A piece of news came from the capital, which made Zhang Zuo, who was fighting endlessly with Yuan Zonggao, very anxious. He hurriedly went to see the actual head of the palace, Princess Jiang, who was the "Empress Dowager" of the palace.
At this time, Princess Jiang was in plain clothes. Even though her husband's death made her very sad, she still knew that King Xing passed away after suffering from several years of illness. She had already been prepared in her heart. After more than a month of adjustment and recuperation, she is now calm.
Accept the fact that your husband has passed away.
"...There is news now circulating among the government and the public that His Majesty wants the Crown Prince to go to the capital to accept the inheritance of the throne as a sacrifice to heaven and earth. It is also in line with the ancestral rules... But the problem is that if the Crown Prince really goes to the capital, many things will happen.
No longer under the control of the palace."
Zhang Zuo was extremely restrained in speaking in front of a woman whose husband had just died.
He did not directly explain that perhaps the imperial court intended to take Zhu Houcong hostage.
Princess Jiang looked sad, her eyes were red, and she choked with sobs: "What they failed to achieve on the late king, they want to do it on a child, right?"
"this……"
Zhang Zuo didn't know how to answer the call.
Princess Jiang's heart was full of hatred. Others didn't know about the grudges between Prince Xing's Mansion and the royal family, but Princess Jiang knew it very well. After she calmed down, her tone became restrained and she asked in a deep voice: "Is this news accurate?"
Zhang Zuodao: "It is expected that in less than a month, there will be certain information about whether things are certain or not. Now that His Majesty has set off for Jiangnan, we still have to wait for His Majesty's approval before the trip can take place... Prince Ning's rebellion has not yet subsided...
"
Even though there is news from Wuchang Prefecture and other places that King Ning's Rebellion has been put down, Anlu is still in the inland area of Jiangbei, and the news is not that well-informed. It is still unclear what happened to King Ning's Rebellion, and rumors are still flying everywhere.
Princess Jiang stretched out her hand to wipe away her tears and said: "If my son is allowed to go to the capital, I will have to be taken care of by Zhang Fengzheng."
"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm refusing. It's actually... if the imperial court really has the intention to... do that unkind act, even if I accompany you on the way to the capital, I can always be by your side, but when you get there... I'm afraid...
"
Zhang Zuo was in a dilemma.
It does not mean that whoever the palace wants to send to take care of the prince will be able to make the trip. Since the royal family intends to let King Xiaoxing enter the capital and be controlled by the court, they will definitely not let anyone close to the prince in the palace accompany him. After arriving in the capital, even if he is under the supervision of public opinion
, people will not be imprisoned in the high-walled compound, but these elderly people in the palace will definitely be strictly restricted and will have difficulty accompanying the prince. The purpose is to form a high-pressure situation, so that Zhu Si has no relatives and has a psychological impact.
It caused severe damage both physically and mentally. From now on, I can only be obedient to the court and dare not go too far.
Zhang Zuodao: "Let Mr. Tang go and take care of it. There will be no trouble."
Even Zhang Zuo could see that people with high status in the palace rarely had the opportunity to be around Zhu Si, but there was one exception, and that was someone who had always been highly regarded in the palace, but was not listed in the court.
Tang Yin.
Tang Yin was equivalent to a secret chess move by Prince Xing's palace. Only a few people knew of his existence. As an idle country man, Tang Yin also had a reputation as a civil servant, so he would not be subject to many restrictions when going to the capital.
Princess Jiang frowned and thought for a moment, nodded heavily, and then said: "It's better to wait until the matter is settled first. Tang Bohu...can he really think about my son wholeheartedly?"
If asked for advice, Princess Jiang still believed in Tang Yin's abilities.
But this time her son left for the capital and was being held hostage. Naturally, Princess Jiang felt that the emotional bond between Tang Yin and her son was not deep, and she might not be able to do her best to help.
Zhang Zuo recommended with a smile: "Mr. Tang has always had a bad relationship with the imperial court, but he was also devoted to his son. Even the late king praised his ability. The late king did not try hard to win an official position for him in the beginning, so as to prevent the court behind him from making dirty tricks.
This is all the result of the late king’s painstaking arrangements.”
At present, in the palace, Yuan Zonggao, as the chief entrusted and important minister, has a unique influence.
Zhang Zuo naturally wanted to highly praise his old partner Tang Yin. If the crown prince left Prince Xing's palace and went to the capital, with only Tang Yin to accompany and care for him, it would be a fatal blow to the palace chief Shi Si. However, Zhang Zuo felt that the crown prince's trip to the capital was nothing.
bad thing.
"Um."
Princess Jiang nodded slightly but did not make the final decision.
Obviously, the palace is also waiting for further orders from the court, rather than simply believing in these "hearsays".
…
…
Wuchang Prefecture.
With the provincial examination approaching and the Jiangxi rebellion subsided, Wuchang, the provincial capital, was particularly lively.
Many merchants traveling around the south of the Yangtze River, especially on both sides of the river, now dare not easily go to Jiangxi to do business, so they all transport their goods to Wuchang Prefecture for sale. Wuchang Prefecture became the area that benefited the most from the Chenhao Rebellion.
one.
Fortunately, the cloth Zhu Hao brought was taken care of early.
Su Xigui's side is very busy. There are more goods from the north and the south, so prices will naturally drop, and a lot of the materials he purchases are sent to the northwest. According to what Su Xigui said before, Huang Zan's biggest task now is to ensure the supply of military supplies, and also to provide military supplies.
The emperor made preparations for his own expedition.
On the morning of the fourth day of August, Zhu Hao and Su Xigui met again.
Su Xigui gave a general explanation of the current situation in the imperial court. Huang Zan, as the right minister of the household department, will pass the examination in three years at the end of the year. Generally, he will not continue to remain in the position of the minister of household affairs.
According to Su Xigui's intention, there are two possibilities. One is to go to Nanjing to serve as the Minister of Household Affairs and arrange the supply of grain and grass materials in the south. Once you get this position, there is basically no possibility of promotion and you will be waiting to become an official.
Although the power of the Minister of Nanhubu is not small, being transferred to Nanjing is equivalent to being assigned. After the Minister of Nanhubu, there is only one relatively "promotion" route, that is, the Minister of Nanlibu. It is not that simple to transfer back to the Northern Sixth Bureau.
The second possibility is the equal adjustment of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
Generally, the highest priority is to advance to the position of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War or the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Personnel.
After hearing what Su Xigui said, Zhu Hao asked, "I wonder what Mr. Su wants?"
Su Xigui smiled and said: "It's all the same, it's all the same."
Although he said the same thing, Zhu Hao knew that Su Xigui's preference was not to let Huang Zan continue to be the minister in the Northern Sixth Department. Although this was the best result from future considerations, from Su Xigui's personal point of view, if Huang Zan was the minister of household affairs in Nanjing,
If so...it would be of great help to his business.
The Minister of Nanhubu is equivalent to the steward of most of the southern countries. Su Xigui's main business is also rooted in various places in the south of the Yangtze River. If this is true, then Su Xigui will be even more at home.
Zhu Hao said: "Can't we just set up a headquarters in the north?"
Su Xigui had a look of regret on his face: "Even though Huang Gong has made great contributions in the past two years, and he played the most important role in the northwest battle two years ago, he has always been a member of the elder faction in the court. The one in the court now... can't say anything.
Those who listen, the party is united and opposed."
The people Su Xigui said were "people who share the same party and attack those who are different" obviously did not refer to the emperor and Jiang Bin and his like, but to the chief minister Yang Tinghe.
The emperor himself formed factions, and Yang Tinghe naturally also formed factions. It was just in name that it sounded better, for the sake of the imperial court and for the sake of scholars, but in fact it was not essentially different from joining the party and opposing differences.
"Furthermore, no dignitary in the court has retired. Huang Gong is already old. In terms of seniority... I'm afraid I won't be able to wait until that day."
Su Xigui was full of regrets.
Huang Zan is now quite old. Because he does not belong to any core faction in the court, he was transferred to the capital by the emperor as the Minister of Household Affairs because of his local meritorious service. What he does is basically manage the Xuanfu's food, military pay and other matters.
The emperor valued Huang Zan's promotion, but the promotion, appointment and dismissal of ministers were firmly in the hands of the civil servant faction.
Huang Zan probably discussed this matter privately with Su Xigui. When he became the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, he would have fame, wealth and status. This life was worth it. If he stayed in the capital and worked hard, he might not be able to get ahead. He had to look at other people's faces to help others.
...Elderly people should also have self-respect.
Zhu Hao nodded: "From what I see, it is better to stay in the capital than in Nanjing. It will not take a few years..."
He deliberately said half the words and let Su Xigui figure it out on his own.
Su Xigui's eyes lit up, as if he heard some clues, but he didn't dare to think deeply, and he was just obsessed with it. He immediately laughed at himself, shook his head, and said with a smile: "It is not something that a common man like me can decide, so I will obey everything."
It’s destiny.”
…
…
Regardless of whether Huang Zan will continue to stay in the capital or go to Nanjing at the end of the year, it seems that he will not take up an official position at least for the time being.
In fact, Zhu Houzhao valued Huang Zan very much.
But precisely because the emperor felt that Huang Zan was capable, Huang Zan contributed a lot in the Northwest War... This made the small circle of civil servants in the DPRK and China increasingly exclude him. After all, Huang Zan was the kind of official who was good at catering, and was not tolerated by orthodox civil servants.
shame.
The afternoon of the fifth day of the lunar month.
Zhu Hao visited some famous Confucians who were born in Anlu in the city. They have moved to Wuchang Prefecture for some time now, but they still maintain their local feelings.
Zhu Hao came out to pay homage to Prince Xing.
Near sunset, he met Zhu Wanquan, who also came to visit, at a mansion of an official surnamed Hong.
Zhu Wanquan returned to Huguang from the capital to take part in the provincial examination. Since the Zhu family's household registration had now been changed to Huguang, whoever took part in the imperial examination had to return to their household registration and sit on the same ground.
The uncle and nephew had not seen each other for a long time. After meeting, they naturally wanted to find a place to have a meal and catch up on old times.
"...Fourth uncle, how have your family been in the past two years? Speaking of which, I haven't seen my grandfather and grandmother for a long time, and I miss them quite a bit." Zhu Hao said.
Zhu Wanquan sighed: "The Zhu family is in the capital, and their situation is not good."
In one sentence, the situation of the Zhu family's move to the capital was summarized.
It’s weird that it’s okay!
Now the Zhu family is serving as hostage to Zhu Wanhong. Although they will not restrict the activities of your family in the city, would you like to go out of the city and try?
Doing business?
In the capital, where every inch of land is valuable, there are many wealthy families, and the white gloves of the powerful are everywhere. With the Zhu family's way of running business, there is a high probability of failure.
There are no big tigers in the land of Anlu, and even a few hozens from the Zhu family cannot be called kings, let alone the capital?
"I came back this time to sell off the land and houses in Anlu... Your second uncle has also come back and is heading to Anlu." Zhu Wanquan said.
Zhu Hao asked: "Can Butler Liu come with us?"
Zhu Wanquan shook his head: "I returned home two years ago and heard that he died of illness. I don't know the specific circumstances."