Chapter 60 Xu Jie Blocks the Road

Yan Shaoting had no idea how he walked out of Yuxi Palace.

After the rainstorm stopped, the trees in Xiyuan were lush and green and full of vitality, and the road surface, repeatedly washed by rain, was smooth and bright.

The wind blowing from Taiye Lake caresses people's faces and refreshes their hearts.

However, Yan Shaoting was filled with fear.

Jiajing, who had lived in Xiyuan for decades and devoted himself to practicing Taoism, could see even his own deepest plans clearly.

It was not until he stood by the Taiye Lake and looked back at the silent Yuxi Palace that Yan Shaoting reacted.

The so-called calling me alone just now, settling the previous accounts, and questioning me in the southeast, were all unnecessary.

The real thing is those last words.

What are old things?

A family of meritorious generals that has been passed down from the Ming Dynasty to this day.

The Jiajing Emperor, who lived in the Western Garden, knew very well why he had proposed that Zhu Shitai and others go south to fight against the Japanese invaders.

But Jiajing remained skeptical in his heart. He was unwilling to believe that these noble men who had been passed down to this day could achieve anything great.

That's why he said that old things are gone and new people should be employed.

Does this mean that I should keep an eye out for new recruits in the Ming army and quietly employ them?

But this was not what Yan Shaoting was worried about. What he was afraid of was Jiajing's last words.

Once his intention to reorganize the capital's army and create a new group of nobles for the Ming Dynasty was discovered by the court officials.

In order to prevent the Ming Dynasty from being in turmoil and chaos, and to prevent the safety of the royal family and even the emperor himself from being in danger.

He, Emperor Jiajing, would definitely take action personally without mercy and cut off this source of trouble.

Keep this hint in your heart.

Yan Shaoting walked up and crossed the Yuhe Bridge over Taiye Lake leading to the imperial palace.

When we reached the east end of the bridge, we were indeed next to Qionghua Island.

Xu Jie, the Second Minister of the Ming Dynasty, was waiting alone in the corridor of the pavilion by the water.

"Mr. Yan, please stay."

Yan Shaoting was holding the pair of wet boots he had just taken off, and looked over when he heard the sound.

There was no other figure around, only Xu Jie was waiting here.

Xu Jie smiled and said, "I wonder if Mr. Yan would be willing to take a break here and chat with me?"

Yan Shaoting's eyes slightly curled up, and he walked in front of Xu Jie wearing his pair of wet official boots.

To know.

The official boots were soaked by the rain when they were worn on his feet. Even though there was nothing wrong with Yan Shaoting's feet, they still emitted a faint strange smell.

But Yan Shaoting held his official boots in his arms and rushed to Xu Jie, bowing slightly and saying, "Lord Xu, please greet me. What do you want me to do?"

between two people.

It was the smell coming from Yan Shaoting's official boots.

Xu Jie, however, remained calm. He stretched out his hand and pointed to a long bench under the corridor on the other side near the surface of Taiye Lake where people could sit.

"It's just that Taiye Lake is quite quiet after the rain, and the air is pleasant. I couldn't help but stop. When I saw Yan Shidu coming over, I invited him to rest for a while."

Yan Shaoting smiled without comment, but finally showed some personal manners, put the boots outside the corridor, and then walked to the other side.

At this time, Xu Jie had already sat down. He raised his head and looked at Yan Shaoting: "Reader Yan, please take a seat."

Yan Shaoting shook his head and refused, "Lord Xu is here, so it's better for me to stand."

Seeing Yan Shaoting like this, Xu Jie stopped forcing him and turned around with a smile to look at the lake in front of him.

Yan Shaoting glanced at Old Xu. According to what the Taoist priest said at the end of the Yuxi Palace.

One problem is obvious.

The Taoist priest was very clear about how people like Xu Jie, who served as officials in the court, and then annexed land in the local area.

There is actually nothing in the world that the Taoist priest does not understand.

But why would he choose to ignore it?

The reason is the same as why the Taoist priest uses the Yan party.

But apart from this, there is one most important reason.

Even the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not dare to touch the fundamental interests of this huge group engaged in land annexation.

and so.

Jiajing knew clearly that Xu Jie would be waiting for him here, waiting for him to be persuaded to reveal the matter of the Xu family's annexation of land in Songjiang Prefecture.

Xu Jie also spoke slowly at this moment: "Student Yan is young and promising, and is now deeply trusted by His Majesty. This time he is responsible for weighing the implementation of national policies in the southeast and investigating the situation in the two places in Beijing. I hope that Student Yan can take good care of my student Zhang Taiyue."

This statement is a bit too empty.

Zhang Juzheng was a member of the cabinet, so even if Yan Shaoting became his superior now, he didn't need Yan Shaoting to look after him.

Rather than saying this, it would be more accurate to say that Old Xu was hinting that he hoped the Xu family could get more support in the matter of land annexation.

Yan Shaoting looked into the distance and said, "Lord Zhang is in the southeast, and Lord Xu is supporting him in the court. How dare I say that I am looking after him?
But now that your majesty has ordered me to do this, I only know that I should convert the 150,000 mu of cotton fields in Songjiang and Suzhou into mulberry fields as soon as possible, and then provide relief to the people affected by the disaster in Zhejiang, so that I can report to your majesty."

By the Taiye Lake, the two people, one old and one young, who were of a very different age difference, fell silent one after another.

After a long time.

Only then did Xu Jie let out a smile.

"Master Yan, do you know why the people of our dynasty are so keen on studying and taking imperial examinations?"

Hearing Old Xu's question, Yan Shaoting turned his head and looked at him deeply, then said: "Of course it is to take the imperial examination, serve the country, and be loyal to His Majesty."

After saying this, a faint smile appeared on Yan Shaoting's face.

He just refused to follow Old Xu's idea and tell the real reason.

Xu Jie was also a little surprised. He saw the same demeanor of his grandfather Yan Song in the young man from the Yan family in front of him.

Just as profound, just as experienced in officialdom.

On the contrary, he is not like his father, the Little Cabinet Minister.

Xu Jie was helpless and could not induce Yan Shaoting to say what he wanted to hear, so he could only speak directly: "It is said that there is no gain without early rise, and life in the world is all about fame and fortune. Do you agree with this, Yan Shidu?"

Yan Shaoting nodded: "I agree with what Lord Xu said."

Xu Jie shook his head and said, "Since Emperor Taizu founded our dynasty and promoted the imperial examination, all scholars in the world have been eager to take the examination. At the beginning of the country, the court decided to give preferential treatment to scholars, providing them with rice and salary. If you pass the three-year special examination and become an official in the court, you will bring honor to your family. If you don't pass, you will still have a reputation and can become a famous family.

The foundation of our dynasty lies in the millions of scholars in the world. When they serve as officials in the court, they guard the four directions for the emperor; when they are wise men in the opposition, they educate the people to be loyal, good and obedient.

Yan Shidu, do you agree? "

Can I tell you, Old Xu, that I sneer at your so-called theory of the foundation of the world?

The reason why Old Xu said these words now was to warn himself not to easily touch the interests of those who were annexing land locally.

What his Xu family did in Songjiang Prefecture was exactly what all the scholarly families in the world were doing.

If anyone disturbs the Xu family, all the scholars in the world will rise up and attack him.

Yan Shaoting was full of complaints in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged.

"I am a stupid official, and I don't know what Lord Xu meant by this."

(End of this chapter)