The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Huamachi.

Zhang Mao wrote several memorials one after another, requesting that he be allowed to serve as an official and return home. He also said that he was unable to do so and would leave the errands to his son... which probably meant that he did not want to suffer in the northwest anymore and would return to the capital anyway. His strength can still stabilize the fundamentals of the British government. As for Zhang Rui's stewardship... Is there any reason for a son to disobey me?
As long as Jingying is in hand, even if Zhang Rui is in charge, there is no difference between me and Zhang Mao.

"My lord, it's almost the Chinese New Year, but I still haven't heard anything about my young lord's rewards and merits, and your return to Beijing. I'm afraid it will be delayed too."

Zhong Decai still did his duty, and he also made inquiries in many ways. However, Huamachi was a place with high mountains and far away from the emperor, so he really couldn't find out more information.

Zhang Mao sat on the top of the city, looking at the dark clouds in the distance, and sighed: "It's going to snow again, the gloomy clouds are nothing more than that."

Zhong Decai felt the same after hearing this.

He applied for a job as a minister of the British government. He was waiting to live a good life in the capital, and he was also waiting to be fawned over by others. Who knew that Zhong Decai would feel better now that he followed Zhang Mao to this place where no one shits?

"I don't know what kind of job my son will get. Should he stay in the northwest or be transferred to another place? Alas!" Zhang Mao felt sorry for himself.

Zhong Decai said: "Master, how about we write a letter to Datong and ask for details?"

"That's not appropriate." Zhang Mao said, "I have already felt sorry for him for what happened before. Being a father has hindered the family. My son must want to do a good job under Uncle Xin Xin now. If I go now I'm afraid it will embarrass him."

Zhong Decai smiled bitterly and said: "We are just asking about the young master's errand arrangements. I shouldn't have to worry so much, right?"

Zhang Maodao: "You don't know, Wang Bo'an is Zhang Bingkuan's man. If I write to ask, others will think that I am putting pressure on Wang Bo'an, and some will say that I rely on my old age to sell my old age. It doesn't matter to others. If His Majesty thinks so, then I... ...It’s harming my son.”

Zhong Decai couldn't help being dumbfounded after hearing this.

This British father-in-law sounds like a kind father. Since you are so considerate, why are you the one who is frustrated now?

Just as he was talking, Liu Jing hurried over to the stairs at the top of the city and shouted from afar: "My lord, my lord, it's a happy event, a happy event."

Zhang Mao and Zhong Decai looked at Liu Jing at the same time as they looked at monsters.

But seeing Liu Jing running up to him, he was out of breath and said: "The imperial court has just issued a decree, officially promoting your son to the deputy commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, and he will be transferred to the Xuanfu immediately. You are a tiger in the general."

Zhang Mao couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

Zhong Decai said: "What kind of happy event is this? Lord Marquis, do you think our father-in-law just wants me to go to the Xuan Mansion and become the deputy general soldier?"

Liu Jing said with a smile: "I have achieved merit, not only received rewards, but also been entrusted with important responsibilities. Isn't this a happy event? Sir, please don't mind too much. I believe His Majesty will transfer you back soon."

"Fart!" Zhang Mao cursed, "I am now exiled and assigned. Now I am not the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, and I don't even have a formal military position. These bastards under my command are waiting to eat, drink and poop every day, and I have to feed them. , Where does the money and food come from? I don’t want to stay in a place like this.”

Liu Jing couldn't help but grimace when he heard this. His mood changed so much that Zhong Decai felt that he was an actor in front of him.

Liu Jing said with a depressed look on his face: "Master, who is not? There is really no good situation here. Why don't we ask your Majesty to transfer me to Ningxia Town?"

"Don't go!"

Zhang Mao seemed to have lost his temper and said very stubbornly, "Whoever wants to go can go. I just don't want to cause trouble for Your Majesty and the court now. It's best if they all forget about me now. They won't think about it until something happens later." I feel that I have suffered a loss here, otherwise... even if I die here, I will not return to the capital."

When Zhong Decai heard this, he was even more surprised.

When it comes to acting skills, this British actor is even better.

She was obviously looking forward to returning to Beijing, but she had complained in front of him just now. Why did she act so pretentious when she came to an outsider?
Liu Jingdao: "My lord, I want to ask you something. As for Cai Guogong... have you found someone to give you gifts?"

Zhang Mao said angrily: "Giving a gift? What kind of gift? Now that people can't live without Ningxia, I still expect others to help? Others are clearly saying evil things, but you still want me to greet people with a smile? If you want to give it to yourself, find someone to give it to you. De "Come on, if you have nothing to do in the future, don't let irrelevant people disturb me. I'm inspecting military affairs. I'm leaving!"

"Master..." Liu Jing didn't expect Zhang Mao to be so difficult to talk to.

But Zhang Mao didn't give him a chance to continue to pester.

"Master Marquis, don't be too reluctant."

After Zhang Maoren left, Zhong Decai said with a smile, "My father-in-law has been worried these days. Please don't add fuel to the fire."

Liu Jing asked: "Over there in the capital..."

Zhong Decai said with a smile: "What do you want to do? You don't have to discuss it with me. Our two families have nothing to do with each other. My father-in-law is very afraid that your majesty will investigate some trivial matters like he is pursuing Baoguo Gong... so ……hehe."

Liu Jingdao: "No wonder, no wonder. I have something I haven't said yet. I'd rather trouble Mr. Zhong to tell me. I heard that there are a lot of memorials from the Imperial Counselor impeaching the British Duke. His Majesty may have recently..."

"Hands-free." Zhong Decai raised his hand and said, "As long as you and I know what's going on, we don't have to tell the father-in-law, he will know something about it. As long as we don't say... a few words, we can get along well."

Liu Jing asked in confusion: "If we don't say anything, will the matter be over?"

Zhong Decai sighed: "For the sake of appearance, let's keep things peaceful. It may be a good thing that all the ministers are participating in the impeachment of our father-in-law. This shows that our father-in-law does not form factions for personal gain. If he does not participate in the impeachment, your majesty may still I want to delve deeper into it.”

Liu Jing suddenly felt that he had been defeated by Zhong Decai's strange thinking. He said: "I'm not afraid that Your Majesty will borrow the donkey to go down the slope..."

"Master Hou, these words are a bit disrespectful." Zhong Decai reminded.

"This is the truth." Liu Jing said.

Now Zhong Decai was also a little annoyed. He frowned and raised his voice an octave: "Master Hou, you said that everyone understands this truth, so what can you do? Others have participated in the impeachment, and they have lost their face." If you tell me in front of the father-in-law, what’s the use of saying it here? Can we solve this problem here?”

Liu Jing blinked, as if this made sense.

Zhong Decai said: "We can't help you now, and we always let your father-in-law worry about it. Do you think your father-in-law can't get angry? What's the use of being unhelpful? Isn't your family very powerful, Lord Marquis? Can you talk to the palace?" If you have any dealings with the old lady and the empress dowager, then hurry up and find a way to tell me, my uncle is waiting for you to show the way out!"

"Hey, I see."

Liu Jing was stunned by Zhong Decai. When he turned around to go down the tower, he suddenly thought of something and turned around and asked, "Are we still giving the gifts?"

"Whether you like it or not, the two families have nothing to do with each other. Don't even think about advancing or retreating together! This time, the British government has a young man. Who is there in your family? Don't always try to put money on yourself! You can't help. , give up the idea of ​​forming an alliance as soon as possible." Zhong Decai also hardened his tone.

Liu Jing couldn't help but feel sad. I thought they were brothers in distress, but now it seems that the British father-in-law has become so arrogant that even a teacher can tell him what to do.

Liu Jing thought to himself that if he couldn't find a way to return to the capital, he would just stay here and be dealt with by the British father-in-law first!

Without military merit, it’s hard to get along.

……

……

Zhang Zhou is leaving for Yongping Mansion.

We left at noon and had to go to the palace to see Zhu Youtang in the morning, which was regarded as a formal farewell. Originally, this was not part of Zhang Zhou’s plan, but maybe Zhu Youtang couldn’t live without Zhang Zhou, so he just met him the day before leaving. Two or three times were not enough.

Inside Xinuan Pavilion.

Zhu Youtang was in good spirits. He said he was recovering from his illness, but in fact he had basically recovered from his illness. He took Zhang Zhou to appreciate some calligraphy and paintings.

But Zhang Zhou really had no interest. Although he knew that these paintings and calligraphy were indeed very valuable, painting and calligraphy that could not be exchanged for silver did not mean much to him, because he had no interest in collecting these things.

Why should we care so much if life brings something that death will not take away?
"Bingkuan, this time you go to Yongping Mansion, I am going to let four people go with you, so that I can take care of you." Zhu Youtang said excitedly.

Zhang Zhou said: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I wonder who it is?"

It was the way they got along that allowed Zhang Zhou to ask such a question.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "First, Yang Peng and Guo Ang. They used to help you. You knew this earlier. When you go there, follow the instructions. Your words are as effective as mine."

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty has betrayed my ministers. How dare I command them casually?"

"You're welcome." Zhu Youtang said, "This third person took the initiative to ask for permission to go. Recently, someone from the Zhang family in Longhu Mountain is also in Beijing. Have you heard about it?"

Zhang Zhouxin asked, could it be that Zhang Xuanqing wanted to go to Yongping Mansion with him?
"I know." Zhang Zhou said.

"It's the Zhang family who requested the order. He said that he wanted someone from the same clan to accompany you. He didn't say that he wanted to become your disciple. He only said that he wanted to study Taoism with you more. His attitude was very sincere." Zhu Youtang said with a smile.

Zhang Zhou said: "It's nothing, I'm just afraid it will cause some trouble."

"Uh, Bingkuan, do you also have this concern? I think so too." Zhu Youtang said, "If Zhang Xuanqing or someone of his generation wants to go with you, I will think that they want to compete with you in Taoism. , to gain a reputation, so that I can suppress you, but what you are asking is to let a little girl from the Zhang family go with you. She is Zhang Xuanqing's eldest daughter, and she is only eleven or twelve years old, so I think it is feasible. ”

Zhang Zhou couldn't help but feel strange after hearing this.

What does Zhang Xuanqing mean?
The reputation of the Celestial Master Tao in Longhu Mountain has been lost due to the rise of Zhang Zhou. Does Zhang Xuanqing still want to send a daughter to Zhang Zhou to "study Taoism"?
Is it to verify whether Zhang Zhou knows Taoism, or is he planning to let this little girl surpass Zhang Zhou in Taoism to expose the myth that Zhang Zhou is a semi-immortal?
Zhu Youtang said: "I think that the group of people in Longhu Mountain have some foundation and connections, and they also have some reputation among the people. There is no need for you to break up with them. Since they are so sincere in asking, then I also I agree. Before leaving, Zhang Xuanqing will go to bid farewell to you. If he behaves badly, then you don’t need to pay attention to it, and I will say that I don’t agree to it.”

"I understand."

Zhang Zhou indeed understood Zhu Youtang's painstaking efforts.

Zhu Youtang planned to be a peacemaker to avoid conflicts between Zhang Zhou and Zhengyiyi. Otherwise, there would be many people in Zhengyiyi's disciples who would cause trouble.

In addition, Zhang Zhou is now a political figure. He usually does not use Taoist affairs as a means of establishing himself, but wants to take more care of court affairs, so the emperor did not force him to reach a reconciliation with Zhengyi Zhongren.

It can even be said to be a gift.

If you guys are sincere, that will give you a chance to cling to Bingkuan. If not, just stay where you are.

"There is another person, haha, Bingkuan, guess who it is." Zhu Youtang suddenly asked with a smile on his face.

Zhang Zhou knew from Zhu Youtang's emotional changes that he was a person who was very difficult to guess with common sense, so he quickly handed over his hands and said, "I can't guess."

Zhu Youtang didn't show off, and said with a smile: "It's Yongkang, my sister, she went there with you. Don't get me wrong, she also mentioned this trip herself, saying that she would start from Maoren to the northwest. We have never had a chance to get along with each other, but this time it happened that Mao Ren and other soldiers were going to be rewarded for their merits, so she applied to go with her, which can be regarded as a marriage invitation. "

Zhang Zhouxin said, what did I misunderstand? They are deeply in love as husband and wife, and at most they are on the same road as me.

Not even on the same road.

Zhu Youtang said: "Yongkang was very willful before, but now she seems to respect you very much, which is good. If she is still the same as before... I still can't trust her!"

Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, I will get along well with Princess Yongkang."

"But, she is going to Jizhou Town Camp, and she will also receive some gifts to reward the armed forces. After all, she is a female, and has never traveled far. She will take care of her if she can after leaving the capital. I will thank you in advance. You." Zhu Youtang said.

"Your Majesty's words are serious, I should take good care of Princess Yongkang." Zhang Zhou said.

take care of?

How to take care of it?

It's just a courtesy statement.

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "Originally there was someone who wanted to go, but I won't agree. It's not easy to convince him."

This is Zhu Houzhao.

"And I...if my health gets better after spring, I might go there in person. Speaking of which, I have always wanted to go out for a walk." Zhu Youtang suddenly became very interested.

Originally, the monarch and his ministers had discussed that they should go on an expedition together, but before the expedition, it did not affect them to go to Yongping Mansion for a spring outing together, or to understand the sentiments of the people.

However, the process of the emperor's patrol was too cumbersome, and ministers generally would not agree. Even if he later acted like Zhu Houzhao, he could not get the support of ministers on the patrol, and was repeatedly frustrated. He either escaped on his own or used the help of the Southern Expedition. Only then can you leave Beijing.

Zhu Youtang seemed to know that it was not easy to go on patrol, so he said this.

"No matter what, leave early and come back early." Zhu Youtang smiled and patted Zhang Zhou on the shoulder and said, "It is better to govern one country than to govern one country. You are indispensable by my side. If you need anything, please tell me at any time. Who will not cooperate with you? , just go against me! I will not take it lightly!" (End of this chapter)