On the same day, Zhu Yijun accompanied the Queen Mothers of the two palaces on a boat trip across the lake, wandering in the beautiful scenery of "Taiye clear letter opens in a mirror, and melts and ripples come from the sky".
A group of people went boating on the south, middle and north seas. They first visited Chengyuan Pavilion and stopped briefly at Zhaohe Hall. After visiting Shuiyun Pavilion, they visited Longshou, Yuhua and Xianyou caves. Zhu Yijun secretly laughed in his heart that Emperor Jiajing went to all lengths to cultivate immortality and dug holes in the mountains just to create the "cave mansion" in the book.
When the fun of the tour was over, it was almost dusk. Zhang Hong asked for the order, and Zhu Yijun discussed it with the Empress Dowager Cisheng and decided that the whole party would stay in Bailu Palace.
Bailu Palace is the Wanshou Palace that was destroyed by fire in the 41st year of Jiajing Period and rebuilt in the second year. It was renamed Bailu Palace in the 44th year of Jiajing Period. Bailu Palace is not a single palace, but a very dense palace complex.
Zhu Yijun still lived with the Empress Dowager Cisheng, and he resigned from the main hall and lived in the Nuan Pavilion on the side of the hall. Since she was not in the imperial palace, Empress Dowager Li did not insist, and both she and Empress Dowager Chen lived in the main hall of Bailu Palace.
In order to make it easier for the empress dowagers of the two palaces to find people to chat with and serve, the old concubine of the Sejong Dynasty lived close to the ceremonial supervisor and the horse supervisor Da Yun. As a result, the palace where the two young concubines lived, Yi Fei and Qi Fei, were far away from the main hall of Bailu Palace, and they were both in the side hall in the northwest corner.
By the time everyone settled down, it was already dark and all the palaces were lit with lights.
.......
Because he was tired from the tour, Zhu Yijun had dinner with the two palaces and then retired to the bedroom to rest. Wei Chao helped him wash up, then asked the palace maid to bring a basin of hot water, and then he washed Zhu Yijun's feet.
When Zhu Yijun was about to go to bed, Zhang Hong asked to see him outside the door. Zhu Yijun felt strange and called him in.
Zhang Hong went to the back of the palace to pay homage and asked the people to step aside. Seeing that he had something confidential to say, Zhu Yijun asked Sun Long and Wei Chao to go out.
Zhang Hong kowtowed to the ground and said: "Yesterday, I saw that the emperor agreed to pay 600,000 taels of internal funds to the foreign court for the pension of officers and officials. He is a truly sage and wise master."
To be fair, Zhu Yijun doesn't like Zhang Hong.
Although this person is loyal and knowledgeable, his speech and behavior are compared to those of Chen Ju, Zhang Jing and Zhang Cheng, which always gives Zhu Yijun the impression that he is a little slower.
In addition, Zhu Yijun is a bit pedantic, and sometimes he has to persuade him to do things, which often makes him feel tired.
But after expelling Feng Bao, Empress Dowager Li, who was in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, made a decisive decision. In order to make her feel safe enough, Zhu Yijun had no way to object. After working together for more than a year, Zhu Yijun gradually got used to Zhang Hong's slow speaking habit.
At this time, there was no emotion of excitement or emotion in the flattery he said. Zhu Yijun felt a little funny in his heart, and even had a good impression of him because of it.
He smiled and said: "Get up and find a place to sit on - what do you want to do now?"
Zhang Hong thanked him, but still knelt down and said slowly: "For more than a year, the emperor has been diligent and thrifty, and his expenses can no longer be reduced. I am the chief minister of etiquette, and if I still allow the emperor to be free from food and clothing, It’s simple and economical, but shameful and shameless.”
When Zhu Yijun saw that he didn't get up, he didn't care about himself. He thought to himself that if you want to kneel down, just kneel down.
Hearing that he hadn't said anything about the purpose of asking for a meeting, I felt a little more amused. He smiled and said, "You might as well speak up."
Zhang Hong's tone was still calm, and he said softly: "Your Majesty. The Chief of Ceremony is the head of the inner court. Every year, each of the supervisors and ministers gives some money to the ministers. I am an eunuch, and I have no use for the silver. I want to give it to the emperor. Lord."
Zhu Yijun was secretly moved when he heard that he was going to donate the small treasury of the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
He smiled and said: "How much money can you make? When you make palm prints, you can't just shout slogans and make people work hard. You also have to reward people occasionally. Share some with your subordinates. Keep it for yourself. I accept it."
Hearing what he said, Zhang Hong's body trembled. Zhu Yijun was sitting by the bed, looking at the two drops of water dripping on the gold brick in front of him, and he must have shed tears.
I heard Zhang Hong play with a choked voice: "I have read in the study, and I have read some myself. I have never heard of anyone as kind and wise as the emperor. This is what I say from the bottom of my heart. - The amount I want to donate is 600,000 taels a year." "
After Zhu Yijun heard this, he thought he was hearing hallucinations and picked his ears on the bed. He couldn't help but ask loudly: "How much?"
Zhang Hongzou said: "Since Xianzong, the other 23 ministers and supervisors in the inner court have to pay filial piety to the official seal of the ceremonial supervisor every year. This has been the case for more than a hundred years. During the reign of King Sejong, the amount of filial piety had increased to 30,000 taels per year. .”
Zhu Yijun opened his mouth wide after hearing this.
Zhang Hong then played in a low voice: "In just a few years, the Chief of Ceremony can earn more money than I can spend in a lifetime. I didn't even know this before."
Zhu Yijun came to his senses and called Zhang Hongping again. Zhang Hong got up respectfully and moved a small platform to sit on.
Zhu Yijun composed himself and said: "Our ancestors have not known about it for more than a hundred years?"
Zhang Hong replied: "Returning to the emperor, I didn't know it before I took over the seal of the ceremonial supervisor, and when I was holding the pen. This rule only circulates among the eunuchs, the chief seal, and the admiral eunuch. He cannot be the leader. I won’t know for the rest of my life.”
After a pause, he said: "The former ministers didn't dare to tell me, Grandpa Shizong definitely didn't know."
Zhu Yijun found it unbelievable at first, but after a few turns in his mind, he felt that it was not impossible.
It's funny to think about it. Emperor Sejong toyed with the applause of his ministers, making him unpredictable in mood and mood. There were many big warriors around him who were fighting fiercely as they advanced and retreated. Unexpectedly, these people had the same ambition and kept such a large sum of money from Emperor Jiajing.
As for his cheap father, Emperor Longqing, he only served as emperor for six years, and his energy was almost all in his lower body, not to mention.
Unexpectedly, after traveling back in time for more than a year, I actually opened up a hidden plot in the Ming Dynasty court and obtained a fund of 600,000 taels of silver per year. Then I thought again: "TMD, this is all my money!" Thinking of this, I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders.
Zhu Yijun finally decided: "You don't have to hand over the money to the inner treasury, just create a separate account book. If I have any inconvenience to use the inner money, I will let you know." Seeing that the emperor accepted it, Zhang Hong showed an expression of relief on his face, The wrinkled face seemed to glow.
Zhang Hong chatted with Zhu Yijun for a few more words, and begged the emperor not to make the matter public. When Zhu Yijun agreed, he resigned.
...
Zhang Hong delayed Zhu Yijun for half an hour. Zhu Yijun got a large sum of money inexplicably and was a little excited. It took a while before he fell asleep.
While sleeping soundly, Zhu Yijun was gently woken up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Sun Long and Wei Chao bowing down in front of the bed. Zhu Yijun was half asleep and asked in a low voice: "What time is it? Is it going to court?"
Sun Long's whole body was almost lying in the cracks of the ground, and he muttered a few times, as if he was trying to organize his words. Wei Chao was beside him, his body trembling with fear. Seeing this, Zhu Yijun became suspicious and lost his sleep. He touched the head of the bed with his hand and took the cross-guard dagger in his hand. shouted: "What's going on?"
Sun Long calmed down, fell to the ground and whispered: "Long live my lord, it is the end of the year. Something happened in Ningcui Palace, so I asked the Queen Mother to wake me up."
Zhu Yijun's heart seemed to be grabbed by a hand. In an instant, countless thoughts went through his mind, and he asked hoarsely: "What's going on?"
Sun Long said: "One of the purlins in Ningcui Hall was broken, the glazed tiles fell down, and Concubine Ye passed away."
