The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 224 Flagpole
It's a good thing that Zhang Mao didn't make a sound. When he came out, the civil servants felt like a big head.

Is this court debate?
It is simply a large-scale confession scene.

Zhang Zhou raised the flagpole and waved his arms. I am with the emperor. My opinion is to fight Liaodong. Who is for and who is against?Then Wu Xun, the civil servant who was present, began to find their own teams to stand.

If it was said that Zhang Zhou was a bit "lonely and lonely" before, with only the emperor's support and no courtiers' support, but with Zhang Mao coming out, it actually means that the civil servants and Wu Xun have already stood in their own teams.

And Zhang Zhou was the fuse of the whole thing.

Xie Qian also had a headache at this time.

He knew it wasn't a debate.

At the moment, we only talk about our position, and we don't need to talk about reasoning.

He asked: "British Lord, based on your years of experience in defending the capital, do you think this thing can turn the tide of battle on the battlefield?"

It can be said that swearing does not contain dirty words.

Aren't you a British official who guards the capital?Do you have any actual military experience?Which battle on the frontier of Ming Dynasty did you participate in?You can even say which game you participated in planning!

The purpose of Xie Qian's saying this is actually to remind Zhang Mao, you old boy, don't stand in line casually. Our civil servants treated you pretty well in the past. Don't mess up the harmony between our civil servants and Wu Xun for the sake of Zhang Bingkuan, who has risen for a while. relationship and order.

Zhang Maodao: "I dare not say anything else, but this old man can be sure."

"Ugh!"

Xie Qian sighed heavily on purpose, shook his head and took a few steps back.

In fact, he just wanted to tell those civil servants that you have also been out for a fight, and such a fight is meaningless.

It's just talking about positions instead of reasoning. Zhang Zhou seems to be clearly going against us, so if you reason with him, he won't talk to you directly.

If you don't understand the reason, it doesn't work at all in this matter.

Zhu Youtang was very satisfied with Zhang Mao's appearance. He nodded and said: "When I went out of the city to pray for rain, the British Duke did not accompany the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, but went to Zhang Qing's house to watch the ceremony. It seems that I have gained something. .”

"Exactly." Zhang Mao was also unambiguous.

As a martial artist, why should he consider issues from the standpoint of a civil servant?

It was impossible before.

In the past, there were courtiers around the emperor, and they were also Li Guang and his like. Li Guang and others could help some ministers and the like, but could they help such nobles as the Duke of England?But now that Zhang Zhou has risen, Zhang Mao is very decisive in choosing.

If you can kick your civil servants away, if you don't kick them out, you'd be called a fool.

Don't know what is an iron battalion soldier?You civil servants are the soldiers in the court, and we honored ministers are the basic foundation of Ming Dynasty's stability.

Zhu Youtang said: "If that's the case, let's talk about the war in Liaodong based on the result. Retire!"

……

……

The emperor did not want to hear such meaningless arguments.

He felt sorry for Zhang Zhou.

After the court was over, Zhu Youtang called Zhang Zhou to the Qianqing Palace alone, and even Dai Yi and others retreated, meaning to "apologize" to Zhang Zhou alone.

"Bingkuan, I shouldn't have let you go. I wanted you to live in harmony with the court ministers, but now it seems... Sigh!"

In Zhu Youtang's view, in this court meeting, Zhang Zhou assumed the firepower of the civil officials for him in name, allowing the civil officials to transfer their doubts about the emperor's use of troops to Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou successfully provoked the hostile anger of those civil servants.

Although the pressure on him as the emperor has been relieved a lot, Zhang Zhou was pushed to the cusp of the storm, bearing that pressure for him.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Your Majesty, it's okay. This is the duty of a minister."

Zhang Zhou didn't care.

On the contrary, Zhang Zhou also felt that... today's court debate has reached his position of "cultivating people".

This character design is not only for the civil servants, but also for the emperor.

This is not.

The emperor felt that he was wronged, and he could get along with those civil servants with his tail between his legs, but in order to help him, the emperor, he had a very stiff fight with the civil servants, and he might not be able to be a serious official in the future.

And on Wenchen's side... Did he lose?
Zhang Zhou felt that he hadn't lost, and of course he didn't win either. For the civil servants in the middle and lower classes, such a statement made by a person would only hold a wave of hatred, thinking that Zhang Zhou was an uncontrollable factor in the court. He suppressed it.

But it was people like Liu Jian and Li Dongyang who knew that suppression was impossible, and they continued to do it. Then the person who finally got along with the emperor was not Zhang Zhou, but the group of civil servants, right?

Zhu Youtang said: "Maybe it's really not as good as letting you stay as a lecturer in the East Palace. Sometimes I can't control things in the court."

Zhang Zhoudao: "Your Majesty, the matter concerning the invasion of the Tatars and the three guards of Duoyan was proposed by me. If I don't take responsibility for this matter, then I will be too irresponsible. Please don't feel sorry for me anymore, Your Majesty. I believe that the court elders and department halls in the court are also people with a heart, and they should not be wrong with others when they discuss the matter."

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang pondered for a while.

If Liu Jian and Li Dongyang were to make irresponsible remarks because of Zhang Zhou, regardless of whether the matter was right or wrong, it would be a waste of his previous trust.

Coupled with the fact that he felt guilty towards Zhang Zhou, his tone became much softer when he spoke.

……

……

The three members of the cabinet gradually returned to the cabinet to be on duty.

As soon as he came back, Xie Qian seemed very annoyed before he sat down. Although he usually has a good temper, today Zhang Zhou made his mentality explode.

Even he himself didn't know why this happened.

Li Dongyang said: "Yu Qiao, you have fallen into the trap this kid set for you. I understand now that he never planned to reason with you from the very beginning, and every word and sentence is poking at the gap between each other's positions." , In the court debate, he even deliberately showed an appearance of incompetence to provoke your aura, but the ultimate purpose is just to let His Majesty know that he is not the same as us."

Xie Qian frowned when he heard the words: "It's good for him?"

Li Dongyang first took a look at the silent Liu Jian, then shook his head and said: "Obviously, he puts His Majesty's intentions first, and is even willing to take responsibility for His Majesty in the matter of employing people. The result is that His Majesty and his heart are getting closer , and the farther away from our hearts."

"hiss……"

Xie Qian sucked in a breath between his teeth.

"No wonder, from the beginning, I didn't think this kid was justified, but I still felt that I couldn't compete with him. Now I think it's because of His Majesty's complete trust and support for him. Isn't he proud of being favored?"

Xie Qian's question was not only to Li Dongyang, but also to Liu Jian.

It is difficult for Li Dongyang to answer this question.

The so-called "being proud of being favored" is also a false proposition. If Zhang Zhou really has the capital to be proud, he can play like this.

Liu Jian said: "If there is a battle in Liaodong, if the result is as he deduces, and even An Bianbo and others can win the battle, then it will be disadvantageous for us to deal with military and political affairs in the court in the future."

"Yeah." Li Dongyang nodded, it seemed that this was what he was worried about.

Liu Jian looked at Li Dongyang and said, "The British official is here today, what's your opinion?"

Li Dongyang was a little annoyed by Zhang Mao's betrayal, but he still said seriously: "Zhang Zhou's move is clearly to show His Majesty that as long as he has a plan, the people in the Governor's Mansion will cooperate with him, and he will gradually win the favor of the honorable ministers." With the support of the frontier, there seems to be no other way except to join him in an 'unauthorized use' in the future."

Xie Qian asked: "Then how should I suppress him in the future?"

"I can't hold it back!" Li Dongyang changed his previous tough attitude towards Zhang Zhou and stood aside with Liu Jian. It seemed that he now understood Liu Jian's previous difficulties when he was selected as the No. [-] champion.

Li Dongyang said: "Isn't Zhang Bingkuan's move actually telling us that if we cooperate, we will benefit and we will lose both?"

"he……"

Xie Qian was speechless.

Xie Qian still has a brain.

After Li Dongyang's dialing, he understood that Zhang Zhou seemed to have said so many things in the court hall, but they were actually dispensable nonsense.

The key point is not what he said, but the position he showed, the emperor's attitude towards him, and the position of Wu Xun, the official of North Korea and Chinese, after he spoke.

Debates are quick to argue with others, and it is meaningless to care about the gains and losses of the scene. The key depends on the purpose of the debate... It seems that Zhang Zhou is tied or even lost with them on the court, but off the court. , Zhang Zhou won a complete victory.

Liu Jian said in a deep tone: "It seems that he has calculated everything before he said that in the court. He didn't take the initiative to show his favor, but he was actually waiting for us to take the initiative to accept him!"

"If he's the number one scholar, it's okay to accept him, but he's an alchemist!" Xie Qian was a little unwilling.

Li Dongyang kept secret: "Actually, what Liu Ge always wanted to say is that Zhang Bingkuan wanted us to accept him as an alchemist. Is that what he meant?"

Liu Jian nodded in agreement.

Then Liu Jian said: "There is still room for relaxation, don't be in a hurry to make a conclusion. But don't have any more direct conflicts with him."

……

……

Zhang Mao and other Wu Xun came out of the palace, Cheng Shan Bo Wang Yong deliberately approached Zhang Mao, facing an old man Zhang who was overjoyed, Wang Yong couldn't help asking: "Old Zhang, what's the matter?"

Wang Yong, as Cheng Shanbo, had worked with Suianbo Chen Shao in the [-]th Regiment of the Beijing Camp, etc., and had a lot of power in his hands. However, due to the dissatisfaction of Zhenyuan Hou Gu Pu, he was impeached and dismissed in the tenth year of Hongzhi. Today, they are still in a state of temporary employment and unemployment, and in recent years, Zhenyuan Hou Gu Pu's status in the Beijing camp has been increasing, and he has also posed a great threat to the British Duke Zhang Mao.

Wang Yong knew that his relationship with Gu Pu was not good, so now his goal is very clear, which is to build a good relationship with Zhang Mao and strive to return to the Beijing camp as soon as possible.

Seeing that Zhang Mao was standing in line in the court hall, of course he wanted to come to inquire about what he could do.

Zhang Mao squinted his eyes at him and said, "Isn't it a good thing that someone can stand against the monolithic Gelaobutang in the court?"

"This...is it a bit difficult? He is the champion."

Although Wang Yong wanted to curry favor with Zhang Zhou, just like ordinary Wu Xun, he couldn't even find the door.

For him, it would be nice to be able to curry favor with Zhang Mao.

Moreover, Zhang Zhou is still a Jinshi. In his opinion, he may join the civil servants sooner or later... And his problem with Wang Yong is not that the civil servants are targeting him too much. Only this class will care about it. Ordinary ministers don't have time to worry about things of this level.

"No. [-] scholar? Do you think what he said in the court hall today seems like what a No. [-] scholar said? He put himself in the position of opposing civil servants! It's a pity, Xie Yuqiao and the others still want to use what they used to deal with Li Guang and others." He thought that if he continued to impeach him, he would be able to make His Majesty change his mind, but I don't know how capable Zhang Bingkuan is!"

"Their chess is wrong!"

Wang Yong was even more puzzled when he heard this: "Even if they are upstarts, they still can't compete with Mr. Xie Ge and the others, right?"

"Hahaha." Zhang Mao said with a smile, "Whether you are qualified to fight depends on who your Majesty trusts. Are you an old man who will help Zhang Bingkuan only because of his ability? Ability is one thing, whether you can gain His Majesty's trust , is another matter, the court order is not determined by the civil servants' preferences, and we can't control the overall situation, it depends on who His Majesty trusts and uses!"

"They can't even deal with Li Guang, who is incompetent. How can they deal with Zhang Bingkuan, who was born as the No.

Wang Yong asked: "Then my fellow, do you want to climb... this Zhang Gongsheng?"

"Still called Gongsheng? You're the number one scholar! Even Eunuch Dai, the supervisor of ceremonies, and the others call him Mr. You should put away your contempt and arrogance. Otherwise, you can only be like Xie Yuqiao and the others. You can't even do basic judging the situation." arrive!"

"The weather is fine today, I want to go back and drink two more glasses! Haha!"

……

……

After discussing the situation in Liaodong with Zhu Youtang, Zhang Zhou left the palace under Xiao Jing's guidance.

Xiao Jing was also very concerned on the road: "Mr. Zhang, what did you say to those elders today, which side do you stand on?"

Zhang Zhou was surprised: "Why should I stand aside?"

Xiao Jing seemed to understand suddenly.

Zhang Zhou didn't intend to side with Wen Chen or Wu Xun at all.

"Then you still want to take the Jinshi exam?" Xiao Jing thought for a long time before asking another question.

Zhang Zhoudao: "I was originally a Gongsheng student, and I was also a Jieyuan. Only after I passed the Jieyuan exam did I have these things today. If I can choose, I don't have to take the exam, but if I am allowed to enter the court, I want to help your majesty in the future It is also difficult to do things. Does being admitted to Jinshi mean that you have to work with the mainstream civil servants in the court?"

Xiao Jing was speechless.

He really wanted to say, what you said was incisive.

You took the general examination and palace examination for a long time, and won three yuan in a row, but after you won the first prize, it was just to sing against the minister?

How else can I say that you, Zhang Bingkuan, are awesome?

Are you going to stand alone against the entire civil servants of the imperial court?
"Mr. Zhang, it's not nice to say something about our family. We don't get along well with them. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to gain a foothold in the court." Xiao Jing reminded.

It was kind of him.

Zhang Zhoudao: "In their eyes, I'm just an alchemist. I put my face in front of them and let them beat them. After the beating, they said that the posture of the beating was not very good. They planned to change the direction and beat them again. After the beating, they said... Not this time, but next time. I know they can't tolerate me, I don't want to do things for His Majesty and Daming, but I think about how to blend in with them... Do you think I have a thick skin and can withstand their repetitions? What about torture?"

"Ha ha."

Xiao Jing smiled wryly.

"Okay, our family understands, you don't plan to go with Chao Zhongchen, if you have something to do in the future, you can just tell our family, our family can help you."

Xiao Jing didn't have the nerve to say that since ancient times, it is no good to sing against civil officials.

Because the right to speak of public opinion is in the hands of others.

If you don't do what they want, they will ask the historian to label you a traitor and traitor. Even if His Majesty trusts you now, he will use various means to pull you down after the new emperor ascends the throne... Wait, new Huang...

Xiao Jing suddenly realized something.

Is Zhang Zhou only doing things in front of the current emperor?Prince over there...

oops.

Xiao Jing immediately understood.

Zhang Zhou is planning to engage in a "long-term struggle" with Wen Chen.

The roads are paved.

Get along with the current emperor first, and then teach the prince well. Then in the next few decades...even when the prince has a child, teach him again...What does Zhang Zhou care about the thoughts of civil servants?The emperor's eldest son and his second son... the civil servants follow behind?
"Thank you, Eunuch Xiao, for your concern. Then I will say thank you here first." Zhang Zhou said with a smile. Don't talk to Eunuch Xiao much."

"Please. If His Majesty has ordered you to enter the palace, our family will come to invite you in person."

"Try to come as little as possible!"

"Hehe... we can't help it!"

……

……

Zhang Zhou was in a good mood sitting on the carriage home.

Regardless of the attitude of those civil officials, he is working for the emperor, so he can't get along with the civil servants?
Then don't get along.

"Master, I heard Mrs. Cheng Guotai is going to the capital in the next two days, and she sent someone to inform her that she will entertain you. Thank you for seeking the title of Uncle An Bian."

This time it was Liu Gui who drove the car.

After Liu Gui arrived in the capital, he first helped to take care of the business, but then he knew how to follow Zhang Zhou, and soon replaced the honest Jia Laoshui and became Zhang Zhou's chief driver.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Mrs. Cheng Guotai? No, it's too picky, and there's not much to give. What's the point of having a meal? Later, someone will say that I'm busy and don't have time."

Zhang Zhouxin said.

joke.

With my current status, Mr. Zhang still wants to invite me to the house for a banquet?

Since you are going to come to the capital, you can just send gold and silver to my house, find an uncle for your grandson, and now you still have a chance to make meritorious service in Liaodong, even your son was transferred to Yansui because of my relationship Commander-in-Chief, want to solve the problem after a meal?

It's really giving you the face of Cheng Guogong's mansion.

Liu Gui laughed and said, "The little one will tell you in person?"

Zhang Zhou scolded: "Stinky boy, don't think that I don't know that you want to fish in troubled waters. If you want to be a doorman, you should be a doorman. If you want to be a coachman, then be a coachman. Don't play tricks all day long. If you don't have a salary, you still have to give money." Missing yours?"

"Hey, there are quite a few."

Liu Gui now feels that his investment is simply too worthwhile.

It was only because I took a second look in the crowd and discovered Zhang Zhou's gold mine. It was because I judged the situation at the time and knew how to sacrifice temporary interests that I got today... to work as a coachman for Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou lay on the wall of the carriage, and said leisurely: "But the old lady of Cheng Guogong's mansion is here, and the Zhu family should be lively soon. Restless woman."

(End of this chapter)