Two brothers from the Zhang family, Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, took the opportunity to express their grievances in front of their sister when they came to the palace to greet Empress Dowager Zhang.
"...Why are we still just marquises and not princes? Why does the power of commanding the capital camp fall into the hands of Zhang Lun? Yanling and I both contributed to our support, right? Now this emperor can be regarded as an adoptive one.
Come here to be my sister's son, right? In this case, he is still our nephew, why would he hand over military power to outsiders?"
Zhang Heling was very angry.
After the new emperor ascended the throne, the Zhang brothers stayed quiet for a while and did not cause trouble in the capital.
This was in accordance with Empress Dowager Zhang's request to wait for the reward at home. After all, the Zhang family had meritorious service in supporting the new emperor.
In addition, the Queen Mother Zhang was afraid that her two younger brothers would cause trouble, and it was difficult for even herself, the Queen Mother, to speak out when the throne was about to change.
But how can the Zhang brothers stay calm for a long time?
Especially when they discovered that the best position in the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies and the garrison position in the Beijing camp fell to the British Duke Zhang Lun, they couldn't sit still.
Empress Dowager Zhang said: "How can I, a woman, interfere in the affairs of the court? Besides, with your qualifications, how can I leave the safety of the capital in your hands?"
Zhang Yanling, who was standing next to him, choked and said: "Whoever holds the military power depends on who is closer to the emperor? Does this mean that our brothers are not as loyal to the court as the sons of the British princes? We are all family members, and only outsiders disturb our court.
There is no reason for Tang’s ambition to harm his own family!”
Queen Mother Zhang was helpless.
Although the elder sister always favored the younger brother, even when her husband and son were in power, they would at most give the two younger brothers some money, silk, land, houses, salt and other things.
It is difficult for the younger brother to take on big responsibilities, so he also thinks there is no need to put the two younger brothers in dangerous positions.
Traditionally, only ministers worked for the royal family. How could the empress or the queen mother allow their two younger brothers to go into battle in person? Besides, their abilities... it's really hard to describe.
Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Zhang found that she had no right to speak at all. Apart from visiting the palace to pay her respects as usual, the little emperor would not even look at her once inside the palace. She was also bent on trying to kill the "Xing Xing" of Prince Xing's Mansion.
"Wang Dafei" came to the capital to become the queen mother.
How can the palace accommodate two queen mothers?
If Princess Chiang arrives in the capital, who is the legal mother of the new emperor?
"I will ask Your Majesty later to give you some more land. Don't worry about it. I will arrange suitable positions for you then."
Empress Dowager Zhang tried her best to comfort her two younger brothers.
Zhang Heling rolled up his sleeves and said: "No, even if we are not given the power to control the capital, we should at least be given the hundreds of official residences outside Chongwen Gate... This is what we deserve!"
"right!"
Zhang Yanling was there to help.
Queen Mother Zhang was a little worried.
You two have quite a big appetite. If you ask for hundreds of official residences, why don't you also get the royal palace?
Empress Dowager Zhang said: "Let's discuss this matter later."
Zhang Heling said: "The man surnamed Yang has abolished the Imperial Mansion, the regiment training, etc., leaving so many official residences vacant. Why keep them? Besides, what we want is not a house in the city. Are a few houses outside the city valuable?"
?When foreign barbarians attack the capital, they might be burned... Anyway, sister must get it for us, otherwise we won’t leave today!"
When the two brothers said "sit", they crossed their legs and did not consider themselves outsiders at all.
Empress Dowager Zhang said angrily: "If I can help you fight, I will speak for you. If you don't leave, and His Majesty finds out about it, you will definitely be punished. Not to mention the land and house, I'm afraid you will have to bear the burden! You go back and find a time for me.
I will mention it to His Majesty!"
…
…
Empress Dowager Zhang coaxed and coaxed her for a long time before getting the Zhang brothers to agree to go home and wait.
As soon as they came out of Renshou Palace, not far away, they met Zhang Yong, an old acquaintance.
Zhang Yong was startled when he saw the Zhang brothers and said in shock: "Ah! Two uncles, how come you two have entered the palace? It's not as good as before, but you have obtained His Majesty's royal approval? This... what if this...
Let His Majesty know..."
Zhang Yanling sneered: "Since we could come before, why can't we brothers come now? The previous emperor was our nephew, but now this one is someone else's nephew? I said Zhang, why haven't you seen your family in the capital recently?
Wandering around? I heard that your family’s title is in jeopardy... It’s really sad.”
Zhang Yong didn't know how to face these two arrogant and domineering relatives.
During the Hongzhi Dynasty, Empress Zhang only doted on the Sixth Palace. The Zhang brothers entered the palace just like their own back garden. No one dared to control it. By the Zhengde Dynasty, the two brothers had actually been restricted from entering the palace. However, Zhu Houzhao basically did not live there in the past few years.
In the palace, Qian Ning, Jiang Bin and others don't like to argue with the Zhang brothers. They are afraid of risking their lives. These two idiots are obviously brainless and greedy for money. What good will it do to Jinren to argue with them?
The final result is that the Zhang brothers have been able to enter and leave the palace unimpeded in the past few years.
Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the two brothers seem not to have felt the loss of power at all, and continue to act in their own way without any scruples.
Zhang Yong hurried over and said: "Uncle, there are many noble people in this palace. In the future, your majesty will also confer queens and concubines. This... I'm afraid it's inappropriate."
"What's inappropriate? It's like the nephew in front of us didn't register as a queen or take a concubine. Didn't we come in as usual? I said the surname is Zhang, are you deliberately making things difficult for us, just to cater to the man surnamed Yang?
"
Zhang Heling fired at Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong thought about it for a while and realized that the "person named Yang" mentioned by the Zhang family brothers was Yang Tinghe. He smiled bitterly and said: "We have something to do when we leave the palace. As the saying goes, this is not the place to talk."
…
…
The Zhang brothers followed Zhang Yong out of the palace from Donghua Gate.
As for the news that the Zhang brothers had entered the palace, how could Zhu Si, as the official master of the palace, not know about it? Zhu Si specially sent Zhang Zuo to bring two young eunuchs from Prince Xing's palace to check the situation from a distance.
Zhang Yong originally wanted to take the attitude of "Empress Dowager Zhang summoned the two younger brothers into the palace and then sent eunuchs to escort them out of the palace afterwards" and accompanied the Zhang brothers out of the palace. When he saw the new emperor's people looking at him from a distance, Zhang Yong
My scalp feels numb.
Surprisingly, there was no conflict.
After Zhang Zuo discovered that the Zhang brothers were indeed heading towards the palace gate, he returned to Qianqing Palace and told Zhu Si what he saw and heard.
Zhu Si said casually: "I know, step back."
At this time, Zhu Si had a lot of memorials in front of him. Perhaps he had just become emperor and was not too fresh. He liked the feeling of being an emperor giving orders. In addition, Zhu Youqian and Zhu Hao had instilled in him a lot of ideas about doing things personally.
He felt that it was very irresponsible to hand over the power of Zhu Pi to the eunuchs and eunuchs, who could easily be fooled, so he wanted to do it in person.
But there are too many memorials in the world. Not every memorial has the meaning of reviewing. Just look at the reports submitted by officials, especially those with poor handwriting or weird ones, or those that strive for gorgeous diction.
...It took me a long time to finally read it and understand it, only to find that it was just a flattering article praising his virtues. The key is that some of the memorials have expired, and the flattering articles were still flattering to the late Emperor Zhu Houzhao...
This is very troublesome.
Zhang Zuo saw that Zhu Si had an easy-going attitude and didn't seem to be angry, so he couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, do you want to send someone to issue an order to restrict unrelated people from entering the palace? Especially... relatives?"
Zhu Sidao: "Zhu Hao said this before. It doesn't make much sense to restrict the Zhang brothers when they first come up. Anyway, I'm not married yet. If he likes to come, let them have fun. It's best to spread the word that their behavior is inappropriate."
Let people know how outrageous they are and prepare for their eradication in the future."
"Well……"
Zhang Zuo thought, can he still do this?
Instead of restricting it, it promotes it? Then where is the majesty of the emperor?
Zhu Si added: "On the contrary, we can use the fact that they can enter the palace at any time to make people think that I am easy to bully and show weakness in front of the ministers. This is to prepare for a long-term plan. By the way, with Yuan Changshi... Yuan
What did the minister say? Did he agree to join the cabinet and help me supervise the ministers? "
Zhang Zuo came back to his senses and said hurriedly: "Shilang Yuan has informed us, but has not expressed his position."
Zhu Si sighed: "I know that Minister Yuan may not listen to me. I really can't help it. He is also a civil servant and is very old. If he wants to keep a good reputation in the future, how can he help me wholeheartedly? If Zhu Hao could join the cabinet earlier, he would
Well, with Zhu Hao sitting in the cabinet, I believe it will be enough for Mr. Yang Ge and others to drink."
While Zhang Zuo was surprised by the new emperor's trust in Zhu Haotian, he reminded: "Your Majesty, please call me me."
"Why should we see outsiders when we are one of our own?"
Nowadays, Zhu Si has no airs in front of Zhang Zuo, "By the way, quickly ask Zhu Hao, I... How can I enter and leave the palace at any time without being discovered? It's really boring these days in the palace, I want to go out and follow
When he meets, I miss him...and Mr. Tang and the others."
Zhang Zuo saluted: "The old servant will go back and tell Mr. Zhu."
"Don't look back, go now, and ask about the palace examination... I don't want others to set the questions, and then I will be like a puppet. Although I am not the emperor during the examination, since I am the one to preside over the palace examination, then the candidates
He is my protégé, and I want to write the questions myself for the exam...but I can't come up with very good questions, so let Zhu Hao help me with the questions..."
Zhu Si's words made Zhang Zuo dumbfounded.
Really good at playing.
Let a tribute scholar who is about to take the palace examination come up with questions to test all the tribute scholars in the school? Make up the questions to test yourself? This operation...
"Why are you standing there? Go quickly, but be careful not to let anyone find out. Let Lu Song accompany you. Oh, by the way, give all the things in this box to Zhu Hao and let him imitate me.
I know he has this ability, so I asked him to make a list for me so that I don’t have to read it myself..."
When Zhang Zuo opened a big box next to Zhu Si, he was surprised to find that it was full of memorials.
Zhang Zuo was immediately unhappy.
Is this the memorial to be handed over to Zhu Hao?
But the problem is that I am the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, shouldn’t I do this?
"By the way, you have time to learn more from Zhu Hao and learn your true skills from him. If you can't finish these reviews tonight, you can leave a helper. If you don't understand anything, ask Zhu Hao! Go ahead.