The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 514: One Enemy Three
Zhang Zhou's problem has been thrown out and placed in front of Yongkang.

If you want to be knighted, you can, show military merit similar to Wang Shouren, and the title will be obtained naturally. If the military merit is not as good as that, then I'm sorry. The decision on military merit in the new era of Ming Dynasty Hongzhi rests with you, the emperor, but the right of interpretation lies with me. here.

"Mr. Cai Guogong, are you deliberately causing problems for me?" Yongkang calmed down his annoyance a little, but his tone was still cold.

She is also smart. If Zhang Zhou was completely unwilling to give Cui Yuan a knighthood from the beginning, he would not have laid out two alternative conditions and just said that your military merits are not as good as Wang Shouren's and he does not deserve the title. .

Since it was brought up, it meant that there was still room for negotiation, but maybe... it wasn't something that her jars of wine could solve.

Zhang Zhou sighed with emotion: "The problem is neither mine nor His Majesty's, but the restrictions imposed by the senior ministers in the court. You also know that in the past two years, several people have been knighted, including me of course. , from then on, the Chaozhong Pavilion’s Laobu Tang had more restrictions on military merit and titles than before.”

Yongkang said patiently: "If you want to give it, they can't object."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "What the eldest princess means is that I have offended many people anyway, and it is not my place to do things that are frowned upon by the world, nor is it suitable for others to do it, right?"

Yongkang stared at Zhang Zhou without saying a word.

"That's the truth, but why should I offend so many senior ministers in the court for Prince Consort Cui? Or the eldest princess can lobby them and make them accommodating, what do you think?"

Zhang Zhou gave Yongkang another choice.

If you have a grudge against me and don’t want to beg me, then go and beg Liu Jian and Ma Wensheng!
Yongkang said: "Brother Huang asked me to come to you... um..."

She only spoke half of her words before she stopped talking because she realized that she had revealed her trump card - if my royal brother hadn't told me that Cui Yuan's title and official position were decided by you, what do you think? Why would I come to you?

Zhang Zhou smiled without saying a word.

It's like if you don't tell me, I won't know that the emperor asked you to come here. You still want to hide it?

The two fell into a strange silence.

After a while, Zhu Feng's voice came from the door: "Brother Zhang, I've picked him up."

There was a bit of lightness in his voice, as if Zhu Feng had encountered some happy event, or the person who came was someone he had longed for.

"Come in."

Following Zhang Zhou's voice, the door opened, and the person Zhu Feng led in was suddenly Zhu Feng's "ex-wife". Ning Tong, who was also dressed in women's clothing, was looking inside with curious eyes.

……

……

In the theater private room.

Ning Tong and Zhu Feng went inside together. It was Yongkang who expressed dissatisfaction first. In her opinion, since today is the day for me to negotiate with you, it would be rude of you to meet guests here.

"Let me introduce to the eldest princess. You know Anbianhou. This is his former wife, but she has nothing to do with him now. She usually goes in and out of the palace and consults the queen and concubines in the palace." ." Zhang Zhou introduced with a smile.

When Ning Tong knew that the eldest princess of the Ming Dynasty was in front of her, even if she didn't know which eldest princess she was, she knew that today was a Hongmen Banquet.

Zhu Feng looked very enthusiastic and said: "Even though Miss Ning and I are no longer a family, we are still friends, and her business is my business."

Yongkang said coldly: "Zhijie, you are quite nostalgic."

"Haha." Zhu Feng thought this was a compliment to him, and there was a bit of honesty in his smile.

Then Yongkang looked at Zhang Zhou with cold eyes. He didn't say anything, but he asked with his eyes, what is the purpose of doing this?

Zhang Zhou stood up and said loudly: "Speaking of which, I have been very busy recently, and many people have asked me to do things. Sometimes the requests made are too excessive and beyond my ability, so that I don't know how to deal with it. I This person prefers to be an idle person, and it is best to focus on the mountains and rivers to seek the immortal way of longevity. This kind of social interaction in the human world is really not suitable for me."

"You are so humble." Yongkang said in a slightly mocking tone, "Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, you are the person who is best at handling situations."

Zhang Zhou said: "Princess, you are so flattering. Princess, you want to find a military title for Prince Consort Cui, while Marquis Anbian wants to find a job for the sake of his family's future. As for Miss Ning, you want me to give him a job." This magical method can cure the illness of the nobles in the palace. I can do whatever you three ask for, but it is also very difficult."

Only then did Yongkang know.

It turns out that the three people present today all have their own requests, but they are all here to ask for help?

But you compare the affairs of Marquis Anbian and one of his ex-wives with the affairs of my majestic Princess Ming Dynasty. What are your intentions?

Zhang Zhouzhou stretched out his hand and motioned for Liu Gui, who was standing beside him, to move the wine jar to the table.

"Mr. Cai Guogong, what do you mean?" Yongkang said, looking at the wine jar in front of him.

Zhang Zhou said: "The wine the princess sent was brewed by my old Taishan winery. He is a wine merchant in Nanjing. The quality of the wine is not bad. I am also a good drinker. In this way, I want to follow the three Let’s have a drink together, and as long as the three of you can knock me down at the wine table, then I will definitely accomplish whatever you ask me to do, even if it means going up mountains of swords and seas of fire.”

"you……"

Yongkang was surprised.

The essence of negotiation is actually drinking?
You don't mind drinking, but you want me, the eldest princess, to drink with you?Want to drink you down?
"Eldest Princess, I'm the host today. You won't be disrespectful, right?" Zhang Zhou asked with a smile.

Zhu Feng spoke first: "Brother Zhang, your drinking capacity has always been good, I'm afraid I can't."

Although Zhu Feng had never seen Zhang Zhou drink the most, he had never seen Zhang Zhou drunk, let alone drank Zhang Zhou down. With Zhu Feng's self-knowledge, he retreated first.

Zhang Zhou said: "When we talk about things at the wine table, the three of you can come together. If you feel that it is inconvenient or inappropriate, then I won't force it. That's what happened today. Please don't do it again in the future." Please trouble me with your own affairs."

If you don't take advantage of the opportunity given to you, don't blame me for being selfless. I, Zhang Bingkuan, am such a straightforward person.

Yongkang looked at Zhang Zhou and said, "You mean, you want to drink three of us by yourself? We have a drink, and you have a drink too?"

"Wrong." Zhang Zhou said, "I never take advantage of others, especially among the three of them, most of them are women. You three have one drink, and I have three. This means that I, Zhang, can live up to my conscience. What do you think?"

Three drinks for one, in Yongkang’s view, is a huge advantage.

Not to mention one versus three, Zhang Zhou made things more difficult for himself, pitting one against three against three again and again. Anyone who didn't know how to do this would definitely think that Zhang Zhou was deliberately letting off steam.

"Zhijie, how are you?"

Although Yongkang felt that this was almost a sure win, to be cautious, she still wanted to see what Zhu Feng meant first.

After all, Zhu Feng still had to rely on Zhu Feng to push forward when drinking today. She and Ning Tong, who was born in a woman's family, obviously couldn't have a few drinks.

Zhu Feng said: "Brother Zhang, wouldn't this be unfair to you?"

Yongkang was so angry that he almost wanted to curse.

You Zhu Zhijie, now you are asking this iron rooster Zhang Bingkuan to do something. It is rare for him to offer such a good condition, but you still think about him?
"Nothing is wrong." Zhang Zhou said, "For the sake of your affairs to be completed as soon as possible, for the sake of your Tong'er, your father, and the eldest princess's affairs, as well as the friendship between your two families, you can drink as hard as you want, as long as After he drank me down, I told His Majesty later that it was also a friendship at the wine table, and it was very deep."

Zhu Feng wanted to say something else, but this time it was Ning Tong's turn to pull his clothes behind his back.

It means, are you stupid?

The three of us are looking for him to do things. For the sake of us two women, are you acting like a man?
"To serve wine, open three jars first. If it's not enough, add more!" Zhang Zhou said.

"This..." Zhu Feng said, "It seems to be a ten-pound jar, right?"

Zhang Zhou nodded: "Then change the small altar. There is no need for cups. Just use bowls. Drinking will not help you feel happy. It is not good to find a few people to come up and refill the wine. Let a few women from North Korea be responsible for pouring the wine and so on. It’s okay, does the eldest princess have any objections?”

Yongkang seemed to be somewhat confident about drinking. He nodded and said, "I'm happy to accompany you."

……

……

Zhang Zhou really didn't scare anyone when it came to drinking.

The banquet lasted less than half an hour, and the whole process was basically drinking. In the end, a man and two women were either carried out or helped downstairs, looking very embarrassed.

"Master, I sent carriages to each family. You are really good. You drank several kilograms of wine."

Liu Gui looked at Zhang Zhou with envy.

If you can master the power of Zhang Zhou's wine jar, it will be easier to get along in the Jinyiwei circle in the future. In these days, the wine table culture is also popular, especially for Liu Gui who doesn't have much culture himself, but is eager to integrate into the capital. People in Wu Chen’s circle.

Zhang Zhou said: "This little bit of wine is nothing. Bring me my business. I can drink and work today."

"Okay."

Liu Gui excitedly went to move Zhang Zhou's office equipment upstairs.Zhang Lushui, who was serving the wine at the side, and other Korean women also left and went downstairs. When they left, Zhang Lushui was still looking back at Zhang Zhou.

Before, she only knew that Zhang Zhou was very capable in calculating fortunes, planning wars, and assisting in government affairs. Only now did she know that Zhang Zhou had a hidden skill, which was that he could never get drunk after a thousand cups of wine.

……

……

The Royal Palace, after nightfall.

Zhu Youtang was still reviewing the memorials, but he kept coughing. Although he was in poor health, he did not neglect his official duties. Even though Kunning Palace had sent people to invite him several times, he still insisted on taking the pile of memorials in front of him. Don’t leave until all batches have been approved.

"Your Majesty." Li Rong appeared in the dim candlelight, "Princess Yongkang has returned home."

"Oh? Ahem. How was the conversation?"

Zhu Youtang is still full of expectations.

The elder brother has been criticizing his sister, but for a person like Zhu Youtang who cares about family ties, he still does not have such a hard-hearted heart. He would rather his sister reconcile with Zhang Zhou. The palms and backs of his hands are full of flesh. Although Zhang Zhou More importantly, it seems that he is not willing to cut off Yongkang directly.

Li Rongdao: "Cai Guogong hosted a banquet in honor of the eldest princess. At the same time, Anbian Hou and Ningshi were invited to have a drink with Cai Guogong. The three of them had one drink and Cai Guogong drank three."

"Oh." Zhu Youtang asked with great interest, "What's the result?"

Li Rong smiled and said: "As a result, Her Royal Highness the Princess, Marquis Anbian, and Ning were all drunk and went back to their respective homes."

"Haha."

Zhu Youtang laughed heartily, which may have affected his throat, causing him to cough one after another.

Li Rong hurried over and stroked his back.

Zhu Youtang calmed down for a long time, and then he said with a smile: "Actually, Yongkang has always had a good drinking capacity. She calls herself a heroine and thinks she can accomplish anything, but in front of a real man like Bingkuan, how can she dare to What about women being inferior to men?"

Li Rong smiled and said: "Yes, Cai Guogong was still doing things after drinking."

Zhu Youtang suddenly felt distressed and sighed: "Bingkuan always doesn't pay attention to his own body. Even if he is a member of the Immortal Family, he can't just think about others, he should also think more about himself."

Li Rongxin said.

He also takes a lot of rest, but he just doesn't report it to Your Majesty.

I don’t see how busy he is. Besides, even if he is burning the midnight oil now, I don’t know what he is writing or drawing. Why do you, Your Majesty, care so much about his fatigue and not pay attention to yourself?
"Your Majesty, the title and errands of Prince Consort Cui..." Li Rong couldn't help but remind him.

Since Yongkang went to reconcile with Zhang Zhou, and even went to the wine table to drink with Zhang Zhou, it was considered a reconciliation, right?

It seemed that it was not time to embarrass the eldest princess anymore.

Although Li Rong had strong opinions on Yongkang, he knew very well that the emperor valued the relationship between brother and sister, and he wanted to show his loyalty to the royal family. These words were like a reminder, but in fact they were also looking for steps for Zhu Youtang. Down.

Zhu Youtang said: "There is no rush. If Bingkuan has a decision, he will report it to me. It is just a drinking contest in itself. Maybe it will arouse Yongkang's competitive spirit, and there is no sign of bridging the gap."

Li Rong thought to himself, Your Majesty, you should understand your imperial sister.

A woman is so competitive that she insists on hitting the iron plate of Zhang Zhou. What is she trying to do?

"Help me take a look at these tickets. I feel a little uneasy." Zhu Youtang said.

Li Rong said: "Your Majesty, you should rest more."

Zhu Youtang said with emotion: "The leader of the thieves, Batu Meng, has fled back to the grassland. It is estimated that he will not dare to commit crimes again in a year or two. This is a warning. If I am not more diligent, how can I see the peace of the grassland in my lifetime?" Do you want to leave all this to the prince?"

Li Rong originally wanted to say that you have a long life, so there is no need to rush.

But some words are hard to say.

To comfort people, it is contrary to the actual situation. The person who knows his own physical condition best is naturally the owner of his body.

"But tomorrow morning, I'm afraid I won't be able to go to court, so I'll stay away from court for the day." Zhu Youtang said, "If there is anything that involves court affairs or local affairs, report it to the cabinet. Any matters related to military affairs should be reported to the superior. Listen...please add another light to me. In the past few days, for some reason, my vision has been a little blurry. Maybe...I am really old."

……

……

Early the next morning.

The ministers were still preparing to enter the palace to participate in the court meeting, but they were told that they would not attend court that day. The specific reason was not given. Some people also speculated that there might be some important event in the court. They waited for Li Rong to arrive. Several people gathered around to ask. After learning about the situation, it was learned that the emperor had left the court due to health reasons.

"Your Majesty should take more rest recently." Liu Jian reminded.

Li Rong said with a smile: "Mr. Liu Ge, your Majesty has ordered that you don't have to report everything to your Majesty for the matters that can be handled by the government recently, especially the affairs of the six ministries, and you don't need to ask your Majesty for instructions on everything."

Liu Jiandao: "I wonder when the several memorials that I have left in the past will be approved?"

"There's no rush." ​​Li Rong continued to smile, "Your Majesty has been dealing with state affairs until very late every day, and he hasn't had a good rest for a long time. Didn't you also say that Your Majesty should pay attention to the dragon body?"

Liu Jian said nothing.

Ma Wensheng stepped forward and asked, "Why has there been no announcement from the Ministry of War about rewards for military meritorious service in the northwest?"

"I'm waiting too." Li Rong explained, "When it comes to rewards and punishments, it's not just rewards. Even the factory guards are busy. I'll give you an explanation later. Please go back first. "

This is to remind everyone present that what happened in the northwest cannot be explained by just talking about merit and rewards.

There is also the reason why crimes should be punished.

To make a final decision, we can't just follow Northwest's report and stamp it with a seal.

Even Dongchang and Jinyiwei are involved, and the most unlucky one is probably Zhu Hui, who is leading the charge this time.

Wait for Li Rong to leave surrounded by everyone.

Xie Qiancai said as if questioning: "The troops leading the army in the northwest have not returned yet, and the soldiers and horses dispatched from various places have not been arranged yet. We have to discuss the crime now, I am afraid it is too early."

Zhang Mao came over with a shy face and said, "What does Yu Qiao mean by this? Could it be that he wants to say that there are people in the army who dare to mutiny?"

"A rare guest."

Xie Qian took a look at Zhang Mao.

Recently, Zhang Mao has been saying that he is ill and cannot go to court. It is rare for him to come to court for a day, and he just happens to drop out of court. Xie Qian is also unforgiving.

Zhang Mao said: "Everyone in the Governor's Mansion is also a loyal minister. You are not the only ones in the Ming Dynasty who are loyal to His Majesty."

The tone was very harsh. Even a shrewd person like Xie Qian didn't understand the meaning of Zhang Mao's bold words. Shouldn't we share the same hatred and deal with Zhang Zhou's strong crushing now?

In the past, we were prepared to guard against Zhang Zhou's rise. Now, do you people in the Dudu Mansion still have the qualifications to challenge Zhang Zhou?
Are you, Zhang Mao, being taken advantage of now?

After Zhang Mao and several Wu Xun left, Xie Qian curled his lips and said, "It's urgent. I don't know who should be anxious."

Li Dongyang said: "Now that we have reached this stage, perhaps the British public should also know that attitude is more important than position."

"Attitude...stand? What's the difference?" Xie Qian asked face to face.

You, Li Binzhi, are also weird. Is it necessary to criticize me with these specious words?

Li Dongyang explained calmly: "What is expressed on the outside is naturally the attitude, but who cares about the inner position?"

Xie Qian took a breath and understood instantly.

This was not said to him, Xie Qian, nor to Wu Xun. It was more like letting several surrounding civil servants know what Zhang Mao's current situation was.

Even if Zhang Mao hates Zhang Zhou in his heart now, he wishes he could suppress Zhang Zhou and let the old ministers return to their old country. But he also knows that the attitude the emperor wants now is the confrontation between military officers and civil servants. That is to make them obey Zhang Zhou.

Therefore, Zhang Mao would rather risk offending traditional civil servants and bring out the antagonistic relationship.

Old man Zhang had no choice.

(End of this chapter)