The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 144

Daming's examination officially started on the ninth day of February.

On the seventh day of the seventh day, Li Dongyang, Cheng Minzheng and others entered the court, and on the afternoon of the eighth day, all the candidates entered the hall.

On the morning of the eighth day of the lunar new year, as soon as the court ended, Zhu Youtang went to Qingning Palace to greet the Queen Mother Zhou.

"You all leave."

The Empress Dowager Zhou specially screened everyone away, leaving only Zhu Youtang alone, as if she had something important to discuss.

When Zhu Youtang was alone with the Queen Mother Zhou, he was still a little cramped.

"Emperor, the Qingning Palace is quite warm recently. It is said that it is the heating. In the future, do you plan to add it to the Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace?"

The Empress Dowager Zhou came up to gossip as usual, gossip with her grandson, and she broke her inner defense in this way.

Zhu Youtang was really relieved when he heard the words, and said with a smile, "I have already discussed with Zhang Qing's family that before the winter of this year, I will build a warm pavilion next to the Qianqing Palace, and the current layout of the palace will not be changed."

To increase the heating, it is necessary to break the walls and add some pipelines, etc. In addition, these palaces are relatively spacious, so even if the radiators are added, the effect may not be very good.

It's better to build a small place, which can not only keep warm, but also be used as a place for daily rest and work.

"Very good." The Empress Dowager Zhou said with a smile on her face, "Speaking of which, Bing Kuan is really good at handling things, and the Ai family also feels more and more that he is an indispensable talent."

"Yes, Grandmother."

The grandparents and grandchildren have a common language.

The Empress Dowager Zhou seemed to change the subject, sighed, and said regretfully, "Emperor, do you still remember the beauty Wang who was at Ai's house a few years ago?"

"what?"

Zhu Youtang was taken aback.

He also suddenly understood in his heart the purpose of the Empress Dowager Zhou to screen out the palace servants, and she wanted to tell him this.

"This... I seem to remember..."

Zhu Youtang felt that the past should not be mentioned again, and he avoided some things.

The Empress Dowager Zhou said: "The Ai family remembers that the queen was pregnant with the crown prince at that time, and there was no one to take care of you. The Ai family wanted to make decisions for you, let you take a concubine, and even found a chance to call you over, so that you could spend time alone. She has entered the imperial court."

Zhu Youtang thought for a while, then nodded.

There are some things that he has "unspeakable secrets".

He actually wanted to say, Grandmother, don't treat your grandson as a normal person. For other men, if you put a woman and spend more than an hour alone, there is a heart between men and women, so there is nothing wrong with it. It's all done.

But your grandson... that is me...

Can not be done.

At that time, I listened to you and wanted to achieve something good with that "beauty king", but in the end I was busy for a long time, and I really didn't know whether it was done or not.

"Later, you were afraid that the empress would know about this, so you asked the Ai family to send him away, and the Ai family thought you were a bit unlucky." The Empress Dowager Zhou taught her grandson a lesson.

Zhu Youtang said: "There are some things that the imperial grandmother doesn't know."

He didn't want to explain too much.

Could it be that he told the old lady that he was not as capable as a man, and that after spending an hour with a woman, he might not be able to do anything in the end?

In addition, he had no intention of finding a woman to get along with again. In the end, he offered to ask the Queen Mother to send her away.

Empress Dowager Zhou said: "The Ai family also just found out that this beauty Wang was found by Zhang's family later, and her family members did not end well, especially she and her younger sister were sent to the clothing bureau. , just a few months ago, Wang Meiren died in the Huanyi Bureau..."

"This……"

Although Zhu Youtang wanted to say that he and that so-called beauty Wang might not be husband and wife, nor would they have any basis for their relationship.

But when he heard that the person died, he was still a little unexpected, and he froze there for a while.

"The person died and was buried hastily. The Ai family asked someone to arrange it, and it was considered that the bones were restrained. Her sister is still in the clothing bureau and has nowhere to go. Alas! The Ai family doesn't know what to say."

Empress Dowager Zhou looked very sorry.

This grandson seems to be a bit ungrateful and ungrateful. After finally accomplishing a good deed, he actually sent him away.

Are you not a lover?

Zhu Youtang said: "When I turn back, my grandson will be investigated by someone. If something really happened, someone will make arrangements. This matter is... I was negligent, and I didn't make some proper arrangements."

Empress Dowager Zhou raised her head and said, "You just feel negligent, don't you have any other ideas?"

Of course Zhu Youtang knew what the old lady meant.

The Zhang family found him, put him in the clothing bureau, tortured the two sisters, and died in the clothing bureau at a young age, but if Zhu Youtang wanted to hate him, he really couldn't hate him, because he never From his personal point of view, he has no feelings for that beauty Wang, but has deep feelings for Queen Zhang.

He blamed himself, but he didn't feel that he should punish his wife or the Zhang family for it.

"Ai's family has actually done it for you. In fact, she was originally found by Uncle Changning. This time, she also settled her younger sister in Uncle Changning's residence. Why don't you go and offer condolences?"

The meaning of the Empress Dowager Zhou is obvious.

My sister is dead, why don't you take her away.

Zhu Youtang was so frightened that he almost ran away, he hurriedly said: "Grandmother, I will let someone handle this matter, so don't embarrass your grandson. My grandson is very busy recently, and the war in the northwest will happen at any time. Will try..."

This starts to make excuses.

The Empress Dowager Zhou saw that it was obvious that she could not do it alone, she said: "Okay then, after Bing Kuan's exams are over, let him come into the palace, Ai's family wants to see him more when they have time. The other thing is to change With your temperament, you don't always feel like a king. You have to show courage."

……

……

Zhu Youtang was in a bad mood when he came out of Qingning Palace.

He couldn't describe it either, maybe because he felt indebted to a woman who had had "intimate contact" with him, or maybe because the emperor's grandmother wanted to arrange for him another relationship between a man and a woman that he didn't like, which made him hesitate.

Before he arrived at Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Jing came trotting all the way, holding something in the shape of an envelope in his hand, and said pleasantly: "Your Majesty, I got it back."

"is it?"

Zhu Youtang seemed to have swept away the previous displeasure in an instant.

Because Xiao Jing brought him the interpretation of Zhang Zhou's prophecy.

He didn't even care about entering Qianqing Palace, so he immediately asked Xiao Jing to open the envelope, and handed him the letter paper.

"Your Majesty, this servant has asked Mr. Zhang, and he said that these two incidents have nothing to do with the war in the Northwest. One incident may really be related to Uncle Jianchang. He said that if His Majesty does not punish the guilty, then God will surely It will give a warning that an earthquake may occur in a place that people in the world can easily associate with."

"Huh? Shaanxi, Ningxia?"

Zhu Youtang didn't finish reading the letter, he raised his head and looked at Xiao Jing.

Even Dai Yi's expression changed after him.

Zhang Zhou seems to be playing with fire.

Before, I was just speculating on the secrets, how can I change the "remonstration" now?

What Zhang Zhou meant was clearly saying, if you don't make things right, Your Majesty, then God will not be polite.

Xiao Jing said: "Return to Your Majesty, it should not be, it seems to be... somewhere else."

Zhu Youtang frowned and said: "One earthquake is not enough, how about several more? Where is it? Did he make it clear?"

"No……"

Xiao Jing faltered and said it out.

It is said that Zhang Zhou made a detailed interpretation, but it is still unclear.

Dai Yi tentatively asked, "Could it be Shuntian Mansion..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Zhu Youtang interrupted Dai Yi's association.

Dai Yi also felt that he had made a slip of the tongue. An earthquake occurred in Shuntian Mansion. This is a serious matter. It may threaten the lives of the emperor's family. Since Zhang Zhou didn't say it clearly, it's better not to associate it with too dangerous a direction.

"Bingkuan still made it unclear, didn't he? The earthquake...Where did the earthquake have something to do with my impunity? Is this to say that I have never pursued Yan Ling's fault?"

Zhu Youtang also felt that what happened to Zhang Zhou this time seemed to be a bit "overstepping".

When you talk about things, you talk about things, and you don't talk about half of the things, and you actually scare me, and scare my little heart.

While speaking, Zhu Youtang couldn't help looking at the second half of the letter. He also wanted to know what the second thing Zhang Zhou predicted was.

Xiao Jing also made a narration note: "...Mr. Zhang said that this exam may not go well, and there may be some rumors that will panic the scholars, and some people will make use of it. It will affect the fairness of Chunwei... ..."

"Is it a question?"

Zhu Youtang was taken aback.

Xiao Jing said: "Maybe."

Zhu Youtang put down the letter paper, took a deep breath and said, "I shouldn't force it, should I arrange Mr. Li Ge and Cheng Xueshi as the main examiners? I remember, the first time I mentioned Cheng Xueshi to Bingkuan, he had I warned me not to use him as the main test again, saying that his contact with folk scholars would easily attract some criticism. I thought it was nothing before, and the clearer clears himself, but now it seems..."

At this time, Zhu Youtang seemed to regret his decision to let Cheng Minzheng be the chief examiner for this exam.

Zhang Zhou advised him that he didn't listen.

But now that Zhang Zhou is talking about God's will, he is afraid.

Of course, Zhang Zhou couldn't talk about God's will as soon as he came up, or he would be too deliberate.

Dai Yi reminded: "Your Majesty, it seems too late to make a change now. The inner curtain officials have already entered the arena. I'm afraid the exam questions have already been given out and the papers have all been printed."

Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "I was negligent. It is impossible to temporarily change the examiner, but if you ignore it, something may happen... Go and call Mr. Liu Ge and Mr. Xie Ge."

The only way Zhu Youtang can think of is to let Liu Jian and Xie Qian come over to discuss countermeasures.

"Yes." Xiao Jing took the order and was about to leave.

I also heard Zhu Youtang muttering there: "...is there still an earthquake? Where is it?"

Dai Yi followed Zhu Youtang to the Qianqing Palace, still suggesting: "Then, your majesty, do you want to punish the guilty? Or what about those who committed crimes under the custody of the San Judicial?"

Zhu Youtang said: "Bingkuan is obviously talking about Peng Quan's participation in prolonging the age, and he hasn't even arrived in the capital... How about waiting for Peng Quan to be sent to the capital to be charged with dereliction of duty? He redeemed himself and then returned to his original post, and then let him go to Jianchang Bo's mansion, and ask the people from Guanglu Temple to hold a banquet, together with those who have participated in the extension of the age, have a meal and a drink, it should be no problem .”

"Your Majesty, will this..."

"Do as I say!"

It seems that Zhu Youtang still doesn't want to take Zhang Yanling into surgery at this time, but he is afraid that what Zhang Zhou said is true, so he can only find a way to try to change "God's will" by unconventional means.

(End of this chapter)