The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

In the capital, inside the Duke of England’s mansion.

Since Zhang Mao returned to the capital, he has been shutting himself in to visitors. He refuses to see anyone who wants to see him, and he doesn't even ask about the affairs of the Governor's Office. He seems to be treating himself as an idler.

But he was very depressed. He wanted to break up with Zhang Zhou, but he was afraid of Zhang Zhou's monopoly of power. He was even more worried that his son was still working under Wang Shouren and his grandson Zhang Lun was serving in the army in Liaodong...

"I've been controlled by him!"

Zhang Mao was unhappy, but he could only endure it for the time being.

It was already the end of February, and Zhong Decai had been out and about recently. He suddenly came back one day, excitedly found Zhang Mao, and told him a "good news".

"My lord, after you left, Huamachi was attacked by the Tartars, and I heard that the army was defeated! And it was a terrible defeat!" Zhong Decai could hardly hide the joy on his face.

Zhang Mao said with a straight face: "You are a good man named Zhong. The Tartars are invading and our Ming soldiers are having a bad start. How can you still laugh? Do you believe that I will send you to the judicial office?"

Zhong Decai didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "My Lord, if you want to punish me, there must be a reason, right? How can I be happy? It's obvious that I ran too fast on the way here, and I haven't even caught my breath yet. You misunderstood me."

"Oh." Zhang Mao said with a dark face, "You work in my house and represent my house when you go out. If someone sees you gloating over other people's misfortunes, they will think that I am waiting at home every day for the Northwest soldiers to get into trouble! Tell me, what is going on?"

Zhong Decai then told the news he knew in detail: "I heard that the Tartars have mobilized their main forces this time, and it is also possible that Batu Mongke personally led the troops. Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses are marching towards Huamachi. What do you think? The eunuch guarding the town, that is, Liu Jin, only sent a few thousand troops and said that he was going to fight a decisive battle with the Tartars. Isn't this nonsense?"

Zhang Mao said: "Either don't fight, or send out all your troops. Why send out a few thousand troops? The Tatars are coming in tens of thousands. Even if a few thousand people are well-equipped, it will be difficult to fight against them."

"Who says it's not true?" Zhong Decai said, "The Tartars also brought artillery this time. It is said that... they are the ones that were robbed earlier."

"What did you say?"

Zhang Mao thought it was all "good news", but it turned out that there was also news that was very unfavorable to him.

Zhong Decai said: "It's not certain yet, but the Tartars came prepared this time and used artillery to fight us. As a result, the Ming soldiers suffered losses. I heard that hundreds of soldiers were killed, while the Tartars were unscathed."

Zhang Mao frowned and said, "Don't say that the Tartars' artillery is not as powerful as ours. Even if it is, how could only one side suffer losses when both sides are firing at each other?"

Zhong Decai smiled and said, "You've asked the right person. From what I've learned, Liu Jin didn't pay attention to the terrain when he sent out his troops. As a result, they landed in low-lying areas. The Tartars bombarded them from high places. How could it be ineffective? Besides, the most important thing about military achievements in the Ming Dynasty is seeing is believing. Even if we bombed the Tartars, they have a large number of soldiers and horses, and we can't take back the bodies. No one will believe us if we just say it."

Zhang Mao nodded and said, "That does make sense. There is a downside to firing a cannon from a distance. Either you don't suffer any losses, or once you do suffer losses, it's hard to prove that the enemy's losses are greater than yours. Where is Liu Jin now? Has he led his troops back to the earthen city of Huamachi?"

"No. Haha." Zhong Decai not only gloated over the misfortune this time, but also laughed out loud. "After Liu Jin's defeat, he did not dare to retreat to Tucheng. He was probably afraid of being held accountable by the court. He directly camped outside the city with his several thousand soldiers and horses, neither advancing nor retreating, allowing the Tartars to enter the Ningxia border to plunder. I heard that the local inspector has impeached him several times. After this incident, his life will be in danger."

Zhang Mao paced back and forth, thinking for a long time and then said, "I don't understand, this is good news for me."

Zhong Decai said, "My Lord, think about it. When you were here, even if the Tartars came to attack, they didn't gain any advantage. The responsibility was still borne by Marquis Anyuan. After you left, such a big mess occurred. Doesn't this show that you are the backbone of this army? Even the Tartars waited for the right time and sent troops after you left."

Zhang Mao said angrily, "Did you drink too much lard? I was transferred because I was not good at leading the troops in battle, and then the Tartars marched straight in. Originally, my incident in the previous battle was minor, but now someone is taking advantage of me, and they don't even say that it was my fault that led to the subsequent defeat? I was going to let the matter go peacefully, but I'm afraid that someone will provoke me and make me suffer the consequences."

"Like this..." Zhong Decai obviously hadn't thought about it in this way before.

Zhang Mao asked, "What about the Liu family? Has the court issued an order to punish them?"

Zhong Decai immediately realized that Zhang Mao wanted to put all the blame on the dead.

He said, "Marquis Anyuan is dead, and the Liu family has a relationship with the Empress Dowager. All the recent memorials impeaching Marquis Anyuan have been kept in the palace. I guess it is possible that... Your Majesty does not want to pursue the matter any further."

Zhang Mao sneered, "If you don't hold him accountable, then you're holding me accountable! I've gone to the northwest with great difficulty, fought every battle and shed every drop of blood I should have. Now I'm back and I'm used as a scapegoat? Don't even think about it! The Governor's Office can expose An Yuanhou's crimes, and we don't have to wait for the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War to intervene. The Governor's Office can settle the case first."

"Doing this... isn't it too hasty..." Zhong Decai was obviously afraid of this.

Zhang Mao said, "Even if I don't mention the matter of leading the Beijing camp, it's easy to punish anyone in the Governor's Office. A criminal died on the way back to Beijing. It can be said that he committed suicide out of fear of punishment! Want to end the involvement behind the scenes with death? Don't even think about it!"

Zhong Decai said: "As for Liu Jin, should we add insult to injury, or... give him a hand?"

Zhang Mao said: "It is too early to talk about these things now because the outcome of the battle is still unclear. We will see after the results come out. If Liu Jin can bear all the consequences alone, then give him a push. If not... we cannot let him involve others. At most..."

Zhong Decai seemed to understand Zhang Mao's meaning instantly.

Since Liu Jing has already been killed secretly, he doesn't mind killing Liu Jin too. After all, one more or one less won't make any difference.

……

……

At night, in a private residence in Binhai City, Zhang Zhou came under the cover of darkness.

After entering the yard, the maid had gone in to inform, and then Zhang Zhou went straight into a room that looked like a study. Seeing a pile of account books and other things on the table, he sat down and picked up a few to take a look.

The light was still a little dim, so Zhang Zhou immediately picked up the candlestick next to him and lit another one.

Then Ning Tong came in from outside, holding a basin of steaming water. She put it on the ground in front of Zhang Zhou and was about to bend down when Zhang Zhou stopped her.

"You are not a maid, so you don't have to serve tea or water." Zhang Zhou pointed to a chair beside him and said, "Sit down."

Ning Tong did not sit down.

In the past, she would not care about those things, but now she knows that the situation is urgent and she no longer has the capital to be arrogant.

Zhang Zhou didn't force it, and said, "You've been studying the accounts recently? How's it going?"

Ning Tong looked a little disappointed and said, "It was okay at first, but later... it was not easy to deal with. There were too many accounts and it was very messy. There were too many things to compare."

"Ah."

Zhang Zhou nodded.

Ning Tong initially helped Zhu Feng with some accounting matters and thought she was very capable, but when she was actually asked to manage the accounts, she lost her confidence.

Compared with professional managers like Huang Zhaoshi, Ning Tong is just usually unyielding and has a very strong character, but when it comes to really doing something, she is still prone to showing weakness.

"What should we do?" Zhang Zhou said, "If you can't sort out the accounts, how about I give you another place to see?"

"What place?" Ning Tong raised her head and looked at Zhang Zhou again.

Zhang Zhou said: "It depends on what you want to manage. There are bookstores and theaters. As for the pharmacy, you'd better not interfere. I'll give you a business first, and you take charge of it. The profits and losses are your own." Ning Tong thought about it and shook her head.

Obviously, her current state of mind makes her feel powerless in doing anything.

Zhang Zhou frowned and said, "Aren't you a strong-willed person? Why do you have no energy to do anything now? Or, after this imprisonment, are you planning to... just lie down and rest?"

"What do you mean by lying down? You...you..." Ning Tong obviously misunderstood Zhang Zhou's meaning.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "It means that I plan to do nothing! But you can understand it that way. Your citizenship has been transferred to the mansion of Duke Cai. No matter how reluctant you are, it has come to this. Sit down."

This time Ning Tong seemed to realize that resistance was futile, and finally she just sat obediently next to Zhang Zhou.

……

……

Ning Tong still felt awkward when the two of them sat together.

He didn't even bother to look Zhang Zhou in the eye. He just held a booklet in his hand, but he was actually extremely panicked inside.

"Your Majesty is in Binhai City." Zhang Zhou said.

"I know." Ning Tong said, "My case has actually been decided. If I report it to His Majesty... I'm afraid it will affect many people. I... I accept my fate."

Zhang Zhou said: "Xian Fei will come in a few days."

"What?" Ning Tong's eyes finally showed some color.

Zhang Zhou said, "In a few days, I plan to formally marry you. Before that, you need to meet the virtuous concubine. His Majesty is on a tour, so he specially asked the virtuous concubine to come. However, if the Queen knew about this, she would probably continue to make things difficult for your case, and it would be difficult for you to escape the blame."

Ning Tong asked, "Can people from the Imperial Hospital avoid being held accountable for anything they do?"

Zhang Zhou shook his head and said, "I can't directly reach out to the Imperial Hospital. After all, that is not my area of ​​responsibility. But someone will teach them a lesson for me."

"The best." Ning Tong seemed to still hold a grudge, and gritted her teeth and said, "They are doing evil things, and they are simply taking human lives lightly. If they treat the royal family, there will be trouble sooner or later! If we don't punish them, we will leave parasites for the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Zhou said: "I understand your hatred, but it is not easy to punish them for their crimes. At any time, even if they cannot cure other people's diseases, they cannot blame the doctor."

Ning Tong looked at Zhang Zhou, but she also seemed a little aggrieved and angry, "But they can use this to blame me."

"Okay." Zhang Zhou smiled and consoled, "I'll vent your anger. In fact, many of the things Yang Peng did before were not really meant to embarrass you, because he knows my relationship with Zhijie and you. With his consideration of the ways of the world, he will not embarrass you."

"I know." Ning Tong was a little submissive this time.

Obviously, she knew very well that if she didn't have Zhang Zhou as her backer, it would be easy for the Queen to punish her and kill her.

It is precisely because of Zhang Zhou that she no longer has to bear the blame and she even has the opportunity to take revenge on those people in the Imperial Hospital who framed him.

Zhang Zhou looked back towards the inner hall and asked, "Is everything ready here? You may have to live here for the next few years."

"Yeah." Ning Tong nodded.

Zhang Zhou said: "The virtuous concubine will be here in the next two days. If you go to see her, you will be at ease to be the woman behind me in the future."

Ning Tong nodded again and said nothing more.

Zhang Zhou stood up, and Ning Tong followed suit.

Zhang Zhou said, "Recently, there are a lot of military affairs in the northwest and Liaodong. As the Minister of War, I cannot slack off even if I am here. I cannot come to see you normally. If there is anything, just let me know. I will have someone take you to see the theater and the bookstore, and take you to some shops to see if there is anything suitable for you."

There was an indescribable glow in Ning Tong's eyes.

……

……

After Zhang Zhou left Ning Tong's residence, he went directly to the theater.

At this time, The West Chamber was being performed in the theater, which was prepared for Cui Ying, and even Wang Mingshan was there as an audience member.

After Zhang Zhou entered the private room, Cui Ying was very happy and hurried over to pull Zhang Zhou to the window to watch the show. Obviously, for her, this opera, which had some connection with her, made her very happy to watch.

Zhang Zhou would feel much more relaxed at this time.

Cui Ying was only very reserved at first, but after getting to know Zhang Zhou, Zhang Zhou saw her as a lively and cheerful girl who was not shy at all and liked to laugh for no reason.

"You guys watch the show here first. I'll go to the side and greet the guests if they come." Zhang Zhou said.

"Uh-huh."

Cui Ying saw that Wang Mingshan was about to get up and watched eagerly.

Zhang Zhou said: "Mingshan, please accompany Yingying."

"Okay." Wang Mingshan nodded.

Cui Ying was very happy and went over to hold Wang Mingshan's arm.

This also made Zhang Zhou feel that a girl like Cui Ying, who suddenly left the comfortable circle of her family, needed spiritual sustenance at this time, and he and Wang Mingshan had now become the closest people in Cui Ying's eyes.

When Zhang Zhou came to the next room, Zhu Feng was still waiting anxiously.

"Brother Zhang, there is trouble in the northwest. Liu Jin was defeated and Huamachi may be lost." Zhu Feng came up anxiously to report.

Zhang Zhou seemed calm and said, "I already know."

Zhu Feng asked, "Shouldn't we quickly arrange countermeasures? In the first two years, the Tartars were oppressed and could hardly breathe. Now they may be able to recover."

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty has ordered Wang Qiong to lead the army in this battle. If Liu Jin is defeated, I am powerless here. In fact, it is not a time to be pessimistic about this battle. Liu Jin attacked with light troops. Although he fought against the Tatars, the Tatars still dare not fight him head-on. If there is another surprise force that can cut off the Tatars' retreat, then the victory or defeat of this battle is still unknown." (End of this chapter)