Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 111 Connections
"This...this...?" Zhou Anmin opened the bag and saw what was inside. He was speechless for a moment.

"Take these, brother-in-law!" Zhu Shenzhui stretched out his hand and pushed the bundle towards Zhou Anmin.

"You can't do that!" Zhou Anmin waved his hands repeatedly and shook his head like a rattle.

The bundle was filled with gold, silver and jewelry. The silver was fine, as there were ten silver ingots of ten taels each, which added up to only a hundred taels. But there was also a hundred taels of gold cakes, which was no small amount.

According to the current exchange rate of gold and silver, one tael of gold is worth at least ten taels of silver, which is a full one thousand taels of silver.

In addition, there were a lot of jewels in the bundle, which were obviously worth a lot of money. Zhou Anmin was also a worldly-wise man, and he estimated at a glance that the value of these jewels was much higher than gold and silver.

At first glance, the gold, silver and jewelry in the bundle were worth at least three thousand taels of silver, which was no small sum. You have to know that ordinary people might not be able to save five taels of silver after working hard for a year. Three thousand taels of silver was enough for ordinary people to earn for hundreds of years.

This was the first time Zhou Anmin had seen such a large sum of money. Now Zhu Shenzhu suddenly put this huge sum of money in front of him and said it was for him. How could Zhou Anmin not be surprised?

"Brother-in-law, don't refuse. This money is not for you to spend yourself." Seeing Zhou Anmin shaking his head in surprise, Zhu Shenzhui explained with a smile.

“Then what is this…?” Zhou Anmin was stunned and asked thoughtfully.

"Brother-in-law, please put it away first, and I will explain it to you in detail." Zhu Shenzui winked at him. Zhou Anmin hesitated for a moment, then tied up the bundle again and put it aside.

"I spent the whole night thinking about it. I think I have to rely on myself for some things. Who knows how long it will take to wait for the higher-ups to do things?"

"Besides, you and I are both familiar with the little things in the officialdom. If you, my brother-in-law, had someone above you, let alone the commander or deputy commander, even if it was just a pacification officer who spoke up for you, you would have been promoted long ago based on your previous merits. And now? A mere position of a seventh-rank flag is still suppressing you? Of course, this is due to the national mourning of two emperors, but to be honest, isn't it because there is no one above you?"

Zhu Shencui's words touched Zhou Anmin's heart. As a Jinyiwei and Yicheng, Zhou Anmin was very familiar with the officialdom. He certainly understood that what Zhu Shencui said was right.

The national mourning was certainly a reason, but it was not the real reason why he could not be promoted. A large part of what he said before was just Zhou Anmin's way of comforting himself and making excuses.

It was just a small flag of the seventh rank, not an important position. To put it bluntly, such a promotion only required a word from the boss inside the Jinyiwei. But what about now? He was not given the position of a small flag, but only the so-called "power". Isn't this just fooling people?

During the national mourning period, so many official positions in the court, even including the position of cabinet minister, had been arranged. What was a small flag of Jinyiwei worth? In the final analysis, there was no one above. If someone with some weight really spoke up for Zhou Anmin, it would be easy.

Thinking of this, Zhou Anmin glanced at the bundle beside him, and he somewhat understood what Zhu Shenzui meant.

"Little brother, are you giving me these to find a way to give them as gifts?"

"That's right!" Zhu Shenzhui nodded and said, "As the ancients said, the mountain doesn't see me, but I see the mountain! Since they don't take you, brother-in-law, seriously, we will do this ourselves!"

"Although this money is not much, it can be put to good use. If it is put to good use, it won't be difficult to find a job. Moreover, now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, if the prediction is correct, there will definitely be some movement from the Jinyiwei. We need to prepare in advance. Once the current commander Luo Sigong falls, won't everyone need to be re-arranged?"

Zhou Anmin nodded silently, admitting that Zhu Shenzhui's idea was right. No one knew how long Luo Sigong could serve as the commander-in-chief. Although the death of Emperor Taichang was sudden, Zhu Changluo should have taken action against the Jinyiwei after he succeeded to the throne and finished the funeral of Emperor Wanli.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Changluo died before he could even appoint a crown prince or do any important work. His death gave Luo Sigong an opportunity, and he still sits in the position of commander-in-chief and has not lost his position.

The commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has served through three dynasties, which has never happened since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. No one can predict how long Luo Sigong can stay in power. However, the new emperor is a teenager of only sixteen years old. From this point of view, maybe Luo Sigong can serve as the commander-in-chief for a few more years.

Even so, Luo Sigong would not last long, and Zhou Anmin knew this. What Zhu Shenzhui said just now pointed out the key point. Once Luo Sigong lost his position as the commander-in-chief, the Jinyiwei would be reshuffled. By then, the upper echelons of the Jinyiwei would inevitably be adjusted, and the lower-level personnel would have a chance to come forward.

In this case, it is indeed a good idea to operate in advance. Once the upper level makes adjustments, I will have a chance to stand out. But Zhou Anmin frowned again after thinking carefully. Although this is the truth, it is not easy to do.

Firstly, Zhou Anmin didn't have this way. Although he was a member of the Jinyiwei, he was only a grassroots staff of the Jinyiwei, and his position was just a small lieutenant. The highest official he knew was the general flag directly under him. Not to mention the high-ranking commanders, deputy commanders, and pacification envoys, even the middle-level thousand households, deputy thousand households, and hundred households were out of reach for Zhou Anmin.

Secondly, even if you know him, what does it matter? As the saying goes, you have to worship the right temple and the right Buddha when you burn incense. Once Luo Sigong falls, the Jinyiwei will be reshuffled. Can you guarantee that the incense you burned before will work? What if the temple and the Buddha fall at the same time? Wouldn't the incense be burned in vain?

Thinking of this, Zhou Anmin raised his concerns to Zhu Shenzhui, who nodded in agreement. At the same time, he also pointed out that even if he wanted to find connections, he must not look for them within the current Jinyiwei circle. Doing so would be of no use at all, and there would be many uncertainties in the future.

"But little brother, I don't know anyone else, so I have to have a target. I can try to find a way through the royal family, but you know the situation of the royal family and the royal family better than me. Let's not talk about whether this way is useful. Even if it is useful, I'm afraid this money will not be of any use." Zhou Anmin scratched his head and said, looking embarrassed. They really don't have any way in the court, and it is indeed possible to go through the royal family. After all, Zhou Anmin married a princess, and Zhu Shenzhu was a royal family. After all, Zhu Shenzhu still had a title. If he wanted to build a relationship, the Jin Wang family was the closest.

However, the imperial court had strict control over the royal family. Although the Prince of Jin was a prince, he had no power. In the current Ming Dynasty, not to mention the royal family, even the nobles had no real power. Apart from the emperor, most of the power was in the hands of the civil service group, and the civil service group had always had many conflicts with the Jinyiwei.

Moreover, although Zhu Shenzhui had taken out a lot of silver, this money was a huge sum of money for ordinary people. But for the wealthy Jin Wangfu, this money was nothing. Connecting these aspects, this road was not feasible.

"Don't worry, brother-in-law. I've already thought about this for you."

Zhou Anmin suddenly became excited and immediately asked what the solution was.

"There are two roads, and this road is not difficult to take. The key is to act quickly!"

"Little brother, stop beating around the bush. I, your brother-in-law, am very anxious because of what you said. Just tell me what the way is!"

Zhu Shenzhui smiled and pointed his finger towards the sky: "Who is the most powerful person in our Ming Dynasty? Isn't it the Emperor? Your Highness is the ruler of the world, especially the Jinyiwei, who are the royal family's personal soldiers. How can you go through connections better than going directly through the Emperor's connections?"

"Emperor? Little brother, you are kidding, right? How can you and I get this? Not to mention me, even you, a member of the royal family, can't do it. You can enter the capital, but how can you enter the imperial palace? Not to mention meeting the emperor!"

"Haha, whether you can see him or not and whether you can use connections are two different things. Besides, there is no need to see the emperor if you use the emperor's connections." Zhu Shenzhui replied with a smile.

Zhou Anmin became even more confused after hearing this and didn't understand what Zhu Shenzui was up to.

Didn't you say you should take the emperor's connections? How can you take them if you can't even see the emperor?
Seeing Zhou Anmin's puzzled expression, Zhu Shenzhui stopped beating around the bush and told him his plan.

He told Zhou Anmin that if he wanted to get in touch with the emperor, he could start with the people around the emperor, such as the concubines in the harem, or the eunuchs around the emperor, etc. These people were with the emperor day and night, so as long as he could get through this channel, wouldn't it be the same as getting in touch with the emperor?

Hearing him say this, Zhou Anmin nodded repeatedly, but after thinking carefully, this way was not easy to go. After all, not just anyone could enter the palace, and with so much money, it would probably not even make a splash if thrown in.

"Brother-in-law, do you know Keshi and Li Jinzhong?" Zhu Shenzhui asked.

Zhou Anmin looked confused.

Zhu Shenzui then specifically explained to him who these two people were.

Among them, Keshi is the wet nurse of the new emperor, the newly enthroned Emperor Tianqi. As for Li Jinzhong, he is a close companion of Emperor Tianqi. These two people can be said to be the most trusted people around Emperor Tianqi. If you want to get in touch with the emperor, it is best to start with them.

Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui had already thought about it. It was not practical to go directly to the capital to find a way to meet Keshi and Li Jinzhong, because these two people lived in the palace and rarely left the palace. Moreover, this kind of thing could not be done in a high-profile manner, and it needed to be done secretly. Once he arrived in the capital and made some moves, the Jinyiwei in the capital might know about it before he saw these two people.

Jinyiwei was not a pushover. Zhou Anmin, a small Jinyiwei lieutenant, went to the capital and set his sights on Keshi and Li Jinzhong. Could it be that he was just a decoration? He might be discovered right after he did it, and by then he would not only fail to accomplish his mission, but also get into trouble.

So Zhu Shenzhui thought about it and decided that the best way was to "save the country in a roundabout way", and he could get this done without even going to the capital.

He told Zhou Anmin that Keshi and Li Jinzhong were both from Northern Zhili, and it should not be difficult for Zhou Anmin to find out where their hometowns were with his identity as a Jinyiwei.

All you have to do is find out where the two people's hometowns are, then go straight to their hometowns, find their families, give them gifts, and make friends with them.

In this way, since the two lines can be easily connected, and secondly, both Keshi and Li Jinzhong were born in poverty, it is believed that their families are ordinary people with little knowledge.

For ordinary people, this amount of silver is enough. As long as this relationship is established, 99% of the work will be done. Isn't this better than going directly to the capital to find someone? Is it also more efficient?

"Brother, I have never heard of these two people. Are they really people close to the emperor?" Zhou Anmin thought it made sense, but after thinking about it carefully, he was worried that it was not safe. After all, he had never heard of Keshi or Li Jinzhong. What if he entrusted the wrong person?
"Haha, you are a member of the Imperial Guard, isn't it easy to find out? Besides, how can adding icing on the cake be better than helping someone in need? Now that the new emperor has just ascended the throne, they haven't made any progress yet, but with such a relationship, as long as the emperor trusts them, there is a chance that they will rise. Isn't it a hundred times better to get in now than when they are famous?"

Zhou Anmin looked uncertain. After thinking for a moment, he slapped his thigh and made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)