Wang Pu in the late Ming Dynasty

"I think it's inappropriate. The King of Qin and the King of Dai have half of the nine borders. If Wang Pu marries the princess of the King of Qin's mansion, will the King of Dai and the King of Qin use Wang Pu to form a force in the future?" Wen Tiren said seriously.

Zhou Yanru was stunned. What is this? What does it mean that the King of Qin and the King of Dai have half of the nine borders? They don't have military power, so what can they get? Moreover, they have to ask the emperor for special permission to go on a long journey. How can they control Wang Pu, this wild horse? So Wen Tiren's concern is to find fault with Wang Pu.

However, seeing Chongzhen bowing his head and thinking, he obviously listened to it. Zhou Yanru thought of the emperor's suspicious nature. Following this kind of emperor, he really has to look back and forth in everything and can't be happy.

"He should be rewarded with something." Chongzhen smiled helplessly. Without money in his hand, he has no dignity as an emperor.

"Hey? His brother died, the title was vacant, so Wang Pu inherited the title."

"But Wang Pu is a concubine's son, so he shouldn't inherit his brother's title. How can he set such a bad example that violates the hierarchy of legitimate and concubines?" Zhou Yanru said dissatisfiedly. He heard that Wen Tiren also wanted to take this opportunity to please Wang Pu, and he actually competed with him. He was furious. Zhou Yanru saw that the emperor's favor was turning cold, so he was thinking about making preparations in advance. In case he was sent out to be a military supervisor in the future, he would give Wang Pu some favors here first, so that he could protect himself in the future. Now the world is in chaos, and the strong army of the Divine Armor Camp is a help. But Wen Tiren, who is favored by the emperor, also has such thoughts. This villain is really despicable.

"You may not know, Lord Zhou, but the Ministry of Public Administration has just received a memorial from the Five Armies Commander Wang Hu a few days ago, requesting that the title of the eldest son Wang Qin be changed to the fourth son Wang Pu's. This memorial is unreasonable, so it has not been submitted to Wenyuan Pavilion, but forwarded to Jinyiwei. I learned about this when I went to Jinyiwei on official business." He immediately told the agreement between Wang Pu and the old lady of the Wang family. This was the information that Jinyiwei had just discovered. Although Zhou Yanru was a cabinet minister, he had no way of knowing it.

Chongzhen looked left and right, and his head hurt. One of his two trusted ministers advocated giving a title, and the other advocated granting a marriage. He privately preferred to give a title, because a marquis was just a marquis, which was not very useful. He was very afraid of the generals who commanded the army marrying the princes. He said, "Then give him the title. I treat him well. I think he should be satisfied."

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhou Yanru was very unhappy. This time he tried to please Wang Pu, but it was in vain. He was also humiliated by Wen Tiren. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he could not survive in the court.

After the court meeting, Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren came out of the Qinzheng Hall and ran into the carriage of Empress Dowager Xiaoding. They hurriedly stepped aside. Empress Dowager Xiaoding saw them with her sharp eyes and ordered the carriage to stop at the side. She asked, "Lord Zhou and Lord Wen are here, why don't you see Lord Xu."

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, Lord Xu has been ill for a month." Wen Tiren replied.

"Then why don't you do something and let the border generals of the Ming Dynasty be helpless?" Empress Dowager Xiaoding saidIt was a little accusatory, but the words were vague and confusing.

However, Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren were so smart that they immediately realized that the empress dowager had heard about the great victory and wanted to persuade the emperor to appease Wang Pu. Wen Tiren smiled and said, "Wang Pu has a saintly heart. He saved the country in the morning and set up a plank in the evening." This statement was taken from the allusion in Zuo Zhuan of the Spring and Autumn Period. The meaning was not faulty. It said that Wang Pu had the mind of a saint. When the country was in danger, he went to the enemy country alone and finally made great contributions. But the empress dowager Xiaoding came from a small family. How could she understand it? This was clearly bullying her for being uneducated.

The empress dowager Xiaoding was old and strong. How could she not taste the irony in these words? She was angry and said, "Wen Ge Lao is the water virtue, which conflicts with the fire virtue of the Zhu family." This statement was too straightforward and very lethal. Wen Tiren's face changed drastically when he heard it, and his legs softened and he knelt down to apologize.

Zhou Yanru was very pleased to see Wen Tiren's embarrassment. He secretly laughed at Wen Tiren for not knowing what was good for him. Empress Dowager Xiaoding was just a village woman who scolded people directly. Why did you make her angry and make yourself suffer? He smiled and said, "Your Majesty just discussed matters with me and is now drinking soup. It will be difficult to find him later."

Empress Dowager Xiaoding had something important to do with Chongzhen. After hearing this, she really didn't bother to argue. Seeing that Zhou Yanru was respectful and intended to humiliate Wen Tiren, she said, "I'm going to talk to the emperor about something. Lord Zhou, follow me. Let's go and persuade the emperor. Hey, the Ming Dynasty cannot do without gentlemen like Mr. Zhou. It's not good for the emperor to be surrounded by villains." After saying this, regardless of Wen Tiren's trembling body, he went straight to the Qinzheng Hall without looking back.

Beside the garden path, the empress dowager got off the carriage and approached Zhou Yanru, saying: "I heard that there are only two armies in the Ming Dynasty that can fight against the Eastern Tartars, the Guanning Iron Cavalry in Liaodong and the Shenjia Camp in Shanxi, is that true or not?"

"Well, maybe, it's just as she said." Zhou Yanru was still not used to the frankness of this old woman. He just needed to know the truth about such heartless words. If he told others, the Ming Dynasty, a country with a population of hundreds of millions, would lose face.

"I heard that these two armies are not in harmony with you, hum." The Empress Dowager Xiaoding pointed at Zhou Yanru's nose and said angrily: "Is this how you assist the emperor? The emperor and you are all talking nonsense, and sooner or later you will fall into the ditch."

The second assistant of the Ming Dynasty was lectured by an old woman like this, and he secretly regretted it in his heart. He was unlucky to follow her.

"Fortunately, there is still the Imperial Master who knows the severity of the situation and tries his best to save the situation. These two armies are very considerate of him." Speaking of Sun Chengzong, Empress Dowager Xiaoding's face became brighter, and she said, "The Imperial Master is in charge of the Guanning Iron Cavalry, and I am very relieved. It's just that Wang Pu is young and hot-tempered, and he dares to offend the emperor again and again. If you don't appease him, can you sleep well?"

"Well, I don't know what the Empress Dowager thinks." Zhou Yanru didn't say anything weird, but just asked woodenly.

"I don't dare to take my opinion. I just advise people to keep the foundation of their ancestors." Empress Dowager Xiaoding said helplessly. If the emperor didn't know the importance of the matter, she really didn't want to come out and be ridiculed by the world. She expected that many literati would mock her for being a hen crowing at dawn in the future.

Zhou Yanru rarely hadI admire Empress Dowager Xiaoding a little. This old lady is actually more suitable to be the emperor than Chongzhen. So I said: "In fact, I often advise the emperor not to reveal his intentions easily. It is a taboo for the emperor to be guessed by his ministers."

"Well." Empress Dowager Xiaoding nodded with satisfaction. She and Zhou Yanru should be able to get things done together.

Empress Dowager Xiaoding took Zhou Yanru in to meet Chongzhen, and they all exchanged greetings.

"Holy Mother Empress Dowager, are you doing well recently?" Chongzhen said something personal, but his mind was not here, and he was very perfunctory.

"Thanks to the Emperor's great fortune, I have no disasters or pains, and I am doing very well. On the contrary, the Emperor seems to be relieved." Empress Dowager Xiaoding also made some polite remarks, and then said bluntly: "It is good for the Emperor to be diligent in his work, but sometimes, he should be confused for once and not compete with his ministers."

After hearing this, Chongzhen was slightly stunned. He didn't quite understand what Empress Dowager Xiaoding said. There was a hidden meaning. So he looked at Zhou Yanru who was standing aside. Zhou Yanru was a smart and insightful old man. He immediately understood and stepped forward to report: "The Empress Dowager heard that Datong Town went to the grassland and won a great victory. She couldn't hide her joy."

"Oh, I have prepared a reward for Wang Pu. He is a bastard, but I will give him the title." Chongzhen said very displeased. This matter was obviously not worth the Empress Dowager's personal concern, but she came to make suggestions. Was she not used to him or looked down on him?

"There is an interesting story in Water Margin. Would Your Majesty like to hear it?" Empress Dowager Xiaoding said after a moment's silence, but what she said was quite irrelevant.

"I, listen." Chongzhen hesitated. He was busy and didn't want to listen to an old woman talking nonsense. It would be against etiquette to just refuse.

"I can't remember which chapter it was. Wu Song took refuge in the palace of King Chao Tian. Chao Gai took him in, gave him a lot of silver, and provided him with food and clothing. However, Wu Song was very ungrateful and even more resentful. Later, Song Jiang also came. This Song Jiang gave some of the silver Chao Gai gave him to Wu Song. Wu Song was very grateful and became Song Jiang's loyal follower from then on. Guess why."

"Well, Wu Song doesn't know what's good for him." Chongzhen frowned.

"There are people like Wu Song in the world who don't know what's good for them. You want to be like Chao Gai when you are the emperor. You spent a lot of money but didn't get any good results. Instead, you are hated by others. Or Song Jiang, who only spent a little money and made people grateful and loyal."

"How did Song Jiang do it?" Chongzhen asked in confusion.

"It's not a big trick. It's just giving face." Empress Dowager Xiaoding said: "Chao Gai gave people money with a cold face, and people received the money but felt unhappy. This is called a little kindness and a big rice. Song Jiang put on a face of respecting the wise and humble, trying to get close to people. He won people's hearts without spending money. So, did you have a cold face to Wang Pu?"

After listening to this long talk, Chongzhen fell into deep thought. Yes, my attitude towards Wang Pu is the same as Chao Gai's towards Wu Song. He was not one to ignore advice, so he asked, "Then what should I do?"

"What does Wang Pu need? He is now lackingWhat, have you thought about it? " asked Empress Dowager Xiaoding.

"Then, how about I give him a golden medal of immunity from death?" Chongzhen said with his eyes bright.

Empress Dowager Xiaoding's eyes went dark and she almost fainted. It took her a long time to recover. She had to say: "The ministers outside are most afraid of having no one in the court. Xu Ge Lao is dying, and Wang Pu has no one to rely on. How can he not be anxious?"

"Oh." Chongzhen suddenly realized that this was the reason. He asked: "Then I will go to the old man of the Donglin Party and ask someone to come out to replace Xu Ge Lao."

"It's not enough. When a person dies, the government will die. Wang Pu is a military man and may not be close to other people in the Donglin Party." Empress Dowager Xiaoding shook her head.

"So what does the queen dowager mean? "Chongzhen gradually became impatient, his face was a little stiff. After all, he was the emperor. He was neither right nor wrong. It was obvious that he was scolding his son.

"There is a maid in the harem. I heard that Wang Pu likes her very much. Let's give her a concubine title and call her Wang Jinyu."

"Humph, this is not in accordance with the etiquette." Chongzhen snorted coldly. Wang Jinyu was just a concubine's daughter of the Wang family, not a legitimate daughter of a good family. According to the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, she could not be made a concubine.

"It's just a matter of urgency."

"I am the supreme ruler. My words and deeds are examples for the world. How can I be slack?" Chongzhen retorted without any hesitation.

"Then, oh, you child. "Empress Dowager Xiaoding had a bad temper. Seeing that Chongzhen was a child who could not be taught, she was furious and wanted to kick him to death. At a critical moment when the country was on the verge of death, what was the point of talking about etiquette?

Seeing that Empress Dowager Xiaoding was anxious and at a loss for words, turning in circles, Chongzhen was inexplicably pleased and smiled evilly, "Wang Pu's silver is really too much." He had already determined that Empress Dowager Xiaoding secretly accepted bribes from Wang Pu, which was why she came here to waste her breath.

Emperor Chongzhen was not good at nourishing his qi, and his emotions were all visible on his face. So when Empress Dowager Xiaoding heard the emperor's words and saw the deliberate expression on Chongzhen's face, she knew that there was no hope. She smiled dimly, even forgot to be polite, and left. When she reached the door, she turned back and shouted at Zhou Yanru, "Lord Zhou, the emperor wants to rest, so don't bother him. Accompany me to the Imperial Hospital for treatment. I have a sudden illness. ”

Having said this, Zhou Yanru had no choice but to bid farewell to Chongzhen and followed Empress Dowager Xiaoding.

When they reached a crossroad outside the palace, Empress Dowager Xiaoding asked angrily, "Tell me, who else in the harem is colluding with Wang Pu? Find her out. There must be a concubine who is Wang Pu's person. This matter is of great importance."

Having witnessed the fierceness of Empress Dowager Xiaoding today, Zhou Yanru could only tremble in fear and hurriedly smiled and said, "This matter is actually not difficult to handle."

"Oh? Please don't keep us in suspense, Lord Zhou. Go ahead." Empress Dowager Xiaoding immediately became interested and asked with bright eyes.

"Wang Pu is about to inherit the title, so his family will be promoted from concubine to legitimate." Zhou Yanru smiled and said, "He should have a younger sister who is not married yet and can be selected into the palace. "He also had a very clear memory of Wang Pu's surrounding information. As a cabinet minister, it was a basic skill to have a photographic memory.

"Great!, but this matter should not be made public. "The Empress Dowager Xiaoding said happily, she was afraid that Chongzhen would mess up again and ruin the good things. This emperor was more troublesome than he was helpful.

Zhou Yanru was slightly stunned. He thought: Is the Empress Dowager going to do it secretly without informing Wang Pu in advance? When Wang Pu knows that he has been plotted, he will jump up and down. Well, the Empress Dowager should not be afraid either. A military general at the border has nothing to do with her, the Empress Dowager, and she will definitely make him a concubine afterwards. After the plot, she will immediately give him a sweet date. Although Wang Pu is a military general, he is not a warrior, so he will endure it.

The palace maids are very miserable, especially now that the whole court is in chaos. In the chaotic times, palace maids and eunuchs were starved to death or beaten to death every day. Some were carried out from the palace gate late at night, and some floated out from the moat. For a family like Wang Pu, who was in the prime of his life, his close family members were looking forward to enjoying themselves, so how could they be willing to enter the palace to suffer such unforgivable pain. Therefore, Zhou Yanru estimated that Wang Pu would be reluctant to leave his sister. However, Empress Dowager Xiaoding was used to fighting with others in the palace all her life, and she had long regarded cold-blooded calculations as nothing, and was ready to make a fortune.

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