In the 10th year of the Ming Dynasty, on the fifteenth day of the first month, Nanjing City, Xiangyin County Palace.

Outside the house, there was a snowy scene, which was very elegant, but inside the house was gloomy. This is a very spacious flower hall, with large glass windows that are clean and bright, just enough for people in the room to enjoy the white snow outside. There is also a floor dragon under the floor tiles of the flower hall, and the room is warm, and an exquisite wine banquet is being placed. This is the first time that Zuo Zongtang, the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, has invited guests to dinner since returning from a business trip in Shanxi, but the guests who were invited to come have sad faces and solemn expressions, which made the whole atmosphere look a little bleak, as if this group of people was about to lose their official positions and be exiled to the frontier. A month ago, these characters wearing Confucian clothes and their faces were full of characters who had lost their ideas, and when they stomped their feet, the entire Ying Tianfu had to tremble, and even now, they are still first-class high-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty. But they were swept away one by one and didn't know what to do.

As for the reason why they are so out of shape, it is not the "turmoil" that happened in the Imperial City Square just now. On the surface, the turmoil seemed to have subsided, with the Guards dispersed the brawl and arrested hundreds of people on the scene – they would have to spend the New Year in prison.

Subsequently, Ying Tianfu, who was in charge of public security in Nanjing, issued a fine of 100,000 silver dollars to each party on the grounds that the demonstration and assembly were out of control, and also demanded that the two parties publicly publish an apology in the major newspapers of the Ming Dynasty, and at the same time go to them to provide medical expenses and compensation to the people injured in the 1.20 incident and the shops that suffered property damage. In short, it's all a money-breaking thing. However, the licenses of both parties have not been revoked, and it seems that they can continue to open and operate.

And just one day before the New Year. Pan Zuyin, the prime minister of the Jishi Youth Party, personally climbed the bell tower of the Imperial City Square under martial law. Ring the bell to petition. He respectfully asked the emperor to approve the "Election Law" as much as possible, and Zhu Jishi gladly agreed, and approved the "Election Law" on the same day he received the petition, and also announced that the general elections of the three prefectures of Yingtian, Shanghai, Guangzhou and the two northwestern provinces of Borneo would be held in March of the 10th year of the liberation......

Luo Zenan, who presided over the cabinet after Zuo Zongtang left Beijing, was the most ugly face among all the guests, whether it was Shilin or Xianghu, they were now complaining about Luo Zenan. No matter how he looked at the turmoil, he behaved incorrectly, and he did not prevent the "Election Law" from being passed into the Constituent Assembly in the first place, let alone try to prevent the brawl between the Jishi Youth Party and the Donglin Party. As a result, the whole Shilin was disgraced.

Things have come to this point, Luo Zenan doesn't have the face to do anything anymore, and today he just took the opportunity to discuss this matter with other bigwigs in Xianghu.

"Resigned? Why did Brother Luo Shan say this? Zuo Zongtang listened to Luo Zenan's thoughts, but said with a smile, "Brother Luo Shan has no merit, what kind of person can he resign?" ”

Luo Zenan smiled bitterly: "Brother Ji Gao, don't be sarcastic about me, now the entire Jiangnan Shilin is complaining about me." To be honest, I blame myself...... I knew that this was the situation, and I should have resigned when the emperor proposed the "Election Law". ”

"At that time, it would be even more wrong!" Zuo Zongtang is still breezy and calm. He looked at Luo Zenan and said, "Brother Luo Shan." Do you think that by resigning as prime minister, you will be able to prevent the emperor from promulgating the "Election Law"? I am a country of absolute monarchy, not a constitutional monarchy like England, and the emperor does not need the support of the Constituent Assembly to enact laws on his own. ”

Luo Zenan was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully, the "King James Ming Constitution" did say that the power of the Ming Emperor was far greater than that of previous dynasties! Not only could the prime minister check it, but even the Constituent Assembly couldn't check the emperor.

Zuo Zongtang gently turned his wine glass and considered the words, "Actually, in my opinion, there is nothing bad about making trouble. We, Shilin, also showed our strength to the emperor. ”

Hearing this, all the Xianghu bigwigs shook their heads, and Chang Dachun sighed even more: "What power? The power to be beaten? ”

Zuo Zongtang smiled and nodded, "Being beaten is also a kind of strength!" To be honest, this time Jiangnan Shilin's table xiàn did not disappoint me! At the critical moment, tens of thousands of enthusiastic scholars still stood up to defend the road, showing the emperor and the world the determination of our Shilin struggle! Therefore, this beating is definitely not in vain! He accentuated his tone, "Do you know what I was most worried about when I was in Shanxi?" I am most worried that Jiangnan Shilin is too weak and doesn't even have the courage to be beaten! In that case, the emperor will really treat my Shilin as nothing! ”

Luo Zenan, Chang Dachun and the other bigwigs looked at each other, all with expressions of crying and laughing. What kind of spirit is it to think of victory even after being beaten!

Zuo Zongtang stroked his beard and smiled slightly: "The people of Jiangnan are weak, the merchants are powerful, and Jiangnan Shilin also has the spirit of not being afraid of violence, will my Xianghu Shilin lose to Jiangnan?" Will the two Huai Shilin of the Miao and Li party have the courage to fight? There are also Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi...... There are so many scholars in the world, as long as everyone can have the courage not to lose Jiangnan Shilin, my Shilin still has to fight! What do you have to worry about? ”

"But...... Behind the Jishi Youth Party is the emperor! Chang Dachun shook his head again and again. Fight with the emperor? Isn't that death?

Zuo Zongtang laughed: "Then I will join the Donglin Party, and I will be the prime minister of the Donglin Party!" Is that enough? ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the Xianghu bigwigs sitting suddenly changed color. Chang Dachun is old, and his head is shaking like a rattle, "I can't do it, I can't do it...... Ji Gao, you are already the first assistant of the cabinet, and you are going to fight with the emperor in Donglin, this ......"

Zuo Zongtang waved his hand and said with a smile: "How can you fight with the emperor?" Is it to fight with the Jishi Youth Party, to compete with the Jishi Youth Party, and to compete for officials, do you know? People in England and the United States are all about competition, and if you do well, you can continue to do it, and if you don't do well, you will step down and eat old rice! Our emperor wants to engage in this set, and let the youth party who learn from the West compete with our Shilin to be officials! The future officials are not as good as they used to be! ”

Chang Dachun shook his head, "Isn't this a party dispute?" In the past, the most taboo thing in all dynasties was this, how could the emperor ...... Remembering this stubble? ”

"It's different, it's different, the current partisan struggle is not the party struggle of the past......" Zuo Zongtang shook his head and said with a smile, "I guess, this is also what the emperor meant, if it doesn't work, you can wait for a trip to Fort Maria with me." ”

At the same time, in Fort Maria, outside Nanjing, the Ming Emperor Zhu Jishi was also inviting guests to dinner, and the objects of the banquet were the members of the Jishi Youth Party Council, including Pan Zuyin, Wang Tao, Liang Jingquan, Xu Yingqi, Li Duandi, Zhao Liewen, as well as the Shanghai prefect, Sheng Kang, a glorious member of the Jishi Youth Party. Empress Luo Xiangmei, Prince Zhu Guojie and Imperial Concubine Maria. Clementina was also seated.

Different from the round table of Zuo Zongtang's house, there is a long table in the large dining room of Fort Maria, and Emperor Zhu sits on the main seat at the top. Clementina sat on one side, and the leaders of the Al-Shabaab sat on the other.

The "1.20 Incident" that occurred a year ago of course ended with a resounding victory for the Jishi Youth Party, and the "Election Law" had been promulgated a year ago, and the rules had been set - power came out of the money box, so there is no doubt about the results of the general election in March, and the public bureaus of Yingtian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and the two northwestern provinces of Borneo will definitely be controlled by the Jishi Youth Party.

Although the power to appoint local officials in the Ming Dynasty does not lie in the local public bureau, the local public bureau has the power of impeachment, that is, there is no way for the local public officials to continue without the support of the local public bureau - theoretically! Therefore, the political power in Yingtian, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, as well as in West Borneo and North Borneo provinces, will definitely fall into the hands of the Jishi Youth Party. Of course, the premise is the approval of Zhu Jishi, a dictatorial monarch! Now the power of dictatorship and the law of constitutionalism coexist in the Ming Dynasty, which looks very strange, but in fact it is a transitional state, and what will happen in the future depends on how Emperor Zhu, the supreme ruler, guides. (To be continued......)