eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 415
You Zhi returned to the palace to return to his life, which is a brief description of what Ma Rong said in the academy.

Wearing a big cloak, Zhu Houzhao said as he walked: "At the age of 20, with such a calm spirit, it's no wonder that he can calmly make decisions on the battlefield. Let's find a time to announce him into the palace, and I will see him." "

"Yes, the slaves obey the order."

But it's been empty lately.

The release of the examination results and the emperor's wedding are approaching, and Zhu Houzhao is busier than he imagined.

The cabinet and the officials of various ministries have been handing notes into the palace,
Aside from other things, at least the titles of No. [-] Scholar, No. [-], and Tanhua have been confirmed.

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Houzhao practiced a little calmness, opened his eyes to read a few very obscure answer sheets, and glanced at his ministers in the gap,
"My lords, do you have anything to say?"

"Weichen, I have something to announce." Gu Zuo lowered his eyebrows, and he still spoke in a calm manner.

"Say."

"Among today's dozens of answer sheets, there is a son from Wenzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang Province. His surname is Zhang. Not suitable to be an official. My minister thinks that this official has deep insights into the imperial court's policies, and what he said hits the nail on the head. It can be seen that even though he is far away from the world, he must ponder the imperial court's policies every day. It is also understandable to see his answers. Why can't those who understand the ways of Confucius and Mencius and the rites of rulers and ministers not adopt them and become officials?"

"Zhang Cong?"

Zhu Houzhao showed a look of reminiscence, and he always felt that the name sounded familiar.

At the same time, Lin Han said: "Your Majesty, this person's mind is not pure, and he will definitely be a treacherous minister in the future."

Oh,
Zhu Houzhao remembered.

Speaking of Zhang Cong, isn't he the one who supported Emperor Jiajing and Yang Tinghe in the Daliyi incident.

However, Zhang Cong really appeared on the stage of history in the Jiajing period, and now it is only the first year of Zhengde...

"When was he born?"

Gu Zuo replied: "11 years of Chenghua."

Zhu Houzhao frowned, Chenghua 11 years... isn't that in his early thirties?

According to the historical trend, Zhengde also had 16 years, so this guy was fifty during the Jiajing period.

Is he alone... Zhang Cong became the chief assistant, and he only emerged in the Jiajing period, but how could a person emerge from the officialdom in his fifties, and then jump up all of a sudden?

At least something unusual.

However, Zhang Cong during the Jiajing period was indeed a speculator. He was keenly aware of the contradiction between Yang Tinghe and Xinjun, and chose to be the first to jump out to rebel against the civil servants and support the emperor, thus gaining Jiajing's trust and reuse. .

But there is one thing to say, speculation is speculation,

Zhang Cong later became the chief assistant and did a little bit of work. According to historical records, he is: cruel, vengeful, seeking revenge, and not protecting good people.

It is this person who is more ruthless, especially "hate dirty officials", advocates the promotion of "clean and capable people who love the people", and even believes that clean and honest officials should be promoted without seniority restrictions.

Moreover, during the Jiajing period, the problems of Huangzhuang and the fields of the kings, relatives, and middle officials were already very serious, especially in the land of Gyeonggi, where basically all the good fields were occupied by the rich and powerful.

Emperor Jiajing was a non-stick pan. Some people said to get it done, and he agreed, but he didn't want to be that villain if he couldn't get it done, so he cleaned up the Zhuangtian twice without any problems.

Until Zhang Cong came to power, he was like a cold-faced Hades, four words, resolutely clean up.

Moreover, the scope of cleanup has been expanded from Gyeonggi to various provinces.

Also because Zhang Cong's methods are tough and ruthless, he can't help appearing domineering and domineering. In addition, he has offended many people, which makes his position as the chief assistant unstable, and he has three ups and downs.

For more than 40 years in the Jiajing Dynasty, the early stage was enlightened, and the late period was dull... This early stage of enlightenment has more or less something to do with Zhang Cong.

However, Zhu Houzhao does not remember more accurate information about Zhang Cong, even if there is one more place of origin,
He can also judge whether Zhang Cong from Wenzhou Prefecture is the one he remembers.

But this kind of thing,
He would rather be wrong than do nothing.

It's good to stay, if it is, it's good, if it's not down, what loss can it have?
When the thoughts slowly came back, Zhu Houzhao saw that Li Dongyang and Xie Qian also joined the debate. They also thought that Zhang Cong's answer sheet was all flattering, and there was not much literary talent to speak of.

But Gu Zuo still insisted, it's practical.

Literary talent is not lacking at all, otherwise how could he pass the exam in a place of outstanding people like Zhejiang.

"I've listened to the opinions of all my lovers." Zhu Houzhao said slowly: "I think this person's articles are indeed average, but some of his opinions are true. In my opinion, it is better to give him an ordinary ranking, that is, gone."

There is a big difference between the general ranking and Yijia.

This is also a compromise.

"The general ranking that His Majesty mentioned, but the top three?"

Zhu Houzhao was a little helpless, this Lin Shangshu is really a stick, so his answer did not meet his expectations, "Let's wait for the end of Erjia."

As for the top three people in the first class.

In the end, they were named Zhou Le, Jing Yang and Yan Wenqi.

Zhou Le was from Guizhou, and there were very few champions in these provinces in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Houzhao pointed him out, in addition to the basic writing skills, there is also the fact that this person was born in a remote place.

Most of the top-ranked scholars are from Susong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Huguang.Finally, a person from Guizhou came in, Zhu Houzhao simply let it have a bigger influence.

One of the thoughts of the people in the Qianqing palace is the fate of the son's life outside the palace, and even the fate of his family.

As the old saying goes, there are wedding nights in the bridal chamber, and the time for titles on the gold list.

It's time to be lively again in the capital.

And the emperor suddenly had an idea, he used the joy of Yongshou Palace, Xuanmei, to enter the palace, on the one hand, of course, to tell him that both Huai Xiao and Huai Yan were pregnant,

On the other hand, there are other thoughts.

It is that Yuezhuang.

"Since it has been built, when will you invite me to take a look?"

In fact, Zhu Houzhao's heart has been itching for a long time. Recently, people have been whispering in his ears about the changes in the capital.

But all of this is in the memorial to him, never in his eyes.

So of course he wanted to go and see.

But Mei Huai was a little hesitant when she first heard about it. The last time the emperor left the palace, he encountered some 'little' unpleasantness, which caused a little bit of people to lose their lives...

This time I'm leaving the palace again.

Seeing his hesitation, the emperor felt a little unhappy, "What? You also learned from those old Confucian ministers?"

"Of course not, I dare not." Mei Huaigu corrected immediately, "I was just thinking that there are six floors up and down in Yuezhuang, and it is more than ten feet high. Although I am very confident, after all, it involves His Majesty's golden body. If there is any mistake, I am afraid that a hundred deaths will not redeem me."

"I will visit in micro-services, let alone stay there for a long time. Just rest assured."

Then the emperor called Zhang Yong over again.

Zhang Yong is now in charge of Shenwuwei, and he has been selecting candidates for several months. More than 900 people have been selected. The commander of Shenwuwei is Xu Guan.

Now that Zhu Houzhao goes out of the palace again, he will use them as his close guards for defense.

Surrounding him were seven or eight people, including Xu Guan, and there were also ten small teams, with ten people as a team, deployed around him in case of emergencies.

Regarding this point, Zhu Houzhao is still very honest.

After all, this is his own life, and he has killed many people in the past few years, what if some of them will die together.

Furthermore, what the courtiers said that 'Your Majesty belongs to the country and the country' is also a fact, so you can't be willful without a little defensive power.

Early the next morning, the emperor habitually exempted himself from court.

The minister also habitually handed the note to the attendant's room,
And Zhu Houzhao himself had already left the palace gate in a blue shirt, with a jade belt around his waist, embroidered pedals on the soles of his feet, and his jet-black hair, which had been washed very softly, lay behind him, and he was quite energetic.

Xu Guan and Zhang Yong are lined up behind him.

They all wore plain casual clothes, too.

Not long after the group left the palace gate, they came to the city that never sleeps.
Zhu Houzhao is tall and straight, looking up at the series of towering buildings with his hands behind his back,
The golden words "City That Never Sleeps" have been written on the plaque and hung up.

And there are already people inside and outside the gate.

They were the ones who shouted and said, "Several people, there are several cars behind, waiting to transport things in. I wonder if there is something wrong? If not, can you let me go?"

"Oh." Zhu Houzhao did bring nearly ten people with him, and he retreated to the side as he spoke.

Take a closer look, the young people talking to them should belong to Jin Yiwei, otherwise ordinary people would not dare to come and say such things that are in your way.

In fact, the grooms driving behind waited for a while, and tried to avoid their eyes when passing by.

"My lord, do you want to go in?" Zhang Yong asked.

"No, the left and right will open soon, so there is no rush. Let's go to Yuezhuang."

Coming out of Zhengyang Gate, the atmosphere on the street became obviously lively. There were mostly ordinary people here, but compared to the last time I came, there were a lot fewer dwellings built with just a few wooden boards.

Although it is still crowded, at least it is arranged in an orderly manner.

Yuezhuang needs to be further south, because it is high and cannot be too close to the imperial city, and it is more open, but it will not be deserted.

Today will not be deserted, because the imperial list will be posted today, who would want to sleep?
Amidst the excitement of the crowd, Zhu Houzhao climbed up to the sixth floor of Yue Zhuang under the guard. The upper part was divided into two rooms by Duzhu, but when he entered the interior, he found that they were actually connected.

On the west side is the reception room, the main seat is an upholstered chair, and there are eight square ottomans on each side. Before the ottomans, there is a brown wooden case.

The east side is the place to sleep. The bed is huge and can sleep six or seven people. Besides the bed, there is also a desk. On the wall behind the desk is a picture of a thousand miles of mountains and rivers, which is very old-fashioned.

Zhu Houzhao walked around and looked around, "Nostalgia."

"The minister is here."

"Don't call yourself a vassal outside. Also, what is the price of your place for one night?"

Mei Huaigu said with a smile: "This is the highest place in the capital, and His Majesty the Ming Dynasty is the highest, so money cannot be collected here."

"Then you have worked so hard to arrange everything, wouldn't it be a waste to put it here?"

"It doesn't cost a lot of money. This time, Your Majesty, it is worth the money spent by the minister."

"Your mouth. Well, then come and sit down and try the feeling."

Zhu Houzhao greeted them, and asked everyone to sit down on the rug in the living room. He took the main seat, and Zhang Yong waited beside him.

And on the other side,
On the second floor of Yuezhuang, people slowly gathered on the side facing the street.

Everyone knows what will happen today, so there is no excitement uncharacteristically, and they all sit down, either drinking tea or chatting in a low voice,

Until a certain moment, a crisp gong sound penetrated the space.

"Happy news! Huzhou Yao Mansion's Master Yao Taboo was born as No. 30 Jinshi in the Second Class of the Qing Dynasty!!"

……

Zhang Cong didn't go to the east courtyard to see the gold list today,

He has failed three consecutive imperial examinations,
I went there the first two times, but later I found it boring. Why did I go?He sees other people happy, others see him laughing?

So this time he honestly went to Nancheng to see the private school built by the imperial court.

Next to him was the old man he had met twice.

The old man's surname is Qu, his first name is Sanjie, and he is from Ningbo Prefecture.

It was interesting for the old and the young to walk among these newly built workshops.

The old man pointed to a small bridge in front of the left. There was a small vegetable garden facing the river beside the bridge. In the garden, there was a woman hoeing, and beside her was a child with a yellow mouth sitting on a stone roller and studying.

"Guotai Minan, that's how it is."

Zhang Cong was also a little moved, "After going to Yuji today, there are many new policies in the court. Although they only treat the symptoms but not the root cause, countless people can live if they only treat the symptoms."

"You and I, it's better to talk less about government affairs."

Seeing Zhang Cong's dissatisfaction, the old man said: "When you are young, you always think that the things in the world are simple. When you get older, you will know that the things in the world are complicated...Cure the root cause? It's not easy."

"It's not easy, so I don't do it? The imperial examination is still difficult, hasn't Mr. Qu been doing it all his life?"

The old man couldn't argue, so he slowly walked to a private school,
"Red walls and black tiles are like walking on flat ground."

... As he was speaking, a figure came running from a distance,
Zhang Cong took a closer look, isn't that the Ge Dabao he knew before?

"Brother Zhang! Brother Zhang!"

Ge Dabao ran in such a hurry that he was almost out of breath.

Zhang Cong's heart moved, and Elder Qu seemed to have thought of something.

"It seems that Zhang Xiaoyou is happy today."

Gudong.

Zhang Cong silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and greeted him himself.

"Brother Ge, you...do you have anything to say?"

"Huh...huh..." Ge Dabao put his hands on his knees, panting heavily, "I can't find you everywhere... so you are here. Brother Zhang, you got hit!"

"I've been hit?!" Zhang Cong suddenly couldn't help himself, the blood in his whole body was rushing to his head, he didn't know what to do for a moment, and he stuttered, "Brother Ge, what you said... Hit means...to go in, "

"Jinshi! Second-A No. 70 Eight!"

"really?!"

"It's absolutely true!!"

For a moment, Zhang Cong only felt that the whole person was thrown into the sky, and then fell down quickly.

After that, he calmed down a little, and then pointed at Ge Dabao again, "Brother Ge...how about you?"

"I'm not as rich as Brother Zhang, but I'm also the top three, and I'm very satisfied to be awarded fellow Jinshi."

"Hahaha!"

Both of them looked at each other and smiled, the joy of being named on the gold list is really a great joy in life.

Fortunately, Zhang Cong has not forgotten Old Qu, he turned around and ran to the old man again.

The eyes of the old man looking at him are actually a little blurred and sad. How much he wants to go back to his youth.Although he has never won a Jinshi, but he did like this when he was selected for the Juren.

Seeing Zhang Cong approaching in front of him, he hurriedly returned to his senses, "Yes, for Mr. Zhang..."

Zhang Cong stretched out his hand and pressed the old man's arm, "Mr. Qu has reminded me several times, and I feel suddenly enlightened. Mr. Qu is for those who are kind to me, so there is no need to be polite."

"It's a little effort, but I hope you don't blame or blame. The old man is here to wish Master Zhang a bright career in the future."

Zhang Cong clenched his fists, "Thank you, Elder Qu! I have made up my mind to assist the monarch and help the world. Only in this way can I have no regrets in this life!"

(End of this chapter)