Zhang Zhou was ordered to enter the palace to pray for blessings.
The eunuch Yang Peng led the way. Yang Peng has been promoted to the supervisory eunuch of the Royal Horse Supervisor. His status is second only to the Royal Horse Supervisor and the palm print eunuch. Although he is not responsible for the palace guards, he is responsible for the direct information collection and report of the Dongchang investigation. Dongchang His internal status is second only to Du Gong Xiao Jing.
Because Xiao Jing is likely to be promoted to the eunuch of the Si Li Supervisor immediately, Yang Peng is also actively courting Zhang Zhou to obtain the qualifications to enter the Si Li Supervisor as the eunuch holding the pen and supervising the Dongchang.
During the Hongzhi period, except for a few rare occasions, the eunuch Bingbi, the Superintendent of Liturgy, served as the admiral of the East Factory. If Yang Peng wanted to become the second most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty, he must also want to climb up and get into the Supervisor of Lili. , but he also knew that there were two giant Buddhas, Wei Bin and Chen Kuan, blocking the way.
As for Ning Jin, the eunuch in charge of the royal horse supervisor... he has the authority to control the four major guards in the palace. He is responsible for controlling the military. He will not get into the ceremony supervisor, nor can he get in.
Ning Jin had his own faction in the palace. Even Zhang Yong was just Ning Jin's younger brother during the Hongzhi period. He was also a highly regarded eunuch during the Chenghua period and had a good relationship with the Queen Mother Zhou, the Queen Mother and Zhu Youtang.
He Ding, who had previously wanted to beat the Zhang brothers with a golden melon for trying on the crown and spying on the inner curtains, belonged to Ning Jin. However, when He Ding was killed by Li Guang with a stick, Ning Jin did not come forward to save him.
This is how the factions in the palace are, each has its own affiliation. Without a backer, it is impossible to become famous in the palace.
"...My lord, the person who is presiding over the blessing today is Master Cui of Taichang Temple. He has admired you for a long time and has always said that he wants to meet you. Now that you don't have to take care of the affairs of Taichang Temple, he will mostly handle it." .”
Yang Peng took Zhang Zhou to the palace houyuan, and from a distance he saw that the man praying had everything arranged.
A man in his fifties, wearing a bright red official uniform, with a somewhat immortal air, was holding a fly whisk in his hand, nodding towards Zhang Zhou from a distance.
Zhang Zhou had actually met Cui Zhiduan, but he had not dealt with him before. When he walked over, Yang Peng introduced him.
Cui Zhiduan, as the minister of Taichang Temple, was originally a part-time or honorary position. Previously, Li Wen, the minister of Taichang Temple who was a Jinshi, had been responsible for the affairs. However, after Zhang Zhou was promoted to the third minister of Taichang Temple, a The position could not accommodate so many people, so Li Wen was sent to Nanjing to serve as minister of Honglu Temple, and he was basically one step away from retirement.
Cui Zhiduan jumped from a Taoist priest to the official minister of Taichang Temple in the Ming Dynasty. Not to mention a Jinshi, he was not even a tribute student or a student member. He used to be just a Taoist priest in the Shinto temple who danced and had fun.
"I've met Master Zhang." After Cui Zhiduan met Zhang Zhou, even though he was old and prudent, his respect was different from that of ordinary people.
It's probably like a fake real person meeting a real half-immortal.
Zhang Zhou also smiled and greeted Cui Zhiduan.
He knew the history very well. Cui Zhiduan, as the "Taoist Minister" of the Ming Dynasty, did not take charge of Taichang Temple affairs as a concurrent minister of the Ministry of Rites until the 17th year of Hongzhi. However, because of Zhang Zhou's appearance, Cui Zhiduan took charge of Taichang Temple ahead of schedule. His dream is to become a temple official, but he is still far away from being promoted to minister...
Cui Zhiduan took Zhang Zhou to visit the site of the blessing ceremony.
Cui Zhiduan said: "I am fortunate enough to have seen the master's blessing ceremony, and I look forward to it very much. I hope to be lucky enough to learn more from the master today."
Zhang Zhou asked: "Have I prayed for blessings?"
"this……"
Cui Zhiduan just wanted to be polite to Zhang Zhou, but he was directly rebuffed by Zhang Zhou.
Yang Peng hurriedly reminded: "Duke Lai Guo, have you forgotten? We were here before, praying for blessings in the autumn newspaper last year, and there were many married women entering the palace at that time."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Oh, I almost forgot about it. Will His Majesty come today?"
"No... I didn't say it." Yang Peng looked very embarrassed.
The people below are doing things, but they still want to know the meaning of the people above? Yang Peng himself seemed to be a high-ranking person, but in fact he was not even qualified to have direct contact with the emperor. This was why he desperately wanted to climb up.
"Let's start, let's start." Zhang Zhou urged.
Zhang Zhou was also thinking that it was just a matter of praying for blessings. He even said that he couldn't do it, but the emperor still insisted on letting him come and observe it in person, as if for peace of mind.
Since you feel at ease, finish it quickly so that you can leave the palace to do your own things.
…
…
The blessing ceremony is in progress.
Zhang Zhou watched Cui Zhiduan lead a group of people to perform the dance, and from time to time looked at the withering palace garden in autumn, wondering why everything looked different from the previous year.
"Master." Yang Peng came over during the commotion and whispered in Zhang Zhou's ear, "The Empress Dowager just sent Eunuch Jiang to deliver a message, saying that after you finish your work here, go over and take a walk."
"Dream interpretation?" Zhang Zhou frowned.
Yang Peng said: "I don't know."
Zhang Zhou nodded.
It wasn't until Cui Zhiduan finished everything on the stage that Zhang Zhou went over to say goodbye to him. Then he walked to the entrance of the palace garden and saw Jiang Luzheng standing there in a bloated winter coat, smiling at him.
Yang Peng originally wanted to ask about Yu's promotion. Seeing that Zhang Zhou was going to Qingning Palace, he only said that he would wait for Zhang Zhou to come out of Qingning Palace to accompany Zhang Zhou out of the palace, and then watched Jiang Lu and Zhang Zhou leave.
All the way to Qingning Palace.
Jiang Lu went in to pass the news, and Zhang Zhou found that there were many eunuchs and maids standing nearby. These people were all peeking at him, and they probably thought he was interesting.
When Jiang Lu came out to lead the way, Zhang Zhou asked, "But are there others?"
Jiang Lu said: "The Queen Mother is also here."
The so-called empress dowager is only Empress Wang, who was not favored by Xianzong. In fact, in terms of closeness to Zhu Youtang, empress dowager Wang is not as good as Wu, the deposed empress of Xianzong. Although Wu does not have the name of empress dowager, because of her After Zhu Youtang was born, he had a secret love for raising her. Zhu Youtang raised Wu as his mother, but Zhu Youtang only respected Queen Wang in terms of etiquette.
…
…
Inside Qingning Palace.
Zhang Zhou saw the Queen Mother, who was about 50 years old but looked about 60 years old. Her appearance was ordinary and even slightly old.
"I, Zhang Zhou, have met the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager."
Zhang Zhou saluted while also thinking.
Just looking at this beauty, she would not have been very good when she was young. I don’t know what the old lady was thinking at the time. Is she trying to follow the principle of "marry a virtuous wife" and find an ugly person for your son? But knowing that your son is in love with Wan Zhen'er and still looking for someone like this... it's no wonder that your son wasn't interested in women other than Wan Zhen'er.
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "Bingkuan, I haven't seen you for a long time. I feel that you have become thinner. Is it because I went to the northwest and traveled back and forth without a good rest? The emperor is the same. He should give you more supplements. In this way, go The Ai family will give you some more when you leave, take it back and replenish it."
Don't care about court affairs, care about your body first.
Zhang Zhouxin said, old lady, you are really thoughtful, and I am not related to you, why are you so polite?
"The Empress Dowager smiled. In fact, when I was put on the scale recently, I have gained three or four kilograms of meat. I also told Your Majesty that the soil and water in this capital can easily support an idle person like me." Zhang Zhou responded with a smile.
The Queen Mother Zhou pointed at Zhang Zhou with a smile, and said to the Queen Mother beside her: "You don't know him, he always talks like this. Not only does the Yi family like him, but even His Majesty can't do anything to him. They all came into the house. , Why do you need to wear so much? Take off your coat, otherwise you will sweat and get cold easily when you go out."
Hey.
Zhang Zhouxin said that the old lady was really considerate.
Why are you taking such good care of me and my body?
Immediately, a delicate little palace maid came over and helped Zhang Zhou take the cloak. Without hanging it aside, she directly carried it to the back curtain.
Zhang Zhouzheng was wondering if the maids in the Qingning Palace had all been replaced by young and beautiful ones. Did he want to take advantage of Zhu Youtang's visit to force him? When he discovered the behavior of the little maid, he immediately felt as if he had been tricked. .
When he was thinking about something wrong, he heard the Empress Dowager Zhou say hello:
"Give me a seat!"
Zhang Zhou is still thinking.
You called me here, maybe to discuss something, but you actually asked me to stand and listen? This treatment is obviously not good.
Did you forget to find someone to arrange seats?
Waiting for the chairs to be arranged... Zhang Zhou was instantly embarrassed, and the chairs were arranged at the door.
Theoretically speaking, it is right for the two "Aijia" to summon him as a man outside the palace and deliberately keep a distance from him, but this distance...
Zhang Zhou sat very reservedly near the door, with the cold wind whistling behind him. At this moment, he felt that the cloak had been taken away on purpose.
Zhang Zhou is still thinking, I installed the heater for you, you are enjoying the warmth there, and you let me blow the cold air next to the door?
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "Bingkuan, Your Majesty has been in and out of the palace a lot recently. I heard that you have a confidante by your side. Do you know?"
"I don't know." Zhang Zhou answered directly.
You know it or not, I am just a threadmaker anyway, it is up to the emperor to complete the matter himself. The emperor wants to hide Empress Zhang, but also does not want people to think that this matter is related to me. How can he tell me if he doesn't tell others?
Empress Dowager Zhou said: "You are wrong. If the emperor has something to do, will he still hide it from you?"
Is it strange to hide it from me?
Zhang Zhouxin said, you still don’t know?
Zhang Zhou said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "Perhaps Your Majesty just doesn't want me to know?"
"Um."
Queen Mother Zhou understood Zhang Zhou's hint.
The emperor did not want people to misunderstand that Zhang Zhou was looking for an affair for him.
"What's going on? The door is not even closed, and all the warmth has drifted out of the door. Close the door!" Queen Mother Zhang gave an order, and then the little eunuch who was standing by the door shivering closed the door. .
Zhang Zhou finally felt that his back was no longer so cold.
Zhang Zhou cursed in his heart.
The old lady is really a knives hidden in cotton wool, and she is also a trickster! ?
Empress Dowager Zhou continued: "I heard that the emperor has been unwell recently and has not been in court for several days. Didn't you take care of the emperor's health?"
Zhang Zhou said: "Heart disease requires a heart medicine doctor. I can help your majesty heal your body, but I can't help your majesty's heart."
At this moment, Zhang Zhou seemed to understand why the Empress Dowager Zhou wanted to give him a period of "punishment". He said to himself, didn't the old lady think that I deliberately alienated the emperor from the court and regarded me as a rebellious minister and traitor who was causing trouble in the government?
"Where is the heart medicine?" Queen Mother Zhou asked.
Zhang Zhou sighed: "In Liaodong, or in the grasslands, a war has not yet come to an end. Your Majesty is worried, and his state of mind affects his body, and he has not been able to recover."
"In that case, I still have to rely on you." Empress Dowager Zhou sighed and said to Jiang Lu beside her, "It's too far and I can't speak clearly. Please help move Bingkuan's chair this way."
Now Zhang Zhou could finally sit in a relatively warm place and talk.
The Empress Dowager Zhou said earnestly: "Bingkuan, I have seen your ability before. You want to help the country, and you must cooperate with all the ministers in the court, instead of trying to do it alone. What your Majesty wants is to govern the country and ensure peace." We must achieve good results and maintain stability in the court. People's hearts are very important."
In your words?
Zhang Zhou said with contempt in his heart: "I have always felt that when it comes to supporting the country, I have little ability and it is difficult to achieve anything. Therefore, I have recently been focusing on making some firearms and teaching the prince. Matter."
"Very good, very good." Queen Mother Zhou said, "What about the Queen?"
Zhang Zhou said: "I don't understand the meaning of the Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "I heard that the two Zhang family are very prosperous now. They are all relying on your help. They are now almost capable ministers of the Ming Dynasty. Both of them were the initiators of chaos in Chao Gang. Why do you, the silverfish that others call the court, show its power in your hands?"
Zhang Zhou shrugged: "Maybe everyone has potential."
"Open the door, it's a bit boring..." Queen Mother Zhou said immediately.
Zhang Zhouyi knew immediately when he heard that the reason why I came here today is to let me feel your "cold wind" and let me understand your state of mind, right?
In the past, I used code words to communicate, but now I am asked to "assess the situation." Whenever my body gets cold, it means that you have an opinion on me and asked me to correct it. Is that what you mean?
"The Empress Dowager is already old, so the cold wind can't blow at will." Zhang Zhou said.
Jiang Lu had already arrived at the door and was about to open the door, but was stopped by Queen Mother Zhou.
Zhang Zhou said: "In fact, recently Shouning Hou and Jianchang Bo have not only made great achievements in running the army, but I also helped them mine when mining, making them profitable."
When Empress Dowager Zhou heard this, she was immediately angry.
I thought you were enlightened, and you were deliberately irritating me, right?
With a wave of his hand, Jiang Lu had put his hand on the door handle this time.
Zhang Zhou said: "They are already a little happy to miss Shu. If I mention returning to the capital to them, they don't want to go back."
Jiang Lu was also a person who knew the direction of the wind. Hearing this, he immediately looked at Queen Mother Zhou.
It means asking for permission, can this door be opened?
"Oh, that's true. The two boys of the Zhang family are in the border town, and I haven't heard of them doing evil for a while. The capital seems to be a lot more peaceful recently. But with their abilities, the Ai family is always afraid of them. His misdeeds have affected the overall stability of Ming Dynasty's border towns." Empress Dowager Zhou seemed to have something else to say.
He squinted at Zhang Zhou.
It seems to be saying that you said you were transferring the two of them out of the capital, but weren't you secretly taking this opportunity to show off to the queen?
Now even my grandson-in-law won’t cause trouble for you, and the Zhang family almost regards you as a benefactor.
Who did you, Zhang Bingkuan, form an alliance with?
"If you have merit, then you have fault. Now the two of them are doing well. Who knows what will happen in the future? If there is any fault, it will still be dealt with by military law." Zhang Zhou said.
"Oh." Queen Mother Zhou seemed to be stunned, but continued to ask, "When?"
Hey.
Zhang Zhouxin said, "The eldest and second eldest son of the Zhang family are such stupid people. Even if they do stupid things, what will they do to you, an old lady who lives in a deep palace?"
Can you please not take this opportunity to retaliate?
I think...the two brothers are quite cute, and they are so smooth and easy to use.
Who makes all the civil servants in the government pick on me, but these two brothers are the only ones who follow behind me even if they are given three melons and two dates?
"At this time, it depends on the timing." Zhang Zhou said, "The Empress Dowager, please be patient."
The Zhang brothers are quite honest now, but with their urine habits, your old lady is still worried that they won't cause trouble?
Empress Dowager Zhou said: "The Ai family thought so too, but they haven't waited for the opportunity yet. If you don't get the opportunity, you have to create it."
"Yes Yes."
Zhang Zhou also understood.
The Empress Dowager Zhou was urging him to hurry up and bring the Zhang brothers to a point of no return.
"You have done a good job regarding Li Guang. That guy always used things like God's will to confuse people's minds, but he could never fulfill them. However, he also tormented the government and the public, attracting a lot of criticism." Empress Dowager Zhou He smiled and said, "Unlike you, Bingkuan, you are calm and methodical in doing things. You have won the heart of the emperor and the heart of the family."
Yes, it just doesn't win the hearts of both the government and the public.
So, old lady, you are threatening me, telling me that you can use the situation to your advantage regarding Li Guang's matter. If I don't listen to you, you also want to use the situation to me, right?
Aren't you afraid that I'll call another thunderbolt for you?
Of course, I don't have the ability.
But you also have to see whether your borrowing the topic is more effective or my borrowing the topic is more effective.
"The Empress Dowager woke up in shock, I will definitely bear it in my heart." Zhang Zhou said casually.
In fact, Zhang Zhou also understood that he and the Queen Mother Zhou also knew in their hearts that no one could deal with the other, and the exchange of interests was acceptable, but there was no point in doing any small tricks to blow the cold wind.
Empress Dowager Zhou looked at the Empress Dowager Wang with a smile and said: "Let's not talk about my Zhou family, but the Wang family... Ruianhou and Chongshanbo also have talents. You should pay more attention and take them to Yanwu Hall to raise them." click."
The Queen Mother's younger brother, Wang Yuan, was the Marquis of Ruian, and was granted the title in the 20th year of Chenghua; her younger brother, Wang Qing, was Chongshan Bo, and was only conferred a title in the 10th year of Hongzhi; and her younger brother, Wang Jun, was not granted the title of Anren Bo until the second year of Zhengde. .
But the Wang family itself does not have a powerful position, let alone compared with the relatives of the old Zhang family, even compared with the Zhou family, it is still far behind.
Zhang Zhou said: "I have also written it down."
"That's good." Empress Dowager Zhou said, "You should also pay more attention to the emperor's affairs. You can't get sick just focusing on the court affairs, nor can you ignore the court affairs because you are recuperating. You usually walk in front of the emperor, so this is important. Please give me more advice."
"Yes." Zhang Zhou just responded.
"It's getting late, let's go back."
Empress Dowager Zhou no longer mentioned Zhu Youtang's acceptance of the concubine, and was about to issue an eviction order.
Zhang Zhou stood up, saluted, and said, "What about my clothes?"
"Oh, don't tell me that the Ai family has forgotten it! Take it out!" Queen Mother Zhou said.
There was no movement inside.
Jiang Lu smiled and said, "I'll go in and talk. I'm afraid the people inside won't hear you."
Empress Dowager Zhou rolled her eyes at him and said, "We should find some smart people, otherwise Bingkuan would have thought that the Ai family wanted him to go out and catch the cold wind."
(End of chapter)
