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Chapter 1131: Talking about the pomp
This year's winter came a little early. Snowflakes began to float in the sky as soon as October began. Although the temperature was relatively high and the snowflakes melted as soon as they hit the ground, the wet and cool feeling made people even more uncomfortable.

The Forbidden City was also covered in heavy snow. The three main halls, which had suffered from fire and years of disrepair, were now covered in the white snow, as if they had gained new life. In particular, the surrounding white marble pedestals merged with the snow, making the halls seem to be suspended in the clouds, as if they had arrived in heaven.

"When I was a child, I followed the late emperor to court and liked to hide behind it and watch the civil and military officials file in. There was no noise in the huge front hall with hundreds of officials. The only sound I could hear was the crunching sound of boots stepping on the snow. It was very strange."

But there was a group of people who didn't know how to appreciate it. They walked up to the Danbi with mortal steps, and their footprints ruined the mood at that moment. And that lazy and not very pleasant voice brought the reverie back to the human world.

"Your Majesty summoned us to the palace, not just to admire the snow scenery and reminisce about the past, right?" In addition to the shadow-like Wang Chengen and the honey badger, there were also two women following the emperor.

The one who spoke was relatively old, and wore a red robe that reached his ankles. The fabric looked like Sichuan brocade, but it actually had a secret. When standing in the sun, it would occasionally flash with a few balls of light, which were clusters of flowers embroidered with gold and silver threads.

In addition, the purple-black plush that turned out from the collar and cuffs also showed its connotation. Snowflakes would not melt when they fell on it, but would slide off immediately with a slight shake. It was clearly a mink fur from the Far North.

The production of this kind of fur is very small, and the color is difficult to match, so it is not easy to get a fur coat. In comparison, the Shu brocade with gold and silver thread embroidered patterns has become a cheap product.

According to the consistent style of the noble ladies of the Ming Dynasty, the more precious the fur coat, the more the fur should be hidden inside and not exposed as much as possible. In this way, they can enjoy the warmth of the fur coat without appearing extravagant.

But her dress was obviously not in line with conventions, and it was meant to show off, so the owner was inevitably vulgar. But it was a bit abrupt for a vulgar person to be summoned to the palace alone to meet the emperor, and not be respectful enough, and even impatient.

"You have to come too. I can't leave unless I say so. Gulandam, estimate for me how much it will cost to repair the three palaces."

The emperor was neither angry nor ignored the old woman's attitude, and he retorted without grace. Seeing that the other party could only stare blankly, he grinned and turned to ask another woman.

"Repair them?"

The woman called Gulandam was much younger, and looked less than 30 years old. She was dressed normally, and although she was wearing fur, it was very in line with the culture of restraint. However, she was not very good at etiquette. Even if she heard something unexpected in front of the emperor, she should not be so surprised.

"Shouldn't it be repaired?" The emperor was really unhappy. He raised his eyebrows and frost immediately appeared on his fat face.

"It should be repaired, of course it should be repaired, but the treasury won't pay for it, so we have to borrow money from the bank, right?" Seeing that Gulandam was a little timid, the older woman immediately took over the conversation, still in a disrespectful tone.

"If you can't control your emotions, then don't talk too much, lest you annoy me. I will banish you to the North Sea to live with the mink fox. She has been learning from you for nearly ten years. If you can't even solve such a small matter, I will not consider handing over the Sun Moon Bank. Gulandam, the renovation of the three major halls is a major event that the court has discussed for a long time. It concerns the face of the empire. In the future, more and more foreign monarchs and envoys will come to visit, and it is inevitable that some ceremony will be required. Although the Yangxin Palace is good, it is located in a remote corner and the venue is small. It is not suitable for larger occasions. Do you understand?"

The older woman was Oyani, the first Prime Minister of the Sun and Moon Bank. She was the only one who could contradict the emperor in the palace without being punished. In addition, this Spanish noblewoman was also a close friend of the queen and concubines. She could enter and leave the harem as freely as returning to her own home.

The emperor was not after her exotic beauty, as even the most beautiful woman would lose her luster as she aged. He treated her this way out of trust, and also as a reward for the couple's hard work over the years and their contributions to the empire's economic development.

In addition, the bad temper of women of this age is not entirely due to their upbringing and personality. The ancients may not have known about menopause, but the emperor knew it well and did not care about it.

The young woman's name was Gulandam, and she was not from the Central Plains, but from the Western Regions. Her grandfather Abash had assisted the emperor when he led his army to the west. After the Yarkand Kingdom surrendered, he served as the lord of Yutian and Hami, and was considered the first Yarkand noble to submit to the Ming Empire.

Gulandam followed the emperor to the capital at the age of 15 and studied at the Royal Academy. After graduation, he went to the Sun Moon Bank for an internship. Because of his special talent for numbers and meticulous mind, he was noticed by Oyani, who brought him up by her side and trained him for more than seven years. Now he is the director of the Audit Department of the Sun Moon Bank.

The nature of her work is a bit like that of the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. She is specifically responsible for account auditing and personnel supervision. She is called the female admiral within the bank. She is known for her beauty, vicious heart, scheming, and meticulous planning.

According to Oyani's plan, when she was too old and weak to lead the Sun Moon Bank, she would let Gulandam take over the position of Prime Minister. The emperor had no objection to this candidate. After all, he was from the Sea House, was proficient in banking, and was a tough guy. He met all the requirements.

In addition to the above advantages, she has another very important highlight that is very consistent with current needs: her background.

As a Yarkand noble, he was the first to change his beliefs and openly joined Taoism; he was the first to marry a Han Chinese classmate and currently serves as a confidential staff officer of the Army General Staff; he was also the first to become a high-ranking official in the empire, which greatly promoted and served as a role model for the ethnic integration policy that the emperor had always advocated and vigorously promoted.

But this time, being summoned to the palace to meet the emperor had nothing to do with taking over the position of Prime Minister of Sun Moon Bank. Although Oyani was over fifty years old, she was still energetic. As long as she was not sick or had no disasters, she could continue to play her remaining role in the position.

Hong Tao had asked them to discuss the renovation of the three main halls of the Forbidden City. He had been on the throne for more than 30 years, and he had always been working in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He had never spent a penny on royal buildings, and he had indeed set an example in frugality.

However, as the empire grew in size, national power grew, and the number of vassal states and overseas territories increased, the small Hall of Mental Cultivation was no longer sufficient. Although the kings and tribe leaders who came to pay homage never expressed dissatisfaction in this regard, it made many court officials feel ashamed.

Dozens of local elites, dressed in gorgeous clothes and traveling thousands of miles to Beijing to meet the emperor, were crowded in the cramped Hall of Mental Cultivation. Not to mention the proper etiquette, sometimes there were not even enough seats, and the air was turbid, which was very damaging to the image of the empire.

(End of this chapter)