Ming Dynasty: A hundred-year-old immortal cultivator, Zhu Yuanzhang’s biological father

Zhan Hui hummed in a deep voice and said, "It seems that the emperor intends to let us reveal the news of confirming the emperor's eldest grandson first."

"But the old man's implication is that he intends to explain these things to Master Zhu in person."

"The flowers are not flowers, the fog is not fog, this is probably the effect that the old man wants!"

Fu Youwen asked anxiously, "What do you mean? Do you want to tell the people below?"

Zhan Hui nodded: "Yes, I have to tell you, but I can only reveal that the emperor's eldest grandson is alive. It is enough to let the people below know this information!"

"As for the rest, they will slowly guess and associate it themselves."

Many national events are plausible, and when the upper class reveals a certain piece of information, it is certainly not groundless, and huge changes are bound to come.

Every sentence above will cause huge shock and excessive interpretation and association at the grassroots level.

As high-ranking officials at the ministerial level of the Ming Dynasty who held absolute power, it was impossible for them not to understand these principles.

As long as they understand the old man's intentions, they will be able to take targeted actions.

Fu Youwen nodded: "I understand. I will go and talk to Qin Butang and the others."

Zhan Hui said: "Okay!"

The past two days have been calm.

All government offices within the capital seemed to have fallen silent, and the wind direction in the capital was terrifyingly silent.

Whispers could be heard everywhere in the government offices.

Although many Qinglisi and ministries no longer knew where the rumor came from, the spread of the "rumor" was still accelerating.

"Is the Emperor's eldest grandson really going to confirm it?"

"Zhu Xiongying?"

"do not know!"

"..."

After these questions were asked, there were still people who didn't know the name of the emperor's eldest grandson.

However, the popularity of the name Zhu Xionghuan has become the mainstream topic of discussion among various departments in the capital.

Even though they had only heard it from hearsay, after this shocking news came out, it was like a drop of ink pouring into a teacup and spreading at the fastest speed!
Ministry of Industry.

Yang Mingsheng, a doctor in the Ministry of Works, has been very worried recently.

After Lian Zining left, the task of managing the imperial mausoleum really fell on him.

In other words, Yang Mingsheng is now responsible for the civil construction of both the imperial mausoleum and the imperial palace.

Although the Ministry of Industry is a place with plenty of money, purchasing materials from merchants from all over the place, many merchants will bribe.

But Yang Mingsheng knew that the emperor of the time hated corruption the most, and this was Yingtian City, right under the feet of the emperor!
In reality, these officials in the Ministry of Works did not dare to be corrupt. An occasional small act of corruption was already the limit, but no one dared to do so openly.

Of course, these are secondary. The most important thing is that the construction period is approaching, but the construction progress of the imperial mausoleum and the imperial palace cannot be accelerated at all!
Yang Mingsheng was very worried.

"Lord Yang, have you heard?" Han Qi, the right director of the Ministry of Works, came over.

Yang Mingsheng really wanted to hand over the construction of the imperial mausoleum to Han Qi, but Han Zhushi was too good at taking advantage of the situation. If the project was handed over to such a person who was always trying to take advantage of the situation, it would not be completed in time, and Yang Mingsheng would be the one who would be punished.

Han Qi, an old official, is different from Lian Zining.

Yang Mingsheng is very good at judging people. He knows that Lian Zining is a real person who gets things done, but Han Qi...it's better not to mention him!
"Oh."

Yang Mingsheng looked at Han Qi and said, "What interesting news did you hear, Lord Han? Did an official go to steal someone again?"

Han Qi smiled and shook his head: "These are not rare things. There is something even more amazing. I didn't expect that Lord Yang had never heard of it."

Yang Mingsheng smiled bitterly and said, "Since Master Lian left, I have been busy as a dog. What else can I hear?"

People! They always know how to cherish after they lose something. When Lian Zining was around, he tried every way to exploit Lian Zining, but now that Lian Zining is gone, he really can't find anyone reliable to use.

Han Qi winked and said with a smile: "Lord Yang has worked hard, but unfortunately, I can't help you!"

Yang Mingsheng looked at Han Qi and asked tentatively, "How about Lord Han help me supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum?"

Han Qi waved his hands repeatedly: "Master Yang, don't you know me? I am also very busy. Haha, fine, Master Yang, you are busy, and I will go back to work too."

Yang Mingsheng called him, rubbed his swollen temple, picked up the teacup and said, "If you have any interesting news, please tell me."

After Yang Mingsheng finished speaking, he picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

Han Qi said quickly, "The emperor is going to give Zhu Xiongying, the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty, a status, and even let him be regent."

puff!
Yang Mingsheng spat out a mouthful of tea, and spit it all over Han Qi's face.
"Ah this... Ugh!"

Han Qi looked disgusted, "Master Yang, you!"

Yang Mingsheng felt a little sorry and asked hurriedly, "Master Han, this is not a joke. It will kill the old man! Stop talking nonsense!"

Han Qi suppressed his anger and approached with a gossipy look: "Sir Yang, do you think I made this up? I just heard it from others! Anyway, I am not the source, so you can't trace it back to me."

"Tsk tsk, I don't know how credible this is. The crown prince is still alive, and His Majesty lets the eldest grandson of the emperor govern the country? It's a bit outrageous. I don't know who came up with this evil wind. Aren't they afraid that the old man will use a knife?"

Yang Mingsheng nodded: "Forget it, let's wait and see, maybe... eh!"

Han Qi's interest grew: "Lord Yang, you don't believe it, do you? To be honest, I believe it a little bit. These people spread it with details..."

"go out!"

"what?"

Yang Mingsheng said unhappily: "Get out! I don't want to talk to you about this. If you have nothing to do..."

Whoosh!
Han Qi fled quickly.

Yang Mingsheng smiled bitterly and shook his head.

It was almost sunset and the shift was about to end. Before I knew it, Han Qi came to find me and I had been fishing for the whole afternoon!
What a fucking bastard!
Yang Mingsheng packed up, thought about it, and prepared to treat Zhao Sili to a banquet in the evening.

He has hosted Zhao Sili for banquets many times.

Now Zhao Sili's status has risen. In the past, others would never invite Zhao Sili to a banquet because everyone knew that the Zhao family was poor and would not invite them in return.

But now, those people seemed like old dogs that had seen shit, and they were finding new ways to invite Zhao Sili every day.

Why?
Wasn't it because the news of that meal got out that made them smell the bad smell?
This is how the officialdom works. A very meaningful dinner can help you rise to a higher level.

Hey!
Yang Mingsheng sighed and suddenly thought of Zhao Sili's young son-in-law.

What kind of background could have made Duke Xin personally invite him to a banquet?

Why don't I know this kind of person?
If I had been invited to the dinner that day, Yang Mingsheng would probably be able to do whatever he wants in the Ministry of Industry now!
Unfortunately, although he is a fifth-rank official, he is still not up to par in front of those big shots!
How difficult it is to integrate with them!
So now Yang Mingsheng can only settle for the second best and focus his attention on Zhao Sili.

He prepared some gifts and waited for Zhao Sili's arrival early in the restaurant beside the Qinhuai River in Yingtian.

Not long after, Zhao Sili arrived, accompanied by several colleagues from the Five Military Commandery.

Yang Mingsheng stood up with a smile: "My Lords, I am honored!" Zhao Sili's status has really improved a lot now, and he keeps appointments every day. He himself knows that what he has today is all thanks to Zhu Xiongying!

Zhao Sili didn't want to attend the banquet at first.

These days, there are too many colleagues who invite him to dinner and drinks.

At first, they were just colleagues from the Five Military Commandery, but later on, officials from various departments seemed to find ways to invite Zhao Sili to drinks through other people.

When you are poor, you are not known in the downtown area; when you are rich, you have distant relatives in the mountains.

This was the first time Zhao Sili had this profound experience. When you are unknown, you will find that you have almost no friends around you.

But when you become successful, you will find that you are surrounded by close friends.

When Zhao Sili was at the Five Military Commandery, he had to find ways to entertain his colleagues and superiors, and he would even be servile enough to give away his own local specialties.

But time and again, I get the cold shoulder.

But this time, he just had a meal with Duke Xin, Duke Liang and others, that was all, and then, his life changed drastically!

The officialdom can fully reflect human nature. Since he is already deeply involved in this system, Zhao Sili can only follow the trend.

The Central Plains has been an independent country since its inception, and it is a society based on personal relationships. There is an essential difference between the real powerful and the nouveau riche.

The powerful and wealthy rely on the accumulation of personal connections step by step. They not only have wealth, but more importantly, they have complex connections in the officialdom.

For example, the group of colleagues who had dinner together today.

There are military generals from the six ministries and various Qinglisi.

These would become Zhao Sili's connections in the future.

It is only up to now that Zhao Sili has truly stepped into another class.

There is an essential difference between officials. Zhao Sili was also an official before, but he was actually outside the circle.

I am only now integrating into this circle!
All these changes are because of Zhu Huai.

Zhao Sili was filled with emotion, but at the same time he was secretly shocked at how powerful Zhu Xiongying really was!
At the beginning, he thought he was just a businessman, but now it has only been half a year, and the businessman he thought of at the beginning has become his greatest support!

In other words, Zhu Huai is not an official now. If he were to become an official, the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty would probably undergo earth-shaking changes!

This kid truly controls power invisibly!
But he was still very low-key, so low-key that even when meeting a person like Yang Mingsheng, Zhu Huai was unwilling to make an enemy.

I don’t know whether he didn’t want to offend him or Zhu Huai simply looked down upon the fifth-rank doctor of the Ministry of Works!

Zhao Sili prefers the latter.

Wuyixiang Restaurant is adjacent to the Qinhuai River, and you can see the Qinhuai River through the windows of the private rooms.

Yang Mingsheng was very humble. He stood up with a wine glass in hand and walked to Zhao Sili: "Sir Zhao, it's an honor for me! You are a very busy man. It's not easy to treat you to a meal."

Zhao Sili also stood up and apologized to Yang Mingsheng, "Master Yang, what are you talking about?" Yang Mingsheng smiled and raised his glass, saying, "It's not easy for you all to meet today, so I'll take the lead and drink a glass!"

After saying that, he raised his head and drank the wine in the cup, baring his teeth and said, "Master Zhao, please do as you please."

Zhao Sili was also unambiguous. He raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, saying, "I can't lose face for Lord Yang!"

Seeing this, everyone applauded.

Officialdom is all about Tai Chi. There was nothing that needed to be entrusted this time, so everyone just drank and worked out the relationship first.

When you really need this relationship, at least you will know who to look for.

This is the bureaucracy in feudal society.

Today, Yang Mingsheng took the lead in organizing a drinking party. The culture at the table was very deep. Serious matters were hardly discussed at the first banquet. Everyone just interacted with each other, had a liking for each other, and then went to the pleasure boat to find a few prostitutes to listen to singing and dancing.

The party was filled with joy and soon everyone was a little tipsy.

Men's chatterboxes will always open up after a few drinks.

"Master Zhao, have you heard about the recent wind direction at the Five Military Command?"

After Yang Mingsheng drank a few glasses of wine, his face turned red and his tongue began to become unsteady when he spoke.

Of course, he could still drink, but he was just pretending to drink less next time.

Zhao Sili asked suspiciously: "Oh? What wind direction?"

Yang Mingsheng looked at everyone present and suddenly lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, a big event happened in the court recently."

As expected, everyone was attracted by Yang Mingsheng's words and looked at him sideways.

"Didn't the emperor's eldest grandson disappear in recent months?"

Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking about it carefully, and then said, "Yes."

Yang Mingsheng lowered his voice, looked around, and said, "Recently, it has been rumored that the old man is going to do something big, and he might let the emperor's eldest grandson govern the country!"

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

A general in the Five Military Commandery asked Yang Mingsheng with wide eyes, "Sir Yang, you can't say that!"

Yang Mingsheng said, "Brother Zhang, this matter is not something I spread randomly."

He pointed upwards and said, "That's what the higher-ups said, so I just followed their lead. But the story is quite detailed."

Zhao Sili looked at Yang Mingsheng suspiciously and said, "The emperor's eldest grandson is the regent? Where is he?"

Yang Mingsheng smiled and shook his head, his face somewhat mysterious as he said, "This... can't be said nonsense, if I continue, I will be convicted!"

Of course, he naturally didn't know where the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty was. The reason he said this was just to leave a topic and to involve the next dinner party.

Everyone looked at each other, and seemed to see a hint of intense shock in each other's eyes.

Yang Mingsheng looked at Zhao Sili and said, "Brother Zhao, this matter is just some rumors from above. We are just listening to the excitement among our own people, but we can't spread it out, otherwise I will be in trouble!"

Zhao Sili nodded and said, "Master Yang, do you still not trust me?"

Yang Mingsheng said seriously: "What are you talking about? Of course I trust Lord Zhao."

After Yang Mingsheng finished speaking, he glanced at Han Qi, the head of the Ministry of Works.

Han Qi laughed loudly: "Everyone, we have almost finished drinking. Let's go listen to some music. Working in the government office all day is really too tiring!"

After hearing this, everyone understood what was said.

Zhao Sili thought they were really going to listen to music, so he followed the group of people onto the pleasure boat on the Qinhuai River...

It was late at night, and Zhao Sili returned home, covered in rouge and smelling of alcohol.

Sin!

Zhao Sili sighed. These civil servants... Oh! (End of this chapter)