Chapter 219 There is more than one civil servant faction
Author: Silent
Chapter 219 There is more than one civil servant faction
In the city, in an inn somewhere.
Zhang Ye just came back from the outside and entered the cramped room. When he saw his disgraced son Zhang Ping, he immediately sat down on a stool and cursed angrily: "Officials protect each other, it's too much! It's just that the Daxing County government refuses to accept the case. Lian Shun
The Heavenly Mansion doesn’t care! The top and bottom collude with each other, and they simply don’t take the Ming Dynasty’s benevolence, filial piety and etiquette seriously! The Ming Dynasty is almost over!”
After saying that, he picked up the tea cup and poured the cold tea into his stomach.
Zhang Ping was dumbfounded. Unlike before, this time he didn't say a word when he heard his father complain.
"Son, don't worry. As a father, I will never give up! Even if I file a lawsuit, I have to get this right!" Zhang Ye consoled him.
Zhang Ping looked up at his father and said, "Father, are we running out of money?"
"You...sigh! The money your mother gave you is indeed not much. With the two of us working hard and a driver, we have a little more food. Accommodation in this capital is much more expensive than in Nanjing.
But you don’t have to worry, we will never starve to death! Your father and I still have some... personal money."
Zhang Ye will let himself starve to death?
The small treasury has not been used. In recent years, my wife and I have battled wits and courage to hide the small treasury. Anyway, the Zhang family's family business is basically taken care of by the old ladies.
He is just an errand boy.
Zhang Ping said: "Dad, let's go. I just heard from outside that my second uncle won the first prize. You said officials protect each other, but now others are protecting him even more."
"What did you say? No. 1 pick? Just him?" Zhang Ye stood up with a look of disbelief. The muscles on his face first twisted, then turned into surprise and said, "This is a good thing, my son. He is the No. 1 pick. That military household
Why don't you give up your position? You and your father should pack things up quickly and let's go visit your second uncle. This guy is really good. Jie Yuan from Jiangnan got the top score in the examination? Hahaha... The Zhang family is going to be prosperous."
Zhang Ping looked at his father with a strange look.
Is the Zhang family prosperous?
It seems that my second uncle’s family is very prosperous. Does this prosperity have something to do with our family’s half a penny?
Is this considered a sentimental act by my father?
"Do you want to bring me some welcome gifts?" Zhang Ping asked.
"No, who is the one between me and your second uncle? When he was down and out, he borrowed two hundred coins from me, and he hasn't paid it back yet!"
"..."
…
…
Imperial Palace, inside Qingning Palace.
Zhu Youtang was greeting Empress Dowager Zhou when she was asked to ask questions by Empress Dowager Zhou.
"Has Bingkuan not entered the palace recently? I heard that he won the first prize, and the Ai family admires him very much. Such a capable and talented person, blessed by God, is a blessed minister of the Ming Dynasty. The Ai family has always valued blessings.
Your Majesty, you should also make some preparations for him to become an official in the future."
Empress Dowager Zhou was very concerned about Zhang Zhou's success as an official.
Zhu Youtang said: "The imperial grandmother has taken great pains, and her grandson has paved the way for him. Let him go to Hanyuan first, and later he will be promoted to minister, so that he can often go in and out of the palace."
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "You are right to be concerned about him, but have you ever thought that based on what he has done for the royal family, can those civil servants easily tolerate him?"
"this……"
Zhu Youtang was actually very worried about this.
Although Zhang Zhou is the number one scholar, to put it bluntly, he is just a new scholar. However, the fame and fortune that Zhang Zhou has obtained is beyond the reach of the princes, elders and ministers. In terms of official positions, it is not necessary for the elders and ministers to take action.
The attendants, the attendants, and the lecturers were all able to suppress Zhang Zhou.
I'm afraid it won't be that easy for Zhang Zhou to thrive in the officialdom.
"The Ai family feels that you should let him have a backer in the court." Empress Dowager Zhou said.
Zhu Youtang said: "My grandson doesn't understand what the emperor's grandmother means."
As an emperor, I can't even act as Bingkuan's backer, so why should I look for another backer for him?
Which backer is more awesome than me?
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "The most important thing when entering and leaving the officialdom is to be able to integrate into it. As a civil servant, Bingkuan should be allowed to be a husband, such as those in the cabinet elders and ministers, and then be betrothed to him so that he can be married to those cabinet ministers. If the old minister gets married, others will put aside their prejudices against him and treat him as one of their own."
"ah?"
Zhu Youtang was surprised.
I still think you have many tricks up your sleeve, old lady.
"The Imperial Grandmother, given his status, probably does not need to become a disciple. In addition, he already has a family, so there is no way to talk about marriage."
What Zhu Youtang means is that no matter how good your idea is, it's all in vain.
Empress Dowager Zhou squinted her eyes and smiled like an old fox. I mentioned this, why don’t you think about it?”
"Servant Lin?"
Zhu Youtang frowned.
He said in his heart, Grandma Imperial, when you first met Lin Han’s daughter, were you sure you didn’t choose the imperial concubine for me? Did you really want to help Bing Kuan marry her?
Then... maybe I'm overthinking it.
I misunderstood the royal grandmother.
"I think that Lin Shilang has been in the government for many years, and his disciples are all over the government and the public. Moreover, he does not hold the position of prime minister or minister, and he has not had many disputes with others. As long as he becomes his son-in-law, others will pay no attention to anything. It's a bit of face, and besides, that girl is just the concubine of Lin Shilang, and she is betrothed to Bingkuan as his concubine, so there is no humiliation."
When Empress Dowager Zhou was talking, she was thinking about Zhang Zhou.
This made her grandson less wary of her.
Empress Dowager Zhou also clearly felt that her grandson has not dared to come recently. Whenever she asked her a few questions about the relationship between her grandson and his wife, he would change the subject, and he would not talk about the sisters from the Huanyi Bureau mentioned before. thing.
The Empress Dowager Zhou was also familiar with the emperor's character.
If the Ai family is devoted to Zhang Bingkuan, whom you prefer, and is working hard for his entry into the court, why don't you let go of your guard and become your filial son and grandson?
If I can't control your pulse, the Ai family's seventy years have been in vain.
"Isn't this good?" Zhu Youtang asked, "I don't know how to tell Minister Lin."
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "This matter was brought up by the Ai family. It is natural for the Ai family to speak up. Emperor, you don't have to take it too seriously. The Ai family will help."
"Then...thank you, Grandma Huang."
Zhu Youtang thought about it for a while and realized that this was a good idea.
Let Zhang Zhou marry Lin Han, and let Lin Han's daughter be a concubine. It seems that the foundation of this marriage is not strong, but Zhang Zhou's first wife is not from a wealthy family. If it is a marriage given by the emperor, she is considered a concubine. She can also achieve a very high status, almost equivalent to an "equal wife".
Of course, in the Ming Dynasty, there was no concept of equal wives. They were concubines or concubines, but their identities were more protected.
Lin Han's reputation among scholars was outstanding. In addition, Lin Han never quarreled with others and did not have career entanglements like Cheng Minzheng. Others also respected Lin Han.
Zhang Zhou has the endorsement of his father-in-law, Lin Han. No matter how you look at it, Zhang Zhou can lay a foundation among the civil servants.
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "Emperor, if you have time, bring the queen and the prince over to show the Ai family. The Ai family only has a few years left, and they are thinking of you juniors in their hearts. Bingkuan can do things, you trust him, the Ai family I also believe in him, he can also help the royal family and the court, who wouldn't like such a young man?"
"Yes Yes……"
Zhu Youtang had a smile on his face, and his relationship with his grandmother seemed to be much closer.
…
…
Zhangzhou's mansion is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.
Even if Zhang Zhou doesn't want to keep a high profile, but he won the top prize, it would be meaningless if he still deliberately keeps a low profile.
Anyway, others knew that this was his home. There were many people who came to join in the fun that day. What was rare was that many nearby city residents also came to please people. Earning money for pleasing people seemed to be common everywhere. Before, Zhang Zhouzhong's tribute had not There are reasons, but if the top prize doesn't come back, for ordinary people, it will be like missing out on hundreds of taels of silver.
Firecrackers went off.
Zhang Zhou also welcomed some people here to congratulate him. Generally speaking, Zhang Zhou could just avoid seeing them.
But there was one person he had to meet, and he was Empress Zhang's uncle, Shen Lu, who was the envoy to the general affairs committee, Zuo Tongzheng.
Ordinary civil servants would not come to congratulate a new scholar at this time. They would consider their own status. Some ministers with close background wanted to come to see him. Zhang Zhou had many reasons not to go, but Shen Lu Although he is also close to being a traitor, he is a Jinshi and has a strong background in the court, so Zhang Zhou will give him this face.
"Zhang Zhuangyuan is truly a talented person. I have admired his name for a long time."
Shen Lu is in his fifties, very wealthy, and his belly is wobbly even when he walks, but he gives people a sense of calmness.
"Shen Tongzheng is polite, please come in."
Zhang Zhou invited Shen Lu to the main hall, but Jiang Dezhong, who was planning to go to the main hall, wisely stepped aside and did not even come to say hello.
Jiang Dezhong now understands that even though he is Zhang Zhou's father-in-law, his status and status are not on the same level as Zhang Zhou's, so he should not pretend to be a gentleman in front of these famous scholars, but just keep his identity as a merchant.
After Shen Lu sat down, he briefly exchanged greetings and then said: "According to the past rules, new scholars are admitted to the Hanlin Academy. Although they will not be in the same yamen in the future, they will have more contacts. Bingkuan, do you need any help? , just say hello, speaking of which, I also like to interact with young people, and this is how I got here."
Shen Lu seemed to be chatting, but in fact he was telling Zhang Zhou that we could form a small party first.
We don't have to be in the same faction, but we can look after each other if anything happens.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "At that time, I may have to trouble Shen Tongzheng."
Zhang Zhou would not explicitly refuse.
He knew very well why the person who came was Shen Lu.
If it were people like Li Dongyang and Xie Qian who came, he would not be able to adapt to it. Xie Qian had been here before, but that was based on the fact that he was not a fool. If he won the Jinshi, those traditional civil servants would be afraid of following him. He communicated privately.
Does Shen Lu represent himself alone?
He represents a series of civil servants who have nepotistic relations with the royal family. The representative civil servant in the DPRK is Xu Qiong. Bai Ang, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, can barely be counted as one. This is only at the ministerial level. Below, there are Zhengqing, Shaoqing and other levels. There are even more people... Even though the official administration during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty was considered to be Qingming, because of the emperor's favor towards Queen Zhang's family, those who were related to the Zhang family would form their own faction in the court.
Even Wang Hao, the teacher of Zhang Zhou's rural examination, is related by marriage to the Zhang family.
"Bingkuan, I never thought you could win the first prize. Speaking of His Majesty's trust in you, it doesn't matter if you become an honorable minister. But that's fine. If there are major issues in the court in the future, we can have one more person to discuss them." Shen Lu saw that Zhang Zhou is a sensible person.
He also told Zhang Zhou.
Don’t even think about joining the traditional faction of Liu Jian and Li Dongyang. Although our group of people are sometimes criticized, we also have the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Punishment. With so many people in the court and government supporting you, how can you still Didn't I humiliate you?
Although you are the number one scholar, you have also done a lot of things that alchemists do, but we are more open-minded and can accept you.
"Okay." Zhang Zhou smiled.
Are you in a hurry to join the team now?
Zhang Zhou is not that stupid.
Why should I form a party with others? Isn’t it good for me to form my own party?
The emperor may have wanted him to blend in with the civil servants at first, but if he had the same opinions as the civil servants, then would the emperor be worried? Gradually, the emperor would also understand that what he wanted was to be isolated from the civil servant system of the DPRK and China. Zhang Bingkuan.
Therefore, Zhang Zhou never thought about how to please Liu Jian and Li Dongyang from the beginning.
As a traditional civil servant, you have to work for decades before you can join the cabinet and serve as an aide to the emperor.
And now he is the emperor's most important staff before he becomes a civil servant. Why must he follow the path of a civil servant? As Shen Lu said, it is quite good to be an honorable minister. Who makes the current Emperor Hongzhi and the future emperor Did Emperor Zhu Houzhao dote on those around him?
In other words, everyone who wants to be an emperor hopes to have "their own people" instead of relying on professional politicians who receive salaries.
…
…
Just when Zhang Zhou entertained Shen Lu in his mansion.
Zhang Ye and his son also arrived at the door of Zhang's house.
"Those who want to receive reward money? Go in line at the back! Those who say auspicious words are worth five cents per person, but first tell me where you live. If you come from outside the city to fish in troubled waters, please feel free to do it yourself!"
Money was being handed out at Zhang Zhou's door.
Moreover, money is distributed in an orderly manner. Ordinary people do not want to follow the rules. However, today not only are the Jinyi guards on duty at the door, but also people from Shuntian Mansion and Wucheng Army and Horses Division to maintain order. In this way, those who want to fish in troubled waters will not dare to There's trouble.
Some people are shouting: "Is this a government office or a private residence?"
"Which one belongs to whom? Stand up if you can!"
Immediately, someone from the Military and Horse Department came out, holding a riding whip and showing off their power to the people waiting in line.
I've given you face.
Dare to cause trouble around those of us who wear government officials? Although there are many noble people at the emperor's feet, you are all here to line up to get the favor money, why are you pretending to be cool here?
"This is the No. 1 Scholar's Mansion. Does the No. 1 Scholar know this? Sir! Besides, this Zhang No. 1 Scholar is a popular figure in front of His Majesty. Dongchang and Jinyiwei both have to give him face. Anyone who dares to make trouble will have their head chopped off by you!"
The officers from the Military and Horse Division finished their shouting and went back to continue maintaining order.
Seeing that his father was still pushing forward, Zhang Ping quickly pulled him back and said, "Father, let's go."
Zhang Ye scolded: "This is also your second uncle's house. They are all members of the Zhang family. What are you afraid of? Broken bones and tendons! Besides, I have never heard that the number one scholar has to be a guard of thousands of households. This position must be yours!" "
…
…
Zhang Yetou is very stubborn, or he feels that even if he returns to Nanjing, he will not be able to communicate with his mother-in-law.
Just shamelessly rush to the door of Zhang's house, or you'll be kicked out again.
But he still underestimated Jin Yiwei's hostility towards him.
"Fuck uncle..."
Zhang Ye was kicked directly to the bottom of the steps by a guard in uniform. He was rolled several times, his head was facing down, and he even felt that his neck was about to break.
Zhang Ping hurried over to help his father.
"Tap it gently, it's broken, it's broken!"
Zhang Ye burst into tears in pain.
Many people who were waiting to ask for reward money also looked over.
Jin Yiwei was about to go up with a knife to teach these two ignorant people a lesson, but Sun Shangqi came out and stopped his men. He also stopped the Shuntian government official who was about to punch and kick the Zhang family and his son.
"Hey, Mr. Zhang family, why haven't you returned to Nanjing yet? Do you not remember what I told you before? Or what? Do you dare to come to this place to enjoy the cool weather?"
As a royal guard, Sun Shangqi knew the details of Zhang Ye and his son very well.
The lintel is a bit shorter than that of Jinyiwei Baihu, so there is no need to worry about being offended.
Zhang Zhou would not protect this elder brother.
"You're beating people!" Zhang Ye pretended to be in pain, "Neighbors, Ping Ping Li, I'm just here to see my younger brother. My younger brother won the top prize. My elder brother came to congratulate me, but this group of people didn't..."
He wanted to say that these people are inhumane.
But when the words came to his lips, he saw a group of people staring at him eagerly, and he swallowed them back.
Sun Shangqi said: "It seems that Mr. Zhang is not very clear about the rules of our Jinyiwei. Come, please bring the person to Beizhen Fusi to hang out."
"Don't!"
Zhang Ping hurriedly walked out and said, "Gentlemen, my father and son just want to go back to Nanjing, so I came here to say goodbye to my second uncle. I would like to ask a few of you to make it easier for me."
Although Zhang Ping has a strong mother, he is different from his father. His father is an old man who likes to battle wits and courage with his wife, while Zhang Ping's character is a little timid.
While he was talking, there was a noise at the door.
It was Zhang Zhou who escorted Shen Lu out of the door.
Zhang Zhou also heard that Zhang Ye and his son were causing trouble, so he came out to have a look. Today was the big day for him to win the first prize, and the door was not suitable for seeing blood.
Otherwise Zhang Zhou would not come out to care about the father and son.
"Brother, you are in a good mood. Why don't you come and practice gymnastics?" Zhang Zhou said with a smile.
Zhang Ye originally planned to huddle on the ground for a while, but after hearing this, he got up from the ground and patted the dust on his butt.
"Second brother, I'm just here to congratulate you. I was blind before and never thought you had a great talent. It's also the ancestral tomb of our Zhang family. How about we two brothers repair it together?"
Zhang Ye didn't say anything about driving Zhang Zhou out of the Zhang family tree.
Even if he wants to.
I don't think anyone from the Zhang family would do it either.
If there is a champion in the Zhang family, can you, Zhang Ye, drive you out of the family tree if you want? As long as the second in the Zhang family, the champion, is willing, it would be good to drive you out.
Aren't they separated? Then they are no longer one.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "The visitors are guests. There is a banquet at the corner of the street today. My brother and nephew will go to the banquet if they are interested. Someone recently mentioned to me that I would take the Zhang family's ancestral home back and renovate it. Maybe
Please forgive me if I have offended my brother. Your brother will compensate you, don't be too little."
"Um?"
Zhang Ye was startled.
I'm obviously here to congratulate you, what does this guy mean?
Not only do you not intend to give me the position of Jinyiwei Qianhu, but you also want to take over the old house that I occupy?
Does that mean that you are the main branch of the Zhang family and I am the side branch?
