Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"Captain Yan?"

Jiang Xinghuo was slightly startled. The person beside Zhu Gaoxu was none other than Lieutenant Yan Polu of the Zhongyi Guards School, whom he had seen on the painting boat that day, dressed as a veteran.

Jiang Xinghuo thought to himself: "Why is Captain Yan here? He seems to be familiar with Zhu Gaoxu?"

But after Jiang Xinghuo thought about it, the second question seemed to be not a problem. After all, Zhu Gaoxu was well-known in the Yan army, and it was a matter of course that he knew the middle and senior officers of the Zhongyi Guard.

If you don't know him, it might be strange, right?

But not allowing Jiang Xinghuo to think about the first question in detail, Zhu Gaoxu introduced it awkwardly.

"Here, this is Captain Yan, my good friend in the army. I also have many acquaintances in Jinyiwei. Today, Xiu Mu came to visit me in prison, so I thought of introducing him to Mr. Jiang so that he could have more friends after he is released from prison. A way."

Although Zhu Di was not very satisfied with this identity, he was still dissatisfied. He did not actually punch his second son, but instead cupped his fists and raised his hands as a gesture.

Zheng He looked up and saw that half of his breath was stuck in his esophagus and he kept coughing.

It was His Majesty the Emperor who came in person!

But while Zheng He was coughing and watching, he had to admit that, let alone the two of them standing together, Zhu Gaoxu looked much older than his actual age with his big beard, while Zhu Di looked majestic and majestic, but he didn't look so old. In addition, the two men have almost identical military temperaments, and they really look like comrades with a difference of more than ten years, rather than a father and son with a difference of more than 20 years.

When Zhu Gaoxu's words fell into Jiang Xinghuo's ears, Jiang Xinghuo listened carefully for a moment. Jiang Xinghuo really wanted to admit that there was nothing wrong with Zhu Gaoxu's words, at least on the surface. The senior generals in the army who entered Jinyiwei's Beizhen Fusi and Imperial Prison were really just like visiting each other. the difference.

Just a few months after the Yan Army crossed the river, the violent departments under the Yan Army's takeover and rule, whether it was the imperial edicts, imperial guards, city defenses, patrols, etc., all looked like grass-roots teams and had not yet been fully formalized and institutionalized. This can be gleaned from the sparse management of imperial prisons.

Seeing Captain Yan clasping his fists and saluting him first, as the saying goes, don't hit the smiling person. Jiang Xinghuo didn't want to be too rude, but he stood up and bowed as a salute.

"Captain Yan, long time no see."

Zhu Di also said with a smile: "Mr. Jiang has been away for several months, but his style remains the same, which is really enviable."

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned when he heard this, and his brain reacted for a second before he remembered that his father and Jiang Xinghuo had probably met before, and that was when he was almost kicked into the wall by his father when he was drunk.

It's just that Zhu Gaoxu was imprisoned that time. He didn't know whether Zhu Di met Jiang Xinghuo when he found him, and Jiang Xinghuo didn't tell him.

Zhu Gaoxu only knew that Li Jinglong was also imprisoned.

As for Zhu Gaochi and Ji Gang accompanying Zhu Di to meet Yu Qian at West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhu Gaoxu didn't know at all.

And since the two of them knew each other, they must have met before.

Zhu Gaoxu had just been told by Zhu Di to conceal his identity. This meant that no matter whether Jiang Xinghuo saw through Zhu Di's identity at a glance, the two of them had to pretend that Zhu Di was "Colonel Yan" even if they were pretending. They could not Let this layer of window paper be punctured.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to say a lot of things.

After a few more pleasantries, Jiang Xinghuo became increasingly suspicious.

Captain Yan approached him for no reason, but it didn't seem to be because of Zhu Gaoxu's face, which really made him feel a little weird.

However, Jiang Xinghuo has nothing to regret about spoiling Captain Yan's future events on the painting boat. After all, these things are all unsubstantiated. I just said that I, a dying man, made it up at the time. Come to think of it, It won't be a big deal.

The reason why Jiang Xinghuo didn't suspect that Captain Yan was Zhu Di was because they had just met and for a while, Jiang Xinghuo really didn't think about it.

After all, the emperor personally went to the imperial prison to see him. This was something that no one would think of immediately, and Jiang Xinghuo really didn’t know what Zhu Di looked like. In Jiang Xinghuo’s impression, Zhu Di was still I saw the old drama actor Wang acting on TV. There is a slight difference in body and appearance between Zhu Di and the real Zhu Di. It can also be said that they are completely different people.

Before that, what Jiang Xinghuo knew was that Zhu Gaoxu and Li Jinglong would relay the content of his lectures to the top brass of the Ming Empire. Jiang Xinghuo even thought that the ordinary-looking wall next to him was just a Hongwu Dynasty wall. The eavesdropping and amplification walls used to "make walls have ears" are all unconscious.

Therefore, Jiang Xinghuo expected that his meeting with other high-level decision-makers of the Ming Empire would not happen until he was released from prison.

This is a small misunderstanding caused by poor information.

And if Jiang Xinghuo is given more time to observe, Jiang Xinghuo's doubts will definitely grow and he will guess Captain Yan's identity.

However, Zhu Di obviously did not give Jiang Xinghuo this time. Zhu Di followed Zhu Gaoxu and sat down cross-legged very familiarly, and said: "I heard him say that he paid a visit to a gentleman in prison and came over to take a look out of curiosity, but I didn't expect it." It's Mr. Jiang. Mr. Jiang can say whatever he wants to say, and I will listen and won't interfere with your business."

A trace of doubt flashed in Jiang Xinghuo's eyes, but of course he had to do something after taking the money. Since Zhu Gaoxu didn't raise any objection, he still had to give lectures, so Jiang Xinghuo buried his doubts in his heart for the time being.

"Mr. Jiang, what are you talking about today?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked enthusiastically, obviously intending to perform well in front of his father.

No matter what, Zhu Gaoxu felt that he had gained quite a lot from studying with Mr. Jiang in the prison for several months.

Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu naturally had the idea of ​​​​adding some chips to his fight for reserves.

Four people sat around under the tree, listening to Mr. Jiang talk.

In the secret room next door, there were also Zhu Gaochi, Dao Yan, Xia Yuanji and others looking at each other. Although the eavesdropping amplification wall was sometimes ineffective.

A gust of cold wind blows, and the winter in the south of the Yangtze River always makes people feel chilly to the point of shrinking. It is as if the wind has turned into a poisonous snake, scurrying in along the sleeves and collar, and sliding along the skin, which is really uncomfortable. .

The paper in Jiang Xinghuo's hand was almost blown away by the wind.

"Today I will teach a new course called "National Management."

Jiang Xinghuo smoothed the loose and wrinkled paper, looked at the story on the paper and said slowly, "But before giving the lecture, let's tell a very relevant story."

"What story?" Zheng He asked.

Jiang Xinghuo spread out the paper and told a short story quite seriously.

"It is said that in the Yuan Dynasty, there was a village thirty miles south of Chaoyi County, Shaanxi Province. The only people living in this village were Zhao and Fang, and there were no other clans. The village was called small or big, and there were twenty or thirty people living there. The family has been farming for generations, but the grandfather of the family named Zhao actually hired his husband to teach his son how to read, and his grandson suddenly became a scholar. Now, guess what happened to the family named Fang? "

Zhu Gaoxu speculated very reasonably: "Should we hire a gentleman? After all, there is always a desire for comparison everywhere, and the countryside is relatively isolated. The family in the east and the west have been chatting for a long time. I think the family surnamed Fang will be jealous of comparison." "

"That's it." Jiang Xinghuo nodded slightly, "The people in the village were short-sighted. When they saw that the person named Zhao had become a scholar, they all praised him, and the person named Fang gradually lost his place. The person named Fang looked hot, and there was one Fang Bikai's family took advantage of the money and joined several other families to open an ethnography school. They also went to the city and invited an old master named Wang Rende to come to the countryside to teach their children to read. Fang Bikai's third son Especially smart."

"and after?"

"Then one day, the grandson named Zhao entered high school." Jiang Xinghuo said with a smile. "This made Fang Bikai jealous. When he heard the congratulations to the Zhao family from outside, he thought of his own family. The village was getting weaker and weaker, and he couldn't eat anymore. He walked up and down in front of the corridor of the study with his hands behind his back, talking to himself constantly, such as 'The young master of your house is reporting good news', and 'Bu Lianyuan is the messenger of good news'. The housekeeper understood what was going on and hurriedly went to ask for Mr. Wang Ren."

Zhu Di was stunned when he heard this, then realized it and said with a smile: "Are you going to ask the old master to stay and continue teaching?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xinghuo stared at the "Captain Yan" for a moment, and then said: "That's not all. Let's say that this party must have met with old Master Wang Ren and kowtowed twenty times without saying a word. I couldn't say anything, as if phlegm was stuck in my throat, and after a moment of hissing, I could only point at my son, and then at the old master."

"What does this mean?" Zhu Gaoxu asked curiously.

"The people around me don't know either." Jiang Xinghuo continued, "The old master was also stunned. Only then did he realize what Fang Bikai asked him to do. The old master said to the third son of the Fang family: You didn't hear me? It's not you. Eldest brother of the Zhao family, has he been selected to be elected today? The third son only said: What does it have to do with me if he is selected? The old master also said: That's not the case. Although it has nothing to do with you, in the eyes of your father, It's always a bit hot. The third son said again: What does it have to do with me if he is hot?"

Jiang Xinghuo's words described this vividly, and the image of a naughty boy was about to emerge, but it made several people smile.

And Jiang Xinghuo's little story has also reached its last paragraph.

"I just heard the old master say: Your father is your son who studies. Since he asked you to study, he naturally hopes that you will work hard and make progress. In the future, like your eldest brother of the Zhao family, you will earn a scholarship. After passing the examination, you will go up all the way. , Jinshi, Hanlin, there are many benefits!

The third son said, "What are the benefits of being elected?"

The old master said: If you become an official, you will get an official position, and if you become an official, you will make money, and you will also have to sit in court and beat people. When you go out, you will open the gong and shout, "Ayoyo, where will these benefits come from if you don't study and fail to pass the exam?" ?

Although the third son was young, when he heard the saying "You will make money if you become an official", although his mouth was silent, his heart was somewhat active. He remained silent for a long time, but he secretly determined in his heart that he must become big in the future. Official, make big money. "

"What happens next?" Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but ask.

"Later, when the third son grew up, his wish came true. He became a high official, made a lot of money, and became a corrupt official."

Jiang Xinghuo said with a straight face: "Then he was skinned by Emperor Gao, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty."

"What?"

The unexpected turn of events made several people almost unable to react and were stunned for a moment.

Jiang Xinghuo suppressed his smile and said calmly: "This story is an introduction, and it is also the content of the first volume of "National Management", that is, what is the management of a feudal country? In other words, who is the person who manages a feudal country? ?”