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

"Take these four girls with you too! That is, the four concubines named Fanghan."

When Zhu Tan said this, his face turned slightly red. How could he not even know the name of his concubine?

Could it be that the kidney transplant caused the cerebrospinal fluid to be discharged?
Ma Yuexian was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, "Husband, you can't remember the names of these two women, right?"

"No way, I will forget what I use."

Zhu Tan searched in his mind, "Fang Han, Ziyuan, Linghe, Qingrong, there can be no mistake."

He remembered very clearly that the names of these four people all began with the character "Cao", and they were sold to the palace at the same time.

Ma Yuexian saw that Zhu Tan only thought that these four people were only slightly better than the servants, and she had no maids with her as a dowry, so she hesitated for a moment and said, "Thank you, my husband."

Zhu Tan frowned slightly, "I know you are well-educated and well-educated. Wearing a mask outside is hard enough. Here, we don't need to dress up beautifully. Let's just be civilians."

Ma Yuexian hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed. This is the advantage of communication, mutual understanding. If it was just a simple exchange of liquids, it would be too boring.

The two talked until late at night before falling asleep. The next morning, Chu Mu left the palace early because he had to attend the Qionglin Banquet.

Ma Yuexian climbed up from the bed, looked around, and a bright smile appeared on her face.

She did not get anything good as Mancang'er said, but from now on, she was a married woman, and the man she was going to marry was the husband she loved.

Judging from the conversation last night, our lord seems very satisfied!
The most famous of these are four banquets: the Luming Banquet for Juren, the Yingyang Banquet for Wu Juren, the Yulin Banquet for Wen Juren, and the Martial Arts Banquet for Wu Zhuangyuan.

This banquet was held in Qionglin Garden. It is a banquet that has been held since the Song Dynasty and is also known as the Enrong Banquet.

This is the only chance for most scholars to see the current emperor.

There are restrictions on official positions in the capital. For such a large country, the requirements for officials are extremely high. It is almost impossible to stay in the capital if you can pass the examination to become a scholar.

Most people will be demoted to a new position after spending their entire lives in officialdom.

Unless he was promoted to a high-ranking official in the capital, it would be impossible for him to meet His Majesty at the Qionglin Banquet.

Why is Zhu Tan so active?

Naturally, he would help those who are close to him, or the new top scholar he wants to make friends with. There is no need to worry about the top three scholars like Lun Wenxu, as he will definitely be closer to the emperor's brother-in-law.

Gao Liangbi and Liu Shangyi were among the second and third class and did not even have a rank, so they were ignored by the emperor's brother-in-law.

As for Feng Xi and Liu Long, he also wanted to put more effort into the subsequent work to make them understand that he had really invested a lot of money.

So Zhu Tan boldly proposed that, in accordance with ancient etiquette, Gao Liangbi and others should be placed in the front as much as possible.

He could talk to He Wendi in the palace, and he put Liu Jin and eight other tigers in several "dog cages" until the Qionglin Banquet was held.

After Zhu Youtang appeared, Zhu Tan took on the role of welcoming guests as the king's uncle and marquis.

He was either holding a wine glass, a bowl of water, or a plate of food, looking very present.

However, people couldn't find any flaws in him, yet he lowered himself to such an extent, which was a very rare thing.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Tan would pass by Zhu Youtang's table from time to time to give some guidance to the new top scholar.

Zhu Youtang subconsciously glanced at him, and this glance was no joke. It left a deep impression on Zhu Youtang and also gave those who wanted to get to the top a better starting point.

This banquet was more formal. There was no music or anything. Everyone was very nervous. It was not as fancy as in the movies. The banquet was over in less than half an hour.

The results of the assignment of these people were announced at noon that day.

They will be observed in the six major departments for 1-3 months, which serves as a probation period, and their final jobs will be determined based on their performance.

Wang Shouren had already been assigned a difficult task and left Beijing that day to go to the northwest to deal with the funeral of Weining Earl Wang Yue.

This mission is heavy, but there will be no mistakes. When he returns, he will definitely get a good evaluation and get a better position.

Thanks to Zhu Tan's efforts and Ma Wensheng's influence, Gao Liangbi and Liu Shangyi, the two people he favored, were not sent to remote corners to supervise government affairs. During the probation period, they could easily achieve success and gain the favor of their superiors, and there would not be too many obstacles in the future.

Tang Bohu and Xu Jing kept Zhu Tan's words in mind and hosted a banquet for the guests in a restaurant that night.

One was to celebrate for Gao Liangbi and others, and the other was to invite all the top scorers, scholars, and scholars of that session, a total of twenty-one people.

Zhu Tan didn't ask Tang Bohu to drink, he just wanted to meet him and become a real friend.

This is a kind of packaging. Zhu Tan calls himself a six-cornered warrior, so his impression in the minds of those scholars and future civil officials will naturally be better.

One cannot help but brag about oneself to show one's superiority.

Tang Bohu used the same trick again, pointing out Zhu Tan's contribution in the imperial examination in words and deeds, clearing Zhu Tan's reputation. If he wanted to continue staying in the court, Zhu Tan could help him.

Lun Wenxu was the first in this session and would definitely be arranged to be a respectable official in the Hanlin Academy, so Zhu Tan had a good conversation with him.

Especially when recalling the past, Lun Wenxu felt a sense of empathy.

Lun Wenxu was a farmer's son, but he won the first place. No one knew what he went through in the process.

But Zhu Tan was able to tell what Lun Wenxu was thinking, which made Lun Wenxu feel very sorry.

Tang Bohu and Gao Liangbi also confirmed this, so Uncle Zhang Erguo is not as arrogant as rumored. In Yang Peng's case, everything he did is commendable.

Under the influence of alcohol, the big guy Lun Wenxu spoke.

"My Lord, I have a good personal relationship with Liang Chen, the grandson of the Crown Prince Liang. The fourth young lady wants to marry Liang Chen, and we need a heavyweight matchmaker. I wonder if my Lord has time to help?"

Zhu Tan was stunned. "Nothing. Anyway, I have never been a matchmaker. It's okay to help. I will inform Liang Chen later."

Zhu Tan didn't know Liang Chen, but he knew Tang Bohu. He showed up here just to show that Lun Wenxu took this matter very seriously and it was a great honor. Lun Wenxu was delighted because his fourth daughter had known the grandson of Prince Liang for a long time, but Lun Wenxu's background was really not that good.

Even if his daughter wanted it, she couldn't say it. Now that the current emperor's uncle was acting as a matchmaker for him, Liang Chen would naturally go and propose marriage.

Zhu Tan noticed that there was one person who stood out among the crowd, and that was Hu Wenbi. When he was in his twenties, he had already passed the examination and was admitted to the second rank, and even the ninth rank.

This is simply a typical ancient genius, just like what is written in novels, successful at a young age and full of vigor and vitality.

Generally, those who passed the imperial examination were in their thirties or forties, but Hu Wenbi seemed a bit out of place.

Hu Wenbi is young and handsome, and Zhu Tan suddenly feels that it would be a good idea to recommend him to Wang Yan's niece Wang Shilin.

After some inquiries, I learned that Hu Wenbi had married and had children, and his two sons could walk.

Zhu Tan sneered, thinking to himself, "You are really good enough! This is the real winner."

Although the second matchmaking attempt failed, Zhu Tan thought that Hu Wenbi was a decent person and a promising talent. He planned to tell Ma Wensheng about this so that he could get a better position in this area.

Just as everyone was clinking glasses and the atmosphere was getting lively.

A banquet was also set up at the home of British official Zhang Mao, but this time the banquet was exchanged for silver.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Since the reform and opening up, the Ministry of Revenue has collected 1.5 million taels of silver.

Among these people, Chu Tian and two others contributed two or three hundred thousand taels of silver.

How should this money be used?
These supplies are not only for relocating refugees and replenishing the southwest, but also for maintaining the operation of the army.

Zhang Mao was an old fellow who was greedy for money, otherwise he would not have swallowed up the military pay of tens of thousands of troops.

Moreover, with his current status, if he doesn't gain some benefits, will anyone be willing to follow him in the future?

Therefore, not only him, but even some princes and nobles were salivating over the one million taels of silver.

Zhang Mao said directly, "I have already informed the Ministry of Revenue. The maximum amount is 40,000 or 50,000 taels. It is unlikely. We have to collect the money, but we still have to do it. If something really happens, we still have to send troops. At that time, we will not be able to explain to the emperor."

"The Beijing Camp has just been reorganized by Ma Wensheng. After Liu Daxia took office, the Beijing Camp is full of elites. If a fight really breaks out, we will be strong and well-equipped."

"I'm afraid that won't work. The situation in the north is turbulent right now, and the court is unlikely to transfer troops from the Beijing camp. We must preserve our strength and guard against Mongolia!"

"We can make a scene at the Southwestern Military Command and spend three to five thousand taels of silver. That will be enough."

Zhang Mao heard the ministers' discussions and roughly understood their idea, which was that they were only willing to spend 50,000 taels of silver on military expenses.

He gritted his teeth, this was not enough!

However, Zhang Mao did not expect that the two of them would go further and further as they chatted.

Someone talked about Zhu Tan, and there was a hint of displeasure in their words.

In the incident of Yang Peng, Zhu Tan did not know whether it was intentional or negligent, but it caused the deaths of more than ten princes and nobles. The source of money in Zhu Tan's hands is even more enviable.

He relied on the emperor's favor to take all the salt permits into his own hands. In this year alone, he sent us more than one million salt permits, making us a fortune. But we not only failed to apply for salt permits, but were suppressed by him. It's really annoying."

The person who spoke was Xinning Earl Tan Lun. His son was almost thrown into jail, so he pushed the blame onto this man named Chu Han.

After all, all of this was for his own benefit. He had previously purchased a batch of salt permits from the Zhou family, but they were smashed to pieces by Zhu Tan, which made him very unhappy.

"Not only that, that Zhu Tan has also gotten involved in the jade industry. It's said that he wants to build more rice shops and silk shops. He's really not doing it right. He scolded those bosses and managers, saying that if they don't do something, they will go bankrupt, and then we won't have any profit sharing."

As far as I know, the two Zhou family members were forced to cry without tears. The store lost 80% of its value, and the farm was also divided among Zhu Tan. All the money they had earned with great difficulty over the years was given to Tang Mo. What is this? The Queen Mother also turned a blind eye to it!"

There were people complaining and there were also people cursing. Upon hearing this, Zhang Mao's gray brows furrowed even deeper.

Zhu Tan's appearance was originally a great harm to these noble children, but as I said before, Emperor Hongzhi treated Zhu Tan too harshly.

Zhu Tan has turned purple. It would be unwise to have a conflict with Zhu Tan at this time.

Suddenly, a woman's voice was heard.

"My dear uncles, it's easy to deal with Marquis Jianchang. Even though he is favored by the emperor, he is a big problem himself and has done many illegal things. As long as we push him a little, even if we don't ruin his reputation, it will be enough to make him pay for it."

This sentence was said by no one else but Zhang Yuanying, who had some grudges with Zhu Tan.

Zhang Mao's face darkened immediately. It was true that he loved his granddaughter, but what kind of thing was this? How could a little girl say such a thing?
But before he could curse, Xin Ningbo broke the silence first.

"Does Fellow Daoist Yuan Ying have any good ideas? Please share them with us."

Zhang Yuanying held up three fingers and said, "To deal with him, the three simplest ways are to make him lose everything and ruin his reputation."

Zhang Mao and others had never expected that Zhang Yuanying would say such a thing.

Zhang Mao asked doubtfully, "Then tell me, what exactly is the harm and destruction?"

"Marquis Jianchang has been embezzling the salt permits for his own private salt, which has not only hurt his uncles, but also the entire court, and the salt farmers in Changlu River and Lianghuai. If they stir up trouble at the border and cause dissatisfaction among the government, then the emperor will cut off their salt permits, which will hurt them.

Secondly, I heard from Uncle Ma Cheng that Marquis Jianchang is looking for high-quality wood, the older the better. He can set a trap and make them lose all their money, or at least lose hundreds of thousands of taels. This is the second reason.

Third, let the newly appointed Earl of Changqing, Shao Jie, dismantle all the Tianhuang stone and chicken blood stone in Changhua, so that they will have no jade to sell. "

Zhang Mao and others nodded. This was an easy task for them. They could mobilize a large number of manpower, such as the government offices at the border and the salt merchants' yamen.

Shao Jie and Zhu Tan have a deep hatred, so he will listen to them obediently, so they don’t think they are setting a trap for Chu Mu.

Zhang Yuanying explained: "Jianchang Hou has always had a bad reputation among the officials. If he is given a chance, many people will attack him. His reputation is already bad enough, but if he can be made worse, it will be even better. Those scholars have always been able to cover the sky with one hand and never stained with blood." (End of this chapter)