Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 150: Honglu Temple Minister (asking for monthly ticket)

Qianqing Palace.

As soon as Zhu Jianshen entered, he saw Tan Chang standing there holding an imperial edict.

When Zhu Jianshen walked over, Tan Chang immediately and respectfully presented the edict drafted by the Hanlin Academy to the emperor.

Zhu Jianshen took it and quickly walked to the imperial desk and sat down. When he opened it, he saw that it was an imperial decree to confer the title of Minister of the Honglu Temple on Zhang Luan, the father of the Crown Princess.

To Zhu Jianshen, this relative was basically a stranger and he would not have any contact with him in the future. So he just glanced at it briefly and closed the book again.

Zhu Jianshen asked casually: "Honglu Temple Minister? Why not Taichang Temple Minister?"

Tan Chang hesitated for a moment, then explained respectfully: "It was decided by the Ministry of Rites... If Your Majesty feels that the Minister of the Ministry of Rites is more suitable, then let them change it."

"no need."

Zhu Jianshen waved his hand, looking nonchalant.

The biggest difference between the Minister of the Honglu Temple and the Minister of the Taichang Temple does not lie in the scope of their authority, because no matter what job Zhang Luan was assigned, he was just a salaried official and there was no real vacancy for him.

However, the Minister of the Honglu Temple was of the fourth rank, while the Minister of the Taichang Temple was of the third rank.

Zhang Luan could have been given a third-rank official position, but the crown prince was not favored by the emperor. The officials in the Ministry of Rites were used to changing their positions according to the situation, and fearing that this would displease the emperor, they did not give Zhang Luan a high rank.

Anyway, according to the rules, either of the two options is reasonable and legal, and people in the world cannot find any fault with it. I believe that it is acceptable to me as well - who doesn't like a free official position?

Zhu Jianshen hesitated for a moment and asked, "I wonder where this person came from?"

It was only at this time that the emperor wanted to know a little more about what kind of family his daughter-in-law came from. In fact, this was something he should have been concerned about before, but he was too "busy" and had no time for it at all.

Tan Chang replied respectfully: "He is a student from Hejian Prefecture, and was recommended to the Imperial Academy as a tribute student. Therefore, his family happened to be in the capital and encountered this imperial concubine selection. His cousin Zhang Qi was once the governor of Liaodong, so he can be considered a family of officials!"

"Zhang Laifeng? I have some impression of him... His cousin is actually my relative... Interesting, interesting... Hehe..."

Zhu Jianshen laughed and joked.

Qin Chang was stunned when he heard this. He never thought that the emperor still remembered Zhang Qi, who had retired eighteen years ago. And from the tone of his voice, Zhu Jianshen didn't seem to dislike this student named Zhang Luan.

Seeing that Qin Chang was stunned, Zhu Jianshen urged him, "Go on, what ability does this person have to become a tribute student?"

Qin Chang immediately calmed down and continued to report: "When this person was in Hejian Prefecture, he promoted the method of planting medicine to prevent epidemics in the local area. The target of prevention and control was the smallpox epidemic that was prevalent every year and spread widely and caused great harm. It was said that it was very effective and was highly praised by the world. He was then promoted by the government as a tribute to the township.

"Recently, the prefectures of northern Zhili have widely promoted the vaccination method to prevent smallpox. Since last winter, the capital has also started to plant medicines for epidemic prevention, and the results are remarkable."

Of course, Qin Chang would not just say a few words to the emperor casually, he had his own ideas.

As the internal minister and a direct competitor in the power field, he didn't want Li Zisheng, the charlatan, to have an easy life.

When he vaguely learned that Zhang Luan had dealings with Li Zisheng, he thought of what to say to the emperor today and kept testing Zhu Jianshen's bottom line.

Zhu Jianshen fell into the trap. He turned his head to look at Tan Chang and asked in surprise, "How can this man be a doctor from a medical background? How good is his medical skills?"

When Qin Chang saw the emperor frowning slightly, he felt that his master was probably tempted, because the emperor was almost desperate to try any possible means to cure Concubine Wan's illness.

Qin Chang said cautiously, "Your Majesty previously instructed me to look for famous doctors among the people. From what I have found, in addition to the famous Zhang Jiansheng, there is another famous doctor from Huizhou named Wang Ji, who is also currently staying in the capital. They are both involved in the Imperial Hospital's action of planting medicines for the people around the capital to prevent epidemics."

"Really?" Zhu Jianshen's face looked a little unhappy, and he questioned, "Why didn't you tell me before? Are you trying to deceive me?"

Qin Chang said helplessly: "From the first day of the new year to now, in fact, only a few days have passed. I have been doing my best to investigate, but there are too few people around me, so the efficiency of collecting information is a bit low. As soon as I got the news, I immediately reported it to Your Majesty... Please make the decision, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianshen stood up, closed his eyes, and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. He did not comment on the matter for a while.

After waiting for a long time, Qin Chang saw that the emperor had not expressed his opinion, so he took the initiative to ask: "Do you want to... invite someone to the palace to treat the queen?"

Zhu Jianshen suddenly opened his eyes, and returned to the imperial desk. After sitting down, he took the imperial decree appointing Zhang Luan as the Minister of Honglu Temple, read it carefully, and then put it aside. He raised his head and glanced at Tan Chang: "What did the people in the Imperial Hospital diagnose these two days?"

"Return to Your Majesty."

Qin Chang did not dare to hide anything and answered honestly, "The people from the Imperial Hospital said that the Empress's condition is indeed getting better day by day. All her vital signs are getting better, and there is no sign of her condition getting worse."

"Since the condition has improved, is it still necessary to let people from the market come to the palace to treat Shi Wan? Is it necessary?" At this point, Zhu Jianshen seemed to be worried about folk doctors like Zhang Luan and Wang Ji.

Qin Chang immediately thought that this was probably because Zhang Luan was now the reserve heir apparent of the Eastern Palace, and had some conflicts of interest with Concubine Wan, so he might have had bad intentions when treating the patient.

The emperor was worried about calling the person to the palace at this time, but he also felt it was unreasonable and difficult to save face.

What would the prince think if his future father-in-law was called to the palace to treat his stepmother?
What would the ministers in the court think?
Even if Zhang Luan tried his best to save the situation and didn't play dirty, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Therefore, it is better to have less trouble than more, and it is better for everyone to be well!

Qin Chang, however, deliberately tried to seduce Li Zisheng, as if he had misinterpreted the emperor's meaning: "Your Majesty is wiser than anyone else. There is really no need for this. After all, Minister Li said..."

"Li Qing said it was his business, but what I do is my business. Do you dare to say that God wants my beloved concubine's life and won't give me any room for compromise?"

Zhu Jianshen shouted angrily.

Tan Chang suddenly understood.

When the emperor made the prophecy in Li Zi Province, he did not show any displeasure on the spot, and even showed an attitude of trust.

Thinking about it now, the emperor was still very angry at the time, but he just kept it to himself.

You, Li Zisheng, are clearly using the so-called secret of heaven to scare me, and even have the intention of threatening me.

I am the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. I am the supreme ruler and I hold the mandate of heaven in my hands. My words should be the golden rule. You always use the secrets of heaven to make excuses. What is your intention?
Even if the secret is true, you rashly say it out loud. Does that mean you don't take me seriously?
"Promulgate the decree."

Zhu Jianshen casually threw the imperial edict to Qin Chang and said in a cold voice, "Recently, send people to pay attention to public opinion and don't let people casually criticize royal affairs. In addition, the wedding of the East Palace should be handled as soon as possible. Let Wan'an and Liu Ji handle it well. You keep a close eye on it and don't make any mistakes."

"Yes."

Qin Chang naturally understood the twists and turns involved.

The wedding of the Crown Prince, matters concerning the three books and six ceremonies should be handled by the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and the Minister of Rites to demonstrate the importance the court attaches to this matter.

Even if the emperor wants to speed up the wedding of the Eastern Palace, the proper etiquette must still be followed.

However, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory should have been more "sensible" in choosing an auspicious date and not delay it unnecessarily, so as to ensure that the wedding in the Crown Prince's Palace would help improve and promote Concubine Wan's recovery.

(End of this chapter)