Jiao Fang smiled apologetically. "Yes, but... Wang Yan and Liu Fang, the two daren, have just returned with the door shut in their faces. This old man is afraid that I will also have to return in low spirits. Sir Yang is a capable official in front of His Majesty. There is a matter that this old man would like to ask Sir to help put forward."
A thought flashed through Yang Ling's mind, and he suddenly said, "Sir, have you also come for the matter of Xinyang? To tell you the truth, this lowly one has just tried to persuade His Majesty... "Yang Ling told him the whole story, sighing lightly." His Majesty is still young, and does not understand the affairs of the common people. There are some matters that I may not be able to explain clearly to His Majesty. This lowly one has no other choice. "
Jiao Fang was not like Wang Yan, Yang Fang, and the others who cared about the virtues of a scholar. Although he was over seventy years old and had white hair, his desire for fame and fortune had not lessened in the slightest. At present, Yang Ling was an extremely popular figure in Zhengde, and he had long wanted to make friends with him. Thus, although his official position was higher than Yang Ling's, his attitude toward Yang Ling was extremely humble.
Hearing Yang Ling's words, Jiao Fang furrowed his white brows and thought for a while. Carefully, he said, "His Majesty has lived in the palace since he was young, so it is reasonable that he does not know the suffering of the common people. To tell you the truth, Sir Yang, this old man is from Henan's Biyang. My hometown was also affected by the disaster. The entire territory of Henan is now filled with people crying piteously for food, and the victims are not limited to just one place. Friends and relatives from Biyang, Xinyang, and other places have come to the capital to ask for help. No matter what, this old man has to say a word to the Emperor. Since direct advice cannot be given, this old man would like to tactfully ask for help. However, this matter still requires Sir Yang to extend a helping hand. I hope that Sir Yang will be able to help. "
"Oh? If it can be of help to the common people, Yang Ling will naturally agree. I wonder what wise opinion does Old Sir have? "Yang Ling hurriedly said.
Hearing him agree, Jiao Fang busily came closer and whispered something to him. Yang Ling was astonished to hear it. He looked at him and said in his heart, "Although the Emperor is young and inexperienced, he is still a fifteen, sixteen year old youth. Although he is very stubborn, will he appreciate this kind of child's play?"
However, since this old man said so, there was no harm in giving him a helping hand. If he really succeeded, it would be a great merit. Yang Ling nodded and said, "That's easy. This lowly official will go now. Daren, prepare everything and wait for His Majesty to summon you tomorrow."
※ ※ ※
After the morning court, Emperor Zhengde went to Zhonghe Hall. As soon as he entered the hall, he yawned and complained to Yang Ling, who was waiting there, "You wake up so early every day. I'm so sleepy. The most hateful thing is that dragon chair. If you ask me, the person who made the dragon chair must have a grudge against the Emperor. That chair is too hard and uncomfortable to sit on. The back of the chair is too deep and the waist can't borrow strength. The armrests on both sides are too far away. I can't even hold on to it. It's really tiring to sit on it. "
Yang Ling wanted to laugh. He remembered that there was a carpenter emperor in Ming Destiny. But he didn't remember it was him. Listening to him speak so logically, could it be that the descendants of the Zhu family all have a talent for carpentry?
Seeing that the Emperor was talking about these things, Gu Daeyong quickly sent the palace maids and eunuchs out. Although Liu Jin was now a favorite of Emperor Zhengde, his current position had not changed. He was still the chief eunuch of the bell and drum division. When the court session was over, he was directing the ringing of the bell and beating of the drum. He was so busy that he didn't have time to rush over to serve the Emperor. The rest of the officials, including Ma Yongcheng and Zhang Yong, had their own duties. The Emperor only had Gu Daeyong by his side.
Zhengde sat down behind the dragon desk. From the brocade box on the table, he picked up a crisp pastry. As he ate, he said vaguely, "Oh, that's right, you said that Henan produces many treasures. Today you want people to present several rare objects. Quickly bring them over for me to see."
Yang Ling smiled and gave Gu Daeyong a meaningful glance. Gu Daeyong had already received his instructions. He quickly walked to the front of the Hall and shouted, "The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, Jiao Fang, comes in for an audience!"
A moment later, the white-haired Jiao Fang, with her sleeves rolled up, trotted from the front of the Hall. As she reached the Hall door, she panted for a moment before stepping over the threshold. She knelt down with a thud and shouted, "Subject Jiao Fang greets Your Majesty."
Zhengde took a sip of tea. With a wholehearted smile on his face, he said, "Jiao Aiqing, please rise. Zhen heard that Henan produces many treasures. Did you bring them? Quickly bring them over for me to see."
Jiao Fang kowtowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this place in Henan does not produce gold, does not produce silver, does not produce jewels and jades. The so-called treasures are only some rare living things that are rarely seen in other places. This subject is afraid that Your Majesty will be alarmed."
As soon as Zhengde heard this, he was very happy. What gold, silver, and jewels? What fun could there be in those kinds of things? As soon as he heard that they were rare living things in other places, his heart was itching even more. His youthful temperament flared up. He did not care about the Emperor's dignity anymore. Slapping the table, he impatiently said with a smile, "Quickly, quickly bring them over for zhen to see. zhen likes these things the most."
"Yes, this subject obeys the imperial decree!" Jiao Fang raised his head to look at Yang Ling. Yang Ling smiled and nodded his head imperceptibly. Only then did Jiao Fang feel relieved.
By remonstrating today, he was actually taking an enormous risk. If the Emperor saw the things he presented and was not happy but angry, then he would go for wool but come home shorn. Perhaps he would have to go to the Heavenly Prison and accompany Wang Qiong and Lord Wang. Now that he had Yang Ling's nod of agreement, if the Emperor got angry later, with his protection, there should not be any problem.
Jiao Fang braced himself and took out three small boxes from his sleeve. Respectfully holding them in his hands, he said, "This subject's hometown does not produce any other treasures. What it produces are all these rare things. Your Majesty, please have a look."
Zhengde anxiously said, "Stand up, stand up. Quickly bring them over for zhen to see." Jiao Fang stood up and walked forward, placing the three boxes on the dragon writing table in front of Zhengde. Jiao Fang carefully opened one of the boxes and gently pushed it in front of Zhengde.
Zhengde's eyes widened. He saw that inside the box was a small, translucent thing with golden tentacles and claws. It had a thick black shell on its back and a hook on its long tail. It looked like a mighty general. He couldn't help smiling in amazement and saying, "What is this? It's very interesting! "
While saying that, he was about to reach in to stroke it. Yang Ling hastily pulled him back and said, "Your Majesty, be careful, this thing is called a scorpion, its body is poisonous. If you are stung by the hook on its tail, the pain will be unbearable. You must not touch it."
Zhengde happily said, "Turns out this cute little thing is a scorpion. It looks very mighty and beautiful. Zhen has heard of the five poisons, too bad I have never seen it. Another day I'll put all these poisonous things together and let them bite it. Zhen will see which one of them is more poisonous. What else is in that box? Take it out and let me take a look."
Gu Daeyong picked up the lid of the box and closed it properly. He opened another box. Inside the box, there was something soft and squishy, black and sticky, which was spinning around very quickly inside the box. Zhengde did not like it; he frowned and asked, "What is this?"
Jiao Fang replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this thing is called a string of money. The common people of Henan live in poverty and do not have any extra money. Seeing this living thing, which looks like a string of money, they use it to make fun of it, hoping that one day their family will be a bit richer."
Zhengde made an 'oh' sound and said uninterestedly, "This string of money is not fun. What's the third thing?"
Jiao Fang opened another box. When the lid was lifted, there was a buzzing sound and a small thing flew out from inside. It circled around the Hall twice before it flew out of the Hall with a cry.
Emperor Zhengde was dumbstruck. He made a fuss about nothing and said with a smile, "What is this thing? Is it a bird? Why did it fly away? "
Yang Ling had never seen such an ordinary thing before, even Emperor Zhengde had never seen it before. It looked really pitiful. However, thinking about how there were children from the city who went to the countryside and unexpectedly did not recognize the corn seedlings, and even wondered why this kind of weed grew so neatly, it was not strange that this prince did not recognize these things.
Yang Ling said with a smile, "Your Majesty, this thing is called cicada, also known as cicada, because its cry is like the word 'cicada'. This thing eats wind and dew, and eats tree sap."
Although Jiao Fang was knowledgeable, the ancients all believed that cicadas grew by drinking dew. There were even people who wrote poems to praise the nobility of cicadas. It was the first time he had heard of cicadas drinking tree sap. He couldn't help but look at Yang Ling, and then immediately agreed with the Emperor, "What Sir Yang said is right. These years in Henan, if it's not a drought, then it's a flood. The land doesn't grow any food, even the birds are starving to death. Only this kind of living thing that doesn't need to eat can survive."
Hearing this, Zhengde did not dare to believe it. He said, "Is Henan so barren? The treasures produced there are … are these scorpions, cicadas, and string of money? Pitiful! So pitiful. "
Jiao Fang seized this opportunity to kneel down and said, "Your Majesty is merciful. Under the rule of the Former Emperor and Your Majesty, the country is prosperous and the people are at peace, the common people live and work in peace and contentment. It's a pity that Henan has suffered continuous natural disasters for several years, so that the common people's lives are very poor. Although there is no tragic news of people exchanging their children for food, many of the common people already find it difficult to eat three meals a day. A couple of days ago, your subject met several fellow villagers who were fleeing from disaster, and only then did I realize the severity of the disaster in my hometown.
Although your subject is a Henan native, I am also Your Majesty's subject, therefore, I do not dare to exaggerate this matter and alarm Your Majesty. At the same time, I also do not dare to conceal what I know from Your Majesty. Therefore, I take the liberty to present a memorial to the Heaven, asking Your Majesty to uphold justice for the common people of Henan. "
Only now did Zhengde understand his meaning. He looked at the box on the table again, and laughed in spite of himself. "Assistant Minister Jiao's trick is very good. All right, Zhen will approve your Henan officials' memorial and exempt Henan's taxes and grain. Since you have shown kindness, if you want to exempt, you should exempt a bit more. Zhen will exempt … Henan's taxes for five years, what do you think? "
As soon as Jiao Fang heard this, he was wild with joy. 'Puff!' he kneeled down on the ground and knocked his head on the ground with a loud 'dong dong' sound, repeatedly calling Your Majesty's wisdom. The words of praise flowed out unceasingly like a flood, even Zhengde found it hard to bear. He covered his mouth and laughed aloud. "All right, all right," he said, "You may withdraw. In a moment at noon, Zhen will issue the decree."
Zhengde turned his eyes and saw Yang Ling standing on the side with a smile on his face. He could not restrain a smile from pretending to be angry as he glared at him. "Don't be too pleased with yourself," he said, "Zhen originally thought there was something rare to play with today, but I am greatly disappointed. This matter falls on you. Within three days, you must find something fun for Zhen to do."
Yang Ling giggled and complied. Accompanying the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, Jiao Fang, he kowtowed to express his gratitude, and together they left the Main Hall. Jiao Fang held Yang Ling's hand and thanked him profusely. She was so excited that she couldn't even speak coherently.
Yang Ling heard him say that the people of Henan would be deeply grateful to him for this act of righteousness; he could not help laughing and said, "That might not necessarily be the case. There are many high-ranking officials in the imperial court who have some misunderstanding toward this lowly official. I am afraid … even Yang Fang and Wang Yan, two daren from Henan, regard me as an enemy."
Jiao Fang waved her hand disdainfully and said, "Ignore them. The common people only know who gives them food to eat and who allows them to live. As for those bookworms who know nothing about etiquette, ignore them."
Jiao Fang was a Jinshi in the eighth year of Tianshun. In the early years of the reign of Hongzhi, he was transferred to the prefectural magistrate of Huozhou. He was promoted to the vice-prefect of Sichuan and transferred to Huguang. Not long after, he was promoted to the Right Minister of Political Affairs in Nanjing, and then he was promoted to the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, until he reached the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments.
In order to demonstrate his talent, he often submitted memorials to the imperial court and local affairs, presenting his own views on the imperial court and local affairs, hoping to attract the attention of the Hongzhi Emperor and put him in an important position.
Unfortunately, the officials at that time more or less had some local background. He successively served in the Ministry of Rites and then the Ministry of Appointments. Although the two ministers, Wang Qiong and Ma Wensheng, were loyal to the imperial court, they were not perfect in terms of personal morality. Jiao Fang's memorials were often suppressed by them. Most of these officials were from the south, so Jiao Fang hated the officials from the south very much.
At present, other than the Grand Scholar Liu Jian, most of the people with power in the imperial court were talented scholars from Zhejiang, Hunan, and Jiangxi. Therefore, there were not many officials in the imperial court that he could see eye to eye.
Yang Ling came from Jiming, he was from the north, and he was also a close official to the Emperor. Moreover, he had just generously helped him, allowing him to give an account to the elders of his hometown. Naturally, Jiao Fang was moved to tears.
Hearing Yang Ling say that he was discriminated against by the officials of the imperial court, Jiao Fang remembered that he had been ostracized and could not help but feel a sense of common hatred. He cupped his hands and said, "Mr Yang's good deed today has saved hundreds of thousands of people in Henan. In the future, if Sir has any requests, you only need to let me know. As long as it is within my power, I will do my best to help."
Yang Ling smiled and thanked him. He cupped his hands and respectfully sent this Sir off. Right now, he only wanted to live as happily as possible in his limited life. When he could do good deeds, he would do them. Although other people could not get lucky even if they begged for their entire lives, he did not have any lofty ambitions. Therefore, he did not take the words of this Deputy Minister of the Central Organization Department to heart.
After the afternoon court session ended, Zhengde let out a sigh of relief. He returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to disperse the guards of honor. While eating snacks, he ordered the little eunuch to summon Ma Yongcheng and the others. He wanted to find something new to relieve his boredom. At this moment, someone raised his voice from outside and said, "Martial Heroic Hall Grand Scholar Liu Jian, Jin Shen Hall Grand Scholar Li Dongyang, Hua Gai Hall Grand Scholar Xie Qian requests an audience with Your Majesty."
Emperor Zhengde made an 'ah' sound. In a panic, he hurriedly lifted the curtain and stuffed the box of candied plums inside. Last time, he did not pay attention. When he received Liu Jian, there was a box of dried fruits on the table. When Liu Jian saw it, he immediately gave a fervent speech, reprimanding the Emperor for not paying attention to the dragon's body, for eating carelessly, and for not eating at the right time. Zhengde apologized and swore that he would not eat carelessly in the future. Only then did Liu Jian let the matter go. If they saw him today and the three Grand Scholars opened their mouths at the same time, would he still be able to live?
Zhengde hid the box of candied plums properly before sitting down properly. He said, "Invite the three Grand Scholars into the Hall."
Outside the Hall, three old men answered and walked in. These three Grand Scholars had come together today for a major matter. A new ruler had succeeded the throne, and the six palaces did not have a ruler. Although the Emperor was still young, this matter had to be arranged as soon as possible.
Of course, Zhengde could not make the decision on the matter of accepting an empress. They had only come to ask for the Emperor's permission out of courtesy. As long as he nodded, there would naturally be people who would take care of the entire process. The Emperor only had to wait to enter the bridal chamber.
Choosing an Empress, becoming a Minister of Fan, and holding a ceremony was a major matter. Although it was not as important as the Emperor choosing an heir, it was much more transparent. The Mistress of the Palace, who was the mother of the world, had to be carefully chosen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After choosing a candidate, the internal officials and the cabinet would accompany the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager to discuss and make a decision. The appearance of the person chosen was secondary. It had to be the daughter of an official or eunuch. She had to be virtuous, virtuous, and worthy of being the mother of the world.
At this time, Emperor Zhengde, other than having some hazy feelings for Tang Yixian, was still ignorant of the feelings between a man and a woman. He knew nothing about the matters of the bed. Thus, what made the three Grand Scholars overjoyed was that Emperor Zhengde, who had been giving them a headache over everything they discussed these past few days, was surprisingly cooperative and did not raise any objections.
The three Grand Scholars originally had their shoulders up and had a battle-ready expression. As long as Zhengde objected, they would immediately start a war of words. Seeing that Emperor Zhengde was so cooperative, the three old officials happily took their leave and went straight to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to discuss the matter of choosing an Empress.
Emperor Zhengde still did not understand what choosing a wife for himself meant. He took out some candied plums from under the table and took a few bites. He lay on the table and thought for a while, but still did not feel that this matter had anything to do with him.
When he raised his head and saw Yang Ling standing in front of him, Emperor Zhengde suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "We just remembered that you haven't been home for a long time, right? You don't need to stay in the palace today. Go home. In any case, you don't need to attend morning court and you don't need to come so early tomorrow.
Haha, I remember that Imperial Father is always with Imperial Mother after court. If you don't go often, Imperial Mother will be unhappy. You've been gone for so long, so Jiejie Young-niang must also be unhappy. Tell her not to blame me. Here, you can take this box of candied plums back. Treat it as a gift from me to Jiejie Young-niang. "
When Yang Ling heard that Emperor Zhengde was letting him go home, he was so happy that all the pores on his body opened up. He didn't have time to be polite with Emperor Zhengde and hurriedly thanked him for his kindness. He took the box of candied plums and first ran to see Liu Biao. He told him to properly restrain the soldiers and soldiers. In a few days, he would be moving troops to the Imperial Plantation.
Then he asked for a fast horse. As soon as he left the Imperial Palace, he jumped on the horse and hurriedly rushed back to Hu Guo Temple. At this time, the common people in the city were living as usual. It was just that they were wearing plain clothes and had white headscarves wrapped around their heads. Along the way, they could faintly hear the melodious sound of the bells from the temples floating over.
Wang Qiong had set a rule that all the temples, big and small, rang the bells thirty thousand times and did not allow people to rest day and night. Today happened to be the third day, so it was likely that the number of times they rang the bells would soon be running out. Although there was no one to help them count, those monks rang the bells diligently and professionally. They didn't dare to be careless. It was said that some temples had already rung a few bells.
Yang Ling galloped his horse to Hu Guo Temple Street. As soon as he entered the alley of his own house, he saw a small sedan chair coming towards him. Two servants dressed in black followed beside the sedan chair and brushed past his body.
Yang Ling jumped off the horse and led the horse to the entrance of his house. He stretched out his hand and pushed. The courtyard door was not closed. Yang Ling immediately pushed open the courtyard door and led the horse inside.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Sheridan bending over in the corner of the courtyard. Her delicate neck was slender and her skin was like jade. Just looking at her from the side, her beautiful figure was indescribably elegant and charming.
However, this extraordinary beauty was currently wearing cotton clothes and a blue apron. Her hair was wrapped with a white silk scarf, and there was a small dustpan on her slender waist. She was currently scattering chicken feed in the corner of the courtyard, which was made from firewood.
Hearing the voice, Sheridan suddenly turned her head. When she saw him, she was immediately surprised and happy. She happily put down the dustpan and excitedly greeted him. She opened her mouth and called out, "Da …" Yang Ling immediately stopped her and quietly said with a smile, "Don't call, is Young-niang inside? I'll sneak in. "
There was a trace of envy in the joy on Sheridan's face. She hurriedly nodded her head and said in a sweet voice, "Mmm, Jiejie is here. Just now someone came to visit Daren. Seeing that you are not at home, he also said that in these two days the new Emperor's coronation ceremony has been completed and Daren will be back soon. Jiejie Young-niang and we were so happy when we heard it. Hee hee, who would have thought that as soon as he left, Daren would really come back. "
"Oh?" Yang Ling tied the horse's reins to the big locust tree as he casually asked, "Who is looking for me? Why is he looking for me? "
Sheridan meekly followed to the side of the tree. She combed the hair that had fallen on her forehead and pursed her lips with a smile, "That young master seems to be full of worries, but he did not tell us. He only said that he is the third son of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. His name is Wang Jinglong. He also said that he will come to visit tomorrow."
"Wang Jinglong?" This name was so familiar. Yang Ling suddenly remembered that Wang Jinglong was Yutang Chun's destined husband in history. Needless to say, Wang Jinglong had come to visit because old Wang Qiong had been imprisoned for more than ten days. The three scholars had pleaded but the Emperor did not allow it. The Wangs could not hold themselves back and had come to his door to beg.
Who would have thought that Wang Jinglong and Yutang Chun would meet in the end? If this was fate, he did not know if these destined lovers would still be together. Yang Ling remembered that in the story, Su San and Sheridan had both married Wang Jinglong in the end and became his favored concubines.
Yang Ling thought and looked at Sheridan with a strange gaze. Sheridan did not understand. She saw Master Yang staring at her with burning eyes. With this careful look, Master Yang, whom she had not seen for many days, looked more mature and powerful. Her heart could not help but jump and a trace of shyness appeared in her eyes. Her white jade-like face immediately blushed.
Yang Ling came to his senses. It was useless to think about these things. In any case, Wang Jinglong would come again tomorrow. If Su San and Sheridan were destined to be with him, then there was no harm in it. The Wangs were a family of officials and scholars and would not mistreat Sheridan and the others.
After thinking it through, Yang Ling put aside his worries and handed the horsewhip to Sheridan. He smiled at her and tiptoed to his room. The door was half closed and the smell of meat wafted over. Yang Ling's heart was filled with happiness from seeing his beloved.
He peeked inside and saw Han You-niang sitting in front of the stove with her back to him. She was wearing a moon-white dress, the lining of which must have been taken off, so the thin dress made her petite body look even thinner than before. Her waist was slender, but her hips were still plump.
Yang Ling's head was warm. He suddenly stepped through the door and picked up Young-niang. His big hand slapped her butt and he laughed in her surprise: "Husband has returned home and you did not come to welcome me. Your husband will carry out the family rules and give you 30 slaps first!"
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