My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 803 Xia Yuanji is seriously ill

"Open the pot!"

In the imperial dining room, following Zhu Zhanhe's instructions, a fat cook immediately opened the lid of the big pot.

A stream of white water vapor steamed out, turning the entire kitchen into a misty white steam, like a fairyland.

Zhu Zhanhe took a step forward and looked into the cauldron.

I saw that this huge pot was half a person deep, enough for several adults to take a bath in it. In fact, this pot was specially used for cooking by the eunuchs and maids in the palace. It was enough to cook for dozens of people at a time.

I saw a cage on top of the pot, with glass bottles placed on it. Half of the bottles contained various dishes, and the other half contained various fruits.

Then Zhu Zhanhe asked someone to take out some boiled corks from a pot of boiling water nearby, then plugged the mouths of the bottles tightly one by one, and finally sealed the mouths with wax.

At this time, the bottle finally cooled down. Zhu Zhanhe reached out and grabbed a bottle. There were more than a dozen pieces of braised pork sealed in the bottle, soaked in amber gravy, and looked very tempting.

"Yes, yes, send all these to Zhan Shifu!"

After Zhu Zhanhe looked at the bottle in his hand, he nodded happily.

This is a can that he personally trial-produced. It uses high-temperature sterilization, but this is only the first step. The next step is to store them at room temperature to see how long they can be stored?

If such cans can really be stored for several months, then Zhu Zhanhe can produce them on a large scale. By then, these cans will also become military supplies, not only for the navy, but also for the army.

"Your Highness, Ambassador Liu Zhen wishes to see you!"

At this moment, a chamberlain rushed over to report.

The so-called governor of Liu Town refers to Liu Ke. He is currently the governor of Jinyiwei Town, which is the same as his official position in the Ming Dynasty. However, Zhu Zhanhe did not skimp on the title, so now Liu Ke has also been made an earl. If there is a chance in the future With merit, you might even be granted a title.

Upon hearing Liu Ke's request to see him, Zhu Zhanhe immediately returned to Zhan Shifu, because Liu Ke, as the envoy of Jinyiwei Town, must have very important information to report when he came to see him.

Sure enough, when Zhu Zhanhe saw Liu Ke in Zhan Shifu, he also stepped forward to report with a serious face: "Your Highness, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs of the Ming Dynasty, is seriously ill and will probably die soon!"

"what!"

Zhu Zhanhe was shocked when he heard this and stood up from his chair. There were not many old ministers left by Zhu Di, and now even Xia Yuanji was leaving, which made him a little unacceptable for a while.

At the same time, in the Imperial City of Beijing in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Zhanji pointed at a group of imperial doctors below and became furious.

"Trash! You are all a bunch of trash. Xia Shangshu just had a minor illness. How could it become so serious? What do you do for food?"

Facing the furious Zhu Zhanji, the imperial doctors below all remained silent and did not dare to make any rebuttal. However, the young imperial doctors behind them looked aggrieved but did not dare to show it. They could only He lowered his head as much as possible, wishing he could bury it in his chest.

In fact, these imperial doctors were really aggrieved. It turned out that Xia Yuanji had a cold a month ago, and he was much better after taking medicine. However, it happened to be the first month of the year, and Zhu Zhanji rewarded Xia Yuanji with gold coins, pommel horses and other gifts.

Xia Yuanji, who had just recovered from his illness, had to go to the palace to express his gratitude. Maybe he had caught wind on the road, but his condition worsened as soon as he returned home from the palace. Now he has a high fever and has fallen into a coma. Given Xia Yuanji's age, I'm afraid I can't survive this time.

Zhu Zhanji got angry at the imperial doctors, and finally tired of scolding him, he asked the imperial doctors again: "How is Xia Shangshu's condition now? Do you have any other treatment methods?"

"This……"

Doctors, you look at me and I look at you. In the end, the leading doctor bravely answered.

"Your Majesty, Xia Shangshu is in his sixties, and his condition is so severe that it cannot be cured by manpower. I'm afraid..."

The imperial doctor did not dare to say any more at the end. Zhu Zhanji felt sad after hearing this. He sat down on the chair and did not recover for a long time.

For Zhu Zhanji, Xia Yuanji is like a needle that Zhu Di left to him. As long as Xia Yuanji is there, there will be no big troubles in the court. Therefore, even if Xia Yuanji is old, he has invited him several times before. Neither Zhu Zhanji nor Zhu Zhanji agreed.

But now Xia Yuanji's end is approaching, and even if Zhu Zhanji is the emperor, it is impossible to save the other party's life.

"Come here, show off!"

Zhu Zhanji was silent for a long time, and finally suddenly gave instructions that he would leave the palace and visit Xia Yuanji in person, which could be regarded as a last farewell to this loyal veteran.

Following Zhu Zhanji's order, the palace's chariots immediately began to prepare. After a while, Zhu Zhanji drove out of the imperial city and soon arrived at Xia Yuanji's mansion.

Upon hearing the news of Zhu Zhanji's arrival, Xia Yuanji's second son Xia Xuan immediately came out to greet him.

"How is Xia Shangshu doing now?"

Zhu Zhanji asked immediately when he saw Xia Xuan.

Xia Yuanji originally had an eldest son, but he died early, so Xia Xuan became the eldest son of the Xia family. He currently serves as Shang Bao Sicheng and is a close minister of the emperor.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My father is awake now, but he is not in good spirits yet." Xia Xuan replied immediately.

When he heard that Xia Yuanji was awake, Zhu Zhanji also looked happy and immediately ordered: "Take me to see him!"

Xia Xuan immediately agreed, and then personally led the way, leading Zhu Zhanji to the inner residence of Xia Mansion.

However, when he came to the yard where Xia Yuanji lived, Zhu Zhanji was stunned for a moment. He saw that the yard occupied a large area, but some fields had been cultivated in the yard, which was full of green wheat seedlings. Even now Spring has not yet begun, but the wheat seedlings are still growing vigorously.

"What's going on with these wheat seedlings?"

Zhu Zhanji saw that Xia Yuanji did not plant flowers and plants in his yard, but planted these wheat seedlings, and asked Xia Xuan in confusion.

"Your Majesty, these wheats were sown by my father. In fact, a few years ago, my father wanted to resign and return to his hometown, but he was never able to do so, so he cultivated some fields at home and personally Farming to relieve the pain of homesickness.”

Xia Xuan hesitated and finally answered truthfully.

"It's all my fault. Xia Shangshu asked to resign several times, but I really couldn't bear to let him leave!"

Zhu Zhanji also sighed deeply at this time, with a bit of self-blame on his face, then shook his head, and then followed Xia Xuan into the yard.

After passing through the wheat fields on both sides, Zhu Zhanji finally entered Xia Yuanji's bedroom. It was not so much a bedroom as a larger study room. The bookshelves in the outer hall were filled with various books, except for a desk. , there is almost no room for anything else.

Passing through the outer hall and entering the bedroom inside, I saw an old man with gray hair lying on the bed. It was Xia Yuanji.

But now Xia Yuanji's cheeks are deeply sunken, and he looks almost thin. If you are not familiar with him, you may not be able to believe that he is the Minister of the Ministry of Finance who is known for his good financial management.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

Xia Yuanji was half lying on the bed and still awake. When he saw Zhu Zhanji, he was also very surprised. He struggled to stand up and salute.

Zhu Zhanji took a few steps forward, pressed Xia Yuanji on the bed and said, "Xia Shangshu, you are seriously ill. Just lie down and rest. There is no need to salute!"

"Yes... Your Majesty is worried!"

In fact, Xia Yuanji didn't have the strength to get up at all, so he had to lie back on the bed and forced a smile.

"Xia Shangshu is too polite. You have worked hard for the country and you have become seriously ill. I am also very worried. But don't think about anything else now. You just need to rest and recuperate. When the illness is cured, I will still wait for your help, Xia Shangshu." I’m in charge of the accounts!”

Zhu Zhanji finally said calmly.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to lie to me. In fact, I know my illness myself, cough cough cough cough~"

When Xia Yuanji said this, he suddenly coughed violently, and even coughed so hard that he couldn't breathe. The frightened Xia Xuan next to him hurriedly stepped forward, patted his father on the back, and asked someone to bring him warm water.

After Xia Yuanji finally stopped coughing and drank a few mouthfuls of warm water, he felt much better.

"Xia Shangshu, please don't think too much. Living well and recovering from illness is the most important thing!"

Seeing Xia Yuanji become so ill, Zhu Zhanji couldn't bear it, so he persuaded him again.

Xia Yuanji just smiled weakly at Zhu Zhanji's words. Even if his family didn't tell him his true condition, since Zhu Zhanji came to visit him in person, Xia Yuanji knew what it meant.

However, at Xia Yuanji's age, he had already taken life and death lightly, so he acted very calmly at this time.

"Your Majesty, I have been serving the court for five dynasties, starting from Emperor Taizu. Later, I was appreciated by Emperor Taizong, and then I entered the Ministry of Household Affairs and served as Minister. It has been twenty-seven years."

When Xia Yuanji said the last words, a look of emotion appeared on his face.

When Zhu Di first came to the throne, he was promoted to be the Minister of Hubu. He has been the Minister of Hubu for 27 years now, and he is probably the longest-serving Minister of Hubu in history.

"Xia Shangshu, you are good at managing money. Emperor Taizong's several northern expeditions, his voyages to the West, the construction of Beijing, etc. are all thanks to you for raising money. Emperor Taizong's achievements should be attributed to Xia Shangshu!"

Zhu Zhanji also said with a sad expression at this time.

Xia Yuanji suddenly showed a hesitant expression at this time, and finally said: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, people are about to die, and their words are also good. I have one last thing to say, I hope you will not blame me!"

"Xia Shangshu, if you have anything to say, just say it. No matter what you say, I will pardon you!"

Zhu Zhanji said in a low voice.

Xia Yuanji coughed a few more times, and then asked Xia Xuan and others next to him to step back. Then he took a deep breath and said, "I know that the big man has always been a serious problem in His Majesty's heart, and I have been trying to guard against him all these years. There is almost no official contact between the two countries, but I would like to remind Your Majesty that the situation in the Han Dynasty has become such that we can only form good relations, not hostility!"

(End of this chapter)