In the evening, following Wang An's prior instructions, Zheng Haizhu was waiting at the door of his new trading company.
The carriage from Zuofu arrived as scheduled. Zheng Haizhu got on the carriage alone and said to the coachman whose face he already recognized: "Where did your master tell me to go?"
"Back to Mrs. Zheng, the master said that after picking you up, we will go to Tongzi Hutong near Liulichang. The third house near Yangzhan Hutong has a patch of dahlias planted in front of the house."
Zheng Haizhu nodded: "Yes, go ahead."
That was Wang An's secret villa outside the palace, which was used to communicate with Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou.
Donglin prides himself on being a pure man, and is most afraid of being accused by the three parties of Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang for colluding with the eunuchs of the inner court. However, he really needs Wang An, the chief ritual officer, to spread the news, so when he regularly exchanges information about the inner court and the outer court, it is very important. cautious.
Even the villas we meet frequently change.
As the sun set, Zheng Haizhu entered the Wang residence in Tongzi Hutong, and saw that the person sitting opposite Yang Lian for discussion was not Wang An, but a scribe in his forties with simple and elegant clothes.
"Mrs. Zheng, this is Mr. Wang." Yang Lian stood up and introduced him.
Zheng Haizhu weighed Yang Lian's unusually calm tone, and heard that his official position was not disclosed in his introduction. He only used the word "Mr." vaguely to address him. He had guessed who the scribe named Wang was.
Although the scribe's temples were stained with frost and the corners of his lips were slack, his eyes were shining brightly.
"I have met Mrs. Zheng. I am Wang Wenyan, a member of the Donglin Clan."
Sure enough, it was him, Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, how could a graduate of Ming and Qing history not know Wang Wenyan.
He was born as a jailer and was not even a scholar. He collected some black money in the Yamen and accumulated wealth, so he went to Beijing to make a living. He was favored by Yu Yuli, the official of the Ministry of Punishment, and was introduced to Wang An, the then East Palace companion, as a confidant to help Wang An unite with Donglin. , tried to protect the prince, and used various tricks to drive a wedge between the three factions of Qi, Chu and Zhejiang.
When Zheng Haizhu came to Beijing, he mentally registered Wang Wenyan, who was known as "the number one commoner in the late Ming Dynasty." can see this person.
Zheng Haizhu returned the gift to Wang Wenyan and asked Yang Lian, "Eunuch Wang has not arrived yet?"
"He is on duty in the palace and cannot come out. It is the same when discussing with Mr. Wang. If Mr. Wang knows, the prince will know."
Zheng Haizhu knows it.
At this time, although Wang Wenyan claimed to have become a disciple of Donglin, he was actually still Wang An's eyes, ears and assistant outside the palace. Historically, he and Huang Zunsu were called "the two great think tanks of Donglin". After An was killed by Wei Zhongxian and Hakka.
Zheng Haizhu then sat down and said bluntly, "On the carriage that came, I asked Mr. Zuo that the sixth-grade Cheng of Honglu Temple, named Li Kezhuo, was not from the Donglin Clan, nor from Zhejiang Province." The party's minion. But Zuo Gong also said that at this time, there was a censor in the Metropolitan Procuratorate who impeached Li Kezhuo for falsely reporting his money for his companionship. Today I saw Li Kezhuo going to the Taoist temple to invite the immortal master. It was exactly after Baoxu Temple , I am suspicious that even if he was not a member of the Zhejiang Party or the imperial concubine before, he will soon become a pawn of the imperial concubine Zheng."
Yang Lian and Zuo Guang were fighting, but they couldn't see Zheng Haizhu's divine perspective. They were a little confused and couldn't connect for a while.
Wang Wenyan, a cunning and shrewd person who came from the world to the temple, actually reacted faster than genuine civil servants like Yang and Zuo.
"Does Madam Zheng mean that Concubine Zheng may want Li Kezhuo to do something to get him out of the impeachment memorial, and maybe even get promoted?"
Zheng Haizhu smiled at him, and then showed a confident look: "Zheng Guifei's great favor has already become a thing of the past with the late emperor's popularity. But now, the Ming Dynasty does not have a queen, and she can still control her as a concubine. All the women in the harem. If I were her, I would rely on the servants selected by the Long Live Lord to not dare to stop me, and send the Long Live Lord women to her in the name of raising children. After the Long Live Lord indulges in lust and becomes ill, let this Li Kezhuo of Honglu Temple presented the elixir made by Taoists."
When Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou heard this, their expressions looked a little unhappy.
This Zheng family is also a woman. How can she be so direct in arranging the bed? She is disrespectful to the emperor.
Although Wang An cooperated with the Donglin faction, he knew the fiery temper of the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty, so how could he dare to tell them that Concubine Zheng had sent eight beauties to Zhu Changluo. The king not only accepted them, but he was indeed more greedy than before.
Yang Lian frowned and said: "Even if, well, even if Long Live Master wants to diagnose the pulse and prescribe a prescription, he would still go to Taiyuan Hospital. When will it be his turn to go to Honglu Temple?"
Zheng Haizhu stared at Yang Lian: "When the imperial hospital prescribes a prescription, it must be boiled in the Royal Pharmacy. That day when the Wenhua Hall gave a lecture, I asked the prince and found out that the person in charge of the Imperial Pharmacy now happens to be Cui Wensheng... Yes Eunuch Cui looks at it, and the Royal Pharmacy is afraid that the decoction will be ineffective. At that time, Li Kezhuo can offer the elixir."
Yang Lian was startled.
After all, he is a dignified foreign minister, and the position of political struggle is in the outer court. At most, he keeps an eye on the personnel changes of the censor of etiquette and the eunuch Bingbi, because that involves the most important power of approving red officials in the empire's administration, as well as the management of the imperial kitchen and the imperial pharmacy. Eunuch, how could he care.
But Cui Wensheng was a close servant who had been with Concubine Zheng for decades, and both Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou knew that.
Yang Lian looked at Wang Wenyan.
In his heart, Wang Wenyan had already had a very impressed evaluation of Zheng Haizhu, whom he met for the first time today.
Wang Wenyan felt that this woman was like a chess player who joined in mid-play. She could review the opponent's first moves and reasonably predict the opponent's last moves.
"Mr. Yang, Mr. Zuo, Wen Yan feels that Mrs. Zheng's caution is very reasonable. Wen Yan has indeed heard news from the palace recently that it is unusual for Lord Long Live to recruit someone from the palace."
Zheng Haizhu smiled faintly: "It's not surprising that Concubine Zheng gives people to people, and Cui Wensheng administers them. He is in charge of the imperial pharmacy and supplies aphrodisiacs, so the prince and the father-in-law have no control over him."
"Madam, be careful what you say." Zuo Guangdou saw that Yang Lian's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and finally couldn't help but remind Zheng Haizhu.
Zheng Haizhu, however, looked magnanimous: "Regardless of the traces of my heart, are Yang Gong and Zuo Gong looking at me because they are chewing on the harem's sexual affairs? What I'm talking about is just a big pitfall that has appeared in many previous dynasties. The emperor will never see me again. Even the Nine-Five Supreme Being has seven emotions and six desires, and can be deceived by others. When a new king ascends the throne, it is the time for those with evil intentions to play tricks. I am really anxious, and this matter cannot be taken lightly. "
Wang Wenyan also echoed: "Indeed, long live the Lord before the ceremony, he approved many memorials, restored Donglin, and distributed money to reward the border officers. Such a good situation easily made us slack off our vigilance and negligence. There may be more serious trouble in the harem."
Yang Lian was unhappy just now because he respected the dignity of the king, and he actually agreed with Zheng and Wang's analysis.
Zheng Haizhu asked, pretending to be puzzled: "One thing, I don't understand. Even if the imperial concubine sets up a trap to kill Lord Long Live, her biological son Prince Fu will not be able to ascend the throne, right? Lord Long Live has the eldest son and the fifth son of the Emperor."
Yang Lian replied: "Long live the Lord, I don't have a queen. The rank of Dongli and Xili is too low. The emperor's eldest son is not very old, but he is still young. I am afraid that Concubine Zheng wants to be named the Queen Mother as soon as possible, and then act as regent in the name of the Queen Mother."
Zheng Haizhu showed a look of sudden realization: "Then we will assemble the four anti-East Lin ministers of Qi, Chu, Zhejiang and Xuan together. If the eldest son of the emperor comes to the throne not long ago and has not yet been born, it will be... It will be a success. Maybe in the edict Is there a will to establish King Fu as emperor?"
