Chapter 598

The whole city of Beijing was in chaos.

It's a mess.

Because the gold business made millions of profits from Jiangnan, officials in the court had already regarded Jiangnan as a piece of fat meat, a piece of fat meat that must be slaughtered hard.

Impeachment memorials poured into the palace like snowflakes.

The officials in the Yi Zi Ku of the Ministry of Revenue, who are in charge of paper used for memorials, have to face requests from censors for the use of memorials every day these days.

This is the power of the censors.

Since the time of Emperor Taizu, the censors have held the power to report impeachment reports upon hearing any news. That is why the paper used for their impeachment reports has always been provided by the Yi Zi Ku.

Other officials in the capital, except the censors, did not have this convenience. Instead, they had to prepare their own memorials, and often could only go to bookstores in the city to purchase memorials specially made by the public for submission.

The current high price of paper in the capital has made the bookstore owners in various parts of the capital very happy.

And in this impeachment wave.

Officials who initiate impeachment always find targets and matters for impeachment from various unheard-of angles, but the purposes of the final classification and summary are not the same.

The imperial court needed to obtain more financial and tax funds from Jiangnan.

The officials who came from the south of the Yangtze River naturally did not want to be outdone.

If these people really achieve their goal, every one of them will be ashamed to face the people of Jiangnan in the future.

But officials from other backgrounds don't care about this.

You people from Jiangnan are rich, and many of you hold official positions in the court.

But there are also many officials like us who come from Sichuan, Guizhou, Henan, Shandong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Shanxi and Shaanxi.

How could such a good opportunity to suppress Jiangnan be easily missed?

Not to mention digging a piece of meat out of the Jiangnan people, you also have to peel off a layer of skin.

As for the impeachment memorials from both sides, the palace simply kept them in the palace without issuing them.

I didn't say no discussion, nor did I say it could be discussed.

Because of this incident, the imperial court was stuck in a deadlock.

But the capital was in turmoil.

Ever since the imperial examination and the Jinhang incident were settled, Yan Shaoting once again retired to a quiet life.

Every day he either went to the palace to teach Zhu Yijun, or read and wrote at home.

It seems as if the excitement outside has nothing to do with me.

He enjoys peace and tranquility.

But others have no leisure.

Qianqing Palace.

Dong Nuan Pavilion.

As the emperor's bedroom, this place also served as the place where the emperor and his ministers discussed state affairs most of the time.

Today, Zhu Zaigui had just finished the court meeting in Wenhua Hall and returned to the East Warm Pavilion exhausted, ready to take a short rest and deal with the increasingly busy state affairs after noon.

But the current disputes in the court made it impossible for him to rest in peace.

When he opened his eyes, there were a few traces of blood in Zhu Zaiqi's eyes.

"Teng Xiang."

The emperor called out.

A eunuch in a red robe stepped forward immediately.

He is the eunuch who is now in charge of the supervision of the Imperial Household Department.

Teng Xiang said, "Your Highness."

Zhu Zaigui looked at the other party.

This is an old man in the palace. He entered the palace during the Zhengde period. In the past, he was in charge of the Supervisory Department in the palace. Recently, he was transferred to the Silijian Department by himself.

Its purpose is naturally to gradually replace Lu Fang and other old people who were close to the previous emperor.

Zhu Zaigui whispered, "Is there still a commotion outside?"

Teng Xiang knew that the emperor was asking about the officials in the capital impeaching each other over the wealth of Jiangnan, so he nodded and replied in a low voice: "Perhaps the quarrel has gotten too intense, and the memorials sent in today are more than the previous few days, but I have followed your Majesty's previous wishes and kept them all and put them in one place."

Zhu Zaigui narrowed his eyes and looked increasingly tired.

Gao Gong has been getting more aggressive in the new policies recently, and even suggested during the court meeting in Wenhua Hall today that the imperial inspection should be started ahead of schedule to investigate all civil and military officials inside and outside the capital and remove those who are derelict in their duties and lazy.

Things come one after another.

Zhu Zaigui felt so uncomfortable and exhausted from the pressure.

But he had to hold on and lead the Ming Dynasty to prosperity.

Teng Xiang secretly observed the emperor's expression and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please take a rest for a while. I will order someone to light some calming incense."

Zhu Zaigui shook his head: "No need, I just think that the Jiangnan area has always been reminiscing about the Yuan Dynasty since the time of Taizu and Chengzu, so much so that even though they are subjects of the Ming Dynasty, they have privately set up altars for the Yuan Dynasty at home to worship and commemorate them. But now, they are still like this, still wanting to go back to the Yuan Dynasty when the central government didn't care at all and they took care of all the taxes?"

This is already very hurtful.

It was almost said that the people in the south of the Yangtze River had the intention of rebellion.

Teng Xiang's heart trembled and he quickly looked around. As an old man in the palace, he knew very well what the emperor meant, and he also knew that what the emperor said was not wrong.

Jiangnan?

It is nothing more than a group of people who want to go back to the days before the Yuan Dynasty, when the Yuan people had no discipline and implemented a tax farming system, and they, the people of Jiangnan, were responsible for everything.

Teng Xiang whispered, "Your Majesty, calm down. Although I dare not ask about the affairs of the previous dynasty, I have heard that Zhang Juzheng and Gao Hanwen are doing a good job in the governance of Jiangnan, and the land survey is going smoothly. Those local people have suffered a lot this time after being beaten by Jinxing, and they may no longer have the energy and courage to resist."

Zhu Zaigui waved his hand and said: "A centipede is still alive even after it dies. If I want to conquer Jiangnan, I still have to fight."

Say it.

Zhu Zaigui closed his eyes again and felt a burst of pain in his head.

Teng Xiang hurried forward and whispered, "Your Majesty has been sleeping later and eating less lately. What should we do? Why don't we take a break for a while? After all, the cabinet is still handling the affairs of the previous dynasty, so there won't be any mistakes. I heard that... Young Master Yan's family has a Kunqu Opera troupe from Suzhou. Why don't I arrange it and invite them to come over for a few days, and perform in the palace for Your Majesty?"

He felt that given the relationship between the emperor and the Yan family, inviting this Kunqu opera troupe into the palace for a few days was not a big deal.

And more importantly, he could use this opportunity to establish good relations with the Yan family.

I am already in my prime, but like Lu Fang, I also have a group of godchildren. In addition to my own affairs after death, I have to make some plans for these children and grandchildren.

Zhu Zaigui opened his eyes and glanced at Teng Xiang, then frowned and said, "The Grand Master has worked hard all his life, and now he has finally settled down and is enjoying his retirement in the academy. He can listen to music on weekdays, so don't disturb them."

Teng Xiang responded, but frowned in thought.

After a moment.

He came to the emperor and said in a low voice, "Some time ago, because of the matter of the gold shop, I did have some dealings with them. I heard that... the Westerner named Bai Fugui brought several blonde and blue-eyed women with him when he returned from Spain. Now their fleet seems to be about to sail from Hangzhou to Tianjin. Your Majesty..."

Since ancient times, there have been only a few ways to make the emperor relax.

Zhu Zaigui first glanced at the old eunuch Tengxiang, with a cold expression on his face, but soon waved his hand and coughed lightly: "The state affairs are busy now."

Teng Xiang understood and said with a smile, "I heard from outsiders that these women were trained by Bai Fugui and can speak some of our Ming official language. I think that Bai Fugui may have brought these women here to make friends with our officials. It would be better if the palace gave him a title and allowed him to do what he wanted. In this way, he would naturally bring some things to the palace."

Here, this old eunuch who had served in the Zhengde and Jiajing dynasties cleverly changed his words.

There is a reason why Tengxiang did this.

Although the current emperor has been conscientious since he ascended the throne, he has always held on to the Gia Long New Deal with the intention of reforming.

But perhaps it was because he was too cautious in his daily behavior when he was in Prince Yu's mansion, and rarely had concubines, which led to him filling his harem on a large scale after he ascended the throne. In the past year alone, he added 200 palace maids to the palace, all of whom were girls from the common people who were fourteen or fifteen years old.

He was trying to please the other party.

really.

Seeing that Teng Xiang had changed the name of this matter and set his sights on Bai Fugui, a gleam of light immediately flashed in Zhu Zaigui's eyes.

Teng Xiang looked even more accurately, and whispered, "I have never seen what Western women look like in my life. I don't know if the songs and dances learned by these Westerners are different from those in our dynasty. But I think that there are thousands of mountains and rivers, and thousands of miles between us, so they are probably very different. When I was studying in the palace, I heard that the emperor of the former Tang Dynasty bought many foreign concubines in the Daming Palace in Chang'an to entertain the Tang emperor."

After all.

These eunuchs serving in the palace are probably the ones who are best at guessing people's minds and pleasing those in power.

Zhu Zaigui was finally touched by what Teng Xiang said about the differences of the West.

"I'll leave this matter to you. Be sure to keep your voice down and don't make too much noise."

Finally, he got the emperor's nod of approval, and Teng Xiang was delighted.

As long as he serves the emperor well, he will surely be the first to come out on top when the palace inevitably needs a replacement of the Silijian.

Teng Xiang immediately bowed and accepted the order.

Zhu Zaigui leaned on the soft pillow, silently watching Teng Xiang leave and handle the Western affairs.

Now the new policy of the court has become a foregone conclusion and will not be changed. Jiangnan has also suffered a crackdown this year. Although the court situation is a bit noisy, it can be said to be smooth sailing.

The treasury is full and the world is at peace.

The new border was established and the nine borders were stabilized.

It’s time for me to enjoy myself!
However, Li Chunfang is not very sensible. If he continues to stay in the court, he will probably still stir up trouble.

Perhaps it is time for Li Chunfang, the prime minister of the Qingliu Old Party, to retire.

Then, taking advantage of this impeachment storm in the court, Gao Gong cleaned out the clean officials from Jiangnan in the court.

In this way, no noise from the court would enter the palace, Gao Gong could focus on dealing with the new policies, and he could naturally enjoy himself for some time.

Maybe it was because of these thoughts.

Zhu Zaigui, who was originally unable to rest due to fatigue, fell asleep without realizing it.

……

outside the palace.

Because tomorrow is the ten-day holiday, all officials in the court will have a day off according to the custom.

Yan Shaoting arrived at the Ministry of Rites early, sat for a while, and seeing that there was nothing else to do, he pretended to arrange which officials should stay on duty in the ministry on the next day's rest, and then left.

He returned to Yan's house, packed a few books, and drove out of the city.

Until it gets dark.

Yan Shaoting reached out and lifted the car curtain, and then he saw rows of lights not far away. That was Changping.

Go all the way through the academy and into the villa.

Yan Shaoting pushed the door open and saw Lu Wenyan sitting in the main room, being helped by two personal maids to soak her feet.

Seeing Yan Shaoting suddenly come back at this time, Lu Wenyan was surprised at first, and then her face was filled with joy.

"My dear, you are back."

With joy, Lu Wenyan looked at the two maids beside her and said, "You can go back to the room first. If there is anything, I will call you over."

The maidservant left obediently, leaving the house to the master and mistress.

Yan Shaoting then stepped forward and sat on the soft stool next to Lu Wenyan.

Looking down at the pair of feet soaking in the water, perhaps because Lu Wenyan is now pregnant, her feet are a little bigger, rounder and fuller than before.

When I looked up again, I saw that my stomach was slightly swollen.

"Thank you for your hard work, ma'am."

Lu Wenyan raised her eyebrows, her eyes full of tenderness: "I have been with you for many years, and you are studying in the academy now. This pregnancy won't be hard for me."

When Mr. Li diagnosed her pulse and told her that the baby was a girl, she was unhappy for quite a while.

But when her husband found out, he was extremely happy.

Yan Shaoting squatted down and checked the water temperature with his hand.

"It's not hot anymore, I'll wipe your feet and get in bed."

Lu Wenyan's face suddenly turned red, but now they are considered an old couple, so it is a bit surprising and unexpected for something like this to happen occasionally.

She let Yan Shaoting wipe her feet, and then was helped to sit on the bed and covered with bedding.

Lu Wenyan then spoke in a low voice: "My husband usually doesn't come back so late, why did he come back at this time today? Did something happen in the capital? I heard that the officials in the capital have been making a big fuss recently, and many of them are impeaching others."

Yan Shaoting was sitting on the bed. He hadn't even washed himself yet, so he held Sister Lu's hand and explained softly, "They impeached them. It has nothing to do with my family. Since there's nothing to do recently, I hurried back. Tomorrow is a day off, so I can take you and Wuyou for a walk outside."

Lu Wenyan nodded shyly, then pushed Yan Shaoting and looked outside.

"Husband, please wash quickly."

Yan Shaoting was stunned: "I haven't been sitting here for long."

Lu Wenyan blushed, lowered her head and hummed: "My husband hasn't had a rest for a long time. He will come back later today..."

Yan Shaoting's eyes jumped, but he immediately reacted: "Nonsense, how can you do anything stupid now!"

Lu Wenyan spoke faster: "I haven't had sex for a long time."

"That's impossible. If something goes wrong, the old man might break my legs."

Yan Shaoting refused sternly.

But Lu Wenyan didn't care.

She raised her head and looked at Yan Shaoting with her little face that was so red that water could be pinched out of it.

He pushed and shoved Yan Shaoting to the side room to wash up.

He buried his head in the quilt.

Yan Shaoting was pushed and staggered back several steps. He looked at the older girl curled up on the bed and was stunned for a while.

…………

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(End of this chapter)