To a large extent, the relationship between the Chief Eunuch Zhangyin and the Chief Eunuch Bingbi is an internal check and balance. The position of the Chief Eunuch is high and Bingbi holds the real power, so the emperor can rest easy.
However, in history, Chen Ju was actually able to concurrently serve as the governor of the East Factory as the eunuch in charge of the eunuch of the Chief Eunuch, occupying most of the real power of the chief eunuch Bingbi, and almost solely in charge of the eunuch, which shows how deeply he was trusted by the emperor. What's even more amazing is that he was actually recognized as a "virtuous eunuch" by the civil service group at the same time. This was very surprising in the Wanli Dynasty where the struggle between imperial power and the civil service group was extremely fierce.
Extraordinary people must have extraordinary abilities, so Gao Pragmatic is very happy to have a good relationship with this wise eunuch.
Chen Ju is indeed a well-behaved person as his name suggests. He wants to leave after finishing his errands, and he doesn't seem to have the Western habit of asking for red envelopes and tips. But Gao Pingshi rarely had the opportunity to be alone with him to get closer, so how could he let him go so easily? At that moment, he greeted the guest with a smile: "Mr. Chen has worked hard here. If you don't mind it, you might as well go to Xiaosheng's study and sit for a while. Although it is not lunch, Xiaosheng here also has some good tea given by his uncle, which is the same as Mr. Chen."
Chen Ju didn't seem to expect that Gao Jingshi would let him have tea. He looked quite flattered and bowed hurriedly: "Mr. Xiao Gao, please don't offend me. How can I be worthy of being called Mr. Chen? As for the hard work, you and I are just giving it to you." Your Majesty, please do some errands such as serving tea, running errands, and serving people. These are all things a slave should do. How can you dare to say that it is hard work?"
Gao Pingshi laughed, waved his hands and said, "Isn't it an important job to serve the Holy One? Only when the Holy One feels comfortable and doesn't worry about chores can he have the energy to think about the world's major events. So let me tell you, these ministers and eunuchs Everyone must have their own duties and fulfill their responsibilities. Only in this way can the world be long-term and stable, and the country be prosperous. Mr. Chen, do you think this is true?"
Chen Ju was overjoyed when he heard this and nodded hurriedly, saying: "Mr. Xiao Gao clearly knows, isn't this the truth? Although slaves and maidservants are humble and despicable, they always try their best to serve the Holy Emperor, right? Oh, that's really what I'm afraid of. There were some shortcomings that made the Holy Spirit feel resentful, and he was biased in his emotions when the great government was unfolding. Although Mr. Xiao Gao... uh, well, he is still young, but his knowledge is truly unparalleled in the world!"
Once the conversation started in such a scene, the distance between the two parties quickly narrowed. Now it was a piece of cake to invite Chen Ju for tea or something.
Chen Ju was a eunuch in the palace, so there was no need to be particularly shy when invited to the backyard of Gao's mansion. At that moment, Gao Jingshi invited Chen Ju to his study, while the two girls went to prepare the fragrant tea while watching the moon and listening to the piano, leaving the two of them alone to talk. .
Drinking tea was just a talk. Gao Pragmatic mainly wanted to ask about the recent situation in the palace, so after the two parties sat down as guests and hosts, he took the initiative to ask: "Mr. Chen, I heard that in the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing, You were only nine years old, and you were selected into the palace and assigned to serve under Jinzhai Gongmen?"
Although Chen Ju was surprised as to why Gao Pragmatic knew about the past of such an inconspicuous eunuch in the inner court, this question scratched an itch. He sat up straight and cupped his hands and said, "It's all the Emperor Shizong who trusted me. This slave is fortunate enough to listen to Master Jin Zhai’s teachings sooner or later. Although Master Jin Zhai has passed away many years ago, his earnest teachings, voice and smile are as if he were face to face... Oh, I really benefited a lot in those years."
The so-called Jinzhai Gong was Gao Zhongshiye, the great eunuch during the reign of Emperor Sejong Jiajing. This man had served as the imperial eunuch, eunuch in charge, and the admiral of the twelve regiments and camps. The epitaph after Gao Zhong's death was written by Xu Jie, who was a bachelor at the time, and was written by another bachelor, Yuan Wei, and Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Cheng and the Commander-in-Chief of the Later Army, whose status at that time is evident.
Gao pragmatically invited Chen Ju to have tea today. He had no specific intention at all. The mention was just to bring him closer. Then he made a big move: "I heard that my brother has made great progress in studying at home these years. Years ago, Already acquired the identity of a child?"
Chen Ju was very surprised when he heard Gao Pingshi's words: "How come the trivial matters in this slave's family have come to Mr. Xiao Gao's ears?"
Gao Pingshi smiled and said: "It's a coincidence. Mr. Chen is from Ansu County, Baoding, right? Mr. Chen still remembers the story of my third uncle presiding over the college entrance examination in the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing? What about the current county magistrate of Ansu County? Liang Wu was born as a Jinshi in Jiweiketong, and he was considered a disciple of my third uncle. Last time, he and Yi Qian came to Beijing to congratulate my third uncle on his return. Unexpectedly, the third uncle was on duty in the cabinet that day, so he ordered the boy to receive him first. One or two. During the chat, I happened to talk about Mr. Chen’s last trip to Xinzheng. The boy praised Mr. Chen a few words about his elegant and upright character, and then County Master Liang mentioned the matter of your younger brother..."
Chen Ju was surprised and happy when he heard this, and said hurriedly: "Oh, Mr. Xiao Gao is wrong about it, really wrong about it, how dare I deserve the title of 'elegant and upright'..." He paused for a moment, with a look in his eyes. Very excited: "The Honorable Liang County is... uh, Mr. Xiao Gao's senior brother?"
Since Gao Gong took Gao Jingshi with him and taught him personally, it stands to reason that Gao Gong's disciples can be regarded as Gao Jingshi's senior brothers. From the perspective of the customs at this time, this is probably not a big problem. Of course, Gao Pragmatic still insists on saying this when he is so young, which is obviously meant to be a compliment. After all, the "senior brothers" are all Jinshi who have passed the gold list, and are the best talents in the world, and Gao Pragmatic But he didn't even take the Tongsheng exam - strictly speaking, he is not even a "scholar" now, but just because of his background, no one would think that he would not be a "student" in the future. That’s all.
"That's right." Gao pragmatically replied with a calm expression.
Chen Ju was startled for a moment, then he understood and said secretly: "I am being abrupt. The Gao family has a long history of education and officials for several generations. This son is also the leader of the Gao family's children. He is also valued by Gao Ge and takes care of him personally." Training, his spirit is naturally very high, and it is not surprising that he looks down on Mr. Liang County, who was born in the top three."
In fact, it's not that Gao Pragmatic looked down upon Liang Wu's ranking in the scientific examination - although Liang Xianzun was indeed only ranked 163rd in the top three, close to the bottom on the entire gold list. But even the last Jinshi is still a Jinshi. They are absolute elites who take one subject every three years without any fraud and only get more than 300 people in the country. Gao Pragmatic's attitude is just to express: Young Master, I am from a prime minister's family, and I am a county magistrate in Liang. If he calls me junior brother, he is condescending to me. If I give him face, I will respond to him. If I don't give him face... what will happen to him?
Of course, when he expresses this attitude, it does not mean that he really has such a strict sense of hierarchy - after all, he is a young man of the new era who was born in New China and grew up under the red flag. He still has this awareness that everyone is equal - just for the sake of Let’s get started with what we’re going to talk about next.
