"Your Excellency, I am Jiangnan Jieyuan, Zhang Zhou and Zhang Bingkuan."
Zhang Zhou revealed his identity.
Qi Qing was startled at first, and then said in a suspicious tone: "Young Master, don't talk or laugh."
Zhu Feng lifted up his sleeves and said loudly: "Why don't you believe it? I am Zhu Feng who commanded the Jinyi Guards of the Ming Dynasty to conduct thousands of households. How dare I lie to you? Zhang Jieyuan also has important things to do when he comes to Beijing. How can he have time to follow him? How can a group of people compete with each other to learn more? A group of short-sighted people!"
At this time, Zhu Feng seemed to have hardened his temper. Finally, he no longer had to declare to the outside world that he was the second son of Duke Chengguo. He had a serious position, which sounded very prestigious.
"Ah."
When Qi Qing saw this posture, he immediately wanted to run away.
Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Qi Yuanrong, right? Your Excellency, please help me set up a game. I, Zhang Bingkuan, will personally represent the scholars from South Zhili and compete with the students from North Zhili to test my talents. Tang Yin can wait for now."
"Aren't you... kidding? With your reputation, whenever you go to a place and shout that you are Jiangnan Jieyuan, you don't even have to save money. Many people will definitely gather around you."
Qi Qing couldn't laugh or cry.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "That said, I don't have any connections, so it's better to publicize this matter in advance. When I saw you, I felt that you have great vision. It would be better to meet by chance than to meet by chance. It's up to you to save the money."
People like Zhang Zhou and Qi Qing quite appreciate the situation. After he arrived at Shuntian Mansion, he really didn't have any interpersonal relationships among the scholars. If someone can help him, it would be best if he didn't do it himself.
"You decide the price, I'll decide the time and location, you're responsible for booking the venue, and I'll contact you."
Zhang Zhou said, "I think the Yuesheng Teahouse outside the Imperial Academy is good. It is spacious and bright. Three days later at noon, I asked the scholars from North Zhili to arrive on time. I heard that Sun Qing, a fifteen-year-old boy who was tested in Shuntianfu Township Examination, could be He is said to be a young talent, and I just want to meet him."
"Remember, there should be no more than twenty people present. If there are too many people, please help screen them. Only those with high knowledge will be qualified to compete with me."
Qi Qing said in surprise: "Three days later? Twenty people? Can you...can you bear it?"
Zhu Feng said: "This mother is not visiting a brothel. Do you care whether she can eat or not? Just tell me if you can do it?"
"Yes, yes!"
Qi Qing was also a little vague.
Is this person Zhang Zhou? What if he is a liar?
After everyone gathered together, it was finally discovered that it was a fake. This would be a big joke...
"A few days ago, I was at the Yuesheng Teahouse and met the second young master of Beiyonglinji Restaurant. He knew me and I called him over."
Qi Qing suddenly felt a lot more at ease. Since someone knew him, he was not afraid anymore.
"Zhang... Jieyuan, how will we compare then?"
"You can compete with anything, but it's best not to compare with imperial examination articles. That kind of competition should be left to the examination room, where the chief examiner and fellow examiners will make public comments. This one... is better than poetry and poetry!"
As expected, a large number of scholars have arrived downstairs.
The scheduled conference is about to begin.
Zhang Zhou didn't want to get into trouble with the northern scholars too early. He said, "I'll tell Mr. Tang later that if he doesn't pass the exam, he will be suppressed by me for the rest of his life. Let him restrain himself and prepare for the exam. By the way, he Is there someone named Xu Jing beside you? Let’s warn each other! It’s not the turn of this Jiangnan scholar to come out and show off his power!”
…
…
Let's settle the matter with Qi Qing.
When Zhang Zhou and Zhu Feng were riding in the carriage together, Zhu Feng was still a little proud: "Brother Zhang, you are finally going to show off your skills! What you said before was so domineering. It is not even the turn of a Yayuan in Jiangnan to come out and win! Yes!" Is that what you said? Hahaha..."
Zhang Zhou frowned and said, "I'm competing with others. Why are you so excited?"
Zhu Feng said with a smile: "I thought about how you killed the northern scholars until they lost their armor. They admired you so much... This is because you can face other people's provocations and feel confident."
"Do you think I can win?"
"Of course you can! With your talent, Jiangnan Jieyuan, others don't know your ability, how can I not know it? You helped me get my current fame. Even His Majesty and the Crown Prince admire you. How can you win a few candidates?" Are you talking about it?"
Being praised by Zhu Feng.
Zhang Zhou thought to himself, almost making me feel dizzy.
It’s no wonder that since ancient times, kings and treacherous ministers like to have a lot of flatterers around them. It turns out that listening to flatteries is so relaxing.
"No, no, since it is a competition, there are always winners and losers. Besides, there is no first place in literature, and the level of talent and learning is sometimes difficult to judge. On the other hand, you, who is so handsome and talented among the young nobles, cannot compare to you. ah."
"Brother Zhang is so humble. If you take action, you must be superior to other heroes..."
Business blows off each other.
The kind that gets more exciting the more you blow it.
…
…
At night, inside the imperial palace Kunning Palace.
Empress Zhang had had the food heated twice, and after waiting anxiously for a long time, her husband was still nowhere to be seen.
"Queen." Zhang Yong came in and saluted.
Queen Zhang asked anxiously: "Where are your Majesty's people?"
Zhang Yongtong reported: "Eunuch Chen, who is the Supervisor of Ceremonies, said that His Majesty is teaching the Crown Prince in the Wenhua Hall and will not come over for dinner today."
"Wenhua Palace?"
Queen Zhang frowned.
Even if the husband usually cares about the prince's studies, he always calls him to the Qianqing Palace or the Kunning Palace to take exams. Why did he go directly to the Wenhua Palace today and not even return "home" after dark?
"Who else is accompanying His Majesty?"
Queen Zhang was naturally afraid that some palace maid might attract her husband's liking, so she deliberately found an excuse to teach her son.
Zhang Yongdao: "Eunuch Dai, Eunuch Xiao, the chief ceremonial supervisors, and the chamberlains of the East Palace are all here."
"Then you go and urge me. Just say that I have violated the peace today and you are worried about it. Please come back as soon as possible."
"yes."
…
…
Inside the Wenhua Hall.
At this time, the lamp has been turned on, and the Wenhua Hall is brightly lit.
A group of eunuchs are still cleaning up the various markers on the sand table and returning them to their original positions.
As for Zhu Youtang and his son, they were sitting at a small temporary table. Each of them sat on a small stool and held a rice bowl. In front of them were two plates of vegetables, one fish and one stir-fried meat with celery. The father and son ate very deliciously.
"...Father, I am not looking down on you. I am very good at marching strategies..."
While Zhu Houzhao was eating, rice grains were flying everywhere, boasting about his awesomeness.
In the previous games, Zhu Youtang only won once, and it was still a narrow victory.
The rest... were actually won by my son.
Although in terms of strength on paper, Zhu Youtang still followed Zhang Zhou in giving in to his son, which meant that the soldiers, horses, food and grass were not as many as his son, but it also made him very depressed about losing.
Why could Zhang Zhou win but he himself lost?
"Eat quickly! Eat more meat and don't be picky about food. I heard that you don't even eat fish with bones. Do you know that I couldn't eat fish even if I wanted to? Only by eating a full meal can I have strength."
In order to ease the embarrassment of losing the game, Zhu Youtang could only change the topic.
Zhu Houzhao said: "Father, haven't you been appointed as the prince since you were a child? The prince wants to eat fish, but he can't?"
"no the same."
When Zhu Youtang thought about his childhood experiences, his expression became very depressed, and his hands trembled unconsciously. It was obvious that that experience was like a nightmare for him, "Do you think that like today, I am the only prince? Do you know that your imperial grandfather has How many concubines are there? What is their attitude towards me? Alas!"
At the end of the sentence, Zhu Youtang sighed heavily.
As a prince, he grew up eating the food of hundreds of families. He was recognized as his ancestor by his father when he was five years old. When he was made the prince, his mother died immediately. When he was growing up, his parents were absent. He was always afraid, fearing that he would be poisoned.
That kind of feeling makes Zhu Youtang uncomfortable just thinking about it.
Of course, after he became emperor, some people said that Concubine Wan Gui showed no signs of harming the concubines and children in the inner palace, but Zhu Youtang knew very well that it was after Concubine Wan Gui lost her fertility.
Zhu Youtang only met his father when he was five years old in the eleventh year of Chenghua. Concubine Wan Guifei was already forty-five years old at that time. Before that, Xianzong's children either died in the womb or died shortly after birth.
Later, after the birth of Prince Zhu Youqi in the twelfth year of Chenghua, Xianzong seemed to suddenly have explosive fertility, and children were born one after another.
"Father, you should also eat more fish." Zhu Houzhao quickly put vegetables into his father's bowl.
Learn to be a good boy.
Zhu Youtang nodded.
The father and son were enjoying their time together, when Dai Yi came over and said: "Your Majesty, the Queen said that the phoenix body is against the law, please go back."
Zhu Youtang said: "Prince, did you see that? Your mother thought I was going to do something, so she came to remind me."
"Then father, please go back early." Zhu Houzhao seemed to understand his mother very well.
Zhu Youtang frowned and said, "Are you in a hurry to let me go?"
"My son, it's time to listen to a story and go to bed. Ha... I'm so sleepy."
Zhu Houzhao was indeed tired.
He will get tired of playing the same thing all the time. There are also wonderful martial arts stories waiting for him to listen to in the evening.
"Story? What story?" Zhu Youtang put down his bowls and chopsticks and grimaced.
Now Zhu Houzhao knew that he had made a mistake, and he hesitated for a long time to explain clearly.
Zhu Youtang immediately called Liu Jin and others. Liu Jin was worried about falling out of favor, so he took the opportunity to speak ill of Zhang Zhou: "... Zhang Jieyuan wrote a few scripts for the prince, and they were sent to him through the young master of the Zhu family a few days ago. , before the prince goes to bed every night, he will ask his slave to tell him..."
Zhu Youtang said coldly: "I just thought that Bingkuan has the charm of being a teacher. Why would he use these things to tease the prince? Where is the script?"
Liu Jin was about to get it, but after being glared at by Zhu Houzhao, Liu Jin felt a chill go down his spine.
In the end, Liu Jin just took out three booklets, in which there was only one story, less than half of it.
"Shooting Condor..." Zhu Youtang looked at it by candlelight, frowning deeply.
Zhu Houzhao said: "Father, these are just a few stories."
Zhu Youtang did not open it, but directly put the hand holding the book behind his back, and lectured with a straight face: "No one is allowed to practice with him on the sand table tomorrow. Anyone who violates the rules will be driven out of the palace after being punished with a stick! The husband must be punished." After you finish your homework, find someone to send it to me for inspection! If you are a little slack, just wait!"
After saying that, Zhu Youtang no longer looked like the loving father he had been before, with a ferocious look on his face and walked away.
Zhu Houzhao stood there, the light in his eyes could kill people.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty asked me, and I have to answer. No, I will take out the book "Shooting the Condor" that you have already heard. Otherwise...even if someone asks you later, I will say that I have never seen it before..."
Liu Jin is still pretending to be pitiful.
Zhu Houzhao said with an annoyed look on his face: "Huh! I'll deal with you later. That's what I use to open a bookstore with Zhang Zhou to make money. I hope Zhang Zhou has other manuscripts there, not just this one... That would be fatal Got it!"
…
…
Zhu Youtang came out of Wenhua Palace and was about to go to Kunning Palace.
He has never done this kind of thing like staying out at night in recent years. He is a bit like a good man from the old days.
"Your Majesty, I just sent a message that there are several memorials that you must make up your mind to write and approve." Dai Yidao.
"Um."
Zhu Youtang took advantage of the night and looked at the book in his hand. He wanted to throw it away, but he couldn't bear it. He was still a little curious, so he held it in his hand and said: "Then let's go to Qianqing Palace on the way. It won't delay much." when……"
