Mou Ying said: "Fourth brother, don't ask anymore. In short, I betrayed Jingru."
Zhang Jianxiu asked: "Is it an engagement at home? Your uncles and aunts have long since traveled to immortality. Did they arrange the engagement for you before?"
Mou Ying said: "I'm not engaged, so don't ask again."
Zhang Jianxiu said: "Mou Ying, you and Jingru have been in love for more than two years, right?"
Mou Ying said: "It's been more than two years."
Zhang Jianxiu said: "You should have an explanation for her. You can't just break it off without explaining why. I am his fourth brother. I have to make the decision for her and ask you for an explanation. Our family is quiet.
It’s not that you can’t get married, there are many children from famous families who come to propose marriage, so it’s not like you have to rely on you.
"You can end the relationship, but you must give an explanation. It's not okay to just end it without mentioning it. If you hit me, it won't be justified. Today you must tell me that you are ugly, otherwise I won't agree."
Mou Ying said: "Fourth brother, why are you forcing yourself so hard? I don't want to say this."
Zhang Jianxiu was so anxious that he wanted to slap Mou Ying twice. He slammed the wine glass on the table, and the wine in the glass jumped out and splashed all around.
Zhang Jianxiu said angrily: "Mou Ying, what's wrong with you? Is there anything you can't say? If you don't tell me clearly today, we will cut off our ties and break off our friendship. From now on, you won't have me as your fourth brother.
, I don’t have a brother like you. Our relationship is only business-related, and no one should talk to each other in private. Mou Ying, let me ask you one last time, are you going to say it or not?"
Mou Ying still sat with her head bowed and said nothing.
Zhang Jianxiu slapped the table and stood up and said: "Come on! Come on! Come on! Mou Ying, our friendship for so many years is over here. Please take care of yourself, Mou Zhenfu, and I'll excuse you."
He was so angry that he even changed the name of Mou Ying to Mou Ying, Mou Zhen Fu Shi. He had never called Mou Ying that way before.
Seeing that Zhang Jianxiu was about to leave, Mou Ying said: "Fourth brother, wait a minute, I said it's still not possible, you sit down first to calm down."
Zhang Jianxiu sat down and said, "Tell me quickly, why?"
Mou Ying said: "Fourth brother, you know me well. Although I, Mou Ying, come from the Jinyiwei family and come from a famous family, everything I get today is due to my own hard work, not relying on the blessings of my ancestors."
Having said this, he paused.
Zhang Jianxiu said: "Go on, what does this have to do with you not being able to marry Jingru?"
Mou Ying added: "It's really good to marry Jingru. He has a father who is very powerful. If I, Mou Ying, marry her, I will have a successful career and be promoted step by step." At this point, he paused again.
.
Zhang Jianxiu thought about Mou Ying's words and felt that there was something in them, so he said, "Go on."
Mou Ying said: "Actually, the reason why I can't marry Jingru is very simple. I don't want people to think that I, Mou Ying, am clinging to the dragon and clinging to the phoenix, grabbing my father-in-law's tail and flying to heaven. It's that simple."
Zhang Jianxiu said: "Bah, thank you for your ability to speak out. You thought that by becoming the son-in-law of the Zhang family, the old man would be able to use his power to make you prosperous and rise to the top. Mou Ying, what are you thinking? You look down on our family too much.
It's an old man.
"Mou Ying, Mou Ying, so this is how you view our old man? Do you think that I, the commander and co-commander of the Imperial Guard Zuo, also relied on the old man's relationship to get my position? If I relied on myself, I would never be able to sit in this position.
, is that what you think?"
Mou Ying really thought so in her heart, but she was embarrassed to say it, so she said duplicity: "No, fourth brother, I didn't think about it that way."
Zhang Jianxiu said: "Don't deny it, you must think so. Mou Ying, you let me down so much." He stood up and left.
Watching Zhang Jianxiu leave angrily, Mou Ying didn't pursue him. He rarely said what he meant. If he didn't have a friendship with Zhang Jianxiu, he would speak out without any scruples. But they have a friendship, and they have been friends of life and death for many years, and they clearly feel that they are in love with each other.
I thought so, but couldn't say it out loud for fear of hurting Zhang Jianxiu.
Mou Ying recalled a limerick circulated in the capital, "The number one scholar in the list is both surnamed Zhang, and the literary star may not shine in Chu State. If my husband refuses to leave, Wu Lang will still be the courtier."
The number one scholar in the poem refers to Zhang Juzheng's third son Zhang Maoxiu, the role model refers to Zhang Juzheng's second son Zhang Sixiu, and the fifth son refers to Zhang Juzheng's youngest son Zhang Yunxiu. Yunxiu was still young at that time, just over ten years old.
Chu State refers to Zhang Juzheng's hometown. Zhang Juzheng's hometown Jingzhou was the territory of Chu State in ancient times.
In the imperial examination, the first place is the number one scholar, the second place is the second place, and the third place is the top prize.
The meaning of the poem is that both the No. 1 scholar and the No. 2 scholar are the sons of Zhang Juzheng, but they may not be selected based on their true ability. If Zhang Juzheng's first assistant continues to be the first assistant, Zhang Yunxiu can still be the No. 3 scholar when he grows up.
After the poem came out, Zhang Juzheng was furious. He called Mou Ying over and ordered the Beizhen Fusi to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Mou Ying felt that this poem was well written, and he was also aggrieved that both the number one scholar and the second place were named Zhang, so he did not investigate the matter thoroughly, but just perfunctory Zhang Juzheng, and later the matter was ignored.
Mou Ying knew everyone in the Zhang family, and he felt that Zhang Zhuangyuan and Zhang No. 2 were indeed talented, but whether they were talented enough to be the No. 1 scholar or No. 2 was still a question. If these two people were just ordinary people, Mou Ying felt that they were not good enough to become the No. 1 scholar and No. 2.
Nepotism has existed since ancient times. Not only Zhang Juzheng did this, but also powerful people in all dynasties did this. Of course, it was only like this in ancient times.
As a powerful man, Zhang Juzheng was not bent on personal gain. He also did many good things for the country and the people. For example, he consolidated national defense, rectified official administration, improved finances, and reformed taxes. These measures made the Ming Empire more prosperous and powerful to a certain extent.
It has improved the living standards of the common people. This is Zhang Juzheng's contribution and is indelible.
Mou Ying and Luo Sigong once talked about the fact that both the top pick and the second pick were named Zhang. Luo Sigong said: "Prime Minister Zhang has worked hard for the country. It doesn't matter if he gets the top pick or the second pick. It's not an exaggeration to get a few more."
Mou Ying disagreed with Zhang Juzheng's approach, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could not control others but himself. He did not want to be associated with a powerful person like Zhang Juzheng, but Zhang Jingru happened to be Zhang Juzheng's daughter, which allowed him to control
Difficult.
If he marries Zhang Jingru, his rise to prominence in the future is inevitable and cannot be stopped. Another limerick that satirizes him is likely to be circulated in the capital, and by then he will be ashamed of himself.
He cherishes his reputation like a bird cherishes its feathers. He always reminds himself that he is a descendant of Mou Bin and cannot bring shame to his ancestors. He must be an upright person and cannot give others any excuse to stab him in the back.
.
His backbone is very hard. He cannot bend under the pressure of power, cannot be bought by money, and cannot be bent by the temptation of beautiful women. But his backbone is also very soft. If he feels guilty, he does not need anyone to tell him that he cannot straighten his back. This is Mou Ying.
, a man who lives a very tiring life.
Mou Ying didn't know that the reason why he became the governor of Beizhen Fusi was because of the help of his good friend and brother Zhang Jianxiu. He naively thought that he deserved his title as the governor, but things often happened.
Even so, the authorities are blind to the confusion of others, and they are not exempt from the vulgarity.
Zhang Juzheng was famous for his nepotism and lechery. In order to get closer to him, many officials spent a lot of money to buy beautiful women and present them to him. The famous general Qi Jiguang once donated a daughter of his daughter to Zhang Juzheng.
Qi Jiguang cared for Zhang Juzheng in every possible way. He considered that the old assistant was old and it was inevitable that he would be incompetent during sexual intercourse. He heard that the sea dog whip had a miraculous effect on enhancing men's functions, so he offered this thing together with the beautiful woman.
One time, Wu Kunshan and Mou Ying were drinking together. When talking about this matter, Wu Kunshan said: "This Qi Jiguang, I never thought he could do such a dirty thing." His tone was full of contempt.
Mou Ying smiled bitterly and said: "Brother Kun, you only know one but not the other."
Wu Kunshan said doubtfully: "How?"
Mou Ying said: "General Qi leads the troops to fight with food and salary, right? Food and salary are in the hands of the powerful. If you don't curry favor with him, he will glare at you and refuse to pay you on time. Can you bear it if he delays you for several months? Soldiers have no pay.
Come on, if there is no food to eat, whoever follows you will have given up. The reason why General Qi is like this is because he has no choice but to do it as a last resort."
Wu Kunshan said: "When I heard what you said, I felt very bad. It's hard to blame General Qi. I blamed him wrongly."
That night Zhang Jianxiu returned home and told Zhang Juzheng about Mou Ying. After listening to his son's words, Zhang Juzheng sat on the Taishi chair in the study and was speechless for a long time.
Zhang Jianxiu said: "Mou Ying is so unreasonable. My child rolled his eyes by mistake and actually regarded him as a close friend. It is really ridiculous. My child plans to break up with him. From now on, I will take my Yangguan Road and he will cross his single-plank bridge.
coherent."
Zhang Juzheng picked up the tea cup, took a sip, then put it down and said: "Mou Ying is a father in vain. How could my father be as nepotistic as he said? He must have been deceived by the rumors in the market. This is how he treats his father."
There is a misunderstanding.
"Although he is unrighteous to our Zhang family, our Zhang family cannot be ruthless to him. Overall, he is a very good person. My father values him very much and wants to recruit him as a good son-in-law.
"After all, Mou Ying is still young and lacks experience, so his view of things is inevitably biased. As his good friend, you should not leave him when he makes a mistake, but should help him correct his mistakes.
"As a father, he behaves righteously and has a clear conscience. He is not afraid of criticism from others. Justice is in his heart. Those rumors and rumors that slander his father will eventually be self-defeated. Mou Ying will definitely feel ashamed of his words and deeds today.
"
Zhang Jianxiu said: "What my father said is absolutely true. My son should not break off our relationship with Mou Ying. If we never get along again, he will definitely think that his idea is right, and my son should help him correct his mistakes."
Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly and said: "You finally figured it out, so you should act like this. When others criticize you in the future, don't get angry and try to change the other person's mind. This is what a man should do."
As he spoke, he picked up a white jade porcelain bottle from the table, removed the stopper, poured a few black pills the size of soybeans into the palm of his hand, and then drank them with tea.
Zhang Jianxiu knew what the pills in the porcelain bottle were. They were drugs to enhance the pleasure of fish and water. If you take this kind of thing for a long time, your body will have problems.
He was worried about his father's health and advised: "Father, it's not good to take this kind of medicine all the time. You should always take care of your health."
Zhang Juzheng stood up with a smile and said: "It doesn't matter, my father is so powerful that he can kill a few tigers. It's getting late, so my father needs to rest."
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