Chapter 444 Old Man Yang Shen
Yunnan has a pleasant climate and humid air, which is the most suitable for mushroom growth. It has evolved over thousands of years and has become a mushroom holy land.
Locals have to be very careful when eating mushrooms. They dare not eat any other mushrooms except those they are familiar with.
Of course, it’s the same principle as risking one’s life to eat puffer fish. The more dangerous something is, the more delicious it is. Some people will take the risk to try it just for that delicious taste. If they don’t die, it means that it is a good mushroom.
If someone dies, it means he has a bad fate, so let's have a feast together.
Jiang Qingzhi was born in Suzhou. To be honest, people in Suzhou really don't have the habit of eating mushrooms, and most of the famous mushrooms are poisonous, such as the white amanita, the green amanita, the flower amanita... If you eat them, you will be lying on the bed.
When the suona sounds, all the efforts of your parents in raising you are in vain.
So when people learned that Jiang Qingzhi had eaten poisonous mushrooms, everyone thought it was natural that he died of poisoning.
Jiang Qingzhi's reputation as a foodie was well known in the capital. It was said that even Emperor Jiajing would occasionally send people to Xin'an Lane to confiscate some of Jiang's delicacies and bring them back to the palace.
This kind of glutton is the one mentioned above, who is willing to risk being poisoned for a bite of delicious food.
Jiang Qingzhi is most likely dead... After Jiang Qingzhi hadn't appeared for several days, everyone in the Duke's Mansion said so.
So, when the living Jiang Qingzhi stood at the door, someone exclaimed, "Here comes the ghost!"
Hu Xiong thought Jiang Qingzhi would continue to stay at the base, but when he saw him, he couldn't help but burst into tears, "Long Wei Bo!"
At this moment Hu Xiong vowed to become sworn brothers with Jiang Qingzhi. They did not ask to be born on the same day as Jiang Qingzhi, but they asked to die on the same day as Jiang Qingzhi.
Zhang Qian's expression changed slightly, and he immediately made a judgment that Jiang Qingzhi was pretending to be dead. His purpose of pretending to be dead was nothing more than to observe how the situation developed and then make a judgment.
If Jiang Qingzhi's trip was just to preside over Mu Chaobi's succession to the title, then it would be superfluous.
He must be coming for the governor!
In an instant, Zhang Qian was filled with murderous intent.
Mu Chaobi took a deep breath and asked, "Is Long Wilbur finally willing to come out?"
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "I have been feeling unwell these days and have been resting for a while. What's the matter, Governor Mu, are you going to take action?"
Mu Chaobi said, "The chieftain Yang Qi is causing chaos, and his army is approaching Kunming. I am not in a legitimate position here... There are people in the city who are supporting Yang Qi. If no one suppresses them, what do you think Chang Wei Bo should do?"
Jiang Qingzhi remained silent.
There was silence between the two.
"That's them."
There was a sudden commotion outside, and then someone shouted, "Governor, the people from the capital started it first."
Mu Chaobi smiled and said, "Chang Wei Bo, this is..."
"I am the envoy of His Majesty. Do I need to report to the Duke's Mansion when entering or leaving?"
Jiang Qingzhi regretted that he could not imitate the translator's attitude, "Yunnan is still the Ming Dynasty!"
"stop!"
Zhang Qian rushed out and shouted.
But it's too late.
That idiot Sun Chonglou captured a general, and when he saw Zhang Qian coming out, he threw the general over to him.
Zhang Qian decisively lowered his head, and then there was a whoosh, and then someone behind him howled miserably.
This is a fucking humanoid beast!
Sun Chonglou stood there, looking disdainfully, "Who else?"
No one answered.
The general collapsed beside the gate pillar at this moment. Looking at the limp lumbar spine, an experienced person whispered: "I'm afraid the lumbar spine is broken. It will be difficult for him to stand up on his own in this life."
"He is Asura!" someone whispered.
"Stone!" Jiang Qingzhi's voice came from inside.
"Young Master!" The ferocious humanoid beast suddenly turned into a well-behaved young boy. The huge change made everyone feel extremely uncomfortable.
Sun Chonglou went in.
Jiang Shun subconsciously walked to Mu Chaobi's side and pressed his hand on the hilt of the knife.
Mu Chaobi shook his head, "What a bear!"
The atmosphere suddenly relaxed inexplicably, which made Zhang Shou feel a little puzzled, but also felt it was natural.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "Since the matter of inheriting the title has been said for three to five days, then let's do it. During this period, I hope that Kunming City can be quiet."
Mu Chaobi nodded, "Kunming is a good place."
Jiang Qingzhi asked, "Old Hu, let's go back together?"
Hu Xiong stood up and said to Mu Chaobi with a chuckle, "Thank you for your hospitality today, Governor Mu. I will repay you handsomely in the future."
The eunuchs were even more vindictive. If Hu Xiong had not died and could have returned to the capital safely, Mu Chaobi would have had one more mortal enemy.
"No problem." Mu Chaobi was too lazy to play along with him.
Jiang Qingzhi walked out of the lobby, and Zhang Shou and others hurriedly followed.
In the yard, dozens of soldiers were looking at them coldly.
Jiang Qingzhi walked down the steps and asked, "Are these the elite troops from Yunnan?"
Zhang Qian, who escorted him out, said, "He is just an ordinary soldier."
"Really?" Jiang Qingzhi smiled, "Do you want to compete with the soldiers accompanying Benbo?"
Zhang Qian said, "Chang Wei Bo is joking. How dare they do that?"
Walking out of the Duke's Mansion, Jiang Qingzhi saw an old man standing outside the gate, his eyes as calm as a deep pool.
"Sheng Yi Gong!"
Zhang Qian bowed and saluted the old man respectfully.
Shengyougong?
A name popped up in Jiang Qingzhi's mind. "Yang Shen!"
The old man nodded, "It's me, you are..."
Is he Yang Shen?
The old man in front of me is dressed in cloth and has gray hair. He seems calm, but I can vaguely feel the depressed spirit and even see a touch of pride.
"My name is Jiang Qingzhi." Jiang Qingzhi bowed and saluted this talented person who was both praised and criticized.
In terms of talent, Yang Shen was the best in the Jiajing Dynasty. If he hadn't had a father who was the Prime Minister, Jiang Qingzhi would have bet that this man would have gone down in history, and Xu Jie might not have had a role in the cabinet at this moment.
"Chang Wei Bo?" Yang Shen narrowed his eyes, "I once heard in Yunnan that there was a young talent in the capital, and I admired several of his poems.
What’s even more interesting is that after hearing that Chang Wei Bo had defeated Altan’s cavalry several times, I immediately drank heavily after hearing the good news. I got drunk that night and was inspired to write a few poems…”
Jiang Qingzhi said: "I am also very pleased to hear that Mr. Sheng Yi is traveling freely in Yunnan and Shu."
——I’m not here to punish you, don’t worry!
The Taoist hated Yang Tinghe and his son deeply. Whenever he inquired about Yang Shen's current situation, the Jinyiwei would usually report that Yang Shen was old and miserable. The Taoist would then eat an extra cake that day.
According to the Ming Dynasty law, people like Yang Shen who were demoted to the Yongchang garrison could be redeemed when they turned sixty, but no one dared to go through the redemption procedures for Yang Shen.
Someone once pleaded for Yang Shen, but the Taoist priest flew into a rage and ordered the man to be punished with sixty lashes, dismissed from office and expelled from the capital.
The Taoist protects his own people, but he seeks revenge on his enemies from morning to night.
Yang Shen looked at him curiously, "I am a little curious, why is the leader of the Mohist school not wearing coarse cloth clothes and straw sandals? Instead, he is wearing a green shirt, looking like a Confucian disciple."
"Clothes have no name." Jiang Qingzhi said lightly.
"That's a very good point." Yang Shen said with great interest, "Does Lord Changwei fear me?"
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head, and Yang Shen said, "In that case, may I see you later?"
Why does this guy want to see me?
Jiang Qingzhi was startled, but still nodded.
Yang Shen was immediately welcomed into the Duke's Mansion.
A celebrity is a celebrity. Even if he is down and out now, he is still treated as a guest of honor by Mu Chaobi.
Jiang Qingzhi returned to the base, and Hu Xiong followed closely, wishing he could stay with Jiang Qingzhi all the time from now on.
"We said some harsh words today, and Mu Chaobi wants to kill us." Hu Xiong begged Jiang Qingzhi to take him in with a bitter face.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "You have your own advantages in being next door, and if it doesn't work, you can just come through that hole."
After persuading Hu Xiong to leave, Xu Wei said, "He made these harsh words on purpose. This is a desperate move. Once we suppress Mu Chaobi, he can also share some of the credit. I didn't expect that there would be such a ruthless person among the eunuchs, who is even more ruthless to himself than to his enemies."
"The eunuchs have no one to rely on, and those who are not ruthless have long been forgotten by the crowd." Jiang Qingzhi narrowed his eyes and pondered, "It is rumored outside that Tusi Yang Qi led his army to come, but Mu Chaobi did not move his troops..."
"Yang Qi is Mu Chaobi's man." Xu Wei sneered, "This is the thief crying thief. Yang Qi's coming here is an open conspiracy. We can't do anything about it. We can only hope that Mu Chaobi can stop him. For this reason, the succession to the title must be done as soon as possible..."
"After inheriting the title, Mu Chaobi turned his back on me and allowed Yang Qi to harass me." Ma Fang came to hand in his homework today and couldn't help but say, "Teacher, if Mu Chaobi and Yang Qi work together, our army will be in danger."
"I know." Jiang Qingzhi nodded. "As the saying goes, you can't get a tiger cub without risking it. This is what I'm looking forward to."
Today he suddenly came back to life, and Mu Chaobi must be in a state of panic...
"In the next two days." Xu Wei said softly, "There will be a storm in Kunming City!"
"Master, Yang Shen wants to see you."
Yang Shen was still dressed in plain clothes, and saluted casually, "Greetings, Chief Wilbur."
"Drink something?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Yang Shen smiled and said, "But is it the fine wine of the capital?"
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "I was going to drink it last, but it's better to drink it earlier today."
The two sat down opposite each other, and the cook quickly brought out a few side dishes, including bacon and mushrooms.
"You dare to eat it, Long Wilbur?" Yang Shen ate the mushrooms nonchalantly.
"I'm just trying to eat puffer fish." Jiang Qingzhi ate a piece of mushroom and praised, "It's delicious."
After three rounds of drinking, Yang Shen put down his glass and said, "I have been away from the capital for a long time. During this period, I encountered amnesty three times, but I was not pardoned each time. I can be redeemed at the age of sixty, but no one dares to accept my request. What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
This man, who was famous all over the world at that time, looked down at the young emperor who had just ascended the throne with disdain in his mind.
But today he asked Jiang Qingzhi in a roundabout way when he could regain his freedom.
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head, "This is a taboo."
"Your Majesty, do you still hate my father and me? Yes, my father and I led the ministers to force your Majesty to bow down. The two sides fought for several years, and the monarch and his ministers have been alienated ever since."
Yang Shen drank a glass of wine, his expression still calm, "I just entered the city and heard about the situation between Chang Wei Bo and Governor Mu. Is it possible that the situation has been eased?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at him in silence.
Yang Shen sighed, "When I saw Mu Chaobi earlier, I sensed that his aura was fierce... What's the reason for this?"
Could it be that Yang Shen was a lobbyist sent by Mu Chaobi? Jiang Qingzhi's heart was slightly moved, "Then what does Sheng Yu think Mu Chaobi wants to do?"
Yang Shen filled his glass with wine, raised his head and drank it all, sighing: "Right and wrong, success and failure are all in vain, the green mountains are still there, and the sunset is red again..."
What the hell!
Isn’t this Yang Shen’s Linjiangxian?
Jiang Qingzhi suddenly felt like he was witnessing history.
"Mu Chaobi met me and exchanged pleasantries. Then someone came to report something. I knew without asking that it was about my previous conversation with Chang Weibo outside the Duke's Mansion. Then Mu Chaobi said that he was going to hold a literary gathering and asked me to preside over it... This meant that he wanted me to clear his name."
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "Sheng Yigong, please continue."
"I know his personality. He is the one who doesn't care about his reputation. Since he can inherit the title, why does he still do this?" Yang Shen raised his eyes, "There is only one possibility!"
Jiang Qingzhi played with the wine glass, smiling without saying a word.
"Mu Chaobi is going to kill you!"
(End of this chapter)
