Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 681 The Prince's Position

Zhu Youtang seemed very enthusiastic towards the arrival of his brother-in-law.

He is an atypical autistic patient. When he meets someone he is close to, he appears to be very familiar and talkative. You can't tell how withdrawn he is in front of strangers. Instead, he is the type of person who likes to take the initiative to start a conversation.

Talk and laugh.

My complexion has improved a lot without me noticing.

At noon, Zhu Youtang insisted on taking Zhang Yanling to Kunning Palace for lunch.

"I've been chatting with your sister recently, and you're always on the topic. She said that you used to be as naughty as your elder brother at home, but then you suddenly became smart and sensible. Not only did you become sensible, you also had superb medical skills and the ability to predict. She said that this was a sign of good fortune coming out of the Zhang family's ancestral graves."

Zhu Youtang said with a smile.

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, you two young couple really can talk about anything.

Fortunately, they are my relatives and they don’t treat me as a monster.

If an ordinary person knew my past experiences, they would probably think that I was possessed by some evil spirit.

Zhu Youtang was seriously ill and walking was very strenuous for him. He had to sit down to rest after walking a short distance.

In addition to Qin Ji and four or five eunuchs who were taking care of him, there were two young eunuchs who followed him closely, carrying chairs. In addition to the emperor's, the other one was Zhang Xiaoguojiu's.

If you want to sit, sit together.

"It's only a few steps away."

Zhu Youtang sat by the railing, looking at the palace in front of him, with a look of melancholy, "My body is not good, I am afraid of any accidents, and I don't even have an heir... Alas! Look, I have asked Master Donggong to teach my brothers. You can go and learn when you have time. With Master Donggong teaching you, you will make rapid progress."

When Zhang Yanling heard this, he felt sad.

This brother-in-law knew that he was in poor health, which was the most crucial reason why his father, Emperor Chenghua, was not optimistic about him.

Therefore, when Zhu Youtang first ascended the throne, in addition to wanting to have a child as soon as possible, he also wanted to educate his younger brothers well, so that they could receive systematic imperial education and play the role of the eldest brother well while also preparing for his sudden death in the future.

Zhang Yanling reminded him, "Brother-in-law, I already have a husband."

Zhu Youtang shook his head: "I know you don't study much, so it's useless to have a teacher. If you continue to neglect your studies, even if you have great talent, you will not be able to master strategies in the end, and you will inevitably fall into mediocrity in the future."

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, are you treating me like Zhongyong?

But given your understanding, it's not surprising to think so.

"I'm going to test you later."

Zhu Youtang said this, stood up and prepared to step forward.

Zhang Yanling rushed forward to support him, but Zhu Youtang raised his hand to signal that it was not necessary.

A young man who is not much older still has his own stubbornness and persistence on some things.

The two were about to continue walking forward when they heard hurried footsteps behind them.

After hearing this, Zhang Yanling turned around and saw Huai'en walking quickly with two eunuchs, Li Rong and Dai Yi, followed by some junior eunuchs. It looked like the situation was very urgent.

"what happened?"

Zhu Youtang's ears and eyes didn't seem to be that sensitive. He still didn't hear any sound at this time, and he was very curious about why his brother-in-law stopped.

"Pregnant with a big companion?"

Zhu Youtang turned sideways in confusion and saw his brother-in-law yelling at him. He followed his gaze and was a little surprised to see Huai En and his group.

As he spoke, Huai En walked over quickly, but he was still some distance away from the two of them.

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but worry about Huai En and others, but he also knew that he couldn't run in the palace and could only "race walk". After all, running in the palace was considered disrespectful, but walking slowly would also be considered disrespectful, so it was important to strike the right balance.

Finally, Huai En came closer, as if he had encountered some great joy, and said with a beaming face: "Your Majesty, victory news from the northwest front."

Zhu Youtang was stunned.

Qin Ji, who was serving beside him, asked curiously, "Eunuch Huai, is it the victory report from Ningxia, Yansui, or Datong Town? Or... that Minister Li?"

"It's the side head barrier."

With a genuine smile on his face, Huai En explained, "The local troops of Pianguan, in cooperation with the troops of Datong Jingping Qianhu Suo, intercepted a group of invading Tatars 40 miles out of the pass of Pianguan, killing and capturing more than 50 people and thousands of cattle and sheep. After the battle, they successfully withdrew to the pass and immediately reported the victory to the capital."

Qin Ji was surprised and delighted, and cried out: "Your Majesty, I won."

Zhu Youtang's face was calm, and he asked, "Was it Li Zisheng who led the army to fight?"

Obviously, both Qin Ji and the emperor were concerned about whether this war was led by Li Zisheng.

When Huai'en reported the victory, he seemed to intentionally weaken Li Zisheng's role in it, emphasizing only the victory on the northwest front and downplaying the role played by the commander-in-chief or the eunuch supervising the army.

Huai En and Li Rong did not answer for a while, but Xiao Jing took the lead and replied: "That's right."

Zhu Youtang felt relieved after hearing this and asked, "What exactly happened?"

When Huai En saw Zhang Yanling present, he seemed unwilling to talk about the specific military situation.

Zhang Yanling asked tactfully, "Your Majesty, should I recuse myself?"

"No need, Yanling."

Zhu Youtang seemed very relaxed, and waved his hand and said, "This matter is not unrelated to your and your father's reminder. If Li Zisheng really marched and fought according to your father's advice, and the time and place were right, and he won the battle, then the biggest credit should go to your father, right?"

Huai En smiled and said, "As your majesty said, it is indeed as Zhang Guozhang reported. The Tatars did appear north of Pianguan. The Ming soldiers got the cooperation of a nomadic tribe on the border, and let the soldiers equipped with muskets hide in the camp, and the main force ambushed in the valleys on both sides. On the night of the 16th, when the Tatars invaded the nomadic tribe's camp, the soldiers suddenly rushed out and caught the Tatars off guard, achieving an initial victory. Then the ambush troops came out, and the Tatars were defeated. Our army took advantage of the victory to pursue them." Zhu Youtang asked in surprise, "Did the Tatars really appear at that time?"

Li Rong said: "Perhaps the Tatars just happened to pass by there...Would it be unreasonable for our army to take the initiative to attack at this time?"

Zhang Yanling laughed and teased: "From what Eunuch Li said, the Tatars came in large groups in the first month of the year and even marched at night. Are they here to enjoy the spring and moon at the border of the Ming Dynasty?"

"what?"

Li Rong never expected that the young uncle in front of him would actually challenge him.

As the most powerful nation in the world, the Ming Dynasty always insisted on having a legitimate reason to fight.

Legally speaking, the Tatars were under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. After all, every few years they would send envoys to the capital to pay tribute, and even submit letters of allegiance.

The Ming Dynasty was essentially giving the land outside the Great Wall to the Tatars for grazing.

Now that the patriarch is teaching his men a lesson, there must be a reason for it, which is also to make up for the justice of this war... In other words, find a way to weaken Li Zisheng's military exploits and then affect Zhang Luan.

If it was Zhang Luan who retorted, Li Rong could have imagined it, but right now...

Li Rong had little contact with Zhang Yanling and was puzzled by his character and abilities. At the moment, he just heard from others that this young prince-in-law was very good at doing things.

Zhu Youtang followed Zhang Yanling's words and continued, "They went south overnight and came to our pass. They must be preparing to invade our Ming Dynasty pass. Why not teach them a lesson? Have the Tatars withdrawn now?"

Huai En said: "It seems that there are signs of a comeback. Maybe he wants revenge."

"hehe."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "The Tatars must be unwilling to accept the defeat, so it is natural for them to come back to seek revenge. Since we are prepared and know the direction they are heading, we can calmly mobilize troops to defend them. I want to know, did the troops of the Duke of Baoguo participate in this battle?"

Huai En smiled but said nothing.

Even Tan Ji was very anxious.

As a relative by marriage, why are you so concerned about the military and national affairs of the Ming Dynasty?
Is this what you should say?

However, Qin Ji was more surprised.

He was wondering, this young uncle of the emperor was usually resourceful and very good at handling situations, so why did he deliberately contradict Li Rong today, as if he was deliberately making enemies with him?
Did he just want to speak for his father while his father was away?
Guarantee the Zhang family's right to speak before His Majesty?
What he said now was openly speaking up for his father.

Zhu Youtang asked, "Huai Daban, where are the troops under the Baoguogong?"

My brother-in-law asked you a question and you didn't answer. Now that I'm asking him in person, you should answer, right?

Huai En replied respectfully: "We haven't arrived at the battlefield yet, and it seems we haven't arrived at Datong Town yet. If everything goes well, we may reach Pianguan in three to five days."

"That's fine."

Zhu Youtang seemed to have recovered from his illness at this time, his face was radiant, and he smiled and sighed, "Without the troops of the Duke of Baoguo, relying only on the few men under his command, plus the troops temporarily transferred from Datong Town, he was able to achieve such a brilliant record. This Li Zisheng seems to be extraordinary. No wonder my father valued him when he was alive."

Now the eunuchs on the opposite side all felt uncomfortable.

Judging from the situation, it seems that the emperor has more trust in Li Zisheng?

In other words, because the emperor relied heavily on the Zhang family, he also showed a little more favoritism towards Li Zisheng.

Who made Li Zisheng the flag that Zhang Luan held up outside, and he could attack wherever he was pointed?
If we talk about who in the court can approve and implement Zhang Luan's wild plan like Li Zisheng, there is definitely no one who can compare to him.

"Your Majesty, here is the memorial, which was reported by the eunuch Tan Chang. Later, the censor will go to check and present a detailed battle report." Huai En said.

Zhu Youtang took the memorial without waiting for Qin Ji to pass it on to him. He held it in his hand but did not read it immediately.

Judging from his expression and the importance he attached to this memorial, he felt very proud at this moment.

Zhang Yanling also noticed something.

This brother-in-law seems to have never thought about giving a reasonable explanation to the ministers in the court. He did not attend the court today. Perhaps he was really sick and did not want to deal with those troubles for the time being. It is not to the point that he dare not face the ministers.

The only person Zhu Youtang wanted to explain to was his dead father. Everything he did was to make himself believe that his father was right in choosing him to inherit the throne.

In other words, he only needs to give an explanation to himself.

Qin Ji said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Should we go to Kunning Palace for dinner?"

"it is good."

Zhu Youtang came back to his senses, and then glanced at Zhang Yanling with an unusually gentle look, and said, "It's time to share this good news with your sister.

"Hey, I killed more than fifty enemies. Although the credit is not that great, such as what the previous emperor gained in several battles in Liaodong and Northwest China, this is my first time after all. With this good start, I will definitely gain more in the future!"

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, Brother-in-law, this is the first time you call yourself "I" in front of me.

It seems that you, as the emperor, have finally gained confidence.

You don’t have to be as shy as before, fearing that others will look down on you or feel that you have let down your old father’s trust.

This means he began to regard himself as an emperor with both civil and military achievements.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "This is great news. How about I go home and tell my father about this so that he can know the good news as soon as possible?"

Zhu Youtang was full of comfort, he touched his smooth chin without any beard, as if he was very mature and deep, he smiled and said: "Let's have lunch first before leaving.

"You came to the palace to diagnose me. How can you leave without even eating? If your sister knew, she would definitely blame me again."

(End of this chapter)