Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 1953
In the Tai Chi Palace, the wind was bitterly cold.

After a few days of warm sunshine, the temperature plummeted and the clouds gathered in the sky, which seemed to indicate that another snowstorm would hit.

This year Guanzhong has been snowing repeatedly, and it was ten years before Zhenguan, fearing that the houses would collapse and the people would freeze to death, and Qin Chuan, who was eight hundred miles away, was crying.However, with the prosperity of the country's finances, the popularization of kangs, and the use of coal, the past tragedy has long since disappeared. The heavy snowfall has become the moisture that the land desperately needs. smaller.

The heavy snow that made people miserable in previous years has turned into auspiciousness that fell from the sky...

In a side hall of the Shenlong Temple, there is a huge plum blossom in the yard, with its thin branches stretching out, and clusters of pink and white plum blossoms are blown by the cold wind to open their petals and bloom in full bloom against the cold wind.

When British Duke Li Ji entered the courtyard, he could faintly smell a tangy fragrance.

As the servant entered the house, a wave of heat hit, dispelling the severe cold.

The clean and spacious room is covered with a smooth floor, and it is very rewarding to take off your shoes and step on it, and feel the warmth of the earth dragon burning.The furnishings inside were not luxurious. His Majesty Li Er was wearing a normal uniform. Standing in front of the desk, he picked up a red pill from a tray held by a waiter, put it in his mouth, and then took a pill from another waiter. Warm water, swallow into the abdomen.

Li Ji frowned slightly...

A tall and thin foreign monk with an ancient and strange face stood on the side of the desk, clasped his hands together, and said in a cold and awkward accent: "This pill is a poor monk using the secret method of Tianzhu, supplemented by the Great Tang Dynasty. Several kinds of rare medicinal materials are refined in [-] days. It has the effect of regulating the veins and eliminating intestinal poison. Taking it for a long time can make the body healthy and smooth. , then the embryo is born."

His Majesty Li Er looked relieved, nodded his head and said: "Thanks for the holy monk, but the taste is a bit bitter...Come here, reward the holy monk with ten pieces of gold, one hundred pearls, and one hundred pieces of Sichuan brocade!"

"Here!"

I have my own servant to lead the order, and I will go to the inner palace to prepare.

His Majesty Li Er looked at Li Ji's words, and said with a smile to the monks: "I still have state affairs that need to be dealt with urgently. The holy monk might as well go back to Ximing Temple first. When I have time, I can go to learn the Buddhist teachings from the holy monks."

Hearing the words, the monks put their palms together and bowed quickly, and retreated.

Li Ji looked at the figure of the monk, frowned, and came to His Majesty Li Er and said: "Your Majesty, a monk from a foreign land, without knowing the background, rashly taking the elixir he refined is really extremely risky. Besides In my opinion, the so-called elixir is no different from that of Taoist warlocks, so you should be cautious. Although the imperial physician in the palace has confirmed that the elixir is non-toxic, there are more than thousands of strange poisons in the world, and there must be some types that the world does not know ...If Your Majesty insists on taking it, why not call Sun Simiao into the palace for identification. Daoist Sun has traveled all over the world and has extraordinary knowledge, maybe he can identify the harm..."

"Hehe, Mao Gong seems to believe that this elixir is poisonous? Don't worry, I'm not a fool. Not long ago, I secretly summoned Daoist Sun to enter the palace. I came to the conclusion that it is non-toxic, so I can take it with peace of mind. This is the secret technique of Tianzhu Buddhism. It is the foundation of the emergence of Buddhas in the past, even if I can't finally become immortal and immortal like those Buddhas, it will be harmless in the end, don't worry about Mao Gong."

Li Ji was speechless...

It sounds nice to say, it seems that success or failure is all in God's will, but with your hopeful and longing face, is it obvious that you are waiting to take this elixir to live forever?

But he is not a noisy and advocating minister like Wei Zheng, since Sun Simiao has already identified that he is not poisonous, then it's okay, the emperor wants to live forever, and let him go, it's not a courtier who can criticize him.As a courtier assisting the emperor, or fulfilling his duties, or picking up omissions, there is no reason for the emperor not to do this or that?
It's just that I can't help but sigh in my heart, this majesty is very wise and powerful, rare in ancient times, but he still can't pass the hurdle of emperors' pursuit of longevity.

Seeing that Li Ji was still worried, His Majesty Li Er chuckled, dragged him to the window, pointed to the two chairs in front of the window, and said, "Look at this, it's made of unique huanghuali wood in Qiongzhou. The shape was created by Fang Jun, it's called an 'official hat chair', the name is very tacky, but the shape does look very imposing, and it can highlight the status of officials and eunuchs."

The light yellow wood is very bright under the sunlight through the glass window, and the black lines are tightly entwined, which looks like grimaces. Li Ji leaned forward and touched it with his hand. The smooth surface was scratched. A layer of wax, but it is still difficult to block the faint fragrance of the wood itself...

This kind of wood is not much inferior to the world-renowned red sandalwood, especially the shape of the 'official hat chair', which is dignified and simple in style, not luxurious, but has a brilliant atmosphere. Putting it on, it looks very elegant.

Li Ji praised: "The talent of the son-in-law is really amazing, and the navy has opened up the sea routes to the South Seas and the West Seas. Only rare and precious woods such as red sandalwood and huanghuali can bring a lot of money to your majesty every year. Even if he praises him as a minister who seeks the country, it is nothing more than the benefits."

His Majesty Li Er said with a smile: "This kid's mind is not always above the practical government affairs, but he just flocks to these weird things. You say he is fooling around and not doing business, but he can always surprise people, so that you can't blame him." , but I would be ashamed not to reward him... This stick really gives me a headache."

"Hehe, Your Majesty is clearly proud of himself. Why do you appear to be belittling the real thing in front of the minister? The minister is not one of those pious Confucian students who always only care about the result and not the process. It doesn't matter if the son-in-law wants to mess around or think for a long time. , in short, what you do can relieve His Majesty's worries and benefit the empire, that is good, as for how to do it, there is no need to delve into it."

His Majesty Li Er clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "If the stick heard Mao Gong's words, wouldn't it be its tail sticking up to the sky? You, Li Mao Gong, don't praise people easily!"

As he spoke, he took Li Ji's hand and walked back to the mat on the other side to sit on the floor. He ordered someone to make a pot of fragrant tea, served some snacks, and said casually: "This Tai Chi Palace is like a dragon's pond and a tiger's lair. You are waiting for Maogong." No, why don’t you come here today to see if I’m singing and dancing here and enjoying my licentiousness, so that I can give a memorial to Yushitai, give some words of advice, and find a sense of existence?”

This is of course a joke.

Who is Li Ji?
That mouth is like a gourd with its mouth sawn off, and he usually doesn't utter a single word. Whenever there is a major event in court, he always keeps his mouth shut, not being forced into a corner, and never expressing his opinion easily.

There is such a thing as a sense of existence, I wish I didn't have it at all...

Li Ji also laughed, and said: "If this humble minister really has such intentions, there is no need to offend His Majesty. You only need to find a reason to impeach the consort of the house, and the government and the public will immediately shake.

Now the one who makes the censors' teeth itch with hatred is none other than Fang Jun.This fellow acted recklessly all day long, but he seemed to be wearing a golden bell cover. Countless times of impeachment came back without success, and he didn't even hurt a single hair. Frustrated, but also very jealous, dare not make a move in a leisurely manner.

So if someone impeaches Fang Jun now, everyone will know about it, no matter what the result is, it will be the focus of attention...

The monarchs and ministers laughed for a while, drinking tea, Li Jifang explained why he came.

"After the beginning of spring, the Eastern Expedition is imminent. The allocation of troops and the transportation of food and fodder are a huge project. No matter what link is slightly inattentive, it is very likely to lead to serious consequences. Therefore, I can't sleep at night and dare not be negligent. Today, the amount of military rations is calculated, and it is found that although there is a lot of rations in Guanzhong, it is still not completely reassuring. After the Eastern Expedition, the consumption of rations is an extremely huge figure. It may be difficult to restore the reserve in front of the station within ten years. Quantity, in case of natural disasters, it is very likely to lead to food shortages and instability in the court... Therefore, I also ask your Majesty to issue an order to order the Royal Navy to spare no effort to purchase food from Nanyang and import it into Guanzhong. In addition..."

Speaking of this, he paused, looked at His Majesty Li Er's face, and said slowly: "Your Majesty wants to lead the conquest in person, so you should determine as soon as possible who will assist the crown prince to supervise the country, take over the government as soon as possible, and intervene in the pre-war affairs. , When His Majesty leads the army to go out in spring, we will be able to transition smoothly, so as not to accept hastily, resulting in omissions in coordination, deployment, etc. "

His Majesty Li Er slowly put down the teacup with a serious face.

When the king goes out to fight, he must stay with the prince to supervise the country, so that he can stabilize the rear and have no worries about the future. This is naturally the meaning of the title.

However, it is a troublesome matter to choose who will assist the prince to supervise the country.

In a sense, the candidate to assist the crown prince to supervise the country at this time is the future crown prince's assistant minister after he ascends the throne. Who can ignore such an honor?
Who to choose and not to choose, the implications are extensive and far-reaching...

(End of this chapter)