Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

In this season when the north wind is as fierce as a knife, the reception room in the main hall of Enma Temple presents a completely different warm scene.

As soon as you step into the reception room, you can see the charcoal brazier placed in the middle.

The blazing charcoal fire burned wildly in the basin, making the whole space warm.

The jumping flames were like a group of cheerful elves, dancing non-stop.

It emits an orange-red light, illuminating everything around it.

The entire reception room is enveloped in a warm and bright atmosphere.

Lin Yuan, the Shaoqing of Yuanma Temple and a senior official of the fourth rank, was dressed in an exquisitely tailored official robe.

The robe was embroidered with exquisite patterns symbolizing his rank, and he had a black jade belt tied around his waist, highlighting his status.

At this moment, he was sitting opposite Yan Wang Zhu Di.

The majestic Zhu Di looked calm and composed, and his every move showed the majesty and style of the royal family.

On the table in front of the two people, there was a set of exquisite tea sets.

Hot steam rises from the cup, bringing with it the aroma of tea.

They each held a cup of hot tea in their hands. The outer walls of the cups were slightly moistened by the hot steam and felt quite warm to the touch.

Lin Yuan lowered his head slightly, his eyes seemed somewhat deep under the cover of the heat.

He seemed to be thinking about how to talk to King Yan about the important matters of this meeting.

Zhu Di, who was sitting not far away, looked calm and gently turned the teacup in his hand.

His eyes occasionally swept over Lin Yuan. It seemed that he was rather casual, but he seemed to be observing the other person's every move quietly.

"Master Lin, almost an hour has passed.

When will your third-rank minister show up to meet me?"

In this warm reception room, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle due to the disparity in the two people's identities and the many hidden considerations.

Especially when Zhu Di said the five words "third-rank official", his tone was deliberately emphasized, and his pronunciation was clear and full of weight.

It seems that these five simple words carry a tremendous force.

At this moment, Zhu Di's intimidating voice was like a heavy hammer, hitting Lin Yuan's heart directly.

Lin Yuan's heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if an invisible hand had suddenly grabbed his heart tightly.

Then Lin Yuan's breathing suddenly became rapid, and his originally calm face changed color slightly.

A barely perceptible nervousness crept into his eyes.

He knew very well that it was no coincidence that Prince Yan emphasized this position, and there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

The various possibilities contained therein, whether it is the impact on one's own career or the involvement of a more complicated court situation.

All of this made Lin Yuan dare not slack off at all, and countless speculations and worries surged in his heart.

“Your Highness, I have already sent people to the horse farm to look for him. I believe we will have news soon.

The tea you are drinking now is called 'Phoenix Dancong', a winter tea treasure that is as famous as Dahongpao and Jinjunmei.

Our Lord Lin usually uses this tea to entertain distinguished guests. Today, I am honored to have benefited from you. Otherwise, I would not be able to drink such good tea!"

As the King of Yan, the knowledgeable Zhu Di has a deep understanding and insights into many things in the world.

The art of tea was naturally within his scope of understanding.

He knew the difference between "Dongpian" and "Dongcha". At first glance, the two names differed by only one letter.

However, in terms of value, there is a world of difference between the two.

After all, for the majority of tea farmers, this is the last harvest of the year.

Regardless of the quality of the tea or where it was picked, it can all be called winter tea. In other words, as long as the tea is picked after the Frost Descent solar term, tea merchants can promote and sell it as winter tea.

This results in a relatively large amount of winter tea on the market, and the quality is also uneven.

However, in comparison, the growing environment of "winter pieces" is extremely extreme, and they usually grow in the cold and dry winter.

Under such harsh climatic conditions, the growth of tea is full of uncertainty and completely unpredictable.

On the one hand, low temperatures may inhibit the growth of tea trees at any time and stagnate the development of tea leaves.

On the other hand, drought may cause tea trees to lack water, affecting the freshness and taste of the tea.

In addition, in this difficult growing environment, tea trees are more susceptible to various diseases.

This requires tea farmers to spend more time and effort to take care of the tea trees and always pay attention to whether the tea trees have any disease problems.

Once discovered, appropriate preventive measures must be taken promptly.

Otherwise, the tea leaves in the entire tea garden may be damaged, which in turn affects the final harvest.

As a result, the output of "winter slices" is naturally extremely scarce.

Those of superior quality are even rarer, and their value is far higher than that of ordinary winter tea.

Even according to the income level of Ming Dynasty officials after the reform, at least one had to be an official of the first rank or above to be able to afford such a luxurious tea delicacy.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di immediately understood the origin of these "winter pieces".

"There is no such good tea in my palace. Your Lord Lin is really enjoying it!
Oh, right!

The name of the Grand Master of Enma Temple is Lin Zhengyuan. Your Excellency also has the same surname, Lin, and a single given name, Yuan.

Do you have any close ties with the Jiangnan Lin family in private, or in terms of blood relationship?"

Lin Yuan looked up and saw a faint smile on Zhu Di's face.

The smile seemed gentle, but in Lin Yuan's eyes, it seemed to hide endless meanings that were hard to fathom.

This smile was like the seemingly warm but still freezing sunlight in winter, which made Lin Yuan feel a chill in his heart.

In this depressing atmosphere, Lin Yuan tried hard to suppress the instinctive urge to shiver and tried to maintain his superficial calm.

I saw him slowly stretch out his hand and pick up the teacup on the table.

There was still a trace of warmth on the outer wall of the teacup, and the "Phoenix Dancong" tea leaves in the cup were soaked in the clear tea soup.

Wisps of hot steam rose up, carrying with them the familiar scent of tea.

Lin Yuan took a sip and the tea slowly flowed down his throat.

In the past, this "Phoenix Dan Cong" had a sweet taste, as if the clear mountain spring was jumping on the tip of the tongue.

The fragrance is delicate and long-lasting, and seems to linger in the heart for a long time. The unique charm always makes people intoxicated.

However, when the tea entered Lin Yuan's mouth, it no longer had the wonderful taste it once had.

He just felt it was so tasteless, like plain water, unable to arouse the slightest pleasure in his taste buds.

At this moment, Lin Yuan's mind had already been occupied by Zhu Di's words and that meaningful smile.

Now his mind is full of worries and speculations about the unknown situation. How can he savor the beauty of this tea?
"Your Highness, Prince of Yan, I have always been conscientious in my duties and have never done anything beyond the rules.

The last time we purchased horse farm fodder, we did not choose a fodder supplier that was farther away but had a cheaper price.

This is entirely because the supplier we have been cooperating with, although the price is slightly higher, the quality of the fodder is guaranteed.

Besides, they have been cooperating with Yuanma Temple for many years and everyone trusts each other.

As for the quality problems that occurred with the fodder later, I indeed did not expect that.

But I will never have any private transactions with the Jiangnan Lin family's fodder supplier as the rumors say!" (End of this chapter)