Chapter 381: Good deeds lead to promotion
The entire circle of powerful people in the capital was mobilized.
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue were very busy, constantly counting and transporting supplies.
The Ministry of Revenue asked Yan Song for help, but Yan Song was too busy at the moment to take care of himself.
"The disaster in the northwest is not light either. This batch of money and grain must be transported as soon as possible." Yan Song urged the officials.
"Yes. But Yuanfu, the road is muddy now, I'm afraid we can't go fast!"
"Whatever method you use, as soon as possible!"
Yan Song sent the officials away, and the Ministry of Revenue came again to ask for more people. Old Yan Song couldn't help but complain: "I am the only one asking the Ministry of Revenue if they want more!"
The official from the Ministry of Revenue left in embarrassment, and Yan Song sat down with a relaxed look on his face.
"Dad, take a rest!" Yan Shifan gave him a cup of tea, and there was more fatigue in his one eye.
"It's finally quiet now, let's go home." Yan Song forced himself to get up.
When the father and son returned home, Yan Song suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "We haven't donated yet!"
He was so busy that he forgot about it.
Yan Shifan was the same, but he didn't care and said, "It's later, so who dares to say anything?"
"A person lives by his face!" Yan Song warned, and then asked someone to call the steward. He stroked the table, and the smooth lacquer surface slowly calmed him down.
"came back?"
Ouyang came in and saw that the father and son were exhausted. She quickly asked someone to bring hot water for them to wash up, and also made some soup to warm them up.
"I am exhausted and the situation in Donglou is not much better." Yan Song took a sip of the soup. "Hmm! What's added to this? It tastes salty and fresh."
Ouyang said, "Adding ham, this is the method that came from Xin'an Lane. That tycoon is really a great cook."
"Haha!" Yan Shifan laughed. "Although the saying that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen has been misinterpreted, it is indeed a bit ridiculous for a superior to enter the kitchen."
Ouyang handed the hot towel to the father and son and said, "This person only needs three meals a day, and it's even better if he can make his own food. He may seem blessed to have everything he wants, but this person has a limited amount of blessings. If you use too much at the beginning, you will have none at the end."
It can be summed up in two words: cherish your blessings!
When the steward arrived, Yan Song said, "Prepare some money and grain from home and donate it to the Ministry of Revenue."
The steward did not move. Yan Song was startled. Just as he was about to get angry, he saw his wife Ouyang took the cloth from Yan Shifan's hand and nagging as usual: "When I learned about the severity of the disaster, I had already sent money and grain to the Ministry of Revenue."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" Yan Song was happy and angry at the same time. He was happy that his family had fallen behind others, and he was angry that his wife did such a thing without telling anyone, which almost made him a laughing stock.
"Mom, how much did you donate?" Yan Shifan felt that his mother might want to set off a big firecracker.
"Not much, only 100,000 strings of cash."
Bah!
The spoon in Yan Song's hand fell into the bowl. He stared at his wife blankly, "Based on the salary of Donglou and I, we can't save up 100,000 strings of cash in our lifetime. You are not..."
"People outside say that my father and I are greedy. Mom, what are you doing...ah!" Yan Shifan stood up and prepared to leave, so as not to be angered to death.
Ouyang sat down and pounded her waist with her backhand.
"I told you to stop being so stubborn, but you refused to listen." Yan Shifan stomped his feet, turned around, and walked behind Ouyang, "Move forward."
Ouyang sat forward a little, and Yan Shifan took the gavel handed to her by the maid and gently massaged her lower back.
Ouyang put her hands on her hips and squinted her eyes. "I don't know why, but I know that having too much money at home is not a good thing. As for being suspected of corruption if you donate too much, won't those people doubt you if you don't donate?
Besides, when I have nothing to do, I listen to them talking about the excitement outside. Which of the rich and powerful families doesn't have mountains of gold and silver? It is said that the law cannot be held responsible for the masses! But I feel guilty about keeping this money at home, and I feel worried every time I look at the account book."
"Then you can't take the initiative to publicize it, right? It's still 100,000 strings of cash. I don't know what people outside will say about me and my father now!" Yan Shifan complained.
"What else can I say?" Yan Song said in a deep voice, "You confess without being asked."
"My husband, do you think His Majesty knows about the relationship between you and your son?" Ouyang asked.
Yan Song hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Of course I know."
"Since Your Majesty knows about this, and your husband thinks it's not a big deal if you don't show it to others?" Ouyang sighed, "Some people in my family think they are smart and often embezzle some money and food from the public. I just watch them, and sometimes when I can't help it, I take action to kill a few people to scare the monkeys. But for those who are useful, I will just keep them for a while."
I will just keep him for a while since he is of use... Yan Song's body trembled.
"My husband is a smart man, and I am stupid. I have been married for many years, but I am of no use except for giving birth to children. But I only know one thing, that is, to be a person... you must act according to your conscience!"
Ouyang waved her hand, signaling Yan Shifan not to beat him anymore. She stood up and pressed the table, saying slowly: "Since you already know, why bother to cover up the truth? I donated money and grain based on my conscience. If you act according to your conscience, the gods will protect you!"
"I'll go to the kitchen and take a look." Ouyang walked out slowly.
"Oh my god! Conscience..." The thing Yan Shifan disbelieved most was conscience.
Ouyang turned around and said, "This is a good deed!"
She looked at the two most important men in her life and said, "Do good deeds for you and your son."
Yan Song and his son looked at each other, and Yan Song shook his head slightly, suggesting to his son not to argue.
……
"Yan Ge's family donated 100,000 strings of cash."
Huang Jin was holding a list of donations from the Ministry of Revenue. When he read out the amount from Yan Song's family, he was shocked and waited for Emperor Jiajing's decision.
"One hundred thousand guan, Yan Song couldn't have accumulated such a fortune even if he had been prime minister for a hundred years." Emperor Jiajing held the jade awl in his hand and said slowly: "The position of Minister of the Ministry of Rites is vacant... Let Yan Shifan take it."
"Yes." Huang Jin immediately prepared to go to Zhilu to convey the Taoist's words.
The Taoist priest behind him said, "By the way, Yan Song is old, so Yan Shifan should stay by his side."
Huang Jin was stunned for a moment, then immediately agreed.
He pondered as he walked.
The position of Taichang Temple Minister was not low, but he was not an important official. However, Emperor Jiajing's order for Yan Shifan to serve Yan Song made Huang Jin figure out some things.
Earlier, Emperor Jiajing had chosen another person to take over as the Minister of Taichang Temple. However, after learning that the Yan family had donated 100,000 strings of cash, he actually pushed Yan Shifan out.
What’s the secret here?
Huang Jin was thinking along the way, and when he saw Zhilu, his body suddenly shook.
Letting Yan Shifan stay by your side is the intention of being a close minister.
Close ministers... Others may not know, but Huang Jin knows it best. The so-called close ministers are people who can be used in the eyes of the Taoist master. But they are also divided into different levels.
The first category is Zhu Xizhong, a noble relative who is half an ally. The second category is Yan Song, who does the work but takes the blame.
Yan Shifan was not allowed to take up the post in the Taichang Temple, which means that the position of Taichang Temple Minister was just a nominal position.
Is this a warning or a precaution?
Huang Jin was speculating in his mind, but when he saw Yan Song, he bowed and congratulated him.
"Minister of Taichang Temple?" After Huang Jin left, Yan Song called his son.
"But I let you stay by your father's side, which shows that His Majesty cannot leave you." Yan Song stroked his beard and smiled.
Now that he is old and not as energetic as before, the results of the draft are not satisfactory to the Taoist priest. When Yan Shifan was the one to draft, the results were often in line with the Taoist priest's wishes. "Your Majesty is hinting that I should continue to be by my father's side and take charge of government affairs." Yan Shifan rubbed his eyes, with more pride in his eyes, "I have said it before, Your Majesty cannot leave my father and me."
While Yan Song and his son were delighted, they suddenly thought of something, "If you stay by your father's side, who will be in charge of the Taichang Temple?"
Yan Shifan was startled. "The current Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Huan, is Jiang Qingzhi's father-in-law."
What the hell!
……
"What? Yan Shifan is going to take over as the Minister of Taichang Temple?" Li Huan was immediately disappointed when he heard the news.
"Temple Secretary, the news is absolutely true." The confidant said, "That man is the enemy of Long Wei Bo, you..."
You old man are in trouble.
Li Huan had no ambition to be an official. Hearing this, he sighed and said, "Forget it. I will just leave all this behind and let him do whatever he wants."
Can't afford to provoke, can I still not hide?
Jiang Qingzhi returned to the city. The two princes looked rather disheveled, their clothes were dirty, and they had lost weight, but they looked much calmer.
"Go back and rest for a few days, then make a summary later." Jiang Qingzhi ordered.
"Son-in-law." Just as the two princes left, someone from Li Tian's parents' home came.
"Son-in-law." The man who came was Li Huan's attendant, with an anxious look on his face, "Son-in-law, His Majesty has ordered Yan Shifan to be the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and I am preparing to take leave!"
Jiang Qingzhi was startled, "Yan Shifan?"
"Yes!" The attendant said, "The master said that this man is the enemy of the son-in-law. If he refuses to leave, it won't be a problem for us to be suppressed. I am afraid that Yan Shifan will use the master to attack the son-in-law."
Jiang Qingzhi was also deeply moved by his father-in-law's sincere heart.
Xu Wei said: "Your Majesty should not do this!"
Logically, the Taoist shouldn't make such an arrangement...wait!
Jiang Qingzhi suddenly thought of what would happen next.
Historically, Yan Shifan had always been by Yan Song's side, acting as the shadow prime minister of the Ming Dynasty.
In other words, Yan Shifan's position as Minister of Taichang Temple was just a nominal position.
"Go back and tell my father-in-law that we should go to the Taichang Temple tomorrow and stay calm."
What does this mean?
The attendant brought the message to Li Huan, who was also puzzled.
"My son-in-law has learned how to guess riddles from Your Majesty!" Li Huan sighed.
Chang said: "At worst, I can just quit this job."
"If I don't become an official, how will I support this family?" Li Huan said unhappily.
"My dowry is enough!" Chang's family was rich, and the dowry was quite generous. The Li family's financial capacity has expanded over the years, mainly due to Chang's contribution, so she has the confidence.
Jiang Qingzhi originally wanted to go home first, but instead went to Xiyuan.
The snow stopped yesterday and all the snow in the palace was cleared away, as if it had never been there.
Jiang Qingzhi walked in the still wet palace, looking at the familiar palace complex, and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of attachment.
The one who came to greet him was Zhang Tong. The young eunuch was very curious and glanced at Jiang Qingzhi from time to time.
"What are you looking at?" Jiang Qingzhi pretended to be fierce.
The young eunuch took a step back and muttered, "They said that Lord Bo killed people for disaster relief this time."
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Are you scared?"
The eunuch shook his head and said, "I was afraid at first, but Your Majesty said it was a good killing, so I am not afraid anymore."
The Taoist priest was walking outside the hall. He stopped with his hands behind his back and looked at Jiang Qingzhi who was walking up the stairs.
Jiang Qingzhi walked up and scratched his head, "My father-in-law... doesn't have much ambition, he's just afraid that he won't be able to manage the Taichang Temple well."
The Taoist said calmly: "Whether you manage well or not is one thing, as long as your heart is right."
"But you should have told me first, no... I mean, my father-in-law should also avoid suspicion!" Jiang Qingzhi smiled bitterly.
Emperor Jiajing said calmly: "No need."
Okay! Jiang Qingzhi said, "Yes."
Daoye coughed dryly, "Have you eaten?"
"No! I was just about to go home and get some food."
"Today, the Guanglu Temple said that they had a tribute pig, which was roasted..."
"Your Majesty, where is it?"
Jiang Qingzhi's eyes lit up, and when he saw the roasted fragrant pig, which was almost the same size as a whole roasted lamb, he couldn't help but salivate.
"Eat!" Emperor Jiajing sat down.
The roasted pork was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, making Jiang Qingzhi, who had been feeling hungry recently, eat it with great relish.
"Your Majesty, please eat too!" Jiang Qingzhi looked up and saw that the Taoist only took a sip of wine, so he pointed to the half roasted pork that was still left.
"Slow down." The Taoist drank wine and ate the broad beans that were confiscated from the Jiang family. From time to time, he glanced at Jiang Qingzhi who was eating happily, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Jiang Qingzhi was not polite either. He made a lot of food and ate half of it.
"Drink some soup." The Taoist pointed at the bowl of soup, "I asked the imperial physician to prepare some herbs to drive away the cold."
Jiang Qing drank it all in one gulp.
He stood up and said, "This half of the fragrant pig..."
"Take it away!" The Taoist waved his hand.
Jiang Qingzhi took out a small wooden box from his bosom. "Oh, this is the bezoar I got in the countryside. It is said to be very useful. I am still young and cannot use it. I wanted to send it to you tomorrow. Now it saves me trouble..."
He put down the wooden box without saying anything and said, "I will go back now."
The Taoist priest looked at the wooden box, and a eunuch whispered, "What is there in the palace?"
"Bezoar can help in an emergency." The Taoist stroked the wooden box, "Yellow companion."
"His Majesty."
"Put this wooden box... in my bedroom."
"Yes."
(End of this chapter)
