When Hunjun begins to make elixirs

Chapter 48 Aiqing, do you want to try it?

After the alchemy furnace is placed in the Qingyuan Palace, a small heaven-sacrifice ceremony will be performed. At sunrise, three animals will be prepared, yellow paper and green incense will be used, and blessings will be chanted.Li Shun stopped participating because the scale was too small to meet his expectations.Secondly, the morning pilgrimage was about to begin, and he had already changed his mind. For two months, he had not stopped attending the morning pilgrimage every day.

Warlocks and the like, compared to martial arts cultivators and law cultivators, are most fond of engaging in complex rituals.This is most likely related to the source of their power. Mana is just a bridge between them and the world. Most of their power is borrowed. Heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, yin and yang, five elements, gods and ghosts, everything can be borrowed!
The stronger your magic power, the more you can borrow.This situation is most prominent in the Qingshen lineage.Can you imagine that a mediocre warlock suddenly showed his power and commanded the wind and rain?
Although the alchemy lineage is also borrowed, people are smart enough to find an object to store the borrowed power. Use it when you need it, and continue to accumulate it when you don't use it. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for alchemy to rise.

The cost of borrowing is only a little mana or some sacrifices.What's more, when your magic power reaches a certain level, you are basically afraid of no one except Heaven. I asked you to help to give you face, but you still want my magic power?This kind of people are called heavenly magicians, which are the so-called magicians recognized by heaven, and they only exist in legends.

In the study.

Hu Minde secretly glanced at Li Shun who was sitting on the dragon throne and reading the memorial. As the emperor became more and more diligent, many ministers in the court began to become restless. Even the right prime minister Zhou Qing was a little wavering.Although he has never relied on these insects, if this continues, the emperor will probably become stronger and stronger!

"These governors and generals have jointly requested for additional military expenditures? Didn't they receive an additional [-]% last year?" Li Shun raised his head and asked after reading the brochure.

"Your Majesty, banditry has been serious in various places in recent years. The Ersa people in the northwest have repeatedly invaded the border. I am afraid that the military strength cannot be supported." Hu Minde converged his eyes and lowered his head to reply.

If Li Shun hadn't received the news from the eight major imperial merchants, he would have almost believed it.Will they still be short of military funds?

This excerpt is nothing more than Hu Minde's counterattack against him when he saw that he had recently strengthened his control over the government. It created a problem!He was reminding Li Shun that he had the support of these people behind him.

Li Shun looked at the Minister of Household Affairs: "Cao Aiqing, how much money is left in the treasury?"

Cao Yaochen, the Minister of Household Affairs, came out and replied: "There are currently 400 million taels of silver in the national treasury."

Li Shun showed a bitter look on his face: "Four million taels, we still have to provide disaster relief, we have to regulate rivers, we have to give you salaries, and we have to increase military expenditures. Do you think that's enough?"

All the ministers were silent.Li Shun had no choice but to ask and answer: "Not enough! Banditry is rampant, all because of the lack of civil service! If the people can live a good life, who is willing to become a bandit? There are constant troubles on the border, all because of the self-respect of raising bandits! Not to mention this dynasty, even the previous dynasty , it will be difficult for the north to form a major force that directly threatens the central government."

"They still dare to ask me for additional military spending? I haven't punished them yet! They want military spending, and I have only one way. If I can't make the people suffer, then I'll cut the salaries of all officials! Do you want to do it?"

"No! Your Majesty, you can't!" Except for Hu Minde, other officials objected.When they were watching a play, why did the fire burn to themselves?Although most officials do not rely on their salaries, this group of silverfish cannot tolerate any loss of their own interests.Greed has become instinctive.

Hu Minde stood there with a livid face. The emperor was threatening him in reverse. If he insisted on adding more, he would offend all the officials.He gritted his teeth and lowered his head, saying no more.

Li Shun threw the memorial aside and picked up the next one. When he read it, his brows furrowed and his expression became more serious.Someone impeached Liu Zheng for deducting military pay, there was turmoil in the three camps in Kinki, and the soldiers once besieged the Governor's Mansion?
"I will send Jin Wuwei to verify this matter."

"Your Majesty, an imperial envoy should be sent to deal with this matter. Liu Zheng was once a tutor after all." Hu Minde struck again.

"You mean that I will protect Liu Zheng?"

"I dare not think so, but Governor Liu is indeed someone close to the emperor. In order to block the discussion between the government and the public, I ask the emperor to think twice."

Li Shun suddenly showed a smile that made Hu Minde's scalp numb: "There is no need to send an imperial envoy. I will personally go to Longdu Mansion to find out the facts and give an explanation to the government and the public. How about it?"

Hu Minde's heart skipped a beat. He asked someone to write this memorial. Although some things were the result of his ordering others to fuel the flames, it was basically a fact. Liu Zheng did withhold military pay from the Sixth Army Battalion, but how could he have such a sense of shame? Feeling like you're in a trap?

The three major camps were the emperor's garrisons, and were mostly under the jurisdiction of the emperor's trusted governors.When the late emperor was on the throne, Hu Minde worked hard to win over Gong Jiang, the commander-in-chief of the Sixth Army Camp. As for the remaining Xiaoqi Camp and Shenwu Camp, they all chose a neutral attitude.The Hu family themselves did not have military power.This is one of the reasons why he has never dared to seek the throne.

Although Hu Minde hasn't figured out the reason yet, he also knows that he can't let the emperor get his wish: "How can the emperor go there in person with a body of thousands of gold. What if..." "You don't need to persuade me anymore, Liu Zheng is in vain for his grace! I want to Go and handle it personally!" Li Shun interrupted Hu Minde and found a copy of Liu Zheng's memorial from the pile of memorials he had already read.

"On the Wanshou Festival the day before yesterday, he roared in the palace without giving me any face. It's only been two days. I don't know where he learned that I was looking for someone to build an alchemy furnace. He also submitted a memorial saying, 'Since ancient times, emperors, People who take elixirs often suffer from this. 'What?' If the emperor insists on refining elixirs, the old ministers will be dismissed from office, retire and return to their hometowns. 'This is cursing and threatening me! Don't worry, I will never bend the law for personal gain this time. So the court is so There are so many pairs of eyes watching!”

Hu Mingde saw Li Shun's face full of anger and panic in his tone, and he murmured in his heart, is this true?This is indeed like the tone of Liu Zheng's words.

In the past three years, the fatuous and absurd impression Li Shun left on him was constantly fighting against his reason.What if he really wanted to take revenge on Liu Zheng?Couldn't I overcome this stumbling block without any effort?Impossible. If he offends the southern nobles, what can he do against me?
When he was hesitating, Li Shun made a final decision: "Okay, it's settled! Let the Ministry of War, together with the Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Dali Temple send people to go with me tomorrow. Now, all my dear friends, follow me to the palace gate. Also, let’s watch the finals of the Magic Contest!”

Li Shun stood up suddenly and strode out of the study room.

On the tower of Chong'an Gate, Li Shun and the civil and military officials watched the performance. Those above the third rank were on the tower, and those below the third rank were in the pergola on both sides.

"Hu Aiqing, why are you so worried?" Li Shun asked with a smile on his face, seemingly concerned.

Hu Minde was still thinking about Li Shun's intention of going to Longdu Mansion, so he had no intention of watching the magic.

Li Shundao: "Are you still thinking about the important affairs of the court? I think life should be about enjoying yourself in time. In the past two months, I have been exhausted because of Zhao Zhongxiao's affairs. I just want to have a good rest and take some pills. What do you think? Why doesn’t that Liu Zheng know what’s interesting? He relies on the fact that he is a veteran of the late emperor and has been my tutor, so he can tell me what to do. Now that he falls into my hands, what do you think will happen? "

"I don't know."

"I don't know either. Doesn't he object to me taking the pill? I'll lock him up, deprive him of food, and feed him medicine every day. What do you think?"

Hu Minde imagined it and felt a chill running down his spine.

Li Shun thought of another idea: "By the way, if it is proven that he embezzled military pay, I will send people to chop him down, burn his body, and make the ashes into elixirs for his whole family to eat. Hehehehe."

Hu Minde shuddered when he heard Li Shun's fun-filled laughter. Are all the Li family members so perverted?I saw him take out a bottle of elixirs, pour three pills into his mouth, and then look at it with an expression of enjoyment.

"Would you like to try it, Hu Aiqing? It's very tonic."

"I don't dare. This is the Emperor's elixir of longevity, and I have no luck in taking it."

Hu Minde was sure at this time that the emperor had problems taking pills. This was so similar to the moody behavior of the late emperor!I heard that he started taking the elixir left by the late emperor a long time ago.

He felt that he might have thought too much. The emperor's objection to additional military spending this morning was probably for the purpose of refining elixirs.The late emperor's elixir refining almost left the treasury empty.The materials needed to make alchemy are extremely expensive.All kinds of metals, ores, and medicinal materials require manpower and material resources to find and mine them.

Hu Minde thought to himself: "When you make people angry or eat yourself to death, I can ascend the throne and proclaim myself emperor."

Li Shun watched him being fooled by his superb acting skills, and thought to himself: "Am I very talented in transforming?" It must be the genetic inheritance of this body. Anyway, in his previous life, he was a good student since he was a child.

However, Prime Minister Hu, after tomorrow, your death is approaching!

(End of this chapter)