The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Li Zhang hurriedly summoned Zhang Zhou.

Wei Bin looked at Li Zhang's back and felt angry. He deliberately muttered in front of Chen Kuan: "He won't look back until he hits the south wall."

Chen Kuan said: "What is the south wall? Are we two?"

"That's not what he meant. He... really doesn't know how to advance or retreat. He thinks that by taking charge of the East Factory, he can cover the sky with one hand? But he forgot who should make the decision within the palace confinement."

Wei Bin was actually reminding Chen Kuan that as the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, you should not be too weak.

Although Li Zhang's status was above you and me before, you are now in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and how can the power of our Supervisor of Ceremonies faction be inferior to that of Li Zhang, who rose up from the same family as Li Rong?

To put it bluntly, Li Zhang's foundation in the court was not as solid as Chen Kuan and Wei Bin.

Chen Kuan didn't seem to want to pay attention to this kind of thing. He waved his hand and said, "Can you care about other things now? Let's first see what this good news is about."

……

……

When Chen Kuan and Wei Bin arrived at Xinuang Pavilion, they just waited.

Zhu Youtang held the battle report and looked at the candlelight. He became more and more happy as he read it, but he seemed to be having fun and did not calm down for a long time.

Chen Kuan looked very considerate and bowed and said: "Your Majesty, it's getting late and the good news has arrived. It's better to wait until tomorrow to take a closer look. It's better to take advantage of it now, Your Majesty, you can sleep peacefully."

"hehe."

Zhu Youtang was in a good mood and didn't care about the people around him at all. He said with a proud look on his face, "I still need to sleep at this time. Can I still sleep? I can't sleep! But even if I am dreaming, I will wake up with a smile. I know the truth. , Mao Ren, the two of them are not favored by others. They were able to find the Tatars' lair so accurately and braved the wind and snow to fight such a hearty and victorious battle. They really brought honor to the soldiers of the country."

Chen Kuan smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, Marquis Anbian and Uncle Jingshan have always been brave and resourceful, and it was Cai Guogong who made the good point."

"Well, you are right about this. They are all well-trained by Bingkuan. Otherwise, with what they have learned before and their knowledge, can they achieve such great achievements? Even if they are capable, they still need Only Bole can detect them, otherwise why do people in the world say that thousand-mile horses always exist but Bole does not?"

Zhu Youtang was in high spirits and had many kind words to praise Zhang Zhou.

Chen Kuan was clearly worried that Zhang Zhou would completely get on top of them, but he still had to keep catering to the emperor's wishes.

"Isn't it here yet?" Zhu Youtang became anxious.

Chen Kuan also looked towards the entrance of the palace and said, "Not so fast. Your Majesty, please rest first."

"Yes, why am I in such a hurry like a young boy? Put on my shoes quickly, I want to pay tribute, and I will take a good look at the battle report when I come back... I guess more detailed information will come in the next two days. "

……

……

Zhang Zhou didn't sleep either.

As soon as I returned to Beijing, I had to sleep in Wenhua Palace. The palace was very big, but it was obviously not a good place to sleep, because Wenhua Palace, as a normal office hall, was not equipped with heating.

In fact, Zhu Youtang originally planned to let Zhang Zhou sleep in the side hall of Xinuan Pavilion, but not even Queen Zhang and Concubine Xian were qualified to sleep in that place. What would it look like for him to sleep there?

It was still freezing outside, and he ran to the Wenhua Hall to prepare a few more braziers, but it was of no use. Anyway, thinking of being able to go home early in the morning and have his wife and children warm up on the kang... Zhang Zhou felt that even It was nothing to suffer a night in the palace. Someone brought a book over to him. He read it for a while and then started writing and drawing.

This can also give people the impression that he is very diligent. He still has to show it externally in the palace. Even if he is pretending, he must pretend at the right time.

Under such circumstances, Li Zhang came to inform Zhang Zhou that Daning had achieved a great victory.

"Is it a good news? Has it been reported accurately?"

In fact, Zhang Zhou doesn't think Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng have much ability, but they have one good thing, that is, they are diligent and down-to-earth.

Let them lead the troops into the grassland, and they really led the troops. When they encountered the enemy, others might have to consider the pros and cons, but the two of them still retained their innocence, knowing that fighting fiercely on the ice and snow grassland was not enough for a long-distance expedition. The Ming soldiers were at a disadvantage, but they still dared to go out and bring back the good news that the emperor wanted.

Li Zhang smiled and said: "Sir, don't worry, this time it is a sure thing. It is said that the Tatars are still the main force, but it is because of your clever calculation that Jingshanbo and Anbianhou can defeat them in one fell swoop. Now everyone should understand You know, sending troops out in this kind of weather is actually making the Tatars confused about the route of the Ming Dynasty's expedition, and sending troops from several groups is actually a deception."

Zhang Zhou said: "What Eunuch Li said is wrong. It sounds like I am taking advantage of Eunuch Ying and the others. But in fact, all people have the same chance of encountering the enemy."

"Yes, yes. Those are probably Jingshanbo and Anbianhou. Because they are protected by His Majesty Long Wei, they... may have better luck."

Li Zhang said this, but he was thinking in his heart, what are you pretending to be?
If it weren't for your suggestion, would Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng have achieved such great success? In other words, how could they be where they are today without you?
Can an eldest princess's consort and a second son from a duke's palace become the pillars of the Ming Dynasty?

You don't admit it yourself because you are afraid that others will realize that you are only supporting the two of them behind the scenes, and they will be jealous of them, and may even think that you are partial... But in fact... everyone just knows it well.

Zhang Zhou could tell what Li Zhang was thinking by looking at his expression.

Some things may not be explained clearly.

……

……

Inside Xinuan Pavilion.

As soon as Zhang Zhou arrived at the door, Zhu Youtang came to greet him personally. He even took Zhang Zhou's arm and went to the mat. After sitting down, Zhu Youtang couldn't wait to show Zhang Zhou the battle report.

"Bingkuan, you are hiring people, even if I don't accept it."

Zhu Youtang also had emotion on his face, "A few years ago, someone told me that the second son of Duke Chengguo's family, plus my brother-in-law, could achieve such great achievements. I would never I will believe it. Once or twice, you can say that they were lucky, but just looking at their courage and the persistence in their bones every time, I believe that God asked you to tell me that these two people are usable."

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty is ridiculous. It was not all the ministers who recommended the two of them. It was even the Marquis of Anbian who recommended the ministers, and the eldest princess Yongkang personally requested the tassel for his consort."

"Haha."

Zhu Youtang waved his hand and said, "Stop talking about it. Who mentioned them? Others don't know it. Don't I know it? I also know their previous character. Just say that you have an accurate vision in hiring people. , and the proper way of employing people, he can be called a god. I don’t know why I am so blessed to receive such blessings from God." Zhang Zhouxin said, although you are thanking me, why do I listen to this? I mean, do you think God is more awesome?

But the question is, as a king, shouldn’t he be down-to-earth and think that human affairs are composed of calculations and so on? What else can you attribute to God?

"Originally, I was worried that someone in the court might object to your appointment as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Now it seems that there is no need for it. Don't say that if you become the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, even if you join the cabinet and take charge of the Shangting Department and the Cabinet Department, there will be no need for it. What can I do? After all these years, Ming Dynasty has finally seen some hope. Shouldn’t I be sure that I still have to listen to those pedantic people who keep giving me bad ideas? "

As Zhu Youtang spoke, he raised his pen and said, "I want to commend you, and also commend Zhijie and Maoren, and each will be promoted to a knighthood."

Chen Kuan hurriedly reminded: "Your Majesty, you should be cautious about the title. Besides, Cai Guogong is already..."

They are all Dukes of the country, and there is no distinction between first-class Dukes and second-class Dukes. If you want to be promoted to a noble title, then you can only add the title of King with a foreign surname. But with Zhang Zhou’s current achievements, it seems that he is not that impressive. To the extent that even the founding fathers of the country were only granted the title of Duke, they would only be granted the title of County King after their death.

Can Zhang Zhou's achievements be higher than those of the founding fathers?

Zhu Youtang said: "Do you want to tell me that if I continue to confer Bingkuan, people in the court will have all kinds of criticism? Let them talk! Bingkuan has the ability to recognize people, and I must dare to employ people. If I am not rewarded for my merits, how can I stand in the world?"

"Your Majesty," Zhang Zhou said hurriedly, "Everything I did was within my duty, and I had no intention of greed for credit. Besides, this battle was indeed won by the frontline soldiers. In such bad weather, they could still fight in the ice and snow." They achieved a great victory, I think they should be rewarded even more."

"Bingkuan..."

Zhu Youtang seemed a little unhappy again.

I give you the award at the risk of the world's opposition. Why are you so polite?
But in fact, Zhu Youtang also understood Zhang Zhou's thoughts. Now that Zhang Zhou is already a sycophant in the eyes of others, what is the difference between being a Duke or a prince? He is still inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. Just having a title makes him incompatible with others and history. This does not seem to be a good thing.

"Your Majesty, I also believe that we should immediately give an order to send troops from Jizhou to the north, and cooperate with Anbian Hou and Jingshanbo to lead the troops to withdraw. There are many Tatar tribes, and they have suffered huge losses this time. If they want to kill them all, I am afraid that I The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty will still encounter some troubles."

"Well, that makes sense, let's issue an order immediately!"

Zhu Youtang also made a prompt decision.

I didn’t know the news about Zhu Feng and Cui Yuan before, but now I know, of course I have to do something.

Perhaps the two of them led the troops back and did not need assistance, but now that they have merit, they need to keep this credit first. They cannot let their credit be lost due to subsequent entanglements with the Tatars and become "merits and demerits." offsetting" and the like.

Now the two of them are in love.

Even the border policies of the Ming Dynasty can be tilted towards the two of them.

"Bingkuan, since you have returned to Beijing, you must plan carefully this winter and not make life easy for the Tatars. In this way, after the spring of next year, when they are tired and tired, I will fight with you in one fell swoop. It's flattened."

Zhu Youtang still does not forget his previous ideals.

He also felt that his body and bones were getting worse day by day, and he wanted to achieve an almost unconstrained ideal while he was still young and strong.

Zhang Zhou said: "I know how to plan, but after winter this year, it will be difficult for all parties to send troops. We will see how we can cause civil strife among the Tatars."

"Yes." Zhu Youtang nodded, "You still had the foresight to talk to the three guards of Duoyan about gathering together. They are probably feeling lucky now. If they decided to submit to the Ming Dynasty after this battle, then the Ming Dynasty We will deal with them together. Now as long as they can stand on the right side, they still have something to remedy."

Even Zhang Zhou discovered it.

The emperor now also regards him as a god. Any decision he makes, whether the emperor or ministers are friendly to him or hostile, will make him think in the direction of divine calculation.

It's like, once you have the ability, even if you fart, it will be better than others.

……

……

It's getting daylight.

After the palace door opened, Zhang Zhou yawned and walked out of the palace. The emperor was afraid that Zhang Zhou's carriage would be too bumpy, so he directly arranged a sedan for Zhang Zhou so that he could sleep for a while in the sedan.

Zhang Zhou could feel everything was stable while sitting on the eight-carrying sedan.

All the way to his mansion, someone had already opened the door. The courtyard gate was so wide that even a sedan could be carried in. However, Zhang Zhou didn't let anyone do this. He still got off the sedan and walked into the courtyard.

The family is already lining up waiting for his return.

But what Zhang Zhou was thinking about right now was just to have a good sleep. Even after the bed was arranged and arranged, he had no distracting thoughts in his mind. Before he even got to the bed, he had already closed his eyes and rested, and then it became dark and dark, as if Everything in the world has nothing to do with him.

While Zhang Zhou was sleeping, the news of the great victory in the northwest reached the inner streets of the capital through the Di newspaper founded by Zhang Zhou at the first time.

It no longer spreads through public offices, but directly through private channels. Even many ministers seemed at a loss after learning the news. They all thought it was impossible... Even if there is good news, it should be conveyed from above, and If it doesn't come from folk gossip, it can only mean that... someone is touting Zhang Zhou behind his back.

Knowing that Zhang Zhou had returned to Beijing, he spread some unrealistic rumors to make people think that Zhang Zhou was awesome, but later they found out that the rumors were false, and because Zhang Zhou did not go there to spread the rumors in person, the matter could not be investigated. Regarding Zhang Zhou, many ignorant people still treat Zhang Zhou as a god, and it is useless to refute the rumors.

But there will still be people who go to the Ministry of War and other Yamen to inquire about the news.

However, as the news of the good news spread in the Governor's Mansion, the minister was almost certain that the matter was basically true as it approached noon.

"Your Majesty didn't go to court either."

Cabinet value.

Cheng Minzheng said to his two colleagues, Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, as if joking.

The implication is that when the emperor encounters such a happy event, he should show it off to the court instead of continuing to pretend to be ill as he is now.

Li Dongyang said: "Then is there anything worth discussing about this matter?"

Cheng Minzheng smiled and said: "Although Zhu Zhijie and Cui Maoren are not well-known, they do not dare to risk such great military exploits. If there is any question, it is that they have not come back yet, and the future war is not certain. Even so, they From now on in the Governor's Mansion, I'm afraid I won't be the same as others!" (End of Chapter)