After the next day's court meeting, the three ministers of the cabinet were called by Zhu Youzhu to the Qianqing Palace to speak.

The discussion was about the candidate for the main examiner for the next year's examination, and it was not directly decided, only that the three of them should go back and think about it, and then discuss it in detail.

The three of them returned to the attic office.

Xie Qian said: "Your Majesty is unusually this year, there are still more than two months before the examination, why do you have to decide the main exam so early?" ”

Li Dongyang analyzed: "Could it be related to His Majesty's eagerness to select talents?" His Majesty has recently reviewed the promotion records of the six divisions, the foreign ministers, and the chief ministers in the past few years, which may also have something to do with Li Guang's suicide. ”

After Zhu Youji's health improved, he seemed to have more energy to ask about the affairs of the DPRK and China, and many things that he had not asked before, the emperor specially took them out to ask, and even sent someone to check them.

The three who have the most stable grasp of the emperor's movements are the cabinet.

Liu Jian sighed faintly: "Maybe it has something to do with that Xie Yuan in Jiangnan......

Between Liu Jian's words, he brought to an "ineffable" topic.

In the DPRK and China, Zhang Zhou's identity is still a topic that is still a secret.

There are not many people who know, and even fewer know the roots, and only those who have contact with the internal officials of the inner court will know some details, but at the court level, the relationship between internal and external officials needs to be avoided, and it is impossible for anyone to talk about Zhang Zhou publicly.

Li Dongyang said: "Until now, Jizhi has not seen this person. After the students arrived in Beijing, they were all eager to meet the master, but he was different. It is useless to send someone to ask for it. ”

Xie Qian changed the topic and said: "On Wang Shichang's side, there is a note of impeachment, and he has been left behind by His Majesty recently. There is also no follow-up to the previous proposal to add Hanlin Bachelors, and now that the affairs of the Zhan Mansion, the Hanlin Academy, and the edicts are all from the hands of Keqin alone, will he be a little overwhelmed? ”

Cheng Minzheng is now under the cabinet, and he is already vaguely half a cabinet elder.

The edicts to be drafted by the cabinet, the affairs of the Hanlin Academy and the Zhan Shifu are all in his hands, and the Ming Dynasty does not have a second Hanlin Bachelor, and several Attendant Scholars and Attendant Scholars are all responsible for their own duties.

Nowadays, in the Hanlin system, except for the three cabinet members, no one can compare with it.

Liu Jian did not answer this question.

Because in the past, when the topic of Cheng Minzheng was mentioned in front of the emperor, the emperor would not talk about it head-on.

Everyone can see that the emperor intends to make Cheng Minzheng the fourth person in the cabinet.

Li Dongyang seemed to think of something, and proposed: "Or you can suggest that Your Majesty will take the exam in the spring of next year, and Keqin will take the exam." ”

Xie Qian said with a smile: "With Your Majesty's intention and the rules of the past years, this time there will be two main exams, and the cabinet must also have one person, so you are the most suitable." ”

Vaguely, it seems that the two candidates for the main exam in February next year have been given.

……

……

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Jing is reporting on the situation after Wang Yue returned to Beijing.

The emperor was very concerned about Wang Yue's movements in Beijing, and thought that Wang Yue led the generals to be dismissed and returned to Beijing, and he was a well-known marshal, so he specially sent people from Dongchang to secretly investigate to see who Wang Yue usually intersected with, and to see if he had complaints and abnormal movements, so as to determine whether he had different intentions.

“…… Does it mean that after Wang Yue returned to Beijing, he went to visit Bingkuan? He's well-informed, did he give gifts? ”

Zhu Youzhu heard that Wang Yue had gone to see Zhang Zhou, and asked interestingly.

Xiao Jing thought to himself, Wang Yue is not well-informed, or I let him be well-informed.

I also gave him guidance when he went to see Zhang Zhou.

Xiao Jing said with a smile: "Yes, the gift is very rich, but after nightfall that day, Mr. Zhang sent someone to send it back, and said that he was not Li Guang, and only accepted the gifts that should be received. ”

"Haha!"

Zhu Youzhu listened to it very interestingly, so he smiled and said, "It's okay if he accepts it, Wang Yue, it's good to know more, if he doesn't send it, he won't be able to make up his mind, thinking that I will do something to him." ”

Xiao Jing heard that the emperor felt that it was natural for Zhang Zhou to accept Wang Yue's gift.

If Zhang Zhou didn't accept it, it would make Wang Yue think that the emperor might want to remove him from his position or kill him.

In addition to liking to make friends with internal officials, Wang Yue also has suspicions.

Xiao Jing asked, "Do you want to tell Mr. Zhang?" ”

In fact, Xiao Jing also understood that the emperor wanted to appease Wang Yue in some ways, if Zhang Zhou accepted Wang Yue's gift and could make Wang Yue stay in the capital with more peace of mind, then even if Zhang Zhou accepted bribes, the emperor not only did not care, but would support it.

"No!" Zhu Youzhu said, "Bingkuan is in the East Palace today, right?" ”

"Yes. Mr. Zhang will speak today. ”

Zhang Zhou has not yet been admitted to the Jinshi, and he has already begun to lecture, but he still came when the Hanlin Academy is not lecturing, nominally to check and fill in the gaps to do after-school tutoring, but in fact, it has faintly become the main source of Zhu Houzhao's knowledge.

Zhu Youzhu said: "Go and ask Bingkuan, see what his impression of Wang Yue is, I want to give Wang Yue the post of secretary of the military department, so that he can do it." He is old and well, and he can go back to recuperate. ”

Xiao Jingxin said that this Wang Junmen has been fighting all his life, with ups and downs, and now the emperor looks polite to him, and he wants to give him a military secretary and then pay tribute, but in fact, he is not at ease with him.

Probably His Majesty also took into account that he Wang Yue was unwilling to live under others, and even Tu Tu who he recommended back then was now a secretary of the ministry, and he would be willing to be a soldier in the court?

……

……

Zhang Zhou gave Zhu Houzhao a lesson in the East Palace.

Zhu Houzhao seems to be a good student who listens carefully.

After class, Zhang Zhou went over to explain the situation, indicating that he would not come again for a period of time before and after the year.

"Why?"

Zhu Houzhao was still a little curious.

Obviously, Zhang Zhou has been lecturing more and more recently, and he likes to listen more and more, why is it suddenly about to stop?

Zhang Zhoubai glanced at him and said: "The prince is so forgetful, he forgot that the minister wants to prepare for the exam?" ”

"Cut, go to the palace once or twice, delay your exam? Where to learn is not to learn? Zhu Houzhao said with disdain, "If you don't want to come, you can say that you don't want to come, and you have to find so many excuses." ”

As he was talking, Liu Jin on the side had already brought tea and prepared one for Zhang Zhou.

"His Royal Highness the Prince, Mr. Zhang, please drink tea." Liu Jin said with a smile.

Zhu Houzhao said: "Is your ass okay?" I've been seeing a lot of activities lately. ”

Liu Jin said with a smile: "Thanks to His Royal Highness the Prince's concern, the slave's injuries have all healed, Mr. Zhang, you don't have to let it go yourself, just hand it over to the slave." ”

As he spoke, he took a sip of the tea bowl that Zhang Zhou had taken a sip of, took it and slowly put it on the table.

Zhang Zhou said: "Father-in-law Liu is polite. ”

You are a royal slave, not mine, and I don't know how to talk to you so respectfully.

"Zhang Zhou, after the exam in the coming year, remember to come back as soon as possible, the palace is waiting for you in the East Palace, it is best that you can be admitted by then, if you fail the exam, the palace will look down on you."

Zhu Houzhao knew that he wanted to part with Zhang Zhou temporarily, and there were still more than two months before this parting, and he was a little sad about parting.

Recently, Zhang Zhou has taught him a lot of things, and he has also benefited.

The two are not teachers and students, but more like friends.

Forget the New Year's handover.

Zhang Zhoudao: "The minister still remembers doing business with the prince, and the bookstore has not yet opened. It is in the stage of market promotion, and the effect is not bad so far, and we will make a fortune together in the coming year. ”

"Okay, it's good to get rich, this palace likes to get rich the most!"

……

……

Zhang Zhou came out of the Wenhua Palace, preparing to leave the palace under Liu Jin's guidance.

But Xiao Jing came in a hurry and informed the emperor that he wanted to inquire about Wang Yue.

"You don't have to go to the saint, do you?" Zhang Zhou asked.

"No, if you have anything, just tell our family, and we will tell you." Xiao Jing said.

Zhang Zhou nodded: "Wang Weining went to visit our mansion that day, in addition to the necessary gratitude for saving his life, he also asked me if there was a way to help him get the title of Earl Weining back." ”

"Huh?"

Xiao Jing was shocked.

You Zhang Zhou is really straightforward.

Who asked you, why are you telling me this?

The emperor was originally very wary of Wang Yue, you said this, didn't the emperor drive him out of the court earlier?

Zhang Zhoudao: "But I said, I can't do anything about it, and later his gift was sent back to him." ”

"This ...... It should be. Xiao Jing was embarrassed.

If you don't send it back, I won't be able to deal with Your Majesty, after all, Wang Yue's every move is being watched, not only you, but even I don't dare to accept it for the time being, just wait for the limelight to pass, and then take a look.

Zhang Zhou smiled: "But I told him that if you want to get a knighthood, it's not completely impossible." ”

Xiao Jing smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Zhang, don't make fun of our family, our family's mood, you have made it up and down, can we finish the words at one time?" ”

"Okay." Zhang Zhou nodded, "I told him that the Tatars might go south again, and they would either go out and leave as soon as they grabbed a wave, and he asked me if I could figure out when it was, and said that without my other help, he could apply to His Majesty and lead his troops to win a beautiful battle, and maybe he would be able to get the title back." ”

"Grandpa Xiao, you can judge, he's not bragging, right?"

Xiao Jingyan's face stiffened a little when he heard this: "It's really not bragging, he has such ability, but Mr. Zhang, this kind of thing...... Can it be counted? ”

Zhang Zhoudao: "It's a little difficult, but it's not impossible." Anyway, do you want to take precautions first? If you miscalculate, it will be nothing more than a waste of manpower and material resources, and there will be no big loss after all, and there is no need to make a big fuss to the government and the opposition......"

When Xiao Jing heard this, he smiled and said: "If it can really be calculated, it is really the case, anyway, it is necessary to make some internal preparations, and no one will make a public announcement." What about our family...... Just go back to Your Majesty? ”

Zhang Zhou looked at Xiao Jing's reaction and probably understood.

This is an opportunity for Wang Yue to regain the title, but for Xiao Jing, as long as things can be done, just making a speech is also a meritorious service.

"Really? I'm also afraid that this will cause some trouble for the imperial court......"

Zhang Zhou also looked very afraid of trouble.

Xiao Jing said with a compliment: "If you can really calculate when the Tatars will come, expect the enemy to attack first, let the Ming border be prepared, and then let the Ming soldiers have the opportunity to kill the Tatars with superior forces and boost the army's prestige, how can this kind of good thing be troublesome?" Your Majesty is too late to be happy. ”

"Mr. Zhang, I can't hide it, if you really don't say this, maybe Your Majesty will give Wang Shilang a military department book, and let him retreat, now with your words, then maybe he will have to stay in the court for a year or two more, win this battle and leave. His Majesty also hopes to stabilize the frontier. ”

(End of chapter)