At noon, the earth seemed to have turned into a cauldron under the fan of Emperor Jiajing. The air between heaven and earth was like steaming flames. The whole world was burning, and it was so hot that people could not breathe.
The guard dogs that were trained in the Taicang Silver Vault were lying under the shade of trees, sticking out their bright red tongues. The horses in the stables had their nostrils flared wide...
Compared to the heat outside, there is a room in the Taicang Silver Vault that is like a paradise and as cool as spring.
There was an old dog outside the room, lying outside the door, curled up comfortably and sleeping soundly.
There is a reason why the old dog is lying outside the door in the sun. The cool air that occasionally comes out of the crack is much cooler than the shade of the tree outside.
From the outside, the room looked unremarkable.
Too inconspicuous.
It was no different from other warehouses in Taicang Silver Warehouse, with a very ordinary blue brick and red tile structure. There were no carved beams or painted rafters decorations on the outside. It even looked more shabby than other warehouses. Above the room hung a small door plaque with peeling paint, on which was written the warehouse's unified number, "Jiyou".
There is a saying that goes, "All that glitters is gold and jade on the outside, but the inside is rotten cotton." Sometimes, the opposite is also true, "All that glitters is gold and jade on the inside."
This room is just like that.
Don’t be fooled by its plain appearance. The room is actually a different world with a luxury that ordinary people cannot imagine.
The room was very spacious. It was two storehouses connected by a tunnel. The room was brightly lit, and in the middle was an ingenious indoor fountain pool and water corridor. There were miniature bridges and flowing water carved on the water corridor, and a rockery stood in the middle of the fountain pool. The spring water flowed down like a waterfall, winding through six small bridges, forming an S shape along the water corridor, and then disappearing into the ground.
There are potted green plants around the water corridor, and more than ten pots of ice cubes are placed there, emitting a slight coolness, making the whole room cooler.
The temperature indoors and outdoors seems to be in different seasons, with a difference of about ten degrees, just like turning on air conditioning in modern times.
In the middle of the room there was a table where a banquet was just about to begin. The table and chairs were made of huanghuali wood and were finely carved, and were obviously the work of a master.
Amber wine, luminous cups, gold and jade cups, jade plates…
The food is like a painting, the wine is like spring water, and the table is full of delicacies that are rarely seen in the world. Even abalone shark fins can only be placed in an inconspicuous position on the table and are rarely eaten.
Such a grand feast was just an ordinary working meal for the eight people present. They were all officials and managers of the Taicang Silver Treasury. This was their "late night canteen". They usually came here to have a "simple" "working meal", just like today. If anyone had a happy event or something, they would add a few more dishes and some wine to the "working meal". To them, it was not a good meal or wine, but just home-cooked dishes such as bird's nest, abalone, ginseng and shark's fin, and a few decades old girl's wine.
It was noon at this time, the outside was as hot as a furnace, but the inside was cool and comfortable. Since everyone at the banquet was family, the atmosphere was naturally relaxed and pleasant.
Sitting at the head of the banquet was Lord Zhang, the Minister in charge of the Taicang Silver Treasury. Lord Zhang had been in office for five years.
Mr. Zhang is about 40 or 50 years old. He has a scholarly air and is well maintained. He has a handsome face and is gentle and elegant. He holds a gauze Suzhou fan in his hand.
However, the gleam that inadvertently flashed in Lord Zhang's eyes made no one dare to underestimate him.
The Ming Dynasty implemented the two capital system. Lord Zhang was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing. The Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing was responsible for collecting tax grain from Nanzhili, Huguang, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces (the tax grain paid by these provinces accounted for half of the tax grain of the Ming Empire). It was also responsible for grain transport, salt permit inspection, etc. Lord Zhang, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, had a good relationship with Yan Shifan, and naturally became the Minister in charge of the Taicang Silver Treasury.
The other seven people at the banquet were also senior executives of the Taicang Silver Treasury. The two sitting on the left and right of Zhang Guanku were doctors of the Taicang Silver Treasury, and the other five people at the table were treasurers of the Taicang Silver Treasury.
The eight people at this table are the top executives of Taicang Silver Vault.
The Ming Dynasty had a strict management system for the Taicang Silver Treasury. There was a minister in charge of the Taicang Silver Treasury, who was usually an official from the Ministry of Revenue. Under the minister in charge of the Treasury were two doctors, several treasurers, and eight treasury secretaries. Under the treasury secretaries were several treasury clerks and fifty treasury soldiers.
The Taicang Silver Treasury is the fattest meat in the Ming Dynasty, and the positions in the Taicang Silver Treasury are naturally all lucrative jobs that make people jealous and drool.
Not to mention the officials in charge of the silver treasury, just the soldiers serving here, each of them is a coveted lucrative position. The number of soldiers is a constant fifty, and a batch is replaced every five years. Every time the soldiers are replaced, each position of the treasury soldier is eagerly eyed by hundreds of people with connections.
Every warehouse soldier has strong connections, either being a relative of someone or a close confidant of someone. Even so, to obtain this position, one has to use all kinds of means and spend a lot of money to buy off the connections in order to obtain a hard-earned warehouse soldier position.
If this is the case for the treasury soldiers, one can imagine the relationship between the officials in charge of the treasury here.
"Tsk tsk, today's stewed bear paws are even better than the stewed pig's trotters. Chef Wang really lives up to his reputation. He is worthy of being the famous top chef in Liaodong."
Taicang doctor Zhao Dingtian picked up a bear paw with chopsticks, shook it into his mouth, opened his mouth and took a bite. The juice from the bear paw splashed in his mouth, and the fragrant taste immediately flowed into his internal organs. After savoring it for a moment, he exclaimed with satisfaction.
"Hehe, Lord Zhao, you are only half right. Chef Wang's cooking skills are one thing, and Lord Zhang doesn't even think about where the recipe for bear paw came from." Another Taicang doctor, Jia Xu, joked with a smile.
"Oh, what prescription? Where did it come from?" Doctor Zhao Dingtian asked with great interest.
"For those with hair, dig a hole in the ground and put half lime in it. Put the palm inside, add more lime and pour cold water on it. Wait for it to swell and let it cool, then take it out. The hair will be easy to remove and the roots will come out. Wash and soak it in rice water for one or two days. Wrap it in lard and boil it, then drain the oil. Tear it into strips and stew it with pork... Dragon meat in the world and bear paw underground are better than delicacies from the gods. Gluttons should not miss it." Doctor Jia Xu took a sip of Longjing tribute tea, tapped the table, and recited silently in a rhythmic manner.
"So particular... Old Jia, you haven't told me where the prescription came from." Doctor Zhao Dingtian smacked his lips and asked where the prescription came from.
"Thanks to Lord Zhang for not hoarding his own things, you and I are able to enjoy this delicious food." Jia Xu, the doctor in Taicang, bowed to Zhang Guanku.
"Thank you, Master Zhang."
Upon hearing this, everyone present bowed to Zhang Guanku to express their gratitude.
"You guys, if you want to thank someone, you should thank Doctor Jia. It was Doctor Jia who found this prescription in one of my collection of books..." Zhang Guanku stroked his beard and shook his head with a smile, then pointed at Jia Siku and said with a smile.
There was laughter at the banquet and everyone was toasting each other.
"Hey, speaking of which, how is the inspector appointed by the court doing now?" Liu Siku, a treasurer at the table, thought of this and asked.
"Haha, Treasurer Liu, why are you worrying so much? It's not like the inspectors haven't come here in previous years, term after term, isn't it always the same old thing? They hold a meeting, look through the account books, check the files, and at most visit the site, give some instructions on the work, then collect some fees and leave." Another treasurer, Qian, smiled without any worry.
"But I heard that this year is different. The emperor has set up a cross-inspection system. I'm afraid the inspection will be serious this time." Treasurer Liu said hesitantly.
"So what? Don't you think about how deep the water is here? No matter how many ships come, they have to float on it..." said Treasurer Qian next to him meaningfully.
"Haha, Liu Kushu may not know yet, but the inspection team appointed by the court is probably wiped out." Doctor Jia Xu looked at Liu Siku, a smile slowly blooming on the corners of his mouth, as if the inspection team was a joke in his eyes.
"Ah?" Siku Liu was surprised, and then his eyes lit up.
"The Chief Inspector Liu Guangzuo has gone home to mourn his father's death. The Deputy Inspector Qu Tongyang had a stroke last night. The Censor Sinan was beaten with a stick in the court and will not be able to get out of bed for several months. If nothing unexpected happens, Doctor Gao Rui should also have 'an accident' now. Of course, I don't need to explain the reasons to you... As for the young Zhu Ping'an, there is naturally no need to worry about him..." Jia Xu smiled meaningfully, like a military strategist who was planning all the strategies.
"Hehe, just be sensible. Don't you think about who is above us?" Treasurer Qian's mouth curled up into a perfect arc.
"Hush, keep quiet. Who is above us? It's naturally the emperor." Jia Xu, the doctor in Taicang, bowed and said to Xiyuan with a serious face.
"Of course it's Your Majesty, of course it's Your Majesty." Treasurer Qian understood the hint very well. He gave a dry laugh and replied repeatedly.
"Haha, with all the accidents happening to his superiors one after another, Zhu Ping'an must be so scared that he dares not leave the house." Another treasurer, Zheng, laughed.
"No, I still want to see what the top scholar looks like. Besides, someone from the inspection team has to come."
"That's right, this inspection team must have one person."
"Let's find some time another day to deliver the account book to Lord Zhu and coax him to come over."
The atmosphere at the table became more relaxed. Everyone was laughing and joking. There was no pressure at all. It felt like the inspection team was wiped out in the midst of laughter and conversation.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Boom boom boom, boom boom.
Three long and two short.
Everyone at the table continued laughing when they heard the knock on the door. The three long and two short knocks were the agreed-upon code, meaning it was one of their own.
"Who is it?" Taicang doctor Zhao Dingtian asked loudly.
"Sir Zhao, I'm Sun Kushu. The guards outside just told me that there's a man named Zhu Ping'an outside who claims to be the inspector of the Taicang Silver Treasury and wants to enter the treasury for inspection."
The voice of Sun Kushu outside came through the crack in the door.
"What? Zhu Ping'an is here?"
"Why is he here?"
Everyone in the room was shocked, and then fell silent instantly.