King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 514 Personnel

The grand Holy Birthday Festival passed, but only two days later the Supreme Emperor fell ill, and his illness was extremely serious.

The old man was not in good health, but he frequently participated in ceremonies before and after the Holy Birthday Festival. This situation was not surprising at all.

After all, the Supreme Emperor is just the Supreme Emperor. Although his safety is very important, it is actually not very important in nature.

The ministries and departments of the imperial court are operating normally, and the ministers of science and education continue to perform their duties. Nothing has changed much.

Even the envoys from various countries who came specially to celebrate the birthday of the Supreme Emperor were busy with their own affairs at this time, shopping around, living in dreams and dying, running for the country...

Among them, the Jurchens were the ones doing the most work. Having tasted the benefits in the Northwest Battle, these people clamored to increase their troops.

The emperor readily agreed to this. After all, these Jurchens did fight many beautiful battles in the northwest.

Regarding the discussion on this matter, Zhu Jinghong was also present, but he did not say a word.

The matter was settled. As soon as Zhu Jinghong returned to the mansion, someone came to report that Chen Yuntai from a hundred households in Nancheng had come to pay his respects before his buttocks started to feel hot.

"Tell him to go to the school grounds and wait!"

The school grounds are spacious and it is absolutely guaranteed that no one will eavesdrop on the conversation, just because he happened to want to ask Chen Yuntai something.

When Zhu Jinghong changed his clothes and came to the school ground, Chen Yuntai had been waiting here for two moments.

Seeing Zhu Jinghong appear, this guy immediately went up to greet him.

After paying homage and paying homage, Chen Yuntai said: "Thirteenth Master, I have something important to report!"

It could be seen that Chen Yuntai was in a hurry, but Zhu Jinghong was unhurried. When he came to the shooting range, he picked up a bow, strummed the bowstring and said, "What's the matter?"

"According to what I have learned, many courtiers have been secretly working together recently to harm the Thirteenth Master!"

There were no eunuchs or guards within ten feet of him, so Chen Yuntai could only serve him.

Taking the arrow from Chen Yuntai, Zhu Jinghong replied: "Impeach me... This matter is not unusual, just let them impeach me!"

Chen Yuntai reminded again: "But this time... the scale will be much larger than before!"

"What I mean is, should we find a reason to deal with the leader!"

"The leader? Have you found out who it is?" Zhu Jinghong asked in confusion.

"Liu Shaowen, the imperial censor of the Imperial Procuratorate, Yang Qing, the minister of rites, and Yan Lin from the military department are all here!"

After hearing this, Zhu Jinghong suddenly lost interest. After all, these were minor roles, at least to him.

At the very least, they have to be at the level of Six Ministries and Nine Ministers. They are only useful if they are dragged out to be used as a leader. Dealing with these people cannot cure the symptoms and cannot change the roots.

Where is Ben? Of course they are the Crown Prince and Prince Rui. As long as these two disappear, the voices of impeaching him will also disappear.

"I just happened to find out some dirty things about these people these days. Mr. Thirteenth, do you want to..."

With his bow and arrow ready, Zhu Jinghong glanced forward and said, "Wait for them to make the first move!"

Now, Chen Yuntai would never think that the prince in front of him was a simple-minded person, and understood that he must have his own considerations.

As for his small household, his position was too low and his field of vision was insufficient, so naturally he couldn't understand the secrets.

So Chen Yuntai replied: "Yes!"

Then Zhu Jinghong asked: "Is there any situation regarding Miaoyu recently?"

Chen Yuntai is personally keeping an eye on this matter because it involves so much that he cannot trust anyone else.

"Back to the Thirteenth Master, this person has a grand plan and sent many people to the East Palace. Some of these people also went to the palace!"

Miaoyu now has the trust of Crown Princess Yuanchun and lives in the East Palace almost most of the time. Naturally, she also brought a group of nuns into the palace.

Normally I wouldn't believe it, but if it's wrapped in a layer of "filial piety", it makes sense in this era.

After all, the Queen also worshiped Buddha, and the Crown Princess followed the Queen and prayed for the Ming Dynasty and the Emperor. This matter is blameless.

"Thirteenth Master, these may be the White Lotus rebels. If we ignore them... I'm afraid it will cause chaos!"

Loosening the bowstring, the arrow roared out, hitting the target without a doubt.

Then Zhu Jinghong asked: "Is the Qianhu Office in Xicheng still paying attention to this matter?"

"They're still staring too!"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "Since they haven't taken action yet, just wait and see what happens. Remember my words... take the long term to catch the big fish!"

Taking the arrow from Chen Yuntai again, Zhu Jinghong ordered again: "This matter is of great importance. You can only spy but not tamper with it. Every step...you must obey my instructions!"

Facing Zhu Jinghong's serious gaze, Chen Yuntai immediately replied: "I am the Thirteenth Lord and I am following my lead!"

In the past two years, Chen Yuntai has done a lot of things for Prince Xiang's Mansion, many of which are shameful.

Now that he was involved in the highest-level struggle, he understood that he was deeply bound to Prince Xiang's Mansion, which caused a change in his mentality.

Now he and Prince Xiang's palace are one with honor and disgrace. Only when Zhu Jinghong becomes emperor can Chen Yuntai survive and finally succeed.

In the Ming Dynasty, in this kind of interest-dependent relationship, there are many people with the same mentality as Chen Yuntai, but these people have no say in public opinion.

Looking at the submissive Chen Yuntai in front of him, Zhu Jinghong raised his bow and looked forward again, and said calmly: "This time I have an errand from the Holy Father. I want to send someone to North Korea. I have recommended you to Your Majesty. I hope you can come soon." There is an official document from Beizhen Fusi!"

An errand appointed by the emperor is equivalent to serving the emperor directly. It is definitely a rare and beautiful job. Normally, it would never be Chen Yuntai's turn.

After all, the relationship between Dongchang and Jinyiwei North and South Divisions is intertwined. No matter how talented he is, Chen Yuntai has only been in the capital for two years from Jinling, so how can he compare to others who have been operating for many years.

"Thank you Thirteenth Master!" Chen Yuntai quickly paid homage.

He was transferred from Jinling to the capital, and then promoted from the general banner to a hundred households. Now he can get this kind of errand. This is the third time Zhu Jinghong has promoted him.

Signaling Chen Yuntai to stand up, Zhu Jinghong continued: "Work hard... wait until the time is right, and you can take another step forward!"

If you go one step further from a hundred households, you will be a deputy thousand households, and you can be considered famous in this capital.

"Thank you Thirteenth Master for your support!"

After signaling Chen Yuntai again to excuse himself, Zhu Jinghong said: "Go back and tell Li Wenzhao that I will arrange for someone to enter Jinyiwei in the next two days. I will ask this person to find him and ask him to find a way to get it done!"

"Yes!"

Zhu Jinghong continued: "Remember, don't have anything to do with me!"

"Yes!"

"It's nothing, just go back first!"

"I resign!"

So Chen Yuntai left, while Zhu Jinghong continued to shoot arrows in the school field. This was also his gesture to show the world.

He, who promoted the commander-in-chief of the northwest army, basically refuses to socialize when he returns to Beijing. He rides horses and shoots archery at home every day to accompany his wife. At first glance, he shows no dissatisfaction.

But he had only been playing for a while when Qiqige and Nuomin came over. It turned out that they also wanted to ride horses and shoot arrows, and they had been frustrated by going back to Beijing these days.

Zhu Jinghong was also happy to have fun with the beautiful women, so he accompanied the two girls to run horses, and cheerful laughter came from the school grounds.

"Master Thirteen, my brother is willing to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side. Can you give him another chance?"

While playing, Qiqige asked this question.

His brother, Ling Ling, was taken to Beijing ten days ago and is now being held in Shuntian Mansion Prison. Shuntian Mansion is undergoing trial proceedings.

In order to keep her brother alive, with the cooperation of Zhu Jinghong, Qi Qige took the initiative to contact Ling Di and persuaded him to change his stance and join the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Jinghong then replied: "The Holy One has made a clear decision on this matter. You don't have to worry too much. As long as he is useful, he will not die!"

Compared to Qiqige, No. 0 is certainly more useful. After all, he has greater appeal in Junggar.

If he surrenders to the imperial court, it will inevitably further weaken the enemy's fighting spirit, which is by no means of great use.

Zhu Jinghong was playing with the beauty, and at this time, a carriage stopped at the side entrance of Prince Xiang's Mansion. The servant lifted up the curtain of the carriage, and a young man walked out of the carriage. This man was Jia Yun, who held the title of head of the Ministry of Works.

The person who followed him out of the carriage was Ni Er. This guy was tall and thick, and his expression looked serious at the moment.

After what happened last time, Ni Er has finally received his vote and is now on the board of directors of Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Baochai asked Zhang Ping'an to arrange errands, but in fact Ni Er never saw Manager Zhang at all, so the next eunuch in charge sent him away.

Although he did not receive enough attention, the Prince Xiang's Mansion allocated more than a dozen shops for him to take care of, which still made Ni Ersheng not dissatisfied.

With a regular business and the support of Prince Xiang's Mansion, Ni Er has undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of his life.

But he never expected that the second peak of his life would come so quickly, and now he would be summoned by His Highness Prince Xiang.

Even when he arrived outside Prince Xiang's Mansion, Ni Er still felt that it was not real.

"Let's go!" Jia Yun took a deep breath and said.

In fact, Jia Yun was also quite nervous at the moment, but he was a little better.

Under the leadership of Jia Yun, the two of them successfully entered the palace and were taken into a side hall under the guidance of the eunuch.

"Second Master, my hands...are always sweating!" Ni Er took a sip of tea and looked uneasy.

Jia Yun smiled and asked: "Second brother, you are also a well-known man, why are you so timid!"

"This is to meet the Thirteenth Master, the famous Thirteenth Master!"

Jia Yun solemnly reminded: "I think Master Thirteen is going to use you this time. Your chance has come... don't make a fool of yourself in a while!"

Of course Ni Er understood this, so he replied: "Don't worry, Second Master, I still understand these principles!"

The two of them finished their conversation, and half an hour passed.

Just as they were waiting in confusion, a eunuch finally came to inform Jia Yun.

So Jia Yun left, which made Ni Er even more panicked. He realized that he might have to meet Zhu Jinghong alone.

Just listen to Ni Er whisper: "Ni Er, Ni Er, you call yourself a man, why are you so uncontrollable? It's so embarrassing!"

While he was struggling in his heart, Jia Yun had arrived at the outer study on the east side of Cunxin Hall, where Zhu Jinghong received guests.

After he entered, Zhu Jinghong was already sitting behind the desk.

In fact, normally, he would not let Jia Yun wait for so long. It was only because of the arrival of Qi Qige that his plan to meet guests was disrupted.

"See you, my lord!"

"Well...get up!"

After Jia Yun stood up, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Is there any progress in the development of guns and artillery?"

Overall, of course, there was no progress, so Zhu Jinghong asked about the details.

"Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, Chinese and foreign craftsmen are trying every day, but unfortunately there is not much progress..."

To make the artillery and guns required by the design, the development of materials is the key. Unfortunately, Zhu Jinghong basically doesn't understand this aspect, so he can't give any constructive suggestions.

"From June to today, the craftsmen have adjusted the proportions of thirty layers, but the gun charge is still limited to..."

Jia Yun is indeed very professional. She uses data to explain everything, making it easy for Zhu Jinghong to understand the actual situation.

After listening to the explanation, Zhu Jinghong said: "Looking at this, I'm afraid it will be difficult to make a breakthrough within two or three years!"

This is actually a normal thing. Technological breakthroughs are inherently difficult, and progress often takes ten or even decades.

"After this... I return, I will try my best to urge the craftsmen!" Jia Yun hurriedly expressed her attitude.

Zhu Jinghong smiled, and then said: "Since the gun and artillery are no longer available, you might as well find another place to work!"

Thinking that Zhu Jinghong was dissatisfied, Jia Yun quickly said: "I am stupid and have failed the prince's trust..."

"Get up...I don't mean to blame you!"

After Jia Yun stood up, Zhu Jinghong said: "Now the imperial court has strengthened the navy and plans to build a new shipyard in Jinling. You should go to Jinling to take charge of this matter!"

These errands originally belonged to the Ministry of Works, but Jia Yun was now under the Ministry of Works. It was justifiable to take charge of this matter. The key was to get the emperor's consent.

Zhu Jinghong still has a say in this matter, so he is sure to promote this matter.

Jia Yun bowed and replied: "I am willing to listen to your Majesty's orders!"

"Go down and ask Ni Er to come over!"

"Yes!"

After saluting Zhu Jinghong again, Jia Yun retreated from the room.

There were officials to tell Ni Er, and he only had to wait outside.

Suddenly going to Jinling is an opportunity for Jia Yun, but he also needs time to digest the news, and the first thing he has to go through is his mother's test.

When Jia Yun was upset, Ni Er had been taken into the study and was currently lying on the ground saluting Zhu Jinghong.

"Little man Ni Er, come and see the prince!"

Zhu Jinghong did not rush to wake him up, but asked: "I heard that a few days ago, you gave all the five hundred taels of silver that the palace rewarded you to your friends!"

Ni Er did a good job and suffered some "grievances". In addition to giving him an errand, the palace also rewarded him with some money.

Ni Er kept none of the money and distributed it all to the people he hired to "catch thieves". It was only in name that he lent it to these people.

If he was just talking about loyalty, Zhu Jinghong would not think highly of this person. The key lies in the word "borrow".

From the perspective of his friends, Ni Er had no direct relationship with their beatings. Giving away money rashly would make people suspicious, but lending money to these people to tide them over was in line with his daily personality.

Such loyal and careful people are worthy of Zhu Jinghong's help. After all, there is a real shortage of people to do big things.

Ni Er was still frightened, but he tried to answer calmly: "Reply to the prince, after all, they suffered because of the villain, and some even lost their lives because of it. The villain was really uneasy, so he gave them the money just for the sake of asking." Peace of mind!"

In fact, after that incident, Jia Yun asked Ni Er if he regretted it. After all, if he had not participated in the incident, those people would not have been injured, and some even died of their injuries.

Ni Er could only feel guilty about this.

So at this time, he just expressed his true feelings and had no intention of boasting about his loyalty.

"well said!"

"Get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ni Er bowed again and then stood up slowly.

I don't know what he would be thinking if he knew that his friends were "betrayed" by their loyal Prince Xiang Mansion.

"You are a talented person, but you are running a few shops and are overqualifying your talents. Go find a job in Jinyiwei!"

Yes, Zhu Jinghong's entrustment to Chen Yuntai was actually to pave the way for Ni Er.

At this moment, Ni Er felt that happiness came too suddenly. He never expected to join the Jin Yiwei.

That was the Jin Yiwei, the best guard in the world... Ni Er was extremely excited.

It is said that everything in the world is for profit. At this moment, he was hit by this happy event, and the guilt in his heart had long been pushed into the corner. All that was left was gratitude to Zhu Jinghong.

"Thank you, my lord, for your support!"

Ni Er knelt down again and kowtowed three times very seriously.

(End of this chapter)