In the Qianqing Palace, Dai Yitong reported his journey to the Renshou Palace.
"...Did the Imperial Grandmother just ask about my health? It seems that the Imperial Grandmother still cares about me and is only doing my best."
After hearing Dai Yi's words, Zhu Youtang felt a deep affection for his grandmother in his heart.
Dai Yi smiled and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, the servants are very happy to see you looking clearer and clearer day by day. I believe the Queen Mother cares about this the most, so she has to ask Mr. Zhang specifically."
Zhu Youtang nodded: "Where is Bingkuan?"
Dai Yi said: "Send someone to send him to Qingning Palace. He said that he needs to reserve a location for the copper pipe to enter the wall. He must give guidance on this matter."
Zhu Youtang sighed and said: "We agreed not to delay his preparation for the exam, so we summoned him into the palace to delay the time. After getting over it, we will see if there are any suitable things and send him some."
Dai Yi hurriedly reminded: "Your Majesty, you have given Mr. Zhang a lot of rewards recently. It is really unnecessary..."
"Yeah?"
Zhu Youtang didn't even remember what he had given Zhang Zhou. After all, it was not him who handled it. Instead, Dai Yi and other palace stewards were more concerned about it.
After all, if the emperor doesn't use those things, they will basically occupy them.
The emperor was literally picking things between their teeth.
In terms of feeling distressed, it is still distressing for them, the eunuchs in power.
"Your Majesty, since Mr. Zhang wants to prepare for the exam, why not send him some books, which will be helpful for him to prepare for the exam." Dai Yi suggested.
"Okay. You can go ahead and do it. How about the prince's side? After these few days, he won't be back to his old self, and his wild nature will be untamed, right?"
Zhu Youtang had a headache thinking about that son.
However, his son was able to make up for the homework that others would take a month or two to complete in more than ten days. The father was at least very proud of his son's intelligence.
Dai Yi said: "The prince is doing well recently, but..."
"What is that?" Seeing Dai Yi's embarrassed look, Zhu Youtang probably guessed that the prince had done nothing good.
Dai Yi smiled bitterly and said: "His Royal Highness, he... is just a bit noisy when he is not studying..."
"Can he stop being noisy for a day? In the past, God also deliberately trained him, letting him relax for a few days, and then strictly discipline him later. It would be great if Bingkuan could pass the Jinshi examination earlier..."
Dai Yi heard this.
The emperor didn't understand this, and wanted Zhang Zhou to be thrust into the Hanlin Academy and serve as a lecturer in the East Palace after he passed the imperial examination, regardless of his rank?
…
…
In recent days, Zhu Houzhao has been watching shadow puppet shows.
This shadow puppet show was brought over not by Zhang Zhou, but by Liu Jin.
Liu Jin calculated Zhang Zhou's method of coaxing Zhu Houzhao, and after summing up, he specially found a shadow puppet craftsman from outside the palace and made a set of things. The shadow puppet artist could not come in, so Liu Jin and a young eunuch would support the performance, so that the shadow puppet artist could not come in. The prince was relaxing after tea and dinner.
This trick really works.
For Zhu Houzhao, this shadow puppet show is equivalent to a cartoon. Although the plot is old-fashioned, Zhu Houzhao still enjoys watching it.
But Zhu Houzhao's patience in doing things is just three minutes of heat.
Within two days, Zhu Houzhao got tired of watching it.
That day, when Zhang Zhou entered the palace to see Queen Mother Zhou and was about to leave the palace, it was Dai Yi who told him that the emperor asked him to see the prince. After a little restraint, Zhang Zhou went.
I happened upon Zhu Houzhao watching a shadow puppet show there. This was probably why Dai Yi said, "The prince is a bit noisy."
"Mr. Zhang, do you think this thing is interesting? I found someone to get it back! It cost a lot of money."
For Zhu Houzhao, whether it was fun or not was secondary. He would brag to Zhang Zhou first.
Don't think that you are the only one with good stuff, so I will show you the awesome stuff I got myself.
Zhang Zhou smiled: "There are many shadow plays among the people, and I have seen them before."
"Have you seen it?" Zhu Houzhao was greatly surprised.
Then he glared at Liu Jin fiercely.
You old eunuch, you didn't say that this thing is rare in the world, but you also said that this outfit is so expensive that it cost me hundreds of taels of silver... I got the money from my two uncles.
Is love a scam for money?
Liu Jin looked aggrieved, but couldn't help but glance sideways at Zhang Zhou, as if blaming Zhang Zhou for exposing his method of making money.
Zhang Zhou said: "It's a shadow play, but it also depends on the plot, just like a storybook. If there is a good script, it will be much more exciting."
"That...seems like it is."
Zhu Houzhao suddenly smiled again, "Just say you are capable. Where is the good script?"
Zhang Zhou said: "I will ask Zhu Feng to bring it to you later. You must give me time to write, right?"
"Then you go back and write quickly. I won't disturb you today... Come, send it to Zhang Qing's house."
Knowing that Zhang Zhou had a script for a shadow puppet show, Zhu Houzhao didn't bother asking Zhang Zhou to play with him, and directly asked someone to send Zhang Zhou out of the palace.
meaning is.
You should go back and write it now, and send it to me as soon as you finish it. I don’t want to delay it for a moment.
…
…
Liu Jin became the one to escort Zhang Zhou out of the palace.
On the way, Liu Jin didn't say a word. He was so angry that he wished he could tear Zhang Zhou into pieces.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Eunuch Liu, are you not afraid of being scolded by His Majesty if you bring this thing in for the Crown Prince?"
Liu Jin kept walking and glanced sideways at Zhang Zhou.
He was still a little disdainful.
You can give toys to the prince, but we can't? Do you think His Majesty will come to the East Palace every day to see what the Crown Prince is doing? If it falls out of favor, just say it falls out of favor! What's the point of playing dirty tricks behind your back?
Zhang Zhou said: "The things are good, but I'm afraid that the prince won't be able to play with them for long. It's like the previous sand table exercise. You see, after only a few days, the prince has lost interest. So, let me help Eunuch Liu."
Liu Jin said in a neutral tone: "Thank you very much."
"It's all to make the prince happy, why are you so polite?"
There could be many books that Zhang Zhou would write for the prince when he went back, such as "Journey to the West" or "King Kong Calabash Baby", or plots based on Nezha's troubles in the sea.
Playing with the prince is secondary. The important point is... to let Liu Jin know the difference between people.
There is also the difference between playing and playing.
Otherwise, this old boy must have thought that he could coax the prince to play alone without being responsible.
"Eunuch Liu, I have a script here, but I'm afraid I need an expert to produce the materials for the shadow play. Is this funding..."
"What's wrong, Mr. Zhang, are you still planning to take care of it yourself?"
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Eunuch Liu has purchased for His Highness before, so he naturally has experience and channels. How about this, I will write the book and you will provide the materials. Everyone gets what they need, what do you think?"
"this……"
Liu Jin thought about it and realized it was profitable.
Zhu Houzhao had reimbursed him a hundred taels for the pile of junk stuff before. If Zhang Zhou helped him buy more errands, he would indeed be able to make a lot of money.
"OK."
"Then will Eunuch Liu introduce the person to me? Don't worry, I will only give him the book. He will contact Eunuch Liu directly. Eunuch Liu will negotiate the production costs and other matters."
"well!"
Liu Jin naturally thought this proposal was a good one.
There are a lot of people playing shadow puppets on the street these days. If Zhang Zhou really wants to complete it by himself, he can just find someone casually, but he will be worried.
Now he is basically taking the lead in the shadow puppet show, and Zhang Zhou is only a supporter.
…
…
Two days later, in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang met with Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites.
What was discussed was the autumn report to be held in a few days, that is, some details of the autumn sacrificial activities. Because Xu Qiong was related by marriage to Queen Zhang's family, after becoming the Minister of Rites, he was rarely able to frequent the Qianqing Palace. minister.
Just after the discussion was over, Xu Qiong was sent away.
Xiao Jing came over and said: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager sent someone here and said that she wanted to hold a fasting ceremony in the palace during the autumn lunar calendar to drive away the evil spirits in the palace. She also said that she wanted the married woman in Beijing to enter the palace. It’s commonplace to gossip.”
Zhu Youtang said: "Isn't the Imperial Grandmother a Buddhist?"
Dai Yi on the side smiled and said: "Isn't it true that Mr. Zhang is a Taoist? Mr. Zhang previously predicted the disaster in Qingning Palace and kept the Queen Mother safe. The Queen Mother may also want to follow His Majesty's wishes."
Everyone in the palace knew that Zhu Youtang believed in Taoism but not Buddhism.
It was not a big deal to hold a fasting festival in the palace, but it was only because the Empress Dowager Zhou, who had always believed in Buddhism, proposed this matter that Zhu Youtang found it strange.
Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager specially named me and asked Mr. Zhang to go with him that day."
"He can't do this."
Zhu Youtang had previously mentioned to Zhang Zhou that he wanted to do things in the palace, but Zhang Zhou refused because he didn't know how to do it.
Being able to refuse something so completely was in response to Zhu Youtang's obsessive trust in Zhang Zhou. If Zhang Zhou said that he knew everything, the emperor would doubt whether Zhang Zhou had an agenda.
The more Zhang Zhou made excuses and made excuses when nothing happened, the more Zhu Youtang believed him.
Xiao Jing smiled bitterly and said: "My servant also told the Empress Dowager so, but the Empress Dowager still insisted on letting him go. She also said with a smile that if he met a suitable lady from a famous family, she would help him match up..."
"this……"
Zhu Youtang was even more speechless, "I really don't know what to say about the imperial grandmother. Bingkuan is already married, so why would he care about this? Besides, they are all married women entering the palace, how can there be any unmarried noble ladies? Forget it, just go with it. According to the Royal Grandmother, please make arrangements."
"yes."
Xiao Jing didn't know what was going on and just asked for instructions according to the Queen Mother Zhou's instructions.
Dai Yi on the side had a strange look in his eyes.
Dai Yi can be the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, and his thinking is naturally superior to Xiao Jing and others, especially when he sent Zhang Zhou to Renshou Palace in person two days ago.
Think of various things.
The old lady had just met Zhang Zhou, and she immediately went out of her way to summon the married woman to the palace. She also seemed to want to call those unmarried ladies from famous families and asked Zhang Zhou to go by name... Could it be that something had already begun, and Zhang Zhou was going to go The purpose is to check?
Dai Yixin said, this is quite evil.
But isn't it too urgent? I'm afraid I can't hide it from the Empress of the Ming Dynasty who is the Lord of the Sixth Palace!
…
…
Outside the palace.
Zhang Zhou met an old craftsman brought by Zhu Feng in his workshop.
It was the person who previously supplied Liu Jin with materials for shadow puppetry.
Zhang Zhou said: "We are all working for the same person, that is Eunuch Liu. Without further ado, in addition to the materials for the shadow play, I also have a very good gimmick. Do you think I can make it?"
"Master, I don't understand what you are saying."
The craftsman had been doing crafts all his life and had never heard such a strange request.
Zhang Zhou took out the drawings he had drawn, which were in color: "Let's see if we can do it?"
"So clearly, sir, you are also in this business? You can just find a few pieces of leather to draw on yourself. Why do you need to find a small one?"
"Different."
There was an inexplicable evil smile on Zhang Zhou's face, "I have something better here, which is a real-life version of the outfit. If you can cut it out and tell Eunuch Liu, he will be very happy and will reward you well!" "
(End of chapter)
