The rise of the poor

Chapter 1979: Imperial Edict Arrives, Promotion
When the Japanese pirates were being tortured to death in public, Zhu Ping'an also received an imperial edict from the capital, officially promoting him to the right vice minister of the Yingtian Ministry of War and governor of Zhejiang.

"Thank you for your hard work, angels. We have prepared some simple food to welcome you."

After receiving the imperial edict, Zhu Ping'an thanked the eunuchs who issued the edict again and invited them to have dinner at his house.

"Thank you, Lord Xiao Zhu. I'm sorry to bother you." The eunuchs gladly accepted it.

Li Shu had people prepare the banquet long ago. Several eunuchs, the thousand-householder and the hundred-householder of the factory guards and Zhu Ping'an sat at the main table. The rest of the young eunuchs, the factory guards and the accompanying soldiers sat at one table of eight, for a total of ten tables.

Although the tables are divided into main tables and secondary tables, the food is exactly the same, rich and delicious.

"The three fresh fish from the Yangtze River are the best among Jiangnan cuisine. The knife fish is tender and smooth, rich but not greasy. The shad is known as the king of fish. There is a folk song saying that 'braised shad is fresh at both ends, and steamed shad is so delicious that it can tempt gods.' Puffer fish is the most challenging for the cook. It has a sweet and fresh taste, tender meat and thick juice. The taste is even more popular than Mr. Su Dongpo's saying that 'when the ground is covered with mugwort and the reed shoots are short, it is the time when the puffer fish is about to come out.'" Zhu Ping'an warmly invited them to enjoy the special Jiangnan cuisine at the table and introduced the deliciousness of various foods to them.

It has to be said that Li Shu is a person who knows how to enjoy life. Although the chef in the mansion is not the imperial chef, he is not much inferior.

The delicacies on the table conquered the eunuchs and factory guards present, making them salivate with anticipation and unable to stop eating.

Both the host and the guests were having a great time at the table.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Master Xiao Zhu. We have been exhausted from the journey, but Master Xiao Zhu's delicious meal has given us a new lease of life."

The leading eunuch, Eunuch Wang, said this half seriously and half flatteringly after having a good meal and a few drinks.

"Hehe, fellow angels, we have worked so hard all this way for peace. If we cannot let the angels eat and drink well, wouldn't peace be guilty?"

Zhu Ping'an said with a laugh, and did not modestly say that the simple meal was not worth mentioning, but jokingly said that this table of food was carefully prepared, highlighting the importance of the angels.

"Haha, I often hear Eunuch Feng say that Lord Xiao Zhu is funny and humorous. Today I see that he is indeed extraordinary."

The prince said with a smile.

Judging from his tone, he was very familiar with Feng Bao, which was evident from the word "often". Zhu Pingan then brought up the topic, "Oh, the eunuch is familiar with Eunuch Feng?"

"Master Xiao Zhu is indeed very smart. I only said one sentence, but Master Xiao Zhu guessed the relationship between me and Eunuch Feng. Eunuch Feng and I entered the palace at about the same time. We met when we were still in the palace. We have similar interests and became good friends. We help each other and have an extraordinary relationship. When I came from the capital, Eunuch Feng asked me to take good care of him for Master Xiao Zhu."

Eunuch Wang said with a smile.

"Haha, Eunuch Feng's friend is also Ping An's friend. Please take care of me in the future, Eunuch Wang." Zhu Ping An replied with a smile, and then said, "After returning to the palace, please take me to say hello to Eunuch Feng."

"Of course, of course." Eunuch Wang said with a double meaning.

"Oh, I almost forgot. When Eunuch Feng came, he asked me to ask you something." Eunuch Wang pretended to remember something.

"It's not like I'm asking for advice. Ping An can only give some immature personal opinions for Eunuch Feng's reference." Zhu Ping An said modestly, and then asked softly, "I wonder what Eunuch Feng is confused about?"

"It is also thanks to Master Xiao Zhu that after the system of selecting the right person to sleep with the emperor was implemented, Eunuch Feng is now very popular in the harem and has more opportunities. Recently, Eunuch Feng encountered an opportunity to work in the secretarial office."

"In our inner court, the Secretariat is responsible for receiving the daily sealed documents submitted by the Tongzhengsi and the sealed documents submitted by the officials of the capital and the princes. The draft documents outside the cabinet, the accompanying documents inside the palace, and the emperor's imperial edicts are all recorded and issued by the Secretariat. The Secretariat has ten managers to handle the above matters. Recently, Eunuch Xia, one of the ten managers of the Secretariat, fell ill and left the palace, leaving a vacant position. Eunuch Feng has the opportunity to take over."

"I don't know if Master Xiao Zhu knows that if our eunuch wants to be the eunuch of Silijian, he usually starts from the Secretariat. Our eunuch's biggest dream is to go to Silijian. If he can become the eunuch superintendent of Silijian, he will die without regrets."

"But, to take over from Eunuch Xia and become one of the ten people in charge of the Shushufang, Eunuch Feng will need to hand over his current job in the Jingshifang, including the job of flipping cards. Eunuch Feng is reluctant to leave the Jingshifang, especially the job of flipping cards, but he also wants to go to the Shushufang. Now he doesn't know what to do."

"When Eunuch Feng came, he asked me to consult Master Xiao Zhu on this matter."

Eunuch Wang briefly explained Feng Bao's current predicament and asked Zhu Ping'an for his opinion on the matter.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you go to the Shushufang, you have to give up the Jingshifang and the job of flipping cards.

After the system of flipping cards was introduced, Feng Bao benefited greatly from it. All the concubines in the harem tried to win over him in order to get a free card for themselves. For a time, he was very popular in the harem. If he were asked to hand over this job and give up this achievement to others, he would really be reluctant to do so.

But going to the Secretariat was too tempting. You should know that most of the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department came from the Secretariat. The chances of going to the Imperial Household Department from the Secretariat were much greater than from other departments. It could be said that one had already stepped half a foot in.

"At present, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department is Eunuch Huang, and the eunuchs who hold the seal, write, and attend the court of the Imperial Household Department are all famous eunuchs such as Eunuch Lu. Eunuch Huang and his men are young and strong, and no one will be able to shake their positions for a long time in the future. The room for advancement at the top is extremely limited. If Eunuch Feng goes to the Secretariat, he is destined to spend a long time in the Secretariat to gain experience, and it will be difficult for him to be promoted."

"The eunuchs in charge of the Secretariat have a lot of paperwork to do and are mostly behind the scenes, so they have few opportunities to shine. On the contrary, the eunuchs in the Respect Office are mostly in the front and often show up in front of the emperor and the mistresses in the harem. As long as they do their job well, they will definitely be noticed and remembered by the emperor and the mistresses in the harem. As long as they are in the emperor's and the empress's hearts, there is no need to worry about not having opportunities for promotion and a day to shine."

"After four or five years, when you have accumulated enough experience, you can seek an opportunity to go to the Secretariat. I guess by then you will not be one of the ten eunuchs in charge, but the eunuch in charge of the Secretariat. If you can be promoted to the Inner Study, then going to the Imperial Household Department should be a foregone conclusion."

"Of course, this is just my personal opinion, for your reference, Eunuch Feng."

Zhu Pingan thought about it seriously for a moment, and gave his personal opinion on the matter for Feng Bao's reference. According to history, Feng Bao's power stage was not in the Jiajing Dynasty, but in the Xin Dynasty after Prince Yu ascended the throne. When the time came in the future, he would give him advice and let him go to Prince Yu early to wait for the dragon to rise.

"I would like to thank Lord Xiao Zhu on behalf of Eunuch Feng. I will definitely convey your advice." Eunuch Wang clasped his fists to express his gratitude.

(End of this chapter)