The "young master" is too young, he is only thirteen years old this year. "The young master is suspicious of the country", and most people with a little talent and strength are unwilling to rely on him. Even with the orthodoxy of the "young master", most of Zheng Zhilong's old troops have flowed to other forces. So far, the Zheng Sen Group gathered in Anping has only 2,000 troops and 30 large and small ships. They can only barely protect themselves. The various forces coveting the farms near Anping constantly threatened and lured him to "support the young master." Qian Taichong was struggling from left to right, tossing and turning, and finally managed to maintain a small situation.
Under such pressure, Qian Taichong knew that even Zhuge Kongming couldn't perform in this small Zhangzhou Bay. To break the situation and survive, he had to find a bigger backer.
Originally, the governor of Fujian was his biggest supporter, but after Zou Weilian left office, the new governor Shen Youlong was very cold towards the Zheng Group. He treated them with courtesy on the surface, but he was completely "sitting on a mountain and watching the fight between tigers and tigers" in the various struggles within the group. "Attitude. Qian Taichong rushed to Fuzhou several times but did not receive any substantial assistance.
Fortunately, Shen Youlong's attitude towards the Zheng Group is still divide and rule. Although he will not help any one company, he will not allow them to merge with each other. But what about his next one? If someone offers a heavy bribe, or if this person intends to reintegrate the Zheng family, the Zheng Sen Group will be in danger.
After careful consideration, Qian Taichong decided to take a big gamble and go directly to Beijing to find a backer.
From the time he entered Beijing in the ninth year of Chongzhen's reign and stayed until the Chinese New Year, he found various ways and tricks in the capital. It can be said that Zheng Zhilong left a lot of human connections. Qian Taichong relied on Zheng Sen's cards to meet several big shots in the DPRK, including Cao Huachun, the "internal prime minister." I met many prominent officials from Fujian in Beijing. I have spent tens of thousands of taels, but I have never been able to get a useful reply.
During the more than half a year in the capital, he had truly experienced what it meant to have "tea cool when you leave". When Zheng Zhilong was in power, he had never enjoyed his glory, but running for Zheng Sen fully realized the harshness of the world.
Anyone else would have been discouraged. But Qian Taichong has a stubborn temper and wants to do what others cannot. In despair, he decided to write a letter to the emperor himself. However, his official position is small and he has no right to directly report. It can only be entrusted to courtiers.
But this person is not easy to find. When Zheng Zhilong was alive, many Fujian officials in the government benefited from the maritime trade he operated. After Zheng Zhilong's death, all the small groups that spun off from the Zheng Group were excluded from sea trade by the Kun thieves.
Without the connection of interests, these people would naturally not stand up for Zheng Sen. Qian Taichong finally took the path of a eunuch, hoping to make a last ditch effort. This cup of tea, including all the other messy expenses, cost him one thousand taels of silver.
Unexpectedly, this "last ditch effort" worked! Qian Taichong was taken to the Jinyiwei Yamen and locked up for several days, and he was asked several questions. Today, he was suddenly asked to put on his official uniform and prepare relevant documents.
When asked where he was going, the other party remained silent. However, his behavior and speech were much more polite than in the past few days.
Qian Taichong vaguely had the answer in his heart, but he just couldn't believe it - the Golden Palace called the right person. This is the dream of every scholar who studied hard in a poor life. Even here and now I still feel like I am in a dream.
As the eunuch came out to announce the summons, Qian Taichong quickly adjusted his clothes, bent down, and followed the eunuch into Yufangxuan step by step.
A palace maid lifted up the yellow satin door curtain, Qian Taichong bent his back to almost ninety degrees and walked respectfully into the Dongnuan Pavilion.
He said: "I am the official of Zhangzhou Haifang Tongzhi Yamen inspection office and Qian Taichong is here!" Then he knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor.
For such a private meeting, the officials did not report the specific registration, but Qian Taichong thought that he was not a close official of the emperor, so it was better to report all the official titles and full names, at least to impress the emperor.
With his status, it was a rare blessing to see the emperor, but he felt uneasy when he really had to face Yu Yan. He is no longer a "citizen", but his official position is low, so it is taboo to write a letter stating the facts. Being summoned can roughly indicate that the emperor is interested in the matter he wrote to. However, since ancient times, "accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger." If there is any omission in the report, his personal safety is not insignificant. It also affects the loyalty of Zheng Sen and those around him. Cheese.
After performing the usual court rituals, he did not dare to raise his head and looked at the square tiles in front of the emperor's feet, waiting for the emperor to speak.
For a moment, Chongzhen said nothing and only looked at the visitor from top to bottom. But I saw that the person who came was in his thirties, with a calm expression, dark skin, and very thick hands and feet. Although his behavior was a little rough, he looked like a very reliable person.
"Are you just too money-hungry?"
"Yes, it's Wei Chen."
"What year is the name of the department?"
"I am ashamed. The examination room was wasted, and only one student was born. I paid for the scholarship to be a supervisor of the Nanjing Imperial College. In the fifth year of Chongzhen, Anping and Zhongzuo were restored to the security record, and he could be appointed as the inspector."
"If you don't come from a decent background, there is no need to feel ashamed. There are many talented people in the world, and all of them are from the imperial examination."
"Thank you for your encouragement, Your Majesty." After hearing these words, Qian Taichong felt sore in his chest and blood surged up. It was just a kind word, but when it came from the mouth of the Emperor, it was filled with supreme honor.
"Get up and talk."
Qian Taichong kowtowed, stood up quickly, lowered his head and waited for the emperor to continue speaking.
He looked over from the corner of his eye and saw a young man sitting on the throne in the middle, wearing a black gauze turban on his head, a four-piece dragon-colored red robe with a coiled collar and narrow sleeves, and a rhinoceros belt around his waist. He looked no older than thirty, but his complexion was very poor and his eyes were dull. A feeling of exhaustion spreads all over my body.
The emperor coughed lightly and said:
"You have been in the capital for many days and have been running for Zheng Sen. I have also read your memorial."
"yes."
"Even I am very touched by your sincerity towards General Feihuang. It is really a blessing for the Zheng family that he can use someone like you!"
This sentence made Qian Taichong feel full of melancholy. In the past few years, he had been running for Zheng Sen and thinking about it all. However, there are not many people in the Zheng Group who have good things to say about him. Not to mention outsiders, the people around Zheng Sen respect him on the surface, but secretly they also question whether he is trying to sideline Zheng Sen and make money by working so hard. Take the remaining wealth of the Zheng family.
He could only confide this grievance in front of two foreigners, Tongtaro and Matos - of course, it was because of them that he could continue to give orders around Zheng Sen.
At this moment, it seemed that all his hard work and grievances had been rewarded. Just when he was about to speak, he felt a lump in his throat. He was afraid of losing his etiquette, so he quickly calmed down before speaking:
"I dare not say 'loyalty' to General Feihuang. I am just entrusted by others and do not dare to slack off. Now Zheng Sen is still young. Although he has inherited the worldly position, he does not have half of the power in his hands. Most of the Zheng family does not accept him. Even the land and money left by his father were occupied by his relatives. The general was killed by his concubine, and he was loyal to the country. His concubine fell into such a situation. The ministers were humble and had little power to support them. They could only come to the capital to do their best. run."
Chongzhen had already read what he said in the memorial, but he didn't have much impression. Zheng Zhilong was also one of the "giant bandits" that gave him a headache at first. Later, although Xiong Wencan appeased him, he also pacified many pirates and bandits in Fujian and Guangdong. However, many ministers' secret reports mentioned that this person was "arrogant and arrogant" and "colluded with Japanese pirates", which meant that he "listened to the tune but not the propaganda".
When the Zheng Zhilong Group was defeated by the Kun thieves, the DPRK minister Dayou thought that this was a "fight between two thieves", which couldn't be better. Some people even think that since then, "there will be no more giant pirates in the Fujian and Guangdong seas"!
This emotion more or less affected the emperor's judgment. The reason why he summoned Qian Taichong was not to seek justice for Zheng Sen.
"Have you ever gone to Shen Youlong about this matter?"
"I've seen it, but...it doesn't help."
"How did he say?"
"Sir Shen said that although Zheng Sen has inherited the position, the Zheng family's affairs are private matters and it is not suitable for him to get involved." Qian Taichong said with difficulty, "Wei Chen also knows that what you said is reasonable, but this... bullying Orphans and widows…”
Chongzhen nodded slightly, he had a good impression of the money in front of him. I feel that in order to repay the kindness of knowing him, he ran around calling for the orphan of his benefactor, and even thought of going to the capital to find a letter and file a lawsuit all the way in front of him.
Such a person is not only "loyal", but also has a tenacity in doing things. It's a pity that he is a scholar and doesn't know his specific talents.
"From your memorial, I know a lot about Kun Qing?"
"Yes, the student was once a staff member of Shi Bangyao, who was guarding Hainan Road in Guangdong's Zuo Shenzhen branch. In the third year of Chongzhen, the king sent troops to conquer the Kun bandits, and the student went with the army. The Wang division was defeated by Chengmai, and the students were captured by the Kun bandits in the rebellion. Until It took Chongzhen five years to get out of trouble and return."
"Have you followed Wang Zunde to conquer the Kun bandits?" The emperor was greatly surprised. He did not expect that this scholar would still have this past experience.
"Yes, I was sent by Master Shi to follow the king's governor from Qiongzhou City until he was defeated at Chengmai City." Qian Taichong said with sadness.
"No wonder you know so much about Kun Qing." The emperor thought. Since Wang Zunde's defeat, there have been many people who have written letters about Kun's thieves and his affairs, but most of them are just scratching the surface. Even though there are many mercenaries in the capital and even the palace, from beginning to end, there are only a few people who understand Kun's love. Now that the Kun thief has been trapped in Guangdong and Guangxi, we actually don’t even know what is going on inside the Kun thief!
This person fought against the Kun thieves twice and was trapped in the thieves for several years. He must have a very clear understanding of Kun's feelings. He is a talent that is in urgent need right now!
He asked: "Since you know a lot about Kun Qing, let me ask you..."
At that time, I inquired about various so-called benevolences circulating in the court one by one. Qian Taichong was a man who had worked hard for two years under the Senate, and was different from ordinary literati who heard rumors and were looking for novelties. Explain one by one now. Some of the rumors were dismissed as ridiculous, while others explained "why".
(End of chapter)
