Chapter 820: The Queen Mother's Painstaking Thoughts, the Emperor's Mental Skills

In the evening, the East Warm Pavilion of Renshou Palace.

Empress Dowager Zhang has never liked luxury, and after Zhu Gaochi died, she moved to Renshou Palace, and the people of the eunuch palace also moved in. Because after the relocation of the capital, there was no queen concubine and so on in the palace, Renshou Palace has been empty, after Zhu Di's death, most of the concubines and concubines were also martyred, so when she moved the palace before, Renshou Palace can be said to be nothing, and the imperial supervisor is too late to make emergency purchases, or the Empress Dowager Zhang moved a few old furniture that she was used to, and then ordered all the tools to be simplified. Nowadays, all the colors in this East Warm Pavilion are half-old and not new, and the only bright ones are only a few colors of flowers in a vase on the corner table.

"When it was still Beiping here, not long after you got married, the British Duke went to Daning with the army, followed by the southern army and besieged the city, Empress Renxiao personally took us to the city tower, do you remember?"

At this moment, listening to Empress Dowager Zhang talk about the old things again, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but be stunned, and then nodded with palpitations: "How can you not remember." Now that these years have been good, I often had nightmares back then, dreaming that the city was broken, and people rushed in, and then woke up. I was still a new daughter-in-law at that time, where had I ever seen such a battle, but the Queen Mother followed Empress Renxiao and was always calm. Some of us went to the city with our armor, but many of us were scared and wept, and you comforted them one by one. ”

After many years, Empress Dowager Zhang can still remember the situation when Empress Xu, who was still Princess Yan, ascended to the city to defend against the enemy. Dense flying arrows, earth-shattering shouts, splatters of flesh and blood...... When she woke up in the middle of the night, there was no one around, and she could always remember the heart-pounding scene. It is difficult to tell people the hidden secrets of these court secrets now, even if Zhu Ning is intimate, after all, he has never experienced that experience, and now he can still say a little or two, that is, Mrs. Wang.

"It's been a long time, and now that I think about it, it seems like it was yesterday, but there are only a few people left, and many of them have passed away. Counting the generals who died in the war in those years, I don't know how many people are mortal. When Emperor Renzong was alive, he often sighed to me that your father-in-law was all-round in civil and military affairs, but he couldn't assist him, so he later posthumously crowned the king of Hejian...... Speaking of December 25, the death anniversary of the late King of Hejian, the emperor has instructed the Ministry of Rites to send someone to officiate at the ceremony. If it weren't for the fact that the ritual system was not easy to clean up, I would also like to sacrifice a stick of incense, and then I could only talk about my sorrow in the palace. ”

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she hurriedly got up and thanked her. At the time of the Jingjing, the father-in-law Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng Qiufu were both generals of the Five Armies, but later the father-in-law died on the battlefield, although Yongle Chu posthumously presented the Guogong, it was not a hereditary title, so Zhang Fu was just an earl at first, until because of Annangong, this finally became the Guogong, and everyone will praise the tiger father without a dog. However, compared with Zhu Neng, who died of illness on the way to Annan and was posthumously crowned the king of Dongping, Zhang Yu was one step behind, and it was not until the Hongxi period that he was posthumously crowned as the king and enjoyed the Taimiao. When she learned the news, Zhang Fu had specially opened a ancestral hall to worship, and she still remembers her husband's look at that time.

Although it was Zhu Gaochi who ordered the change of the title, Mrs. Wang understood very well that at that time, Empress Dowager Zhang praised Xiangguo's politics, and it was impossible not to ask her what she meant.

"It's just that in October, the emperor will personally patrol the border, and the British prince will accompany him, but I am afraid that he will not be able to stay at home. Then it will be hard madam. If there are not enough people, the palace can transfer a few more people from the celebrant to help, and as for the relatives and concubines, you can also call a few people who know the roots. This is a big sacrifice after chasing the Zhongwu King of the River, and it must be more solemn. ”

Although I have heard that the emperor patrols the border, but after all, it has been unresolved, at this moment the Empress Dowager Zhang mentioned this, Mrs. Wang understood that this was already ironclad, and her heart was suddenly a little uneasy, but then she smiled and agreed: "My lord is only in his early fifties now, and he is in the prime of life, if the emperor does not take him on the patrol, I am afraid he will not be happy." The Queen Mother can rest assured, I have already found a proper person to help me among my relatives and concubines, and if there are not enough people at that time, I can only open my mouth to the Queen Mother with a cheeky face. ”

After greeting Mrs. Wang, Empress Dowager Zhang was relieved, and asked Mrs. Wang who she had found to help, and when she heard that it was Sun and Du Juan, she couldn't help but nodded: "One is your brother and daughter-in-law, and the other is your nephew and daughter-in-law, they are indeed safe people." I have seen Zhang Yue's daughter-in-law many times, young and courteous, worthy of being a scholar, but your brother-in-law has not seen it yet, you can lead her to sit in the palace when you are free. By the way, your cousin is still recuperating? ”

Hearing Empress Dowager Zhang ask about Zhang Zhuo, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but feel a little strange, but she still nodded and said, "He has been weak since he was a child, and his body is really not good. Even Zhang Yue was like his father when he was a child, and he still practiced martial arts since he was a child, so he adjusted his body well. ”

"I see. Although it is said that the court has a recuperation, but it has always been like this after all, it is not a way, you must know that there are too many things in the court, and the imperial historians are looking for people with their eyes wide open. The household department is now cutting the cost, and it will not be good when someone brings it up, so you might as well make a decision when it is time to decide......"

Empress Dowager Zhang said in her mouth, but her eyes were looking at Mrs. Wang's expression, and after seeing her stunned, she quickly nodded in agreement, and there was no displeasure, which confirmed the guess in her heart more and more. The Beijing official is higher than the foreign official, and Zhang Yue returned to the dynasty from the second-rank political envoy to serve as the third-grade squire, which is just the promotion that ordinary foreign officials can't ask for, and only Zhang Zhuo is not easy to arrange. After all, he is not qualified enough, and he can no longer be sent out to serve as a political envoy. Fortunately, Zhang Zhuo didn't want to block his son's career, so he complained about his illness at home, and now he is happy to take advantage of this.

After talking about the matter, then the Empress Dowager Zhang only chatted with Mrs. Wang about some common gossip, and when she was talking about their children, she only heard the report from the outside world that the emperor was coming. For a while, Mrs. Wang got up in a hurry, and Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Zhu Zhanji, who entered the warm pavilion, saw Mrs. Wang bowing and saluting, so he calmed the anger on his face, Wen Yan asked a few words, and saw that she had retired and left, so he stepped forward to salute the Empress Dowager Zhang. At this moment, Empress Dowager Zhang glanced left and right, and when she saw that people were waiting for Yuguan to leave the house, she couldn't help asking, "What's the matter with your anger?" Don't forget that you promised me before that you would never be angry with your courtiers in the future. It is important to know that self-denial and retribution are benevolent, and it is never a good thing to be happy and angry in color. ”

"Queen Mother, I naturally remember." Zhu Zhanji took a deep breath, and the expression on his face became more natural, "Just now Lu Feng came to report the incident, saying that Zhang Yuanjie ran into a thief when he went home last night, and after taking it, he asked that it was stolen from the old Yongping Princess Mansion, and he immediately informed Jinyiwei. Jin Yiwei and Dongchang came to inspect today, who knew that Li Maoqing was actually throwing! More than 2,000 gold and more than 20,000 platinum were found in his house, all of which were officially cast, and now everyone has taken down the torture, and so far they haven't asked anything! ”

Princess Yongping was convicted when Zhu Di was there, Zhu Gaochi hated her for colluding with King Zhao of Han, and she was never pardoned after ascending the throne, or after Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, he reluctantly gave Li Maoqing, the son of Li Rang, an official position. Such an insignificant little person, but now such an inexplicable thing happened, he naturally felt angry when he heard it.

Empress Dowager Zhang had little impression of Princess Yongping, and couldn't help frowning at this time: "I remember that after she hanged herself, Emperor Taizong executed all the maids and mothers, and once ordered to inspect the house, and almost all the utensils when the princess descended were taken back to the palace. How much did you reward when you were crowned Li Maoqing's official before? ”

"10,000 yuan in banknotes, and a few old things were returned."

For the descendants of the Xun relatives who are not close, the rewards of the Ming Emperor have always been extremely stingy, and he often prevaricates with a huge amount of money, and Li Maoqing naturally belongs to this category. Hearing Zhu Zhanji say this, Empress Dowager Zhang frowned and pondered for a moment, and then asked bluntly: "Since he is a thief who met halfway, why don't you send people directly to the Xicheng Soldiers and Horses?" ”

Dongchang has already sent the evidence, saying that Zhang Yuanjie was originally going to send people to the Xicheng Terracotta Division, but that person was bold enough to use money to persuade him to release people, and he also sent four ingots of gold on his body. He was a fine man, and he saw that it looked like an official-cast gold ingot, so he first brought the person back, and then sent someone to investigate, but the place that the person alleged was not like that at all, so he notified the Jinyi Guard. In desperation, the thief confided that he had stolen the gold from the former Princess Yongping's mansion. ”

"Is that really a thief?"

"It's not. Dongchang was tortured, and this person confessed that he was doing things over there, and the gold was given by a steward, and he was asked to go to the outskirts of the city to hire a hundred or so strong people, and the rest did not know anything. Among the people who were imprisoned in Princess Yongping's Mansion, there was no manager he knew. Moreover, after investigation, those pieces of gold were indeed among the more than 2,000 taels of gold. Except for the original return of 100 taels of gold, the rest are of unknown origin. As soon as Li Maoqing died, it was difficult to investigate this matter. ”

Remembering that October was the period of patrolling the border, although the transfer of troops and so on had been decided, and the money and food in the household department were also complete, Zhu Zhanji personally led the troops outside, and Empress Dowager Zhang felt a little uneasy, and at this time she even had the intention of dissuading. However, before she could speak, Zhu Zhanji took the lead.

"Queen Mother, I have made up my mind about patrolling the border. The ancient city of Daning has just been built, and now it can be regarded as a nail in the hinterland of Tatar, and Kaiping Xinghe can echo each other. But after all, it is a lonely place, and if it is not constantly shocked, it is difficult to ensure that it will be as prosperous and peaceful as it used to be. I went to Beijing this time with the British minister, he is a veteran of the battlefield, with him, it is not the first time I have experienced a battle formation, this road should be safe, besides, there is Zhang Yuanjie. And on the Jingshi side, there is the queen mother in charge, and Yang Shiqi is old and serious, if someone jumps out to make trouble while I am not there, the queen mother will naturally be able to suppress the situation. ”

"The British Duke should accompany him, and Zhang Yuanjie is better to stay."

Seeing that Zhu Zhanji was a little stunned all of a sudden, Empress Dowager Zhang said earnestly: "In the past, Emperor Taizong always reused him, but pressed his official rank, just so that he could show his ability, but not be arrogant, but now it is different from before. Although the Zhang family is full of talents, the most important thing is that in addition to the British Princess, he belongs to him, one is in charge of the army, the other is in the military department, one is martial and one is civil, I don't know how many eyes are staring. In the past, because of the British Public's dismissal of government affairs, he was promoted to the military department, and others had nothing to say, but this time the border patrol was different. You keep Zhang Yue in the capital and bring Zhang Ben, the secretary of the Ministry of War, to hone him to preside over the Ministry of War. ”

Empress Dowager Zhang stood up as she spoke, paced two steps and then turned around and said, "You let him go with you to patrol the border, so many noble ministers, he can't help but show up." Emperor Taizong was able to use him beyond others, because he had been in the world for more than ten years and was not afraid of material discussions. You're in your prime, but doing so hurts people's hearts. I know that you are young, and you like to use young people, and you can't help but be a little bored with the elderly. But the protégés of the old ministers are many old and old, and they must not be shaken by their own likes and dislikes. Just like the inventory of acres in the future, it is necessary to save dignity for them. ”

From Desheng's memory, Zhang Yue galloped all the way, and finally returned home before the night fasting time of the first watch and three o'clock. However, as soon as he entered the house, the housekeeper Gao Quan told him that Mrs. Wang had come first, and she had dinner at home before going back. Knowing that he had missed it with Mrs. Wang, Zhang Yue couldn't help but hesitate, and went straight to the second door without asking too much. Within a few steps, he heard the sound of the door closing and locking behind him.

When he returned to the room to change his clothes, he took off the big red silk silk flower collar and the right official uniform under Du Juan's service, and carefully untied the black gauze hat on his head, and then asked Du Juan: "Do you know what happened to the eldest aunt today?" ”

"After dinner, the eldest aunt seemed to have something to say to my mother, and my mother asked me to come back first, but when I was leaving, I went to send it off, and I didn't show any tone. However, looking at the mother's expression, she seemed to be happy and melancholy, and she didn't know what she said. ”

When Du Juan said this, Zhang Yue was even more curious. After changing into homely clothes, he went to his parents' upper room with Du Juan, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw his father and mother standing and sitting. As soon as he stepped forward to salute, Zhang Zhuo beckoned to him and motioned for him to talk in the suite next door. He glanced at his mother, who was sitting there, and hurriedly followed.

The suite is a small inner study, with both books and furnishings on the railing, a cedar desk and a fir chair, and a bamboo screen partition in front of the door. At this time, Zhang Yue followed Zhang Zuo in, and when he saw his father sitting down at the desk, he couldn't help asking, "What did the eldest aunt say, and my mother was so unhappy?" ”

"It's okay, your mother doesn't know whether to be happy or annoyed." Seeing Zhang Yue's dazed face, Zhang Zhuo said, "Your eldest aunt went straight here when she came out of the palace, and the Queen Mother asked her to piggyback on a word." I have a system for recuperation, and I will be dismissed when the time limit expires, and I have already arrived. You have a bright future now, and I will be here to the office, and the household has a limited amount of money, but I can gag other people's mouths and save them from using this matter as an excuse. ”

"Zhishi? But Dad, you're not yet fifty now! ”

"Song Shi has a royal history in his early forties, and I am still older in comparison, so what is there to make a fuss about!"

"But ......"

Although Zhang Zhuo said this, Zhang Yue always felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, and he wanted to say something but couldn't say it. At this time, Zhang Zhuo stretched comfortably, and looked at the things on the railing grid casually: "Zhishi is a good thing, don't worry about the officials suddenly sending me an errand, and don't worry about others making me bad." Besides, when your official residence is a first-class or even super-grade, will there be a lack of my father when the court gives it? ”

At this moment, Zhang Yue only felt that his heart was overflowing with warmth, so he nodded heavily: "Daddy, don't worry, when the time comes, I will naturally earn the greatest glory for your second elder to come back." ”

"Isn't it true that people now just look at the son and respect the father? With a son like you, I am also willing. ”

Father and son looked at each other and finally laughed at the same time.