Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 142 Beijing is hot
On the south bank of the Yangtze River, Dantu Port is the most direct and important port to the south of the Yangtze River after exiting the canal.

Officials from Nanjing and nearby prefectures and counties all came here to welcome him.

The daylight in mid-June is the highest in the year, so no one should neglect it.

There is also an advantage in meeting them here: since they are coming from the south of the canal on their way to Nanjing on business, they will never stop anywhere else.

Yes, at least not conventionally.

So if the imperial envoy really can't come here, that has another meaning.

The ship finally appeared on the Yangtze River and slowly approached Dantu Port.

The officials and gentry who came to greet them all breathed a sigh of relief: the imperial envoy was still landing here, so there was at least room for maneuver.

On the Yangtze River, there was a senior official on each of the three ships that were basically moving side by side.

They were not on the same boat, so they should have taken precautions "just in case".

If a huge wave suddenly arises, will two of the Nine Ministers of the Ming Dynasty and the second-in-command of the Censorate all "die for the country" in one breath?
Xiao Daheng stood on the boat in the middle and looked at the south bank.

If the emperor really wanted to break the unspoken rule that "only Hanlin scholars can enter the cabinet", then Xiao Daheng could not just establish "special merits" in the capital.

If the emperor had no intention of breaking this iron rule, then considering Xiao Daheng's current age of seventy, being the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing would be his best last stop.

The Dali Temple Minister Zheng Jizhi also came south just for the speed of the "Three Law Courts" in trying cases.

This case will definitely lead to the fall of at least one or two ministers from the six ministries in Nanjing. Why would Zheng Jizhi not want to come?

And Li Tingji... Xiao Daheng looked at the boat on the right.

How many letters has he received?

The boat gradually approached the shore and Xiao Daheng slowly walked down the gangplank.

There were four people who came to greet him with the same rank as him: Nanjing Minister of Rites Ye Xianggao, Nanjing Minister of Revenue Zhang Yi, Nanjing Minister of War Hao Jie, and Nanjing Minister of Punishment Zhao Canlu.

Greet each one.

Then, Xiao Daheng only said: "I am here by the order of the emperor to go to Jiangnan to investigate the case of Japanese pirates robbing and destroying grain. I will go to receive the prisoners and evidence first."

Afterwards, the imperial envoy's team went straight to the Baiganying military camp west of Zhenjiang City, leaving the officials and gentry in Nanjing City who had come to greet them from afar looking at each other in bewilderment.

Gu Xiancheng left the canal mouth just after the imperial envoy's fleet.

The civilian ship he hired did not have to go to Dantu Port, but instead sailed downstream to Jiangyin on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Changzhou Prefecture.

Looking to the southwest, Gu Xiancheng had a faint smile on his face.

Compared with those hypocritical guys in Nanjing, Gu Xiancheng admired Li Sancai, a "gentleman" who was "fake on the outside but honest and sincere".

Treating guests with green vegetables is the essential duty of an official; presenting guests with delicacies is a sign of sincerity.

Let’s see what kind of storm the imperial envoy will stir up in Jiangnan.

It was already quite hot in Beijing on June 14th.

In the Hanhanchun Room at the rear of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the eunuch brought a basin of ice cubes and poured it into the ice jar.

"...That's not bad." Zhu Changluo said while looking at the blueprint, "Let's rebuild it like this. Remember, the core of this Kuai Tan Xuan is only the storytelling platform..."

Guo Lanzhi sat beside him, watching with strange feelings as the emperor gave advice to his brother Guo Zhenming.

The emperor's future brother-in-law nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, then I will adapt to the local conditions so that the guests can hear the storyteller's voice whether they are in the private rooms upstairs or downstairs?"

"Right! That's the truth!" Zhu Changluo nodded repeatedly, "You can boldly keep some poor girls! The customers in the private room will definitely know that you are the owner. What they say in your shop is what they want me to hear! Just treat them well and let them be willing to tell you."

Guo Lanzhi lowered her head. His Majesty...seems to understand something.

Guo Zhenming naturally could not verbally comment on what his brother-in-law, the emperor, knew so well, so he just nodded: "I understand."

"Go ahead!" Zhu Changluo patted his shoulder. "I will also tell Yongnian Bo and the others about this matter. You just need to focus on one thing."

A restaurant that specially provides a stage for storytellers appears. Zhu Changluo does not hide the fact that he wants to collect information through this kind of occasion and insert people from the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This was not the first time Guo Zhenming had met the emperor. Now he was able to receive "face-to-face instructions" and after thanking the emperor, he went out to do his work.

Only the emperor and the future queen were left in the Hanchun Room.

"Have you come up with a new answer?" Zhu Changluo handed over the melon.

Guo Lanzhi held the slice of melon, just like that.

"Although the emperor and empress should always be careful about not being too close to each other, please don't test me too much." Zhu Changluo looked at her with a somewhat dissatisfied tone, "Don't be helpless against the bright moon flowing eastward!"

"…Your Majesty, I dare not bear this sin! I am pure and innocent…"

If the emperor's heart is toward the bright moon, but the empress is clearly flowing eastward, this is indeed a sharp accusation.

"You don't even eat the melon!" Zhu Changluo said angrily, "I don't see that you have buck teeth, so it's inconvenient to talk about it."

No matter how sensitive the girl was, no matter how cautious she was because of her mother's early death and her brother's remarriage, she was actually just a seventeen-year-old girl now.

Guo Lanzhi silently lowered her head and took a bite of the melon.

After taking a sip, it was indeed very sweet. The emperor did not overstep his bounds, but asked, "Have you come up with a new answer?"

Still not giving in, Guo Lanzhi pursed her lips and chewed slowly.

What should I say? All the above are wrong.

But I always ask!

So she swallowed the sweet juice in her mouth and buried her head deeper: "Your Majesty... likes... your concubine..."

"what?"

Guo Lanzhi had already made full mental preparations, but when she heard the emperor's questioning, she couldn't help but look at him with annoyance.

"Ah?" Zhu Changluo looked at her and insisted on asking.

So Guo Lanzhi looked away, lowered her head and said nothing.

God have mercy on me! How many young ladies can really have a romantic relationship before their wedding, with their parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words?
Now the Emperor, under the pretext that the Empress had to be in the palace to familiarize herself with the wedding ceremonies, often asked her to come along when he summoned her home and to say a few words.

Guo Lanzhi has been teased to the point of being dizzy!
Zhu Changluo also felt this unusual refreshing feeling. The emperor's dignity was the shackles of the times. Whenever he could find some opportunities to talk to her about his inner thoughts, the girl who seemed pure, cold and solemn on the surface still showed that she couldn't bear it.

In later times, could this be called “chasing”?
But now he just uses "Huh?"

Guo Lanzhi had no choice but to answer: "Your Majesty... likes it..."

It seems that the last two words cannot be uttered a second time.

"I just like you!"

Zhu Changluo could play the ball straight away without any psychological pressure, which made Guo Lanzhi feel even happier than when she had just eaten the melon.

But his head was buried lower and his neck became redder.

"After returning home, you have to think more about why I like you so much."

The emperor touched her shoulder with his shoulder and said, "We must have an answer on our wedding night!"

Guo Lanzhi was a little afraid to imagine her wedding night, but now she recalled the feeling when the emperor put the jade ruyi in her hand.

After the future empress left the Yangxin Palace and returned to the Yuanhui Palace, waiting to officially return home today, Zhu Changluo looked at the memorial on the trial and handling of the "grain price gouging" case submitted by the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple via the Cabinet.

A stroke of the red pen determines the fate of many people.

"Let Zhang Wen of Shuntian Prefecture sell the stolen grain store property." Zhu Changluo ordered calmly, "The rest of the people involved will be given another seven days. If they don't repent, they will be sentenced!"

This is a secret reply to Sun Wei, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture.

There was no other way, he could only muster up the courage to present the contents of what should have been an official document to the emperor in the form of a memorial.

After receiving the reply, Sun Wei walked back and forth several times.

"Come on!" He finally decided, "Go to these houses one by one..."

The emperor replied to the secret report by mentioning a specific time of seven days. Naturally, he knew that many people had found him and allowed him to tell those people.

How to repent is their business!
Shuntian Prefecture at least gave them seven days to "repent".

Kong Shangxian also received such "information", and now he has only one choice.

Qin Yongning was investigated. Since Qin Yongning found Shuntian Prefecture and Sun Wei sent someone to inform Kong Shangxian, the person who should repent is Kong Shangxian, not Qin Yongning.

[Your servant, Kong Shangxian…]

When he wrote this, he blushed, felt very embarrassed, and was a little angry...

I still say the same thing! The price of grain in the capital has not risen above two taels, why is Your Majesty so persistent?

But Nanjing doesn't dare to do anything treasonous, so what can Beijing do?

Kong Shangxian knew it very well, and it was fortunate that he had obtained the emperor's grace to be able to stay in the capital.

Otherwise, what if he was still in Qufu in just seven days and didn't have time to react?
But looking at the words on his pen, Kong Shangxian hesitated: Secretly reporting can certainly help to ask for favors, but... won't this also be a crime in the future?
In the capital, only a few people have to deal with the aftermath of this "food price gouging" case.

The formal process of appointing new scholars to official posts also started. The first step was to select the Shujishi that everyone was paying attention to.

In the past, there was no need to worry too much if you were in the top three of the first class or in the top two of the second class.

Even if there was a special examination for selecting Shujishi, it was not much different from the metropolitan examination and the palace examination.

But this time, the emperor specifically intervened in the selection of Shujishi.

Anyway, it neither determines one's status nor one's ranking as a Jinshi, it only determines what position one will be given later.

The selection of Shujishi was not a court examination, and the chief examiner was only the emperor himself.

So Wang Heng could ask his father.

"...Father, His Majesty has asked me a question. How should I respond?"

(End of this chapter)