Tong Yangjia heard the emperor say this and knew that the matter had become a foregone conclusion, Tong Yangjia smiled bitterly in his heart: I originally thought that I would let my nephew go to the north to stir up the matter of peace talks, but how did I know that the emperor sent so many people to monitor it, and I saw that this matter was going to hang. But Tong Yangjia had no choice, so he had to take Tong Tuchang to bow down and receive the order, and at the same time thank the emperor for his concern.

Zhu Hongsan said to Tong Tuchang: "Tong Aiqing, you stay for a while, I have something to tell you!" ”

Ma Mingyuan knew that this was the bottom line for the emperor to talk to Tong Tuchang about peace talks, and probably had some lack of moral ideas that could not be known to outsiders.

After Zhu Hongsan saw Ma Mingyuan and Tong Yangjia go out, he drove out the little eunuch in the house and the Han general standing guard at the door at the same time, leaving only Zhu Hai in the house. Then he said: "Tong Aiqing, this time to Beijing peace talks is very important to me, you must ensure success, come back to me can make you the governor of a province!" ”

It is naturally good to be an official, but the emperor has set up such fetters for himself, and I don't know if he can have the life to come back and be the governor.

Tong Tuchang couldn't stop slandering in his heart, and asked: "Your Majesty, what is the bottom line for going to peace talks?" Can you talk to the minister, the minister is also easy to operate! ”

"There is no bottom line, the purpose is to stop the Qing army from going south for three or four years, and the longer the better. In order to achieve this goal, I can promise you, as long as I don't let me out of Nanjing, everything else is easy to say! ”

As soon as Tong Tuchang heard this, this scale was very large, and there was a possibility that the peace talks would be successful.

Zhu Hongsan took a sip of tea and said: "If the Manchus agree to peace talks, I can claim to the Manchus and follow the example of the Northern Song Dynasty Tanyuan Alliance!" ”

Tong Tuchang's back was cold when he heard the emperor say this, now in this kind of political environment in China, peace talks will be scolded to death, if he is signing a Tanyuan alliance with the Manchu Qing Dynasty like the Northern Song Dynasty, he doesn't have to go back to Nanjing, he can be scolded to death by the scholar directly in Beijing. Tong Yangjia originally thought that this was the emperor's biggest concession, but he didn't expect the emperor to be even more shameless!

"Tong Aiqing, if the Manchu Qing still don't agree, you can call the Manchu Qing nephew!"

As soon as Zhu Hongsan's words came out, Zhu Hai couldn't listen to it anymore, this was too shameless.

"Father, this is really...

Before Zhu Hai finished speaking, Zhu Hongsan scolded: "What do you know, prince, shut up!" ”

Zhu Hai had no choice but to shut up and not speak.

"Tong Aiqing, I will be honest with you, we and the Manchus are not fighting at all, and it is no problem to say anything now, as long as the attention of the Manchus is attracted to Zhu Youlang, it will be a great achievement. History is written by the victors, and history books are not written as I want! But you have to remember that no matter what the conditions, we must draw the attention of the Manchu Qing to Zhu Youlang, and we must not let us form a situation of being attacked on our backs, you know? ”

Tong Tuchang suddenly realized that the emperor was afraid of this. Tong Tuchang hurriedly bowed down and said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty will definitely die and complete this peace negotiation task assigned by Your Majesty!" ”

Seeing Tong Tuchang's guarantee, Zhu Hongsan nodded and asked Tong Tuchang to go down and prepare.

Tong Tuchang left the palace, and his uncle Tong Yangjia was waiting for him at the palace gate.

Tong Yangjia saw his nephew come out, and stepped forward and asked, "Chang'er, what did the emperor say to you?" ”

Tong Tuchang's face was full of sadness, and he said in a low voice: "Uncle, there are many people here, let's talk about it when I go home!" ”

Tong Yangjia thought about it, and went home in a sedan chair without speaking.

Returning to his house and coming to the study, Tong Yangjia asked without waiting for Tong Tuchang to sit down: "Tell me quickly, what did the emperor tell you?" ”

Tong Tuchang sighed and said the bottom line of the negotiation that the emperor had given him just now.

Tong Yangjia was shocked when he heard this, not because he was worried about the emperor's shamelessness, but because he was worried about his nephew.

None of the ministers who presided over the peace talks in history came to a good end, and Li Hongzhang of later generations was an example. Now the emperor doesn't care about anything for the sake of peace talks, and he wants to be an emperor like Shi Jingjiao, which is really embarrassing. No wonder the emperor wants to drive everyone else away, this is going to leak the news, and the emperor's reputation will definitely plummet.

Tong Yangjia now regrets recommending his nephew to Beijing for peace talks, knowing that the emperor can have such conditions, it is better to let Ma Mingyuan and them go to embarrass people.

But now that everything is over, the decree is not what you want to do.

Tong Yangjia sighed and said, "Chang'er, uncle hurt you, uncle has been shrewd all his life, how could he have thought that the boat would capsize in the gutter now!" ”

Tong Tuchang also asked with a bitter face: "Uncle, now that there is a New Year's watch in the mission, and there is pressure from the outside for peace talks, can you do it to lure the Manchu Qing to do it first?" ”

Tong Yangjia shook his head and said: "Now it seems that there is little hope for that matter, you go to the north to watch it yourself, if it doesn't work, you can flee back, it's a big deal, we won't do this official, and one day with your uncle, we can keep you safe!" ”

Tong Tuchang didn't have any good ideas, so he had to listen to Tong Yangjia and nodded.

The matter was finalized, and the holy decree was quickly issued to the Ministry of Rites, which prepared gifts in accordance with the emperor's will, and at the same time, the holy decree was also sent to Fang Fengnian, who was in prison in Dali Temple.

Lao Fang beat Tong Tuchang half a month ago and was imprisoned in the prison of Dali Temple, which is not good enough because everyone knows that Fang Fengnian just offended Tong Yangjia and will be released soon, so the officials of Dali Temple are still good for the other party.

Fang Fengnian himself didn't expect that he would be able to turn over, and he was counting ants in prison, and a holy decree promoted him to the Ministry of Rites.

The officials of Dali Temple heard that Fang Fengnian had been promoted, and they came over to congratulate him.

Fang Fengnian was confused, and the holy decree did not say why he gave birth to his own official, but only appointed himself as a member of the Sanpin Rite Department. According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, Lang Zhong is equivalent to the directors of the central ministries in later generations, and he is the fourth grade, the same level as the prefect, I don't know why he gave himself a Lang Zhong from the third grade.

Fang Fengnian asked the eunuch who came to deliver the decree: "May I ask why His Majesty the Emperor promoted the old man to the rank of Sanpin Langzhong?" ”

The little eunuch only passed on the decree, and didn't know anything else, so Fang Fengnian had no choice but to prepare to go to the Ministry of Rites to ask.

Out of the prison of Dali Temple, Fang Fengnian did not change his clothes, and rushed directly to the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites in the Thousand Steps Corridor in red prison clothes.

The official at the gate of the Ministry of Rites saw an old man in prison clothes come to the door, and was just about to go out, but how did he know that the old man took out the emperor's holy decree, and the official knew that this was the new Sanpin Langzhong, so he hurried in to report.

The Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites is now Gao Wenbing, a native of eastern Zhejiang, and can also be regarded as a student of Qian Qianyi, and Fang Fengnian are both from Qingliu.

Gao Wenbing knew that Fang Fengnian, an old guy, was very arrogant, and he dared to scold in public when the eunuchs were rampant, and now it is not surprising to do this kind of thing in prison clothes.

Gao Wenbing is a Jinshi in the forty-seventh year of Wanli, for example, Fang Fengnian's qualifications are old, Fang Fengnian naturally does not dare to treat Gao Wenbing like Tong Tuchang. Seeing Gao Wenbinglai, he hurriedly got up and saluted: "The official has seen the Lord of the Ministry every New Year!" ”

Gao Wenbing smiled bitterly and asked, "Shutian, you're too anxious!" Can't go home and change your clothes? ”

"Lord Ministry, the lower officials are really anxious, why did this holy decree let the lower officials come to the Ministry of Rites to be from the Sanpinlang? Xia Guan is really puzzled! ”

"Hehe, I just received the holy decree, and I knew that you could come and ask. Let me tell you, the emperor is ready to negotiate peace with the Manchus, appoint Tong Tuchang as the chief envoy, and Yuan Fu recommends you as a deputy envoy! ”

Fang Fengnian exploded when he heard it, "What? Peace talks? Is it the one who deserves to make this proposal? ”

"Shutian, don't worry, you better go and ask Yuansuke!"

Ask Ma Laodi? Fang Fengnian thought about it, no matter how he said that he was released from prison, it was also thanks to Ma Er, and he should also go to see him.

Fang Fengnian borrowed ten silver dollars from Gao Wenbing, then went out to find an inn to freshen up, changed his clothes and went to see Ma Mingyuan.

Fang Fengnian is not stupid, he still wants to mix in the officialdom, of course he knows that it's okay to be crazy with outsiders, but don't offend the leader in charge. Therefore, Fang Fengnian dared to wear prison clothes to see Gao Wenbing, but he didn't dare to wear prison clothes to see Ma Mingyuan.

Ma Mingyuan's mansion was Xu Da's mansion back then, and now it has become Ma's mansion. Fang Fengnian came to the door and saw that there were many officials who came and went to give gifts and meet the first assistant, and how long the queue was, Fang Fengnian thought that he didn't know when he was going to be in line, but he knew that as soon as the name card was sent, he was immediately received.

Fang Fengnian was the same year as Ma Jiyuan, and he also worked as a student in Huguang. But the master of the family came first, and now he is the first assistant. Fang Fengnian originally thought that Ma Mingyuan might not pretend to be big when he saw him, but how did he know that Ma Mingyuan greeted him at the door of the second hall, and when he saw that he was coming, he quickly bowed down and saluted, saying "Teacher!" ”

It turned out that Ma Mingyuan was not as arrogant as his brother Ma Jiyuan said, it seems that their buddies have a bad relationship Ma Jiyuan did not tell the truth.

Fang Fengnian hurriedly bowed down and said, "I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed!" The old man now dares to be Motosuke's teacher! ”

"There, the students have been in the fame of Xiucai for many years, and they are still the students who were only selected after the teacher arrived in Huguang!"

Fang Fengnian didn't say anything when he heard Ma Mingyuan say this, in fact, Ma Mingyuan was able to win the middle back then, and it was really Fang Fengnian who gave him a relationship. At that time, Ma Mingyuan was proud of his talents, thinking that his articles were the best in the world, and the articles he wrote were too extreme, so he was not promoted in his twenties. Later, Fang Fengnian went to Huguang to be in charge of academic administration, and Fang Fengnian and Ma Jiyuan were in the same year, so it was a matter of course.

Ma Mingyuan personally welcomed Fang Fengnian into the house, served tea and asked, "Teacher, I don't know what happened today?" ”

Fang Fengnian told the news he had just gotten in the Ministry of Rites, and then asked, "Yuan Fu, I don't know why I recommended Xia Guan to serve as the deputy envoy?" ”

Ma Mingyuan was waiting for Fang Fengnian to find himself, Ma Mingyuan twisted his beard and said with a smile: "Teacher, that's the case, the teacher probably knows about the peace talks proposed by the students a few years ago!" ”

Of course Fang Fengnian knew, and he also knew that Ma Mingyuan used this incident to squeeze Chen Zizhuang away, so that he could not ask for Old Man Chen's life, and he also knew that Ma Mingyuan had a very bad reputation in Wenchen because of this incident.

Ma Mingyuan sighed after speaking, "Hey, what the teacher doesn't know is that students also have suffering!" The student doesn't want to be this traitor, but the emperor is pressing, and the student doesn't say no! However, the students also left a follow-up move, that is, to designate the negotiation envoy, and the student's original idea was to stir up the negotiation and let the emperor die of this peace negotiation. How do you know that Hengli killed a Tong Yangjia, and he recommended his nephew Tong Tuchang to serve as the chief envoy. But the person recommended by the student is not capable, and he can't compete with him, so the student has no choice but to recommend the teacher! ”