The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Zhang Zhou's old house.

After nightfall, Yang Peng was still waiting, but he still didn't see Zhang Zhou coming out. He waited for people to go in and communicated for a long time before he saw Liu Gui appearing in front of him.

"Eunuch Yang, my master told me that you should go back first. I'm afraid it's against the rules for you to come here like this." Liu Gui said to Yang Peng politely.

Liu Gui also knew very well that the eunuch in front of him was a powerful eunuch who had once served as the admiral of the Dongchang eunuch. If Liu Gui wanted to live well in Jinyiwei in the future, he would have to rely on the support of this big shot.

After all, Zhang Zhou nominally doesn't care about Jin Yiwei's internal affairs.

Yang Peng said: "Tell me again, sir, our family is here under the emperor's order, not to pay a visit privately."

"Then... I'll give you another message." Liu Gui turned around and headed back to the inner courtyard.

……

……

After a long time, Yang Peng was finally able to enter Zhang Zhou's study and meet Zhang Zhou himself.

Before he came, Zhang Zhou seemed to be writing and drawing there. After he arrived, he actually gave him face, and Zhang Zhou took the initiative to stand up and greet him.

"Sir." Yang Peng looked very respectful, almost treating himself as Zhang Zhou's pawn.

Zhang Zhou said: "Eunuch Yang, you are so polite. I heard that you have just returned to Beijing. Why did you come to my house? This small temple of mine cannot accommodate a big Buddha like you."

Yang Peng said hurriedly: "Your Majesty asked me to come to you for advice after returning to Beijing. Our family does not dare to neglect at all. We are here in a hurry to meet you. We are not here rashly. I hope you can give me some advice, sir."

"His Majesty asked you to come? But Your Majesty... never mentioned it to me." Zhang Zhou smiled.

Yang Peng's return to Beijing was not a secret, but Zhu Youtang did not tell him in advance why he called Yang Peng back.

Yang Peng said: "I have been tempered in Liaodong for several months. When His Majesty issued the decree, he specifically said that he would be put to good use after returning to Beijing. As for how, our family does not know. But our family heard on the way here, Eunuch Xiao, the Supervisor of Rites and Seal, seems to have... been ordered to lay off his job."

"Really?" Zhang Zhou smiled, "I really don't know about the affairs in the palace. Eunuch Xiao is an open-minded person, and his reputation in the court has always been good."

"Yes, yes, Eunuch Xiao is a great philanthropist. Who can mention him without praising him? But flowers are not as red as a hundred days, you see..."

Yang Peng just had the words "Can you help me rise" written on his face.

That pleading look was clearly telling Zhang Zhou, do you think I have a chance to succeed Xiao Jing?

"Eunuch Yang, please sit down."

"Don't dare, don't dare, just stand and talk."

"If you don't want to sit down, I can't sit down either. Let's sit down together. Come and serve tea!"

……

……

Zhang Zhou and Yang Peng sat down.

Yang Peng first explained to Zhang Zhou exactly what he had seen and heard in Liaodong for more than half a year, especially the changes in officialdom in the northwest.

"According to His Majesty's instructions, we need to rectify the official administration. Fortunately, our family has fulfilled the order and picked out some of the worms in the previous army and distributed all those who could be assigned. In addition, Liaodong is now under the Qingming Festival. After Governor Yang took office in Liaodong, Immediately mobilize troops to quell the Jurchen rebellion, and it has been very effective now."

Of course, Yang Peng must first show how conscientious he is in Liaodong.

When it comes to Yang Yiqing, Yang Peng also praises him a lot. Perhaps in Yang Peng's view, Yang Yiqing can be regarded as Zhang Zhou's person. After all, it was Zhang Zhou who helped Yang Yiqing to his current position.

Zhang Zhou said: "I have heard more or less of what you said in Beijing, but there are some things you shouldn't come and tell me. Shouldn't you talk to His Majesty about it?"

Yang Peng looked ashamed and said: "After returning to the capital, our family wanted to go directly to the palace to meet the saint, but... with the emperor's orders, naturally we have to meet you first."

"It's useless to see me." Zhang Zhou said, "I know nothing about what your Eunuch Yang will do after he returns to Beijing. How can I interfere in the affairs of the palace casually? Even if you are here on the emperor's order , if today's meeting between you and me is known to the ministers of the DPRK and China, it may be criticized privately for a long time."

"This... is embarrassing for you, sir." Yang Peng said.

"It's okay, let's just discuss the matter. I'm the Minister of the Ministry of War. You just came back from your post as the Lieutenant Commander of the Liaodong Guard. Let's just talk about the military situation. We won't mention anything else. What do you think?"

"Yes Yes."

Yang Peng had no airs at all in front of Zhang Zhou, and when talking to Zhang Zhou, he used the tone of a subordinate reporting to a superior.

……

……

After morning the next day.

Yang Peng was allowed to enter the palace, and when he went to Qianqing Palace to meet the emperor, he found Chen Kuan kneeling there, listening to the emperor's teachings.

"Are you back too?" Zhu Youtang said halfway before his eyes fell on Yang Peng.

Yang Peng saw that even Chen Kuan was kneeling, so he had to kneel down to salute Zhu Youtang and say hello.

"stand up."

Zhu Youtang raised his hand and said, "You all get up."

Only then did Chen Kuan get up from the ground. Only then did Yang Peng realize that Chen Kuan's eyes were still stained with tiredness.

At this moment, Yang Peng couldn't help but wonder, could it be that His Majesty also wants to drive him away? Chen Kuan and Wei Bin are both Xiao Jing's people. There is no reason to say that Xiao Jing has lost power, while Chen Kuan and Wei Bin can continue to sit firmly on Diaoyutai.

"Do your job well." Zhu Youtang said to Chen Kuan, "I won't ask too much about the affairs of the Supervisor of Ceremonies these days. Even if there are some deviations, I can tolerate it, but I'm afraid that some people don't do their jobs, or there are ulterior motives behind them. thought."

After Yang Peng heard this, he was shocked.

From what I heard, it seemed that the Supervisor of Ceremonies was handed over to Chen Kuan.

Yang Peng's dream of becoming the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the Eunuch was shattered in an instant. He felt a great sense of loss in his heart, which even vaguely showed on his face.

"Go back."

Zhu Youtang said to Chen Kuan.

"Yes."

Chen Kuan immediately wanted to leave the palace.

Yang Peng took a look and wondered, should he return it or not? It seems that these words were not purely addressed to Chen Kuan.

Yang Peng also wanted to resign immediately.

Zhu Youtang said: "Yang Peng, you stay here first."

Yang Peng quickly stopped.

After Chen Kuan exited the palace, only the emperor, Yang Peng and a young eunuch from the study room of the Supervisor of Ceremonies serving as pen and ink were left in the palace. "Yang Peng, I asked you to see Bingkuan, have you seen him?" Zhu Youtang asked.

Yang Peng said: "After I returned to Beijing, the first thing I did was to visit Cai Guogong. I explained to him everything that happened in Liaodong. After receiving the instructions, I felt that my eyes were brightened, and I seemed to have found a direction for my future work. ."

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "Very good, what inspiration did you get?"

Yang Peng was slightly startled.

When he was flattering Zhang Zhou just now, he was flattering, but when it came to reality, he really wasn't very prepared.

Yang Peng said: "Cai Guogong mentioned that the administration of officials everywhere still needs to be rectified. Even in the capital camp, there are various bad policies. He also mentioned that there is a shortage of soldiers and food in various parts of the northwest. He hopes to increase food and pay, but it cannot be provided from the hands of the people. , but it happens that some new crops will be promoted in the coming year, and I heard that those crops can feed and clothe the people, and I was very happy. "

"Oh, it's rare that you still worry about the country and the people." Zhu Youtang said with emotion.

Yang Peng thought about it for a while, but he didn't think it through for a while. He didn't know whether the emperor was saying something nice or sarcastic.

"Originally, I planned to let you go to the northwest to assist the local military affairs in Yansui, but after thinking about it, you will have a place in the capital, so I will temporarily arrange for you to be in the Royal Horse Prison to help improve the capital camp. "Zhu Youtang immediately arranged errands for Yang Peng.

Yang Peng quickly knelt down again and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

He said this, but he still felt a little disappointed in his heart.

Because Yang Peng's goal has never been to be a royal eunuch. He wants to be a ceremonial eunuch. Even if he is a eunuch with a pen, he feels that he is just getting ahead of himself.

After all, he was an internal official who had supervised the East Factory, but he was not promoted as the eunuch Bingbi, the eunuch of the ceremony. It seems that the emperor has no intention of placing him at the decision-making level.

"If you have anything you don't understand in the future, please ask Bingkuan. The British prince is not in Beijing at the moment. The affairs of the Beijing camp are under the control of the Ministry of War, and you... should understand your position." Zhu Youtang seemed to be warning Yang Peng.

As long as you listen to Zhang Zhou, your position will be stable.

If you don't listen and want to play some tricks, especially if you are as duplicitous as Xiao Jing, then get out of here no matter how good others think of you.

"Yes." Yang Peng continued to respond.

"I have prepared some gifts for Bingkuan. You can make several trips over the past few days to deliver them to his house with a big fanfare. You can also let people know about your relationship with him. As for how others evaluate you, you don't have to I don't care, I'm not afraid of those rumors, they can say whatever they want."

Zhu Youtang seemed determined to hand over the capital camp to Zhang Zhou, the Minister of War.

Yang Peng heard that he seemed to be helping Zhang Zhou manage the capital camp in the future. In the future, even the British prince would have to step aside, and he instantly regained some confidence in his heart.

After all, the emperor entrusted this important errand to him, which shows that the emperor still trusts him.

As long as the emperor's trust is maintained, promotion seems to be a matter of time.

"Back off." Zhu Youtang immediately wanted to drive Yang Peng away.

Yang Peng said: "Yes."

But Yang Peng had just walked out of the door. Wei Bin lowered his head and waited for him at the door, but said very respectfully: "Eunuch Yang, Your Majesty asked our family to wait here. He said that there are some gifts. You can take them out. As for giving them to Who... Our family won't ask, please go with us and check the gift list to avoid any discrepancies."

When Yang Peng saw Wei Bin being so respectful to him, he instantly felt as if he had really come forward.

Even if it was an illusion, he would feel a sense of pride.

"Eunuch Wei, you don't have to be like this." Yang Peng was a showman after all, and he didn't want Wei Bin to find fault with him.

Wei Bin smiled and said: "You, you, you used to be unattractive, but you were sweet-tongued. Now you have curried favor with Duke Cai. Your Majesty will definitely think highly of you in the future. Your Majesty will entrust you with all the errands of the admiral in the capital. We who serve in the palace will , who has more power than you? I have to rely on you more."

"Don't dare, don't dare, we are all doing things for His Majesty."

Only then did Yang Peng realize why Wei Bin treated him so politely.

Wei Bin could see the feelings. From now on, he, Yang Peng, would be the link between the emperor and Zhang Zhou, and he, Yang Peng, would also be the one who assisted the emperor and Zhang Zhou in controlling the military power. The so-called person in charge of the army was tough. Even a commander like Wei Bin The etiquette supervisor, Bingbi eunuch, are probably all envious of themselves.

……

……

Inside the theater.

The windows of Zhang Zhou's private room were closed, and the hustle and bustle on the stage seemed incompatible with the eerie and quiet atmosphere in the room.

In front of Zhang Zhou, there were some accounts, while Chen's daughter stood aside, waiting for Zhang Zhou to review these accounts. Only when these accounts passed Zhang Zhou's eyes could the money be finally written off.

"How are you doing in Datong recently?" Zhang Zhou asked without raising his head, holding an account book in his hand.

Chen's daughter said: "Returning to my lord, Datong has been preparing for war recently. Many mining kilns have temporarily stopped. It is said that they will have to wait until spring to reopen. In addition, Uncle Xinjian has ordered that in the future, the income from mining will be increased by one cent in head tax. The purpose is to increase local reserves in Datong."

"Haha." Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Wang Bo'an did everything he could to make money, and he actually reached out to me."

Chen's daughter asked: "My lord, do you... listen to Wang Zhongcheng?"

Zhang Zhou said: "Do you still need to ask? If you are mining on other people's land, they will ask you to pay taxes. Can you refuse to pay it? Don't regard Wang Bo'an as my subordinate. He is the commander-in-chief of Xuan Da Ming Dynasty and leads the troops of the three towns. , his words are good even for me, if it’s just about mining, I still have to rely on him.”

"Yes." Ms. Chen responded cautiously.

She also didn't understand the relationship between Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren.

Zhang Zhou said: "Transfer this batch of silver directly to the port in Yongping Prefecture. Now the port construction needs silver. This batch is the salary for the workers. It must be a lot of money. If you miss a penny, you will be blamed for it."

"My lord, shouldn't this kind of thing be left to the officials in the court?" The Chen daughter looked a little worried.

Zhang Zhou said: "I don't trust them. Besides, I am planning to build this port, not them. Why should I do things through their hands? If they suddenly have a whim and want to build a government office at the port, do they have to get it from me?" Allocate funds from the money transferred? Let’s use the funds exclusively!”

Ms. Chen said: "But I heard..."

"If you have anything, it's okay to just say it." Zhang Zhou said.

Chen's daughter looked very cautious and said: "The Nu family also heard from Yongping Prefecture that local merchants avoided transporting goods to the port. It was said that someone was secretly leaking the news, and that the construction of the port was yours alone. Because the earth, wood, stone and materials used will not be paid by the imperial court, and sooner or later they will be in arrears or even not paid."

Zhang Zhou said: "That's someone deliberately slandering me."

Chen's daughter said: "The slave family also understands, but we still don't know who spread the rumor."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "You don't need to worry about this. Are there still few people in the court who are spreading rumors about me? Those who purify themselves will purify themselves. And some people want to deliberately take advantage of this matter."

"My lord said that I don't dare to ask any more questions." The Chen girl immediately admitted her mistake.

Not long after Chen's daughter retreated, Sun Shangqi came in from outside.

What he mentioned was basically the same thing as what Chen's daughter said, but Sun Shangqi's investigation was more complete.

"My lord, as you expected, many merchants in the north are actually related to the Beijing camp. They are originally supplying the daily needs of the Beijing camp. Now some people are deliberately instigating them to go against you, saying that you are mean to the British father-in-law. you……"

"Okay, even if you don't tell me, I know that they want to see me fighting with the British Empire. They can't defeat me on the surface, so they use some conspiracy methods. They don't want me to build a port, but they also want to use the British Empire to build a port. They seem to be eager to fight me to the death with their own hands. The stability of the court is nothing in their eyes. It is really unpredictable who will harm the country and the people." (End of this chapter)