Chang Feng arranged a marriage for You Jingwu with the Yan family in Jiangxi.
On the day of Beginning of Winter, Chang Feng led You Jingwu, Chang Ponu, and matchmaker Wang Miaoxin to the Yan family to accept the recruitment.
Although the Yan family is said to be a wealthy family in Fenyi County, it is not considered well-known in the capital. The Yan family's "treasure house" is just an ordinary courtyard house.
More than a dozen brothers from the Jin Yiwei carried the Zhengli to the entrance of the courtyard, which immediately attracted the attention of the neighbors.
Chang Feng and others entered the courtyard. Yan Huai, Yan Song and his son greeted him in the courtyard.
Yan Huai cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Chang."
Chang Feng said quickly: "My father-in-law, don't be so generous with gifts. Today, the collection of gifts is completed, and we will be a family from now on."
Next to Yan Huai stood 24-year-old Yan Song. Since then he has grown into a handsome man with a slender figure. It is a very standard official appearance.
The promotion of officials in the Ming Dynasty was based not only on ability, but also on appearance. For example, Yang Yiqing, who has an explosive appearance, has been in charge of horse administration in Shaanxi for many years and has made outstanding achievements. So far I have not been promoted back to Beijing.
Chang Feng thought to himself: If his in-law nephew can be a tribute in the imperial examination, he can also be ranked among the top two in the palace examination just by his appearance.
After everyone exchanged greetings, they entered the main room of the courtyard.
Chang Feng handed the collection gift list to Yan Huai: "It's just a small gift, please don't dislike it, my father-in-law. If there is anything that insults your family's daughter, please speak up."
The "thin gift" Chang Feng talks about is definitely not thin.
The collection of Xiyin alone was one thousand six hundred taels. There are fifty pieces each of Suzhou and Hangzhou's finest silks, winter cloths, and summer cloths. There are also two boxes of fine jade bracelets and gold and silver jewelry.
Of course, the most important thing in the collection gift is a stupid fat goose.
This generous gift is a considerable fortune for the Yan family.
Yan Huai said humbly: "The Yan family is a small family, and my daughter is crude and shallow. How can she afford such a heavy tribute?"
Chang Feng waved his hand: "My father-in-law is too modest. The Yan family has been a scholar in Jiangxi for generations. Both father and son in your family are successful candidates. If you participate in the competition next year, maybe it will be a good story for father and son to become scholars in the same subject!"
After saying that, Chang Feng pointed to his son Chang Ponu: "Quanzi and I will also participate in the competition next year. We will try to be the same year as my father-in-law and nephew in the same subject."
Originally, Yan Huai and his son were a little afraid of the famous Jin Yiwei Butcher.
When it came to the common topic of taking a test, Yan Huai and his son were no longer restrained and had a great time chatting with Chang Feng and his son.
You Jingwu was a little anxious. He was a martial artist and knew nothing about the art of making eight-parted part. He couldn't say anything.
Everyone talked about the test for two moments. You Jingwu coughed awkwardly.
Chang Feng smiled and said: "Look, Jingwu is in a hurry. Today we are not here to discuss the art of eight-legged making. Let's do business first."
"My father-in-law, our Jinyiwei master Zhang Taoist has matched the horoscopes of the two children, and they match very well. He also used tortoise shells to predict the marriage, and this marriage is very auspicious."
"Today's payment of taxes, in my opinion, should be done together with the wedding ceremony. Taoist Zhang has calculated that the first day of February next year is an auspicious day, and it is a good time to get married."
Yan Huai said: "It all depends on Mr. Chang, oh no, my father-in-law makes the decision."
Chang Feng clapped his hands: "Oh, okay! Then the wedding date is set."
People in Beijing have the custom of eating dumplings stuffed with stewed white meat and white radish at the beginning of winter.
Near noon, Chang Feng and others had dinner at Yan's house. Miss Yan's family stayed in the boudoir and did not come out.
The daughter is about to marry into the Jinyiwei Qianhu family, which means she will marry into a high-ranking family. Yan Huai was happy and drank a few more glasses. He was not a big drinker, and soon he was lying on the wine table.
Yan Song has a good drinking capacity. He has three major hobbies in his life: calligraphy, poetry, and drinking.
After three rounds of wine, the five flavors of food are gone. Yan Song suddenly talked about a sensitive topic.
Yan Song said: "Brother-in-law. I heard that you were a hero in protecting the throne in the last years of Chenghua. You were the emperor's first favorite."
"Why do you want to get involved with the eunuchs in the inner palace? Are you at odds with the three gentlemen in the cabinet?"
Chang Feng was on good terms with Xiao Jing, Qian Neng, and Liu Jin, but was at odds with Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian. This was an open secret in the capital.
It was not unusual for Yan Song to hear this.
Yan Song, who lived in the seventeenth year of Hongzhi, was a young man with a somewhat twisted mind and a childish sense of justice.
Chang Feng was stunned: "My nephew, the situation in the court is not as simple as you think. The people in the court are not as black and white as you think."
"Eunuchs are not necessarily all bad people, and not all bad people are bad. Civil servants are not necessarily all good people, and not all good people are good."
"You are still a civil servant and have not yet entered an official career. When you enter the officialdom, you will slowly understand what I said."
Yan Song said: "Brother-in-law, I still think you should get closer to the three gentlemen in the cabinet."
Chang Feng changed the subject: "Let's talk about the art of eight-legged writing. On our table, there are four candidates who are going to take the exam!"
After lunch, Chang Feng chatted with Yan Song for a while. I read his calligraphy, poetry, and two exam essays he wrote.
Chang Feng sighed: "My nephew is really talented. It shouldn't be a problem to take the tribute test next year."
After returning home, Chang Feng felt like something was on his mind.
You Tianjue died for his country and died heroically. It is the responsibility of Chang Feng, the man who has lived and died with You Tianjue, to resolve the marriage issues for his son.
In the afternoon, Chang Tian and Huang Yuan came to Chang Mansion.
The little Tangtang back then is now a plump woman, and too plump. It looks very much like the iron-eating beast raised in the Elephant Taming House.
As soon as Chang Tian entered the house, he asked Chang Feng: "Brother, I remember there is a century-old wild ginseng root at home?"
Chang Feng replied: "It seems so. What's wrong?"
Chang Tian said: "Give it to me. I recently made a folk remedy to treat rotten corners of the eyes. I just need a century-old wild ginseng to grind into powder and use it as medicine."
Chang Feng asked: "Who in your family has rotten eyes? Jianjian?"
Chang Tian lowered his voice: "It's the Queen."
Chang Feng frowned: "Queen?"
Chang Tian said: "The emperor's illness is getting worse. Liu Wentai's group of quack doctors at the Imperial Hospital can't come up with anything."
"A few days ago, the Emperor coughed at night and even coughed up blood! The Queen was so worried that she cried every day, until her eyes were filled with tears."
The emperor's health is a top secret in the palace.
Chang Tian made good friends with the queen and entered the palace every three days. Liu Xiaoyan rarely entered the palace after killing someone on the street. Therefore, Chang Tian knew the news about the inner palace earlier than Chang Feng.
After Chang Feng heard this, his heart skipped a beat: "Coughing up blood?"
Chang Tian quickly said: "Brother, please don't tell anyone about this."
Chang Feng told Chang Ponu: "Go to the warehouse and find the old wild ginseng and give it to your aunt."
It's a coincidence. Not long after Chang Tian returned to her parents' home, Liu Jin came.
Chang Tian has been close to Liu Jin since she was a child. When she saw Liu Jin, she ignored any etiquette and walked directly to Liu Jin and took his arm: "Old nephew!"
Looking at the intimate look, those who didn't know better thought Chang Tian was Liu Jin's daughter.
Liu Jin smiled and said: "Little Aunt Tangtang, are you okay with eating the Shandong Sorghum Yi that I ordered someone to deliver to you a few days ago?"
Chang Tian said: "It's delicious. My nephew, please give me a few more pounds!"
Liu Jin couldn't help but nodded: "Okay, okay. I have to pick the things you like to eat, let alone a few pieces of candy, even the stars in the sky for you."
Liu Jin chatted with brother and sister Chang Feng for a while in the hall. Suddenly he changed the topic: "Uncle, I want to discuss a big matter with you alone."
Chang Feng nodded: "Yes. Tangtang, Huang Yuan, you go and talk to your sister-in-law first."
After Chang Tian and Huang Yuan left, Liu Jin suppressed his smile and said sternly: "I'm afraid the emperor is in trouble. I asked Gu Dayong to give 3,000 taels of silver to Liu Wentai from Tai Hospital, and I got a few words out of the old fox's mouth. truth."
"The Emperor Long Yu dies, and when the sky collapses and the earth breaks apart, it will probably be within half a year!"
Chang Feng said nothing, feeling extremely sad in his heart. Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect. He and Emperor Hongzhi knew each other well!
Liu Jin changed the topic: "The cabinet and civil servants have controlled the government in recent years, and even the emperor wants to give them three points."
"Their good days are coming to an end! When the crown prince takes the throne, the civil power will be destroyed."
"I'm here today to give you a warning. In the days before the emperor's death, you must not conflict with the civil officials again."
"What you have to do is just two words - endure and wait."
Chang Feng said: "Of course I understand this."
Liu Jin smiled bitterly: "I understand, I understand. I'm afraid that you can't help it, can't wait, and impulsively attack the civil servants again."
"You can't defeat them before the prince ascends the throne."
Chang Feng frowned: "My Eunuch Liu, do you think I am a stupid young man who was twenty years old? I know what it means to be patient!"
Liu Jin took a sip of tea: "Then let me tell you something you can't bear."
"Liu Jian sent a memorandum to the emperor today, which is about border military affairs. The emperor has approved it. I will recite it to you."
"To guard the border, it is better to recruit troops from the capital than to recruit brave men from the border; to give troops and horses, it is better to buy Datong horses from the market; to allocate grain from the capital to the border, it is better to transport money and silver to the border and call merchants to buy grain; the border generals should promote talents out of the ordinary .For example, guerrilla general Zhang Jun can be promoted to the rank of general of the Xuanfu."
What Liu Jin said is the famous Liu Jian's "Animating the Border Policy for Imprisoned Prisoners" in the 17th year of Hongzhi.
After Chang Feng heard this, he threw the tea bowl to the ground: "The civil servants are corrupting the country! They are bullying the heavens!"
Liu Jin smiled and said: "Look, can't I bear it?"
Chang Feng was furious: "Liu Jian's memorial seems to be for the sake of the peace of Jiubian, but in fact, his inner calculation is rattling!"
"It will cost a lot of money to recruit border warriors from Jiubian without leaving the capital! It is not the generals who are in charge of recruiting warriors, but the border governors and soldiers."
"In the past two years, all the civil servants in the Nine Borders have been replaced by disciples of Liu, Li, and Xie in the cabinet. They can take advantage of the opportunity to recruit brave men and take advantage of them!"
"Border troops and horses have always been uniformly allocated by the imperial court. Instead, the imperial court gave money to buy horses in Datong. This is another big business! Nine-border civil servants can pluck geese and make a fortune!"
"No, it's not just hair plucking! With the urine of civil servants, they will even dig the eggs of wild geese out of their butts."
"In the past, military rations were allocated by the imperial court to Jiubian from Tongzhoucang. Instead, they purchased grain locally. Oh, they can make a fortune again!"
"In the final analysis, the above points are that Liu Jian is helping his civil servants find a way to make money!"
"Okay, the idea is all about border military expenditures! My abacus is all blown away!"
"As for promoting extraordinary talents from the side, who is an extraordinary talent and who is a mediocre person? Isn't it just a matter of civil servants talking about it?"
"The essence is that the civil service group is trying to win over the military generals in the border towns! They are reaching out to the elite soldiers in Jiubian! When the emperor was seriously ill, they did this little trick in Jiubian, ah! Their intentions are to be punished!"
Chang Feng finished speaking in rapid succession, his hands shaking with anger.
Liu Jin smiled and said: "My uncle is really understanding! As soon as he heard the content of the memorial, he could immediately see through the intentions of the civil officials."
Chang Feng said: "No, I have to talk to Ma Wensheng from the Ministry of Personnel and Liu Daxia from the Ministry of War about this!"
Liu Jin stopped him: "Look, just now you said you knew how to be patient. Now you can't help it, can you? The emperor has decreed the approval of Liu Jian's memorial. It's a done deal and it's hard to change."
"What's the use of arguing and making trouble? It will only invite revenge from the civil servants."
"Little uncle, please listen to my advice. Hold it back and wait! When the Crown Prince comes to the throne, it will be the time to clean up the civil servants!"
After a while, Chang Feng calmed down. He said: "Those civil servants who talk about benevolence, justice and morality all day long should slowly dig into the corners of the Ming Dynasty!"
"Sooner or later, this huge city of the Ming Dynasty will be hollowed out and eaten up by them! When the city collapses, the people will suffer!"
Liu Jin lowered his voice: "Fortunately, the Third Battalion and the Twelfth Regiment Battalion are firmly in the hands of the Royal Horse Supervisor Zhang Yong, Eunuch Zhang. With the Beijing Battalion in hand, the civil servants cannot make big waves."
Chang Feng asked: "What do you mean by Da Feng Lang? Do they have such courage?"
Liu Jin lowered his voice: "Is there anything else that civil servants dare not do? How did the late emperor pass away?"
Chang Feng frowned: "The late emperor died of depression due to the death of Concubine Wan Gui. Could it be said that he died of depression?"
Liu Jin smiled bitterly: "Oh, little uncle, let's figure it out for ourselves! In short, civil servants have always been brave enough to swallow heaven!"
"Oh, I have heard about the reason for the death of the late emperor. I don't have any real evidence."
"You don't want to investigate. The last thing we need now is a storm in the court. As long as the court is calm and the prince ascends the throne step by step, all problems will be solved."
Chang Feng nodded slightly: "Yes, I understand."
Liu Jin added: "The day has really come when the earth will fall apart. There are eight of us in the palace, but my uncle is the only one who is following the lead."
Chang Feng only believed one or two points of Liu Jin's words. As long as others follow their lead, they will succumb to others. He knew Liu Jin, and Liu Jin was by no means a person willing to be inferior to others.
After seeing off Liu Jin, Chang Feng went to Jinyiwei.
Although we cannot openly oppose Liu Jian's "The Policy of Yulu Anbian". But he couldn't let it go.
Chang Feng found Qian Ning and Shi Wenyi.
He ordered: "Tell us about the hidden stakes placed in the armies and civil offices of the nine sides. In the next few months, we must pay attention to military expenditures. Especially the money for raising bravery, buying horses, and buying grain."
Qian Ning asked: "Why is Mr. Chang suddenly so concerned about the military expenditures of the Nine Borders?"
Chang Feng said: "Don't worry about it. Just let the secret agents keep an eye on it. Once you find out that someone is embezzling military funds, don't make it public and report it to me directly."
Qian Ning nodded: "Yes."
Chang Feng added: "Also, the palace garrison is related to the safety of the country. It is the responsibility of the 1,500 Han generals in our guard."
"We have to conduct a secret investigation recently to see who among the Han generals is close to the foreign ministers. Once found, they will be transferred from the palace immediately."
"Especially those in the East Palace, all replaced by old brothers who have been with me for more than ten years."
Just now Liu Jin said that there was an inside story behind the death of the late emperor, which made Chang Feng's hair stand on end.
Since some people dare to even be the emperor, then they dare to do harm to the prince.
Even if there is only a one in 10,000 chance, be cautious.
History is repeating itself. It’s time again for the constant wind to protect the crown prince and protect the country.
(End of chapter)
