The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 746: Idle People Do Not Mind Idle Matters
Zhang Mao's residence.

Recently, Zhang Mao has been taking care of flowers and plants at home. Especially after summer, he often goes in and out of the house and lives in a villa outside the city, looking like a leisurely retired old official.

At first he felt very comfortable with it. After all, this was the life he had always pursued. In the past, when he met friends and relatives, or even in front of his family, he would often boast that he had become indifferent to fame, wealth and power and was ready to enjoy his retirement.

I had pretended to be sick many times in the past, and I would fiddle with these things at home. Every time I pretended to be sick, I felt that time was short and I had to go back to the court to serve again.

But this time...

If he was really given time, over time, he began to feel a sense of crisis, and a strange emotion was spreading in his heart.

"Sir, we have sent people to the Governor's Office to inquire about this in the past few days. His Majesty has not asked about the affairs of the Governor's Office recently, nor has he given any instructions on when you will return to the court. I'm afraid you still have to wait."

Zhong Decai has been very free recently.

In the past, relying on his position as Zhang Mao's top aide, he often went in and out of various mansions in the capital, and others fawned on him a lot. After all, he was equivalent to Zhang Mao's "agent". If anyone asked Zhang Mao to do something, it would definitely have to go through him first.

But now, no one paid any attention to him, and others only showed him respect out of courtesy and did not take him seriously at all.

Zhang Mao was holding a shovel in his hand, but he threw it on the ground after hearing this. He even stopped planting flowers. He sat down in front of the pavilion and said angrily, "When I was in the court, everyone came to my house and said that they respected me. But now? The house is deserted. Even carriages and horses don't want to stop in front of my house. Do you still take me seriously?"

Zhong Decai said: "My Lord, I hope you understand what is going on."

"And you." Zhang Mao glared at Zhong Decai and said, "Didn't you say that you would be able to make a comeback soon after returning to the capital? Now look, half a year has passed, and His Majesty still remembers who I am? In this case, it would be better for me to stay in Ningxia... Think about that eunuch Liu Jin, who has no ability at all, but he actually won a victory in Huamachi, which shows his ability! But he used all my team!"

After hearing this, Zhong Decai couldn't help showing a bitter look on his face.

He was also thinking about it in his mind.

If it were you, would it really work?
Liu Jin also had a narrow escape from death. Fortunately, the problem was solved thanks to Ma Yi's troops coming to the rescue. Otherwise, no one would know where Liu Jin's body is now.

And Liu Jin's courage seems to be something you don't possess.

Zhang Mao asked, "Have you sent anyone to Zhang Bingkuan's mansion? Is he willing to see me?"

"You can't get in." Zhong Decai said, "You can't even knock on the door. His Majesty doesn't allow ministers to visit casually. This is ordered. If you visit, the people from the East Factory will warn you. You also know that the eunuch Yang who is in charge of the East Factory now is not easy to mess with."

Zhang Mao cursed: "Yang Peng is nothing!"

Zhong Decai was complaining in his heart again.

When you were the Duke of the Kingdom and held great power, you could have treated Yang Peng as something other than a human being.

But now... at this time and in this situation, have you really not realized that your prestige is just a decoration, and others are not afraid of you at all? Even I think that you are just a paper tiger.

Zhang Mao stood up and paced around the pavilion, while Zhong Decai could only follow him. The host and guest seemed to be figuring out how to turn the tables.

"Sir, I have good news." Zhong Decai said.

Zhang Mao immediately became eager and asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? What's the matter?"

Zhong Decai said hurriedly: "It is the young master who is in the northwest. Now he and Pinglu Bo are going to the grassland. I heard that this is the most promising route and perhaps they can make achievements again."

Hearing this, the muscles on Zhang Mao's face seemed to tremble, because this was not good news for him.

As a father, although he doesn't want his son to suffer a worse fate, he also doesn't seem to want his son to be too good... If Zhang Rui is very strong, wouldn't that highlight his incompetence as a father?

Zhang Mao cares a lot about his own face.

"There is also Master Zhang Lun. He is in Liaodong and was promoted recently." Zhong Decai continued.

"Didn't he not go to the battlefield? What kind of promotion was he given?" Zhang Mao asked with a dark face.

"I heard that he was promoted to the manager of a battalion, probably... a guerrilla general. Although the Liaodong soldiers have not yet gone to the battlefield, I heard that each battalion has been allocated an area and is growing crops. Now that it is summer, I heard that the first batch is about to be harvested." Zhong Decai said with a smile.

Zhang Mao said coldly: "I only heard that most people in the north grow sorghum and wheat. How much can they harvest this fall?"

"I don't know." Zhong Decai said, "I heard that it is something called corn. Some people also said that there is something called potatoes. They are all planted in the fields, probably sown in spring and harvested in autumn. I don't know what it is exactly like. There is also something called sweet potato..."

"That's enough!" Zhang Mao said angrily, "Do you think I want to hear these things?"

Zhong Decai could only shut up.

Zhang Mao said angrily: "Now, I just want to return to the court, is there no way at all? How many connections have you made? Don't you have any chance at all with Zhang Bingkuan?"

Zhong Decai said, "Sir, do you still remember a man named Jiang?"

"The surname Jiang? Which one?" Zhang Mao frowned.

"He is the relative of Duke Cai. His daughter married Duke Cai and is his first wife." Zhong Decai reminded.

"I remember now." Zhang Mao said with a happy look on his face, "Isn't it Lao Jiang? He's quite a drinker. Last time he came, he even said he'd bring me some good wine. Come to think of it...it's been a year or two since we last met, right?"

Zhong Decai smiled and said, "It's him. When Duke Cai first came to Beijing and he wasn't yet the Minister of War, you treated Mr. Jiang well. Now that you are... in trouble, isn't it just the right time to use this relationship?"

"What do you mean by misfortune? Have I lost my title? As a duke, how can I be in misfortune?" Zhang Mao really didn't want to hear such words.

"Yes, yes, then do you want to invite the person over?" Zhong Decai asked.

"Invite..." Zhang Mao thought for a moment and shook his head, "Not appropriate! If Zhang Bingkuan had given him instructions, he would have said that he should not casually accept invitations from the court, especially from me. Could it be that Zhang Bingkuan was not prepared for this? Why not let me bring some good wine and go to his house once!"

"You yourself..."

"Am I the kind of person who sticks to etiquette? I can go see whoever I want to see, without any permission from others. Besides, I have made many friends in the past two years. When I was in power, wasn't I also courteous to the wise and humble?"

Zhang Mao acted like he was very awesome.

Zhong Decai thought, how can you say you are not down and out? How can ordinary people talk about their past achievements all the time?

Besides, you were only able to gain the emperor's favor thanks to the protection of your ancestors. Now that your abilities are really put into perspective, won't you be exposed?

"Then I'll arrange it right away." Zhong Decai said with a smile.

……

……

Old man Jiang has been at home recently, feeling very comfortable. He has opened a wine-making business in the capital, with more and more stores and a growing reputation. Of course, he thinks that the wine he brews is the best.

He would say, when I was in Nanjing, all the dignitaries came to buy my wine... After all, in peaceful times, wine is indispensable, especially in affluent places...

In addition, Zhang Zhou handed over some daily trading businesses around the capital to him, and it was a free gift. After all, supporting the industry would generate many related industries. Zhang Zhou would not give him many purchasing matters because he was worried about his father-in-law.

"Master, we recently received a new batch of grain. The price of grain in the capital has been very stable recently, and has even dropped a bit."

Jiang Dezhong was still in the warehouse that day, watching his men moving goods. He felt as if he had become the master of the Ming Dynasty's capital.

Jiang Dezhong said, "I see. The wine yeast and other things all depend on this batch of grain... Grain prices will drop in the fall, but it doesn't matter. Has the grain shipped to Xishan been delivered? Didn't you say you would also buy some coal? Where is it?"

"It's almost there, it's almost there." The subordinate looked embarrassed.

This Mr. Jiang is also "unreasonable". He is now urging us to do something that I had instructed him to do two days ago.

Jiang Dezhong said with a frown, "What do you mean by fast? It's only a few steps from the capital to Xishan. Didn't they say they were going to build a railway? Why didn't they build anything? If we want to bring some stuff back in the future, do we have to pay the court for it?"

The subordinate said, "Isn't that Duke Cai's business? You shouldn't have told us."

Jiang Dezhong was waiting for this sentence. He said, "I should have a good talk with Bingkuan later. He is inefficient! I hate young people like them who talk but don't act."

The subordinates had smiles on their faces, but they were thinking in their hearts, you have already pretended to be so arrogant. We know you have a good son-in-law, but you don't have to mention him in front of us every day.

……

……

Before Jiang Dezhong returned home, he learned from his son Jiang Shantong that Zhang Mao had personally visited him at home.

"Who?" Jiang Dezhong looked surprised.

Jiang Shan said, "Dad, it was the Duke of England. He came in person and was very low-key. When he arrived at our house, I told him that you were still out and he said he would go in first and wait. He also brought you some good wine, saying that he wanted you to taste it."

Jiang Dezhong shouted, "Isn't it just the Duke of England? Let him wait!"

"Ok?"

Jiang Shantong looked around and found that many people were looking at him, and he felt a little embarrassed.

This old father has been getting more and more arrogant recently. It's not his fault that he has a bad temper. The key is... an ordinary businessman suddenly has the opportunity to come into contact with the upper echelons of power, so it's difficult for him to maintain a stable mentality.

Even Jiang Shantong himself knew the benefits of power and understood that many people were doing business because of Jiang Dezhong's status as son-in-law.

"Father, you'd better go back and take a look earlier. In my opinion, the Duke of England has come with bad intentions. He is not in charge of the Beijing Camp now. In the past, he would take care of any procurement matters for the Beijing Camp, but now you can't expect him to help." Comrade Jiang Shan said.

Jiang Dezhong said, "I know. You go out and wait. Your father has to deal with the matter here first! Son, since he has come with bad intentions, why is your father in a hurry to see him? Isn't it good to temper his temper? I am just an old man doing business. He came to see me, how could I not know who he came for? But I can't say it openly, I can't help."

Jiang Shantong nodded and said, "Father, it's good that you know this. Don't cause any trouble recently. Our business is getting bigger and bigger, and many people are watching us. If our affairs involve... Duke Cai, that would be bad. Duke Cai also needs prestige in the court now, and we can't cause trouble for him."

"Got it, go out and wait."

Jiang Dezhong said impatiently.

……

……

Not long after, Jiang Dezhong came out of the warehouse and then took a carriage back home.

When he saw Zhang Mao, he also had a warm smile on his face.

"My lord, you are so honored to be here. I am sorry for not coming in person to greet you." Jiang Dezhong hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

Zhang Mao said with a smile, "Old Jiang, you are too polite. I don't even consider myself an outsider, so why are you being so polite? Come in! I should have invited you to my house, but I was afraid you were too busy, so I have some good wine, just in time for you to taste it."

"You are too polite, sir."

"How can I be polite? I just haven't been bothered by trivial matters recently. I have nothing to do, so I want to hang out with my old friends. As for drinking, I can't taste the same taste when I drink with others, let alone you...haha."

"Please come in, sir."

Both of them were very polite, but it seemed like their politeness was false.

Both parties knew each other's temper, and of course they also knew that this meeting was not about drinking at all.

When they arrived at the banquet hall, the chef of Jiang Dezhong's mansion had already prepared appetizers. Jiang Dezhong had the dishes served and also took out the fine wine he had just brewed.

"Sir, please try this. I just developed it. I wanted to make it a tribute wine or something, but I've tried tribute wine before, and there's still a gap." Jiang Dezhong sighed, "I can only say that I'm not as skilled as others."

Zhang Mao said, "They are all good wines. The imperial wine is just so-so. If there are any retired people from the imperial wine shop in the palace, I will introduce them to you later."

Jiang Dezhong was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Thank you for your help, sir. Please take a seat. Who is this?"

"This is Zhong Decai, a guest of my family."

"I, Zhong, have met Mr. Jiang. I have met you before. Mr. Jiang is really a forgetful person." Zhong Decai was also a little embarrassed.

But think about it, she used to ignore Jiang Dezhong, but now she relies on having a good son-in-law and can completely ignore him.

"Please sit down, please sit down." Jiang Dezhong said hurriedly.

Then Zhong Decai also sat down.

Zhang Mao said, "Today's drinking at home is a bit boring. How about this, I ask someone to go back to the mansion and find a troupe to sing a song for us?"

Jiang Dezhong said hurriedly: "How can we trouble you like this? My son, go out and get a team back! Come back to help the Duke of England."

"Yes." Jiang Shantong, who was standing at the door, hurried out.

Zhang Mao stood up, picked up the wine glass and said, "Old Jiang, let's drink this cup to the full. We have known each other for a long time, and we can be regarded as bosom friends. I have never treated you as an outsider. Let's not go home until we are drunk today."

(End of this chapter)