Chapter 2                                                              

The country is authentic, and these four words are counted as Bianyifang. In fact, Bianyifang cannot afford it. I don’t know how many Nanjing merchants were moved north with Emperor Yongle to move to the north. But under the erosion of time, only six hundred years of Bianyifang remained in later generations. However, in this era, many time-honored brands in Jinling were still alive.

Zhang Juzheng said this just to prevent Zhou Mengchen from being embarrassed.

Zhou Mengchen took over the conversation and said, "Yes, that's it."

The group arrived at Bianyifang and settled down. Naturally, they ordered the duck from Bianyifang.

Bianyifang took the route of being close to the people in later generations, but in this era, he wanted to be close to the people. Now it is just a small shop, only two floors high and just a dozen tables. Zhou Mengchen and his party booked a private room upstairs. The so-called private room is just a screen separated from Linshou.

There is no need to say much about the ducks in Bianyifang.

It is naturally very different from the style of the palace in the King of Chu Mansion on the Yellow Crane Tower.

After coming from Wuchang, there was nothing good to eat on the journey. They were all simple and just make do. Now that the meal was ready, Cheng Dawei and Liu Xiushui naturally let go of their stomachs and ate.

Zhou Mengchen also booked a duck and took it back to Zhou Dazhuang.

The group had almost finished eating. Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly heard the neighbors chatting.

Zhou Mengchen and Zhang Juzheng looked at each other and were in a hurry to leave.

It can be said that in the city of Beijing, at the foot of the emperor, talking about politics has long been deeply rooted in the bones. In later generations, every Beijinger seemed to be a candidate for the Politburo. Now every Beijinger seems to be a candidate for the Grand Secretary. Speaking of the political affairs of the court, it is very clear.

Zhou Mengchen and Zhang Juzheng had just arrived in Beijing, and what they lacked the most was the most basic understanding of Beijing's political situation.

Just sit down and listen.

But I heard two voices sitting next to me, one thicker and the other thinner, and there seemed to be some alcoholic sounds between my words. I thought I had drunk a little too much. I naturally spoke more presumptuously.

"Brother Wang, what do you think of the current situation in the cabinet?" Then the rough voice burped.

The sound of the small sound was low, but how many sounds could be blocked by a mere screen? He only heard him say: "Now, the situation in the cabinet is a two dragon playing with the pearl."

"No," said a rough voice: "The dragon cannot be used randomly. It is not a dragon, but a tiger. It is two tigers living in the mountains."

"Yes, two tigers live in the mountain." said a delicate voice: "One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. But now it is there? It means that among these two tigers----"

"There must be one male and one female." said a rough voice.

Then the two smiled at each other, clashed with a glass of wine, drank a glass, and continued to speak.

A rough voice asked, "Who is the mother?"

A delicate voice said, "It goes without saying that it is naturally Mr. Xia Ge is the husband and Mr. Yan Ge is the mother."

"Where does this come from?" asked a rough voice.

A delicate voice said: "Mr. Xia Ge's master has always been arrogant. His Majesty has summoned him and often takes sick leave. He enjoys his wives and concubines at home. But this is my illness. Do you know an old thing? My rank in the Ming Dynasty has always been the most popular with Guanglu Dafu, but our Master Xia Ge feels that he is different, so he added a national pillar to himself, which is the first since the founding of the country."

"When you encounter something, you are even merciless and scold your actions. Everyone in the court is afraid of Xia Ge Lao like a tiger. No matter how arrogant you are, you will have to hold your tail when you see Xia Ge Lao. Even now, you will have to scratch your head when you are."

"I just can't live without him. Otherwise, the third brother Xia Ge will not be upset or down now."

"And Master Yan Ge Lao was promoted by Master Xia, but turned against him. Master Yan Ge Lao has always been convenient for others. No matter who is looking for the right way, Master Yan Ge never deliberately made things difficult for him. After enough blocking things, Master Yan Ge Lao didn't care about anything. He was also timid in the face of Master Xia Ge Lao. Still remember the translation of the Four-Element Library. There were twenty-four places, and none of them were big in the capital, so everyone knew about it now. But did Master Yan stop?"

"It's really a matter of money but no life."

Zhou Mengchen and Zhang Juzheng listened carefully, and You Qi was also thinking, but Cheng Dawei and Liu Xiushui were feasting and enjoying themselves. When others were not paying attention, they would also eat the ducks left to Zhou Dazhuang.

Zhou Mengchen also knew something about the official who was not an official in his mind.

This official, like Zhou Mengchen's Yin-Yang Officer, is also considered a technical bureaucrat. It can be said that he is a translator for receiving the envoy.

Because the Ming Dynasty pursued tribute trade, that is, diplomacy and trade were combined. In the early Ming Dynasty, the government could still eat all the goods in the tribute trade, but the later it went, the less it could not be. So a fixed quota was limited, and except for the fixed quota, it had to be sold in the capital.

But I didn't say how to sell it.

Zhou Mengchen didn't understand it very much, but now when we think about it, the businessman from the capital was willing to ask the people in the cabinet to ask this inconspicuous position. It seems that although this official position is small, it is profitable. As for the profit, it seems that it is just a matter of internal and external trade.

A delicate voice said: "Actually, the two cabinet masters are very good."

A rough voice said, "How to compare?"

"It's like Duke Kolai and Ding Wei." said a delicate voice.

A rough voice slapped the table and said, "Excellent."

After hearing this, Zhou Mengchen nodded secretly.

Duke Kou Lai is the famous Kou Zhun.

Compared with this, Xia Yan had three ups and downs. Ding Wei was also promoted by Kou Zhun. The two were promoted because of the so-called flattery incident. At a banquet, Kou Zhun had a beard and drank wine and food. Ding Wei brushed it away for him. Kou Zhun said: "Are the ministers of the country who participated in politics and are the superiors?" Ding Wei held a grudge in secret, and from then on, the two turned against each other and became enemies.

Yan Song was also promoted by Xia Yan, but the two sides have become enemies now.

Xia Yan opposed Jiajing's cultivation of immortals, and Kou Zhun was the same. Yan Song supported it, and Ding Wei supported it.

Many things on both sides can correspond.

Even the endings between Xia Yan and Yan Song can be matched.

Xia Yan was a tragic ending by Yan Song, and Kou Zhun was also defeated by Ding Wei. However, in history, Xia Yan appeared as a positive person, while Yan Song was a treacherous person, Kou Zhun was also a loyal minister, and Ding Wei appeared as a treacherous minister.

Sure enough, history will not be simply repeated, but it will be surprisingly similar.

"But it's not entirely true." said a rough voice: "It's clear that Xia Yan made money and became a good person, and Yan Song was completely shameless."

"When the great etiquette was first, Xia Yan was also his master's helper. But His Majesty wanted to include Emperor Xian in the Taimiao, but Xia Yan felt it was too much. He said nothing, but Yan Song tried his best to advocate. This was the sight of His Majesty. Only Yan Song is what he is today."

"Xia Yan has a little bit of a literati and official face, and Yan Song is really-----"

Zhou Mengchen also knew this. The great etiquette can be divided into three stages. The first stage was the battle between Yang Tinghe and Jiajing. Zhang Cong was Jiajing's most capable assistant. After that, Jiajing wanted to change the etiquette and law, but Zhang Cong didn't think too much. Zhang Cong wanted to refresh politics. At this time, Xia Yan became Jiajing's help and helped Jiajing complete many reforms in etiquette and law. The most typical one was the Temple of Heaven and Earth. Before the Jiajing Dynasty, heaven and earth were sacrificed together. There was only one Temple of Heaven and Earth, which was separated into Temple of Heaven and Earth under Xia Yan's advice.

Therefore, Xia Yan made money and established qualities. Xia Yan was also the one who came to power. However, after he came to power, he naturally felt that he should do some serious things, so he did not take Afu Jiajing in many things. But Yan Song was different. He was determined to meet the evil of the king and never had the enlightenment of a scholar-official official.

The two of them said this, feeling that they were talking a little deeper.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, the people of Beijing felt that they were a big shot in guiding the country, but they also knew that many things were still taboo. It was okay to say that ministers could, but it was not good to talk about the emperor. So they changed the topic and talked about some family matters.

Zhou Mengchen and Zhang Juzheng were not interested when they heard this, so they ordered a duck again and walked back with them.

Cheng Dawei and Liu Xiushui didn't think too much about it. The street scenes in Beijing attracted their attention. Zhou Mengchen and Zhang Juzheng walked behind, and You Qi followed with a duck.

Zhou Mengchen said, "Brother Uncle, what do you think they say?"

Zhang Juzheng said: "Those three points in the streets and alleys are really good. However, the fact that one thing can be so widely spread also shows that the secret of this matter has been made public. No matter who is an official in the court, you must pay attention to this point. Brother Feixiong, have you figured out how to deal with it?"

Zhou Mengchen smiled and said, "I am just a ninth-rank small official. What's the matter with me?"

Zhang Juzheng said, "That may not be."

After hearing this, Zhou Mengchen was a little nervous and didn't speak, and fell into deep thought. He knew that Zhang Juzheng was right. Since the dispute between Xia Yan and Yan Song had been heard of it on the streets and alleys, it means that both sides have become public and become the officialdom. They cannot be said, but they all know the secrets.

Originally, he had a famous letter from Liu Gong in his hand, so he could see Xia Yan. But he didn't know that this was the case in the capital. He hesitated for a moment.

No matter how shallow his historical knowledge is, he understands one thing, that is, who is the winner of the two tigers in the battle between Xia Yan and Yan Song? Yan Song is too famous, and it is difficult for Zhou Mengchen to not know.

Logically, Yan Song has a bad record in history, so Zhou Mengchen naturally does not want to follow Yan Song. However, Zhou Mengchen is very clear that Yan Song is the winner. If Zhou Mengchen becomes Xia Yan's gangster, what will happen to Xia Yan fall in the future, but he doesn't know.

Zhou Mengchen didn't want to choose these two choices. But Zhou Mengchen understood that there was something he actually had no choice.
Chapter completed!