It must be very unusual for someone like Tang Fan who loves food to refuse Wang Zhi's invitation without being moved by food.
However, Tang Fan's identity is not what it used to be. Even Wang Zhi has to salute when he sees it. Naturally, Wei Mao can't stop him. If he wants to leave, Wei Mao can only watch and don't dare to stop him.
Tang Fan hurried back home, and before he stepped into the door, he smelled the aroma of rice coming from his nostrils.
The house that should have no light at the moment is brightly lit, and it seems to warm people from the bottom of their hearts in the autumn night.
He gave a slight smile.
After Tang Fan entered the pavilion, he no longer lived with Suizhou, but moved back to his original house next door.
Tang Yu took He Lin - it should be renamed Tang Lin now, the mother and son moved out of here, and bought a house in the capital, not far from here, they can take care of each other, A-Dong also moved there , hired a nursing home again, and Qian San'er was still there, so Xiao Xiao didn't dare to come.
The reason for this is that Tang Fan and Suizhou are two. Now one is a cabinet minister and the other is the head of Jinyiwei. Even if there is no one to criticize the impeachment, it is necessary to prevent the king from being suspicious. From time to time, the party will seize Tang Fan's small handle. At that time, a charge of collusion with the emperor's pro-military will be convicted, and it will not be clear if he jumps into the Yellow River.
After returning from Jiangxi, Tang Fan moved because of his merits, and Suizhou was even more trusted by the emperor. Originally, he was going to be promoted to be the marquis of Ding'an, but he repeatedly refused to accept it. make up.
Due to Concubine Wan, his younger brother Wantong still holds the position of commander of Jinyiwei. Suizhou has never been able to take over Jinyiwei justifiably, but this is only a matter of time. There are fewer and fewer hands. Now, apart from the Nanzhen Fusi, including the Beizhen Fusi and the Jinyi Guards, there are nine out of ten people from Suizhou, so that others say that the Jinyiwei now has two commanders with real power. Although Shang Suizhou is still the governor and the official position is slightly lower than Wantong, in fact, even Wantong can't take away the power that is firmly held by the other party from him.
Wantong naturally didn't want to see this happen, but the emperor's trust in Suizhou was no less than his. Wantong had to give up temporarily and make other plans.
However, for Tang Fan and Suizhou, living next to each other and living under the same roof is actually not much different, because the two of them go out early and return late all day long. Even if they live in the same house, they may not meet many times. Opportunity.
On the contrary, after living next to each other, the courtyards of the two families are connected by a small door. As long as they can come back on time, the two must sit down and have dinner together, although such opportunities are rare.
Today is also a coincidence. Suizhou has not had many things recently, and Tang Fan can also come back early, so he doesn't need to sit in the cabinet and eat dinner with Wan Shoufu's face.
He even walked a little lightly when he entered the door. He walked through the moon gate connecting the outer courtyard and the inner courtyard into the dining room, and saw several dishes on the dining table, all of which were his favorites on weekdays. The jug, two wine glasses, and two pairs of chopsticks, if you think about it, you will know who put them out.
The smile on Tang Fan's face deepened. He stepped into the dining room faster, and reached out to grab the plate of salt and pepper ribs that was closest to him.
The ribs were fried to a crisp, the aroma rose from the plate, and it was still hot. It can be seen that not long after it came out of the pot, every piece of ribs was silently saying "Come and eat me", the empathetic Master Tang Naturally, they cannot live up to their wishes.
"Go wash your hands."
A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him, and Tang Fan shook his hands, almost dropping his ribs on the ground.
He hurriedly put the hot spare ribs into his mouth and bit it, turned around and showed a pleasing but guilty smile to the person who came.
Uncle Sui's cooking skills are top-notch, and everyone around him knows that, but he is not a cook. Even if he is free, he may not be willing to cook. It depends on his mood, so not everyone is lucky enough to taste his craftsmanship.
However, there are always exceptions to everything. Suizhou is naturally willing to make it for someone, but the other party is busy every day, and there is not much time to go home and have a safe meal.
"Let's go!" Tang Fan still had ribs in his mouth, his speech was inarticulate, his face was extremely innocent, and he smiled at Suizhou with crooked eyebrows and eyes, and his eyes fell on the crab roe he was holding in his hand. The tofu soup suddenly shines again. "How can we do so much tonight, the two of us can't finish it."
As soon as he spoke, he forgot that there was still something in his mouth, and the ribs fell directly to the ground, and it was too late to reach out.
Tang Fan: "..."
Suizhou: "..."
Who would have imagined that Tang Ge, who was gentle and dignified outside, looked like this at home
Tang Fan laughed dryly, and quickly bent down to pick up the ribs: "You are busy, you are busy, I'll clean my hands!"
Suizhou shook his head, put down the soup in his hand, turned around and went to the kitchen to take out a plate of fried golden and crispy steamed buns.
When he returned to the dining room again, he saw another figure beside the table.
It's not Tang Fan who returned from washing his hands.
"What are you doing here?" Sui Zhou's face was cold, but he didn't speak well.
"Eat, it's just right, I caught up with me!" Wang Zhi said with a smile, and immediately picked up a wine glass and poured himself a drink. "I invited Tang Ge Lao to eat at Xianyun Restaurant. He said that he would go home tonight, otherwise he would be punished by He Dong Shi to kneel on the washboard. When I heard it, I was extremely curious, so I came to see He Dong Shi in Tang Ge's hometown. What does it look like, oh, isn't he talking about you?"
There are also maids in this house, which were carefully selected by Tang Yu, but the mere maids naturally couldn't stop Eunuch Wang, and ordinary people would not enter without asking like Eunuch Wang.
Sui Zhou had a strong desire to put the plate of steamed buns in his hand upside down on the opponent's head and kick him out, but he suppressed it anyway, because Wang Zhi's kung fu was not bad. It will only be this table of dishes. Thinking of Tang Fan's first time to come home for dinner on time for the first time in half a month, Sui Zhou could only hold his nose and tolerate this person, Shi Shiran, sitting here eating and drinking for nothing.
He gave Wang Zhi a cold look, and no matter how he looked at it, he felt that the other party was very annoying: "Stop talking nonsense, eat if you want, and leave after you eat."
The colder Sui Zhou had on his face, the more enjoyable Wang Zhi's wine was, and he even laughed: "You are busy with yourself, don't worry about me, Elder Tang, call him out to accompany him. I'll have a drink!"
Suizhou was too lazy to pay attention to him, so he turned around and left.
There was also a can of old duck soup simmering on the stove, and there was ginseng and jade bamboo in it, which he prepared for Tang Fan, so he had to check the heat from time to time.
As soon as he returned to the kitchen, he saw a man with his back turned to him, intently fiddling with a plate of Garlic Chicken Crispy Bones that had not yet been served.
There used to be a layer of shredded taro underneath, but now the shredded taro has been fiddled with by Tang Fan to cover the few remaining crispy chicken bones.
Suizhou: "...No need to do it, I've seen it all."
Tang Fan's figure froze for a moment, he turned around slowly, and laughed dryly: "However you walk without making a sound, you startle me!"
Well, this in turn, the wicked complained first.
Seeing Sui Zhou looking at him blankly, Tang Fan felt a guilty conscience: "I didn't steal it on purpose, I just wanted to help you taste whether it's right... Cough, who told you to do it? It was so delicious, I couldn't hold back for a while, haha, don't blame me, don't blame me!"
Simply worry.
Sui Zhou thought a little weakly, but his face still had no expression: "You told Wang Zhi that I was He Dongshi, and you were punished for kneeling on the washboard, eh?"
Tang Fan smiled apologetically: "I'm just talking nonsense because I don't want to go to the banquet. You've already cooked yourself, so why am I still eating outside, right?"
Seeing that the other party's expression did not soften, and he didn't seem to accept his explanation, Tang Fan tried to please him: "How about I go and tell him that I am He Dongshi?"
Suizhou: "..."
Eunuch Wang in the dining room had no sense of being a guest at all. Before the host was seated, he had begun to stretch out his chopsticks to pick up dishes. When Uncle Sui came back with Tang Ge Lao, Wang Zhi was still leisurely poking around. The two greeted: "When you are done? Come over to eat when you are done?"
Such an anti-customer-oriented and natural appearance...
Suizhou didn't want to say anything anymore, but Tang Fan was a little surprised: "Why are you here?"
Wang Zhi coolly said: "I heard that Tang Ge Lao refused my invitation, so I came to see it specially. It turned out that Ge Lao's wife cooked the cooking himself. No wonder you don't even care about Xianyun Pavilion!"
This old voice came out of his mouth, not only did not show any respect or flattery, but a hint of ridicule.
Tang Fan laughed: "Then you are lucky tonight, Guangchuan cooks, naturally not everyone is lucky!"
When he said this, he put all his attention on the spoon that Suizhou was helping him with the crab roe and tofu soup, and didn't pay attention to the name Wang Zhi used when referring to Suizhou.
Instead, it was Sui Zhou's action that stopped, looked up at Wang Zhi, and narrowed his eyes: "My wife?"
Tang Fan looked up blankly.
Wang Zhi calmed down and said, "My wife, what's the matter? You're already a lion in the east, so you're not my wife?"
Tang Fan's mouth twitched, worried that Suizhou wouldn't even give him the crab roe tofu soup when he got angry, so he hurriedly smoothed out: "It's not an insider, it's an outsider, an outsider!"
Wang Zhi: "… "
Sui Zhou corrected him: "It's not an outsider."
Tang Ge nodded as if pounding garlic, and said without principle: "The son! The son!"
Wang Zhi looked at him in disbelief: "As a dignified court minister, Zaisuke, can you still have a little backbone?"
Tang Fan happily took the crab roe tofu soup from Suizhou, and happily ate a few spoonfuls before taking time to answer him: "What is the backbone, is it as delicious as crab roe tofu soup?"
Look at what you said, I don't know how others will feel when they hear it
Suizhou brought him a piece of roast duck, which was bought at the old restaurant where Tang Fan usually went.
"Eat vegetables." Suizhou said.
The implication is to tell Tang Fan to ignore Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi watched the fun and didn't think it was a big deal, he also put a piece of chicken crispy bone into Tang Fan's bowl, and imitated Suizhou's accent: "Maomao eat vegetables, eat more."
Tang Fan: "..."
Suizhou: "..."
This is completely intentional to block.
Sui Zhou looked at him with murderous intent. If it wasn't for Tang Fan's face, Wang Zhi would be swept out of the house now.
However, it was precisely because he knew this that Eunuch Wang became more and more complacent and fearless.
The two exchanged eyes, refused to give in to each other, and fought for a round invisibly.
Tang Fan twitched the corners of his mouth and buried his head to eat.
Small episodes are worthless, and a meal is eaten without a sound.
Suizhou's craftsmanship is really good. After years of practice, even people like Wang Zhi who are used to the cooking skills of the imperial chef Ouchi and the chefs of Xianyun Pavilion think this table is delicious. But he didn't know that it was only because Suizhou knew that Tang Fan was coming back, that he would go to great lengths to cook this table of dishes. Naturally, the taste was not comparable to the cooks outside.
After the meal, the table, chopsticks and table were cleaned up by their own servants, and the three moved to the main hall, where Tang Fan made tea himself.
"It's so late, and you specifically asked me to meet outside the palace, must be something important?"
Wang Zhi is now on duty in the palace. It is not like he was running the West Factory outside in his early years. He can stay outside the palace for as long as he wants. Naturally, he can also leave the palace on vacation, but overall he is not as free as before, more important. Yes, Tang Fan's current identity is a cabinet minister, and it is a taboo for the court to have a close relationship with the eunuch. Although Wang Zhi doesn't say it, he will try his best to pay attention to these details.
It must be a very important thing to be able to let him go out of the palace to find Tang Fan in person, instead of letting Wei Mao and others speak.
"Not bad." Wang Zhi drank the tea in one gulp, put down the teacup, and said, "Your Majesty wants to rebuild the Chongzhen Longevity Palace, have you heard?"
"More than I heard," Tang Fan said with a wry smile, "Before I came back today, the cabinet was discussing this matter."
"Oh? How to say it?" Wang Zhi showed an interested look.
There are no real secrets in the palace. A great eunuch like Wang Zhi can soon learn about many things that happened in the cabinet, but he came out in the evening and didn't have time to inquire.
Tang Fan said succinctly: "In order to please Your Majesty, Wan An is ready to deal with this matter and ask Liu Ji to withdraw 500,000 taels from the Ministry of Household to rebuild the temple. Liu Mian is afraid of taking on a bad reputation, so he repeatedly shies the blame, saying that the funds have been taken by the Ministry of War. Wan An is very unhappy, let us each make a charter, and we will discuss it tomorrow."
When he was talking, his hand naturally stopped making tea, and Sui Zhou took his teapot, filled it with water, poured a new cup for the three of them, and handed Tang Fan's cup over.
Tang Fan took it easily, smiled at him, then turned to Wang Zhi with a wry smile: "I see this matter, it won't be so easy to decide, Liu Mianhuan doesn't want to be a standout, and Liu Hui'an definitely won't give in, either. It's time to quarrel again."
Liu Hui'an is Liu Jian's number.
Wang Zhi asked, "What about you, what do you think?"
Tang Fan said sternly: "To tell you the truth, the annual income of the national treasury is sky-high, but it is only a mere six million taels. I estimate that the silver from Li Zilong's ore vein is more than that many silver taels, but it still has to be It is only because of the good weather and good harvest in various places that it cannot be compared with the Tang and Song Dynasties. The root of the problem lies in the tax system set by Emperor Taizu at the beginning of the founding of the country. This is not me alone. It’s no longer a secret, but just because the ancestors’ laws cannot be changed, anyone who proposes to change the tax system will immediately be attacked by officials.”
Wang Zhi was a little impatient, and had to listen patiently.
Because based on what he knew about Tang Fan, the other party was not someone who likes to talk nonsense, and what he said must be to elicit the following.
But in Suizhou's view, whether Tang Fan is casual or rude, or even the seriousness he talks about now, he looks cute.
The temperament of others is changeable, and it is inevitable that they will be regarded as moody, angry, or two-faced. However, when placed on Tang Fan, not only does it not violate the harmony at all, but it adds a lot of charm to him. What outsiders know is only the gentle and approachable Tang Fan. Only those close to him can see his changeable side.
Tang Fan took a sip of tea and continued: "So, the national treasury only has so much money every year, but it has to be spent on countless things, often all the food is eaten and paid in advance to the next year, where is there any money left for His Majesty to cultivate Taoism? It’s fine for him to take the money from the inner treasury, no one can say anything, but Wan’an is ingenious and wants to use the money from the state treasury to please His Majesty. Not to mention Liu Jian’s objection, if Wan’an wants everyone to express their opinions tomorrow, I will definitely would object."
After that, he showed a sarcastic smile: "And in my opinion, this matter was definitely not brought up by His Majesty first. It is estimated that someone encouraged him to take it from the treasury."
Wang Zhi laughed: "I'm afraid you really can't object to this. Because Jixiao made a statement to His Majesty, saying that after the temple is completed, it can become a bridge between the human world and the immortal world, and the emperor is the son of heaven, born extraordinary, plus With this temple as a bridge, the heaven will certainly grant whatever you ask for.”
Tang Fan didn't sound right: "Wait, Jixiao is a monk, what did he mix in when others built Taoism?"
Wang Zhidao: "He said that since ancient times, there is a family of Buddhism and Taoism, and the Taoist family of Ci Tiantian is the Guanyin Bodhisattva in Buddhism. As long as he can save all sentient beings, there is no need to distinguish between Buddhism and Taoism. Having said that, those stone points he made in the palace. The trick of making gold has shocked His Majesty, not to mention that he is only talking about Buddhism and Taoism, even if he said that he is the reincarnation of Buddha, it is estimated that His Majesty will not doubt it."
Tang Fan: "..."
He and Suizhou looked at each other, both of them were a little shocked, obviously did not expect the emperor to be so obsessed with these things.
Previously, Jixiao recommended many monks and Taoisms to the emperor, and the emperor gave them titles one by one, and even gave them the golden seal of the national teacher, the real jade crown, etc. Many officials and censors gave advice for this, but they were instead approved by the emperor. He reprimanded them, saying that they were disrespectful to the gods, and also put some of the most violent officials in prison. This matter was handled by Sui Zhou at the time.
However, compared to major national events, these are still minor details. As long as the emperor's actions will not affect the country's capital, the cabinet ministers including Tang Fan will be free to go. Until today, the emperor wants to use the money from the treasury to cultivate Taoism. , which made everyone dissatisfied.
Tang Fan shook his head: "Even if Wan An agrees, it's useless, as long as the rest of the cabinet is against it, he can't go his own way. If your majesty wants to cultivate Taoism, he will pay from the inner treasury. The treasury really has no extra money. already."
Wang Zhi did not argue with him, because this was not the purpose of his visit today: "I just remind you, so that you can have a bottom line. I am here for another thing."
Tang Fan felt bad: "Is there any worse news than this?"
Wang Zhi smirked: "That's right. No matter who pays, His Majesty has made up his mind. That Raoshi uterus view is fixed. Not only does it have to be done, but it must be done within three months, and then let the crown prince pray for his father on his behalf. , to show solemnity and respect."
"Nonsense!" Tang Fan reprimanded without thinking, "What demon came up with this idea! How can the prince's daughter's body be so easy to leave the palace? Besides, wouldn't it be bad to let the dignified prince go to a wild road womb to pray for blessings? Prince's reputation!"
Sui Zhou held down the back of his hand and patted it lightly, with a sense of comfort.
Wang Zhi said coldly, "What's the use of you getting mad at me? Could it be that I advised His Majesty?"
Tang Fan quickly calmed down and smiled bitterly: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not targeting you, it's just too ridiculous!"
Wang Zhi: "that's why I came here to tell you that this was proposed by Jixiao, and your Majesty will agree. I am sensitive to Wynn's identities, so it's hard to object, lest Your Majesty be disgusted and think that the prince does not want to be a father. Bullying, on the contrary, is more and more towards Jixiao's side, so it's all up to you."
Tang Fan frowned and said, "Why did Jixiao suddenly make this suggestion, he usually has nothing to do with the prince..."
Suizhou said: "Jixiao was recommended by Li Zi Province, and Li Zi Province is close to Wan Dang. Is there any connection?"
Since the prince's companion reading Han Zao died of poisoning a few years ago, in addition to the inner waiter who tried the food, the prince has also arranged a medical officer to monitor the prince's daily life recipes. Those with ulterior motives want to poison the prince. The road is completely blocked.
After the last time the East Palace praised Lin Ying for framing Tang Fan, under the acquiescence of the emperor and the auspices of Wynn, the East Palace and the staff of Zhan Shifu also carried out a major purge. Those who can stay are all right The prince is a loyal and loyal person, if someone wants to bribe the people around the prince to commit murder and plot, it is basically impossible.
However, the prince is not safe. On the contrary, his crisis has always existed, because Concubine Wan's desire to make Concubine Chen's son Zhu Youqiu the prince has never been broken. Zhu Youchuo appeared in front of the emperor to cultivate feelings.
Once the number of times, the emperor really doted on Zhu Youchao very much, and because of Wan Guifei's likes and dislikes, he thought of abolishing the crown prince several times, but he was hesitant and never made up his mind. Get anxious.
Tang Fan was reminded by Sui Zhou's words, his brows furrowed, and he couldn't help but say, "Wan Dang always thinks of abolishing the prince. Could it be that he wanted to assassinate the prince while he was out of the palace?"
This is obviously a layman, and Suizhou and Wang Zhi shook their heads when they heard it: "This is impossible, even if the prince really leaves the palace, the accompanying guards must be extremely strict, if nothing else, Jinyiwei will definitely arrange personnel along the road. , Under the eyes of the public, if you want to assassinate the prince, unless he is tired of living, but even if he is tired of living, he will only be shot into a hedgehog in the end, and the prince will definitely be unharmed."
Since it wasn't an assassination, why did the Crown Prince have to come forward? Is it just a coincidence that Jixiao's proposal and what Wanan said in the cabinet today
Tang Fan couldn't think of the reason for a moment, so he could only shake his head and said, "Well, I'll contact Liu Hui'an and the others first, and jointly ask Your Majesty to stop cultivating views. As for the matter of praying for blessings, I rashly suggested that it will only let His Majesty know that the inner palace has leaked news, which is not good for you either."
Wang Zhi got up and patted his butt and left: "Okay, you can do your best, it's going to rain and you want to get married, no one can stop him, you can only see the tricks!"
Despite Wang Zhi's reminder, Tang Fan had already made preparations. He went to Liu Jian and Xu Pu's house overnight to discuss the matter. The next day, the three of them jointly signed a petition, and they unanimously opposed Jianguan at the cabinet meeting, which made Wanan unable to do so. Fazai had the cheek to demand money from the treasury.
Not only Tang Fan and the others, but after hearing the news, many officials also expressed their disapproval, but as Wang Zhi expected, the progress of rebuilding the Chongzhen Longevity Palace did not slow down because of this. , insisted on practicing Vipassana, and no need to allocate funds from the national treasury, but directly from the internal treasury.
The emperor's meaning is obvious: I spend my own money, you can shut up.
The matter has come to this point, and everyone's objections are invalid, and they can only let it be.
In the late autumn of the 22nd year of Chenghua, the site selection of Chongzhen Wanshou Palace was completed and construction began.
In order to please the emperor, the construction of the temple is progressing rapidly, and more than half of it has been completed in early December.
At this time, the emperor proposed that when the palace was completed, he would personally go out to the palace to observe the ceremony and pray for blessings.
As soon as this statement came out, both the court and the people were shocked.
All the ministers voiced their opposition, and the scene was far more intense than the previous opposition to the emperor's construction of the palace, and even the cabinet, which had always been inconsistent internally, rarely unified their voices and expressed their opposition.
Since the change of Tumubao, Emperor Yingzong almost tossed Beijing city to move the capital, the courtiers were very disgusted with the emperor leaving the palace, and wished to keep the emperor in captivity in the Forbidden City for the rest of his life, so as not to make trouble again.
Under the opposition of everyone with the same aspirations, the emperor finally took a step back and did not ask to go out of the palace in person.
Naturally, everyone disagreed, and it was a lot of trouble again.
This matter remained in a stalemate until the end of December, and when the palace was about to be completed, two major events happened one after another.
One is to enter the Big Dipper with wisdom.
One is the transit of Venus.
The author has something to say:
small theater:
Qilang (Tang Lin): Uncle, mother said that you and Uncle Sui are good friends, but brother San'er said no. Is that true
Tang Fan: Of course yes, otherwise, why do we need to be neighbors? It's because we have a good relationship. When we become neighbors, we can visit every day.
Shirou (doubt): Then why did Brother San'er say that you are not good friends
Tang Fan: ... His skin is itchy.
Regarding the magic and fun of being separated by a wall, please look forward to tomorrow's small theater →_→