Chapter 566: Respond to all changes with the same, and only wish to live a long life

Among the twenty-four yamen of eunuchs, the celebrant supervisor is in charge of all the criminal ceremonies in the imperial city, and his status is the highest; The internal officials are in charge of the construction, and the royal supervision and royal toys are abundant; The Imperial Horse Supervisor is in charge of guarding the pro-army soldiers, and the military power is great...... Even the last in the queue is the governor of the palace, because he is in charge of the palace and the defense survey, and his power is not small. Therefore, the eunuchs are clearly divided between the top and the bottom, as long as they can rise to the head one day, they can also be regarded as glorious ancestors.

In addition to recognizing people by looking at their clothes, there is another key to identifying eunuchs. Most of the lean and dry people are low-class handymen, but the fat-headed and big-eared ones are generally only middle-level, and the real top-level characters can't get fat because they are exhausted every day, but their faces are often ruddy, and they are in good spirits. Therefore, at this moment, facing the fat eunuch with a round bucket waist in the War Bureau, Zhang Yue couldn't help but sweep his stomach and looked at the obviously sunken eye sockets.

The fat eunuch Suo Lianzhou had dealt with Zhang Yue a few times, and knew that this person was very serious when he was in office, but he usually didn't talk about it, and he couldn't be angry, so he had to have some calculations in his heart.

He is Liu Yongcheng's godson, but that one is a lot older, there are several relatives and nephews, and there are not ten or eight godsons, where can he take care of him on weekdays. He was able to get the position of ambassador of the War Bureau, relying on a sharpened head and clear ears and eyes, and handed a lot of news to his godfather. Although the oil and water here are ordinary, at least it is also the head of the twenty-four yamen.

"Lord Xiao Zhang, your method of wrapping gunpowder in paper is good, but it is good to use it in the Shenji Camp, but if all the guards in the world use this method, I am afraid that the craftsmen here will not be able to keep busy, and even the apprentices will not be enough."

Complaining in his mouth, he squinted his eyes to pay attention to Zhang Yue's face, and when he saw that he frowned, he led Zhang Yue to the side, and when there were no idle people waiting around, he explained in a low voice: "I know that Lord Xiao Zhang, your proposal is out of public intentions, but you must know that there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the guards under the sky, let alone hundreds of thousands, don't look at this time, they have been replaced with newly made Yongle handguns, but how effective it can be, only God knows." Paper-wrapped gunpowder is not easy to get damp, and it is easy to ignite the charge, but in those remote provinces, the gunners are actually carrying large blades, and it is impossible to kill the enemy with firearms. ”

"I know this, the fire gun can only show its power if it is used in a concentrated manner like the Divine Machine Battalion, if it is according to the previous method of configuring archers, sword players, and spearmen per hundred households, this is a waste of even the best weapons. You reminded me that I have to mention to Lord Shangshu that the guns should be separated from the army, and each capital should have its own fire battalion. ”

Hearing Zhang Yue say this, Suo Lianzhou suddenly felt relieved, and secretly thought that it was really easy and pleasant to deal with such a reasonable person. It's just that he was just using this as an introduction, and now he coughed lightly, and wanted to lead to another, more important topic. You must know that the emperor may not remember him as a person, so his backer must not fall.

However, now that the emperor is about to return, although Zhang Yue is also worried about the incident in the East Palace, since he has already done what he should do, he is paying more attention to the aftermath of the class at the moment. Compared with the first two northern expeditions before, this time the main Tatar forces fled north, although it completely weakened the three guards of Wuliang Haduoyan, but in terms of strategy, it was not too successful, but it was mostly a feeling of showing off military strength. Moreover, now that the treasury that Xia Yuanji worked so hard to take care of has been emptied by half, it will be bitter if there is another pro-conquest.

Since Zhu Di reiterated that the Wuliangha people were not allowed to enter the ancient city of Daning, does it mean that the emperor has indeed considered moving back to Daning Sanwei? Thinking of this, he didn't pay attention to Suo Lianzhou's cough at all, turned his head and asked bluntly: "Father-in-law Suo, I want to ask, the boxes of things that Gonggong Lu and I took away from you have been tested on the battlefield now, and they can be regarded as divine weapons." Can these already be mass-produced? If it has already been produced, have you decided how to build it? ”

Divine weapons? Suo Lianzhou was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then his face changed. How did he forget about this, Liu Yongcheng asked about the details of this in detail, and when Lu Feng came back from Xuanfu, he also sued in front of the Son of Heaven, but he was caught in the middle, and when the emperor was angry, he was made a scapegoat, and he was beaten ten boards. Thinking of this, he hated Liu Yongcheng in his heart for not caring about himself at all, and secretly scolded Lu Feng for bullying others and causing him to carry the black pot, and his ass couldn't help but tremble twice.

Although the board was not heavy, he couldn't sit down for half a month! Of course, Zhang Qian came to see him afterwards, and rewarded him with a few things on behalf of the emperor, if it wasn't for that dignity, where would he still have the face to shock the ups and downs of this military battle in the future?

"This ...... Lord Xiao Zhang, the magic spear and the divine machine arrow will be able to replace the divine machine battalion with a thousand by the end of this year, and mass production will naturally be no problem. However, if you only reward craftsmen with treasure money, it is not easy for them to work harder. You also know that what we want in the War Bureau is first-class skilled hands, but some can clearly do more, and if they don't do it, our family can't do it. ”

It was easy to suppress the evil fire in his heart, Suo Lianzhou didn't want to be diverted from the topic by Zhang Yue anymore, so he simply took two steps forward: "Lord Xiao Zhang, it is said that the emperor's army has returned to Kaiping, and the remaining 20,000 troops have already passed Daning, and they will enter the customs from Xifengkou in the past two days." I heard that the emperor has written three words to the prince, and one wording is harsher than the other......"

"Grandpa Suo, these things are not something you and I can worry about." Zhang Yue interrupted without waiting for him to finish, seeing that the bucket-waisted guy had a face full of disappointment, he thought that he was very likely to continue to stay in the military department, and it was inevitable to deal with this person, so he said with a relaxed tone, "Instead of speculating on the intentions of the superiors, it is better to respond to all changes with the same." I heard that Gonggong Suo has been in charge of the War Bureau for four or five years, and if he can make no mistakes in four or five years, I think it must be diligence and diligence, and it can never be luck. ”

With a stomach full of uneasiness, Suo Lianzhou personally sent Zhang Yue out of Bei'anmen, and when he watched the people get on the horse and walk away, he rubbed his smooth chin and walked back, pondering Zhang Yue's words. Is this to let yourself be bored and do nothing else? What are you kidding, there are people in this palace who have fallen into the well, and I don't know how many people will be hot for his seat at that time...... Wait, Zhang Yue's implication should be that if he does a good job, others can't take it away?

This day happened to be August 15, and Zhang Yue singled out this day to go to the War Bureau to discuss the matter of gunpowder, so he naturally saw the Mid-Autumn Festival in the afternoon. Sure enough, when he returned to the military department, because Lu Zhen, who was also in charge of the three ministries, had already rushed to Kaiping to greet him, the directors of the middle and middle divisions of the foreign affairs were almost clean, and only two or three puppies and kittens remained. So, he returned to the empty office and recorded what he had done when he arrived at the War Bureau today, and then Shi Shiran also went out of the yamen.

After turning over and getting on the horse, he didn't raise his whip and leave, but glanced at Niu Dang and Zhang Bu, who came out with him early in the morning: "By the way, today is the first time you two have returned to the Mid-Autumn Festival since you two came back from the north, but what are your plans?" ”

Niu Dang and Zhang Bu were taken captive to the north for seven or eight years, and they had no impression of the Central Plains style for a long time. When the pioneer was in Xuanfu, he learned the majesty of the first border city, and he already felt that he had seen the world, but when he came to Jingshi, he followed Zhang Yue and ran around, and they were dizzying for the first time to know what was under the feet of the Son of Heaven. At this time, when they heard the word Mid-Autumn Festival, the two looked at each other, but shook their heads blankly.

The original village has become a ruin, relatives are either turned into dust, or there is no news at all, although they are now well fed and warm, no longer look up is the blue sky and bow their heads to the mud, but every day at night, that is, sleep. Niu Dare was bold after all, scratched his head and said with a smile: "What's the arrangement, go to bed when you're full of food and drink!" ”

"It's not promising!"

Zhang Yue scolded with a smile and looked at the two of them again. Because he had specially instructed Gao Quan to take care of him, both of them were wearing new lotus blue silk robes, and they both wore a pair of white-bottomed and black-faced mille-feuille cloth shoes, tidying up neatly. However, compared to Ben's thirty years old, both of them look a little old, but they are traces of bitter cold labor outside the plug.

After thinking about it for a while, he smiled and said, "It's rare for Jingshi to lift the curfew tonight, you guys go back and meet the two of them, and go out for a good walk." These days, you should be familiar with the road in Beijing, as long as you come back before the time. From Xuanfu to Kaiping, and then with the Northern Expedition, I have been busy for most of the year, so I have a good holiday and rest tonight! ”

Seeing Zhang Yue galloping out quickly with a wave of his horsewhip, the two hurriedly caught up, but they still couldn't react in their hearts. They were only very energetic farmers at the beginning, and when they arrived in the north, they were slaves who sold coolies, and they were like horse thieves on the way to escape, that is, they followed Zhang Yue, and a string in their heads was also tightened under Peng Shisan's rubbing, which one day of leisure. In their opinion, now they are already living a fairy-like life, and they still need to take a vacation and rest?

Although the Qingming Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival can be regarded as a major festival, in the imperial court regulations, the three major holidays of the year are only the New Year's Day, the Lantern Festival and the Winter Solstice, so the people start the Mid-Autumn Festival from August 13, but the officials can only go home early on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This has to be the case that it is not the turn of the Mid-Autumn Festival to be on duty, and if it is the turn, you can only sigh unlucky. However, the descendants of large families also have to wait until this night to have a night of leisure, after the reward can be reunited with the family, or go out for a walk or drink and play cards, it is also a rare pastime throughout the year.

Since there is no curfew at night, the number of street vendors on the road has increased rather than during the day, and most of them sell all kinds of candied fruits. Sand fruit, white pear, pear, apple, begonia, prune, fresh jujube, grape...... It's just everything. The round and lovely bright fruits are neatly stacked on the stalls, and passers-by often take a few home.

Although he knew that the family must have prepared everything, when passing by a stall, Zhang Yue saw that the peach water was cute that night, so he paid for a bag and bought a few bags of grapes. When he returned home all the way, he casually took a bag of grapes and gave it to a few porters waiting at the West Corner Gate, gave Zhang Buniu Dare a packet, and then distributed it all the way, which attracted a lot of laughter. When he arrived at his yard, he only had a bag of peaches left in his hand.

Zhang Xin, the Ying Tianfu Cheng, seems to be leisurely, but in fact, because he is at the foot of the Son of Heaven, there are a lot of things, and Zhang Yue is not the last one to rush back. took off his official uniform, washed his face and cleaned up, he supported Du Juan with one hand, and led Jingguan, who had just been able to walk, to the upper room of the North Courtyard with the other. Qiu Zhen and Amber, who were following behind, saw that Zhang Yue couldn't take care of this head and couldn't take care of that head, so they couldn't help but smile, but they didn't step forward in a knowing way, and in the end, it was Cui's mother who went up and hugged the little Jingguan who was in the way.

A group of people rushed to the ground, and the hall was already full of people, colorful silk and silk and pearlescent gold and silver jewelry shining under the candlelight, and even Gu Shi, who was sitting alone on the couch in the center, was also in good spirits.

Seeing that Lingxi, who was supposed to be preparing to marry at home, was also there at this time, Zhang Yue couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then realized that his grandmother was really reluctant to be this caring person who had been serving by her side for many years, so she was called to spend the last Mid-Autumn Festival. Next to Gu was six-year-old Zhang Jing, and the little girl was half-kneeling on the cushion of the fragrant wood couch, pinching Gu's shoulders decently. When Zhang Yue saw her, she also smiled and blinked her eyes, and her little dimples showed on her little face.

Zhang Yue and Du Juan saluted, Zhang Jing climbed down from the couch, took Du Juan's hand with a smile, and led her to the side like a little adult. Gu couldn't help but smile when he saw this, and then he saw Zhang Yue take the tea tray from Amber and hold it up with a smile.

When she uncovered the silk cloth on her head and saw that it was six round and lovely evening peaches, she immediately understood her grandson's intentions. It is said that peaches symbolize longevity, why doesn't she want to live a long life and see her children and grandchildren full of children? Lingxi next to her hurriedly peeled and slice it on the side, she couldn't help but taste a piece, and asked a few more words about the situation of the yamen. At this moment, a girl's voice came from outside.

"The eldest master is back!"

With this sound, Zhang Xin, who was wearing an official robe, hurriedly entered the door. Seeing that the room full of juniors came up to salute, he hurriedly waved his hand, stepped forward to greet the Gu family, and said with a smile after getting up: "Since there is no curfew tonight, the errand officers in the yamen have to be sent out. ”

Glancing at the plate of peaches held by Lingxi, he couldn't help but smile, and then took out a silk cloth bag from his arms and handed it over with both hands: "Mother, this is a jade Guanyin that I have asked Zhiguang Guoshi to open the light several times to the west. Mother believes in Buddhism, please take it with you, you will be able to prolong your life. ”

The Gu family was not as filial as the eldest son, and there was another shouting outside. Soon, a young daughter-in-law broke the curtain and entered the house, curtsied and shouted, "Old lady, the second master has sent someone to give a gift!" ”

When the two sturdy servants carefully carried the gift into the house, the room was filled with amazement. It turned out that this was actually a turtle and crane birthday celebration picture carved from a huge ivory. After the things were settled, a strong man came in outside, knelt down and kowtowed, and then explained: "The second master said that the old lady was seventy years old before, because she was fighting fiercely, and she had just found the right ivory before, so it was too late to send it back, so she could only catch the Mid-Autumn Festival." ”

Seeing this ivory carving, Zhang Yue couldn't help but think of the past when his eldest uncle and second uncle returned to Kaifeng at the same time, and his home was a box of ivory, amber, and tortoiseshell. It's just that it was a sign at the beginning, but now I sincerely hope that this old grandmother in the family can live a long life. In fact, isn't the same true of the deepest wishes of all the people in this family?