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

Chapter 179 Disagreement
Wei Zhongxian didn't take the matter between Zhang Xijun and Wei Liangqing seriously. The reason why the East Factory reported the matter to him was simply because Wei Zhongxian cared about his nephew and asked the people from the East Factory to pay attention to Wei Liangqing's actions on a daily basis.

Since Zhang Xijun had a clean background and his nephew Wei Liangqing didn't have many friends in the capital, it would be good to make more friends. His nephew was always honest, and Wei Zhongxian thought it was good to have a smart person like Zhang Xijun around him. At least his nephew was happy and he, as an uncle, was relieved.

Right now, Eunuch Wei Zhongxian is still concerned with the Donglin Party and the affairs in the court. The matter of Liu Yirong has not been completely resolved yet, and other troubles have come again.

Wei Zhongxian went to the Imperial Household Department, but left in a hurry after staying there for a short time. He went directly to the Qianqing Palace, where Emperor Tianqi was sitting and talking with Empress Zhang Yan.

"Your servant Wei Zhongxian pays his respects to the Emperor and the Empress..." Wei Zhongxian was slightly stunned when he saw Empress Zhang was there, but he remained unchanged on the surface. He stepped forward and kowtowed respectfully to Emperor Tianqi and Empress Zhang.

"Wei Banban is here?" Tianqi seemed to be in a good mood today. When Wei Zhongxian came, no one knew what he and Empress Zhang were talking about, but he had a smile on his face.

When Empress Zhang saw Wei Zhongxian coming, the smile on her face disappeared and her expression became a little cold. There was a hint of barely perceptible disgust in her eyes as she looked at Wei Zhongxian.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report..." Wei Zhongxian said.

"Oh, what's the matter?" Emperor Tianqi asked casually.

Wei Zhongxian hesitated, raised his eyes slightly and glanced at Empress Zhang, then said: "Your Majesty, I just went to the Imperial Household Department, and there..."

"Your Majesty." Before Wei Zhongxian could finish his words, Empress Zhang suddenly spoke up: "Since Your Majesty wants to talk about government affairs, I will return to the palace first."

"It's okay. The Queen is not an outsider. Come sit down and listen together." Emperor Tianqi said with a smile.

Empress Zhang immediately put on a serious face and said, "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. This is a rule that has been in place since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics. As the empress, I am in charge of the six palaces for your Majesty, so I should set an example myself. How can you knowingly break the rules? Moreover, your Majesty is the ruler of the Ming Dynasty, and you should follow the ancestral system. Your Majesty has gone too far!"

"This little bitch is so shameless! How can she be so arrogant in front of the Emperor? Why is she pretending to be so serious? Doesn't this embarrass the Emperor?" Wei Zhongxian, who was kneeling below, cursed in his heart. It was originally a very simple matter. He, Wei Zhongxian, as the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and a person trusted by the Emperor, came here to report something. How could it be considered as the harem interfering in politics for her, the Queen, to just sit aside and listen to a few words?

Besides, Emperor Tianqi also said that the queen is not an outsider, so it's okay to listen. Since the emperor said this, do you, as the queen, have to make such a fuss? Even if you think so in your heart, there is no need to say it directly! Why not find another reasonable reason such as going to the toilet to avoid it? Why take it so seriously?

The smile on Emperor Tianqi's face froze, and he looked a little embarrassed. He subconsciously laughed dryly twice, nodded and said, "The Queen is right, I overlooked this point. In this case, the Queen should go back to the palace first, and I will come to see you later."

"Your Majesty, this is very good." Empress Zhang stood up and took a step to say goodbye, but after taking just two steps, she seemed to think of something and turned back.

She looked towards Emperor Tianqi and said sincerely, "I have something to say to Your Majesty."

"We are one, so what can't we talk about? Just say whatever the queen wants to say." Tianqi said with a smile.

Empress Zhang said solemnly, "Although I am not involved in government affairs in the harem, since I am the empress, I should advise Your Majesty on some matters. The state affairs are difficult now. Your Majesty is the ruler of the Ming Dynasty. You should be close to wise ministers and stay away from villains, and work hard to govern the country. Your Majesty is an wise ruler, and you should understand this principle. Please keep it in mind..."

As she spoke, Empress Zhang's sharp gaze inadvertently swept towards Wei Zhongxian standing beside her. After saying this, Empress Zhang bowed to Emperor Tianqi, then turned and left. In a moment, Empress Zhang's figure disappeared outside the hall and was never seen again.

You stinky bitch! How did I offend you? How dare you make up stories about me in front of His Majesty? You are accusing me of being a villain?
Wei Zhongxian, who was kneeling on the ground, was so angry about what Empress Zhang said before she left that his face turned blue and red, and he cursed in his heart.

It was really strange. Ever since she entered the palace, Zhang Yan had always disliked him. She would call him over to scold him whenever she had nothing to do. Her words were warnings. At first, Wei Zhongxian swallowed his anger and tried to please Empress Zhang, but after so much time, it didn't work. Empress Zhang was still like that.

If you can't afford to offend me, you can't afford to hide from me? Wei Zhongxian was a top figure in the harem, but he couldn't do anything to Empress Zhang. No matter how powerful he was, he was just a slave, while Empress Zhang was the master, the most honorable person in the world besides the emperor.

Isn't it natural for the master to punish the servant? In addition, Empress Zhang was born with a beautiful face and Tianqi treated her very well. What could Wei Zhongxian do under such circumstances?
It was for this reason that Wei Zhongxian hated Liu Kejing, who was in charge of the selection. If it weren't for Liu Kejing, how could Zhang Yan enter the palace and sit on the throne of the queen? Wei Zhongxian certainly understood the intention of what Queen Zhang said just now, but he had no way to refute it, let alone defend himself. He could only continue to kneel down honestly.

Not to mention Wei Zhongxian, even Tianqi's expression was a little embarrassed. Tianqi did not expect that Empress Zhang would be so disrespectful to him. Not only did she directly refute his words, but she also criticized Wei Zhongxian in front of him and directly said something like "keep close to virtuous ministers and stay away from villains", which was equivalent to warning himself.

He is the emperor! The most noble person in the world. When the emperor is told this by the empress, doesn't he want to save face?
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was a little weird. Emperor Tianqi didn't say anything, and Wei Zhongxian, who was kneeling on the ground, naturally didn't dare to speak either.

After a while, Tianqi laughed to break the silence, raised his hand and said, "The ground is cold, Wei Banban, please get up."

"Your servant thanks the Emperor..." Wei Zhongxian breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing Tianqi's character, he knew that Tianqi did not blame him, otherwise he would not have let him get up.

Wei Zhongxian got up from the ground, with his hands hanging at his sides, and stood there quietly.

"Wei Banban, the Queen meant well just now. Don't feel bad about it."

When Wei Zhongxian heard this, he was so moved that tears were about to fall. He still had a status in Tianqi's heart. The emperor actually comforted him because of the queen's words. He was just a servant, and it was rare for the emperor to do this.

Wei Zhongxian immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying that he dared not. He also said that the queen said these things for the good of Emperor Tianqi and that she cared about Ming Dynasty. As a virtuous queen, this is what she should do. It is a blessing for the country that the emperor has such a queen.

After hearing what Wei Zhongxian said, the smile returned to Emperor Tianqi's face. He laughed and said that the empress was young and that her intentions were good in many things, but she took some of them for granted. She didn't mean any harm when she spoke harshly on weekdays. He told Wei Zhongxian not to take it personally and to be careful whenever the empress was around, and not to give her any handle on him.

Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly, raised his hand to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes, and looked grateful. But he felt a little disappointed in his heart. He heard from the words of Emperor Tianqi that Tianqi was just trying to smooth things over, using this method to fool around, and didn't mention any gentleman or villain talk. From this point of view, although he was deeply trusted by the emperor, the emperor also doted on the queen.

This woman cannot be too beautiful. Aren't Daji and Baosi both extremely beautiful? Didn't Zhang Yan win the emperor's favor with her beautiful face?

If it weren't for this, how could Tianqi be so magnanimous? Wei Zhongxian felt a little helpless, but there was nothing he could do about it. Who made him not have the conditions like Zhang Yan?
"By the way, what exactly do you want to talk to me about? What trouble has happened in the Imperial Household Department?" Changing the subject, Tianqi asked.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department received a report that Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen are at loggerheads in Liaodong. They have submitted several memorials accusing each other in the past few days. The Cabinet could not suppress the information and forwarded the memorials to the Imperial Household Department. I think this matter should be reported to Your Majesty, so I requested to see Your Majesty." Wei Zhongxian said hurriedly, taking out several memorials from his sleeve and presenting them.

Emperor Tianqi took the memorial and started reading it. After a while, he frowned. Wei Zhongxian saw that Tianqi looked unhappy, so he did not say anything and stood quietly by the side waiting for the emperor to finish reading the memorial.

After a while, Tianqi finished reading the memorials roughly, and his face became even uglier. He slapped the memorials aside and asked directly: "Has the cabinet not made a decision? What is the opinion of the Ministry of War?"

"Your Majesty, the cabinet and the Ministry of War have not yet produced the rules, but I have inquired and found that both the cabinet and the Ministry of War are inclined to Wang Huazhen."

“Hehe…” Tianqi sneered immediately. This situation was within his expectations. After all, compared with Xiong Tingbi, Wang Huazhen was a member of the Donglin Party, and it was also the Donglin Party who insisted on promoting Wang Huazhen to the governor of Liaodong.

Originally, Tianqi thought that this matter was done. After all, the establishment of Liaodong Governor and Governor was the court's regulations. Xiong Tingbi restored Liaodong, and the Donglin Party took the initiative to make concessions in this regard. Later, the Donglin Party recommended Wang Huazhen. Taking into account the balance of the court and other ideas at the time, Tianqi made an exchange with the Donglin Party and agreed to let Wang Huazhen serve as the Governor of Liaodong.

Tianqi originally thought that Wang Huazhen had led troops in Liaodong. In the previous Liaodong War, Wang Huazhen's performance was remarkable, which was the only bright spot in the Liaodong defeat. From this point of view, Wang Huazhen still had some ability, and Xiong Tingbi would also need someone to assist him in Liaodong. Although Wang Huazhen was a member of the Donglin Party, he had worked with Xiong Tingbi before. Considering this, Tianqi made the decision.

But he did not expect the situation to develop into what it is now. After Xiong Tingbi became the governor of Liaodong, he and Wang Huazhen, who was promoted to the governor of Liaodong, had many conflicts. The two had reached the point where they were incompatible. They had a small quarrel every three days and a big quarrel every five days. They sent memorials accusing each other to the capital every few days, making it known to the whole court that the governor of Liaodong and the governor were not in harmony.

(End of this chapter)