Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1006: Jia En
Zhu Shenzui inquired very carefully about the situation in Huguang, and expressed his recognition and praise for Hong Chengchou's political achievements over the years. At the same time, Zhu Shenzui also asked Hong Chengchou about his future policy plans for Huguang. Hong Chengchou, who had been prepared for this, also gave a detailed answer. Listening to his eloquent talk and some plans, Zhu Shenzui nodded repeatedly, with a gentler smile on his face.

"You have done a good job. You have put a lot of effort into reorganizing Huguang into what it is today in just three years. If all the officials of the Ming Dynasty were officials like you, and put their minds to civil affairs and people's livelihood, why worry about the Ming Dynasty not being prosperous and strong?"

"Your Majesty's words make me feel deeply honored. I dare not take credit for it. What I did was just fulfilling my duty as a minister. These are what I should do." Hong Chengchou replied solemnly.

"Not being arrogant or impatient is the style of a minister. Not bad, very good!" Zhu Shenzhui was even more satisfied after hearing him say this.

The emperor's praise made Hong Chengchou very happy, but at the same time, he was also secretly on guard. Having been an official for so long, he knew that many things could not be judged by appearances. Sometimes the emperor's praise was not necessarily a good thing. Moreover, although he had managed Huguang very well in the past few years and achieved outstanding results, Hong Chengchou himself knew that there were still some shortcomings.

Moreover, in officialdom, it is often the case that the ones who stand out are the first to rot. Officials must never be carried away by success. Being low-key is the king. Once you become a benchmark, it will be bad, as it is tantamount to becoming a target of public criticism. Hong Chengchou is not an official like Hai Rui, who regards himself as a lone minister. It is true that he has talent and can do things, but he is better at being an official and knows the principle of keeping a low profile.

Just as Hong Chengchou was thinking about this in his mind, and even thinking about how he should refuse to avoid trouble if the emperor wanted to reward him for his achievements in Huguang, Zhu Shenzhui suddenly asked him a question that made Hong Chengchou stunned.

"I remember you are from Quanzhou, Fujian?"

"Your Majesty, I am indeed from Quanzhou. My hometown is Yingdu, Nan'an, Quanzhou, Fujian."

"Is your Hong family a big family in Nan'an?"

"Your Majesty, although the Hong surname is a big surname in Nan'an, I was born in a poor family and am not from a wealthy family." Hong Chengchou replied with a wry smile.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Can Mr. Hong tell me about it?" Zhu Shenzhui asked curiously.

Hong Chengchou hesitated for a moment before speaking: "I am a descendant of the Hong family in Nan'an. My family was poor in my early years. My father was a posthumous son, raised by my grandmother. He later passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, but failed. My father is not good at farming and has no business talent. In addition, Fujian is mountainous and has little land, so our family has a hard time..."

As Hong Chengchou told his story, his early life experience was revealed to Zhu Shenzui. Hong Chengchou's grandfather was a scholar, but only a scholar, and his father, Hong Qixi, was a posthumous child. When he was born, his grandfather had already passed away. After Hong Qixi was born, there were no adult men in the family, so he was raised by his grandmother. Like his grandfather, he later passed the examination to become a scholar, which was considered a family of farmers and scholars.

Unfortunately, Hong Qixi was unlucky. After passing the imperial examination, he was unable to advance further. Moreover, his family, which was not rich to begin with, became even poorer because of the years of imperial examinations. Hong Qixi had three sons, and Hong Chengchou was the eldest. In order to make a living, Hong Chengchou's mother made dried tofu as a business to supplement the family income. Hong Chengchou was sensible at a young age and often helped his mother make dried tofu. He also carried a load on his shoulders and went out to sell it in the streets in exchange for money and food.

In such a life, Hong Chengchou still did not give up his studies. He first studied at home with his father Hong Qixi. Later, Hong Qixi saw that his eldest son had a much better talent for studying than himself, so he borrowed money to raise tuition for him and sent him to Quanzhou School.

Hong Chengchou lived up to his father's expectations and studied hard. A few years later, he passed the examination to become a scholar. Later, in the 43rd year of Wanli, he passed the examination to become a juren. He was only 23 years old that year. The following year, that is, the 44th year of Wanli, the 24-year-old Hong Chengchou went to Beijing for the joint examination. He was successful in the examination and ranked 14th in the second class of the Bingchen palace examination. He was granted the status of a jinshi. Thus, a poor boy from a poor family completed the legendary experience of leaping over the dragon gate and became an official of the Ming Dynasty.

It can be said that Hong Chengchou is simply a classic inspirational experience of a poor boy turning over a new leaf in later generations, and he is also a representative of the so-called small town test-taker. The Hong family was originally just an ordinary family in the local area, but because of a figure like Hong Chengchou, the Hong family has prospered over the years.

Originally, Hong Chengchou's family was just a branch of the local Hong family, but because of him, they have become the core family members of the Hong family and have been accepted by the main branch. However, Hong Chengchou's parents and two brothers never became arrogant because their sons became high-ranking officials. His father, Hong Qixi, was keen on education and used the money Hong Chengchou gave to his family to set up a clan school in the local area and personally taught knowledge.

His mother did not indulge in wealth and fame, but remained true to herself, taking care of her husband and children at home, and carefully nurturing her grandchildren. She often did good deeds and had an excellent reputation in the local area.

After listening to Hong Chengchou's story, Zhu Shenzui highly praised Hong Chengchou's experience and agreed that his parents were great.

It can be said that Hong Chengchou was lucky to have such parents. Zhu Shenzui remembered that in the original history, when Hong Chengchou returned to his hometown after becoming a traitor, his mother not only refused to see him, but also scolded him. Even Hong Chengchou's two younger brothers were extremely disdainful of their elder brother's actions and directly broke off relations with him to show their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.

These stories were passed down to later generations, and the virtue of Hong's mother was remembered by the locals, and was compiled into a play. Thinking of this, Zhu Shenzhu said to Hong Chengchou: "Your parents have had a hard life. How long have you not seen them?"

"I am ashamed. I went back to visit my hometown once when I was transferred to be the governor of Sanbian in the fourth year of Chongzhen. Now it has been more than ten years..." "How are your parents' health now?"

"Your Majesty is concerned about my parents. I am grateful. My mother is in good health, but my father is a little weak. He has been sick for many years due to his old age. Fortunately, my two younger brothers are at home to take care of my filial piety. I can work for Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty with peace of mind."

Zhu Shenzhui nodded and sighed, "It's really not easy for you not to see your parents for more than ten years. Besides, your parents are old and you have been an official away for a long time, so you have to face the dilemma of loyalty and filial piety."

"Your Majesty, my father taught me that the affairs of the country should be put first and the family second. Since I am a minister of the Ming Dynasty, I should put the affairs of the country first. Moreover, my two younger brothers are at home to take care of my filial piety, so I can rest assured..."

Before Hong Chengchou could finish his words, Zhu Shenzhui waved his hand and said, "That being said, the relationship between father and son is the most important. I lost my parents when I was young, so I understand this very well. If I have the chance, I should go back to my hometown to visit my parents. In addition, I will give you a favor. You are now the governor of Huguang in the Ming Dynasty and an important official of the court. I will show my favor to your parents. For your past achievements and hard work in governing Huguang, I will promote your father to the rank of Senior Counselor and your mother to the rank of Second Rank Lady Haoming. How do you think?"

After hearing this, Hong Chengchou could no longer sit still. He immediately stood up and bowed to Zhu Shenzhui, his body shaking with excitement, and tears falling from his eyes.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Alright, alright, there's no need to do this. This is what you deserve. Just work hard for the court in the future. Your parents have had a hard life, so you should be filial to them. Giving them this grace is also my intention."

"Your Majesty's kindness is beyond my ability to repay even if I die..." For a moment, Hong Chengchou was so excited that he felt the thought of dying for his confidant. Not to mention how the emperor treated him, the fact that he conferred titles on his parents was completely beyond Hong Chengchou's expectation. Not only did he give his father a promotion as Grand Counselor, but he also gave his mother the grace of a second-rank Lady Haoming. How could Hong Chengchou not be excited by such a great imperial grace?

This grace made Hong Chengchou more excited than Zhu Shenzhui telling him on the spot that he would be promoted to cabinet minister immediately. You have to know that Hong Chengchou had already held a very high position. As the Governor-General of Huguang, he was one of the several governors-general in the Ming Dynasty. He controlled the military and political power of the two provinces. He was a local frontier official and a real big official.

There were very few people in the entire Ming Dynasty who could be compared with him, only Sun Chuanting, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, and Xiong Wencan, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, were comparable to him. In terms of rank, his official position was equal to or even higher than that of the officials of the six ministries, and his actual power in the local area was greater than that of the officials in Beijing. Once he came to Beijing from the local area, with his official position and experience, he could not only control a ministry, but could even directly enter the cabinet and become a cabinet elder.

But even if he became a cabinet minister, what did it matter? The official position was only his own, but it was difficult for him to get grace for his family, especially the Grand Counselor and the Second-Rank Lady Haoming for his parents. He could be said to be the first official in the Ming Dynasty to have such a situation.

How could Hong Chengchou not be extremely grateful for the emperor's kindness? This grace would not only make his family more famous in his hometown, but also allow his parents to fulfill their long-cherished wish, especially his father Hong, who had failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. He had been a scholar all his life and had never had the chance to become an official. He never thought that he would have the opportunity to become a counselor directly when he was old. Hong Chengchou even thought about how happy his old father would be when the grace was delivered to his home.

Seeing Hong Chengchou's excitement, Zhu Shenzui laughed secretly in his heart. They were nothing more than two empty titles. No matter whether they were the Senior Minister or the Second Rank Lady Haoming, it was just an imperial edict.

These favors didn't cost much money, and didn't require any salary from the court, more just honors and titles. But just this alone would make Hong Chengchou grateful to him, which was very worthwhile.

After comforting Hong Chengchou with a few words and letting Lu Jiude help him up, Zhu Shenzhui said to Hong Chengchou after he sat down again: "Don't worry about the grace. Since I have spoken of this, I will officially issue an edict to grant grace to your parents in the next few days..."

"Your Majesty..." Seeing Hong Chengchou about to salute again, Zhu Shenzhui waved his hand and said, "I am a man who clearly distinguishes between rewards and punishments. Since you have made great contributions, it is only natural for me to show favor to your parents. Moreover, your parents have had a hard time. It is only human nature for me to empathize with them."

"In addition, I intend to have you leave Huguang and transfer to another position. I wonder what you think?"

Hong Chengchou was slightly stunned when he heard this. He thought that the emperor was going to transfer him away from Huguang. He had been working hard in Huguang in recent years and had done a very good job. He also had long-term plans for the administration of Huguang. He originally thought that he could stay in Huguang for at least several years, or even work for nine years before being transferred. But he didn't expect to leave Huguang in such a short time. This made Hong Chengchou feel conflicted.

But Hong Chengchou put aside all these worries in an instant. The emperor treated him so well and was even more kind to his parents. What was the big deal about him being transferred away from Huguang? Besides, he was an official of the Ming Dynasty. Wasn't it natural for the emperor to transfer him? In this case, why should he just do whatever the emperor arranged for him to do? As for the future of Huguang, the emperor should have his own plans. Why should he worry about it?
"I am your Majesty's subject. I will obey your Majesty's arrangements on how you use me." Hong Chengchou said firmly. This attitude made Zhu Shenzhui very satisfied, and there was a little more tenderness in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)