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

Chapter 495

Zhou Chu countered with a question.

Zhou Chu's words silenced Jiajing. Jiajing knew very well that Zhou Chu was right. Tolerance towards cabinet members did not foster gratitude, but rather unbridled behavior.

"But..."

Jiajing hesitated for a moment.

What Jiajing cared about was his posthumous reputation. In fact, it wasn't just Jiajing; other emperors of the Ming Dynasty were so lenient towards cabinet members because they cared about nothing more than their posthumous reputation. The pen was in the hands of these people, and what kind of reputation they would leave in history depended entirely on them.

"Why should Your Majesty worry? Your Majesty's recovery of Annam is already a tremendous achievement. How can those civil officials deny it? Moreover, Your Majesty has also quelled the Japanese pirates and is gradually conquering the grasslands to the north. The territory of the Ming Dynasty has been greatly expanded under Your Majesty's rule."

Zhou Chu pointed to the map in the imperial study as he spoke.

"It's not like no one has ever done this before. Ultimately, the pen is still in their hands. When I pass away, they'll leave me with a reputation for being a warmonger..."

Jiajing hesitated.

"Your Majesty, I am currently digging into the roots of these scholars. When that time comes, it is still uncertain whether these people will still have the final say. Moreover, with the silver from Japan and maritime trade, the economy of our Great Ming is booming. Even the reigns of Hongwu and Yongle were not as prosperous as this. Given time, the Great Ming may even surpass the Han and Tang dynasties in Your Majesty's hands. When that time comes, who can erase Your Majesty's achievements?"

Zhou Chuyi spoke with righteous indignation.

Although Jiajing was very shrewd, he was still a young man after all, and he was immediately inspired by Zhou Chu's words.

"Okay, let's do as you say."

Emperor Jiajing finally made up his mind.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu immediately smiled.

The emperor before him, who was about the same age as himself, was good in every way, except that he was too lenient towards his officials. Or rather, not just him, but all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, except for the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, were too lenient towards these civil officials.

After leaving the palace, Zhou Chu rode his black horse to the Lu family residence.

"Second brother."

Upon seeing Zhou Chu, the newlyweds Lu Wei and his wife hurriedly greeted him.

Seeing the two of them so affectionate, Zhou Chu remembered Lu Wei's previous deadpan demeanor and didn't know what to say.

"Where are your uncle and aunt?"

Zhou Chu looked at Lu Wei and said.

"My dad is on duty, and my mom is in the backyard."

Lu Wei then led the way.

Zhou Chu followed the young couple and soon arrived in front of Yang.

Yun Jin was also beside Madam Yang at this time, and the two were chatting about something, occasionally laughing softly.

"Second brother, how is the matter concerning Grand Secretary Mao?"

After seeing Zhou Chu, Yun Jin asked.

Yun Jin was aware of Zhou Chu's plans these past few days, and naturally, she also knew the purpose of today's court assembly.

"He has already been arrested and imprisoned in the Zhaoyu Prison. He will probably be exiled in the end."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he sat down, picked up the tea from the table next to him, poured himself a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

It's July now, the hottest time of the year, and Zhou Chu is covered in sweat, so he naturally needs some tea to quench his thirst.

"Hurry up and bring over some herbal tea, you have no sense of propriety."

Madam Yang glanced at the maid beside her and said.

Upon hearing this, the maidservant hurriedly went to prepare some cool tea.

"These are pills that His Majesty asked me to bring to my uncle and aunt. They were made by Daoist Feixiazi and are made from extremely precious medicinal materials."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he took out a box containing pills from his bosom and placed it on the table.

Upon hearing this, Madam Yang immediately smiled.

"It's kind of Your Majesty to still care about me."

After the maid brought over the cool tea, Zhou Chu simply picked up the teapot and poured it directly into his mouth, gulping it down until he quenched his thirst.

"Alright, I've brought the things. I'm going back now."

Zhou Chu turned and left after saying that.

Lu Wei and Yang Ran looked at the box on the table with envy. They knew without a doubt that the pills inside were definitely good stuff.

"Give me a grandson, you two. That's more important than anything else. Don't worry about anything else. This is a gift from His Majesty to me and your father."

Yang rolled her eyes at the two of them.

"How could that be? Mother, do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Lu Wei said with a wronged expression.

"Give me a break. Didn't you steal things from your family and sell them for a lot of money when you were a kid?"

Yun Jin seemed to remember something and covered her mouth with a laugh.

Lu Wei blushed upon hearing this.

"That happened so many years ago, I turned over a new leaf long ago."

Lu Wei said with some dissatisfaction.

"Alright, you go back to the front yard first. I want to talk to Xiao Ran."

Yang waved her hand and said.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wei looked at Yang Ran with some reluctance.

"Alright, enough already, isn't that sickeningly sweet!"

Seeing the two of them acting like this, Yun Jin teased them.

Yang Ran blushed upon hearing this.

After Lu Wei left, Madam Yang took Yang Ran's hand.

"Let me tell you, if you want to have a boy, you have to..."

Madam Yang began to share her experience of childbirth with her cousin, explaining in detail how to conceive a boy and how to conceive a girl. Yang Ran and Yun Jin, who was standing next to her, both blushed as they listened.

After returning home, Zhou Chu had nothing to do, so he put on his casual clothes and strolled to the Yun Gui Fang flagship store.

"grown ups."

Upon seeing Zhou Chu, the manager of Yun Gui Fang hurriedly bowed and greeted him.

"Just go about your business."

Zhou Chu waved his hand and said.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper nervously continued to serve the customers.

The pressure from Zhou Chu here was much greater than that from Shen Qing. He was terrified of saying something wrong and upsetting the big boss.

Zhou Chu went inside the counter and saw a perfectly round pearl on it. He picked it up and examined it closely.

"This pearl is quite nice; it's rare to see one so round."

Zhou Chu said.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper came to Zhou Chu's side.

"Sir, these are pearls cultured using the methods you provided earlier. These pearls have just been cultured and the future production will be very large."

"The shopkeeper said in a low voice."

"Control the quantity. No matter how much is produced, only a very limited number will be sold on the market in the future, and the price will be kept at the original level. The excess pearls will be sold overseas."

At this moment, Zhou Chu seemed to have reverted to his former identity as a businessman. When it came to business, countless ideas immediately came to mind as he talked eloquently to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper wrote down every single word Zhou Chu said.