Zhou Zhao had Zhou Zhao's understanding, and Zhu Houcong had Zhu Houcong's vision.
He dared to send Zhang Fujing south because he had known for a long time that he was a fierce man, and also because Liang Chu told him many issues about Guangdong and Guangxi before leaving, and stated that he would cooperate.
Southeast's killing of officials is certainly a chain reaction, but the impression he has formed in the minds of important officials in the imperial court in the past six months is also valuable.
If there is any civil strife, which side has a greater chance of winning?
Even if there are people on the wall in the court, the fear of Zhu Houcong will still have a heavy weight in his heart.
In the final analysis, it’s just profit.
Only those who win have benefits, and those who lose only have money.
Zhou Zhao's advice was certainly sound, but it was just a routine emperor's operation.
The matter of the prince's wedding is just the right thing to use to lure the snake out of its hole.
Unexpectedly, this individual genius saw through it without saying anything, and did not dissuade him.
In this case, let the old man suffer less, so that the pressure on the courtiers will not be so great.
Zhu Houcong listened to Zhou Zhao's suggestion and didn't rush, because he didn't want to rush either.
When trying out the new law in Guangdong, Zhu Houcong himself was indeed mentally prepared to observe it for five years.
Right now, it's just a new problem in the southeast.
Zhu Houcong gradually became more and more convinced that the killing of officials in the southeast was indeed not the work of local officials and gentry. Zhang Zilin's secret report is sent back every day. The entire Southeast is actually more uneasy and fearful now, and there is no sign of collusion to cause trouble.
Therefore, there is a high probability that someone wants to guide the local anxiety in the direction of an outbreak.
There must be chaos first, so that certain people outside Guangdong, Guangdong and Southeast China will have a chance.
The fire of the Sun Jingmen did not cause chaos in the center of the court, so it could only stir up chaos locally.
In other words... Zhu Houcong also thought about a possibility: maybe some people just wanted to cause chaos in the Ming Dynasty, because the Zhang brothers really did not have the ability and courage to achieve great things.
revenge?
After determining the direction, Zhu Houcong began to write secret orders to Zhang Zilin and Wang Zuo.
Since someone is playing a big game of chess, the strategy in the southeast needs to be adjusted. This game of chess will take a long time to be played.
Now we will collect more information about Southeast in the name of investigating the case.
For example, who published Zhu Zhishan's "Wild Notes" and started to build momentum?
…
"Master Marquis, regarding Kangling's construction supervision, I have already checked the accounts with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Accounts."
In Shouning Hou's Mansion, Fang Muxian placed several account books on the desk in front of Zhang Heling and said respectfully: "I have already made clear arrangements with the Ministry of Household Affairs for those imperial houses, imperial stores, and official stores."
Zhang Heling looked at him with hesitation in his eyes.
In the days after his sister Queen Mother Zhang drove Mao Cheng away because the emperor had no heirs and when the emperor first visited the court, the matter that Fang Muxian suggested cannot be mentioned at all now.
Several months passed and the emperor never mentioned the matter again, but Zhang Heling was not sure whether Fang Muxian's arrangement was clean.
Judging from the situation in the past twenty years, Fang Muxian is very capable and smart.
Previously, he had helped Zhang Heling brothers continue to supervise the construction of the crucial Kangling Project. He had to deal with the ministers, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Household Affairs, and he could not escape or escape.
Doesn't that mean it's self-inflicted?
Now……
"Old Fang, what are your plans next?" Zhang Heling stared at him.
"Master Marquis, please be at ease." Fang Muxian replied calmly, "Now as long as you obey your orders, there won't be any problems. If Master Marquis doesn't believe it, just give me a glass of wine now. I am getting older, so Ran Serious illness is normal."
Zhang Heling didn't know what to do.
According to what he said that day, a fire in the Rijing family will definitely make the emperor and his ministers jealous. If the emperor went on a killing spree in anger, not only would the courtiers and ministers be in danger, but he would also treat the queen mother harshly. In this way, the emperor will lose all initiative morally and popularly. From now on, either I will rely on the Queen Mother and be content with it, or something else will happen.
All he had to do was sacrifice the two eunuchs who had entered the palace twenty years ago and had lived peacefully for many years.
I didn't expect that the emperor would handle it like that.
Zhang Heling didn't believe that the emperor didn't arrange for someone to investigate this matter secretly, and he didn't believe that Fang Muxian said that he would never leave any clues.
This was a secret that only belonged to him and Fang Muxian, not even his sister and brother knew about it.
What to do now?
Zhang Heling wanted to kill him just like that, but he didn't know if he might have any backup plans.
Fang Muxian called himself "I'm here" and looked at Zhang Heling with a calm expression.
Although his posture was respectful, there was no fear in his eyes.
"Did you know that His Majesty has already issued a decree, and the Ministry of Rites and the Clan's Mansion are selecting young sons from the clan to be adopted into the clan of the late Emperor, and to be granted the title of king and vassal?"
"Since His Majesty made a promise at that time, he had already planted the seeds for today." Fang Muxian was a little surprised, "It was not a delaying strategy? At the national policy meeting, the ministers did not dissuade it?"
Zhang Heling didn't understand: "What's the plan?"
"When the king is granted a vassalship, Empress Dowager Cishou and Empress Zhuangsu have titles. Will they live in the vassal palace or stay in the palace?" Fang Muxian pointed out the key point, "If Empress Dowager Cishou and Empress Zhuangsu live in the vassal land with the heirs of the late emperor, Beijing will Waike has a bloodline that is different from the other kings. If only the heir is to become a vassal, how can Empress Zhuang Su be willing to do so? How can the ministers not know about the hidden worries?"
Zhang Heling vaguely understood: "You mean... Your Majesty is testing this? To lure a snake out of its hole?"
Fang Muxian nodded: "Your Majesty wants to implement a new law, and the world is uneasy. There are bandits killing officials in the southeast. At this time, Your Majesty mentions being the heir of the late emperor, making the king a vassal, and really wants to wait and see who in the world will interact with him, especially if he sacrifices his heir. The prince's palace. Princes of the same generation or princes of the late emperor who still have heirs are all descendants of prosperous vassals."
Zhang Heling suddenly felt a chill in his heart: The emperor's tricks were too deep, and only people like Fang Muxian could see through them.
His tone was a little trembling: "The courtiers did not dissuade them at the national policy meeting. In other words... they also agreed with the emperor to lure the snake out of its hole so as to suppress those with evil intentions?"
"Since His Majesty's Imperial Majesty, since Mao Cheng, and then Liang Chu, Wang Qiong, Chen Jin and other important ministers involved in matters such as Qian Ning and Jiang Bin, have any of them been convicted to death?" Fang Muxian sighed, "Emperor Rijingmenhuo also There has never been a fight. On the one hand, the ministers are convinced that Your Majesty is not a violent king, and on the other hand, they also know that this butcher's knife will only kill important ministers who cross the line. Even if they know that this plan is related to Your Majesty's authority, who dares to cross the line?"
"Then Queen Mother, my Lord and Lord, will I live in fear every day in the future and become a bait for those who are disobedient?"
Fang Muxian laughed: "At that time, I advised the Marquis to advise the Queen Mother, and in an emergency, I must choose my youngest son to succeed and listen to the government behind the curtain. Now that things have come to this, I am becoming more and more passive."
Zhang Heling suddenly felt that he could not be silenced so easily. After all, the situation in the future would be more dangerous and he would be needed more.
"Then what should we do?" Zhang Heling asked eagerly, "I am the emperor's eyes and ears, but I will report all those who come and go to His Majesty."
"Of course we have to retaliate. If the Marquis and the Queen Mother don't retaliate, won't the factory guards pay attention?" Fang Muxian nodded affirmatively, "From now on, we can no longer act as usual. We need to be cautious and not get caught in the wrong. Marquis , this is for your descendants!"
Zhang Heling's expression was tangled.
Fang Muxian looked at him calmly.
It is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Can he, who is used to living a domineering life, really live a cautious life?
Where are the children of the Zhang family? Can everyone be restrained?
Mistakes will eventually happen, and after being punished once or twice, he will eventually become unwilling and miss the past.
What's more, after the Rijing Sect's fire, the Zhang family couldn't look back.
He had to wait for Zhang Heling to figure out some things on his own and express his unsteady intentions before he could mobilize more financial and human resources from the Hou Mansion.
…
As Zhang Zuo, the eunuch in charge of the Qingning Palace, went south to the southeast, with the mission of pre-selecting ladies, he seemed to suddenly ease the unruly atmosphere a lot.
Zhang Zilin's pace also slowed down. After returning from Fujian, he focused on water transportation.
A doctor from the Ministry of Justice was left in each province to continue investigating the case on his behalf.
In Guangdong, it was Mai Fu who personally handled the pre-selection of ladies.
"Your Majesty knows that the southeast is important." On the bank of the Qinhuai River, a well-informed person commented, "This matter is so strange, your Majesty was frightened and angry for a moment, and finally understood that he was instigated by thieves. There can be no chaos in the southeast! If every family is in danger, how about taxes? ? How is the water transportation? What about the cultural context of the Ming Dynasty? "
"It seems that the queen of this dynasty will be chosen from the southeast." Another person agreed deeply, "Aspiring families are unwilling to do so. It depends on which family in the southeast becomes a national relative in one fell swoop."
The girls in Qinhuaihe like to hear this, let alone the new talent show.
For women like them, jumping up on a branch to worship the world is something they have no chance of doing, but it does not prevent them from gossiping.
"Young Master, if you have the opportunity to enter the palace as your queen, why wouldn't you want to?"
The soft words of supplication naturally made some drunken scholars very happy: "If you are a relative of the state, how can you go to the court and become an official to show your ambition? There are many relatives of the state, how many can be passed down to the world? Only the academic career is Great road! Once you become a high official, you will rise to prominence in three generations!"
"Speaking of which, I heard that Wen Hengshan is preparing for the exam again. Will it be the ninth return exam next year?" Another person joked with a smile, "Can someone make a bet on whether Hengshan layman can win the exam this time?"
"It goes without saying that the lay people of Hengshan are talented and talented, but I am afraid that they will not be destined to have a good academic career, and it will be difficult for them to achieve great success if they are late. In terms of talent, it is better to be the head of the country. In the past, the lay people of Hengshan did not want to pay homage to the daughter of King Ning, but now they can Being the father-in-law of the country is also a good talk."
They teased Wen Zhengming like this, but all four of them, known as the "Four Great Talents in Wuzhong", had a bumpy academic career.
Xu Zhenqing, who has been dead for ten years, was a Jinshi and served as an official. However, he was not allowed to enter the Imperial Academy because of his ugly appearance. He was later demoted to a doctor of the Imperial College. He died in depression a year later at the age of thirty-three.
Where is Tang Yin? Although he once ranked first in the provincial examination in the eyes of Liang Chuqing, he was demoted to an official after taking a test at the Xu Jing Examination. Since then, he has angrily stopped serving as an official.
The same goes for Wen Zhengming. Let alone being able to take exams, he has already failed eight exams to determine his family background. He is still a scholar in his fifties.
As for Zhu Yunming? At the age of nineteen, he became a scholar. He passed the provincial examination five times before passing, and then failed the general examination seven times. Now he is working as a county magistrate in Xingning, Guangdong.
He didn't know that the "Wild Notes" he wrote was being targeted by the emperor.
Zhu Yunming, who has been a county magistrate in Xingning, Huizhou for more than six years, is still afraid of the previous big storm in Guangdong and Guangxi, so he does things cautiously.
The prefect of Huizhou has been taken into custody!
But no matter how careful he was, that day the killer Zhang Fujing came to Huizhou to inspect the academic affairs, and then came to "visit" him, one of the four great talents in Wuzhong.
"Since Xizhe arrived at Ren Xingning, he would come to the academy in person in his spare time, attend classes with students, and give lectures on exams. In the south of the mountain, he is always facing the wind. This is Xizhe's contribution."
Zhu Yunming clasped his fists, hiding his "sixth finger" and bowed nervously: "I don't dare to take credit. It's a matter of course."
He also failed the seven examinations, but he once won the favor of the emperor and is now the governor.
Zhu Yunming, who had lost all hope of being recommended as a county magistrate based on his status and talents, was considered to be among the least qualified at the county magistrate level, and the ceiling was visible.
He lowered his head and looked at the "Sword Given by the Emperor" hanging on Zhang Fuking's waist with trembling eyes.
Haven't you started to appease Guangdong recently and no longer wear this "sword" when traveling?
"No. If it weren't for Xizhe's participation in Dian Wenheng and the two provincial examinations of Bingzi and Jimao, how could Xingning be able to stand out for a while and have many high school students? Xingning's culture and education are actually due to public prosperity."
"...Don't dare, don't dare."
Zhang Fujing smiled and said, "Xizhe is famous for his talent and profound knowledge, and I have long been aware of it. Recently, I came across a volume of "Wild Notes" by Xizhe, and I couldn't put it down after reading it. It was just one of the interesting things, but Fu Jing I was quite confused, so I came to ask for advice.”
"Futai is ridiculously praised, but Yunming doesn't dare to take it seriously. As I said many years ago, Futai is not favored by anyone."
Zhang Fujing smiled again, and then asked: "Xizhe said in "Wild Notes" that when Taizong Fengtian was in trouble, he forced Fang Xiaoru to take charge of the plan." Throwing it away, the words became more and more serious, saying that they could not be heard by the nine tribes of Yi. . I went up to Nuyun and asked about the ten tribes of Yi and Ru. Which tribe is it? The superior said that my friend is also from the same tribe. 'Fu Jing has little talent and little knowledge. I dare to ask Xizhe, where does this anecdote come from?"
Zhu Yunming suddenly felt as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. His face turned pale and he stammered: "Yunming back then... I just heard some jokes. This volume of "Wild Notes"... was just a drunken and idle book..."
"There are many jokes in the countryside, and Fu Jing also knows it." Zhang Fujing looked at him deeply, "I served as magistrate of the county in Guangdong, suppressed bandits, built water conservancy projects, and devoted myself to culture and education. It can be said that Yu Xingning has achieved nothing. However, I hope Do you know, Zhe? Your Majesty, the Empress, this volume of "Wild Notes" suddenly became popular in the south of the Yangtze River, and many people called Fang Xiaoru Jie a martyr."
Zhu Yunming's face turned even paler, his legs became weak, and he couldn't help but sway: "Yunming... I really don't know... I am guilty of making false comments about Taizong..."
He had no choice but to kneel down now, because Zhang Fujing made it very clear.
Zhang Fujing sighed: "There is a reason why Fu Jing can't help. I arrived in Huizhou today and found out that Xizhe has indeed made great achievements in taking office. Fu Jing will report it impartially. But Xizhe, I'm afraid you have to think carefully about what you should do when you go to Beijing to report on your work this time." How to say it."
"Enter Beijing...to report on your work?"
"Yes, your Majesty has always heard of Xizhe. He has been in Xingning for six years. Your Majesty summoned Xizhe to the capital. If your Majesty has the virtue and talent after meeting, Xizhe will be of great use." Zhang Fu looked at him with deep respect, "Official Outside of the Ministry, Xizhe is the only one who is tested by His Majesty in person. He will set off soon, and Xizhe will be able to meet the saint before the Zhengdan Festival. Next year when the Yuan Dynasty changes, Fu Jing hopes that Xizhe will rise to the top and return to Guangdong to show his ambitions."
Why would the emperor, who was busy with everything, hear the name of a small magistrate?
Instead of letting the officials test meritorious service, the emperor personally intervenes?
Change the yuan...
Zhu Yunming created so many works? This book he wrote ten years ago has long since ceased to concern him.
If he really knew politics so well, how could he write these things randomly back then?
But these reasons required him to defend them.
Will the emperor believe it?
Zhu Yunming was completely unsure whether he would go straight to the capital or go straight to hell.
In late winter, six official ships from Guangdong slowly sailed toward the capital. This was a very special fleet.
Four of them had a deep draft and naturally carried heavy cargo. There were also soldiers guarding the boat.
The other boat had a faint scent of powder.
On the last ship, in addition to Zhu Yunming, there were also some other colleagues who came to Beijing to "report on their work."
Zhu Yunming has met several of them, and they are all people who were still doing errands despite being guilty. In the past few months, I heard that they are working very hard to make meritorious deeds.
After asking about it, I found out that he was summoned back to Beijing by the Ministry of Civil Affairs to be used elsewhere for examination. I don't know what the mission was.
Zhu Yunming did not dare to say that he was going to be tested by the emperor himself.
Very scared, very cold.
Although the two "guards" assigned to this ship with the same ship heading north were smiling.
