The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 385 It's Windy and Rainy Today

July fourteenth.

It was the day when Zhang Zhou told Wu Hao that there would be a hail disaster that day.

When I got up early in the morning, the weather was gloomy, and all the officials went up and down as usual, but Zhang Zhou was not seen.

In the early court of the same day, it was emphatically mentioned the commission of Zhu Fu, the Duke of Cheng...Before, because the wife of the Zhu family, Zhu Hu, was sick, the emperor allowed Zhu Fu to return to Beijing to take care of his old mother. His mother took care of her life... She didn't say a word about going back to Nanjing to serve as a garrison, but what she said was beyond words, he couldn't stay in the capital any longer, so he wanted to go back to Nanjing.

Changed from the past.

Where are you Zhu Fu, or whether you will be the garrison in Nanjing, the emperor doesn't bother to care.

But it's different now.

Because there was a "powerful man" Zhu Feng in Chengguo's mansion, so that Zhu Youtang "loved the house and black" to Zhu Fu. Zhu Youtang was ready to send Zhu Fu back to Nanjing as a garrison minister, but there was no opportunity.

Zhu Youtang was just picking up a topic that day. In fact, he was also waiting for an opportunity... Zhang Zhou had already told him that the capital had been hit by hailstorms and earthquakes in the past few days...it was too late to prepare for it.

"Your Majesty didn't pay attention to hail disasters today."

On the way out of the palace, Tu Yu deliberately walked over and approached Xu Qiong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and said something.

Xu Qiong looked back at Tu Yu, shook her head and said, "Everyone knows, Shuntian Mansion cannot be defenseless. I heard that there is a mansion report in the capital, which also states that there will be disasters."

Tu Yu said, "Residence newspaper?"

Xu Qiong sighed: "I heard that it was written by the East Palace, and there are rumors outside that the printing workshop that publishes the Dibao has a great connection with the Huangdian. For details, let's ask Shuntian Mansion and Wucheng Bingma Division."

Xu Qiong didn't take it too seriously.

Who would have thought there was a hailstorm?
Will the common people take it seriously when they find out?
Tu Yu came to tell him this, what was he trying to get out of him?Xu Qiong didn't even bother to think about it. Anyway, he said what he could say, and what he couldn't say...no comment.

……

……

That day, the ruling and opposition parties were waiting for a hail disaster.

It was a disaster related to whether Zhang Zhou could be killed at once, so that the threshold of Qin Tianjian and Wu Hao's house was almost trampled to pieces in the past two days. The method Wu Hao chose was... Cats.

No matter how you question me, I just don't see anyone.

I'll show up after it's over... He just called in sick as a matter of courtesy, and then disappeared, and no one saw him for two days.

This is also to prevent him from being pressed by some ministers and elders... Xie Qian went to see him before, and made him feel very difficult... If he meets a few more people, it is impossible to guarantee that the emperor will not let him tell the story If the news leaked out, then he would be living up to the sacred order and fall into the category of "deception".

It was very quiet in Qin Tianjian that day.

Two Wuguan Sichen from the ninth grade, who were only sixteen or seventeen years old, observed the sky with a pen for a day. They wanted to record today's weather in detail to make a reasonable record.

This was one of their daily tasks, but the weather that day was really... nothing to remember.

"Hailstorm?"

Inside, a tall and thin five-official officer called An Bian ran out to take a look. There was nothing unusual in the courtyard of the Qin Tianjian, except for a huge armillary sphere, and someone was covering it from the rain. rain cloth.

The other one is holding a pen in his hand, his name is Ziqing, he propped his head and thought for a while: "It's your turn, I've been standing here for a long time, how can there be hailstones? I'm afraid it won't even rain."

Although the two have official status, specifically speaking, they belong to the type of "preaching officials". They did not come from the formal imperial examinations, let alone scholars, and they have never passed any imperial examinations.

The Qin Tianjian of the Ming Dynasty wanted "skilled workers", and the reason why the two of them have their current official positions is because of their good "reincarnation".

Ziqing is the son of Wu Hao's junior brother, and Ziqing is his Taoist name; An Bian is the son of a wealthy family in the capital. Someone in his family was an official, but he had no potential for studying, but he was sent to Wu Hao as a disciple since he was a child, so that his age At the age of sixteen or seventeen, they all became officials.

To be an official in Qin Tianjian, apart from being a good teacher, there is another important point, that is, to have a good appearance and a clear voice. After all, sometimes you need to act as a reporter and singer at court meetings.

An Bian took the paper and pen, looked up at the sky and said, "Based on what I've learned, hailstones are most likely to fall at the turn of spring and summer, when the weather is suddenly warm and cold. If hailstones fall in midsummer Most of the time, it’s a sunny day, and it can only rain when there are dark clouds and thunder and lightning... Today’s weather, no matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look like there is thunder and lightning, and even hailstones won’t come down.”

Zi Qing hurriedly said: "Senior brother, don't talk nonsense, this is the one who the uncle said was going to hail, and that is your master."

"right."

Only then did An Bian realize that if he said that there would be no hailstorms, he would be dismantling his master Wu Hao's signboard. After all, this time was not predicted by Zhang Zhou, but calculated by Wu Hao, which concerns the honor of Qin Tianjian.

"Then just wait." An Bian sighed.

Ziqing stood by the side for a while, and said helplessly, "Did the hailstone come here?"

Now An Bian didn't know what to say.

The two were bored, and Zi Qing said: "Brother, have you heard? The Dongyue Tea House is talking about "Shooting the Condors". I went to listen to two sessions. After working casually today, shall we go together?"

An Bian raised his head and looked at the sky without squinting, and said calmly, "Don't think I don't know, you want to give me a meal, you don't have to spend your own money, and you can listen to books for free."

Zi Qing said: "Hey! Senior brother, who told you to be born in the capital, and you usually spend so much, can you give me some benefits?"

"Okay." An Bian said, "You can have dinner with me if you want, but you can't pass "Shooting the Condors". I want to watch "The Romance of the West Chamber."

"What's so good about "The Romance of the West Chamber"? It's been a long time since I've seen it. If my brother treats me, I'll take you to a good place. It's also a play, but I watched "The Legend of the White Snake"."

"What?"

An Bian finally became interested, and looked sideways at Ziqing.

Zi Qing looked forward to saying: "I heard that the theater was opened by An Bianhou. An Bianhou has returned to the capital, and he will often go to the theater recently. If it happens, I can meet him... I heard He is so heroic, among the young talents of Ming Dynasty, he is the most free and easy."

An Bian shuddered and said, "Are you going to the theater, or to meet people?"

"Isn't it good to be together? I'll be content if I can see Marquis Anbian." Zi Qing looked obsessed.

"cut!"

An Bian looked at the hourglass beside him, and said, "From what you've said, it seems that it's almost time for casual workers. Master and the old man probably won't come today. Why don't we leave early to get a good seat."

"Very good, very good." Zi Qing naturally raised his hands in agreement, and suddenly he shouted again, "Brother, it's raining, it's raining!"

"is it?"

An Bian picked up the pen and was about to record the time when it rained, when he suddenly felt that something was wrong, he walked out of the palace gate and stood in the courtyard, staring back at Zi Qing: "Just this, is it also called rain?"

Ziqing also ran out, pulled An Bian back and said, "Brother, don't be cold, drizzle is also rain. Maybe it will rain heavily in a while?"

The two waited earnestly.

then……

The rain stopped.

And the hourglass that records the time has just leaked out.

"Casual work!" Zi Qing excitedly said.

An Bian said, "Then how do you remember today's weather?"

Ziqing's head was more flexible, and he said: "Brother, what do you think, there is still some wind today, and it rained a little, so let's record 'today is windy and cloudy and rainy', so it is not a false report, right?"

"it is good."

An Bian picked up the pen, and immediately wrote down the speech that Ziqing had drafted on the paper.

"Go away."

The two of them hurried to change into their regular clothes and were about to leave immediately.

There is also a little brother who is responsible for serving tea and water, and there is no grade. He shouted: "Two brothers, go slowly. Today, the master said that we will wait until night. If there is hail, the road will be dangerous."

"Know it!"

Zi Qing replied, but pulled An Bian and left Qin Tianjian without looking back.

……

……

In the yamen of the six ministries of the court and the central government, it is true that no hail disaster was taken seriously.

If this is what Zhang Zhou prophesied, it can still get a little attention. Who makes Zhang Zhou's crow's mouth so bright every time?
But if this is what Wu Hao said... Who is Wu Hao?Are you kidding me?

When it was time for part-time work, all the ministers came out of the yamen, the sedan chairs and carriages outside were ready, and everyone was ready to go home, everyone was in a relaxed mood.

At this time, the two leaders who came out of the Ministry of Officials, in addition to the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Tu Yu, and the Minister of the Cabinet Xie Qian, Xie Qian also used the excuse to discuss the matter of the Ministry of Officials' Jingcha, and stayed in the office of the Ministry of Officials to wait for news. …until it got dark, the legendary "hail disaster" did not arrive.

"On this day, will there be hailstorms?" Xie Qian asked.

Tu Yu sighed: "It doesn't come down when it's cloudy, so why not wait until it's sunny? Alas! Yu Qiao, there's something to be said for going up tomorrow."

"Let's go." After Xie Qian finished speaking, he walked towards his sedan chair.

What he was thinking about in his heart was that if the hailstorm didn't fall, he would have to impeach Zhang Zhou again early in the morning... He said in his heart that he didn't know what the emperor had done after delaying for a few days, and whether he would impeach Zhang Zhou tomorrow. Will it change?
Will the emperor use the excuse of Qintian Supervisor Zheng Wu Hao and British Duke Zhang Mao to impeach Zhang Zhou under the pretext of a disaster, and by extension, say that the ministers of the court are making trouble out of nothing by talking about other disasters?
……

……

Xie Qian's sedan chair just left.

Before Tu Yu got into his carriage, Fu Han, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, came back from outside in a hurry. After the carriage stopped, Fu Han trotted all the way to Tu Yu.

"What?" Tu Yu asked.

Fu Han asked, "Where is Mr. Xie Ge?"

Tu Yu said: "The man just left, probably passed the intersection. If you have something to say, just say it."

Fu Han said eagerly: "I still found Wu Hao. At first he avoided it and refused to say anything. Finally, under my persecution, he finally said in a fit of anger that this was what Zhang Bingkuan told him. The capital is going to have hailstorm today, I want to ask a few more questions, but he flatly denies it."

"What?" Tu Yu was also taken aback.

What did Zhang Zhou say?

Wu Hao actually listened to Zhang Zhou and told Zhang Mao about the matter?Zhang Mao actually played "Honestly and Honestly", or was it before the officials impeached Zhang Zhou?
Fu Han said with a sad face: "I also feel that the matter is not simple. I was also thinking on the way back. If Zhang Bingkuan really did it, he might be delaying time, or he might have other plans..."

"Wow..."

Just when Fu Han was still guessing Zhang Zhou's intentions, there was a sudden sound of urgent things hitting the ground outside.

"Huh?" Both Fu Han and Tu Yu couldn't help looking away.

The officials outside who were about to get into their own cars were so frightened that they hurried to the place where the tiles covered their heads, shouting excitedly as they ran, "It's hail!"

It seems that there is no sympathy for the suffering of the people because of the natural disasters, but everyone seems to be gloating.

It seems to be saying... After our hard work and hard work, the hailstorm finally came as promised.

"It's hail!"

"hail!"

Many people were running and screaming, and even those who had already traveled a certain distance, such as the carriages of officials around the Liubu Yamen, had to temporarily find a place to avoid the hail.

Tu Yu and Fu Han, two vanguards who participated in the impeachment of Zhang Zhou, stood at the place blocked by the lintel in the courtyard. They didn't seem worried that the lintel would be smashed down by hailstones, but they didn't dare to take a step.

"This……"

Fu Han sorted out his wording, "Tu Shangshu, do you know what this means?"

Tu Yuren was also a little confused.

Wu Hao said that there are hailstones, which is a rare thing.

If this is what Zhang Zhou said...it would be a lot more reasonable. Zhang Zhou accurately predicted what will happen in the future. Rain to accumulate reputation... Anyone can guess that Zhang Zhou has somewhat extraordinary abilities.

It may be a bit too much to say that he can call the wind and call the rain, but knowing the changes in the weather should be an ability he can possess.

But if you want to understand that Zhang Zhou himself predicted the hailstorm and let people attack him with it... Can anyone figure out the reason behind it?

"Tu Bu Tang, hail is coming!"

Just when Tu Yu was in a daze at a group of fleeing people outside and the chaotic scene that was almost like chaos, the subordinates of the Ministry of Officials had already followed out and greeted Tu Yu as if they were announcing good news.

Tu Yu said to Fu Han, "Don't let this matter out beforehand."

Fu Han said with a bitter face: "I told others, can they believe it?"

Tu Yu thought about it, yes.

Tell people that this hailstorm was actually predicted by Zhang Zhou himself, or it was used to attack Zhang Zhou himself... It doesn't make sense anyway.

"Wait!" Tu Yu said, "When the hailstorm passes, hurry up and visit Xie Yuqiao with me, and...see you all! This is not a small matter!"

……

……

Xie Qian encountered this hailstorm on his way home.

Sitting on the sedan chair, he heard the "cracking" sound from the top of the hailstones, and quickly asked the bearer to find him a place to hide from the hailstones, but he could only find the corner of the street just like people who hide from hailstones in the market. All the places and shops open along the street were busy going in to avoid the disaster.

Xie Qian got off the sedan chair and looked at the people running all over the street, feeling uncomfortable.

As an official in the capital, it is not that big of a ostentation to be an almost job at ordinary times. The key is that you can’t afford it. Being an official in the capital is just a look, and outsiders are envious... But even if you are the old man of Ming Dynasty, traveling is just a matter of bringing There are only four bearers.

"Master, at first glance, you are an official, right?" A shopkeeper appeared behind Xie Qian.

Xie Qian hurriedly said: "I'm sorry, I want to hide here for a while."

"You don't mind." The shopkeeper was very polite.

At this time, Xie Qian noticed that this is a cloth shop, and it seems to be doing some clothing business, but not all of them are new clothes, and many of them are old clothes.

There is also a market for this kind of store in the capital. Clothes are also a "hard currency" in the market in this era. Generally, it is very common for people to take out clothes to pawn or sell them for emergency needs. Even patched clothes, as long as they are expected to be relatively new, can fetch a good price.

The shopkeeper said with a smile: "I was on guard early today. Someone informed the dyeing cloth side and collected all the fabrics. Otherwise, I don't know how much the loss will be."

Xie Qian didn't want to deal with these market people at first, because it was meaningless.

But this time he raised his interest and asked, "You guys already knew?"

"That's right." The shopkeeper said, "It's been published in the mansion newspaper. And Shuntian Mansion has posted notices everywhere, stating that there may be hailstorms today, and that it will be from noon to night."

"Ok?"

Xie Qian frowned.

To all civil servants, it was nonsense, even he didn't believe that Wu Hao had such ability, how could Shuntian Mansion take it so seriously?The residence newspaper also published it, what is the intention?
Or... the emperor paid so much attention to this hailstorm from the very beginning?So that all disaster prevention measures have been arranged secretly?
The shopkeeper said: "I don't understand the common people, but I guess it's the emperor's kindness. We are all grateful for the emperor's kindness."

When Xie Qian heard this kind of flattery from afar, he didn't feel very happy either.

This kind of words seemed to come out of the mouth of an official, and he heard them more commonly.

"Do you believe it?" Xie Qian asked.

"Most people believe it." The shopkeeper said, "Look at the people who travel outside, don't look at them going out, but they are all forced by life. There is a Duke of Lai in this court, so it is expected that His Majesty will not face such a disaster. Forget about the suffering of the people."

"Hmph." Xie Qian snorted softly, "What does this have to do with Zhang Bingkuan?"

"what?"

The shopkeeper was surprised.

It's all taboo to call Zhang Zhou by his name. It seems that he is very familiar with that Lai Guogong.

"Zhang Bingkuan is the Duke of Lai Guo in your mouth. I have known him for a long time." Xie Qian said.

The shopkeeper said with a smile: "Yes, just looking at you, you are a high-ranking official."

Xie Qian didn't know if it was a compliment or a sarcasm.

It seems that I can get the respect of the shopkeeper not because I am an official, but because I know Zhang Zhou... Is this annoying?
"Duke Lai was fighting outside before, and now he finally returned to the capital, and he solved the disaster for me as soon as he came back."

The shopkeeper looked grateful.

Because in this era, the quality of house construction was generally not high, and great importance was attached to preventing hail disasters.

Xie Qian shook his face, and said: "This is not what Lai Guogong said, this is what Qin Tianjian Zheng Wu Hao said! Remember! It is Wu Hao! Don't say it wrong again!"

(End of this chapter)