Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 840 Monkey Wine

Yang Le was taken aback, not knowing what to say.

Tian Fu is the eunuch holding the pen of the Rites Supervisor, and the admiral of the East Factory in him is simply inferior to him in the internal official system.

Seeing that his eyes were full of regret, and he looked omnipotent, Yang Le could only sigh:

"I can't hide anything from you."

"Hahaha!" Tian Fu smiled heartily, patted him on the shoulder and said, "I don't want to compete with you, but I need to know and prepare in advance."

Yang Le had no choice but to reveal his plan aggrieved.

After a while, Tian Fu stroked his beard and said, "No, this matter can't be too reckless, we have to follow the trend."

After speaking, he lowered his head and began to speak in detail.

Listening to Yang Le, he suddenly felt that it was wonderful, and couldn't help clapping his hands and applauding.

In the Ministry of Rituals, the Spanish ambassador Francis de Silval was wearing a serious tuxedo, and he was serious about asking for a meeting with Mingren.

The principal said solemnly: "The emperor's dragon body is not in good condition, and he cannot see his foreign ministers for the time being. I hope you will forgive me."

Francis asked unhurriedly: "I don't know what disease the emperor has. Spain is a vast land and rich in resources. It is an empire on which the sun never sets. There are all kinds of doctors and no shortage of medicines."

The interpreter on the side translated the report according to the facts.

"Thank you, Minister, for your concern." The chief cursed something difficult, and then he replied slowly: "The saint has been in breach of peace for a long time, and there are often legends. Why does your minister not know, and what is the reason?"

Francis spoke a long passage to the interpreter, supplemented by hand gestures, as if explaining something.

After listening to the interpreter, he nodded and asked, "I don't know when your emperor's condition will recover?"

"Besides, I heard that the emperor of your country is going to the north to appease those Mongols. Is there any delay in his illness?"

It's inconvenient to talk nonsense, and you can't prevaricate with words like asking for details and then telling me.

The principal's face changed, and he seemed to be a bit annoyed.

But when it comes to the emperor, he can only answer vaguely: "The emperor is due to overwork, lack of energy, poor appetite, and restless sleep at night."

"So it's not advisable to see outsiders, so as not to collide with the dragon's body, delay the spirit, and make the condition worse."

But the principal was right, the emperor was really in a bad mood, he even took two hasty bites of lunch, and then withdrew, lazily leaning on the soft seat, picked up a memorial and read it.

The excerpt is from the Tianjin mansion, and the content is that "Spain proposes to build a church in Tianjin, broadcast the gospel of God, and persuade people to do good."

Although it was just a simple gesture, Zhu Yixi immediately understood that this was a test for Daming.

After a battle of Manila and the loss of the Philippines, the Spanish colonies in the east were all scared. Before Madrid delivered the news, they hoped that you would get a stable reply.

To put it bluntly, by building a church, we will test whether Ming is still hostile to Spain.

It is customary for Zhu Yixi to stay in China.

For now, it is better for the Spaniard to let him panic.

"Master, I heard that among the nearby mountain temples, there is a Buddhist temple that is more famous, and the pavilion is also good, it is a good place to go!"

Seeing that the emperor was unhappy, Yang Le couldn't help recommending it.

Seeing it, Liu Afu on the side immediately felt dissatisfied, what kind of mess did he make up at this time.

But the emperor was considerate of him, and said with a smile: "It's okay, the waiting time is the most difficult, so let's go play for a while."

In this way, Liu Afu was about to arrange a manpower trip, but was blocked by the emperor.

Helpless, just like a few days ago, traveling in micro-services.

"This temple is called Chongfu Temple, and the incense is quite effective. There is a Laughing Maitreya Buddha in the back mountain, which is a sight."

"There are a lot of monkeys nearby. It seems that they have bathed in the Dharma. They are not afraid of seeing strangers. Some people are feeding and fighting..."

Yang Le led the way and explained with a smile: "The most famous thing in this temple is monkey wine, which is said to be brewed from wild fruits used by monkeys in the mountains."

"But as far as I know, those mountain people pretended to be monkeys, but it is indeed a mountain fruit with a unique taste. You can try it..."

Soon, a group of people came to the foot of the mountain, which was located halfway up the mountain.

Originally, the chair was finished, but the emperor didn't want to, so he just stepped forward and climbed up the stairs.

This time, the eunuchs suffered a lot, so they could only chase after him, panting.

Zhu Yixi ran more and more energetically.

I don't know how long he hasn't climbed the mountain, but now this 300-meter-high mountain seems like a warm-up.

After burning incense in the temple, he turned to the back mountain without hesitation.

On both sides of the narrow mountain road, there are some fruits with hanging fruits, which should be planted by monks or made by mountain people. The tangy fruit fragrance makes people can't help admiring.

As the birds fly in the branches, they fluctuate up and down with fruits in their mouths from time to time; the chirping monkeys are even more noisy, and the spring water is ringing not far away. Played a different kind of concert.

He felt that his whole body and mind were about to be purified.

There is a bit of quiet amidst the noise, which is surprising.

"This trip was not in vain—"

In the midst of the sighs, a monkey's noise suddenly came, followed by a woman's call, delicate and urgent.

It's just that it doesn't look like a dialect, but a foreign language.

Zhu Yixi has always been happy to help others, not to mention that there were more than a dozen people with him, so he immediately searched for the sound and ran for dozens of steps before arriving in a forest and seeing the scene of the crime.

Directly, two Caucasian girls in baroque long skirts were surrounded by a group of monkeys, their hair was scattered, their skirts were torn, and their watery blue-brown eyes were streaming with tears, making them look pitiful.

The two guards on the side couldn't take care of themselves.

One was hung from a tree, and the other fell into a trap, screaming and wailing constantly.

There was no way to protect the girl surrounded by monkeys.

"go--"

In this scene, it is simply not the emperor's turn to mount the horse himself, but who would dislike the matter of a hero saving the beauty?

So, a group of guards followed closely to drive away a group of noisy monkeys, while Zhu Yixi took the young girl's immature hand and ran quickly.

The heavy movement, white and tender ups and downs, makes people dizzy.

After running for a while, it is considered the end when we are on the right path.

Zhu Yixi took a closer look and found that it was the daughter of the Spanish ambassador whom she met on the street that day.

How did they come here?

The two girls panicked, and they would not let go of his arms, and chattered, nothing more than words of gratitude, Zhu Yixi really couldn't understand.

However, the two guards who were rescued had an interpreter: "The two young ladies heard that there are monkeys who can make wine here, so they came here with some fruits, but they fell into the trap by mistake..."

Hearing this, Zhu Yixi suddenly realized that he had entered the hunter's territory.

After a long time, the two women regained their composure, and said the words of gratitude again.

But at this time, Zhu Yixi really saw the appearance of the two women clearly.

They are all about 1.6 meters tall, with beautiful blue-brown eyes, and a touch of softness in the three-dimensional facial features. The light red lips indicate adulthood, and the long black hair tells their Mediterranean blood.

Of course, under the slapped face, the most striking thing is the slender waist, which looks like a corset from small to large.

As a result, the chest is more straight, and the buttocks are more rounded and raised.

This is extremely rare among oriental women.

Either the buttocks, or the towering, both, and now can only be Westerners.

The delicate face and the well-proportioned figure all show the proud capital of the two women.

In this regard, Zhu Yixi is appreciative.

However, after the two women thanked the savior, they were given a few silver coins, and then left impatiently.

After all, this is reality, not a novel or a movie. It is certain that a hero saves the beauty, but it is difficult for a beauty to throw himself into his arms.

The difference in aesthetics, coupled with being in a foreign country, it is absolutely impossible for the two women to fall in love, it is just a little affection.

Maybe, they are in face blindness, even if Zhu Yixi stands in front of them next time, she won't be able to recognize them.

Liu Afu was thoughtful, while Yang Le smiled.

After tasting the monkey wine, the emperor returned home satisfied.

However, Liu Afu saw the emperor's satisfaction, and couldn't help asking: "Do you want to include it as a tribute?"

"It doesn't have to be like this." Zhu Yixi shook his head directly, and refused: "Buy some, give it to a few cabinet elders, and give some to the concubines to taste."

"Yes!"

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, in addition to handing over taxes to the local government, some tributes were also local characteristics and had to be offered, thus showing that the emperor owned the world.

From textiles, such as Songjiang Dahong Yunbu and Gebu, to Datong ground squirrel and yellow mutton, used such as pearls, white eagle feathers, Huizhou "Qianjin Gongmo", "Xuanyuan Lingqi" ink, etc., all encompassing.

These are called Tugong.

The emperor enjoys the most precious things in the world, but actually suffers from many people.

Even the sacrificial banquets are often recruited from the people, such as chickens, eggs, pigs, ducks, etc.

They were all recruited for free, and I don't know how many people have been harmed.

So when the emperor built the palace, you thought it was a fair business, the emperor spent money and the merchants made money, but in fact it was the officials and eunuchs who divided up the money and then requisitioned the goods from the merchants for free.

Civil servants work for free, craftsmen are also voluntary labor, and materials are also free, so it is often seen in history that officials oppose the emperor's extravagance.

Because it is an obligation to pay tribute to the emperor, in order to curry favor with the emperor, local governments will exploit the people as much as they want, which will lead to hardships in people's livelihood.

The most typical one is Hua Shigang of the Song Dynasty, who forced Fang La to rebel.

But in fact, the emperor didn't enjoy much of these tributes in the name of the emperor, and they were all cheaper than the officials and eunuchs who had passed.

This is another typical case where the pot is the emperor, the enjoyment is the official, and the sufferer is the common people.

Therefore, after the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a large number of earth tributes were cancelled, and only some special things were kept, such as the splendid embroidery required for the emperor's dragon robe. Ninety-nine percent of the earth tributes were exempted.

And the expenses of the imperial court naturally depended on purchases.

far away...

And here, Francis had no choice but to return to the rented house, once again annoyed because he did not see the Emperor Ming.

Those merchants will not save face for him, if it is not done well, the king will be in trouble.

Just as he was sighing, he suddenly saw his wife returning home with their two daughters.

"Oh, what's the matter dear?"

"Francis, your two daughters were scratched by a monkey while they were playing." Madam sighed, "I just took them to the doctor."

"My God!" Francis was taken aback: "You can't scratch your face."

"It's fine—"

Seeing that the two daughters were just frightened, he was relieved.

After comforting them for a while, Madam asked them to take them back to rest.

After a while, someone suddenly reported that someone from the court asked to see him.

Francis was taken aback, and hurried out to greet him, only to see a middle-aged man with a face that was unshakable and unsmiling.

He was followed by an interpreter: "This is the admiral of Dongchang Yang."

As soon as Francis heard it, the word "intelligence chief" immediately appeared in his mind, and he panicked.

It is not known why the court minister wanted to see him.

Yang Le didn't talk nonsense, and said directly: "Your envoy wants to ask to see His Majesty, but it will definitely not work in the past few days."

"But there is still a chance."

Francis tactfully handed over a hundred-dollar silver note.

Yang Le's eyelids twitched, this is a small sum of money that I haven't seen in many years...

He was also unambiguous, and accepted it directly: "In a few days, Your Majesty will go to Chengde to appease those Mongols. This is your chance."

Francis understood and nodded hurriedly.

Yang Lesheng was afraid that he didn't understand, so he said emphatically: "I heard that the two ladies of your mansion are good at riding, why don't you go to Chengde and have some fun then, wouldn't it be beautiful?"

At this point, Yang Le couldn't continue talking, so he left with the interpreter.

When Francis heard the words, he still didn't understand the meaning. He blushed and sat down, sullen.

At this time, the madam came out, and after asking the reason, she sighed:
"This is the inseparable fate of us noble girls."

She suddenly said: "I heard that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty can directly marry a mistress, and the son born has the right to inherit?"

"That's right." Francis was shocked suddenly: "Although the chance is very slim, it is much better than a pure mistress."

"Rather than marrying those down-and-out nobles, it's better to become the legal mistress of the Ming Emperor, live in a luxurious palace, and enjoy an incomparably noble status."

Madam said calmly: "At that time, for the Silval family, having the Ming Kingdom as their backer will have an inestimable effect whether it is doing business or developing in Spain."

"Those businessmen, how dare they persecute you?"

"My dear, you are right." Francis shouted and jumped up: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Silval family."

"In the past few days, we must let our daughters learn to ride a horse."

Yang Le returned to the palace and met Tian Fu.

"Your Majesty is very satisfied with the two women." Tian Fu said softly, "Does Xi Yi understand?"

"He already knew, made a clear choice."

(End of this chapter)