"Grandma is anxious to get me a wife, saying that as the Marquis of Anbian, if there are no heirs, the title will belong to someone else sooner or later, so we should prepare for the future as soon as possible."
Zhu Feng looked depressed.
To him, getting a wife was like being roasted on the fire.
Zhang Zhou said: "If I were your grandmother, I would probably advise you this way. Zhijie, do you really have no idea... about women?"
Zhu Feng's eyes widened, looking confused.
"That's alright." Zhang Zhou said, "No one can force you. I think Mrs. Cheng Guotai wants you to stay as a heir to the title of Anbian Marquis. She also wants you to stay as a heir to Duke Chengguo. Who will let you and Your eldest brother doesn’t have any sons?”
"Then... Then you should let my eldest brother go and don't look for me?" Zhu Feng looked confident.
"Haha." Zhang Zhou almost sneered.
Zhu Feng immediately lowered his head and said, "But I'm also thinking, if I can marry someone with children..."
Zhang Zhouxin said, you are really like the little prince today or the little emperor in the future, you really know how to find new ways in certain things.
"Don't talk about your weird thoughts in front of me." Zhang Zhou raised his hand to interrupt Zhu Feng, "I will tell you what you asked me to tell you. I can't guarantee whether it will succeed. As for your father's reply, After the capital, whether you are qualified to return to Nanjing is not within the scope of my consideration. I also made it clear to your grandmother that my ability is limited and I can't help much."
"Ah?" Zhu Feng was confused again after hearing this.
"You go back and tell your grandmother, she will understand what I mean. It's very late, so I won't send you far." Zhang Zhou was not polite when he issued the eviction order.
…
…
Zhang Zhou entered the inner courtyard.
Go away when you are in a good mood, and come out when you are defeated.
When he walked out, he was still muttering: "Except for a pregnant woman, this is inconvenient for everyone. How can it be like this? Who can I reason with? You even boasted to someone that this winter is the time when the leaves are blooming." It's a good time, when it's convenient and it's convenient together, it seems like I really should live somewhere else so that I can split my own time."
"master!"
Liu Gui stood at the door of the outer courtyard with a very cautious look on his face.
Zhang Zhou frowned: "Aren't you at Nancheng's house? Why are you here?"
After Zhang Zhou moved to the big house in Shichahai in the north of the city, all the women in the house also moved to their new homes one after another. He only left Liu Gui and others to guard the yard.
"It is the former Xuanfu Commander Ma who has arrived in the capital to pay a visit to his house. I can only come here to inform you." Liu Gui bowed his head and said.
"Um."
Zhang Zhou nodded.
"If you happen to have time, let him come and see you." Zhang Zhou asked someone to prepare a towel or something to wipe his hands, and asked Liu Gui to inform Ma Yi to come and see him.
…
…
Zhang Zhou saw Ma Yi, who was coming from afar, in his study.
"The last general, Ma, pays homage to Duke Zhang." Ma Yi was not polite. When he saw Zhang Zhou, it was as if he were paying homage to the emperor. He knelt down and kowtowed to Zhang Zhou.
There is no concealment that he is Zhang Zhou's subordinate.
Zhang Zhouduan sat behind his desk and said in a calm tone: "Get up and talk."
"The last general takes orders."
Ma Yi stood up and stood there respectfully.
Zhang Zhou reached out and asked Liu Gui to move a chair to Ma Yi. Ma Yi sat down awkwardly.
Zhang Zhou asked: "Have you been to the Governor's Mansion?"
"I have been there," Ma Yi said. "The Ministry of War also gave a thumbs up, saying that he might be sent to Lingnan to serve, and the general is willing to accept any call."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "You are already a Pinglupp. As a distinguished nobleman of the Ming Dynasty, wherever you go is just at your Majesty's command. Don't have any ideas."
"Yes Yes."
Ma Yi knew very well how his own destiny came about.
And he also understands that the certificate has not been officially given yet, and there is no way to say whether it will be given or not.
The reason is that there have been too many people who have been awarded titles in the Ming Dynasty recently, including Anbianhou, Xinjian Bo, Pinglubo, and Lai Guogong. The court's intention is to reward meritorious service, but the imperial certificate is suppressed. Coming down means that it is enough to be a noble person for one generation, and the next generation can be given some empty positions such as commander of the Imperial Guard, Qianshi, and Qianhu.
This is also for the sake of the cost of the Ming government's treasury expenses.
Zhang Zhou said: "Actually, I hope you will continue to stay in the northwest, but that does not mean that soldiers can only be useful in the northwest. You must also give up some opportunities to make contributions to others. And now the DPRK and China are criticizing you. The voice is not quiet either.”
Although Ma Yi was knighted for his military merits, the Ministry of Punishment investigated the contents of Ma Zhongxi's previous impeachment and found that everything was true.
This is very embarrassing.
Zhang Zhou used a man who had to perform meritorious service to make up for his crime, and completed a surprise attack on Weininghai. But after the incident, even if you were convicted, it would be impossible to place you in a key position in the northwest.
Otherwise, everyone will think that even if they make mistakes, as long as they please Zhang Zhou and get some credit later, their sins can be taken away in one wave.
Ma Yi must be punished, so that he can show the Ming Dynasty's attitude of reward and punishment. In fact, it can also be regarded as an explanation to Ma Zhongxi.
After all, Ma Zhongxi was still the governor of the Xuan Mansion, and because of his relationship with Ma Yi, the two would not be able to deal with him.
"Where do you want to go?" Zhang Zhou asked.
Ma Yi quickly said: "The last general will not dare to make mistakes."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "I'm not asking you, but His Majesty is giving you a choice. Either go to Jinghai in the southeast or go to the southwest to guard the border."
Ma Yi said: "The general hopes to go to the southeast."
At first glance, I can tell that I have thought about it. If I want to be sent to work in other places, of course I have to go to a relatively wealthy place, rather than guarding the mountains in the southwest border. In the Ming Dynasty, many mountains are not even accessible, let alone walking. Shu Dao is such a difficult move.
"Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, or Guangdong?" Zhang Zhou asked with a smile.
"If it's from Guangdong, it's the best."
The Ming Dynasty in Guangdong was relatively complete and abundant in deploying defensive troops in order to suppress the sea and guard against rebellions by local tribes. In the Guangdong and Guangdong areas, governors were often set up, who served as general military officers. The areas with high mountains and far away from the emperor naturally had more oil and water.
The previous Anyuan Hou Liu Jing was imprisoned for crimes such as corruption and violence while serving in Guangdong and Guangxi.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "I'm pretty good at choosing, but there are currently no vacancies in Guangdong. If you want to go to the southeast, I'll let you go to Jiangsu and Zhejiang for some experience first. In addition, I mentioned to His Majesty that we should build some ships there, close to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It will also be relatively convenient when transporting materials such as wood and iron.”
"ah?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Yi seemed to understand that Zhang Zhou had already paved the way for him.
In other words, he can only follow the path preset by Zhang Zhou. If he chooses the southwest, he may be directly "cast into the cold palace" by Zhang Zhou.
"The general will definitely try his best." Although Ma Yi didn't know why Zhang Zhou wanted to build a ship, seeing that Zhang Zhou was so cautious, of course he still had to understand.
"Okay." Zhang Zhou said, "Go back and tidy up. Family members and other things that are inconvenient to take away should be left in the capital."
Ma Yi said: "Mr. Zhang is thoughtful and thoughtful. He is about to travel a long way. He has a pair of children at home who are still young and it is inconvenient for him to travel... He wants to send them to Mr. Zhang's house. Since they can receive Mr. Zhang's guidance, they will not be able to travel far." From now on, let them serve the nobles in Duke Zhang's house to repay Duke Zhang for his support."
"Children?" Zhang Zhou smiled.
Could this be the Ma Ang siblings?
Ma Yi said: "Yes, the dog is now seven years old, which is the same age as the son of Mr. Zhang's family. He can work like a dog and horse for Mr. Zhang's son. As for the little girl... she is now six years old and can be a maid for the daughter of Mr. Zhang's family."
"Oh, as a Pinglupp of the Ming Dynasty, you send your children to my house like this. I dare not accept it."
While Zhang Zhou was talking, he was also thinking, did your son also learn the habit of sending his sister off later on from you?
But thinking about it again, it seems that the Ming Dynasty's ministers were not very hard-boned by the Hongzhi period, and they only liked to engage in such under-the-table transactions in exchange for political resources.
But in fact, the civil servants are not much better. Think about the list of people who bribed Li Guang... There are civil and military ministers in the DPRK and China. Who really dares to boast that he is strong and strong?
"It's their fate that they are in Zhang Gong's house." Ma Yi seemed very insistent on this.
Zhang Zhou smiled and nodded: "Okay then, I will ask your Majesty for instructions to see if your Majesty will agree to this. You must do things well after arriving in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and don't let your Majesty down."
Ma Yi said excitedly: "In the end, I will do my best and die."
When Zhang Zhouyi heard this, how could he be exactly the same as when Liu Jin expressed his position in front of him?
Now that Grand Eunuch Liu is still turning his head to drink the northwest wind.
But thinking about it, Ma Yi felt that she had climbed onto a high branch, and now she was so emotional that she said this, so she was not surprised.
…
…
Early the next morning.
Zhang Zhou still didn't have to go to court. He had to complete the special task given by Zhu Youtang that day, which was to take the emperor's "outer residence" to a special place to live temporarily.
Although this woman has a very humble background, Zhu Youtang himself is not a direct descendant of high birth. Perhaps it is precisely because of this woman's humble background and pitiful life experience that Zhu Youtang will feel pity and sympathy, so as to build up her soul. communication bridge.
Before Zhang Zhou could go out.
Xiao Jing is here again.
"Eunuch Xiao, today...there is no court meeting, right?" Zhang Zhou asked with a smile.
As a person who is about to be promoted to the Chief of Ceremonies and the Eunuch of the Eunuch, Xiao Jing is usually quite busy with official duties. Once there are court meetings and other meetings, he will definitely not be able to get away early in the morning.
Xiao Jing smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Zhang, aren't you just joking?"
It means that His Majesty didn’t return to the palace last night, so what the hell is going on today?
"Haha. If you have something to say, you won't go with me..."
"Sir, please don't misunderstand. Our family will not interfere with what you are doing. We don't know anything about what you want to do, and we will never dare to ask." Xiao Jing is a smart man. The emperor entrusts his wife and son to hand over people. The purpose of giving it to Zhang Zhou was to avoid being persecuted by the people in the palace who knew his whereabouts. He would not succumb to the coercion of Queen Zhang. How dare he ask casually?
"I'm just here to inform you that the memorial reporting the victory was sent to the capital last night. It's a little later than Lu Zhongcheng's." Xiao Jing said.
Zhang Zhou nodded and said, "This is a good thing."
Xiao Jing said with a bitter face: "It's a good thing, but just like that Lu Zhongcheng, the channel for reporting this report is a bit unusual. The person who came went directly to the Ministry of War, and didn't even leave the Political Affairs Department. Our family still learned about it After hearing the news, I went to the Ministry of War overnight to inquire, only to learn that the good news was divided into several copies and distributed to different yamen, and the general affairs envoy only got one copy."
"Notify Your Majesty?" Zhang Zhou asked.
"Not yet... not yet." Xiao Jing swallowed.
This means that there are some things that are more appropriate for you to say.
Who knows what Wang Xian was thinking?
Zhang Zhou said: "Since there are so many copies, do you mind giving me one?"
"Okay, okay." Xiao Jing hurriedly took out a copy and presented it to Zhang Zhou. Zhang Zhou knew at a glance that it was a transcript.
"You really want to make the city a storm. Do you want to determine the merit before His Majesty discusses it? Haha, I'm too impatient." Zhang Zhou smiled.
Xiao Jing said: "Then our family will... return to the palace first?"
Zhang Zhou nodded and said, "Okay, Eunuch Xiao, please invite me."
He could understand that Xiao Jing didn't dare to go to the theater to face Zhu Youtang now, lest he be called to be scolded by Queen Zhang, and he was afraid that he would be reprimanded for delaying the delivery of the battle report to Zhu Youtang, so Xiao Jing was able to do this job now. Very frustrating.
…
…
The backyard of the theater is similar to the courtyard of a palace.
Zhu Youtang didn't get up early because he didn't have to go to the morning court.
Even so, when Zhang Zhou arrived, he had been awake for a long time and had already finished washing.
"Bingkuan is here?" Zhu Youtang walked over with a smile.
Someone had already prepared breakfast nearby, "Let's eat together."
Zhang Zhou bowed his hands in salute and took the memorial in his hand: "No need, Your Majesty, this is Wang Xian's memorial. It's just a transcript. Almost all the government offices in the city have been scattered. This is deliberately to get along with Liao Town." Soldiers strive for merit."
Although Zhu Youtang already knew about the victory and even roughly learned the results from Lu Wanna, he was still very excited when he heard this and took it over to take a closer look.
"It's not all blown to pieces. There are still so many heads and prisoners. It's really...different from before." Zhu Youtang's face was filled with relief.
Zhang Zhoudao: "I have seen that according to Wang Xian's report, the heads and ranks were basically obtained by Jizhou's troops. I have also analyzed Lu Wan's report and roughly analyzed the battle situation. Perhaps Wang Xian's Jizhou cavalry , just to compete for the first victory, we missed the opportunity, so that the result of this battle was much lower than expected."
"Then Wang Xian should die!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Youtang certainly looked unhappy.
Originally, the three tribes were captured in one fell swoop, but they were able to kill, wound, and capture twenty to thirty thousand tribesmen.
As a result, just 10% of the target was achieved.
Although killing and injuring more than 3,000 prisoners is considered a great achievement, how can the emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty be satisfied with this achievement now?
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Your Majesty, be careful what you say."
If your emperor says someone deserves to die, then maybe that person really should be prepared to die, but in fact Wang Xian also completed the ambush mission.
It is unrealistic to expect to directly annex the three Duoyan guards with 4,000 soldiers and horses. Even if Lu Wan's 3,660 or 7,000 soldiers and horses are added, it will not be enough.
Therefore, the complete destruction of the Duoyan Three Guards was just an idea. Zhang Zhou's original intention was to achieve as many results as possible.
"Bingkuan, do you think that Wang Xian's move is to prevent me from coming to Taiwan and give him and his Jizhou headquarters the credit?" Zhu Youtang asked.
Zhang Zhou said: "It depends on how the people in the court decide."
Zhu Youtang said with some boredom: "Then let them do the hard work, and no one will question your merits! It may be because of your appearance that it is no longer difficult to obtain military merits. You have spoiled this group of people." You think you can endure everything to the sky! But don’t you still have to rely on sky powder, artillery, and your strategizing to complete it? "
"I think, if they continue to make trouble, then I will leave all the judgment and advice to you. You are also the most qualified to judge the merits, demerits, rewards and punishments of this battle."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Your Majesty, it's better to leave it to the people in the court to decide. At this time, I don't need to go in person. I also want to be a person watching the fire from the other side."
Zhang Zhou used the word "ye", probably saying, Your Majesty, you want to be a shepherd, do I want to be a hungry wolf?
Shouldn't we, the monarch and his ministers, watch together how the ministers in the court behave?
"Yes." Zhu Youtang also smiled and nodded, "Let's eat together. After dinner, I will return to the palace. The rest is up to you."
…
…
Zhu Youtang returned to the palace after breakfast.
Before leaving, he called out his "beloved concubine" and gave her many instructions before handing her over to Zhang Zhou.
Except for a serving maid who was originally with this woman, Zhu Youtang did not even find a serving maid or a young eunuch. The meaning is obvious... For the safety of my beloved concubine, everything is done It's all up to you, Bingkuan, to arrange and organize.
Then Zhang Zhou asked the woman to get on the carriage.
Then he went to Ningtong's house with his own Jin Yiwei and others, and with Liu Gui as the arrangement and layout.
Things didn't even bother Sun Shangqi.
Because Sun Shangqi was also a member of Jinyiwei's original system, he was easily forced by power.
Ning Tong's rouge shop.
The rouge shop opened early in the morning, and what was even more surprising was that there were customers inside early in the morning.
Zhang Zhou first stopped the carriage at a less crowded place on the street, got out of the carriage and went to the door of Ning Tong's rouge shop. After looking around, he walked towards the door of the rouge shop like a leisurely stroll.
"Get out, get out! Men are not allowed in!"
Two men who looked like guardians were standing not far in front of the rouge shop with sticks in their hands.
The two of them can even look at each other without looking away.
The presence of these two door gods is a sight to passers-by, and to the women who enter to choose rouge and gouache, they seem to be protectors of their privacy.
"Where did you hire him? He's quite responsible! Very good, very good. I'll give you an errand later." Zhang Zhou smiled.
The two of them were about to treat Zhang Zhou as an ordinary troublemaker, but the people brought by Zhang Zhou directly held them down, blocked their mouths, and put them aside.
Since Ning Tong's rouge shop is to be used as a place to protect the imperial concubine and the dragon heir, the specifications of these two items are a bit low.
When Zhang Zhou entered the rouge shop, the woman inside and the maid behind the counter were all looking at him in shock.
"It's a good place, suitable for business discussions." Zhang Zhou smiled as he looked at the wives of those wealthy families...there were no young ladies, because these days women rarely dared to leave the house before they got married.
"Miss, miss..."
The maid quickly greeted the inner curtain.
Then Ning Tong came out. Her face was painted like a monkey's butt. She was probably explaining the use of rouge and gouache to customers. She might have washed it off with water before trying something else... I admire Ning Tong for this account. , dared to experiment with her own face, but because of this, she used a very weird "form" to meet Zhang Zhou again.
When she saw it was Zhang Zhou, she realized the awkwardness of their meeting, and then turned around and entered behind the curtain again.
(End of chapter)
