On the tenth day of the ninth month, in the courtyard of the Cao family in the west of the capital, Zhu Youzhen, the son of heaven, stood in front of Cao Bianjiao's bed and sighed long.

Cao Bianjiao was lying on the bed, already dying, his face was as white as paper. I don't know how he survived the bumpy road and insisted on reaching the capital.

The last time Zhu Youzhen saw Cao Bianjiao was at the end of the previous year. At that time, Cao Bianjiao had just defeated Li Zicheng and captured Shaanxi, and he was in high spirits outside Xi'an. Zhu Youzhen only remembered that Cao Bianjiao spoke like Hong Zhong at that time, and his gestures were full of heroism.

However, nearly two years have passed, and the recruits in the Beijing camp, who made Cao Bianjiao extremely proud, were all wiped out. And Cao Bianjiao also fell ill like this.

The so-called thousands of troops are easy to obtain, but one will be hard to find. The fall of the new army and Cao Bianjiao's illness were tantamount to losing two pillars at once for Zhu Youzhen.

Cao Bianjiao fell on the bed groggily, already in a coma. Zhu Youzhen couldn't bear to wake him up, but asked someone to bring a chair and sit next to the hospital bed and wait slowly.

However, Cao Bianjiao's son stood in front of the hospital bed and saw his father's appearance, but he cried with a wow. The seven-year-old boy apparently understood that he was about to lose his father and lose control.

The cry of his son woke Cao Bianjiao, he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the crowd beside the bed.

In the haze, he saw Zhu Youzhen's face clearly, and his face was suddenly startled.

Struggling on the bed with all his strength, Cao Bianjiao seemed to want to get up and kowtow.

Zhu Youzhen sighed, went up and grabbed Cao Bianjiao's shoulders tightly, and said, "Ding Xibo take care of his body, no courtesy!" ”

Cao Bianjiao stopped struggling and lay down on the bed.

Two tears flowed from his eyes.

"The incompetence of the ministers led to the annihilation of the new army, originally... Originally, the minister had no face to come to see the saint! ”

Zhu Youzhen looked at Cao Bianjiao, shook his head, and did not speak.

Cao Bianjiao said again: "The Holy One... The minister struggled to return to the capital this time, because he wanted to say one last thing to the saint. ”

Zhu Youzhen nodded and said, "What's the matter, you can say it." ”

Cao Bianjiao said: "Minister... The minister fought with the Jiangbei army in Yuezhou City, which is considered ... I understand it, and I understand the strength of the Jiangbei Army. The Jiangbei army was defeated by the king of Tianjin several times, but it was able to defeat without dying, and the more it fought, the stronger it became, because..."

Cao Bianjiao coughed violently a few times and said, "Holy Lord, this is because the strength of the gentry in the world is too strong. ”

"I have two capitals and thirteen provinces in the Ming Dynasty, except for the territory under the rule of the king of Tianjin, where is it not controlled by the gentry? With my billions of billions of goods, how much savings did the poor have? Ninety percent is in the hands of the gentry! The Jiangbei army can be defeated again and again, but as long as it is not completely annihilated, the gentry will deliver goods and goods and help him up! ”

Looking at Zhu Youzhen's face, Cao Bianjiao said: "Holy Lord, the Jiangbei Army is not something that the new army can defeat. The saint, before he died, admonished the ministers with their lives, hoping that the saints would not fight to the death with the gentry again. Then he stopped changing the law and became a virtuous lord who ruled by the arch. ”

After holding his breath and saying this paragraph, Cao Bianjiao coughed violently and couldn't stop for a long time.

Zhu Youzhen heard Cao Bianjiao's words, but his brows were tightly touched, and his originally relaxed face was suddenly covered with dark clouds.

No longer talking to Cao Bianjiao, Zhu Youzhen slowly stood up.

"Dingxibo take care of himself."

Dropping a sentence, Zhu Youzhen walked out with a blushing face.

Cao Bianjiao felt that the Son of Heaven was dissatisfied with him, his eyes widened, looking at the distant figure of the Son of Heaven, and he couldn't say a word.

Wang Chengen was stunned and trotted all the way to follow.

Walking out of the Cao family compound, Zhu Youzhen did not take the car, and walked towards the imperial city.

Wang Chengen stood aside and looked at Zhu Youzhen's face, and said: "Shengshang, now that the Jiangbei Army has probably gone to the north of Huguang, I'm afraid it really has to fight in the capital!" ”

Zhu Youzhen's face was expressionless, and he walked forward without saying a word.

Wang Chengen hesitated for a while, and then said: "Shengshang, not only the Jiangbei army has rebelled, but some local soldiers and horses in Shanxi and Beizhili have also rebelled. Shanxi's soldiers and horses have already gone out to attack the officials who organized the law change. The guards of Beizhili also arrested two judges who presided over the change of the law and put them in the private prison of the guards! ”

With a worried face as if he was about to cry, Wang Chengen said: "Holy Lord, I am afraid that as long as the Jiangbei Army enters Shaanxi, Shanxi and Beizhili, the local armies in various places will look forward to the wind. When the time comes, hundreds of thousands of troops will surround the capital, how is it good? ”

"Holy Lord, they are not alone, they represent the gentry of the world. We only have 20,000 new troops, how can we fight the gentry of the whole world? ”

Wang Chengen became more and more anxious the more he spoke, and finally said: "Shengshang, although Ding Xibo was defeated in Yuezhou, he was also a general in the southern and northern wars. The so-called people are dying, and their words are also good. Even Ding Xibo was afraid of the power of the gentry and persuaded the saint not to fight to the death with the gentry again, so the saint took a step back and stopped changing the law! ”

Zhu Youzhen frowned, ignored Wang Chengen, and walked forward quickly.

Wang Chengen seemed to feel that this was the last chance to redeem the decision of the Son of Heaven, and suddenly walked quickly in front of Zhu Youzhen and knelt on the ground with a thud.

Prostrate on the ground, Wang Chengen said loudly: "Holy Lord! Then you will take the advice of Dingxibeth, and stop changing the law. If you keep the new law, the whole world will rebel, and the 20,000 new troops in the capital can't hold it, and they will ask for the holy life! ”

Zhu Youzhen was blocked by Wang Chengen, and his brows were furrowed.

"Wang Chengen, do you know what kind of life I lived when I was constrained by the Donglin Party everywhere a few years ago?"

"Wang Chengen, do you know that these gentry and the common people have forced the people to rebel everywhere and forced out Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng These big thieves? If it weren't for the king of Tianjin County to turn the tide, I'm afraid that no one would be able to stop these thieves at all! ”

"If the law is not changed, and the gentry are allowed to erode my Ming Dynasty, what face will I have to see my ancestors and ancestors after a hundred years?"

Wang Chengen didn't raise his head, but said loudly: "The slave knows, but what can be done at this moment?" The erosion of this world is not something that Your Majesty can reverse alone! Even if you are controlled by the civil officials and become a hypocrite, it is better than losing your position, Your Majesty! ”

Hearing Wang Chengen shout out His Majesty twice, Zhu Youzhen was stunned.

Wang Chengen has always called himself the emperor, but this sudden sound of His Majesty made Zhu Youzhen feel extremely unfamiliar. Obviously, Wang Chengen has done everything he can to stop himself from going his own way, and he has to call himself the most formal honorific title.

Obviously, the situation has reached its most dangerous time.

Zhu Youzhen closed his eyes and sighed helplessly.

"That's it, let's let Li Zhi become the prince of the opposite sex of the Ming Dynasty, right?"

Wang Chengen was stunned, looked up at the Son of Heaven, and didn't know what the Son of Heaven meant.

Zhu Youzhen waved his sleeves and said to Wang Chengen: "Wang Chengen, now the soldiers and horses from all over the country are in chaos, spread my will, and quickly transfer the king of Tianjin County to the king of Zhili Qin. Let the Tiger Army in Tianjin repel the Jiangbei Army and the local rebel army, there must be no mistake! ”