Chapter 357 Is Xu Jie going to take action against Zhang Juzheng?

Wenyuan Pavilion.

When everyone walked out of the classroom, they saw white snow falling outside.

The snowflakes were not big and there was no wind.

The snow fell lightly, swirling and piling up on the ground layer by layer.

The officials in the cabinet had already prepared umbrellas for the elders and the nine ministers.

Yan Song, supported by Yan Shaoting, walked in front. Looking at the snow slowly falling from the sky, the old prime minister smiled faintly.

He did not look back, but walked out of Wenyuan Pavilion with the support of his eldest grandson.

There was a sedan waiting outside.

But Yan Song's voice reached everyone's ears.

"It's not like the twelfth month of the year before last, when it was snowing all the time. Now it's snowing according to the rules of the season."

Reactions varied.

When people hear these words, they will have different interpretations.

Yan Shaoting, who was supporting Old Yan, also glanced sideways at the old man.

I saw Old Yan had a smile on his face.

I don't know who this is targeting.

After the old man and the young man left Wenyuan Pavilion, Yan Song was naturally carried in a sedan chair all the way to Wanshou Palace in Xiyuan.

Because it was the twelfth lunar month, a large umbrella was installed on the sedan to block the wind and snow.

Yan Shaoting followed beside him holding an umbrella, walking under the long red palace wall.

Behind them came the sedan chairs carrying Xu Jie and others and the nine ministers of the court.

Not long after.

The people who held the pinnacle of power in the Ming Dynasty finally arrived at the Wanshou Palace.

As usual.

It was Lu Fang who was waiting at the palace gate for the court officials to arrive.

Seeing the court officials coming from afar, Lu Fang smiled and held them up with both hands.

"Today is the day for the Imperial Council meeting, and it happens to be snowing lightly. This is a sign of a good harvest!"

"With the presence of such important officials as Lord Yan, the court and the local areas are no longer in such a difficult situation this year. This is all thanks to you all!"

Lu Fang was full of praise, and he couldn't help but walk down the stairs into the snow.

This end.

The sedan also landed on the ground.

Yan Song quickly signaled Yan Shaoting to support him and move forward.

When he arrived in front of Lu Fang, he turned around and looked at Xu Jie, Gao Gong and others who followed him with a smile.

Yan Song smiled and said, "I am getting older every year. The court is currently supported by Elder Xu and Elder Gao. If we are to judge by merit, it should be their credit."

Lü Fang smiled and followed Yan Song's words, looking at Xu Jie and others, saying with a smile: "One year of withering and another of prosperity, the end of the year is approaching, the snow is auspicious and the harvest is good, this year the court is reporting good news, even Lord Yan will soon have four generations living together, I think today's meeting in front of the emperor will be harmonious."

This is the final instruction.

The year has finally come to an end. You court officials have had a good year without any troubles. Don't make the emperor sad on this last day.

Yan Song happily reached out and grabbed Lu Fang's wrist, and the two of them walked into the palace gate.

Yan Song said slowly, "This is a rare good year. Earlier today, I heard in Wenyuan Pavilion that the various ministries and offices of the court have done a good job. Even in Changping, a total of 1,272 babies were born and survived this year. Next year, I will finally be able to fulfill my wish of having four generations living under one roof. Great! It's all good news!"

Yan Shaoting followed silently behind, following Old Yan and Old Lu in front of them as they walked towards the Wanshou Palace Hall.

The others followed one by one.

This is because the emperor does not have a refrigerator in the summer and a brazier in the winter.

Everyone could only stop in the corridor outside the palace gate, shake off the falling snow on their official robes or cloaks, and then brush off the accumulated water on the surface. After the coldness on their bodies went away, they put on their clothes again and followed Lu Fang into the palace.

Enter the main hall.

Yan Shaoting was quick to notice that before the old Taoist priest came out, Lu Fang had already moved a soft stool and placed it behind Yan Song.

As usual.

Yan Song also sat down slowly.

Not long after.

There were footsteps coming from the direction of the rear hall.

Yan Shaoting narrowed his eyes and looked towards the back hall.

This time, the old Taoist priest did not have any entrance poem. He just led Huang Jin out of the inner hall with a smile on his face.

The emperor's pace was not slow, and could even be considered brisk.

In no time, he was sitting on the throne in the front hall.

Before everyone could salute, Jiajing laughed and waved his left arm.

"No courtesy at all."

"Today is the last time I will make a memorial to the emperor this year. I heard a few days ago that the court was doing very well after settling accounts this year, so I will briefly talk about it today."

Having said that.

Jiajing leaned forward and placed his hands on the imperial table in front of him. With a smile on his face, he said softly, "I told Lu Fang and the others yesterday that the banquet in the palace today must be more delicious and substantial. Don't serve all the cumbersome and ceremonial dishes as in the past. They are not only unpalatable but also not filling. It is really inappropriate."

This is the end.

Jiajing leaned back slightly and said with a smile: "When we have finished talking about this, I will have a few drinks with you today."

Yan Song, who was about to stand up again with everyone else to salute the emperor, froze down on the stool when he heard this.

When the emperor's words fell.

Yan Song immediately smiled and said, "The country is becoming more and more prosperous, all thanks to the emperor's wise and wise governance. Without the emperor, how could our dynasty open up the silk trade and the sea trade? Today, the officials in Wenyuan Pavilion reported that these two things alone have brought tens of millions of dollars in revenue to the court every year. The pacification of the Japanese pirates in the southeast is now also surrounded by troops from various provinces. It will be a matter of time for our dynasty to completely expel the Japanese pirates and restore peace to the coastal areas."

Jiajing smiled.

Although what the Prime Minister said seemed to be trying to show off his achievements to his eldest grandson.

But the old Prime Minister also said in advance that it was his wise permission that allowed it, otherwise how could these good things happen?

This is how you are, how I am, and how everyone is.

Jiajing smiled and said, "Is there any deficit in the court right now?"

Minister of Finance Gao Yao immediately bowed and clasped his fists: "Your Majesty, this year, all the revenue from various departments of the court, except for expenditure, has been used to make up for the deficits in the past. Now, our court has no more deficits. The accounts are cleared, and the court has a lot of surplus."

When Gao Yao said this, his face was filled with excitement and his face was flushed.

past.

The Ministry of Revenue was the most annoying place. Anyone who came to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for money would be cursed regardless of whether they got the money or not. But now it is different. The Ministry of Revenue has money and is more confident. No one dares to curse at them anymore.

Because the Ministry of Revenue really has money now.

Jiajing's face was also filled with joy, and he clapped his hands on the table: "Great! Great! I still remember that when we were discussing matters in the West Garden at the end of the year and the beginning of the year two years ago, you all had worried faces. I still remember that the court owed a deficit of no less than 10 million yuan at that time, right? Now not only is there no deficit, but there is also a surplus, which is great!"

The emperor's hearty laughter echoed in the hall.

Yan Shaoting hummed in his heart. The so-called deficit of the court actually had many different factors. If you really counted it, the deficit of the court in the past two years was not as big as it looked on the books.

Therefore, the money from the sale of silk and the tax from the Maritime Customs will be deposited into the accounts this year.

Those accounts with deficits can naturally be balanced out immediately and there will be a surplus.

Gao Gong, who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, although the court is no longer in deficit and has some surplus, many things have been delayed over the years and will be put on the agenda after the beginning of the year. In my opinion, the court still needs to tighten its belt to live. After all, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. The court is far from being able to live lavishly."

He did this to prevent the emperor from having inappropriate thoughts and putting his hands into the court's purse when he saw that the court was rich.

Jiajing unexpectedly waved his hand casually: "Of course I understand this truth! Today I will issue an edict to inform all civil and military officials in the world that they should put state affairs first and not dare to enjoy themselves. You should be diligent, and I will be the first."

Gao Gong frowned slightly.

The emperor meant that he should set an example and start with himself to maintain the frugal style of the court.

The sun rises from the west?

Gao Gong was somewhat confused.

But the whole audience.

Apart from the old Taoist priest, Lu Fang and Huang Jin, only Yan Shaoting knew the real reason.

Unless something ghostly happened, the old Taoist priest would probably be the first one to call for thrift and frugality in the household.

The reason why he was like this now was entirely because he had submitted a separate memorial two days ago, briefly mentioning to the old Taoist priest that the inner court could use foreign merchants to trade with European countries.

After all, local merchants are engaged in ordinary business.

The court was engaged in large-scale business.

But the inner court can do such high-value business.

For example, the official kilns that provided porcelain for the imperial court, or lacquerware and other items.

This is a complete system that is completely independent of the imperial court.

Hundreds of thousands of people, from top to bottom, are working silently for this, yet they are constantly creating immense value.

Choose between Royal Exclusive and more silver.

The old Taoist priest finally inclined to the latter.

But Yan Shaoting was still given a reply, that is, all royal special items sold would be differentiated to distinguish between Chinese and foreign ones.

Yan Shaoting just treated this matter as a reading. Anyway, the old Taoist priest would never hand over those industries and people that served the royal family to him.

These industries and people have served the Ming royal family for two hundred years.

As he was thinking, Yan Shaoting suddenly discovered that the old Taoist priest seemed to be glancing at him vaguely.

That end.

Gao Gong moved his mouth and finally could only clasp his fists and say: "Your Majesty is wise."

Then he retreated with full of doubts.

Jiajing, who was above, said, "How is the suppression of the Japanese in the five southeastern provinces going? I often hear that there are reports of victory in the southeast and sent to the Ministry of War. All departments must fully cooperate, and the evaluation of merits must be fair, without fraud or falsification."

This is a reference to Hu Zongxian.

Hu Zongxian immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this year the troops of the five southeastern provinces are mainly to reorganize the troops and connect the defense lines to encircle the Japanese pirates in Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Strengthen the defense of a few prefectures and counties in Nanzhili and Shandong provinces to prevent the Japanese pirates from launching attacks from the sea. Next year, when the defense lines are stable, it will be time to attack."

Completely wipe out the Japanese pirates along the coast.

This was regarded by Jiajing as an achievement to be taken to the underworld to meet his ancestors after his death.

He immediately said: "The court should fully cooperate with you, whether it is troops or food, report as needed, and send them after approval."

This time.

Yan Shaoting had to stand up.

He is now in charge of military supplies in the court.

In public, Yan Shaoting clenched his fists and said, "Your Majesty, all the departments in the court that are involved in military supplies will go all out to ensure that there are no worries in the five southeastern provinces in suppressing the Japanese."

Yan Shaoting is not bragging about this.

Anyway, all the military supply tasks are now assigned to Xu Kun and Gao Wuguan, and this arrangement is actually very effective.

The two of them checked and balanced each other, and because all matters concerning military supplies were handed over to them, they dared not commit fraud or embezzlement, and besides, both of them were sons of cabinet ministers.

When it comes to military supplies, as long as you give the instructions, you'll get the green light.

Even Yan Shaoting was preparing to submit a memorial, stating that in the future, the military supply affairs of our Ming Dynasty could be handled by the sons of two cabinet ministers who were at odds with each other.

Since we have to weigh the pros and cons, then we should strike the perfect balance.

This can actually have miraculous effects.

Jiajing was very satisfied, and he couldn't hide the joy on his face at all: "Great! It's been a while since I've felt so happy as I do now."

Yan Song immediately smiled and said, "This is due to the emperor's wisdom. God is grateful for the emperor's achievements and blesses the people in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of our dynasty."

Jiajing waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about what troubles are happening in the court right now. After the new year, these troubles must be solved as soon as possible. We must not leave them unsolved for too long, or they will become a problem."

As the emperor spoke.

This is the second half of today's imperial meeting.

We need to start talking about those bad things that are neither too big nor too small to show that the court is not completely good and there will be troubles. This is in line with the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.

Yan Shaoting's eyes turned.

My mind is already focused on the banquet that the old Taoist priest mentioned at the beginning of today.

In the past, banquets in the palace were all held in accordance with regulations.

The food was indeed just as the old Taoist priest had said, neither tasty nor filling.

Since today is different, I don’t know what delicious food Lu Fang and the others have prepared.

Everyone also gathered their minds.

The year-end summary meetings are always like this. After all, if you ask the ministers to find faults in themselves, how can they possibly find any real faults? They just muddle through and muddle through the year.

The one that requires getting angry and arguing is the imperial budget meeting after the beginning of the year.

If we make a fuss at that time, perhaps we can get an extra budget of tens of thousands of taels of silver. That's when we need to put in the effort.

Just when everyone thought that this year would be just like previous years, picking out a few unimportant troubles to deal with.

who knows.

Xu Jie suddenly stood up.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Xu, who had been in charge of cabinet affairs for half a year, had a serious expression on his face.

"Your Majesty, I heard today that in this area of ​​the capital, there are treacherous monks and corrupt officials causing trouble. The incident happened in the countryside, but it involves the county and the prefecture. I think we must prevent it and find out the reason!"

Everyone present, including Jiajing on the throne, was stunned for a moment.

Isn't it time to go through the motions?

Even he himself, although he was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, did not want to hear any real troubles as the year was coming to an end.

But this Xu Jie actually brought up something.

Yan Shaoting frowned even more.

How did Xu Laogou know about Dongguanzhuang and Nanlu Zen Temple?
Is he going to take action against Zhang Juzheng?
…………

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