It was almost noon, and there were constant cheers in the backyard of the Dongchang Yamen. Chang Yu's return made everyone in the Yamen very happy. Although he had been hiding in the room and chatting secretly with Wu Mengming about something without showing up, the guards started chatting in the courtyard, and they were spitting. Fei talked about all the things he had experienced along the way, and Fan Zi gathered around him and listened excitedly.
The kitchen is already open and they are busy cooking lunch. Fang San is in charge of the dishes himself. He is Chang Yu's royal cook.
In the room, Chang Yu closed a book. This was a list of spies placed by Jinyiwei in the homes of nobles and bigwigs in the capital. Some of them were servants, some were housekeepers, and they were all-inclusive.
Chang Yu was not surprised at all. No matter which dynasty the emperor was in, he liked to put spies in the homes of ministers and monitor their every move. Emperor Chongzhen was even more suspicious by nature.
"Zhou Kui, the head of the state, has been making a lot of noise recently, but no one pays attention to him. I can't rule out that his deep grudges are not good for you!" Wu Mengming looked worried, and Chang Yu hummed: "Our family is in the military, so we are not safe. Yu, but so far, apart from his wanton accumulation of money, no other clues have been found, such as conspiring to assassinate him? As long as he gets a little bit involved, he will never be able to stand up."
Wu Mengming shook his head: "We haven't found out yet. Zhou Kui's wealth is known to both the government and the public, but he is the emperor and the emperor, so no one can touch him. If you want to touch him, the factory director, you only have this little handle to bring him down."
Chang Yu smiled: "He and I don't have a deep hatred. Our family is just a loyal person entrusted by others!"
Wu Mengming was stunned and quickly shut up. He was an old man, so the less he knew about such things, the better, and he didn't want to get involved at all.
Boom, there was a knock on the door from outside, and a fan whispered: "Reporting to the factory, someone from the palace said that the queen invites you to come to the palace."
Chang Yu raised his brows, thought for a moment and said: "If you ask him to return to the Queen, just tell him that our family is busy with military affairs and can't get away, but as soon as the military affairs are over, he will immediately go to the palace to have an audience."
Awesome, Wu Mengming secretly sighed in his heart, the Queen was not shy when summoned, and he was worthy of being the first among the internal officials.
"Mr. Wu, do you know that the queen has invited our family, why don't we go?" Chang Yu looked at Wu Mengming with a half-smile.
"The factory supervisor is busy with military affairs," Wu Mengming said seriously.
Chang Yu laughed and shook his head: "No, I promised the brothers in the Yamen to have a drink at noon, how can I break my promise?"
Convinced! Wu Mengming raised his thumb and said: "Eunuch Chang, you are not just a master of power, you are simply a pampered parent! I must take your humble position into consideration!"
"Then our family will give you a good future." Chang Yu smiled slightly: "I won't let you eat, please come to the back door!"
Wu Mengming stood up and said goodbye.
When dinner started at noon, the first and second leaders of the third battalion of Dongchang, the personal guards of the young eunuchs, and several main leaders of Dongchang gathered together. Chang Yu, who always drank little in the laughter and laughter, also raised his glass to join the crowd.
Shi Kefa and Wang Jiayan in the Yamen of the Ministry of War frowned. The young eunuch entered Beijing last night and left the palace early in the morning. He went to the Dongchang Yamen behind closed doors and did not see any guests, not even the two of them. What kind of medicine is being sold in this gourd? Now the Qing army is We are about to cross the border, and the situation is so tense. As the boss of the Ministry of War, he doesn’t know anything and can’t help. This is too...
In Kunning Palace, Queen Zhou, who had always loved and cared about Chang Yu the most, was looking at the food on the table in a daze. She heard that Chang Yu had returned to Beijing early in the morning and wanted to meet her. She also specially ordered the imperial chef to make a few exquisite side dishes. She wanted to Chang Yu went to the palace to have lunch together and talk, but he was rejected!
Little did he know that there was another person in Duanben Palace who was dumbfounded looking at the carefully prepared meals on the table: "Linglong, Chang Yu is really not free?"
"Your Highness, the maid first asked Xiao Liuzi to invite him, but he didn't even enter the Yamen of Dongchang. The maid went there in person. Although the Yamen went in, he didn't see Eunuch Chang. He said he was busy with military affairs."
Zhu Cixiang was dejected: "It's impossible for him not to see me when he comes back. He must be really busy. Recently, Tatars passed through the border and left the customs. He suddenly returned to Beijing to meet the emperor late at night. He must have important things to deal with. Let's wait. Let’s watch it tonight.”
In Kunning Palace, Zhu Ainao was pacing back and forth holding a brocade handkerchief: "Qiao'er, is Chang Yu really back?"
"Back to Your Highness, my maid inquired that Eunuch Chang came back last night and was at the Waidongchang Yamen." The palace maid Qiaoer whispered.
"Can you ask him to come into the palace? Or let's go out?" Zhu Yuyao took it for granted. The palace maid looked troubled: "Your Highness, we can't go out because Eunuch Chunxiang is not in the capital. Moreover, my maid heard that Eunuch Chang was busy with military affairs and even refused the invitation from the queen and the prince."
"Ah! So busy! Yes, I heard that the Tatars are here again..." Zhu Yura sighed: "He has been leading troops to fight for so many days, but he has to tan and lose weight..."
Whether it's official or private matters, too many people want to see Chang Yu, but he's really busy.
He was not busy with military affairs, but busy with the toasts of his subordinates.
After a few drinks, Chang Yu felt a little dizzy and asked Jiang Fa: "Master Jiang, I heard that there is a kind of internal skill that can force wine out of the body?"
Jiang Fa shook his head: "Without any internal strength, the factory supervisor went to the latrine and peed and it came out."
Everyone laughed.
After eating this meal for nearly an hour, everyone was so happy that they were drunk. Chang Yu also flushed and washed his face with cold water. Then he returned to the room to take a nap, and then sent people to send Shi Kefa and Wang Jiayan to see them.
For more than 200 years since the establishment of Dongchang, everyone has always avoided rat droppings. The government and the public regarded it as evil and rarely interacted with it. Even during the Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian and other periods, there were many people who relied on it, but they interacted secretly, like thieves. , no one comes to the door as generously as now.
Shi Kefa from the Ministry of War, Wang Jiayan from the Fifth Army Governor's Office, Prince Consort Gong Yonggu and even some generals had visited. This was a big taboo in previous years. Ginseng was not used at all, and the emperor himself couldn't sit still.
But now, visits to the house are commonplace, and many people pretend to turn a blind eye.
The reason is very simple. The general trend is that the little eunuch is now at a critical juncture with the Qing army. Anyone who wants to stumble at this time is really asking for trouble.
Moreover, Chang Yu was ordered to supervise the army, so he naturally had to interact with these yamen, and Emperor Chongzhen also acquiesced.
Shi Kefa and Wang Jiayan stayed in Dongchang Yamen for nearly an hour before leaving in a hurry. No one knew what they talked about in the room. They only knew that when they left, their faces were solemn but there was a hint of excitement.
After the two left, Chang Yu walked around the yamen and went to Wuzhong's room. This guy was drunk and sleeping soundly. After checking, his injuries recovered quickly, and he was still alive and well in more than a month at most.
"Mr. Factory, can you come and have a look at your home?" Qiao Sanxiu asked in a low voice when she saw Chang Yu staring up at a grape tree in the yard. Only he and Song Luoyu among the personal attendants knew that Chang Yu actually had a home.
Chang Yu knew that he missed his son. Qiao Heling had been fostered in the Huangzhai in Guangqumen since he came to Beijing. Later, his wife followed the red lady to Beijing and lived there. He hadn't seen Qiao Sanxiu for several months and wanted to go back and see him.
After a moment of thought, Chang Yu ordered Qiao Sanxiu to prepare the carriage, and ordered the third battalion of Dongchang to wait outside Dongzhimen after dinner. Not long after, an ordinary carriage drove out from the back door of Dongchang, except for one coachman. There are no other followers.
No one would have thought that sitting in this ordinary carriage was the current Admiral of the East Factory of the Ming Dynasty. Some people even saw it and didn’t recognize it. After all, there were too few people who had seen Chang Yu’s face, and even few people knew his name. And little.
Keeping a low profile and doing things with a high profile is Chang Yu's motto. Especially since his special status does not allow him to be too public, because too many people are concerned about his head, so a spy leader must have a sense of mystery, both for others and himself. Benefit, just like Dai Li, the military boss of later generations, his whereabouts are erratic, and he was called one of the most mysterious people in Asia and China by the American Claire's magazine.
And Chang Yu wants to be the most mysterious person in Ming Dynasty.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Please vote if you like it, thank you for your support.
