Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

It was already midnight when Zhang Shikang returned to the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, and the Duke of Yingguo's family had no idea that Zhang Shikang was back.

He knocked on the door. The doorman Qin Dazhui was still sleepy, but when he saw that it was Zhang Shikang who came back, he immediately became excited and woke up completely.

"The Third Young Master is back! I'll go and inform the Master!"

It was no wonder that the gatekeeper was so excited, for the news of Zhang Shikang's battle at Jiazhuang had spread throughout the capital via the imperial court.

Being conferred a title in one battle and announcing it to the world was enough to comfort the ancestors of the Duke of England.

"Why are you so excited? Don't bother them. We can talk about it tomorrow." Zhang Shikang yawned and stopped them.

But before he took a few steps, he saw his father standing at the door of the living room wearing a cotton poncho.

"Is my son Shi Kang back?"

"Dad, why aren't you asleep yet so late?" Zhang Shikang walked over and said.

“Alas, I’m getting older and I sleep less.

You came back suddenly, probably because of the bandits." Zhang Zhiji answered Zhang Shikang vaguely and changed the subject.

"Third Young Master, the master is worried about you. Recently, I often hear the master sighing in the yard." Qin Dazhu whispered behind Zhang Shikang.

In the capital, everyone would give face to the Duke of England's Mansion, so it didn't matter what Zhang Shikang did.

But on the battlefield, you are facing the ferocious Jianlu, and the Jianlu don’t care who you are.

The sword has no eyes, whoever has his own son should worry about him.

"You are the only one who talks too much. Why don't you go and make a pot of tea?" Zhang Zhiji scolded.

"So Dad knows everything. It's cold outside. Dad, come inside and we can talk."

Perhaps because he had not thought of a countermeasure, Brother Chongzhen did not make the news of the bandits' rebellion public. Zhang Shikang was somewhat surprised that his father actually knew about it.

"Our family also has a shop in Jiangnan. Do you really think that your father only knows how to do business?" Zhang Zhiji said as he walked into the house.

Although the Zhang family's main industry is in the capital, they also have shops in some major cities in the south of the Yangtze River.

However, most of the shops in Jiangnan are light assets, such as teahouses, wine shops, etc. They only need a store and some staff, and do not need to carry too many goods like grain shops and cloth shops.

However, this kind of shop has a characteristic, that is, there are many and diverse customers coming and going. More people means more news, which is exactly what Zhang Zhiji intended.

Whether you are a businessman or a high-ranking official, if you want to plan ahead and maintain long-term wealth and prosperity, news and intelligence are an important part that cannot be ignored.

“Hey, of course Dad is awesome.

I think the high officials in the court should all know about this. It would be great if Your Majesty could also realize this."

Zhang Shikang was speechless.

It turns out that what you know is all second-hand information.

Zhang Shikang knew without thinking that when Brother Chongzhen announced this matter at the court meeting tomorrow morning, all the court officials would be surprised.

Even if many people knew about the bandits, they would pretend not to know. This was the basic quality of Ming Dynasty officials.

Alas, this old man is so pitiful!

“Your Majesty is acting so abnormally today, others must be suspicious.

Prime Minister Liu Yuliang and Minister of Personnel Zheng Sanjun must have known about it. These people have many students and old friends in Jiangnan, so such important news would certainly be passed on as quickly as possible.

My son... just came out of the palace?" Zhang Zhiji asked, half asking and half confirming.

"Yes, father, His Majesty suddenly summoned me, and Yang Gebu also came back with me."

"Who will deal with the Jianlu? Your Majesty is really..." Zhang Zhiji originally wanted to say that the emperor was too rash when faced with things, but he opened his mouth and didn't say it.

"Don't worry, Dad. I've already made arrangements. There won't be any major problems.

I'm afraid Yang Gebu will be in trouble this time." Zhang Shikang sighed.

However, Zhang Zhiji did not care about Yang Sichang's life or death. He looked at his youngest son deeply, with both relief and worry on his face.

He was glad to hear that his youngest and most useless son had finally made some progress. Although Zhang Zhiji still couldn't believe it until now, the third son seemed like a completely different person.

What worries me is that in these troubled times, being too successful may not necessarily be a good thing.

Now that Yang Sichang has fallen, Zhang Zhiji estimates that his son will be highly valued, given the emperor's favor for his son and his understanding of the emperor's character.

But Zhang Zhiji felt that it was already the highest position his son could reach for himself as the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp. If he were to rise any higher, he would not be able to handle it.

Now his son not only takes charge of the Beijing camp, but has also been granted the hereditary title of earl. I wonder how many people in the court are jealous of him.

If something goes wrong, Yang Sichang's fate is an example.

"I think His Majesty has other plans for you."

"Well, I guess he's a high-ranking official." Zhang Shikang said vaguely.

"Alas, there are so many capable people in the court. If Your Majesty does this, you will definitely be pushed to the forefront." Zhang Zhiji sighed.

"Hey, I still have my father to support me.

I have to go to court early tomorrow morning, so don't forget to call me tomorrow morning."

After all, it was already late, so Zhang Zhiji did not call his eldest son and Sun. The two chatted for a while and then went back to their rooms to rest.

Zhang Shikang carefully opened the door and closed it again. He did not get on his own bed, but climbed into Chen Zhuer's small bedroom like a thief.

Chen Zhuer's scream was heard from the bedroom, but when she saw it was Zhang Shikang, she burst into tears with excitement.

Naturally, Zhang Shikang tried to coax her, but the clothes fell off as he was coaxing her.

After his training, the girl's skills became better and better, but Zhang Shikang, who had just returned from the battlefield and was full of vigor, was no longer satisfied with this.

So Chen Zhuer was forced to learn a new skill.

That night, Zhang Shikang slept soundly.

The next day, before dawn, the old housekeeper was calling outside the house. Even though he was reluctant, Zhang Shikang still climbed out of the warm bed.

When he and his father arrived outside the Meridian Gate, many court officials had already arrived. When they saw Zhang Shikang, they were all surprised.

Everyone knew that Zhang Shikang was conferred the title of Earl, but what surprised them was that shouldn't Zhang Shikang be fighting outside? Why did he suddenly come back?

However, important officials such as the Chief Minister of the Cabinet Liu Yuliang and the Minister of Personnel Zheng Sanjun all seemed very calm. These civil officials were not familiar with Zhang Shikang, and even though they were surprised, no one dared to step forward and ask.

However, Duke Dingguo Xu Yunzhen came over to pay his respects, and was obviously relieved when he learned that his son was safe.

Wang Guoxing, Marquis of Xincheng, and Zheng Zhijun, Marquis of Wuan, also came to greet them. Even though their son had done their family a great disservice, he was still their flesh and blood after all, and it would be a lie to say they didn't care about him.

Even Xining Marquis Song Yude came over. His second son had cheated the family out of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and Song Yude was so angry that he almost severed the father-son relationship with Song Liangzu.

The second son never came back after he went to the Xishan camp, and Song Yude didn't care about it until he learned that the Beijing camp had gone out to fight the Tartars. Then he panicked.

Although we are upset, we are really worried.

"Don't worry, uncle. Liangzu is doing well. He has been appointed as a military cavalry captain by His Majesty. When he returns from the expedition, he will have no problem being promoted to a captain due to his military merits." Zhang Shikang said with a smile.

"Alas, my son has a stubborn temper, so I'll leave him to you." Song Yude said with a worried look on his face.

By this time, he had long lost his resentment towards Zhang Shikang. Now that things had come to this, and his son was working under Zhang Shikang again, there was no longer the contempt in his words.

Defeating the Tartars head-on is not an easy task. After all, the nobles and relatives present are all military officers and they all know how difficult it is.

But in fact, in addition to being worried, Song Yude was also a little fortunate. After all, his son was following Zhang Shikang. If it were someone else, Song Yude would have used his connections to bring his son back home.

The current emperor's trust in Zhang Shikang is obvious to all, as can be seen from the reward he gave for just one battle. If his son follows this man, he will surely not suffer any loss in the future.

"Brother Chen, how long are you going to hide? Is your face more important than your son's life?"

After Song Yude asked about his son's situation, he spoke to Chen Yanzuo, the Marquis of Taining, who was peeking at the side.

The two of them had originally resented Zhang Shikang because of the fundraising incident, and had even ignored each other for a long time.

But now his son was fighting outside, so Song Yude didn't care about his face anymore. Chen Yanzuo seemed to care more about his face. When questioned by Song Yude, he still turned his nose up and pretended not to hear.

Song Yude knew very well that Old Chen was just pretending, so he helped him ask.

"Chen Tao, he got stabbed."

"What did you say, nephew? What happened to Chen Tao?" Taining Marquis Chen Yanzuo ran over like a rabbit.

"It's just a minor injury, uncle, don't worry." Zhang Shikang wanted to laugh, but he held it back.

About a quarter of an hour later, the sky in the east gradually turned pale. Under the chanting of the officials of the Honglu Temple, the civil and military officials began to head towards the Huangji Palace.

Today is the regular court meeting. Normally, it would be held at the Huangji Gate outside the palace, unless it was a major festival or a major event, but the emperor arranged the court meeting in the Huangji Palace.

Many court officials did not know what had happened and their faces were filled with suspicion.

Zhang Shikang looked at his father and walked into the hall with a heavy heart.

……