The reason given by the officials was that Chen Kepeng, as the No. 3 person in the new military camp, not only had a loss of personal morality, he had been in the gambling house for a long time, and he owed a high amount of gambling debts and did not pay them, but he also used his private weapons for public use, instructing his soldiers to beat up those who came to collect debts normally.

And Zhong Nan, the supreme commander of the new military camp, failed to detect Chen Kepeng's bad behavior, which was a dereliction of duty; The large-scale fire merger between the new military camp and the Shenji battalion has brought a great negative impact on the security of the Beijing division and the people's morale, and Zhong Nan is even more responsible.

In the face of the attacks of the officials, Zhong Nan was unmoved; In the same way, when the emperor saw those folds, he did not show the slightest dissatisfaction, and left them all in.

Although Zhong Nam is very calm, Cui Dazheng and Chen Kepeng are guilty. After hearing about the impeachment of Zhong Nan by the officials, the two immediately rushed to the Zhong Mansion.

"Second brother, I'm sorry, it's all my fault for this time, it's because I didn't hold back." After meeting, Cui Dazheng took the lead in taking the responsibility on himself.

"Lord Shangshu......"

As soon as Chen Kepeng spoke, he was interrupted by Zhong Nan.

"Why, you're not going to call me a brother anymore?"

"No, where do I have?" Chen Kepeng felt a little wronged, and even more confused.

"And what do you call me? Master Shangshu is called by someone else. As I said, no matter where I sit in the future, you are all my Zhong Nan's brothers. Zhong Nan Zhengse said.

"Got it, Shangshu...... Second brother! Chen Kepeng changed his words.

"In the future, when there are no outsiders, we still call each other brothers. Forget it this time, next time I will definitely punish you with a few more glasses of wine. Zhong Nan said with a smile.

"Second brother, I don't blame the third brother for this incident, I provoked it all, and the third brother just stood up for me." Chen Kepeng explained.

"Big brother, third brother, are you done?"

"Hmm." Cui Dazheng and Chen Kepeng were stunned for a moment, they didn't expect Zhong Nan to react like this at all, which was different from any kind of reaction they expected.

"What do you think is a problem?" After a moment, Zhong Nan asked rhetorically.

"Isn't that a big deal?" Cui Dazheng said anxiously, "The whole court is talking about this matter, and the people from the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the people from the Six Departments are all attacking you about this matter, and my eldest brother and I know about it." ”

"Yes, second brother. Don't pretend to be okay in front of us, I'll feel even more guilty in that way! Chen Kepeng blamed himself.

"I really don't think it's a problem." Zhong Nan walked to Cui and Chen's side, hugged one person with one hand, "Let me tell you, although there are so many excerpts from those officials, but the emperor ignores them all." ”

"That can't stop people from impeaching you every day!" Chen Kepeng was very worried.

"You're taking the problem too seriously!" Zhong Nan pressed the two of them on the seat, found a chair himself, and sat down loudly.

"The new military camp is the army under my direct management, and the three major battalions are also under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, so this incident, in the final analysis, is an internal matter of the Ministry of War. Since it is a matter of the Ministry of War, as the secretary of the Ministry of War, I can naturally handle it as appropriate. ”

"What's more, in my opinion, the new military camp and the Shenji camp are just a fight, and there is no fuss. Those people who are full of food and support have to say what kind of beating others is, and they don't need to pay too much attention to it. ”

Cui Dazheng and Chen Kepeng glanced at each other, with expressions of "this is okay" and "it's so simple" on their faces.

"You can rest assured, if I can't even solve this little thing, what kind of military secretary should I be!" Zhong Nan widened the hearts of the two.

"Second brother, I heard that this incident was deliberately caused by someone behind his back." Cui Dazheng reminded.

"Who did you listen to?" Zhong Nan asked quietly.

"I've heard about it too. They all said that it was Zhang Whale and Father-in-law Zhang who were making trouble, because that Yang Wanluo was Father-in-law Zhang's godson. It is said that he is also one of Grandpa Zhang's favorite godsons. Chen Kepeng added.

"Yes, Grandpa Zhang has more than ten godsons. However, Yang Wanluo is not the most favored, I have inquired. Zhong Nan said it lightly.

"Isn't Grandpa Zhang on good terms with you, how could he stab him in the back. It can't be someone talking nonsense, right? Cui Dazheng was still puzzled. Although he has been working hard in officialdom for several years, due to his nature, he still doesn't understand and be good at political struggles and other dramas.

"What's that! Eunuchs are not normal people, so natural thinking cannot be judged by ordinary people. What's more, the second brother has been in the limelight too much recently, and Father-in-law Zhang may not have the idea of taking the opportunity to suppress it. Chen Kepeng analyzed.

"Big brother, don't say what you said just now. The eunuchs have the heaviest sense of revenge, and if they are heard, they will definitely not be finished with you! ”

"Second brother, don't worry, I will say this in front of you."

"Second brother, can you get Grandpa Zhang?" Cui Dazheng is still not at ease.

"It's okay, I know how to solve it, so don't worry about it." Zhong Nan said with a smile.

"But...... But ......" Chen Kepeng wanted to say something, but Zhong Nan tried his best to stop him.

"Don't talk about that. Big brother, third brother, we haven't seen each other for a few days, don't go back to the barracks today, just stay in the house. In the evening, the three of us brothers, drink two glasses, say yes first, don't cheat! ”

"Whenever I cheat, it's all big brother. I never adulterate my drinks! Cui Dazheng argued.

"I'm not cheating!" Chen Kepeng was not convinced.

The three brothers hugged each other and frolicked for a while, and Cui Dazheng and Chen Kepeng forgot what they just said.

The next day, Cui Dazheng and Chen Kepeng slept until almost noon before getting up. Since Zhong Nan had already gone to work at the Yamen of the Ministry of War, the two had lunch and returned to the barracks.

After calming down, Chen Kepeng always felt that things were not as simple as Zhong Nan said. He is not like Cui Dazheng, who was easily fooled by Zhong Nan's words.

Chen Kepeng often deals with people of the lower ninth rank, has a wide range of knowledge, and has heard a lot of stories of various political struggles, so he understands the sinister truth of people's hearts.

Chen Kepeng thought about it and always felt that he should do something. It's just that he has a humble official position, and in addition to having a good relationship with Zhong Nan, he doesn't have any other connections, so he can't help.

What to do?

After careful consideration, Chen Kepeng felt that he should resign from the third-in-command position in the new military camp. There are several reasons for this:

The first is that this incident was caused by oneself. If there were no antecedents for his addiction to gambling and high gambling debts, there would be no Cui Dazheng who helped out and beat Yang Wanluo; There will also be no battle between the new military camp and the Shenji battalion; There will be no disputes in the court that are not favorable to Zhong Nan now.

In this case, only if he is punished, can he shut up those officials-Master Shangshu has "killed his relatives in righteousness", and they naturally have no truth.

The second reason is related to the new barracks.

Since the left hand is abolished, then you can't go to the battlefield after that. For the new military battalion, such Chen Kepeng is not suitable to continue to serve as the general of the battalion.

Although there is no explicit rule that generals must lead by example, in every battle that the new military camp participates in, both soldiers and generals advance and retreat together.

The third reason is related to Chen Kepeng himself.

Since he was a teenager, Chen Kepeng has joined the army, and after nearly 20 years of hard work, he is somewhat tired and wants to live an ordinary life. Before, he had never started a family, and one of the most important reasons was that he was worried that he would die on the battlefield and leave his wife and children to suffer. Rather than that, it's better to keep yourself alone.

Now, with such an opportunity, he can take the opportunity to retire from the army. If possible, find an ordinary girl who you deserve, start a family, and live an ordinary life, which feels good when you think about it.

Therefore, whether it is to block the mouths of the officials, or to give Grandpa Zhang a statement; Whether it was for the stability of the new military camp or for himself, leaving the army was the best choice.

When Chen Kepeng told Zhong Nan about this decision, Zhong Nan disagreed at first. However, after he finished saying the above reasons, Zhong Nan did not continue to stop him.

Yes, being a soldier and fighting a war is a high-risk job, and you may be "shrouded in horse leather" one day. Although it is the highest honor of a soldier, if he can live, who wants to be buried in the ground.

Since the eldest brother wants to live the life of an ordinary person, why don't he be an adult. Zhong Nan, who figured it out, agreed to Chen Kepeng's resignation on the spot.

"Big brother, it's actually okay to leave the army, but what are your plans next?"

"Let's rest for a while, just to recuperate. As for the future," Chen Kepeng narrowed his eyes and replied thoughtfully, "I may do some small business, what to do, and then we will talk about it!" ”

"Big brother, since you've already thought about it, I won't say more. No matter what you do in the future, I will support you; If you have any problems, just tell me. If you do business at that time and you don't have the capital, don't be embarrassed. Zhong Nan instructed.

"Don't worry, second brother, if you really want to do business, the eldest brother will definitely ask you to borrow some capital. As you know, all of my money was contributed to the gambling house, except for the usual expenses, and I didn't save any money at all. As Chen Kepeng spoke, he rubbed his hands together, looking a little embarrassed.

"Don't mention the past, let's have a good time in the future!" Zhong Nan encouraged.

"Hmm!"

In this way, Chen Kepeng took off his military uniform and became the most ordinary Ming citizen. Although Cui Dazheng is very sorry, like Zhong Nan, he supports his eldest brother's decision.

Although Chen Kepeng went through the formalities of being discharged from the army, in the eyes of those figures such as the imperial history, this was an act of "losing the car and protecting the handsome" made by Lord Shangshu in order to compromise. They felt that they were taken seriously, and coupled with Cao Weiying's interesting suppression, the officials died down.

Zhang Whale on the other side, after seeing Cao Weiying's actions, carefully weighed it and made a plan to calm things down.