Chapter 8 It’s snowing

In the next few days, in accordance with the rules of the imperial court, all departments and offices closed their doors and went home to celebrate the New Year.

The common people were certainly having a good time, but because it didn't snow, the officials from various departments of the court who went home to celebrate the New Year were not in a good mood.

After the director of the Imperial Observatory, Zhou Yunyi, had his leg broken by the eldest son of Lord Yan in front of the Meridian Gate that day, the situation in the court became much more tense.

And in Yan Mansion.

After a tantrum, Yan Shifan finally announced in front of Old Yan that he would quit his job and really stopped caring about what was happening outside.

In the middle.

Yan Shifan found the manager of the mansion and asked where his concubines had been sold to, so that he could get them back.

The steward replied: "The merchants that the young master was looking for at that time were all merchants from Southern Zhili and Zhejiang."

Then there was no further news about Yan Shifan.

The merchants in Southern Zhili and Zhejiang were more or less related to Xu Jie's group of upright people.

Want him to ask Xu Jie for a woman?
no way!

That's how it was. The young cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty spent this year in sulking.

In the first month of the year.

Prince Yu's Mansion.

Because Xu Jie had the job of a lecturer in Prince Yu's mansion, he came to visit with a few worthless gifts.

Probably because it was New Year's Day and there was no snow, and Zhou Yunyi's leg was broken again, the atmosphere in Prince Yu's Mansion was not very good.

Outside the palace, the people of the capital were bustling with firecrackers.

The palace was deserted, and even the palace maids who were rewarded from the palace had to keep their footsteps low when they walked around.

"Last year, the national treasury was in deficit and millions of taels of silver were overspent, but the Yan Party still blindly deceived Your Majesty. If we don't stop them, our Ming Dynasty will really perish at the hands of the Yan family!"

Inside the palace hall, Gao Gong was shouting angrily.

Prince Yu Zhu Zaigui (Ji) sat in the upper seat with a gloomy face, his eyes sweeping over the faces of Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng.

"The country has come to this point. You are all my loyal subjects. Don't you have any solution?"

Gao Gong has always had a hot temper.

Seeing Prince Yu asking questions, he slammed the table and said, "Down with Yan! As long as the Yan Party is not eliminated, there will be no peace in the Ming Dynasty, and the people of the world will not be at peace!"

Prince Yu moved his mouth.

If the Yan Party could really be easily defeated, the political situation in recent years would not have been like this.

So, Zhu Zaigui turned his attention to Xu Jie, the second assistant of the cabinet who had never spoken.

Xu Jie understood, bowed, and whispered: "The most difficult thing right now is that it has not snowed since the New Year, and the cabinet discussed matters before the New Year. Not only did the court suffer a lot of deficit last year, but this year's budget is also quite difficult."

Zhu Zaigui blinked, probably thinking that he had asked the wrong person.

At this moment.

Zhang Juzheng said, "The reason why the Yan Party is valued by Your Majesty is that they have been sending money to the palace all these years. The court is currently spending more than it earns. If we want to overthrow the Yan Party, we have to start with money. If we can find a way for Your Majesty, what will Your Majesty think?"

Zhang Juzheng's meaning was very clear.

The Yan Party couldn't get silver at this time, but they could get silver for the emperor.

What will Jiajing think of the Yan Party at that time?
Do you still feel that the imperial court cannot do without the Yan family father and son?

Prince Yu Zhu Zaigui frowned and said, "I heard that a few years ago, the eldest young master of the Yan family, Yan Shaoting, actually sold a lot of things of the Yan family?"

Zhang Juzheng nodded and said, "It is true. The total amount sold was one million taels of silver."

Zhu Zaigui's face tightened: "One million taels of silver? Why would the Yan family do this? What are they going to do with this one million taels of silver?"

At this time, Zhang Juzheng closed his mouth and glanced at his teacher Xu Jie.

Xu Jie still spoke calmly, "It is said that the Yan family raised money for an overseas business."

Gao Gong raised his eyebrows and said, "Overseas business? The Yan family is really doing well. The imperial court is spending more than it earns, so the Yan family has started doing overseas business."

Zhu Zaigui's mind was moved: "Overseas business... If the Yan family can do it, can the court do it? If it is feasible, can it make up for the deficit of the court?"

This statement came out.

Xu Jie, who had been silent, immediately raised his head.

"Your Highness, the sea is full of huge waves. If the imperial court wants to do such business, it will lose all its capital with just one wave." What this means is that the imperial court should not do business overseas.

Zhu Zaigui frowned and opened his mouth, but said nothing on this issue.

He thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I heard that Yan Shaoting even sold Yan Shifan's concubine?"

Gao Gong exclaimed: "There is such a thing?"

Zhu Zaigui thought about it and said, "Perhaps it is just a rumor."

Zhang Juzheng frowned, and after a while he said, "Originally, Yan Shaoting was just a favored official, and he never showed anything. But years ago, he actually saved Zhou Yunyi's life."

Zhu Zaigui asked curiously, "Didn't he act so arrogantly that he broke one of Zhou Yunyi's legs?"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "Your Highness is wrong. At that time, the eunuch Feng Bao, the governor of the East Factory, wanted to guess the emperor's intention and beat Zhou Yunyi to death so that he could take the throne. If Yan Shaoting hadn't appeared and snatched Feng Bao's job, and only broke Zhou Yunyi's leg and threw him out of the palace, I'm afraid Zhou Yunyi would have died at the Meridian Gate at that time."

Zhu Zaigui's eyes flickered as he whispered, "So that's how it is..."

Gao Gong said angrily: "No matter whether Yan Shaoting really saved Zhou Yunyi's life or not, he is a member of the Yan family! The most urgent task now is to wait for the imperial finance meeting to see how the Yan family fills these holes!"

Zhu Zaigui lowered his head and muttered quietly: "Is this the only way?"

……

The seventh day of the first lunar month, night.

It snowed heavily.

The snow that everyone in the Ming Dynasty, from the emperor to the common people, had been looking forward to finally fell.

in the palace.

Feng Bao led his men into the corridor, looked up at the heavy snow falling, and opened his arms excitedly.

"Snowing!"

"It finally snowed!"

After reciting it excitedly twice, Feng Bao looked at the eunuchs around him who were equally excited.

Feng Bao shouted, "Shut up! Wait for me to tell His Majesty the good news!"

After saying this, Feng Bao rushed towards Yuxi Palace.

A few moments.

Outside Yuxi Palace.

Feng Bao shouted, "Your Majesty! Great joy! Great joy! God has sent down auspicious snow!"

hum.

Inside Yuxi Palace, the sound of chimes rang out.

Feng Bao's face was filled with excitement, as this meant that his master had heard the good news from him.

He hurriedly thanked the emperor and turned around to rush to the Imperial Household Department in the Inner Court.

And in Yuxi Palace.

Layers of curtains were hung, and the entire palace was brightly lit, with images of the Three Pure Ones.

In the middle of the layers of curtains, there is a Taoist platform.

On the Taoist platform, a figure was making hand gestures with his hands, wearing a few thin clothes.

"What the kid from the Yan family said was right. It will snow in the first month of the new year."

The eunuch Lu Fang, who was serving here, had a silly smile on his face: "This is God's blessing on Your Majesty. He was moved by the master coming in to fast and pray. It has nothing to do with the kid from the Yan family."

On the platform behind the curtain.

The Taoist-looking and dishevelled-haired Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong had a strange blush on his face.

"I would like to meet this boy."

Lu Fang was laughing on the side, preparing wine for the emperor to soak his feet in a fresh pine barrel.

"Master, the pine and cypress are evergreen."

Jiajing waved his hand.

"Go, open all the doors and windows, and let the snow in."

(End of this chapter)