Ming Dynasty 1566

Chapter 36

Yang Jinshui: "I know everything about Yunniang. Those four slaves have all beaten the board. I'm here to tell you that I don't approve of what you wrote, and no one can coerce you."

Gao Hanwen's eyes flashed, and he couldn't believe it for a while.

Yang Jinshui: "Do you know why they did this?"

Gao Hanwen was a little excited: "Please teach me, Eunuch Yang."

Yang Jinshui: "They are going to pour dirty water on the emperor's face!"

Gao Hanwen was startled, and stared at Yang Jinshui with wide eyes.

Yang Jinshui: "Did Zheng Michang come to see you just now?"

Gao Hanwen nodded.

Yang Jinshui: "I want you to go to Chun'an and Jiande to buy fields."

Gao Hanwen: "Yes."

Yang Jinshui: "You agreed to go?"

Gao Hanwen: "It's nothing but death."

"No, no, no." Yang Jinshui stood up, "You can't die, and you don't have to. They are the ones to die."

Gao Hanwen only stared at him with wide eyes.

Yang Jinshui: "Do you know under what name they bought the fields?"

Gao Hanwen: "I don't know yet."

Yang Jinshui: "Then let me tell you, they are now buying fields under the brand name of the Weaving Bureau. In other words, they are buying fields under the brand name of the Palace."

Gao Hanwen understood somewhat: "How dare they do this?"

Yang Jinshui: "Look at you, you are still a sensible person. Didn't Zheng Bichang ask you to go tomorrow? You still go, not to buy fields, but to help me with something."

Gao Hanwen: "Eunuch Yang, please tell me."

Yang Jinshui: "Take down all the lanterns on the boat! Tell everyone that the Weaving Bureau didn't take a grain of grain to buy fields!"

Gao Hanwen looked at Yang Jinshui with a gleam of light in his eyes...

The weather in Beijing in May this year was also surprisingly hot.When returning to Prince Yu's mansion, Feng Bao was already sweating profusely from walking, and just stepped into the courtyard when he heard King Yu's loud angry voice in the room, and his feet stopped slightly.

"Send someone to look again! Why hasn't this servant Feng Bao come back?"

As soon as King Yu's voice fell, the son's cry came again.

Feng Bao hurriedly ran, and said loudly: "My son, don't cry, the big companion is back!"

"Amitabha! It's such a hot day, I've been crying since the afternoon." Concubine Li was already sweating, and hurriedly handed the son to Feng Bao.

"Master, this slave is sweating all over." Feng Bao hesitated.

Concubine Li: "Who isn't Khan? Let's coax first."

Feng Bao: "Yes." After answering, he smiled, clapped his hands lightly, and accepted the son.

The prince stopped crying immediately, and looked at Feng Bao's sweaty smiling face by the light, and started giggling.

King Yu was also quiet at this time, looking deeply at Feng Bao.

Feng Bao bowed his waist to King Yu, and turned his gaze to the two maids who were serving beside him.

King Yu said to the two court ladies, "Go ahead and tell them to fetch two more pieces of ice from the cellar."

Two court ladies: "Yes, my lord." They answered and walked out.

Only King Yu, Concubine Li and Feng Bao who was holding the prince were left in the room.

Feng Bao approached Yu Wang with his son in his arms, and said in a low voice: "The servant told Lu Gonggong what the prince said in the afternoon. Lu Gonggong also asked the slave to tell the prince. He knows the things about Zhejiang."

"Just a few words?" King Yu stared at him.

Feng Bao: "The slave hasn't finished yet. Eunuch Lu said that the country of Daming belongs to our Zhu family, and he understands the prince's love for his subjects. Tonight, Eunuch Lu will find a critical moment to tell the Lord Long Live."

King Yu's face stretched, and he slowly looked at Concubine Li.

At this moment, Concubine Li wrung out a piece of wet handkerchief from the basin and handed it to Feng Bao.

"The servant is killed!" Feng Bao knelt down while hugging the prince, "Master, absolutely must not be forced."

King Yu: "Got it, wipe off your sweat."

Only then did Feng Bao hesitate: "This slave will lose his life." Holding the prince in one hand, with the other palm up, he waited there.

Concubine Li shook off the wet handkerchief and put it on his palm. Feng Bao's hands were trembling, and he slowly wiped the sweat off his face.

Shizi opened his eyes wide and stared at him fixedly.

In the blink of an eye, it is the beginning of June in the lunar calendar, and the hottest dog days in 40 years have appeared in Beijing in the 20th year of Jiajing.At this time in previous years, even if there is no wind in the whole city of Beijing, the Forbidden City will have the "magnificent wind of the king" entering the house because of the feng shui of the heaven and the earth.But this year, for ten days in a row, the willow branches of the moat have not been shaken in the night.Except for the concubines and the leading eunuchs of the 24 yamen who had ice cubes to keep them warm, they could still endure the scorching heat.The other [-] eunuchs and palace maids were miserable. They had to wear long clothes according to the rules. Many of them had prickly heat growing from their bodies to their faces.This year, the Department of Shangyao hurriedly brought in a lot of anti-heat medicine from the outside, and finally there was no death from the heat.

But the doors and windows of Yuxi Palace were all closed day and night, and Long Live Lord was staying inside. From the eyes of ordinary people, it was truly incredible.

The two eunuchs on duty at night were sweating profusely, one holding a wine jar, the other holding a wooden foot basin, and walked lightly to the outside of the hall.The two put down the wine jar and footbath, and listened quietly.

The voice of Jiajing Nianqing Ci was faintly heard from inside.The two didn't dare to move, they left the hall door, walked down the steps, lifted up a corner of their gowns and fanned them desperately.

An eunuch: "My God, last year it didn't snow in the twelfth lunar month, and this year it didn't blow in the dog days. This is the time to accept people."

Another eunuch: "I heard that many people have died of heat outside these few days. Shuntian Mansion has started to spend money to make herbal tea and distribute it."

An eunuch: "It's just the body of our Long Live God. The doors and windows are open in the cold sky, and the doors and windows are closed in the hot sky."

Another eunuch: "The ancestor is also a half-immortal body. He is the only one who can accompany the Long Live Lord. Stop, go quickly."

The two eunuchs hurriedly walked to the door of the palace with light steps, and listened again, and the voice of chanting Qingci really stopped.

A eunuch called softly: "Old ancestor, the servants brought the wine and wooden basin."

After a while, the door of the palace opened slightly, and Lu Fang appeared behind the door, sweat dripping from his face.

The two eunuchs quickly knelt down: "Old ancestor, this jar of wine weighs dozens of catties. Grandchildren, should you move in?"

Lu Fang: "I'm not that old yet."

The two eunuchs replied almost at the same time: "Yes. The ancestors have to accompany the Long Live Lord for 1 years." After saying this, they both got up again.The eunuch holding the wine jar held up the wine jar and passed it through the door. Lu Fang took the wine jar and walked in.After a while, he turned back to the door and took the wooden basin: "You guys stay here."

"Yes." The two eunuchs stepped back.

Because the doors and windows were closed, the incense in the room could not be released, and the newly burnt Qingci paper in the bronze basin in front of the altar was also emitting smoke, and the bedroom was filled with smoke.

Jiajing was still wearing a thick Songjiang calico gown, but at this moment he opened the skirt, revealing the white cotton shorts and trousers underneath, and a pair of shallow black satin shoes.Sitting on the bright yellow embroidered pier.As the eunuchs said, "the body of a fairy", he didn't even have a drop of sweat on his face or body.

With sweat dripping down Lu Fang's face, she brought the wooden basin to Jiajing's feet and put it down, then lifted the lid of the wine jar, and a strong aroma of wine wafted into her nostrils.

Jiajing also smelled it: "Is it Moutai?"

Lu Fang: "The 60-year-old Moutai was just found out from the cellar of the Wine and Vinegar Noodle Bureau."

Jiajing: "How many years older than me?"

"Only this kind of aged wine can be called the essence of the five grains, and the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, earth, and five elements are all ready to match the master's immortal body." While talking, he held the wine jar and leaned against the side of the wooden basin, and poured the wine into it. tub.

Putting the wine jar aside, Lu Fang picked up a low stool and placed it beside Jiajing, sat down, and rolled up his trouser legs.

Two slender legs were exposed, white, but with red and swollen spots growing on them.

Lu Fang held his left foot and slowly put it into the wine in the tub, raised his head: "Master, does it hurt?"

Jiajing frowned just now, but now he said calmly, "Wash yours."

Lu Fang: "Yes." She lightly rubbed wine on his calves and feet.

After wiping one foot for a while, Lu Fang gently picked it up, put the foot on the edge of the wooden basin, moved up a low stool and sat on Jiajing's right side, and slowly put his right foot into the wine , Gently wiped up.

Jiajing looked at his left foot with concern, strangely, the red spot on his left foot was not as red or swollen as before.

Jiajing was as happy as a child: "What a slave, where did you get this prescription? It really works."

Lu Fang rubbed his right foot lightly: "This servant knows what prescriptions. This prescription was given by Li Shizhen when he was a servant in the palace."

Jiajing also remembered: "The Li Shizhen recommended by the King of Chu?"

Lu Fang: "Master has a good memory."

Jiajing: "This person can see a doctor. It's a pity that he doesn't realize the Tao, and he has to practice for a lifetime."

Lu Fang: "Not everyone can understand the Tao. How many lives has the master cultivated? How can others compare."

After wiping his right foot, Lu Fang picked it up and put it next to the wooden basin. She walked over short, put down the left trouser leg for him, and put her left foot in a black satin pump.Then he walked short to the right, lowered the right trouser leg, and put his right foot into the other cloth shoe.

After serving the Lord Long Live, Lu Fang picked up the wooden basin, went to the wine jar, and slowly poured it in.

Jiajing was a little surprised: "Why pour the wine after washing your feet?"

Lu Fang replied while pouring wine: "The people below believe it, saying that Long Live Lord has a fairy body, and things that are stained with fairy spirit are all looking forward to getting them. And it is Maotai that has been around for 60 years. It would be a pity if it fell, Reward people." After pouring the wine, he put down the wooden basin and put the lid on the wine jar again.

Jiajing immediately put on a serious face: "This is lying to you. The one who cultivates Taoism is himself, where can there be immortality if there is something I have touched? Don't be fooled by them. Besides, this wine is taken out for people to drink You will get sick. If you want to reward people, there is no shortage of things in the palace."

"En." Lv Fang answered in a strange way, as if her throat was choked, Jiajing looked at him, but Lv Fang turned around, walked to a jade basin supported by a red sandalwood table and pretended to use clean water Washing his hands, he picked up a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face, but Jiajing saw that he was wiping his tears, so he stared at him closely.

Lu Fang conveniently picked up a string of rosary beads from the altar next to it, walked over and handed it to Jiajing: "Master Shengming. The servants will ask them to take this altar of wine and pour it out later."

"What's the matter? Wipe your tears away from me." Jiajing stared at him and asked.

Lu Fang knelt down beside him: "I heard the master told the slave not to give this wine to the servants, which shows that the master has a bodhisattva heart. Thinking that so many subjects in my Ming Dynasty had to be protected by the master alone, the slave felt sad. "Speaking of this, the tears flowed down again.

Jiajing: "Is there another disaster somewhere?"

Lu Fang: "There is a drought in the north, and it's not a major disaster. This is not what the slave lamented. I'm afraid that the master's benevolent heart will be ruined by those heart-broken people down below."

Jiajing became alert: "What did you hear?"

Lu Fang: "Yang Jinshui has an expedited [-]-mile package, which was sent in this evening."

"Is there something wrong with changing rice to mulberry?" Jiajing asked forcefully.

"My master promises to the slave first, don't get angry after seeing it, your body is dissipating heat." Then, Lu Fang took out the urgent letter with three chicken feathers stuck on it from her bosom, and took out Yang Jinshui's letter from it. past.

Jiajing looked up.

Lu Fang held a tulle lantern from the table again, stood behind Jiajing, and lit it.

After reading it, Jiajing immediately threw the letter on the ground and almost shouted, "Call Yan Song!"

Yan Song is really old.Not long after he stood there, the sweat covered his long eyebrows and covered his eyes. Jiajing who was sitting there became more and more blurred in his eyes.

"It didn't snow in the twelfth lunar month last year. Since the fall of the ambush this year, there has been no wind for more than ten days in a row. I ask you to ask the Qin Tianjian, what does the Qin Tianjian say?" Jiajing's voice was also distant and flickering in Yan Song's ears. Near, if there is not.

In addition to setting up an altar to worship, Jiajing would give Yan Song a seat on a short pier as usual when the emperor and his ministers talked. It was the first time in ten years that he called himself here overnight and let him speak standing up on such a hot day.Yan Song didn't understand why it started, but he had already keenly felt that the holy family was declining.

But Yan Song was Yan Song after all, he didn't think about his situation today, but grasped Jiajing's question, and slowly replied: "Go back to the emperor, I didn't ask."

Jiajing: "What?"

Yan Song: "Non-subjects of the celestial phenomena can make irresponsible remarks. The emperor is the son of heaven, and the matter is related to the celestial phenomena. Only the emperor can call the Qin Tianjian to ask himself."

"You mean, it didn't snow last year, and it wasn't windy this year, it's all because of me?" Jiajing's words seemed to be poured into his ears from far away.

Yan Song still has internal strength. At eighty, he actually lifted his robe and knelt down: "Shangshu" says: three years of abundance, three years of apology, six years of minor disasters, and 12 years of major disasters. That's it. It is the responsibility of the ministers to store food in good times to prepare for shortages, and to provide relief to victims in famine years."

Seeing him kneeling there at this age, with his hat and robe wet, and still trying to defend his holy name when he answered, Jiajing's heart softened again, as if remembering his 20 years of hard work, he stood there silently.

Lu Fang immediately said: "Old Ge, the emperor didn't ask you to kneel, after all, you are over eighty, you should get up and answer." Then she went to help him.

At this time, Yan Song stood up with the help of Lu Fang.

Lu Fang looked at Jiajing again.

Jiajing then looked at the short mound next to him.

Lu Fang quickly moved over the short pier: "Old Ge, the emperor gave you a seat."

Yan Songhan's eyes blurred: "Thank you, Your Majesty." With Lu Fang's support, he sat down again.

Jiajing stopped playing around with him: "You said just now that you are preparing for a famine in a good year and providing disaster relief in a famine. How about the two flooded counties in Zhejiang?"

Yan Song: "According to the strategy of 'Reform and Relief', we are implementing the national policy of converting rice into mulberry while providing relief to the victims."

Jiajing slowly looked at Lu Fang, and Lu Fang also looked at Jiajing honestly at this time.

Jiajing: "Go back and ask Yan Shifan how things are going in Zhejiang, and I'll reply to you later."

Yan Song: "Yes." He stood up.

Lu Fang led him to the side of the veil.

Jiajing looked at Yan Song Longzhong's back, his eyes were also a little dazed.

The sound of closing the palace door, after a while, Lu Fang came back.

"Yan Song is old and can't control the affairs below." Jiajing said.

Lu Fang: "Some things are really difficult for him."

Jiajing: "Let's see how he responds tomorrow. If Yan Shifan is not filial, he will not be loyal anywhere. If it is Yan Shifan's idea to buy the fields of the victims under the brand of the Weaving Bureau, Yan Song himself will plead guilty tomorrow."

Lu Fang: "I think so too. As soon as Yan Song pleaded guilty, he immediately issued a 'Di Bao' and informed the provinces."

"And the slaves you manage are not as clear as they used to be." Jiajing said and became angry again, "You just said that Yang Jinshui would find a way to take down the lantern of the weaving bureau there. The lantern is taken down, and the palace I have already lost my reputation. How can I restore it? Now tell that servant that if he wants to ruin my reputation, he will hang his head on the grain ship!"

Lu Fang: "Slave, send someone to tell him now."

Jiajing: "Send people from Jinyiwei to go. Put on civilian clothes and watch for me in Zhejiang. It looks like we have to arrest a few people this time."

Lu Fang: "Your servant understands."

(End of this chapter)