Daming Yinghua

Chapter 451

After the meeting, which even his trusted lieutenants were not allowed to attend, Zheng Haizhu specifically kept Man Gui to chat with him.

"Zhu Tinghua is now concentrating on making vinegar and wine to exchange for silver for Daning Town. He Zhuo actually doesn't care about him. General Man, you don't have to bother his nephews and nieces when you train the troops, right?"

Man Gui touched his nose in embarrassment, "I am Man Gui, I am very cruel and jealous, isn't that what a living person should be like? Let Madam rest assured, these are the talents sent to Man Gui by Lieutenant General Zhang and Mr. Lu with great difficulty. Even if I torture the new recruits, it is not abuse or harsh treatment, but kindness. Swords and guns are blind, and the Tartars are like wolves and tigers. If these royal children are not treated strictly during training, they will lose their lives after one or two rounds in battle. It's a pity that they haven't even married yet, right?"

Zheng Haizhu thought he was being long-winded and interrupted him: "What about your own marriage? Have you found one?"

Man Gui was speechless.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Haizhu stared at him. "Before, I heard He Zhuo talking about escorting Wang Xiangqian to Duoyanwei with you. She also praised you for being attentive and coaxing an experienced civil official like Wang Yushi very well."

Man Gui still did not respond to Mrs. Zheng immediately, but just looked at the hustle and bustle of traffic under the city wall.

It has been almost two years since the restoration of Daning Town. Huang Zunsu and Ma Xianglin, one a civil official and the other a military official, were both young men who had seen the world. They built up government offices, post stations, academies, city defense fortresses and military camps step by step to a certain scale. Shanxi merchant Chang Zhongwen also brought in many small businessmen from Shanxi who were just starting out. So now, looking around, the city has the atmosphere of a densely populated town like Fushun in Liaodong.

Man Gui's eyes followed a young couple standing at the crossroads under the city wall, until the elegant man in a straight robe and the woman in a straw hat turned into the alley, then Man Gui sighed softly and spoke.

"Madam, a jealous person should know his own limitations. I, Mangui, am not worthy of Hezhuo. Like her aunt, she has been able to read and write since she was young. Whether in Yehe tribe or in Lindan Khan's territory, she has always dealt with nobles. When I was in charge of the female gunners and busy with farm work, I didn't notice it. Now I see her socializing everywhere. Although she is a woman, her style is not inferior to that of Master Huang. I am a soldier, so I better not delay her."

The more Zheng Haizhu listened, the more surprised she became.

When Man Gui rescued He Zhuo on a snowy night, although she kept calling her a "female Tartar", the various details she showed made Zheng Haizhu convinced that Man Gui, whom even Ma Xianglin thought was a rough man, was actually a soft-hearted and kind person.

However, I didn’t expect that he not only had a good heart, but also had a very clear mind.

Moreover, it sounded like he had no disdain for He Zhuo's abilities; his words of judgment even revealed a sense of high regard and admiration for him.

Zheng Haizhu was quite impressed by the fact that an ancient man could think like this.

She then said gently, "I was the one who forced you two to meet, so I'm going to ask you something straight now. Is He Zhuo ignoring you?"

Man Gui shook her head: "That's not the case. But I'm not blind. She likes running around like a lady. If I had to marry her back home and let her lay down like a hen and give birth to babies for us, she would be very uncomfortable, right?"

Zheng Haizhu pondered for a moment, his frown suddenly relaxed, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Mangui, have you met Mr. Yao?"

"Mr. Yao...? Who is that?"

"The wife of Mr. Huang Zunsu."

Man Gui suddenly realized: "You mean Grandma Huang, then we understand. Yes, she did. During the first Spring Festival after Daning City was rebuilt, she brought the two young masters here. But she went back to Songjiang in the south in February."

"Mangui, in fact, in Songjiang, no one calls her Grandma Huang anymore. Calling her Mr. Yao is not polite. Because she manages the Shoukuan School under my name very well, and in the past six or seven years, she has sent out nearly a thousand children, and they can all have a decent meal with their own abilities. Therefore, many people in Songjiang respectfully call her Principal Yao."

Man Gui vaguely knew that when Mrs. Zheng first started her business, she opened a school.

"Madam, what do you mean by this Huang, uh, this Principal Yao?"

"Mangui, what I mean is that once a woman marries into her husband's family, she will not necessarily become what you call a hen that stays at home. Aren't Mr. Huang and Principal Yao busy with their own things? But that doesn't stop them from being deeply in love. They are so far away from each other, unlike you and He Zhuo, who are both in Beisai."

After hearing this, Man Gui thought about it and found that it made some sense.

"Madam, so, if I marry Hezhuo, she can still travel between Daning, Kalaqin and Chahar?"

Zheng Haizhu said seriously, "Yes, why not? If you have a baby, you can take care of it before it is weaned. Find two maids to help. After it is weaned, it doesn't need to be separated from its mother. The baby is in your military fort and you, as the father, are in charge of it. Can it be taken away by wolves? Besides, I don't treat He Zhuo like a mule. She still spends several months a year in Daning."

Man Gui tilted his head and stared at Zheng Haizhu with an expression that said, "Madam, how can you be so right?"

But soon, Mangui waved his hand.

"I still won't propose marriage this year. Next year, I will return to Daning in style, and then tell He Zhuo what Madam said, and turn it into my heart. Otherwise, what if, Madam, I mean what if, well, it's not that our Ming army loses the battle, but that I am unlucky and fall into the hands of that bastard Bayala, wouldn't it make a good girl like him become a widow?"

Man Gui deliberately used a casual tone to cover up his solemnity. This solemnity was actually something that a veteran of many battles would not shy away from before a major battle.

Not being shy is a form of calm courage.

Zheng Haizhu was silent for a moment, then pursed her lips and said, "Okay, next year. When I come to your wedding next year, the money I give will definitely be more than that of Mr. Huang and General Ma combined."

Half a month later, in the capital.

At 5 p.m. that day, Zheng Haizhu came to Zhu Yuewen's residence.

Zhu Yuewen received a message from Cai Feng the day before yesterday, saying that his wife would come today and wanted to listen to what new music Mr. Zhu had written for the harp and erhu.

Zhu Yuewen hadn't seen Mrs. Zheng for almost half a year, so he naturally made careful preparations. He called the Mongolian huqin player Zana early in the morning and asked him to wait in the yard.

But when Zheng Haizhu walked into the yard wearing an official robe, Zhu Yuewen was still a little surprised.

No matter how big a government office is, it usually only opens until the early hours of the afternoon. The lady did not return home to change into more comfortable clothes. It seemed that she was on duty today and was busy until very late.

Zheng Haizhu came in front of Zhu Yuewen, finally not caring about looking tired, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.

Zhu Yuewen handed her the hand warmer and asked softly, "How about I let Zana go back? If you are tired, just have some dinner. I will boil some water for you, and you can take a bath and rest directly."

Zheng Haizhu opened her eyes: "I'm not tired, I just came here to listen to your music."

Zhu Yuewen responded with "OK" and called Zana in.

The Mongolian still brought his son Morigen with him.

What was different from before was that the young Morigen actually sat in front of the butterfly-style zither created by Zhu Yuewen.

Zheng Haizhu looked at him and asked Zhu Yuewen, "Did you teach him?"

Zhu Yuewen had already sat down beside the piano. He nodded when he heard this, his eyes showing the kindness and pride of a master towards his beloved disciple: "This kid is really good at music."

As they were talking, the erhu, steel-string harp and butterfly-shaped zither all started playing together. It was a piece of music that had some imagery of hunting on the grassland.

Zhu Yuewen guessed that Mrs. Zheng was tired of listening to folk songs and she often traveled to the border, so she would like this style.

Unexpectedly, as the music played, Zheng Haizhu's brows became more and more furrowed, and finally, with a bang, she threw the teacup in her hand to the ground.

All three instruments stopped at the same time.

The Mongolian father and son were at a loss, and Zhu Yuewen was also shocked.

But he was close to Zheng Haizhu, so he stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zheng Haizhu held her forehead with her right hand, rubbed her cheek with her left hand, took two deep breaths, then opened her eyes and looked at Zhu Yuewen. When she spoke, her tone was filled with soothing apology.

"I shouldn't take it out on you. The song is good, but it annoys me. Hunting in the northern border reminds me of border affairs. I worked so hard to get the military pay, but His Majesty wants to build three great halls and hold a wedding for the Crown Prince. 70% to 80% of it is gone. What else can the Liao pay be? If the soldiers in the camp over there make trouble for pay, the Tartars will be more than happy to take advantage of the chaos and attack Kaiyuan and Tieling."

Zhu Yuewen listened anxiously.

When the lady was alone with him, they seldom discussed official business, not to mention today when Zana and his son were present.

He seemed very upset and irritated.

Zhu Yuewen waved at the Zana father and son.

Zana bowed and left with his son.

But I was very happy in my heart.

Such important news, it must be conveyed to the Khan immediately.