The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 344 The Queen's Crisis

The matter of Wang Xian's meritorious service alone caused a sensation in the court.

On this day, Zhu Youtang still did not resume the court meeting, but he had someone invite the main officials such as the hearing office, the cabinet, and the six ministers to discuss matters in the inner court of the Qianqing Palace, while Zhang Zhou sent Xiao Jing to invite them.

"Mr. Zhang, Mrs. Chang Guo entered the palace early this morning, and she is expected to have left the palace gate by now."

Xiao Jing specifically reminded Zhang Zhou.

Mrs. Jin of Changguo, the old lady of Empress Zhang, usually had nothing unusual to go in and out of the palace, but after her two sons set out for war one after another, she really seldom entered the palace recently.

And Xiao Jing reminded Zhang Zhou that this sentence was actually implying Zhang Zhou... Although our family does not know what your plan is with His Majesty, it is expected that Mrs. Chang Guo's entry into the palace is related to your plan, so it is necessary to let you know.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Really?"

No comment.

Didn't you, Xiao Jing, say earlier that there are some things you don't want to know, and even if you know, you will pretend to be confused?
……

……

Jin's entry into the palace is indeed related to Zhu Youtang's wanting to accept a concubine, but she and her daughter are still unaware that Zhu Youtang has a woman outside and is pregnant.

Empress Zhang invited her old mother into the palace because the two younger brothers who used to help her with affairs are not around now.

If it's a general matter, anyone can do it, and just send a eunuch to get it done... But if it involves royal affairs, especially the emperor, Queen Zhang must also find someone she can trust." One of my own people", it seems that only her old lady in the capital is qualified to do this right now.

After Mrs. Jin left the palace, she immediately went to the Minister of General Affairs, asked someone to go in and pass the news, and invited her husband's brother-in-law, that is, Queen Zhang's uncle Shen Lu, to come out.

"Madam, what is this?"

When Shen Lu saw Jin Shi, he would naturally be surprised.

In the past, the two had met, but that would be during the festivals, and he had to go to the door to meet each other in person, and he might not be able to meet people.

Now the Jin family actually came here on his own initiative, instead of going to his house, he came directly to the yamen where he was on business. This matter is not easy.

"Find a place to talk." Jin said.

Shen Lu said: "There is a tea shop nearby to take a rest, please."

When Shen Lu invited Mrs. Jin to the government-run tea shop that was usually run by an official on the side of the road, there was only one floor. After they settled down, the people from Chang Guogong's mansion blocked the outside, so that the two of them could have a private conversation inside.

Jin explained how he met Queen Zhang when he entered the palace.

After Shen Lu heard it, he was taken aback and said, "Madam, from your words, does your Majesty intend to accept a concubine?"

Jin said: "Your Majesty didn't say anything clearly, but he has repeatedly hinted that he was mentioning this matter to the Empress. The Empress now wants to know where this woman is."

"This……"

Shen Lu was puzzled.

Where can people find them?
Jin said: "Your Majesty usually goes in and out of the palace gate, so there is no news at all?"

"Uh... It's true that there is no such rumor, is it... the Queen's Empress, is she being overwhelmed? Previously, the whole court has repeatedly reported the matter of His Majesty accepting a concubine, but His Majesty has sternly rejected it, and strictly ordered no one to mention it in the future." And, why is it now..."

Shen Lu actually wanted to say.

Could it be that the queen is getting older now, and feels that she is starting to lose her luster, afraid that she will not be able to win her husband's heart, and because she has not been able to have any children in the past few years, so she is not confident and starts to think about it?
After changing the general ministers in the court, I couldn't figure out why the emperor had such a big contrast between before and after.

This is the result of the joint efforts of the Empress Dowager Zhou and Zhang Tuesday to attack Zhu Youtang's weakness.

For ordinary ministers, if they don't understand it, they naturally cannot understand the change of the emperor's mentality.

Jin's expression was displeased and he said: "Your Majesty has some excuses for not accepting concubines, but since ancient times, who can refuse to accept concubines for a lifetime? Now I just want to know where the person is, can you find a way?"

Don't say that Shen Lu didn't.

Even if he has, he will not try his best to serve the Jin family, the reason is...

He knew that Empress Zhang secretly investigated the possible women that the emperor might have outside the palace. Nine times out of ten it was not out of good intentions. Isn't Wan Zhen'er awesome?But Wan Zhen'er still has to face a group of women competing for favor, no matter how dedicated Emperor Chenghua is, there are still other women... Now this empress, what is the difficulty in dealing with a woman?

"Old sister, don't be impatient. It's best to have a long-term plan for such matters. Besides, His Majesty has really been out of the palace and has... Those who may know the truth must not be the ministers of the court." push out.

"You mean?" Kim frowned.

Shen Lu said: "You should ask the internal officials who are close to your majesty, or... people who are close to your majesty."

Jin nodded and said: "It's easy for the internal officials to say, the queen will ask, but who is the person who is close to your majesty?"

"Hehe, old sister, do you need to explain it clearly? Of course it is the Duke of Lai." Shen Lu said, "Don't worry about this, I will ask you for you, or I can find out some things in advance."

Jin said: "Is Zhang Bingkuan? He is not a villain, and he has helped me a lot in Zhang's family."

"Yes, they are all from my own family, so they are easy to talk about. Old sister, you said that this person who walks around in and out of the palace, who dare not give face to the queen and you? What's the benefit of him helping outsiders?"

Shen Lu felt that even if Zhang Zhou would not betray Zhu Youtang, he would not dare to lose face to Empress Zhang.

In his opinion, if Zhang Zhou really knew about the emperor's affair, why should he hide it?Isn't it easy for Zhang Zhou to secretly cooperate with the Zhang family to find someone?
Besides, the emperor is mostly just a whim, how much affection can he have with women outside the palace?Zhang Zhou would really offend the Zhang family in order to help such a powerless person?
Jin nodded in satisfaction and said: "Then I will trouble you more. The old man will go back and wait for the news."

……

……

After Shen Lu sent the Jin family away, he couldn't help but sighed and walked in the direction of the Tongzhengshi, still muttering: "What is this called?"

For Shen Lu.

This is no good job.

Whether or not Empress Zhang's suspicions were based, at least Shen Lu had to face the problem of the trustworthiness of the monarch and his ministers. If he helped the Zhang family, he might have betrayed the emperor.

"Go, ask Xu Shangshu to come over...forget it, I'll go in person." Shen Lu usually wouldn't decide by himself when encountering such a situation.

He would think of another person, that is his "brother-in-law" Xu Qiong. After making a fortune in Zhang Luan, he married his younger sister to Xu Qiong as a concubine, which later enabled her daughter to enter the palace and become a queen.

The nepotism of this group of people was also connected because of the aunts of Queen Zhang and the three brothers of the Zhang family.

But after Shen Lu arrived at the Ministry of Rites, he learned that Xu Qiong had been ordered to enter the palace to discuss military merits. He could only stay in the Ministry of Rites and wait for his old friend to return.

……

……

The imperial palace, inside the Qianqing Palace.

At this time, the recognition of meritorious service is being carried out.

Ma Wensheng, Minister of the Ministry of War, explained Wang Xian's memorial to Zhu Youtang one by one, and made an analysis.

As for the cabinet and the other six ministries, including Zhang Zhou, they could only listen from the sidelines.

After Zhu Youtang finished listening, his tone seemed very flat and he said: "It is good to win, but the matter of rewards for merit and deeds must wait for a detailed investigation after the war. To judge meritorious deeds."

This tone is actually telling the ministers present.

He, the emperor, already knew the result of the battle.

What you are nervous about being deceived by Zhang Zhou is all unfounded worry.

Besides, the grassland has won the battle, so it is necessary for Zhang Zhou to hide it from the emperor?There is no need for Zhang Zhou to deliberately step on Wang Xian in order to protect Lu Wan... They are all recommended by Zhang Zhou, and the first victory in this battle is attributed to Zhang Zhou.

Ma Wensheng said: "Your Majesty, if you look at the achievements of the leaders, the soldiers and horses of Jizhou have made the most contributions in this battle, and they can even claim extraordinary achievements. They should be rewarded."

Zhu Youtang asked: "From the perspective of the Ministry of War, the Liaodong soldiers have no merit, or the merits of their nearly [-] troops are not as good as those of the [-]?"

After all, Ma Wensheng is not an ordinary civil servant. He looked at the three cabinet members next to him and found that they did not intend to come out to argue. In the past, the first level was the symbolic military merit, no matter how much meritorious service the people in Liaozhen made, the first merit should be considered first, and then the battle merit."

Ma Wensheng represented the Ministry of War.

The opinion he gave was that it is okay to discuss the merits of the Liaodong soldiers, but first the credits of the leaders should be clearly explained.

As for the merits of Liaodong soldiers, it can be supplemented by the merits of the first level, so as not to violate the method of determining military exploits before the Ming Dynasty.

"One merit, how to reward two?" Zhu Youtang asked back.

Ma Wensheng was a little embarrassed.

He was still providing Zhu Youtang with a solution, but in fact, it was equivalent to rewarding him twice. It can be resolved... Although the result is that Jizhou has taken advantage of it.

Ma Wensheng found that his opinion could not be accepted, so he could only take a step back angrily.

Tu Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, asked, "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

Zhu Youtang said: "Didn't I say it? We have to wait for the survey to decide. A victory, do you have to go through so many twists and turns?"

Tu Yu said: "The entire battle was won by the cooperation of the two towns of Liaodong and Jizhou. It is inevitable that there will be disputes about military merits."

Zhu Youtang asked: "Then who decides this battle? Who should be the primary contributor? Also, who has more say in the matter of military merits?"

Several people didn't want to take Zhang Zhou seriously.

But at this moment, everyone looked at Zhang Zhou.

The emperor spoke the most basic truth in the most bland tone... Are you fighting for a bird?All of this was done under Bing Kuan's planning. He said that whoever deserves the credit should deserve it. You are here to fight for the soldiers of Jizhou, don't you feel blush?Of course I don't blame you either!Because from the beginning, this was all planned by Zhen and Bingkuan, and it was Wang Xian who deliberately created public opinion for that little credit.

You civil servants are just being led by the nose.

Zhang Zhou hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this minister dare not take credit for this battle, it is all due to the bloody battle of the frontline soldiers. However, I heard that the governor of Liaodong Lu Wanshang played the impeachment of the Jizhou Department to grab the credit and delayed the military plane, so that Unable to encircle the three guards of Duoyan, most of the three guards of Duoyan escaped."

The few people around were not surprised, but frowned slightly.

He said he had no position, but Zhang Zhou's position had obviously tilted towards Liaodong.

Xie Qian said with a smile: "Mr. Lai, are you being biased when you say this? The matter of fighter opportunities is actually more difficult to determine than military achievements. How can we be sure that the fighter opportunities were delayed because the Jizhou troops robbed military achievements? Let's talk about the end of the First World War." Afterwards, the soldiers also need to rest and recuperate, even if they go to the battle without stopping, it is hard to say what the result will be, who can say that they will definitely win?"

Zhang Zhou smiled: "Xie Ge always feels that it is thanks to the Jizhou soldiers who are robbing heads and ears, otherwise the three armies would have been wiped out, right?"

"Oh, Mr. Lai, you can't say that. The old man is just talking about the facts. Let's get back to the topic."

Xie Qian was also considered a master of sophistry in court.

But he didn't consciously fear Zhang Zhou in his heart.

Because no matter how sophisticated he is, he still has to follow some established procedures, like gagging, but he must abide by the etiquette of the monarch and his ministers... But if it is Zhang Zhou... that sophistry is simply a powerful and unconstrained style, and the irony value is even more full.

Arguing with someone who would not be blamed by the emperor for what he said in the court... Xie Qian was still under pressure.

Throw the problem back to Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang said: "The merits and demerits are not yet determined, so the imperial court will send a censor to check, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will select personnel as appropriate. In addition, the higher hearing department and the Ministry of War will send people to cooperate."

The emperor wants to check.

The Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Audit Office, and the Ministry of War sent people there, but none of them seemed to have anything to do with Zhang Zhou.

But Zhang Zhou is a member of the latter two, that is to say, no matter how you check, someone representing Zhang Zhou's will will definitely go there.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Tang Yin, the head of the military department, to teach Tang Yin in the Yanwu Hall." Zhang Zhou seemed to be singing a double reed with Zhu Youtang.

As soon as the emperor said that he would send someone to investigate, Zhang Zhou directly recommended someone.

Take a hole first.

"Okay!" Zhu Youtang also agreed very bluntly, "Then Tang Yin will be the leader."

What?
The ministers next to me became anxious when they heard this.

It’s fine if you make an internal decision, and now Tang Yin is the head of the investigation. Isn’t this obviously helping Liaodong?
No matter how anxious they were, no one came out to say anything, as if they were waiting for others to come out and object.

Liu Jian said: "Three envoys are going to go, and it is appropriate for the three to report the results of the investigation."

Zhu Youtang asked: "Don't they need to reach a consensus first?"

Liu Jian also felt very anxious at this time. In fact, he also understood that the Liaodong Division represented by Lu Wan did not deny the contribution of Wang Xian's Jizhou Division... There is a high probability that the results do not need to be checked. As far as the state is concerned, in terms of the overall strategy, the Liaodong side will contribute more... This search is more time-consuming.

However, there is a high probability that there is no need to fight in the winter, and it is nothing for the court to fix some nonsense about meritorious deeds.

Seeing that Liu Jian didn't answer, Zhu Youtang waved his hands and said, "This matter is settled. The Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Ministry of War will discuss the candidates as soon as possible. They will send people to Liaodong in these two days...cough cough! Everyone, please go back. Bar."

In the end, the emperor may have deliberately coughed twice to show that he was still sick.

There were people who wanted to remind the emperor, should we resume the court meeting earlier, but looking at this posture... There is still a rift between the monarch and his ministers, so naturally they all suppressed it first.

……

……

The ministers of the DPRK and China left the palace, while Zhang Zhou went to Kunning Palace.

A group of people went out, while he went in alone.

Zhang Zhou went to "diagnose" her at the invitation of Queen Zhang, and Queen Zhang invited Zhang Zhou through her husband.

Inside Kunning Palace.

Zhu Youtang was not here, and Empress Zhang had kept a personal maid this time, probably because she had something important to discuss with Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou didn't seem to have anything to avoid... Anyway, Zhu Youtang asked him to come, and it was a scene where the husband and his friends fooled his wife. Zhang Zhou is still a very dedicated actor.

"The queen is fine." Zhang Zhou looked around and commented.

Queen Zhang said: "Recently, Your Majesty always said that he was restless, that he had nightmares all night, that there might be a risk of cutting off branches in the future, and that this was a warning given by the late emperor. Bingkuan, what do you think?"

Zhang Zhou thought to himself, is this what the first emperor said?This is clearly what I said.

And I didn't scare the emperor. According to the development of history, it is indeed because your husband's offspring are weak, and they will be cut off when they reach your next generation.

Even if your husband is stupid and your son is messing around, your lineage will not be cut off.

All of this...isn't it because of you?
Zhang Zhoudao: "Your heirs are weak. Your Majesty thinks every day, and naturally dreams at night. As for the dreaming and other things, I don't believe it."

Empress Zhang was puzzled and said, "Aren't you very good at interpreting dreams? You don't believe such things? But you..."

"The minister's calculations about world affairs are all based on the Book of Changes, etc., and are not beyond the scope of manpower. As for the dream interpretation, this is mysterious and mysterious. Before, whether it was the empress dowager who asked the minister to interpret the dream, or Your Majesty, the minister They all said clearly that they are not good at this.”

In front of Queen Zhang, Zhang Zhou seemed like an honest and reliable young gentleman.

Empress Zhang nodded and said, "But your majesty may have someone outside the palace."

Zhang Zhoudao: "It's not possible, it should be... there must be someone."

"you……"

Empress Zhang didn't expect Zhang Zhou to be so straightforward. Although she felt it was wrong, she waved her hand and pushed back the last court lady beside her.

In this way, it became a separate relationship between Zhang Zhou and Queen Zhang.

"Empress, isn't this bad?" Zhang Zhou couldn't help reminding him when he saw this posture.

Empress Zhang said: "I know that the person your majesty is looking for has nothing to do with you. It should be the empress dowager who is looking for your majesty. Since your majesty trusts you so much, he will definitely tell you about it. That's it. Bar?"

Zhang Zhouxin said, you must be the most intelligent.

"Yes." Zhang Zhou admitted very simply.

Actually... Empress Zhang was right.

It was the old lady who found him, and he, Zhang Zhou, was just embellishing it from the side. When it comes to big issues, Queen Zhang can be said to be "a discerning person."

Queen Zhang said angrily, "Where is the man?"

Zhang Zhou sighed: "Empress, it doesn't matter where you are, the point is, this girl is already pregnant with Liujia."

"what?"

Empress Zhang stood up suddenly.

From what Zhang Zhou could see with his naked eyes, Empress Zhang became nervous, probably the first major crisis in her life.

(End of this chapter)