Zhang Lushui appeared in front of Zhang Zhou with Xiao Jangjin.
They were all dressed in Korean costumes, like large dresses, with an exotic feel. After meeting, they put their right hands on their left hands, raised them flat in front of their eyebrows, bent their knees and bowed to Zhang Zhou in an almost cross-legged manner.
It looked very grand, but Zhang Zhou felt it was not pleasing to the eye. After all, this was not the etiquette of Ming women.
The two girls finished their greetings to Zhang Zhou in almost the same pace in Chinese that they had trained many times, and finally kowtowed to Zhang Zhou grandly.
Zhang Zhou said: "Get up."
The two immediately stood up, lowering their heads and not looking at Zhang Zhou.
"Zhang Lushui? Okay, you are in your twenties and a flower-like girl. I heard that you have a very good voice. You are indeed considered a leader among women." Zhang Zhou seemed to be very satisfied and nodded.
Zhang Lushui's face was full of expectation. From her expression, Zhang Zhou knew that this was a woman who understood men's nature very well.
Zhang Lushui was probably already thinking about how to compete with the women around Zhang Zhou for favor.
"Has anyone told you the reason why I came to you?" Zhang Zhou's eyes fell on Xiao Janggeum again.
Jang Geum in history is probably just a legend, and it is difficult to collect a lot of information. Zhang Zhou is not sure whether this is a girl randomly found by the Koreans to fool him, but after some investigation, what is the name? They can match each other, and their ages are roughly the same.
Just in terms of experience... history has not been written in the first place, so it is still difficult to determine.
Zhang Lushui said: "No one has mentioned it, but it should be the most respectful thing to do to serve the Lord in front of you and serve tea and water."
"Wrong." Zhang Zhou said, "I am sending you to the capital to open a singing and dancing restaurant and let you sing Korean minor tunes. It doesn't matter whether you are from North Korea or not, but all the music I teach you will be regarded as minor tunes. Just sing."
Zhang Lushui instantly felt like heaven had fallen into hell.
I finally curried favor with the high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty, thinking that I was going to a higher level in life, but ended up being sold to a "prostitute" by Zhang Zhou as a singer?
Zhang Zhou picked up a notebook from the table and said: "Here is a map of the Central Plains temperament. I don't know if you have learned it. It doesn't matter if you haven't. In the future, we will find specialized musicians to teach you. Your usual task is to learn it well." Sing songs and make money for me.”
Duke Lai of the Ming Dynasty brought two Korean women back just to make them sing and make money?
This simply subverted Zhang Lushui's cognition.
Even if she is not a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, she still knows how high Zhang Zhou's reputation is in the Ming Dynasty. She also knows how much Zhang Zhou is favored by the saints. Naturally, she also knows that Zhang Zhou's family is extremely wealthy. She doesn't think Zhang Zhou needs to find people to perform entertainers to make money. , then maybe... let them represent the Koreans and accept the ridicule of the Ming people? Let the people of Ming Dynasty watch them being played like monkeys? In order to show the prestige of the Ming Dynasty?
Thinking of this, Zhang Lushui felt a great sense of grievance in her heart. It was also a gap in her heart that made her unable to help crying.
Xiao Janggeum next to her looked up at this "aunt" who had shared the joys and sorrows with her along the way. She still didn't understand why knowing that she was going to Daming to sing made Zhang Lvshui feel so abnormal.
Zhang Zhou said: "Are you aggrieved? Or do you think you have a higher ideal and don't want to succumb to a song and dance hall in the Ming Dynasty?"
Zhang Lushui said: "I don't dare."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "I saved you. If according to the history I calculated, you should have died after the chaos was restored."
"This slave doesn't understand." Zhang Lushui looked at Zhang Zhou curiously.
Why does this suddenly bring up the issue of metaphysics?
And you said I would die a violent death? But what does Pu Yuanzong's rebellion have to do with being a slave in the household of a great king like me? Does it mean that I will die in the rebellion?
Zhang Zhouzhou waved to Liu Gui to come forward. Zhang Zhou said to Liu Gui: "Send someone to take care of them along the way. Don't have any accidents. When we get to the capital, I will give you the address and send them in. After the training is almost done, Then you can come out and perform.”
"Yes." Liu Gui responded with a smile.
He also felt that Zhang Zhou was deliberately teasing Korean women so that the people of the Ming Dynasty could watch Korean women's performances, which seemed to be an unusual way of entertainment.
But even these two women have little social status, so asking them to sing does not seem to achieve the purpose of humiliating the Korean people.
…
…
"Auntie, what's wrong with you?"
After returning to the temporary residence, Xiao Janggeum finally couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Lushui wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and said: "It's okay. We have to save our lives so that we can have a chance to leave Ming Dynasty and return to North Korea."
Xiao Janggeum said: "Didn't my aunt say that we will not return to North Korea in the future?"
Zhang Lushui was speechless for a moment.
She did feel before that, even if they were not Zhang Zhou's women, they would still be slaves of the Duke of Lai. Since it was Zhang Zhou who brought them here by name, they would not be allowed to return to North Korea anyway.
But now she thinks differently.
If Zhang Zhou uses them as representatives to humiliate the Korean people, maybe a few Korean women will come over after a while... They are insignificant chess pieces and can be abandoned casually, and they will not get anything. Pay attention to.
"Auntie."
Just as he was talking, Xiao Janggeum suddenly shouted.
A woman came over with a North Korean soldier on the opposite side. Xiao Janggeum was very happy, but when he wanted to step forward, he was held back by Zhang Lushui.
Then the woman said a few words to the soldier, then came over and said, "Janggeum, after leaving Shenyang, we may not be able to travel together."
"Why?"
Xiao Janggeum looked aggrieved.
The woman said: "We have to take care of a noble lady. She will stay in Shenyang for a few days before continuing. It is not certain where she will go."
After saying that, the woman glanced at Zhang Lushui and said, "Thank you for taking care of Zhang Jin. This is a small kindness. I hope you can continue to take care of her. From now on, she will have to walk her own path."
"Auntie, I want you to come with me." Xiao Janggeum was crying.
Zhang Lushui said: "Jiangjin, she is not your biological mother. It is okay for me to be your mother in the future."
"No, you are my aunt." Xiao Janggeum continued to cry.
The woman stood up, as if she was cruel, turned around and walked towards the soldier, and then under the leadership of the soldier, the two quickly entered the night.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu""The only sounds in the air were the cries of girls.
Zhang Lushui said: "I think they also know that if we go to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, we will not gain any status, so they will abandon you."
As he spoke, Zhang Lushui's eyes revealed a cynical hatred.
But Xiao Jangjin was not instigated by her, he was just crying, and then Zhang Lushui said irritably: "Stop crying, people from the Ming Dynasty will scold us if they see it, rest well, we will continue to the Ming Dynasty capital tomorrow. .”
…
…
The capital, the imperial palace.
On June 29, the fifth day after Zhang Zhou set out from Shenyang Zhongwei, Zhu Youtang also received Zhang Zhou's memorial in the capital, emphasizing what Lu Wan had hinted before, that someone was secretly contacting the court officials and following up. A court official has an unusual relationship.
"Your Majesty, it seems that Duke Lai Guo has noticed the criticism of him among the people. He also realized that some people may have disobedient intentions." Yang Peng, who was responsible for delivering the letter to Zhu Youtang, was not present when Xiao Jing and others were not present. In this case, speak more directly.
Zhu Youtang said: "Have you found the initiator of that incident?"
Yang Peng said: "Maybe it has something to do with the clan."
"Sure enough." Zhu Youtang stood up, walked down from behind the desk in Qianqing Palace, and came to Yang Peng, "Someone has said before that once I don't have many heirs, there will be people who will covet the throne, and they will be interested in that dragon chair. I have an unusual idea, and now it has been confirmed. Is he my brother?"
Yang Peng hurriedly replied: "I haven't found out who it is yet."
Zhu Youtang walked to Yang Peng, deliberately lowering his voice, as if to avoid being heard by outsiders. He said: "No matter who it is, we must investigate it strictly. Report it truthfully. Even if it is my closest relative, there is no need to hide it."
"Yes." Yang Peng obeyed the leader's order.
Zhu Youtang seemed to be sighing: "First the honorable ministers, then the civil servants, and then the foreign barbarians. Maybe in the next step, I will have to take action against Zongfan. There are so many tribesmen in Zongfan, and they have spent countless money from the court, but there are still people. Thinking about causing trouble to Chao Gang, I would have thought about it in the past, but now that they have offended me and Bingkuan, don't blame me for not cherishing our old friendship."
Yang Peng understood it as soon as he heard it.
The emperor is now strong-willed and has made great achievements in the military. He also knows that the preparations for using troops on the grassland in the past two years are not sufficient, so he will first use these two years to manufacture weapons and train troops in Beiguan.
He also couldn't just focus on external matters. Before using troops on the grassland, the emperor seemed to intend to clean up all hidden dangers inside and outside the court, just like Zhang Zhou used troops against the Jurchens and alienated and subverted North Korea. The purpose was to control the internal situation.
Now that things in Liaodong have basically calmed down, the emperor is thinking of taking action against the Ming Dynasty clan, and naturally he will continue to rely on Zhang Zhou's power.
"Yang Peng, you won't let me down, right?" Zhu Youtang suddenly looked at him sharply.
Yang Peng said hurriedly: "I am willing to do everything for Your Majesty."
"Humph." Zhu Youtang said, "Actually, there have been quite a few memorials criticizing you. And after careful inspection, I found that you have actually done many things. If you hadn't taken advantage of Bingkuan, you would have been able to take advantage of him. , I might have transferred you to an unrelated yamen long ago."
Yang Peng knelt down and said, "This slave deserves to die."
Those who are eunuchs must have a deep understanding of the emperor's intentions. The result of beating and forcefully justifying oneself is to lose the emperor's trust and even lose one's own life.
Zhu Youtang said: "If the culprit cannot be found, we should suppress the bad rumors first, especially not allowing the scholars of the capital to participate casually."
Yang Peng said: "Your Majesty, now the sergeants in the capital are busy talking about the dispute between psychology and Neo-Confucianism. They are not overly critical of Duke Lai. Even those who support Neo-Confucianism think that after Duke Lai returns to the court, he will Academic suppression does not mean unwarranted attacks.”
"They know each other well." Zhu Youtang said coldly.
Yang Peng analyzed: "Perhaps those scholars are also caring about their own face, thinking that if they cannot suppress the mind science founded by Lai Guogong academically, they will attack Lai Guogong's character and what he has done for the court. He is troublesome because his methods are unfair and he did not spread rumors."
Zhu Youtang said: "Do you think they are such reasonable people?"
Yang Peng thought about it, probably not.
Literati like to pick on other people's pigtails, especially since Zhang Zhou has made so many enemies and has such a high reputation in the court. Do they really not question Zhang Zhou's academics based on his personal ethics?
Zhu Youtang waved his hand and said: "You will leave for Yongping Mansion in the next two days to pick up Bingkuan when he returns to the capital. On the way, you will inform him of what you have investigated, and he will take over the investigation after he returns to the capital." Please don’t leak the news.”
"Yes." Yang Peng felt it.
He, the eunuch who oversaw the East Factory, was actually a puppet. The emperor actually asked the East Factory to be handed over to Zhang Zhou, but due to Zhang Zhou's status as a civil servant and Duke of Lai, it was inconvenient for Zhang Zhou to formally take over.
This seems to explain why he, Yang Peng, who is not even a ceremonial eunuch, can actually supervise the East Factory, while Wei Bin, Chen Kuan and others who are more capable than him cannot get this job... It's because He had previously flattered Zhang Zhou that his performance was "excellent", or in other words, in the emperor's opinion, Yang Peng was a good material for being a dog, which was why he was promoted to his current position, and it was also to prepare Zhang Zhou for his handling of the East Factory. .
…
…
Yang Peng's departure from Beijing was carried out in secret, and it was impossible for the court officials to know.
But Xiao Jing, as the eunuch of the Chief of Ceremonies, is very aware of Yang Peng's movements, especially when Dongchang was still in charge of him. Even if he no longer supervises Dongchang now, it is because he was "highly promoted" to be the Chief of the Chief of Ceremonies. People can hide things from outsiders, but they dare not deceive them in any way.
As the current Chief Eunuch Bingbi of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, Chen Kuan should have been the best choice for the factory boss. Now that Yang Peng has taken his position, he is naturally dissatisfied.
Chen Kuan has been very close to Xiao Jing recently, and he can be said to be trying his best to fawn over him, just to get Xiao Jing to help him get Yang Peng down.
"Yang Peng has been disrespectful to people like us since he worked as a lackey for Li Guang. He is still so arrogant. Now that he feels that Duke Lai is supporting him, he may be thinking about how to replace our family!"
Xiao Jing also felt resentful when he mentioned Yang Peng.
When he was supervising Dongchang, Yang Peng, as his subordinate, repeatedly jumped over him to curry favor with Zhang Zhou. When he helped Zhang Zhou supervise the construction of Qingning Palace and renovate the Zhang family courtyard, Yang Peng repeatedly stepped forward and even wanted to help Zhang Zhou. Introducing those officials who have the intention of giving gifts... Even Xiao Jing himself has no chance to take over these.
This means that these powers originally belonged to Li Guang. After Li Guang's fall, Yang Peng did not hand over the power to him, but wanted to transfer it to Zhang Zhou.
After the rise of Zhang Zhou, the emperor strictly ordered the internal officials not to interfere in the affairs of the court, so that the opportunities for corruption and bending the law did not fall on Xiao Jing... Yin Zi, in the past, it was still an unspoken rule, and there was no need to worry about accountability. Of course, he would be angry at Yang Peng's "betrayal".
Chen Kuandao: "When Yang Peng was in Dongchang, it was Li Guang who put him there. If he disrespects you, he will not tolerate these people in the court."
Xiao Jing said coldly: "When he goes to see Duke Lai, he is tantamount to surrendering to Duke Lai. His Majesty ordered him to do it. What about people like Acrobatics? Should he send someone to express his position to Duke Lai and say We will also be of the same mind as Mr. Lai Guo? Can Mr. Lai Guo believe it?"
"Then..." Chen Kuan was a little worried.
Since he can't stand on Zhang Zhou's side, or can't gain Zhang Zhou's complete trust, the ceremonial supervisor will now stand against Zhang Zhou.
When Dai Yi was the eunuch, Chen Kuan and Wei Bin didn't seem to have to worry about being at odds with Zhang Zhou.
But now... Zhang Zhou has the power to influence the ruling and opposition parties, and Xiao Jing will naturally not tolerate it. From now on, the two eunuchs holding the pen of the Chief Li Supervisor will be tied to the opposite side of Zhang Zhou by Xiao Jing.
Going against Zhang Zhou when he was at the height of his power seemed to be no different from seeking death.
Xiao Jing said: "If the news is leaked, it will be said that someone in the clan wants to overthrow the imperial court, deliberately slandering the relationship between Your Majesty and Duke Lai, and maliciously slandering Duke Lai's achievements in the past two years."
"Is this... afraid it's inappropriate?" Chen Kuan didn't want to do this.
The emperor did not ask for the matter to be leaked, but it was a eunuch who was a close official of the emperor, especially a palm eunuch like Xiao Jing, who leaked the secret. It was a bit...violating the code of being an internal official, that is, everything should be based on the emperor's wishes. First.
"Are you a court official or a domestic slave?" Xiao Jing suddenly asked coldly.
Chen Kuan was startled.
After thinking about it, he probably understood that if he was a domestic slave, the owner's opinion should indeed come first.
If you are a minister of the Ming Dynasty, you should put the stability of the court first...
Xiao Jing continued: "The meaning of things being spread in secret is different from that of things being spread in the open. We should let those with evil intentions restrain themselves. Do you think our family is harming Lai Guogong? Or are you deliberately disobeying His Majesty’s will?”
Chen Kuan thought.
Xiao Jing can't you see that His Majesty intends to target the clan?
At this time, putting the matter out in the open and asking the clan members who may be involved to restrain themselves, doesn't that mean that they are secretly sabotaging the emperor's plan?
But to say that this is against the emperor and Zhang Zhou... it doesn't seem that serious. It is also about suppressing rumors, but the methods used are different.
But no matter how you look at it, it seems that Xiao Jing is no longer simply standing with the civil servants, but is moving in the direction of protecting the reputation of the clan.
"This is a way to deal with Yang Peng." Xiao Jing used words to comfort Chen Kuan again, "If Yang Peng is at a loss, then if he can't handle his errands in Dongchang, His Majesty will choose another person to supervise Dongchang. If you don't Is there any chance?"
"yes."
Chen Kuan dispelled his doubts.
He had to accept Xiao Jing's instruction, because he, Chen Kuan, was not qualified to challenge anyone now. To say the least, even if Xiao Jing was disgusted by the emperor and kicked out of the palace, logically speaking, it would not affect Chen Kuan's life too much. status.
The palace is like this.
They are all the emperor's domestic slaves. If there is a large nest of them, then almost everyone in the palace will have a faction, and every struggle will be divided. It is very likely that there will not be enough eunuchs in the palace to engage in politics.
"well!"
Xiao Jing sighed heavily and said, "The good days of more than half a year have come to an end when Duke Lai Guo returns to the court."
(End of chapter)
