The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 376 The Good Days Are Over
Zhang Lushui appeared in front of Zhang Zhou with Xiao Changjin.

They were all dressed in Korean costumes, like oversized dresses, with an exotic style. After meeting, they put their right hands on top of their left ones, raised them flat to their eyebrows, bent their knees and bowed to Zhang Zhou almost cross-legged.

It looked very solemn, but Zhang Zhou felt that it was not pleasing to the eye. After all, this is not the etiquette of Daming women.

The two women finished their greetings to Zhang Zhou in almost the same pace in the Chinese they had trained many times, and finally kowtowed to Zhang Zhou solemnly.

Zhang Zhou said: "Get up."

The two stood up immediately, lowering their heads so as not to meet Zhang Zhou's gaze.

"Zhang Lushui? Yes, you are a flowery girl in your 20s. I heard that you have a very good voice. You are indeed the best among women." Zhang Zhou seemed very satisfied, and nodded.

Zhang Lushui's face was full of anticipation. From her expression, Zhang Zhou knew that this was a woman who understood the heart of a man very well.

Probably Zhang Lushui was already thinking about how to compete with the women around Zhang Zhou for favor.

"Did anyone tell you why I came here?" Zhang Zhou's eyes fell on Xiao Changjin again.

Jang Geum in history is probably just a legend, and it is difficult to collect a lot of information. Zhang Zhou is not sure whether this is a girl randomly found by the North Koreans to fool him, but from a later investigation, what is the name? They can be matched, and their ages are roughly the same.

It's just about experience... the history has not been written in the first place, so it's still hard to be sure.

Zhang Lushui said: "No one has mentioned it, but it should be a matter of serving the adults in front of him, serving tea and water with the utmost respect."

"Wrong." Zhang Zhou said, "I sent you to the capital to open a singing and dancing restaurant, and let you sing Korean minor tunes. It doesn't matter whether they are from North Korea or not, but any temperament I teach you will be treated as minor tunes." Just sing."

Zhang Lushui instantly felt like heaven fell into hell.

After finally currying favor with high-ranking officials in Ming Dynasty, thinking that her life was about to reach a new level, she ended up being sold to a "yaozi" by Zhang Zhou to become a singing girl?

Zhang Zhou picked up a notebook from the table and said: "Here is the atlas of the temperament of the Central Plains. I don't know if you have learned it. It doesn't matter if you haven't. I will find a special musician to teach you in the future. Your usual task is to learn it well." Sing a tune and give me money."

Duke Lai of Ming Dynasty brought two North Korean women back just to let them go out and sing to make money?
This simply overturned Zhang Lvshui's cognition.

Even if she is not a citizen of Ming Dynasty, she also knows how famous Zhang Zhou is in Daming, and she also knows how much Zhang Zhou is favored. Of course, she also knows that Zhang Zhou has a lot of money. She doesn't think that Zhang Zhou needs to find people to do business to make money , then it might be... Let them represent the Koreans and accept the ridicule of the people of Ming Dynasty?Let the people of Ming Dynasty see them being played like monkeys?In order to show the prestige of Ming Dynasty?

Thinking of this, Zhang Lushui felt a great grievance in her heart, which was also a gap in her heart, which made her cry.

Xiao Changjin next to her looked up at this "aunt" who had shared the joys and sorrows with her along the way. She still didn't understand why knowing that she was going to sing in Daming made Zhang Lushui so emotionally abnormal.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Are you wronged? I still think that you have higher ideals and don't want to succumb to a song and dance hall in Daming?"

Zhang Lvshui said: "The servants dare not."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "I saved you. According to the history I calculated, you should die in Huangquan after things happened to set things right."

"I don't understand." Zhang Lushui looked at Zhang Zhou curiously.

Why does this suddenly bring up the question of metaphysics?
Also said that I will die unexpectedly?But Park Yuanzong and the others rebelled, what does it have to do with my servants in a maharaja's family?Does it mean that I will die in the rebellion?

Zhang Zhou Yi beckoned to get Liu Gui to come to him. Zhang Zhou said to Liu Gui, "Send someone to take care of them along the way. Don't expect any accidents. I will give you the address after arriving in the capital and send them in. After the training is almost done, You can come out and perform."

"Yes." Liu Gui responded with a smile.

He also felt that Zhang Zhou was deliberately teasing the Korean women, so that the Ming people could watch the performances of the Korean women, which seemed to be an unusual way of pastime.

But these two women themselves have no social status, so asking them to sing does not seem to achieve the purpose of humiliating the North Koreans.

……

……

"Auntie, what's wrong with you?"

After returning to the temporary residence, Xiao Jang Jin finally couldn't help asking.

Zhang Lushui wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said: "It's nothing, we have to save our lives so that we have the opportunity to leave Daming and return to North Korea."

Xiao Changjin said: "Didn't Auntie say that we won't go back to North Korea in the future?"

Zhang Lushui was speechless for a moment.

Before, she really felt that even if they were not Zhang Zhou's women, they would be slaves of the Lai State Duke's Mansion. Since Zhang Zhou brought them here by name, they would not be allowed to return to North Korea no matter what.

But now she thinks differently.

If Zhang Zhou used them as representatives to humiliate the North Koreans, after a while, maybe a few North Korean women would come over... They are insignificant pawns, they can be discarded at will, and they won't get anything Pay attention to.

"Auntie."

Just as he was talking, Xiao Jang Jin suddenly called out.

A woman followed the North Korean soldiers on the opposite side. Xiao Changjin was very happy, but Zhang Lvshui stopped him when he wanted to go forward.

Then the woman said a few words to the soldier before she came over and said, "Jang Jin, after we leave Shenyang, maybe we won't go together anymore."

"why?"

Xiao Changjin looked aggrieved.

The woman said: "We have to take care of a noble lady. She will stay in Shenyang for a few days before continuing. It is not certain where she will go."

As she said that, the woman glanced at Zhang Lushui and said, "Thank you for taking care of Jang Geum. It's a little thought, and I hope you can continue to take care of her. From now on, she will have to go her own way."

"Aniang, I want you to come with me." Xiao Jang Jin was crying.

Zhang Lvshui said: "Jang Jin, she is not your biological mother, it is fine for me to be your mother in the future."

"No, you are my aunt." Xiao Jang Jin continued to cry.

The woman got up, as if she was cruel, turned and walked towards the soldiers, and then led by the soldiers, the two quickly entered the night.

"Woooooooooooooo..." There was only the cry of a girl in the air.

Zhang Lvshui said: "I think they also know that we will not gain any status if we go to the Great Ming Capital, so they abandoned you."

While speaking, Zhang Lushui's eyes revealed a cynical hatred.

But Xiao Changjin was not instigated by her, he was just crying, and then Zhang Lushui said annoyedly: "Don't cry, people from the Ming Dynasty will reprimand us if they see it, rest well, and we will continue to go to the capital of Ming Dynasty tomorrow .”

……

……

The capital, the imperial palace.

On June 29, the fifth day after Zhang Zhou set off from Shenyang Zhongwei, Zhu Youtang also received Zhang Zhou’s performance in the capital, emphatically mentioning what Lu Wan had hinted before, that someone was secretly contacting the court officials and talking to the court officials. There is something unusual about making friends.

"Your Majesty, it seems that the Duke of Lai has noticed some people's attacks on him. He also realized that some people may have the intention of disobedience." Yang Peng, who was in charge of delivering the letter to Zhu Youtang, did not have Xiao Jing and others present. In this case, speak more directly.

Zhu Youtang said: "Have you found out who was responsible for that incident?"

Yang Peng said: "It may be related to the clan."

"Sure enough." Zhu Youtang got up, walked down from behind the desk in Qianqing Palace, and came to Yang Peng, "Someone said before that once I have few heirs, someone will covet the throne. I have an unusual idea, and now it is said. Is it my brother?"

Yang Peng hurriedly replied: "I haven't found out who it is yet."

Zhu Youtang walked to Yang Peng's side, deliberately lowering his voice, as if to prevent outsiders from hearing, he said: "No matter who it is, we must investigate strictly. Report the truth, even if it is my close relative, there is no need to hide it."

"Yes." Yang Peng bowed his head and took the order.

Zhu Youtang seemed to sigh with emotion: "First there are honorable ministers, then civil servants, and then there are foreign barbarians. Maybe the next step, I will have to take action against the Zongfan. There are so many clansmen in the Zongfan, which cost the court countless money, but there are still people Thinking about bringing disaster to the court, I would have let it go in the past, but now that they have committed a crime against me and Bingkuan, don't blame me for not remembering the past."

Yang Peng understood as soon as he heard it.

The emperor is now hardened, has made achievements in the military, and knows that the preparations for using troops on the grassland in the past two years are not sufficient, so he will first use these two years to manufacture weapons and train troops in Beiguan.

You can't just focus on external affairs. Before using troops on the grassland, the emperor seemed to intend to clean up all hidden dangers inside and outside the court, just like Zhang Zhou's use of troops against Jurchen and the separation and subversion of North Korea. The purpose was to control the internal situation.

Now that the affairs in Liaodong have basically subsided, the emperor thought of attacking the Ming clan, and naturally he would continue to rely on Zhang Zhou's power.

"Yang Peng, you won't let me down, will you?" Zhu Youtang suddenly looked at him sharply.

Yang Peng hurriedly said: "This servant is willing to do his best for His Majesty."

"Hmph." Zhu Youtang said, "Actually, there have been quite a few memorabilia criticizing you all along, and after careful investigation, you have actually done a lot of things. If you hadn't taken advantage of Bingkuan's hand, you would have been able to use it for him. , I might have transferred you to an irrelevant yamen long ago."

Yang Peng knelt down and said, "This servant deserves to die."

As an eunuch, you must deeply understand the emperor's intentions. This is the result of beating and forcibly defending yourself, which means losing the emperor's trust and even your own life.

Zhu Youtang said: "If you can't find out the culprit, you should first suppress those bad rumors, especially don't let the scholars of the capital participate in it casually."

Yang Pengdao: "Return to Your Majesty, the scholars in the capital are busy discussing the debate between Mindology and Neo-Confucianism, and they are not too critical of Duke Lai. Even those who support Neo-Confucianism think that after Duke Lai returned to the court, the Academic suppression will not attack for no reason."

"They know each other well." Zhu Youtang said coldly.

Yang Peng analyzed: "Perhaps those scholars are also taking care of their own face, thinking that if they can't suppress the mind theory established by Lai Guogong academically, they will attack Lai Guogong's character and what he has done for the court. Messy, because the means are not correct, so I didn't spread rumors."

Zhu Youtang said: "Do you think they are such reasonable people?"

Yang Peng thought, probably not.

Literati like to pick other people's pigtails the most, especially Zhang Zhou has made so many enemies and has such a high reputation in the court, so they really won't question Zhang Zhou's academics from Zhang Zhou's personal virtue?
Zhu Youtang waved his hand and said: "In the past two days, you will leave for Yongping Mansion, go there to pick up Bingkuan when he returns to Beijing, and tell him what you have investigated on the way, and he will just take over the investigation when he returns to Beijing. Note Please don't leak the news."

"Yes." Yang Peng felt it.

The admiral himself, the eunuch of Dongchang, is actually a puppet. The emperor really asked Zhang Zhou to hand over Dongchang, but it was inconvenient for Zhang Zhou to officially take over because Zhang Zhou was a civil servant and the Duke of Lai.

This also seems to explain why Yang Peng, who is not even a eunuch, can actually supervise the East Factory, while Wei Bin, Chen Kuan and others who are more capable than him can't get this job... or because Before, he flattered Zhang Zhou that his performance was very "excellent", or in the eyes of the emperor, Yang Peng was a good material to be a dog, so he was lifted to his current position, and it was also a preparation for Zhang Zhou's disposal of the East Factory .

……

……

Yang Peng's departure from the capital was done in secret, and it was impossible for the court officials to know.

But Xiao Jing, as the eunuch in charge of the supervisor of ceremonies, is very aware of Yang Peng's movements, especially before Dongchang was his territory. A good person can hide from outsiders, but he dare not deceive him in any way.

Chen Kuan, as the chief eunuch holding pens of the Rites Supervisor, should have been the best candidate for the factory owner. Now that Yang Peng has taken the position, he is naturally dissatisfied.

Recently, Chen Kuan and Xiao Jing got very close, it can be said that he tried his best to flatter him, just to let Xiao Jing help him get Yang Peng down.

"Yang Peng has always been disrespectful to us people since he was a running dog for Li Guang. He is still so defiant. Now he thinks that the Duke of Lai is backing him, and he may be thinking about how to replace our family!"

When Xiao Jing mentioned Yang Peng, he also hated him.

When he supervised the East Factory, Yang Peng, as his subordinate, repeatedly jumped over him to curry favor with Zhang Zhou. When he helped Zhang Zhou supervise the construction of the Qingning Palace and the renovation of the Zhang Family Courtyard, Yang Peng came forward many times, and even wanted to help Zhang Zhou. Introduce those officials who have the intention of giving gifts... Even Xiao Jing himself has no chance to take over these.

It is equivalent to saying that these powers originally belonged to Li Guang. After Li Guang fell from power, Yang Peng did not hand over the power to him, but wanted to transfer it to Zhang Zhou.

Later, when Zhang Zhou rose to power, the emperor strictly ordered the internal officials not to interfere with the affairs of the court, so that those opportunities of corruption and perverting the law did not fall on Xiao Jing in the end... Xiao Jing is honest and upright in name, but this kind of money is sent to his own pocket by others. Yinzi used to be an unspoken rule, so he didn't have to worry about being held accountable. Of course he would be annoyed at Yang Peng's "betrayal".

Chen Kuan said: "When Yang Peng was in Dongchang, it was Li Guang'an who inserted him there. If he disrespects you, he will not tolerate these people in the court."

Xiao Jing said coldly: "When he went to see the Duke of Lai, it was equivalent to saying that he had surrendered to the Duke of Lai, or that His Majesty ordered him to do it, so what about acrobats? Could it be that he sent someone to show his position to the Duke of Lai, saying We will also be of one mind with the Duke of Lai? Can the Duke of Lai believe it?"

"Then..." Chen Kuan was a little apprehensive.

If he couldn't stand on Zhang Zhou's side, or could not gain Zhang Zhou's complete trust, then the supervisor of rituals would now stand on Zhang Zhou's opposite.

When Dai Yi was the palm seal eunuch before, Chen Kuan and Wei Bin didn't seem to have to worry about the issue of fighting against Zhang Zhou.

But now... since Zhang Zhou has the right to favor the government and the public, Xiao Jing naturally can't tolerate it. From now on, the two eunuchs who hold the pen will be framed by Xiao Jing and tied to Zhang Zhou's opposite.

Going against Zhang Zhou when Zhang Zhou was at the height of his power seemed to be essentially no different from seeking his own death.

Xiao Jingdao: "Let the news out, saying that someone in the clan wants to subvert the court, deliberately slander the relationship between His Majesty and the Duke of Lai, and maliciously slander the achievements of the Duke of Lai in the past two years."

"This... I'm afraid it's inappropriate?" Chen Kuan didn't want to do it.

The emperor didn't say to let the matter be leaked, but it was the eunuchs who were the emperor's close ministers, especially the eunuchs with palm prints like Xiao Jing, who leaked the secrets. It was a bit... violating the rules of being an internal official, that is, everything was done according to the emperor's wishes. First.

"Are you a courtier or a domestic slave?" Xiao Jing suddenly asked coldly.

Chen Kuan was taken aback.

After thinking about it, he probably understood that if he was a house slave, then the opinion of the house master should indeed come first.

If you are a courtier of Ming Dynasty, then the stability of the court should be the most important thing...

Xiao Jing continued: "There is a difference in the meaning between telling things in secret and telling them in the open. It should also be to let those who have evil intentions restrain themselves. Do you think our family is harming the Duke of Lai? Or deliberately disobeying His Majesty's will?"

Chen Kuan thought.

You, Xiao Jing, can't fail to see that His Majesty intends to target the clan, right?

At this time, to put the matter on the bright side and restrain the clan members who might be involved, wouldn't that mean sabotaging the emperor's plan secretly?

But if you say that this is against the emperor and Zhang Zhou...it doesn't seem to be that serious. It is also trying to suppress rumors, but the method used is different.

But no matter how you look at it, it seems that Xiao Jing is no longer simply standing with civil servants, but is developing in the direction of protecting the clan's reputation.

"This is a way to deal with Yang Peng." Xiao Jing once again used words to comfort Chen Kuan, "Let Yang Peng be at a loss, and if he can't handle his job in Dongchang, His Majesty will choose another person to be the admiral of Dongchang. Don't you Is there a chance?"

"Yes."

Chen Kuan dispelled his doubts.

He had to accept Xiao Jing's instruction, because he, Chen Kuan, is not qualified to challenge anyone now, and to take a step back, even if Xiao Jing was kicked out of the palace by the emperor, it would not affect Chen Kuan too much status.

That's what the palace is.

They are all the emperor's domestic slaves. If there is a big nest, almost everyone in the palace will have factions, and every time they fight, they will lose one piece. It is very likely that there will not be enough eunuchs in the palace to engage in politics.

"Ugh!"

Xiao Jing sighed heavily and said, "Duke Lai returned to court, the good life of more than half a year is over."

(End of this chapter)