One hour is two hours, and Qi Jiguang waited outside Yan Song's door for half an hour before he was summoned.
After Qi Jiguang walked into Yan Song's room, Zhu Ping'an withdrew his gaze and began to deal with the official business that had piled up due to his writing of Qingci. After reading only two memorials, Yan Song began to ask people to submit their Qingci. As for Qi Jiguang, who was reporting on the military situation, Zhu Ping'an only had time to see his back as he walked out of Wuyi Hall.
At around eleven o'clock, Zhu Ping'an felt that the entire Western Garden began to become busy with the fasting and prayer activities for Emperor Jiajing.
Soon, the entire Western Garden was filled with smoke, and more than a thousand kilograms of incense, candles, and paper were reduced to ashes. If this happened in modern times, Emperor Jiajing would definitely be scolded by environmentalists.
This was Zhu Ping'an's second time to participate in Emperor Jiajing's fasting and prayer ceremony. The last time was in the Hanlin Academy.
Zhu Ping'an felt that this time was a little different from last time. Last time he was responsible for writing, drawing and arranging the venue, but this time he accompanied the worship and was closer to the fasting and offering sacrifices activity center.
Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang and others were still responsible for writing Qingci in the altar. When Zhu Ping'an met Yuan Wei, he felt the envy, jealousy and hatred in Yuan Wei's eyes. It seemed that he was very dissatisfied with his early appointment as Sizhi Cabinet.
After the fasting and offering ceremony began, Zhu Ping'an could not help but thank Li Shu for her foresight. The soft leather shoes on his feet were truly a magical tool for the fasting and offering ceremony.
During the fasting and offering sacrifices, Zhu Ping'an prayed and knelt again and again. If he still wore his old official boots, he estimated that he would have two useless feet now. Now, wearing these soft leather shoes, Zhu Ping'an did not feel any discomfort in his legs and feet after kneeling so much.
While kneeling during the fasting and offering ceremony, Zhu Ping'an quietly observed Tao Zhongwen, the old charlatan, from a close distance. The old charlatan had flowing white beard, white hair, a youthful face, and an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, which gave him a somewhat immortal-like demeanor.
But no matter how much he looks like an immortal, it cannot change his nature as an old charlatan.
When the fasting and offering sacrifices were about to end, a Taoist boy urgently brought a letter. After Tao Zhongwen opened it, his face showed joy, and then he thanked Emperor Jiajing, who was wearing a blue cloth Bagua Taoist robe.
"Reporting to the True Lord, my junior fellow disciple, Taoist Zhang Yansheng from Qihe County, built the Daqing Bridge. When dredging the river, he found a dragon bone weighing one thousand pounds. There was also a vein of stone and sand protruding, several feet long, which looked like a divine appearance. This is a divine auspicious sign from heaven. Congratulations to the True Lord, congratulations to the True Lord..."
By reading Tao Zhongwen's lip movements, Zhu Ping'an learned the contents of the letter in Tao Zhongwen's hand. It turned out that he had dug out a bone worth a fortune.
keel
It's terrible to be uneducated. What dragon bones? They are fossils of ancient creatures.
Zhu Ping'an curled his lips speechlessly.
However, Emperor Jiajing was delighted by this and immediately allocated 200,000 taels of silver to order him to build Yuan Yue on Taihe Mountain in Huguang, perform a ceremony to calm the gods, and hold a ceremony to pray for the Ming Dynasty.
Taihe Mountain, also known as Wudang Mountain, is a famous Taoist mountain where the Taoist masters Xuantian Shangdi, Xuanwu Dadi, Yousheng Zhenjun Xuantian Shangdi, and Wuliang Zushi practiced. Emperor Jiajing named Wudang Mountain the most famous mountain in the world. Whenever there was a major event, Emperor Jiajing would have people hold a fast and offer sacrifices at Wudang Mountain.
Damn it! Tao Zhongwen, this old charlatan who brought disaster to the country!
Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but curse Tao Zhongwen, the old charlatan, in his heart.
During the last fasting and prayer ceremony, I wrote Qingci on the altar. I was so bold as to be extremely brave, but I only secretly hid gold powder dipped from more than ten brushes in my sleeves.
But this old charlatan managed to cheat a full 200,000 taels of silver from Emperor Jiajing with just a letter.
Two hundred thousand taels is not a small amount.
Last year, severe droughts struck Ningxia and Gansu. People had no food and resorted to cannibalism. The imperial court only distributed 200,000 taels of silver for disaster relief.
Tao Zhongwen, this old charlatan, used a paleontological fossil to steal disaster relief funds from two provinces from the national treasury...
Zhu Ping'an couldn't be more disgusted with the old charlatan Tao Zhongwen.
You can practice your Taoism and recite your sutras in the mountains, but why do you come to mess with the Ming Dynasty? The overthrow of the Ming Dynasty a hundred years later was largely due to the "contributions" of these charlatans, otherwise why would the Ming Dynasty suffer such a loss
At this time, Tao Zhongwen, who had an immortal appearance and a youthful face, became more and more wretched and ugly in Zhu Ping'an's eyes...
Because of the "dragon bone" incident, Emperor Jiajing was very pleased. Yan Song, who performed outstandingly in this fasting and offering sacrifice, also received special commendation from Emperor Jiajing. He was rewarded with a "green hat" made by himself, no, a fragrant leaf crown, in recognition of Yan Song's contribution to the fasting and offering sacrifice, as well as two excellent poems written by Yan Song.
Yuan Wei also received special commendation from Emperor Jiajing. During this fast and prayer ceremony, a Qingci poem written by Yuan Wei also won the favor of Emperor Jiajing.
Li Chunfang was also favored by Emperor Jiajing for his pretentious Qing Ci poems.
As for Zhu Ping'an, like other participants in the ceremony, he only received a reward from Emperor Jiajing that "other officials would give him one pound of ice."
Yuan Wei, wearing the scented leaf crown specially awarded by Emperor Jiajing, walked past Zhu Ping'an with a haughty look. When passing in front of Zhu Ping'an, he glanced at Zhu Ping'an with disdain, and even flicked the scented leaf crown on purpose, then walked away from Zhu Ping'an with a complacent look on his face.
"He is so proud of being cuckolded. He is really a role model of forgiveness."
Zhu Ping'an looked at Yuan Wei's back as he walked away, and curled his lips speechlessly.
Emperor Jiajing was very happy during the lunch break, but when it was almost time to get off work in the afternoon, he took out his temper on the cabinet.
Under Emperor Jiajing's temper, the cabinet was like a boat about to capsize in a storm.
This was the first time Zhu Ping'an saw Emperor Jiajing lose his temper.
When Emperor Jiajing stepped into the cabinet, Zhu Ping'an felt a tremendous pressure. He lowered his head like a quail and knelt on the ground to apologize with everyone else.
The reason why Emperor Jiajing lost his temper was that during the fasting and offering ceremony, he had allocated 200,000 taels of silver to order Tao Zhongwen to perform the ceremony of calming the gods and holding the ceremony at Jianyuan Yue in Wudang Mountain.
The problem lies in the two hundred thousand taels.
After the fasting and offering sacrifices, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War submitted a petition at this critical juncture. The Ministry of Revenue said that the expenses for disaster relief and military expenditures were huge and the treasury silver was in short supply; the Ministry of Works said that the cost of repairing the city wall of the capital was quite high; the Ministry of War said that there was famine in Xuanfu and Datong, and submitted a petition to borrow 300,000 silver coins from military pay for relief... ...
In short, there is a shortage of treasury silver.
The three ministries wrote to Emperor Jiajing, requesting that 200,000 taels be withdrawn from the inner treasury to cover the cost of building Yuanyue on Mount Taihe.
What is Neiku
Neiku is a concept corresponding to the national treasury. Neiku is the internal transport treasury, which is the Jiajing Emperor's small treasury. It is the private money that Jiajing Emperor "saved" with great effort, such as the income from the imperial farm under the name of Jiajing Emperor, the income from the tributes directly attacked by local officials, ethnic minority leaders, and vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, the pocket money allocated from the national treasury every year, the mining tax, mountain tax, grave tax, river tax, etc. collected by eunuchs in various places... ...
It's not easy to save up.
This is the lifeblood of Emperor Jiajing and the basis for his practice of Taoism and alchemy.
The cost for Emperor Jiajing to cultivate immortality and make elixirs was enormous. Musk, cinnabar, mercury, lead, mica, lead mother and other elixir materials were very expensive. The amount of money Emperor Jiajing spent on cultivating immortality and making elixirs was astronomical. Making elixirs was like burning money.
It's not that Emperor Jiajing didn't pay attention to the national treasury, but if he spent the money on making the elixir, his ministers would never allow it. Some stubborn ones were even willing to threaten their lives... ... Emperor Jiajing had no choice but to give up the idea of using the money from the national treasury to make the elixir.
Therefore, Emperor Jiajing could only rely on the inner treasury to support his practice of Taoism and alchemy.
In the eyes of Emperor Jiajing, the ceremony of calming the gods at Jianyuan Yue was the same project as the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven, both of which were for praying for the good fortune of the Ming Dynasty, and should have been funded by the national treasury.
Now the ministers actually wanted Emperor Jiajing to pay from the inner treasury. How could Emperor Jiajing tolerate this
Alchemy, you don't let me use the national treasury money, fine, I'll use my own private money! Now, Jianyuan Yue is performing the ceremony of calming the spirit, and you should have used the national treasury, but now you want to use my private money!
You've gone too far in bullying me!
You guys are so brave!