It was almost noon, and there were constant cheers in the backyard of the Dongchang Yamen. Chang Yu's return made everyone in the Yamen extremely happy. Although he had been hiding in the room and chatting secretly with Wu Mengming about something without showing up, the guards started chatting in the courtyard, and they were spitting.
Fei talked about all the things he had experienced along the way, and Fanzi gathered around him and became very excited.
The kitchen is already open and they are busy cooking lunch. Fang San is taking charge of the dishes himself. He is Chang Yu's royal cook.
In the room, Chang Yu closed a book. This was a list of spies placed by Jinyiwei in the homes of nobles and bigwigs in the capital. Some of them were servants, some were housekeepers, and they were all-inclusive.
Chang Yu was not surprised at all. Emperors of no matter which dynasty they were in liked to put spies in the homes of ministers and monitor their every move. Emperor Chongzhen was even more suspicious by nature.
"Zhou Kui, the patriarch of the country, has been in a lot of trouble recently, but no one pays attention to him. I can't rule out that his deep grudges are not good for you!" Wu Mengming looked worried, and Chang Yu hummed: "Our family is in the military, so we are not safe.
Yu, but so far, apart from his wanton accumulation of money, no other clues have been found, such as conspiring to assassinate him? As long as he gets a little bit involved, he will never be able to stand up."
Wu Mengming shook his head: "We haven't discovered it yet. Zhou Kui's wealth is known to both the government and the public, but he is the emperor and the emperor, so no one can touch him. If you want to touch him, factory supervisor, you only have this little handle to stop him."
Chang Yu smiled: "He and I don't have a deep hatred. Our family is just a loyal person entrusted by others!"
Wu Mengming was stunned and quickly shut up. He was an old man, so the less he knew about such things, the better, and he didn't want to get involved at all.
Boom, there was a knock on the door outside, and a fan whispered: "Reporting to the factory, someone from the palace said that the queen invites you to come to the palace."
Chang Yu raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment and then said: "If you ask him to return to the Queen, just tell him that our family is busy with military affairs and can't get away, but as soon as the military affairs are over, he will go to the palace to have an audience."
Awesome, Wu Mengming secretly sighed in his heart, the queen didn't even bother to summon her, and she was worthy of being the first among the internal officials.
"Mr. Wu, do you know that the queen has invited our family, why don't we go?" Chang Yu looked at Wu Mengming with a half-smile.
"The factory supervisor is very busy with military affairs," Wu Mengming said seriously.
Chang Yu laughed and shook his head: "No, I promised the brothers in the Yamen to have a drink at noon, how can I break my promise?"
Convinced! Wu Mengming gave a thumbs up: "Eunuch Chang, you are not just a master of power, you are simply a pampered parent! I must take part in your humble position!"
"Then our family will give you a good future." Chang Yu smiled slightly: "I won't let you eat, please come to the back door!"
Wu Mengming stood up and said goodbye.
When dinner started at noon, the first and second leaders of the third battalion of Dongchang, the personal guards of the young eunuchs, and several major leaders of Dongchang gathered together. Chang Yu, who always drank little in the laughter and laughter, also raised his glass to join the crowd.
Shi Kefa and Wang Jiayan in the Yamen of the Ministry of War frowned. The young eunuch entered Beijing last night and left the palace early in the morning. He went to the Dongchang Yamen behind closed doors and did not see any guests, not even the two of them. What kind of medicine is being sold in this gourd? Now the Qing army is
We are about to cross the border, and the situation is so tense. As the head of the Ministry of War, he doesn’t know anything and can’t help. This is too...
In Kunning Palace, Queen Zhou, who had always loved and cared for Chang Yu the most, was looking at the food on the table in a daze. She heard that Chang Yu had returned to Beijing early in the morning and wanted to meet her. She also specially ordered the imperial chef to make a few exquisite side dishes. She wanted to
Chang Yu went to the palace to have lunch together and talk, but he was rejected!
Little did he know that in Duan Ben Palace, there was another person who was dumbfounded looking at the carefully prepared meals on the table: "Linglong, Chang Yu is really not free?"
"Your Highness, the maid first asked Xiao Liuzi to invite him, but he didn't even go into the Yamen of Dongchang. Then the maid went there in person. Although the Yamen went in, he didn't see Eunuch Chang. He said he was busy with military affairs."
Zhu Cixiang was dejected: "It's impossible for him not to see me when he comes back. He must be really busy. Recently, Tatars passed through the border and he suddenly returned to Beijing to meet the emperor late at night. He must have important things to deal with. Let's wait.
Let’s watch it tonight.”
In Kunning Palace, Zhu Ainao was pacing back and forth holding a brocade handkerchief: "Qiao'er, is Chang Yu really back?"
"Back to Your Highness, my maid inquired that Eunuch Chang came back last night and was at the Waidongchang Yamen at this time," the palace maid Qiaoer said in a low voice.
"Can you ask him to come into the palace? Or can we go out?" Zhu Yurao took it for granted. The palace maid looked embarrassed: "Your Highness, we can't go out if Eunuch Chunxiang is not in the capital, and the maid heard that Eunuch Chang is busy with military affairs and even the empress
I declined all the invitations from the prince.”
"Ah! So busy! Yes, I heard that the Tatars are here again..." Zhu Yura sighed: "He has been leading troops to fight for so many days, but he has to tan and lose weight..."
Whether it's official or private matters, too many people want to see Chang Yu, but he's really busy.
He was not busy with military affairs, but busy with the toasts of his subordinates.
After a few drinks, Chang Yu felt a little dizzy and asked Jiang Fa: "Master Jiang, have you heard that there is a kind of internal skill that can force wine out of the body?"
Jiang Fa shook his head: "Without any internal strength, the factory supervisor went to the latrine and peed and it came out."
Everyone laughed endlessly.
After eating this meal for nearly an hour, everyone was so drunk that they were so happy that Chang Yu flushed and washed his face with cold water. Then he went back to the room to take a nap and then sent someone to tell Shi Kefa and Wang Jiayan to come see them.
For more than 200 years since the establishment of Dongchang, everyone has always avoided rat droppings. The government and the public regarded it as an evil thing and few people interacted with it. Even during the Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian and other periods, there were many people who relied on it, but they interacted secretly, like thieves.
, no one comes to the door as generously as now.
Shi Kefa from the Ministry of War, Wang Jiayan from the Fifth Army Governor's Office, Prince Consort Gong Yonggu and even some generals had visited. This was a big taboo in previous years. Ginseng was not used at all, and the emperor himself couldn't sit still.
But now, visits to the house are commonplace, and many people pretend to turn a blind eye.
The reason is very simple. The general trend is that the little eunuch is now at a critical juncture with the Qing army. Anyone who wants to stumble at this time is really asking for trouble.
Moreover, Chang Yu was ordered to supervise the army, so naturally he had to interact with these yamen, and Emperor Chongzhen also acquiesced.
Shi Kefa and Wang Jiayan stayed in Dongchang Yamen for nearly an hour before leaving in a hurry. No one knew what they talked about in the room. They only knew that when they left, their faces were solemn but there was a hint of excitement.
After the two left, Chang Yu walked around the yamen and went to Wuzhong's room. This guy was drunk and sleeping soundly. After checking, his injuries recovered quickly, and he was full of life again in more than a month at most.
"Mr. Factory, can you go and have a look at your home?" Qiao Sanxiu asked in a low voice when she saw Chang Yu looking up at a grape tree in the yard. Only he and Song Luoyu among the personal attendants knew that Chang Yu actually had a home.
Chang Yu knew that he missed his son. Qiao Heling had been fostered in the Huangzhai in Guangqumen since he came to Beijing. Later, his wife followed the red lady to Beijing and lived there. He had not seen Qiao Sanxiu for several months and wanted to go back and see him.
After a moment of thought, Chang Yu ordered Qiao Sanxiu to prepare the carriage, and ordered the third battalion of Dongchang to wait outside Dongzhimen after dinner. Not long after, an ordinary carriage drove out from the back door of Dongchang, except for a coachman.
There are no other followers.
No one would have thought that sitting in this ordinary carriage was the current Admiral of the East Factory of the Ming Dynasty. Even some people would not recognize him after seeing it. After all, there are too few people who have seen Chang Yu's face, and even few people know his name.
And few.
Keep a low profile and do things with a high profile. This is Chang Yu's motto. Especially his special status does not allow him to be too public because there are too many people who care about his head. A spy leader must have a sense of mystery, both for others and himself.
Benefit, just like Dai Li, the military boss of later generations, his whereabouts are erratic and he was called one of the most mysterious people in Asia and China by the American Claire's magazine.
And Chang Yu wants to be the most mysterious person in the Ming Dynasty.
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