The Admiral of the Imperial Bodyguard, Zhang Xiu, said with a smile, "The Little Prince attacked our border. The armies of Zhuo County and Chi County were both successful. Only Huai Lai suffered heavy casualties, resulting in the death of a Prefectural Secretary and the Military Inspector, Lord Ye, being trampled to death. The Three Laws Bureaus were ordered by the Emperor to sentence General He. Unexpectedly, after General He was escorted to the capital, he pushed the crime of underestimating the enemy onto the Military Inspector, Lord Ye, and Eunuch Liu.
General He was a general recommended by the Ministry of War. If General He was punished, they would not be able to escape the accusation of using the wrong people. Therefore, the Ministry of War protected General He and accused the Inspectorate of not understanding military affairs and interfering. As a result, the Imperial Messengers of the Inspectorate and the Inner Yamen became united against a common enemy and attacked the Ministry of War.
The Inner Yamen is just a group of eunuchs. They have no idea about military affairs. But when Eunuch Liu returned to the capital, he brought back a letter. "At this point, Zhang Xiu smiled at Yang Ling and said," It is the letter you wrote to General He. "
Yang Ling said, "Yes, I have some shallow opinions about General He, but I do not know how this letter fell into Eunuch Liu's hands."
Zhang Xiu shook his head and said, "I do not know the inside story. Eunuch Liu is a servant of the Crown Prince. He has a good friend in the palace called Zhang Yong. This eunuch knows a bit about military affairs. When he saw your faith as a treasure, he immediately encouraged the Inner Yamen to impeach the Ministry of War, accusing the soldiers in the army of not being strong, the scouts of being weak, and the Ministry of War's poor command of troops.
Heh heh, but the Ministry of War is responsible for the deployment of troops, and the daily training and command of troops is indeed the responsibility of the Five Armies Commanderies. As a result, the Five Armies Commanderies, which originally had nothing to do with it, were stirred up by the relieved Ministry of War. The four yamens began to fight like a horse lantern. "
Yang Ling stammered, "This … this … I really did not expect so many entanglements. But just now you said that the Ministry of Works was also involved. What does this military matter have to do with the Ministry of Works?"
Zhang Xiu said, "Unrelated, originally unrelated, but your letter mentioned the ingenuity of the use of firearms, as well as their important role in future battles. A supervisor in the Ministry of War called Wang Shouren saw it and was greatly impressed. In a moment of bookworm anger, he just had to present a voluminous ten-thousand-word memorial to the Emperor at this time, talking about the way of governing the army and mentioning the urgent need to improve our court's firearms. In this memorial, there was also some criticism about the Northern Army being equipped with too few firearms. In my opinion, the contents of his memorial were also on point, but the timing was somewhat inappropriate."
When Yang Ling heard the three words "Wang Shouren", he felt it was somewhat familiar, but he could not remember where. But since he had an impression, he must have seen it in a history book. Although he was now a small supervisor in the Ministry of War, it was very likely that he would become an official with great accomplishments in the future, so he secretly remembered him.
Zhang Xiu continued, "This time, the Ministry of Works was afraid that these yamens would push the blame for the defeat on them, so they complained to the Emperor about the lack of silver, the low quality of the troops, the difficulty of making firearms …" Zhang Xiu thoughtfully rubbed his chin and said with great interest, "Hmm … the Ministry of Works' memorial was just sent to the Imperial Palace yesterday. I reckon that the Ministry of Revenue, which is in charge of money and grain, has received the news and will submit another memorial to defend themselves!"
Yang Ling did not know whether to laugh or cry. "How could this be? This lowly official really did not expect that it would cause such a storm. If I had known it would be like this … I would not have written that letter. "
Zhang Xiu stretched his waist and lazily said, "Have you ever fished for crabs? There is a bunch of crabs in the basket, and there is no need to cover the basket. The crabs cannot climb out, because as long as one wants to climb up, the other crabs will climb onto its body and pull it down. In the end, not a single one will be able to get out. Heh heh, this has always been the case in the officialdom, so it is not surprising."
"Without your letter, they would naturally find other reasons to shift the blame to each other. But this has helped you. Right now, everyone in the six ministries knows your great name. When the Crown Prince heard about it, he asked for your invitation. After reading it, he extended his hand to His Majesty to ask for you to come to the capital to serve as a study attendant. Heh heh heh …"
Zhang Xiu stopped laughing and straightened his face. "The entanglements of these officials have nothing to do with my Imperial Bodyguard. I have specially summoned you today. Do you know the reason?"
Yang Ling said, "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."
Zhang Xiu said in a low voice, "Our Imperial Bodyguard, the criminal investigation, the civil and military officials, and the people of the world are independent of the three departments. As for Dongchang, it is responsible for supervising the officials and the Imperial Bodyguard. Every time my North Provost Discipline Commission has a major imperial edict, Dongchang must send someone to attend the trial. Speaking of which, its authority is above our Imperial Bodyguard. "
Yang Ling did not know why he was saying all this and could not help but feel puzzled. He heard Zhang Xiu continue, "However, there are many descendants of meritorious officials in the Imperial Bodyguard. In addition, many officials in Dongchang are officers recruited from our Imperial Bodyguard. Therefore, Dongchang and our Imperial Bodyguard can be said to be inextricably linked. If we really talk about strength, the Imperial Bodyguard may not be afraid of Dongchang. Fortunately, our factory and guard have always been in harmony and have never had any estrangement."
Zhang Xiu glanced at him and said, "Since the end of last year, His Majesty has gradually felt unwell … Recently, His Majesty has the intention to reopen the West Factory, with the duty of supervising Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard. At present, people are secretly raising funds, and a large number of personnel will be drawn from the army to form their own department, which has nothing to do with Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard."
Yang Ling listened to his abrupt words and could not help but be startled. After thinking carefully, he understood that the Emperor felt that there was something wrong with his body and had already begun to plan for a successor. Although Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard were the organizations that he trusted the most, they had too much power. Moreover, according to Zhang Xiu, although the factory and the Imperial Bodyguard had the responsibility of supervision, in reality they were like one family. The Emperor was not at ease and was preparing to reopen the West Factory. If he did not transfer a single soldier from Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard, it was to balance Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard, to prevent the new Emperor from ascending the throne and losing power to others.
Zhang Xiu continued, "The Crown Prince is still young and our Imperial Bodyguard is responsible for the safety of the royal family. How can we not be careful? But since His Majesty has doubts, Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard have no choice but to avoid suspicion, so it is not good to arrange people around the Crown Prince. Now that you are the Study Attendant of the Crown Prince, you are a close official of the Crown Prince. You must bear this responsibility. Do you understand my meaning? "
How could Yang Ling not understand his intention? The Imperial Bodyguard and Dongchang shared weal and woe and held power together. Now that the West Factory was about to be established, it was their responsibility to supervise Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard. Naturally, they were worried that their power would be lost.
There was only a group of eunuchs by the Crown Prince's side. Even though they could be roped in, the current eunuchs of the East Faction Guards were naturally unwilling to support a group of their own kind and usurp their authority in the future. Yang Ling had no foundation in the court. If they supported such a person, even if he were to achieve meteoric success, he would not be able to leave the East Faction Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the two big trees. Naturally, he was the most suitable candidate.
Thinking about this, Yang Ling could not help but feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. To a person who is determined to climb up the ranks, this kind of opportunity and this kind of backing is naturally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But in this way, as a small Study Attendant, he will inevitably become a thorn in the side of others. How easy would it be to live a peaceful and comfortable life for two years?
Yang Ling understood the crux of the matter and could not help but panic. "I am indebted to Your Excellency's favor, but this lowly official … this lowly official is still young, I am afraid I will fail Your Excellency's trust."
Zhang Xiu stared at him for a long time until Yang Ling felt a chill. Zhang Xiu smiled and rolled his eyes. "In this world, the greatest is the Son of Heaven. As long as you are by the Son of Heaven's side, anything is possible."
He smiled and said, "Speaking of the West Factory, I remember something. In the third year of Chenghua, the southern barbarians rebelled. The Count of Xiangcheng, Li Jin, and Minister Cheng Xin led the army to suppress the rebellion. After suppressing the rebellion, they captured countless men and women. They brought a group of slaves back to the capital and distributed them to the nobles. Among this group of slaves, there was a man surnamed Wang and a girl surnamed Ji. They were sent to the palace. The man was castrated to become a eunuch and the girl served as a palace maid … "
Speaking to this point, he laughed mischievously. He lowered his eyes and looked at Yang Ling. "Do you know what happened to these two people later?"
Without waiting for Yang Ling to answer, Zhang Xiu continued, "Ten years later, the Imperial Court established the West Factory. For a time, the West Factory had the power to overturn the world. It was above Dongchang and the Imperial Bodyguard. That West Factory's Manager … was surnamed Wang and given name Zhi. He was the eunuch who was captured and brought to the palace ten years ago."
Yang Ling had heard of Wang Zhi's name before. Hearing this, he could not help but let out an 'ah'. Zhang Xiu continued, "That girl surnamed Ji was first a palace maid, then a female official. Then she was bestowed the title of Consort Shu and later the title of Empress. She is the Emperor's birth mother." He clapped his hands and sighed. "Just think about the captives from Big Vine Gorge. Even if they were casually whipped to death by the soldiers on the way, it would not be a big deal. Who would have thought that two of them would come to the Emperor's side and evolve into a spectacular story?"
He smiled. "You are a scholar. Those civil officials see you as one of their own. The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Inspectorate, and the Ministry of War have a good impression of you. Behind you, you have the Imperial Bodyguard and Dongchang to help you. It can be said that you have countless opportunities. As long as you can gain the Crown Prince's recognition, when the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, it will be the time for you to become famous! Yang Tongzhi, do you still want to belittle yourself? "
Yang Ling looked at Zhang Xiu's "amiable" smiling face. In a trance, he seemed to see platoon leader Yang waving his hand forward and shouting, "Amir, charge!"
※ ※ ※
'Amir' rushed forward, not for his bright future, but for his woman.
As soon as he left the Imperial Bodyguard's North Provost Division, he saw lights everywhere. Yang Ling remembered that Young-niang was still waiting for him at home. He immediately wanted to go home. Two years, such a precious time. It was better to spend more time with his sweet wife.
There were two large temple fairs in the capital, known as the East Temple and the West Temple. The East Temple was located in Longfu Temple near the Sipai Tower on Da Shi Street. The temple fair was held on the ninth and tenth of every month. The West Temple was Da Longshan Huguo Temple on Huguo Temple Street. The temple fair was held on the seventh and eighth of every month.
Today was not the day of the temple fair, but these two streets had long formed a fixed commercial area. Tea houses, wine shops, and shops stood shoulder to shoulder. It was very lively. Yang Ling and Young-niang had a heartwarming dinner in a restaurant and went straight to Huguo Temple.
Of course, he would not bring Liu Biao and Yang Yiqing, the two third wheels, with him. As a result, after eating in the alley, the two of them turned around and asked the passers-by for directions. When the passers-by heard that the young couple was going to Huguo Temple to pray, they were all surprised, but they still gave them directions.
It turned out that this famous temple, which occupied a vast area, had now been changed into a Lama Temple. People in the capital had always had the idea of staying away from the strange Bodhisattva worshiped by the Lama. They did not dare to experience the Lama Temple's rituals. Only when there was a temple fair, tourists liked to enter the temple to see strange things. Usually, very few people came. Therefore, the incense in this temple was famous for being scarce, which was completely different from the situation of other temples which were full of incense.
However, the Han people were not as strict about religious beliefs as the Westerners. They believed in each other and would never fight with each other just because they believed in Heavenly Lord Yuanshi and they believed in Buddha. Nor would they forbid their children from marrying each other. Therefore, although the pedestrians felt that it was a little strange for the young couple to go to the Lama Temple, no one made things difficult for them.
Over the years, many Lamas from Qing, Kang, Zang, and even from outside the desert had come to the imperial court of Ming Destiny. Because of the unity of politics and religion in their area, the Lamas' visit was like the visit of local officials, which was highly valued by the imperial court. Therefore, the emperor gave them several temples for monks who were willing to stay in the Central Plains to live in. Huguo Temple was one of them.
Although there was not much incense here, fortunately, the imperial court provided for them on time, so the lives of these Lamas were not poor.
Yang Ling entered the gate of Huguo Temple and saw that the temple was brightly lit. Although there were some tourists, most of them seemed to be old people who were tired of walking and came in to rest. They were sitting and chatting in the corridor. The gate of Vajra Hall was open, but no one came in or out.
Yang Ling turned his head and saw that Han Youniang was three feet away from him, following him coyly. He felt a little funny in his heart and could not help but tease, "Wife, why are you so far away from me when we are walking on the street together? Xianggong keeps turning his head to look at you, his neck is almost sprained. "
Han Youniang shyly leaned closer to him and said in a low voice, "Xianggong, lower your voice, or people will laugh at me. I am a woman, I can't walk side by side with you."
Yang Ling laughed and said, "All right, then you can follow me from behind. Buddha said: Looking back five hundred times in the past life, in exchange for a passing shoulder in this life. From now on you will follow Xianggong every day, Xianggong will turn his head to look at you when he is free, five thousand times, fifty thousand times, and strive to be husband and wife in the next life. "
Han Young-niang smiled shyly and rolled her eyes at him. Before she could answer, suddenly an unpleasant voice said, "This is interesting. I have only heard of a hundred years of cultivation, a thousand years of cultivation, and ten thousand years of cultivation."
Yang Ling turned his head and saw a young scholar with a face as white as powder, holding a small golden fan, looking at him with a grin. This little scholar was a little taller than Young-niang. He had handsome eyebrows and bright eyes. He was wearing a Taoist robe (a type of robe worn during the Ming Dynasty), a brocade belt around his waist, and a six-piece hat on his head. The top of the hat was decorated with a piece of crystal.
The little scholar opened his mouth, and the unpleasant voice of a male duck that was in the process of changing his voice sounded again. "But I wonder which scripture did this brother's five hundred times look back come from? Three Returns to Five Precepts: Merciful Heart, Loathing Separation Merit Sutra, Amitabha Sound King Dharani Sutra? Or the Forty-two-chapter Sutra? "
As he spoke, he shook open the ornamental golden fan and fanned it twice in a rather carefree manner. Then, he closed the fan because it was too cold. Then, he asked, "Today, this little brother and you can be considered to have passed by each other. Why did you frequently look back at me in your previous life?"
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