The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 512 Buying wine to offer to Buddha
Kunning Palace.

Zhang Heling came to see Queen Zhang that day, nominally to check on her sister's condition, but in fact the purpose was to talk about Zhang Yanling's merits, demerits, rewards and punishments in the northwest, and the ultimate goal was to get some benefits for herself and go back.

"Sister, I just came over from the Governor's Mansion and asked them about the second child. They said that the second child also delayed his march in Ningxia this time and was also on the list of punished people. Please tell your brother-in-law. If you punish him, why bother if we are all a family?"

Zhang Heling came prepared, and he could be considered as speaking for his younger brother.

Queen Zhang looked very lazy. She picked up the gift sent by Zhang Heling and frowned slightly, because the gift was of no use to her at all, and most importantly, it was not valuable.

"Next time you come, you might as well bring some fruits from outside. You don't have to bring these things anymore." Queen Zhang said.

"Oh, Queen, why do we still care about this? I'm telling you about my second brother." Zhang Heling was anxious at first.

Empress Zhang rolled her eyes at her younger brother and said, "I didn't hear your brother-in-law say that he was going to be punished for his age extension. Didn't it mean that he wanted to serve the court? As long as he has the intention, your brother-in-law will not blame him."

"Snapped!"

Zhang Heling slapped his thigh and said, "Sister, you are right. The second brother is different from Zhu Hui, Zhang Rui and others. These people are capable of doing things but have no intention. The second brother led the troops and did not follow. That’s just due to lack of ability, even if you let him go, he won’t be able to go up!”

A sneer appeared on the corner of Queen Zhang's mouth and she said: "You are quite pleasant in what you say?"

Zhang Heling said with a proud look on his face: "That's right, I'm not sure about anything else, but after spending so many years with the second child, I don't know what kind of urine he has? Others can walk a hundred miles in a day and deliberately walk fifty, but he risked his life I can only do 48, which is still a little behind others."

"Shut up!" Queen Zhang couldn't bear to listen anymore and shouted angrily, "Can't you hope that your brother will do well? You are capable, go ahead! Why let him do it?"

"This... we call it division of labor. We agreed early on that I would join the new faction and work with Zhang Bingkuan, while he would join the old faction and stabilize the hearts of those old guys. The ultimate goal is to make our Zhang family invincible by playing both sides! "Zhang Heling still feels good about himself.

Queen Zhang said: "There is no need to play both sides. Your brother-in-law is optimistic about Zhang Bingkuan now, so all of you can just lean towards him."

Zhang Heling sighed: "But if there is a chance to lead troops, the second brother and I can't just go. I heard that the second brother had already led the troops in Shigou City this time, but because of his lack of ability, he didn't kill him. By going up there, I missed the opportunity to obtain military exploits, but it actually gave me an advantage over the old Cui family boy. Time is also a matter of fate, and I don’t think the second child will be so lucky."

The more Empress Zhang listened, the more she felt that this younger brother was here to cause trouble, so she was too lazy to talk nonsense to this younger brother.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Go back if you have nothing to do. I still need to rest."

Zhang Heling smiled and said: "Then next time I will bring some precious herbs to my sister, such as Ganoderma lucidum and tiger bones..."

"No need." Empress Zhang said coldly, "It's not the right way, and what you said is available in the palace pharmacy."

Zhang Heling said: "Then next time I will bring a famous doctor, the kind who can heal the dead. I know there is such a famous doctor."

Empress Zhang said angrily: "If you have a doctor like this, let me cure your brain first. If your brain doesn't work all day long or something? Come, give him something and tell him to get out of here as soon as possible."

As a sister, she naturally knows that her brother is so "attentive" and that she wants to deliver medicine and a doctor. She is clearly trying to please her and beg for things from her.

When the palace maid was moving things here, Zhang Heling still smiled and said: "Goodbye, sister, how embarrassing is this? People always say that I came to the palace to ask for rewards. It's not nice to gossip, and maybe people say that I want to Evacuate the palace."

"Huh." Queen Zhang glanced at her brother, as if to say, do you still know how to be embarrassed?
"Then my brother is disrespectful. My sister must remember to tell her brother-in-law to help the second brother. If someone deliberately embarrasses our Zhang family, we should be on guard. We still don't know how rewards and punishments are determined for merit and demerit in the Northwest. " Zhang Heling said.

Empress Zhang said casually: "Your brother-in-law has long said that all the merits and demerits of the Northwest will be decided by the Ministry of War. Nominally, they have to consult with the listening office, but in fact, the decision is made by Zhang Bingkuan, the Minister of War."

"Really?" Zhang Heling said with a smile, "The rumors outside are true. It seems that those gossips are still very useful. I will definitely talk to Zhang Bingkuan when I have the opportunity. As long as he contributes, even if the second brother does not go to the battlefield, he can still help Let’s talk about military exploits when we come back. Just watch it, sister.”

Queen Zhang looked at Zhang Heling's back as he trotted away from the palace with a slightly sad expression.

She didn't seem to feel it before, but now she feels even sadder.

"Why did my mother give birth to such an unworthy son? I should talk to my mother next time and ask her to regulate the two unworthy sons!" Queen Zhang almost said this through gritted teeth.

……

……

Zhang Zhou is also leaving the palace.

Sent by Li Rongxiang.

On the way out of the palace, Li Rong seemed to have a lot to say. After all, Xiao Jing was present when he entered the palace, so it was inconvenient to say many things.

"Sir, you should have heard something of His Majesty's intention, which is about Cui Prince Consort. Your Majesty's intention is that if the eldest princess is really not willing to reconcile, then use Cui Prince Consort more and let him lead troops in the northwest instead of returning to the capital. This will also This avoids embarrassment." Li Rong seemed to be reminding him with good intentions.

But no matter what Zhang Zhou heard, he felt as if Princess Yongkang had offended the old eunuch, and Li Rong deliberately wanted to separate Princess Yongkang and his wife.

Zhang Zhou nodded and said: "If the eldest princess really has no intention of reconciliation, then I can't do anything about it, but if she takes the initiative to talk about it, I can't lose face."

Li Rongdao: "From what our family has seen, this eldest princess will never let it go. She has such a strong temper that even His Majesty can't do anything to her in many cases. However, there haven't been many opportunities for contact in the past, and Your Majesty will not regulate it at will." For her. But now... if it involves Consort Cui doing things in the court, and it is not convenient for His Majesty to do it, you may be... affected. "

What do you mean?
Zhang Zhou thought to himself, does this mean that I want to discipline his sister on behalf of the emperor?
Can I care?
This princess is the eldest princess, not a child. She is a married woman. She is not much younger than me. The royal princess has a bad temper, so I don’t want to deal with her. I treat her as her husband. Preaching to her, it’s amazing that she can listen to me.

Li Rong said helplessly: "Our family also knows that doing this is to embarrass you, and even His Majesty knows it, so..."

Zhang Zhou said: "Did His Majesty mention it?"

Li Rong shook his head and said: "Although His Majesty didn't say it clearly, his thoughts... In short, this matter also makes Your Majesty worried. I thought that Cui Prince Consort was just a senior citizen in the army, setting an example for those relatives of the emperor. Now there is an example. , but it is not good to give too much credit, and His Majesty is also worried about how to arrange Consort Cui."

"I understand." Zhang Zhou said, "Shaping your Majesty's worries is what people of our generation have to do. I will take over this job."

Li Rong was startled.

What did I say, why did you just take the job?
What errand?
Are you going to teach Princess Yongkang how to behave?
"Eunuch Li, is there anyone else you want to remind?" Zhang Zhou asked.

"No...no more..." Li Rong was also a little confused.

I feel like I didn’t say much, but it seemed that Zhang Zhou understood a lot. This was a misunderstanding. Don’t wait until Zhang Zhou did something to offend someone in the royal family, and then turn around and put the blame on him.

The interests of the eldest princess of Yongkang are small, but the unity of the entire royal family is big. Zhang Zhou himself has a good reputation among the royal relatives, mainly because the families such as Queen Zhang and Queen Mother Zhou have appeals to Zhang Zhou, and The vassal princes and princesses of Lao Zhu's family did not have much interest in Zhang Zhou, and it was easy for them to cause discord and make Zhang Zhou the target of public criticism.

When leaving, Li Rong also carefully reminded: "You have to be careful. Even if His Majesty said that the eldest princess will apologize to you, you still have to... be gentle first."

"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded, looking very kind.

The more this happened, the more worried Li Rong felt.

Although this powerful official rarely uses his power to suppress others, he cannot be treated as a lamb. If Zhang Zhou really wants to punish Princess Yongkang, Li Rong's responsibility will not be small.

No matter who suffers from Yongkang or Zhang Zhou, it seems that he cannot escape the relationship.

……

……

Cabinet value.

Li Dongyang placed a memorial written by two ministers of the Ministry of War in front of Liu Jian, meaning that Liu Jian would draw up the vote.

Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty has made it clear that the merits, demerits, rewards and punishments of the wars in Ningxia, Hetao and other places will be decided by the Ministry of War. There is nothing wrong with that. But this time, the Ministry of War was added, and the Ministry of Cabinet was not mentioned. Zhang Zhou was even asked to shoulder the responsibility. This means that the merits of this battle will be involved in the subsequent purge of military affairs in the northwest, and he obviously intends to allow Zhang Bingkuan to consolidate military power in his hands."

Liu Jian's face was calm and he didn't say anything.

Xie Qian came over and said with a smile: "From the time Zhang Bingkuan entered the court, to when he became a knight and became a minister, he has always been indifferent to military power. After this battle, it seemed insignificant. None of his men were involved, but he was defeated. He took the opportunity to get the military power. It will be lively in the future."

Liu Jian originally looked good, but after hearing these words, he couldn't help but frown.

Li Dongyang advised: "Yu Qiao, there is no need to use this kind of thing as a entertainment at this time."

"Haha." Xie Qian wasn't worried. That was his character. He often had a sharp tongue, and he didn't mind how much other people's words offended him.Liu Jian took the words and said: "I want to report to Your Majesty that when it comes to rewards and punishments for military and political merits and demerits, we must not let the Secretary of the Ministry of War, who has a background in the Governor's Mansion, have full authority to make the decision. He is a military general himself, and he can lead troops as a chief military officer. But as the censor of the capital and the leader of the army, if one person is responsible for leading the troops in battle and judging the merits and rewards, then wouldn’t it be child’s play to be a role model in the army?”

Li Dongyang said: "There is a precedent for using Wu Xun as the head of the civil service department and replacing the military department."

Liu Jiandao: "But it is unreasonable to judge the merits and demerits of martial arts by one person."

Li Dongyang was a little troubled and wanted to remind Liu Jian that although we all knew the emperor's intention to let Zhang Bingkuan handle everything alone, the emperor never made it clear. In name, the Ministry of War and the Supreme Court were still responsible for coordinating merits, demerits, rewards and punishments.

But he saw Liu Jian's persistence and knew that now was the critical moment in the game with Zhang Zhou, and it was difficult to say some things.

Although I also know that direct remonstrance has little effect, I still have to remonstrate.

……

……

Inside the theater.

Zhang Zhou was receiving guests, and here came Chen Rui's daughter, the woman who was previously given to Zhang Zhou by Chen Rui along with the house, but was rejected by Zhang Zhou.

Also surnamed Chen, this woman is wearing very simple clothes, even if she is not wearing linen and mourning, she still has the same look.

"I hope that Cai Guogong can help my father so that he can spend his old age in peace. He may not join the army in the future, but if he can retain his rank, he will have the opportunity to let the Chen family make further contributions to the Ming Dynasty in the future."

After all, the woman is not young anymore. She looks about 23 or [-] years old. She looks very polite and speaks in a medium-thick voice, giving people the impression that she is very shrewd and capable in doing things.

Zhang Zhou could also see that this woman from the Wuxun family would still have some fortitude that ordinary Xiaojiabiyu did not have, just like Wang Mingshan... Of course Wang Mingshan is special. Chen Rui's daughter has been married and widowed. , after experiencing too many things, the face will be a little less innocent and a little more worldly tempered.

It is a kind of vicissitudes that have not gone through the wind and frost.

Zhang Zhou said: "Miss Chen, or should I call you Madam, I dare to ask, is this something frivolous in the house?"

The woman said: "My mother has just passed away, and my brother has set up a mourning hall at home to hold memorial ceremonies. There are only a few people in the house, and I can usually be helpful. I don't mean to be rude to Cai Guogong."

"Oh."

Zhang Zhou nodded.

Chen Rui's wife is dead.

Of course, this wife was the result of his second marriage. Chen Rui only had one son, Chen Xiong. Historically, Chen Rui was deprived of his post in the 14th year of Hongzhi and died in depression. Chen Xiong succeeded to the title in the 16th year of Hongzhi, and Chen Xiong because Liu Jin asked for bribes and refused, so he was demoted in the fourth year of Zhengde. After Liu Jin was executed in the fifth year of Zhengde, Chen Xiong was reinstated. He died of illness in the sixth year of Zhengde. The person who inherited Chen Xiong's title was "Zai Congzi", who was his cousin's nephew. Chen Gui, the grandson of Chen Rui's younger brother's family.

It is tantamount to say that Chen Rui's lineage has lost its popularity by his son's generation.

Chen Rui's wife died at this time, and he himself was in the northwest... In fact, it was almost the same. Because of the defeat, Chen Rui's daughter came to intercede, because of the "friendship" between Chen Rui and Zhang Zhou, and because of the previous Chen Rui gave his daughter to Zhang Zhou as a slave as a maid.

"Hold the incense for me, and I won't come to the door in person." Zhang Zhou was also polite.

His mother is dead, no matter how rude the request is, Zhang Zhou will still give this woman some face.

The woman said: "My father is away at war and has not cared about the affairs of the family for many years. My father mentioned earlier that he wanted to rest for a few years. If my father-in-law can fulfill this wish for my father, the Chen family will have to marry him." Repay the favor."

Zhang Zhou was thinking.

Did the Chen family get instructions from Chen Rui or what?The pursuit is very low.

Zhu Hui, Zhang Yanling, Liu Jing and others all pursue merit rather than guilt, which is equivalent to wanting to record themselves in the credit book. Only the Chen family wants to preserve Chen Rui and let him retain a title. , position or anything else doesn’t matter, as long as you can come back alive.

Faced with such a request, Zhang Zhou just shook his head and said: "The Ministry of War has not yet determined the merits, demerits, rewards and punishments for the Northwest War. Everything must be done according to the rules. Please come back."

The woman looked a little sad.

Zhang Zhou refused to help because Chen Rui had not delivered gifts to Zhang Zhou before, and she herself was one of the gifts.

She obviously also knows Zhang Zhou's character, and she will not accept gifts that are not in line with the rules. And she is willing to come to the door. She obviously sees that Zhang Zhou is "just", or she wants to use the funeral at home to add to her own misery. In the past, and the little connection between them, they played the emotional card.

Just as he was talking, Liu Gui's voice came from the door: "Sir, my uncle is downstairs asking to see you, saying he has something important to do."

This also happened to give Zhang Zhou the opportunity to issue an eviction order.

"Miss Chen, you see I still have guests to meet here, you might as well go back and wait for news." Zhang Zhou said.

The woman stood up, bowed and said, "I hope you can understand my father's old age and give him a chance."

The daughter almost apologized to her father and begged Zhang Zhou for forgiveness.

But Zhang Zhou was also thinking that this apology was completely unnecessary. It was only me that Chen Rui was sorry for. He led the army without making progress, and Chen Liangjiu's reputation was ruined again and again, which harmed the interests of the Ming Dynasty. , what’s the use of expressing regret to me alone?

……

……

Chen Rui's daughter was sent away, so Zhang Zhou naturally didn't have to send her off in person.

Then Liu Gui brought Jiang Shantong, one of Zhang Zhou's "eldest uncles" and Jiang Pingyu's brother, into a private room on the second floor of the theater.

"I've met Zhang Shangshu."

When Jiang Shantong came up, he had to kneel down and salute.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Brother-in-law, why are you so polite? If you have something to say, just tell me and sit down!"

Jiang Shantong was not polite and sat down aside, looking a little embarrassed: "I came here to tell you something. But today the eldest princess of Yongkang suddenly came to the door and ordered twenty jars of wine from Jiang's wine shop, saying I wanted to send it to your house, and I also pointed out that it was for apology, and then asked the Jiang family to deliver it to your house. No... the wine is still on the way, so I came here specially to say... "

"Really? Someone bought wine from the Jiang family to give me a gift?"

Zhang Zhou smiled and asked, "Twenty jars of wine, what's the price?"

Comrade Jiang Shan said: "They are all ten kilogram jars, which is more than ten taels of silver. They are given according to the market price."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Spending ten taels of silver to buy wine to give me a gift is a big gesture. You don't have to give it to my home. You can send it directly here. I will use it when I entertain guests later."

"That……"

Jiang Shantong couldn't understand.

Although the Jiang family didn't know what the eldest princess was up to, they also knew that the person who came was evil.

Can’t Zhang Zhou see it?
Zhang Zhou said: "The eldest princess has made it clear that she has a showdown with me. She knows that your Jiang family relies on my relationship to do business in the capital. She may also feel that I still have a share of your Jiang family's business. She uses you She came to give me a gift, and she came to warn me that if I don’t drink the first wine with her, she will use her connections to ruin your Jiang family’s business and make it impossible for me to make money.”

"Then... what should I do?"

Jiang Shantong became nervous.

Logically speaking, Zhang Zhou's backer is already solid enough, but now that he meets the eldest princess, the Jiang family can't afford to offend him. After all, the eldest princess's surname is Zhu.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "It's okay. Since she wants to drink the wine with me, what can I do? Just drink it? I'll invite her over. Do you want a representative from the Jiang family to come as well?"

"That's not necessary." Jiang Shantong wiped his sweat and said, "I also advised my father not to bring his business to the capital. I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused to Zhang Shangshu."

(End of this chapter)