Chapter 376 The good days are over

Zhang Lushui appeared in front of Zhang Zhou with Xiao Jangjin.

They were all wearing North Korean clothes, like large dresses, with an exotic feel. After meeting, they put their right hands on their left hands, raised them flat in front of their eyebrows, and bent their knees so that they were almost cross-legged. Give Zhang Zhou a great gift.

It looked very grand, but Zhang Zhou felt it was not pleasing to the eye. After all, this was not the etiquette of Ming women.

The two girls finished their greetings to Zhang Zhou in almost the same pace in Chinese that they had trained many times, and finally kowtowed to Zhang Zhou grandly.

Zhang Zhou said, "Get up."

The two immediately stood up, lowering their heads and not looking at Zhang Zhou.

"Zhang Lushui can do it. You are in your twenties and a flower-like girl. I heard that you have a very good voice. You are indeed a leader among women." Zhang Zhou seemed very satisfied and nodded.

Zhang Lushui's face was full of expectation. From her expression, Zhang Zhou knew that she was a woman who understood the nature of men very well.

Probably Zhang Lushui was already thinking about how to compete with the women around Zhang Zhou.

"Has anyone told you the reason why I came to you?" Zhang Zhou's eyes fell on Xiao Janggeum again.

Janggeum in history is probably just a legend. It is difficult to collect a lot of information. Zhang Zhou is not sure whether this is a girl randomly found by the Koreans to fool him, but from then on, After some investigation, the names matched, and the ages were roughly the same.

It’s just that history has not written much about experience, so it is still difficult to determine.

Zhang Lushui said, "No one has mentioned it, but it should be a respectful thing to serve the Lord in front of you and serve tea and water."

"Wrong." Zhang Zhou said, "I I will send you to the capital to open a song and dance hall and let you sing Korean minor tunes. It doesn’t matter whether you are from North Korea or not, as long as you sing the tunes I teach you as minor tunes.”

I finally managed to ingratiate myself with the high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty, thinking that my life was going to a higher level, but in the end, I was sold by Zhang Zhou to be a singer in a "province"

Zhang Zhou took it from the table. He opened a notebook and said, "Here are the charts of the Central Plains music. I don't know if you have learned it. It doesn't matter if you haven't. In the future, I will find specialized musicians to teach you. Your usual task is to sing the music well and make money for me." ”

Dong Lai Guogong of the Ming Dynasty brought two Korean women back just to let them go out to sing and make money

This simply subverted Zhang Lushui’s cognition.

Even if she is not a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, she still knows how high Zhang Zhou’s reputation is in the Ming Dynasty. She also knows how favored Zhang Zhou is. Naturally, she also knows that Zhang Zhou’s family is extremely wealthy. She doesn’t think that Zhang Zhou If you need to find people to perform as performers to make money, then you may want them to represent the Koreans and accept the ridicule of the Ming people. Let the Ming people see them being played like monkeys in order to show the prestige of the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Zhang Lushui felt a great sense of grievance in her heart. It was also a gap in her heart that made her unable to help but shed tears.

Xiao Jang Geum next to her looked up at this "aunt" who had shared the joys and sorrows with her along the way. She still didn't understand why knowing that she was going to Daming to sing made Zhang Lushui so emotionally abnormal.

Zhang Zhou said, "Are you aggrieved? I still think you have a higher ideal and don't want to surrender to a song and dance hall in the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Lushui said, "I don't dare."

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "I saved you. If according to the history I calculated, you should have died after the chaos was restored."

"I don't understand." Zhang Lushui was curious. Looking at Zhang Zhou.

Why did this suddenly bring up the issue of metaphysics?

They also said that I would die a violent death, but Pu Yuanzong and the others rebelled. What does it have to do with me, a slave in the household of a great king? Does it mean that I will die? Died in the Rebellion

Zhang Zhou beckoned Liu Gui to come forward. Zhang Zhou said to Liu Gui, "Send someone to take care of them along the way. Don't let anything happen. I will give you the address when we get to the capital. Send people in. Once the training is complete, you can come out to perform." "Yes," Liu Gui responded with a smile.

He also felt that Zhang Zhou was deliberately teasing Korean women so that the people of the Ming Dynasty could watch Korean women's performances, which seemed to be an unusual way of entertainment.

But even these two women themselves have little social status, so asking them to sing songs does not seem to achieve the purpose of humiliating North Koreans.

"Auntie, what's wrong with you?"

After returning to the temporary residence, Xiao Janggeum finally couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Lushui wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and said, "It's nothing. We have to save our lives so that we can have the opportunity to leave Ming Dynasty and return to North Korea."

Xiao Janggeum said, "Auntie Didn’t you say that we won’t go back to North Korea in the future?”

Zhang Lushui was speechless for a moment.

Before, she did feel that in the future, even if they were not Zhang Zhou’s women, they would still be the slaves of the Duke of Lai. Since it was Zhang Zhou who brought them here by name, they would not be allowed to return anyway. Korea.

But now she thinks differently.

If Zhang Zhou uses them as representatives to humiliate the Korean people, after a while, maybe a few Korean women will come over. They are insignificant pawns and can be abandoned at will. They also It won't get any attention.

"Aniang."

Just as he was talking, Xiao Janggeum suddenly shouted.

A woman came over with a North Korean soldier on the opposite side. Xiao Janggeum was very happy, but when he wanted to step forward, he was held back by Zhang Lushui.

Then the woman said a few words to the soldier, then came over and said, "Janggeum, after leaving Shenyang, maybe we won't be able to travel together."

"Why"< /p>

Xiao Janggeum looked aggrieved.

The woman said, "We wantTo take care of a noble person, she will stay in Shenyang for a few days before continuing. It is not certain where she will go. "

After saying that, the woman glanced at Zhang Lushui and said, "Thank you for taking care of Jang Jin. This is a little thought, and I hope you can continue to take care of her. From now on, she will have to walk her own path. ”

“Aniang, I want you to come with me. "Little Jang Geum is crying.

Zhang Lushui said, "Jang Geum, she is not your biological mother. It is okay for me to be your mother in the future. "

"No, you are my aunt. "Xiao Jang Geum continued to cry.

The woman stood up, as if she was cruel, turned around and walked towards the soldier. Then, under the leadership of the soldier, the two quickly entered the night.

"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooontss( , that’s why I abandoned you. ”

While speaking, Zhang Lushui’s eyes revealed a cynical hatred.

But Xiao Jangjin was not instigated by her, he was just crying, and then Zhang Lushui was very He said irritably, "Don't cry. People from the Ming Dynasty will scold us if they see us. Have a good rest. We will continue to the Ming Dynasty capital tomorrow." ”

Capital, Imperial Palace.

On June 29, the fifth day after Zhang Zhou set out from Shenyang Zhongwei, Zhu Youtang also received Zhang Zhou’s memorial in the capital. Emphasis was placed on what Lu Wan had hinted before, that someone was secretly contacting the court officials and having unusual relationships with them.

"Your Majesty, it seems that Duke Lai has noticed someone among the people. criticism of him. I also realize that some people may have disobedient intentions. "Yang Peng, who was responsible for delivering the letter to Zhu Youtang, spoke more directly without Xiao Jing and others present.

Zhu Youtang said, "Have you found the instigator of that incident?"

Yang Peng said, “It may be related to the clan. ”

“Sure enough. "Zhu Youtang stood up, walked down from the desk in Qianqing Palace, and came to Yang Peng, "Someone has said before that once I don't have many heirs, there will be people who will covet the throne and have unusual desires for that dragon chair. The idea is now confirmed. Is he my brother?"

Yang Peng hurriedly replied, "I haven't found out who he is yet. "

Zhu Youtang walked to Yang Peng, deliberately lowering his voice, as if to avoid being heard by outsiders. He said, "No matter who it is, we must investigate it strictly." Report it truthfully, even if it is my close relative, there is no need to hide it. "

"Yes. "Yang Peng obeyed the leader's order.

Zhu Youtang seemed to sigh and said, "First the honorary ministers, then the civil servants, and then the foreign barbarians. Maybe in the next step, I will have to take action against Zongfan. Zongfan is so Many tribesmen have spent countless money from the imperial court, but there are still people who are thinking about causing trouble for the imperial court. In the past, I would have thought about it, but now that they have offended me and Bingkuan, don't blame me for not cherishing our old friendship. ”

Yang Peng understood it as soon as he heard it.

The emperor is now strong-willed and has made great military achievements.Shu, and knowing that the preparations for using troops on the grassland in the past two years are not sufficient, he will first use these two years to manufacture weapons and train troops in Beiguan.

You can't just focus on external affairs. Before using troops on the grassland, the emperor seemed to be intent on clearing up all hidden dangers inside and outside the court. Just like Zhang Zhou used troops against the Jurchens and alienated and subverted North Korea, the purpose was to control Inside situation.

Now that things in Liaodong have basically calmed down, the emperor is thinking of taking action against the Ming Dynasty clan, and naturally he will continue to rely on Zhang Zhou's power.

"Yang Peng, you won't let me down, right?" Zhu Youtang suddenly looked at him sharply.

Yang Peng said hurriedly, "I am willing to smear your majesty's heart and soul."

"Humph." Zhu Youtang said, "Actually, there have been quite a few memorials criticizing you all along, and the details are quite detailed. After investigation, I found that you have actually done many things. If you hadn't taken advantage of Bingkuan and used it to his advantage, I might have transferred you to an unrelated yamen long ago."

Yang Peng. Kneel down and say, "This slave deserves to die."

Eunuchs must fully understand the emperor's intentions. This is beating, and the result of forcing yourself to defend yourself is to lose the emperor's trust, and even lose your own life. .

Zhu Youtang said, "If the culprit cannot be found, we should suppress the bad rumors first, especially not to allow the scholars of the capital to participate casually."

Yang Peng said, " Your Majesty, now the sergeants in the capital are busy talking about the dispute between Xinxue and Neo-Confucianism. They are not overly critical of Lai Guogong. Even those who support Neo-Confucianism think that after Lai Guogong returns to the court, he will suppress academics. , and will not attack without reason."

"They know each other well," Zhu Youtang said coldly.

Yang Peng analyzed, "Perhaps those scholars are also caring about their own face, thinking that if they cannot suppress the psychology founded by Lai Guogong academically, they will attack Lai Guogong's character and other aspects." They have done so many things for the court, but they did not spread rumors because of unfair means."

Zhu Youtang said, "Do you think they are such reasonable people?"

Literaturemen like to pick on other people’s pigtails. Especially since Zhang Zhou has made so many enemies and has such a high reputation in the court, they really will not question Zhang Zhou based on his personal ethics. Academics

Zhu Youtang waved his hand and said, "You will leave for Yongping Mansion in the next two days to pick up Bingkuan when he returns to Beijing. On the way, tell him everything you have investigated and wait for him." Just take over the investigation after returning to Beijing. Remember not to leak the news."

"Yang Peng felt it.

As the eunuch who oversees the East Factory, he is actually a puppet. The emperor really asked the East Factory to be handed over to Zhang Zhou, but because Zhang Zhou was a civil servant and the Duke of Lai, it was inconvenient to let Zhang Zhou Officially took over.

This also seems to explain why Yang Peng, who is not even a ceremonial eunuch, can actually supervise the East Factory, but Wei Bin, Chen Kuan and others who are more capable than him cannot. The reason why he came to this job was because he had performed very "excellently" in fawning over Zhang Zhou, or in other words, he had performed very well in fawning over Zhang Zhou.In the emperor's opinion, he, Yang Peng, was a good material for being a dog, which was why he was raised to his current position. This was also to prepare for Zhang Zhou's disposal of the East Factory.

Yang Peng left Beijing in secret, and it was impossible for the court officials to know.

But Xiao Jing, as the chief eunuch of the Chief of Ceremonies, is very aware of Yang Peng’s movements, especially when Dongchang was still his position. Even if he no longer supervises Dongchang now, it is because he was "promoted" to the position of Chief of Staff. The people in the East Factory can hide the seal of the ceremonial supervisor from outsiders, but they dare not deceive him in any way.

Chen Kuan, as the current chief eunuch of the Bureau of Ceremony, should have been the best choice for the factory boss. Now that Yang Peng has taken the position, he is naturally dissatisfied.

Chen Kuan has been very close to Xiao Jing recently, and he can be said to be trying his best to fawn over him, just to get Xiao Jing to help him get Yang Peng down.

"Yang Peng has been disrespectful to people like us since he worked as a lackey for Li Guang. He is still so arrogant. Now that he feels that Duke Lai is supporting him, he may be thinking about how to replace us. "Home"

When Xiao Jing mentioned Yang Peng, he also felt resentful.

When he was supervising Dongchang, Yang Peng, as his subordinate, repeatedly jumped over him to curry favor with Zhang Zhou. When he helped Zhang Zhou supervise the construction of Qingning Palace and the renovation of the Zhang Family Courtyard, Yang Peng frequently showed up. , and even wanted to help Zhang Zhou introduce those ministers who had the intention of giving gifts. Even Xiao Jing himself had no chance to take over.

It is equivalent to saying that these powers originally belonged to Li Guang. After Li Guang's fall, Yang Peng did not hand over the power to him, but wanted to transfer it to Zhang Zhou.

After the rise of Zhang Zhou, the emperor strictly ordered the internal officials not to interfere in the affairs of the court, so that the opportunities for corruption and bending the law did not fall on him in the end. Xiao Jing was nominally honest, but this kind of It used to be an unspoken rule for others to put money into his pocket, and there was no need to worry about accountability. Of course he would be angry at Yang Peng's "betrayal".

Chen Kuandao, "When Yang Peng was in Dongchang, it was Li Guangan who inserted him. If he disrespects you, he will not tolerate these people in the court."

Xiao Jingleng He said coldly, "When he goes to see Duke Lai, he is tantamount to surrendering to Duke Lai. His Majesty ordered him to do it. How can these people like Acrobatics send someone to express their position to Duke Lai and say that we will also surrender to Duke Lai?" Can you trust the Duke of the State if he is of one mind?"

"Then" Chen Kuan was a little worried.

Since he can't stand on Zhang Zhou's side, or can't gain Zhang Zhou's complete trust, the ceremonial supervisor will now stand against Zhang Zhou.

When Dai Yi was the eunuch, Chen Kuan and Wei Bin didn't seem to have to worry about being at odds with Zhang Zhou.

But now that Zhang Zhou has the power to influence the government and the opposition, Xiao Jing will naturally not tolerate it. From now on, the two eunuchs, the Supervisor of Li Li, will be tied to the opposite side of Zhang Zhou by Xiao Jing.

Going against Zhang Zhou when he was at the height of his power seemed to be no different from seeking death.

Xiao Jing said, "If the news is leaked, it will be said that someone in the clan wants to overthrow the imperial court and deliberately slanders the relationship between His Majesty and Duke Lai. It is malicious."Defaming Duke Lai Guo's achievements in the past two years. "

"I'm afraid it's inappropriate." Chen Kuan didn't want to do this.

The emperor didn't ask for the secret to be leaked, but he was a eunuch who was a close official of the emperor, especially It was a palm eunuch like Xiao Jing who leaked the secret, which was a bit contrary to the principle of being an internal official, which is to put the emperor's wishes first.

"Are you a courtier or a domestic slave?" Xiao Jing suddenly said. Leng Bingbing asked.

Chen Kuan was startled.

After thinking about it, he probably understood that if he was a slave, the opinion of the family owner should come first.

If you are a minister of the Ming Dynasty, you should put the stability of the court as your top priority

Xiao Jing continued, "There is a different meaning between things being spread in secret and things being spread in the open. We should let those with evil intentions restrain themselves. Do you think our family is harming Duke Lai or deliberately disobeying His Majesty's will?"

Chen Kuan thought.

You Xiao Jing can't help but see that Your Majesty intends to target the clan, right?

At this time, putting the matter out in the open and asking the clan members who may be involved to restrain themselves does not mean that they are secretly sabotaging the emperor's plan

But to say this It doesn't seem that serious to go against the emperor and Zhang Zhou. They are also trying to suppress the rumors, but the methods used are different.

But no matter how you look at it, it seems that Xiao Jing is no longer simply siding with the civil servants. It's kind of developing in the direction of protecting the clan's reputation.

"This is a way to deal with Yang Peng. Xiao Jing once again used words to comfort Chen Kuan, "If Yang Peng is at a loss, if he can't handle his errands in Dongchang, His Majesty will choose another person to be the admiral of Dongchang, and you won't have a chance."

"Yes. ”

Chen Kuan dispelled his doubts.

He had to accept Xiao Jing’s instruction, because he, Chen Kuan, was not qualified to challenge anyone now. To say the least, even if Xiao Jing Jing was rejected by the emperor and was kicked out of the palace. Logically speaking, it would not have much impact on Chen Kuan's status.

That's how it is in the palace.

If he were to move. If there is a big nest, then almost everyone in the palace will have a faction, and every fight will be divided. It is very likely that there will not be enough eunuchs in the palace.

"Alas"

Xiao Jing sighed heavily and said, "The good days of more than half a year have come to an end when Duke Lai Guo returns to the court. "Please remember to bookmark, the latest and fastest website without anti-theft and free reading