The first auxiliary of Wenyuan Pavilion is the most magnificent of the seven Zhilu. In the middle of the compound is a bluestone road leading directly to the main house. Except for a large copper water tank for fire prevention on the side of the road, there is not a single tree planted in the courtyard, only some flowers and plants dotted in between.

It's already a long day in April, and it's early in the morning, and the sun is shining all over the yard as soon as the sun comes out. On the circle chair under the stone steps of the hall, the cabinet chief assistant in a loose colored robe sat silently, casually reading the scroll in his hand. The morning sun shone on his emaciated face, making Shousuke-sama, who had suffered from copywriting in recent years, feel a little relaxed.

Today is the day when the court officials are resting, this empire and its surroundings will not cause trouble because of the court holidays, as the ruler of this empire, where is there any holiday. Especially after the Li Chengliang incident two years ago, Shen Mo couldn't help but tense his nerves all the time, even if he slept with one eye open, lest he would poke out some basket in the two capitals and thirteen provinces, and he would be caught off guard.

However, day and night, all kinds of incidents still popped up from time to time, so he had to brace himself to deal with it. Day after day, year after year, Shousuke-sama has been tortured to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. Especially after entering the eighth year of Wanli, his whole person is in a state of anxiety In the eyes of ordinary people, Lord Shoufu has nothing to worry about, although the country has suffered many disasters, but the wind and rain have been smooth for six or seven consecutive years, in order to avoid hurting the peasants, the imperial court has purchased a large amount of grain, and all the granaries in the world are full of bells, enough to consume normally for twenty years. Even if you open a position for disaster relief, it will not be a problem to persist for ten or eight years.

The common people can eat, and naturally no one rebels. Guangxi and Annan in the southwest, although there are toasts from time to time to make wind and rain, but under the strong guard of Wu Baipeng and Yu Dayou, they are also in a safe and sound situation. In Liaodong, after the Changdingbao incident, Li Chengliang did not dare to do anything wrong, and wanted to earn back his title as soon as possible, so the Tuman and Duoyan tribes were attacked and had been driven to the Sanjiang Plain by him.

There is nothing to do in all directions, and in the DPRK, his political friends and cronies occupy an absolute advantage, although there are also some disagreeable political opinions, and the reason why Shen Mo keeps them is because he is well versed in the fact that things are bound to turn against him, and sometimes it is more appropriate to leave some enemies than to kill them all. But these people are alone, and they are not enough to be troubled.

So in the eyes of many people, he should be the most blessed person in the world.

Those who know me say that I am worried, and those who don't know me say that I am sad and silent, far from being as clear as people imagine, but always in a state of gloom, especially after entering the eighth year of Wanli, he has to use a lot of perseverance to overcome the impatience and frustration that gushes out of the bottom of his heart and waits for half a life, and finally looks forward to the golden opportunity to appear, but can not go all out to attack the feeling, it is really bad. So much so that he gradually lost confidence in the path he adhered to... In the past year, he has often asked himself if he had made the wrong choice.

Why can't the nation take off after operating for half a lifetime? On the contrary, they are mired in internal struggles and cannot extricate themselves, slipping farther and farther into the abyss of defeat?

Although Emperor Wanli seems to have retreated and compromised after repeated failures, he knows very well that behind this compromise is an unresolved grievance, and sooner or later there will be an outbreak of the situation little by little, out of the original conjecture, he is no longer the person who hides behind the structure, but is deeply trapped in it, and has become a pawn at the forefront of persistence.

The cold reality tells Shen Mo that no emperor will abandon his sole power, and the premise of their surrender of government affairs is that their authority is not threatened! The final showdown is certain, but what makes Shen Mo feel desolate is that he has been operating in secret for half his life, and the accumulated power is enough to control this huge empire, but he cannot help himself win this duel with the emperor. Even if this emperor is young, weak, ridiculous and unwise, he still has no chance of winning.

There is only one reason, because the identity of the other party is the emperor, and he is the person who stands at the pole of this ordinary society, and he is the heaven of this world! And no matter how hard you try, it's just a dark cloud, although you can cover the sky for a while, but there will always be clouds and sunrise.

It was an infinite rendezvous boxing match that ended with his own knockout, and although he was only forty-four years old, he had been in the first assistant position for eight years. Although he tries his best to avoid making enemies, sitting in this position, the Buddha-figure is a sin, and he is born with an infinite number of vetoers. The eight-year first assistant is already the longest record after Yan Song, and if you want to work for another eight years, you have to stink like Yan Song. At that time, the twenty-six-year-old Wanli Emperor can raise his arms in the posture of a mature king, and naturally there are people who veto him to jump out and fight with him, and sooner or later there will be a day when he will be knocked down......

One by one, one Confused, he felt that someone had covered himself with a blanket, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his son, bending down to pick up the book that had been lost on the ground.

"I fell asleep in the morning." Shen Mo sighed softly.

"Daddy, you're so tired." Yongqing patted the book clean, and saw that his father had no intention of taking it, so he had to take it in his hand and stand on the side.

"It's not going to go away today." Shen Mo smiled and said: "If you don't take advantage of Xiu Mu to accompany your wife, my daughter-in-law will scold my husband for owing Heng favors." ”

Yongqing smiled shyly and said, "She's not so ignorant. ”

"Sit down."

Yongqing moved a hammer and sat down beside him, silently looking at this cool Xiao Xiao's face when he was young, he couldn't help but feel relieved in his heart, he said a little apologetically: "Oak for the emperor's list, do you still blame your father?" ”

Hearing his father mention this stubble, Yongqing was deeply affectionate, but then smiled and said, "Daddy, you are too worried, how can the child be so ignorant?" I know you're doing it for my good. ”

"It's a clever child," said silently with a relieved head: "How can there be parents in the world who are not good for their children?" And what father is unwilling to let his son become the champion? What's more, it can also score a good story of "father and son". After a pause, he said: "The reason why I fell from the first to the second twenty is actually because of my father." Whoever makes his father the first assistant and the senior brother is the main examiner, if he gets another champion, it will be harmful to the future. ”

Yongqing nodded his head, implying his agreement with his father's words: "In fact, there is no difference in quality between the second and second twenty and the first first, and the child knows this." "Actually, the knowledge is good, I have read a few copies of this batch of papers, which is enough to rank among the top three." Shen Mo looked at him and said, "Don't you really feel wronged? ”

"I'm really not wronged." Seeing that his father still treated himself as a child, Yongqing was a little embarrassed, and quickly changed the topic and said, "What does my father think of Zuo Chuan?" ”

"Left pass, through the past and the present." Shen Mo said lightly: "I have been reading this book for twenty years, and now I can be considered to have an understanding. ”

"Oh" Hearing that his father gave such a high evaluation of this book, Yongqing opened the letter, and turned to the page that he had just read silently, only to see that it was the "Xianggong Chapter" and handed it to his father.

Shen Mo looked up at his son: "I don't read it, read it to me, just read it" The last six sentences of the night bandit solution, the matter alone. ”

Yongqing is gifted and intelligent, and has obtained an education many times better than his father, although he is weak in age, the name of Erudite and strong memory is spread in the capital, where do you still hold a book. What's more, the father and son were single-minded, and immediately understood the deep meaning of the father's desire to recite these six sentences by himself, and the depression caused by the "demotion of the imperial examination" in the past few days immediately became sour, so he lowered his eyelids and read softly: "The poem said: "The night is solved, and the matter is not as good as playing chess, so why don't you care?" The player is indecisive and unbearable. And the situation is determined? It will inevitably happen. The Qing clan of the ninth generation was wiped out in one fell swoop. Woeful ........."

Yongqing's voice became more and more, and the air in the courtyard was completely stagnant.

"Do you know why you read this paragraph?" Silence broke the silence and asked.

Yongqing felt a little realized in his heart, and said softly: "Daddy, what's the matter with the move?" ”

Shen Mo did not answer, but said quietly: "Yesterday, the emperor was in the palace, and listened to the Huayue Cihuan Ji performed by the internal opera troupe, which contained a sentence "The government is by the Ning family, and the sacrifice is widowed" After hearing this sentence, the emperor got up and left, and changed back into a dragon robe......

Yongqing raised his head in astonishment when he heard this, and looked at his father: "Father knows everything in the palace?" ”

"The emperor hates his father to the bones, do I dare not know about the affairs in the palace? If a tiger eats someone, he can still take a nap, does Dad dare to take a nap? The silent and clear face was full of grandeur, and the murderous intent flashed.

Although Yongqing is young and old, he heard this kind of "Ninth Qing clan, and it was wiped out in one fell swoop." was still shocked like a child, moved the pestle to his father, and asked in a trembling voice: "Dad, will you tear your face with the emperor?" ”

"I answered the question just now, and I basically answered it correctly." Shen said slowly.

Yongqing and Wanli grew up with a bare buttocks, but he still refused to see the day his father broke up with the emperor. Hearing Shen Mo's hesitation, he couldn't help but ask with a hope of one in ten thousand: "Dad, can't you reconcile?" ”

"Reconciliation? According to my long-term grip on the big handle, the way of heaven is jealous, and I must retire to the Ming Chen Festival. ”

He smiled silently and said: "Child, my father has done a lot of things that are confusing in the past eight years, but in fact, there is only one purpose, that is, to cup the imperial power!" Now that we are shaking hands and making peace, what will happen to the more than 10,000 extra officials in the past eight years? What should we do with the new institutions that have been expanded in the past eight years? What about the Manchu officials I promoted? What about financial reform? Where will the governor of the opening of the government go? There are also sailors in Nanyang, Li Chengliang outside the Guan, Mao Haifeng in Japan, and the ancient volunteers who are preparing for an expedition", after a series of questions and answers, Shen Mo sighed for a long time: "This Ming Dynasty can't go back to the front, how can I withdraw halfway and let these people and things be abolished?" The Ming Dynasty can't afford to toss like this......"

"Daddy, why are you doing this with me today?" Yongqing said softly.

"At the beginning, I stayed in the capital, but when I saw the big changes coming, I couldn't let the door go in the dark." He smiled silently and said, "If Daddy encounters any accidents, he will have to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the two mothers." ”

"Daddy, are you really going to clean it up?" Yongqing's face turned pale and said: "I can't retreat and I can't retreat, will my father have any hope of winning?" ”

After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "Who do you hope will win?" ”

"Daddy, of course." Yongqing said without hesitation: "I am your son." ”

"..."Silent smiled with relief. But in the end, he didn't tell his son if he had any hope of winning.

The time spent with father and son was short-lived, and was soon interrupted by a knock on the door.

Yongqing asked in a low voice, and the guard replied, it was Tang Ge Lao.

Yongqing got up and opened the door, and Tang Ruji, a bachelor who shared Rong Zheng, held a report in his hand, and said to Shen Mo as he walked in: "Yuanfu, Nanyang Emergency!" ”

"What's the situation?" Silently stood up in his chair.

"Spain has really swallowed up Franco!" Tang Ruji said excitedly: "The Governor of Malacca implores me to attach to our country!" ”

"Great!" Silent and excited hands hit each other and said, "Live up to my ten-year plan!" ”

"Motosuke is really a clever calculation!" Tang Ruji said with great admiration: "I can even count the princes of Europa thousands of miles away as a score!" ”

"Where, where" Shen Mo's old face turned red, and he quickly changed the topic and said: "Immediately order the Nanyang Navy Division to move to Malacca, and from then on it will be their base!" ”

In the sixth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, in 1578, the young Francois King Sebastian lost his arm to dissuade him and went on an expedition across the ocean, and finally the whole army was annihilated, and the king himself died in Morocco in North Africa. Because the young king had no heirs, his uncle Cardinal Enrique inherited the throne.

But because of his religious identity and the fact that he also has no sons, he still has to choose an heir for the empire. Among the few who had the right to inherit at that time was King Philip II of Spain, who was the grandson of the previous king Francis.

However, the nobility of the Franco-Rangian country was generally worried that it would be annexed by the powerful Spain, so they excluded Philip II from the list of candidates. But the rest of the heirs had their own shortcomings, and no one was able to convince the public, and the most prestigious of them, Antonio, because of his status as a son, was ostracized by Enrique, who maintained orthodoxy, and exiled him abroad. Two years later, in the midst of a quarrel, Enrique died, leaving no mention in his will as to succeed the throne, appointing a five-man coalition government to temporarily take over the duties of the king until a new king was elected.

After Enrique's death, Antonio, who had been expelled, returned to the country, was proclaimed King of Portugal by his ardent supporters, and began his march to Lisbon. The old man of the capital opened the city gate and warmly welcomed him. Seeing this, the five consuls fled to Spain by ship and signed a document declaring Philip II the rightful king of Francis and Antonio and his followers traitors! A large number of elite Spanish troops that had long been assembled on the border between the two countries heard the wind and fought all the way to the city of Lisbon.

Franco's national strength was already weak, and the well-trained elite divisions in the country were buried in North Africa by Sebasti, and although they tried their best to resist, they were still defeated in front of Europe's first military power. Seeing that there was no hope of continuing the war on his home turf, Antonio fled to the Azores: the Spaniards had the best naval strength in the world at that time, and the burning star that he had managed to accumulate was quickly trampled by the enemy. Antonio fled to England alone.

In the eighth year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, in 1580, Philip II entered Lisbon, officially served as the king of Portugal, and sent a message to the overseas colonies, asking him to accept his rule