Zhang Cheng just smiled and did not comment on Ji Xuanzhu's suggestion of taking Yu Rui as his concubine. He looked around and temporarily changed the topic.
The couple came to the old lady’s Jiaoxiang Courtyard, and first said good morning to the two old ladies. Because Zhang Cheng has a special liking for “dumplings”, today everyone ate dumplings and pork head meat with him.
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In fact, according to the customs of this era, most people eat pasta on "February 2", such as "Eating Dragon Beards", "Eating Dragon Ears", "Eating Dragon Horns", "Eating Long Eyes", "Eating Dragon Eyes"
There are various food customs such as "taking pearls", "eating dragon scales", "eating gentian", "eating dragon beans", etc., as well as "eating dragon heads".
"Shilongxu" here means eating noodles; "Shilongyan" means wontons; "Shilongnazhu" means wonton noodles; "Shilonglin" means eating spring cakes; "Shilongdan" means fried cakes;
"Shilong beans" are fried beans that can be eaten in most parts of the north.
As a proverb popular in the Gyeonggi region goes, "The dragon raises its head on February 2, eat beans, and people will not get sick and the land will have a good harvest!"
"Shilonger" and "Shilongjiao" are both dumplings that we often eat, but the methods are different. "Shilonger" refers to boiled dumplings; "Shilongjiao" refers to fried dumplings.
dumpling.
This is because at this time in the late Ming Dynasty, the name "dumplings" had not yet become popular, and people mostly called dumplings "jiaozi" or "jiaoer".
It mainly means that it is shaped like a horn. In ancient times, people mostly ate fried or steamed dumplings. Especially after the fried dumplings are cooked, their shape is more like an animal horn, so they are often called horns.
Noodles such as flat food, glutinous rice balls, steamed buns, noodles, pot helmets, noodles, etc. are all named after their shapes. From the Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, "jiaozi" was mostly cooked in the form of frying and roasting. It is not only shaped like a horn, but also
Its texture is also like a horn, hence its name.
Legend has it that on the day of "Dragon Head Festival", eating dumplings is also called "biting dragon ears". Whether they are filled with vegetarian or meat fillings, it means great wealth.
The most important thing is the lesson of "eating the dragon head", but the most important point here has been passed down to this day. Even today, eating pig head meat on February 2 is not out of date.
But in those turbulent times, even though Xuanfu North Road was considered a peaceful and peaceful place, pig head meat was still a very luxurious food, and it was naturally rarely purchased for consumption.
However, on February 2, the day when the dragon raises its head, everyone will buy some, no matter how much, mainly for the sake of good luck!
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Not far from the bank of the Bai River on the southeastern outskirts of Chi Castle, there is a large piece of fertile land that was newly reclaimed the year before last, and countless military households and civilians gathered around it.
However, although thousands of people have gathered, they are still in order and do not appear to be crowded or chaotic. From time to time, a strong and sturdy man can be seen in the crowd, wearing a red cloth mask, patrolling in the middle.
They are the officers and soldiers of the Weiyuan Camp of the Yongyi Army. They are here to maintain order and protect the safety of Yong Ningbo's family. If you look closely, you will find many women with round bodies and broad bodies. Although they are wearing ordinary people's clothes, they look very unusual.
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They are all strong women from the Detachment of Women, and they are now mixed in the crowd to protect the safety of the female dependents of Uncle Yongning's family. After all, for such a large ceremony, people from all over the surrounding areas come to watch it, and it is easy for things to happen amid the chaos.
Looking at the crowds on the inner and outer three floors, there is a large empty space. In the middle is a field to be plowed, and to the north is a wooden platform that is not very high.
There were dozens of people in the audience, all dressed in very gorgeous clothes. Three sets of rakes were placed in front of them, and several old men from local military households were tying their cattle.
Soon, the three sets of rakes were perfectly integrated with the sturdy oxen. Amidst the sound of drums that followed, Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng took the lead and came to stand in front of the middle rakes.
He stretched out his hand to steady the plow.
Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng walked slowly with the plow in front, and Kaiping Guard Commander Jin Xinpeng followed behind, wearing a red official uniform, and kept sowing new seeds into the newly plowed fields.
Unknowingly, they had plowed three times. As the master of ceremonies sang the order, Yong Ningbo also stopped and slowly walked back to the wooden platform accompanied by Jin Xinpeng.
I saw officials and generals from the Kaiping Wei Department also getting up and coming to the fields. One of them was holding the plow and the other was sowing. They were plowing back and forth in this small and medium-sized field. They went back and forth in this way for three days.
Almost at the same time, Ji Xuanzhu, the wife of Uncle Yongning, also led the female family members of the officials and generals to distribute white steamed buns to the surrounding soldiers and civilians under the protection of the strong women of the Detachment of Women.
In true compliance with the tradition of "the Emperor's Empress brings food, and Fuxi's own farming", people are really flocking to the steamed buns presented by Mrs. Yongning Bo, and they all push forward to squeeze in, all wanting to eat in this "dragon".
On the days when I look up, I feel the joy of Mrs. Yong Ningbo.
Bian Yongqing, the eunuch who was supervising the army on the wooden platform, looked at everything in front of him with mixed feelings in his heart. Through his observations in the past few days when he first arrived at Xuan Mansion, Zhang Cheng's soldiers were indeed different from the soldiers in other towns. It seemed that
He became much braver and more capable.
But for Yong Ningbo himself, he is always in a fog and cannot see clearly!
In Bian Yongqing's eyes, Zhang Cheng was indeed as arrogant and domineering as the rumors said, and he acted arbitrarily and arbitrarily. He was also unable to strictly abide by the court's rules and regulations, and often acted arrogantly.
However, through these few days of contact and observation, he found that he was not dissatisfied with the current emperor, nor was there any act of disloyalty. On the contrary, whenever he mentioned the emperor, his expression seemed extremely solemn.
He turned his head and looked at Zhang Ruoqi, the Minister of War next to him. His brows were furrowed, as if he was thinking about something in his mind, but he couldn't figure it out for a moment.
Bian Yongqing had naturally noticed that Zhang Ruoqi and Yong Ningbo were very similar, but he didn't think much about it. After all, he knew that the two had cooperated quite a lot during the Liaodong War, and there was nothing wrong with them being closer than others.
In his opinion, as long as a court official like Zhang Ruoqi does not collude with local military generals to harm the court, getting closer is not necessarily a bad thing.
After all, although Zhang Cheng has become an earl, he still needs the support of the Ministry of War for the affairs of the Yongyi Army. Therefore, Zhang Cheng now attaches great importance to Zhang Ruoqi and has frequent contact with him, so he does not take it to heart too much.
But what Bian Yongqing didn't know was that Zhang Ruoqi, the Minister of War, had already made up his mind and would follow Uncle Yongning wholeheartedly from now on, no matter what the outcome.
Because he has no way out!
Before coming to the Xuan Mansion to report his merits to the Military Department this time, he actually had no clear idea in his mind about how he would deal with his relationship with Zhang Cheng.
He still had a speculative mentality. He would first hold on to Yong Ningbo's thigh, and wait until he had established a firm foothold in the capital. If he gained the emperor's trust in the future and was promoted to the post of minister, he would kick Zhang Cheng away, and even
I also secretly thought about using my power to control Zhang Cheng.
However, this trip to Xuanfu made him realize an ironclad fact, that is, he had no retreat, but Zhang Cheng's retreat was firmly established here, which was where the people in Xuanfu were.
Towards.
Although Zhang Ruoqi is a bit greedy, greedy for both money and official position, he is not a fool.
Just imagine, being able to stand out from thousands of Jinshi over the years and become a doctor in the most popular department of the Ministry of War is completely impossible without some real knowledge.
In today's Ming Dynasty officialdom, having real talent and knowledge alone may not necessarily make you stand out. It depends more on your eyesight and being good at people and sophistication, which is much better than real talent and knowledge.
If he didn't have some eyesight to see what was going on, and could still serve his master sincerely, how could he have climbed to the important position of a doctor in the Ministry of War and been appreciated by Chen Xinjia?
Just like now, he truly saw the strength of Uncle Yongning. It was not just the tens of thousands of brave soldiers who dared to fight in Liaodong, but more importantly, Uncle Yongning had already managed Xuanfu North Road and East Road as his own.
territory.
To put it too much, today's Xuanfu North Road and East Road have almost become "a country within a country". Although this place is not as prosperous as the capital, it is more prosperous than the capital. People can be completely self-sufficient, and they can rely on
This independently supports tens of thousands of soldiers of the Yongyi Army.
This is the foundation for Yongningbo and Zhang Cheng to settle down in the Ming Dynasty. It is also the basis for Yongningbo to look down upon the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty and dare to be domineering. It is also the retreat for Yongningbo when he encounters setbacks in the future.
Looking back, I was like a frog in a well before, how short-sighted I was?
Zhang Ruoqi had always simply believed that the reason why Zhang Cheng was able to be promoted smoothly was simply because he clung to the two big trees of Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia.
But this trip to the Xuanfu made him see extremely clearly. Zhang Cheng's success today was entirely due to personal factors. He just didn't know what method he used to manage the soldiers and civilians under his command so obediently, and to make the people under his control so obedient.
Is the borderland so prosperous?
Although he could not see the truth, it did not prevent him from making correct judgments in time. At this moment, Zhang Ruoqi, the Minister of War, had already made an important decision in his heart.
At noon, the plowing ceremony of Uncle Yongning came to an end. Everyone present, including high-ranking officials showing off their titles, generals of the Yongyi Army, local guards, guards officials, and military households were extremely excited.
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And just as the master of ceremonies announced the successful conclusion of the plowing ceremony and prayed to heaven for smooth weather and a good harvest, bursts of festive drumming sounds came from the distant gongs and drums team that had been waiting for a long time.
The dragon dance team and the stilt team also came alive instantly. They followed the rhythm of the drums and led the crowd away with cheerful steps.
Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng looked at the supervisor Bian Yongqing beside him and said: "In three days, I will go to Zhencheng to take over the post of commander-in-chief. I may not come back to Chicheng for a long time. There are many things that need to be explained. I'm afraid.
I can’t always stay with Eunuch Bian and listen to his teachings.”
Bian Yongqing's mouth moved slightly, forcing out a smile, and said: "Uncle Yongning's military affairs are the real business. Our family is not just a child, we need someone to accompany us every day."
Zhang Cheng also smiled and said again: "The hot springs on Chicheng Mountain in the east of Baodong are really good, and the scenery in Ruiyun Temple is also beautiful, with overlapping mountains. Bian Gong can go there to soak for two days, but if you go to Zhencheng, you won't be able to do it."
It’s such a good place.”
Bian Yongqing just smiled and did not comment, saying: "The emperor ordered our family to supervise the Yongyi Army. We should be loyal and diligent in the king's affairs and solve problems for Uncle Yongning. How can we go to the mountains to hide and relax alone."
"
Zhang Cheng also had a look of gratitude on his face and said: "Having the Yongyi Army as a prisoner on the border is really a powerful addition to a tiger."
But he suddenly changed the topic and continued: "Bian Gong also knows that although we defeated the slave bandits in the first battle in Liaodong, our Yongyi army also suffered heavy losses. This time, unless we are in urgent need of recruiting bravery, we need armor, weapons, cannons and gunpowder."
, chariot frames and other ordnance, all need to be replenished.
All kinds of ordnance are not only laborious to raise, but also time-consuming to produce. The most difficult part is the money and food. Even iron materials are in short supply. It may be difficult to sustain the power of Xuanzang for a long time.
In order to enable the army to set out as soon as possible and go to Henan Province to aid and suppress Cao's bandit army and relieve the danger of the seal, I would also like to ask the border official to help my Yongyi army transport some money, grain and iron materials."
After hearing the words, Bian Yongqing raised his white, fat and tender hands to touch his bare chin, narrowed his small eyes as if thinking about something, and then continued after a moment: "The problem of money and food is not limited to Xuanfu.
, Nowadays, the country's affairs are very difficult, and the court's money and food expenditures are also very large. There are constant famines and wars everywhere, and money and food are needed everywhere. It is really difficult."
He then added: "However, it is not difficult to find iron materials. We should try our best to mobilize the brave army. With only this money and food, we can only do our best and cannot guarantee it."
Zhang Cheng also knew that what he said was true, but even if it could only help transport some iron materials, it would alleviate his urgent need, so he couldn't help but express his gratitude at the moment.
Then everyone got on the carriage and returned to the Red Castle Guild Hall...
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Zhang Ruoqi, the right minister of the Ministry of War, originally planned to return to Beijing yesterday, but Zhang Cheng insisted on keeping him for one more day, so after the plowing ceremony today, they returned to the Chicheng Guild Hall together. Because Zhang Ruoqi had to go on the road, they just had a drink
A few glasses of practice wine.
Before noon, Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng personally sent Zhang Ruoqi, the right minister of the Ministry of War, out of Dading Gate in the south. Before getting on the car, Zhang Ruoqi held Zhang Cheng's hand tightly and made an unexpected request to him.
"Sir, if Qi has an unkind request, I hope your lordship will tolerate it!"
After hearing Zhang Ruoqi's words, Yong Ningbo couldn't help but be stunned. He smiled and replied: "What did Zhang Shilang say? But if you have anything to do, just say it."
Zhang Ruoqi said solemnly: "Sire, you also know that Ruoqi's former residence is in Jiaozhou, Shandong Province. He still has an old mother at home. He is already very old. He originally wanted to send his wife back to take care of him, so he even took the child to his mother's knees.
Let them enjoy the joy of entertaining their grandchildren.
But nowadays, there is war and chaos, and Shandong is not very peaceful. Ruoqi is thinking of bringing his old mother to live in Xuan Mansion. I wonder if Uncle Yongning will agree?"
Uncle Yongning looked at Zhang Ruoqi's sincere expression, not pretending to be fake, and thought to himself: "Is this a 'nomination certificate'?"
But he said: "What's wrong with this?"
Zhang Cheng then said very enthusiastically: "Niu Sheng, he has a big car shop outside the west gate of the capital, and he maintains a group of brave bodyguards. You can take this Birling Talisman and go straight to him. For the follow-up matters,