In this way, although there were still voices of discussion, it had little impact; the important thing was that the Little Emperor trusted him deeply and directly gave him the position of Grand Secretary.
Given Fu's age, even if the rumors were true that he was born with an illness, he could still hold power for at least twenty years!
Zheng Hongkui sighed with melancholy, feeling that he should have persuaded his elder brother to surrender along with Zhu Yujian back then.
At the end of the day, it was all Zhu Yujian's fault, also that Mr. Guan's fault.
At first, Zheng Zhilong indeed had intentions to surrender, however, Zhu Yujian refused and instead dragged Zheng Zhilong into persistent resistance.
Later, when Mr. Guan arrived, Zheng Zhilong weighed the options and even felt that surrendering to the Great Ming was not as good as surrendering to the Great Qing, simply because the Great Ming already had a Fu, he would not have been able to obtain the position of Grand Secretary in the past.
So the situation had now become such that Zhu Yujian had become the Left Censor of Great Ming, while the Zheng family had split into two factions, Zheng Chenggong had even narrowly escaped death; what a mess this all was.
As soon as Zheng Chenggong's injury began to improve, he immediately wrote a letter of surrender.
His father had ignored his advice time and time again, now he had even coldly watched as he was nearly killed without taking any action against Alna; in that case, he could no longer be blamed for being unfilial.
Upon receiving the surrender document, Zhu Ci beamed with joy and said to Fu Huaizhang, "This makes Zhang Huangyan's choice to go on campaign a bit more flexible."
Fu cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
After speaking, he continued with feigned indifference, "Your Majesty seems to care quite a lot about Zheng Chenggong?"
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I care about every single famous general of that era! Cat puffing its chest. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 186
Zhu Ci looked at Fu Huaizhang with doubt, feeling as though Grand Secretary Fu was implying something more in his words.
However, Fu's expression seemed as if nothing was wrong, so he could only say, "Zheng Chenggong is not a simple man; he can defeat the Dutch."
Fu replied, "Even without him, Your Majesty would still be able to succeed."
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "That may be so, but I still feel uncertain. Now that he is added to the mix, I feel a bit more at ease."
Fu said nothing; the reason he asked was primarily because he noticed the Little Emperor was quite focused on Zheng Chenggong.
The last person he had focused on so much was Alna. It turned out that Alna indeed possessed some ability; otherwise, he wouldn't have been seen as a thorn in the side of the Little Emperor.
However, this Zheng Chenggong.. he wanted to see exactly what kind of ability this man possessed to make the Little Emperor able to rescind his own imperial decree.
It should be noted that Zhu Ci's previous requirement was that Zheng Chenggong must present the head of Alna; whether the latter could find him or kill him was not something Zhu Ci needed to consider.
As a result, upon hearing that Zheng Chenggong was seriously injured, he disregarded everything else and directly arranged for an Imperial Physician to bring medicine there, demonstrating that this man was by no means ordinary in Zhu Ci's heart.
Fu could not help but pay a few more degrees of attention to Zheng Chenggong.
The first thing Zheng Chenggong did after his injury healed was to come to Nanjing.
Zhu Ci had originally really wanted to have Zhu Yujian go and receive Zheng Chenggong.
One must know that back then, Zhu Yujian directly bestowed the imperial surname upon Zheng Chenggong, which is how future generations came to call Zheng Chenggong "Lord of the Imperial Surname."
It must be said that Zhu Yujian had excellent vision; not only did he bestow the imperial surname, but he was also the one who changed Zheng Chenggong's name. His original name was Zheng Sen. In addition to that, he also enfeoffed Zheng Chenggong as the Earl of Zhongxiao and appointed him as a Vice Commander of the Imperial Camp; it could be said that he held this young man in very high regard.
However, in the end, Zhu Ci did not do such a wicked thing; he simply had Zhu Ci arrange for officials from the Ministry of Rites to receive Zheng Chenggong.
Fu breathed a sigh of relief upon learning this; fortunately, the Little Emperor had not asked Zhu Ci to personally go and welcome him.
If Zhu Ci were to go and welcome him, it would be almost like declaring that he placed great importance on Zheng Chenggong.
Zheng Chenggong would first stay at the post house on the first day and could not meet His Majesty until the second day.
When Zhu Ci spoke to Fu, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "There is still more than half a day left; why can't he see His Majesty?"
Fu felt a sudden tightness in his chest, but he still spoke in a gentle voice, "General Zheng has traveled a long way through dust and wind, since his old injuries have not yet healed, he naturally needs to rest and recuperate before he can come to see His Majesty."
Zhu Ci naturally understood this logic as well; he simply wanted to meet Zheng Chenggong.
Naturally, he also felt a sense of interest toward these people who had left such a profound mark on history.
His knowledge of history wasn't great, but of the figures who left a significant mark on history, the one he remembered most clearly was the Chuangwang Li Zicheng, the other was Zheng Chenggong. To be fair, he admired Zheng Chenggong even more for driving out the Dutch and continuing to resist the Qing.
On the second day, Zhu Ci saw that the meeting with Zheng Chenggong had been scheduled long ago.
However, Fu intentionally found some matters to delay the time.
Of course, it wasn't anything trivial, but rather some technical issues regarding the Birdlock Gun.
Every time it involved these things, Zhu Ci would become deeply immersed. By the time he regained his senses, Zheng Chenggong was already waiting outside.
Zhu Ci said bluntly, "Huaizhang, don't leave either. Come and meet them together."
In Zhu Ci's eyes, Fu Huaizhang and Zheng Chenggong were the two pillars of the new generation.
Of course, Fu has already reached the pinnacle of his career. Given the current situation, if Fu's temperament doesn't suddenly undergo a massive change, he and his emperor should be able to serve together for many more years. As for Zheng Chenggong.. a military officer's presence is demonstrated through war.
However, in truth, Zheng Chenggong was originally a civil official; at the very least, he had once passed the examinations to become a Scholar.
However, compared to his martial arts, his literary talent was not as prominent.
Fu responded naturally, sitting steadily there and watching Zheng Chenggong walk in.
He sized up Zheng Chenggong somewhat subtly; he was not short, but not as tall as him, with a sturdy build and handsome features. Perhaps due to his injury not yet having healed, his complexion was somewhat pale.
In terms of personal qualities, Fu Huaizhang considered Zheng Chenggong to be absolutely no match for him.
However, there was one thing the other man possessed that he would never be able to reach in his lifetime: health.
His current weakness is merely due to his injury.
Zhu Ci's attitude toward Zheng Chenggong was very warm, after meeting Zhu Ci, Zheng Chenggong clearly felt a sense of closeness as well.
No matter what the Little Emperor's reputation is like outside, anyone who does not harbor hatred toward him will easily be won over after meeting him.
In fact, even Zheng Chenggong did not expect His Majesty to be so different from what he had imagined.
He had heard various rumors about the Emperor, in his impression, this Little Emperor must have been quite burly and looked like Li Kui. As it turned out, upon seeing him, he found it impossible to connect him to the Emperor in the rumors who would resort to massacres at the slightest provocation.
Zheng Chenggong was quite well-traveled and well-informed, yet to put it bluntly, the Emperor's appearance was among the finest he had ever seen.
It was best not to mention it, for a Grand Secretary was also sitting nearby.
Regarding the rumors about the Grand Secretary, Zheng Chenggong knew a bit more.
After all, his father had always viewed Fu as a rival.
At first glance, he felt as if he were looking at someone who was not of this world.
Because of his unique appearance, Zheng Chenggong could not help but occasionally steal glances at Fu from the corner of his eye.
Zhu Ci felt a slight sense of displeasure in his heart. Zheng Chenggong.. he wouldn't be targeting Fu, would he?
After all, the Zheng Family and Fu have had many frictions; if that were the case, it would be somewhat troublesome.
Because of this matter, Zhu Ci did not show much enthusiasm toward Zheng Chenggong, merely comforting him by saying, "In that case, I shall wish you, Minister Zheng, great success in your military endeavors in advance."
Zheng Chenggong composed himself, cupped his hands, said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have one more request that may be considered unreasonable."
Zhu Ci glanced at Fu and said, "Speak, my lord."
Zheng Chenggong lowered his head and said, "I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me a courtesy name."
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised. "What?"
Zheng Chenggong gave a bitter smile and said, "Back then, my courtesy name was bestowed by Mr. Yushan, but it is no longer appropriate now. I beg Your Majesty to grant me a new one."
Mr. Yushan? And who is Mr. Yushan?
Watching Zhu Ci's shifting gaze from the side, Fu knew that he certainly did not remember such a person.
He could only say, "Qian Qianyi is not even as principled as a woman; having surrendered to the Tartars now is truly inappropriate."
Qian Qianyi? Oh, you mean the one with the cold heart.
At present, a courtesy name is still very important for a person. Giving a courtesy name to someone, especially when the two sides hold different positions, is indeed quite awkward.
However.. how could he come up with a courtesy name?
He immediately looked at Fu.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Save me, save me! The kitty extends its claws. jpg
I can't do this anymore; typing "shou fu tai wan" (figure it out yourself) is the only way, even adding symbols doesn't work.
Chapter 187
A hint of amusement flashed in Fu Huaizhang's eyes, he intentionally remained silent, just watching Zhu Ci.
Zhu Ci could not help but pout. Fortunately, Zheng Chenggong was standing below with his head bowed and did not see their silent exchange; otherwise, he might have had something to mutter about as well.
Seeing the Little Emperor's anger gradually rising, Fu could only say, "Since the Duke of Ping once bestowed the name Chenggong, why not have His Majesty bestow a name as well?"
After all, that was bestowed when Zhu Yujian was still the Emperor; now that he is the sovereign, the imperial surname would certainly be reclaimed, whether or not to keep this name was entirely up to the Little Emperor.
Zheng Chenggong also said at the appropriate time, "I shall abide by Your Majesty's arrangements."
Zhu Ci shook his head and said, "The name Chenggong is very good. Since your name is Chenggong, I shall bestow upon you the courtesy name Maoxun."
Zheng Chenggong said on the spot, "I thank Your Majesty for granting me this courtesy name."
After Zheng Chenggong withdrew, Zhu Ci immediately complained, "Why didn't you think of me for a moment and just stood there watching the excitement?"
Fu smiled and said, "General Zheng is asking His Majesty to bestow a courtesy name; how could I dare to speak up? It would be bad if he were to misunderstand."
Zhu Ci snorted and said, "What is there to misunderstand?"
Fu Wensheng said, "His Majesty has read many books; composing a courtesy name will naturally be no problem for him."
As he spoke, he remarked with emotion that Zheng Chenggong was truly clever; this was a way of pledging allegiance to the Emperor.
Although it could be said that Zhu Ci and he share the same enemy, that is still not enough.