Chapter 582: Young Master Yan Seeks Pleasure in Broad Daylight

Stealing chickens will not lose rice.

today.

After living for most of his life, working hard in officialdom all his life, and finally sitting firmly in the position of cabinet minister, Li Chunfang finally truly experienced the meaning of this sentence.

His face was darker than the culverts beneath the bluestone-paved streets outside the Forbidden City.

His embarrassment and annoyance were so great that he pushed aside the gold bricks that were made in Suzhou and shipped to Beijing.

God!

If there really is a God in this world, I am willing to give up everything and take back everything I said here today.

At this moment, Li Chunfang was heartbroken and kept praying in his heart.

But he also understood that words once spoken are like water spilled.

Overwhelmed with water.

When most people at the scene, especially the cabinet ministers, spoke up, expressed their position, and agreed to Yan Shaoting's request, the emperor nodded slightly.

this moment.

Li Chunfang wished she could find a knife and slash her own neck.

He is the leader of the Qingliu Old Party in the court today.

But it was also at this moment that he became the sinner of all the Qingliu old party.

He became a sinner of the gentry and wealthy families in Jiangnan.

He moved his lips, wanting to object to the issue.

But Zhao Zhenji, who was also in the cabinet, was one step faster.

The emperor nodded and agreed to this matter. He wanted to use all the prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Nanzhili and Zhejiang as pilot areas, start the land measurement plan, and check all the acres of land.

Zhao Zhenji stood up with a smile on his face and said, "Your Majesty is wise. You chose Nanzhili and Zhejiang as the pilot areas for land measurement. In recent years, the two places have repeatedly implemented new policies from the court. In addition, the Yingtian Governor-General has already conducted a land survey last year. Now that this place has been chosen, I think the local government will have more experience. This way, the land measurement will surely be handled more smoothly."

As Zhao Zhenji spoke, Li Chunfang, who had originally wanted to object or to try out farming in another place, was completely speechless and shut his mouth silently.

The truth is that Southern Zhili had experience in conducting a farmland inventory.

There is no way I could find a better reason to stop this.

Li Chunfang looked at Yan Shaoting silently.

He clearly remembered that it was the other party who went south to the south of the Yangtze River in compliance with the order of the late emperor last year, and then caused a big trouble.

Li Chunfang thought silently in his heart.

However, Zhu Zaigui was inspired by Zhao Zhenji.

He immediately smiled and muttered, "I had forgotten about this matter before, but now I think it is just as Lord Zhao said. Since the Yingtian Governor had conducted a land survey... I remember that there is an imperial censor in the Censorate in Nanjing?"

Zhao Zhenji immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it is Gao Hanwen, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who is a fourth-rank official."

Zhu Zaigui nodded, took note of Gao Hanwen, and then said, "I haven't forgotten that Zhang Juzheng was also in the south at this time."

Now it was Gao Gong's turn to answer: "Zhang Juzheng is now the Minister of the Maritime Governorate, in charge of the Maritime Governorate and the Tax and Military Office, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy."

Although Zhang Juzheng had been staying in the south for the past two years, in view of the fact that Zhao Zhenji had been promoted to the cabinet due to the previous land inventory in the twelve prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian governor, Zhang Juzheng also took over the management of the tax and military offices and officially became the admiral of the navy.

Zhu Zaigui nodded again, and the expression on his face became obviously more relaxed.

Yan Shaoting stared at the emperor silently, and he already understood in his heart that the emperor probably wanted Zhang Juzheng and Gao Hanwen to work together.

really.

next second.

Zhu Zaigui smiled and said, "Land measurement is a major matter, which concerns the country. I still remember that in the 40th year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng went south to the southeast and was responsible for the task of changing cotton to mulberry in Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture. Later, he also participated in the investigation of the land area in the prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of the Yingtian Governor."

These words were obviously just as Yan Shaoting had guessed.

Everyone present also realized that the emperor was going to make use of Zhang Juzheng.

Li Chunfang was already feeling uneasy, and when he heard what the emperor meant, his brows were filled with dark clouds.

Zhu Zaigui continued, "Nanzhili and Zhejiang have always been important tax bases for the imperial court, accounting for three or four of the total in the country. It would be difficult for me to have to rely on the local governments to take charge of land measurement alone..."

He glanced around and finally looked at Li Chunfang with a profound gaze.

"worried."

It’s not that the emperor doesn’t understand.

Li Chunfang's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Zhu Zaigui changed his tone and said with a smile, "I will inform the Imperial Household Department to draft an edict. If the cabinet agrees, Zhang Juzheng will be promoted to Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and appointed as the land measurement envoy of Nanzhili and Zhejiang to control the local areas. All officials must obey my orders. Gao Hanwen, Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, will be promoted to Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, and appointed as the deputy land measurement envoy of Nanzhili and Zhejiang. He will be transferred to the Qingjiangpu Thousand Households Office to follow my orders."

As soon as the emperor opened his mouth, the imperial edict came down.

Even Li Chunfang had no choice but to bow and accept the order.

This matter cannot be violated.

Whether Zhang Juzheng was awarded the title of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate or Gao Han was promoted to a higher rank, these were just routine operations so that the two of them could control Nanzhili and Zhejiang and complete the land measurement task.

What is really interesting is the Qianhu Suo in Qingjiangpu.

This was when Yan Shaoting went south to the Yangtze River Delta and was assassinated in Qingjiangpu. The late emperor not only approved the establishment of the Loyal and Brave Camp, but also issued a separate decree to establish the Qianhu Suo in accordance with Yan Shaoting's request.

Now the emperor has ordered Gao Hanwen to lead this thousand-household army and make it obey his orders.

It was obvious that they had seen that the Qingjiangpu Qianhu Suo was a newly established military unit and did not have close ties with the local area.

Thinking from another perspective, it also means that the emperor now knows that the land measurement in Nanzhili and Zhejiang will not go smoothly and there will inevitably be twists and turns in the process, so when necessary, the army may be needed to suppress the storm and calm the situation.

This is where it gets really interesting.

At the same time, it also shows that even if something happened in Nanzhili and Zhejiang and it was reported to the capital, the emperor would most likely not punish Zhang Juzheng or Gao Hanwen.

Because the chaos was within the emperor's expectations.

After realizing this, Li Chunfang felt even more depressed.

Gao Gong, Yan Shaoting and others looked at the emperor with a hint of surprise in their eyes.

What is undeniable is that they do not think that the current emperor can have the same superb political wisdom as the previous emperor.

But now it seems that the current emperor is not so bad after all.

And now outside the Wenhua Hall.

As the emperor issued an order.

The people in the Imperial Edict-Drafting Office naturally had to prepare the imperial edict.

Others continued to dig the ground outside the temple.

With more people, things will naturally get done faster.

Not long after.

The two plots of land outside the Cultural Hall have also been loosened.

The emperor also took his people away at the right time, leaving the remaining matters to the prince's true teacher.

Yan Shaoting looked at the empty space where the crowd had dispersed, looked at the brat Zhu Yijun and the several daily lecturers who were still on the scene and were in charge of the princes' studies, and finally turned to look at Feng Bao: "It is not spring now, if we want to harvest in autumn, we have to hurry up. Since the emperor has agreed and wants to use this opportunity to educate the prince, we can't relax, we should choose the seeds early and plant them, and wait for the harvest in autumn."

My father, the prime minister and others were not present.

Zhu Yijun has regained his childish cheerfulness.

The little brat immediately raised his hand: "I want to grow sweet potatoes! I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes every day!"

Feng Bao glanced at the prince, with a hint of helplessness on his face, and bowed and said, "I will prepare according to what the young guard said."

Yan Shaoting nodded, but he didn't pay attention to the reactions of other Japanese lecturers.

Because it's not important.

He said directly, "We will dig the ground today, and fertilize it tomorrow. Prepare the wood ash and farmyard manure tomorrow. Prepare the sweet potato vines tomorrow, and add some seasonal crops and vegetable seeds. We will try our best to plant both plots of land the day after tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."

When the little kid heard that he could plant all the crops in a few days, he immediately cheered and ran around in circles.

There was no sign of tiredness at all as he had been busy picking up stones for half a day.

Feng Bao wrote them down one by one, with an extremely respectful attitude: "I have written them down. This is what the young guard said."

The more we interact, the more we get to know each other.

He now understands it.

As long as Yan Shaoting doesn't do anything outrageous, his position in the court will become higher and higher.

It is better to make friends with Jian early on since Jian is in the emperor's favor and has the power to educate the prince. There is no guarantee that there will be a time in the future when you will need to ask him for help with something.

For people in the palace, it is very necessary to establish good relations with the ministers of the previous dynasty outside the palace.

When Yan Shaoting saw that everything was arranged, he didn't care about the little brat's look of reluctance to go back to the harem, and he respectfully bowed and left the imperial city.

One cannot rush into educating the prince, nor can one disregard propriety and excessively deepen the relationship with the prince just because one relies on one's status as the prince's teacher.

In view of Lao Zhang's ending, Yan Shaoting always kept a certain degree of distance and indulgence towards Zhu Yijun.

A child.

You need to have a childhood without so many restrictions.

It is better to block than to open up.

I have to teach what I should teach step by step. As for whether the little brat will continue to inherit his ancestors' will or turn into an aspiring young man or an emperor with great ambitions, that is not something I can control.

I don't want my grave to be dug up and whipped after I die.

Thinking of this, Yan Shaoting couldn't help but think of some traitors.

It was for this reason that he never went to the Ministry of Rites again after leaving the palace.

I am now one of the six ministers of the Ming Dynasty. If I continue to stay in the yamen all day, wouldn't it be a waste of my position as a second-rank official?
Besides, which minister would be so idle as to stay in the yamen all day long?

Now that you have reached such a high position, it’s time to enjoy yourself.

So, when passing by the Ministry of Rites, Yan Shaoting just gave some instructions and turned away.

A few moments.

He has appeared in the Xinghua Tower near the goldfish pond in the south city, close to the Anguo Temple.

Rather than calling it a building, Xinghua Tower is more like a large mansion composed of a number of private and secluded small courtyards connected together.

Yan Shaoting chose a villa facing the goldfish pond.

There is a courtyard wall and a crescent gate in front of the courtyard, and two side rooms on the east and west sides. Usually, they are used for guests to rest overnight. If the guests have other needs, we can naturally provide some women who have been collected from all over the world to offer some elegant services in the dead of night.

On the south side, there is no courtyard wall, only a low brick and stone wall extending out to separate the east and west sides and connect them to the goldfish pond. Then a circle of wooden stake fences is built on the water surface to frame the water area, making it a small and more private area.

I heard that there are some guests with special hobbies.

He would always find some women to play and have fun in the water.

Near the water's edge is a water pavilion.

About it.

It was when the sun was high in the sky.

Yan Shaoting was already sitting comfortably in the waterside pavilion, facing a large goldfish pond in front of him, and the cruise ships on the water in the distance.

Beside him were several young and beautiful women.

The women were just playing musical instruments to accompany the drinking.

Because I went directly from the palace to the South City.

Yan Shaoting did not change his official robe.

These women who were supported by Xinghualou looked at the young man in front of them, who was wearing a red robe. Since the man did not speak personally, they naturally did not dare to step forward and provide special services other than playing music without knowing the rules.

Not long after.

Behind Yan Shaoting, footsteps could be heard.

After receiving the message from the Minister of Rites, Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue immediately dropped their tasks and rushed to the Xinghua Tower to eat and drink wine...

"gentlemen."

"The students are here."

Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue entered the water pavilion, stood on the side, glanced at the women playing music nearby, and bowed respectfully.

Yan Shaoting just held the wine glass in his hand and tapped the table lightly: "Everyone, sit down. There is no need to worry about the teacher-student rules here."

He said so, but Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue did not dare to actually do it.

The two of them saluted politely as usual, then bowed and knelt down, keeping their bodies slightly leaning forward so that they could listen to the master's instructions and advice at any time.

Yan Shaoting glanced at the two of them and just smiled slightly.

Thinking carefully now, not only did he have students who were serving as officials in the court, he was also the Minister of Rites, who held the second rank.

Think back on what happened in the past few years.

He said calmly: "Things have to start."

Hearing this, Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue's eyes suddenly lit up, especially the latter, who clenched his hands.

Shen Shixing was a little more cautious, and glanced at the women not far away, and whispered: "Sir... although... the court's etiquette and rules, you..."

Yan Shaoting glanced sideways at the top student.

He smiled and said, "Rumo, you mean to say that your teacher does not attend to public affairs during the day, but goes out to have fun, drink and have fun, which is against the law. When discussing state affairs, a woman sits in on it, which is a breach of confidentiality?"

Shen Shixing quickly lowered his head.

"Students don't dare, but it's always bad."

Yan Shaoting smiled and nodded: "You are right, but... is there anyone in the world who is as perfect as a jade? My master went out to have fun while on duty. According to the law, he should be fined three months' salary."

After saying this, he nodded to make sure he was not mistaken.

Shen Shixing looked puzzled.

Wang Xijue pulled him aside and said with a smile: "Sir, you are now a minister of the Six Departments and are favored by the emperor. Why do you need to follow others and do such self-degrading things?"

After hearing this, Shen Shixing suddenly realized.

Yan Shaoting glared at Wang Xijue, causing the latter to shrink his head.

He then said, "You have been officials in the court for four or five years. The Ministry of Personnel will select the head of the Qingli Division, and the Ministry of War will select the head of the Qingli Division. Each of you will choose a place."

Since Gao Gong suddenly proposed to measure the land today and push the Gia Long New Deal towards deepening reform, I had no choice but to go with the flow and make arrangements early.

However, Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue raised their eyebrows and looked surprised.

Shen Shixing glanced at Wang Xijue first, and then said, "Sir...are you preparing for something in Beijing?"

He couldn't help but glance at the women next to him.

Wang Xijue coughed lightly and said, "You all leave."

After all, he was an appointed official of the imperial court, and Wang Xijue showed his authority the moment he opened his mouth.

The women looked at Yan Shaoting one after another, and when they saw him nod, they immediately retreated with their instruments in their arms.

Then Shen Shixing spoke again: "Sir, are you going to prepare for the imperial examination?"

Yan Shaoting nodded, then shook his head: "It's just preparation in advance. Besides, you have been building up your reputation in the court for the past few years. It's time for you to go to various ministries and do some practical work. After another two years, you can find an opportunity to be sent out. With some experience in the local areas, you will probably be able to get a red robe to wear when you return to the capital."

The Beijing inspection that Shen Shixing mentioned was indeed within his consideration.

After all, Gao Gong wanted to deepen the new policy, which would inevitably cause a lot of turmoil in the administration of officials. He let his two students occupy the positions of civil and military selection in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War in advance, so that his side would be able to deal with it calmly at that time.

Apart from that, there is naturally the normal promotion path for officials in the Ming Dynasty today.

If one wants to be promoted quickly, it is natural that one should seek a high and noble official position.

Both of them have this in place, and have been working in government offices such as the Imperial College and the Chancellery in recent years.

The purpose of transferring it out now is naturally to get promoted to a higher official rank.

When he goes out of Beijing to take up his post in the future, his official rank will naturally be promoted to a higher level.

In this way, when they return to Beijing, they will be able to strive for the position of vice minister of the six ministries, or even the position of doctor of each ministry.

Wang Xijue was the one who reacted the fastest and immediately took the initiative to speak: "I think that Brother Rumo can go to the Ministry of Personnel. He has a steady personality and it would be most appropriate for him to work in the Ministry of Personnel's Literary Selection Department. As for me... I would also like to lead troops to war like you in the future, so it would be appropriate for me to go to the Ministry of War's Military Selection Department now."

Shen Shixing glanced sideways at his fellow apprentice, with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

Although they are all in charge of the six ministries, there are actually differences in rank.

The Ministry of Personnel's Civil Selection Department was responsible for the promotion of officials throughout the country, and had greater power, while the Ministry of War's Military Selection Department was only responsible for the promotion of generals in the military garrisons throughout the country, and had relatively less power.

Seeing that neither of them had any other objections, Yan Shaoting nodded.

"In fact, you don't have to care about that little difference, as long as you..."

He stopped talking.

He couldn't say that he was worried that his good students would stab him in the back in the future like Lao Zhang's good students.

Yan Shaoting immediately changed his tone and said, "Do your job well. The imperial court is constantly improving. What I can do is to pave the way for you in advance. When I unload all these chores and return to the academy to teach, I can find someone to help me if I encounter any problems."

This is a joke.

Because he is younger than both Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue.

But the two did not dare to think so.

They all bowed and saluted.

"Students should follow the lead of their teachers."

…………

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(End of this chapter)