Xu Zengshou was stunned for a moment when he heard what Li Jinglong said, but Li Jinglong himself didn't notice it and continued: "There is one more thing that brothers should ask for help."
"What's the matter?" Xu Zengshou came back to his senses and asked.
"I heard," Li Jinglong lowered his voice and said, "Brother Xu was recently ordered by His Majesty to formulate a new official evaluation regulations. From now on, all military generals who do not have hereditary official positions will be evaluated according to the new evaluation regulations when they leave office. It is said that this regulations is different from the previous regulations.
The difference is not small. Zengshou, can you reveal some of the terms to me first? So I can be prepared."
"Official Evaluation Regulations? What is this?" Xu Zengshou said in confusion.
"Zengshou, please stop pretending to be stupid in front of your brother. Most of the governor's office knows about this, but they don't know how it will be formulated. What did Yun Gong hide from you?" Li Jinglong said with a smile: "You don't have to tell everything to your brother.
, just say it briefly."
"But I really don't know." Xu Zengshou paused and said.
"You paused just now, which shows that you are lying. If it's true that Yun Gong didn't tell you anything, why did you pause just now?" Li Jinglong said with some dissatisfaction: "If you don't want to say it, you don't want to say it. Such nonsense
What are you lying about?"
"Brother Jiujiang, I really didn't lie, I really didn't know." Xu Zengshou said again with a sincere look on his face.
"That's all, if you don't want to say it, then you don't want to say it. I'll just treat it as if you really don't know." Li Jinglong said to him with a sullen expression on his face and turned around to chat with the others.
Xu Zengshou also breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to look at Xu Huizu, as if he wanted to say something to him, but when he saw Zhang Shu and Cao Xing sitting next to him talking, he opened his mouth and swallowed the words for the time being. Moreover.
At this time, Xiao Yong, who had finished the wedding ceremony, had also come to the front hall to entertain them. The servants brought fragrant meals to them. He had no time to talk to Xu Huizu.
The banquet lasted for a long time. Although most of the people present were not friends with each other, not giving face at the wedding was to underestimate the clan, or even to underestimate the emperor. How could any of the nobles do such a thing?
What a silly thing, everyone worked together to make the banquet lively and lively, which gave them enough face, or in other words, expressed the importance they attached to the clan.
Of course he was very happy. Of course he also knew that these people were doing it for the sake of the princess and not for him. At the beginning of last year, his father even called himself brothers to some of the stewards outside the noble mansion, and he had no respect for these people.
But since they are so polite to him today for the sake of the princess, and even show a closeness to him, they will not turn away their family for the sake of the princess in the future, and their family may integrate into the noble class.
.
'I just hope that my family can integrate into the nobility as soon as possible.' He thought so, and at the same time glanced at his father Xiao Zhuo who was entertaining guests at another table. 'If my family can further serve His Majesty and let His Majesty favor our family, these honorable nobility will
will be more willing for us to integrate in. I hope that Your Majesty can assign my family's work so that we can serve Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty.';
'Speaking of which, the eunuch Lu Yi who often came to my house a while ago to deliver His Majesty's oral instructions to me would always go to my father's room to sit for a while. It could be said that he was asking for a bribe.
Yes, but it's not like you have to pay a lot of money every time you come, right? Does your Majesty have something to tell your father?';
As he was thinking this, he heard the person in front of him say again: "Xiao Prince Consort, I have to take my leave."
"Master Zhang, I'm sorry. Just now I suddenly remembered something. I'm really sorry. I'm sorry." He bowed quickly and said.
After he sent away all the top nobles of the Ming Dynasty, the other guests had almost left. He turned to look at his father Xiao Zhuo and saw that although the weather was still warm and cold at this time, his forehead was covered with sweat.
He quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. "Father, you have worked really hard."
"What's so hard about this, father?" Xiao Zhuo said with a smile, "Even if you don't have Princess Shang, wouldn't the father still have to organize the wedding? Seeing off the guests is the same as it is now."
"But those people are not enough to make Father you sweat so much on your forehead." He continued.
"Our family was originally a businessman, and these nobles naturally don't think highly of our family. So," Xiao Zhuo patted his shoulder and said, "His Majesty did not win you in this test. I will do a good job when His Majesty wins you in the future."
Officer, listen to your majesty and do whatever your majesty asks you to do. When you become a high official, the nobles will no longer dare to look down on our family."
"You don't have to be a high official. It's the same for serving Your Majesty in other matters. Father," he lowered his voice and said, "These days, Eunuch Lu always goes to Father after giving His Majesty's instructions.
Please sit in the room for a while, but what errands does your Majesty have for father?"
"I do have an errand to tell my father." Xiao Zhuo was silent for a moment and said.
"What's going on?" he asked again.
"You don't need to ask what it is, it has nothing to do with you."
"Father," I asked again, but was interrupted by Xiao Zhuo: "You just need to study hard and let all the officials and scholars in the capital think that you will be a Jinshi with your talent and learning. Don't ask too much about anything else."
"Yes, father." He is still very curious, but he knows Xiao Zhuo's temper. No matter how much you ask, he will not be able to tell you what he doesn't want to say to you. Instead, it will make him very angry, so he can only agree.
The father and son exchanged a few more words, and Xiao Zhuo told him: "Yong'er, my father is going to go on a long trip in two days to go to Bao'an Shipping Department. If you have anything to do, or if you don't have enough money, please call me."
Shopkeeper Zhang."
"Yes, father." He agreed.
"Okay, hurry up and go back to the house to accompany the princess. It's getting late, but you can't neglect the princess. Moreover, it's best to get the princess pregnant right away. Not only will you be pregnant, but it will also be a blessing to our family."
Great thing!" Xiao Zhuo finally said with a smile.
...
...
On the other side, the Xu family was on their way back home.
"Brother, this man named Xiao Zhuo is not an ordinary man. He doesn't look like a businessman. Not only has he practiced martial arts, but he must also be very skilled in martial arts. He must have seen blood kills before. That kind of magnanimity is enough for him to face so many people."
An honorable noble's magnanimity is not something you can achieve by relying on your son to marry a princess." Xu Yingxu rode on his horse and said to Xu Huizu while riding towards his home.
"I've seen blood and killed people. How can you tell?" Xu Qin asked.
"You will know after you go to the battlefield and kill a few people. People who have killed people are different from ordinary people." Xu Yingxu replied. He also led troops to fight in the past, although later he remained in the army because of his mediocre talent.
He was an official in the imperial court, but when he was around 20, he led thousands of troops to fight against the Mongols and personally killed several Mongolian soldiers.
Xu Qin wanted to ask again, but Xu Huizu said with a cold face: "If you want to know, just go and lead the troops to fight and kill a few people yourself and you will know!"
"Look at you, you are the oldest of your generation in our family, but Jingchang has already gone to the battlefield and fought, and you are still staying at home, are you ashamed?" Xu Huizu scolded again.
Hearing his father's scolding, Xu Qin immediately shrank his neck and did not dare to ask any more questions. In the eyes of most people in the Xu family, Xu Huizu was a very good person. He always cared deeply about his brothers, nephews and nieces.
He is also very kind to his servants, and he takes great care of the soldiers who have shed blood for his family. He constantly rewards them on weekdays. During the New Year, he will personally visit the families of the soldiers who died in battle and the disabled soldiers. If he sees them
If there is anything bad at all, the servant who is responsible for distributing rewards will be demoted to do the hardest and most tiring work. Everyone in the family will praise him.
But when it comes to his own children, he has a different look. He is very strict with them, even harsh. He often picks up a wooden stick or other convenient objects to beat Xu Qin. So what Xu Qin is most afraid of is
Even meeting His Majesty the Emperor is easier than being scolded by his own father.
"Brother, Qin'er is still young, so there's no need to talk to him like that." Xu Yingxu advised.
"Still young? He is the same age as his fourth sister. He is already twenty-three this year. He is still young! Do you wait until you are thirty or forty years old before you grow up?" Xu Huizu asked again. Xu Yingxu didn't mention his age, but it was okay.
Xu Huizu was even more angry: "You are one year older than Jingchang. Jingchang has already been promoted to the rank of commander by virtue of his merits. In two years, he can be promoted to the rank of commander as long as he makes no mistakes. As for you, you are still just a deputy in the guard station."
Qianhu!"
Seeing that his words of persuasion had backfires, Xu Yingxu felt anxious and reached out to pat Xu Zengshou: "Fourth brother, I am clumsy. Please come and persuade me."
"Huh? Second brother, what were you talking about just now?" Xu Zengshou came back to his senses and asked.
"What were you thinking just now? You were so absorbed that you didn't even hear me talking to my eldest brother?"
"There are some very important things." Xu Zengshou replied and asked Xu Huizu: "Brother, my younger brother has something to talk to his eldest brother."
"We'll talk about it when we get home." Xu Huizu intuitively felt that what Xu Zengshou wanted to say was definitely not a family matter, but something related to the court, so he said this.
"Yes, brother." Xu Zengshou agreed without saying much.
After a while they returned to their house. Xu Zengshou drove Xu Qin, Xu Jingchang and others back to his house, leaving only the three brothers. Then he asked Xu Huizu: "Brother, when we were in Princess Changshan's house just now, Jiujiang and
I said, brother, you are formulating the official evaluation regulations according to His Majesty's instructions. Is there anything wrong with this?"
"So that's what you asked." Xu Huizu's face became more relaxed: "It is true."
"Zengshou, you want to ask why I didn't tell you about this matter. His Majesty ordered this matter to be kept secret and not to be disclosed. Although some people in the Governor's Mansion already knew about it, you must listen to His Majesty's instructions, otherwise be careful
It is not good for our family to keep it in mind. Your Majesty actually knows about those people who inquire in private, and your Majesty will definitely keep it in mind."
"Secondly, I read through the draft from beginning to end and felt that it had nothing to do with our family, so I didn't tell you."
"Brother, there must be a reason why the eldest brother didn't tell the younger brother, and he would never harm us. The younger brother is not blaming the elder brother for not telling me this, but he has something very important to say to you, eldest brother."
Xu Zengshou said: "Brother, you taught us the saying that when the moon is full, it is waning. My younger brother has always kept it in mind. But in my younger brother's opinion, the things my elder brother has done these days seem to have forgotten these words."
."
"Our family has been designated as the number one contributor to the founding of the country as early as the late emperor (after Li Shanchang was killed). Whether it is the ancestral temple or the portrait temple, it is ranked first. Although the power in the army was weakened in the last years of Hongwu,
But he is still one of the best in the army."
"How about you, brother? The year before last, as the president, you led an army of millions to defeat the Xilu and made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. Even if a person who has never had a hereditary before has made such a great contribution, it is enough to make him a marquis or even a prince.
He is respected by all the people and worshiped by the soldiers, not to mention that the eldest brother has a reputation as a virtuous man and his reputation is unparalleled."
"According to what you taught your younger brother, my Xu family should have withdrawn and retreated at this time, but the younger brother did not see his elder brother retreating. Instead, he took a step closer and became the governor of the Metropolitan Governor's Office. Geng Bingwen often asked for leave when he got older.
Resting at home, the eldest brother is responsible for most things in the Governor's Mansion, which is almost equivalent to assuming the position of Governor."
"Recently, brother, you have taken on the task of formulating a new military commander evaluation regulations. Although such a task is important, it is more likely to arouse everyone's taboo, and even make my Xu family jealous of all other nobles; the emperor's favor is not enough.
Our Xu family is already so powerful, and sooner or later His Majesty will be taboo. At that time, if His Majesty is tabooed above and there are other nobles below, our Xu family will be in great trouble!" (To be continued)
