The capital, in the British palace.
Since Zhang Mao returned to the capital, he has fallen into a state of closed doors and thanking guests. He does not see anyone who asks to see him, and he does not even inquire about the affairs of the Governor's Mansion. He seems to regard himself as an idler.
But he was very depressed in his heart. He wanted to break up with Zhang Zhou, but he was also afraid of Zhang Zhou's monopoly of power. He was also worried that his son was still working under Wang Shouren, and that his grandson Zhang Lun was still under the leadership of Wang Shouren. Joining the army in Liaodong...
"I am being manipulated by him!"
Zhang Mao felt unhappy and could only endure it for now.
It was the end of February, and Zhong Decai had been out doing activities recently. He suddenly came back this day, happily found Zhang Mao, and reported "good news" to Zhang Mao.
"My lord, after you left, Huamachi was attacked by the Tatars. I heard that they were defeated! They were defeated miserably!" Zhong Decai could not hide the joy on his face.
Zhang Mao said with a straight face: "Well, you surnamed Zhong, the Tatars invaded, and my Ming soldiers had a bad start, but you can still laugh? Believe it or not, I will send you to you?" Judicial Office?"
Zhong Decai said in confusion: "Master, you have to have a reason to punish me, right? I am obviously running too fast on the way here, I am angry. You haven't taken a breath yet, you misunderstood."
"Oh." Zhang Mao said with a dark face, "When you work in my house, you represent my house when you are seen like this. He was so gloating that he thought I was waiting at home every day for something to happen to the northwest soldiers! Tell me what happened?"
Zhong Decai then told everything he knew: "I heard that the Tatars mobilized their main force this time. It may be that Batu Meng personally led the troops. Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses went to Huamachi. What do you think? The guarding lieutenant, that is, Liu Jin, he only sent a few troops of about a thousand people, saying that he was going to fight the Tatars. Isn't this nonsense?" Zhang Mao said: "Either we don't fight, or we all go out and mobilize. Why are thousands of troops going out? No matter how well-equipped the Tatars are, it will be difficult for them to fight against them."
"Who said otherwise? , "The Tatars also brought artillery this time. It is said... that they were the ones that were robbed earlier."
"What did you say?"
Zhang Mao thought it was all " Good news," and it turned out there was bad news for him.
Zhong Decai said: "I'm not sure yet. Anyway, this time the Tatars came prepared and used artillery to attack us. As a result, the Ming soldiers suffered a loss. I heard that they suffered a loss. There are hundreds of soldiers, but the Tatars are unscathed."
Zhang Mao frowned and said: "Don't say that the Tatars' artillery is not in our interests. Even if it is, how can it be possible that the two sides are firing at each other? Is there any loss on one side?"
Zhong Decai smiled and said: "You asked the right person. As I have inquired, Liu Jin sent his troops out without paying attention to the terrain, and ended up in a low-lying place. How can it be ineffective if the Tatars attack from high places? Besides, the most important thing about Ming Dynasty’s military merit is that seeing is believing.It was the Tatars who were bombed, but the Tatars had many strong soldiers and horses, and the bodies could not be recovered. No one believed them if they were just talking nonsense. ”
Zhang Mao nodded and said: “This makes some sense. It’s not good to fire cold shots from a distance. Either you don’t suffer a little loss on your side. Once there is a loss, it is difficult to prove it.” The opponent's losses are greater than our own. Where is Liu Jin now? Have you led your troops back to Tucheng in Huamachi? "
"I heard no. Ha ha. "Zhong Decai not only gloated about his misfortune this time, but also laughed out loud, "After Liu Jin's defeat, he did not dare to withdraw to Tucheng. Probably because he was afraid of being held accountable by the court, he directly took his thousands of soldiers and horses to station outside the city. He could not enter. He refused to retreat and allowed the Tatars to enter the Ningxia border and plunder. I heard that the local inspection censor had impeached him several times. After this incident was over, his life was hard to save. "
Zhang Mao paced back and forth, thinking for a long time and then said: "I don't understand, what kind of good news is this to me. "
Zhong Decai said: "Master, please think about it. When you were here, even if the Tatars invaded, they would not get any advantage. The responsibility is still the responsibility of Marquis Anyuan. After you leave, you will go out." Such a big mess, doesn't this mean that you are the backbone of this army? Even the Tatars watch the opportunity and wait for you to leave before sending troops. "
Zhang Mao said angrily: "Did you drink too much lard? I was transferred away because of my inability to lead the troops in the battle. After that, the Tatars marched in. Originally, my problem was minimized in the previous battle. Now that someone with intentions is taking advantage of it, wouldn't it be my fault that caused the subsequent defeat? I wanted to settle the matter, but I was afraid that someone would pick me up and carry me around without food. "
"So..." Zhong Decai obviously had not thought about this before.
Zhang Mao said: "Where are the people named Liu? Could the imperial court issue an edict to investigate the crime? "
Zhong Decai immediately understood that Zhang Mao wanted to put all the responsibility on the dead man.
He said: "Anyuan Hou is dead, and there is still a Tai Huang in the Liu family. Regarding the relationship between the Queen Mother and the recent memorials to impeach Marquis Anyuan, I guess it is possible that... Your Majesty does not want to pursue further investigation. ”
Zhang Mao sneered: “If you don’t pursue him, you will pursue me!” I took a hard trip to the northwest. There were many battles that needed to be fought and not a drop of blood that needed to be shed. Now when I come back, I am being treated as a scapegoat? Don't even think about it! Since the Dudu Mansion exposed Marquis Anyuan's crime, the case could be settled within the Dudu Mansion without waiting for the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of War to intervene. "
"Would you be too anxious if you do this..." Zhong Decai was obviously wary of this.
Zhang Mao said: "Even if I don't mention the matter of taking over the capital camp, But in the Governor's Mansion, who is to be punished? Isn't it easy? A guilty minister died on the way back to Beijing. It can also be said that he committed suicide out of fear of guilt! Want to die to end the involvement behind it? Don't even think about it! "
Zhong Decai said: "As for Liu Jin, are we adding insult to injury, or are we... helping him? "
Zhang Mao said: "The results of the battle are not yet known. It is too early to talk about this. We will wait until the results are known. ifIf you can make Liu Jin bear all the consequences alone, then give him a push. If you can't...you can't let him involve others anymore, the big deal..."
Zhong Decai seemed to understand what Zhang Mao meant instantly.
Since Liu Jing has been killed behind the scenes, I don’t mind killing Liu Jin again. Anyway, one more is not too much, one less is not a lot.
......< /p>
......
At night, in a private house in Binhai City, Zhang Zhou came under the cover of darkness.
After entering the courtyard, the maid had already gone in to pass the news. Then Zhang Zhou went straight into a study-like room and saw a pile of account books and other items on the table. He sat down, picked up a few and looked at them
Light. It was still a little dim, so Zhang Zhou immediately picked up the candlestick next to him and lit another one.
Then Ning Tong came in from outside, carrying a steaming basin, and placed it in front of Zhang Zhou. On the ground, he was about to lean down, but he was stopped by Zhang Zhou.
“You are not a girl, I don’t need you to do the work of serving tea and water. "Zhang Zhou pointed to the chair beside him and said, "Sit down. ”
Ning Tong did not sit down.
In the past, she didn’t care about that, but now she also knows that the situation is forcing her and she no longer has the capital to be aloof.
Zhang Zhou didn’t force himself and said, “Have you been studying the accounts recently? What's going on? "
Ning Tong looked a little disappointed and said: "It was okay at first, but later... it was not easy to deal with. There were too many accounts and it was very messy. There are too many places to compare. ”
“Yeah. "
Zhang Zhou nodded.
Ning Tong initially helped Zhu Feng take care of some accounting matters. She thought she was very capable, but in fact she actually asked her to manage the accounts. , she lost her confidence.
Compared with professional managers like Huang Zhao, Ning Tong is usually unyielding and has a strong personality. It is still easy to do everything.
"What should I do? "Zhang Zhou said, "If you don't understand the accounting or anything like that, why don't I give you a place to look at it? "
"What place? Ning Tong raised her head again and looked at Zhang Zhou.
Zhang Zhou said: "It depends on what you want to manage. There are bookstores and theaters. As for the drug store, you'd better not get involved yet. I'll give you a business first. You Watch first, be responsible for your profits and losses. "
Ning Tong thought for a while and shook her head.
Obviously, her current state of mind makes her feel weak in everything she does.
Zhang Zhou frowned and said: "You are not Pretty strong? Why don't you feel angry about anything now? Or, after experiencing this prison sentence, are you going to... lie down? ”
“What are you lying flat on?” You...you..." Ning Tong obviously misunderstood Zhang Zhou's meaning.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "It means that I plan to do nothing! But it’s okay if you really understand it. Your status has been transferred to Cai Guogong's mansion. No matter how reluctant you are, this is already the case. Sit down. ”
This time Ning Tong seemed to realize that fighting was futile, and finally sat down next to Zhang Zhou honestly.
……
……
Ning Tong still felt awkward sitting together.
He didn’t even intend to look Zhang Zhou in the eyes, he just held a booklet in his hand, but in fact, he was very panicked inside.
"Your Majesty is in Binhai City." Zhang Zhou said.
"I know." Ning Tong said, "My case has actually been decided. If I report it to His Majesty... I'm afraid it will affect many people, I... I accept my fate."
Zhang Zhou said: "Concubine Xian will come in a few days."
"What?" Ning Tong finally had some color in her eyes.
Zhang Zhou said: "In a few days, I plan to formally admit you. Before that, you always need to see the Concubine Xian. Your Majesty is on a tour and specially asked the Concubine Xian to come, but the Queen... ...If they know this, they will probably continue to make things difficult for you, and it will be difficult for you to escape the blame." Ning Tong said: "People from the Taiyuan Hospital can do anything without being held accountable. "
Zhang Zhou shook his head and said: "I can't directly reach out to the Taiyuan Hospital. After all, it is not within my scope of responsibility, but someone will teach them a lesson for me."
"It's best." Ning Tong seemed to be very vindictive, gritting his teeth and said, "They are behaving recklessly, to the point of disregarding human life. If they treat the royal family, sooner or later there will be trouble! If we don't punish them, we will leave a moth for the Ming Dynasty."
Zhang Zhou said: "I can understand your hatred, but it is not easy to punish them for their apparent crimes. At any time, even if they cannot cure other people's diseases, they will not be able to cure them." No doctor."
Ning Tong looked at Zhang Zhou, but also looked a little aggrieved and said: "But they can rely on me for this."
"Okay. "Zhang Zhou comforted him with a smile, "I will vent my anger for you. In fact, many of the things Yang Peng did before were not really meant to embarrass you, because he knew about Zhijie and me and our relationship with you. I won’t make things difficult for you due to human considerations.”
“I know.” Ning Tong also relented this time.
Obviously she knew very well that if Zhang Zhou was not her backer, it would be easy for the Queen to crush her to death if she wanted to punish her.
Because Zhang Zhou is here, not only does she not have to bear the blame, she even has the opportunity to take revenge on those who framed his hospital.
Zhang Zhou looked back at the direction of the inner hall and asked: "Is this place tidied up? You may have to live here in the next few years."
" Yeah." Ning Tong nodded.
Zhang Zhou said: "The Concubine Xian will be here in the next two days. Let you go and meet me. From now on, you can feel at ease as the woman behind me."
Ning Tong still nodded. , said nothing more.
Zhang Zhou stood up, and Ning Tong followed suit.
Zhang Zhou said: "Recently, there have been more military affairs in the northwest and Liaodong.As the Minister of the Ministry of War, even if you are here, you cannot slack off. I can't come to see you normally. If something happens, just let me know and come to my place. Recently, I will have people take you to see theaters and bookstores, and then take you to some restaurants to see what is suitable for you. . ”
There was some indescribable brilliance in Ning Tong’s eyes.
……
……
Zhang Zhou left Ning Tong We stayed at the theater and went directly to the theater.
The West Chamber was being performed in the theater for Cui Ying, and even Wang Mingshan was in the audience. After Zhang Zhou entered the private room, Cui Ying was very happy and hurried over to take Zhang Zhou to the window to watch the play. Obviously, for her, she was very happy to watch this opera that had something to do with her.
Zhang Zhou will feel much more relaxed at this time.
Cui Ying was only very reserved at the beginning. After getting to know Zhang Zhou, in Zhang Zhou's opinion, she is a lively and cheerful girl. He’s not shy at all, he just likes to laugh when he’s fine.
“You guys watch the show here first, and I’ll go to the side first to greet the guests. "Zhang Zhou said.
"Yeah. "
Cui Ying saw Wang Mingshan getting up and watched eagerly.
Zhang Zhou said: "Mingshan, please accompany Yingying. "
"Okay. "Wang Mingshan nodded.
Cui Ying was very happy and went over to hold Wang Mingshan's arm.
This also made Zhang Zhou feel that a girl like Cui Ying who suddenly left the family's comfortable circle , spiritual sustenance is needed at this time, and he and Wang Mingshan have now become the closest people in Cui Ying's eyes.
When Zhang Zhou came to the next room, Zhu Feng was still waiting anxiously.
"Brother Zhang, there is trouble in the northwest, Liu Jin has lost the battle, and Huamachi may not be safe. Zhu Feng was anxious and came up to report.
Zhang Zhou looked calm and calm and said: "I already know." "
Zhu Feng asked: "Don't you arrange countermeasures quickly? In the first two years, the Tatars were overwhelmed, but now they may be recovering. "
Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty has ordered Wang Qiong to be the military commander in charge of this battle. Liu Jin was defeated, and I am beyond my reach here. In fact, this battle was not yet completely pessimistic. Liu Jin attacked with a small force. Although he fought with the Tatars, the Tatars still did not dare to fight head-on. If there was another surprise force that could cut off the Tatars' retreat, In this battle, it is still unclear who will win or lose. "Recent transcoding has been serious, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to exit the reading mode. Thank you