The next day, the morning session ended in a friendly atmosphere between the emperor and his ministers. Although more than a dozen ministers, including three cabinet ministers, resigned due to the disaster in Qingning Palace, the emperor took the initiative to take responsibility for the fire and comforted the ministers present.
Even Tu Yu, who had made the emperor very unhappy before, was praised by the emperor.
"That's not quite right."
On the way to the cabinet room, Xie Qian expressed his doubts to Liu Jian and Li Dongyang.
Li Dongyang said: "Yu Qiao is saying that His Majesty didn't mention the matter of building the palace?"
"Yes." Xie Qian thought about it carefully and then looked at Liu Jianjin. "Don't you think your Majesty won't fix it? If you do, it should be discussed at court today."
Liu Jian kept walking and said: "We haven't even agreed on the position of the general manager of Ningyan, Gansu and Shaanxi. We are just using wood and stone for my relatives' family. Will Your Majesty be so worried?"
"Too."
Xie Qian nodded in agreement.
At court that day, he said he wanted to discuss who would succeed Wang Yue. As a result, the emperor canceled the establishment of the tripartite system on the grounds that the current situation in the northwest was stable.
In the Ming Dynasty, the position of the Trilateral Chief was not established permanently until the fourth year of Jiajing. After Wang Yue's death in the eleventh year of Hongzhi, it was not until the Tatars invaded Shaanxi and Gansu again in the fourteenth year of Hongzhi that the emperor appointed Qin Hong as the trilateral chief. The three-sided total system has been empty in the past few years.
However, the Ming Dynasty has permanent governors for key passes in the northwest, and the most popular candidates to succeed Wang Yue as the trilateral system this time are the four governors around the three sides.
They are Zhou Jilin, the governor of Gansu, Wang Song, the governor of Yansui, Xiong Chong, the governor of Shaanxi, and Wang Xun, the governor of Ningxia.
Li Dongyang said: "I heard that a lecturer has recently been added to the East Palace. He is from Beiyong's Gong family. He may come to the palace on days when there are no sutra banquets and daily lectures."
Liu Jian asked: "Where did you hear it?"
Li Dongyang shook his head and said he couldn't say, but both Liu Jian and Xie Qian knew that Li Dongyang's reputation among scholars was unmatched. Even Cheng Minzheng had to step aside. Li Dongyang also had many informants in the Hanlin Academy. They wanted to know what was said in the East Palace. Official matters are easy.
"Is this Jiangnan Jieyuan Zhang Zhou?" Xie Qian asked.
"Probably." Li Dongyang seemed unsure.
Liu Jiandao: "I asked Liu Shiheng and he said that Wang Jizhi saw the article named Zhang Gongsheng in the inner curtain and insisted on promoting him to Jieyuan. However, this man never came to visit him after arriving in the capital, but he often came through the palace gate. . Your Majesty also has a little too much trust in him. Let Jizhi try to send someone to ask him to go over and talk about it, so that he can prepare for the exam with peace of mind."
For civil servants, there is absolutely no room for dissidents who can make suggestions for the emperor.
Eunuchs' knowledge was always limited, but it would not be what they wanted if someone like Zhang Zhou, who came from an orthodox imperial examination, gained the emperor's trust but escaped the control of the civil servant system.
Of course, we can't directly exclude him with ruthless tactics. We need to gather them together first, and this task will also fall on Wang Hao, the master of Zhang Zhou's rural examination.
…
…
Zhang Zhou has been coming to the palace a lot recently, and Xiao Jing came to visit him personally on this day. After some hints, he asked Zhu Houzhao not to tell anything about what happened that day.
"Which thing?"
After entering the palace, Zhang Zhou pretended to be confused and asked Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing also learned wisely: "Mr. Zhang, what happened that day... I left the palace with His Majesty, and I was not on good terms with the Young Master. Which one is worth talking about?"
Zhang Zhou said: "What Mr. Xiao said makes sense."
After entering the East Palace, the daily lecture was over. Zhu Houzhao was playing with his sandbox in the back hall of Wenhua Hall after lunch. However, it was no longer a military exercise. Instead, he took the pottery sculptures made by Zhang Zhou and arranged them in a row. , written, directed and acted in a group of ceramic sculptures fighting.
"Zhang Qing's family, you're here. Let me wait for a while. Come on, let's have a game. The rules don't change."
Zhu Houzhao would probably play with the eunuchs around him, but this thing was very addictive at the beginning. For an irregular child like Zhu Houzhao, he would get tired of playing with good things.
He asked Zhang Zhou to play a game with him, not for entertainment, but because he wanted to win Zhang Zhou because of his desire to win.
Therefore, it was specifically proposed that the rules should remain unchanged.
Zhang Zhou said: "I am not here to have fun with the prince today."
"You don't want to give lectures to me again, do you? I studied all morning today and am exhausted. Even my father said that in the afternoon of the lecture, I only need to review the past and learn new things."
Zhu Houzhao was a little impatient.
It's okay for Zhang Zhou to use fun things to force him to study once, but he can't use this trick more often, otherwise the naughty child will be disgusted.
Zhang Zhou turned around and looked at Xiao Jing. Xiao Jing smiled bitterly and saluted, "Your Highness, I have resigned."
"Why are you not walking here?" Zhu Houzhao was impatient.
Xiao Jing originally wanted to hear Zhang Zhou's advice to Zhu Houzhao, but it seemed that Zhang Zhou didn't want him to listen in, so he could only leave in embarrassment.
After Xiao Jing left, Zhang Zhou opened the wooden box he brought with him, and there were two bamboo tube-like things inside.
"What is this?"
Zhu Houzhao picked up one of the bamboo tubes and weighed it in his hand, "Is it a bamboo tube?"
"This is a kaleidoscope." Zhang Zhou said, pointing to another one, "That is what I call a telescope that can see things in the distance."
"I do not believe!"
Zhu Houzhao was still more interested in the telescope. He didn't know how to use it after holding it in his hand.
Zhang Zhou pointed with a smile and said: "Put it in front of you, just like this... then look at the distance."
"Wow!"
Zhu Houzhao just glanced at the door and exclaimed, "I saw it, it's really... it's really like this."
Next to him, Liu Jin and other regular attendants from the East Palace looked very curious.
Just listen to what Zhang Zhou said, you can see far away with this thing in your hand. How far can you see? The prince said he saw it, but where did he see it? Can you see scenes thousands of miles away?
"Fun, fun!"
Zhu Houzhao put down the telescope and picked up the kaleidoscope: "How do you play this?"
Zhang Zhou gave some guidance and asked Zhu Houzhao to twist the kaleidoscope a few times. Zhu Houzhao saw different colors of light again.
"The effect will be better if you face the candlelight. Try not to face the sun as it may hurt your eyes." Zhang Zhou said, "There are also a few glass balls here for the prince to play with."
As he spoke, Zhang Zhou took out a few glass balls from the bottom of the wooden box, which were derivatives of glass firing.
Gu Dayong on the side came up and asked, "Is this a tribute?"
Zhang Zhou said: "No, a few gadgets are worthless."
"Zhang Jieyuan, isn't this valuable to you? If you put it on the market, dignitaries and dignitaries will flock to it, right?" Gu Dayong seemed to be very interested in collectibles and so on.
Eunuchs' hobbies are often linked to money.
He liked the glass ball provided by Zhang Zhou very much.
Zhang Zhou smiled and did not answer.
At this time, Zhu Houzhao had already taken his telescope to the door and looked around.
…
…
This time when Zhang Zhou entered the palace, he had no teaching tasks, but he had the responsibility to teach Zhu Houzhao how to behave. Simply put, he taught Zhu Houzhao what to say and what not to say.
We need to assess the situation.
Zhu Houzhao took a telescope and looked at it for a while, then sat side by side with Zhang Zhou on the steps in front of the Wenhua Hall. If anyone passed by from a distance, Zhu Houzhao would take a look through the telescope and smile obscenely.
Zhang Zhou said: "If this thing can be used on the battlefield, do you think it will have miraculous effects?"
"Yes!" Zhu Houzhao put down the telescope and looked at Zhang Zhou in surprise, "Doesn't it mean that our troops can see the opportunity? Have you told my father about this?"
"No, I plan to ask the prince to present this thing as an offering. What does the prince think?"
Zhang Zhou first gave Zhu Houzhao a good opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
Zhu Houzhao shook his head: "Even if I tell him, my father will not believe that I made it. He will definitely ask me where it came from, and I can only say that you made it."
Zhang Zhou said: "But what if the prince said, this is the thing you begged for from me? The prince took it back and played with it for a while, and suddenly he had an idea. This thing might be used on the battlefield. He thought about doing something for the Ming border army. , the idea came from you, do you think His Majesty thinks that the Crown Prince has grown up?"
"Huh? You still understand what my father is thinking, so I'll go right now..."
Zhu Houzhao was so excited that he immediately went to Zhu Youtang to show off the good things he had obtained.
Zhang Zhou reached out and grabbed him.
"what?"
"Prince, there's no rush to go. You're gone. What are you doing here? Can't you wait for me to leave?"
"Oh, too."
Zhu Houzhao sat back again.
Zhang Zhou pointed to the steps above and said, "Sit up a little higher. This is the palace. I am seen to be on an equal footing with the prince. Others may not know what they will do to me."
Zhu Houzhao said: "I'm not as tall as you when I sit up there. It's okay, Zhang Zhou, you are very capable and others don't dare to say anything about you. I heard from the people below that they are all afraid of you now, saying that you are the cause of a thunderstorm." You can chop people to death when you come down, which is more powerful than that Li Guang. Anyone who sees you now is like seeing the god of plague."
Zhang Zhou said: "I don't know how to do that."
"You really don't know how?"
There was a kind of eagerness in Zhu Houzhao's eyes.
The general meaning is, if you can even build such a fun thing, what does it mean to strike a thunderbolt? Can you teach me?
"No way!" Zhang Zhou was very sure.
"Tch, even if you know how to do it, you won't tell me. I still want to learn some real skills."
Zhang Zhou was speechless.
Is it true that being able to control wind and rain is your real ability? But what is going on in a naughty child’s head may be different from that of an adult.
"Prince, I have another purpose here, which is to teach the prince how to behave in the world." Zhang Zhou said.
"What is worldliness?" Zhu Houzhao was puzzled.
Zhang Zhou said: "To put it simply, if the queen is the prince, what should you say when you see something after you leave the palace with your majesty that day?"
"Say what you have to say?" Zhu Houzhao was straightforward. With his status, he didn't need to consider what others thought. The child's temperament was straightforward, and he would not have any worries.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "What the prince said is really good. If the prince sees Shouning Hou and Jianchang Bo, what will you say to them?"
"Uh... I will scold them. The palace wants to build a palace for the Empress Dowager, but you are using such shabby wood and stone. I will tell the queen mother that I want them to look good! Then they will obediently bring me good things... …Is it this way?"
"Um!"
Zhang Zhou discovered that this kid was also a talent.
He even understands the hints.
"Then they beg you, how should you respond?" Zhang Zhou said.
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I don't know how to do this, what should I do?"
Zhang Zhou said: "Of course, let them find a place to dispose of their own rubbish. But the prince can say that you can give them an idea and let them report on their own. Please ask your majesty to build the Zhang family's temple and use them in it." Their own materials, and besides the money spent by the court to buy materials, they will bear the remaining labor costs and so on. When the prince keeps secrets for them, won't he still get some benefits? "
"Snapped!"
Zhu Houzhao patted his thigh and said happily, "I think so too, let's go together!"
Zhang Zhou said: "Then, will you tell His Majesty or the Queen about this matter?"
"Of course I can't say it. If I say it, then my eldest uncle and second uncle will no longer be afraid of me. I can blackmail them for a long time in the future and give them whatever they want!"
(End of chapter)
