Chapter 9 Imperial Financial Meeting
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the fortieth year of the Jiajing reign.

The imperial court has stopped its holiday and all ministries and government offices have started to report for work as usual.

Inside the palace, Xiyuan Yuxi Palace is about to hold its first meeting after the new year.

According to past practice, the first meeting of each year is to review and approve the financial situation of the previous year and formulate the financial budget for the new year.

Zhou Yunyi, the director of the Imperial Observatory who insulted the court years ago, had his leg broken, but he did not die, and the snow finally fell.

Inside and outside the palace, people were talking about the auspiciousness of the snow.

However, no one knows whether it is auspicious snow or not.

But the huge financial crisis that the court is facing now is still before everyone.

Early in the morning.

The heavy snow still showed no sign of stopping, as if it was going to bring down all the snow that had been overdue from the previous year.

Xiyuan Yuxi Palace.

Several senior eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, led by Lu Fang, were waiting outside the palace gate early in the morning.

Yan Shifan, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng, accompanied by a sedan chair, arrived at the palace gate.

Lu Fang and others immediately walked down the stairs, and Yan Shifan also stepped forward and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair.

He said years ago that he would no longer care about things, but in the end he was still a power-hungry person.

Just like the Yan family.

Decades ago, Yan Song was still a young man full of righteousness.

At that time, Yan Song would say such righteous words as "When evil people are in power, I cannot bear to be associated with them" and "I would rather not be an official than be associated with villains."

Later, reality gave Yan Song a fatal blow.

He found that in the face of power, so-called justice was not worth mentioning.

So he accumulated decades of literary skills and finally surrendered to Emperor Jiajing.

This also led to the fact that Yan Song did not rise from the local level or experience the court, and had fewer opportunities to deal with upright civil servants, so he went directly into the cabinet.

Yan Song's monopoly of power and his lack of interaction with Xu Jie and others from the very beginning became one of the sources of the current court struggles in the Ming Dynasty.

The Yan family is dependent on the emperor.

However, Xu Jie and others have their own gentry group interests.

In front of Yuxi Palace, Lu Fang watched the curtain of the sedan chair being lifted.

"Lord, you are here."

Yan Song was wearing a red robe with a nine-beam crown, and bowed his head. He smiled and nodded: "Great joy, great joy."

Yan Shifan was standing aside, also with a smile on his face.

On the contrary, Xu Jie and Zhang Juzheng remained silent. Gao Gong had no expression on his face, and even a hint of sarcasm flashed in his eyes.

It was still the first month of the lunar calendar. Lü Fang pointed at the auspicious snow in the sky and said with a smile, "My Lord, after this snow, you were eighty last year, and you are seventy-nine this year."

Everyone laughed harmoniously.

Yan Song opened his eyes wide, which was rare, and poked Lü Fang with his hand: "Eunuch Lü, you think I'm too old."

Everyone laughed again.

Yan Song suddenly smiled and said, "This snow is good snow, auspicious snow. But if it is silver, I won't have to worry about it anymore. I can retire to the emperor and return home."

The atmosphere at the scene couldn't help but become cold.

Lü Fang's expression remained unchanged, but a light flashed in his eyes. He hurriedly supported Yan Song and walked towards Yuxi Palace, saying, "Long live the emperor. You are a hundred years old, and you still have to work for the emperor and the court for another twenty years."

Yan Song just smiled happily and walked towards Yuxi Palace.

Xu Jie and others remained silent.

Yan Shifan, on the other hand, sneered: "If I really continue to do this for another 20 years, I will be hated to death."

Naturally, no one dared to answer this question, but everyone knew what it meant.

When everyone arrived at the gate of Yuxi Palace.

However, Lu Fang stopped and looked at the crowd.

"On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month last year, Zhou Yunyi was outside the Meridian Gate, complaining that the reason it didn't snow was because of the court. Now that it's snowing, it shows that the court doesn't have that many problems."

These words were actually said more on behalf of the person in Yuxi Palace.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Lu Fang said, "It's just snowing, and there are so many things to do in the court. Your Majesty's mood hasn't improved in the past few days. The deficit of the court last year can be put aside today."

As he spoke, Lu Fang clasped his hands together and bowed to everyone.

"I still say the same thing."

"No matter how big the problem is, we have to stick together."

Seeing that everyone nodded, Lu Fang led everyone into the main hall of Yuxi Palace.

In the hall, Yan Song always had a seat.

On both sides of him were two rows of long tables that were already filled with paperwork.

The Cabinet on one side, the Imperial Household Department on the other.

With the sound of jade chimes coming from the heavy curtains at the back of the hall, the first imperial meeting after the beginning of the 40th year of Jiajing began.

Afterwards, Yan Song directed his criticism at Zhou Yunyi, who had caused trouble at the Meridian Gate a few years ago.

Then, Yan Shifan, a junior cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, started a verbal battle with Gao Gong.

Since Yan Shifan and Gao Gong started to argue with each other.

The atmosphere became tense instantly.

The argument unknowingly reached a fever pitch, with Yan Shifan alone fighting against Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng.

Yan Shifan looked coldly at Zhang Juzheng who had just spoken: "According to what you said, last year's construction of river embankments for Jiangsu and Zhejiang and the construction of palaces for the emperor have already exhausted the great Ming Dynasty?"

Zhang Juzheng immediately said, "I didn't say that."

Yan Shifan turned his back to Gao Gong and faced Zhang Juzheng, raising his voice: "So what did you mean by that just now?"

At this time.

Gao Gong immediately spoke up and looked at Yan Shifan: "Then what the young minister is saying is that this year will be another year of deficit like last year!"

Yan Shifan turned his head and glanced at Gao Gong, then held his head high and looked at Lu Fang opposite him.

"Eunuch Lu."

"The traitor has jumped out on his own."

Yan Shifan turned and looked at Gao Gong: "Gao Gong is one!"

Then he turned around and looked at Zhang Juzheng: "And there is Zhang Juzheng!"

Gao Gong was immediately furious and stepped forward to confront Yan Shifan: "How do you write the word 'traitor'?"

“It’s a female character plus a dry character.”

"I, Gao Gongdao, am still a married woman."

"Young Lord, just before the New Year, you had already married your ninth concubine!"

"I'm afraid the word 'traitor' cannot be applied to me, Gao Gong."

Yan Shifan frowned immediately. It would have been better if he didn't mention this matter. Once he mentioned it, he felt heartbroken.

Yan Shifan waved his sleeves fiercely: "Stop talking nonsense!"

Afterwards, Yan Shifan brought up the incident involving Zhou Yunyi a few years ago.

He waved his arms and glared at Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng on his left and right.

"Who instigated it?"

"how?"

"Dare to do it but not to admit it!"

Yuxi Palace was silent for a moment, with only the sound of Yan Shifan's angry breathing.

At this moment.

A eunuch from the Imperial Household Department walked in from outside in the snow, stood behind Lu Fang, leaned forward, and reported something in a low voice.

And then, amidst everyone’s confusion.

Lu Fang looked at Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan.

Then, he bowed and looked behind the heavy curtains of Yuxi Palace.

"Your Majesty, I, the commander of the Imperial Guard, Yan Shaoting, request an audience with you."

　New book period, I beg you to read it~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)