The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youtang got several good news in a row from Zhang Zhou. In an instant, his dream of enriching the country and strengthening the army was one step closer. He returned to the Palace of Qianqing with a brisk step and full of determination.

"Bingkuan has done so much for our country and I don't know how to reward him."

Sitting back in his seat, Zhu Youtang didn't seem tired at all, and even praised Zhang Zhou in front of Li Rong.

Li Rong said: "Your Majesty, it seems that Duke Cai Guo lacks neither title nor money. Such capable ministers have rarely been seen since ancient times. I have heard that powerful officials since ancient times have obtained their property by using power for personal gain. I have never heard of anything like Duke Cai Guo. He could earn a lot of money every day, but almost all of it was given to the imperial court."

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "That's because as a member of the Immortal Family, he doesn't value fame and fortune in the world. Others don't have the magnanimity he does."

Li Rong smiled and said, "That servant really doesn't know what to reward Cai Guogong. It seems that he lacks nothing."

"That's not right." After thinking briefly, Zhu Youtang said with emotion, "He lacks a lot of things, mainly the understanding of the world and the support of the ministers in the court. Looking back, I really should let those ministers see it with their own eyes, Bingkuan What have you done for the imperial court? Not to mention military achievements, but also something as novel and useful as a train. Is this something that anyone in the world can think of? His achievements have been unparalleled by anyone since ancient times."

Li Rongxin said, this tall hat is really not afraid of crushing people to death.

Criticisms come from the inside, but Li Rong's beautiful words are no less generous: "That's really unprecedented and unprecedented."

"That's right." Zhu Youtang said, "Go and give Bingkuan a few of the gadgets I usually play around with. If there is anything worthy of reward, especially from the inner treasury, put it on display for me. Come down, I will consider choosing a few pieces before sending them to him! Send Yongkang to me in the palace separately, I have something to say to her."

"Yes." Li Rong responded hurriedly.

Zhu Youtang still praised Zhang Zhou endlessly: "I am really lucky to have Bingkuan here. In the past, when others said that I wanted to be a wise king, I only regarded it as Gongwei, but now it seems that it is not impossible."

Li Rong smiled bitterly in his heart.

The heart is finished.

Your Majesty's mentality has also become empty. Now not only are your ministers unprecedented, but you yourself also want to be the emperor for eternity.

This is a bit dangerous.

……

……

Yongkang was summoned to Qianqing Palace by Zhu Youtang, and only Li Rong accompanied her.

"I'll just tell you."

Zhu Youtang's words can be regarded as a slap in the face, "I am very dissatisfied with your previous attitude, but fortunately you have found your way back, and now some people in the royal family have taken responsibility. I am ready to promote Mao Ren to Jingshan Bo as appropriate. After he returns to Beijing, the title will be given to him."

When Yongkang heard this, he was overjoyed.

Even Li Rong couldn't help but smile and cup his hands and said: "Congratulations to the eldest princess."

Yongkang couldn't hide his smile and said: "Brother, Mao Ren won the military merit for the Ming Dynasty. He was rewarded with fields and so on. My sister is very happy. In fact, this title is not necessarily given."

Zhu Youtang said: "If you get an advantage, don't act like a good boy. Aren't you afraid that I will take back your life?"

As soon as these words came out, Yongkang obediently kept his mouth shut. If he were to be too polite and lose his husband's title, it would really be like "losing his wife and losing his army."

As the eldest princess, Yongkang also knew very well that the eldest princess did not have a title. After one or two generations, she would become a branch of the royal family, far away from the core of power in the court. The eldest princess's legitimate son was just an ordinary person.

But if the husband obtains the title and passes it on, he will become an iron rice bowl for generations, and a hereditary position can be reserved in the Governor's Mansion, and relatives of the emperor can become important ministers of the court in one fell swoop.

"But you haven't done enough." Zhu Youtang said.

Yongkang was happy, but also felt a little depressed.

She has already confessed her mistake to Zhang Zhou in person, but it goes against her own mentality of being strong. It is still a shame for her to lower her proud head in front of a man like Zhang Zhou. Isn't that enough?To what extent must the emperor be satisfied?
"Remember, if you have a grudge, I can give up Mao Ren's title at any time, and I don't have to use him. Let's put it this way, anyone can win Bingkuan's trust. With Bingkuan's personal guidance, he can achieve higher achievements than Mao Ren."

Zhu Youtang is saying some ugly things in advance again.

Yongkang endured his temper and said respectfully: "Brother Huang taught you the lesson, can the consort's title be made public now?"

Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "Yes. I will tell the minister when I get back that the previous rewards are still valid and you will not be less. Bingkuan, you move around more. After Mao Ren returns to the capital, You must also follow Bingkuan's arrangements for the specific positions, so you have to know it well."

"My sister, I remember." No matter how unhappy Yongkang is, now that he has obtained the title, he still has to pretend to keep things under wraps.

Zhu Youtang immediately waved his hand and said, "Let someone take you out."

Yongkang said: "Brother, the matter about Cai Guogong taking concubines..."

Zhu Youtang sighed: "Bingkuan is never the kind of person to force others into trouble. If Mao Ren's sister is indeed engaged, Bingkuan doesn't want to embarrass the Cui family."

Yongkang seemed to really understand now.

It turns out that the relationship between him and Zhang Zhou was not about the marriage between the Cui family and Zhang Zhou, but because he bowed his head and said a few soft words in front of Zhang Zhou... If this was really the case, wouldn't it be in vain?
Yongkang could not help but think, if this spreads out, where will I, as the eldest princess, put my face?

Yongkang said: "The engagement should not be a factor in the first place, and a woman should make her own choice in marriage. The Cui family is also very satisfied with the marriage with Cai Guogong and asks the emperor to grant the marriage."

At this moment, Yongkang felt that even if she didn't want to be a bad person, she was determined to be one.

"Yeah." Zhu Youtang didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about this. What about taking concubines or not? Does being an emperor really have to take care of everything?
"Let's talk about it later." Zhu Youtang finally said something coldly and asked Li Rong to send Yongkang out of the palace.

……

……

"Congratulations, Your Highness, your wish has finally come true."

On the way to send Yongkang out of the palace, Li Rong was still conveying a kind of goodwill, because Li Rong also saw that because Yongkang changed his mentality and bowed his head to Zhang Zhou to admit his mistake, the status of this royal relative in the court was also improved.

It's time for him, Li Rong, to take a high look.

Even if Yongkang thought about some of Li Rong's previous offenses, she would have to tolerate it a little now. She smiled and said: "Eunuch Li is interested. I don't understand one thing. Does Your Majesty approve or object to the previous marriage?"

"Haha." Li Rong said with a smile, "Actually, His Majesty neither agrees nor opposes it, and just lets it happen. If His Highness is determined to promote this matter, why not mediate behind the scenes? It's better than nothing. . Not everyone has the opportunity to have a relationship with a capable person like Cai Guogong."

Yongkang smiled and said, "Not even Eunuch Li?"

Of course, Li Rong knew that this was a counterattack as the eldest princess. He nodded and said: "Our family does not dare to be too high on Duke Cai Guo. There is still a lot to learn from in the future. It is also commendable that the eldest princess can establish a friendship with Duke Cai Guo."

Yongkang frowned and thought to himself, why does this sound so awkward?
"I wonder when the prince-in-law can return to Beijing?" Yongkang asked.

"At least we have to wait until the further war in Ningxia is over, which could be one or two months at the earliest or three or five months at the longest. Even the title and official position can be guaranteed. Is it so important whether it is a few days earlier or a few days later?" Li Rong said.

Yongkang nodded.

Before, I felt that my husband would be laid off when he returned to the capital, but now I thought that my husband would become a pillar of the Ming Dynasty when he came back. This feeling is different.

She was looking forward to returning before, but now she doesn't really seem to care if it's a few days earlier or a few days later.

……

……

Inside the Jingying Campus.

Zhu Feng was still like a follower, following behind Zhang Zhou. Even if Zhang Zhou asked someone to do some simple things like leading a horse or pulling a cart, Zhu Feng would take the initiative to do it, just like Zhang Zhou's retinue. generally.

"Zhijie, you don't have to be like this." Zhang Zhou got on the carriage and sighed when he saw that Zhu Feng wanted to drive the carriage himself.

Zhu Feng said: "Brother Zhang, I now know your painstaking efforts. You took me to Jizhou, nominally to fight, but actually to mine. You also know that I don't have much confidence in fighting. What's the matter with you?" You also support me and allow me to perform meritorious service in front of His Majesty, how can I not repay you?"

Zhang Zhou pondered the meaning of his words and said, "Are you saying something sarcastic?"

"No, no, I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

Zhu Feng certainly didn’t mean to offend Zhang Zhou, but he probably didn’t know how to associate with a powerful man like Zhang Zhou. This was also because he usually had too many fair-weather friends around him, and most of the time it was others who came to compliment him, and even though he was Zhang Zhou would not be happy to accept those people's replies.Zhang Zhou is not a person who likes to listen to flattery.

Zhu Feng said: "By the way, Brother Zhang, I told my family that I was going to Jizhou, and my grandmother asked me to arrange the wedding before I left."

"That's really congratulations." Zhang Zhou was surprised and couldn't help but asked with a bit of curiosity, "Who are you marrying?"

Zhu Feng is about to marry a new wife. Until now, Zhang Zhou doesn't even know who the girl is. It's a bit funny to say that because Zhang Zhou knows very well what kind of virtue Zhu Feng is and he is also wondering whose girl is going to be unlucky again.

Zhu Feng said: "She is still the daughter of Uncle Ping Jiang."

Zhang Zhou laughed dumbly and said, "Very good."

At this point, Zhang Zhou was not blindly complimenting him. He didn't know what the daughter of the Chen family looked like before, but now that he knows, he also thinks that Chen Rui's daughter is quite pretty, and she even has her own way of managing the family business. It's just that Because she had been married before and was a widow, and she was not young, she was not so popular in the circle of capital alliances.

But after all, Zhu Feng is not a fuel-efficient lamp, so probably no one needs to look down on anyone.

Zhu Feng said with a bitter face: "But I always feel that there is no benefit to the family from accepting Uncle Ping Jiang. I also heard that Uncle Ping Jiang will be convicted this time because of the incident in the northwest. Does this really have no impact on me? "

Zhang Zhou said: "The sins of one person will not fall on the family members. As a married daughter, you should also understand."

Zhu Feng said while driving the car: "Does that mean he is still guilty?"

"Hey, Zhijie, you just worry too much. I'll be your groom properly. I'll give you a red envelope later to celebrate your wedding." Zhang Zhou said with a smile.

Zhu Feng shook his head and said, "No, I'm still worried. What I want is to wait until I get back before getting married. Otherwise, Brother Zhang, take me out quickly. I want to hide for a while."

Zhang Zhouyi knew that this kid had no future.

Physical marriage.

As for scaring your kid like this?

……

……

Princess Yongkang's villa is also the residence where Zhang Zhou went on a blind date.

The daughter of the Cui family was dressing up in front of the bronze mirror. The maid behind her was combing her hair, and there was a maid next to her who was choosing accessories. The things were all sent by Yongkang. They seemed to be wedding gifts from her sister-in-law to her sister-in-law.

The daughter of the Cui family just stared at herself in the mirror in a daze.

"Why, you don't want to?"

Yongkang quietly entered the room and stood beside her for a while, observing his sister-in-law for a while before revealing her figure in the bronze mirror.

The daughter of the Cui family was about to stand up to greet her, but was pushed back to the stool by Yongkang.

Then Yongkang didn't put on any airs, took the wooden comb directly from the maid's hand, and continued to complete the task of combing the Cui family's daughter's hair.

"Looking at your dazed look, if you feel bad, just tell me, as my sister-in-law, I will also care about your thoughts."

Yongkang pretends to be a good person and wants to exchange his "sincerity" for his sister-in-law's sincerity.

The daughter of the Cui family shook her head slightly and said, "I don't know."

For a little girl who just got haircut, she actually doesn’t understand anything at the age of fifteen. This is different from the 15-year-old girls who went to high school in later generations, because they have basically stayed at home since childhood. It is obviously a bit difficult to understand the meaning of marriage at such an age.

Yongkang said while combing his hair: "There's nothing wrong with it. How many people want to get married but still can't. After you get over, you should take good care of your husband and raise your children. These things are all given to you as my sister-in-law."

Upon hearing this, the daughter of the Cui family couldn't help but want to turn around and look at her sister-in-law's face, and asked casually: "Is it decided?"

"Yes." Yongkang nodded politely.

For Yongkang, this sister-in-law has no choice now, she has to get married whether she wants to or not.

"What about the previous engagement?" asked the daughter of the Cui family, "will the government cause trouble for my family?"

"No." Yongkang said.

"But I heard that there were people outside who didn't abide by their engagements and were sued. Not only did they pay a lot of money, but they also lost their reputation. My father is the one who values ​​reputation the most." said the daughter of the Cui family.

"I told you, you don't have to worry. Your brother will be the Duke of Jingshan soon. According to the rules, your father will also be knighted. I think your Cui family, although they are in Shuntian Mansion, are not in the city. From now on, let alone the county seat below. You have a place in the capital, and from now on in this capital, others will look up to you." Yongkang continued her offensive.

The daughter of the Cui family seemed to have no idea what this meant.

Yongkang said: "You silly girl, you still don't know, in fact, your brother's title is based on your marriage. You have done so many things for the Cui family, you will become a hero of the family."

"Me?" This little girl didn't understand even more.

"It's not you, is it me?"

Yongkang finished combing his sister-in-law's hair, looking very considerate, and put on a small hairpin. He praised: "This is the first time I see you combing your hair in a bun. You have a bit of a woman's temperament. I will be a good wife and mother in the future. I will be a wife soon, but what are my unfulfilled wishes? As a sister-in-law, I will also help you."

The daughter of the Cui family said nothing. It was obvious that a little girl like her did not have any ideals.

Yongkang said: "Let's do this. I will send you to walk around the capital in the past two days. You rarely come to this prosperous place in the capital. Your expenses here will be borne by your sister-in-law." ”

The daughter of the Cui family said: "No, I... I'm fine here."

"It's better to go out for a walk. After entering a wealthy mansion, it's not easy to go out. So what if you are also the daughter of Uncle Jingshan's family in the future, just like the granddaughter of Marquis Weining's family? Aren't you just like you? I’m not humiliating you, but of course your future status will have to be earned by yourself.”

Yongkang finished being the iceman she wanted to be, and then waved to the maid to continue dressing up her sister-in-law.

"It's good to sew a wedding dress based on these materials. With your beauty, you can definitely compare with the wives and concubines of Zhang Bingkuan... Cai Guogong's family. My sister-in-law likes you. If you are short of money in the future, I will give it to you." , you must let Cai Guogong favor you alone, and then..."

When Yongkang said this, he saw the confused look on his sister-in-law's face in the mirror, and suddenly felt that he was a bit "judging others by himself", and that he was making malicious speculations.

It's a bit like pushing my sister-in-law into the fire pit.

……

……

"Marriage?"

At Zhang Zhou's house, Zhang Zhou had already prepared all the arrangements for the trip, and since he was on his way, he didn't plan to delay any longer.

At this time, Li Rong came to the house to make some remarks before leaving, and also mentioned that the daughter of the Cui family might have to visit.

It's possible because Zhu Youtang and Zhang Zhou didn't have much thought about this matter. Zhang Zhou didn't even make any preparations for the marriage. It was probably Yongkang's wishful thinking.

You said you would marry your sister-in-law?Do you treat me like a flower, or do you treat me like a cow dung?
"Yes." Li Rong said with a smile, "If you don't agree, just tell the other side, Your Majesty will not force it."

"That's what I should say."

Zhang Zhou said, "How can we not discuss this matter first before deciding? I haven't even met Cui's family, not to mention there is no shortage of people in my house."

Li Rong stepped forward and said, "We heard that the eldest princess seems to be very anxious. Are you worried about her..."

"What does Eunuch Li want to say?" Zhang Zhou frowned and looked over.

Li Rong immediately smiled and stopped talking.

At Li Rong's age, he really knows everything and dares to say anything. Anyway, he has seen a lot of the world. Everyone in the palace, including the emperor's father, Emperor Chenghua, is watching. As a grown up, with his qualifications he can indeed laugh at everything.

"Sir, please be careful all the way to Jizhou. The Jinyi Guards will coordinate the whole process. If you have any needs, please feel free to ask. Your Majesty attaches great importance to your safety and has arranged for personnel to escort you throughout the journey. The local government has also prepared a plan. Hello, you must also pay attention to rest after you go there. If there is any lack of hospitality in the place, just mention it and they will be sure to do their job honestly and not cause you any trouble." (End of this chapter)