The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Imperial Palace, in the Xinuan Pavilion next to Qianqing Palace.

The heating has been turned on, and the floor heating has just been laid. It seems to be more advanced than the steam heating in Qingning Palace. Although the north wind blows outside, the room is as warm as spring, and there is no choking from the charcoal fire. Nasal smell.

Zhu Youtang and Zhang Zhou were sitting on the floor, facing an exquisite octagonal table, drinking tea and discussing family and national affairs as if chatting.

"Bingkuan, you have also seen that the British Lord has shown his merits in the northwest, but no matter how I look at it, it seems that he is the guilty Zhu Hui, as if he is not aware of the danger and trouble in front of him."

Zhu Youtang finished speaking with a smile, as if he was waiting to see Zhang Mao's excitement.

Zhang Zhou said: "The British Duke has made some achievements, both in terms of personal connections and the ability to lead troops."

"Really?" Zhu Youtang continued to smile, "Do you think he can win?"

"This one……"

Zhang Zhou could only laugh and say nothing.

Zhang Mao is only good at talking. For a person who has never experienced military service in half his life, it is good if he does not make any big deviations on the battlefield. Moreover, Zhang Mao is not a courageous person.

Of course, even Zhang Zhou himself couldn't make a conclusion on many things. However, it was really difficult for Zhang Mao to make some achievements when the Tatars themselves were frightened. The main reason was that the Tatars would not confront him head-on. .

Zhu Youtang took out another secret memorial and said, "Look, this is Uncle Xin Xin's memorial."

Zhang Zhou held the memorial in his hand, which was written by Wang Shouren.

Zhu Youtang said: "Uncle Xinjian has ordered three thousand cavalry, all of which are elites who have experienced more than two bloody battles with the Tatars. He plans to lead the troops northwest from the Weining Sea, fighting all the way for four hundred miles, and then detour. Come back, so no matter where the Tatars are still on the border, they can only withdraw their troops obediently."

Zhang Zhou said: "The plan is complete. Apart from it looking a bit risky, there seems to be nothing wrong with it."

"Yes." Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "You are a good teacher, brave and resourceful, and you can be regarded as a fierce general of the Ming Dynasty. His courage is unmatched by those mediocre warriors in the army today. But I am afraid. What went wrong with this expedition?"

Zhang Zhou smiled and put down the memorial after reading: "Your Majesty is worried about the British Duke, right?"

"Then let him take advantage." Zhu Youtang said, "Obviously he will lead the army to fight in the northwest, but in fact I never counted on him. I just hope that he will not cause trouble in the northwest. If Uncle Xinjian If he can achieve more meritorious deeds, then the British prince only needs to march to Ningxia step by step, and then he can reap the benefits. Isn't it that I am making things difficult for him?"

Zhang Zhou said: "If that's the case, then it really won't be difficult for the British public."

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "So you see, where should we need to check and fill in the gaps? If there is any deviation on the British road, there will always be some corrections, or Xinjianbo will send troops to the grassland If we can’t return safely, do we need to put pressure on the Tatars from the sidelines?”

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty must have already made relevant plans, right?"

"Oh, I can't hide anything from you. I have actually thought of a candidate for a long time. He is actually the most suitable person to command the troops in the northwest. How about you and I each write down a name to confirm it?" Zhu You Zang became playful.

He seemed to want to test whether he had the same foresight as Zhang Zhou in matters such as army management and marching.

Now Zhu Youtang also wants to show his ability as a martial arts master.

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, please give me a pen."

"Whatever is given or not given, there is a pen on the table, you can use it as you wish."

Then the two of them each wrote a name on the paper. In fact, Zhang Zhou didn't need to consider who was more suitable. He just needed to consider what the emperor was thinking. The emperor's "who will command the troops and horses in the northwest" was clearly referring to On behalf of one person.

Wang Qiong.

When the two of them spread out their names, sure enough, the names matched.

"Haha, that's what I thought." Zhu Youtang smiled.

Zhang Zhou said: "Wang Shilang has made great achievements in the army many times. Now it is perfect for him to send troops from Yansui and other places to control the soldiers and horses on the Tatar bandits, creating a good opportunity for Xinjianbo to go straight to the hinterland of the grassland."

"Yes, I think so too." Zhu Youtang looked very excited, "Then I will give an order to him to mobilize the local soldiers and horses in Yansui and send troops from Hetao and other places to make the Tatars advance and retreat in the name of patrol. No, as for how to fight, it depends on his own performance. If he can win this battle, I will also remember him for his great achievements."

Wang Shouren has merit, and so does Wang Qiong.

Only Zhang Mao, who was openly regarded as the commander-in-chief of all the people in the northwest, seemed to be a soy sauce.

The emperor's expectations for him are just not to cause trouble, to be a good cover, and not to punish you when it comes to rewards based on your merits. That would be considered as burning incense to your ancestors.

Even Zhang Zhou felt that maybe the emperor really looked down on those old ministers.

……

……

When Zhang Zhou came out of the palace, there were already some snowflakes floating outside.

This is the first snow since the beginning of winter. Although the snow will melt when it hits the ground, it can still make people feel a chill. Even Zhang Zhou can't help but want to go home, warm his wife and children, and live a simple life.

But before Zhang Zhou could get on the official sedan, Sun Shangqi came over and said something in Zhang Zhou's ear.

After that, Zhang Zhou didn't go home or to the theater, let alone the government office. Instead, he went directly to a courtyard in the city.

The courtyard is very quiet.

The alley at the entrance is very narrow, but once you enter the courtyard, it seems to be a completely different world.

Before Zhang Zhou could reach the main hall, Aunt Lin was already waiting respectfully. After taking a few steps to greet him, she greeted him with a great courtesy.

"Ah."

Zhang Zhou just nodded.

Then enter the main hall.

Compared with the warmth of the Xinuang Pavilion in the palace, Zhang Zhou obviously felt a bit chilly here, as if there were no fireworks. He would feel the coldness of the stool when he sat down.

Aunt Lin said: "According to the master's instructions, I conducted several assessments for several young masters, and finally selected a few people, just waiting for you to make the final selection. If they are promoted to be the shopkeepers of some shops, it may not be possible. , but if it’s just sorting out general accounts, or making some records, it’s not a bad idea.”

Zhang Zhou said: "Really? Where is he?"

"They are all waiting in the backyard." Aunt Lin said, "One of them is the daughter of the Zhao family in Yongping Prefecture. In addition to being good at arithmetic, she is also proficient in some business methods. The Lord may also have heard about it. After passing the Zhao family, they are already the richest family in the local area, and they also have some connections in the court." Zhang Zhou didn't say anything when he heard about the Zhao family's daughter.

Sun Shangqi next to him said: "My lord, this woman was originally married to the Huang family. After the incident in Yongping Mansion, she was expelled from the house. The entire Zhao family has now been convicted, and she is the only one." At present, they are still staying near the capital, and the rest have been sent to Yongping Mansion and other places for transfer."

Zhang Zhou said: "Her origins are not important, what is important is her talent and ability. Show me her previous performance."

Aunt Lin then handed something like an examination paper to Zhang Zhou.

It’s a thick stack. It’s obvious that the consecutive exams are no joke. Not only do you have to organize the accounts, but you also need to know how to make a plan. You must have a reasonable understanding of some business matters and be able to be a good professional manager. .

In later generations, this can be accomplished by an ordinary person, but in this era, it requires a woman in a boudoir to accomplish it, which is very difficult in itself.

Aunt Lin said: "Although the women selected before were all literate girls, many of them were only literate and knew almost nothing about other things. Only a few could pass the first round, and most of them continued In the next few games, the performance is just different.”

Zhang Zhou said: "Yes, a young lady from a wealthy family married into another wealthy family. Perhaps the Huang family trained her as the future mistress of the family, so she would be exposed to things that others would not be exposed to. Judging from the copywriting she compiled, it does look like a female boss."

"Here are the other copies." Aunt Lin then handed the next few copies to Zhang Zhou.

"No need to read, just call people over. I have asked them in person. Some people may only show their performance on paper. It is inevitable that they will have stage fright in front of people."

This means that there is not only a written test, but also an interview.

If any one of them fails, it doesn’t work.

"I will go and invite you here." Aunt Lin immediately exited the room and went back to the inner courtyard to call a few girls who had been selected to come out to meet the real lord.

……

……

Four women.

Huang Zhao is about 28 or 29 years old. One is a little older, about thirty-five, and the remaining two are younger, one looks about twenty years old. As for the other one, Like a little girl, her big eyes peeked at Zhang Zhou after entering the house.

In terms of appearance, only Huang Zhao and the last girl looked good, but compared to being more stable, the other two seemed to be no less generous.

It seems that they also know that there is only one final step left to make it to the final selection, and they cannot give up halfway at this time.

After all, whether you will be a female shopkeeper or a maid who serves people in the future depends on your performance today.

Four people lined up.

Zhang Zhou immediately began his interview.

"You must also know who I am. My surname is Zhang Mingzhou. I am from Yingtian Prefecture in the south of the Yangtze River. I have been in the capital for a few years. In the capital, in addition to being an official, I also run some businesses. Officials are not allowed to do business casually, but Everything I do is for the benefit of the imperial court and has been approved by His Majesty."

Zhang Zhou also had to introduce himself first.

It also lets them know who they are working for.

It seems that he is working for Zhang Zhou, but it can also be said that he is working for the emperor and directly becomes a member of the inner palace.

"I have a weaving business here, and I want to expand it. Currently, we don't have enough manpower. If you have any good ideas, just talk about them in person. No matter what comes before or after, you don't need to care about what others say. What, or whoever you think makes sense, you can add something to it."

Discuss freely without being restricted by the situation.

The four women all chose to remain silent for a while.

When facing a big shot like Zhang Zhou, they would still appear reserved, especially for such a big shot who looked approachable, which they had not expected before.

Mrs. Huang Zhao spoke first and said, "I dare to ask my father-in-law, how big will this business be?"

"Well, it probably takes several thousand pieces of cloth to be woven every day. I'll tell you the truth. There was already a prototype in operation before. In the past, one loom required a female worker, but now a female worker can probably see ten machines. And the efficiency is more than ten times higher than before. If I leave the business to you, how will you proceed?"

Huang Zhao said: "I believe that to do business, you need people, land, and capital. All three are indispensable. If you want to weave thousands of pieces of cloth every day, I am afraid that with the raw materials around the capital at present, The supply may not be enough to support it.”

Zhang Zhou nodded and said: "Indeed, the entire capital can digest about a thousand pieces of cloth a day. After all, not everyone can make new clothes. Most of these are used for military supplies."

Huang Zhao said: "Then why not weave in the northwest, but in the capital?"

Aunt Lin said anxiously: "Should you answer the adult's question, or should the adult answer you?"

"Don't be like this." Zhang Zhou said with a smile, "Today is just a reasonable discussion, there is no need to use power to pressure others. I think you are right. It's not that I haven't considered it, but transporting hemp silk also needs to be done from various places, and the northwest itself also needs to be transported. There is a shortage of people, and the transfer to the capital is also a transfer. On the contrary, the water and land transportation around the capital are more convenient. And it is easier to control by my side. "

Huang Zhao said: "I think that as long as we control the raw materials and manage the manpower well, it will be... almost enough. As for how the cloth is weaved, I have never seen it, so it is difficult to draw a conclusion."

Aunt Lin shook her head and said, "It's the same as not saying anything."

Then the young woman next to him said: "Do we need a lot of female workers? Can I be a female worker?"

Obviously the female shopkeeper was selected, but this young girl didn't seem to have any big ambitions. She seemed to know that she didn't have any advantage in this kind of competition, and she just wanted to get a relatively stable job for herself. Survive.

"What do you think?" Zhang Zhou turned his attention to the other two women.

The older one among them said: "I feel that as long as the adults tell me to do what I want, I can just do it. You can do as many things as you have and as many people as you have, and you can't force it. As for things like communicating with others, I just have to do it." I’m afraid I’m still not strong enough.”

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Even if we communicate, we mostly communicate with internal officials. Since you have to manage business, how can you only care about your own one-third of an acre? When doing business, you also need to communicate with others."

Mrs. Huang Zhao looked very positive and said, "I am willing to try."

"Oh? Do you think you have the ability to communicate with people in the government or the middle officials in the palace?" Zhang Zhou curiously forgot about the past.

He also saw that this Huang Zhao family seemed eager to change his future destiny, so he was very strong in this kind of thing.

Mrs. Huang Zhao said: "I have a business in my family and have contacts with the local government. Although my family is in a state of decline now, I think I will not lose to others. As long as others can do it, I will do whatever it takes." Life can be done."

Aunt Lin frowned and said: "I'm not asking you to go out and fight with others, why do you have to fight so hard?" (End of Chapter)