Chapter 634: The hot potato is coming, Zhang Yan is coming to take charge of the marriage

Northern Zhili, capital, and Forbidden City.

On the morning of the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, Chongzhen was busy early.

He hopes that the officials from Liaodong and Xuanda will be cheered up under his strict orders and will soon be reported to Beijing. The victory of the Hu Ben Army in Dongjiabao did stimulate Chongzhen. Dongjiabao is located in northern Zhili, just under the eyes of the capital. If the Hu Ben Army wins here, but the government army cannot win, the people will naturally compare the two. For Chongzhen, this is not good news.

Especially on the third day of the Chinese New Year, the Tartar heads sent from Dongjiabao officially arrived at the capital, which caused a small sensation. Although the court took all measures to cover up the words Hu Ben Army and Zhang Zhun. However, Dongjiabao was too close to the capital, and the people at the bottom soon learned the relevant accurate information. As a result, the prestige of Hu Ben Army and Zhang Zhun reached an unprecedented height.

In the past, only some people at the bottom were talking about Zhang Zhun and the Hu Ben Army, but now, many wealthy families were talking about Zhang Zhun and the Hu Ben Army. This is certain. In such a troubled time, the situation was difficult, and a powerful person, a strong army, could easily bring others a sense of security. In such a chaotic world, what is the most needed? Of course, it is a sense of security.

Chongzhen felt something was wrong. He hoped that Gao Qiqian or Wang Kun could send good news as soon as possible to dilute the attractiveness of Zhang Zhun and the Hu Ben Army to the people of the capital. It would be even better if he could send hundreds of Tartar heads. Now he needs a victory too much, and he needs some Tartar heads too much to save the court's face.

But until the fifth day of the first lunar month, yesterday, he only knew that the two armies were "marching", and the good news was still slim. He was anxious every day with hope and fear, and could not sleep at night. On the morning of the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, he had to summon the ministers on the platform to discuss countermeasures. If this continues, God knows what the situation will eventually develop.

Qiao Yunsheng had already informed the negotiations between the court and Zhang Zhun in the morning. All the officials present knew about it. Zhang Zhun accepted the title of Pingdubo, but refused to accept the proposal to also manage Shandong military affairs. This means that the two baits thrown by the court, the largest one, were kicked back. From any perspective, this is not a good sign.

Zhang Zhun is also giving it to the old fox!

This is what everyone present feels.

At the beginning, the proposal to let Zhang Zhun also take charge of Shandong military affairs was indeed a sign of being caught off guard and putting him on fire. Time was tight and the Hu Ben Army had limited military strength, so it would be very difficult to organize a complete defense. If Zhang Zhun agreed to the court's proposal, once defeated, the court could take the opportunity to attack the prestige of Zhang Zhun and the Hu Ben Army. Unfortunately, Zhang Zhun was not deceived and the ball was kicked back to the court.

In fact, everyone present knew very well that it would be quite difficult to defend Shandong with the troops under Zhu Dadian. The Tartars arrived this time, so aggressive. If it weren’t for Zhang Zhun and a Hu Ben Army, it would be difficult for even the capital to be saved. One hundred thousand Jianlu would be absolutely no joke. No wonder Gao Qiqian and Wang Kun did not dare to move. If anyone present came over to command, who would dare to make a big move? Will he seek death?

When talking about using troops to send troops and sending generals and everything was disappointed, Chongzhen couldn't help but sigh deeply and said with anger: "I didn't expect that China today is as big as Guan Yunchang, Yue Wumu's first-class generals! Where have the talents gone? Where are they in the chaos army? Where are they in the Hu Ben army? Or are they in the hands of Jianlu?"

Before the ministers replied, Chongzhen continued, "I just don't understand why the Zhenghong Banner, which was the Jianlu Zhenghong Banner, was damaged so heavily in Dongjiabao, it actually had more than 2,000 heads! More than 2,000 heads! Just the battle of September 1st! How many people are there in the Tiger Army in Dongjiabao? How many people are there in the two major armies of the court? Just the money and food consumed every day..."

He forgot the exact number all of a sudden, and paused without following it.

Hou Xun, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, hurriedly followed up and said, "Emperor, Liaodong consumed 6,000 taels of silver and 800 stones of grain every day. Xuanda consumed 4,000 taels of silver and 550 stones of grain every day."

Chongzhen nodded and said angrily: "Look, the money and food are consumed a lot, all of which are thousands of taels or hundreds of stones. What are you doing? A bunch of waste! Is this a pigpen?"

Seeing Chongzhen's anger, the ministers were very frightened and did not dare to look up. Only Qiao Yunsheng, the Minister of Justice, was calm and had no feelings for Chongzhen's anger. He had already agreed with Zhang Zhun that as long as he had the chance to leave the capital, he would take the initiative to surrender to the Hu Ben Army. As for his family, they had secretly traveled from Luoyang to Laizhou Prefecture. It would not take long to migrate to Laizhou Prefecture.

No one else can say nothing, but Yang Sichang has to say that who said he was the governor of the Xuanda Army? Chongzhen scolded him in the pigpen. He quickly knelt down and said, "Master, the Tartars have stopped attacking sporadically, and our army has no chance to attack. If the two armies face off, our army's strength will be slightly weak..."

Liang Tingdong, Minister of War, hurriedly cooperated and said, "Emperor, Jianlu is preparing to go south to find trouble for Zhang Zhun. We just need to wait and see. If we fight Jianlu at this time, it would be cheaper for Zhang Zhun."

Zhang Fengyi also hurriedly said: "That's right. The emperor, the slave chief Huang Taiji convened other slave chiefs in Huairou yesterday to convene a meeting. I believe that the response to Zhang Zhun in this way is to discuss. Information shows that the main forces of Jianlu's banners have signs of going south, and the target is Dongjiabao. Our army only needs to watch from the wall and sit firmly on the Diaoyutai."

Qiao Yunsheng was so rude that he was not an official and interrupted, "Jianlu went south, but it was probably not the Dongjiabao. All parts of Shandong would definitely be ravaged by Jianlu. Can Zhu Dadian block the attack of Jianlu? Dezhou, Linqing and other places are afraid it is not safe."

Liang Tingdong and Zhang Fengyi immediately glared at Qiao Yunsheng, annoyed that he was talking nonsense. They were the Minister of War, in charge of military affairs, you are just the Minister of Justice, what do you do with so much talk? Didn’t you realize that the emperor was very angry today? Do you really have to commit a life to your life before you are willing to do it?

Qiao Yunsheng smiled contemptuously in his heart and didn't say anything. Look at what kind of people are around Emperor Chongzhen. He only knows how to say good things and clichés, but he doesn't have the courage to face reality. He hopes that these people will defeat Jianlu and dream! But Chongzhen believes that these people are these people!

Chongzhen was silent for a moment and said bitterly: "Okay, let's wait for the two of them to fight first."

To say such words is indeed not Chongzhen's original intention, and he is actually very unhappy in his heart. Of course, he could hear the comforting words of the ministers and the taste of the middle, which was just a consistent excuse. The clichés are completely unremarkable.

If the official army had the combat power of the Hu Ben Army, how could it be said such? Just send the Tartars' heads to the capital and continue to send them to the capital. Chongzhen always hoped to use the Tartars' heads to set up Jingguan and show the military power of the court. Unfortunately, the Tartars' heads were sent by Zhang Zhun. If the Tartars' heads were set up, Zhang Zhun's reputation would be more difficult to control. Therefore, Jingguan's proposal was curbed.

But damn it, that Zhang Zhun seemed to be soft and hard. He actually refused the proposal to also manage Shandong's military affairs. In this way, Zhu Dadian still had to organize Shandong military affairs to resist the Tatars' southward advance. Chongzhen was of course a little worried about Zhu Dadian's ability. Shandong's military strength was also not strong. However, except for Zhu Dadian, he could not find a better suitable candidate, and he had no more troops to transfer to reinforce Shandong.

Thinking of three royal palaces and three vassal kings in Shandong, Chongzhen felt that he was a little overwhelmed. He had always appeared in front of his relatives with a benevolent image of filial piety and kindness. To be fair, the clans had a good impression of him. However, if something happened to the three vassal kings in Shandong, this image would be lost. At that time, it would be inevitable that he would go to Taimiao to sue him again. I am afraid that he would have no shame to meet his ancestors in a hundred years.

When he returned to the Qianqing Palace, Chongzhen was like an ant on a hot pan, restless. He really wanted to immediately replace Gao Qiqian, Wang Kun and others. These two guys knew at a glance that they just paid money and did not do anything, and most of them had no courage to fight against Jianlu. However, after replacing them, who would have been the only one who could command the two legions of Liaodong and Xuanda? Thinking about the ministers in the court, there was no proper person. I have to admit that this was really a speechless sadness.

Chongzhen thought about it but had no idea. At noon, he walked slowly to Kunning Palace, preparing to chat with Empress Zhou to relieve his mood, and then have a meal. Unexpectedly, he actually met his sister-in-law here. Chongzhen's sister-in-law was naturally the Empress of Emperor Tianqi and Empress Yi'an Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan was preparing incense and candles with Empress Zhou, and was preparing to go to the Daguangming Palace to burn incense.

"Your Majesty, how about the war ahead?"

Zhang Yan asked with concern.

This was not because she wanted to interfere in political affairs, but because of her concern for Chongzhen. Emperor Tianqi had no descendants and cared about her younger brother very much, and so did Zhang Yan. During these days, Chongzhen was unfamiliar with food and could not sleep at night, and even the love between husband and wife was reduced a lot. Empress Zhou, Concubine Tian, ​​Concubine Yuan, and the three most important women in the harem had little rain and dew. The three women spoke privately and naturally told Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan has no children himself and has always been concerned about the issue of offspring. However, if Chongzhen continues like this, he is afraid that the offspring will be weaker. Tianqi has no children, and Chongzhen's offspring is weak. They are afraid that there will be crises in the future. If the political situation can be slightly better, perhaps he will have more time and more mood to reproduce the royal incense.

In front of Zhang Yan, Chongzhen naturally had no need to lie. He said a little bitter and helplessly: "It's hard! Gao Qiqian and Wang Kun dared not move, they only dared to look from afar. Jianlu is now preparing to go south to find trouble for Zhang Zhun."

Zhang Yan pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Isn't this good if Jianlu and Hu Ben Army kill each other? If both sides suffer losses, they may even die together..."

Chongzhen smiled a little, shook his head and said, "My sister-in-law, don't you know if you have ever seen poisonous insects fighting each other? Two poisonous insects bite each other in a basin, and only one can survive. It seems that they are the two of them who kill each other, and even if they don't die together, they will suffer both losses. But in fact, the winning poisonous insect will become stronger because it absorbs the toxicity of the other poisonous insect. The battle between Jianlu and the Hu Ben Army is actually a fight between us, but we have nothing to do with it. Once any one wins, we will suffer a catastrophe."

Zhang Yan was full of surprise. She never thought that Chongzhen would say such words. With his identity, how could he say such words? How could he say such words? It was so terrible, so terrible. Even the emperor was so pessimistic about the current situation. The emperor was like this, and the civil and military ministers in the court could even imagine it.

Chongzhen said such words, which was heartbroken. He would definitely not say this to anyone else. But he could say this in front of his sister-in-law. After saying such words, he felt much more relaxed. It was so hard to hide them every day. The emperor was not so easy to be a good person.

Zhang Yan frowned and said in a staggered topic: "Emperor, the Great Light Palace is the place where Emperor Jiajing practices. I think the signs there must be very effective. If the emperor has nothing to do in the afternoon, he might as well go with us to bring incense, and he will definitely get a good sign. With God's blessing, there will be a turning point."

Chongzhen thought about it and thought this idea was good. During the Spring Festival, he had never relaxed and his nerves were very tense. It was also a good choice to go out to relax and relax at this time. Anyway, the situation was like this. Even if he was exhausted in the West Nuan Pavilion, it might not be possible to improve immediately. He nodded immediately and said, "Okay, Zi Tong, just send an order to them."

Zhou Hou was very happy and immediately ordered the palace maids to go to Chengqian Palace and Yikun Palace to go to Tian. The two concubines Yuan sent an order to go to Daguangming Palace to burn incense. She ordered a long man to follow the eunuch to inform Shangshenjian to prepare breakfast in the imperial kitchen and make a few dishes that the emperor likes to eat in advance to Yingtai. At the same time, he also asked the sweets room to prepare sweets and pastries, and specifically told him not to forget the tiger-eye silk candy that the emperor likes to eat the most. She also ordered the eunuch in Kunning Palace to send someone to Yuquan Mountain in the western suburbs to get fresh spring water so that he could make tea for the emperor in the Western Garden.

In the afternoon, everything was ready. Chongzhen led Empress Yi'an, Zhou Houhetian and Yuan, surrounded by a large group of eunuchs and palace maids, and took a chariot out of Xuanwu Gate and followed the imperial road on the north bank of the moat. Once he arrived at the Jinao Jade Spider Bridge, the water on the left and right was rippling, and the reeds were rustling, and a clear autumn scene. A cool breeze blew, Chongzhen's mind suddenly felt refreshed. He looked at Qionghua Island and thought that he had no time to climb Qionghua Island today. After going to Daguangming Hall to surrender the incense, you might as well come to Tuancheng for a while, take a rest, take a look at the panoramic view of Xiyuan, and then go to Yingtai for a meal.

After passing the Jade Spider Arch, the Great Light Hall is not far away. This is a magnificent building, located in Xi'an Gate, and now to the west of Fuyou Street. The Emperor Jiajing, who enjoyed the wealth and honor of the world, wanted to live forever and never die, ignored the government affairs for decades, and practiced alchemy from Taoist Tao Zhenren. I don’t know how much money and grain they plundered and how much manpower they spent, built a large magnificent palace here, and the Great Light Hall stood in the middle of this building complex, offering the Jade Emperor’s seven treasure cloud dragon tablet.

Since Jiajing, emperors of all dynasties have come to burn incense in person every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and the fifteenth day of the eighth day. But on other days, if there is a special reason, or because of the emperor's momentary happiness, they will come here to pray, or set up a ritual altar to make a fuss for a few days. As for the queen, the number of times the imperial concubines arrive is even more. For example, Zhang Yan likes to come here very much. She even stayed here for a while, which is said to be to calm the demons of her heart.

After receiving the notice from the Silijian, the Taoists hurriedly made all preparations. From the west end of the Jinao Yuspider Bridge through the front of Yuxi Palace, they continued to go westward to the Daguangming Hall, and cleaned the way very clean, and some slightly low-lying places were covered with yellow sand. When the Four Dragon and Phoenix Chariot passed by the front of Yuxi Palace, more than 300 eunuchs who were studying official opera here knelt beside the imperial road, led by the eunuch, and shouted "Long live". As soon as the Four Dragon and Phoenix Chariot passed the south entrance of the Wine and Vinegar Bureau Hutong, they saw the Taoist officials and the abbot leading all hundreds of Taoist priests knelt outside the mountain gate of the Daguangming Hall to welcome the priest.

Chongzhen and his concubines got out of the chariot, went in for a while, and went to the Jade Ancestor to pick incense in sequence. For a while, bells and drums ringed, and the jade chimes sang, both lively and solemn. But when the candles in front of the Qibao Yunlong tablet were brilliant, the incense was swaying, the burning green poems and yellow tables rose slowly, and flew towards the colorful Chengchen. Chongzhen first picked incense, knelt on the yellow satin worship mat and kowtowed, prayed silently for a while, and then said softly: "Sign it!"

The abbot who was kneeling on the side of the service quickly picked up the cloisonné plate dragon sign from the divine table with both hands, knelt down again, and shook the sign three times at the emperor. Chongzhen took out a sign from inside, handed it to the abbot, and then stood up. The old abbot with white beards and chests drooped back to the original place, took a sign ticket printed on jute paper according to the sign number, knelt down, and handed it to Chongzhen.

Chongzhen took it in his hand with anxiety. When he saw the line of words "The Twenty-Sixth Sign" and felt disappointed at first, and then felt a little relieved. At this time, as long as he was not a low-end sign, he would feel a little satisfied, not to mention that it was a little better than "storming down". When the queen and the two concubines were burning incense respectively, he withdrew from the round hall and stood under a white pine tree to show his divine sign. He thought about the poems in the sign carefully, and couldn't help but feel heavy again.

Queen Yi'an Zhang Yan was the second draw. After getting the lottery, she also opened it carefully. She didn't know what was written on the ticket. She looked a little hesitant and a little firm. She looked back at Chongzhen, then at the people around her, and her beautiful eyebrows were quietly frowning. Finally, she sighed softly and nodded thoughtfully.

Queen Zhou, Hotan and Yuan, burned incense, walked out of the hall and saw Chongzhen holding a sign ticket in his hand, wandering under the pine trees, with worries on his eyebrows. Queen Zhou was afraid that he would draw a bad sign, so she quickly walked to him and asked in a low voice: "Master, what did the sign say?"

Chongzhen hid the signing ticket in his arms, shook his head and said, "It's OK."

This action obviously didn't want to ask for more tickets. The three girls naturally knew the tact and stopped asking. Then, the three girls turned around and asked Zhang Yan to see what tickets she had drawn. What made them feel strange was that Zhang Yan also hid the tickets and shook her head without saying a word. At this moment, even Chongzhen felt a little strange. Is there anything strange about the sister-in-law's ticket signing?

Concubine Tian is lively and has always had a good relationship with Zhang Yan. Sometimes it makes Chongzhen angry, and Zhang Yan is also mediating in the middle to calm the incident. Queen Zhou winked, Concubine Tian comes up and said with a smile: "What kind of sign did sister-in-law get? Let's show it to us."

Zhang Yan shook her head and said, "You can't see this ticket signing."

Queen Zhou asked curiously: "Sister-in-law, what is the signing ticket?"

Chongzhen couldn't help but be a little curious. Zhang Yan has always been kind to others in the palace. As long as other people's requests are not too much, she will generally agree. Of course, if you think she is weak and can be bullied, then you are wrong. Others have fought with Wei Yin for many years and never suffered any major losses. The only regret is that they were cheated by Ke Shi and their child had a miscarriage.

Just as Chongzhen was about to speak, Zhang Yan said seriously: "Your Majesty, I am going to leave the palace tonight. I will go to Tianjin Wei first, and then to Dongjiabao."

Chongzhen was shocked and said in a lost voice: "Sister-in-law, where are you doing?"

Zhang Yan actually wants to see Zhang Zhun?

Oh my god, this is more than good?

Queen Zhou and others also looked at each other and were suspicious.

As he said that, Zhang Yan was going to leave the palace or go to Dongjiabao? Where is Dongjiabao? It seems that it is Zhang Zhun's territory, and Zhang Zhun's Hu Ben Army is there. They are Chongzhen's concubines, so they naturally know that Zhang Zhun and the court are in harmony and are opponents. Chongzhen was still restless for Zhang Zhun, a traitor. Zhang Yan went to Zhang Zhun's territory. Isn't this a sheep entering the tiger's mouth and delivering it to his door?

Zhang Yan's expression became slightly upright and said, "Didn't the emperor say that the Hu Ben Army is powerful and can resist Jianlu? I want to see for myself that the Hu Ben Army is a powerful method? What special abilities does Zhang Zhun have?"

Chongzhen hurriedly said, "No."

In a hurry, he didn't care about making words and sentences, and said quickly: "How can sister-in-law be a female-like person? How can she go to the Hu Ben Army? Who is Zhang Zhun? Isn't it unknown who Zhang Zhun is? If he hurts his sister-in-law, wouldn't it make me feel ashamed of my ancestors? Before leaving, the emperor told me to take good care of my sister-in-law... I will definitely not allow it."

Zhang Yan said gently: "Your Majesty, don't worry, and Zhang Zhun will not turn against a woman. If that is true, the emperor can rest assured that he will not be able to become a big climate. The emperor might as well think about it carefully, how could those real big figures in history take a woman seriously? This time I went, maybe he would even call me sister. I am a family of five hundred years ago. His name is Zhang Zhun, and I am Zhang Yan. Isn't it a sibling?"

Chongzhen was stunned for a moment, but he didn't expect Zhang Yan to speak like this. He couldn't find a rebuttal for a while, so he had to say, "So what? If you want to recognize him as your brother, he may not recognize you as your sister! Besides, he was determined to rebel, how could he cut off the idea of ​​rebellion for your sake?"

Zhang Yan made up his mind and said, "Your Majesty, it doesn't matter whether you recognize your siblings or not. The key is that your concubine is there. Zhang Zhun has more concerns when he is doing things. The emperor thought about it carefully, how could he deal with your concubine? Either, he killed your concubine, or he was placed under house arrest, or he was hurting your concubine. No matter how you deal with it, everyone in the world understands that Zhang Zhun's ambition is. If the people in the world know that Zhang Zhun is a traitor, how could he continue to follow?"

Chongzhen was moved in his heart, and he understood that Zhang Yan was preparing to sacrifice himself and wanted Zhang Zhun to be afraid. That's right, as long as Zhang Yan was by Zhang Zhun's side, Zhang Zhun did have a lot of concerns. He could kill Zhang Yan, put Zhang Yan under house arrest, or even hurt Zhang Yan. However, no matter what method was taken, people in the world would see another side of Zhang Zhun.

The respect of the people in the world for Queen Yi'an is obvious. As long as Zhang Zhun attacks Zhang Yan, the reputation of the Hu Ben Army and Zhang Zhun's own reputation will be affected. If Zhang Zhun does anything crazy, the people in the world will definitely scold him. Judging from the current situation, Zhang Zhun still cherishes his reputation and should not do anything despicable.

But, as the emperor, how could he let his sister-in-law do such a dangerous thing for him? What if Zhang Zhun really goes crazy, kills Zhang Yan, or does something else crazy, where will the emperor's face be put? Zhang Yan is not an ordinary member of the royal family, but the empress of Emperor Tianqi! The queen of the mother of the world!

Zhang Yan said, "Zi Zhen will go with me."

Hearing the word Zi Zhen, Chongzhen seemed to feel a little relieved, as if he felt something again, and nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, he frowned and said, "Since my sister-in-law has made up her mind, I have to agree. But what name can I ask you to go to the Hu Ben Army? Working for the army? That's inappropriate!"

Zhang Yan said in a whisper: "I heard that Zhang Zhun already has many concubines and no wife yet. His wife has not yet passed by. I went there this time and happened to take the marriage for them. As long as the emperor gave me a decree to take the marriage for Zhang Zhun, I would have the name of staying with Zhang Zhun. I also heard that his wife is the daughter of an ordinary military household and has a low status. If possible, I would also ask the emperor to give her the title of princess, so as to be able to highlight the status of the governor."

Chongzhen was still hesitant.

It is not a problem to be the edict of the marriage or to be granted the title of the princess. No one will take the literal thing seriously. The key is Zhang Yan's safety. Who knows whether Zhang Zhun will be crazy and do something bad? To put it bluntly, if Zhang Yan's innocence is defiled, the entire royal family will be embarrassed. Of course, if such a thing really happens, Zhang Zhun will definitely be the target of criticism and his reputation is ruined. I am afraid that someone in the Hu Ben Army will despise him.

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I guess that Zhang Zhun is not a crazy person, but has a lot of misunderstandings about the court. As long as I can resolve the misunderstanding in the middle, maybe he can become the emperor's loyal minister. If so, the world will be peaceful."

Chongzhen said in a touching voice: "It's just my hard work for my sister-in-law."

Zhang Yan smiled gently, and her eyes shone gently, as if she was looking forward to something.
Chapter completed!