As Chen Xi expected, what Zhang Yuan is now concerned about is no longer controlling the ministers to accept advice from the king, but finding ways to win over the ministers in the court and attack the common people.

With just a few slander, Xie Qian was sent out of the capital. Zhang Yuan was proud of this and believed that his future was bright.

"...Xie Laoer, Shen family, no matter how capable you are, you will still be fooled by me, Zhang? Xie Laoer may not be able to come back for a year or two. After a trip to the northwest, he will not have the energy to deal with the affairs of the court even if he comes back. It would be fine to listen to me. If you don't listen, you will take advantage of your rift and your Majesty to directly ask you to beg for bones. As for Shen family, you think that you have a different relationship with me, so you can beg for the official position as an official, as long as you don't stay in the capital and disturb me..."

Zhang Yuan made up his wishful thinking, squinted his eyes and shook his head.

Zang Xian looked at Zhang Yuan and muttered nonstop. He didn't know what he was saying, and couldn't help saying, "Eunuch Zhang, now the problem of Master Xie has been solved, but Lord Shen... is not easy to deal with! He is about to lead his troops to fight, like returning in triumph. At that time, his contribution was extremely great. Even compared with famous officials such as Huo Qubing and Li Jing, it was not inferior at all. It would be not so easy to press him down at that time."

Zhang Yuan sneered: "Have you heard of birds hiding all bows, rabbits hiding and dogs cooking? If he returns victoriously, he will be suspicious of His Majesty in the next step, and it will be difficult for him to escape without hesitation."

Zang Xian had a bitter face: "I'm afraid that Your Majesty will entrust important tasks to Lord Shen... After all, Your Majesty doesn't care about the affairs of the court, and someone helps to manage the affairs of the court, may not be able to ask for it. But Eunuch Zhang, you... may be in big trouble..."

Zhang Yuan was full of confidence, but he became very depressed when he heard this, and then his face was distorted due to anger.

"That's right, that boy will definitely use our family's sacrificial flag when he returns to victory. Our family knows his character best. He will revenge him. Whoever blames him will have to be entangled!" Zhang Yuan said.

Zang Xian disagreed and thought to himself: "Is Eunuch Zhang talking about Lord Shen or himself?"

Zhang Yuan said: "In fact, the best result is that this time he returned without success, Your Majesty is safe and sound, and Shen Zhihou... No matter where he died, he would not live a good life for all ministers in the court. On this point, our family and Mr. Xie have the same viewpoint."

Zang Xian asked, "Why... Eunuch Zhang, do you try to contact Mr. Xie for a second?"

"Contact you big-headed ghost!"

Zhang Yuan cursed, "This time Xie Lao'er was sent to Beijing, and our family made it a big effort. If the good horses don't go back, would we have to bow our heads to him? Don't mention this matter again... Your Majesty is leading the army outside, and our family will find a way to cause trouble for the boy named Chen so that he can't continue the war smoothly... If the children of the Shen family want to return to victory, the government and the opposition need to work together, but our family wants to make him fail, there are many ways!"

...

...

The army advanced before the food and grass were moved.

The first thing Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling did when they returned to the Beijing camp was to count the troops and prepare for the escort of food and grass.

Of course, the two of them had never thought of going to the border in person. Even if they wanted to go, they would not set out in advance. They would choose whether to go with each other in the next few grain transport operations, and in the end, they would be subject to the will of Emperor Zhengde.

Zhang Heling finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the power to regulate the Beijing Camp was not taken back, at least three thousand camps had been re-controlled for them. Around the tenth day of March, a large amount of food and grass had begun to be transported to the Xuanfu front line.

"...Brother, what benefits did the court have given us when we work so hard to transport grain? Don't end up with others' credit, we can't even drink soup."

In the Hou Mansion of Shouning, the two brothers sat down to drink, and Zhang Yanling started complaining again after drinking a few more drinks.

Zhang Heling shouted angrily: "We finally took back the military power, what else do you want? Do you want to do it and embezzle a lot from it, which will lead to the failure of the war?"

"It's not like before. We have made meritorious contributions. Any minor mistakes will be infinitely amplified. If your Majesty is disgusted, everything will be finished."

"For the sake of the present, we can only do our jobs and restore our previous status... This time we rely on the Queen Mother to help clear the situation. We must be more aware of it. We cannot rely on the Queen Mother to solve everything for us in the future."

Zhang Yanling said disdainfully: "What's the matter with Empress Dowager Guan? My sister asked Xie Yuqiao, the old guy, to help us, but now Xie Yuqiao has lost power and is sent to leave Beijing. Now the capital has changed. Zhang Yuan is clearly the second Liu Jin. I think he was like a dog in front of us... Look, dogs are better than us now."

"Nothing nonsense, do you dare to say such things? What do you mean is that we are not even as good as a dog now?" Zhang Heling was in a good mood today and couldn't help drinking a few more drinks, and he blurted out when he heard this.

Zhang Yanling flattened his mouth, drank a few sips of wine, and couldn't help but say, "Brother, let's just transport the food to the front line. Do you do nothing? My brothers think that if we just transport the food step by step, then we have no chance to make contributions. It's purely to make wedding clothes for others..."

Zhang Heling glared and said, "The credit has nothing to do with you and me. Do you still want to go to the battlefield to fight?"

"Even if we don't go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, we should entrust some errands to us, such as defending the city... we just need to stay in the back with peace of mind. When the war is over, the credit will be at your fingertips. As our uncle, we should not be in the forefront when rewarding merits and merits?" Zhang Yanling analyzed.

Zhang Heling immediately rejected: "Don't always think about the good things that the pie falls from the sky... There is no place in the frontier. If the Tartars know which city our brothers are in, they will definitely be "careful". At that time, they may save their lives. It is far better to stay in the capital to be safe..."

"What we need to do now is to strive to stay in the important areas of the capital. If there are any adverse changes in the battle situation ahead, our brothers' status will be highlighted at that time..."

"hiss!"

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but take a breath and said in surprise, "It's better for the elder brother to think carefully. Isn't our brother losing power now? It's better to have another battle to defend the capital. At that time, Your Majesty is not in the capital, and all the troops in the capital must obey our brothers' orders. My sister comes out to lead the overall situation. If your Majesty has any accident and there is no inheritance from the royal heir, we brothers..."

Zhang Heling picked up the teacup, threw it directly on Zhang Yanling's forehead, and cursed: "Please take care of your stinky mouth and avoid having a big dream in spring and autumn, so as not to cause death to my Zhang family!"

...

...

March fifteenth.

Shen Xi has set off for Beijing and returned to Beijing from Hejian Prefecture to Beijing. He will travel with a fast horse and arrive in two days.

Shen Xi didn't want to delay on the road. Before going to the battle, he wanted to reunite with his wife and children for a few more days. After all, he would spend more than half a year or even a year in the bitter and cold land in the northwest. This time he did not plan to bring his female family members. After all, the hard work on the battlefield is not something that ordinary women can bear.

March 16th, night.

Chenxi successfully arrived in Zhuozhou and could enter the capital in the next day.

Chen Xi did not choose to live outside the city. Now, except for Hu Lian, Wang Lingzhi, Ma Jiu and other few followers, there were only two hundred guards around him... The rest of the troops had already divided their troops in Bazhou. Some of them went to Xincheng, Yizhou to Zijing Pass, and the other part went north along the Northern Canal. After arriving in Tongzhou, he continued to go to Juyong Pass, so Chen Xi could stay in the official post in the city safely.

Although some local government officials came to visit that day, they were rejected by Chen Xi. As the governor of Shandong, Hu Lian did not exempt from the polite official friendship. He went to Zhuozhou County Government that day to attend the banquet... To a certain extent, Hu Lian went on behalf of Chen Xi, and as for Chen Xi himself, he stayed in the inn to sort out the information he had obtained in the past few days.

Xie Qian's whereabouts and the reactions from both inside and outside the capital were the focus of attention. There is another thing that Chen Xi also cared about, that is, the mobilization of food and supplies. According to Chen Xi's observation, the Zhang brothers did not do as much as they imagined in supervising food and supplies.

"...I have a lot of resistance in the court now. In addition to being wary of someone following Xie Laoer and standing up to stop the war and fighting with me, I also have to deal with open and secret arrows from all sides... Even those who support the war are not the same as me. They have their own ulterior motives and want to use the war to gain enough benefits for themselves..."

Chen Xi found that he was a very failed person and wanted to do something practical in this era, reverse the decline of the Ming Dynasty, and improve people's livelihood, but most people did not understand him and treated him as a political hostile.

Chen Xi sorted out his mind: "After all, I am too young and show my sharpness in doing things... The most respected thing in this world is the doctrine of the mean, and I also want to keep a low profile, but I am not willing to be ordinary in my heart, so that I do things that I don't understand."

Thinking of this, Chen Xi felt a little relieved.

It’s not that he was not doing well enough that he was met with so many opposition voices, but because he performed too well, he caused so many people to be jealous. Unconsciously, he has become a benchmark, and others want to increase his reputation and status by suppressing him. Even Xie Qian, who once promoted him, cannot be spared.

"No one wants to lose power, but people don't want to admit it. Their purpose is actually to take over the power. Who doesn't want to stand in the middle of the stage? Who wants to be restricted?"

Chen Xi stood up with a wry smile, walked to the window, opened the window, and looked at the bright moon hanging high in the sky in the distance, an unspeakable sadness surged, and the loneliness became stronger.

...

...

When Chen Xi returned to Beijing, preparations for the capital were also in full swing, but this was not something that mattered to Zhu Houzhao. He was busy eating, drinking and having fun.

For Zhu Houzhao, he may not be able to act so recklessly for a while after leaving the capital, so he cherishes the present. In the past few days, except for returning to the palace to participate in the court meeting and showing off in the palace examination room, he stayed in the leopard room for the rest of the time. He did not even attend the congratulations of the new Jinshi.

The reason given by Zhu Houzhao is very simple. He will soon lead his troops to fight. As a king, he is busy with affairs and has no time to be distracted.

He didn't have time to take care of the new Jinshi, but Zhu Houzhao had time to visit all kinds of women in Gu Bao's room. In the past two days, Su Tong and Zheng Qian had just arrived at Shanglinyuan Supervisory to perform their duties, and the new official needed to go to the surrounding area of ​​the capital to take office, so Zhu Houzhao didn't leave the Leopard Room to make trouble.

However, Zhu Houzhao was ready and wanted to bring Su Tong and Zheng Qian by his side and go to the frontier together so that he could continue drinking and having fun along the way.

On the night of March 16th, Zhu Houzhao spent the night at Concubine Li.

Concubine Li prepared several programs, and Zhu Houzhao had a great time. After drinking and eating, Concubine Li snuggled in Zhu Houzhao's arms and said softly: "Your Majesty, I want to go northwest with you and go to the wind and rain together."

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "The frontier is hard, what are you going to do? This time I am not a joke. I want to go to war. As a palace concubine, I can stay in the capital and wait for me to triumph."

Unlike ordinary emperors who want to take women when they go to war, Zhu Houzhao has no such plan. He attaches great importance to military affairs. As the supreme commander of the entire army, he believes that he should set an example. Women have always been taboos in the army and do not want to easily trample on the rules.

Concubine Li asked aggrievedly: "Don't Your Majesty need me to be with you? I can save you the lonely journey for Your Majesty!"

Zhu Houzhao said: "What is this saying about my beloved concubine? I am out on the battlefield and have soldiers around me. Why do you need your beloved concubine to accompany me? Besides, if there are women in the army, it will bring unknown information. If something happens, people may be said to be a beauty. Do you want to hear these slander? "

Although Zhu Houzhao didn't want Concubine Li to accompany her, Concubine Li's attitude was very firm because she thought very clearly that whoever could stay with Zhu Houzhao would enjoy more favor from the emperor, and could also influence Zhu Houzhao's ideas, which would have a huge impact on the situation of the war and even changes in the situation.

Before, Concubine Hua also wanted to go to war with Zhu Houzhao, but after being rejected by Zhu Houzhao, she did not insist anymore, but Concubine Li didn't want to give up.

Concubine Li said: "Your Majesty needs a counselor around you."

"Oh? How do you say this?" Zhu Houzhao became more interested when she heard this. He was not opposed to women's interference in politics, but instead found it very fun.

Concubine Li stood up and spoke with a sense of confidence: "Although His Majesty has staff around him, most of them are frivolous people. These people will not make constructive opinions before His Majesty. The most opinionated person is Shangshu Shen, but he cannot always accompany His Majesty..."

Zhu Houzhao thought about it and nodded, "Continue to talk."

Concubine Li was inspired, radiant and talked freely: "Although I don't know much, I understand one thing, that is, it is very important to have different voices and opinions in the military. I ask myself that I am a smart person and have my own unique insights on military affairs. At that time, Your Majesty can consult me ​​and get some different opinions from those who are charming staff from me. It will be helpful for Your Majesty to think about the overall situation."

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "My beloved concubine, although you are right, how can I easily suspect my close ministers? Are you not afraid that I will blame you for slandering and distracting the humerus?"

Zhu Houzhao smiled, but Concubine Li had no intention of joking at all. Her face became serious and asked, "I dare to ask Your Majesty, who else can speak out to Your Majesty in the matter of sending troops except Mr. Xie?"

"Um!?"

Zhu Houzhao's face changed and her brows frowned.

However, Concubine Li seemed to be unable to see the change in Zhu Houzhao's mood and continued: "When the Chinese Chinese in the court saw that you are so eager to send troops, you did not stand up and speak, and let Master Xie argue with reason in front of His Majesty. But in fact, His Majesty knew very well that even if you were sure of sending troops this time, there might be any changes. If there were more people speaking, Your Majesty would be more prepared... Why do these people act according to Your Majesty's face?"

"My beloved concubine, don't say it, I don't want to listen." Zhu Houzhao said with a dark face.

Concubine Li had long seen Zhu Houzhao's personality traits and continued her words: "If I don't say this, will Your Majesty think that I am also a person who acts according to people's faces? I am dedicated to your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty, which is naturally different from others... Those ministers, no matter who is the emperor, are all ministers. Even if foreigners enter the Central Plains, how many of them will imitate the sages and sacrifice their lives for their country? I am afraid that many people will fight for the service of the Tartars at that time?"

"Concubine Li, if you continue talking, I will be angry!" Zhu Houzhao looked aggressive, but in fact she was very guilty and was weak when speaking.

Concubine Li shook her head: "The biggest difference between me and my ministers is that my honor and wealth are given by Your Majesty. If you leave Your Majesty, I will be nothing. If there is an invasion of foreign barbarians, I can die for Your Majesty... Can those ministers do it?"

Zhu Houzhao frowned again, but sighed in his heart. Although Concubine Li's words were very unpleasant, he could order Concubine Li's mouth, but if he thought about it carefully, he was a loyal saying... Although the emperor was once a day, even if the foreign barbarians invaded, they still needed Han officials to help manage the government affairs, and then his ministers would become ministers of barbarians.

It’s just such a group of people who do so many things that deceive superiors and subordinates. When he gets angry, no one dares to stand up and refute them. Can you expect them to make some good suggestions?

On the other hand, Li Fei knew that these words were violated and might even fall out of favor because of this, but she dared to say them, and this alone made people look at her with admiration.

Zhu Houzhao hesitated and thought for a long time, waved her hand and said, "Since that's the case, I agree to my beloved concubine go there, but you need to wear men's clothing and you can't let someone know your true identity."
Chapter completed!