After Zhu Youtang's health improved, his pursuits were different from before.
Now he not only wants to obtain the necessary health, but also wants to obtain the quality of life. There is a future that I can't bear. Just let me enjoy life in the past few years. It will be a turbulent fifteen years, and I am willing to die.
Zhang Zhou was not embarrassed to tell him, Your Majesty, according to history, your body only has four and a half years left to live. Of course, I am here. If you have pneumonia or something, I can help you cure it, but who knows your destiny? Is it just these four years? If God really wants to take you away, I can't stop you.
Regarding the "prescription" for conditioning, Zhang Zhou also knew that he should take some "strong medicine".
But if you want to improve a person's physical condition, it is still nothing more than paying attention to diet and exercising frequently. It is precisely that neither of these two things is easy for Zhu Youtang to achieve, because Zhu Youtang has a meek temperament and is also picky about food. , plus I’m too sick to want to exercise...it’s troublesome to even go out for a walk.
This gave Zhang Zhou a headache.
Zhang Zhou stayed at Shangting to study his prescription.
This was originally a place where important affairs of the imperial court were handled, but now it seems to have become the office of the Royal Pharmacy of the Imperial Palace. Just when he was bored and yawning with his head down, Zhu Houzhao jumped up and appeared in front of him.
"gentlemen."
Zhu Houzhao grinned, looking a little proud.
Zhang Zhou said: "Escaped secretly?"
"No, my father said that as long as I study diligently, I can come here. He also said that if there are any major military affairs discussed here in the future, I can also come and observe. Today, I have to complete all the homework assigned by the lecturer before coming here. ." Zhu Houzhao said, "It's getting late."
Zhang Zhou looked at the sky and saw that it was almost sunset.
However, the days are short in winter, and the Shangting Office has just been established, and even the rules for commuting to and from work have not been set. Zhang Zhou is also wondering whether the Shangting Office will be turned into a yamen where fishing is done three days and netting is done two days. .
But since he wanted to challenge the cabinet, or be the emperor's ideal yamen to replace the cabinet, he couldn't be too slack.
"Is there any big event in the northwest?" Zhu Houzhao continued to ask with an excited face, "I heard that the Tatars are fighting among themselves again and are fighting fiercely. Is there a mantis stalking the cicada and the oriole behind the Ming Dynasty? Uncle Xin Xin sent troops Or send troops from three sides to push the defense line of the Loop to the north, I think that would be good."
Zhang Zhou said: "It's the end of the year. Ming Dynasty will not send troops unless necessary."
"What's the point of that?"
Zhu Houzhao sat on the chair next to him, but the chair was exactly where Zhu Youtang had sat when he came here before. He crossed his legs and said, "I learned a lot when I went to Jiangnan this time. Next time we will go together." Are they in the northwest? Please make some arrangements and we can wipe out the Tatars in one go! Then our father will be impressed."
The young man is quite ambitious.
But still a bit tender.
Zhang Zhou didn't want to pay attention to Zhu Houzhao's chatter at the side, but Liu Jin stood at the door and said loudly: "Your Highness, someone from the Central Palace sent a message to let you pass."
"Didn't you see that I was discussing court affairs with Mr. Zhang? Just lean on me." Zhu Houzhao looked impatient.
Even when he returned to the capital, Zhu Houzhao liked to pester Zhang Zhou, naturally not for learning, but because there was something in Zhang Zhou that he longed for and was curious about.
Zhang Zhou said: "It's getting late, and it's time for me to go back. I'll talk about it later when I have time."
"Aren't you coming tomorrow?" Zhu Houzhao seemed to understand Zhang Zhou very well.
If you say "come someday", you may not know which day we will meet.
Zhang Zhou curled his lips and said: "The Shangting Office is just a prototype, and the staff has not been fully staffed yet. I have to have errands to do before I come. Besides, it is approaching the end of the year, how can the imperial court have so many military affairs for me to deal with? Or is it? I need to worry more about matters within the Ministry of War."
Zhu Houzhao said: "What's the point of being the Minister of the Ministry of War? It's better to be the leader. You must tell me any big events in the future. I'll be right next to you. See how close we are? I also want to give you a copy. Li, do you see how pure my intentions are? I am not doing it for fun! Mr. Zhang, you must believe me!"
…
…
Zhang Zhou finally figured it out, and it was really convenient for Zhu Houzhao to set up the listening area next to the Wenhua Hall.
It's like if there is any big event in the future, you can inform Zhu Houzhao so that this bastard knows it immediately and even participates in the planning of the matter... Zhu Houzhao's opinion seems not to be worthwhile, but the important thing is participation.
Zhu Houzhao is about to enter puberty, and children at this time also have a strong desire to express themselves and want to prove themselves, especially for a Ming Dynasty prince like Zhu Houzhao, whose personality determines that this kid will never settle down.
Two days later.
Zhang Zhou went up and down the court normally, and the Shangting Department and the Ministry of War did not relax. However, after the court meeting early that morning, Xie Qian called him on his way to the Shangting Department.
"Mr. Xie Ge, is it a different way?"
Zhang Zhou smiled and looked at the cabinet duty side. He probably meant that since we are not in the same yamen, there is no need for me to report things to you, and we should avoid such private meetings.
Xie Qian said: "I heard that you secretly told His Majesty that there would be an earthquake in Shaanxi and other places, and you also asked the local government to make preparations in advance? Or even asked the people to move out of their houses?"
"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded.
Because this had nothing to do with his honor, the matter was not made public, but there is no impermeable wall in this world.
Xie Qian frowned and said, "Why are you doing this? No one wants to turn you into an alchemist or a minister, but you are stubborn about it. What do you think?"
Zhang Zhou said: "If I can calculate it, no matter whether it can be fulfilled or not, I mentioned it to His Majesty. If it can save the life of a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, I think it is necessary. I am a soft-hearted person and cannot bear to see other people's families destroyed."
"you……"
Xie Qian felt uncomfortable hearing this.
You don’t want to see other people’s homes destroyed and people destroyed. I just like to see other people’s homes destroyed and people destroyed, right?
"In the dead of winter, you have done so many things, and you are not afraid of being punished by God? If the people listened to you, they would not even be able to live in a place with a roof to cover their heads. The cold wind would make them sick and sleepy. What impact would it have on people's livelihood? You have no worries. Have you passed?" Xie Qian asked sharply.
Zhang Zhou asked curiously: "The earth will shake, the houses will collapse, and there will be many casualties. What is more serious and what is more serious? There will always be a scale in everyone's mind, right? Besides, even if the government advocates it, the people also have the right to choose. They can I chose not to move out, but stayed in the house... I did my duty, and whether they listened or not was up to them... Just like I said the capital would be affected by an earthquake, Mr. Xie Ge, do you want to hear it or not."
Xie Qian was usually good at quarreling with others, but when he met Zhang Zhou, he immediately felt powerless.
When he quarrels with others, he always insists on rules and etiquette, but Zhang Zhou is different. Zhang Zhou doesn't seem to care at all about seniority and inferiority.
Say whatever comes to mind and talk nonsense. Even the royal family can entertain and ridicule, not to mention their group of ministers, who can use ridiculing words freely.
Zhang Zhou said: “Mr. , let’s listen to the report from the northwest and see if the earthquake is coming. Can you talk to me again?”
Xie Qian finally saw that it was unrealistic to change Zhang Zhou's "behavioral logic".
The original idea of the cabinet was that since they could not defeat Zhang Zhou and could not join Zhang Zhou, they would guide Zhang Zhou in the direction of a "good minister". To put it bluntly, they would lead Zhang Zhou into what they considered to be the "right path."
But Zhang Zhou would talk about God's will every now and then. Could this be the behavior of ordinary civil servants?
Xie Qian thought to himself, I am so kind-hearted that I am being treated like a donkey. How come this kid can’t get enough of him? Have you never thought that one day your so-called providence will not be fulfilled? Or are you planning to follow this path of near-sycophantism for the rest of your life, leading to a dark end?
…
…
Xie Qian saw Zhang Zhou and went back to the cabinet to check the room with some anger.
Liu Jian and Li Dongyang walked over and asked, "How did you say that?"
Xie Qian said: "I am stubborn and can't persuade you. It seems that we will never work together in the future."
Li Dongyang frowned and said: "Anyone who can hit the mark once or twice about the earthquake is a god. How does he calculate this? Can he hit the mark every time? Can he be so sure in the face of trouble?"
Xie Qian said: "Can he hit the target every time? Within the four seas, so many earthquakes are reported every year, why can't he miss them every time?"
The three of them took their seats.
Li Dongyang said: "Except for the earthquakes in the past two years that he deliberately mentioned, or those related to God's will or disasters, most of them did not cause any real damage to humans and animals. However, the earthquakes in Shaanxi in the coming year that he said will be like Seriously, mentioning the damage to humans and animals, and even the collapse of houses... This means that he is deliberately selecting some things, and it is up to him to decide whether to say or not."
Xie Qian frowned and said, "Binzhi, do you mean that everything was as expected?"
"That may be the case." Li Dongyang said, "His origins have not been investigated clearly until now. We know very little about his past. We can't even find out his teaching and schooling status before he passed the exam. He seems to have fallen from the sky. Yes, if he really has some magical power, and His Majesty believes in Taoism so much, don’t you think everything is just too coincidental?”
Zhang Zhou would feed the emperor whatever he believed.
And every time he poured it out, it was so accurate that the emperor was so confused that Zhang Zhou would do whatever he said.
Zhang Zhou seemed to be a "puppet" who was sent to the human world specifically to govern the emperor and lead the Ming Dynasty astray. In this way, Zhang Zhou was the spokesperson of God and was led by God.
Xie Qian said nothing.
Because he could hear that Li Dongyang was not lying. Compared with Zhang Zhou... the traditional civil servants were at a huge disadvantage.
Liu Jiandao: "The implication is that we should find someone like Zhang Bingkuan who can understand God's will from above and understand the Holy Will from below?"
Li Dongyang took out a memorandum, placed it in front of the two of them and said, "Zhang Tianshi, who is in the same class, has requested an order to come to Beijing, and he will arrive in the next year."
Needless to say.
The general meaning is that to treat an "alchemist" like Zhang Zhou, one should find a more powerful "alchemist", and then let Zhang Tianshi from Longhu Mountain fight with Zhang Zhou.
Everyone in the world who believes in Taoism regards Zhang Tianshi's family as orthodox. After Zhang Zhou rises, the Zhang family will definitely think that their orthodox status has been challenged. Then they will let the two compete and let the emperor decide who is more awesome... Even if If Zhang Zhou wins, Zhang Zhou will also offend Taoist orthodoxy. Then won’t Zhang Zhou be in a situation of being attacked from both sides?
Liu Jian sighed: "Bin Zhi, is this for court affairs, or is it just for the sake of a short period of time?"
"Did I say anything?" What Li Dongyang means is that Zhang Tianshi, who is a member of the same family, is coming to Beijing for worship. I just informed you in advance.
How could you think I have ulterior motives?
Liu Jian and Xie Qian naturally know what he means. If you tell us in advance, you probably want us to stand with Zhengyi and support them secretly? At least he was trying to undermine Zhang Bingkuan behind his back?
Xie Qian laughed and said: "Some people inside and outside the capital have long called Zhang Bingkuan the Celestial Master. I really don't know if from now on, talking about the Celestial Master will be exclusive to Zhang Bingkuan? I am a member of the Zhang family. , if such a boy who appears out of nowhere has an advantage in Taoism, he will definitely not stand idly by and watch the excitement."
Taoist priests have too many tricks, and our traditional civil servants cannot defeat them.
Then find a Taoist priest.
No matter how awesome you Zhang Bingkuan is, let’s see how you fight against the people of Longhushan Zhengyi. They have a great cause and a wide range of followers. No matter how awesome you are, you have to succumb to the situation...
…
…
Zhang Zhou had long known about Zheng Yiyi's coming to Beijing.
Didn't take it too seriously.
Because Zhu Youtang made it clear in advance that Taoist affairs do not involve the dispute between orthodoxy. Now that Zhang Zhou is Cai Guogong, he does not bother to fight for the reputation of Taoist orthodoxy. As for whether the Zhang family dares to compete with Zhang Zhou, That's also a big problem... You know that Zhang Zhou now has the emperor's trust, but you still want to fight for it. Isn't that asking for trouble?
Zhang Zhou's family members have not returned, so Zhang Zhou can still only be a "monk".
In the evening, I still went to the theater, listening to the rehearsals outside, and looking at various official documents from the Ministry of War in my private room.
He was also worried.
Because he did not climb up from the bottom step by step, but directly jumped to a high position, it also brought him a bad "habit", that is, he does not like to deal with things when things happen, and always wants to solve the problem. In the final analysis, he still has no bureaucratic mentality. It is so heavy that all kinds of troublesome things on the documents are very difficult to communicate and deal with.
Official affairs are suitable for "procrastination" and "shirking the blame", but not for "making decisions when the situation arises."
Zhang Zhouren's official qualifications were also insufficient, which required him to gain experience in political performance, especially in managing the affairs of the Ministry of War, and the respect of others.
This forced Zhang Zhou to have to deal with the things at hand, and many things required communication with people from the six ministries of the DPRK and Central Government, especially the Ministry of Revenue... At the moment, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Ji Zhong, seems to be a "rising star", but he is a traditional person after all. It was recommended by the civil servants that Wang Qiong alone would not be able to do a good job in connecting the household department.
"In the spring of next year, thirty heavy cannons will be cast in Datong and Yansui, and another 240 long-distance cannons..."
"Four thousand flint muskets, not counting ammunition..."
"Fifty thousand square meters of stone are used to build the city in Yansui, and the required salt and silver are 120,000 taels..."
Zhang Zhouguang calculated the war preparation materials that need to be prepared in the next spring. The number has actually reached 400,000 taels. Compared with the Ming Dynasty's fiscal revenue, these expenses are a bit large. After all, the Ming Dynasty has been living in the northwest in the past few years. Tight days.
Ming Dynasty also wanted to attack with all its troops, marching into the grasslands with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses to win a great victory.
However, the conditions do not allow it.
The soldiers in the northwest seem to be military households, reserved for fighting, but most of the time they are completing tasks such as building fortresses, farming, transporting grain, etc. Their actual training time is very short. Even if they are given a large amount of ordnance materials, without suitable instructors case, they don't know how to use it either.
The original intention of establishing the Yanwu Hall was to first teach the generals how to use new firearms and change the mentality of the Ming Dynasty's frontier soldiers from cold weapons to hot weapons.
But the Yanwu Hall itself also needs funds allocated by the court to ensure its operation.
"...The budget of Yanwu Hall is 160,000 taels..."
This means that just a martial arts training hall will account for such a large amount of expenses for the Ming Dynasty in the coming year. Zhang Zhou doesn't know what the money will be used for.
The house of Xiuyan Wutang? Repair school?
Or is it used for public expenses? Casting cannons does not require money from the Yanwu Hall, and the soldiers are all soldiers from the Beijing camp... Even if they are in charge of food, they can't spend so much money.
But when he saw the budget expenditure for each item below, Zhang Zhou felt that the 160,000 taels of silver was still a bit stretched.
"If you're not a family member, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are." Zhang Zhou closed all the official documents in front of him.
Xiao Janggeum on the side was very sensible and hurried over to pour wine for Zhang Zhou.
But before Zhang Zhou could pick up the wine glass and take a sip, his guest arrived, Ning Tong.
Ning Tong came here to be an "apprentice" with Zhang Zhou. Because they wanted to open a medicine shop together, Ning Tong felt that this was an opportunity in her life. Maybe in the future, Ning Tong would be the first goddess doctor in the Ming Dynasty, so she came to Zhang Zhou. At that time, she was also in a state of excitement, showing a bit of the attitude of a strong career woman.
But behind her, there was a woman, the daughter of the Chen family.
"This is the plan written by Cai Guogong by his concubine. It is located in Chongwenmen, not far from the palace. There will be dedicated personnel to take care of it in the future. As the shopkeeper, I can go out for consultation at any time. In addition, the purchased goods will be made of Jiangnan medicinal materials. The merchants are the guide, and the medicinal materials everywhere are selected by the best, as well as the annual rent, the cost of medication, etc..."
Ning Tong became a big shopkeeper for the first time and listed everything on paper.
After Zhang Zhou read it, he threw the plan aside and said coldly: "No, next one."
Ning Tong was stunned when she heard this.
I have been busy for a long time, but you just said something bad and rejected it?
The daughter of the Chen family came over and handed an account book to Zhang Zhou and said: "Last year, Datong Coal Mine's revenue was 360,000 taels of silver. Excluding military expenditures, transportation expenses, etc., the net profit was 174,657 taels. "
"Yeah. Pretty good." Zhang Zhou nodded.
Ning Tong heard this.
Is there such a good thing?
I work hard in the medicinal materials business, but I can't make more than 1,800 taels a year. If you open a coal mine, you can make a net profit of more than 170,000 taels a year?
Then what kind of medicinal materials business should I engage in?
"Mr. Cai Guogong, may I ask, is your coal mine... still lacking someone to take care of it?" Ning Tong also asked bluntly.
(End of chapter)
