Such a dream lingers in his mind all the time. Let alone asking Lan Yu to dance, he would do it without hesitation even if it meant eating shit.

But Lan Yu couldn't say these words directly.

But why didn’t Chang Mao understand?
After hearing Chang Mao say that he beat Chang Sheng and Chang Sen, his face immediately fell: "You bastard, you want to rebel, right? I'm not dead yet!"

When Chang Yuchun and his wife passed away, they told the Chang family to be led by Lan Yu, and that Chang Mao, Chang Sheng, and Chang Sen had to listen to Lan Yu... In other words, if Lan Yu didn't give in, he would always be the head of the Chang family.

Chang Mao didn't expect Lan Yu to be so angry. He said blankly, "Uncle, I was also very angry. When I thought about how humiliated you were, I just..."

"Hurry up and call Sheng'er and Xiaosen back."

Lan Yu patted the edge of the bed and said to Chang Mao, "I don't care what method you use, you must let them go home, you bastard... Brothers are broken bones and tendons are connected, how can you treat your brothers like this?"

"Uh……"

Chang Mao didn't know what to say, but his thought was the same as Lan Yu's, which was to get his brother to come back as soon as possible.

After searching for a long time, Chang Mao finally found out that Chang Sheng and Chang Sen were in Hong Xiu Zhao. He went over there immediately and when he entered the room, he saw the two brothers, each with two women, having a lot of fun.

Chang Mao's face immediately turned red. These two brats...why didn't they call him when they had such a good thing?

Chang Sheng and Chang Sen saw Chang Mao, but they were still angry with him, so they ignored him and continued to play the game of "chicken pecking cherries" with the girl next to them...

"Shuzi!"

Chang Mao couldn't bear to continue watching, and scolded Chang Sheng and Chang Sen: "How disgraceful! You two have brought shame to our family. Come back with me now!"

"Who are you?"

Chang Sheng rolled his eyes. "We are of humble origins and unworthy of being your family. Please... turn left when you go out and help us close the door!"

"Yes."

Chang Sen said, "Brother, last night we all told you to take care of yourself, why did you come to see us? You go your way, and we go our way. We won't hinder each other."

"Shuzi!"

Chang Mao walked towards the two brothers, ready to catch them and beat them up, but he didn't expect that they were even more fierce than him.

Helpless, Chang Mao could only say: "Okay, big brother apologizes to you, okay? I did it, you can do whatever you want, okay?"

"You call drinking an apology? Are you apologizing, or do you want to drink yourself?"

Chang Sheng looked at Chang Mao's shameless appearance with great contempt: "Your face is almost as shameless as the second prince."

"..."

That's definitely not a good thing to say!
Chang Mao was also helpless: "What do you think I should do to come home with me?"

"That's easy."

Chang Sheng and Chang Sen looked at each other and said to Chang Mao in unison: "Dance!"

"..."

Chang Mao's face immediately turned red like a burning coal. Looking at Chang Sheng and Chang Sen with evil smiles on their faces, he could no longer hold back and rushed towards the two brothers: "I will beat you two brats to death!"

The three brothers laughed and made a lot of noise.

The girls nearby saw the three brothers having fun, so they wisely stepped aside and left the big stage to the three brothers. One of the girls was very tactful and went out to bring in two new girls.

The one who just came in must not be a good person...

The three brothers drank until curfew and walked home, arms around each other's shoulders.

Maybe...where there are brothers is the real home. As the eldest brother, Chang Mao hopes that his brothers are all well...well.

There were still patrolling constables and soldiers from the patrol camp on the streets of Yingtian Prefecture today, but when they saw the identities of the three people, they all wisely stepped aside.

As long as they don't harass the people, just pretend you didn't see it.

At this time, Zhou Heng was in his home, thinking by candlelight. He wrote down his past thoughts and current thoughts on paper, and also wrote down what Meng Duan said to him on paper. He was thinking... what he should do in the future.

Zhang Zai's "Four Lines of Hengqu" is also on the paper.

Establish a mind for the world, establish a destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the past sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity...

Zhou Heng pondered these four sentences over and over again, and finally crossed out three of them, leaving only one: to establish a mission for the people.

"We should do something for the people, right? Why not find an opportunity to teach the children to read? Train a few students for the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhou Heng felt that Zhu Kai had solved the livelihood problem of the people in Yingtian Prefecture, and he had to find ways to make people's lives better. Studying was a good way out, and this was exactly what he could do.

teach.

Zhou Heng’s idea is good, but some people don’t want him to be idle.

When Zhou Heng appeared in Yingtian Prefecture, almost everyone smiled at him and called him "Sir Zhou" affectionately.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Heng was very confused and didn't know what was going on. Why did everyone become so polite after the New Year?

You have to know that in the past, Zhou Heng was not loved by his uncle and grandmother. Everyone had no conflicts with him and would try to avoid him. After all, Zhou Heng's image of being iron-faced and selfless was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and no one wanted to have anything to do with him.

After offending Zhu Kai, no one paid any attention to Zhou Heng anymore. Everyone was trying to hide from him, so who would come near him?

But now, the coldness among colleagues disappeared, and everyone began to smile at him... What was going on?

Zhou Heng didn't understand what was going on until Meng Duan came to him and found out what had happened. Crown Prince Zhu Biao was planning to use him and was going to transfer Zhou Heng to the reformed Ministry of Revenue to manage the granary.

The most important thing is not which department Zhou Heng is transferred to, but that he is valued by Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

But when Zhou Heng heard that he was going to the Ministry of Revenue, his first reaction was to refuse: "Sir Meng, I am not very talented and knowledgeable, and I am afraid that I cannot handle such a big task. Please help me to refuse. I want to stay in Yingtian Prefecture and do something for the people."

"You are so confused!"

Meng Duan felt a little disappointed. He looked at Zhou Heng and said, "Brother, do you know why the prince wants to use you?"

"do not know."

Zhou Heng really didn’t know, and he had no connection with Zhu Biao, nor did he have many friends in Yingtian Prefecture, so no one recommended him at all.

After thinking about it, Zhou Heng thought of Song Lian. Song Lian was the only high-ranking official he had met in Yingtian Prefecture, and that was only once.

"Could it be that Lord Jing Lian recommended me just because we met once?"

Zhou Heng thought it was unlikely, but he couldn't think of someone else... He couldn't think of who it was. Just when Zhou Heng was puzzled, Meng Duan said, "It's the Second Prince! He asked me to recommend you to the Crown Prince."

After hearing Meng Duan’s words, Zhou Heng felt confused.

"Ah? The Second Prince?"

How could this be possible? He had been beaten by Zhu Kai, scolded by Zhu Kai, and imprisoned by Zhu Kai. In the last two meetings, he had been on the opposite side of Zhu Kai, but now it was Zhu Kai who recommended him for promotion.

This made Zhou Heng unable to believe it no matter what.

"Why would he recommend me?"

Zhou Heng said he didn't believe it, Meng Duan said with a smile: "This is the second prince, he has an infinitely broad mind... You will understand it later."

Meng Duan didn't know how to describe it, and could only express his respect for Zhu Kai by saying that a prime minister can hold a boat in his stomach. He said to Zhou Heng: "Brother, you can only protect the people of Yingtian Prefecture when you are in Yingtian Prefecture, but if you go to the Ministry of Revenue, you can take care of the people of the world. As long as you remember what you want to do now, you will get better and better in the future."

Now the ministers around Zhu Biao are basically old ministers who fought with Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world. The young people are still in the training stage. If Zhou Heng can stand out, he will definitely have a bright future! Meng Duan also believes that as long as Zhou Heng figures it out, he will make his way wider and wider.

Seeing Zhou Heng's troubled face, Meng Duan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go ahead, brother. If there is a chance in the future, please give me more support."

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Zhou Heng had not yet recovered from his shock. Facing Meng Duan's polite words, Zhou Heng bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Lord Meng, for your teachings. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today. Thank you, Lord Meng, and... the Second Prince."

Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had to say that Zhu Kai was the biggest guide for Zhou Heng to enter the Ministry of Revenue.

"Hahaha, you'll have more opportunities to communicate with the Second Prince when you are in the Ministry of Revenue."

Meng Duan no longer reminisced about the past with Zhou Heng. He just let him do some things.

……

Zhou Heng is a man who does what he says and he doesn't like procrastination.

He left Yingtian Prefecture in the morning and appeared in the Government Affairs Hall in the afternoon.

After the eunuch went in to report, after waiting for less than a cup of tea, the eunuch told Zhou Heng to let him in.

When I arrived at the Government Affairs Hall, I saw important officials of the Ming Dynasty, including Zhu Biao, Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen, and Wang Guangyang, all gathered around a table.

Zhou Heng walked forward curiously and saw only official titles.

Three provinces and six ministries, official positions in each department of the six ministries... Zhou Heng saw his name on a piece of paper called "Ministry of Grain".

Ministry of Food?

What department is this?
"Are you Zhou Heng?"

Li Shanchang looked at Zhou Heng and asked, "Are you good at math?"

"Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. I am the best at it in our school."

Zhou Heng immediately spoke of his abilities, "I am in Yingtian Prefecture, and I am also in charge of statistics."

Anyone who can serve as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture must be more or less proficient in mathematics. After all, the prefect is the assistant to the governor, and there is some knowledge that he really needs to know.

After hearing Zhou Heng's words, Liu Bowen handed him a sign with the word "政" written on it and said, "Go to the Ministry of Revenue and get the account books of the Ministry of Revenue for the past six years to check the income and expenditure of grain."

"Master Liu, there's no need to be so anxious."

Zhu Biao stopped Liu Bowen and said to Zhou Heng: "You listen here first. Sir Liu Bowen will be responsible for the reform of the Ministry of Revenue. You can ask him if you have anything, and you can also report to him."

"……Yes."

reform?

Change and innovation?
Reform what?
Zhou Heng was very confused about this, but as he was listening nearby, he soon understood what was going on.

The so-called reform is to form a cabinet and then split the six ministries.

Apart from military power, personnel and treasury, all other tasks are handed over to the Government Affairs Hall... no, it is left to the Cabinet to handle.

In the cabinet there were Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, Zhu Biao, Wang Guangyang, Liu Bowen, Zhao Yong... Each of them was famous, and Zhou Heng felt his scalp tingling when he saw them.

What am I getting involved in?

Split up the six ministries, for example the Ministry of Revenue... The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the country's money, population, household registration, and land... What they are doing is splitting up the Ministry of Revenue.

It was divided into four departments: the national treasury, grain and fodder, household registration, and land. Liu Bowen of the cabinet was responsible for the unified dispatch of these departments, but the four departments were independent of each other and did not belong to each other.

Zhu Yuanzhang liked to see this kind of distribution method, but Zhou Heng didn't understand. The three provinces and six ministries were running well, so why did they need to be reformed?
The Ministry of Households is divided into four departments, but overall it is still the Ministry of Households...

Zhou Heng said he didn't understand why it was divided like this, but he had no right to ask as he would just be in charge of the granary in the future.

With such distribution, the number of officials in the Ming Dynasty would definitely not be enough, so the number of officials had to be expanded. Not to mention anything else, just the splitting of the Ministry of Revenue would require more than 500 jobs to be added.

More than five hundred... This does not include the reforms in various places. If calculated nationwide, at least nearly ten thousand officials will be added.

Ten thousand... Can the national treasury afford so many people?
"Change it, it must be changed!"

Zhu Biao seemed to sense the benefits from it, and said firmly: "This move will benefit the country and the people. I will persist no matter how difficult it is!"

……

Zhou Heng just listened at the side until it was dark. Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen and others left first, and Zhu Biao saw Zhou Heng off from the government hall: "Zhou Heng, do you know how you got here?"

"I see. It was recommended by the Second Prince."

Zhou Heng was very frightened when facing Zhu Biao, but he still asked his doubts very honestly: "However, I don't quite understand why the Second Prince recommended me to you, the Crown Prince. Before the New Year, I just offended the Second Prince... and it was very unpleasant."

"My brother Kai... Hehe, since Meng Duan came to see me, it means that you are no longer the same as before."

Zhu Biao signaled Zhou Heng not to have any psychological burden, "Brother Kai is a person who knows how to use people. You are not a bad person by nature, and he is not petty. You know each other well, so why doesn't he dare to use you? Meng Duan recommended you here because he wanted you to do something. It just so happens that I have something to do here, so I found you."

"Ah."

Zhou Heng nodded vigorously, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will do my best and live up to the trust of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince."

"Brother Kai is a very capable person. If you have the chance, you can ask Brother Kai for advice on your doubts."

Zhu Biao said to Zhou Heng, "Now, the reform of the six ministries was proposed by Brother Kai, but we are still crossing the river by feeling the stones as to how to change it. However, I can see from now... the reform of the six ministries here will benefit the Ming Dynasty without any harm."

Can you see this?

Zhou Heng expressed his disbelief. Why didn't he see anything?

Moreover, Zhou Heng learned another secret: the proposal of the six ministries and the cabinet was put forward by Zhu Kai, and both Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with it very much.

How much power does this second prince have?
After calming himself down, Zhou Heng bowed and said, "Yes, I will definitely ask the Second Prince for advice if I have the chance."

"Okay, go back."

Zhu Biao just sent Zhou Heng to the palace gate, and then said: "I heard from Meng Duan that you are not married yet... You should hurry up, you will probably be very busy in the future, you should find someone who is considerate and can take care of your home."

"...As you command." (End of this chapter)

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like