When the carriage was driving on Chongwenmen Street again, Liu Shimin opened the curtain with a "whisper", letting the dry and cool evening breeze in the laurel moonlight blow into the carriage.
"Ali, hurry up." Liu Shimin ordered his servant.
"yes."
Ali responded and pulled the reins several times.
"Slower." Liu Shimin's voice sounded from behind again.
Ali continued to do as he was told, but felt puzzled in his heart.
Unlike many nobles in the palace who like to ride in soft sedans, when Liu Shimin goes out, he either rides a horse himself or asks Ali to drive the carriage. In the past, the master always thought the carriage was too slow. What happened today...
After Liu Shimin felt that his breathing became easier, he leaned tiredly against the car window and looked out at the scenery along the road.
Ahead is Zhengyangmen Street.
On the left hand side of the city wall are the Liubu, Honglu Temple and other administrative offices, as well as the Hanlin Academy.
At this time, many petty officials from various ministries and many scribes working in the Hanlin Academy were still coming out of Zhengyang Gate.
The setting sun in the west, like a masterful painter, coats the figures of these imperial scribes with a layer of golden light.
Also showing warm colors are ordinary pedestrians and livestock.
What is more lively than the people and animals wandering around is the smoke rising one after another on both sides of the street.
Some come from restaurants, and some come from private houses deep in alleys.
When the smoke curls up against the setting sun, it is also golden, like bright fireworks rising straight into the sky. It is more romantic and psychedelic than the scenery on the human road.
The car continued westward, and the gate of Jinyiwei was clearly in sight.
On this peaceful and peaceful evening, surrounded by the smoke from several surrounding alleys, Jinyiwei's territory seemed to lose a bit of its fierce fighting spirit.
But when a few errands galloped out of Beizhen Fusi on horseback, Liu Shimin couldn't help but shrink back.
It seemed that in an instant, the smoke in front of him turned into billowing smoke, and the imperial cavalry in royal robes suddenly transformed into the figures of the Liaoyang frontier troops.
Among them is his father.
Liu Shimin closed his eyes.
"Master, our home is here."
After half a stick of incense, the servant Ali called Liu Shimin.
Then another sentence: "Hey, Mrs. Zheng?"
Liu Shimin pulled himself out of the web of hesitant thoughts, wiped his face with both hands, and stepped out of the car.
Zheng Haizhu came up and saluted.
"Why come at this hour?" Liu Shimin asked.
He could see a faint strange color flashing through Zheng Haizhu's eyes reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun.
Liu Shimin was stunned. He quickly realized that his words had a strange joy that he had never heard before.
Of course, it had nothing to do with any charming feelings, he just seemed like a traveler walking alone on a dangerous road on the edge of a cliff, suddenly saw his companion emerging from the confusion and walking towards him.
Liu Shimin covered up the unusual moment with a sentence that conveyed the seriousness of a senior: "Girl, are you here to ask me about Wenhua Palace?"
Zheng Haizhu followed Liu Shimin to the house and said bluntly: "Master Zuo went to Gyeonggi to inspect the harvest again. I was anxious and went to Yang's house to ask. It would be cheaper to come to my father-in-law."
Liu Shimin smiled lightly and teased: "When you came to me to introduce Luo Sigong that day, you didn't mention anything about wanting to enter the Wenhua Palace. Why, now you can't hold your breath anymore?"
Zheng Haizhu still looked frank and did not want to hide his intentions: "Because the late emperor had not yet made great achievements at that time, and it was a critical time for the inner court and the outer court, I saw my father-in-law sitting quietly at home. It was not easy to find out whether my father-in-law was still close to the princes and father-in-law.
, so I didn’t dare to entrust my father-in-law to handle this matter. It happened that Mr. Zuo was taking care of me, so I talked to the other end. As for now, I am really anxious to find out the progress."
Liu Shimin nodded cheerfully and ordered his servants to bring the dinner, and then led Zheng Haizhu into the small flower hall to sit down.
"It's settled," Liu Shimin said without hesitation, "The prince and Long Live mentioned the meaning of the late emperor's edict on building slaves to plow the courtyard and sweep holes. When Long Live was in the East Palace, he also clearly remembered the news of Fushun's victory. I heard your name and knew about Fujian.
Buy your firearms over there and put them to use in the coastal defense. Therefore, when the prince said, "Long live the Lord", he didn't feel any discomfort. He even mentioned that when he was young, he was taught by the female officer in the palace, the emperor's master.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that she can’t be a woman. Besides, Mr. Dong used to be Mr. Long Live’s master. When Mr. Long Live summoned Mr. Dong the day before yesterday, he also gave you good words.”
When Zheng Haizhu heard this, he relaxed his eyebrows happily, showing the relief of falling to the ground, and then a bit of joy.
"Eunuch Liu," Zheng Haizhu looked at Liu Shimin with eagerness, "Do you know why I am more anxious than attacking the city and demolishing the house? Because I heard about the Long Live Amnesty these days, I am anxious to lend it to the emperor's eldest son to teach firearms.
, dig a person out of the imperial prison."
"who?"
"Zhang Mingshi, the Yunnan military general who was imprisoned in imperial prison."
Liu Shimin was really unfamiliar with this name. He squinted his eyes and felt a little confused.
Zheng Haizhu explained: "In the past, after getting acquainted with the two young masters of the Zhang family in Shanyin, Mr. Yanke saw that I was obsessed with firearms, so he told me that they had a general named Zhang Mingshi from Shaoxing who guarded Yunnan and quelled the Miao rebellion.
, was impeached by the censor for delaying the military flight, killing good people and taking merit, and was convicted and imprisoned."
The Zhang Mingshi mentioned by Zheng Haizhu was a brave general who had won the Military Scholarship List more than 20 years ago. He was rarely promoted step by step. After leading troops to guard the border, he took advantage of the rich sulfur mines in Yunnan to study firearms. Unfortunately, he was convicted and imprisoned.
In history, after the Ming army defeated the Jin army in Sarhu, the imperial court hired Xiong Tingbi, who was idle at home. Xiong Tingbi, who was well versed in military affairs, took a fancy to Zhang Mingshi, who had been in prison for many years, and released him from prison and sent him to
Training troops in Liaodong and running the firearms battalion. Zhang Mingshi lived up to the heavy trust and used 200 kilograms of artillery in actual combat.
But in this time and space, there is no longer the Battle of Saarhu. Xiong Tingbi has not yet come back, and Zhang Mingshi is still in prison.
Zheng Haizhu originally thought that Zhang Mingshi was imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment. The day before yesterday, when he went to the home of Liu Qiao, the governor of Fusi in Beizhen, to greet Mr. Liu, he asked about Zhang Mingshi.
Liu Qiao, who had given up his disdain for her, told her frankly that Zhang Mingshi was cursed at his mother every day in the Criminal Department and had long been transferred to Beizhen Fusi for detention. However, Luo Sigong always respected the border generals and did not embarrass Zhang Mingshi.
Zheng Haizhu was overjoyed. He estimated that the new emperor Zhu Changluo had ascended the throne. The amnesty was a prescribed action. Yang Zuo and Yang were officials and censors. It would not be difficult to give a few words to Zhang Mingshi, an old general who was not involved in party disputes. Luo Sigong added
It won't get in the way.
She, Zheng Haizhu, wants to replace Xiong Tingbi and get Zhang Mingshi out.
Liu Shimin took a sip of the vegetable soup served by his servant, thought for a moment, and said to Zheng Haizhu, who was eating a steamed bun stuffed with sheep stuffing: "Girl, you went to fish for Zhang Mingshi just to study firearms and compile lesson plans?"
"This is the first step," Zheng Haizhu swallowed the steamed bun and said decisively, "He is a guilty general. It is not appropriate to enter the Wenhua Palace. I will ask my old friend Lu Xiangsheng to come to the capital to assist me and Professor Xu Gong, the eldest son of the emperor. But Professor
For a while, I will wait for the opportunity to speak kind words for Zhang Mingshi and Sun Yuan in front of the eldest son of the emperor. If I can gradually make Long live Lord like them and entrust them with important tasks and send them to Liaodong, it will be the best. If their names are not very famous,
It doesn't matter, I will respectfully invite Zhang Mingshi to go south and train for my Chongming camp."
When Zheng Haizhu said this, he paused for a moment and stared at Liu Shimin with a more solemn and decisive look.
"Eunuch Liu, Nurhachi's troubles are worse than all the quarrels in our Ming Dynasty, worse than all the disturbances from overseas Fanyi, worse than all the religious troubles and popular uprisings in the east, west, south, and north. We must use thunderous means to confront him as soon as possible!
"
Liu Shimin caught Zheng Haizhu's gaze, but didn't know what kind of response he should give.
When he was bewildered, he murmured like a doll: "Are the Tatars more powerful than the red-haired people from the Fujian Sea?"
How did Zheng Haizhu know that Liu Shimin's sentence was not a question? She just sneered sadly, as if her thoughts were traveling back and forth in the more than three hundred years from now on.
"Eunuch Liu, the calamity the Later Jin Tatars brought to China will really rank ahead of those foreign monkeys."
Liu Shimin looked away, lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Okay, I hope all my Ming emperors and ministers can understand."