Chapter 29: Banquet, Taoist's attack The Jinyiwei had many duties, one of the most important of which was to monitor all officials in the capital. Therefore, Lu Bing was able to go to Xiyuan frequently to report. The daily news was summarized by Lu Bing. He would first review and screen it, and then pick out the important news to report to Emperor Jiajing. "Jiang Qingzhi wanted to buy a shop, but the asking price was 300 guan, so he didn't want to part with it and didn't buy it." A clerk is reporting. Zhu Hao was beside him. He was now guilty and wanted to find an opportunity to atone for his crime. Hearing this, he suggested, "Commander-in-chief, last time a noble relative engaged in business and bought and sold a store, His Majesty rebuked him for being greedy." Lu Bing narrowed his eyes and said, "Pass this message to Cui Yuan." Zhu Hao was puzzled and Lu Bing did not explain either. The relationship between the brothers is very close, but Emperor Jiajing is very smart. If Lu Bing frequently flatters Jiang Qing, he will inevitably be noticed. After Cui Yuan heard the news, he was overjoyed and said to those around him, "Your Majesty is very strict with his relatives and is most disgusted with them doing business. This is an opportunity."
Emperor Jiajing was quite wary and even disgusted with his relatives by marriage. The late emperor's two uncles, Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling, committed crimes, lived a life of extravagance and debauchery, and were arrested and imprisoned by the Jiajing Emperor. Zhang Heling died in prison, and Zhang Yanling was executed by the Jiajing Emperor only last year. Although Emperor Jiajing dealt with the Zhang Heling brothers with the intention of restraining Empress Dowager Zhang, he also hated the evil deeds of his foreign relatives, which is why he took measures to reform the ennoblement of foreign relatives after he ascended the throne. Not hereditary! Don't think that you can be rich and prosperous for generations just by being a relative by marriage. That's not possible. Later, Emperor Jiajing also dealt with several relatives by marriage to make an example of them. As for the charges, they did not abide by the rules in doing business and had committed countless acts of plunder. Emperor Jiajing even warned the monkeys in the harem, no, the women, to control their families and to study or join the army, but not to do business. Cui Yuan excitedly found an opportunity to go to the palace to meet Emperor Jiajing. "Buy a shop?" "Yes." Cui Yuan lowered his eyebrows and said pleasingly, "Three hundred strings of cash." "Have you bought it?" asked Emperor Jiajing. "Not yet. I heard that he is quite interested." Cui Yuan sighed, "I think your majesty treats him very well and rewards him with land and houses... Is that not enough?" Your Majesty, don't you hate the idea of relatives of the emperor doing business? Jiang Qingzhi should be dealt with. "I haven't bought it yet!" Emperor Jiajing put down the Qingci in his hand and his expression remained normal. "Huang Jin." "I'm here." Huang Jin stepped forward. "Bring me three hundred strings of cash." Cui Yuan was stunned. The Taoist priest's eyes had already turned to the scriptures. "You idiot, you can't even afford a shop worth three hundred strings of cash. You are disgracing me. Buy it and give it to him as a reward." Cui Yuan: “…”
…… Mingyufang is close to Xishi. If nothing unexpected happens, Xia Yan will be taken to Xishi and beheaded in public later this year. "There are many shops in Mingyufang and the surrounding areas. Sir, why must we go to that shop?" Fu Cheng, with his back hunched and his face full of wrinkles, felt that his young master was a little too persistent. "That shop is connected from front to back, with streets in front and back. Lao Fu, these are two shops!" Fu Cheng said: "Three hundred strings of cash... I have collected the money in the house, and it is just over two hundred strings of cash. But the monthly expenses are not small! In addition, if the family spends all the money, I will be worried..." Two hundred strings of cash may seem like a lot, but with nearly thirty people to feed, it won’t last long. "Fortunately, you don't have many old friends in the capital, so you don't have to spend a lot of money on gifts. Otherwise..." There are certain rules for giving gifts to the powerful in Beijing. The gifts have to be generous, otherwise outsiders will think your family has fallen on hard times. The Ming Dynasty had been established for many years, and the powerful had already become parasites who sucked blood from the merits of their ancestors. No matter what else they fought for, they had to take their face into consideration. "Sir," a servant came to report, "someone has delivered an invitation." Is this the beginning of a financial crisis? Fu Cheng blinked his eyes, "What's the reason?" "Lu Jingfei's brother Lu Wei from her mother's family sent someone to apologize, saying that he was unable to entertain you last time due to some matters. This time, they have a new grandson, and the child will be one year old tomorrow, so please come and have a gathering." "I'm afraid it's not easy to save on this gift." Fucheng looked constipated. Jiang Qingzhi just wanted to talk to Lu Wei and asked him to tell Lu Jingfei to ask that arrogant lady to stay away from him. The next day, Jiang Qingzhi went to the Lu family with gifts. As the prince's in-laws, the Lu family was much larger than the Jiang family, but the location of their house was not as good as the Jiang family's. This shows how generous Emperor Jiajing was towards his cousin. "excuse me." Lu Wei looked smiling and very amiable, and apologized as soon as they met. "My son is rude and has caused trouble for Mr. Jiang." Look, my son was beaten up by you, I just said that you were tired...you were tired of beating people. Even Emperor Jiajing would have to praise this attitude: you have to do it. Jiang Qingzhi saw the dandy young man Lu Jin hiding behind Lu Wei. When Lu Jin was looked at by him, he subconsciously took a step back. Sun Chonglou used less force when he hit him, but even so, Lu Jin was still in excruciating pain. Lu Wei then ordered Lu Jin to apologize. He fucking beat me up… Even though he didn’t hit me in the face, I still need to apologize?
Lu Jin looked unconvinced, but Lu Wei just snorted and he obediently stepped forward and saluted. A difficult etiquette that requires bowing to the ground. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang." "No problem." Jiang was generous and nodded with a smile, but he refused to help. If the person concerned refused to help, the person apologizing could not stand up straight. "Please." Lu Wei ignored him. After the two of them left, a sound of falling was heard behind them. "Ouch! Help me, my waist!" When we entered the Lu family, we found that there were quite a few guests today. As soon as Jiang Qingzhi entered, he was met with many scrutinizing looks. Several noble ladies looked at Jiang Qingzhi together and commented on him. "This is your Majesty's cousin?" "Looks a little thin, but handsome." "Handsome but useless." "Why?" "When you blow out the light, you can see an outline." “It makes me feel relaxed and happy just thinking about it!” Once a woman starts to act like a hooligan, there is really nothing a man can do. The banquet begins. As the cousin of Emperor Jiajing, Jiang Qingzhi was seated at a table on the right. That is, not far, not near. Jiang Qingzhi was very curious about the standards of banquets held by the rich and powerful today. When the dishes were served in a stream, he saw the delicacies from the mountains and seas, and the various seafoods... There are seven or eight kinds of drinks. "Please help yourself!" Lu Wei stood up and raised his glass. Everyone responded. There were only five people at the table, but there were more than thirty dishes. And the portion is huge. This table of money would cost at least twenty strings of cash. It's so fucking luxurious. Jiang Qingzhi thought about the future of the south, where a casual meal from the gentry and businessmen could feed ordinary people for a month or even several months.
While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone! Only then did Jiang Qingzhi feel the anger and despair contained in this poem. …… in the palace. "Your Majesty, the almanac says today is not a good time to do anything." Huang Jin reported. "Then stop for a day." The Taoist priest didn't even change his clothes. He just wore his Taoist robe and went to his harem with an immortal look. The beauties in the harem were eagerly waiting. After the Taoist priest had several sons, he became much less interested in matters between men and women. So a group of monkeys... no, a group of women have been waiting for nectar for a long time. "Go and ask where His Majesty is." The concubines were waiting anxiously. "Oh no, your Majesty has gone to Concubine Lu's place." "That bitch! She seduces the master!" There was no telling how many jealous people were in the harem, but Concubine Lu welcomed Emperor Jiajing in with a smile. Concubine Lu Jing personally served hot tea, "This water is the dew that I collected. Just this cup, I got up ten days earlier." She said with a coquettish look on her face. Emperor Jiajing took a sip and said, "I got up late." Concubine Lu: “…” "The dew stains the sun and makes it pale." When it comes to drinking dew, Emperor Jiajing said that he was second to none in the world, and even the most devout Taoist friends did not dare to claim to be first. Concubine Lu covered her mouth and laughed sweetly, "I wanted to be lazy, but Your Majesty saw through it immediately." Emperor Jiajing liked it best when people compared him to a god. Hearing this, his expression eased a little. "I heard that you want to match your niece with Qingzhi?" Concubine Lu Jing was stunned and thought, could it be that His Majesty is interested? She was overjoyed, but after suppressing her joy, she said with a smile, "That's right, I was just worried that he wouldn't like Shan'er!" She was being modest. Emperor Jiajing was sipping tea and seemed to be in a trance. It seems like there is hope!
Concubine Lu Jingfei and Chen Yan exchanged glances, and Chen Yan quietly left. Emperor Jiajing opened his eyes and glanced at Chen Yan, as if he saw through everything. Then, he said, "What about the girl?" "Shan'er likes reading and poetry. I'm not bragging, but Shan'er's poetry ranks among the top three among the women in the capital." "Oh!" Emperor Jiajing did not comment, "Here is a poem for you to listen to." "It must be someone of great talent. I am all ears." "When the moon is dark, you can see the fishing lights, like a single firefly. A slight breeze stirs the waves, scattering them like stars all over the river." Concubine Lu Jing was fully prepared with hypocritical praise, but she was stunned when she heard this poem. I blurt out, "What a great poem! Fresh and natural, it makes me feel relaxed and happy." Emperor Jiajing looked at her and asked, "Is this poem good?" "I am an educated person after all. This poem must have been written by a great scholar. I can't be wrong." Concubine Lu chewed on the poem carefully and felt her mouth was full of fragrance. “It’s really amazing!” "That's good." Emperor Jiajing stood up. "I thought your poetry appreciation skills were already unbearable." Concubine Lu was startled, "Your Majesty, this is..." "gone." The Taoist priest left with an immortal look. Emperor Jiajing was extremely smart and liked to use his intelligence to crush ordinary people. He liked to speak half-heartedly or vaguely, leaving you to guess. Concubine Lu Jing called Chen Yan over and said, "Go and find out who wrote this poem." Chen Yan rushed to Emperor Jiajing and was about to ask some questions. Huang Jin came out from the side hall with a smile on his face. "No need to ask, that poem was written by Mr. Jiang." Emperor Jiajing even anticipated that Concubine Lu would send someone to inquire about the news of the poem. Chen Yan's scalp tingled. She quickly apologized and left. "what!" Concubine Lu couldn't believe it. "Didn't Shan'er say that Jiang Qingzhi was a nerd and a coward?" Chen Yan said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty is so proud, how could he lie about such a matter? Also, I have a worry."
"Say!" "Your Majesty came to us today, and it seems that he came here just to vent his anger on Jiang Qingzhi." That's right, I've spent all my time cultivating the Dao, not wasting a single moment. I've made a wasted trip today... There was no rain or dew at all. This was clearly for Jiang Qingzhi. "You go, go home right away and tell your brother to show your good will to Jiang Qingzhi immediately!" Concubine Lu Jing knew she was wrong. Big mistakes. …… The hall was filled with smoke. Emperor Jiajing sat down and crossed his legs. Close your eyes. "My cousin, is that woman really someone who can dislike him?" (End of this chapter)