Zhang Zhou gave him the strategy, but he couldn't explain what it was specifically. Even if Zhang Heling blew his beard and glared, it would be useless.
This is equivalent to a hint.
It would be too incompetent for him to come forward on his own regarding the emperor's concubine.
Either the Queen Mother will come, or Queen Zhang or the Zhang family will come...
To achieve the necessary conditions, Zhang Zhou needs to go behind the scenes and make it appear that everything has nothing to do with him after the incident.
"Mr. Zhang, what did you tell Hou Ninghou before?"
On the way back, Sun Shangqi, who was driving the car, was very concerned about this issue.
This involves how he will do business in the future.
Zhang Zhou said: "Nothing, just a brief chat, by the way, return this gift to Your Majesty for me and let Eunuch Xiao go. Tell Your Majesty, just say that it is difficult for me to do what the Queen asked me to do, so I can only Return this gift."
"this……"
Sun Shangqi was in a dilemma.
He was thinking, just return this gift to the queen. What does it mean to return it to the emperor?
Zhang Zhou looked very leisurely. In the carriage, he held Wang Mingshan's waist with his hands. Isn't the feeling of those slender tentacles better than the girl from Jiaofangsi?
Pity.
I finally had the opportunity to see Ming Feng Yue, but I seemed to have missed it.
"Send it back. I work for your majesty or the court. What matters is how much I do and how much I get as a gift. If I receive a reward for something I can't do, I will feel uneasy. Thieves have their ways, not to mention that I am a minister."
"..."
Sun Shangqi was speechless.
How can this be compared to a robber?
Sun Shangqi was also worried in his heart. He originally wanted to learn some strategies for dealing with people from Zhang Zhou, but he found that he really couldn't learn many things. If someone really gave him these things as gifts, he wouldn't take them home quickly. ?
Even if you can spit this out... won't it hurt?
…
…
Qianqing Palace, late at night.
Zhu Youtang is still reviewing the memorials. He has not been to Kunning Palace in recent days. In his opinion, he will wait until the Zhang Yanling matter is concluded before going.
"His Majesty……"
Xiao Jing appeared in front of him and brought the wooden box that Zhang Zhou had given Sun Shangqi to the emperor intact.
"This is?" Zhu Youtang frowned.
Xiao Jing then told about Shouning Hou's invitation to see Zhang Zhou, and also explained that it was given to Zhang Zhou by Queen Zhang.
Zhu Youtang said slightly angrily: "The queen didn't ask me about Yanling, why did she ask Bingkuan? I gave Bingkuan these things to make Bingkuan think about other people when doing things in the future, and not follow me when he has big plans." Did you mention it?”
Hearing the emperor's words, Xiao Jing didn't even dare to breathe.
Originally Xiao Jing didn't really want to understand the reason why Zhang Zhou gave these gifts back, but now he seemed to think that Zhang Zhou was deliberately trying to sow discord between the emperor and the empress?
Zhang Zhou shouldn't do this, right?
But the emperor's anger was real.
"Your Majesty, calm down." Dai Yi, who was reviewing memorials at the prescription table not far away, hurried over to persuade him.
Zhu Youtang said: "Bingkuan can understand God's will, and he can always remind me and let me be on guard. Many of the suggestions he gave me were things that the court officials and you did not dare to mention. It is precisely because he is not bound by the secular world." You can be honest with me about etiquette, and I will feel that he is a pillar of the Ming Dynasty. But now, the queen wants to turn Bingkuan into a villain who likes others. Hasn’t the queen considered the consequences of doing this? "
Now Dai Yi and Xiao Jing seemed to understand why the emperor was so angry.
Xiao Jing said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, what Mr. Zhang means is that he loves money but takes it in a wise way. He will not take it if there is nothing he can do."
"He did the right thing." Zhu Youtang said, "If he has care in doing things, what is the difference between him and the courtiers? In fact, what I fear most is that after he becomes an official in the court, he becomes moderate and mediocre in order to agree with his colleagues. Be conservative. I don’t want him to be succumbed to the powerful. Tell him that if someone gives him a gift and asks him to do something for him, he can accept the gift, but he is not allowed to do anything for those people! "
Dai Yi and Xiao Jing originally thought that the emperor was going to ask Zhang Zhou to return all the gifts or hand them over.
After hearing what the emperor said, they were all surprised.
Can it still be like this?
Let Zhang Zhou collect money and not do anything?
"As time goes by, those people will naturally stop looking for him! But if he doesn't accept it, Dongchang will take over it temporarily." Zhu Youtang probably thought that Zhang Zhou had a good character and would not accept money for no reason. After all, even the queen gave him Everything can be returned. This is beyond the magnanimity of ordinary people.
So he added another sentence.
Xiao Jing was smiling bitterly.
Why is there still something going on with Dongchang?
Dai Yi asked: "Your Majesty, these..."
"Put it here and let the Queen take it back after the matter of Trillium is settled! It's not embarrassing enough!"
Zhu Youtang seemed to think that his wife was very shameful and she was simply bringing a black face to his husband.
Xiao Jing next to him seemed a little worried. After all, he was the one who connected the Queen and Zhang Zhou. If the emperor found out... then he might have to transfer to another position, or he might have to take up his position and live idle.
…
…
Early next morning.
The court meeting was coming to an end, and when it was time to disperse, Zhu Youtang seemed to have thought of something and said to the ministers present: "Dear ministers, I have spoken out. Recently, Uncle Jianchang was detained in Fusi, Beizhen. You are waiting for me. But you all know it, right?"
Of course the ministers knew about this, but it was a good thing that Zhang Yanling was imprisoned by the emperor.
Everyone wants to watch the fun, who will mention it?
Liu Jiandao: "Your Majesty, is it because there is a local gangster who plunders people's wealth in the name of Jian Changbo?"
"Yes and no."
Zhu Youtang's tone was very straightforward, "Actually, someone told me that God might punish me because of my favor for Zhang's relatives. So I have to do this."
The ministers present were in an uproar.
Can it still be like this?
Who mentioned this to the emperor? He is simply an expert!
Knowing that the emperor favored and trusted the Zhang brothers, it was impossible to attack the Zhang brothers. Instead, they simply used the emperor's most fearful providence as an excuse. But if this kind of thing didn't go well, it would be easy to get involved in it.
Just like the fire in Qingning Palace was thought to be Li Guang's fault, the ministers had been mentioning in front of the emperor that Li Guang should not build Yuxiu Pavilion, and the Empress Dowager Zhou was behind it to fan the flames... It was not a fire. You can force contact.
How confident was the person who made the proposal to the emperor that he could make the emperor think that something must be connected to Zhang Yanling's evil deeds?
Liu Jian continued to ask: "Your Majesty, I don't know who he is and what is the matter?"
"Don't ask about this." Zhu Youtang did not say that this was Zhang Zhou's suggestion, and he did not want to elevate Zhang Zhou to too high a position before Zhang Zhou became an official.
But among the ministers present, most of them thought of Zhang Gongsheng from before, who could almost accurately predict everything.
Besides him, who else could make the emperor take such a firm stance on the Zhang family issue now?
"As for the matter, it is very likely that there will be an earthquake in Jianchangwei, Jianchangfu, and Jianchang County. Dear gentlemen, let me put my words here. In the past few years, I have indeed been a little arrogant towards Zhang's relatives. , but they are my in-laws after all. If God is angry because of my appointment of them, then I will put things right in time. That’s it! Retreat from the imperial court!"
The emperor just put down his words, stood up and left without explaining much.
…
…
When the emperor left, as expected, the ministers started talking about it.
"Everything His Majesty throws out recently is so sensational. There is an earthquake in the place. This is clearly what Gongsheng named Zhang could have predicted. Can he really spy on the secrets of heaven and be able to control every situation?"
The person who spoke this time was Yuan Shouzhi, the general envoy.
Yuan Shouzhi deliberately said this loudly before the ministers left the Meridian Gate, so that all the ministers present could hear it.
Tu Yu went over and reminded him in a low voice, which probably meant that we should talk about it on the way out of the palace.
Because Zhang Zhou was targeting Zhang Yanling and Zhang family relatives this time, the ministers did not have as much resistance as before.
"Mr. Liu Ge, what do you say?" After leaving the Meridian Gate, a group of people still surrounded Liu Jian and Xie Qian.
This meeting reflects the disadvantage of Li Dongyang's absence. If Li Dongyang were there, Li Dongyang could come out to set the scene without Liu Jian having to say anything.
And because Xie Qian usually laughed and cursed too much, he couldn't be strong in front of others.
Liu Jiandao: "If something happens, it's not too late to make amends. I just hope that God will not vent his anger on the people."
This means that if the earthquake is relatively mild and only shakes a few times, that is a good thing for us.
The emperor knew God's warning to him and punished Zhang Yanling. Even if someone jumped outside the framework of the court and gave the emperor advice from alchemists, there would be no loss to us.
"right!"
This time, Tu Jing came out and spoke, "The people are at peace only when the court is at peace, and we can also feel at ease. Everyone, please don't talk too much. Just wait for a few days to see if this matter comes up."
Yuan Shouzhi emerged from the crowd again and asked: "How can we repeatedly fail to say that there is an earthquake? This has never been heard of since ancient times."
Liu Jian also shook his head and said nothing to this group of people.
According to common sense, it is indeed impossible for people to know about earthquakes in advance, let alone to be predicted again and again. However, some people dare to predict it, and they are right every time... Who can reason with this?
Isolated evidence does not stand up, but is it isolated now?
Even Liu Jian began to doubt that Zhang Bingkuan really had great powers, right?
This kind of person is not aggressive.
…
…
The path Liu Jian and Xie Qian want to take is different from these people.
When the two arrived at the cabinet, Xie Qian asked with a smile: "If Zhang Bingkuan enters the court, how should we get along with him? Even if his official position is low, he can have a place in this court!"
Xie Qian can see it now.
The combined influence of the ministers may not be as great as Zhang Zhou alone.
"What do you think, Yu Qiao?"
Liu Jian asked back.
Xie Qian shook his head: "It is Li Guang, not Li Guang, a civil servant, but not a civil servant. Doing meritorious services for the court can also be loyal to the emperor and the country, but once you become a near-sycophant, it means that you will not be tolerated by the world and will not be partial for a while. How can it be possible to be impartial in everything? If this continues, or the subjects only think of Zhang Zhou and do not know that there is a court, we should curb it."
"How to control it?" Liu Jian asked another question that was like soul torture.
Xie Qian was startled.
He could tell from Liu Jian's reaction that his intention was to limit it as much as possible.
As the chief assistant, Liu Jian probably wanted to completely "control" Zhang Zhou and strangle Zhang Zhou's career.
(End of chapter)
