The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

The lobbyist from Duke Baoguo's Mansion left, and then Zhang Lushui walked away with a basin in his hand. Only then did Zhu Feng, who had been waiting next door, have the opportunity to come in and meet him.

"That seems to be a retainer of Duke Baoguo's mansion. I didn't expect that he didn't go to the northwest to join the army." Zhu Feng said.

In the Ming Dynasty, although the master did not have a formal name, it was very common for powerful people to keep a few retainers as retainers to help them with inquiries when necessary. It was common for them to ask someone to come forward when doing business and giving and receiving gifts in private.

It's similar to White Gloves, except that what this group of people do is a little more "noble" than White Gloves who only care about making money.

Zhang Zhou picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea: "Do you know him?"

"Yes." Zhu Feng nodded, "He has been to Chengguo Duke's Mansion and met his grandmother. It is said that he is from the south and has a wide network. Many officials from the southern imperial examination will give him face. It seems, He must be a lifter."

When he was appointed as a candidate, he did not continue to take the Jinshi examination, nor did he choose officials to join politics. Instead, he directly became a guest of the Duke's palace and secretly cultivated connections.

Zhang Zhou said: "Then do you know why he came to me?"

Zhu Feng smiled and said: "Brother Zhang, there are rumors even in the market now that Duke Baoguo will be prosecuted for his slackness in the war. I guess they want to use your relationship to protect his career and their career." His rank and status, right?"

Zhang Zhou just smiled.

"Isn't everything I said right?" Zhu Feng asked curiously.

"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded, "That's right, what's the purpose of your coming?"

Zhu Feng said: "I'm just looking for a place to have a drink and talk to you, Brother Zhang. Recently, I haven't even dared to go back home. My grandmother said that she had arranged a wedding date for me, but as soon as it was decided, the matter was settled again."

Zhang Zhou smiled and asked, "Why?"

Zhu Feng looked frustrated and said: "The woman I chose for marriage is the daughter of Uncle Ping Jiang. Brother Zhang, you know the specific reason. But in this northwest war, Uncle Ping Jiang did not make any contribution, and my grandmother regretted it as soon as she heard it. , saying that a married woman is not qualified to enter the government, and that she would choose someone else for me."

Zhang Zhou pushed the teapot in front of Zhu Feng, meaning that you should drink some tea to suppress the depression in your heart.

But Zhu Feng misunderstood the meaning. He picked up the teapot and poured tea for Zhang Zhou: "Brother Zhang, you want to help me give me some advice. How can I push the matter aside?"

Zhang Zhou said: "With your title as Marquis of Anbian, you haven't even decided to get married yet. Do you know how many people covet you?"

"what?"

Zhu Feng looked sad.

"I'm not your teacher. I have no way of interfering in your marriage. If we don't have anything else to do, let's watch a show together and find a place to rest early. There have been assessments in the Yanwu Hall in the past few days. You have to get busy. Don't Stay up too late." Zhang Zhou said.

"I know." Zhu Feng nodded, "Brother Zhang, there is one more thing I want to ask you for help with."

"Say!"

"It's Tong'er's business. She seems to have been neglected in the palace recently. Even her prescription business in the capital is not very good. I once tried to find connections and asked ladies from famous families to go to her for consultation, but with little success. Wei, see if you can..."

"No talk."

"Oh."

Zhu Feng probably also knew that mentioning Ning Tong's matter might cause Zhang Zhou to look down on him, so he just finished his request, as if this was the completion of the task, and whether Zhang Zhou would help or not depended on God's will.

Zhang Zhou said: "She has nothing to do with you a long time ago. Don't cause trouble for yourself. I think she just wants to take advantage of the weakness in your temperament. She is the person who understands you best. She can control you very well when it comes to husband and wife. of."

"Yeah." Zhu Feng didn't deny it either.

But it doesn't seem to be against Ning Tong's use of him.

Zhang Zhou said: "I can't take care of the examination of the Yanwu Hall. After the Northwest War, my first task is to clean up the military affairs. For people like Baoguo Gong and Ping Jiangbo who are afraid of the enemy on the battlefield, I have to participate in the discussion and trial of crimes." Law enforcement and other matters. If you don’t understand anything, go and ask Wang Shilang from the Ministry of Household Affairs. In addition, Lu Wan, the governor of Neisan Pass, will return to the capital recently. He will temporarily investigate the martial arts hall, and you can ask him for advice on everything."

Zhu Feng asked: "Brother Zhang can't spare any time? Where can I go to find something?"

Zhang Zhou sighed: "Zhijie, it's time to stand up for yourself. Don't come to me for everything. If you want to make a difference, there will be plenty of opportunities for you. As for your grandmother's words, you don't have to take it too seriously. , make your own choices and know that you will have opportunities to make contributions in the future."

"Oh."

Zhu Feng still looks like an innocent and well-behaved baby. Her life path is either planned by her family or given to her by Zhang Zhou. She doesn't seem to have much of her own opinion.

Zhang Zhou said: "After the assessment is over, I will report to His Majesty according to the results and recommend a few people to serve in the border town. This can be regarded as training a few capable assistants for yourself. Your Majesty is also waiting for the examination with Yanwu Hall to give you Add some merit, and don’t do anything outside of the martial arts hall these days, and take care of yourself first when it’s sensitive.”

Zhu Feng heard it half-understood, but still nodded and said: "I know."

……

……

The war in the northwest subsided.

The discussion of meritorious service was in full swing. Regarding the awards for meritorious personnel in this battle, Zhu Youtang was most willing to listen to Zhang Zhou’s opinion and asked Zhang Zhou to submit the report himself in the name of Minister of the Ministry of War. However, Zhang Zhou felt that this was not appropriate. If it is appropriate, it would be better to explain it in front of the emperor and let the emperor choose whether to adopt it.

On this day, Zhang Zhou followed Li Rong and Xiao Jing into the palace.

The eunuch in charge of the ceremony and the chief eunuch Bingbi came out of the palace to greet him in person and walked into the palace together. This treatment was also unique.

Originally, only Li Rong could lead the way, but Xiao Jing came because he knew that Zhang Zhou entered the palace this time to discuss military rewards with the emperor. He also wanted to know Zhang Zhou's opinion in advance, so he took the initiative to show his courtesy.

"The first person to have contributed most is Yang Yiqing, the governor of Ningxia. If we talk about his equal, it is probably Cui Yuan, the commander-in-chief of the Prince Consort."

Xiao Jing set the tone.

Li Rong next to him just smiled and said nothing. With Xiao Jing here, even though he was older and more serious, he still didn't have much say.

Zhang Zhou said: "That makes sense."

Xiao Jing immediately noticed that Zhang Zhou's words were somewhat perfunctory, and immediately changed his words: "Of course, the achievements of these two people cannot be compared with you, Duke Cai Guo."

"I dare not take it." Zhang Zhou said, "I have not been on the battlefield, and I don't even know a little about what happened on the front line. How can I deserve this merit? If I are counted among the heroes, I am afraid that people will be dissatisfied. I still have some self-knowledge. of."

"Mr. Cai Guogong, you are smiling. Your Majesty has seen your achievements. Even if your ministers are dissatisfied with their mouths, they are convinced in their hearts. If you hadn't planned the battles of Huamachi and Shigou City in advance, how could you have done it? Is it progressing so smoothly? Even the battle at the mouth of the Yellow River was the result of your strategic planning."

Xiao Jing felt a bit like blowing a rainbow fart in front of Zhang Zhou.

Even Li Rong on the side was a little uncomfortable. Originally, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony was the internal minister. When did he deliberately compliment a minister of the court like this?
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Eunuch Xiao, I would like to ask, what do you think of your majesty's request for credit for this battle?"

It is against the rules for foreign ministers to inquire about the Holy Will, but Zhang Zhou never seems to care about this. He will say whatever comes to his mind. At least the eunuchs like Si Lijian feel that Zhang Zhou's temperament is still very straightforward.

Xiao Jing said: "How do you know this? But when your Majesty discusses your merits, he must be...never stingy."

Still need you to say?

At this point, Li Rong finally added: "In fact, discussing merit is one thing, but discussing fault seems to be more important. I wonder what Cai Guogong thinks of it?"

"That's right." Xiao Jing seemed to have been reminded, waiting for the answer with a look of anticipation on his face.

Zhang Zhou said: "Is this the fault of Duke Baoguo and others? It is indeed a big mistake to miss the opportunity to fight, but to use this to confiscate the family and exterminate the clan, is it... excessive?"

Xiao Jing was startled.

Family copying and extermination?

How dare you say it.

Li Rong said with a smile: "Cai Guogong can make it clear to His Majesty how to deal with it. It is best to punish his crimes, but also to inspire the morale of the army and make the superiors work together to pave the way for the pacification of the grassland in the future."

The implication is that we will give a small punishment but a big warning. Offending Zhu Hui is a small matter, but offending a large group of people behind him is a big deal.

"That's true." Xiao Jing also agreed.

Obviously, the relationship between Xiao Jing and Zhu Hui is extraordinary. Zhu Hui was previously trained as the head coach, and he had secret communication with Xiao Jing, who was once the eunuch of the ceremonial department, such as giving gifts and flattering. It's also normal.It is said that the ceremonial eunuchs and eunuchs cannot collude with ministers outside the palace, but giving gifts and secretly communicating during festivals are commonplace.

Zhang Zhou said: "Those who lead troops on an expedition should put bravery first. The military regulations of the Ming Dynasty have long been written down on matters such as delaying fighter planes. Everything should be done according to the rules."

Xiao Jing and Li Rong looked at each other, and both of them could tell that Zhang Zhou was preparing to kill Zhu Hui, and Zhu Hui seemed to be regarded as a negative example.

They can't help but think, you Zhang Bingkuan knows that Zhu Hui has an entire traditional martial arts backing, do you still want to knock on the mountain and shock the tiger to kill him?

……

……

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youtang was in high spirits and carefully discussed the military situation with Zhang Zhou before setting up the sand table.

Zhu Youtang was particularly interested in whether the decision made by Yang Yiqing's troops to evacuate the Tatars northward and away from the Ming Dynasty after the Battle of the Yellow River Estuary was correct.

Except for Chen Kuan, the three remaining eunuchs in the Chief Ceremony Department are present. In addition, there is Zhang Yong. They all seem to feel that Zhu Youtang is not so limited in his determination of merit. Even for someone as meritorious as Yang Yiqing, The minister, Zhu Youtang, didn't mind discussing whether he was at fault, and wanted to discuss with Zhang Zhou whether he should be punished in this way.

"Yang Yiqing's choice was more because the subsequent soldiers and horses did not keep up."

Zhang Zhou made a small summary.

Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "The journey from Huamachi to Shigou City and then to the Yellow River Crossing is only more than 300 miles. If the people from all walks of life step up to catch up, I believe they can arrive in less than three days, and the cavalry will be faster. , but the result was that the Ningxia garrison fought alone."

Xiao Jing reminded: "Your Majesty, are the men and horses of Marquis Wu'an and Uncle Xiangcheng still following? They also followed the order to attack and arrived in time."

Zhu Hui was not mentioned, but he vaguely told the emperor that they followed Zhu Hui's order to intercept the Tatars, and were personally led by Cui Yuan, part of one of the Xiangcheng Bo troops, and achieved a great victory at the mouth of the Yellow River. Indirectly, Zhu Hui also got half of the credit.

Zhu Youtang said: "It was timely enough. How many people went to the battlefield to kill? In the end, didn't it rely on hundreds of people to ambush the Tatars on the other side of the Yellow River? If it weren't for Yang Yiqing who led the Ningxia garrison to contain the main Tatar force on the southeast bank , not to mention hundreds of troops and horses on the north bank of the Yellow River, even if we add ten times more, it will not be enough to win."

Xiao Jing heard that the emperor's words were full of anger, and he was trying to hold on to Zhu Hui's pigtails, and then he stopped speaking for Zhu Hui.

"Bingkuan, I think you should strictly enforce military discipline, reward where you deserve, and punish where you deserve." Zhu Youtang reminded.

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, merit, demerit, reward and punishment cannot be decided by me alone."

"Haha." Zhu Youtang said with a smile, "I let you decide. Rewards for merit are to help you win over the morale of the army and to stabilize the morale of the soldiers. As for punishment for mistakes, they are to help you establish your prestige and let the people in the army I will be afraid of you and show kindness and power at the same time, so that I can not lose my true qualities as a general."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding. I will probably make some decisions on my own in the future." Zhang Zhou said as if he was very rude.

This also surprised several eunuchs.

You used to be very reluctant before, because you were afraid of offending people, and you were afraid that others would think you were trying to win people's hearts. Now you just say a few words to the emperor, and you accept it so calmly?
Zhu Youtang said: "Well Bingkuan, how do you think Zhu Hui, the chief culprit, should be dealt with?"

Zhu Hui was not addressed by title, but by his first name. Even a few eunuchs could feel that the emperor no longer regarded Zhu Hui as a minister.

Zhang Zhou said: "Based on his performance, there is some dereliction of duty. As for delaying the fighter plane, some people may be dissatisfied. Based on this, I should at least win the title."

"Not killing is not enough to make the people angry." Zhu Youtang said angrily.

Li Rong hurriedly reminded: "Your Majesty, it is unjustifiable to kill the general in front of the battle when he is victorious."

"Huh?" Zhu Youtang looked at him sharply.

Li Rong was also in a dilemma.

This was obviously not what he wanted to say. With the pressure from Xiao Jing and Wei Bin, Li Rong sometimes had to act as a mature and prudent "just person" to come out and make peace with each other.

Zhang Zhou said: "I think that depriving the army of titles is enough to scare the young men in the army, and let the soldiers know that no matter whether the battle is won or lost, they should be brave. It is also because this battle has not caused great consequences. If the Tatars are really in trouble, Those who plundered people and animals in Ningxia and other places and led troops who feared war will never be able to apologize for their crimes even if they die."

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang had wanted to kill Zhu Hui before, but after hearing Zhang Zhou's words, he seemed to be less angry instantly.

This also made Xiao Jing and others breathe a sigh of relief.

Killing Zhu Hui was of great importance. Regardless of whether they had a good relationship with Zhu Hui or not, they all felt that doing so would bring turmoil to the court.

If Zhu Hui's title was simply given away, I thought it was unacceptable before, but now it seems that it is a relatively good result.

"Let's confiscate the house. What do you think, Bingkuan? I think we should give Zhu Hui a hard job and let him go to the south to guard the sea frontier, or to the southwest to guard the border." Zhu Youtang seriously discussed with Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou said: "I should obey your Majesty's will."

"No, I am discussing with you, but I still put your opinion first. You can use my opinion as a reference." Zhu Youtang said, "The crime of the first culprit should be more serious. As for the others who neglect military affairs, you should also deal with them as appropriate. As for Chen Liangjiu, he was not allowed to return to the capital. He was originally supposed to be left in Yansui to wait for a chance to avenge his previous humiliation, but as a result, new grievances arose before the shame was gone. The capital is so big that it can no longer tolerate this kind of behavior. People!"

Zhang Zhou suggested: "Then why not let him stay in Ningxia, become a former captain of the army, and have a few more years of experience?"

Zhu Youtang said: "Do it as you wish, I won't interfere."

……

……

The monarch and his ministers first talked about the punishment of those who were at fault, and then the rewards for their merits.

Zhu Youtang didn't care about the issues about Yang Yiqing, Zhang Xu and others, he cared more about Cui Yuan.

"Bingkuan, I have been asking Yongkang to go to your house and ask her to apologize to you. After settling the old suspicion, let Maoren do things for you." Zhu Youtang said, "Although I know that Yongkang has a tricky temperament, I also think that she There is no evil intention, it’s just a woman’s... temperament. And I have always thought Mao Ren’s character is pretty good. It’s rare that Mao Ren can still maintain a normal mind until now after marrying a daughter of the royal family.”

Zhang Zhouyi had long known that Zhu Youtang admired Cui Yuan.

In other words, we feel sympathy for each other.

They were also strict with their wives, but now Zhu Youtang has walked out of the quagmire. Seeing that your brother-in-law is still struggling in the quagmire, Zhu Youtang wants to help you.

Zhang Zhou said: "I also believe that Cui Yuan has a decisive personality, and he treats the soldiers well and dares to challenge authority. He has the demeanor of a general."

"Haha." Zhu Youtang said with a smile, "It's not as good as you say. Doesn't it all depend on you for his meritorious service? Give him an errand and stay in the Governor's Mansion, and let him listen to you in the future. of."

Li Rong reminded: "Your Majesty, Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess seems to be..."

I haven’t finished saying it, but what I mean is, have you ignored the existence of Yongkang?

The eldest princess did not say that she wanted to subdue Zhang Zhou.

Zhu Youtang said: "If this imperial sister listens to me, it will be fine. If not, Cui Yuan will not have to return to the capital recently. He will be given a military position and stay outside in Yongkang for a few years. I believe Yongkang will be able to change his gender."

My sister is dissatisfied?

Just let your brother-in-law guard the border and fight outside, and let you be the caretaker at home. After a few years of being a widow, you will know the consequences of being willful.

Not only Zhang Zhou, but also several eunuchs nearby were thinking, isn't this sister a kiss?
Why do you think this means that you treat your brother-in-law better than your sister?

Zhang Zhou said: "I will also consider it as appropriate."

"There is also Zhijie." Zhu Youtang suddenly remembered something and said, "The Duke of Cheng recently reported that he wanted to give his son more experience. I know that the Duke of Cheng wanted to cultivate Zhijie and let him take the lead. After Jie returns to the capital, there are few opportunities to make meritorious deeds. Bingkuan, please make arrangements for him. He has a good temperament and is aloof from the world. Maybe he just needs some fame and fortune to tie him down."

"En." Zhang Zhou nodded.

Probably the emperor likes people who have an easy-going personality and don't like to fight with others. Only such people seem to not threaten the imperial power.

The emperor sincerely liked people who did not pursue fame and fortune, and would even take the initiative to give them away.

"If I have the chance to let him go, I also hope that you will have a few helpers who value friendship and can get things done." (End of Chapter)