A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 180 Afraid, Afraid
"Of course the eunuch doesn't have to believe it. I just hope that when the eunuch is in trouble, he can remember what I said today." Yan Jingxiu had returned to his previous expression.He took a sip of tea and said calmly.

After Wang Zhi listened, his laughter became even louder:
"If there really is a ghost or a god, just let him punish me over there. I, Wang, have never believed in these illusory things since the beginning of Duanteng Gorge!"

"Mr. Yan Ge, I didn't expect that your dignified chief minister would blindly believe in these things, which makes me laugh!"

After he finished speaking, he left with a big smile. At this time, the admiral of the West Factory was really disdainful of the chief minister of the cabinet.

Yan Jingxiu was also a capable minister a few years ago, and he was very wary of him. He didn't expect that he would be so old and dim now!

Belief in the theory of gods and ghosts... is simply ridiculous!If such a person is allowed to rule the Ming Dynasty, something will happen sooner or later.

In this case, let me replace this old guy!

Wang walked straight, a smile gradually forming on his lips.

At this time, he was only 19 years old, and he was at the height of his success.

As for what Yan Jingxiu said, he had forgotten everything.

Back at home, he handled the affairs of the West Factory as usual, then went to bed and slept.

In the first half of the night, everything was quiet.

When the morning light appeared on the horizon, a tragic scream suddenly shook the entire mansion, even drowning out the crowing of the morning rooster.

Wang Zhi suddenly sat up from the bed. His clothes were completely soaked with sweat, and even a human-shaped water stain appeared on the bed beneath him.

"I'm not dead, I'm not dead..." he kept repeating, his eyes full of fear.

He caressed his body with both hands. After a long time, the real touch finally calmed him down.

He could not forget what he had experienced in his dream. It was the ultimate horror, a horrific torture that did not belong to the human world.

The eighteenth floor of the underworld?He experienced it over and over again, including the torture he had inflicted on prisoners.

At this time, how could Wang Zhi still be as arrogant as he was during the day?
"How could it be possible, how could it be..." He murmured in a low voice. Although he refused to believe that ghosts and gods really existed, what happened in the dream made him have to think about it.

During the day, Yan Jingxiu had just said that, and at night, he had a nightmare.

As the chief assistant said, since you can interfere with your dreams, then take away your soul...

Wang shuddered.

"Sir, are you okay?" At this time, the servants finally arrived and they called outside.

"It's okay." Wang Zhi's voice was trembling.

After a while, another voice came:
"grown ups……"

Wang Zhi recognized that it was his deputy and asked impatiently:
"what's up?"

"Last night, more than 20 of our people disappeared inexplicably. They were found in several small alleys this morning. They were all dead..."

Wang Zhi's eyes suddenly condensed!
If someone had dared to touch Xichang in the past, he would have already mobilized his subordinates to take revenge.

But now, this time is really a coincidence, but it makes him dare not act rashly at all. He even begins to worry whether this is a warning from God!
"Dispose of the body. For now... don't worry about it!"

After saying that, he took a shower and changed clothes, then ordered people to bring generous sacrifices and rushed to the Ancestral Hall of Prince Jingping in the city.

In front of the statue, he knelt down and prayed devoutly, asking ghosts and gods to forgive his sins.

This person who originally did not believe in gods and Buddhas was kneeling in front of Yan Ling's statue and praying with reverence.

Wang Zhi was scared. He had managed to climb up to this day. He didn't want to lose his life inexplicably because he offended the ghosts and gods.He didn't notice that in the teahouse not far from him, an old man and a young man were watching his various performances.

A smile flashed across the young man's face, while the old man breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Zu, thank you very much."

"No, it's just a piece of cake. You were right to find me. Don't rush when dealing with the powerful officials who are trusted by the emperor. They look young and have little foundation, but in fact the emperor's favor is their biggest support. As long as he If you don't fall out of favor for a day, whoever goes up will be unlucky."

"It's much better for me to take action than for you to fight with your ministers."

"It just so happens that I have to let my subordinates who have been raising me for so long try their skills... Now it seems that the results are not bad.

Not long after, the ministers were also surprised to find that Xichang, who was usually arrogant and domineering, had inexplicably kept a low profile.

All the people who were arrested before were released. After that, although the Xichang fanzi still appeared in the streets and alleys, it was visible to the naked eye that they had restrained themselves a lot.

"Sir, you really convinced Wang Zhi!" Someone said to Yan Jingxiu, his eyes full of surprise and admiration.

In response to his words, Yan Jingxiu just smiled slightly and did not answer.

It’s all the work of our ancestors.He said secretly in his heart.

However, although Wang Zhi was frightened by Yan Ling's ability to enter dreams, he was still a prominent figure of his generation and quite capable, so naturally he would not be content with being lonely.

He recalled that Yan Jingxiu had warned him because he had arrested many ministers, including even second-rank officials, without any real evidence and relying only on hearsay.

He simply targeted those corrupt people in the capital, and if their rank was too high, he would report it directly to the emperor and arrest them after getting permission.

This was very effective. It not only allowed Zhu Jianshen to see his ability, but also did not cause the backlash of the officials, which was beneficial to Ming Dynasty.

Of course, some people were dissatisfied and asked Yan Jingxiu to talk to Wang Zhi again. However, whenever he encountered such words, Yan Jingxiu immediately asked with a faint smile:

"Wang Zhi is now catching worms that harm the country and the people. What, have you done anything that violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty?"

When these words came out, the ministers were immediately frightened to the point of peeing, and they retreated in dismay.

And Zhu Jianshen's goal was achieved. The presence of Xichang was also a deterrent, so that the ministers did not dare to be too arrogant. After all, they did not know what Yan Jingxiu said to Wang Zhi, and they were afraid that Wang Zhi would hit them again.

The court entered a strange state of calm and balance.

But at this moment, Chen Guogong's mansion suddenly hung up a white silk ribbon, and the people in the mansion wore sackcloth and mourning.

Chen Guogong Yan Yundeng passed away.

He may be the earliest generation of Chen Guogong to die, and he was only 37 years old when he died.

Soon after, his eldest son Yan Yuan succeeded him as the fourth generation Chen Guogong.

Yan Yundeng's death did not cause even the slightest disturbance in the court, and he did not receive a posthumous title.

According to the posthumous law of the Ming Dynasty, posthumous titles were generally given to those with grades above three grades, and among them, only those with meritorious deeds could receive posthumous titles.Although there are nominally good and bad posthumous titles, ministers in the Ming Dynasty basically did not receive bad posthumous titles, and they generally did not receive posthumous titles at all.

Yan Yundeng can be regarded as taking advantage of this, otherwise based on what he did, even though he turned into a little transparent in the later period, he could not escape the evil posthumous title due to the atrocities he committed in the early stage.

Perhaps his only contribution to the Yan family was that he left four legitimate sons and eleven concubines, and the Chen Guogong lineage expanded directly in his generation.

Although this generation of Chen Guogong has been identified as Yan Yuan, other descendants are also useful. There are some properties of the Duke's mansion in Beijing, which can be handed over to them. It is more secure for my family to use them.

Moreover, there are more choices.

(End of this chapter)