Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1664 The matter of marriage!

After returning to the imperial study, Ye Mingsheng sat on a chair and drank tea while Ye Cheng introduced the afternoon schedule to Ye Mingsheng.

"Your Majesty, you have two main things to do this afternoon. The first is that Minister Cui and Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Revenue will report to you on the court's finances. The time is set at 15:00!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng put down the teacup in his hand and said:
"Is Cui Shao feeling better?"

"According to your majesty's instructions, Doctor Zhang from the medical school goes to check Minister Cui's pulse every day. According to Doctor Zhang, Minister Cui's condition is mainly due to his old age, and he has caught a cold, so he is a little unwell due to overwork. If he wants to recover from his illness, he needs to rest and not overwork himself!"

Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything after hearing this, but just fell into deep thought. Cui Shao has always been diligent in his work and seldom takes leave to rest. Even during the critical period when the Fengwu Army was fighting for supremacy in the world, Cui Shao insisted on working even though he had some minor illness.

But in recent months, Cui Shao has taken a few days of sick leave every month. Combined with the current situation in the court, Ye Mingsheng was a little confused for a while. Is this old fox Cui Shao really sick, or does he want to give up at this time and make fun of himself, or does he want to retreat and make himself understand that the court cannot do without him?
While Ye Mingsheng was thinking, Ye Cheng hesitated and said:
"Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Zhang's words were very cautious, but I think what he meant was that Minister Cui is indeed ill, but his illness may not be that serious..."

Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything after hearing this, but continued to ask:
"What else is on the agenda?"

"Also, we will meet with Minister Liu of the Ministry of Justice and Governor Zhang of Hebei and Henan to listen to the report on the pilot program to abolish torture!"

"These two things are the main things for this afternoon. In addition, there are some memorials, but these are not important!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly when he heard this. At this moment, Zhang Yufeng walked into the room and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"Your Majesty, lunch is ready. When do you think it will be served?"

Regarding Zhang Yufeng's arrival, Ye Mingsheng nodded and said:
"Then send it in!"

"Yes!"

When Zhang Yufeng went to have the Dragon Boat Festival meal, Ye Mingsheng instructed Ye Cheng:
"I know everything. When Cui Shao comes, don't forget to prepare a chair for him!"

"Yes!"

After saying this, Ye Cheng knew that Ye Mingsheng was going to have lunch, so he bowed and retreated. Coincidentally, at this time, Zhang Yufeng also walked into the imperial study with two palace maids carrying lunch boxes. Facing the departure of his immediate superior Ye Cheng, Zhang Yufeng did not make any expression.

As if Zhang Yufeng had not seen Ye Cheng, he immediately asked two palace maids to serve Ye Mingsheng the dishes and introduced him to him:

"Your Majesty! According to your instructions, we have cooked the shrimps today in two flavors: boiled and braised. In addition, we have prepared hawthorn and white fungus soup, Liaoyang rice noodles, and a dish of cabbage and black fungus! I have prepared rice porridge for you."

Looking at the food in front of him, Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Good! You're thoughtful!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng say this, Zhang Yufeng was very happy in his heart, but on the surface he still said very humbly:

"Your Majesty! This is what I should do!"

Just as Ye Mingsheng said, except for the two dishes ordered by Ye Mingsheng himself, the blanched prawns and the braised prawns, the remaining three dishes were all carefully prepared!

Although Ye Mingsheng is not a foodie who cannot eat anything but meat and fish, he is still quite picky about food. He will not eat any food that does not suit his taste. For example, although Ye Mingsheng eats pork, he will not eat any stir-fried or stewed dish with pork!
And depending on the season and weather changes, Ye Mingsheng's taste will also change!

It's the hottest time of the year now, and the weather is hot. Ye Mingsheng has always been afraid of heat, so he has a poor appetite at this time of year. So Zhang Yufeng prepared hawthorn and white fungus soup for Ye Mingsheng to stimulate his appetite.

Not only that, because it is the hottest time of the day at noon, in addition to the hawthorn and white fungus soup, Zhang Yufeng also prepared a cold dish, Liaoyang large rice noodles!

Many Liaoyang large rice noodles on the market are mixed with sauce. Many Liaoyang people like to eat sauce. Scallions, cucumbers and tofu are dipped in sauce. This is also a traditional food in Liaoyang.

But maybe because Ye Mingsheng went to Luoan when he was a teenager, his taste is not that of the traditional Liaoyang people.

Ye Mingsheng doesn't like to eat soybean paste, so this Liaoyang large rice noodle is not made with sauce, but with sugar and vinegar, pepper oil, sesame pepper oil, etc. Ye Mingsheng likes this non-traditional method, especially when the weather is hot in summer, Ye Mingsheng likes to eat this dish!

As for the last dish, stir-fried black fungus with cabbage, it is also a dish that Ye Mingsheng likes very much. Although Ye Mingsheng is not so particular about the ingredients for this dish, he prefers not to put meat in the cooking method. Zhang Yufeng clearly remembers that there was a cook in the imperial kitchen who thought that adding meat would make the dish more fragrant, so he added meat. As a result, Ye Mingsheng took a bite and found out that meat was added, so he didn't eat a single bite...
Although this rice seems to be no different from ordinary porridge, it is actually very particular. Ye Mingsheng likes to eat porridge in summer. The rice is Liaoyang Huanxi brand rice that is harvested once a year, and the water is spring water transported from Baitou Mountain in Liaoyang. All this trouble is just to let Ye Mingsheng taste the flavor of his hometown.

In addition to making this rice, the water that Ye Mingsheng uses to make tea is also spring water transported from Mount Paektu. For this purpose, An Miaoyi specially formed a transportation team of 50 people. People travel back and forth between Yijing and Mount Paektu every day to ensure that Ye Mingsheng has a stable supply of water.

Just when Zhang Yufeng was feeling complacent about Ye Mingsheng's praise, what he didn't notice was that a cold gleam flashed in Ye Cheng's eyes as he walked out of the door!
Ever since Qi Dechao left, Ye Cheng became Ye Mingsheng's chief attendant officer. His position has basically been as stable as a rock. Even later, when Ye Mingsheng's power grew and he established the Attendant Department, Ye Cheng did not encounter any challenges!
However, as Zhang Yufeng was promoted to the first-class attendant officer, Ye Cheng could clearly feel that Ye Mingsheng trusted Zhang Yufeng more and more. Many important things that Ye Mingsheng had previously entrusted to him, but now Ye Mingsheng would hand them over to Zhang Yufeng...

Ye Cheng is not a fool, he can see that Ye Mingsheng intends to train Zhang Yufeng! However, Ye Cheng didn't mind this situation very much before, and didn't think Zhang Yufeng could threaten him!
This was first of all because of Zhang Yufeng. He had always been very humble in front of Ye Cheng and did not dare to overstep the mark in anything!

Second, in order to better control power, Ye Mingsheng has always had the habit of sending people around him out!

Qi Dechao, before, was sent out by Ye Mingsheng after working with Ye Mingsheng for several years. Now he is on his own in Guanzhong and has become a frontier official of the Daqian Dynasty. It is very likely that he will enter the central government in the future!
Ye Cheng had the opportunity to be sent out before, but he didn't want to leave Yijing, didn't want to leave the power center like the Guards' Department!
Otherwise, Ye Cheng might be like Qi Dechao now, a powerful official in charge of a frontier province!
So Ye Cheng thought that Ye Mingsheng was training Zhang Yufeng now, intending to send Zhang Yufeng out, so Ye Cheng would not regard Zhang Yufeng as a threat!
But to this day, Ye Mingsheng still has no intention of sending him out, and as Zhang Yufeng has gained more and more attention from Ye Mingsheng, his attitude towards him is no longer as respectful as before!

And most importantly, although Ye Mingsheng has not made a formal appointment, some people in the Guardian Department are already speculating when Zhang Yufeng will be officially appointed as the deputy director of the Guardian Department!

Based on Ye Cheng's understanding of Ye Mingsheng, once Zhang Yufeng is appointed as the deputy director of the Guards Department, it is very likely that Zhang Yufeng will be established as his successor!
Once the successor is ready, how long can I stay in office as the director?

Ye Cheng didn't want to leave the Guards' Department. If he wanted to leave, he would have had the opportunity to be sent out a few years ago. So now he feels like a thorn in his side about Zhang Yufeng's rise!

After being in the G field for so many years, Ye Cheng has some experience and insights of his own. He feels that the G position does not equal power!

Just like Yuan Song has now been conferred the title of Duke, he can be said to be the highest position among high-ranking officials, but in terms of actual power, Yuan Song has almost no power. Without the order of the General Staff, he cannot mobilize a single soldier in the barracks, and at most he can only mobilize dozens of personal guards around him!
It is no exaggeration to say that Yuan Song, a famous general who made great contributions to Daqian, has been sidelined by His Majesty in the current Daqian court. Unless there is a life-and-death crisis in the future, Yuan Song will basically have no chance of making a comeback!
Therefore, in Ye Cheng's opinion, the power of the G member depends on his relationship with His Majesty!
You have a good relationship with His Majesty and His Majesty trusts you. Even if you are a small official, your actual power will be great.

But on the contrary, if you have a bad relationship with His Majesty, or even His Majesty has become suspicious of you, then even if you are a Big G, your actual power will be very small, and you will be timid and full of worries when doing things!
Although Ye Cheng was very confident in his abilities, he felt that he would not do worse than Qi Dechao if he was sent out to work. Qi Dechao was able to stand on his own and become a provincial governor, so could Ye Cheng.

However, Ye Cheng felt that Qi Dechao's work in the local area was too hard, especially if he wanted to be promoted quickly, he needed to go to remote places such as Yongliang, Liaoyang, Yunqian, etc. Ye Cheng really did not want to suffer in this way.

Staying in the Attendant Department now is a relatively satisfactory result for Ye Cheng. However, the rise of Zhang Yufeng makes him feel that his position as the director of the Attendant Department has been somewhat shaken. If he still wants to stay here, then he should do something...

Ye Mingsheng didn't know about the twists and turns in Ye Cheng's mind. For him, it would be best to take a break after dinner, which would also be beneficial for his afternoon work.

Just when Ye Mingsheng was about to lie down in the side room for a while, he heard a noisy sound outside the yard.

Ye Mingsheng didn't know what happened, but he thought the noise outside would end soon. However, he didn't expect that the noise lasted for half a cup of tea. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng was a little angry and shouted:
"What happened outside?"

After hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, a palace maid entered the room and reported:

"Your Majesty, Princess Xingtong wants to see you for something, but Zhang Yufeng said that you are resting, so he asked Princess Xingtong to tell him about it and he will tell your Majesty, or he can come back later to report to your Majesty!"

"Princess Xingtong refused and tried to force her way into the imperial study!"

Ye Mingsheng shook his head and said:
"Since Xingtong insists on telling me, let her in!"

"Yes!"

Under Ye Mingsheng's order, as soon as Ye Xingtong entered the room, he said to Ye Mingsheng in a wronged tone:

"Father, please make the decision for your daughter..."

Glancing at his daughter with tears in her eyes, Ye Mingsheng thought Xing Tong was angry at Zhang Yufeng's obstruction, and immediately comforted her:
"Zhang Yufeng is also following orders. I told him not to disturb me when I'm resting unless it's important. Xingtong, don't be angry with him!"

Ye Xingtong pouted and said:

"Father, I'm not angry with him. I just don't want to go to the Golden Horde!"

"Father, I don't want to go to the Golden Horde, I don't want to marry a Golden Horde person, I want to stay by your side, please don't abandon me!"

As she spoke, Ye Xingtong threw herself into Ye Mingsheng's arms and burst into tears.

Ye Mingsheng was also stunned when he saw this, and hesitated for a while before speaking:
"Xingtong, who told you that I want to marry you to the Golden Horde?"

"Father! I know everything!"

"Did your mother tell you this?"

"No, it was my second brother who told me that Father, you want to marry me to the Golden Horde, and that you want me to be the concubine of the sixty-year-old Golden Horde Khan!"

Ye Mingsheng was also a little amused. In the letter Gao Shen sent him, it was indeed said that Habib intended to let his son Askar marry his daughter. The two sides would make peace and become friends forever and never fight again!
But Gao Shen thought that this was just a stopgap measure for Habib to alienate Daqian and Luo Bi. Once Habib swallowed Luo Bi, he would return to his old ways!
Therefore, Ye Mingsheng did not take the marriage seriously. After taking a look, Ye Mingsheng put the matter behind him. He never thought that Jing Cheng actually knew about this matter and used it to scare Xing Tong!
Seeing Xing Tong's tearful face, Ye Mingsheng found it a little funny, but he also felt that Jing Cheng was a little too much for gossiping...