Zhu Youtang was walking on the way back to Qianqing Palace, his steps were as fast as flying, and his face looked very proud.
Dai Yi, who was standing next to him, didn't quite understand why the emperor was so happy even though none of the matters discussed in the court today seemed to have been accomplished.
"Did you see it? As long as I don't mention promoting Wang Yue, they will stand against me giving Wang Yue a marquis. But when I proposed to let the censor of Zuodu and the minister of war be responsible for the military affairs of the three sides, I also mentioned that I would let them After returning to the court, their attitude immediately changed. Who doesn't focus on immediate interests?"
Zhu Youtang said with a smile.
Dai Yi asked: "Does your Majesty want to increase the rank of Wang Shilang, or promote him to a noble rank?"
"Of course, it is Wang Yue's own choice to promote him to a noble title. I am just fulfilling his wish. Bingkuan gave me such a proposal, which is very good."
When Zhu Youtang said this, Dai Yi finally understood that this was Zhang Zhou's suggestion.
Last night's candlelit night talk was in vain.
Because Dai Yi was not there for the whole process yesterday, he didn't know when this conversation took place.
Dai Yi was also thinking about whether this Gongsheng student really dared to propose that he use the promotion of Wang Yue to coerce the civil servants into giving in to his grant of titles. Even the Supervisor of Ceremonies would not dare to mention this kind of suggestion casually, but he dared to do so.
He himself will also be a civil servant in the future, no worries?
"Go over and tell Bingkuan that he should go to the back hall of Qianqing Palace and let him listen to whatever was said in front of him. I will also offer to record his achievements for him! Go ahead."
Before arriving at Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang specifically asked Dai Yi to call Zhang Zhou.
It simply means to let Zhang Zhou "listen to politics behind the curtain".
Even Dai Yi was thinking, what kind of treatment is this?
…
…
In the Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Youtang sat on the chair behind the desk, and four people, Zhang Mao, Liu Jian, Xie Qian, and Ma Wensheng, stood below.
Only Dai Yi and Chen Kuan, the chief ceremonial officers, stood on both sides of the emperor.
In fact, Xiao Jing was also listening, but he was standing next to Zhang Zhou in the back hall.
The so-called back hall is behind the high seat, plaque and screen in the bright room. In fact, as long as Zhang Zhou coughs inside, people outside can hear it.
When Zhu Youtang came up, he expressed his proposal to take Zhu Fu, the Duke of Chengguo, as the chief military officer in Yansui. This was something he had said in the court before.
Zhang Mao naturally had no objection.
In the inner court, even Ma Wensheng, Liu Jian and Xie Qian did not raise any objection.
Who should I send to go?
Since the emperor believes in Zhu Fu so much now, let Zhu Fu go. Anyway, the little Tatar prince, Dayan Khan Batu Meng, has probably disappeared by now. No matter who goes, he will be used as a vase.
Then the emperor seemed to be serious in his words and said: "As for the credit of the mighty gunpowder, several members of the Qing family have seen the success report, so they should know it in their hearts, right?"
Four people, including Zhang Mao, all heard that the emperor was intending to mention Zhang Zhou's achievements.
Xie Qian said: "Your Majesty, the mighty sky gunpowder played the most important role in this battle, but it is so powerful and does a lot of damage. If it is to be used in the future, it will inevitably be restricted in terms of the occasions where it can be used. And Di Yi went through this battle We must be on guard in the future.”
Still the same old routine.
First confirm what the emperor means, and then express your personal thoughts.
Just praise first and then step down.
The new gunpowder is powerful, right? We admit it! But the problem is that this new gunpowder is easy to damage itself. Seeing as how it blew up my head, if you say it is Wang Yue's fault, it is better to say it is the fault of the person who invented the new gunpowder!
How sufficient is this argument?
Zhang Zhou was already laughing when he heard this from behind.
Xie Qian, who was especially talkative, was indeed very eloquent, and the good things he said were so unflattering. Zhang Zhouxin said, if I had to ask you at the scene, then gunpowder is not for human use? Explode wherever people let it explode? Will it grow legs and go out to explode on its own?
Because we are afraid of innovation and bring about some changes, we have to stick to the old ways, which becomes a rotten Confucian mentality.
What do you say?
Talk about moderation, talk about ancestral system, talk about immutability.
No wonder no matter how capable you are, the emperor is still wary of you, and cannot fully accept your opinions when he has them, because deep down you people want to keep the emperor and Ming in a state of complacency.
Zhu Youtang's tone was calm, and he asked: "How should the merits of the mighty sky gunpowder be drawn up?"
Don't ask Zhang Zhou, just ask what the merits of this gunpowder are.
Xie Qian was very clear-minded and knew that the emperor was seeking credit for Zhang Zhou. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Zhang Mao came out and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the powerful sky gunpowder can take the lead in this battle."
As soon as these words came out, Ma Wensheng and others took a breath.
Old Man Zhang wanted to do something different today. From what he heard, he wanted to step on Wang Yue and lift up Zhang Zhou!
If gunpowder is regarded as the first contribution, then Wang Yue will only accompany the meritorious service. Then Wang Yue's contribution will be low, and the title he will receive is not high. Wouldn't it affect the status of the British lineage?
"The first achievement is an exaggeration." Even if Zhu Youtang brags about Zhang Zhou's awesomeness, he still knows it in his heart, "No matter how powerful the sky gunpowder is, it still uses people. It depends on how people coordinate it. Wang Yue is in this battle It was well planned and able to achieve a great victory, and everyone in the army highly praised it. At this time, I just want to explain to a few of the effectiveness of gunpowder in this battle, and the deterrent it can have on the Tatars in the future. .”
Zhu Youtang did not rush to take credit for Zhang Zhou.
More importantly, it is for the few people present to think about it. With this thing, will the Tatars dare to invade the country in the future?
Take a long-term view.
The merit lies in the future.
Ma Wensheng seemed to have different opinions on this. He said: "Your Majesty, if the gunpowder falls into Di Yi's hands today, I'm afraid... it will be even more harmful to our Ming Dynasty!"
Xie Qian also helped: "Yes, your majesty, with the help of Tiangunpowder, I am afraid it will be difficult to garrison the Guancheng Fortress here. Doesn't it mean that our Ming Beiguan Fortress will be useless in the future? In the future, the Tatars will extend the war to the capital, I'm afraid There will be big trouble too.”
Ma Wensheng and Xie Qian sang in harmony to remind the emperor.
Such a powerful thing is of little use on the grassland, because there are no fortresses on the grassland that we need to blow up, but if it falls into the hands of the Tatars, it will be bad. My Ming Dynasty's city gate fortress will not be used against the Tatars in the future. In other words, is it useless?
In summary……
This mighty heavenly gunpowder is worse than not having it.
Zhu Youtang looked unhappy and said, "Does that mean you're going to stop eating because of choking?"
Ma Wensheng said hurriedly: "This is not what I meant, but to remind your majesty that the secret of the preparation of this gunpowder should be kept."
Zhu Youtang was so angry.
Whenever you talk about something, you can always find different angles to attack it. It seems that only by sticking to the old ways can you meet your expectations. Now even the invention of a powerful gunpowder can be said so badly by you.
Are you civil servants all from a gangster background?
Dai Yi on the side smiled and said: "Please rest assured on this point. Very few people in the court know the formula of the mighty gunpowder, and the materials are only widely stored in our country, the Ming Dynasty, and are rarely produced on the grasslands."
Xie Qian said: "This will not make the Tatars explore the method of mixing? If they capture one or two craftsmen, or bribe them..."
"Mr. Xie Ge." Zhu Youtang really couldn't stand listening any more and said coldly, "If the research and preparation of a weapon is really stopped because it is too powerful, then in the future the Ming Dynasty will probably have to rely on bows and crossbows on the frontiers. , spears to garrison, wouldn’t the Tatars study it on their own? If the Tatars have it, but the Ming Dynasty does not, then the people who should be worried about it will be the court, me and all the ministers, right? "
Zhu Youtang also felt puzzled.
We have developed a good thing. How about you describe the good thing as bad and then educate me here?
Several people present fell silent.
Zhu Youtang said: "The mighty heavenly gunpowder was used on the battlefield for the first time, and it exerted an extremely powerful effect. However, this thing has a characteristic, that is, it cannot be stored for a long time. It must be prepared freshly."
Several people don't quite understand that such a powerful thing cannot be stored for a long time? What's the point?
"In the follow-up, I will ask Zhang Zhou and Zhang Qing's family to continue to study it. The reliability will be improved a lot. Then I will ask people from the Ministry of Industry to cooperate with him."
The emperor finally mentioned Zhang Zhou's name.
"Based on the role of the sky gunpowder in this battle and the deterrent effect of guarding the pass in the future, I originally wanted to record merit for Zhang Zhou, at least a secondary merit, and even give him a knighthood..."
"His Majesty!"
This time it was Liu Jian who came forward.
"Mr. Liu Ge, you don't have to say it first. The Zhang Qing family rejected this matter."
Liu Jian and others were also surprised by the emperor's words.
The emperor found a reasonable excuse to give Zhang Zhou a count, but Zhang Zhou didn't want it?
Zhu Youtang said: "I also accept his reason, that is, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, no one has been crowned in this way. No matter how great or small his merits are, he must abide by the ancestral system."
Xie Qian couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
As expected, he is a scholar, very pedantic. You don't even want to give you a title. He knows the current affairs!
Don't say that you have made meritorious deeds in the northwest by relying on heavenly gunpowder. Even if you are just an alchemist, the emperor wants to give you a title, which is just a matter of words. What's more, you have saved the little princess and predicted fires and earthquakes. Your ability... Others cannot find fault if they want to.
"He is a civil servant, and he also wants to be an official in the same court as you in the future. He has taken part in the examination this time. It doesn't matter if he can pass the high school. If he fails... I have previously completed the selection of tributes with the Imperial Academy, and he will use his head to It’s on the list.”
After speaking, Zhu Youtang asked Chen Kuan to show the results of the previous selection to Liu Jian and others.
Zhu Youtang said: "If he is not selected as a Jinshi, he will be selected by paying tribute and reviewed by the Hanlin Academy. Do you have any objections?"
Several people have seen the selection list, and it seems... quite fair and just. People from the Hanlin Academy came forward. Cheng Minzheng and Xu Han, who were the spokespersons of the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial College, were all involved. Obviously, the emperor was doing something to get Zhang Zhou to serve. It took some preparation.
No one answered.
Zhu Youtang could only ask alone: "What do you think of Liu Ge?"
Liu Jiandao: "Your Majesty, there seems to be no precedent."
Zhu Youtang asked: "Can't I set this precedent?"
Liu Jian hesitated for a moment and then said, "Yes!"
It wasn't that Liu Jian didn't want to object this time, it was because he saw that the emperor was too determined to use Zhang Zhou. Besides, Zhang Zhou was selected through a reasonable and reasonable tribute selection. Let's not say whether this selection was prepared for Zhang Zhou alone. Yes, at least from the organizer's point of view, the methods and methods are all compliant.
Zhang Zhou met the conditions to enter the court without passing the imperial examination.
(End of chapter)
