Zhengde changed into casual clothes. As soon as the imperial carriage entered the capital, he left the main group and brought Liu Jin and the others back to the palace. He and Yang Ling strolled along the streets of the capital. The Imperial Bodyguards in brocade uniforms quietly surrounded them, protecting their movements.
Zhengde said, "Will the Japanese envoy arrive in the capital tomorrow?"
Yang Ling said, "Yes, my trusted aides are accompanying them to the capital. The Chamberlain of Ceremonies has already sent officials to welcome them. But Your Majesty will not see them so soon. According to the Ministry of Rites Official Wang, the tribute ceremony has strict etiquette. When to go to court, what clothes to wear, kneel and stand up, the position and route of standing, the procedure of offering tribute, all have to be worked out in detail. Then their envoy must be trained to ensure that there are no mistakes, so that there will not be any mistakes during Your Majesty's reception ceremony. "
Zhengde sighed, "The impatient met the slow doctor."
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be anxious. Setting up the navy, the trade department, the customs office, and organizing the merchant groups along the coast will ultimately be up to you to decide. There are still many things to be busy with. Now that the Japanese diplomatic mission has arrived, their mission has come to an end. As for when to receive them, and under what standards, let the Ministry of Rites worry about it.
Right now Your Majesty should be concerned about the candidates for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Appointments. These two yamen, one in charge of military officers, the other in charge of civil officials. They are the most important yamen in the imperial court. Civil and military officials are Your Majesty's left and right arms. They cannot be careless. "
Zhengde frowned, "In my opinion, who in the imperial court can succeed the position of Minister?"
Yang Ling did not dare to casually recommend. He said vaguely, "Tomorrow Your Majesty can summon the three Grand Scholars. They know the imperial court like the back of their hands. They will certainly be able to recommend suitable candidates."
"That's fine." Zhengde nodded. He immediately sniffed the air and said happily, "What is this smell? It smells so good. Let's go and take a look. "
There was a small stall at the corner of the road up ahead. The iron pot inside was red and oily, very tempting. It turned out to be a Beijing snack, sausage.
This thing had been popular since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. The pig intestines were filled with flour, Monascus water, cloves, cardamom, and more than ten other spices. After the intestines were cooked, they were sliced and fried in lard. Salted garlic juice was poured over them, making them crispy.
Zhengde had never seen this kind of thing before. Smelling the fragrance, he wanted to go over and have a taste. A dozen vigilant imperial bodyguards had already rushed over and occupied a few tables. The rest of the people were scattered around. Zhengde and Yang Ling sat in the middle alone. They ordered two plates of sausages, and Yang Ling chatted with him as they ate.
He had long figured out the little Emperor's temperament. He was full of energy and had the ambition to do great things. It was just that he was very playful. It was extremely difficult for him to seriously sit down and think about something. Chatting while playing was more efficient.
The old officials in the court all took it for granted that since he was the Emperor, he was like a natural-born saint. No one had ever treated the Emperor as a normal playful youth.
One reason why Yang Ling was able to succeed in front of Zhengde was that Zhengde had great trust in him. After several major events, he increasingly saw Yang Ling as the person he could rely on. Another reason was that Yang Ling knew how to use a youth's personality to find the right medicine.
Just like that, as he watched the peddlers and pedestrians come and go on the street while eating snacks, Yang Ling had already instilled into Zhengde the idea of setting up the navy and changing the generals regularly, dividing the navy into the four fleets of the North Sea, the East Sea, the South Sea, and the inland sea to check and balance each other, building three major shipyards in Jinling, Songhua River, and Quanzhou, as well as setting up the Department of Exportation and the Yamen of Customs, one making taxes, one inspecting taxes, one collecting taxes, and one paying taxes.
At this moment, in Leopard's room, Jieyu and Bashful stood on the high platform of the Tiger Pool and threw a rooster down. The four tigers lying lazily on the ground suddenly leaped up and let out a horrifying roar, pouncing on the rooster.
The poor rooster only managed to spread its wings and let out a mournful cry for a moment before it was snatched away by a tiger that had leaped into the air. The other tigers turned around unhappily and went back to basking in the sun.
Jieyu asked curiously, "Is this tiger the king of tigers? Why don't the other tigers compete with it? "
A young eunuch at the side replied with a grin, "Miss, you may not know this, but tigers are the kings of all beasts. They are extremely arrogant. Since the prey has fallen into the mouths of other tigers, even if they are starving, they will not spare a glance."
Although Jieyu and Bashful had been in Jianghu for many years, they had never raised huge beasts. At that time, the acrobatic troupe only raised a few horses and monkeys. They looked at the pool curiously. As expected, the tiger that snatched the rooster was chewing on the ground, and the other tigers did not even look at it.
Jieyu could not help but show a hint of mockery on her lips. She sneered and said, "It's just a beast, and it's talking about the majesty of a king! If it is so hungry that it can't even eat grass and bark, and it has to split its own flesh and blood with a sharp ax and cook it in a pot, will it still maintain its arrogance as the king of beasts? I'm afraid even a tiger will become a dog! "
The young eunuch did not know why this girl who always smiled sweetly would say such horrifying words. He was slightly stunned. When Bashful turned around, she used her shoulder to touch Jieyu without anyone noticing. Jieyu immediately stopped talking.
On the path in the forest ahead, a servant was walking over with a bucket of water. Bashful's eyes lit up when she saw it. She quickly called out, "Stop, I want to wash my hands. Hey, you guys wait here, you don't have to wait on me. "
She pulled Jieyu and the two hurried over. The two had just caught the rooster, and there was a strange smell on their hands. It was reasonable for them to want to wash their hands. A few young eunuchs were waiting by the tiger pool.
The two walked to the path and bent down to wash their hands. The servant looked around to make sure there was no one around and whispered, "I've spread the news. During the war at Chicken Cry Post, the Yang Family was swept away by the Tatars. There are not many elders left in the family, and the genealogy is lost.
According to the living members of the Yang Family, there are two distant relatives with the surname Tang in the Yang Family, but they have nothing to do with Yang Ling's branch. This Tang Yixian is very suspicious. Maybe it's a honey trap set up by Yang Ling to control the Emperor. The Third Divine Master said that the Emperor is very infatuated with this girl. Once she enters the palace, it will not be good for you. Yang Ling's position will be even more secure, and it will be harmful to the Cult. "
Bashful washed her hands with the water and asked calmly, "What is the Third Divine Master's idea?"
The servant glanced around and said in a low voice, "We can't get close to the Yang House, so we can't do anything. Since the Emperor favors her, think of a way to get the Emperor to bring her to the Leopard Room, and then use … as long as we can find out her identity, if it's as we expected, then someone in the Cult can encourage Guo Xun and his group to report to the court.
Finding an unidentified girl and pretending to be a relative to the Emperor is a sinister plot. No matter how powerful he is, this crime is at least deceiving the Emperor and bewitching the Emperor. He will be skinned alive even if he doesn't die. "
Seeing that the young eunuchs were walking over impatiently, he quickly picked up the bucket and said loudly, "I'm leaving." Then he picked up the bucket and did not leave. Jieyu and Bashful looked at each other and nonchalantly shook off the water on their hands and went back.
Ever since Zhengde left the Imperial Palace, he was really free and at ease. Fortunately, although he was playful, he knew that the affairs of the state could not be put aside. Every day, he still had the Director of Rites bring important memorials to the Leopard Room for review.
Seeing that it was getting late, Zhengde's playfulness was over. He remembered that there were memorials that had not been approved, so he got up and went back to the Leopard Room. Yang Ling escorted the Emperor all the way to the Leopard Room. He remembered that the Japanese diplomatic mission would enter the capital tomorrow and that Cheng Qiyun came with the Japanese diplomatic mission. Moreover, he was the one who made this happen, so he must go and welcome them. He also wanted to rest early, so he took his leave.
Yang Ling walked to the front porch of the Leopard Room. Before he even stepped out of the door, he bumped into a young eunuch. The young eunuch saw him and couldn't help but exclaim in delight, "Sir Yang!"
Yang Ling saw that he was unfamiliar and could not help asking, "Who is this eunuch?"
The young eunuch hurriedly saluted and said, "I am Xiaozi Ding from Princess Yongchun's Mansion. I have seen you several times in the Imperial Palace. On that day when Her Majesty 'kissed the silkworm', I was the one who helped the Princess get off the sedan outside the palace gate."
How could Yang Ling remember that it was a young eunuch who helped the Princess get off the sedan? He smiled and said, "Oh … I remember. Why did you come to the Leopard Room? Did Her Highness send you here?"
Hearing Yang Ling's question, eunuch Xiaozi Ding suddenly became angry. He was the personal servant of Yongchun. He had seen Yang Ling several times and had seen him talking and laughing with Her Highness. He was also the one who welcomed the Princess to Jizhou to play. Their relationship was naturally very good. What's more, Yongchun had originally told him to tell Mister Yang when he saw him.
Xiaozi Ding rolled up his sleeves and said angrily, "Mister Yang, the two Princesses went to Jizhou with His Majesty to play. Who knew that after they came back, Director Luo of the Ministry of Internal Affairs complained to Her Majesty, saying that the two Princesses went out of the Imperial Palace and should be severely punished. Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs reduced the Princess's monthly allowance and the servants in the Mansion were reduced by half. Even the candles for lighting at night could only be used. The Princess was so angry that she cried.
But Her Majesty sent a maid of the Imperial Palace to stop the Princess from moving and said that she would be grounded for ten days. The Princess sent me out to complain to His Majesty. By the way, the Princess said that you should be careful. Maybe the Princess will make trouble for you. "
Luo Xiang? Luo Xiang was selfish and timid. Would he take the initiative to ask to punish the Princess? Luo Xiang and Liu Jin were very close, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites …
Yang Ling suddenly understood and felt a little funny in his heart. This Liu Jin hated me because of jealousy. He even hated the royal family who was close to me. He was really short-sighted. In addition to offending the two Princesses, even the Empress Dowager would feel resentful. What was the use of this? To get close to the little Empress?
He shook his head disapprovingly. He guessed that if Zhengde heard this, he wouldn't go back to the Empress and make a big fuss over such a small matter. Zhengde himself was often scolded by the officials. Would he care about such a small matter as the Princess being grounded for ten days and having a month's salary cut?
As Yang Ling thought about it, he was about to wave his hand to let the little eunuch in when he suddenly had a thought. No, Liu Jin really didn't have great talent, but he shouldn't be unable to see the pros and cons of this. Moreover, he had a few useless advisors by his side. Why would he make such a bad move?
He was killing two birds with one stone! He was the one who brought the Princess out. Now that the Princess was being severely punished by the Empress, he couldn't do anything. What would other people think? Qiu Ju, Wei Bin, and Gao Feng weren't very popular in front of Zhengde, but the power they held more or less had a certain use. When they gathered together, they couldn't be underestimated.
He and Liu Jin were trying hard to pull these people to their side. If they treated the punishment of the Princess as a small matter and let it happen, what would these people think? Would they fall to Liu Jin's side?
What was more insidious was that if the Emperor's sister, a descendant of the Emperor, was punished became a fact, it meant that they had indeed violated the rules during this trip. If the Princess was punished, would he not be punished?
The original plan of being dissolute and neglecting the etiquette of the palace was based on the premise that the officials would only impeach him. It was a planned delegation of power within the scope of his control. If the Princess was convicted, then the initiative would not be in his hands. At that time, he might have to give up not only the tax power, but also the military power.
Yang Ling could not help but be enraged. Even Luo Xiang had the guts to plot against him. This was really a case of a kind person being bullied. If he did not give Luo Xiang a taste of his own medicine and beat him up, there would only be more troublemakers. Who would have the time to deal with their plots and schemes every day!
Didn't he know how to play tricks on people? It was not that he couldn't, but he really couldn't. Since Luo Xiang came to him to test his knife, then let him be the chicken to warn the monkey!
Yang Ling's plan was made up. He couldn't help but smile coldly. He waved his hand to call Little Chap Ding and gently said a few words. Little Chap Ding listened and nodded repeatedly. He temporarily hid in the gatehouse under the side corridor. Yang Ling turned and walked back.
He knew that the Emperor moved to the Leopard Room. Many yamen in the palace were far away. In order not to be alienated by the Emperor, Luo Xiang came to see the Emperor every day with the excuse of imperial food and the expenses of the Leopard Room, and asked about his well-being.
Eunuch Xi, the head of the Imperial Kitchen next to the Emperor, was a trusted follower of Miao Kui. He was familiar with the relationship between him and Miao Kui. He also moved to the Leopard Room with the Emperor and was responsible for the Emperor's meals. Yang Ling went straight to the Imperial Kitchen to see Eunuch Xi. He had a secret plan with him and then rushed to the Emperor's residence.
At this time, Luo Xiang had arrived. When he saw Yang Ling, he felt a little guilty. Although he had a big backer like Liu Jin, he was clear about Yang Ling's means and status in front of the Emperor. If Yang Ling knew that he was thinking of using him, he would still be afraid.
Yang Ling looked at him with a smile and said indifferently, "Eunuch Luo, long time no see."
Zhengde was eating snacks while reading the memorials. When he saw Yang Ling coming back, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why is Minister Yang back again?"
Yang Ling smiled and bowed, "Your Majesty, the Japanese envoy will enter the capital tomorrow. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of the selection of the envoy, but I heard that the Japanese are barbaric. The envoy entering the capital will bring samurai and ronin. In the past, when Ashikaga Yoshimitsu sent envoys to the court several times, there were ronin who got drunk and caused trouble. We didn't know whether to lock them up or let them go. It was very troublesome. I was thinking if I should arrange a few palace guards with good skills to go in to welcome the envoy. Once someone causes trouble, they can be taken down immediately to prevent the situation from escalating. "
Zhengde praised, "I praise you for thinking so carefully. Let's do it this way. You can choose the people around me."
"Yes." Yang Ling agreed and retreated to the side. He watched as Luo Xiang inquired about the Emperor's well-being and asked if the food was delicious and what the Ministry of Internal Affairs needed to do. He suddenly casually interrupted, "Now that Eunuch Luo mentioned food, this official remembered that there is a kind of sausage that is very delicious. It's crispy and delicious. Eunuch Luo can have people prepare it for Your Majesty from time to time."
When Zhengde heard this, he remembered and quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes. Let's do it this way. Zhen might want to eat it at any time."
Luo Xiang knew of this famous snack, but he didn't expect that the Emperor would also like it. He quickly and respectfully agreed. Because Yang Ling was in the room, he had a guilty conscience and felt somewhat uncomfortable. He smiled apologetically for a while and got up to leave.
Luo Xiang first went to the Imperial Kitchen and carefully explained the things that the Emperor had ordered him to do. He relied on the Emperor's favor to get the position he had today, so he naturally wouldn't be careless in serving the Emperor.
That Eunuch Xi was fat and very slippery. It was common for the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to extort the Emperor. Usually, Luo Xiang also often took advantage of them. At this moment, when he heard that the Emperor wanted to eat sausage, under his conscious guidance, Luo Xiang unconsciously fell into his trap. Finally, after listening to the money that he roughly calculated, Luo Xiang was very happy. He patted Eunuch Xi's shoulder and said, "Old Xi, not bad, not bad. Tomorrow, I will send the money over. It's settled."
Little Chap Ding of Princess Yongchun's fu was hiding in the gatehouse. When he saw Luo Xiang leave, he immediately came out and ran to the Emperor's palace.
Children liked to exaggerate when they spoke. In addition, Yang Ling, a guy who could use his eloquence to incite people to take out their coffins and buy insurance, taught them. The tragic situation of the two princesses was really sad and tearful.
Zhengde originally smiled and didn't care. Anyway, his two sisters usually had nowhere to go in the palace, so they could be imprisoned for a few days. But when he heard that the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs ran to the two royal sisters' mansions and 'arrogantly and domineeringly' took away half of the maids and maids who served them on the spot, deducted their monthly allowance, and caused his two sisters to cry bitterly, his face gradually changed.
Finally, he heard that it was now late, but the number of candles in the royal sisters' palace was limited. The sisters sat in the large palace, and there were only two or three candles burning in the dark. It was even inconvenient for them to eat. Suddenly, he was touched and his nose couldn't help but turn sour.
Yang Ling held his hands in his sleeves and sighed at the side. "Alas, not for the monk's sake, but for the Buddha's sake. The Empress wants to implement the official rules, but she is only putting on an act to prevent the imperial concubines and princesses from imitating her. The amount of reduction can be discussed. How much to reduce and how to reduce, as a servant, don't I understand? The Ministry of Internal Affairs is like a fox borrowing the tiger's might. This is also a way to embarrass the Emperor. Who told this princess to be proclaimed by the Emperor, but not approved by the Empress and the Ministry of Internal Affairs? "
Hearing this, Zhengde's heart was filled with anger. He slammed the table and scolded, "Luo Xiang, this bastard. He acts like a dog in front of me, but I didn't expect him to be so arrogant behind my back. He even dares to bully my royal sister like this. Has my palace treasury become so poor? He made my royal sister suffer so much! To think that I trusted him so … so much! "
Before Zhengde's scolding stopped, Chief Steward Xi of the Imperial Kitchen ran in through the door with a big belly and a face full of smiles. He rubbed his fat and oily hands and said, "Your Majesty, Chief Steward Luo has ordered that Your Majesty likes to eat sausages, but I don't know when Your Majesty wants to eat them. If you want to eat them today, I will immediately send this servant to the restaurant in front of Leopard's room to buy a few. Although those things are only ten copper coins each, they can't be kept. If Your Majesty wants to eat the sausages that our Imperial Kitchen makes, you will have to wait a little longer. It will take about half a month. "
"Huh? Half a month? Eunuch Xi, will it take so long to buy sausages and seasoning? You dare to delay the Emperor's work? "Yang Ling deliberately asked.
"How would this servant dare? Sir Yang might not know, but Chief Steward Luo has ordered to build a new Imperial Kitchen that specializes in making sausages. There will be two chief stewards and a group of cooks and odd-job workers. It will take at least half a month. Chief Steward Luo said that he will first allocate thirty thousand taels of silver to prepare …"
Zhengde didn't know about daily necessities and didn't have any concept of prices in his heart. But this Eunuch Xi had just said that one sausage was only ten copper coins. This animal had actually allocated tens of thousands of taels of silver to build a house and hire more people. It was just a few sausages, was there a need to build a kitchen and assign a group of cooks? This was blatant corruption!
Zhengde couldn't help but feel angry when he heard this. He grabbed the paperweight on the table and fiercely smashed it. A piece of fine jade shattered with a bang. Emperor Zhengde pointed at him and roared, "Good, that Luo Xiang, he really dares to offend us ah! Issue an imperial decree! Issue an imperial decree! Immediately remove Luo Xiang from his position as Chief Steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and thoroughly investigate all the accounts. This … this bastard, zhen will make him the Sausage Ambassador. In the future, zhen will specially go to Qianmen Restaurant to buy sausages for zhen! "
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