time.

It's just ridiculous.

Li Zhi didn't speak. What he admired was that Lan Daoxing, a Taoist priest favored by the emperor, had a sense of justice more than many officials.

After Liang Ruyuan told him about his experiences along the way, and about Yan Song's father and son harming the people, Lan Daoxing actually said:

"Except for such national thieves, we are responsible! Brother Hongfu, as long as there is a chance, I will definitely punish him!"

Li Zhi had some admiration. Lan Daoxing had no conflict with the strict party. He was trusted by the emperor.

The ministers of the imperial court saw what happened to the people who were against Yan before, and even the officials did not dare to write a letter casually to say Yan Song's fault.

But Lan Daoxing was willing to take the risk.

Next, Liang Ruyuan began to connect with many parties, and his method also made Li Zhi feel a little funny.

His method is also very simple, that is, to use Emperor Jiajing's trust in Lan Daoxing's divination, and use divination to make the emperor feel disgusted with Yan Song.

The method is to connect the officials of the Cabinet Secretary Wufang and the General Administration Department in series, and let Lan Daoxing divination that the next minister will be a traitor when Yan Song enters the palace to deliver the memorial.

Li Zhi was extremely speechless about this method, but it was implemented very smoothly.

On February 20, Yan Song, the chief assistant of the cabinet, asked for a secret report, and the officials of the General Administration Department immediately informed Lan Daoxing of the news.

Lan Daoxing was just about to make a fortune-telling for Emperor Jiajing, and after pretending to be a ghost, he said to the emperor, "Today there is a traitor."

When Lan Daoxing finished speaking, Yan Song had already asked for an interview with the Secret Leaflet, and now Emperor Jiajing's eyes flickered, thoughtful.

A few days later, the emperor asked Lan Daoxing about the result of Jixian's divination. Lan Daoxing said:

"The smoldering flames of the Ming Dynasty, natural disasters and famines are all caused by treacherous officials in the imperial court holding power, which led to disorder in the world."

The emperor asked: "Who is a traitor in the cabinet?"

Lan Daoxing said: "Yan Song is a traitor."

The emperor asked again: "Guoer, why didn't Shangxuan kill him?"

Lan Daoxing said: "Leave it to the emperor to rectify the law."

Just when Liang Ruyuan felt that things were about to happen, things changed immediately.

Yan Song has controlled the government for so many years, and he also has eyes and ears in the palace.

Lan Daoxing's words reached Yan Song's ears, and this old-looking old Yan Ge stretched out his tiger claws again.

On March 1st, Yan Song wrote a letter, saying that Lan Daoxing was bewitching the public and interfering in the government. Then the censors controlled by Yan Song also wrote letters one after another, listing Lan Daoxing's disadvantages of praying for rain, and the memorial drowned the emperor's imperial case.

In particular, Lan Daoxing was recommended to the emperor by Xu Jie, and many memorials even directly stated that Xu Jie was the big backer of Lan Daoxing, and Xu Jie instructed Lan Daoxing to slander the emperor.

The emperor was furious and ordered Lan Daoxing to go to prison.

He also ordered Jinyiwei and Dongchang to search for those who colluded with Lan Daoxing.

All the people in Lan Daoxing's mansion were arrested and tortured in the imperial prison. Fortunately, Li Zhi pulled Liang Ruyuan out of Lan Daoxing's mansion ahead of schedule.

"Thank you, Second Master Lu!" Li Zhi bowed his hands to thank Lu Er. If Lu Er hadn't appeared suddenly this time and asked him and Liang Ruyuan to leave, he would have been arrested together.

Li Zhi himself was not afraid of death, but he was also afraid of hurting Fang Wanghai and Su Ze because of him.

Lu Er put on the black face scarf again, handed them two more and said:

"Don't waste time, get out of the city quickly!"

Lu Er took the two of them into a water transport ship in Nanzhili, and finally left the capital.

Li Zhi didn't let go of his heart until he left the capital, and he asked hastily:

"Second Master Lu, why are you here?"

Li Zhi knew Lu Er well. When he went to Su Ze's mansion to see Fang Ruolan and her children when he was in Nanzhili, he often saw Lu Er as a guest at Su Ze's house.

Lu Er smiled lightly and said, "It was Mr. Su who asked me to go to Beijing with Mr. Li."

Li Zhi exclaimed, "How did Ru Lin think that I would be in danger?"

Lu Er looked at Liang Ruyuan who was downcast like a dead person and said:

"The last time Mr. Li wrote a letter home and said that he would go to Beijing with this Mr. Liang, Mr. Su immediately sent me to catch up with you."

"Second Master Lu, you?"

Lu Er said directly: "Lu Er, I used to be Jin Yiwei. I still have some skills in tracking and inquiring, but it was a tossing all the way, and I was exhausted with three good horses before I caught up with the two gentlemen."

"How did Ru Lin know something would happen to me?"

At this moment, Li Zhi was no longer surprised by Lu Erjin's identity as Yiwei. What he was surprised was why Su Ze could so cleverly calculate that something would happen to him.

Lu Er scratched his head and said, "This Mr. Su didn't say anything. He told me that if the two gentlemen live in the Lanshen Immortal Mansion, let me keep an eye on them and bring the two gentlemen out at any time."

There is one more thing Lu Er didn't say. When he returned to the capital this time, protecting Li Zhi and Liang Ruyuan was one task, and the other task was to use his old connections to open up the relationship in Jinyi Weidong Factory.

The last time Su Ze went to Beijing to rescue Yu Dayou, he bought a printing workshop in the capital.

The printing workshop also made a lot of money by printing Su Ze's "Three Dreams" and "Jin Ping Mei".

Lu Er took Su Ze's letter and seal and asked the printing workshop to take out all the profits and exchange them for one hundred taels of gold and two thousand taels of silver.

Taking the money, Lu Er quickly established a relationship between Jinyiwei and Dongchang.

Lu Er is now a ghost in Jinyiwei.

The order to monitor Su Ze was issued by Lu Bing who contacted him through a single line. This order was not recorded in the Jinyiweijia Pavilion. The only person who knew about this order, Lu Bing, died suddenly.

All the top leaders of Lu Bing's faction were also cleaned up.

Since Lu Bing's death, Lu Er did not send any report to the capital, and no one came to question him.

Logically speaking, at this time, Lu Er should return to the capital to report, then find someone to prove his identity, and then return to Jinyiwei.

But after Lu Bing's death, the power struggle between Jinyiwei and Dongchang, and the chaotic handover made everything muddy.

This time Lu Er returned to the capital, and soon got in touch with some old brothers from before.

But Lu Er still did not return to Jinyiwei to report, but started to make friends with old brothers with a lot of money.

Although Lu Bing's cronies were purged, Jinyiwei and Dongchang were a large organization, and Lu Er was originally a hereditary thousand households, so he could only be regarded as a middle-level one.

The middle level of a large organization is generally a person who is in charge. In the political struggle, as long as the team is changed in time, they can often survive.

Therefore, many of Lu Er's companions are still in key positions.

Like Lu Er, who disappeared suddenly for a long time, and it was normal in Jinyiwei. No one asked where he went, and no one asked when he would come back.

Jin Yiwei Lu Er became the boss of Jingshi's printing workshop, spending time and drinking with old friends all day long, and quickly became friends.

After Lu Er learned about the arrest of Lan Daoxing from Jin Yiwei's companion, he immediately sneaked into Lan Daoxing's house and took away Li Zhi and Liang Ruyuan.

"Su Xianggong said that Mr. Liang has been exposed, and he can go south to Fujian to avoid disaster."

"Mr. Li's name has not been revealed, but Jin Yiwei has also grasped your face, so he returned to Fujian quickly."

"This is my disciple. He escorted you to Dengzhou. Naturally, there will be a clipper to take you to Fujian."

Liang Ruyuan was in a daze, only to hear Lu Er suddenly say: "Su Xianggong said that Mr. Liang can be renamed He Xinyin."

Li Zhi asked, "Where is Second Master Lu?"

"Me? Su Xianggong asked me to stay in the capital, the two of you should hurry to Dengzhou!"