At night. Chang Feng was in the study reading an exam-oriented eight-part essay written by his son Chang Ponu.
Chang Ponu passed the county examination at the age of fourteen and the government examination at the age of fifteen. This year he will take part in the college examination hosted by Beizhili Academic Affairs.
If you can pass, you will get the title of scholar.
As the prince's eastern palace companion, Chang Ponu received the best educational resources in the entire Ming Dynasty.
The teachers in the East Palace include Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, Wang Hua, Yang Ting, and just one of them is a great scholar of the time.
Chang Fengzai carefully read the eight-part essay written by his son. I sighed in my heart: Zhuang Zhuang’s craftsmanship is better than mine!
Maybe a few years later, Zhuangzhuang passed the Jinshi examination, and I, the father, would still be in ruins.
But as a father, strictness is a must.
Although Chang Feng praised in his heart, he cursed in his mouth: "Absurd thing. He dances with guns and sticks all day long, fighting cocks and lackeys. After all, he worked hard and wrote this article that is passable."
Chang Ponu was very dissatisfied: "Dad, what do you mean by 'passing through'? Mr. Li said that my article has become famous."
"If I take this paper to the examination marking room and have eight examiners mark it, I will get at least four circles!"
Chang Feng waved his hand impatiently: "Be careful of arrogance and impetuosity, and study hard. Don't always think about hunting in the imperial garden with the prince."
"Your father is called a butcher. You have to pass the college examination, the provincial examination, the general examination, and the palace examination all the way. Only then can you change our family's reputation and family style."
Man is a very strange animal.
Chang Feng did not like the imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty. But they also long for themselves or their sons to integrate into this system.
Chang Feng handed the article back to Chang Ponu: "Your aunt asked you to go to the princess's mansion tomorrow to eat dumplings filled with mackerel stuffing. You take the article with you and let your uncle comment and give some advice."
"Your uncle is a serious second-class Jinshi, and he is a senior in the examination room."
Chang Ponu said: "I understand, Dad. I'll go back to my room first."
After Chang Ponu left, Liu Xiaoyan came to give Chang Feng supper dumplings.
Chang Feng said: "Our son's artistic talent is better than my father."
Liu Xiaoyan said: "Liu Jin said that during class in the East Palace, several gentlemen kept praising his strength."
"Here, the dumplings stuffed with red bean paste. Eat them quickly."
Changfeng pushed aside the blue and white bowl containing the dumplings: "I have no appetite."
Liu Xiaoyan asked: "What, are you in trouble?"
Chang Feng replied: "I encountered a terrible enemy."
Liu Xiaoyan was puzzled: "Back then, you weren't even afraid of Wantong, Shang Ming, Wan An, and Liu Ji. Are there any enemies more terrifying than them?"
Chang Feng sighed: "The enemy I encountered is not a person or a group of people. It is a group of people or several parties. Forget it, let's not talk about it. Let's go back to the room and sleep."
Midnight watch. Everyone in the Chang family has fallen asleep.
A dark shadow quietly came to the gate of Chang Mansion. He slipped a letter into the crack of the door.
Before dawn the next day, the concierge was about to open the door and clean the door. Suddenly I found a letter stuck in the crack of the door.
The letter read "Jinyiwei often communicates with his acquaintance", but there was no signature.
The concierge handed the letter to Chang Feng who was having breakfast in the dining room.
Chang Feng tore open the envelope, and the content on the letter surprised Chang Feng.
The general content of this anonymous letter is: Ye Guang, the commander-in-chief of the Right Army, is one of the shareholders of Shuangmuhui. Know the inside story of Shuangmuhui. If Chang Tongzhi wants to thoroughly investigate Shuangmuhui, he can first have a chat with Ye Guang.
Chang Feng put the anonymous letter into his sleeve: Could someone be helping me secretly? who is it?
The existence of the Shuangmu Society is itself a secret. How did the person who helped me know?
Changfeng was full of doubts and went to Fengtianmen to attend the morning court.
During the morning meeting, Chang Feng subconsciously glanced at Ye Guang in the military attaché class.
Ye Guang is an old acquaintance of Chang Feng. In the last years of Chenghua, the two of them secured their savings together. When Li Guang caused the "Yuyuan Mutiny" incident, it was Chang Feng who cleared Ye Guang's grievances.
Ye Guang participated in Chenghua Liting and was good at setting fires. Belongs to the list of meritorious veterans.
That day, Chang Feng met Ye Guang on the second floor at the Fujian Chamber of Commerce's night banquet.
He knew that Ye Guang, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, was also involved in the smuggling trade. But I didn't expect that he would be so deeply involved that he was actually one of the shareholders of Shuangmu Society.
After going to court, Chang Feng did not go to Jinyiwei. Instead, he went to the Governor's Mansion of the Right Army.
The Dudu Mansion is divided into five armies. It was formerly the Generalissimo's Mansion during the King Wu period. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it was changed to the Governor's Mansion, which was in charge of the world's military forces.
In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Taizu divided the governor's office into five parts in order to prevent it from gaining too much power.
During the Yong and Xuan periods, the imperial court further subdivided military power into the power of commanding troops and the power of dispatching troops. The power of commanding troops belongs to the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army. The power to mobilize troops is vested in the Ministry of War.
After the Tumubao Incident, the status of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion declined sharply.
A large number of distinguished and distinguished governors were killed in Tumubao. The Ministry of War led by Yu Qian became the leader in the battle to defend the capital.
The battle to defend the capital ended. The status of military-leading civilian officials represented by Yu Qian rose sharply.
The Ministry of War is the governor-general of military affairs and in charge of the appointment and dismissal of generals. The power to command and mobilize troops is actually in the hands of the Ministry of War.
It can be said that Yu Qian ushered in the era of civilian control of the army.
In the Hongzhi Dynasty, military attachés were appointed by the Dusiwei Office, and even the procedure of submitting documents to the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army was omitted.
The military power of the Beijing camp is jointly controlled by the civil servants of the Ministry of War and the eunuchs of the Royal Horse Prison; the local military power is controlled by the governors of various regions, and the generals and general soldiers are all controlled by the governors.
In more special areas, such as the northwest, military power is controlled by the trilateral system.
Civil servants were the real leaders of the Ming Dynasty's army.
As an aside, part of the reason why Zhu Houzhao went on a personal expedition was to wrest back military power from civilian officials.
The Fifth Army Governor's Mansion has been reduced to a decoration and can only manage military households and their fields.
Governor, Governor Tongzhi, and Governor Qianshi have almost become honorary titles.
A governor can only be considered powerful if he also holds actual duties. For example, Ye Guang served as the admiral of the fifth military camp.
Chang Feng came to Ye Guang's room.
Ye Guang was a little surprised: "Chang Feng, you are a busy guy. Why did you come to me?"
Chang Feng smiled and said: "Why, can't I come to Brother Ye to talk about old times?"
Ye Guang said: "Come, sit down."
Then Ye Guang personally made tea for Chang Feng.
Chang Feng took a sip of tea: "Good tea. Dahongpao in Wuyishan, Fujian, right?"
Ye Guang said: "You're a very naughty boy."
Chang Feng put down the tea cup: "In the eyes of those who know tea, black tea is not allowed on the table."
"I heard that Westerners really like black tea with a strong aroma of flowers and fruits, but don't like green tea with a slightly bitter taste."
"Every year, a large amount of Wuyishan Dahongpao is sold by maritime merchants to Japanese pirates. The Japanese pirates then resell it to Westerners."
Ye Guang heard the clues from Chang Feng's voice: "I knew that you came here today not only to talk to me about old times. Tell me, what's the matter?"
Chang Feng asked bluntly: "I heard that Brother Ye is one of the shareholders of Shuangmu Society?"
Ye Guang was stunned: "What kind of Shuangmuhui and Sanyanhui? I've never heard of it."
Chang Feng sighed: "Hey, Brother Ye, stop pretending to be confused. Whenever I come to you, I already know the inside story."
Ye Guang remained silent.
Chang Feng said: "My brother Ye, you are so confused. You are getting involved with Southeast maritime merchants. To be serious, you are collaborating with the Japanese."
"Marine merchants and Japanese pirates have always been the same family! The chief culprit who attracted Japanese pirates was maritime merchants."
Ye Guang was still silent.
Chang Feng said: "Let me say something unpleasant again. How many brave and loyal soldiers along the coast died at the hands of Japanese pirates?"
"You took money from maritime merchants and became a shareholder of the Shuangmu Society. Are you worthy of those who sacrificed their lives for their country's loyalty?"
"Are you worthy of You Tianjue, who died heroically for his country just this spring? At least in name, You Tianjue is your subordinate Baoze!"
Ye Guang finally spoke: "I have something to hide. I became a shareholder of Shuangmu Society for the sake of my former master."
Chang Feng asked: "How do you say this?"
Ye Guang is a straightforward military commander, and Chang Feng is a benefactor who saved his life. He told the whole story.
He served in the Liaodong Frontier Army for a long time.
In the last battle of Chenghua Liting, due to his command error, hundreds of brothers were killed and more than two hundred brothers were seriously injured. Many of them had broken arms and legs.
According to court rules, the court will issue pensions to the families of fallen soldiers on an annual basis.
The court will also provide annual pensions to soldiers who are seriously injured and disabled.
However, ten years ago, his old Liaodong troops wrote him a letter. The content of the letter is complaints and complaints.
Pensions from the imperial court were distributed layer by layer through the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of War, the Liaodong Governor's Yamen, and the Military Bei Dao Yamen.
Naturally, the geese have to pluck their feathers when they pass by. Civil servants in various government offices, you move a little, and I move a little. It was distributed to the families of loyal martyrs and disabled soldiers, but very few were left.
This makes their lives miserable.
Ye Guang couldn't do justice for them. The Ming Dynasty’s military expenditures and pensions were all like this. This is a customary bad rule.
Although Ye Guang holds a high position, he cannot be an enemy of the entire system.
So Ye Guang chose to use his own money to support his old tribe and the loyal family members.
Ye Guang is a military attache at the level of governor-general, one of the five highest-ranking military attaches. His family is very well off.
However, no matter how well-off the family is, they cannot support hundreds of people for many years.
Ye Guang's wealth gradually emptied.
At this moment, a steward from the Lin family stationed in the capital came to the door.
The manager of the Lin family was very well-informed and actually knew that Ye Guang was short of money and could not continue to support his old ministry.
He took the initiative to let Ye Guang join Shuangmuhui and become a shareholder.
As long as Ye Guang says hello to his old subordinates along the coast of Nanzhi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong, and doesn't make things difficult for the Lin family's seagoing ship, he can reap a bonus of tens of thousands of taels every year.
The Lin family also invested money to build many houses, purchase thousands of acres of land, and build a school in Daxing County.
Ye Guang's disabled old troops and family members of brothers killed in battle can come to Daxing County and live in the houses built by the Lin family. Children can also attend school for free. Each household was given ten acres of land to live on.
In order for his old subordinates to find a good home, Ye Guang agreed and became a shareholder of Shuangmu Society.
After listening to Ye Guang's story, Chang Feng sighed: "The Lin family is really smart. They found your pain point and pulled you into the water in one go."
Ye Guangdao: "A hero does what a hero should do. You, Chang Butcher, can deal with me according to the law. But I just ask you not to embarrass my disabled old troops and the orphans of loyal soldiers."
"They knew nothing about it."
Chang Feng smiled and said: "How dare I deal with you? According to the rules set by Grand Ancestor, you are my immediate boss."
Rules are rules, whether you follow them or not is up to people. In fact, the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion has no control over the Jin Yiwei people.
Ye Guang asked: "Then why did you come to me today?"
Chang Feng replied: "I'm looking for Brother Ye to ask about two things. The first thing is that there are important ministers and generals in the court who are shareholders of Shuangmuhui."
"The second thing is, when and where will the triennial dividend meeting be held."
Ye Guang was stunned: "I can answer your first question. Almost all the people who went to the Fujian Chamber of Commerce for the banquet that day were shareholders of the Shuangmu Society."
"For the second thing, I have no comment."
Chang Feng complained: "Brother Ye still treats me as an outsider."
Ye Guangdao: "You said the opposite. It's precisely because I don't treat you as an outsider. I won't tell you."
"You have great powers, you should know how many people are standing behind Shuangmuhui."
"When you ask where and when the dividend meeting will be held, you are just checking the Shuangmu Meeting."
"I advise you, you can't move Shuangmuhui! If you go to investigate, you will definitely get burned."
Chang Feng said: "According to your opinion, You Tianjue's death was in vain?"
Ye Guang was stunned: "You Tianjue's death is related to the Shuangmu Society? Do you have any evidence?"
Chang Feng said: "There is no evidence, just my intuition."
Ye Guangdao: "You can catch one or two officials based on your intuition. But you can't catch hundreds or thousands of officials at once!"
"Even if you arrest all the officials, will you arrest the emperor's relatives? Will you arrest the noble lord and uncle? Will you arrest the feudal prince's family?"
"You should know that the widow of the Lin family is a woman with superb skills."
"Her brilliance is that she tied all the powerful people in the Ming Dynasty to her family's ship. If one is lost, everyone will be harmed."
Chang Feng stood up: "Okay. Since Brother Ye refuses to tell you, I will leave."
Ye Guangdao: "Don't think about the Chalin family, I really do it for your own good."
In the evening, Chang Feng returned home.
Liu Xiaoyan was teaching Chang Ponu how to play sword in the front yard.
Chang Feng watched it for a while, and saw that his precious son was really good at playing with the sword.
Chang Feng was very happy: My son is an all-rounder who can be both literary and military.
But he said: "How can I not delay my true craftsmanship by dancing with guns and sticks all day long?"
Chang Ponu put away his sword and said, "Dad, I'm going to the study to study." After that, he ran away.
After her son left, Liu Xiaoyan suddenly remembered something: "Someone came and sent an invitation this afternoon. It seems to be the family who sent ambergris to the Queen. They invite you to go out to the banquet tonight."
Chang Feng raised his eyebrows lightly: "Lin family?"
Liu Xiaoyan returned to the hall and took out the invitation.
This invitation is quite impressive, and the words on it are actually gilded with gold foil.
Please post it and write that Mrs. Lin is hosting a banquet for Chang Tongzhi at the Fujian Chamber of Commerce tonight.
Chang Feng thought: Nine times out of ten it is the Hongmen Banquet. With Yan Pan'er's magical powers, he should have known that I was checking Shuangmuhui.
However, he still made up his mind and went to the banquet to find out.
At night, Chang Feng left the house and rode straight to the Fujian Chamber of Commerce.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the guild hall, twenty young women with beautiful faces and tall figures all saluted Chang Feng.
All the women said in unison: "Welcome Mr. Chang."
Chang Feng waved his sleeves: "No courtesy."
He wondered in his mind: Could it be that Yan Paner set up a beauty trap for me? Want to buy me with a bunch of beauties?
You underestimate me too much!
Although I have a common problem with men, I also like beautiful women. But I'm not stupid, I don't accept all the beautiful girls.
After accepting the woman given by Shuangmuhui, Shuangmuhui took off the water. It's better to go to Yihong Building and spend dozens of taels of silver, put on your pants and not recognize anyone.
A group of beauties led Chang Feng to a dining room on the second floor of the Fujian Chamber of Commerce.
As soon as he entered the door, Chang Feng was stunned.
Yan Pan'er was seen standing in the dining room wearing cool clothes.
That charm. I'm afraid even the top names in Yihonglou are not as good as her. She is truly a charming woman.
Chang Feng suffered a big loss from Madam Ninth back then. I know that men must protect themselves when they go out.
He subconsciously became alert.
(End of chapter)
