The April sky looks spotless, away from the sentimental spring rains, and even the clouds appear whiter. The grass on the ground has gradually lost its tender green, and has evolved into dark green, growing wildly in a corner.

The fertile soil and abundant sunshine make the flowers and trees in the capital enter the most cheerful season, and the gardens of some large families have been fragrant with flowers, which adds a bit of intoxicating fragrance.

The West Garden, the palace of this endless palace, has a garden built with brick walls behind a palace that has just been built.

There are turtle ponds, red rabbit caves, bird houses, etc. in the garden, and these auspicious rays collected from all over the country will be placed here to raise, so this garden is called "Wanxiang Garden".

Jiajing, who was wearing a cyan robe, looked at the auspicious rui of Wanling Garden, and then turned around and returned to the Wanshou Palace, just smelling the high-quality sandalwood, but his brows were slightly frowned.

In last year's fire, it was not only a palace that was lost, but also rare treasures that he had painstakingly collected from all over the country, the most important of which was ambergris.

Although he has issued a holy decree to collect ambergris in Guangdong and Fujian, but ambergris is a sacred object that can be encountered but not sought, and there has been no news so far.

Jiajing returned to the ashram with a bit of loss, sat cross-legged on the futon, and prepared to start his daily meditation practice.

"Master, it's time to take the elixir!" Huang Jin led the little eunuch over and reminded softly.

Jiajing sighed imperceptibly and nodded slightly.

He felt more and more clearly that the divine effect of these elixirs was slowly declining, but it could keep him more energetic, and it was still far better than nothing.

Huang Jin knelt on the ground respectfully on his knees, and after taking a jade bottle and a jade dish, he carefully prepared to pour out a pill from the jade bottle, but Jiajing suddenly said, "Add one more!" ”

"Master, Tao Tianshi said that he can only take one pill at a time, and he also said that if you want to hurry, you can't reach it, please think twice!" Huang Jin looked very panicked, and hurriedly persuaded him.

I have to say that Tao Zhongwen has foresight and has always controlled Jiajing's dosage.

Jiajing's brows frowned slightly, and a cloud of irritability surged in his heart, but thinking that Tao Tianshi had indeed repeatedly told him before, he sighed lightly and said, "Okay, get up!" ”

Huang Jin didn't really cry, but knew when to express "loyalty" and when to "obey his words". Only then did he wipe his tears, looked aggrieved and worried, and then poured out a small pill from the bottle and respectfully sent the jade plate to Jiajing.

Jiajing took the pill in one gulp, took the water cup, and swallowed the pill with water.

When the pill arrived in his stomach, it was only a moment for him to feel a warm current surging all over his body, making his whole person feel very comfortable, feeling the miraculous effect brought by the pill that had been refined with a lot of money.

"Master, Gao Shangshu asks to see!" Huang Jin had just packed his things and went out, but he quickly walked in again and reported.

Jiajing was just about to practice, his brows furrowed slightly, and he spat lightly with irritation: "What's the matter?" ”

However, he has a very strong principle, usually only meeting a few ministers and ministers, and generally chooses to avoid the six Shangshu, unless there is something very important.

It was his style that greatly enhanced the authority of the cabinet, and the six books gradually became subordinates of the cabinet.

Huang Jin's eyebrows raised slightly, and he said happily: "Gao Shangshu said that there is a treasure to pay tribute to the master!" ”

"Oh? Let him in! Jiajing's eyes opened, and he immediately became interested.

At the beginning of the construction of the Wanshou Palace, he ordered hundreds of officials to offer treasures, but with little success. Although there are some good things, they are far from his treasures hiding in the sea of fire.

Gao Yao, who has not moved at the moment, came to present the treasure, and he had to submit it in person, which made Jiajing immediately have some interest.

Gao Yao is over fifty years old, although he is not handsome, but his skin is fair, with the grace of Jiangnan people, he is probably a personable gentleman when he is young.

Holding a delicate wooden box in his hand, he followed the little eunuch to the quiet room, and knelt down through the curtain and said: "Weichen Gao Yao sees the emperor, long live my emperor, long live long live!" ”

"Gao Aiqing, flat!" Jiajing said lightly.

Gao Yao stood up from the ground in an orderly manner, held up the delicate wooden box and said directly: "Your Majesty, this is the treasure that the lower officials have just collected, please take a look!" ”

"Present it!" Jiajing nodded slightly, and looked at Huang Jin and ordered.

Huang Jin went out to take the wooden box, and then went inside, but he didn't directly present it to the saint. He first placed the wooden box on the desk, then carefully opened it.

When he saw what was inside, his eyes narrowed slightly.

When Jiajing saw this scene, he was also calm, and he didn't have any anxious looks.

Huang Jin happily picked up the wooden box and gently opened it, revealing the contents inside.

When Jiajing saw this white thing, his eyes immediately lit up, and he asked happily, "Gao Aiqing, where did this thing come from?" ”

"Xia Guan knew that the saint urgently needed this thing, so he sent domestic slaves to search around, and finally bought seven taels and six from a merchant!" Gao Yao replied loyally.

"Haha...... Good! ”

Jiajing laughed heartily and praised on the spot.

Gao Yao presented ambergris, which is one of the important items of Jiajing monasticism. It's just that in the fire last year, the ambergris that was collected was hidden in the fire like other treasures, and the collection of ambergris has been zero so far.

Looking at the coveted ambergris goodbye, although it is not much, it also fills one of his regrets, how can it not make him happy?

Gao Yao was very happy when he heard Jiajing smile heartily, this was something he had never encountered.

After Jiajing laughed, looking at Huang Jin's appearance of wanting to speak, he waved his hand and ordered: "Check it!" ”

Huang Jin was already very familiar with ambergris, and quickly tested it, and then replied excitedly: "Master, I have personally tested it, and it is indeed ambergris, and the quality is first-class!" ”

Jiajing was too happy to learn that this ambergris was genuine, so he asked directly: "Gao Aiqing, how much did you spend to buy this ambergris?" ”

"Don't hide it from the saint, Weichen consumed seven hundred and sixty taels!" Gao Yao replied respectfully.

Jiajing knows that there are more than that, but he knows that this kind of thing cannot be investigated, and if he asks about it, it may involve Gao Yao's political style.

He adhered to his consistent principles, and immediately said loudly: "Gao Aiqing listens to rewards!" ”

"Wechen thank the emperor!" Gao Yao immediately knelt down and bowed.

Jiajing said loudly: "Today, Gao Aiqing has made a meritorious contribution to appreciating ambergris, and has given seven hundred and sixty taels of silver, and he has been awarded the crown prince and master, and he is here!" ”

This prince and prince are from the official title of the first rank, and Gao Yao has since squeezed into the sequence of the first rank, which is already different from the ordinary six books, and his status is a cut higher than before.

"Thank you, Lord Longne!" Gao Yao was overjoyed in his heart, but he didn't expect the saint to be so generous.

The next morning, Guo Pu, who was wearing a second-grade official uniform, came to the Wuyi Hall again.

He chatted with Yan Ne, who he met at the door, and learned from the conversation that Gao Yao offered ambergris. Although I don't understand where this ambergris comes from, Gao Yao's position as the head of the household is stable, and now he has been crowned with the title of prince and teacher.

Although the current saint is not considered a wise king, he has never been stingy with rewards for officials who support his cultivation. And Gao Yao is currently offering ambergris incense, as long as there are no major mistakes, the saint will definitely not easily remove the position of his household secretary.

With a hint of sourness, Guo Pu hurriedly walked towards the duty room, and went directly to the innermost duty room to meet Yan Song.

Yan Song can be described as a man in his last years, and at first glance, he was not shocked by the majesty of this high-ranking and powerful Ming Shoufu, but was frightened by Yan Song's old face, this Ming Shoufu is really too old.

Yan Song's body bones were quite strong, and he raised his head and squinted to see Guo Pu, but he took the initiative to smile and greet: "Husband, you are here!" ”

"Xiaguan meets Motosuke-sama!" Guo Pu stepped forward and saluted respectfully.

Yan Song raised his dry palm and said casually: "Guo Pu, sit down!" ”

"Lord Xie Yuanfu!" Guo Pu gave another salute and sat down on the chair opposite him in a proper manner.

Yan Song was dealing with the songs, but he looked at the large stack of notes that had not been processed, but he said helplessly: "People are old, and their energy is not as good as before!" ”

Since ancient times, sixty years have been rare, and now Yan Song is already thirty out of eighty, and he can already be regarded as an elderly man. If it weren't for such a Jiajing Emperor who didn't play cards according to common sense, a Jiajing Emperor who believed in immortality, Yan Song would probably have to return to his hometown a long time ago.

"Lord Yuanfu, you have been cultivating with the Holy Master, and you can do it for at least another ten years!!" Guo Pu said complimentally.

"If you work for another ten years, I'm afraid some people won't be happy!" Yan Song sighed pointedly, and said to Guo Pu about the matter: "Husband, you came here this time, or for the sake of external inspection, right?" ”

"Exactly, please take a look at it!" Guo Pu nodded busily, and handed over the prepared list with both hands.

Although Guo Pu is the secretary of the ministry, he has full authority to preside over the affairs of this external inspection. It's just the transfer of local officials, but he never dares to decide alone, so he often comes to ask this old chief assistant.

Yan Song took the list and checked it carefully.

Politics has always been the result of consultation, as long as Guo Pu doesn't go too far, and the personnel he wants to arrange can be implemented, then he, the first assistant, will naturally not raise any objections.

So far, there have been no major differences between the two sides, so it can be said that the things that are being observed outside the world are going very smoothly.

"Liu Ji?"

Yan Song saw the candidate for the new Shuntian Mansion Yin, and finally knew who it was. It's just that what surprised him a little was that the person recommended by Xu Jie was not a member of the Xu Party, but a person from Gao Yao.

Gao Yao was neither born in the Hanlin Academy, nor was he born in Yanguan, but only stayed in the capital as a third-class jinshi as a criminal officer. is just such an inconspicuous character, but step by step to the position of the head of the household, and now he has been crowned with the title of prince and teacher.

When he first served as the head of the household department, officials, including him, were not optimistic about Gao Yao's future. It's just that things are unexpected, Gao Yao, with his ability, unexpectedly sat in the position of Shangshu.

With his action on the Lianghuai Salt Administration, he discovered that the Lianghuai merchant group had an influence on this court that could not be underestimated, and their personnel had already infiltrated many important positions in the court, among which Gao Yao was the leader.

It's just that he understands that if he wants to solve the financial dilemma of the Ming Dynasty, he has to do something against the two quasi-salt policies. And the results are also obvious, resulting in a large increase in the salt administration income of the imperial court last year.

"Motofu-sama, what's wrong?" Guo Pu looked at Yan Song in a slight daze, and asked in a low voice.

Yan Song woke up suddenly, put down the list in his hand, and responded with satisfaction: "There is nothing wrong with this list, I will submit it to the emperor for trial in a while!" ”

"Lord Yuanfu, the lower officials don't dare to bother, so I'll leave first!" Guo Pu gave another salute.

Yan Song nodded softly: "Go slowly!" ”

Guo Pu left Yan Song's duty room, but did not leave Wuyi Hall directly, but walked into Xu Jie's duty room instead.

Xu Jie sat at the desk, looking at a note in front of him, but with a thoughtful expression.

Since Yan Song was recuperating at home for a period of time due to the loss of his wife last year, he, the second assistant, was able to logically intervene in the voting power. When Yan Song returned, although the right to draft votes was withdrawn, he also shared part of the voting work.

is just really involved in political affairs, and it also makes him understand the various shortcomings of the current Ming Dynasty. The greed of the magistrates, the corruption of the military and the government, and the arbitrariness of the magnates made the empire look precarious.

Guangdong Zhang Lian rebelled, although the rebellion has been put down, but in the long run, it is difficult to guarantee that Li Lian, Yan Lian and Lin Lian and other anti-thief leaders will openly shout at the court.

At present, it is urgent to solve the financial problems of the Ming Dynasty, so as to fundamentally resolve the crisis of the Ming Dynasty. It's just that taxes can't be raised, and salt politics can't be hit, so how easy is it to solve this problem?

As soon as Guo Pu walked into Xu Jie's duty room, he felt someone passing behind him, and when he turned around, he saw that it was Cheng Lin Haoran of Shuntian Mansion. And beyond this duty room is Yan Song's duty room, knowing that this kid must be going towards Yan Song's duty room, a kind of uneasiness immediately swelled in his heart.

It's not that he's afraid of what attack he will be on, after all, he is a dignified official, and now he is highly respected by the emperor. It's just that this kind of uneasiness comes from this kid, because this kid has never been a peaceful person, but he doesn't know what kind of moth he has born.

If it weren't for the trouble last time, there would not have been so many incidents in Guangdong, which caused the change of Guangdong officials to ask him, the secretary of the ministry, to consult this kid's opinion, and even made him lose points in the emperor's heart.

Guo Pu watched Lin Haoran walk into Yan Song's duty room, but he really wanted to know why this kid came, and whether he knew about the new Shuntian Mansion Yin.

The scourge of the cold

The scourge of the cold