The sound of silk and bamboo singing and dancing drifted into the study through the night. In this study where Zhang Juzheng met close to the guests, it was originally a place with a strong smell of books. Those who are qualified to enter here are all high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and they must be well-educated, and they are even more cautious in their words and deeds in front of Zhang Juzheng. But today, there is a steaming hot pot on the table of the eight immortals in the study, plus a fan fish, a grouse, a deer tail, a sparrow tongue, and two pots of good Shao wine, so that this scholarly and Hanmo environment does not add a little bit of fireworks in the world.

Although Feng Bao is a eunuch, he is more like a civil official on weekdays. He once studied in the inner study, and his own knowledge and even calligraphy were very good, and he was called Feng Dashu by the emperor in the Jiajing era, not by name. He has a profound cultural heritage, and systematically learned the knowledge of etiquette and social interaction in the court, so that Feng Bao is a very famous scholar in the cultural circle of Beijing, and even many Confucian celebrities in Beijing are proud to make friends with Feng Bao. But now the way he eats has nothing to do with Sven, gobbling up wine to the point of a dry glass, and eating is extremely embarrassed.

According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, there is no communication between inside and outside, and if the foreign minister befriends the lieutenant, there will be an unforgivable crime. It's just that at the moment, whether it is Zhang Juzheng or Feng Bao, their status and status no longer need to consider such outdated rules. Zhang Juzheng's ability to get to this position today is inseparable from Feng Bao's support. Even if he can form a troika with the Empress Dowager Li, it is indispensable to protect the center of the inner court.

The two are each other's inside, sharing both glory and loss, and they are not only like-minded collaborators, but also close friends who can be called confidants. Private contacts, and even ceremonial gifts are very common, seeing Feng Bao's eating appearance, he frowned slightly and said, "Shuanglin, why are you so hungry?" ”

"Say? Didn't you make it up yet? It's comfortable for you to listen to music and watch singing and dancing at home, but there is a big famine in the palace. I, a slave and maid, can't say peace, persuade this and persuade that, my mouth is almost tired, how can I care about eating. ”

"Famine? Your Majesty and the Holy Grace? ”

"Who else? This time, the new account and the old account are counted together, which is enough to live for a long time. Some time ago, Banzai made jokes with a palace maid, and I thought Cisheng didn't know, but I didn't expect Cisheng to be such a person. Today, taking advantage of Taiyue's complaint, I had a seizure and burned several books that Banzai had hidden, and I didn't even leave some gadgets that Banzai made himself. Tell me, at the end of this year, everyone wants to have a happy time, and the palace is in trouble. Hooray, it's distressing to look at. Didn't I say, Brother Taiyue, it's not a big deal, you can teach a lesson in private, and it's okay to train your apprentices as a teacher, and you can alarm the saints, isn't this afraid that things won't make a big fuss? ”

Zhang Juzheng said: "Shuanglin, did you send me?" Long live and the palace maid, you and I both know how old Your Majesty is to make such a fuss, if you don't control it early, I'm afraid of repeating the mistakes of the previous emperor. The matter involved the palace, and it was inconvenient for the foreign ministers to say more, so they had to take the opportunity to ask Cisheng to come forward. ”

"Hooray, I'm fourteen this year." Feng Bao ate half of the table of wine and food, and with food in his stomach, he returned to his usual demeanor. After taking a sip of wine, he said slowly:

"If it were in the people's homes, a boy of this age would also be married, to be honest, it's not too early to open up his senses. You also know that as soon as Cisheng thinks of this, he thinks of the first emperor, and he is extremely strict, and his words are heavy, long live that little face...... If you don't see it, my heart won't be able to bear it. Besides, Banzai is older than a day, and he already regards himself as an adult, but in the eyes of his mother, his son is still a child when he is sixty years old. I'm afraid that the days will go by, and I have a grudge against you, the master. Taiyue, it's true that you are good at seeking a country, but you also have to think about making a living. ”

Zhang Juzheng shook his head, "Shuanglin, I know you're thinking about me. But I'd rather hate me now than he will hate me in the future. His Majesty is not a child of an ordinary family, but an emperor, the lord of all vehicles, and the master of this world. In a year or two, he will get married, and then he will be pro-government, and the burden of a country will be on him, and the current country is like this, where can he be idle. Prevent the slightest! Long live one or two palace maids, it's nothing, but at this age, you are greedy for beauty, and no matter how old you are, don't you want a wine pool meat forest, a dog and a horse? So this Tainingxia, can it still be saved? To tell the truth, the emperor is a drudgery, and the children of ordinary rich and noble families may be able to make some nonsense, but the emperor can't. Every word and deed of the emperor is an example for all the people, if the emperor takes the lead in messing around, the world will be completely out of order, it is not to cause chaos in the world"

Feng Baodao: "Brother Taiyue's words make sense, Yi Cisheng also said today, this country will be handed over to Taiyue you to manage, Your Majesty will not want to govern before the age of thirty." Listen, the Queen Mother thinks the same as you think, and thinks that Her Majesty is messing around and not paying attention to decency, and she can't even be pro-government. I hope Your Majesty didn't take it to heart, I heard that...... Alas, I, a slave and maid, don't know how to persuade me. ”

Zhang Juzheng said: "There is nothing to talk about between mother and son, Your Majesty is a prince of pure filial piety, and he will not take this to heart." ”

"Yes, Taiyue and His Majesty have a strong teacher-student relationship, and Your Majesty will not take this to heart. But I always feel uncomfortable, find a time to explain a few words to Your Majesty. ”

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said: "This is from the palace ban, if I explain, won't I admit that I have planted ears and eyes in the palace?" That is, the more you describe it, the darker it gets, and you don't want to reprimand it for a while, you and I don't mention it, and Your Majesty himself forgets it. Your Majesty is the lord of the sages, and when you are older and pro-government, you should know that everything I have done today is for his good. ”

Feng Bao sighed: "Taiyue, you are selfless in your heart, I can't say anything, Your Majesty is your student, I want to come to your teachers and students, so I won't really be angry." I have another thing, Cisheng said, Your Majesty is bad at learning, all of them are learned from those books, and I want to talk to Taiyue and ban that book. ”

Zhang Juzheng shook his head, "That's not right. Books are harmless, so why blame them on the books? What's more, if there is something good at the top, it will be very bad at the bottom, the queen mother bans a few books, and when she arrives at the local level, I'm afraid that she will ban hundreds and thousands of books? Let the people of the world have no words to relieve their boredom, and the last person who will be scolded is long live, this is not the way of the minister. If there is nothing good in the top, there should be no evil, and if there is no good and no evil, the people below cannot take the opportunity to disturb the people and invite merit. In fact, His Majesty is harmless to read a few scripts, but when he says it publicly, he gets a bad head. If all the officials want to invite the saints with a script, this atmosphere will be broken. ”

Feng Bao said with a smile: "I just said, Mr. Taiyue will definitely not agree, and it will be reasonable, and it really makes me right." In fact, Brother Taiyue is annoyed today, or because of Banzai's inquiry about his niece, right? In fact, His Majesty just asked, and there was no side meaning. ”

"I know. But as I said, Your Majesty may just say something unintentionally, but if it falls into the ears of someone with a heart and fuels the trouble, it will be a storm. The wind rises at the end of Qingping, Your Majesty is in the palace, how can you know about the little girl. How can it be as beautiful as the praise of the fairies? ”

Feng Bao took a piece of meat from the hot pot and chewed it in his mouth. "I've asked about it. It was beside His Majesty, a little monkey cub named Meng Xiu was shaking and clever, long live the chivalrous golden dart There are always some women in the rivers and lakes who practice martial arts, all of them are moving, and they are also equipped with pictures, and they look at the beauty repeatedly every day, and they can't bear it for a while, so they find a palace maid to try. The monkey cub said again, among the beauties in the world, the niece is the first, but His Majesty didn't think about other aspects, only said that Brother Taiyue, since you are a beautiful man, your daughter is not bad. That's the phrase......"

Zhang Juzheng said softly: "Prevent micro and gradual ......"

"Yes, I understand what Taiyue means. Before leaving the palace, I had already cooked the monkey cub. Let people pull out his tongue, if he doesn't die, he will be sent to Fengyang to see the tomb, and he will not let him slander and confuse the lord by His Majesty's side. I don't know what to live or die! Even if it weren't for the sake of the New Year, he would have been scolded! Taiyue, this person is a cook, are you also loose over there, long live is still young after all, so lively. Shangyuan Lantern Festival, you mean it, and you can also put some money. ”

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "This matter is not discussed. Every article of the Ministry of Household Affairs has a use, where can it be used to put lights? Besides, His Majesty is still cautious, and he must not let him indulge in pleasure and waste his schoolwork. When he reaches my age, the world will be stable, and the treasury will be full, and he will have his own mountains and silver seas to spend at that time. ”

Looking at Feng Bao's expression, he said again: "Shuanglin, I know that you are a loyal minister and feel sorry for Your Majesty, but you should also know that this is for Your Majesty's good." When I wanted to report Bai Yan's auspicious rui, didn't you also persuade me to do the same, don't let Your Majesty be so young and too obsessed with auspicious rui? Nowadays, the world likes luxury and frugality, and if you take the lead in extravagance again, the atmosphere will not be able to turn back. For the sake of a better life in the future, it is also appropriate to endure it now. In this way, there are a few good craftsmen in my house, let them make a few lamps, and give them to His Majesty to enjoy, which is better than the ones on the market. ”

Feng Bao nodded, "Then that's it." I also have some people under me who ask them to do the lighting. This thing is actually easy to do, but the difficult thing is that those people around His Majesty, if they have nothing to do, they will have no income, and they are afraid that they will hate you Zhang Taiyue to death. ”

Zhang Juzheng sneered, "Looking at Daming, those who hate you and me are carrying a lot of money, where can I take care of it?" ”

"yes, I can't take care of it."

The two looked at each other and smiled, since the accession of the Son of Heaven Chongling, they have supported each other to stabilize the court situation, and implemented new policies in order to fill the treasury of the court.

Feng Bao pointed to Fan Yu on the table again, "Uncle, this dish is good." In the future, during the New Year's holidays, I see this dish as indispensable. ”

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "This dish...... To be honest, not on my mind. ”

Feng Bao snorted and said, "Uncle, you just have too much to think about, and this dish is not for you to eat." As long as the family loves to eat, you will be done. Besides, this fish is not bad for me to say, it is enough to toss. ”

"This fish is okay to make trouble for me, and this auspicious gift in Nanjing will cost me a lot of money."

Feng Bao said with a smile: "There is already a supreme minister over there, and this auspicious rui is nothing more than asking for the title of governor of his family's left capital, what does it give him?" Anyway, Jiang Ning's side is like that, whether he is the governor of Zuo or not, he is generally rich and noble, why not do it if he is a favor? ”

"You must also reward the prince of the world and eat the marquis, otherwise the nobles will make a fuss." Zhang Juzheng shook his head, "The New Year is closed, the New Year is like passing the customs, the small people are like this, why is the court as well?" Money is used everywhere, money is used everywhere, and this fish has added a sum of money to my expenses, which is hateful. As he spoke, he picked up chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish. Feng Baodao: "Uncle, it is inevitable that you will be resentful when you carry the burden outside, but when you get home, you still have to be happy." Listen to my advice and follow the crowd. ”

"yes, I'm conformist. As long as the juniors like it and what they like to eat, let them go. Zhang Juzheng said happily, threw the fish meat into his mouth, and chewed it vigorously.

It was night, in the palace, the young Wanli Tianzi stared widely, staring directly at the roof, his mind repeatedly swirling with his mother's stern reprimand, and the anger of his teacher, and the love book that was burned into pieces of paper ashes.

Among the burned objects was a half-lamp, which was crudely made and the figures on it were twisted and did not resemble human shapes. In the anger of the Queen Mother, it was difficult to escape.

But what the Queen Mother didn't know was that the lamp was made by Wanli herself, and she was going to pay tribute to her teacher Zhang Juzheng and smile at her father during the Lantern Festival. Among the 100,000 taels of silver, although some of them are wanted by the little emperor himself, but one-fifth of them plan to hold a big banquet for his father, reward him for his hard work for the country, celebrate the auspiciousness of the cowpox party, and then give 30,000 silver to his senior brother and sister, which is also regarded as a New Year gift for his junior brother. But now...... All of this has come to naught.

The young man's dreams, enthusiasm and even his sincere filial piety to his father, on this night, accompanied by the raging fire turned into dust, dissipated between heaven and earth, and disappeared without a trace.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, the emperor still accompanied his mother with a smile on his face, and did not return to the palace until late at night, and the little lieutenant named Zhang Cheng served the emperor to change his clothes, and while the two were approaching, Wanli asked in a low voice: "What about Meng Xiu." ”

"I didn't get past it, last night...... And he fell asleep. ”

Wanli gritted his teeth, "Feng Bao! Why is his hand so ruthless? ”

"The slave didn't dare to say this."

"I also know that you can't afford to mess with Feng Daban, so I don't dare to say anything, but don't be afraid, after a long and wise life, I am now also smart, I know what to say, what not to say, when to laugh and when to cry, and I will not let you suffer for me again. By the way, how is the work you did for me? ”

"If you go back to Banzai, the matter has been done, and the slave maid has found the best painter and is staying at Chongwenmen. As long as Miss Zhang enters Beijing, she must enter Chongwenmen, and she will be able to draw a picture of a beauty. ”

"Well done!" Wanli muttered in a low voice, and then patted Zhang Cheng on the shoulder, "I originally wanted to reward you with something, but you also know that now I am in a situation, and I can't take out the silver if I want to reward you." ”

"Slaves and maids don't want a reward for long live, but only be loyal for long live."

"Okay, I remember your name, be loyal to me, I won't let you suffer."

If Fan Jin was here, he would probably be able to discover the mistakes of Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao and others. Wanli happened to be in adolescence at this time, and it was the Ninety-Five Supreme, the more the parents rudely forbade him to do anything, the more he wanted to do.

Originally, he just asked Zhang Shunqing casually about entering Beijing, and he made a random move, but he forgot about it after a long time. However, Zhang Juzheng's reaction, and then the Empress Dowager's rough handling, strengthened some of the emperor's determination. This kind of thing that belongs to psychology is unknown to no one at the moment, so naturally no one pays attention to it.

The originally unbreakable relationship between master and apprentice, mother and son, master and servant, now there is a crack, although the crack is not obvious, but just like a fine piece of porcelain, since the crack is generated, it is no longer perfect.

In the current situation, if someone actively tries to mend the rift, it will not be difficult to recover. But it was precisely because everyone lacked care for the young Tianzi's heart and emotions that the rift naturally existed on the porcelain, and after missing the repair period, it stayed like this. Nobody cares, no one cares. Just let it take root and sprout quietly......