Chapter 77: Transfer to Cooling Soup
When Zhang Heng received the letter from his uncle at Shanhaiguan, the blood flowing at Caishikou in Dongcheng was still fresh. Zhang Heng asked the messenger, "What do you think of this letter, uncle?"
Zhang Minghui's trusted confidant, Manager Zhang, hurriedly asked, "Didn't the General write everything down in the letter?"
A faint smile flickered across Zhang Heng's lips. "Uncle, you don't want to offend the Emperor, and you don't want to offend Prince Qi either. How could I possibly do that? If I had the ability, I wouldn't have come all the way from Shanhaiguan to Songjiang City."
Manager Zhang, believing Zhang Heng bore a grudge against the old general for not promoting him and was unwilling to offer his assistance, took two anxious steps forward and said hurriedly, "My dear young master, you can't just ignore this matter."
Zhang Heng put the letter down, picked up the teacup, blew off the foam, took a sip, put the teacup down again, and sighed, "That's not true, Manager Zhang. It's not that I don't care, it's that I can't. I don't have the ability to do that."
Manager Zhang continued, "You know what Shanhaiguan is like. There are so many people and so many eyes. Our general has the final say on promoting minor officials. If you want to become a general, who wouldn't stop you? Let me be presumptuous. You're the general's nephew. Even if you were his biological son, wouldn't your cousins have been unable to make it?"
My uncle's sons failed to make a name for themselves because they themselves lacked the ability. Didn't my uncle also tell my aunt privately that if my cousin had his skills and brains, he would help my cousin succeed even if he had to trade his position as a general.
After all, he was not his uncle's biological son, and his uncle was reluctant to use his position as general to plan for his future.
But deep down, Zhang Heng did not resent his uncle. Everyone has selfish motives, and his uncle was willing to push him to come to Songjiang City, which was good to him.
Zhang Heng still had some sincerity towards his uncle, so he didn't beat around the bush and said, "Go back and tell your uncle that there's no such thing as having the best of both worlds. If he feels that he can't sit in that position, he should make plans as soon as possible."
"Sir, our general has no reliable advisors in the court to help him plan his affairs. It will be difficult for him to retire after achieving his goals."
"If uncle doesn't want to go to Luoyang, the rest of the matter will be simple." Zhang Heng smiled and pointed in the direction of Prince Qi's mansion. "I'm here, and so are many people my uncle has promoted. If he comes to Songjiang City like General Meng, he can enjoy his old age there."
"General Meng is a relative of Prince Qi's maternal family. Our general..."
"If uncle has made up his mind, I can ask someone to ask him now."
"How do you ask?"
Manager Zhang knew the general's plan, and now he dared to make a decision on his master's behalf and first inquire about the Qi Wang Mansion's opinion.
Zhang Hengdao said to his attendants, "Go and invite General Gao."
After seeing Zhang Heng's personal attendants leave, Manager Zhang asked, "Who is General Gao?"
"General Gao was selected as a military officer in the military selection last month and was assigned to my command." Zhang Heng glanced at Manager Zhang and said, "General Gao is a member of the princess's staff and was originally going to serve as a guard in Prince Qi's palace."
Manager Zhang laughed and said, "Young Master, you have many connections. I just came to Songjiang City and don't know these things."
When Zhang Heng was still at Shanhaiguan, Zhang Guanshi, as his uncle's close confidant, had always addressed him as "Young Master" and had never been so polite. Now that Zhang Guanshi was being polite to him, Zhang Heng felt that it didn't mean anything and immediately didn't want to talk to him anymore.
"Manager Zhang, have some tea."
"Thank you, sir."
Zhang Heng drank his tea, and after half a quarter of an hour, Gao Jin came in.
Zhang Heng stood up and said with a smile, "Why are you here so soon? You're resting today, and I thought you must be busy with something."
Today the prince wants to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. There are many monkeys in the city defense army. Zhang Heng and his men all have a day off today. They watched the chicken being killed at noon and just went home to rest and relax.
Gao Jin saluted neatly and said, "I have some free time today, so I'll go meet up with my brothers. It's on North Street, not far from your home."
"Didn't your brothers go to Luoyang to do business?" Zhang Heng knew Gao Jin's background. He was originally a government slave bought by Princess Qi and served as a guard for the merchants.
Gao Jin smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, General. Some of my brothers have gone to do business, and I still have a few brothers in Prince Qi's mansion."
Zhang Heng suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."
After a few pleasantries, Zhang Heng explained why he had called Gao Jin over and introduced Butler Zhang to Gao Jin.
"I'm from Prince Qi's Mansion. Logically, I shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the Yanzhou Army. However, my uncle has done me a favor, and now that he's asked me about it, I really have to intervene. Please go to Prince Qi's Mansion and pass on the message. Let's see how the prince and princess handle it."
Gao Jin said, "Prince Qi's mansion is only a few steps away from your home. Wouldn't it be better if you came in person to ask to see the prince and princess?"
"I originally wanted to go, but I was worried that the prince and princess would be busy today, so it would be more appropriate for me to go than for you."
Who didn't know that Zhang Heng was the nephew of the General of Yanzhou? If he came to ask for an audience, who knew how many people would be watching him, and it would be bad if they thought too much.
Gao Jin thought about it and agreed: "Please wait a moment, I will go to Prince Qi's Mansion right now."
As soon as Gao Jin left, Steward Zhang inquired, "I've only heard of Prince Qi's name before, but you always address him as Prince and Princess. Could it be that Princess Qi, who has only been married for less than a year, is already so powerful?"
Zhang Heng didn't answer directly, but simply said, "The palace is now run by Princess Qi. The palace has strict rules. Even if a man from Meng goes to the palace with a letter, he might not be allowed in. If you need to go to the palace, it's most convenient to find someone close to the Princess."
"So that's how it is."
Manager Zhang then asked Zhang Heng about the officials and their families in Songjiang City, but Zhang Heng told him not to ask, "We killed a lot of people today. The positions of the officials may be changed in the next few days. It's hard to say who will get what job."
"How many people died?"
“Not many died.”
Zhang Heng and his men discussed privately that there would be a river of blood today, but when they went to the vegetable market, they saw that those who were executed were the main culprits who were traitors, and all the other officials who had some ulterior motives were released.
Those who were beheaded were not wronged in any way, no matter how much silver they had embezzled or what information they had leaked.
The officials who were not beheaded were released, but they would probably be frightened awake in the middle of the night when they recalled the charges that Zhou Changshi read out before their beheading.
Zhang Heng sighed inwardly. If the late emperor had chosen Prince Qi as the crown prince, it would have been a blessing for the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, now that Prince Qi was only Prince Qi, it was even more of a blessing for him, Zhang Heng.
Thinking that he could gain a reputation with King Qi and be appointed as a general in the city defense army as soon as he arrived in Songjiang City, Zhang Heng felt grateful to his uncle and his heart softened, so he wanted to say a few more words.
"Uncle followed the right people back then, and was able to rise all the way from a thousand households to the rank of Second Rank General of Yanzhou. Three generations of our Zhang family's nephews and relatives have benefited from your services. Now that your uncle is considering retiring, for the sake of our Zhang family's future, he should make a decision sooner rather than later."
If you have to choose between the emperor and the prince, most people will definitely choose the emperor. However, if you have to consider which master you can work for and benefit from, it is not a simple matter of choosing between the two.
Steward Zhang knew that Zhang Heng's words came from the heart. He stood up and bowed deeply. "Don't worry. I will report everything you said to the general when I get back."
Zhang Heng smiled. He just said what he wanted to say. It was up to his uncle whether to listen or not.
The mentality of those who are on the shore and those who are still in the river is different. Zhang Heng's family is in Songjiang City, so he has nothing to worry about.
While Zhang Heng was talking to Steward Zhang, Gao Jin had already met the prince and princess in the palace.
Prince Qi asked someone to help him get up today and he slowly moved around in the yard. He probably looked unhappy because of the pain from the wound.
After Gao Jin finished his report, he lowered his head and listened to instructions.
The prince was silent. Gao Jin could only hear the princess laughing happily. The princess said in a cheerful tone, "How could Zhang Ming be so cowardly? He sent people to us to surrender. Did he also send people to Luoyang to express their loyalty to the emperor?"
Prince Qi snorted coldly: "Is this even worth thinking about?"
The princess laughed and said, "Oh, he must have gone. All the spies planted by the emperor have died. As the general of Yanzhou, he cannot escape the blame. He must go to show his loyalty."
Seeing that he was still half-kneeling, the princess told him to stand up: "It's so hot, why are you kneeling? Sit down and have some cold tea."
"Thank you, Princess."
Gao Jin then stood up and sat down, raised his head to look at the prince and princess, and then lowered his eyes again.
Prince Qi held Xu Zhi's arm and slowly walked to the lounge chair under the shade of the tree. He slowly lay down and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking up at the sky, he said, "Since Zhang Minghui wants to bow his head, then this prince will give him a chance."
Gu Youan also agreed: "You Zhou family members should just fight among yourselves. If there is a way to smoothly transfer military power, then don't cause unrest and let the Tartars take advantage of you for no reason."
Prince Qi raised his head and smiled silently. He didn't know who had gotten so angry a few days ago that he said he would avenge him at any cost.
"What are you laughing at?"
Gu Youan stood in front of him, one taller than the other, and their eyes met. Prince Qi blinked, feeling the wind blowing through the leaves, and light passed through the gaps between the leaves and fell into his eyes.
He couldn't help but reach out and pull her wrist: "I was thinking, in Liaodong, it would be great if Bai Shijie could be as sensible as Zhang Minghui."
"I guess it's difficult."
She had seen a box of secret letters sent from Liaodong, which contained very little valuable information. Bai Shijie was a master at commanding troops, and Liaodong was relatively isolated, so information from the secrets was difficult to leak out, and the spies in Prince Qi's mansion hadn't obtained much of value.
In a word, the Liaodong Army is difficult to control.
She wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and said, "Don't worry, start with the easy ones and then move on to the difficult ones. Let's take control of the Yanzhou Army first."
Prince Qi nodded.
Gao Jin had witnessed the entire discussion between the prince and the princess, and he knew full well how much influence the princess's words had. The princess's words carried weight, and he had the skills to do so. In a few years, perhaps even this humble general could ascend to Zhang Heng's position.
Gao Jin went to Zhang Heng's residence to report back. After hearing the news, Zhang Heng said to Zhang Guanshi, "You should return today and send the news back as soon as possible so that your uncle can rest assured."
Manager Zhang also thought so. He took the letter written by the talented general Zhang Heng and immediately set off back to Shanhaiguan.
Gao Jin was about to say goodbye, but Zhang Heng kept him there and insisted on having a drink as a thank you for his willingness to make the trip.
Gao Jin did not refuse and generously had dinner at Zhang's house before going back.
It was getting dark, and Zhou Qi and Gu Youan had already gone to bed. Unable to sleep, the couple talked in private in the boudoir. It was not some sticky love talk, but about the transfer of officials in Songjiang City.
"It has been over eight years since I came to Songjiang City. Official transfers have been rare in these years. This won't work. I'm going to take this opportunity to transfer my position."
Gu Youan agreed: "It's time for a transfer. If officials remain untransferred for a long time, the close personal connections within the various government offices will easily breed corruption. Songjiang City may be small, but it has everything, and various rules should be established."
Gu Youan turned sideways to him and asked, "Do you have any ideas in your mind?"
"Yes, the first-level officers must be transferred, the second-level and third-level officers will depend on the situation, and the fourth, fifth, and sixth-level officers will not need to be moved this time."
Large-scale official transfers will certainly have an impact on the government office, but as long as the grassroots officials below remain unchanged for the time being, the impact will not be significant.
Zhou Qi said: "My father-in-law is doing a good job in his position. I don't plan to transfer his position."
No change of position means no change of office, no change of job, and no promotion.
Gu Youan nodded: "It's okay if I don't change it. My father actually likes his job very much."
Seeing that the princess was not angry, Zhou Qi smiled and said, "If my father-in-law doesn't move, it's time for Tian Qingde and Duan Ji to move."
"How do you move?"
"Duan Ji has been in the tax office for four or five years. He's done a good job and is a steady person. He has the ability to be a chief official, but the first-level official position in the tax office is already occupied, so it's not his turn. Now that the position is vacant, let's promote him."
Duan Ji was her eldest sister-in-law's biological father, and Gu Youan was quite familiar with him. She said matter-of-factly, "Their family tradition is good, and he seems trustworthy at the moment. Uncle Tian, what are your plans?"
"I plan to transfer Tian Qingde from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Administrative Office and give him the power to report impeachment."
Gu Youan immediately laughed: "Are you asking Uncle Tian to be the Imperial Censor?"
"Songjiang City doesn't need a dedicated Censorate to handle this small number of officials. Just have Tian Qingde and one or two others keep an eye on it. What do you think of this arrangement?"
Before he was exiled, Tian Qingde was an imperial censor, and he was exiled because of his outspokenness. Zhou Qi felt that it was very appropriate to ask Tian Qingde to supervise the officials in Songjiang City.
Gu Youan smiled and said, "Very good, very good. Uncle Tian will definitely like his new position."
There are quite a few officials in Songjiang City who need to be transferred. In addition to Duan Ji and Tian Qingde, the positions of dozens of others are being transferred.
After spending several days, Zhou Chen, Tian Jiaxuan and others compiled a list of transfers, and Zhou Chen, the chief historian of the palace, personally handed the list to the prince.
Gu Youan had nothing to do during her pregnancy, so she naturally wanted to watch. She watched Zhou Qi change a few names, then put down her pen and asked Xu Zhi to send the revised list back.
Gu Youan saw that he had changed the name of a county magistrate in Dongyuan County. She asked, "Do you know everyone in the county government?"
"Songjiang City only has one county, Dongyuan County. I personally appointed the county magistrate and the county magistrate's office. I have seen them every year when they report on government affairs at the end of the year. I am very familiar with them."
Apart from this, he was not familiar with other officials in the county.
Gu Youan said, "I heard from the village head half a month ago that most of the land in Beihuang Village has been reclaimed in recent years. Now the population there is gradually increasing. There is enough population there to form two or three towns. Once the wasteland over there is completely reclaimed, we can establish a county."
"Well, thanks to you wealthy families who bought slaves from the interior to reclaim the wasteland in the past two years, otherwise it wouldn't have been so fast."
Gu Youan chuckled and said, "No need to thank me. Your Highness Prince Qi personally gave the order. The wasteland I reclaimed is mine, and I have also benefited from it."
Zhou Qi knew how much reclaimed wasteland his princess owned. He smiled lazily and said, "If there weren't some wealthy young lady like you willing to support me, I'd have given up this hard-working prince job."
Gu Youan laughed so hard that he slapped the bed. With his looks, he could be a gigolo.
Since the prince came back, they were no longer needed to keep watch in the house. The maids and servants moved back to the outer gatehouse to stand guard. It was quiet at night, and they could hear the princess's faint laughter through the yard and doors and windows.
Xiaoju and Xiaoyue looked at each other and guessed that the prince must have told a joke to tease the princess.
The next morning, the sky was filled with morning glow, and it was obvious that it was going to be a sunny day.
Before the officials took up their posts, Zhou Chen personally took his men to the government offices on West City Street to post a list of job transfers.
"There are too many people to be transferred, so I won't notify them one by one. Those who are to be transferred are written above. Those who are not written will remain in their original positions. I will give you all one day to cooperate with each other to complete the handover."
As soon as the transfer list was posted, everyone rushed over. The list of first-level officials was written at the top, and the first name was Duan Ji, who was promoted to the chief official of the first-level tax office.
"Wow, Master Duan has made a great start, so we're treating you today!"
Duan Ji hurriedly declined with a smile: "Everyone has a happy event at home, it would be troublesome to invite guests here and there, let's just go home and celebrate with our families."
"Hahaha, Lord Duan is right. I'm so busy with work in the government office, how can I have time to hold a banquet?"
"Exactly. Exactly."
A promotion is a joyous occasion, and those with straightforward personalities, after being horrified by the beheading at the market, feel their hearts fluttering again. Others, more cautious by nature, remind themselves and their colleagues not to be too conspicuous, as they never know who might be watching them from behind.
The aftermath of the beheading had not yet passed, and everyone was still afraid. After a few jokes, they dispersed. Those who were to be transferred hurried to hand over their tasks.
Duan Ji left last. He read the list three times. He became a first-level officer, Tian Qingde, who was close to the Gu family, was promoted, and the in-laws of Tian Qingde's eldest son were promoted. Only Gu Wen did not get promoted.
How was this list arranged? Does Gu Wen know?
Of course Gu Wen knew about it. An An had someone tell him a few days ago.
During the lunch break, Duan Ji made a special trip to the Ministry of Agriculture to have lunch with Gu Wen. Coincidentally, Tian Qingde also came.
Gu Wen smiled and said, "Since we're all here, let's use it together."
The three of them walked off side by side. The others in the yamen looked at each other. So many people were being promoted, but Prince Qi's father-in-law wasn't one of them? Did Prince Qi have a problem with his father-in-law?
Su Guang also got a promotion this time. The first-level officer position he had been waiting for for many years had become vacant, so this time he finally got what he wanted. Su Guang was smiling happily when someone came up to him and asked if he knew anything about the Gu family.
Su Guang's face immediately darkened: "The prince has his own arrangements for the position transfer, who has the right to interfere?"
"Don't be angry, Master Su. We are just curious."
"Hmph, instead of wondering why Lord Gu didn't get promoted, why not focus on your job? Go to the yamen during the day and go home to read some books at night. I see you've been studying for decades, but you still don't understand what it means to learn from the past and prepare for the future."
One by one, they have forgotten the pain after the wound has healed, and they think their necks are too hard and are afraid that the executioner will chop them off?
Su Guang didn't want to talk to these idiots at all, so he just threw his sleeves and left.
There are only a few fools who come to ask Su Guang about his family affairs. Most of them are smart people. No matter whether they have been transferred, promoted or demoted, they all do their jobs peacefully. After their shift, they don't meet with others and go home to rest directly.
Duan Ji returned home in the evening. Mrs. Duan came out to greet him with a smile on her face: "I heard you got a promotion?"
"I got a promotion."
Mrs. Duan's smile faded as she studied his expression: "Why aren't you happy about your promotion?"
Duan Ji supported his wife and said, "I got promoted, but Gu Wen didn't. This shouldn't be right."
"Are you unhappy about this?" Madam Duan said with a smile, "Today I went to visit Wanniang at the Gu family, and Wanniang told me that the princess had already sent someone to inform them, and they all knew about it, including Lord Gu."
Duan Ji naturally asked Gu Wen about this. He felt that his promotion this time seemed to be taking advantage of the Gu family. Gu Wen said that this was not the case, but Duan Ji felt uncomfortable.
"Most of the Gu family's relatives and friends got promoted in this transfer. Tian Qingde and I stood out the most because we got promoted, so it was difficult for Gu Wen to get promoted."
Duan Ji sighed, "I, Duan Ji, have never taken advantage of anyone in my life, but this time I got a huge advantage from my in-laws."
Mrs. Duan rolled her eyes at him. This old man, even at his old age, was becoming more and more pretentious.
Not wanting to pay any attention to him, Mrs. Duan turned around and left.
"Hey, ma'am, where are you going? Wait for me."
Mrs. Duan didn't want to wait for him. Bah, she became shy after getting the benefit.
Duan Ji is a man with a righteous heart. Although he concealed it well, his words betrayed him. When the Gu family was having dinner, Gu Wen told them about this with a smile.
Duan said embarrassedly, "When my grandfather was still alive, he said that my father was sometimes a little dull."
Gu Wen smiled and said, "My in-laws have a righteous heart."
In the past, when there was a happy event in the family of officials living on the Second Street in the west of the city, they would definitely hold a grand celebration. But today, every family was very quiet, which was exactly the opposite of the situation in the dungeon of Prince Qi's mansion.
A few days later, Baldy and his men sent back several batches of newly captured spies. They were all interrogated personally by Liu Ling and Liu Zhong, father and son, and there was no information they could not dig out.
After finishing his last stroke, Liu Zhong paid no attention to the spies lying on the ground wailing. He stood up and left, saying to those behind him, "Give them a quick death."
"yes!"
In a breath, the wailing behind Liu Zhong stopped.
Silence, dead silence.
Luoyang Imperial City, Yuji Palace.
"Waste! Waste! They are all waste! My secret guards are not as good as Zhou Qi's secret guards. This is a huge joke!"
In the empty Yuji Palace, letters were scattered all over the floor. The emperor angrily scolded his subordinates for being useless and called Zhang Minghui a fool. He couldn't even protect his own people, so how could he believe that Zhang Minghui could protect Shanhaiguan and the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
"Sun Zhang, draft an edict. I want to replace that old bastard Zhang Minghui."
The chief eunuch, Sun Zhang, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? You said that Zhang Minghui cannot be replaced for the time being, and cannot be replaced."
If Zhang Minghui were to be replaced, his subordinates would certainly fight for the position, and the safety of Shanhaiguan would be in jeopardy.
The emperor was furious: "How dare they! I will cut off their food and wages!"
"Your Majesty, we cannot cut off the food and money. If we do, the border troops will be in chaos, and the Tartars will be unstoppable in their southward advance."
Doesn’t the emperor know whether he dares or not?
He knew that if he sent someone to take over the Yanzhou army, he might be killed by bandits on the way. This had happened before in the southwest border and in the northwest.
It's all the emperor's grandfather's fault. He gave too much power to the border army generals, and now he can't take it back even if he wants to. As an emperor, he has to carefully win over the military men who hold military power.
Food and money, food and money. He still doesn't know whether the Tartars went south last winter because they were going to go south anyway, or because Zhou Qi wanted to cut off the food and money of the Northeast Army and took the initiative.
After a long while, the emperor calmed down and stared at Sun Zhang with a cold gaze: "Zhou Qi is not dead?"
"I heard he's still alive."
"The medicine that kills off the heirs..."
"I didn't know that none of the secret guards who went to rob and kill Prince Qi have returned."
The emperor sneered: "He must have succeeded. If the injury was not serious, Zhou Qi would not have fought with me."
Thinking that Zhou Qi would have no descendants in the future, the emperor couldn't help but get excited. He was younger than Zhou Qi, and he was determined to outlive Zhou Qi.
"Zhou Qi has no descendants. What can he use to fight me? This world is ultimately mine. How can he dare to take it?"
The kneeling eunuch Sun Zhang raised his face with a smile: "Your Majesty, it is God's will!"
"Well said! You, an old eunuch, are the best at speaking." The emperor's face was ferocious, no longer as solemn and dignified as before.
At this moment, the tightly closed small door of the Imperial Palace opened, and a young eunuch came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Concubine Shen is waiting outside and has brought you some summer-cooling soup."
"My concubine is here, please come in."
The eunuch guarding the gate hurried out to pass on the message.
Concubine Shen had a beautiful face like a lotus flower emerging from clear water. Today she was wearing a moon-white dress with a sky-blue gauze skirt. She walked with a graceful posture and smiled when she saw the emperor.
She is a beauty to begin with, and when you look at her under the light, she looks even more beautiful.
The emperor suppressed his stern expression and replaced it with a loving, imperial smile: "My dear concubine, why did you come to see me now? Did you miss me?"
The imperial concubine was embarrassed and lowered her head slightly, revealing her fair neck. "I had a bowl of summer-cooling soup today and it was delicious. I was thinking of Your Majesty, so I brought it to you. Please don't blame me for disturbing your business."
The emperor hurriedly helped the imperial concubine up and pulled her to sit on a soft couch in the side hall. "I feel sorry for the imperial concubine, how could I blame her?"
The imperial concubine smiled sweetly, and with her delicate hands she held up the cooling soup, saying coquettishly, "Let me feed you myself?"
"Then I'll trouble you, my concubine."
The emperor drank spoonful after spoonful of the cooling soup. He patted his stomach and asked with a smile, "I have received the imperial concubine's kindness."
The imperial concubine pulled at his collar and laughed.
"My dear concubine, it's been a long time since you wrote to your father-in-law?"
"I am a concubine. Without the emperor's permission, how can I communicate with outsiders?"
The emperor nodded with satisfaction. "It's a good thing that the imperial concubine abides by the rules. However, my father-in-law has been guarding the borders of the Great Zhou Dynasty for me. He has made great contributions. Please write a letter to greet my father-in-law on my behalf."
"I obey the emperor."
The imperial concubine leaned in the emperor's arms like a little bird.
Where no one else could see, the emperor's eyes turned cold again.
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