Li Qing held back his anger and toasted one by one, driving a group of old men into confusion and losing their appetite for a meal.
In fact, they didn't want to drink it, but Li Qing always accused him of being the emperor.
A group of people below were watching eagerly. They did not dare to make political mistakes.
I didn't eat any of the dishes, and I drank all the wine. My stomach was churning, and I was cursing Li Qing's eight generations of ancestors.
Li Qing drank these people until they were almost full, and then he feasted.
This time, no one competed with him.
After the banquet, Li Qing's mouth was full of oil and he patted his belly with satisfaction: It was still a pleasure to eat!
He turned around and glanced at Guo Jing and the others. Their faces turned red and they couldn't walk in a straight line.
Especially Liu Zhongfu, whose face was black and blue, looking like he was going to vomit at any moment, but he was holding back and didn't dare to vomit.
Li Sin couldn't help but be happy.
…
The next day.
It was already bright when Zhu Qizhen woke up.
Last night he tasted love for the first time, and he was a little greedy. After a few clouds and rain, he had another round of sex.
Women are conservative, but they do not know anything about boudoir matters. On the contrary, when women reach a certain age, especially for ladies, boudoir matters are a compulsory course. There are not only picture books, but also the words and deeds of the older generation.
Zhu Qizhen stretched himself, with a look of aftertaste on his face. He habitually went to embrace beautiful women, but found nothing.
"Getting up so early?" Zhu Qizhen was surprised, and then he felt a sense of distress. He stepped on his boots and walked out.
As soon as he left the palace gate, he met Queen Qian who was rushing back.
"Your Majesty, you are awake." Qian said with a bow and asked: "Your Majesty is not going to court today, is it okay?"
"It doesn't matter, today's court meeting was already taken care of yesterday." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, took her to the inner hall, and said slightly reproachfully: "You are new to human affairs, why don't you take a good rest?"
"I want to serve tea to the Queen Mother!" Qian whispered.
Zhu Qizhen hesitated for a moment, then laughed dryly and said: "I actually forgot about this matter. Okay, tea is served, you have a good rest."
As he said that, he couldn't help but kiss her.
"Hmm..." Qian couldn't bear it, so she pushed him gently and said weakly: "Your Majesty, it's daytime."
Zhu Qizhen let go of her and said with a smile: "Who makes my queen so attractive?"
Qian's face turned red to the base of her neck and whispered: "Your Majesty must take care of your body. Women are harmful to your body. If I miss important national events because of my concubine, it will be my fault."
"Haha... don't worry, I understand the importance." Zhu Qizhen pinched her face, "You have a good rest, I have gone to attend to official duties and will come to see you at noon."
"Well, your Majesty is busy, my concubine is fine." Qian wanted to get up to see him off, but was held down.
Zhu Qizhen helped her lie down, "No need to send her off, just rest."
The young man was so proud that he walked with wind in his eyes.
Arriving at the Imperial Study Room, Zhu Qizhen was full of energy, and his efficiency in handling government affairs attracted the attention of several members of the cabinet.
…
noon.
Zhu Qizhen and his wife were tired for a while, so they summoned Li Qing to see him.
Qianqing Palace, front hall.
"Your Majesty, are you looking for me?"
"Well, sit down." Zhu Qizhen took a sip of tea and said, "Sir, now that I am married, it is reasonable to fully take over the government, right?"
Li Qing's heart moved: "The emperor wants to issue a decree directly?"
"Yes." Zhu Qizhen said, "I am going to resume school inspections and strengthen supervision of officials. What do you think, sir?"
"It's possible, but the problem is..." Li Qing smiled bitterly, "Even if the inspection is resumed, I'm afraid it won't be able to accomplish anything. It's better to start with money."
"Money?" Zhu Qizhen said in surprise, "Sir, do you mean to reopen the silver mine?"
"No, reopen maritime trade." Li Qing said, "The few silver mines in our Ming Dynasty are far less than the silver production of neighboring Japan. If you want to make big money, you have to do business."
Zhu Qizhen nodded slightly: "However, this is what the officials and gentry care about most. Sir, do you already have it in mind?"
"We do have some plans." Li Qing nodded.
"Explain." Zhu Qizhen said he was all ears.
Li Qing took a deep breath and said with piercing eyes: "Bypass the ministers and talk directly to the partners."
"What do you mean?" Zhu Qizhen didn't quite understand.
"I urgently summoned the Japanese king to pay tribute, took this opportunity to discuss trade, and clearly told them that they could only trade with the imperial court." Li Qing said.
"Then what if he goes against the law?"
Li Qing chuckled, "If that's the case, that would be even better. Just send troops and grab it."
Zhu Qizhen was stunned and said sincerely: "Sir, you are really dark, but... I like it."
Li Qing: "..."
Zhu Qizhen added: "However, I still feel that it is necessary to reopen the school for inspection. The officials' restrictions are too loose. If this continues, it will become increasingly difficult to manage."
"My suggestion is, take your time." Li Qing said, "The method is too radical, and they will definitely resist fiercely."
"So what?" Zhu Qizhen said proudly, "Now the army has basically stabilized. Although I have not yet taken charge of the military, at least they will not wear the same pants as the civil servants. Sooner or later, they will have to show off, so why not come A quick knife cuts through the mess;
Sir, don’t you always say that it takes three years for a scholar to rebel?
Since they can't change the world, why should I be afraid? "
Li Qing was speechless, but he still didn't want to break the hard-working situation and advised: "They can't change the world, but they can make you uncomfortable, and they can make your policy exist in name only.
Now is not the time. "
"Then when is the time?" Zhu Qizhen was a little impatient, "Am I just going to watch them grow bigger day by day?"
Li Qing smiled and shook his head: "After the abolition of the recommendation system, the development of the civil service group has been greatly restricted. Especially now that the army has reassigned guard eunuchs, the development speed of the civil service has almost stagnated. There is no need to rush this moment."
After a pause, he said, "Governing a big country is like cooking a small dish. The oil, salt, sauce and vinegar must be right, neither too much nor too little. The heat must be well controlled. If it is too light, it will not be cooked properly, if it is too heavy, it will burn."
Don't be careful! "
Li Qing spoke sincerely, and Zhu Qizhen slowly calmed down.
After a long time, he nodded and said: "Sir, what you said makes sense, but I am a little impatient, but the institution of school inspection was established by Taizu, and its purpose is to supervise officials; I must reopen it!"
"The emperor is wise." Li Qing first affirmed the young emperor, and then said, "Many things cannot be accomplished overnight. They need to be planned slowly. The time has not yet come, but you can create it step by step."
Li Qing analyzed: "Now that the recommendation system has been abolished, Your Majesty has taken back most of the power to appoint and remove officials. Once you control the financial power again, you can implement national policies and get twice the result with half the effort;
Having money makes things easier, and this has been true since ancient times! "
He gave an example: "The emperor previously rewarded the soldiers who won the battle, which greatly won the favor of the army; isn't this the charm of money?"
"That makes sense." Zhu Qizhen agreed, "Should the silver mine be reopened immediately?"
"Don't worry, you won't become fat with just one bite." Li Qing said, "Stabilize the trade first, and wait until it gets on the right track."
Zhu Qizhen sighed and said with admiration: "Mr., I still have a long-term vision. Sometimes I am too childish, not mature enough, and act without thinking."
Fortunately, the little emperor knows right from wrong and listens to advice.
"Haha... Your Majesty is too humble." Li Qing relaxed, "Your Majesty is still young and has a long future. He will definitely become a wise king."
Zhu Qizhen's mood improved and he said with a smile: "By the way, how about the sweet potato roast today?"
Li Qing also smiled: "It's really great. All the officials drank until their faces turned red and their necks became thick."
"Oh? Haha..." Zhu Qizhen was overjoyed.
~
After joking for a while, Li Qing returned to the topic.
"Your Majesty, in fact, many things may seem irrelevant, but in fact they are closely related." Li Qing taught, "Civil officials like to build momentum, take advantage of momentum, and build momentum;
In order to achieve the goal of overpowering the Supreme and seeking benefit for oneself;
The emperor can also use his methods to repay others! "
Zhu Qizhen leaned forward, as if listening.
Li Qing smiled and said: "The emperor wants to reopen the inspection school, and his purpose is to rectify the officialdom, but rectifying the officialdom does not necessarily require reopening the inspection school."
"for example……?"
"Just punish the person!" Li Qing said, "The officialdom can be rectified, but rectifying the officialdom in a way that harms the overall interests of officials is far worse than directly targeting the person involved."
Li Qing took a sip of tea and continued: "Actually, I also think it's time to rectify the officialdom a little bit, but at this stage, we can't reopen the school for inspection."
Zhu Qizhen frowned and said, "For the person involved...then won't they stick together?"
"Not necessarily." Li Qing said with a smile, "Did the Emperor forget the multiple-choice question given to the officials a few days ago?"
"I remember, but what does this...have to do with anything?" Zhu Qizhen was a little confused.
Li Qing explained: "The emperor said at that time that all officials who reached seventy must return to their hometowns. Those ministers, ministers, and academicians all feel like they are facing a powerful enemy and dare not talk in depth. Why?"
He asked himself and answered, “The reason is that they all know that the court will not be affected at all if they leave them;
Because the people below will connect seamlessly, the government can still operate as usual;
And the chief ministers, ministers and others below the rank of minister are also eager to hope that the people above them can move their homes so that they can make further progress. "
Li Qingdao: "So, as long as the emperor does not harm their collective interests, they will not easily unite. It is not difficult for the emperor to punish individuals."
After a pause, he added: "Your Majesty, you can use the rectification of individual officials to achieve the political purpose of rectifying the officialdom, and you can also use this method to frighten the powerful bosses.
Let them understand that if the Emperor is not satisfied with you, you can replace him at any time;
If this continues, they will develop a fear of you, and your imperial power will further grow. "
Li Qing concluded: "Power, one becomes two, and two become one. Power can be power, and power can also be power."
Zhu Qizhen was enlightened by these words.
"Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading." Zhu Qizhen was deeply impressed and sighed: "My teacher's words made me enlightened. Such good words and words are hard to find even if they cost tens of thousands of gold!"
Li Qing was startled and asked in surprise: "The emperor wants to reward me with gold?"
"Uh... Those who want to be rewarded, those who want to be rewarded." Zhu Qizhen nodded and said, "Sir, he has made countless contributions since he entered the court. How can I treat you badly, sir?"
The small yellow door in the distance immediately stepped forward, "What are your orders from the emperor?"
"I've told you to go to the internal fund to get a hundred taels of gold and send it to Mr. Li later."
"Yes, I obey the order." Xiao Huangmen agreed and left happily.
According to custom, when the emperor gives a favor, the person receiving the reward must give some gifts in return to the eunuch who gave the reward.
Good guy, he said that it was hard to find a million gold coins, but in the end he was only rewarded with a hundred taels... Li Qing touched his nose: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
"Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.
It's really not worth mentioning... Li Qing stood up and said, "It's getting late. If your Majesty has no other instructions, Rong Chen will leave."
Zhu Qizhen stood up and said, "I'll see you off, sir."
"Your Majesty, you are welcome to stay."
"I'll see you off, sir." Zhu Qizhen insisted.
Li Qing couldn't defeat him, so he had to let him see him off.
Zhu Qizhen walked all the way out of the palace gate, then stopped and said: "The court meeting will be held as normal tomorrow. Sir, please don't be late!"
"...I understand." Li Qing cupped his hands and said, "I leave."
"Sir, walk slowly."
Zhu Qizhen watched Li Qing go away and said softly to himself: "Mr. Li is really awesome. With his help, why should I worry about not succeeding?"
After a pause, he said, "But this gentleman is indeed too powerful. I will always be rewarded in the future, but... forget about getting promoted. Let him succeed in everything he does."
At the end, he added: "I am also doing it for his own good."
…
——
ps: Although there are only two chapters today, this chapter is very long, uh... babies, please be gentle (*▽*)
