The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 101

In Qianqing Palace, Dai Yitong reported his journey to Renshou Palace.

"...Did the imperial grandmother just ask about my body? It seems that the imperial grandmother still cares about me very much, and she only cares for my own good."

After hearing Dai Yi's words, Zhu Youtang felt a deep affection for his grandmother.

Dai Yi smiled and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, the slaves are very happy to see that your expression is getting brighter day by day. I believe the Empress Dowager and her elders are also most concerned about this, so I have to ask Mr. Zhang specifically."

Zhu Youtang nodded: "Where's Bingkuan?"

Dai Yi said: "Send someone to send him to the Qingning Palace, saying that he wants to reserve a place for the copper pipes to enter the water on the wall, and he must point out this matter."

Zhu Youtang sighed and said: "I agreed not to delay his preparation for the exam, but I called him into the palace to delay the time. I'm very sorry. Let's see if there are any suitable things and send him some over there."

Dai Yi hurriedly reminded: "Your Majesty, you have rewarded Mr. Zhang a lot recently, there is really no need..."

"is it?"

Zhu Youtang doesn't even remember what he gave Zhang Zhou. After all, he didn't handle it. Instead, Dai Yi, the stewards of the palace, cared more.

After all, if the emperor doesn't use those things, they will basically occupy them.

The emperor was literally picking between their teeth.

In terms of distress, it is still those eunuchs in power who feel distressed.

"Your Majesty, since Mr. Zhang is going to prepare for the exam, why don't you give him some books, it will be good for him to prepare for the exam." Dai Yi suggested.

"Okay. You can do it. How about the crown prince? After a few days, it won't be back to the way it was before. It's untamed, right?"

Zhu Youtang felt a headache when he thought of that son.

However, the son was able to make up the homework that others could complete in a month or two in more than ten days. The father is at least very proud of his son's intelligence.

Dai Yi said: "The prince has been doing well recently, that is..."

"What is it?" Seeing Dai Yi's embarrassed look, Zhu Youtang probably guessed that the prince did not do anything good.

Dai Yi smiled wryly: "His Royal Highness, he...is just a little fussy when he's not studying..."

"Can he not make a fuss for a day? Tianzhen also deliberately tempered him in the past, let him relax for a few days, and then strictly discipline him later. It would be great if Bingkuan could pass the Jinshi exam earlier..."

Dai Yi listened.

The emperor didn't know it, he wanted Zhang Zhou to be a lecturer in the Eastern Palace no matter how high he was in the Hanlin Academy after he passed the Jinshi examination?
……

……

In recent days, Zhu Houzhao has been watching a shadow play.

This shadow play was not brought by Zhang Zhou, but by Liu Jin.

Liu Jin had planned Zhang Zhou's method of coaxing Zhu Houzhao, and after summing it up, he specially found a shadow puppet craftsman from outside the palace, and made a set of things for him. Since shadow puppet artists couldn't get in, Liu Jin and a young eunuch went to support the performance. The prince entertained himself after dinner and tea.

This trick really worked.

For Zhu Houzhao, this shadow puppet show is equivalent to a cartoon. Although the plot is old-fashioned, Zhu Houzhao still enjoys watching it.

But Zhu Houzhao's patience in doing things is 3 minutes of heat.

Within two days, Zhu Houzhao got tired of watching it.

That day when Zhang Zhou entered the palace to meet the Empress Dowager Zhou and was about to leave the palace, it was Dai Yi who told him that the emperor had asked him to meet the crown prince. After a little restraint, Zhang Zhou went.

It happened that Zhu Houzhao was watching a shadow puppet show there, which is probably why Dai Yi said, "The prince is a little noisy".

"Mr. Zhang, do you think this thing is interesting? I found someone to get it back! It cost a lot of money."

For Zhu Houzhao, whether it is fun or not is secondary, and he will brag to Zhang Zhou first.

Don't think that you are the only one who has good things, Ben Gong will show you the awesome things that Ben Gong has found.

Zhang Zhou smiled: "There are many shadow plays among the people, and I have seen them before."

"Have you seen it?" Zhu Houzhao was surprised.

Then he glared at Liu Jin viciously.

You old eunuch, didn’t you say that this item is rare in the world, but also how expensive this outfit is, costing me hundreds of taels of silver... The money was still collected from my two uncles.

Feelings are cheating funds?

Liu Jin looked aggrieved, but she couldn't help but peeked at Zhang Zhou, as if she was blaming Zhang Zhou for uncovering his way of making money.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Since it is a shadow play, it mainly depends on the plot, just like the script. If there is a good script, it will be much more exciting."

"That...it seems to be."

Zhu Houzhao smiled again in an instant, "Just say you are capable. Where is the good show?"

Zhang Zhoudao: "I'll ask Zhu Feng to bring it over for you later on. You must give me time to write it, right?"

"Then go back and write quickly, I won't bother you today...Come and send Zhang Qing home."

Knowing that Zhang Zhou had the script of shadow puppetry, Zhu Houzhao didn't bother to ask Zhang Zhou to play with him, so he directly asked someone to send Zhang Zhou out of the palace.

meaning is.

You go back and write now, and send it to Ben Gong as soon as you finish writing, Ben Gong doesn't want to delay for a moment.

……

……

Liu Jin became the one who sent Zhang Zhou out of the palace.

On the way, Liu Jin didn't say a word, she was so annoyed that she wished she could tear Zhang Zhou apart.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Eunuch Liu, are you not afraid of being scolded by His Majesty if you bring this thing in for the prince?"

Liu Jin kept on stepping, and glanced sideways at Zhang Zhou.

He still has some disdain in his heart.

I just want you to give the prince a play, why can't we?Do you think His Majesty would come to the East Palace every day to see what the prince is doing when he is free?If you fall out of favor, say you are out of favor!What kind of skill is playing tricks behind the scenes?
Zhang Zhoudao: "Things are good things. I'm afraid the prince won't be able to play for a long time. It's like the sand table show before. You see, the prince is not interested after only a few days. How about it, let me help Eunuch Liu."

Liu Jin said in an indifferent tone: "Thank you so much."

"It's all to make the prince happy, why are you being polite?"

There can be many books that Zhang Zhou wants to write for the prince when he goes back, such as "Journey to the West" or "King Kong Gourd Baby", or plots such as taking Nezha to make trouble in the sea.

Playing with the prince is second to none, the point is...to let Liu Jin know the difference between people.

There is also the difference between play and play.

Otherwise, this old boy must think that he can coax the prince to play alone, and he doesn't have to be responsible.

"Eunuch Liu, I have a playbook here, but the materials for making shadow plays must be mastered by experts. Is this funding..."

"What's the matter, Mr. Zhang, are you still planning to do it yourself?"

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Eunuch Liu bought it for His Highness earlier, so he naturally has experience and channels. How about this, I will write the book, and you will provide the materials. Everyone gets what they need, how do you think?"

"This one……"

Once Liu Jin thought about it, it was profitable.

Zhu Houzhao was reimbursed 100 taels for such a bunch of junk before. If Zhang Zhou buys him another errand, he can indeed make a lot of money.

"Row."

"Did Eunuch Liu introduce someone to me? Don't worry, I'll just give him the book, and he will contact Eunuch Liu directly when he's done. Eunuch Liu will discuss the cost of the production."

"well!"

Liu Jin naturally felt that this proposal was good.

There are quite a few people playing shadow puppetry on the street these days. If Zhang Zhou really wants to do it by himself, he can just find someone, and he will be worried instead.

Now he is in the matter of shadow puppetry, he is the main one, and Zhang Zhou is only an assistant.

……

……

Two days later, in Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang was receiving Xu Qiong, Minister of Rites.

What was being discussed was the autumn report to be held a few days later, that is, some details of the autumn sacrificial activities. Because Xu Qiong was related to Queen Zhang's family by marriage, after becoming Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he was rarely able to go in and out of the Qianqing Palace frequently. minister.

As soon as the discussion was over, someone sent Xu Qiong away.

Xiao Jing came over and said: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager sent someone to say that she wanted to hold a fasting ceremony in the palace during the autumn report to drive away the evil spirits in the palace, and also said that she wanted the married woman in Beijing to enter the palace. Small talk."

Zhu Youtang said: "Isn't the emperor's grandmother a Buddhist?"

Dai Yi on the side smiled and said: "Isn't this Mr. Zhang a Taoist? Mr. Zhang predicted the Qingning Palace disaster earlier and kept the Empress Dowager safe. Perhaps the Empress Dowager also wanted to follow His Majesty's wishes."

Whether Zhu Youtang believes in Buddhism or not, everyone in the palace knows this.

It was not a big deal at all to hold a sacrificial offering in the palace, but it was only because the Empress Dowager Zhou, who had always believed in Buddhism, brought up this matter, which made Zhu Youtang feel strange.

Xiao Jingdao: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager also made a special roll call, and asked Mr. Zhang to go with him that day."

"He can't do that."

Zhu Youtang had mentioned to Zhang Zhou before that he wanted to do something in the palace, but Zhang Zhou refused on the grounds that he couldn't.

Being able to refuse a matter so thoroughly is just in response to Zhu Youtang's fanciful trust in Zhang Zhou. If Zhang Zhou said that he could do everything, the emperor would doubt whether Zhang Zhou had something in mind.

The more Zhang Zhou made jokes and prevarications when he had nothing to do, the more convinced Zhu Youtang was.

Xiao Jing smiled wryly and said: "The servant also said the same to the Empress Dowager, but the Empress Dowager still insisted on letting him go, and said with a smile that if she meets a suitable lady from a famous family, she will match him up..."

"This……"

Zhu Youtang was even more speechless, "I really don't know what to say about the emperor's grandmother. Bingkuan has already married and married, so why would he care about these things? Besides, they are all married women entering the palace, so how can there be any unmarried ladies? Forget it, follow along." According to the emperor's grandmother, let me arrange it."

"Yes."

Xiao Jing went in without knowing, and just asked for instructions according to the Queen Mother Zhou.

On the other hand, there was a strange look in Dai Yi's eyes.

Dai Yi was able to be the eunuch in the hands of the chief inspector of rites, so his thinking was naturally superior to Xiao Jing and others, especially when he sent Zhang Zhou to Renshou Palace two days ago in person.

Lenovo all kinds.

The old lady had just met Zhang Zhou, and she immediately went out of her way to call the wives into the palace, and she seemed to intend to call those unmarried ladies from famous families together, and asked Zhang Zhou to go by name... It couldn't be that something had already started, so Zhang Zhou went The purpose is to check?
Dai Yixin said, this matter is quite evil.

But not in a hurry?I'm afraid I can't hide it from the Empress Daming who is the lord of the six palaces!
……

……

outside the palace.

Zhang Zhou met an old craftsman brought by Zhu Feng in his workshop.

It was the person who had previously provided Liu Jin with materials for shadow puppetry.

Zhang Zhoudao: "We are all working for the same person, that is, that Eunuch Liu. Don't be too wordy. Besides the material of the shadow play, I also have a very good gimmick. Do you think it can be made?"

"My lord, I don't understand what you said."

The craftsman had been doing crafts all his life, and he had never heard of such a strange request.

Zhang Zhou took out the drawings he had drawn, still in color: "See if you can do it?"

"It's so clear, master, you are also in this business? You can just find a few pieces of leather and paint on it yourself. Why do you need to find a small one?"

"Different."

Zhang Zhou had an inexplicable smirk on his face, "I have a better one here, which is the real-life version of the costume. If you can cut it out, go to that Eunuch Liu and tell him that he will be very happy and will definitely reward you! "

(End of this chapter)