The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

"In terms of his status in the military, he is no worse than my husband. Even if he has misdeeds of corruption and perverting the law, Your Majesty will not touch him."

"Your Majesty wants to remove him, there must be a suitable reason, and you..."

When Li Zhang said this, he looked at Mrs. Baoguo with a smile.

Mrs. Baoguo said with a sly look on her face: "Father-in-law, do you want to ruin my reputation?"

Apparently Mrs. Baoguo understood what Li Zhang meant.

Send you to the British government and let everyone in the world know that Zhang Mao has no good intentions towards you. Others will think that Zhang Mao is a man who spends money and money, has no regard for his colleagues, and is the kind of person who will add insult to injury. .

"Madam, do you have any other choice?" Li Zhang looked confident of victory.

Mrs. Baoguo said: "I do have no choice, but with just this little reputation, can I... achieve the great things you mentioned, father-in-law?"

"Of course it won't work."

Li Zhang said, "But first he was corrupt and perverted the law, and then he stole other people's wives and daughters. After all this adding fuel and jealousy, he can't even think about his reputation. The thing is, now the Ming Dynasty doesn't just need him. Who doesn't look up to him in the army?" Cai Guogong? At this time, someone will come out to slander him, and the scandalous things he has done in the past will also be exposed.

When there is more discussion in the court, someone will intervene to impeach him, and your Majesty may give him a chance.

If he can't be diligent and self-denial in his life and can't make any progress in the military, why does your Majesty have to keep him in his current position? At that time, even if you just let him return to his hometown to take care of his old age, it will be considered a gift to him. There were so many great ministers in the Ming Dynasty, but only a few important errands, so they couldn't always occupy the latrine, right? "

Li Zhang smiled.

Mrs. Baoguo looked very embarrassed.

She couldn't accept that her reputation as a woman would be used as a means to attack Zhang Mao.

"Of course, madam, your children will receive some kind treatment. They will be sent to Yongping Mansion just like you. Cai Guogong is not like these people in the court. Even if you become his slaves and do things for him, he will not treat you badly. You guys." Li Zhang mentioned Zhang Zhou with a hint of admiration in his words.

Mrs. Baoguo asked: "Where...are they now?"

Li Zhang said: "They will be sent there. You should still be able to see them in the future and even get along with them day and night. This is a kind treatment for you!"

Mrs. Baoguo gritted her teeth and said, "The British princes have been loyal and good for generations. Just because Cai Guogong is gaining momentum, your majesty doesn't care about the face of the old minister?"

"Haha, madam, what you mean by this is that I feel unworthy for the British father. Shouldn't our family go to the yard today to pick you up? Is that fulfilling your wish?"

A sneer suddenly appeared on Li Zhang's face.

Mrs. Baoguo continued to grit her teeth but said nothing more.

Li Zhang sneered and said: "Our family also knows that you think my husband's fate was also caused by the rise of Cai Guogong, but have you ever thought that he Bao Guogong has made no achievements on the battlefield and always wants to make false reports? How can His Majesty tolerate such a person due to his military exploits? In the past, it was indeed fine, just because Your Majesty didn’t want to slap himself in the face. But he was afraid of being compared with others. "

Mrs. Baoguo continued to remain silent.

"Our family is willing to tell you, and we are not afraid of you saying it. You are a convict, who cares what you think? Now the opportunity is in front of you. If you still want to use this skin to do something for the Zhu family, Then just suffer it honestly! But it doesn’t matter whether you come out or say anything, even if you commit suicide in shame and anger... Haha! Maybe it would be better than you living."

Mrs. Baoguo was obviously shocked when she heard this.

She changed her previous expression and hurriedly begged: "Father-in-law, when did I say that I would not cooperate with you? I have no choice. I hope you..."

At this moment, she may have realized that the person who could be the boss of Dongchang must be ruthless.

Xiao Jing and Li Rong, the former bosses of Dongchang, were regarded as relatively kind-hearted by outsiders, while Yang Peng was more inclined to amass wealth and power. When he came to Li Zhang, he was like a smiling tiger who could kill with a smile if he wanted to kill someone.

This viciousness is unmatched by previous generations.

"Madam, prepare to go to Yongping Mansion with peace of mind, so you don't have to worry about family matters. When you arrive at Yongping Mansion, you will enjoy the joy of having children and grandchildren around you!"

Li Zhang seemed too lazy to say anything to this woman. He continued to smile like an old fox and stood up to leave.

Mrs. Baoguo was about to ask a few more questions, but was blocked by two women who came in later.

At this moment, she also understood that her fate was beyond her control.

……

……

At Zhang Zhou's house.

Zhang Mao waited for more than half an hour before he saw Zhang Zhou arriving late. Zhang Zhou seemed to have come in from outside the door.

But Zhang Mao didn't seem to be annoyed. He greeted Zhang Zhou with a smile and seemed very enthusiastic.

"Bingkuan, I won't go on. I'll tell you the matter and see if you can help me with it. It's the matter of Li Zhang and Eunuch Li coming to my house earlier. He even...picked him up. Okay, do you think there is any misunderstanding in this?"

Zhang Mao's words showed that he was a good old man.

Zhang Zhou asked curiously: "Are you talking about Mrs. Baoguo? What does this have to do with me?"

Zhang Mao said: "I heard that he was sent to Yongping Mansion."

"Haha." Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "I don't know where to send him. Could it be that the British Lord, do you think that I can dispatch the Ming Dynasty Admiral Dongchang's internal officials? Besides, what benefit will it bring to me?"

"This……"

Zhang Mao thought for a moment, and it seemed that this matter had little to do with Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou said with emotion: "I think the British prince is also a kind-hearted person and wants to help the families of his colleagues, but the method you use can easily cause misunderstandings by others."

"Who misunderstood me?"

Zhang Mao immediately became angry.

It was also his guilty conscience.

Zhang Zhou shrugged and said, "Those who are familiar with you, Mr. Ying, know that you are chivalrous, but those who don't know only know that Mr. Ying, you only helped the female members of the same family. If they go astray, If you think about it, it seems that it’s really hard to explain.”

Zhang Mao said: "Bingkuan, don't talk nonsense. I'm just trying to help people, and I don't have any malicious intentions."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "In that case, I will ask someone to help you ask, and say hello by the way, and ask them to be kind to the people in Baoguo Gong's mansion, what do you think?"

"you……"

Zhang Maodeng was speechless.

Did I come to you to help Zhu Hui's family?

But if he persists, it will appear that he really has malicious intentions.

This made Zhang Mao feel like he was riding a tiger.

"Since the British Lord is here, I have one more thing to tell you. I have read the reports on the purchase of ordnance by the Governor's Mansion in the past two days. Many of the accounts are unclear, and the problems are not small." Zhang Zhou smiled. road. Zhang Mao was stunned.

I'm here to tell you about Mrs. Baoguo, but you actually asked me for accounts?

"Oh, Bingkuan, it's not like you don't know that there is still a big gap between the plan and the implementation. Even if the budget doesn't match, it's not my problem alone, right? The accounts of the Governor's Mansion used to be like this Written off.”

Zhang Mao seemed to be pretending to be confused.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "I just said that the accounts were wrong, but I didn't mention your relationship with this matter, and the so-called write-off, which is not my responsibility."

Zhang Mao was a little embarrassed and waved his hands and said: "If your Majesty really asks about this matter, I will answer it truthfully. Even if the accounts cannot be matched one by one, they are still very different. Bingkuan, you You can’t use chicken feathers as arrows.”

Obviously Zhang Mao still wants to rely on his old age in front of Zhang Zhou.

"Haha." Zhang Zhou just smiled and said nothing.

"I'm asking you now, can you get the person out? This is just a suggestion, isn't it too much?" Zhang Mao also threw away his arms. Anyway, a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water, and no one can do what I am sure about. Can hold it.

Zhang Zhou asked: "Everyone is at Jinyiwei, why do you want to ask me for help? Besides, is there any difference whether I am placed with you or placed somewhere else?"

Zhang Mao said: "I just want to do my best. You won't even help me with this small favor, right?"

Zhang Zhou's tone turned cold and said: "It's not that I don't help, it's that I can't help. Just like you came to me before and asked me to intercede with Bao Guogong, this is not my responsibility, and I have nothing to do with it. There is a certain degree of involvement, and every move I make will be noticed by others, so I can only ask you to hire someone else!"

"Hey...why are you so...stubborn?"

Zhang Mao was also trembling with anger.

It's obvious that things are right in front of you and can be done easily, so why can't you do anything about it?

Zhang Zhou said: "You must pay attention to the procurement matters of the Governor's Mansion. Your Majesty may ask about it in the next few days. This is also a kind reminder. In normal years, I don't know how the Ministry of Household Affairs cancels the write-offs, at least now among them The problem is huge, the troops in the north are constantly being used, and the government’s finances are also stretched thin, I hope you can understand.”

"Okay, I got it! I don't believe you can't help. Bingkuan, you should think about it more. From now on, we are all one family, do we still have to talk to each other?"

Zhang Mao knew not to offend Zhang Zhou, but at the same time he was so angry that he stamped his feet.

When he stood up to say goodbye, he even seemed a little disrespectful of Zhang Zhou's face.

But Zhang Zhou was too lazy to pay attention, and still sent someone out to see off the guests.

……

……

After Zhang Mao left, Sun Shangqi also appeared in front of Zhang Zhou.

"My lord, I think that the British lord is here because of the matter of Mrs. Bao Guo. It was Eunuch Li who personally came forward to deal with this matter. As for the reason, he is not very clear because of his humble position, but there are already rumors about this matter in the capital." Sun Shangqi said.

There are some things that even if Sun Shangqi doesn't really know clearly, he can still guess a thing or two.

It's obvious that someone is trying to trick Zhang Mao.

Zhang Zhou said: "Did he want the person himself, or did he give it to him on his own initiative?"

Sun Shangqi said: "Of course it was the British princess who came to ask for it. Commander Mou agreed to it before, but then for some reason... Eunuch Li said it was against the rules and went to pick him up personally. He was humble at that time. I didn’t go with him, but it is said that he was just sent to the British prince’s villa in the east of the city. If he had gone a little later, I’m afraid..."

Hesitant to speak.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "It doesn't hurt to just say it."

Sun Shangqi said helplessly: "Actually, sir, you can also guess that it was because when Duke Baoguo was strong before, Mrs. Baoguo was disrespectful to the British Duke and his subordinates. This is all in the officialdom. It’s just that the Bao Guo Gong is in trouble now.”

"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded, "Is that person sent to Yongping Mansion now?"

Sun Shangqi said: "I was picked up yesterday and sent to Yongping Mansion early this morning. Most of the people in the mansion besides Duke Baoguo were also sent there."

Zhang Zhou asked: "In other words, except for Duke Baoguo, most of the people in his mansion have been sent to serve in Yongping Mansion, right?"

"Yes." Sun Shangqi nodded.

"That's really very particular. What happened yesterday was still confidential, but today it spreads widely. It seems that this British fair has offended many people. Some people want to make a fuss about this matter." Zhang Zhou smiled.

Even an outsider can see clearly that Zhang Mao is in trouble.

But as an insider, Zhang Zhou actually didn't know much.

The main thing is that whoever was behind this incident did not say hello to Zhang Zhou, and seemed to intend to keep Zhang Zhou out of the matter.

……

……

The next day, Zhang Zhou was ordered to enter the palace at noon, saying that he was going to have lunch with Zhu Youtang.

When Zhang Zhou arrived at the Qianqing Palace, he saw Zhu Youtang standing in front of the desk. Several eunuchs spread out a large calligraphy on the table, and Zhu Youtang was appreciating the calligraphy on the scroll.

"Bingkuan, you came just in time, come and take a look."

Zhu Youtang excitedly waved to Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou walked over, but heard Zhu Youtang smile and say: "This calligraphy is really good. I even asked Bachelor Cheng to take a look at it. He also wrote an inscription and said that no matter whose calligraphy or painting passed his hand, it would be the best at the moment." The price can increase tenfold.”

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "When did your majesty have such a good mood?"

"Isn't this meant to cultivate sentiment? Or as you said, it's good for the body. I recently felt that studying calligraphy can make me calm." Zhu Youtang looked intoxicated, "I asked you to come here just to talk to you. Talking about the overseas ships, the goods have been sent to the inner palace's warehouse, you can follow me there after lunch."

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, I heard that there is a lot of rumors about the British Duke outside."

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang originally wanted to chat with Zhang Zhou, but when he heard this, an awkward smile appeared on his face, and then he put down the pen.

"Huh?" Zhu Youtang made a sound in his throat, then waved his hand and pushed away several eunuchs.

When he and Zhang Zhou were the only ones left in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang said: "I originally planned to tell you later, but you are also a smart person, how could you not see it? I just feel that Zhang Mao is this person It's a bit of an eyesore. He is old and still bullies others. He has been controlling the military affairs of the capital by relying on his ancestral connections and the late emperor's trust in him. It's time for him to hand over the capital."

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, could it be said that all of this... was designed for him?"

"I don't even need to ask about his bad deeds. I can catch a lot of them at will. The military and political affairs of this Beijing camp have long been rotten. I wanted to reform it before, but I didn't know where to start."

"After much thought, I decided to start right from the culprit. It's not like I didn't give him a chance. Isn't Zhang so capable? If he can clean up the mess in Jingying, then I will still value him. Otherwise...he will have to recognize the situation clearly and let go when it's time to let go!" (End of Chapter)