Inside the Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Youtang held in his hand a memorial that had just been submitted by Xiao Jing. It was a list of left ministers recommended by the Ministry of Personnel, as well as some official vacancies in Nanjing.
"Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs"
Zhu Youtang seemed to be deep in thought.
Xiao Jing said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Personnel only mentioned it in general terms during the selection. There are six or seven normal candidates. If it is discussed at the top, others may be selected." . This position is quite important."
"Don't I know this position is important?"
Zhu Youtang looked unhappy.
The previous two left ministers of the Ministry of Civil Affairs were Cheng Minzheng and Lin Han. First, Lin Han became the Minister of Rites, and then Cheng Minzheng entered the cabinet.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the emperor was very strict about the position of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He used "Zhang Bingkuan's party members" for two consecutive terms, so traditional civil servants will inevitably compete for this position. .
Zhu Youtang put down the memorial and said with a cold tone, "Go back and ask Bingkuan to see what he means."
When Xiao Jing heard this, he even knew It would offend the emperor, but he still said boldly, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is inappropriate."
"I can even ask him about the candidates for the minister, and I can also ask him about the candidates for the cabinet and the minister." Adopt his opinion, why can’t I ask the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs privately for his opinion? It’s not about making a decision. Do you want to object?"
Zhu Youtang’s cold tone made Xiao Jing Feeling a biting chill.
"I dare not." Xiao Jing said hurriedly.
"Then it's up to you to ask. If he thinks anyone is suitable, he will report it. I just don't know whether Wang Qiong is suitable for this position."
Zhu Youtang stood up and seemed to be It’s time to leave Qianqing Palace.
Xiao Jing was slightly startled when he heard this.
Immediately, Xiao Jing was thinking that Wang Qiong was the one whom His Majesty relied on most among the capable ministers around Cai Guogong. He transferred the three parties to the overall system and made him concurrently serve as the Left Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Or Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, it doesn't seem to make much difference.
When Xiao Jing returned to the supervisor's room, only Wei Bin was still waiting anxiously.
"What's up, Your Majesty?" Wei Bin saw Xiao Jing coming back and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.
Xiao Jing closed his eyes slightly, even rolling his eyes, and said, "It's not decided yet. But the direction is roughly determined, it's Cai Guogong's people."
"Oh, I've expected it a long time ago. . Otherwise, Mr. Xie Ge and the others would not care so much, and they would go out of their way to make the selection in the court, as if they were afraid that others would not know."
Wei Bin has been very "on the road" with Xiao Jing recently. .
Perhaps Xiao Jing could see that the emperor twice appointed eunuch Bingbi, the chief eunuch of the ceremonial department, both by "airborne", first airborne the old eunuch Li Rong, and then airborne Li Rong's fellow eunuch Li Zhang.
This clearly indicates that the emperor is not satisfied with the current ranking of the eunuchs, who were originally ranked after him, Xiao Jing.Chen Kuan was excluded by the emperor from the candidates who could succeed him as the eunuch in charge of the ceremony.
So when Xiao Jing knew that he would not last long in the Li Prison and still wanted to cultivate his comrades, he could only settle for the next best thing and hope that Wei Bin, who had not shown off before, Can do more.
Xiao Jing said, "Your Majesty asked our family to ask Cai Guogong for his opinion."
Wei Bin said helplessly, "Then whoever Cai Guogong calls will be chosen."
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"Yeah." Even though Xiao Jing didn't want to admit it, he had to nod.
Even if the emperor said he was just going to ask Zhang Zhou for his opinion, Xiao Jing seemed to know very well that the emperor wanted to leave this position to the people Zhang Zhou "needs".
"But Eunuch Xiao, judging from the current situation, even if Cai Guogong is in power, if you ask him about the candidate for Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he may not really give the candidate. He It seems that she still cherishes feathers very much."
Wei Bin suddenly thought of something and reminded with a smile.
"How to say" Xiao Jing frowned slightly.
Although it was very slight, his face was already wrinkled, which also indicated that Xiao Jing seemed to be no longer young.
Wei Bin said with a smile, "In the case of Yongping Mansion, even if His Majesty left everything to him, he still retreated behind the scenes and let Dongchang and Jinyiwei deal with it. I don't think he is so young. Confucian scholars always need to care about the opinions of the world."
"Humph"
Xiao Jing snorted, "You are wrong. Seeing how aggressive he is, do you think he Like the kind of person who shrinks from seeing things."
"This"
"In the Yongping Mansion case, if he hadn't set the tone at the top, the case would not have been so clear. As for the ministers in the DPRK and the Central Government, none of them objected to him. It is more effective than what others have said for ten years. Even if he retreats behind the scenes, so what? The case still belongs to him."
Xiao Jing obviously does not agree with Wei Bin statement.
"In addition, you must not take it lightly and think that Cai Guogong only cherishes feathers and will not fight with you. On the contrary, he is the person who least cherishes feathers. There has never been a Confucian champion who behaved like him. He could advance to a high position through talent, but he insisted on taking the path of sycophancy. It seems that sooner or later, his followers will be everywhere in the government and the public."
When Xiao Jing said this, his expression became a little sad.
The main reason is that Xiao Jing is not Zhang Zhou's "companion". Even the emperor regards him as a traditional civil servant.
Even among eunuchs, this is considered to be on the wrong team.
Zhang Zhou met Xiao Jing first that day, but as Wei Bin analyzed, he did not recommend a candidate for Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
It’s not that Zhang Zhou is avoiding something, but that Zhang Zhou really didn’t expect who he could recommend.
If the emperor has a suitable candidate, there is no need to ask him. Even the emperor mentioned Wang Qiong. This can only show that among the party members of Zhang Zhou in Beijing, except Lin HanheCheng Minzheng was considered to be more senior, while the rest were too "immature". Even Wang Qiong lacked experience and was inappropriate for the position of Zuo Shilang in the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
After all, this is a position prepared for promotion to the Six Ministers.
"Haha, that's rare."
After Zhang Zhou sent Xiao Jing away, he came back and got an invitation personally sent by Zhu Feng.
It was Zhu Feng who was about to get married. He arranged a banquet and invited Zhang Zhou to come over.
Zhu Feng sat there, looking a little depressed, and said, "I can't push it away, the matter is settled."
Zhang Zhou said, "Ask me, should I go with Ping Jiangbo? "
"Yeah." Zhu Feng nodded, "I think it's the same as everyone else. I don't like it anyway."
Zhang Zhou waved his hand and said, "Political marriage is between families. Through the alliance between the two countries, even if Uncle Ping Jiang is now in a weak position, his title is still preserved, and his influence in the military is not small. Your family may value this and want to consolidate the results of Uncle Ping Jiang's departure from the northwest military affairs. You arrange it this way."
Originally, Pingjiang Bo Chen Rui was scheduled to be demoted after his poor performance in the Ningxia War and the inability to rush for reinforcements.
But it was probably because the emperor gave Zhu Feng face that he reserved the title for the Chen family.
That's just the surface.
Zhang Zhou knew very well that the emperor placed the main responsibility for the battle in the northwest on Zhu Hui, the protector of the country. In order to avoid instability in the hearts of the people in the army, the emperor could only be "lenient" to others. "The Chen family was able to keep their title, but their military position was basically lost.
It is also related to Chen Rui's death on his way back to Beijing.
When a person dies, let it be forgotten. Anyway, you, Chen Rui, have a son in your family, so let your son continue to be Ping Jiangbo. Anyway, he will not give you important errands.
Unlike ordinary men who have to observe mourning for three years after their parents die, women do not have this restriction. And Chen Rui's daughter was originally a "second marriage", so there seems to be less such taboos.
For Zhu Feng, let alone being happy about his marriage, for Zhu Feng, it was the source of disaster.
"Brother Zhang, you know me. I don't want to stay in the army at all. If possible, I would rather forget it. Ping Jiangbo's lineage is now in decline. Even my grandmother is following me. He said, "You don't have to give too much face when you marry this young lady from Pingjiang House. You can just do whatever you want." Zhu Feng finally felt a little relieved when he mentioned this.
Zhang Zhou smiled.
Silly boy.
Your grandmother said this just to make you let down your guard.
Don’t you know that the purpose of your grandmother asking you to marry a wife is to give you children?
Even if your eldest brother doesn’t have children, you don’t have children. Your family really needs it. The roots were cut off because of you two brothers. The old lady is worried about your inheritance. She is also concerned about the future rise and fall of the entire family.
Zhang Zhoudao "didn't go to Uncle Pingjiang's house to ask"
"What are you asking for?" Zhu Feng asked curiouslyroad.
"Of course it's about the details of this marriage, and how much dowry they can bring you. In the future, if you have more contacts with the Chen family, you will inevitably have to work together with them. You need to Don't use your connections to help the Chen family."
Zhang Zhou asked with a smile.
It means asking Zhu Feng if you want to help your brother-in-law. When he is in the army, he can rely on your face and I will arrange better errands for him.
"No, no need."
Zhu Feng shook his head and said, "My grandmother said that I hope you can help my eldest brother make arrangements. He has nothing to do in the capital recently. "
What Zhu Feng means is that we, the Zhu family, have not yet received the favor, so how can we give it to outsiders casually
In this regard, Zhu Feng is somewhat "selfish", But it's all for everyone's benefit.
"Brother Zhang, I hope you can go to this wedding banquet. Grandma said that my family will treat you well. I have made some preparations for you alone. Just so you can go there in person."
Zhu Feng is not very suitable for complimenting others.
Originally, he wanted to compliment Zhang Zhou, maybe because he was too familiar with it, but later on, Zhu Feng just told Zhang Zhou in a natural tone.
This is all arranged by the family. I don’t know why the family takes it so seriously.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "If it were anyone else, I would definitely not go to such a thing. But if it were you, I would go even if the weather is not good that day."
Zhu Feng said, " It's best to take Tong'er with you."
"What did you say?"
Zhang Zhou frowned.
What do you mean?
Ask your friend to take your ex-wife to your wedding
Do you want to be angry with your friend or your ex-wife? , or to make yourself unhappy
"Tong'er is lonely and helpless. No one can help her except you, Brother Zhang. From now on, I can't help him anymore. I just rely on Brother Zhang, you are here." Zhu Feng looked at Zhang Zhou eagerly.
There is a sense of entrusting your wife and children.
Zhang Zhoudao: "Thank you for thinking about it. If she wants to go, she can go, but you have to send me the invitation letter. This marriage can be regarded as your second growth. Don't always be so bitter when you look back." I want to do some business or something to stimulate my interest."
"Is it okay to do business?"
When Zhu Feng heard about business, his eyes became a little brighter. Some brilliance.
Obviously, in Zhu Feng's opinion, doing business is much more interesting than being an official now.
"Well." Zhang Zhou said, "Look, when I am in court, I am not doing business while planning the mine business for His Majesty. Isn't it business? Isn't it shipyards, salt yards, foundry workshops, etc. I need to purchase a lot of things here, and you can help me out recently. The Ministry of War also needs someone to take over some errands. We don’t have enough manpower at the moment, so I’ll transfer you here.”
“But I’m from the Governor’s Office."Zhu Feng said.
"It's okay, as long as I say something. Is it possible to temporarily transfer you to work beside me? Can others disagree or what?" Zhang Zhou said.
"Oh. "
Although Zhu Feng didn't know what Zhang Zhou was going to do, he still nodded in agreement.
But before leaving, Zhu Feng couldn't help but remind him, "If my eldest brother can do it, , Brother Zhang left the errand to him, believing that he could do it well. ”
The capital is the residence of the Duke of Chengguo.
Zhu Hu, the wife of Chengguo, called her eldest grandson Zhu Lin and gave detailed instructions on how to receive Zhang Zhou.
p>
"Grandma, it's just my second brother's wedding. I'm entertaining guests. Don't you need to pay attention to Cai Guogong alone? His nobles are busy. It would be great if you can come. You don't know how long you can stay. If you come, you can leave. All that. Wouldn’t it be in vain to prepare for it?”
Zhu Lin is the kind of person who is easy-going and seems to have nothing to do with the world.
Zhu Hu said, “Your father said that you You like to make trouble when you have nothing to do. You are really like this. As the eldest son and grandson, you don’t know what Cai Guogong can bring to the Zhu family now."
Zhu Lin just looked away and did not answer.
No matter how important it is to the Duke of Chengguo, after all, it’s not Zhu, so what’s the use?
“I’ve thought about it. "Zhu Hu said, "After becoming the Duke of Cai, we will completely rely on the Duke of Cai, so we need to establish a deeper connection. I am going to send the beads to the Duke of Cai. "
"What?"
When Zhu Lin heard this, his eyes widened immediately.
"Your sister is just a concubine. Why, you still I really don't care. If you had done your best, you would have given birth to a daughter earlier, and you would have been able to get married by now. "When Zhu Hu mentioned this, he became furious again.
Zhu Lin asked, "Grandma, Xiaozhu is only eleven years old. Why did you send it here? Is it for Cai Guogong, or is it the eldest son of Cai Guogong?"
p>"Hey, are you pretending to be confused?" Zhu Hu sneered and looked at her grandson.
The family has long known that Zhu Lin usually likes to make trouble and seems to be involved in everything in the family, but he still knows. It seems that she can't do anything.
I can't do anything, but when it comes to words, I can be said to be sharp-tongued.
Zhu Lin said, "That's like being a concubine."
Zhu Hu said, “This is natural. If there is no connection like marriage, I'm afraid everything will be just a mirror image. It's hard for your brother to achieve great things, and you don't have the luck of your brother. Not to mention, it's hard for you to achieve great things. Only by getting closer can everything have a chance to be rewritten. It's a pity that this girl hasn't grown up yet and has been looking for a foster daughter recently."
Zhu Lin sighed, "If I send my foster daughter away, then I will respectfully call Cai Guogong uncle. "
"Huh"
Zhu Hu glared at her grandson fiercely, and was too lazy to argue with him. Please remember to bookmark, the latest and fastest website without anti-theft and free reading