Here in the south of the Yangtze River, the literary style flourished, and the proportion of people who were literate was higher than that in other places. Correspondingly, there were more people with titles than in other places.
As a result, checking the limits of privileges and exemptions for officials and gentry in Jiangnan and calling for taxes have also become top priorities. This is also the reason why Zhang Pu and the dead Wu Changshi were sent to Jiangnan.
After the Changshu riot, Emperor Chongzhen used his iron-blooded tactics to dismiss, demote, or convict hundreds of officials at once. Many of them were former frontier officials who had received the Sacred Heart, such as Zhang Guowei. It has been fourteen years since Chongzhen, and he has built water conservancy projects in the northwest and central plains. , worked hard, but still no official was reinstated. This shows that the emperor is very determined in this regard.
Therefore, Zhang Pu was named the governor of Jiangnan, and he continued to verify the quota of preferential exemptions for officials and gentry in Jiangnan and to collect taxes. It can be said that it was many times smoother than before. And he himself has reached the peak of his life.
Wherever he goes, no matter who the opponent is, even if he is a high-ranking official of the Ming Dynasty, or an official who is favored by the emperor; whether he is an official family, or a local tyrant, as long as Zhang Pu is on the ground, no one will dare to fight with the person who was executed. Shui Tailiang conspired to confront Zhang Pu.
It can even be said that wherever Zhang Pu passed, all kinds of people came out ten miles away to catch the wind and wash away the dust, and flattered the horses. Almost the entire city's upper class people were surrounding Zhang Pu.
Such a situation made Zhang Pu very high-spirited and very unhappy.
No, he inspected Yangzhou Prefecture, and after returning to this prosperous place, he used his savings to buy a luxury compound. Of course, the price is extremely cheap. But no matter what, he paid for it after all. If he dared to reach out and ask for it directly, he would have a group of Dongchang fanmen around him.
When he bought a house, he mainly wanted to show his filial piety, so he took his mother over from her hometown and came to Yangzhou Mansion to enjoy her happiness.
On this day, Zhang Pu was excited and prepared to go out of the city to meet his old mother.
Unexpectedly, before he went out, the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture rushed over and said that his aunt was coming. How could we not greet her together? That would be too rude!
Zhang Pu didn't say anything before, but now he saw that he wanted to do his best and thought that he would look better in front of his mother, so he happily agreed.
As a result, he did not expect that soon after, the magistrates and counties under Yangzhou Prefecture also came one after another, as well as other yamen in Yangzhou, including the censor from the local procuratorate, all of whom wanted to accompany him to welcome him.
Seeing such a grand occasion, Zhang Pu was even happier. This kind of situation had never happened before, even when he was in charge of Fushe. At most, it was just a group of literati who accompanied me, which was compared to the fact that now I was accompanied by chief officials from all over the country.
So, Zhang Pu took a group of officials, plus their entourage, etc., which was a huge team, and marched through the streets and alleys to the water gate outside the city to welcome his mother's arrival.
When the people of Yangzhou Prefecture, who didn't know the inside story, saw it, they thought it was some high-ranking official from the imperial court. Suddenly, out of curiosity, they also followed him to see the excitement.
As a result, a rare grand occasion occurred in Yangzhou Mansion. The incident of Zhang Pu welcoming his mother became a sensation in the whole city.
At the pier, I don't know when, the local magistrate had already ordered people to make arrangements. All idlers were to avoid it, and other ships were to be pulled aside. Just wait for the arrival of the boat Zhang Pu is currently on.
Seeing this, Zhang Pu felt a little uneasy, but amidst the congratulations and approval from everyone, he just laughed. Only in this way could he show that he, his son, had finally made a real difference!
On the other hand, Jiang Dong, the stall owner of Dongchang who was accompanying him, frowned when he saw this situation.
He was born in the Escort Agency. Due to the troubled times, the Escort Agency was ruined and he eventually became a refugee under the attack of the Jianlu soldiers. It can be said that in essence, he comes from a poor family. The scene in front of him was no different from what he had seen before when corrupt officials were enjoying themselves, which made him feel uncomfortable.
But after all, he and Zhang Pu had experienced the Changshu riots together, and they had been together for such a long time, and Zhang Pu did it out of filial piety. Seeing him so happy, Jiang Dong held back and said nothing.
In everyone's expectation, finally, the ship arrived.
Zhang Pu immediately strode out with excitement, thinking about getting on the boat before the planks were set up. Thanks to Jiang Dong's stop, he didn't fall into the river rashly.
After getting on the boat, Zhang Pu went to the cabin and saw his mother looking at him with a smile. He was stunned for a moment.
His mother was a maid, and even after giving birth to him, her status in the Zhang family was not high. Not only was he bullied, but his mother was also bullied by others. It was not until he became the leader of the society that many officials and officials supported him, that he was not openly discriminated against, and his mother's situation improved a lot.
Zhang Pu remembered clearly that even so, his mother was very cautious, paying attention to her clothes, words and deeds. I'm afraid of irritating others and causing unpleasant things.
Previously, when Zhang Pu was promoted, he was always on errands in the south of the Yangtze River. In order to show his loyalty, he did not even go back during the New Year. But I still have letters from home, and I know that my mother’s side is much better than before. However, when he saw her now, he didn't expect that his mother had changed so much.
Not to mention wearing gold, silver, silk and satin, there were four maids serving around her. One is fanning, another is beating his back, another is beating his legs, and the other is waiting.
There is also a lot more arrogance between the brows, and the whole person looks a lot more arrogant, or in other words, a lot more high-spirited, and there is no longer the cautious feeling before.
As soon as she saw her son appearing in front of her, Zhang Pu's mother was overjoyed and smiled sincerely. She immediately stood up and said, "My son, I haven't seen you for several years. Mother must be thinking so hard. Look, I’ve lost a lot of weight!”
As she spoke, she stepped forward and touched her son's face, obviously feeling sorry for her son's hard work.
At this time, Zhang Pu came back to his senses. The familiar mother and her accent had not changed. He was also excited. He immediately went to his mother and said with a little choked up: "The child is unfilial, and we have responsibilities. It is difficult to be loyal and filial. , I have never gone back to see you, leaving my mother to run around and suffer the pain of the journey to come to Yangzhou."
Zhang Pu's mother felt her son's filial piety. Looking back on the past, she was very emotional and even shed tears. However, it was a happy event after all. She helped her son up and said with a smile: "My son is going to be successful, and my mother will also enjoy the blessings. A little bit of journey." What does suffering mean? You don’t know that ever since you received the Sacred Heart and was granted the title of governor of Jiangnan, my mother has truly become proud and proud..."
When she talked about it, she couldn't restrain herself from years of depression. I can't talk to others about this kind of thing, I can only talk to my son. Therefore, this talk cannot be stopped.
Zhang Pu thought that there were colleagues outside waiting to see his mother, and he wanted to interrupt several times, but he couldn't bear it after thinking about it, so he finally gave it up. Since they are coming on their own, let them wait. Otherwise, if you are hypocritical and go back to where you came from, Zhang Pu will not care about such untrue intentions.
So, he listened carefully to what his mother was saying.
His mother said that no matter who had offended her in the past, now she could seek justice no matter how high her status was. Listening to these words, Zhang Pu felt proud, as it should be!
But when his mother said that various noble people in her hometown who had never met before, and of course, were not considered noble people now, found reasons to visit her and give her gifts, etc., Zhang Pu didn't have much idea at first. Once your status is high, this kind of thing is normal.
However, he was a little surprised when his mother started talking about which family's gifts were more valuable and which family's gifts were more desirable. Because, the gifts given to his mother are not trivial, and some even gave him good grain fields after a disagreement. You said, it’s quite normal for women to give some jewelry or something like that to women. They even give grain fields. Is it not surprising?
His mother did not notice any change in his expression, but was immersed in her own happy world, and continued to say to Zhang Pu: "...even if you are not the legitimate son of the Zhang family, you don't care anymore as a mother. Those things of the Zhang family, It doesn’t matter if you don’t want them. Now, whatever the Zhang family has, we all have too, so we don’t care about it..."
Hearing this, Zhang Pu couldn't help but feel sour in his heart, and thought of the past days again. He knew that he and his mother had been bullied, and he had no feelings for the Zhang family at all. When he was a child, there were even many times when his mother hugged him and cried secretly while hiding from others. Her biggest wish was that the mother and son could have a real home of their own, no longer be bullied by others, and do not have to look at others.
He still remembered that it was because of all this that he worked hard and studied hard. It can be said that without those events back then, he would not have been so motivated to study.
Now that she has become famous, it is really time for her mother to realize her wish.
As for the Zhang family, with his own power and intelligence, he has many ways to make them submit.
Thinking like this, Zhang Pu stopped talking.
However, Jiang Dong, who was waiting at the cabin door, heard the conversation in the cabin even though he didn't mean to do so, which made him frown again and feel a little unhappy.
After a long while, Zhang Pu comforted his mother and said to her with a smile: "Mother, the officials at all levels in Yangzhou heard that mother was coming to Yangzhou, so they had to come with the child to welcome her. Otherwise, Do you want me to let them come in for a visit?"
Hearing this, his mother felt very proud. Yangzhou Mansion is famous in the world, and officials at all levels have come to pay homage to him. This was something that would have been unimaginable before.
She was full of pride for her son, and of course she would not refuse.
Therefore, the prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture entered the cabin first and paid a respectful visit to Zhang Pu. His humble attitude made Zhang Pu and his mother feel very comfortable.
But this was not over yet. After the visit, he took out a gift list from his sleeves, handed it to him with both hands respectfully and said: "The old lady is coming to Yangzhou Mansion. A little kindness is not a sign of respect, but please accept it with a smile! "
Zhang Pu saw it from the side and was a little startled. He had not expected this. But then I thought about it again and felt that this seemed normal, so I didn't say anything. It was up to my mother to decide.
When Zhang Pu's mother saw her, she immediately became happy. While being polite, she quickly asked the maid to take it. After she took a look at the items listed on the gift list, she became even happier. She quickly praised the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture and said that Zhang Pu had It is best to get along well with such colleagues.
When the magistrate of Yangzhou Prefecture went down, other chief officials at all levels also came up to receive the gifts in order according to their official positions, and at the same time presented the gift list, which made Zhang Pu's mother smile.
When she got out of the cabin and saw so many people greeting her, she was even more happy.
Returning to the mansion Zhang Pu bought for her, she was even more happy to see such a big mansion in Yangzhou Mansion. Pulling Zhang Pu along, he kept praising his son.
Zhang Pu was certainly happy to see his mother so happy.
However, Jiang Dong couldn't hold himself back any longer. I found an opportunity and said to Zhang Pu alone: "Master Zhongcheng, you still need to pay attention to some things. Otherwise, when the time comes, the emperor will question you, which will be bad!"
Zhang Pu was stunned when he heard this. What does this mean?
But he quickly came to his senses and suddenly felt a little unhappy.
For a long time, he has been complimented by the people around him, or under the attack of sugar-coated bullets, and his ideas will inevitably be affected. In layman's terms, it means he has swelled.
Therefore, suddenly, he heard a voice he didn't like to hear, and subconsciously chose to fight: "What does this mean? I don't understand!"
Seeing him like this, Jiang Dong was not polite, and immediately reminded: "The emperor is rectifying the administration of officials. Mr. Zhongcheng still needs to take care of himself. Remember not to test the law with yourself!"
These words made Zhang Pu feel even more harsh, and he suddenly became a little angry. However, he still remembered that the person in front of him was the Dongchang stall owner, so he suppressed his anger and said: "What's wrong with me? Are you by my side?" , have you seen that this official is corrupt and perverts the law? I bought this house with my salary, and it was not taken by force. There are also some human relationships, which are common in the officialdom. My heart is like a mirror, so why should I take care of myself? "
At this moment, Zhang Pu's mother happened to come back, heard their conversation, and immediately said angrily: "Do you want to complain? My son has been favored by the emperor, and the emperor will definitely believe my son. Besides, since ancient times, Isn’t it normal for people to exchange favors?”
Hearing their words, Jiang Dong couldn't help but feel disappointed, and immediately said coldly: "In this case, I should do my duty and truthfully report what I saw and heard. Take my leave!"
After saying that, he turned around and left, leaving only Zhang Pu and his daughter in the room.
Seeing her son in a daze, Zhang Pu's mother moved in her heart, so she walked over and said to her son: "My son, if you are worried, why don't you give him some of the gifts you sent, so that he can He won't be harsh on us. If he doesn't report it, the emperor won't know about it, and he won't bother with such a small matter like yours."
