On July 20, the day before Zhang Zhou predicted that an earthquake would occur in the capital.
In the early morning court, after everything was discussed, Zhu Youtang specially commended Xu Qiong in court, approved Xu Qiong's request to become an official, and gave him money and silk to allow him to return to his hometown.
At the same time, according to the results of the previous court recommendation, Lin Han almost succeeded to the position of Minister of Rites on the spot, and it was not even delayed until the day after Xu Qiong resigned.
"I have one more thing to say."
Before the court meeting was dismissed, Zhu Youtang said earnestly, "Before Bingkuan left, he prophesied that there would be an earthquake in the capital tomorrow..."
"ah!?"
When the ministers present heard this, they were in an uproar as expected.
Sure enough, there was something fishy behind the scenes. It turned out that the emperor and Zhang Zhou were waiting here. First, there was an inconspicuous hail disaster. The emperor sent Zhang Zhou to Nanjing and waited for them to leave the capital before the earthquake happened, so that others would not be able to rely on Zhang Zhou. On the head.
No wonder the emperor was so hesitant when he sent Min Gui to prison. In fact, it was just to show that after Zhang Zhou left the capital, any disasters that occurred in the capital could not be related to Zhang Zhou.
And Min Gui is the one who doesn't play by the rules of the game.
Until now, Min Gui has not been released from prison.
Zhu Youtang said: "I don't know when the earthquake will occur. Please take precautions tonight. In this way, we will stay away from the morning tomorrow, and at the same time, we will make this matter public, so that the soldiers and the people can prepare themselves, so as not to have any trouble." What harm to humans and animals.”
Liu Jian came out and said, "I would like to ask Your Majesty for your instructions on such a prophecy of earthquakes, whether it is credible?"
Zhu Youtang didn't care at all about other people's suspicions, and said in an indifferent tone: "I can't tell whether it is credible or not. Who knows whether things that have not happened will definitely happen? It all depends on the human heart. That's it. .Retreat!"
The meaning of the emperor.
Believe it or not, I’ve left my words here. Zhang Bingkuan did say so. If you don’t believe it, stay in the house tomorrow, or find a dangerous wall to stand next to, just to face Zhang Zhou’s prophecy. , who cares?
…
…
The meeting ended.
After everyone left the Fengtian Hall, they immediately gathered together again. This time, there were much less startled discussions.
Now it was a "showdown" for the emperor, who had set a three-month buffer period for "disasters". However, within a few days, Zhang Zhou had just run out of the capital, and there was an earthquake in the capital! ?
Who would have dared to believe this in the past?
Yuan Shouzhi said: "Zhang Bingkuan is threatening us. We must not believe his lies."
As a minister who has become an official, Xu Qiong should have gone up to say goodbye after the court meeting, no matter how others had treated him. But suddenly Zhang Zhou predicted the earthquake in the capital, and he became an insignificant person. "Little people".
Even the newly appointed Minister of Rites, Lin Han, was left out in the cold.
Xie Qian was a showman after all. He walked over to talk to Xu Qiong and Lin Han for a few words, and then said with emotion: "...Now that I think about it, being able to return to my hometown to take care of myself is a good deed and enviable. "
To outsiders, these words may sound a bit "insincere".
If you are envious, you can resign and return home, no one will stop you.
Xu Qiong said: "Everyone, I have served the imperial court. To this day, I still have many regrets that I have not been able to complete. I leave it all to you. I will leave for my hometown in the next two days. You don't have to send me off. I hope I can return in my lifetime. Goodbye."
Everyone then said goodbye to Xu Qiong.
After Xu Qiong, Lin Han and others left first, a group of people surrounded the three cabinet members and Tu Fu.
"At this time, if there is an earthquake tomorrow, what should we do? Will His Majesty call Zhang Bingkuan back? Will the previous efforts be in vain?" Everyone chattered non-stop.
Tu Yan said righteously: "Let's not talk about whether this earthquake will really come. I don't believe that God can always follow Zhang Bingkuan's intention? So does Zhang Bingkuan represent God?"
Everyone looked at each other.
This is a bit exaggerated... If Zhang Bingkuan didn't have the ability to reach God's will, then why was he accurately hit by him again and again before?
Tu Fu continued: "If he wanted to build a reputation for himself through extraordinary disasters, there would be no need to blame others for the previous hail disaster. Who dares to say that the previous hail disaster was not deliberately attributed to him by His Majesty?"
Zhou Jingdao: "That's what I said, but I'm afraid..."
"Even if there is an earthquake, does it have nothing to do with him? You have been in the court for many years, why are you so timid because of a young and energetic young man?" Tu Yu looked very angry.
With Tu Jun coming out to "support the scene", the pressure on the three cabinet members suddenly became much less.
Xie Qian also smiled and said: "That's right. There were many earthquakes in various places last year, and Zhang Bingkuan was not hit in advance every time. Don't worry, everyone."
Wang Shi, the Minister of Dali Temple, asked: "Is it possible that the earthquakes in various places in the past were just minor earthquakes and no casualties occurred, so Zhang Bingkuan felt that there was no need to report it?"
A group of people suddenly stared at Wang Shi.
Wang Shi suddenly felt that he was losing face.
Wang Shi's position in the court is a bit embarrassing. He has been the minister of Dali Temple for several years. He originally had the opportunity to be the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment or the Yushi of Zuodu, but now he has not even been nominated. It seems that he If you want to go further, you can only develop into the position of the Six Ministers of Nanjing...
Tu Yan said: "Then you mean that the earthquake in Shuntian Mansion will be serious tomorrow?"
Wang Shi said helplessly: "It's just a hypothesis."
"There is no such hypothesis." Tu Yu said, "No one has ever been able to detect an earthquake in advance, let alone an earthquake that occurred under the emperor's feet. I don't believe it..."
After hearing this, many people are actually already muttering in their hearts.
If this is the first time Zhang Bingkuan has prophesied about an earthquake, then forget it. We can completely regard him as nonsense, but the problem is... he has successfully hit it, more than once... this time it is also related to his own vital interests. Would it be such a "misstep" to say yes, but the result is no?
It can even be said that even if he really didn't hit, it might be that Zhang Bingkuan missed on purpose, so that the emperor would lower his trust in him and gain the opportunity to coexist peacefully with us.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to believe that he had made a miscalculation.
"Let's go, don't worry about disasters that haven't happened yet. We've all read the books of sages, so what's the point of talking about this in advance?" Liu Jian, as the first assistant, set the tone.
Since we are not sure whether there will be an earthquake tomorrow, we will discuss this issue again after tomorrow.
Whether it happens or not, we have to wait until afterwards to discuss countermeasures, otherwise it will appear that we are worrying in vain.
Then everyone dispersed, and everyone said something close to "Zhang Bingkuan is just deceiving the public with his lies." It seemed that no one was willing to believe that there would really be an earthquake in the future.
…
…
Inside Qingning Palace.
Zhu Youtang was greeting Empress Dowager Zhou, but Empress Dowager Zhou blamed her grandson in person for transferring Zhang Zhou away from the capital.
"The Ai family thinks that the emperor is too hasty to give up a capable minister like Bingkuan just because of some unfounded criticisms from people in the court." Empress Dowager Zhou said.
Zhu Youtang explained: "Emperor Grandma, this is what my grandson and Bingkuan have agreed upon. There will be an earthquake in the capital tomorrow. This also shows that the disaster in the capital has nothing to do with him, and he has important things to do when he goes to Jiangnan." He has a mission, and he will be entrusted with important responsibilities when he comes back. The position of Minister of the Ministry of War will be reserved for him."
In front of the old lady, the grandson didn't hide anything.
Who said I was going to give up using him?
He also made it clear that the position of Minister of the Ministry of War was ready for him!
After hearing this, Queen Mother Zhou felt a little relieved and said, "Is there going to be an earthquake tomorrow? Will the Ai family also have to move out?"
Zhu Youtang said: "Bingkuan said that the earthquake this time will not be too serious. As long as the house is built solidly, like the palaces and pavilions in the palace, as long as it is not in disrepair, it will be fine. So the Queen's Grandmother Don’t worry too much.”
"That's good." Queen Mother Zhou said, "But just in case of accidents, the Ai family should set up a tent outside tonight."
"this……"
Zhu Youtang felt that he seemed to have tricked the old lady.
Jiang Lu next to him said: "The Empress Dowager, the heat has just gone a little bit, and there are a lot of mosquitoes. If you go out of the palace, I'm afraid that at night...it won't be easy to guard against."
"That's better than stepping on the palace and suppressing people!" Queen Mother Zhou said, "When there was Li Guang in the past, I was always afraid that he would offend God and cause some natural or man-made disaster. But now with Bingkuan, there is He can inform you in advance of any natural or man-made disasters... Is this the same? So, Emperor, you still have to have a discerning eye and know who can be used and who cannot be used."
"Yes, my grandson has learned a lesson." Zhu Youtang said hurriedly.
"By the way, Emperor, when will your concubine outside the palace give birth to a child?" Queen Mother Zhou asked.
"It's just these two days." Zhu Youtang said, "In fact, it has exceeded the expected delivery time. I have sent someone to keep an eye on her at all times."
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "If you can give yourself another heir when the world is spinning and the earth is shaking, the Ai family will feel that this is a grace given to you by God, and the meaning will be extraordinary."
Zhu Youtang said: "Royal Grandma, is it really okay to give birth to a son during an earthquake?"
The emperor felt that the old lady was "looking for trouble".
If he had a son born on the day of the earthquake, wouldn't others regard this son as a "disaster"? But the old lady insists on saying that this is grace, and it probably means turning bad things into a good direction.
Empress Dowager Zhou sighed: "No matter what, I hope it is an imperial heir. If it is a little princess... there will always be some imperfections. You have to bring the person into the palace and pay your respects to the Ai family. The Ai family can also help You keep her."
This is clearly hinting to the grandson that if you, the imperial concubine, move to the palace, your safety will not be guaranteed because you have a jealous wife.
"Yes." Zhu Youtang responded.
Empress Dowager Zhou said: "I heard that the two Zhang family members have returned to the capital in the past two days?"
"I'm back, and we went to the palace to see the queen together today." Zhu Youtang said, "My grandson doesn't plan to see them anymore! They haven't made much contribution in the northwest and Liaodong. Even if they have, it's Bingkuan It’s the result of helping each other. I don’t intend to grant them a title.”
"You still have to reward those who have merit, but you can't entrust them with too much importance. You should know what they look like. But hurry up and bring Bing Kuan back. The Ai family didn't see him for a while, and they were still panicking. Bing Kuan is very good at doing things... ...The Ai family still has something they want him to help with."
"If anything happens to the royal grandmother, you can tell your grandson the same thing."
"No." Queen Mother Zhou said, "There are some things that he must do."
…
…
Zhu Youtang left Qingning Palace.
Jiang Lu looked at the indifferent and leisurely look on Queen Mother Zhou's face and asked, "What do you need, Queen Mother? I can help you with it."
"Besides wanting to have more great-grandchildren, what other thoughts does the Ai family have?" Queen Mother Zhou asked.
"Then you..."
"You want to ask, what does the Ai family want Zhang Bingkuan to do? The Ai family doesn't need him to do anything. The Ai family just wants the emperor to think more about what is behind this." Empress Dowager Zhou showed an old fox smile on her face.
Jiang Lu said: "I don't understand."
Empress Dowager Zhou stood up and said: "You don't need to understand. Zhang Bingkuan's mission has actually been almost completed. If the emperor trusts him more than those ministers, then there will be no peace in the court in the future. The Ai family is actually trying to alienate each other." Don’t you understand their monarchs and ministers?”
"Huh?" Jiang Lu felt that he had asked things he shouldn't have asked and knew things he shouldn't have known.
Empress Dowager Zhou said: "However, Zhang Bingkuan is very good at using troops. In the future, we will install some kind of northwest general system for him and let him guard the border. He will not have any conflicts with the ministers of the DPRK. After ten or twenty years, he will be a normal person." After leaving the grassland, I was not that close to His Majesty when I came back. He was just an ordinary minister. Haha. At that time, the Ai family was no longer here. After the Ai family is buried, the Ai family will have no control over the direction of the Ming Dynasty. Here you go."
…
…
Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling went to Kunning Palace to visit their sister, but they did not see Zhu Youtang, nor did they get the reward they wanted.
The two of them walked out of the palace with unhappy faces.
"Second brother, tell me, we have contributed so much. My Duke Changguo and your Marquis Jianchang have not been found yet. Has His Majesty forgotten us?" Zhang Heling looked at his younger brother who was walking with his head down.
Zhang Yanling said: "I just want to spend a few days in the capital and have a happy life."
Zhang Heling scolded: "You little bastard, didn't my sister say that we should go check out the woman outside the palace? From now on, our sister will not be the only mistress of the palace. What if something happens to our eldest nephew?" , it will be the people over there who will gain the upper hand in the future."
Zhang Yanling yawned and was about to say something, but the yawn just opened his mouth and then stopped abruptly, almost staying there.
Because he saw a "malicious" person standing not far away, looking at them with a smile.
"I'll go." Zhang Heling said, "This kid really can't stand talking about it."
It was Zhu Houzhao.
"Two uncles, how are you? You went to the border to fight, and you can still come back alive? It's amazing." Zhu Houzhao, with a spring breeze smile on his face, took the initiative to greet them.
Although what he said... wasn't that pleasant.
Zhang Heling said: "Prince, what are you doing? My brother has entered the palace to see your mother, why are you blocking the way here?"
"Don't be nervous. I'm not here to ask you for money. Besides, you don't owe me any money, right?"
Zhu Houzhao came over. At this time, he was half a head taller than last year. He came over and took an uncle's hand with one hand, and was about to pull him in the direction of Wenhua Hall.
Zhang Yanling shouted: "What does the prince want to do?"
"It's not like I'm going to eat you!" Zhu Houzhao suddenly became a little angry, "I just have some fun things for you to see. I haven't had the chance to leave the palace recently. I heard that my two uncles are back, and I miss you very much. I just happened to be with you." Want to study the military situation together? Do you have anything good to share with you?"
"Pooh!"
Zhang Heling shook off his nephew's hand first.
When I looked at Zhu Houzhao's eyes at this time, I found that there was a bit of shame and hatred in them.
There is a sense of "you two brothers are toasting instead of eating and being punished with alcohol".
Zhang Heling said with a smile on his face: "If the prince has any fun, he should go to Mr. Zhang, the Duke of Lai. He is very capable, but we can't."
Zhu Houzhao said: "I can look for him, but why should I look for you? He has already gone to Nanjing! I also want to go, do you two cooperate?"
"..."
The two brothers looked at each other and realized why their eldest nephew was so enthusiastic.
It turned out that he wanted to take advantage of their honesty, or stupidity, to help him get out of the palace, and even left the capital for Nanjing to join Zhang Zhou.
"Looking at your appearance, you are not very cooperative. I also heard that Mr. Zhang said before leaving that there will be an earthquake tomorrow. I have built a room for you and will arrange for you to stay in it from tonight to tomorrow. Come on, if you haven't been beaten to death after tomorrow, I will let you go!" Zhu Houzhao threatened.
"What?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanling jumped up on the spot.
With such a threat?
Looking towards Zhu Houzhao, several eunuchs from the East Palace were already standing together. Even if there were no palace guards, seven or eight people, and three or four people to catch one, could capture them and take them to the East Palace.
Zhang Heling said anxiously: "Prince, what are you going to do? If you have something to say, please tell me."
As he spoke, he was looking for a place to run away.
Zhang Yanling said from the side: "Brother, what are you afraid of? I don't believe this kid dares to mess around! My brother-in-law will not let him go!"
"Still not aware? Go up and arrest the person!"
Zhu Houzhao gave an order, and the old eunuchs of the East Palace rushed forward first, followed by more than a dozen younger eunuchs, chasing the Zhang brothers everywhere.
The two of them were obviously not strong enough, so they were quickly captured by a group of young eunuchs who usually worked and pinned to the ground.
Zhu Houzhao walked over and said with a smile: "I told you to go to the East Palace and show you the good things. If you don't go, it's not up to you now."
"Prince, what are you going to do?" Zhang Heling asked with a sad face.
"Ah! Someone is coming!" Zhang Yanling was shouting.
Zhu Houzhao shouted: "Shut his mouth!"
Then he realized that he didn't have a gag cloth and was not fully prepared. Then he took off his shoes, took off his socks, and handed them to Liu Jin. Then Liu Jin knew what to do...
"One is not enough." Liu Jin said.
"Don't you have one yourself?" Zhu Houzhao said angrily.
Liu Jin was angry.
Your socks are fine as gag cloths, mine...unless you don't want to get along with the Zhang brothers in the future.
Zhu Houzhao was angry and took off his other sock and threw it to Liu Jin. Then the two brothers were carried by a group of young eunuchs.
"Today has been a fruitful day."
Zhu Houzhao led his group of East Palace eunuchs and headed toward the East Palace with two "trophies" on their shoulders.
(End of chapter)
