The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 454

"Lord Zhou truly deserves to be called a pillar of our Great Ming Dynasty. I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

As Yang Yiqing said this, her eyes unconsciously became a little moist.

He recalled his youth, when he was full of passion and devoted himself to serving the country and its people. However, as he rose and fell in the officialdom, Yang Yiqing gradually lost his original aspirations.

Zhou Chu's words now made him feel as if he had just woken up from a dream.

Yang Yiqing couldn't help but feel moved, unsure whether it was for Zhou Chu or for his younger self.

"Lord Zhou needs to be wary of the civil and military officials in the court. Today, they impeached you at the court meeting, which was probably at the behest of Mao Ji or Xia Yan. The factions in the court are repeatedly suppressed but still cannot be stopped. To put it bluntly, these officials all want to find a powerful tree to climb on."

"Those who are curried into power often find themselves unable to act independently. This was the case with Yang Tinghe before, and for a time I was the same. These people cannot be completely eradicated. Back in the Hongwu era, the Taizu Emperor killed tens of thousands of people, but later generations did not feel much fear. Once they enter officialdom, many people change and will stop at nothing to gain power."

Yang Yiqing sighed.

Zhou Chu nodded without refuting.

"This problem has existed since ancient times. The powerful clans that emerged during the Han Dynasty reached their peak during the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties. By the Tang Dynasty, the powerful clans were weakened and even gradually eliminated. The powerful clans disappeared, but there was still a class in between, separating the emperor from the common people, seizing the fortune of each dynasty."

Zhou Chu looked at the teacup in his hand and, unusually, raised this question.

"I know I may be overestimating myself. It's like an ant trying to shake a tree. But I'm not satisfied if I don't try. I don't know how far I can go. Maybe after I die, I will be completely accounted for and everything I have done will be erased. But I don't care."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he downed the tea in his hand in one gulp.

Yang Yiqing was deeply moved by these words.

"Back then, Wang Anshi also tried to promote reforms, but after his death, all the achievements of the reforms were overturned, and those people launched an even stronger counterattack. I don't know how far you can go, but I am willing to risk my life to accompany you and go through all this trouble."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu smiled and looked at Yang Yiqing with a teasing expression.

"Is the Grand Secretary worried that he might be brought down by Mao Weizhi and lose his reputation in his later years?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing showed no embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed; instead, he acted as if it were perfectly natural.

"That's natural. I'm already this old, so naturally I want to retire with dignity. I can voluntarily give up the position of Grand Secretary, but Mao Weizhi can't try to snatch it. If he dares to reach out, he should be prepared to be chopped off."

When Yang Yiqing said this, his face was full of inscrutable meaning. At this moment, Zhou Chu finally understood why Yang Yiqing was able to sit in the position of Grand Secretary.

Those who could stand firm in this treacherous court were all ruthless individuals, including Yang Shen.

Yang Shen was pure enough to stand only on the side of the Ming Dynasty and the people, and he was so pure that he could disregard his personal feelings. Just the fact that he helped Jiajing and Zhou Chu overthrow his father Yang Tinghe is something that few people could do.

The key point is that Yang Shen had no ulterior motives at the time, which is the most ruthless thing. If Yang Shen had done all this for the sake of promotion and wealth, he would not be in his current position, and he would be despised by everyone.

Yang Shen was so upright that it was almost sinister. Everyone could see that he did not bring down Yang Tinghe for his own benefit. If it were truly for personal gain, Yang Shen would have already formed cliques and engaged in corrupt practices like Yang Tinghe. But Yang Shen was the official in the entire court who had the fewest interactions with other officials.

He was a truly loyal and devoted minister.

Such a person, coupled with his status as a literary giant, naturally made other officials in the court feel inferior when facing Yang Shen. Even those who did not get along with Yang Shen still admired him.

Of course, while they may admire them, these people won't hold back when it comes to attacking them. That's partisan strife—it's either you or me.

"With the Prime Minister's words, I feel much more at ease."

Zhou Chu said.

Zhou Chu did not have high expectations for either Xie Qian or Yang Yiqing. It was not that Zhou Chu doubted their intentions, but one of them was nearly seventy years old and the other was over seventy. How many more years could these two cause trouble?

After all, not every Grand Secretary can serve until their eighties like Yan Song.

The two of them might be able to help Zhou Chu for a while, but there's still a long road ahead for Zhou Chu to walk on his own. The road ahead is long, so long that he may not see the end, so long that he may end up all alone.

Zhou Chu wasn't even sure how many of the people around him, including his students and Hu Zongxian, would stay with him. Perhaps as time went on, they would stop agreeing with or understanding everything he did.

Zhou Chu had already prepared himself mentally for all of this.

"There is only so much I can do, but if I can help His Majesty and Lord Zhou, then I can say that I have done my part for the Ming Dynasty."

After saying this, Yang Yiqing got up and took his leave.

Chen Tong silently memorized every word of their conversation.

"Chen Tong, how long have you been following me?"

After Yang Yiqing left, Zhou Chu looked at Chen Tong and asked.

"In reply to you, sir, I have been serving you for over a year."

Chen Tong lowered his head and said meekly.

"Time flies so fast."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he took out several silver notes and handed them to the maid beside him.

"You've all been wronged by following me. Here's some money for you to divide among yourselves."

The maid took the silver note and handed it to Chen Tong, who accepted it respectfully.

"Thank you for your reward, sir."

Chen Tong stared at the silver note in his hand, his eyes immediately glued to it.

Chen Tong was extremely grateful that he was the first to greet Lord Zhou when he was at the Imperial Horse Stables. Otherwise, he might not have this job today. This job was incredibly easy, unlike his previous job at the Imperial Horse Stables, where he had to scheme against other eunuchs and deal with a lot of trouble.

The key is that Lord Zhou is truly generous, rewarding them with money and valuables every now and then; such a job is hard to find even with a lantern.

"Go down."

Zhou Chu waved his hand and said.

Zhou Chu rewarded Chen Tong with silver, not expecting Chen Tong to speak well of him; Zhou Chu only needed Chen Tong to tell the emperor the truth.

Zhou Chu naturally wouldn't skimp on benefits for Chen Tong and the other eunuchs.

As the saying goes, it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings. If Chen Tong was unhappy, he didn't need to distort the facts. He only needed to slightly change the meaning of his words when reporting to the emperor, and the emperor would hear a completely different interpretation.

Therefore, it is still very necessary to take good care of Chen Tong and his ilk.