Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 161: Trying to Understand the Master's Intentions (asking for monthly tickets)

In the southern suburbs of the capital, inside the Temple of Heaven and Earth.

After Zhu Jianshen stepped onto the altar, he kept observing the sky and looked back in the direction of Zhengyang Gate in the north from time to time. It was obvious that his attention was not on this grand sacrifice at all, but on the progress of the illness of his beloved concubine in the palace.

"Your Majesty, someone from the palace just came to tell you that the queen's illness is not serious."

Qin Chang also received news from the palace at all times so that he could report to the emperor in a timely manner.

Zhu Jianshen felt a little relieved.

But he still seemed unable to let it go, and looked from afar at the civil and military officials waiting under the altar... He had not attended court recently. Given Zhu Jianshen's laziness, it was considered good for him to attend court a few times a year. He had not seen many ministers for a long time, and they seemed a little strange at this moment.

"Call Wan'an." Zhu Jianshen ordered.

"Yes."

Qin Chang hurried over to pass on the message.

Not long after, Wan'an appeared in front of Zhu Jianshen with a strange, almost jumping gait, and then knelt on the ground with a great salute, chanting "Long live the emperor!"

Zhu Jianshen obviously didn't want to argue with Wan'an. He raised his hand and said, "Get up. I have something to ask you."

Wan An stood up and continued to express his profound insights: "Your Majesty's knowledge is comparable to the sun and the moon. How can I be qualified to provide you with insights? I only hope that I will have the opportunity to listen to your teachings from time to time in the future. It will be of great benefit to me throughout my life..."

"Okay, okay, stop flattering me..."

Zhu Jianshen said impatiently, "Let me ask you, do you think it will be foggy today?"

"Uh?"

Even though Wan'an thought he could guess people's minds and even divine the emperor's intentions, he did not expect that the emperor would ask such an unpopular question.

This time was different from the time when Li Zisheng predicted earthquakes in Ningxia and Mount Tai. Last time everyone in the court and the country knew about it, but this time even the Prime Minister Wan'an was completely unaware of it.

The matter was kept extremely confidential.

Wan'an couldn't help but look up at the sky. The sun was rising and the sky was full of colorful clouds. There was nothing special about it. His mind was racing for a moment.

Your Majesty asked me whether there would be fog in this fine weather. If there was fog, it must be related to some important event. Looking at the sunshine that is shining brightly, it doesn't look like there will be fog at all. However, Your Majesty is so concerned, so you must be expecting fog. If so, I will speak along these lines to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

"Return to Your Majesty."

Wan An straightened his back, which was rare, and said solemnly, "In terms of seasonal celestial phenomena, this weather is a sign of the rise of the central qi, which is a sign of the deficiency of heaven. All things are replenished when the heaven is deficient, and qi is formed when the heaven is deficient. From what I have seen, a thick fog may arise soon."

"You...what did you say?"

Although Zhu Jianshen knew that Wan'an was a man of some talent, he did not expect that this old man could come up with such words.

Wan An's words also frightened Qin Chang, who was standing beside him, and he quickly reminded him: "Lord Wan, do you know what you are saying?"

This is really heartbreaking!

Your Majesty has been worried about fog, but the weather is so good, even the sun is out, and even if the sky cannot be said to be clear blue, it is at least a deep blue. How dare you make up stories here and say that all this is a sign of heavy fog?

Aren’t you, Lord Wan, known for having the ability to guess the intentions of your superiors?

How can you be so ignorant?

When Wan'an saw the emperor and Qin Chang's intense reactions, his face was filled with surprise.

I couldn't help but feel more and more puzzled. Did I use the wrong strength?

Or is it that you are trying too hard and it has the opposite effect?

He immediately changed his words: "We cannot make assumptions about celestial phenomena. I think this matter is still worth discussing."

After Wan An finished expressing his "profound" insights, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Heart way.

It is said that we can attack when we advance and defend when we retreat. After saying this, won’t I be invincible?

If he was not worldly-wise, how could he have remained in the position of Prime Minister for ten years without being shaken?

After hearing this, Zhu Jianshen became furious and said, "Go away."

Wan'an seemed to not understand his situation yet. He knelt down again and said "Long live the king", then retreated in disgrace.

Qin Chang, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but mock the scene in his heart.

With your brain, Lord Wan, you certainly can't imagine what the emperor is expecting today. You think you have said everything, both positive and negative, but you don't know that you mentioned the fog first, and the emperor has already put you on the list of people he hates.

You dare to speak carelessly without knowing anything, and offend the emperor. You deserve to be in trouble today. "Your Majesty..."

Qin Chang wanted to say something to comfort them, but he didn't know how to say it. He knew that it was wrong to say there was fog now, and it was also wrong to say there was no fog. The key was to see what God's will was.

Zhu Jianshen waved his hand, looked up at the Crown Prince Zhu Youtang who was standing respectfully not far away, and sighed: "You should also leave first, and let me be quiet for a while. Don't come and disturb me if there is nothing to do."

"Yes."

After Qin Chang bowed, he took his leave and left.

……

……

The grand sacrifice was delayed in starting, and the ministers were whispering to each other and discussing the matter.

Wan'an was summoned by the emperor, which made the ministers feel that they had the opportunity to be close to the emperor and always be able to glimpse into the emperor's mind. So when they saw Wan'an returning, six or seven of them went to greet him as soon as possible.

Among them were the Second Assistant Liu Ji and the Minister of Rites Zhou Hongmo.

"Lord Wan, what happened? His Majesty summoned you, is it about the affairs of the people in the northwest border?" It was the Minister of Personnel Li Yu who asked first.

Among the few people who came over, except for the "two Lis", Minister of Personnel Li Yu and Minister of Revenue Li Min, who stood together, the rest formed their own small circles and seemed to intentionally keep a distance from the two.

By the end of the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, the factions in the court had basically taken shape. Although Wan'an was the prime minister, he was used to being a hands-off boss and would rather talk than take action. The ministers under him did have some expectations of him, at least such a boss would not steal the credit.

Unfortunately……

Wan'an never considers getting anything for his subordinates.

Looking around, Wan An smiled and said, "You guys are just worrying about other people's business. His Majesty summoned me, why are you so concerned?"

There was even some pride in his words.

Look, the emperor is summoning me instead of anyone else. Has anyone among you had the opportunity to speak to the emperor recently?
When saying this, Wan'an unconsciously looked towards Li Zisheng, who was standing behind the crowd and did not move closer but was the focus of attention at the scene, because he knew very well that in terms of status in the emperor's mind, all these people combined might not be as good as Li Zisheng.

Also, the emperor had asked him about the heavy fog before, and perhaps only Li Zisheng could clarify the doubts for him.

At this time, he was still wondering what I had said wrong before.

Liu Ji said anxiously, "Is there anything we can't say openly? It's already this late, the Imperial Observatory has already said that the auspicious time is almost over, but His Majesty won't announce the start. If we don't finish early and return to the city, what should we do about the affairs in the government office?"

Wan An looked at him in surprise: "It's a holiday for the New Year, and Youzhi are still thinking about work? It seems that you are very dedicated to your work."

Liu Ji looked embarrassed.

Most people present were not thinking about how to handle public affairs after the event, but about going back to complete their social interactions and seeking some breakthroughs in political relations during the year-end holiday.

Wan An saw everyone looking at him expectantly, so he said, "Your Majesty asked if the weather looked foggy..."

"Ok?"

Liu Ji was startled, looked up at the red sun hanging high in the eastern sky, and then asked, "How can there be fog in such a clear sky?"

Wan An said, "This weather sign is clearly a sign of fog. Can't you see it?"

Liu Ji smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Xunji, please stop laughing. How can this golden light, which is so brilliant as to molten gold, look like fog? Your Majesty asked if there was fog, or did you mean something else?"

Wan An was displeased when he heard this and said, "If you have any doubts, go and see His Majesty on your own. Why are you saying this in front of me? I think it will be foggy that day. This is my answer to His Majesty... If you have any opinions, go and say it yourself!"

Having said that, Wan An threw back his sleeves and returned to his position.

The ministers present looked at each other in bewilderment.

What's wrong with Lord Wan today?

Also, what's wrong with Your Majesty?
Why did the emperor ask this question out of nowhere?

The key point is that Lord Wan’s answer is also very confusing.

Zhou Hongmo looked at Liu Ji and asked, "Lord Liu, we, the ministers from the east and west, are waiting here in the biting winter wind to wait for the fog to come? If there is no fog, will today's grand sacrifice be postponed?"

Liu Ji shook his head and smiled bitterly, spreading his hands, "Where can I find the answer to this?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Li Zisheng who was standing in the crowd.

Li Zisheng, however, stood there solemnly as if nothing had happened, with his hands hanging naturally and his eyes lowered, presenting an upright, neither humble nor arrogant posture.

Today, no matter who came to greet him, he didn't say a word, as if he was determined to wait for the final result.

(End of this chapter)