Daming: Apocalypse of Longevity

Chapter 122 Family Dinner
Another possibility is that the emperor cannot trust the existing officials in charge of grain in the Ministry of Household Affairs, nor can he trust those officials who transport grain. After all, this Guoji is the emperor's father-in-law, and this errand was done beautifully, so the emperor naturally For those who have great trust in him, it is very possible and indeed that they have the idea of ​​​​leaving him in charge of raising and transporting food for the court this time.

But if this is the case, it means that the emperor does not have absolute trust in Xu Guangqi. After all, the Ministry of Revenue is now in charge of food. The imperial court cannot trust the officials in charge of food in the Ministry of Revenue, which naturally means that it cannot trust Xu Guangqi, and whether the emperor can trust it or not Xu Guangqi, the emperor asked Zhang Guoji to take charge of the matter of raising and transporting grain in the future, which was also taking away the errand of the Ministry of Revenue. It was Xu Guangqi who should be worried.

Thinking of this, Qian Qianyi and Qian Longxi were too lazy to think about the matter in detail. After all, no matter how they thought about it, it seemed that it would not hinder them. In this case, the emperor could reward and use Zhang Guoji however he wanted. Let him go!
After Zhang Guoji retired from the court, he went to wait outside the Qianqing Gate. After Zhu Tianqi returned to the Qianqing Palace and changed his clothes, Wang Yuanbao invited him into the palace. At this time, the small round table in the palace was already set. Zhang Yan was personally preparing the food and drinks there.

After Zhang Guoji entered the palace, he was about to salute, but he was stopped by Zhu Tianqi. Zhu Tianqi greeted him with a warm smile and pulled him to the dining table: "There is no need to be polite, Zhang Guoji, today is the home." Banquet, please sit down quickly!”

Although the emperor was very polite to him, he couldn't help but appreciate it. He didn't dare to sit down so aggressively, but quickly clasped his fists and saluted: "I don't dare, your Majesty, please take your seat first!"

However, Zhu Tianqi forced Zhang Guoji to sit down first: "I have already said that today is a family banquet. Since it is a family banquet, the abbot, as the elder, naturally has to sit down first!"

Zhu Tianqi saw that Zhang Guoji was really restrained, so he ordered Wang Yuanbao: "Okay, you all should step aside. You don't need to wait here anymore!"

Wang Yuanbao and the eunuchs and maids in the palace all retreated. Zhu Tianqi then sat down next to Zhang Guoji and said with a smile: "Zhang Guoji, there are no outsiders now, you can relax a little more!"

Zhang Guoji smiled and nodded, but he was still very nervous. Although he was a rough man, he was quite thoughtful. He knew very well that if he was too presumptuous now and made the emperor displeased, all his previous achievements would be lost. It's all in vain, and it has a bad reputation of being "arrogant and arrogant"!
Zhu Tianqi stopped trying to persuade him. Instead, he held up the wine glass, smiled at Zhang Guoji and said, "Zhang Guoji, let me propose a toast to you first. You did a great job in going to Annan to help me purchase grain and rice. You were really helpful." I'm very busy!"

Zhang Guoji hurriedly picked up his wine glass and said: "I dare not, I should be here to respect Your Majesty. If Your Majesty hadn't given me this opportunity to serve the country, I would still be wasting my time in my hometown!"

Zhu Tianqi raised his hand and touched Zhang Guoji's wrist lightly. He raised his head first and drank the wine in the glass. Then he said: "The emperor does not need to be too modest. Without the help of the emperor, how could I have accomplished this food raising task?" For this important matter of disaster relief, apart from the abbot, who among the officials in this court can I trust or rely on?"

Zhang Guoji quickly drank the wine in his wine glass and said: "Your Majesty is joking. Your Majesty is the king of a country. The real dragon emperor, whether he is a minister or a hundred officials in the court, should swear allegiance to His Majesty to the death. For His Majesty and the court. How dare you not do your best when running an errand!"

Zhu Tianqi shook his head and smiled wryly, "Master, you don't have to say these words. Even if I have never told you about my embarrassment, I believe you can guess it. My emperor , but it’s not as easy as imagined to be able to say everything..."

Hearing this, Zhang Guoji hurriedly saluted with fists in his hands, and said with a panicked expression: "Your Majesty must not be complacent and say such self-destructive words." Zhu Tianqi was not angry when Zhang Guoji interrupted him, and was still frowning Zhan, with a melancholy look on his face, said slowly: "Although I have the ambition to be a wise monarch, I am hindered by these civil servants in everything. Now the imperial court is carrying out tax reform and implementing a new tax law. I am very supportive, but secretly I have been working against the court and obstructing the implementation of the new tax law.

Now the summer tax is about to begin. This is the first tax collected since the imperial court implemented the new tax law. It is related to the success or failure of the implementation of the new tax law. Lord Zhang, it stands to reason that you have just returned to Beijing from Annan and you should have a good rest. I will have a happy life in a few days, but I really have no one available, so I can only bother you, the father-in-law! "

As soon as Zhang Guoji heard this, he immediately understood the meaning of Zhu Tianqi's words, so he immediately stood up, bowed deeply to Zhu Tianqi, and said righteously and sternly: "Your Majesty's words are too outrageous and are really embarrassing. My dear minister, I, Mrs. Zhang, have received great kindness from the Emperor and I have no way to repay it. Now it is the time when Your Majesty is employing people, how dare I not be so heartless as to repay His Majesty!"

When Zhu Tianqi heard this, he was immediately moved and hurriedly helped Zhang Guoji up, "Zhang Guoji, I am so lucky to have a brave and loyal minister like you to assist me!"

Zhang Guoji heard the words and hurriedly saluted: "I don't dare. I am lucky enough to be able to meet the Ming Lord. Whatever your Majesty needs me to do, just tell me. I will serve you to the death, go through fire and water, and never give up!"

Zhu Tianqi saw that the heat was almost over, so he stopped saying these pretentious words. He helped Zhang Guoji sit back in his seat, and then said: "I want the emperor to go to the place to collect grain on behalf of the court..."

Zhu Tianqi did not hide anything, and directly told Zhang Guoji everything he had discussed with Xu Guangqi and his worries. After Zhang Guoji heard the whole story, he finally figured out why the emperor gave him the Shang Fang Sword. , and also said that he would hand over all the affairs of raising and transporting grain to the imperial court.

This job is not easy to do!This is to make enemies of all officials and parties in the DPRK!

Speaking of Zhang Guoji’s mission to purchase food in Annan, although it was dangerous and experienced many twists and turns, it would not cause any grievances with the officials and various parties in the court. Don’t look at those civil officials in the court. Pirates with big knives and spears in their hands, killing people like hemp, are ferocious and cruel, but they can't even see the blood when they kill people. In Zhang Guoji's view, they are more terrifying than those soldiers and pirates.

After all, when faced with soldiers, bandits and pirates, Zhang Guoji could confront them head-on and fight with them, but when it came to facing the civil servants of the DPRK, he was unable to use his strength and could not fight, so he could only let them manipulate him. It was very likely that in the end He didn't even know how he died.

(End of this chapter)