Zhou Zheng took a wash and waited quietly for Zhou Qingli to return to the house.
Zhou Qingli did not come back until late at night, covered with a layer of snow.
Uncle Fu was making carbon in his room and said, "Master, is the Ministry of Households still so busy?"
Zhou Qingli took a sip of hot tea to get rid of the cold, exhaled, and said: "I'm leaving now, many things have to be arranged..."
As he was talking, Zhou Zheng came in from outside, handed a bowl of ginseng soup, and said, "Father, you are back."
Zhou Qingli looked at the bowl in Zhou Zheng's hand, with a smile on her tired face, and said, "Why don't you have a good rest when you just came back?"
Zhou Zheng handed over the ginseng soup and said: "It's not too tired. Drink some ginseng soup, it's better than tea."
Zhou Qingli took it, took a sip, watched Fu Bo move the carbon stove next to him, and said: "It's cold, go and rest early. Just have Zhengyun there."
Uncle Fu knew that their father and son had something to say, and retired with a smile in response.
Zhou Qingli glanced at Zhou Zheng and said, "It's more energetic and stronger than before."
Zhou Zheng looked at Zhou Qingli even more tired than last year, with a thin face, sitting opposite him, and said, "Father, it's okay to leave."
Zhou Qingli laughed, leaning on the chair, sighed lightly, and said: "The court is more chaotic than ever."
Zhou Zheng gave a hum, not commenting on it.
Since Chongzhen took the throne, he has not only cleaned up the eunuchs, but has also been jailed. At every turn, there are cabinet ministers. High officials are imprisoned. The involvement is very wide. Only cabinet ministers have changed dozens of people in just four years. Tranquility walks one cabinet minister and one Shangshu every month, and an average of three months for a first assistant, and half of them are imprisoned for guilt.
This is much faster than before Chongzhen!
This is the case at the top, and chaos will naturally be added at the bottom.
Can anyone do things and get things done in this kind of court
Zhou Qingli finished this sentence and said, "Yuanfu, you operate it?"
Yuan Fu, Shou Fu, Zhou Yanru.
Zhou Zheng shook his head, but smiled again: "No, but he thinks it is."
After thinking about it, Zhou Qingli understood that if the cabinet ministers were changed so quickly, if Zhou Zheng had cast a net widely and made an initial investment in some potential people, coupled with some specious actions, it would indeed make the people who came to the stage mistakenly believe that it was Zhou Zheng. Helping to operate.
Zhou Qingli looked at Zhou Zheng and said softly: "Caution."
The mere word'cautious', there are so many frustrations and worries hidden in it.
Zhou Zheng nodded cautiously, and then said, "Father, do you really plan to return to your hometown?"
Zhou Qingli said: "If I stay in the capital, those people will not let it go. The household affairs has reached a juncture, and Bi Shangshu is happy to sleep at night and cannot be delayed by me."
"Is it King Lu?" Zhou Zheng asked. It took so long for Zhou Zheng to find out some things.
Zhou Qingli shook her head lightly and said: "It's not just King Lu, but the emperor is also dissatisfied with my repeated removal from the office of Shangshu."
Zhou Zheng said, that's how it is. Chongzhen didn't ask the crime, he was already thinking about his past feelings, and he was very kind.
Zhou Qingli drank the ginseng soup again, and said, "Your business has quite a few voices in the court. You have to be more cautious."
Zhou Zheng showed a cold expression in his eyes, and said: "I have been away from Beijing for two years. They are healed and the scars have forgotten to hurt!"
Zhou Qingli didn't worry about Zhou Zheng's wrists, put down the bowl, and said, "I asked about it, the court was a little worried about the generals in Liaodong, and wanted to put you in."
"Liaodong?" Zhou Zheng was a little surprised. He originally thought that the court was going to send him to the northwest to suppress bandits.
Zhou Qingli said with a hum and said: "Old man Sun is returning to Liaodong, but the court is still worried. I heard that the emperor will send the central officials out of the palace again to supervise various places, especially Liaodong."
The so-called'zhongguan' is the internal prison in the palace.
After all, it was because the palace lost control of the various places and was uneasy, and wanted to control it in this way.
Zhou Zheng shook his head secretly. These inmates are also good at bad things, and there are very few who can really do things, even if they are not bad.
This will also cause fear and fear of courtiers, which is the next policy.
Zhou Qingli looked at Zhou Zheng with a smile on her dark face, and said, "I know all about you in Yongping Mansion and Hejian Mansion. It is very good. Today, there are not many people who have the courage to restore the Taizu system and benefit the people. In the future, even if it is not good, you will be worthy of the emperor, the court, and the people... Don't think too much, just do as much as you can."
What Zhou Zheng did in Hejian Mansion and Yongping Mansion, in the eyes of many people, was to eliminate bad governance and restore the ancestral system. Although many people were impeached and accused of countless crimes, people of insight still appreciate it. This is what Zhou Zheng can insist on. One of the reasons so far.
But Zhou Zheng has offended too many people, even if the emperor Zhang Juzheng who was once in power has been settled by the Qiuhou, opened the coffin and killed the corpse, let alone a small Zhou Zheng
Zhou Zheng replied and said, "Father, why don't you go to Tianjin Wei, you are going back to your hometown alone, we are not at ease."
Zhou Qingli looked outside and said with a sigh, "Don't worry, I want to go back too."
For Zhou Fang and Zhou Zheng, the capital is home, because they were born in Beijing, and Zhou Qingli is different.
Zhou Zheng stopped mentioning it, and began to inquire about the court.
Zhou Qingli said concisely, as the minister of household ministry, he was naturally a high-level man of the Ming Dynasty, who understood the struggle within the imperial court.
Even if Zhou Qingli didn't say so clearly, Zhou Zheng still understood.
Although Emperor Chongzhen hated party fights and could not see who was forming a party on the face of it, the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party perished and did not disappear. There was no party but the party. The two sides competed in the court, fighting for power around various things. At any time, never stopped.
The father and son were chatting, Zhou Zheng saw Zhou Qingli tired and unable to hold on, so he retired and left.
Zhou Qingli looked at Zhou Zheng's back and sighed, not knowing whether it was Zhou Zheng or Chao Ju.
Early the next morning, Zhou Qingli went to the Huhu without breakfast. In the back room of Zhou's family, there was only Zhou Zheng alone.
After eating a little bit, Zhou Zheng went to Jiujiang Pavilion.
Zhou Ji, Zhou's Chamber of Commerce have all moved to Tianjin Wei, and those who stayed behind in the capital do not need Zhou Zheng to visit.
Han Cheng has been sitting in Jiujiang Pavilion, and he likes this place more and more.
First, it’s quiet here, and there are many books to read and borrow, which will help him complete his work; second, the young people who come and go make him like it very much. He likes to talk to these young people and make him feel A long-lost atmosphere of "learning".
Zhou Zheng and Han Cheng sat opposite each other, drinking tea and talking about Jiujiang Pavilion.
Liu Liuzhe is in charge of the Jiujiang Pavilion, but Han Cheng has always been here. Having such a big Buddha has avoided a lot of trouble.
Han Cheng looked at Zhou Zheng with a look of appreciation, and said: "I heard some of your ideas before, but I don't want you to dare to do it. I have heard about Yongping Mansion and Hejian Mansion. You have done a great job. Yes, the whole Daming is afraid that he won't be able to find a second person."
Zhou Zheng looked humble and said, "It's all what students should do, just their duty."
Han Cheng laughed and said, "If the word'duty' can be remembered by all the princes of the court, why am I here?"
Zhou Zheng smiled faintly and turned to the subject: "Sir, what kind of talents does Jiujiang Pavilion have? The students are short of people now."