There were very few eunuchs in the North Palace of the Chu Palace. After the Jianwen family moved into the palace, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was unwilling to use more eunuchs left by the King of Chu. In addition, the Huguang royal family had not yet openly recruited eunuchs, which resulted in an extremely large number of women and eunuchs in the inner palace.
Very few conditions.
One fine morning, Zhang Ning went to the Zhongzheng Hall to "say hello" to Emperor Jianwen. The accompanying guards were a group of women. The cavalry team led by Fairy Peach Blossom was composed of women selected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This group originated from Yao Ji
I have been interested in horse racing for a while, and I thought it looked good to have a female rider on horseback. On a whim, I chose a horse team organized by the horse team, which was like a guard of honor. The team was none other than the Peach Blossom Fairy. The team was usually very laid-back and would walk on the palace avenue from time to time.
It will also appear on the streets of Wuchang.
Although they are a group of women, they are dressed in green and red narrow riding uniforms and equipped with brand-new and shiny swords, but they are also heroic and energetic, which is different from the maids in the palace with green sleeves and colorful skirts.
The cavalry came from the central axis avenue extending from north to south, destroying the peaceful and peaceful atmosphere in the palace. There was an old eunuch cleaning fallen leaves on the roadside, and he couldn't help but stop and watch. Three or four palace maids carrying baskets and lanterns walked on
Walking slowly down the corridor next to a palace, everyone looked sideways.
Zhang Ning was wearing a yellow brocade robe and was also riding a horse, but there was someone leading the horse in front of him and he was walking slowly.
He once considered visiting Emperor Jianwen with Zheng Qia. Zheng Qia was an old minister of Jianwen and could take the opportunity to propose the matter of winning over Yunnan Musheng. But Yao Ji thought it would be more appropriate to just go and say hello, and then let Zheng Qia go alone to convey the news about Yunnan.
Zhang Ning thought it was a good idea... Perhaps Zheng Qia had revealed this matter to Emperor Jianwen a long time ago, and both of them knew their intentions.
The guards stopped outside the gate of the Zhongzheng Palace. Zhang Ning followed the rules and consciously took off his sword, and then asked the palace servants from Nangong to take him in to see the emperor. The person responsible for greeting him was a strange eunuch who was a bit fat.
Previously, the biggest eunuch in Jianwen was named Cao. It is said that Emperor Jianwen had shared the joys and sorrows with Emperor Jianwen for many years. Unfortunately, the eunuch named Cao was implicated in Queen Ma's case and was executed as a victim. Anyone who is nostalgic or someone who is too familiar with them will feel uncomfortable if a disaster happens to them.
Right? Maybe Jianwen was also sad about the death of Eunuch Cao... I haven't seen the new eunuch Zhang Ning, but his figure is the same as Eunuch Cao, wide and fat. Maybe Jianwen prefers fat eunuchs with a gentlemanly demeanor?
Surrounded by people from both sides, Zhang Ning arrived at a warm pavilion where Jianwen was. He kowtowed as soon as he entered the door and shouted: "I wish my father is well."
Emperor Jianwen on the chair in the middle seemed to be wearing an ordinary Taoist robe. Out of politeness, Zhang Ning did not raise his head and look directly at him, but just glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Soon he heard Jianwen's very kind voice: "Xiang
I am very relieved that the king abides by the filial piety of his people and his ministers. I wish I could live in peace."
Zhang Ning said "Thank you father for your kindness", then got up from the ground and stood respectfully aside. Jianwen ordered someone to sit down again, but Zhang Ning said he did not dare to sit down.
Zhu Yunwen asked some more casual questions, most of which were meaningless polite words, and Zhang Ning also answered them seriously. He remembered that this kind of question and answer was like an eight-legged essay, with a fixed pattern and etiquette, but he did not specifically ask for it beforehand.
Civil servants who understand etiquette learn to recite and have to follow the meaning and roughly deal with the matter. But even if it is a cliché, such a back-and-forth conversation seems to express a kind of care. No wonder people need to communicate with each other, even if it is very complicated.
Shallow communication is also useful.
At this time, the fat eunuch brought tea. Zhang Ning still knew the rules after living in the Ming Dynasty for so many years, so he took the initiative to offer Jian Wencha. Because he was a junior, he didn't have to drink it, and he felt relieved...
To be honest, he really didn't dare to try the food here.
According to theoretical speculation, Jianwen should not harm him. His death would be of no benefit to anyone. However, the accumulation of many old and new barriers made Zhang Ning very wary and did not dare to truly trust the people in Nangong. After breathing a sigh of relief
At that moment, he suddenly realized how pale the so-called "father-son" relationship between him and Jianwen was.
Sometimes he also feels that Zhu Yunwen is "kind" to him, because he can inherit the bloodline of Taizu from here. This is a kind of inheritance... But why does he feel so alienated and alienated from strangers?
There is almost no difference? From the inside, as a person of later generations, he has no sense of identification with his parents here, but he can trust Yao Ji very much... Maybe it is Yao Ji's existence that destroys the only connection between them
?
Zhang Ning took advantage of the emptiness of his words to quietly look up at Zhu Yunwen, only to find that he was looking at him condescendingly. An indescribable feeling came to his heart again. Maybe Zhu Yunwen was also looking at such a son, and was wondering why there was no sense of intimacy?
Zhang Ning feels that the effect of this greeting and goodwill may be very poor, which is better than nothing. No matter what era people have, even if there is an ideological generation gap, some things are universal: whether you treat others with your heart, it is difficult to fake it. Even if
There are thousands of words and eloquent words. If Zhang Ning does not have loyalty and filial piety from the heart, Zhu Yunwen may not be able to develop love for his son.
…
Even so, only two days later, there was a reply from Zheng Qia. Emperor Jianwen was willing to write a personal letter to Mu Sheng to help Wuchang win over Yunnan.
The cabinet has also compiled and reported the copper mine information in Huguang and Jiangxi. These are old files previously stored in the Chief Secretary's office and can be used as a reference. For more accurate mineral production, we have to wait for new reports from various places.
Zhang Ning planned to take the things to the study room in the inner attic and give them to Xu Wenjun for safekeeping so that he could ask her for them when he needed them. After Lao Xu died, Zhang Ning felt that Wenjun had no one to rely on, so he took her as his second concubine.
, but she actually does a job equivalent to that of a secretary; whether it is private or official matters, there is no one more reliable and easy to relate to than Xu Wenjun.
He walked very slowly, thinking about the matter in his mind as he walked. He needed 130,000 kilograms of copper material. If two kilograms are equal to one point and two kilograms, that is seventy-eight tons of copper. For raw materials of this magnitude, he
I think it can be extracted through local mining. If Yunnan cannot supply high-quality copper materials, the worst thing is to spend more time waiting for local copper smelting. The quality is said to have some problems, but there is no way to solve it; of course, if the matter in Yunnan is
It would be better if it goes smoothly.
Thinking of this, he felt a lot more relaxed, and the original naval plan could go ahead no matter what.
After entering the study room, Xu Wenjun was not there. He remembered that she was here today. After a while, he saw two people coming out of the room. One was Xu Wenjun and the other was Zhao Erniang. Both of them were wearing lapel robes with combed hair.
Women wear buns to disguise themselves as men.
Zhao Erniang hurriedly stepped forward and said: "I, I came to see Wenjun... to ask the prince to punish me." She looked a little nervous, probably because she came to the government office privately without permission.
Zhang Ning had not thought of this woman for a long time. When he suddenly saw it, he was stunned and hurriedly made a hand to support her: "That's all."
At this time, he could not help but think of the past. Zhao Erniang was once a tool of Lao Xu. She encountered an accident while doing business and suffered great harm... Because of Zhang Ning's affairs. He felt a little guilty in his heart, but now he
She was no longer used to showing her emotions, so she ignored Zhao Erniang for the time being.
Soon he was attracted by the map on the wall and walked over to check the location of the copper mine described in the material. The largest mining area in the control area was Daye. He quickly measured the distance from Daye to Jiujiang with a ruler and estimated it based on the scale.
It's about a journey away. It seems that after the copper ore is mined, it can only be refined on site, and then slowly transported to Jiujiang dock by mules and horses.
For a moment, he almost forgot all the people and things around him, and his eyes were very focused. While thinking about something, he ran his fingers along the line from Daye to Jiujiang, and then looked along the line of the Yangtze River to Nanjing on the right. At this time,
At this moment, his fingers became very gentle, as if they were touching not a piece of paper, but the beautiful body of a beautiful woman, and his eyes became affectionate, but they seemed to be mixed with a little coldness. Does the coldness come from ambition?
Zhao Erniang on the side looked at him with unfamiliar eyes. Is this the man who patiently comforted her with the story of weeds? He said that a seed fell into a barren stone crevice with only a little soil and moisture, and it remained the same.
It can sprout and take root and express its own life.
At that time, she was deeply moved by such tenderness. But those illusory and distant warmth were so ungraspable, and the real loss and pain experienced would remain forever.
Zhao Erniang felt that she should not come here today. As a woman, she has lost her usefulness as a woman. What use does she have in front of an ambitious prince?
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Zhang Ning suddenly said without looking back: "Er Niang, from now on, you and Wenjun can come here together. I am always busy and rarely see you. When I come here, I can often see you."
See you."
Zhao Erniang raised her head in surprise, not knowing what to say for a moment. She looked over and saw only a back figure, but could not see his eyes.
At this time, Zhang Ning turned around and looked at her seriously: "There are many people around me now, and they are all very important people; but I will not forget who was there when there were only a few people around me, and I feel sad in my heart."
Understand which people should really be cherished."
People in ancient times were probably not good at expressing friendship in this way. Zhao Erniang blushed and avoided his gaze uncomfortably. Even Xu Wenjun pretended to complain: "Why did the prince suddenly say these things today? It's true." There was something in her voice.
Strange.
Whether it's Xu Wenjun or Zhao Erniang, they probably don't have such a broad mind to think about the reasons for Zhang Ning's behavior. Maybe they just think that they don't belong to any force, they are his followers from the beginning, and they can be trusted to the greatest extent.