In Tai Chi Palace, the cold wind is biting.
After a few rare days of warm sunshine, the temperature dropped sharply and clouds gathered in the sky, which seemed to indicate that another snowstorm was about to hit.
This year, there has been continuous snowfall in Guanzhong. If it had been ten years before Zhenguan, there would have been fear that the houses would collapse and the people would freeze to death, and Qinchuan, which is 800 miles away, would weep in mourning. However, with the prosperity of the country's finances, the popularization of hot pots, and the use of charcoal, the tragic situation of the past has long since disappeared. The heavy snowfall has instead become the moisture that the land desperately needs. The heavier the snow, the greater the chance of drought in the coming spring. The smaller.
The heavy snow that made people miserable in previous years has turned into auspiciousness falling from the sky...
In a side hall of Shenlong Palace, there is a huge and thick plum blossom in the courtyard. The skinny branches are stretched out. Clusters of pink and white plum blossoms have been blown by the cold wind and their petals have bloomed. They bloom in full bloom against the cold wind.
When the British prince Li Ji entered the courtyard, he faintly smelled a fragrant fragrance.
As the chamberlain entered the house, a wave of heat hit him, driving away the severe cold.
The clean and spacious house is paved with smooth floors. Taking off your shoes and stepping on them, you can feel the warm heat emitted by the burning earth dragon, which is very pleasant. The furnishings inside are not luxurious. His Majesty Li Er is wearing regular clothes. He is standing in front of the desk. He picks up a red pill from a tray held by a chamberlain, puts it into his mouth, and then takes the pill handed by another chamberlain. Warm water, swallow into the abdomen.
Li Ji frowned slightly...
A tall and thin foreign monk with a clumsy and strange face stood on the side of the desk. Seeing this, he clasped his hands and spoke in a cold and awkward accent. He said warmly: "This elixir is made by a poor monk using the secret method of Tianzhu, supplemented by the Tang Dynasty." It is refined from several kinds of rare medicinal materials for eighteen days. It has the effect of regulating the meridians and removing intestinal toxins. Taking it for a long time can make the body healthy and the meridians unobstructed. The vitality of heaven and earth can be swallowed into the abdomen. The essence of the sun and the moon can be absorbed into the Dantian. It does not take half a year. , then the elixir is first formed."
His Majesty Li Er looked pleased, nodded and said: "Thank you for your service, holy monk, but the taste is a bit bitter... Come and reward the holy monk with ten pieces of gold, a hundred pearls, and a hundred pieces of Sichuan brocade!"
"Here!"
An internal servant took the order and went to the inner palace to prepare.
His Majesty Li Er looked at Li Ji's words and said with a smile to the monk: "I still have state affairs that need to be dealt with urgently. The holy monk might as well return to Ximing Temple first, and then go and learn the Dharma from the holy monk when I have time."
When the monk heard this, he quickly put his hands together and saluted, then retired and left.
Li Ji looked at the figure of the monk, frowned, and came to His Majesty Li Er and said: "Your Majesty, a foreign monk who has no knowledge of his origins and rashly takes the elixir he refined is extremely risky. Besides, In my opinion, the elixirs mentioned by the monks are no different from those of Taoist magicians, so we should be cautious. Although the imperial doctor in the palace has confirmed that the elixirs are non-toxic, there are more than thousands of strange poisons in the world, and there must be types unknown to the world. ...If Your Majesty insists on taking it, why not summon Sun Simiao to the palace for identification. Taoist Sun has traveled all over the country and has extraordinary knowledge. Perhaps he can identify the harm..."
"Haha, Mao Gong seems to think that this elixir is poisonous? Don't worry, I am not a fool. Not long ago, I secretly summoned Daochang Sun to the palace and came to the conclusion that it is not poisonous, so I can take it with peace of mind. This is the secret technique of Tianzhu Buddhism. It is the foundation for the emergence of Buddhist disciples throughout the ages. Even though I cannot eventually become an immortal and become a Buddha and live forever like those Buddhist disciples, there is no harm in the end, so don’t worry about my success."
Li Ji was speechless...
It sounds nice, and it seems that whether success or failure depends on God's will, but the look of hope and longing on your face, isn't it obvious that you are waiting to eat this elixir to live forever?
However, he is not a noisy critic like Wei Zheng. Since Sun Simiao has determined that it is not poisonous, it doesn't matter. The emperor wants to live forever and let him go. If he is not a minister, he can comment. As a minister, he assists the emperor, whether he fulfills his duties or corrects omissions. Is there any reason why the emperor is not allowed to do this or that?
It’s just that I can’t help but sigh in my heart. His Majesty is so wise and powerful, rare in ancient times, but he still cannot pass the hurdle that emperors have always had to pursue immortality. I wonder if it will become more and more fierce in the future, and it will be out of control...
Seeing that Li Ji still looked worried, His Majesty Li Er chuckled, pulled him to the window, pointed to the two chairs in front of the window, and said: "Look at this, it is made of Qiongzhou's unique huanghuali wood. The shape was invented by that boy Fang Jun. It’s called an ‘official hat chair’, and the name is very tacky, but the shape does look very imposing and can highlight the status of an official.”
The light yellow wood is very bright under the sunlight through the glass window, and the black lines are tightly entwined, looking like grimaces. Li Ji stepped forward and leaned over, stretched out his hand and touched it, and the smooth surface was scratched. Even though there is a layer of wax, it is still difficult to block the faint aroma emitted by the wood itself...
This kind of wood is not inferior to the world-famous red sandalwood, especially the shape of the 'official hat chair', which is dignified and simple in style. It is not luxurious, but has a brilliant atmosphere. It looks like this in the room. When placed, it looks very high-end.
Li Ji praised: "The talent of the Fang Prince Consort is truly astonishing. Moreover, the Navy has opened up shipping routes to the South and West. Only rare and precious wood such as red sandalwood and huanghuali can bring a lot of money to His Majesty's internal funds every year." It is nothing more than a word of praise for a minister who plans for the country."
His Majesty Li Er said with a smile: "This kid's mind is always not on pragmatic government affairs, but he is obsessed with these weird things. You can say that he is just messing around and not doing anything serious, but he can always surprise people and make you not only unable to blame him." , but I feel embarrassed if I don’t reward him... This stick really gives me a headache.”
"Haha, Your Majesty is clearly very proud of himself, so why do you act like a disparagement and praise in front of me? I am not one of those sanctimonious Confucian students. I always only care about the results and not the process. It doesn't matter whether the prince-in-law is doing whatever he wants or he is far-sighted. , in short, if what you do can relieve His Majesty's worries and benefit the empire, then it is good. As for how to do it, there is no need to go into details."
His Majesty Li Er put his hands on his hands and laughed: "If that Bangchui hears Maogong's words, he might not raise his tail to the sky? You, Li Maogong, don't praise people easily!"
After saying that, he took Li Ji's hand and walked back to the mat on the other side to sit on the floor. He ordered someone to make a pot of fragrant tea and served some snacks. He said casually: "This Tai Chi Palace is like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den. You can work on it as long as you like." If you don’t come, why don’t you come here today to see if I am singing and dancing and living in debauchery, so that I can give a memorial to the censor on the censor’s stage, give some words of encouragement, and find a sense of presence?”
Of course this was a joke.
Who are Li Ji and others?
That mouth was like a sawed-off gourd. He never let out a single word. Whenever something important happened in court, he would always keep his mouth shut. He would never express his position easily without being forced into a corner.
I wish I had no sense of existence at all...
Li Ji also laughed and said: "If the minister really has this intention, there is no need to provoke His Majesty. All he needs to do is find a reason to impeach the prince-in-law, and the government and the public will immediately be shaken. Everyone will look at him. Why give up the easy thing and take the hard one?"
Nowadays, the person who makes those censors and officials itch with hatred is none other than Fang Jun. This guy acted recklessly all day long, but he seemed to be wearing a golden bell. He had been impeached countless times, but all failed, and not even a hair was hurt. This made the censors at the Censorship Station feel deeply. Frustrated, he was also very afraid and did not dare to take action.
So if someone impeaches Fang Jun now, it will be known to both the government and the public. No matter what the outcome is, it will be the focus of everyone's attention...
The king and his ministers laughed for a while, drank tea, and Li Jifang explained his intention.
"After the beginning of spring, the Eastern Expedition is imminent. The deployment of troops and the transportation of grain and fodder are a huge project. No matter which link is slightly careless, it is very likely to lead to serious consequences. Therefore, I have a hard time sleeping all night, and I dare not make any negligence. . Today, when I was analyzing the amount of military rations, I found that although there was a lot of food in Guanzhong, it still did not make people completely reassured. After the Eastern Expedition, the consumption of food was an extremely huge figure. It may be difficult to return to the reserve in front of the station within ten years. Quantity, in case of unforeseen natural disasters, it is very likely to lead to food shortages and instability in the government... Therefore, I also request your Majesty to issue an order to order the Royal Navy to spare no effort to purchase grain from Nanyang and import it into Guanzhong. In addition..."
Having said this, he paused for a moment, looked at His Majesty Li Er's face, and said slowly: "Your Majesty intends to lead a personal expedition, so he should determine the candidate to assist the prince in supervising the country as soon as possible, take over the government affairs as early as possible, and intervene in all matters before the war. , when His Majesty leads the army to go on an expedition in the spring, we can make a smooth transition and avoid accepting it hastily, resulting in omissions in cooperation, deployment, etc."
His Majesty Li Er slowly put down his teacup, his face solemn.
When a king goes on an expedition, he must stay with the prince to supervise the country, so that he can stabilize the rear and have no worries. This is naturally the intended meaning of the title.
However, choosing who will assist the prince in supervising the country is a troublesome matter.
In a sense, the candidates who will assist the prince in supervising the country at this time will be the assistant ministers of the future prince after he ascends the throne. Who can ignore this honor?
Choosing whom to choose or not has a wide range of implications and far-reaching consequences...
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