The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Houzhao originally planned to follow Zhang Zhou out of the city, or to see some new things, especially weapons that would be useful on the battlefield.

At his age, what he wanted to do was no longer riding horses or shooting arrows, but something more direct, either setting off cannons himself or going out hunting with a musket. In short, he was at an age where he was fearless and lacked awareness of the dangers of this world.

But unfortunately, even though he didn't want to leave, he was still taken away by the Jinyiwei.

When he left, he still looked unyielding, as if coming to see Zhang Zhou was an opportunity given to Zhang Zhou by him, but there was obviously a hint of loss in his expression.

Because he could still feel that Mr. Zhang seemed to have lost "interest" in him, and was no longer as submissive to him as he was at the beginning. He would not tease him and it seemed that he treated him as a stranger.

"Just wait. Sooner or later, I will ask you to follow me to fight on the battlefield. You will have to follow me even if you don't want to. After all, I am the king and you are the subject."

When Zhu Houzhao thought of this, he suddenly felt good again.

He is quite strong in self-consolation. He seems to be a born optimist and even temporary depression cannot affect him.

Liu Jin didn't hear clearly, and asked hurriedly: "Your Highness, what did you say?"

Apparently Liu Jin vaguely heard something about fighting together and thought it was addressed to him. He really wanted the prince to affirm his abilities and also planned to have the prince support him, after all, he had such a powerful backer.

Zhu Houzhao said, "What does it have to do with you? Drive the carriage well! Just send me to the palace gate. I will come to you if I need anything later."

Liu Jin said, "I want to return to the palace and serve you, the prince."

"You? Forget it." Zhu Houzhao said, "There are too many people serving in the East Palace recently. Besides, I don't want a bunch of eunuchs like you. It would be better to have a few more palace maids, especially the pretty ones. I can talk to them from time to time."

At this time, Zhu Houzhao was already on the verge of puberty. He probably didn't understand much about love between men and women, but he seemed to understand one thing.

That is, women are stronger than men.

His biggest change recently is his interest in the opposite sex. It seems that he wants to find a pretty little palace maid to chat with from time to time.

When Liu Jin heard the prince calling him a "dead eunuch", he felt a little aggrieved, but he thought that the words were not directed at him, and that the prince had always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. When he thought about how the prince had cared about him in the past...suddenly, a warm current surged in his heart.

Liu Jin was a servant to the point of being moved by his own work, and he also put his heart into respecting and serving Zhu Houzhao.

……

……

After Zhu Houzhao returned to the palace, he took his suitcase and walked towards the Duanjing Hall.

Soon Zhu Youtang also learned that Zhang Zhou had given the prince some "gifts", but he didn't understand what they were.

Yang Peng, who narrated this incident, obviously couldn't explain it clearly, because Yang Peng himself didn't know what those things were.

"...It is said that it can move by itself, just like the train that is being repaired now, except that it is a smaller size. After the prince brought it back, he had someone unfold it. It is said that it needs to be assembled according to the drawings. The prince has not been very attentive to his studies." Yang Peng recounted the story carefully.

Zhu Youtang said: "Since it was sent by Bingkuan, there is no need to worry, and there will be no danger. Just let the prince play with it... Just let him do it, and don't make trouble."

Obviously, the emperor did not want to discipline his son too much. If Zhu Youtang was a strict father, he would not have allowed Zhu Houzhao to become a ridiculous emperor.

It’s not that Zhu Youtang didn’t want to discipline his son, it’s just that his own health was not good, and he was too busy with his work, so he failed to educate his son...Also, he doted on his son very much, and most of the time he would follow his son’s temperament.

Yang Peng said: "Duke Cai has been researching new cannons and new gunpowder recently. I heard that several tests have been conducted, all outside the city. The results are surprisingly good, but the range of the cannons has not been improved. Several new cannons have been cast and temporarily sent to the Beijing camp for training."

Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "Bingkuan is capable of doing things."

Yang Peng continued, "Also, His Majesty asked us to investigate the Duke of England. He has basically stayed at home recently, and no one in particular has visited him. But I heard that... he often wrote letters to his son in the northwest. Some of the specific contents were transcribed, and some... the contents are unknown."

"Keep a close eye on them." Zhu Youtang said, "Nothing can happen in the capital recently. Once the war breaks out in the northwest, there will definitely be trouble around the capital. I am most afraid that those people who used to be in the army have evil intentions."

Yang Peng thought, Your Majesty, is he worried that the Duke of England will rebel?

I'm afraid he wouldn't dare to do that even if you gave him ten times the courage.

If it wasn't a rebellion, maybe he was worried that the Duke of Ying and others would target the Duke of Cai?

There are still a group of capable people around these people, even some death warriors. If they really get a chance, the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos again.

……

……

Ning Tong recently returned to the capital.

This time she came back as the wife of Zhang family, working for Zhang Zhou, and also claimed that she came back to report to Zhang Zhou, but in fact, she couldn't help but get closer to Zhang Zhou. When she returned to the capital, she was no longer the same person.

Because she was still a "criminal", she had to be very careful after returning to the capital. Not only did she not want the wife of the Zhang family to know that she was back, she also did not want the people of Chengguogong to know, and she also did not want the people of the East Factory and the Jinyiwei to know...

She seemed to be avoiding everything, but in fact her return was no secret, at least the East Factory knew it very well.

When she saw Zhang Zhou, it was the third day since she returned to Beijing.

It’s not that Zhang Zhou doesn’t have time to see him, but he deliberately doesn’t want to see him.

Because when Ning Tong wrote to tell him that she was going back to Beijing, Ning Tong had already left Binhai City, and Zhang Zhou hoped that Ning Tong could stay in Binhai City. Even if she didn't go to take care of Concubine Xian, she could at least give her some psychological comfort. After experiencing the previous imprisonment, Ning Tong seemed to deliberately keep a distance from Concubine Xian.

She is afraid of death.

She refused to admit it, but it was obvious that she could no longer consider Concubine Xian as a good sister.

Inside the theater.

In a private room, the windows were closed. The weather was already quite hot, and Zhang Zhou was only wearing a waistcoat, sitting there with Zhang Lushui fanning him. When Ning Tong came in and saw the scene in front of her, she immediately avoided it.

She also seems to have some inferiority complex.

Because from a certain perspective, her status was actually no different from that of Zhang Lushui and others. She was just a slave girl beside Zhang Zhou. The only difference was that Zhang Zhou officially took her as a concubine, which was considered a formal status.

"Go out." Zhang Zhou said to Zhang Lushui.

Then Zhang Lushui went out, and even took Jang Geum and others who were about to come in downstairs.

As a result, only Zhang Zhou and Ning Tong were left in the private room.

Ning Tong came over and bowed, saying, "My concubine greets the master." Zhang Zhou said, "You shouldn't come back to Beijing, at least not for the time being. But I understand your feelings. Stay for a few days after you come back, and then go back."

Ning Tong asked, "Master, did I do something wrong? I heard that when you have something to do, you always tell the people below to do it. But when I am in Binhai City, no one tells me to do anything. It seems that everyone tells me to do it on my own."

"Do you like being controlled by others?" Zhang Zhou said, "I'm handing over a few businesses to you, letting you manage them according to your own temperament, and you're still not satisfied?"

Ning Tong lowered her head and said, "I don't want to escape from the master's control. It's better for the master to regulate everything. I will obey your orders, so as not to get into trouble."

Zhang Zhou was also surprised by these words.

The Ning Tong before was not like this. The Ning Tong in front of her seemed to have a bit more dependence on a man, like a woman. It was obvious that this was not the Ning Tong she used to be.

Could it be that after experiencing some twists and turns, Ning Tong has finally come to terms with it?

"That's fine." Zhang Zhou said, "But since you're in Binhai City, I can't teach you everything about business, but I will tell you the necessary plans and some future plans. Come over."

As a result, Zhang Zhou allowed Ning Tong to come to his side.

There was no need to sit separately, after all, they were husband and wife. Zhang Zhou actually had some unclear thoughts about Ning Tong in his heart. At least this woman had some characteristics that did not belong to women of this era.

"Master asked me to run the theater. Can I come and see it more often these days?" Ning Tong said, "I won't disturb Master from doing his work. At most, I'll just find a place to see how they deal with the guests and what's being sung on the stage. If possible, I'd like to go backstage and take a look."

"Row."

Zhang Zhou said, "Let Zhang Lushui take you there tomorrow. She is in the backstage and has a relatively high status."

Zhang Lushui does have some talent, and that is how to deal with men.

Because many people in the theater were from Korea, some of them began to absorb Central Plains culture, especially opera culture. Zhang Lushui was a pioneer and had the qualifications to meet Zhang Zhou, so she became the foreman of the Koreans in the theater. Although the Koreans did not obey her orders, she would take the initiative to take responsibility when encountering any problems.

Over time, Zhang Lushui claimed to be the "mistress" of the North Korean side, which was equivalent to Zhang Zhou's spokesperson in the theater.

As for little Jang Geum, she follows behind her, seemingly a little follower, but most of the time she is more far-sighted than her. However, Jang Nok-su only treats Jang Geum as a child and never lets Jang Geum do something she wants to do.

Zhang Lushui also has a strong desire for control.

……

……

It was almost midnight when Ning Tong left the theater.

The theater had already closed at this time, and as Ning Tong left, Zhang Zhou also took a carriage back home. Although he had a rest room in the theater, he did not go in that day.

The next morning, Ning Tong came to the theater. She really wanted to see how Zhang Zhou, a Taoist priest in the eyes of others and a powerful official of the dynasty, managed a theater business that seemed to have nothing to do with a powerful official.

She really wanted to know what was hidden in it.

Zhang Lushui took her to the backstage for a walk, but she didn't notice anything. When she returned to a private room, there were only a few guests there.

People who go to opera mainly go in the afternoon and evening, especially in the evening.

"Ma'am, I'll bring you some tea."

At this time, Little Jang Geum not only spoke Chinese fluently, but also mastered a lot of Chinese knowledge and skills, such as singing in Chinese and reciting poems. The rest were the basics of reading and writing, and she also learned arithmetic.

Ning Tong seemed to like little Jang Geum when she saw her. She called her over and asked with a smile, "I saw you yesterday. What's your name?"

Little Jang Geum said, "I dare not say my name, so I say it in Chinese, Jang Geum. I don't know what it means either."

"Jang Geum." Ning Tong shook her head. "That sounds weird. What's your last name?"

Jang Geum lowered her head, still not daring to speak casually.

Because in her opinion, there are still differences between Koreans and people from the Central Plains. If she doesn't pronounce her surname well, she will easily be scolded by her aunt, which will affect her survival in the theater. She feels that she cannot survive if she leaves the theater.

Of course, all this was just Zhang Lushui trying to scare her.

Her personality is also somewhat repressed.

Ning Tong asked: "You are not Han Chinese?"

"Yes." Jang Geum said, "I am from North Korea. My master said that I may not need to go back to North Korea in the future, unless there is something there that really requires me to go back."

Ning Tong smiled and said, "A girl from Korea, after coming to Ming Dynasty, why would you have to go back? Are your parents and relatives still around?"

Jang Geum shook her head but did not explain what it meant.

Ning Tong only thought she was an orphan and sighed, "I am also lonely and helpless. I have family, but what is the difference between having family and not having family?"

At this moment, little Jang Geum looked at Ning Tong and suddenly felt that she shared the same suffering as her.

But little Jang Geum also knew that the person in front of her was a "Madam", whose status was higher than that of her aunt. Her aunt was already very powerful, so this woman was even more powerful. As for why she was so powerful, it was not something she could know at her age.

"Are you a singer in the theater?" Ning Tong asked.

"Yes." Little Jang Geum said, "My master taught me to sing a Korean folk song. I don't know if it was a Korean folk song. When I first sang it, many people came to listen. My master said that my voice was very ethereal and it sounded very nice when I sang. Later, my master didn't need me to go on stage, so he asked me to sing for him alone."

"He really is..."

Ning Tong wanted to say that he really knew how to enjoy himself, and he kept this little girl all to himself and did not let her show her good things to the world.

Then she thought that this was just Zhang Zhou's servant. How Zhang Zhou wanted to teach her or how he wanted to deploy her was Zhang Zhou's business and had no business with her.

Ning Tong said, "Originally, I wanted to let you go to Binhai City and work for me, but he... the master you mentioned, did not agree."

"Where is Binhai City?"

Little Jang Geum was obviously a little nervous.

She thought that she could not survive if she left the theater, and it would be very dangerous if she followed this lady.

"It's not too far away, near the sea. It's more peaceful there, and you won't have to worry about food and drink. If possible, I can teach you what I know, such as healing. Although I've only learned the basics." (End of this chapter)