The banquet continued, and everyone at the table was talking incessantly, talking about Zhang Xiaowan's style and recalling her singing skills. Their eyes glanced at Zhang Yanling intentionally or unintentionally, with profound meaning and envy in their eyes.
After drinking a few more drinks, Mo Danian began to play music, and the dancers from Duke Dingguo's palace also appeared to dance with silk and bamboo. When everyone turned their attention to the beautiful dance, Xu Guangzuo stood up and left the table, walking slowly
Enter the back house and leave.
Soon after, Xu Yande stood up and winked at Zhang Yanling. Zhang Yanling knew that Xu Guangzuo wanted to talk to him, so he greeted Zhang Lun, Zhu Lin and others, stood up and left the table.
Zhang Lun, Zhu Lin and others also knew that their father-in-law and son-in-law must have something to say, so they pretended not to care and just enjoyed the singing and dancing while drinking.
Zhang Lun and Xu Yande walked to Xu Guangzuo's study in the back house one after another. Leaving the noisy hall and walking in the quiet corridor with bright and dim lights, they suddenly felt breathless. After so many years, Zhang Yanling is still
I couldn't adapt to such a banquet occasion. Although I didn't hate it, I still felt a little uncomfortable.
The scent of vegetation and flowers on both sides came to his nostrils, and there was a slight coolness in the spring night air, which made his swollen and drunken mind a little clearer. Zhang Yanling stretched himself, took a big breath. Then
, Zhang Yanling felt Xu Yande’s strange eyes.
"I said, brother-in-law, you are not really going to find that geisha, are you? Let me warn you, my sister is not easy to mess with. Before, you were just looking for flowers and willows, but you can't do that now. My sister is nothing compared to
superior
This singing girl is top notch in terms of appearance, talent and learning. She is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and her singing skills are no worse than this singing girl. Don’t live a good life looking for trouble." Xu Yande
He said in a loud voice.
He had been holding back these words for a long time, so naturally he couldn't say them at the banquet, but now he wanted to say them out.
Zhang Yanling laughed, shook his head and said: "Brother, you are thinking too much. I have been pushing back and forth, and I have not made any excuses. Besides, people regard me as a benefactor and just express their gratitude to me. Where did you think about it?"
?I didn’t say I wanted to find her. How can such a woman be compared with Wanyi? Do you know that you are belittling your sister? If she knew that you were comparing her to a singer, she would still be angry and scold her.
you."
Xu Yande exclaimed: "Yes, yes, I'm really confused. Why compare my sister with this woman? Don't tell Wanyi, I'm afraid she will be angry. In short, remember my words, don't
You are damaging your reputation. You are now the Duke of the country, you have a noble status, and there are many women.
Don't go to a brothel and cause criticism. If you want to take a concubine, as long as Wanyi agrees, no one will object. You don't have to be like Zhu Lin. You won't lose your identity by wandering into a brothel. Zhu Lin
It's just dogs who can't change their habit of eating shit and breaking pots. You are different."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "I didn't expect that my brother would teach me how to be a good person one day. When you say Zhu Lin like this, aren't you afraid that he will find out and fight with you?"
Xu Yande said: "What am I afraid of? Did I say something wrong? The last time Zhu Lin led his army and lost to the Fourth Foreign Army, it brought shame on our regiment and camp. Although Zhang Lun didn't say anything, his face was not bright, and his heart was full of shame.
Not happy. Being ridiculed by Jiang Bin's arrogance now, all the brothers in the regiment are furious. Behind their backs, they are all calling Zhu Lin a waste. If he hadn't been the one to raise him, how could he have fallen into Jiang Bin's trap?"
Zhang Yanling frowned and said in a deep voice: "Brother, you can't talk like that. If you lose the competition with the Fourth Foreign Army, how can you blame Zhu Lin? If you lose the competition, you blame your own people. What does this mean?"
Isn’t this a fight in a nest? Besides, if you lose the competition, you lose. What’s the point?
It's embarrassing? It's not a real war. I don't think it's a big deal. If you blame your brothers instead, won't it create resentment within your own family? We nobles are not united internally, so it's no wonder that others make fun of them. We must always support our brothers.
and trust, not blame.”
When Zhang Yanling said this, Xu Yande was stunned for a moment and speechless.
At this moment, I heard someone say slowly on the side of the corridor: "What Yanling said is absolutely right, Yande, you are too short-sighted and don't know how to tolerate and unite your own people. What Yanling said is true, please be kind
Listen, don't take it to heart."
Zhang Yanling and Xu Yande were both stunned, and turned to look. They saw a figure standing next to the flower bed next to the rockery on the side of the corridor. Although the light of the lantern was dim, Xu Guangzuo's face was clear and changeable.
"Dad? Why are you standing here?" Xu Yande asked hurriedly.
The two of them came out of the corridor and came to the side of the rockery.
"The front hall is close here. Zhang Lun and the others are in the hall. It would be impolite for us to leave for too long. Just say a few words here and then go back. In order to avoid making the British father-in-law and the others feel left out." Xu Guangzuo said in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly. After all, Xu Guangzuo was old-fashioned, and he was very considerate when dealing with people's problems. He also took into account every detail. After all, it is rude to leave the host when the guests are present.
Moreover, the person sitting here is the British Duke Zhang Lun. Although Zhang Lun's reputation is not comparable to that of Zhang Mao before him, and his prestige among the noble group is not enough, he is still a British Duke, the governor of the regiment and the leader of the noble group.
He has insufficient qualifications, but his status is extremely high.
"Yanling, go for a walk with me. Yande, go back to the banquet and drink with the British father-in-law." Xu Guangzuo said.
Xu Yande had no choice but to agree and turned around to go to the front hall.
Xu Guangzuo watched Xu Yande's figure walking away on the corridor, and sighed: "Yande is still a bit rough. He is in his thirties, and it is always uneasy to think about things. Yanling, what he said
Don't take his words to heart. Don't worry about what he says."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Father-in-law, my brother is just cherishing the face of the regiment. In the final analysis, he still cares about the reputation of the nobles. It is indeed unjustifiable to lose to Jiang Bin's Fourth Foreign Army in the competition. This also gave the emperor the opportunity to adjust foreign affairs.
The reason why the Fourth Army is stationed in the outer city is more likely to become an excuse for the foreign court to reduce regiments, camps, troops or budget in the future."
Xu Guangzuo nodded and said: "Yanling's heart is like a mirror, that's true. It doesn't matter if you lose the competition. It just gives people the impression that the regiment is incompetent and unable to protect the capital, which is troublesome. Once the emperor thinks so, he will be very upset.
It is easy to be persuaded. If there are four foreign armies, there will be eight foreign armies and ten foreign armies. My noble status will be in doubt."
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "That's not the case. Your Majesty is a sensible person. Xungui is the most loyal person to the Emperor in the Ming Dynasty. He is a person who eats from a bowl. The Emperor will not let the military power of the imperial city guard fall into the hands of others."
At most, people like Jiang Bin took advantage of the situation and brought more troops to Beijing. The number will not be out of control."
Xu Guangzuo chuckled and said: "That's true. With people like Yan Ling, our Xungui Group will not decline, but will only become more prosperous. The emperor relies on you, how can it be compared to Jiang Bin?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Father-in-law, thank you very much."
Xu Guangzuo walked slowly on the path with his hands behind his back, Zhang Yanling following behind. Xu Guangzuo said in a low voice: "Yanling, Jiang Bin is really over the top. I thought he was just another jester, but now I find that he
It’s getting more and more outrageous. What do you think of this person?”
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Does my father-in-law just want to talk to me about Jiang Bin?"
Xu Guangzuo said: "It's not just him, you want to tell me what you think of him."
Zhang Yanling pondered for a moment and said: "In my opinion, Jiang Bin is nothing to worry about. I don't take him seriously."
Xu Guangzuo shook his head and said: "Prolonging life should not be underestimated, so as not to worry about raising tigers. This guy is now more and more powerful. He has the guards and horses, as well as the troops of the Fourth Outer Army and the Jin Yiwei. He has the potential to reach the sky in one step. He seems to have no ambition.
Xiao. Besides, you seem to be forcing the emperor to punish you this time.
If you punish him, you have already created a problem. That guy is by the emperor's side every day, so there is no guarantee that the emperor will not be confused by him. This is quite detrimental to you. It is also a potential threat to my family. I am so
I have been thinking for a few days whether I should deal with this person and get it over with."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "That's what my father-in-law thinks. How does my father-in-law plan to deal with him?"
Xu Guangzuo stroked his beard and said: "My initial idea is that my ancestors and relatives will report to the court together to impeach Jiang Bin. If our ancestors and relatives work together, the emperor will have to deal with him."
Zhang Yanling said: "What's the reason?"
Xu Guangzuo said: "The reason is not simple? Just catch a lot of them. Not to mention the fact that he almost cheated your fleet going to sea. Even if we start investigating now, we can find out countless mistakes. For example, the deduction of soldiers' pay,
Earning free wages and so on. If that doesn't work, we'll investigate him for corruption and bribery. I don't believe his ass is so clean. In short, if you want to investigate, there are plenty of reasons."
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "Father-in-law, it's better not to do this."
Xu Guangzuo frowned and said, "Why?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Because with these reasons, you can't bring him down at all. If you impeach for these reasons, the emperor will lift it up high and lower it gently, turning the big matter into a small one. In the end, you can't touch even a hair on his head."
Xu Guangzuo said: "How did you know this would be the case?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Because my son-in-law has already tried it. In Jiujiang Mansion, my son-in-law used serious crimes to test the emperor's degree of support for Jiang Bin. As a result, the emperor not only beat him with a royal stick, but also fined him some salary and then perfunctoryly dealt with me."
.My father-in-law must know that the emperor and I broke up on bad terms. It was because of this matter."
Xu Guangzuo frowned and said: "Doesn't that just mean that Jiang Bin has become a scourge and must be eliminated. The emperor is so protective that you can't even come forward, which is even more worrying."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Father-in-law, if we want to deal with Jiang Bin, we must use thunderous means, and we must not pass anything like impeachment. There is no need to investigate trivial matters such as corruption. If we want to get rid of him, we must
Give a reason why he must be killed, such as
He intends to commit rebellion. There is no need for any real evidence. Just create whatever evidence you want and put it on him. Mobilize the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp to catch him and the Fourth Army in one fell swoop. Capture him and kill him directly without giving the emperor any room for appeasement.
OK. This is the way to deal with him."
Xu Guangzuo was startled and stared at Zhang Yanling blankly.
"Father-in-law, you think this method is too drastic, don't you?" Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
"More than just being fierce, what will the emperor think of us? Isn't it true that my family is going to be a traitor? The emperor may not take any action at that time, but he will definitely be wary of us. I, your noble family, and
Will the relationship between the emperors be completely broken down?" Xu Guangzuo said.
Zhang Yanling thought to herself: This is the weakness of the Xungui Group. Once it wants to take serious action, it will look forward and backward and hesitate. It wants to be a showman and build a memorial arch. How can it be such a good thing?
"So, this matter needs to be weighed. This is one of the reasons why my son-in-law disapproves of moving Jiang Bin. If you don't use thunderous means, you can't kill him, but it will deepen the conflict. Using drastic means will make the emperor dissatisfied. That's hard to do.
Already." Zhang Yanling said solemnly.
Xu Guangzuo was silent.
Zhang Yanling said: "My son-in-law doesn't agree with touching him now, mainly because there are more important things to do than this matter, which is much more important than Jiang Bin."
Xu Guangzuo asked: "What's the matter?"
Zhang Yanling said: "My son-in-law has opened up maritime trade routes, and there is still a lot of things to do next. Promulgation of decrees to encourage maritime trade, policies to encourage sericulture, policies to encourage the development of handicrafts such as ceramics and textiles, as well as overseas purchases of manors for planting trade, ease the
A series of measures to resolve domestic land conflicts. In addition, overseas missions
The increase of troops. These all require the emperor's approval and the cooperation of the foreign court. These are crucial to the Ming Dynasty. I don't want to arouse the emperor's dissatisfaction and mess up these things because of Jiang Bin. For me, these things
This is the top priority. It must be promoted smoothly, otherwise the effects of sea trade and trade will be limited."
Xu Guangzuo frowned and pondered, and said after a while: "Yanling, do you really think that doing this will make a huge difference to our Ming Dynasty?"
Zhang Yanling was speechless. Even now, Xu Guangzuo still asks this question, which shows that in the Ming Dynasty, there were probably very few officials who believed that overseas expansion was of great significance to the Ming Dynasty. These short-sighted people really do not work together.