Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 716 Focus
When Huai'en left the Qianqing Palace, he was also a little confused.

Did the emperor support the military exercise, or was he just tempted by the words of Zhang Luan and his son, but was not really interested?

Perhaps the reason why the emperor held the military parade was just to give face to Zhang Luan and his son?
Asking him to supervise the matter on behalf of the emperor might just be an excuse to stop it!

Or should we let Huai En act as a shield and bear the pressure from the ministers when they oppose the military drill?
"Eunuch Huai, why did you finally agree to it?"

Qin Ji asked a question from the side.

Huai En said: "Hou Fang, let me ask you, what arrangements did the young uncle make for this military exercise? I want to know every detail."

Qin Ji was a little confused by the question. After a brief recollection, he frowned and said, "This... is just an extra artillery performance... It's just firing a few cannons at one place, and then pulling them with pack horses to the next place to fire a few more cannons. It doesn't seem... anything special, right?"

“Why do you want to do this?”

Wynn asked.

Tan Ji smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Maybe... Alas!"

It's almost like saying that he was just bored, or he wanted to show off the existence of the Zhang family father and son.

He couldn't understand the specific intention.

They said they wanted to show their strength, but they spoke as if the Tatars had never seen the Ming army fire cannons... Unless they wanted to use this incident to kill the little Tatar prince Batu Mongke directly.

But if that happened, the Ming Dynasty would fall into an unkind and unjust situation.

If the Tatars lose a king, they will immediately elect the next one, and all of them will unite to seek revenge on the Ming Dynasty. Then there will be no peace in the north.

Obviously... this view is also untenable.

Huai En asked: "Then... have you ever gone to see the fireworks in person?"

"No."

Qin Ji shook his head and said, "It is said that the new cannon is quite powerful, but unfortunately, the number produced is too small to form a large scale. After all, it was completed under the supervision of the Zhang family, and Zhang Guofu even became ill because of it!"

"Hou Fang, please stop saying things like being exhausted or sick. If we really want to talk about being tired, how tired can Zhang Laizhan be? Is he more tired than you and me? Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

Wynn was angry.

As a patient who is truly terminally ill, should I listen to others complaining about overwork and illness?
What to pretend to be?

The Zhang family father and son are totally messing around!
Huai En said again: "If this matter is stopped, how much impact will it have on the Ming Dynasty? How long has the Beijing Camp been preparing for this? How are they going to accomplish all this?"

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

Qin Ji shook his head and said, "You...are you going to call a halt?"

Huai En said: "Can't you feel the attitude of the ministers in the court towards this matter? They don't have strong opposition at the moment, because the incident has not happened yet. When the day of the military exercise comes, I'm afraid someone will run to the palace gate to die! How should we deal with it then?"

Qin Ji asked, "Why can't Eunuch Huai go and talk about it? The military exercise will not affect the officials in the court. It's not a very urgent matter. Why do you have to oppose it?"

Huai En asked back: "If it's not too urgent, why do we have to do it?"

"what!?"

At this point, Qin Ji suddenly realized.

He finally figured out what Huai En was fighting for.

It's not about arguing whether this thing itself is right or wrong.

In other words, whether or not there was a military drill was irrelevant to the fate of the Ming Dynasty, to the ministers and to Huai En, and was dispensable.

But it is very important for ministers to control the emperor, or to make the emperor complete things within an established framework.

To put it bluntly, what we are arguing about now is not whether this thing is feasible or not.

The focus is that you, the emperor, must act according to our ideas... Whether it is right or wrong, as long as you follow the path we set, we will recognize you as a wise ruler, otherwise...

Wish yourself luck!
……

……

Qingning Palace.

Huai En went to pay a visit to Queen Mother Zhou.

Although he said that it was the last time he came to greet her before retiring, even Queen Mother Zhou knew that Huai En wanted to use her to put pressure on his grandson before leaving the court in order to achieve some ulterior motives.

The two old foxes at least maintained relative harmony and superficial peace at this time.

"Huai'en, I remember that you were there when I entered the palace. You have served in the Internal Affairs Bureau, the Imperial Household Bureau, the Imperial Horse Bureau, and the Eastern Palace during the reign of Emperor Yingzong. After my son ascended the throne, I finally promoted you to the Ministry of Ceremonies and made you the seal holder. We have supported each other for so many years..."

Queen Mother Zhou said, "Now that you are ill, I am also very sad, but I don't know how to help you. I am very happy to know that the emperor has arranged a residence for you outside the palace. From now on, you will have a home in the capital, and you can ask Lai Zhan to see you from time to time. Even if you can't recover in the end, it can reduce the pain and torture of the disease and enjoy a few more years of peace and happiness. Isn't it great?"

Huai En said: "Yes, it is much better to die in peace than in pain. I am grateful for your kindness, Your Majesty, and I will never forget it."

Queen Mother Zhou asked, "Have you seen Lai Zhan recently?"

Huai En said helplessly: "Zhang Guozhang is ill and has not been to court for a long time. If possible, I really want to visit him. But..."

"That's a pity."

Queen Mother Zhou interrupted Huai En and said, "Laizhan is like this. Even if he is not sick, he wants to escape and does not want to face the complicated government affairs. What's more, he is really sick now... Maybe it is just a minor illness, and he wants to hide for a while, but it turns out to be a serious illness.

"He is like a stubborn donkey. No matter how much I yell at him or whip him, it's useless. I have taught him a lesson many times, but he still doesn't make any progress. Alas..."

Speaking of this, Queen Mother Zhou seemed really angry at her son for not fighting back.

This nephew that he had adopted clearly possessed the qualities that allowed him to completely outperform all the other officials in the court, and he even had the opportunity to take charge of the government.

But no matter how much I urge him, it's no use. He just wants to be a lazy and stubborn donkey. No matter how I encourage him, it's useless.

Huai En immediately understood the meaning behind it and comforted him: "What the Empress Dowager has seen now is only what Zhang Guozhang has taken the initiative to show, and it is also the side that he deliberately let the world see. It is still unknown what will happen in the future.

"Some people in the court cannot be called loyal officials or righteous men. If you insist on associating with them and completely disregard your own status, or even break the rules, it is only a matter of time before you disrupt the government."

Queen Mother Zhou laughed when she heard this: "Huai'en, you have a big prejudice against Lai Zhan."

Huai En sighed, "I just want to prevent certain people from causing chaos in the court before I leave. The new emperor has only been on the throne for a short time and has not yet stabilized people's hearts. Now it is time for the court to take over from the old and the new. If the people who come to power in the future rely on scheming and do not follow the rules, once the court is in chaos, I really don't know how to correct it in the future."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?"

Queen Mother Zhou frowned and asked, "Are you trying to say that the things my son did back then will happen again in my grandson's generation?"

Huai En stood up and said respectfully, "It is precisely because there is a precedent that we are afraid that this will happen again and again. Although there are many upright old ministers in the court who are dedicated to assisting the new monarch, how can we guarantee that they will be able to see the emperor often in the future and guide your Majesty's behavior?"

When Empress Dowager Zhou heard this, she seemed very impatient and yawned, showing that she didn't want to listen any more. Huai En said, "Grand Empress Dowager, you have a keen eye and should be able to see the threat. You can't ignore the rules and regulations of the court just because you have a personal relationship with Zhang Guozhang."

"Huai En, I'm not saying anything bad about you. You said that you were ignored once during the reign of the previous emperor because of your stubborn personality. How come you still don't know how to improve yourself?"

Queen Mother Zhou looked increasingly unhappy.

Huai En said quickly: "I am old and my personality is like this. I can't change it."

"hehe."

Empress Dowager Zhou sneered and asked, "You usually advise the emperor a lot, right? Why doesn't he listen to you?"

Huai En said: "Your Majesty is very opinionated."

"Yes, even you think that my grandson is very opinionated. Even a capable minister like you who has served several emperors has tried to persuade him, but he still refuses to listen. Why do you think that if an old woman like me has to be so shameless and repeatedly contradict the emperor's grandson, he will listen to me?"

Queen Mother Zhou said with a hint of disdain, "Besides, in my opinion, Lai Zhan has not done anything too outrageous so far. Whether he is good or bad will be judged in the future. If you insist that Li Zisheng threatens the stability of the court, then just send someone to impeach him.

"I don't think my grandson is protecting Li Zisheng that much. He is just following his father-in-law's advice and using people according to their talents."

Huai En said: "Grand Empress Dowager, if there is a big chaos in the court in the future..."

"Of course I won't ignore it."

Queen Mother Zhou said coldly, "But you want me to take charge now, there must be a reason, right? Did Lai Zhan do something wrong? Or did his son do something wrong? Or do you think that the battle in the northwest of Lizi Province should not be fought? If you attack when you lose, there is no problem, but why do you attack when you win? Does it show your ability?"

Wynn sighed: "Nothing is normal."

"You mean to say that nothing lasts forever, and the imperial army will fail sooner or later, and there will be a big mess? Then I have to give you a piece of advice. You must take good care of yourself. When you see that day, wouldn't it be better for you to go and persuade the emperor in person?

"My grandson is very reasonable. If he is stubborn and tries to refute your opinion now, and finds out that he is really wrong in the future, I think he will admit his mistake and correct it. Otherwise, why do you think that my grandson has such a strong opinion just because he is easily influenced?"

Queen Mother Zhou might be really angry.

When dealing with an old man in the palace like Huai En, he adopted a tough tone, almost scolding him.

Huai En said: "I understand. With the Empress Dowager here, I can feel more at ease."

"You just have too many thoughts."

Queen Mother Zhou scolded, "Whether the court is good or bad, that is something that the ministers should worry about. Why do you, a slave working for the royal family, worry about that? No wonder you always make people feel uncomfortable and hard to get close to you when you come back this time... It doesn't mean that people who always use justice to reason in front of the emperor will definitely be respected.

"The kings of all dynasties don't care about closeness or distance. As long as you are capable, you are a relative. If you are incompetent, or always use justice as an excuse, how can there be no estrangement?
"You, Huai'an, have read too much and become stupid. You are always like those civil officials, caring about rules and etiquette, but forgetting the most basic thing, which is who can work for the court! I really think you are a capable person, but you don't use your energy in the right place, so you always get the opposite result."

When Huai En heard this, he felt very aggrieved.

I always felt that the old lady was using this incident to teach her son a lesson by saying all the curses that she hadn't said out loud at the time.

Aren't you, Huai'en, relying on your abilities and the ability to share the emperor's worries, gradually becoming arrogant and using this to threaten the emperor to listen to you?
When my son became emperor, it was fine in the early days, but later on your trick didn't work anymore.

What’s the matter? Do you feel wronged when it comes to my grandson and insist that he follow the path you set?

When my son is emperor, he will be surrounded by Li Zisheng, Liang Fang and others who can drive you away once.

When my grandson comes to live, his father-in-law will still be able to leave you idle.

As for your illness, it's just an excuse for both parties to save face.

……

……

Huai En suffered a complete setback from Queen Mother Zhou.

But he was not discouraged.

Afterwards, he went to Zhang's house, found Zhang Yanling, and took the initiative to tell Zhang Yanling everything about the emperor's appointment of him to lead the military review.

Huai En took a humble attitude, implying that this was the last thing he would do in the court and he hoped to do it well.

Zhang Yanling sat there with an innocent smile on his face and asked, "Eunuch Huai, from the bottom of your heart, do you think this military exercise is necessary?"

Huai En said: "To be honest, I feel that military exercises are simply unnecessary."

Zhang Yanling smiled and asked, "I wonder if Eunuch Huai has seen the new firearms?"

"This……"

Huai En said, "I have never seen it. I asked Tan Ji before, and he also said he had never seen it. But it seems that Your Majesty has seen it with his own eyes."

"Yes. Your Majesty has seen it and thinks it is very good. It can appropriately demonstrate the power in front of the Tatars, so that they will be afraid and dare not attack for the time being. When more new firearms are made in the future, we can use them to invade the grasslands, and it may be possible to completely pacify the grasslands."

Zhang Yanling said.

Huai En questioned: "If the Tatars saw the power of the new firearms with their own eyes, wouldn't they respond? Wouldn't that expose the imperial court's trump card?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "If we can make the Tatars retreat and not dare to harass the Ming Dynasty from now on, wouldn't it be better to avoid war? Even if the Tatars want to imitate our firearms and make new ones... Speaking of which, since the Tatars retreated to the grasslands, have they never tried to develop them in the past hundred years? But what was the result?"

Huai En thought about it, nodded slightly and said: "The Tatars are good at fighting on horseback, and their riding and archery skills are unparalleled in the world, so they are not keen on firearms."

“Then we are developing in different areas.”

Zhang Yanling said, "We develop firearms to fight against their more mobile cavalry. Isn't that a way for us to show our strengths? Do we have to innovate in cavalry tactics? For thousands of years, the Central Plains dynasties have been developing cavalry, but you have seen the results. No matter how much they develop, there is still a huge gap with the foreign tribes..."

Huai En said: "Little uncle, you can just say that we are bound to lose in a cavalry battle. But you also said that since ancient times, the Central Plains dynasties have made many improvements in infantry weapons in order to fight against foreign barbarians, but you see that the development of firearms has not changed much until now, right?"

Zhang Yanling shrugged and said, "That depends on how much we change it. The firearms produced this time were made by my father according to the secrets of heaven, and their combat performance is extremely strong. It is precisely because Your Majesty has seen its terrifying killing side that you think it should be vigorously developed. At the same time, in order to reduce expenses and not bring a huge burden to the court, the revenue from the imperial farm will be used as research and development and production funds in the early stage."

"..."

Wynn frowned slightly.

In the past, he would never listen to a young man bragging here.

But right now... the situation is pressing.

This young man's father has never won since he came here.

It seems like there is no practical point in arguing with this guy.

Zhang Yanling said: "Why not wait until this military exercise is over and see how it works? If it's not good, we won't do it again. But if it has never happened before, Your Majesty will also think, why not give it a try?

"Because what His Majesty hopes most is that under his rule, there will be no war at all. At least in the next ten years, we can live in peace with the Tatars. I think this military exercise is a rare opportunity."

(End of this chapter)