The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

After talking about Qin Hong's request for appointment and his potential replacement.

Li Rong looked at Zhu Feng and said with a smile: "Marquis Anbian, our family has something to discuss with Mr. Zhang alone. Can you..."

Only then did Zhu Feng realize that he had been asked to listen to some unimportant matters, but now he might have private matters or important matters to discuss, and he would be an eyesore in front of her.

"Zhijie, go to my study and wait first. After talking to Eunuch Li, I'll come over to you." Zhang Zhou said.

"Ah."

Zhu Feng felt a little depressed, but he also knew that his status was not high enough, and as a military minister, he was not qualified to participate in the discussion of major affairs of the court.

It was a great honor to let him sit in on Qin Hong's memorial.

After Zhu Feng followed Liu Gui and left, Li Rongcai showed several other memorials in his arms in front of Zhang Zhou and said: "Your Majesty has been troubled a lot recently. Your Majesty has been dissatisfied with the draft plan of the Ministry of Cabinet. The Shangting Department is now headed by Wang Qiong, the left minister of the Household Department. Although he is capable, he is still a bit...conservative when it comes to court affairs. I don't need to bother you sir to provide detailed information."

Zhang Zhou said: "Are you asking me to draw up a voting plan?"

Li Rong smiled and said: "Our family is a member of the Bureau of Ceremonies, your opinions are equivalent to drafting the votes, and there is no need to form opinions on paper. You should also know that Your Majesty, because of the fact that the cabinet has been a stagnant water in the past few years, , we are preparing to add one or two cabinet ministers, and now the most respected person in the Imperial Academy is you, sir."

"I can't." Zhang Zhou waved his hands directly, meaning that this matter had nothing to do with me.

I am the Minister of the Ministry of War very well, why should I join the cabinet?
Entering the cabinet, looking up to others, and being scorned by Liu Jian and the other three?

Even if I were asked to directly become the first assistant, I would still not be happy.

Li Rongdao: "After all, you are also a bachelor. With your achievements in the Hanlin Academy, especially for the compilation of the "Da Ming Huidian", who else is more respected and respected than you? However, Your Majesty has also considered that there are fewer internal affairs in the Ministry of War. You can’t, His Majesty even mentioned that you would be allowed to take a temporary post in the cabinet, so you don’t have to go there at ordinary times, just like you take a temporary post in the Governor’s Mansion.”

After Zhang Zhou heard this, he felt it was easier to accept.

The Secretary of the Ministry of War, who also has a real job, can also be named as a cabinet minister. This means that he will be ranked in the cabinet. After Liu Jian and others retire, he, Zhang Zhou, can directly become the chief minister of the cabinet. This is to prevent him from entering the cabinet after today. A person with higher qualifications than Zhang Zhou, paving the way for Zhang Zhou to become the chief minister of the cabinet.

Zhang Zhou shook his head and said: "It's unreasonable. If your Majesty is really like this, then I will become a thorn in the side of many people in the court."

As the Duke of the country, he was the right-hand governor of the Dudufu of the Rear Army. He also became the Minister of the Ministry of War, and now he also has to serve as a cabinet minister... The emperor had some intention of not giving other ministers a way to survive, as if he wanted to regard Zhang Zhou as the Ming Dynasty court minister No. 1.

Zhang Zhou naturally knew how he would be hated by others, and he was still somewhat self-aware.

Given that he has been in the imperial court for such a short period of time, there is absolutely no need to hold so many positions. This is also because these positions are actually unnecessary and do not affect his participation in political affairs. His true identity is only to be a good staff member of the emperor.

He really doesn't have that many ideas about whether he should be a cabinet minister or not.

Li Rong said with a smile: "Your Majesty only has such an idea, and it has not been implemented yet. However, Your Majesty has great respect for Wang Hao, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. It seems that he is the only one to join the cabinet this time."

"Really?" Zhang Zhou said, "I really don't know anything about this, and Eunuch Li shouldn't have revealed this to me in advance."

Zhang Zhou actually knew what Zhu Youtang meant.

Initially, Zhu Youtang wanted to promote Cheng Minzheng to the cabinet. This matter has reached the implementation stage. Even Cheng Minzheng has made all preparations before joining the cabinet. But the problem is that Zhu Youtang is also a person who cares about the overall situation.

Cheng Minzheng's biggest problem is that when he first had the opportunity to join the cabinet, he happened to be involved in the vend project, and it was obvious that someone deliberately poured dirty water on him.

From this point of view, Cheng Minzheng was indeed improper in interpersonal relationships and handling some private affairs, and even made the emperor disgusted. Even though Zhang Zhou later spoke for him, giving him the opportunity to move closer to Zhang Zhou's camp, but once No, if you want to join the cabinet for the second time, things will not be that easy.

On the other hand, Wang Hao.

Even in terms of qualifications and abilities, Wang Hao is not higher than Cheng Minzheng. Even Wang Hao was excluded from the beginning. But at least Wang Hao is low-key and has never failed in joining the cabinet before. In addition, Wang Hao is Zhang. Zhou's advisor, with his calm personality, made the emperor feel that it would be more appropriate for Wang Hao to join the cabinet.

Li Rong said: "Sir, you'd better give us some advice first so that our family can find a place to rest early. We have to return to the palace early tomorrow morning."

Zhang Zhou said with an easy-going expression: "Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Li."

"I can't say it's hard work in the palace. It's all for His Majesty and the court. The same goes for you, sir." Li Rong said, "The most difficult thing at the moment is still the river workers. The drought has eased this year, but I am afraid that the floods in the Central Plains and the South will come again. , various places are preparing to build embankments and other things before summer begins, but it is impossible for the imperial court to approve the reconstruction plans of so many places at once, and you know, many of them are simply... taking the opportunity to allocate money, so there is no rush. "

Zhang Zhou said: "Aren't you asking me to calculate where there may be floods this summer and prevent it in advance?"

Li Rong said in surprise: "This is the best. If it can really be like this... Sir, you don't have to be too rigid. This is what our family says. It depends more on whether you can coordinate and coordinate for this matter. They have been arguing since the beginning of the month, and there was a huge quarrel over whether to build dams on the Yellow River or on the rivers."

Zhang Zhou nodded and said: "Since His Majesty asked me to consult the details, I won't say that this matter is the most important. It won't be decided early tomorrow morning, right?"

"That's not the case." Li Rong quickly put on a smile and said, "As long as you are willing to come forward to share His Majesty's worries, it is not impossible to delay it for a few days, but we still have to hurry up. After all, the summer flood is coming soon."

……

……

After Zhang Zhou sent Li Rong away, he entered the study room, and Zhu Feng was already there, reading the books on the shelf for a long time.

"Can you see it?" Zhang Zhou asked.

Zhu Feng turned around and looked a little apologetic. After all, it was a bit rude to take the owner's book to read without asking the owner.

Zhu Feng quickly put the books back to their original places and said, "Brother Zhang, your study... is quite unique. These are the books. Why are they different from the ones I usually read?"

Zhang Zhoudao: "The books you usually see are basically for imperial examinations or annotating scriptures, but my books are about changing the times. The purpose of the books you read before is to explain the remarks of the predecessors, and some of them are We use the past to discuss the present, but my books focus on the future. All the changes you see in the Ming Dynasty can be found in these books."

"is it?"

Zhu Feng heard it half-understood.

He was not originally from a scholarly family. No matter how big the Chengguo Palace was, it was still a martial arts family. The men in the family were more martial arts than literary, and Zhu Feng himself was not an heir, so he had not been exposed to much cultural knowledge. .

"Tell me." Zhang Zhou sat behind the desk and asked Zhu Feng to sit down as well.

Zhu Feng said: "I'll leave after I finish speaking. I've been bothering you for a long time. It's about Princess Yongkang. She said that she had misunderstandings about Brother Zhang before, but now she understands that you are doing everything for the good of the prince-in-law. She is willing to put an end to the past and hopes that you can be here." In the position of Prince Consort Cui, we will provide him with some help so that he can stay in the capital camp as an errand."

Zhang Zhou shook his head and said: "Of course it would be better for such a useful talent to stay in the northwest. Isn't this the expectation of Prince Consort Cui and the eldest princess Yongkang?"

"This...probably not."

Zhu Feng said, "Brother Zhang, this is how I understand it. Husband and wife cannot always be separated from each other. Not everyone has such great ambitions. Just like, I think it is better to stay in the capital than in the northwest."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "This kind of thing still depends on His Majesty's arrangements, right?"

Zhu Feng scratched his head and said, "I told the people she sent me the same way, but for some reason, she seems to be very concerned about settling the old grudges with you. In addition, our two families already have a good relationship. This time, even my grandmother... Thinking I should help her, I just came."

Zhang Zhou said: "It seems that your two families want to form an alliance. Do you want to find you a wife from the Cui family to continue your marriage?"

Zhu Feng said hurriedly: "Brother Zhang, please don't make fun of me. I'm just here to deliver a message. If you feel it's inappropriate, just reject her directly. Write a letter or ask me to deliver a message."

Zhang Zhou said with an indifferent expression: "Let's be clear, I think it is better for Cui Yuan to stay in the northwest, or after this battle, he will have a chance to get a title or something. There are many places in the northwest that lack generals, so give him a vacancy. There is no problem at all. On the other hand, within the capital, every family is scrambling for the job of promoting various battalions in the capital."

"That's the eldest princess. It shouldn't be difficult, right?" Zhu Feng said.

Zhang Zhou said: "That's not the case. For Your Majesty, it is better to arrange capable people in the most suitable positions. Just go back and say so. I think she will not embarrass you."

"Oh."

Zhu Feng responded.

Suddenly, I felt that it was unnecessary for me to come and wait for more than an hour at night.

I waited for a long time in vain, but Zhang Zhou gave me a few words to deal with it.

"Know what is right, go to bed early. I have something to do. Let's talk again when we have the opportunity later." Zhang Zhou yawned, which was equivalent to giving an order to expel guests.

You kid came to disturb my good things at night. I didn't blame you. Even if you are being polite, do you still want me to be nice to you?
……

……

Morning the next day.

There is still no news about the battle report of the Yellow River Battle, but after the court meeting, some ministers have already discussed it in private.

"I heard that Di Yi was planning to cross the Yellow River and plunder the ground in Ningxia. This is why they abandoned Shigou City, in order to attract the local defenders of Ningxia. If the defenders of Ningxia cannot catch up, Then Di Yi can harass the people around Ningxia Town. His intentions are vicious."

"This makes sense. Many people are speculating that as long as the Tatars cross the Yellow River, they will be in a no-man's land. The two wins before and the killing of those Tatars are not enough for the people of Ming Dynasty. Loss, the Tatars are planning it.”

"In that case, is it a merit or demerit in the past? In this matter, the Ministry of War...how should we distinguish between merit and demerit? Should we still bear responsibility?"...

A group of people had a heated discussion.Just say Zhang Zhou, you made a mistake in your calculations. Even if you won two battles, the Tatars still did not lose in the overall strategy at the key point. As long as the Tatars successfully crossed the river and plundered the people around Ningxia. , then this war can be considered a [-]-[-] split at best.

We can even put the shit basin on you.

It might have been fine, but just because you insisted on using the Ningxia garrison to fight the Tatars, although you won an early victory, you still suffered a complete defeat in the end.

Of course, there are many ways to describe how to call it a complete failure. It is up to us to distinguish and decide.

As the Minister of Rites, Lin Han turned a deaf ear to the discussions around him, but Shen Lu, the general affairs envoy, came over and said, "Did you hear that?"

This is to remind Lin Han that everyone is talking about your son-in-law. You won't pretend to be deaf and dumb, right?

Lin Han said: "So what? I don't understand what happens on the battlefield."

For Lin Han, he had been the Minister of Rites, achieved his life goal, and now lived a life of dawdling. He did not feel that he had a strong sense of participation in the court. It was because of his relationship with Zhang Zhou that he He must always be careful about being led into a ditch.

In his eyes, Shen Lu just had "uneasy good intentions".

Shen Lu said: "I think there are experts guiding this trend behind the scenes. You said that the war thousands of miles away is not over yet. Why is there so much discussion in the capital? Why don't you explain the matter?"

Lin Han looked sideways and said, "Are you saying that someone is deliberately leading the way of winning first and then losing later, and is deliberately trying to shirk responsibility from Bingkuan?"

Shen Lu nodded and said: "There is such a tendency. Sometimes, we can't ignore it, right?"

Lin Han frowned. He didn't like Shen Lu's way of speaking.

If you have something to say, say it directly. You don't have to beat around the bush like you're playing a riddle, and you're still saying this to a person like me who seems to be indifferent to the world.

You just don’t want to stand out, so you’re treating me like a gunman?

"Then when I look back, I should remind Bingkuan to be more careful." Lin Han said, "But how should we determine this matter? Doesn't it depend on the movements of the Tatars? The private criticisms of a few people will not affect the overall situation. "

"Mr. Lin, what you said makes sense. By the way, I told Mr. Lin before that the Song family wants to marry you, and Miss Song family wants to join your family. What do you think?"

"No need!"

Lin Han knew very well that Shen Lu knew that he was very passionate about having children, so he wanted to "become a matchmaker" for him.

Shen Lu continued to chatter non-stop, praising the girls of the Song family, all the way to the palace gate. After they separated, Lin Han didn't say another word to him.

Shen Lu looked at Lin Han's back as he left angrily, and murmured: "What's wrong with a pear tree crushing a begonia? Why is this... so pretentious?"

……

……

Wenhua Hall, noon.

Zhu Houzhao spread out a very large map of the northwest in front of him. He was holding a magnifying glass in one hand and a chicken drumstick in the other. He was studying the military situation of the Ming Dynasty while eating.

"The land of Ningxia is also strange. There is such a small area north of the Yellow River, and further north there are deserts and mounds without any grass. Why do the Tatars insist on staring at such a place? If it were me, Ming You know you can’t beat me, why don’t you run away quickly?”

Zhu Houzhao didn't seem to understand why the Tatars wanted to cross the river and go north.

Liu Jin said: "Your Royal Highness, we have not said that the Tatar cavalry will definitely cross the river, but the result of the discussion in the Yanwu Hall is that crossing the river is more likely."

Zhu Houzhao sighed: "In the battle of Shigou City, the Tatars wanted to find a place to stay and plunder. I can understand that it would be unwise to go north to the Yellow River. Although I, the Ming Dynasty, did not have many men and horses to pursue. After winning several battles, the Tatars were in great momentum. Even if the little prince personally led the troops, would the Tatars have enough ships to cross the river? As long as they set up a line of suspects on the other side of the river and then attack them in an ambush, wouldn't the Tatars still have to Just retreat to the south bank?"

"This……"

Liu Jin didn't expect that the prince's knowledge was different from others.

Qiu Ju came over and said: "Returning to the prince, I heard that the Tatars are unwilling to retreat like this and want to gain some results before leaving. Otherwise, the face of the little Tatar prince cannot be saved. From now on, he will be on the grassland. There’s no way to be a co-owner.”

"Return to the co-owner. The only co-owner is our Ming Dynasty, and they are just ministers of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Houzhao was so angry that he took a bite of the chicken leg, as if the chicken leg was the meat of Batu Munch. It was still fragrant after taking one bite.

Gao Feng reminded: "Your Highness, don't drop oil on the map, it will make it dirty. This is the only one in the palace now. If Your Majesty asks..."

Such a good map was obviously not prepared by Zhang Zhou for Zhu Houzhao, but by Zhang Zhou for Zhu Youtang. Zhu Houzhao yelled many times before borrowing it from his father. This was regarded as a reward for his progress in learning. Of course It also shows that if you don’t study well, you will be confiscated at any time.

Zhu Houzhao said: "With that person here, he can make any number of maps, doesn't it only take a few days? Besides, there are craftsmen in the palace, just ask them to draw a copy later."

Liu Jin said: "Your Highness, it's getting late. You should have had lunch and prepare for the afternoon exam."

"Exams, exams, there are exams every day." Zhu Houzhao said gloomily, "It's all that person's fault. Ever since he became my teacher, he has given me the entire exam. Even my father thought it was to test my performance. Standard, isn’t this nonsense? If the country can only be run by those who use it, does that mean that if Confucius is the king, he will be able to govern the world? "

Liu Jin hurriedly said: "Your Highness, please be careful what you say."

"Shit, this prince will be the ruler of the country in the future. What's wrong with saying this?"

Zhu Houzhao ignored Liu Jin's gaze and continued to look at the map and said, "I really hope the Tatars really want to cross the river, so that the border troops will have another chance to make meritorious deeds. If it were me, I would lead a group of people and wait on the other side of the river. . Haha, I will kill a group of them until they give in, and then follow this road to let me out of the pass. Then I will send troops to intercept them at the pass, and protect them until they are completely annihilated."

Several eunuchs in the East Palace looked at each other.

They didn't feel that there was any sense of expectation, and they didn't understand why the prince was so excited when he mentioned this.

They couldn't understand Zhu Houzhao's martial arts, and they thought Zhu Houzhao was suffering from hysteria there.

Liu Jin said: "Your Highness, if you have any opinions on this battle, you should write a form and submit it to His Majesty so that His Majesty can know your insights."

"That's right." Zhu Houzhao said, "Father always thinks that I am a child, but I have grown up! Every time my insights are accurate, I can accurately predict the development of the war, but my father himself cannot. I He is the man who can rival that person.”

Several eunuchs stared at each other again.

I was thinking in my heart, Prince, who gave you the confidence? When did you hit the development of the battle every time?Can we have a little face?

Liu Jin raised his thumb and said: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is wise and powerful. If there is a chance to personally conquer the Tatars in the future, he will definitely be able to wipe out the Tatars in one fell swoop. By then, all under the sky will be the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and no Di Yi will dare to invade the territory."

"Well said. Add a chicken drumstick, here you go!"

Zhu Houzhao was almost full, so he handed the half-eaten chicken drumstick to Liu Jin.

After Liu Jin got the chicken legs, she felt so excited.

"Eat!" Zhu Houzhao said.

Liu Jin said: "This slave is reluctant to eat and wants to go back and offer it."

"Exactly!" Zhu Houzhao said, "You can eat it as long as you want. This thing is not an antique calligraphy and painting. How can you offer it? Do you want to wrap it in lime? It's just a temporary reward. I will give it to you later after I establish a government. The reward will be greater. So will you."

Liu Jin knelt down and said, "Thank you for your reward."

Gao Feng and others also bowed their hands and accepted the order, but they were thinking in their hearts, you Liu Jin talk a lot and act a lot, how can eating a chicken drumstick make you so excited?

Zhu Houzhao didn't wipe his hands, and directly clicked on the map with his oil-stained hands, saying: "I think they will exit the Ming Dynasty here, but I don't know if other people from all walks of life can come in time to intercept them. They want to cross the Yellow River." There is no chance, unless the Ningxia governor who leads the army wants to be beheaded. It is obvious that whoever goes to the other side to lead the army will get the credit. Maybe there will be another Wang Shouren or something like that."

Liu Jin said: "Does His Highness the Crown Prince think that another God of War has emerged in the Ming Dynasty?"

"I don't know, it depends."

Zhu Houzhao didn't finish his words, he clapped his hands casually and said, "If you have chicken legs, eat them as soon as possible. After eating, I will accompany you to take the exam. After the exam, I will definitely tell my father that he will let me go out for a walk recently. It is really boring in the palace." Now, I can’t see someone, and he doesn’t know where to be happy recently.”

Gao Feng said: "His Royal Highness is talking about Duke Cai, right? He has been busy with official duties recently, or has no time to come."

"Bullshit!" Zhu Houzhao scolded, "Every time I go to see him, I see that he is in a leisurely mood. I think he is usually complaining. You know the Taoist family, they all emphasize tranquility and inaction. To put it bluntly, it is just laziness?"

Several eunuchs were stunned again.

The prince's insight was different from others. Even the emperor could not say that Zhang Zhou was lazy, but the prince "slandered" his husband like this.

Zhu Houzhao said: "If I become the emperor in the future and he fools me like this, let's see how I deal with him! He is just bullying me and is still the prince now!"

Gao Feng said hurriedly: "Prince, be careful what you say."

"Be careful with your words, can I still not speak? I would say this even in front of my father! You must make someone busy, then there is hope for the Ming Dynasty and Zhongxing. Otherwise, if he is lazy every day, the Ming Zhongxing will be far away!" (End of chapter)