At noon, Xingdaofang, the future Princess Changle Mansion
In the banquet hall, Qin Ming was holding dishes for the little Sizi next to him while chatting with Li Shimin.
To be honest, if it weren't for Xiao Sizi, Qin Ming really wouldn't want to eat with Li Er and the others.
Especially the Yue King Li Tai gave Qin Ming the biggest headache. He didn't expect that His Highness the King of Yue would like poetry so much.
During this meal, I had asked myself several times which book I read that poem from and whether there were any other poems in the book.
It looked like he wouldn't give up if he didn't reveal his ugly appearance.
And the young lady Li Zhi always asked how those pastries were made and whether there were any other delicious ones in the house.
Among the three brothers, the only one that Qin Ming felt was relatively normal was the prince Li Chengqian.
Apart from toasting myself with a glass of wine at the beginning of the meal, there was no unnecessary communication.
The whole person not only sits upright, but also completely follows the Confucian idea of eating without talking or sleeping without talking.
Compared to the other two, Qin Ming recognized Li Chengqian's performance more, perhaps because there was a huge contrast between the Li Chengqian he was exposed to and the Li Chengqian in film and television dramas.
Just as Qin Ming's thoughts were wandering, Li Shimin, who was sitting on the throne, suddenly picked up a glass of wine and said to Qin Ming:
"My dear nephew, come and give me a drink. Thank you for the book "New Arithmetic" you gave to my uncle. This book of yours has been of great help to the court."
Li Chengqian and Li Tai immediately pricked up their ears when they heard this. They had recently heard someone in the palace mention that the palace had recently received a new arithmetic book.
Moreover, many doctors of arithmetic highly praise this book "New Arithmetic". At this time, according to the father's opinion, could it be that this book was given by Qin Ming?
Qin Ming raised his wine glass and said with a smile:
"Uncle Li, you are overestimating me. These are just a few steps, so you don't have to worry about it."
After saying that, he raised his head and drank the wine. When Si Zi saw that Qin Ming's wine glass was empty, he immediately put down his chopsticks. He picked up the wine bottle on the side and poured another glass for Qin Ming.
Li Shimin and his son couldn't help but feel a little disgusted when they saw their beloved daughter and sister pouring wine for Qin Ming like a little maid.
Li Shimin put down his wine glass and coughed twice. Seeing this, Si Zi understood the situation and picked up the wine flask and ran over to pour Li Shimin a glass of wine.
Then he passed through the seats where the two brothers, who were also holding empty wine glasses and coughing, returned to Qin Ming and sat down.
Li Chengqian and Li Tai looked at each other, smiled bitterly and shook their heads.
Li Shimin took a mouthful of food and put it in his mouth, then pretended to be casual and asked Qin Ming:
"My dear nephew, when you come to Chang'an this time, have you heard about the recent affairs in the court?"
When Qin Ming heard this, he couldn't help but think of what he heard in the teahouse yesterday about the leak of money in the accounting office of the Ministry of Revenue and the court officials claiming to be ill.
He thought for a moment and then said:
"My nephew was only busy giving gifts to uncles yesterday and didn't hear about what happened in the court recently."
Li Shimin put down his chopsticks after hearing this, and then said to the three brothers Li Chengqian:
"You three brothers have almost eaten. Go to the backyard to see your mother. Father and Qin Ming will talk."
Li Chengqian: "...."
Li Tai: "...."
Li Zhi: "...."
....
After the three brothers left the banquet hall, Li Shimin looked at Qin Ming and said:
"Hey, nephew, you don't know something. Recently, the imperial court used the method in your arithmetic book to check the accounts of the Household Department, and also found some corrupt officials. It's just that the investigation couldn't continue after half of the check."
When Qin Ming saw that Li Shimin had stopped talking mid-sentence, he thought that his flattery was inappropriate. So he asked pretending to be confused:
"Why?"
Li Shimin sighed again and said:
"First, there was a sudden breach in the Ministry of Revenue, which burned all the accounts of previous years. Second, recently half of the officials in the imperial court claimed to be ill and did not go to court."
Qin Ming thought for a while after hearing this, then picked up the wine glass and took a sip, and then said:
"Uncle, this matter is not something that ordinary people like us should worry about. Besides, the Holy One is wise and powerful, so he will naturally have ways to deal with these treacherous people."
Li Shimin felt that all his words were blocked by Qin Ming's wise words.
He was extremely depressed. In fact, the reason why he came to see Qin Ming today was. Apart from being too tired recently and wanting to go out to the palace to relax.
Another reason is to hear if Qin Ming has any other thoughts on this matter. After all, he has shown considerable strategies in suppressing food prices and resettling victims.
And he himself is not affiliated with any of the five surnames and Qiwang.
Li Shimin thought for a while, then sighed and said:
"Hey, nephew, my uncle can be considered a branch of the royal family. Now seeing those treacherous people in the court insulting the royal family in this way, my uncle is angry. Now that you have an engagement with Xiyao, you can be regarded as half of the royal family. You Is there any way to punish these people?"
Qin Ming sighed inwardly when he heard this. He hadn't even met his future daughter-in-law. This cheap father-in-law wanted him to contribute, which was really too much.
He lowered his head and thought for a long time, and finally decided to give Li Shimin an idea. So he asked:
"Uncle, my nephew doesn't understand. Since there are so many courtiers who claim to be ill and cannot come to court, why doesn't Your Majesty punish them or remove them from their official positions?"
Li Shimin was a little disappointed when he heard this. He thought Qin Ming could come up with some ideas. If he could have avoided it, he would have avoided it. It seems that I still have too high expectations for him. After all, he is just a young man who has not been tempered.
He sighed and said:
"There are only so many people who can be used in the government. If we remove them, there won't be that many officials to take their places."
Qin Ming frowned when he heard this, and murmured while thinking:
"If this is the case, it is indeed not a short-term solution. If the imperial court can expand the scope and number of talents selected through the imperial examination, allow more people to join the imperial court as officials, or issue a decree, as long as it is passed by the parliament in recent years, Candidates who have passed the examination should be asked to come to Beijing to report on their work, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs can arrange official positions for them in advance. In this way, we can quickly add fresh blood to the court."
When Li Shimin heard this, he quickly interrupted Qin Ming and asked with a confused look:
"My dear nephew, what do you mean by knowing how to try?"
