Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 710 I have to bow my head

Enter Li Zisheng's study.

Qin Chang looked around and asked, "I heard that the person you sent to contact the Tatars has returned? Why can't I see him?"

"Oh, I have already told him clearly that he will leave for Beijing early tomorrow morning."

Li Zisheng had no intention of hiding this and spoke frankly.

"What? Why not let him attend the reception ceremony? If he, the envoy, is not there, can the Tatars be trusted?" Qin Chang seemed very worried.

You sent someone to represent you and the Ming Dynasty to negotiate with the Tatars.

The Tatars now arrived as promised.

But the person you sent is not here, so...what will the Tatars think?
Li Zisheng asked with a smile: "Eunuch Tan, if it was before you sent the letter, do you think it would be appropriate for me, who still has no official position, to take charge of the reception?"

"This one……"

Qin Chang was also a man of appearances. After careful consideration, he roughly understood what Li Zisheng meant and deliberately blamed him, "Minister Li, this is your fault...

"Since you are personally in charge of this matter, you shouldn't push it away. If something really happens, do you still want to shirk responsibility and say that this matter has nothing to do with you? Haha."

Li Zisheng said: "My guest can do some small things, but if we really need to deal with big occasions, we have to rely on you, Eunuch Tan. After all, he can't represent anyone, not even me."

"Oh, so that's the reason."

Qin Chang didn't want to argue too much, so he urged, "Minister Li, you should finish reading His Majesty's edict before talking about anything else."

"Ah, yes, yes."

Li Zisheng took out the emperor's edict again, spread it out and examined it carefully.

Qin Chang beside him laughed and said, "Why is it that it is easier to be an official if you have someone in the court? There are people behind the scenes planning for you. No matter what you want to do, someone will pave the way for you in advance...

"Look, there is someone who seems to be a worm in your stomach. He knows what you are going to do, so he has done his homework with Your Majesty in advance..."

Li Zisheng stopped Qin Chang from continuing: "You seem to be disrespectful when you say that..."

"Oops!"

Tan Chang said hurriedly: "I have no intention of criticizing Your Majesty. I am talking about Zhang Guozhang making plans for you in the capital..."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "I didn't say how you treated Your Majesty. The main point is that saying this will damage Zhang Guozhang's reputation. I heard from the aide that before he left the capital, Zhang Guozhang had claimed to be ill for many days and didn't go out. This matter may not have been mentioned by Zhang Guozhang to Your Majesty."

"Oh? If so, then you may have the same idea as His Majesty! Congratulations!" Qin Chang pretended to be surprised and bowed his hands to flatter, "Otherwise, why do they say that you, Minister Li, are good at guessing the emperor's intentions? We should learn from you."

Li Zisheng said, "Eunuch Tan, you must know that someone gave me some advice before I did this, right?"

Qin Chang smiled awkwardly and said, "That's your private matter. We don't dare to ask you about it. The only thing I know is that we benefited from you!

"First you won a victory, and now it is in line with His Majesty's wishes to let the Tatars come to pay tribute. The key is that you can find someone to open up the way in advance... I want to ask everyone in the court, who does not obey you, Minister Li?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Eunuch Tan."

Li Zisheng said, "Eunuch Tan will have to take care of tomorrow's reception."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Qin Chang said confidently, "Although we don't have any other abilities, we have face. After all, we have worked in the Imperial Household Department for many years and are familiar with the work of welcoming and seeing off guests.

"If Minister Li thinks that we should act separately tomorrow to prevent the Tatars from pretending to surrender but actually having other plans... then we will be responsible for the reception, and you only need to command the three armies and be ready for any unexpected events at any time."

Li Zisheng nodded and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Tan Chang was slightly startled.

I thought to myself, are you really going to let me go to face the Tatars, a group of jackals and tigers, while you are behind the scenes directing the executioners to be ready at any time?

Humph, I shouldn’t have been so polite to you!
Li Zisheng then continued, "Eunuch Tan, I have also instructed my subordinates to prepare a few acres of thin land after returning to Beijing, together with the ones I gave you before..."

"How can I feel embarrassed?" Qin Chang had originally been quite resentful, but when he heard these words, the grudge in his heart seemed to disappear instantly.

I was still thinking in my heart that your action was just in time and you really got my pulse right.

Zhang Laizhan is a miracle doctor who cures illnesses, but you are a miracle doctor who heals the heart.

Li Zisheng said, "Here is another memorial that I need to discuss with Eunuch Tan."

"Yes, yes."

Qin Changlian nodded repeatedly, "I think that we have to satisfy Eunuch Huai first. After all, he is still in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the chief minister of the cabinet... ahem, when Lord Liu is not involved in government affairs, I think it is more important to get through his connections..."

Li Zisheng shook his head and rejected it: "I want to go directly through Zhang Guozhang's channel. As for Eunuch Huai, it is better not to disturb him for the time being, because I have tried it before, but it didn't work."

Tan Chang was silent for a moment.

Li Zisheng asked, "Eunuch Tan, are you afraid...of offending Eunuch Huai and affecting your future?"

Tan Chang did not answer, but asked: "Minister Li should understand what we mean by opening up the connection with Eunuch Huai, right?"

"Of course I understand."

Li Zisheng said, "Then you should also know why I don't want to take this road."

"Hey, that makes sense."

Qin Chang said with emotion, "Eunuch Huai still has a lot of prejudices against you. To be honest, it is precisely because of this that I was still worried about you during the first half of our trip to the northwest."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Look at what you said. Haven't we all forgotten our past grudges now?"

Qin Chang shook his head: "The past grudges... cannot all be resolved... Then we will go our separate ways. I wonder what you think of the two memorials, Minister Li?"

"Then let's act according to your ideas, Eunuch Tan."

Li Zisheng said, "But I sincerely advise you, Eunuch Tan, that you must not follow the path that Eunuch Huai took, or... it is better to ignore it for now."

Qin Chang asked tentatively: "Do you think that Eunuch Huai will not stay in the court for long, and that he..."

Li Zisheng raised his hand to interrupt Tan Chang and said, "This is just my humble opinion. Eunuch Tan, you may not necessarily accept it. I think that in the future, you and another Eunuch Tan will compete for the position of the seal in the Imperial Household Department. The biggest difference between you and him is... hehe."

The words were not made very clear.

But Qin Chang was a smart man and understood it immediately.

"Yes, that eunuch Tan is really a fence-sitter." Tan Chang said with emotion, "Wherever the wind blows, he will fall in that direction, slipping away without mercy.

"Alas! From the very beginning, he tried not to offend anyone. If it were any other time in the past, he would be hated by everyone and despised by everyone. But now..."

Li Zisheng said, "Eunuch Tan, I think what you said is wrong."

"Please enlighten me."

Qin Chang bowed again.

Li Zisheng said seriously, "I think that from the very beginning, Eunuch Tan Ji Tan's inclination was very obvious. He was leaning towards Zhang Guozhang. Otherwise... everyone should be like you and be sufficiently vigilant against Zhang Guozhang instead of being a double-dealer. Being a double-dealer in this situation is actually equivalent to choosing a side, isn't it?"

Qin Chang remained silent for a while.

Li Zisheng said, "From the beginning, I felt that you, Eunuch Qin, would choose to stand on the side of Zhang Guozhang. After all, Zhang Guozhang was behind you and Eunuch Huai's comeback. You should be grateful and repay him. I didn't expect that you would make the wrong choice in the end."

Tan Chang remained silent.

"So, Eunuch Tan, you still place too much emphasis on the orthodox order under the court rules."

Li Zisheng said, "Perhaps in your eyes, after Huai En, you should be the next in line in the Imperial Household Department, followed by Tan Ji, Li Rong and others, and in the Cabinet, it should be Liu Ji, Xu Pu, and then the alternates Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others...

"But the problem is that your majesty never thought so... If the court doesn't even give a newcomer a chance to stand out, and this person is even the father-in-law of the emperor and has made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, but is still being criticized by everyone, then the court will surely be a stagnant pool. What good will this do for people like you and me?
"The court is so big that anyone with ability should have a seat!"

……

……

The young Tatar prince Batu Mongke personally led a tribute team of 500 people to Piantou Pass.

Flags are waving!

Drums and music sound!

Crowds of people!

The scene was very lively.

Upon hearing the news, all the officials, gentry and common people in Piantou Pass ran to watch, and on that day, a grand welcoming ceremony was presided over by the eunuch Tan Chang, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, on behalf of the Ming Dynasty court.

Zhu Yongze commanded the three armed forces and served as the main security force for this meeting to ensure the safety of the conference.

Colorful flags are flying!

From Li Zisheng to Qin Chang, they all liked to make a scene. The scene was decorated in a grand and majestic manner, which stunned the guests, but in the eyes of the lower-level soldiers, it was very inappropriate... Even Zhu Hui felt that this welcoming ceremony was too grand and even a bit of a waste of money and effort.

"Father, how much silver will this cost? Wouldn't it be better to keep the silver as military expenses and distribute it to the soldiers?" Zhu Hui seemed very dissatisfied.

Zhu Yong was on full alert at this time, fearing that the Tatars who came to pay tribute would suddenly attack. He stood on the city gate tower, looking into the distance with a telescope, and responded casually: "It's better to make it lively, so that the people below can see it, and let the foreigners know the power of our Ming Dynasty and be in awe of it."

"Humph!"

Zhu Hui shook his head and said, "These mediocre officials just like to do these useless things, which are of no benefit to the great cause."

"Hmm?" Zhu Yong put down the telescope and turned his head to look at his son.

Zhu Hui quickly asked, "Did my son say something wrong?"

Zhu Yong said: "You are right. Logically, there is no need to make such a fuss. However, from Taoist Priest Li to Eunuch Tan, they all want to use this incident to highlight their merits. In addition, His Majesty has given clear instructions to allow them to recruit the Tatars to surrender. So... it is understandable that they are making such a fuss. After all, this can be regarded as a show for the higher-ups..."

"What? Your Majesty agrees to let them do this?"

Zhu Hui looked incredible.

Apparently, the emperor's instructions were not spread widely.

Li Zisheng and Qin Chang knew about it, and Zhu Yong, the commander-in-chief, also knew about it, but Zhu Hui was completely unaware, and the soldiers under him had no idea about it at all.

Zhu Yong sighed, "People who have been in high positions for a long time have long forgotten the sufferings of the common people. They will not think of saving money to be used as a subsidy for the soldiers to settle down in the future.

"After all, we are just like them, we are all here for our own future. Who is really here to seek a foundation for the frontier soldiers?"

"This……"

Zhu Hui didn't expect that his old father would be so "frank".

They're all the same!
In order to get promoted and make money, who cares about extravagance and waste?
Besides, if you save the things, you can't move them back to your home, so you might as well spend them in the name of deterring foreign countries. You can make a big scene and gain a good reputation. Why not do it?

After a while, Zhu Hui changed the subject: "These Tatars are really spineless. If they have the ability, they should send all their troops to fight instead of surrendering and paying tribute. They still call themselves the sons of the eagle, but I think they are not much different from mice on the grassland..."

"Shut up!"

Zhu Yong scolded, "I know you have no chance to fight and win military merit, and you feel resentful. But you have to keep a calm mind. The people on the grassland just want to survive. The little Tatar prince's foundation on the grassland is not stable, and he may not have the vision and courage of his father. Now he can gain enough benefits for the tribe, so what if he bows his head for a while? I just didn't expect..."

Not expecting anything, he stopped talking without saying anything.

Zhu Hui asked curiously, "Did father think of anything?"

Zhu Yong hesitated for a moment, but still said to his son: "It seems that the ambush on the grassland earlier was not led by Li Zisheng, but was defeated by the Tatar prince's main force. Otherwise, the Khan of the grassland would not be so anxious to make peace with the Ming Dynasty."

"what?"

Zhu Hui was surprised.

Zhu Yong was fascinated. "This means that Zhang Guozhang has calculated the marching route of the Tatar prince's headquarters from thousands of miles away, and used Li Daochang to strike hard at Dayan's tribe, forcing them to make peace."

"Isn't it?"

Zhu Hui shook his head and said, "Father, I don't think it's necessarily the Tatars themselves. If they were, would they bow their heads so quickly? Does the little prince have no shame?"

"You do not understand!"

Zhu Yong said firmly, "It was precisely because he was defeated and his reputation was damaged that he was eager to make peace with the Ming Dynasty and seek benefits outside the battlefield. In this way, it can be said that he was caught off guard on the way to pay tribute and was ambushed by the Ming army, so his defeat is excusable. If it was really because his branch was attacked and defeated, it would be good that he did not take advantage of the situation to rob. How could he have any reason to surrender on his own initiative?"

Zhu Hui seemed to understand something and said, "The Tatars also bully the weak and fear the strong? Are they afraid of this Taoist priest Li, and are afraid that if they come again, he will suffer greater losses?"

Zhu Yong said with satisfaction: "You finally figured out something. Continuing to confront the Ming Dynasty, it is said that they can regain their ground, but if they lose again, the little Tatar prince will probably find it difficult to gain a foothold on the grassland in the future... So now that the Ming Dynasty has taken the initiative to recruit them, they have no reason to continue to resist.

"He can pay tribute, gain the right to open a border market, and obtain various survival supplies through trade in a reasonable, legal and continuous manner. For the little Tatar prince, even if it means losing some face, the benefits are greater. He can also give an account to the various tribes on the grassland and gain reputation."

Zhu Hui said, "After hearing what you said, Father, I can see that Zhang Guozhang and Taoist Priest Li really know how to judge the situation. They chose the right time."

Zhu Yong said with emotion: "Zhang Guozhang is a mysterious person who is usually hard to find, but he was able to raise the current empress, and was able to gain a foothold in the court during the reign of the previous emperor and was promoted to a high position. Now he has won the trust of Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, and he can remain calm in the face of praise or criticism, and does not fight with his colleagues in the court. He is willing to be criticized without defending himself... He is truly the most extraordinary and capable person in the current dynasty!
"It seems that I should pay you a proper visit after I return to the court."

Although Zhu Yong's explanation was not very clear, Zhu Hui understood that his father was not going to visit, but was planning to sell himself to seek refuge.

Because no matter how principled and proud the old father is, he is still a coward when it comes to the powerful.

This is not just the case for the Baoguo family, but for the entire system of meritorious officials.

……

……

A few days later, in the capital, the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youtang's cold was finally cured after the heating was turned on in the palace and he took the anti-inflammatory and antitussive and antiasthmatic drugs prescribed by Zhang Yanling.

Zhu Youtang recovered from his chronic illness, which had lasted for almost the entire winter and had been on and off. He felt refreshed and walked briskly, and he couldn't help but feel more grateful to his brother-in-law Zhang Yanling.

On this day, Zhu Youtang was carefully reviewing memorials to the emperor, intending to work harder and catch up on the court affairs he had missed during his previous illness.

In a blink of an eye, it was already past noon, and Zhu Youtang hadn't even had lunch yet, but Huai'en and Qin Ji came in person to "congratulate" Zhu Youtang.

"Your Majesty... great joy."

Wynn said with a smile.

At this time, Huai En's lung cancer had developed to the late stage. There was no color on his face, and he may have certain complications, and his complexion was dark yellow.

Zhu Youtang raised his head and asked, "My dear, what's the matter?"

Huai En said: "The young Tatar prince Batu Mongke personally led a team of 500 envoys to Pianguan to surrender, and he plans to come to the capital in person to pay tribute."

"The little Tatar prince is coming to pay homage in person?"

Zhu Youtang was very surprised.

After all, Batu Mongke, who has the blood of the Golden Family, is also the nominal leader of the grassland. He only needs to send an envoy to express his intention.

This envoy can be the Grand Tutor or a general under his command.

After all, Batu Mongke has not yet abolished the Grand Tutor and changed the Jinong system. The power of outsiders outside the Golden Family on the grassland should not be underestimated. Now that the Khan is personally on a diplomatic mission, it is easy for a fire to break out in the rear.

Huai En smiled and said, "This was proposed by Batu Mongke himself. He has now arrived at Piantou Pass and has been warmly received by Li Zisheng, the governor of Shanxi. He will be accompanied by troops from the Beijing Camp to the capital later. In order to prevent him from spying on our border defense information, we will open up another route for him so that he will not go through Datong but through Ningwu."

"Oh."

Zhu Youtang seemed relieved when he heard this, and nodded, "That's great. They are coming to pay tribute, what preparations do I need to make?"

Huai En seemed to be very experienced in this regard, and reminded: "Send someone to contact them, let them stay in Huitong Hall, and arrange a date to worship the Holy Face. When they leave, just give them some money and silk."

"Open a border market."

Zhu Youtang first said something in a decisive tone, and then asked for opinions, "What do you think, Otomo?"

Huai En said: "During the time of the previous emperor, the Tatars also requested to open border markets many times, but were not granted by the court. Now that we have won the battle, if we still want to open border markets, I am afraid that it would be... taking advantage of their wishes... It would be more reasonable to simply give them some money as a reward."

Zhu Youtang insisted, "I think that only by showing goodwill can we completely stabilize the situation in the northwest. My father-in-law once said that the Tatars are also in a turbulent time. We can actually sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, develop internally for a few years, and when our army is strong, we can send troops to fight them."

Huai En said: "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to start a war without authorization. Even if we win the war against the Tatars, it will be difficult to control the Tatar grasslands. It is better to..."

"The elder brother should get more rest."

Zhu Youtang interrupted Huai En and advised, "You look very bad, so you shouldn't worry about these trivial matters. After all, the current situation is still good, so let's leave future matters to the future."

I'm almost going to say, you're about to die, why are you still so careless?

Just take care of the things at hand. As for how to fight the Tatars in the future, is it something you, a dying man, should consider?

Huai En could sense the emperor's distrust of him in his words, and he also realized that he had made almost no contribution to the war in the northwest, and instead seemed to be the one holding them back.

So at this moment, it is best for him to remain silent.

Tan Ji asked, "Your Majesty, who will take over the defense of Piantou Pass?"

"Just follow the routine..."

After saying this casually, Zhu Youtang suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, has the former Shanxi Governor Zhai Xuan returned to Beijing?"

"Not yet."

Tan Ji said, "After all, the court has not arranged a new job for him. In addition, the ground in Shanxi is not peaceful and the snow has not yet thawed, so we have not heard that he has come to the capital."

Zhu Youtang said, "Then let him set out from Taiyuan City to Piantou Pass to replace Li Zisheng. What do you think?"

Huai En said: "It's best to discuss it at the court meeting before deciding."

"it is good."

Zhu Youtang said, "Regarding the tribute from the little Tatar prince, I would also like to ask the opinions of the nobles in the court. Should we treat it coldly or give him a grand reception? It's a good opportunity to ask for their opinions."

Huai En thought, now you remember to ask the ministers for their opinions?

and many more.

Do you want to ask your father-in-law what he thinks first?
Tan Ji then said, "Your Majesty, regarding the reception, who do you think should be assigned to be in charge?"

Zhu Youtang said: "Let's discuss it at the court meeting. But I think if my father-in-law recovers, it would be most appropriate for him to be in charge of this matter. If his condition still doesn't improve, it's not impossible to let Yanling go."

"Ah... Your Majesty, how can you let a child who is not in the court take charge of the reception of foreign vassal states?"

Wynn objected.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Yanling is not a child. He has a flexible mind and seems to have learned everything by himself. He has so much knowledge that he can express it freely. I think it will be fine if I ask my wife to help him."

Tan Ji also smiled and said, "Yes, it would be most appropriate to let Uncle Zhang go. With his abilities, he is more than capable of handling such a trivial matter."

(End of this chapter)