The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Zhang Zhou came out of Gongyuan.

Just after the examination was completed, and before the seal was opened, Zhu Youtang could not wait to send someone to invite Zhang Zhou to the palace to discuss matters. The preparations before the results were released could be presided over by Yang Tinghe, and Zhang Zhou wanted to transform back to his Ming Dynasty immediately. Identity of pillars and beams.

"My lord, the case in Yongping Mansion has basically been settled. According to your wishes, all those who can be pardoned will be pardoned. Several large families were convicted. Initially, four families were convicted, and three were added later, making a total of seven families. All that's left is to confiscate the property, and the case can basically be settled."

Sun Shangqi was responsible for driving the car, and he was also responsible for the docking.

Zhang Zhou said: "Very good."

Sun Shangqi was originally very nervous, fearing that Zhang Zhou would delve into the matter. After all, Jin Yiwei was not rigorous enough in his work and was easy to follow the truth.

But Zhang Zhou was surprisingly easy to talk to.

"Then there is the Xiang family. They were originally convicted, and they were the first culprits. They were sentenced to beheading the main culprit, and members of the family were exiled to the army and sent to Ningxia and other places. But they seem to want to use some connections to help you appeal to the local people. Mining and other things, looking for connections, you see..."

Sun Shangqi is not like people like Mou Bin and Guo Ang.

As the commander of the Jin Yiwei, Mu Bin usually seems very loyal, but in fact, he is not at all dishonest when it comes to important matters, and he will never be lenient when it comes to killing everyone.

This is the basis for great things.

And Sun Shangqi came up from the lower class. He has seen through the sufferings of the people, has his own inner weakness for unfair things, and does not have the cruelty to kill his opponents until every piece of them is left to do big things.

Zhang Zhou said: "We have been convicted, what do we expect them to do? If the Xiang family is acquitted, should the Zhao family be acquitted? Everything depends on Ao Binggong. As for who will assist in mining in Yongping Mansion in the future, is it so important? The mine is run by the imperial court, so they only need to ensure that it does not affect or cause trouble, so why should we use them to call for help?"

"Yes."

Sun Shangqi accepted it honestly.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Sun Qianhu, actually I heard about it just after I came out. The woman from the Huang family has been jumping up and down recently. You don't think that I will rely on her to take care of Yongping in the future." It’s about the government, right?”

Sun Shangqi thought of Caihuang's aggressive appearance and wanted to laugh. Finally, he couldn't help but put on a smile and said: "You can also see that, sir, that woman is ruthless, but she is not suitable for achieving great things. She is in a humble position. That’s how I see it too.”

Zhang Zhou said: "Who says it's not the case? The relationship between family members is nothing more than a pretext, so you don't have to worry about it. I just want to find an opportunity to ease the conflict with the local government. Take it to your heart. That woman, I disappeared."

"Yes."

Sun Shangqi was relieved when he heard this.

He was very afraid that there would be families in Yongping Prefecture who could be very close to Zhang Zhou. Then there was no guarantee that these families would not use Zhang Zhou's power to counterattack Jinyiwei's persecution of the local area in this incident.

Now that Zhang Zhou has made it clear that he will still rely on their Jin Yiwei, Sun Shangqi is relieved.

……

……

In the Qianqing Palace.

Zhang Zhou came to see Zhu Youtang. Zhu Youtang was also very happy. He didn't bother with business and directly asked someone to prepare the royal meal. The implication was that he wanted to have a good drink with Zhang Zhou.

"Bingkuan, I heard that the grading has been almost done, so I asked you to come back quickly. The war on the border is indispensable for you. Especially now, the autumn harvest is coming soon. The weather is getting cold and life is difficult for the Tatars. , will come to disturb the border, and you need to coordinate the wars everywhere."

When Zhu Youtang first sent someone to ask Zhang Zhou to come out, he seemed very urgent.

But when Zhang Zhou arrived at the palace, he realized that Zhu Youtang was actually making a fuss out of a molehill.

It was more because Zhu Youtang could not see Zhang Zhou and was a little unsure about the affairs of the DPRK. This was due to the trust between the emperor and his ministers.

"Bingkuan, how about the inner curtain? Are suitable talents selected in this provincial examination?" Zhu Youtang asked.

Zhang Zhou said: "When I left the Gongyuan, I had just begun to open my seal. The papers for Jieyuan had already been finalized. My writing and talent were very high. I also know his name. My name is Xie Pi, and he is the second son of Xie Ge's hometown."

"Haha? Really?" When Zhu Youtang heard this, he burst into laughter.

In Zhu Youtang's view, this is a very interesting thing. Xie Qian was usually an enemy of Zhang Zhou in the court, but now Zhang Zhou has become the head of Xie Qian's son. From now on, Xie Pi must be respectful when he meets Zhang Zhou. Calling him sir, this made Xie Laoer's old face have no place to rest.

Zhu Youtang said: "I heard that the child from Li Ge's hometown is also among the candidates for the Shuntian Prefecture Township Examination. Is there any news about him?"

Zhang Zhou smiled and shook his head and said, "I don't know if I've been hit yet."

"It would be interesting if they all won. Next spring, you can host it again, and then...haha."

As Zhu Youtang was talking, Li Zhang came in and informed him that lunch had been prepared.

"Go and call the prince here, and bring his articles by the way. Bingkuan, help me read the details to see what the prince's articles are like. I also know that he is far from being a good candidate, but I also want to know what he wrote. What is the article like?”

"Yes."

……

……

Lunch begins.

Zhu Youtang didn't wait for his son to arrive, so he had dinner with Zhang Zhou while talking about the war in the northwest.

"There is peace around the Weining Sea. The Tatars have now been divided into two factions. As far as I know, the little Tatar prince Batu Mengke is now under attack from both sides. This is also related to the fact that he sent troops to the Mongolian right wing before, which caused disharmony among people."

Zhu Youtang said, "But now, the Mongolian right wing, except for the fire sieve, still has no intention of surrendering to the Ming Dynasty. They are still dealing with Batu Monk. There is a wire report saying that this year, Batu Monk has sent envoys to various ministries several times to make peace, and their intention is to unite to the outside world, that is, to unite to cause trouble for the country."

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, from what I can see, cracks have appeared, and it will be difficult to repair them. Now the hearts of all the tribes on the grassland have been unable to unite. Even if Batu Munch tries to make up for it, it will be in vain."

Zhu Youtang said with a smile on his face: "This depends on the strength of our army. If, like before, the border soldiers can't even take care of their own three-acre land, what worries will the Tatars have?" What? They should annex and annex, they should make peace, but in the end they will still threaten the borders of the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Majesty is so complimentary." Zhang Zhou looked very humble.

"Bingkuan, I happen to have some official business of the Ministry of War here, involving border customs. When you go back, you can take it with you to help me with the details and summarize it for me. There are some things that I can't make a conclusion about now. I want to know even more, if the Tatars dare to invade the country, which way they will take, I want to teach them a lesson. Only if they can't survive in the future, they will think about how to seek refuge with the Ming Dynasty, rather than come to plunder, I Only then did I feel that it had the effect of knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger."

Zhu Youtang said, and asked Li Zhang to carry two boxes of memorials to Zhang Zhou.

Only then did Zhang Zhou know that when he was presiding over the provincial examination in Gongyuan, Zhu Youtang basically did not handle any official military affairs.

It's not that Zhu Youtang doesn't have confidence, but that he has more confidence in Zhang Zhou. He would rather be short-term than indiscriminate. He must wait for Zhang Zhou to come out and let him handle it.

"Not urgent."

Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Let's eat first. The prince will come later, so there's no need to give him a good look. The prince has been losing his temper recently, and I'm thinking about how to discipline him. Bingkuan, I want you to worry more." .”

…    …

When Zhu Houzhao arrived at Qianqing Palace, Zhang Zhou and Zhu Youtang had already finished their meal.

Zhu Houzhao didn't even have lunch, so he stood beside him with his examination papers, waiting for Zhang Zhou to mark his papers.

Zhang Zhou looked at Zhu Houzhao's paper like an examiner without saying a word.

Zhu Houzhao finally couldn't help but asked: "Sir, are you okay?"

"Bingkuan, just tell the truth." Zhu Youtang said.

Zhang Zhou said: "The prince's understanding of the classics is not wrong, but there is still room for improvement in the article."

"hehe."

After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao felt that it was not a good comment.

"Did you hear that? When you go back, study hard! What kind of nonsense are you writing? With so many gentlemen teaching you alone, do you know how uniquely qualified you are? Only after you have learned enough can you govern the country. Safeguard the world, otherwise how can I safely leave the world to you?"

Zhu Youtang scolded his son.

Zhu Houzhao flattened his lips and said, "I know."

"go back!"

Zhu Youtang said sharply.

Only then did Zhu Houzhao take the eunuchs from the East Palace back to the East Palace.

After they left, Zhu Youtang said: "Bingkuan, what do you think of the prince's article?"

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, the prince's article seems to be quite satisfactory, but in fact there are still many bright spots. Such an article is considered good even if it is passed in the provincial examination. It's just that in the imperial edict and current affairs policy, the prince Still unable to understand the meaning of the text."

"Bingkuan, are you saying that the prince has already done a good job in writing the four books and the five scriptures?"

When Zhu Youtang heard this, he couldn't help but take his son's article and read it carefully.

Previously, I felt that his son's writing was nonsense, but after Zhang Zhou's comments, when Zhu Youtang picked it up and read it again, he suddenly felt that he had a different understanding.

My son's article only looks childish in terms of font, but in terms of style and meaning, it doesn't seem to be bad.

"Your Majesty sees that the prince's understanding of generosity, rituals and music is obviously generous and benevolent, and has the benevolence and forgiveness advocated by Confucianism. In addition, the grammar used by the prince in the transition between scriptures and meanings is also used in normal articles. Although it still seems immature, these can all be improved with some systematic guidance."

"With this development, if the prince actually takes the provincial examination in a few years, he may be able to pass it."

Zhu Youtang originally had no confidence in his son, but now he is full of confidence.

"Okay, I suddenly felt that the prince's article was pretty good. Maybe I was used to reading articles written by Hanlin bachelors. At least they were all articles written by Jinshi. My requirements for the prince were a bit too high. But looking at the prince’s studies, he has actually made considerable progress.”

No matter how Zhu Houzhao boasted about his good studies, he couldn't compare to Zhang Zhou, a teacher, who praised him in front of his father.

Zhu Houzhao suddenly changed from a naughty child to a good boy.

Li Zhang laughed and said: "Your Majesty, it is because the prince is a genius. This is a good thing."

"Really?" Zhu Youtang smiled, put down the article and said, "It should be said that Mr. taught him well. Not only Bingkuan, but also the lecturers of the Hanlin Academy taught him every day. If he learns nothing If it’s not good, then why would I spend so much effort?”

Zhang Zhouxin said, Your Majesty, do you still know that famous teachers produce great disciples?

A group of people are surrounding a prince. If the prince fails to teach him well, either the prince is a fool or these officials are just messing around.

In fact, not only were the officials conscientious, but the prince was also a smart kid. Even if Zhu Houzhao, a naughty kid, didn't focus entirely on his studies, it would be no exaggeration to say that he was a top scholar if he really concentrated on studying.

It's just that my mind was in the wrong place.

"Your Majesty, I think that I can tell him clearly in front of the prince later to let him know that he has made progress in his studies and give him some confidence." Zhang Zhou suggested.

Zhu Youtang said: "My original intention was to criticize him and make him think that the gap is huge."

The difference between encouraging education and suppressing education.

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, if the prince always thinks that he cannot make progress in his studies and lacks confidence, then he may not be able to focus more on his studies in the future. Why don't you tell the truth."

"That's fine, I'll listen to you."

Zhu Youtang stood up.

Perhaps because he felt that his son's articles were good, he suddenly felt in a good mood when he became a father. He wanted to laugh but wanted to hold it back, but couldn't hold it back.

So much so that when the emperor was in front of his ministers, he couldn't laugh or cry, and he was very worried.

"Bingkuan, you may be very busy these days, and I don't want to disturb you too much. Come to the palace when you have time. There is no need to go to the court to talk about anything. We, the monarch and the ministers, are talking here in private. There is nothing necessary. A taboo place.”

"The Yanwu Hall has recently admitted another group of people, and it's time to take the exams. A group of people who have graduated will be sent to various border towns, just in time to deal with the Tatar invasion this autumn and winter."

"There are also daily drills in the Beijing Camp. I have already informed the Governor's Office that the British Lord has sent people to complete the purchase of ordnance. You should also pay more attention. I am not very assured of the British Lord. This old stubborn has been quite slack recently. , hold on tight."

"You should also pay more attention to the matter of the Ministry of War. The iron ore has been reported, saying that a large amount was mined, and... it is the matter of you sending the ship to sea."

"Recently, a wire report came back, saying that the ship has docked. What it has brought back has not been reported yet. If there are good things, even fairy grass, and what you said can make the people of Ming Dynasty eat well. Food rations... also take the trouble to check them out.”

……

Zhu Youtang talked endlessly.

Zhang Zhou also discovered it.

In fact, Zhu Youtang is too introverted and doesn't like communicating with ministers. When he meets a true friend, he really takes out his heart.

As an emperor, he had no reservations about Zhang Zhouke.

"Bingkuan, your official position has not been changed for a long time. Recently, I have asked Cheng Minzheng to join the cabinet. Please pay more attention to whether he is doing well or not. You also know that the cabinet will have a grudge against him."

"After the New Year, I will give you an official position and a title. You and I will join forces, and we will take care of the border affairs and strive to go further..." (End of this chapter)