King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Tan and Ma Wensheng chatted casually for about two quarters of an hour.

Chu Tian, ​​who was thinking about different things, did not notice that Ma Wensheng's granddaughter was praised by her elder sister and Jin. She had nothing else to say, so she stood up and left.

Just as he was about to go out, he met a man in his forties who looked very similar to Marvin.

Zhu Tan's heart skipped a beat and he guessed that this person was Ma Cong, the son of Ma Wensheng.

Zhu Tan was fully prepared when he came here. Things in Ma Wensheng's family were indeed very strange.

Ma Wensheng was a juren who had experienced the imperial court and major military events. He was known as one of the "Three Sages". He was many times stronger than Zhu Tan, who called himself one of the three heroes of the capital.

However, Ma Wensheng's son Ma Cong failed the exam repeatedly, and finally got the spot with the help of donations from the villagers.

In other words, they did not pass the formal imperial examination, but passed the county examination as private children, and only then did they qualify for the examination.

This Ma Cong was already quite old, but he was able to enter the Ministry of Personnel in the name of the provincial examination. He was truly a son of a tiger father.

However, this also shows that Ma Wensheng is an upright person and did not abuse his power to seek benefits for his children.

Zhu Tan felt strange and did something embarrassing.

He stopped and asked, "Are you my senior brother?"

As Zhu Tan is the emperor's uncle and has been newly conferred the title of Earl of Jianchang, it is only natural for him to treat Ma Wensheng as an equal.

However, since he addressed Ma Cong as brother from the beginning, and now he wants to discuss marriage with Ma Cong's daughter, does it mean that he has to address his future father-in-law as brother?

After a conversation with Zhu Tan, Ma Wensheng thought of how to make use of Zhu Tan, a person with a special status. Seeing Zhu Tan stop, he nodded and said, "My son, Ma Cong, why don't you say hello to the Earl of Jianchang."

Ma Cong bowed politely to Zhu Tan.

Zhu Tan finally came to his senses and laughed awkwardly twice. He didn't know what to say, so he asked, "Where do you work?"

Well, that one sentence ended the conversation.

Ma Cong smiled awkwardly, but had to say, "He is still in the Ministry of Personnel, waiting to fill the vacancy."

Chu Tian waved his hand, "Why are you still standing there? We are doing something for His Majesty and we just happen to need a few people! You can go too!"

When Ma Cong heard that he had to work for the emperor, he immediately became interested, but he didn't understand what this task was.

However, when he saw Ma Wensheng, he knew that his father would never agree.

However, Zhu Tan did not wait for Ma Wensheng to answer and continued, "That's it. We will go to the Fifth Battalion for inspection tomorrow morning. Goodbye!"

After Chu Xi left, Ma Cong followed behind Ma Wensheng, "Dad, do I need to go again tomorrow?"

Ma Wensheng knows his child too well. How could he not know that his son is an ambitious person?

The reason why he didn't help was because he didn't want people to talk about him and give the imperial envoy an excuse to attack.

He, Wang Shu and Liu Daxia were known as the three heroes of the Hongzhi period, but he had never gotten along with Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, so he always remained vigilant.

Seeing Ma Cong's expectant eyes and Zhu Tan's proposal, he didn't want to disappoint his son.

"Go! But remember, you have to use your eyes and your ears, not your eyes."

Ma Cong was delighted. It was not that he took the officialdom too seriously, but he was already over 40 years old and still working as a scholar in the Ministry of Personnel. He could not lose face!
As for Chu Xian, although the conversation didn't go very well, he knew Ma Wensheng's intention.

In the early period of Hongzhi, Zhu Youtang played a good guy and Ma Wensheng played a "good guy".

Ma Wensheng wanted to use his position as the Earl of Jianchang, the emperor's uncle, as a sharp knife to test himself, the so-called "catfish".

Their target was obvious: they were the eunuchs sent from the palace.

Ma Wensheng was an expert. If Ma Wensheng had not reminded him, Zhu Tan would never have thought that there were so many eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty.

For example, in the army, there are special military supervisors.

In addition to these, there are many other official positions, such as the garrison chief, the eunuch in charge of different duties, and even the chief inspector of firearms.

This is too ridiculous. A little eunuch actually brought a little eunuch to monitor the guns. Isn't this a hint to him?

Moreover, these eunuchs are also very skilled. They would need two or three hundred soldiers at any time, and four or five hundred soldiers at most. This has become a habit.

Ma Wensheng didn't talk too much nonsense with Zhu Tan, and was obviously explaining the situation to Zhu Tan.

He could have taken advantage of Li Guang's death to send all the eunuchs back to the palace.

Ma Wensheng may not be able to do it, but the emperor's uncle can give it a try. Even if he fails, the emperor will clean up the mess for Zhu Tan.

Zhu Tan had to admit that Ma Wensheng had said the worst words first and was very experienced!

Although he was killing someone with a borrowed knife, the old man's method was quite clever.

Then go visit the British official Zhang Mao.

Zhang Mao was conferred the title at the age of nine. Now he is sixty. His father Zhang Fu was killed in a rebellion, and his position should have been succeeded by his eldest son.

However, Zhang Fu's son Zhang Zhong was in poor health, so the title of Duke was inherited by his illegitimate son Zhang Mao.

Zhang Mao was a good kid. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, he was hit by three arrows in a row. Emperor Xianzong even gave him a golden belt.

Afterwards, he commanded the central army, the general of the capital, and the commander-in-chief of the five armies. Among all the princes and nobles, he was also the most favored one.

Compared with Ma Wensheng's villa, the British Duke's villa is a world apart, just like the difference between a rural area and a commercial center.

In Zhu Tan's eyes, this was Li Guang's mansion, so she became more and more eager for Li Guang's mansion.

Another eight gifts were sent in, but this time, it was not from Ma Wensheng's steward.

The gatekeeper of the Duke of Ying's mansion was very experienced. He glanced at him but did not have any special reaction. Instead, he paid more attention to him, the emperor's uncle, the Earl of Jianchang.

Zhang Mao did not let Zhu Tan wait for long. He was of noble status and had just been appointed as the Grand Tutor, so he did not come in person, but sent Zhang Lun, the son of the Duke of England, to pick him up. Zhu Tan was no longer embarrassed like she was at Ma Wensheng's house, but called Zhang Lun "Young Master" and Zhang Lun also called her Xiaoting. After a few words, they entered the hall together.

Zhang Mao is already over sixty years old, but he is in good health.

Zhu Tan arrived just in time, it was lunch time, and a sumptuous meal had been prepared in the hall, so sumptuous that Chu Mu felt a little ashamed of himself.

"You've come just in time, let's have dinner together!"

Zhang Mao was not a stranger to Zhu Tan. To be precise, he had some dealings with Zhu Tan's father Zhang Luan. In particular, Zhu Youtang was very kind to the Queen's family, so Zhang Mao looked up to the Zhang family because of this.

Zhu Tan searched his mind and found that the old Duke Zhang Mao was indeed a generous person and was very kind to the royal family.

After saying that, he started eating with Zhang Mao.

While eating, Zhang Mao said, "Every year's noble inspection is like this. Except for the days when the emperor attends, the other days are just a mess. What do you think of this, Marquis Jianchang?"

Zhu Tan didn’t understand what Zhang Mao said. What was the point of him having such an idea?

He has nothing!

Zhang Mao saw at a glance that Chu Mu didn't understand the trick, and laughed, saying, "There are always people who want to show off their skills in front of Your Majesty, especially young people. For example, I was shot to death by Emperor Xianzong with three arrows, and Emperor Xianzong personally gave me a golden belt, which is still enshrined in the hall today! This is also a great honor, and the greatest significance of this assessment is to give these young people a chance to show their strength."

The so-called review is actually a kind of assessment, which can be said to be a formal drill.

Listening to Zhang Mao's words, Zhu Tan finally realized that in order to perform well in front of his brother's brother-in-law, even if he really had the ability, he would still need an opportunity, right?

Who gave him this opportunity? Of course it was the examiner!
Zhang Mao and Zhu Tan are actually the host and deputy host of this literary examination. They can allow whatever they want and do not want anyone to go up. They have enormous power.

Moreover, the chief examiner is different from the scientific examination. Relationships are more important than ability. Where do connections come from? Bribery!
For Zhu Tan, this meal was like Zhang Mao, the British Duke, personally teaching him how to use his connections to make money, and it was very valuable.

For example, he could demonstrate his riding skills in front of the emperor, but only if he was willing to pay five thousand taels of silver. Even if he couldn't hit the target three times in a row, he would definitely hit it once.

Zhu Tan finally opened his eyes and came to think that Zhang Mao's approach was exactly the same as Li Guang's corruption, with absolutely no skill involved.

Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Where is the person in charge of the assessment?"

Zhang Mao picked up a steamed bear paw and said, "Let's see who helped him!" The last winner of the Cheng'an Marquis received 300,000 taels of silver.

Zhu Tan was nearly choked by a fish bone. Marquis Cheng'an, isn't this his third brother Guo Ning!
Damn it, Guo Ning actually did such a thing! How come I didn't know about it!

But on second thought, it's no wonder. If he hadn't passed the imperial examination and won the emperor's appreciation, Guo Ning might not even be able to join the Imperial Guard.

After the meal, Zhu Tan prepared to leave.

However, just after having a drink, cheerful laughter was heard outside, and then a group of women came in.

The first person looked only about sixteen years old, with a beautiful face and wearing a short shirt.

Perhaps because she had just taken a shower, there were still beads of sweat on her face. When she passed by Zhu Tan, a faint fragrance emanated from her body.

Zhang Mao waved his hand, motioning the girl to sit next to him. The girl went straight behind Zhang Mao and rubbed his shoulders.

"Yuan Ying, don't get excited. I'm old and my hands are sore. I can't stand the tossing!"

Zhang Mao said this with a rather happy expression, and then looked at Zhu Tan, "Lord Jianchang, this is my granddaughter Zhang Yuanying, Lord Jianchang, please help me take a look."

Zhu Tan had a general understanding of Zhang Mao's temperament. When he heard the old man's question, he guessed that it was the emperor's brother-in-law, or possibly his sister, who was conveying Zhang Mao's message.

He looked Zhang Yuanying up and down and found that this guy was very similar to the Korean idol in his previous life. He was very handsome, but no one knew what kind of character he was.

"The Duke is really humorous. It's getting late today and there are women in the hall. I'll leave first." Zhu Tan did not answer, but stood up and prepared to leave.

Zhang Mao waved his hand and did not stand up. Instead, he asked Zhang Lun to take him to the door and exchanged greetings with him.

"Dad, does the emperor really intend to marry the Duke of Yingguo to the Earl of Jianchang?" Zhang Lun leaned close to his father and asked softly.

Before Zhang Mao could say anything, Lou Cheng sighed.

Zhang Yuanying sneered, "Grandpa, I won't marry that bastard. It would be a disgrace to our ancestors! I know him, and everyone in the capital is hoping that he will get his head broken and bleed as soon as he goes out!"

Zhang Mao opened his eyes and touched Zhang Yuanying's hand with a doting look on his face.

"Yuan Ying is right, but you should be careful about the emperor's marriage. If the emperor gives her a marriage, then there is no way to avoid it. If you are not interested in the Earl of Jianchang, then choose the East Palace."

Zhang Lun was surprised. This was the eldest son of the Eastern Palace. His daughter, Zhang Yuanying, was five years younger! The age was not right.

Zhang Yuanying curled her lips and said, "Anyway, either the Earl of Jianchang or the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is not bad either!"

Zhang Lun said angrily, "Father, my aunt is the concubine of Emperor Renzong. It would be a big mistake to let Yuanying enter the palace to serve her."

Zhang Mao had an elder sister named Renzong. When Emperor Renzong passed away, Zhang Mao's younger sister was not allowed to be buried with him. This shows how favored Marquis Ying was as a Marquis of Jingnan.

"It's been decades, several generations, and seniority is no longer important. Empress Zhang in the palace loves Yuanying very much, and the Empress Dowager also has a good impression of her. There is a saying that goes, a woman is like a mother at five years old! Maybe this is the best choice!"

Zhu Tan didn't know what the Duke of Yingguo said outside the door, so he turned and walked towards Marquis Cheng'an.

Guo Ning was not on duty, so he was very polite to Chu Mu.

I also heard from Zhu Tan that he won the top spot in the last exam.

Guo Ning's face flushed and he sighed, "I was forced to do so. The Duke of England has monopolized the position of prosecutor for more than ten years. You have to spend money to get a good score, right? Third brother, I spent all my money and finally scraped together 30,000 taels to get the top score. This year, I became a general with a 'red helmet'. It really makes me want to cry but I can't even cry."

Zhu Tan was surprised and asked, "Could it be that Zhang Mao was so openly corrupt? Could it be that Emperor Xianzong and his brother-in-law didn't care?"

Guo Ning shook his head and said, “The Duke of Ying has been in charge of the army for nearly twenty years, and his position and status in the army are very high. This money is all under the banner of celebrating the birthday of the late emperor, and even the emperor can’t find any fault with it!”

When Guo Ning saw that Zhu Tan was concerned about the Duke of England, he felt resentful and spoke without thinking.

"The British know how to make money, which is amazing! First, it's to celebrate his birthday, and second, my second brother probably didn't expect that the Duke of England spent a lot of money. That's tens of thousands of lives! This is just the Beijing camp. In the various local military offices, the Duke of England is famous for exploiting officers and soldiers. I think my second brother must know it."

Zhu Tan was stunned. "Third brother, stop beating around the bush and tell me now." (End of this chapter)