East Palace.
Zhu Houzhao sat opposite Zhang Zhou, and the teacher and student looked at each other like this, as if they were deliberately trying to see each other. In the end, Zhu Houzhao's eyes were so dry that he couldn't bear it, so he blinked and then rubbed his eyes.
"Your Highness, are you okay?" Gao Feng asked with concern on his face.
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, ignored other people's concerns, and continued to glare at Zhang Zhou: "Zhang, I am still waiting for you to go to the northwest, personally lead the troops into battle, and flatten the grassland in one fell swoop. It seems that you are not doing much either. Let others charge forward, and you will get a lot of credit!"
Zhang Zhouyi said with an indifferent expression: "The prince has given you the award."
"Am I rewarding you? Can't you understand what I mean?" Zhu Houzhao now looked like a half-grown boy, with more opinions and a slightly hoarse voice.
Gao Feng said: "His Royal Highness, Mr. Zhang, please don't hurt your friendship and talk to us if you have anything to say."
It seems that Gao Feng is also afraid that Zhu Houzhao will fall out with the only gentleman who can control the situation, and with Zhang Zhou's current position in the court, there will be no good results in offending Zhang Zhou. Maybe Zhang Zhou thinks that they, the eunuchs of the East Palace, are sowing discord. ?
Zhang Zhou said coldly: "If I level the grassland, when the prince reaches adulthood, he will be willing to face the empty grassland and not want to do anything by himself?"
"Damn!" Zhu Houzhao patted his thigh, "Of course I have to go into battle personally and subdue those disobedient brats in the grassland in one fell swoop!"
Zhang Zhou said: "Even if the prince really has the opportunity to go into battle in person, shouldn't he fight a prepared war first? Without preparation, can he win just by talking? Today's firearms represented by artillery are indeed very powerful, but they do not have enough iron. How can we build so many cannons? Can great things be accomplished with just cannons and no cannonballs?"
"If we go to the battlefield and only fire one round of artillery, then it goes silent. How different is it from having no artillery? Any war is completed by the accumulation of resources. Even when the Tatars invade our Ming Dynasty's border, we will prepare With two weapons, only a childish person would think that winning a war relies on the so-called art of war and cunning tactics, and everything still relies on the most basic accumulation!"
Gao Feng on the side was anxious.
Why do you still call the prince "childish"?
Isn’t it that whichever pot is not opened should be picked up?
Zhu Houzhao said "Oh", as if he had been taught something, and asked: "That means, if I wait until I am an adult and then level the grassland, will there be tens of thousands of artillery pieces to bombard the grassland indiscriminately?" , can you casually blow up hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry?"
Zhang Zhou said: "Why do you need so many? Thousands of cannons are lined up. Do you know how much area can be covered? If you want to fight the Tatars, the Tatars will also go around you. Then you have to fight for speed. , ride a horse and use a flint gun to chase... Whether it is a long-distance battle or a close-quarters battle, you can suppress it in terms of strength."
"Oh oh oh." Zhu Houzhao didn't have a bad temper now, "Okay, hurry up and make preparations. When I grow up, I will be the commander-in-chief and you will be the deputy-general. Let's go..."
At this point, Zhu Houzhao seemed to be afraid that Gao Feng and others would report his feelings to his father. He glared at Gao Feng and said, "What else do you have to do here? Get out of here! I still have matters involving military aircraft and other matters." , I need to discuss with Mr. Zhang, get out!"
"yes."
Gao Feng looked at Zhang Zhou with an aggrieved look.
I thought to myself, I was originally worried that you two would be at odds, but now I know that you, surnamed Zhang, really know His Highness’s pulse. Knowing that His Highness wanted to personally lead the troops to conquer the grassland, you deliberately said this.
But the problem is, even if the prince comes of age, as long as he is the prince and has no younger brother, your majesty will not let the prince go even if he is the commander of the expedition, right?
…
…
After Gao Feng and other eunuchs all retreated.
Zhu Houzhao complained in front of Zhang Zhou.
"...You don't know that my father has not been reasonable at all recently. He has grounded me for nothing and has not allowed me to go anywhere. I haven't left the palace for a long time." Zhu Houzhao raised his head and thought for a while, "Go up. When did you leave the palace for the first time? I can’t even remember!”
Zhang Zhou squinted his eyes. The boy looked more and more like a harem.
Zhu Houzhao said: "Since you are back, do you want to tell my father to let me go out more? I don't ask for anything else. I will go with you to see the artillery show, and I won't run around. Is that okay?"
Zhang Zhou said: "There is no hope. The north is not at peace now, and the capital is often under martial law. Your Majesty, you are the heir to the throne, how can you let you be in danger so easily?"
"Then...that means that if I had several younger brothers, my father would let me out?" Zhu Houzhao seemed to understand Zhang Zhou's hint.
Zhang Zhou asked: "Then how many more heirs do you want His Majesty to have, and how many more brothers do you want?"
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while, nodded and said, "There's nothing wrong with it."
"Aren't you afraid that they will steal your position as emperor's heir?" Zhang Zhou smiled. He had never heard of becoming a prince. He hoped to have more younger brothers. You must know that Zhu Houzhao was not much appreciated by his father, even if the Ming Dynasty had the eldest son of the emperor. The inheritance system is there, how do you know that Zhu Youtang will not dethrone his position as prince?
Zhu Houzhao said: "Don't be afraid. Anyway, I am the eldest son of my mother, unless I die... If I really die, then who will inherit the crown prince? I am buried in the grave, who cares who inherits?" Where is the throne? Can I handle it? "
"hehe."
Zhang Zhou quite admired Zhu Houzhao's open-mindedness and confidence.
It seems that Zhu Houzhao doesn't know how much nonsense he is, nor does he know that his father loves him and hates him.
This boy's naughtiness is deep in his bones... Zhang Zhou also thought that if Zhu Houzhao were replaced by his father and experienced what his father had experienced, the environment would develop Zhu Houzhao into a cautious and self-denying person. king, like his father, or will he continue to be so?
Now that I think about it, this kid was probably tortured to death long ago, and the throne will never be passed to him.
"Okay, I'll find an opportunity to talk to you. If you really have a chance to leave the palace, you must be honest and obedient, otherwise I will be causing trouble for myself."
"Don't worry, you don't know my temper yet? I am the most disciplined person. I have promised not to wander around after leaving the palace, and I will definitely not wander around! Hehe."
While making the promise there, he was smiling unconsciously.
It seems that he himself knows that breaking one's word is the privilege of a child. He can't give me anything fun to do outside the palace, and he still wants me to stop running around?
It's not that I'm naive, it's that you are too naive.
…
…
After Zhang Zhou recovered from his illness, he returned to work and became the prince's official again, which meant that the prince's ban was officially lifted.
But in fact, Zhu Houzhao often goes to see Zhu Youtang and his wife recently.
Zhu Houzhao's birthday is on the 24th of the 9th lunar month. As the prince's Qianqiu Festival, the court usually held some celebrations, such as officials saluting him. However, the most exciting thing recently did not involve Zhu Houzhao, but Zhu Houzhao. Zhu Youtang, Youtang's younger brother, asked about the affairs of Hengzhou Prefecture where King Yong was stationed.
According to the Ming Dynasty's regulations, before the vassal king, especially the emperor's brother, came of age and passed away to the vassal, some farewell ceremonies would be held in the capital, and officials would even go to his mansion in the capital to salute.
The vassal king would also enter the palace to pay homage to the emperor. This farewell was probably the last meeting between the brothers in their lives. Of course, there would be many vassal kings who would allow them to come to the capital to pay homage in the middle of the journey, so there were only a few opportunities.
In the eyes of the world, Zhu Youtang was nothing special at all. He was neither Zhu Youtang's eldest brother nor the most capable. Anyway, he was just a very ordinary vassal king.
In Zhang Zhou's view, the biggest difference between this man and other vassal kings is probably that his mother, like Xing Wang Zhu Youqi, was Concubine Shao, who was later the Queen Mother Shao.
"Mr. Zhang, your Majesty's wish is that others can go see King Yong, but you don't have to go."
When Xiao Jing sent Zhang Zhou out of the palace that day, he said something special.
Zhu Youtang was probably also afraid that the vassal kings would try to use Zhang Zhou's power to do something, so he avoided letting his younger brothers see Zhang Zhou.
If Zhu Youtang had more sons, he probably wouldn't have to worry so much.
Zhang Zhou asked: "If he insists on visiting my house, should I also turn him away?"
"No." Xiao Jing said with a smile, "How could King Yong come out to meet the ministers easily before he became a vassal? He should know the rules. And even if you turned him away, His Majesty wouldn't say anything. . Do you have anything else to say to him? If so, our family can convey it to you."
Zhang Zhou said: "The only thing is, listen to His Majesty's advice when choosing Prince Yong's Mansion, otherwise... you will suffer disaster."
"this……"
Xiao Jing didn't quite understand what Zhang Zhou meant.
In fact, the vassals of the Ming Dynasty were very superstitious and stubborn in choosing their residences.
When they arrived in their own vassal territory, they rarely directly accepted the mansion given by the emperor. Most of them asked to move the mansion to a place they thought was better.
This... is actually traceable.
If their vassal mansion was built by the imperial court, the emperor wanted to suppress their luck and keep them trapped in the lord's mansion. Even if it wasn't there... they would think there might be one, so it would be better to find one. You can apply to build a house in a place you like more... or even move it to another city or vassal, and it will even be approved.
After King Yong became the vassal, he moved his residence to a place he liked, and then... died in the Hengzhou earthquake in the second year of Zhengde.
A typical person who won't die if he doesn't work hard.
Xiao Jing asked seriously: "What's the point?"
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Eunuch Xiao, are you going to report this to Your Majesty truthfully?"
"Uh..." Xiao Jing looked embarrassed.
If Zhang Zhou really has something to say to King Yong, Xiao Jing, as the admiral of Dongchang, cannot hide it. This is a taboo.
And when he asked Zhang Zhou what he wanted to say to King Yong, he was also deliberately trying to cause trouble for Zhang Zhou.
Logically speaking, there should be nothing to remind Zhang Zhou of submitting to a vassal king.
Zhang Zhou said: "I guess that in the next few years, the ground in Hengzhou may not be peaceful. What kind of natural and man-made disasters will happen? It's not close yet, so I can't predict it well. But if King Yong insists on going against the trend and evading If he opens this matter, the consequences will be very bad for him... So he should stay within his own fiefdom, so as to save his life."
"ah?"
When Xiao Jing heard that it was to "save his life", he was very surprised.
This was not a message to King Yong, but almost a threat.
Probably saying, if you, King Yong, listen to your brother, everything will be peaceful and your life can be saved; if you don't listen, your life will be hard to save!
"I know, I know." Xiao Jing wiped the cold sweat from his head after a brief silence.
I was also thinking in my heart, Zhang Bingkuan was the only one who could send the vassal king to join the vassal and give such "advice", right?
…
…
September thirteenth.
After the court meeting was over, Zhu Youtang summoned Tu Fu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and three members of the cabinet alone.
None of the four people knew what the specific matter was.
When they arrived at Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang handed the two things to four people for review.
"Many people from several ministers' families have complained before, saying that Bingkuan's time as an official was still short, so he was asked to connect the destiny of the Ming Dynasty with heavenly secrets. The words of the alchemist itself cannot be fully accepted, and now he is placed in a high position. He has no experience in running a country and is prone to disaster."
Several people present felt very comfortable after hearing this.
The things mentioned by those who submitted the memorial are exactly what we have in mind.
Your Majesty, aren't you just using alchemists to govern the country?
"Here is the list of local personnel submitted by the Ministry of Personnel today. It is the list of candidates that Bingkuan mentioned a few days ago and who he thinks are suitable. Can you see if there are any similarities?"
Zhu Youtang made it clear.
The two are also reports on employment, and one is the staff transfer made by the Ministry of Personnel based on assessments over the years, ratings, etc.
The other one is Zhang Zhou's own "inspection" to speculate on the list of people the Ministry of Officials may employ.
After the four people saw it, they were all shocked. Although the order and other things were different, the imperial court may not have mentioned certain positions, or Zhang Zhou did not mention them when the Ministry of Personnel mentioned them... But the list is basically the same. Even in the arrangement of some important positions such as the Chief Minister's Department and the Inspector's Department, we have done everything right.
Li Dongyang frowned and said, "Your Majesty, is this really... what Zhang Zhou planned a few days ago?"
Zhu Youtang said: "You can also think that it is his prophecy or speculation about people's hearts, but I don't think so. I think he is very proficient in the affairs of the court, even in matters such as the employment of personnel. You should have your own opinions.”
Xie Qian stared at Tu Yu with doubtful eyes.
Probably you are saying that your officials leaked the employment list to Zhang Zhou in advance, so that Zhang Zhou could report it to the king in advance and take the opportunity to show your Majesty that he knows people?
Tu Yu handed the two things back to Xiao Jing with trembling hands and asked for an order: "Your Majesty, I think this is... nonsense."
Zhu Youtang looked relaxed and said with a smile: "You don't mean to say that Bingkuan got the leaked list within your official department, so you made such a prediction? Or do you mean that you doubt someone in the official department?"
He didn't say it clearly, so he probably just said Lin Han's name.
As Lin Han was the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he was still responsible for many assessments and other matters. Lin Han was now promoted due to Zhang Zhou's relationship. Seeing that he had the opportunity to be promoted to Minister, Tu Fu became "shuddering" and thought it might be... The people around him betrayed the officials.
Tu Yu didn't say anything, but judging from his expression, that's what he thought.
"Qing family members, please don't doubt Bingkuan's intentions, and don't doubt the integrity of the ministers in the DPRK. Don't say that Bingkuan has no need to engage in such shameful things for such a list, even if he really In order to express himself, what is the result? Are any of these people from him? Or is it that he wants you to place people close to him in the six ministries, five temples and other places?"
Zhu Youtang is smiling.
Seeing these ministers anxious about Zhang Zhou's prediction, he felt very proud.
In the past, there was really no way to confront civil servants. No matter in terms of knowledge or public opinion, it was difficult for an emperor to directly confront ministers. Moreover, Zhu Youtang was not that kind of "social cow". He was timid and afraid of getting into trouble. How much chemistry can be expected between a man who can't even accept a concubine and a minister?
But now, with Zhang Zhou's support, even his closed personality has been greatly improved. In an instant, he has gone from an autistic king who gets satisfaction from the praise of others to a courageous, knowledgeable, insightful and strategic king. A practical and wise man.
Even Zhu Youtang is very pleased with the improvement in his character.
With Bingkuan here, I am so confident.
"Okay, just to show you, Bingkuan reported this matter very early, probably half a month ago. I don't want to show it to anyone deliberately." Zhu Youtang said, "I don't know how to do it either. Transfer him to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and just teach the prince and listen to the affairs, which is enough for him to be busy."
"Yes. All the members of the Qing family should already know about the affairs of the Shangting Department. I have never brought it to the court to tell them. Although there will be no office in the Shangting Department in the future, I plan to give them a duty room, which will be in the cabinet. While we are on duty, we will take more care of each other from now on."
Liu Jian couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, does the so-called listening office need to share the affairs of the cabinet?"
Zhu Youtang said: "What I mean is that we don't belong to each other, and there is no overlap in errands. We each do our own things. Some of them involve border battle reports, and those that involve memorials and consultations. Each side has a copy, and each of them is in vain. These are also There is no need to vote or approve. I will not interfere with matters other than war."
"I will not let Bingkuan enter the cabinet, not even to the auditorium. It is better for the ministers of the DPRK and China to be on duty. He can just sit in when the auditorium is being discussed."
Liu Jian heard it.
The emperor planned to let Zhang Zhou enter the "Shangting Department" and not let Zhang Zhou take the rotation. Generally speaking, this Shangting Department should still have Zhang Zhou as the chief, which is equivalent to the "chief minister of the Shangting Department", because the adviser From a political perspective, the emperor obviously adopted Zhang Zhou's opinions more than others.
It can even be said that the rest of the people are acting as cover for Zhang Zhou.
Because the emperor wanted to consult outsiders, he only needed Zhang Zhou's opinion, which seemed to be enough.
Liu Jian no longer objected directly, he said: "It should be customized, there should be a model of rotation, and the time limit for each person to be in the listening department should also be limited."
Zhu Youtang smiled and shook his head and said: "That's inappropriate. I want to ask for opinions. If a time limit has to be set, doesn't it mean that when I want to ask other people's opinions, I have to consider whether there is any delay? I just agreed not to choose Shangtingchu members from people other than Jinshi. This is considered a final concession."
"Several ministers, don't I insist on listening to Bingkuan? Isn't the purpose of setting up the listening office just to give the ministers of the DPRK a chance to prove themselves? If anyone is more capable than Bingkuan, replace him, I will also be happy for it.”
The implication is that Bingkuan is irreplaceable to me, and you can’t replace him, so what’s the point?
(End of chapter)
