After the court meeting was dismissed, Zhu Youtang specially called three cabinet ministers and the bachelor Wang Hao to the Palace of Qianqing.
It was obvious that they wanted to discuss candidates for the new post of Hanlin Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and Zhan Shifu of Zhan Shifu. In fact, they wanted to seek greater development for Zhang Zhou.
"Several of you, you are all the prince's gentlemen, and you are very concerned about the matter of giving lectures in the East Palace. I would like to mention to you today that you can see if you can promote Zhang Bingkuan as the minister, and give lectures on the day of the Sutra Banquet. ?”
Zhu Youtang's words are very direct.
I don’t plan to give Zhang Zhou the position of editor in the Imperial Academy History Museum. I want to directly promote him to be a lecturer in the Imperial Academy and directly join him as a lecturer in the East Palace. Let me ask you if you agree!
All four were silent.
Li Dongyang also glanced at Liu Jian specifically, probably questioning Liu Jian's previous behavior.
look!
You insisted on recruiting Zhang Bingkuan and said not to suppress him, so this is a good time. Give him the number one scholar and he will get wings to take off. As long as he is the number two, the emperor cannot be so confident if he wants to single-handedly promote the number two to become a lecturer in the Imperial Academy.
Wang Hao asked: "Your Majesty, there is no precedent for this."
At this time, three people in the cabinet pretended to be dumb. As Zhang Zhou's tutor in the provincial examination, Wang Hao could not sit idly by and ignore it.
Zhu Youtang sighed: "I also know that there was no such rule before. I would not mention it before, and I will not mention it after this time. If Bingkuan was based on his previous achievements, he should not be promoted in the Hanlin Academy. Whether it is treating the princess, or calculating the will of God to help the Ming Dynasty's northwest frontier army win, how to calculate..."
The four of them were confused.
Your Majesty, you seem to be quite sensible.
One thing comes to another. If he has meritorious service in the northwest, you want to promote him to the rank of uncle or marquis. If we fight again, you want to directly promote him to become a lecturer in the Imperial Academy based on his military merit. This makes no sense.
You are meddling in the back garden of our civil servants' deep-rooted private property.
Zhu Youtang ignored the weird looks of several people and continued: "But Bingkuan has gone to the East Palace many times to give lectures before, taught the prince many academic matters, and gained the prince's trust, even if he has not yet become the prince. He has the name of a teacher, but he is already the prince’s teacher.”
Liu Jian took a breath and said, "Your Majesty, are you saying that Zhang Jinshi had given a lecture to the prince before?"
"Yes." Zhu Youtang nodded.
Liu Jiandao: "Your Majesty, there are so many lecturers in the East Palace, and there are many talented and learned people in the Hanlin Academy and Zhanshifu. Why should he, who was paying tribute at that time, give lectures to the prince?"
Zhu Youtang didn't like hearing questions from ministers the most.
Maybe he was angry, or maybe it was hard to explain the matter. It was a long story, so he just kept silent.
Then Dai Yi took a step forward and said: "Don't get me wrong, Mr. Liu Ge. Your Majesty asked Mr. Zhang to go to the East Palace and never talked about the Yixue. When the prince was studying behind closed doors a few years ago, Mr. Zhang even accompanied the prince with more than a dozen people. Day and night, Academician Wang should know this."
Liu Jian looked at Wang Hao.
Wang Hao lowered his head and said nothing. Although he had never taught the prince a lesson with Zhang Zhou, how could he, as the current foreman of lecturers in the East Palace, not know about Zhang Zhou's lesson to the prince?
At that time, I felt that the emperor might just have a whim, but who knew that the emperor wanted to make this matter a normal thing.
As soon as Zhang Zhou became a Jinshi, the emperor could not wait to appoint Zhang Zhou as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy.
Xie Qian came out and said: "Your Majesty, if you want to be promoted to minister, even if you have a background in editing, it will take at least six years to compile, and it will take more than nine years to review your background. If your Majesty does this, I'm afraid he will If the system of Hanyuan is disrupted, if everyone in the future wants to take advantage of merit and advance rashly, it will be difficult to stop this trend."
At the critical moment, Xie Qian also spoke to the emperor like a scientific official who only followed strict rules.
Zhu Youtang continued to remain silent.
Dai Yidao: "Several gentlemen, didn't your majesty tell you all? The prince has just been out of the palace to study for only a year, and his temperament is still undecided. At this time, he needs a gentleman who can convince the prince to always teach him, even if it is the next imperial examination. It will end in three years. The prince should have achieved some success in his studies, and there is no need to promote anyone. Besides, Mr. Zhang is really good at teaching the prince, not only in knowledge, but also in dealing with people. There are many churches.”
Is this okay?
Liu Jian and the others were also thinking, if the emperor doesn't say anything, let the eunuch, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, come out to talk about the pros and cons on behalf of the emperor?
Zhu Youtang opened his mouth and added: "I will hereby make a promise to you, except for Bingkuan, that I will not have such promotions in the future. The establishment of the East Palace lecturer is to teach the prince , to correct the faults in his knowledge and conduct. If Bingkuan cannot be entrusted with important tasks just because he is a new scholar, it will be against the original intention of the establishment. Please forgive me."
The emperor even used the word "invite", which was actually very flattering.
Liu Jian and Li Dongyang were relatively able to see the overall situation clearly, and they knew that it was a bit difficult to persuade them at this time.
But Xie Qian was holding back a lot of evil fire. With his temper and outspoken nature, he almost wanted to say it. Fortunately, Your Majesty, you knew that this was to teach the prince. It would be fine for you to be bewitched by Zhang Bingkuan alone. Now you have to let him Zhang Bingkuan took the prince into the ditch? He actually had the nerve to let us understand?
Zhu Youtang said: "If the ministers have no objections, then the matter will be settled as it is. It will be announced when the Jinshi are released from official positions in a few days."
"Your Majesty." Liu Jian came out and said.
Zhu Youtang frowned. After talking to you about everything, you still want to object?
"The veteran has no objection to Zhang Zhou being a lecturer in the East Palace, but can he do so as a compiler of the Hanlin Academy's History Museum?" Liu Jian suggested.
We no longer care about the situation, but please give the emperor some face, don't promote him out of the ordinary, and abide by our rules.
Of course Zhu Youtang was not happy.
Liu Jiandao: "Perhaps he can compile it for the History Museum and give lectures in the East Palace. After menstruation, he will be promoted to lecturer based on the progress of his teaching. This will not only encourage him to work hard for the prince's studies, but also prevent others from using cleverness to teach. If you mess with your original intention, I will definitely not embarrass Zhang Zhou, and in this way you can also set rules for the prince."
At this time, Liu Jian still had his own tricks.
To sum up what he meant...if people are confused, it will be difficult to lead the team, Your Majesty.
After listening to Liu Jian's words, the emperor's expression softened a lot.
Although it sounds like asking Zhang Zhou to give lectures to the prince as a historian editor did not meet his expectations, the purpose was actually achieved.
Liu Jian was right. He was directly promoted to minister when he came up. It was indeed a bit of a mess of rules. Even if the emperor didn't care, he couldn't set a bad example for the prince.
If the prince wants to hire someone in the future, he will immediately think that this is what my father did back then. Doesn’t that mean that the prince will become more diligent in the matter of appointing officials in the future?
Liu Jian also said that it would be more appropriate to first use Zhang Zhou as the editor of the History Museum, give him a symbolic tempering period for a month or two, and then find an excuse to promote him to the position of lecturer.
After Zhu Youtang was silent for a long time, he nodded and said: "In that case, I hope that all of you will not set any barriers for him. I just want to use him to give guidance to the prince. Please, please!"
…
…
As a king, Zhu Youtang was really stubborn sometimes, but deep down he still believed in the civil servants.
That was the dependence he developed after he came out of the cabinet to study. No matter how much he trusted Li Guang before or how much he admired Zhang Zhou now, he did not deny the ability of the ministers in the court. He even knew that running the country mainly relied on the support of these ministers. .
It looks like Liu Jian has won.
But Liu Jian knew very well that he had lost miserably.
After coming out of Qianqing Palace, the four of them walked straight. Xie Qian suddenly thought of something and asked Wang Hao beside him: "Jizhi, does Zhang Zhou give lessons to the prince very often? Didn't he have to prepare for the Chunwei exam earlier?"
Xie Qian actually couldn't understand this.
Zhang Zhou was obviously just a civil servant. No matter how much the emperor trusted him, he only trusted his calculations on heavenly secrets and other matters. How could he be convinced in his talent and learning and accept him as the prince's teacher?
The prince is so naughty, how can he listen to Zhang Zhou's lectures?
Wang Hao said: "I often came to the palace a few years ago. The prince's sudden improvement of the "Collected Commentary on the Four Books" years ago was also due to Bingkuan and his teaching day and night. After that, the prince's studies improved by leaps and bounds."
"..." Xie Qian was suddenly speechless.
Rapid progress?
The three cabinet ministers did not know what the prince looked like in name, but as a senior official in the East Palace, Wang Hao was from a clean family.
If Wang Hao said he was making rapid progress, he was probably not lying.
Li Dongyang shook his head and said: "The prince is not smart or not. In my opinion, the prince is smarter than the average child. It's just that he never concentrates on learning. Why can Zhang Zhou make him concentrate on studying?" "
"This..." Wang Hao couldn't explain.
Are you three pavilion elders going to ask me today why I failed to teach the prince well and allowed Zhang Bingkuan to take advantage of me?
You also know that the prince is naughty and does not study hard, so what do you think? Do you think that everyone who is an official in the East Palace can meet the current majesty that you met at that time?
What was the prince's situation like during the Chenghua period? What is the prince's situation now? Why are you three pretending to be so confused?
Xie Qian complained: "As soon as you enter the court, you will have to serve as ministers. Maybe within a few years, we will all have to make way for him. The entire Hanlin Academy cannot withstand the torment!"
"Yeah." Li Dongyang nodded, but his eyes kept falling on Liu Jianjin.
Liu Jian did not make any statement in front of Wang Hao, an "outsider". He stretched out his hand to indicate that he should leave quickly. Even if something happened, the three cabinet members would have a meeting behind closed doors.
…
…
Wenhua Hall.
Zhu Youtang went to supervise his son's homework at noon.
Wang Hao didn't come to give lectures in the morning, but Zhu Houzhao didn't miss the class either. This was because the day after the imperial examination delayed his studies, Zhu Houzhao yawned repeatedly during the morning lectures. He would only pretend to be in front of his father.
"Father, are you saying that Zhang Zhou is coming to give lessons to your son soon?"
When Zhu Houzhao heard about this, he was completely depressed and his little eyes were shining.
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "Don't call him by his name anymore, just call him Mr. Zhang."
"Father, why don't you call him Mr. Zhang?" Zhu Houzhao was very dissatisfied.
Although I listen to Zhang's lectures, he wants to be a teacher and overwhelm me? How can I bargain with him in the future?
When Zhu Youtang heard this, he straightened his face and said, "Does that mean there's no need for him to come?"
"No...Father, let him do it. I promise that I will not cause trouble in class, listen carefully and succeed in my studies as soon as possible. I will be your minister in the future and assist you in governing the country..."
Zhu Houzhao's mouth seemed to have no door.
Zhu Youtang frowned.
This boy has only been studying for a few days, and his mandarin expressions are slipping away more and more.
This should be something no one teaches, right?
Self taught?
"After Bingkuan comes, study with him carefully. He can't come here all the time. He still has errands in the Imperial Academy. Don't pester him too much after class, especially don't beg him for things outside the palace. s things."
"If I think there is something I can give you, I will give it to you. If I don't give it to you, you can't make it difficult for him."
"I will also explain to him that there is no need to spoil you. You can hit and punish you when you need to. I can't teach you all the time, so he will teach you the rules for me..."
After Zhu Houzhao heard this, he was almost stunned.
Did you invite a husband back, or did you invite a father?
"Father, why don't we forget it and let him come into the palace occasionally to give lectures to his ministers..."
Zhu Houzhao began to regret it.
Father, you have gone too far. If you allow that guy to be qualified to beat me, then your son and I will be passive everywhere. Then it is better to be a temporary personal trainer like before. I don't want to suffer.
Zhu Youtang had a look on his face that said, "You're going to have this day too, my boy." He almost gritted his teeth and said, "I've been waiting for Bingkuan to finish the palace exam. After waiting for so long, do you think it will change easily? If there is something he can't discipline, You, I will do it myself! It’s up to you!”
"Father..."
When Zhu Houzhao saw that his father was leaving, he cried and begged on the spot.
Still too naive.
I thought Zhang Zhou came to play with me, but in the end...
…
…
Zhu Youtang came out of Wenhua Hall in a good mood.
Zhu Youtang said to Dai Yi who was following him: "No matter how strict other officials are, they are still ministers and dare not discipline the prince, but Bingkuan is different. The prince thought I was looking for Bingkuan to mess with him. ?This child still doesn’t know my good intentions.”
Dai Yixin said.
This is not good intention, it should be called "evil intention", right?
First, Zhang Zhou sent fun things to whet the prince's appetite, making the prince think that Zhang Zhou came to the palace just to play with him.
As a result, when Zhang Zhouzhen won the imperial examination and was about to become an official, the emperor also "exposed his true nature" and let the prince know that he had invited a strict teacher back.
You kid always takes advantage of me to be busy with state affairs and doesn't think about your studies. Now that Bingkuan is here, let's see how you do it!
Dai Yi asked tentatively: "Mr. Zhang...do you really dare to use severe methods to correct the prince's mistakes?"
Zhu Youtang walked in front, looked at him sideways after hearing this, and said with a smile: "You don't know what kind of person Bingkuan is? Although he usually laughs and laughs without a formal appearance, he is unambiguous in his actions. Have you ever seen him? Are you groveling to the prince?"
Dai Yi thought about it.
Not really.
Could it be that the prince bullies the weak and fears the strong? When others are polite to him, he becomes even more aggressive.
And Zhang Zhou was not nice to him, but the prince couldn't get enough of him?
Donkey?
"Is the Enrong Banquet coming to an end soon? Go and notify Bingkuan and ask him to come to the palace early after he is done and tell him the news." Zhu Youtang said excitedly.
After finally hiring a man who he thought was very competent for his son, Zhu Youtang couldn't help but want to share his thoughts with Zhang Zhou.
Dai Yi said: "I will arrange for someone to notify you now."
"Go quickly!"
…
…
Ministry of Rites, Enrong Banquet.
As the number one scholar, Zhang Zhou was the center of attention at the scene. Zhang Mao even made no secret of his admiration for Zhang Zhou at the wine table and toasted Zhang Zhou himself, which stunned all the new scholars present.
As the leader of the Ming Dynasty's martial arts, the British Duke was a figure that others could not please.
How can he be so "approachable"?
But no matter how polite he is, he can't be so polite to a new scholar, right?
An official from the Dudu's Mansion who attended the banquet said: "This Zhang Zhuangyuan is not only talented in learning, but also a master of heaven's will. He is also very knowledgeable in hanging pots. I heard that he can cure difficult and complicated diseases, even in the capital."
He is able to eliminate acne, sores and epidemics. He is really a strange person in this world."
Bragging, not bragging about Zhang Mao, but bragging about Zhang Zhou.
Zhang Mao stood up again holding the wine glass, his old face still a little red from drinking a few more drinks.
When the Jinshi at each seat saw Zhang Mao getting up, they all got up too.
Only Lin Han, the prince of the country who had come to the banquet with a dark face, was still sitting there calmly.
I, Lin Han, need to give you face as an old man? You really treat yourself like a dish!
No matter how awesome you are in the Dudu Mansion, will there be any intersection between us in the future?
Zhang Mao pretended that he had not seen Lin Han's indifference towards him, and smiled and said to Zhang Zhou: "My nephew Bingkuan is also my benefactor, Mr. Zhang. The dog has been ill and bedridden for many years, and he relies on him to treat illnesses and save people. So after he entered the court,
, I will definitely support you with all my heart!”
The Jinshi all cast envious glances.
But there are still people who are thinking about it.
Did you, Old Man Zhang, drink too much?
Do you support him? With his current status, I am afraid that if you want to ask him for support, he will not pay attention to you, right?
Most of the Jinshi present only knew that Zhang Zhou treated the princess, predicted palace disasters, and helped Wang Weining win the great victory in the northwest. They also did not know from the previous notices how much the emperor relied on Zhang Zhou, nor did they know that Zhang Zhou was now
He was the emperor's most trusted advisor who frequently visited the palace.
They only regarded Zhang Zhou as a meritorious minister. Only a few people knew that Zhang Zhou's current status in the eyes of the emperor was even worse than that of Li Guang in his heyday.
"The British gentleman is so polite." Zhang Zhou returned the greeting with a smile.
Zhang Mao said: "Come and drink this cup to the full."
…
…
The atmosphere at Enrong Banquet was very strange.
Because Zhang Mao and others were just hanging around Zhang Zhou alone, most Jinshis present were left out. After all, Jinshis only had one chance to attend the Enrong Banquet in their lives. They didn't know whether the top picks in the past got special treatment, or whether it was just today.
That's right.
When the banquet is about to end.
Zhang Zhou picked up the wine glass and walked to Tang Yin. Tang Yin looked at Zhang Zhou with a strange look on his face.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Brother Tang, it's time to honor our bet, right? You and I made an appointment to judge the ranking based on the ranking in the palace examination. Now that you lose, you won't just deny it, right?"
Everyone present fell silent.
Even Zhang Mao and other high-ranking officials came over to join in the fun.
Zhang Maodao: "Bingkuan, I have also heard about your bet. It means that if you win, you will let Jiangnan Yayuan become your disciple, right?"
"Where is the master?" Tang Yin took a breath and said calmly.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "My master traveled all over the world, and I didn't know where he was, so I accepted his disciples on my behalf."
This means that you don’t need to find a mentor anymore.
Just go to me as your senior brother. People say that the eldest brother is your father. I am your eldest senior brother. You can treat me as your master.
