It was a good thing that Zhang Mao didn't say anything, but when he came forward, the civil servants felt their heads were as big as a bucket.
Is this a court debate?
It was simply a large-scale family recognition scene.
Zhang Zhou raised the flagpole and waved his arms. The emperor and I are on the same side. My opinion is to fight Liaodong. Who is in favor and who is against? Then the civil servants and Wu Xun present began to find their own teams to stand on.
If Zhang Zhou was still a little "lonely" before, with only the support of the emperor and no support from the courtiers, but with Zhang Mao stepping out, it actually means that the civil servants and Wu Xun have taken sides.
And Zhang Zhou was the trigger of the whole thing.
Xie Qian also had a headache at this time.
He knew this was not a debate.
Right now, I'm just talking about my position, no reason.
He asked: "Mr. British, based on your many years of experience in guarding the capital, do you think this thing can have the effect of turning the tide of the war on the battlefield?"
It can be said to be a curse word without using any curse words.
Isn’t your British father an honorable minister who guards the capital? Do you have any actual experience in leading troops? Which battles on the border of the Ming Dynasty did you participate in? You can even say which one you participated in the planning!
The purpose of Xie Qian's words is actually to remind Zhang Mao, you old boy, don't take sides casually. Our civil servants were quite good to you before. Don't mess up the harmony between our civil servants and Wu Xun for the sake of the sudden rise of Zhang Bingkuan.
relationship and order.
Zhang Mao said: "I dare not say anything else, but I can be sure of this."
"well!"
Xie Qian sighed heavily on purpose, shook his head and took a few steps back.
In fact, he just wanted to tell those civil servants that you have also been invited to fight, and such a fight is completely meaningless.
It's just a matter of standing and not being reasonable. This guy Zhang Zhou seems to have made it clear that he wants to go against us, so if you try to reason with him, he won't talk to you head-on.
There is no reason to argue, and it simply won't work in this matter.
Zhu Youtang was very satisfied with Zhang Mao's appearance. He nodded and said: "When I went out of the city to pray for rain, the British minister did not accompany me, but went to Zhang Qing's house to watch the ceremony. It seems that I gained something.
."
"Exactly." Zhang Mao was no longer vague.
As a military officer, why should you consider issues from a civilian standpoint?
There was no way before.
In the past, there were sycophants around the emperor, and they were also Li Guang and his ilk. Li Guang and others could help some ministers, but could they help a nobleman like the British Duke? But now that Zhang Zhou has risen, Zhang Mao has to make a choice.
Very decisive.
If you can kick your civil servants away, but you still don't, then you are a fool.
Don’t you know what it means to have an iron-clad camp and a flowing soldier? You civil servants are the soldiers who are flowing in the court, and we, the ministers, are the stable foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Youtang said: "In this case, the war in Liaodong will be judged by the results. Retreat from the court!"
…
…
The emperor didn't want to hear this meaningless argument anymore.
He felt sorry for Zhang Zhou.
After the dynasty was dismissed, Zhu Youtang called Zhang Zhou to the Qianqing Palace alone, and even Dai Yi and others were dismissed, meaning that he wanted to "apologise" to Zhang Zhou alone.
"Bingkuan, I shouldn't have let you go. I originally wanted you to live in harmony with the ministers of the DPRK, but now it seems... alas!"
In Zhu Youtang's view, in this court meeting, Zhang Zhou nominally shouldered the firepower of the civil servants for him, allowing the civil servants to transfer their doubts about the emperor's use of troops to Zhang Zhou.
Zhang Zhou successfully aroused the hostility and anger of those civil servants.
Although the pressure on him as the emperor has been reduced a lot, Zhang Zhou has been pushed to the forefront and has to bear the pressure on his behalf.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Your Majesty, it doesn't matter. This is the duty of an minister."
Zhang Zhou didn't care.
On the contrary, Zhang Zhou also felt that... today's court debate had reached his position of "building a character".
This persona was meant to be seen not only by civil officials but also by the emperor.
This is not the case.
The emperor felt that he was wronged. He could live in harmony with the civil servants with his tail between his legs. However, in order to help him as the emperor, he had a serious quarrel with the civil servants, and he might not be able to be an official in the future.
As for Wen Chen...did he lose?
Zhang Zhou feels that he has not lost, and of course he has not won. This kind of personal statement will only hold a sense of hatred for the middle and lower-level civil servants, thinking that Zhang Zhou is an uncontrollable factor in the court and wants to destroy him. He suppressed it.
But if it were people like Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, who knew that suppression was not allowed and still continued to do so, then the person who seemed to be inseparable from the emperor in the end was not Zhang Zhou, but the group of civil servants, right?
Zhu Youtang said: "Maybe it's better to let you serve as an official in the East Palace all the time. Sometimes I can't control the things in the court."
Zhang Zhoudao: "Your Majesty, regarding the invasion of Tatars and the three guards of Duoyan, it was proposed by me. If I don't take responsibility for this matter, then I would be very irresponsible. Please don't feel sorry for me anymore, I will." I believe that the ministers and ministers in the court are also people with a broad mind, and they should discuss matters as they arise, and they should not treat others wrongly."
"Um."
Zhu Youtang thought about it for a while.
If Liu Jian and Li Dongyang make irresponsible remarks because of Zhang Zhou's behavior, regardless of whether things are right or wrong, then their previous trust in him will be in vain.
Coupled with the fact that he felt guilty towards Zhang Zhou, his tone became much softer when he spoke.
…
…
The three members of the cabinet gradually returned to the cabinet to check the room.
As soon as he came back and before he could sit down, Xie Qian looked very annoyed. Although he usually has a good temper, he was so upset by Zhang Zhou today.
Even he himself didn't know why this happened.
Li Dongyang said: "Yu Qiao, you have fallen into the trap this guy set for you. I can see now that he had no intention of being reasonable with you from the very beginning. Every word he said was to poke holes in the gap between our positions. , he even deliberately showed his incompetence during the court debate to arouse your momentum, but the ultimate purpose is just to let His Majesty know that he is not from the same group as us."
Xie Qian frowned when he heard this: "Is this good for him?"
Li Dongyang first looked at the silent Liu Jian, then shook his head and said: "Obviously, he puts His Majesty's intentions first in everything, and is even willing to take responsibility for His Majesty in employing people. As a result, His Majesty and his hearts are getting closer. , and the heart becomes further and further away from us.”
"hiss……"
Xie Qian took a breath through his teeth.
"No wonder. From the beginning, I didn't think this boy was right, but I still felt that I couldn't compete with him. Now I think about it because of His Majesty's complete trust and support for him. Isn't he arrogant because of his favor?"
Xie Qian's question was not only for Li Dongyang, but also for Liu Jian.
It is difficult for Li Dongyang to answer this question.
The so-called "arrogance based on favor" is also a false proposition. If Zhang Zhou really has the capital to be proud, others can play like this.
Liu Jiandao: "If the battle in Liaodong turns out as he deduced, and An Bianbo and others can even win the battle, then military and political affairs in the court will be detrimental to us."
"Yeah." Li Dongyang nodded, as if that was what he was worried about.
Liu Jian looked at Li Dongyang and said: "Today the British Lord came forward, what do you think?"
Li Dongyang was a little angry at Zhang Mao's betrayal, but he still said seriously: "Zhang Zhou's move is clearly to express to His Majesty that as long as he has his own plans, the people in the Governor's Mansion will cooperate with him, and he will gradually win the honor of his ministers.
With the support of the border areas, there seems to be no other way in the future except to participate in his 'unauthorized use of power'."
Xie Qian asked: "Then how should I suppress him in the future?"
"It can't be suppressed!" Li Dongyang changed his previous tough attitude towards Zhang Zhou and stood aside with Liu Jian. It seems that he now understands Liu Jian's previous difficulties when he selected the number one pick.
Li Dongyang said: "Isn't Zhang Bingkuan's move actually telling us that cooperation will benefit both sides and division will hurt both sides?"
"he……"
Xie Qian was speechless.
Xie Qian still has a brain.
After Li Dongyang's prompting, he understood that Zhang Zhou seemed to have said so much in the court, but in fact it was all unnecessary nonsense.
The key is not what he said, but the position he expressed, the emperor's attitude towards him, and the position of the North Korean civil servant Wu Xun after he spoke.
There is no point in arguing with others in a debate. It is meaningless to care about the pros and cons of the scene. The key depends on the purpose of the debate... It seems that Zhang Zhou and them tied or even lost on the court, but off the court
, Zhang Zhou won a great victory.
Liu Jian said in a deep tone: "It seems that he had planned everything before he said those words in the court. He didn't take the initiative to show his kindness, but he was actually waiting for us to take the initiative to accept him!"
"If he is the number one scholar, there is no harm in accepting him, but he is an alchemist!" Xie Qian was a little unwilling.
Li Dongyang kept it secret and said: "Actually, what Mr. Liu Ge wants to say is that Zhang Bingkuan wants us to accept his identity as an alchemist. Is that what he means?"
Liu Jian nodded in agreement.
Then Liu Jiandao: "There is still room for relaxation, so we are not in a hurry to make a conclusion. But we should not have any more head-on conflicts with him."
…
…
When Zhang Mao and Wu Xun came out of the palace, Wang Yong, the uncle of Chengshan, deliberately approached Zhang Mao. Facing an old man Zhang who was overjoyed, Wang Yong couldn't help but ask: "Old Zhang, what are you happy about?"
As the uncle of Chengshan, Wang Yong had previously worked with Sui'an Bo and Chen Shao to supervise the Twelve Regiment Camps in Beijing. He had great powers. However, due to the dissatisfaction of Zhenyuan Marquis Gu Pu, he was impeached and resigned from his post in the tenth year of Hongzhi.
Today, they are still unemployed, and in recent years, Zhenyuan Hou Gu Pu's position in Beijing has been growing, posing a great threat to the British Duke Zhang Mao.
Wang Yong knew that his relationship with Gu Pu was not good, so now his goal is very clear, which is to establish a good relationship with Zhang Mao and strive to return to the capital camp as soon as possible.
Seeing Zhang Mao standing in line in the court, of course he came to ask what he could do.
Zhang Mao looked at him with squinted eyes and said, "Isn't it a good thing now that someone can stand up to the imperial cabinet and the old ministers who are monolithic in the DPRK?"
"Isn't this... a bit difficult? He is the top pick."
Although Wang Yong wanted to curry favor with Zhang Zhou like an ordinary martial artist, he couldn't even find a way out.
For him, it would be good to be able to curry favor with Zhang Mao.
Moreover, Zhang Zhou is still a Jinshi. In his opinion, he may have to join the civil servants sooner or later... Moreover, the problem with Wang Yong is not that the civil servants are targeting him. As for the civil and military struggle, it probably only comes to Zhang Mao.
Only this class would care about it. Ordinary ministers have no time to worry about matters of this level.
"The number one scholar? Do you think what he said in the court today sounded like what a champion would say? He put himself in a position of opposition to the civil servants! What a pity, Xie Yuqiao and the others still want to use the same methods they used to deal with Li Guang and others.
I think that if I continue to participate in the impeachment, I can change His Majesty's mind, but I don't know how capable Zhang Bingkuan is!"
"Their move was wrong!"
Wang Yong was even more puzzled after hearing this: "Even if you are a new rich man, you still can't compete with Mr. Xie Ge and the others, right?"
"Hahaha." Zhang Mao said with a smile, "Whether you are qualified to compete depends on who your Majesty trusts. Do you think I would only help Zhang Bingkuan because he has the ability? Ability is one thing, but whether he can gain His Majesty's trust.
, is another matter. The order of the court is not determined by the preferences of civil servants, and we cannot influence the overall situation. It depends on who your Majesty trusts and who you use!"
"They can't deal with Li Guang, who has no abilities at all. How can they deal with Zhang Bingkuan, who was born in the top 10, and who has achieved God's will? They chose the wrong path from the beginning, and they didn't even realize it!"
Wang Yong asked: "Then, do you want to meet... this Zhang Gongsheng?"
"You are still called Gongsheng? You are the number one scholar! Even Dai Gonggong, who is the Supervisor of Ceremonies, they call him Mr. You should put away your contempt and arrogance, otherwise you will be like Xie Yuqiao and others, unable to even do basic assessment of the situation.
arrive!"
"The weather is nice today, I want to go back and have two more drinks! Haha!"
…
…
After Zhang Zhou discussed the situation in Liaodong with Zhu Youtang, he left the palace under the guidance of Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing was also very concerned and said on the way: "Mr. Zhang, what did you say to those senior members of the Pavilion today? Whose side are you on?"
Zhang Zhou was surprised: "Why should I stand aside?"
Xiao Jing seemed to suddenly understand.
Zhang Zhou had no intention of siding with either the civil servants or Wu Xun.
"Then you still want to take the Jinshi exam?" Xiao Jing thought for a long time before adding another question.
Zhang Zhoudao: "I was originally a Gong student and a Jie Yuan student. It was only after I passed the Jie Yuan exam that today's events happened. If I had to choose, I would not take the exam, but if I were allowed to enter the court as a candidate, I would like to help Your Majesty in the future.
It’s also difficult to get things done. Does being admitted to the imperial examination mean that you have to join the mainstream civil servants in the court?”
Xiao Jing was speechless.
He really wanted to say, what you said is so insightful.
You took the exams for a long time, and won three prizes in a row. Then you won the top prize just to compete with the ministers?
How else would you say that Zhang Bingkuan is awesome?
Are you going to fight against the entire civil servants of the imperial court by yourself?
"Mr. Zhang, to put it bluntly, if we don't get along with them, I'm afraid it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the court." Xiao Jing reminded.
This was a kind word from him.
Zhang Zhoudao: "I am just a magician in their eyes. I put my face in front of them and let them beat me. After the beating, they said that my posture was not very good and they planned to change the direction and beat me again. After the beating, they said...
It doesn’t count this time, let’s continue next time. I know they can’t tolerate me. I don’t think about how to do things for His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty, but I think about how to integrate into them... Do you think I am very thick-skinned and can withstand their repeated repeated attempts?
What about torture?”
"hehe."
Xiao Jing smiled bitterly.
"Okay, our family understands that you do not intend to join the civil servants of the DPRK. If you have something to do in the future, you can just let us know and we can help you."
Xiao Jing was embarrassed to say that since ancient times, it would be useless to oppose civil servants.
Because the power of public opinion is in the hands of others.
If you don't do what they want, they will ask the historian to label you a rebellious minister. Even if His Majesty trusts you now, he will use various means to pull you down after the new emperor ascends the throne... Wait, the new emperor will
Emperor...
Xiao Jing suddenly realized something.
Is Zhang Zhou only doing things in front of the current emperor? The prince's side...
oops.
Xiao Jing understood immediately.
Zhang Zhou planned to engage in a "long-term struggle" with civil servants.
The roads are paved.
First get along with the current emperor, and then teach the prince well. Then in the next few decades... or even when the prince has a child, he will teach him again... What does Zhang Zhou care about what the civil servants think? The emperor is boss, he is old
Two... Wen Chen is following behind?
"Thank you so much, Eunuch Xiao, for your concern. Let me just say thank you here first." Zhang Zhou said with a smile, "I have been very busy these two days. I have to express my gratitude today, wait for the crown and court clothes to be given to me, and I have to pay a visit to the Confucian Temple in the past two days.
Don’t talk to Eunuch Xiao too much.”
"Please. If His Majesty orders you to enter the palace, our family will come to invite you in person."
"Come as little as possible!"
"Haha... we can't help it!"
…
…
Zhang Zhou was in a good mood as he sat on the carriage going home.
No matter what the attitude of the civil servants is, he is working for the emperor, so he can't get along with the civil servants?
Then don't get along.
"Sir, I heard that Mrs. Cheng Guo will be coming to the capital in the next two days. I sent someone to inform you that I would like to treat you to a banquet. Thank you for seeking a title for Uncle An Bian."
This time the driver was Liu Gui.
After Liu Gui arrived in the capital, he first helped take care of the business, but then he realized that he wanted to follow Zhang Zhou's horse and horse, and soon replaced the honest Jia Laoshui as Zhang Zhou's chief coachman.
Zhang Zhou said: "Mrs. Cheng Guotai? No, she's too stingy. She doesn't give you much. What's the use of a meal? If someone comes back later, they'll say I'm busy and don't have time."
Zhang Zhouxin said.
joke.
With my current status, Zhang, do you still want to invite me to your house for a banquet?
Since you are coming to the capital, just send gold and silver to my house, and find an uncle for your grandson. Now you still have the opportunity to make meritorious service in Liaodong. Even your son was transferred to Yansui because of his relationship with me.
Commander-in-Chief, do you want to solve the problem over just one meal?
It’s really a shame for you, Duke Cheng.
Liu Gui chuckled and said, "How about you go and say it yourself?"
Zhang Zhou scolded: "You brat, don't think that I don't know that you want to fish in troubled waters. If you want to work as a disciple, then work hard as a disciple. If you want to be a coachman, then be a coachman. Don't be so evil all the time. If your salary is less, you should still be rewarded.
Missing yours?"
"Hehe, there are quite a few."
Liu Gui now feels that his investment is worth it.
It was only because I took a second look in the crowd that I discovered Zhang Zhou's gold mine. It was also because I sized up the situation at that time and knew how to sacrifice temporary interests, and that's why I ended up working as a coachman for Zhang Zhou Pidianpidian today.
Zhang Zhou lay on his back on the wall of the carriage and said with a leisurely expression: "But when the old lady from Chengguo Palace comes, the Zhu family will soon be busy. What a restless woman."
