The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Cheng Guogongfu.

In the back hall of Zhu Hu's courtyard, Zhu Feng truthfully told Zhu Hu, Zhu Fu and Zhu Lin the news he had heard. It was in other words that three generations of the family, young and old, sat down and listened to a brief account of the future fate of the Zhu family. Afterwards, the two younger ones, Zhu Lin and Zhu Feng, were driven out by Zhu Hu, leaving only Zhu Fu alone in the back hall.

"Mother, it seems that His Majesty is going to attack our mansion. If I go to fight, I'm afraid the result will not be much better than that of the Duke of Ying. The result may also be... following his footsteps, and the military affairs of Nanjing will fall into the hands of others."

Zhu Fu is very cowardly.

When faced with major events, he just wanted to be a meritorious official without considering whether he had any more sophisticated ways to solve the problem.

Of course, he did not have that ability. It was precisely because he knew that he was not capable of killing enemies on the battlefield, and even of mediating in the court, that Zhu Fu had always been the representative of the ministers who maintained the status quo, and no one in the court thought that he could really hold up half the sky of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Hu said angrily: "Look at this useless son and grandson. He is so useless when asked to fight in a war. Who can this Duke's Mansion rely on in the future?"

"Don't say that, mother. I can certainly fight for the family, but is it that easy to win a battle on the battlefield? Besides, the Duke of England has made some achievements in the northwest. It was just that he was careless and the Tatars took advantage of him. They lured him out of his hole and a fire broke out in the rear. There are many things that are hard to guard against."

Zhu Fusuan fought with his old mother for the sake of his last bit of dignity.

Zhu Hu also seemed to realize that the key to this matter did not lie with Zhu Fu. If any other old hero in the court went to the northwest, the situation would probably be no different.

Zhu Hu asked, "Who do you think can help you win the battle?"

"Let... Zhijie?" The first person Zhu Fu thought of was his fairly capable son.

After all, he was considered a representative of the new school of meritorious officials. The emperor did not trust Zhu Fu, but he trusted Zhu Feng.

Zhu Hu shook her head and said, "Do you want to lose two people at once? If you can't do it here, and Zhijie is also involved, then our family will be completely finished!"

“You can’t say that…” Zhu Fu felt even more embarrassed.

What do you mean by "two losses at once"? You think I will definitely lose money, and you don't want to sacrifice your grandson, right?

Zhu Hu said: "The biggest turning point now still comes from the Duke of Cai. As long as he can help you, maybe you can make achievements and come back by yourself."

"It's not that easy." Zhu Fu said, "Duke Ying also received his support, what was the result?"

"That's different."

Zhu Hu seemed to have seen through everything, and said in a cold voice, "Your Majesty has long wanted to take control of the power of the Beijing Camp and change the situation of one family dominating. Previously, relying on the group of Duke Baoguo obviously gave Your Majesty hope. Later, Your Majesty used Duke Cai, which must have been a success. Do you think that under this premise, Your Majesty will let Duke Cai help Duke Ying with all his strength?"

"This..." Zhu Fu thought for a moment and asked, "If His Majesty had not allowed us to help the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion, would he have helped us?"

Zhu Hu said: "If you don't want to help, then why did you ask Duke Cai to come to our house in person?"

"You mean..." Zhu Fu's eyes suddenly seemed to light up.

It turns out that the emperor thinks highly of us? This is giving us a chance!

Zhu Hu said: "But His Majesty will not help us too much."

"Mother, why don't I understand what you say? Your Majesty, do you want to help us or not? You will definitely not help us. I am confused." Zhu Fu was not able to think clearly at this time.

Zhu Hu said coldly: "As for the Duke of Ying, His Majesty must have instructed not to help, so Duke Cai would not help, and it is even better not to dig a hole."

"Yes, yes, that's right." Zhu Fu said.

"But for us, His Majesty didn't instruct you to help, but he also didn't instruct you not to help. After all, our family poses no threat to His Majesty, and it doesn't have to be demolished. As long as you can make achievements and gain reputation, you can transform from a corrupt old honor to an upright new honor." Zhu Hu said.

Zhu Fu said, "What old honors and new honors? Mother, are you too sensitive?"

Zhu Hu said angrily, "Have you not realized it yet? If you are not a new hero that His Majesty appreciates, you can only hand over power step by step! We may not be able to control Nanjing like before, but you can still compete with others in Nanjing and even lead Nanjing's military affairs."

“Uh…” Zhu Fu still seemed a little cowardly.

"Just now, in front of the two little ones, I didn't even have the nerve to ruin your show. Don't you think about it? You are already this age. Even if you are no longer young and full of vigor, you are still better than that old bastard Zhang Tingmian, right?" Zhu Hu was now a little bit angry at her for not fighting for it.

Zhu Fu said, "Mother, I understand. What you mean is that as long as we win this battle, His Majesty will still give our family status and reputation, and we can even continue to stand firm in the court. The plan now is to curry favor with Duke Cai and ask him to help us... Anyway, His Majesty has not said that he will object to his help. It all depends on Duke Cai's own wishes."

Zhu Hu said disdainfully: "You should have understood these things long ago, and you shouldn't have come to me to remind you."

Zhu Fuwei said in embarrassment: "How can I curry favor with him? Zhijie follows him every day, so he can be considered to have been promoted by him. He has achieved military merits one after another, but those were ultimately earned by the child, not me. Zhang Bingkuan has a reason to help Zhijie, but not me!"

"Calling him by his name? Who do you think you are? He is the Minister of War. If Duke Cai were to make the choice himself, who do you think he would want to entrust the military affairs of Nanjing to?" Zhu Hu said.

"Give...Zhijie?" Zhu Fu asked.

"Nonsense, why don't they hold it in their own hands instead of giving it to you?" Zhu Hu said.

Zhu Fu said with a sad face, "Mother, are you going to keep me in suspense? I know the importance of currying favor with Duke Cai, but what should I give him now? He will think that I am completely obedient to him and can obey His Majesty? If I give him gold, silver and jewelry, not to mention that His Majesty doesn't allow it, but if I give him too much, won't His Majesty be suspicious? But if I give him something else...it has to be something that Duke Cai appreciates."

Zhu Hu said, "Duke Cai will come to visit us soon. You should go out and kneel down to greet him."

"Uh...what? Mother, you...you..." Zhu Fu almost spoke incoherently.

Kneeling to welcome the dignitaries is nothing special in the Zhu family. It can be said to be a traditional art project of the Zhu family. Here, Zhu Hu is also telling his son that this is the "skill" you should have.

Zhu Hu said coldly: "You still think of yourself as a duke? You are nothing in front of Duke Cai."

“Hehe…” Zhu Fu smiled bitterly, even wanting to cry but without tears.

Zhu Hu said, "In many things, Zhijie is more conscious than you. Although his love for the girl from the Ning family is not as deep as that of a couple, he is still affectionate and righteous. But do you think he is as hesitant as you are when it comes to giving up his love?"

"Uh..." Zhu Fu couldn't help but look helpless after hearing this.

The daughter-in-law gave Hugh away directly and gave him to Zhang Zhou. All this was to gain Zhang Zhou's support.

Facts have proved that Zhang Zhou has indeed taken good care of the Zhu family in the past two years.

Zhu Hu sneered and said, "The ugly things you did in Nanjing recently are unknown to others, but do you think I don't know? When His Majesty summoned you back, did you ever think that it was because of you?"

"What did you do?" Zhu Fu certainly didn't want to admit it.

"You have been living a life of debauchery and even outrageous behavior. Some people in the Nanjing officialdom have already begun to impeach you. If it weren't for Zhijie's reputation in the court and His Majesty's protection, do you think things would not have fermented further? Also, when you returned to Beijing this time, the court ordered you to return quickly. How many days were you delayed on the road?" Zhu Hu asked.

Zhu Fu said, "I'm rushing back as fast as I can." "Really? Do I need to tell you in detail about the backgrounds of the two concubines you took in Nanjing? And you seem to be so capable now. Do you think that in Nanjing, where the emperor is far away, no one will watch over you? Or do you think that now that we have the support of Duke Cai's Mansion, we can do whatever we want?"

Zhu Hu became angrier and angrier as she spoke.

It seemed that the old lady had not intended to say these words beforehand, as she wanted to save face for her son.

But when the time came, she could no longer hold back.

Zhu Fu lowered his head, not knowing how to answer.

Zhu Hu said, "It is almost time to light the lanterns. Tonight we are hosting a banquet for Duke Cai at our mansion. This is the last chance that His Majesty has given us. Do you understand the key to this?"

Zhu Fu said with a dark face: "Do your best to make Duke Cai feel at home, and let Duke Cai feel that... our family is dedicated to the court and will obey the orders of the Ministry of War."

"Then how should we entertain him? Do you understand?" Zhu Hu asked sternly.

"My...Mother, can we send her a gift or something to resolve the matter?" Zhu Fu asked.

Zhu Hu sneered, "Do you think His Majesty will allow us to give him gifts openly? Remember, he will bring people into our house. Whatever he brings when he comes, he will not bring anything more when he leaves. Only in this way will His Majesty be satisfied, and the people in the court will not say anything. After all, he is just coming to our house for a meal."

Zhu Fu said: "No matter how much delicacies you eat, they can't make him feel...at home."

Zhu Hu said angrily, "Are you still pretending to be confused?"

"No need, mother, you worry too much. I understand everything. In fact, the people below do almost the same thing to curry favor with me. I understand, I understand." In order to reassure his old mother, Zhu Fu had no choice but to agree quickly.

"Then go and wait at the door first. Remember, don't kneel in front of people. Kowtow directly after entering. This is the proper etiquette for a military hero to follow when meeting a minister. Don't feel embarrassed. This is how our family should behave."

Zhu Hu said, "When you go out, call Zhijie in again. I have something to tell him."

"Him?" Zhu Fu looked puzzled.

"It all depends on you. I'm afraid something bad is going to happen to our family. We can't put all our hopes on you. I used to think you could support this family, but with the dazzling brilliance of Duke Cai in the court, even the former heroes are eclipsed, let alone you?" Zhu Hu waved her hand and said, "Let's not talk about it. Call Zhijie."

"Yes, I'll go now."

Zhu Fu looked reluctant and very sad.

It seems that the Zhu family will lose all their face today.

……

……

Zhu Feng was called to the back hall alone.

Zhu Hu's attitude towards her grandson was not as strict as that towards her son. There was even a hint of fawning and ingratiation in her tone.

"Zhijie, do you know how to get Duke Cai to help your father this time so that he can win the battle on the battlefield?" Zhu Hu said.

Zhu Feng said: "My grandson will go to war for my father and win honor for the family."

Although Zhu Feng was very reluctant to lead troops to fight, he had no choice but to make such a promise when he saw that the fate of his family would fall on him.

Zhu Hu shook her head and said, "You have set up a new government office and are already the Marquis of Anbian. The affairs of the Chengguo Mansion cannot be entrusted to you. Your father has to lead the troops to war. This is his duty. Unless your brother helps him, otherwise... you can't do it."

Zhu Feng said, "Then Grandmother, I don't need to go?"

"Yes." Zhu Hu said, "What I am thinking is that if your father dies in the northwest this time, you will be the one to take charge of the family."

After listening to this, Zhu Feng asked with a sad face: "Is there no other way?"

Zhu Hu said, "Unless Duke Cai helps your father win a battle, everything will depend on Duke Cai's planning, and your father will just be a pawn, following his orders on the front line. If we win the battle, we will have an explanation to His Majesty and the court."

"Then... I will go find Brother Zhang, and even if I have to beg him for help." Zhu Feng seemed to understand.

You called me here just to beg my brother Zhang to help you?

Zhu Hu shook her head and said, "What's the point of just asking like this? Your Majesty should let the old nobles in the court know the difference and let them give up their power. Duke Cai will help you no matter what, but he has no reason to help your father."

"I..." Zhu Feng asked, "Is it my grandson who has ruined the family?"

"You are right, you are a good child. You know how to make choices when it comes to the Ning family girl's affairs. I also told your father that you are someone who can do great things." Zhu Hu said.

Zhu Feng asked curiously, "Does this have anything to do with what happened today? Tong'er, there was nothing between me and me. I just helped her."

Zhu Hu said: "This is where you are better than your father and your brother. If you ask your father and your brother to do this, can they do it?"

"what?"

Zhu Feng was shocked. What kind of metaphor is this?
"Or, do you hope that your father or your brother will do the same?" Zhu Hu asked with a burning gaze.

Zhu Feng's eyes widened. The words before him were beyond his understanding.

Zhu Hu asked, "Since you married the daughter of the Pingjiang Earl, have you and your wife been getting along well recently? How do you get along normally?"

"This..." Zhu Feng looked bitter.

You're asking even though you already know the answer.

"I heard that the girl has always wanted her brother to inherit the title, but considering the reputation of the Earl of Pingjiang in the court, I'm afraid that the title will not be easy to inherit, right?" Zhu Hu said.

"Yes." said Zhu Hu.

Zhu Hu asked, "Who do you plan to inherit your title in the future? Will you rely on your brother to adopt one for you? Or will you adopt one from your uncle's descendants?"

Zhu Feng remained silent.

Zhu Hu said: "There are some things that you should understand without my reminder. Our Chengguo Mansion is different from before. Many things require... sacrifices in order to gain." (End of this chapter)