The monarch and his ministers chatted for a while, and Zhang Yanling talked about the emperor's wedding.
Zhu Houzhao immediately frowned and said, "The queen asked you to mention this, right? She is really worried."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "You can't blame the Queen Mother for worrying. The Emperor is already seventeen this year. Even a child from an ordinary family will have to talk about marriage at the age of seventeen, let alone the Emperor. Besides, the mother is worried about her son's marriage.
, isn’t that a matter of course?”
Zhu Houzhao said: "It's right to worry, but does it have to be so urgent? So what if it's two years late? Didn't my uncle marry the princess of Dingguo Palace only when he was nineteen?"
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "The emperor is the most respected person in the world. How can the emperor's marriage be compared with that of the ministers? The emperor's marriage is not only his own business, but also the Ming Dynasty's business. It is a major event related to the country, the country, and the continuation of the country. Personality
For the Ming Emperor, this
It is the responsibility of the emperor. He cannot be as casual as ordinary people. Ordinary people are still single and cannot marry a wife, right? The inner palace is empty, the six palaces are ownerless, and the hearts of the subjects in the world are also unstable. This principle,
The emperor should know very well."
Zhu Houzhao smacked his lips and said: "I understand what my uncle means. In fact, it's not that I don't want to get married, I just don't like the one in my heart. I don't like any of the beautiful girls selected in the palace. I want to make the beautiful girl in the leopard room my wife."
Queen, but even Liu Jin can’t say it’s right. I’m a little annoyed.”
Zhang Yanling rolled his eyes and thought to himself: You are too willful. What you like are those charming and charming women in the Leopard Room. Those women are to your liking, but if you become a queen, you are probably going crazy.
"Your Majesty, the Queen must be a mother to the world. She must be well-behaved, virtuous and gentle. She must not be willful. The Emperor likes other women, even if he is canonized as a concubine, it is okay. The position of Queen is absolutely unacceptable. Don't talk about Liu Jin.
If it's not right, I'm afraid the entire Ming Dynasty won't agree. As for whether you like it or not, it has nothing to do with whether you get married or not. After the emperor gets married, he can still pamper the woman he likes, and no one will stop you, right?
?”
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while, nodded and said: "Well, it seems that this matter is indeed going to be done. Then we will find a time to discuss it. The girl from the Xia family chosen by the queen is quite good, and I don't dislike her, so I also agreed with the queen.
I wish, let her be the master for once."
Zhang Yanling said happily: "I will make arrangements when I get back. Please ask the princes and princes to come forward to discuss the arrangements and hold the ceremony as soon as possible."
Zhu Houzhao smiled and said: "Uncle, you took the trouble."
After settling this matter, Zhang Yanling felt a little better. She didn't care whether Zhu Houzhao got married or not. If history had not been distorted and changed, Zhu Houzhao would have had no heirs. Marriage or not was irrelevant to Zhang Yanling.
However, this was a matter of concern to the Queen Mother, so I helped her fulfill her wish, which gave her as a mother some comfort. After becoming a queen, the relationship between mother and son might also be eased.
Seeing that it was getting late, the Queen Mother would send someone to the palace in the evening to deliver the message, so there was no need to delay. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, I have one more thing that I have not reported to the Emperor. It is about the affairs of Prince Qing's Mansion. Today in the palace, I said that I wanted to explain this matter to the Emperor. I must explain it clearly to the Emperor."
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said with a smile: "There is no need to explain. My uncle guarantees that Prince Qing's Mansion has nothing to do with the rebellion. I believe what he says. If I don't even believe what he says, who can I trust?"
…
As the sun set, Zhang Yanling rode his horse and walked slowly on the street. The sun shone on Zhang Yanling's face and his frowning brows.
Logically speaking, today is a good day. Being promoted to the deputy governor of the regiment camp is definitely a huge compliment. It means that Zhang Yanling has officially entered the decision-making circle of the Xungui Group.
Zhang Yanling, as the son-in-law of Xu Guangzuo, Duke of Dingguo, and as a relative of the current state, is actually a figure that cannot be ignored in the Xungui Group, and his status has long entered the inner circle.
However, being the admiral of the regiment camp was actually the pinnacle of the careers of most nobles in the Ming Dynasty. The position of admiral of the regiment camp was limited, and the regiment camp was the core military force in the Beijing camp. Being able to admiral the regiment camp was already the pinnacle of the careers of the nobles.
The pinnacle of dreams.
The marquises of the regimental camp, the marquises of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, and the generals of some local border towns are the core figures of the noble group. They can reach such heights, but in fact many of them no longer have any
Pursuit. Because without great grace, it would be difficult for them to further enter the decision-making circle.
The core circle is not the same as the decision-making circle. There are many leading marquis and counts, but there are only a few who can really speak out.
The governor-general and deputy governor-general of the Fifth Army Governor's Office, the governor-general and deputy governor-general of the regiment camp, these positions are already beyond the reach of most nobles. It seems that they all have a chance, but in fact they are just illusory possibilities.
Entering the decision-making circle must have real status and real power as the basis.
Since the Chenghua period, all British princes have held the position of governor of regiments and camps. This position has almost become a hereditary position in the British princes. This is also the case for the governors of the Fifth Army Governor's Office and the governors of each army. Xu Guangzuo
He is already the third generation of Dingguo Gongfu to hold the post of Governor of the Fifth Army Commandery.
It may seem unreasonable, but in the Ming Dynasty, this was the most reasonable thing.
Among the core decision-making circles of nobles, the position of regimental governor and deputy governor is undoubtedly the most valuable.
As the main force in the Beijing camp, the Tuanying had nearly 120,000 soldiers and horses. It was the core force of the more than 200,000 troops inside and outside the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Its important status is self-evident.
Although the 12th regiment and camp are nominally controlled by the Ministry of War, according to normal procedures, the Ministry of War has the power to mobilize troops, and the governor-general can only lead the army and obey orders. In other words, the governor of the regiment and camp Zhang Mao also has to listen to the dispatch of the minister of the Ministry of War. But the fact is that
Not so.
As the core force that guards the capital, the Tuanying is put in charge by nobles because the nobles and the royal family have a community of interests and can be absolutely trusted. The leading generals of the Tuanying only obey the orders of one person, so
It's the Emperor. Although this is against the rules, it is an ironclad fact. The most the Ministry of War can do is make some comments on money, taxes, weapons and equipment. When it comes to deploying troops, Zhang Mao and others need to nod.
In times of emergency, Zhang Mao even had the power to deploy troops independently without the permission of the Ministry of War. This power came from the emperor's absolute trust, from the special status of the nobles, and from their privileges.
The deputy governor of the regiment has two permanent seats to assist the governor in commanding the military affairs of the regiment. There are 120,000 regiment soldiers and horses, and there are only two deputy governors under the governor, which shows his status.
Although Zhang Yanling knew that he, the deputy governor, must not dominate the guests. Zhang Yanling had also decided to keep a low profile on major military affairs and let the British Duke and Young Master Zhang Lun decide everything. He still focused his energy on Zhenwei Camp.
on matters.
However, the position of deputy governor of the regiment was obviously a huge leap, giving Zhang Yanling real power to participate in decision-making on major military affairs.
It is one thing to use power or not, but another thing to have it. Being humble and low-key is one thing, but having the right to speak at critical times is another thing. This is a huge difference.
Therefore, it stands to reason that Zhang Yanling should be very happy. This is actually the position that Zhang Yanling dreams of. The more power you have, the more you can control your own destiny, and the more you can reverse the nightmare in the future. This is undoubtedly something worthy of happy celebration.
.
However, at this moment, the joy in Zhang Yanling's heart was shrouded in a shadow. Especially after the long conversation with Zhu Houzhao, Zhang Yanling felt a lingering irritability and uneasiness in her heart that was difficult to eliminate.
Liu Jin's position in Zhu Houzhao's mind is unbreakable, and this guy has successfully taken control of the situation.
It seems that Liu Jin is acting as a shield for Zhu Houzhao, doing his dirty work for him and resisting the open and cold arrows inside and outside the court. At critical times, he can also become a scapegoat and be sacrificed. But Zhang Yanling has a strong feeling that Liu Jin is taking advantage of Zhu Houzhao's mentality.
Take the initiative to become this shield. In this case, Liu Jin can legitimately achieve his personal goals and get support from Zhu Houzhao in all aspects.
Even if Zhu Houzhao knew that Liu Jin was doing something wrong, he would not punish Liu Jin. He thought this was support for Liu Jin, but in fact, I am afraid that Liu Jin took advantage of this and kidnapped Zhu Houzhao.
Sadly, Zhu Houzhao himself probably knew nothing about this situation. If others pointed it out, he might think it was a criticism of Liu Jin. Zhang Yanling was aware of this and kept silent.
Liu Jin was becoming more and more proficient in playing with power and the emperor's psychology. The castrated dog's strategies were becoming more and more sophisticated. This guy had a backup plan for the Ningxia Town incident, and she almost fell into his hands.
Perhaps everything was not planned by Liu Jin, but by the comrades around Liu Jin who relied on him to make suggestions for him. But even so, it also shows that Liu Jin's power is getting stronger and stronger, and there are capable and strategic people around him.
More and more, which makes him more and more feared.
Liu Jin must be eliminated. This person must not be allowed to run free any longer. Otherwise, this person will be a great threat to the generals. With the emperor under his control, he will be able to act unscrupulously, both personally and as a whole.
As far as the Ming Dynasty was concerned, this person must be eliminated as soon as possible.
Another thing that made Zhang Yanling feel worried was the emperor's attitude towards what she saw in Hebei. In fact, the emperor didn't take it seriously at all, but felt that he was lying.
Zhang Yanling always felt that if things in Hebei were not corrected, something big would happen. He hoped that Zhu Houzhao would pay attention to this matter. But obviously, Zhu Houzhao probably didn't listen at all.
In the past, Zhang Yanling might have cared less about these things. But after seeing what the people suffered, Zhang Yanling's mood has changed. Zhang Yanling has begun to regret his original behavior of encouraging Liu Jin to reform finance, taxation and land.
If something terrible happened, and if we trace the source, I am afraid that I am the one who planted the evil consequences. I opened Pandora's box, but now I have no way to close it. Then I am not the culprit.
If this incident resulted in a catastrophe, how could I feel at ease?
It was precisely because of these thoughts that hung in his mind that Zhang Yanling couldn't laugh at all on this supposedly happy day.
The sun was setting in the west, and the sunlight shone on Zhang Yanling's face, golden and dazzling and hot.
Zhang Yanling rode his horse and walked slowly along the bustling streets of the capital with his entourage. For a moment, Zhang Yanling felt as if he was walking in a deserted wilderness, lonely and helpless, confused and pessimistic.