Chapter 109: Sensible Yan Song. Prince Yu and Prince Jing: Father treats Lu Fang better than us sons!
Inside the Wenhua Hall.
After Prince Yu and Prince Jing left, the silent atmosphere in the inner hall was broken.
However, everyone remained silent.
They were all confused and didn't know what to say. Even though they were veterans in the officialdom and extremely mature in mind, they needed to remain calm when facing something that was beyond their understanding.
"No wonder," Zhang Juzheng sat in his seat, breathed a sigh of relief, and sighed: "From the beginning to the end, we guessed the wrong direction, huh..." As he said that, he couldn't help but shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Naturally, everyone understood what he was saying.
The Emperor's time is up, so he suddenly came to his senses and cleared all paths for the crown prince. He asked the two princes to assist in the cabinet in order to test them and select a qualified crown prince.
It turned out that the emperor did not discover that Xuan Xiu was useless, but he really got a glimpse of the secret corner of immortality.
As for giving up building the palace and stopping the expenses of practicing the Mysterious Realm? Now that you have seen the true immortal, why do you still need to cling to the false and indulge in it?
Fortunately, they were still smart enough to think that the emperor's time was up, and they were having a great time fighting with the Yan Party, and were ready to fight to the death. The emperor was indeed the emperor, and no one could surpass him in terms of power and strategy and governing his subjects.
"Lord Yan," Xu Jie suddenly spoke up, looking up at Yan Song, "The soldiers on the front line fought bravely and won a great victory. They should be rewarded. Lord Yan needs to get a charter."
"Ah," Yan Song raised his drooping eyelids and responded after a breath, "Of course, the soldiers fought bravely and should be rewarded..."
Yan Song paused for a moment and said, "Let's do this. The national policy of stationing troops to promote agriculture will be jointly supervised by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. When the time comes, let the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War jointly draw up a list."
"Then reward those who deserve it and punish those who deserve it."
"That's great." Xu Jie thought for a moment, then nodded.
Gao Gong, Zhang Ju and others looked at Xu Jie and Yan Song, who seemed to remain calm even when faced with a collapse of Mount Tai, and began to think secretly. They did not believe that these two were as calm as they appeared to be.
After a brief conversation, Yan Song looked at the cabinet members, then smiled kindly and said, "We have won a great victory at the border, and I'm sure you all haven't slept well in the past few days. Now that everything is settled, you can all go back."
"Go back and have a good sleep," Yan Song said as he slowly stood up. Yan Shifan hurried forward to support him. "Go back, everyone. Ah, go back. Take good care of your health so that you can better work on state affairs."
"Only then can we better help the emperor and the country."
As he spoke, Yan Song still had his back hunched over, as if he would collapse at any time, and was supported by Yan Shifan as he walked out of the Wenhua Hall.
Well, this father and son seemed to be walking slowly, but after a while, they disappeared from sight.
"Lord Xu," Zhang Juzheng and the others did not understand what the old fox Yan Song was thinking, so they could only look at Xu Jie, "What should we do next?"
"Everyone go back first," Xu Jie said, and he also stood up, picked up the black gauze hat placed beside him and put it on his head, looked at everyone, and said, "Let's wait for His Royal Highness Prince Yu to come back, and then we can talk."
After saying that, Xu Jie also took a step and walked out of the Wenhua Hall.
Zhao Zhenji looked at Gao Gong, then at Xu Jie's back, put down the teacup in his hand, put on his black hat, stood up, and without giving anyone else a chance to talk to him, he quickly left the Wenhua Hall.
"Mr. Su, why don't we have a chat?" After everyone left, Zhang Juzheng suddenly looked at Gao Gong and said.
Gao Gong hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, why don't you go to my house?"
Then, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng went out together.
As we walked out of Wenhua Palace, the rain gradually subsided. Well, it was mainly in the capital, where the rain was not heavy to begin with, but now it had changed from the previous dense heavy rain to continuous drizzle.
"Dad, is what you said true?" Yan Shifan supported Yan Song and walked in the rain, "Immortal, are there really immortals in the world?"
Even though it had been confirmed that the battle reports from the front line could not be wrong, and it was even more impossible for tens of thousands of people to deceive them at the same time, Yan Shifan was still somewhat doubtful in his heart.
This matter really sounds like a legend. There are so many emperors in history books who sought immortality, but why was it that only the emperor succeeded and really found the immortal?
Not only that, the emperor could also ask the immortals to help the Ming Dynasty? Logically speaking, even the emperor could not command the immortals, but the immortals did it.
Well, could it be that the Emperor paid some kind of price?
Therefore, Yan Shifan, who had been holding back his doubts for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask. He believed that with his father's calmness and foresight, he must have had a plan in mind for this matter.
"Dad, since there are immortals in this world, why don't we send someone to visit them secretly? Maybe..."
"You are looking for death." Before Yan Shifan could finish his words, he saw Yan Song didn't even look at him, and there was an indescribable coldness in his words.
"Dad, I..." His father's words were calm, but they made Yan Shifan feel scared from the bottom of his heart.
"Shifan," Yan Song said in a deep voice, "From now on, you should keep all the matters concerning the immortals to yourself."
"Don't talk to anyone who asks you anything."
"Hmm?" Hearing his father's words, Yan Shifan frowned, a little puzzled, and said, "Dad, I don't understand."
"If this immortal is real, and tens of thousands of eyes have seen it on the border battlefield, can we still pretend that nothing happened?"
"You must always remember one thing. No matter whether the emperor took the initiative to release the news about the immortals or not, no matter what the emperor wants to do, it has nothing to do with us. Remember this firmly."
"Never fantasize about anything..." Yan Song stopped and slowly straightened his hunched back. He looked up at Yan Shifan and said in a serious and low voice, "As for the immortal matters, if the emperor does not take the initiative to mention them, we will just pretend that they never happened!"
"Just pretend nothing happened and that you know nothing. Remember this!"
Looking at his father's serious gaze, Yan Shifan opened his mouth, then nodded heavily and said, "Okay, son, I'll remember it!"
"Then Qingfeng girl, do you still want to continue letting the boy beside her pass on the message?" Yan Shifan asked again.
"Not for now, let's wait until the emperor's order is issued." Yan Song shook his head slightly. The smartest choice now is to remain silent and not make any unnecessary movements.
After getting Yan Shifan's assurance, Yan Song nodded slowly, grabbed Yan Shifan's arm and exerted force secretly, saying:
"The emperor wants people who are obedient and work hard. We can only ask for some things if the emperor gives them to us. Otherwise, don't even think about it."
"Dad, about the matter in the northern border..." Yan Shifan opened his mouth to say something, but thinking of what his father had just said, he changed the subject to the northern border and the national policy of stationing troops to promote agriculture.
"Same, we will wait for the Emperor's order before taking action, but we can prepare in advance."
"Also, write a letter to Wang Anguo as soon as you return, asking him to listen to Hai Rui's instructions from now on, investigate what needs to be investigated, and punish what needs to be punished.
What Xu Jie said just now was also about the same thing. We have reached a certain agreement, and Qingliu will also hand over the person."
"After this battle, the northern border is completely free of the threat of the Mongols. With Ruzhen in charge of the southeastern government, the Japanese pirates will not cause chaos. The next step for the emperor is to rectify the administration of officials."
"Next, you will take the people from our faction," Yan Song said, pausing slightly.
"Those who are not smart, have no ability, and only do dirty work, make a list in advance."
"As for those who are capable and can do practical work, they can help to finish the work if they can, and those who can't can just give up..."
Yan Song spoke in a calm tone, as if his words were as simple as eating and drinking, as if what he was abandoning was not an official but a piece of broken tile.
"Dad, why don't you give up everything and live a clean and honest life from now on?" Yan Shifan was not stupid. It was obvious that his father's arrangement was to cooperate with the emperor's next move.
Since the emperor wants to rectify the administration of officials, why doesn't he make a clean break with the past and abandon everything that should be abandoned?
It would be great if our Yan family could become a clean family in the future.
"Stupid!" Yan Song's tone sank, "Have you forgotten why our Yan family is so favored by the emperor?"
"No matter how the Ming Dynasty changes in the future, the emperor must always have people who can do practical things around him. The officials in the two capitals and thirteen provinces who hold important positions are all talented people."
"If you abandon them all, what will happen to the Ming Dynasty?"
"What our Yan family needs to do now is to gather the talents under our command and work together to ensure that any order from the emperor can be completed perfectly, quickly and effectively."
Yan Song placed special emphasis on the words "perfect" and "fast". This is the biggest difference between them and the Qingliu.
A dynasty must have the appearance of being grand and presentable, but it must also have the substance to do the dirty and tiring work.
Qingliu is the face, and their Yan family is the inside.
The emperor once said, "The clouds are in the blue sky and the water is in the bottle." Everyone has their own duties and is working for the court and the emperor.
Sometimes, quarreling and fighting in court are also a way to solve problems.
They do the dirty work, no matter what, just do it first. Then the clean people will come out to save face.
In this way, the dignity of the court was preserved and the benefits were obtained. As for the Yan family, it was just a little more infamy.
After hearing what his father said, Yan Shifan understood.
It seems that the Yan family is destined to be treacherous officials who are criticized by others.
It is true that the more you work, the more grievances you will suffer.
"What about those hypocrites among the Qingliu?" Yan Shifan asked again.
"You did a good job before, linking the Zhu Wan case to the Altan Rebellion in the 29th year of Jiajing. This time, the Qingliu can use the 'Gengxu Prison' to complete the division below."
"The Qingliu will take the initiative to add fuel to this 'fire', so we don't have to worry about it. After the fire, the Ming officialdom will be reborn from the ashes... The emperor has already calculated everything."
"Hehe, I originally wanted to plant a seed of doubt in the emperor's heart, but who would have thought that in the end it would benefit Qingliu!" Hearing his father say this, Yan Shifan suddenly felt unhappy.
Yan Song looked at Yan Shifan, shook his head slightly, straightened his hunched back, slowly turned around, and looked to the west.
"For the emperor, there is one thing that others cannot even think about, and that is supreme power."
"And from now on, there will be one more thing that others must never think about, or even touch."
"That's everything about immortals!"
"Only by absolute submission and not dreaming about things that should not be touched, can there be unexpected surprises..." Hearing this, Yan Shifan was stunned.
He now understood what his father meant. As long as he absolutely obeyed the emperor and did whatever he asked, if the emperor was in a good mood, he might bestow one or two things related to immortals on him.
As for not actively looking for immortals... well, that is equivalent to someone secretly looking for the lost imperial seal, or someone secretly weaving dragon robes, or secretly claiming to be alone.
The same goes for the secret search for immortals, a capital crime!
Well, it seems that my father is not as uninterested in immortal matters as he appears. He tells me not to have these fantasies, but he has actually started taking action.
"You have to walk on thin ice to get ashore," Yan Song said, hunching over again and walking towards the sedan chair not far away. "Will the days ahead be as splendid as flowers or as green as the mountains..."
"It all depends on God's will!"
……
Inside Yuxi Palace.
"Splash." Jiajing walked out of the bathtub, took the white Taoist robe handed to him by Lu Fang and put it on.
"Master, the two princes are outside the palace," Lu Fang looked at Jiajing and asked, "Do you want to summon them?"
Lü Fang naturally knew about the border situation. But he was not surprised, as his master had already told him about these arrangements. As soon as Altan Khan attacked, his master had already made plans.
It does not conflict with the master's original deployment arrangements for the Ming Dynasty, it is just slightly advanced.
The only pity is that the master's plan to train the two princes has become meaningless because of these advance deployments.
The master has made great progress in his cultivation and has been recognized by the immortals, and has established contact with them. The previous speculations of the two princes and the cabinet that the master's time is approaching are naturally no longer valid. Who would dare to be so presumptuous again?
They will even cooperate with their masters in every possible way!
"Bring them to Lingtian Courtyard." Jiajing said, turning and walking towards Lingtian Courtyard.
"Yes." Lu Fang bowed and turned to walk towards the main hall.
At this time, Prince Yu and Prince Jing had been waiting for half an hour. When they first arrived, they heard Lu Fang say that their father was bathing, so naturally they could only wait in the hall with peace of mind.
Although this half hour was not long, their hearts were filled with confusion.
There are complexities, surprises, and anxiety.
What’s complicated is that Father Emperor Xuan Xiu finally achieved his wish, received a response from the immortal, and established contact with the immortal.
Not only that, the immortal is also willing to take action for the Ming Dynasty!
This shows that the previous speculation that my father's time was approaching is no longer true. With the legendary means of the immortals and gods, any elixir given by them can extend my father's life.
But this also means that the position of crown prince is a long way off.
The surprise was that their father cultivated immortality, so they were all his biological sons, could they also follow him? Cultivating immortality, longevity, who wouldn't want that?
Especially for the royal family like them, who stand at the pinnacle of power, living a life of luxury, but a few decades of life is not enough, not by any means enough!
What worries me is whether the immortal will only see my father? Or, only by becoming an emperor can I meet the immortal and be granted various benefits? Are there any conditions for meeting the immortal?
A series of questions kept lingering in the minds of the two.
"Your Highnesses, please follow me." Lu Fang stepped forward with a smile and made a gesture of invitation towards the side hall.
Upon hearing that their father was going to summon them, Prince Yu and Prince Jing's hearts couldn't help but skip a beat.
The two of them subconsciously straightened their clothes, and then ignored Lu Fang and walked towards the side hall. They could no longer care about Lu Fang, as they had more important things to ask their father.
Looking at Prince Yu and Prince Jing who were obviously excited, Lu Fang smiled and immediately followed their footsteps. In this world, who could treat the pursuit of immortality with indifference?
However, when the two arrived at the side hall, they did not see Jiajing in the abode, and they could not help but cast a questioning look at Lu Fang.
"Your Highnesses, please follow me." Lu Fang said, making a gesture of invitation and then walked towards the back of Yuxi Palace.
Seeing this, Prince Yu and Prince Jing looked at each other and immediately followed.
"The master is in the back yard." Lu Fang stood at the door, said something to the two of them, and then opened the door.
"What is this?" Prince Yu and Prince Jing were stunned when they saw a huge and spacious courtyard behind Yuxi Palace.
In the middle of the yard, there was a two-person-high willow tree, swaying gently. With the willow tree as the center, it was covered with tender green grass. There seemed to be rice planted on the left, and some fruits and vegetables on the right.
Did the emperor build a vegetable garden behind Yuxi Palace? And they always felt that there was something strange about this garden.
"Third brother, what is that?!" Just when Prince Yu was stunned, he suddenly heard Prince Jing's exclamation in his ear.
Hearing this, Prince Yu glanced at Prince Jing who was standing stunned beside him, then followed his gaze to look up into the sky above the courtyard.
"Boom!" The next moment, Prince Yu was shocked.
What did he see? He saw raindrops falling from the gloomy sky, but they bounced off when they were about to fall into the courtyard.
There seemed to be an invisible wall above the courtyard, isolating the raindrops from falling into the courtyard.
Oh, yes, rain!
Although the rain outside has decreased to a negligible level now, there are still sporadic raindrops falling.
But no rain fell in this yard.
Moreover, the color of this yard is completely different from the outside world. This feeling is very strange and hard to describe. If I have to describe a feeling, it is that this yard is very clean!
Yes, it is clean, as if it had been washed by water, and as if it were in a completely different world from the outside world.
Immortal, immortals are real!
After a brief moment of amazement, the two of them reacted immediately. Such a strange scene could only be arranged by the legendary immortals. Father, he really had the immortal fate and the immortals' help!
For a moment, the two people's hearts began to beat "bang bang" again.
"Your Highness, the master is in the courtyard," Lv Fang pointed to the left, where Jiajing was checking the rice ears with his back to the crowd, in a field of green spiritual rice that was growing pleasingly. "Come in quickly."
After saying that, Lu Fang took a step back and motioned for the two to go in.
"Yeah!" The two took a deep breath, calmed themselves down, and stepped into the door.
However, the moment the two of them entered the room, they felt as if something was sweeping over their bodies, which was very strange.
However, before the two of them could open their mouths to greet Jiajing who was standing in the spiritual rice field, a gust of wind blew towards them.
An indescribable feeling made the two of them suddenly stand still.
At this moment, they almost instinctively opened their mouths and breathed in the air. An indescribable comfort made them almost unable to hold back and moan.
Suddenly, Prince Yu and Prince Jing seemed to have thought of something. After looking at each other, they saw the familiarity in each other's eyes!
Yes, they had experienced this feeling before.
The porridge that their father gave them before was the most delicious porridge they had ever tasted. It was the same feeling after they swallowed it, the whole body felt comfortable, but not as direct as this time.
Of course, what the two didn’t know was that the spiritual porridge was actually the most effective, and the spiritual energy before them was just a formality after all.
It was not absorbed by the body at all. I felt comfortable, but that was the effect of the spiritual energy itself. Only when the spiritual energy was absorbed by the body could it achieve the desired effects.
The Lingtian courtyard was blocked by restrictions, so the two of them standing at the door could not feel any spiritual energy even though the door was open.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, father. I hope you are in good health." Although Prince Yu and Prince Jing were very excited because of the rumors about the immortals, they forced themselves to calm down when they saw their father.
But the proper manners were still there and the sense of propriety was not lost.
"I'm fine," Jiajing said without turning his head. He continued to support the rice ears with his hands and said, "Get up."
"Thank you, father." Prince Yu and Prince Jing thanked him and stood up.
Then, there was silence.
Well, when they really entered the palace and met their father, they didn’t know how to start the conversation for a moment.
"Do you know what is the most important thing on the road to becoming an immortal?" Before the two of them could speak, Jiajing's faint voice rang out.
Hearing this, the two looked at each other. They didn't expect their father to be so direct and talk to them about cultivating immortals just like that?
"Lu Fang, you go and tell them." But before the two could answer, Jiajing's voice rang out again.
Hearing this, Prince Yu and Prince Jing subconsciously turned around and looked at Lv Fang. Lv Fang also knew about cultivating immortals? But soon, the two felt that it was unnecessary, as Lv Fang was their father's great companion.
The one who brought them here obviously knows the secret of immortality.
"Your Highnesses," Lu Fang bowed first, then explained, "On the road to becoming an immortal, the most important thing is resources!"
Resources? Prince Yu and Prince Jing looked at each other, then looked at Lv Fang seriously, but something sounded wrong.
"Take me for example. Ever since I embarked on the immortal path and started cultivating, my realm has improved, all thanks to these resources..."
Sure enough, as Lu Fang opened his mouth, Prince Yu and Prince Jing's expressions suddenly became extremely interesting.
Wait, what did Lu Fang say?
He "started his immortal journey" and he "began cultivating immortality"? Hearing these words, the two of them subconsciously looked at Jiajing.
For a moment, while his expression was wonderful, there was also more resentment in his eyes.
Father treats Lu Fang better than any of us sons!
Who is the emperor's son?
How can you cultivate immortality without taking your son with you, but taking outsiders first? Although Lu Fang is also considered a family member, well, the family slaves are also family members.
But can a servant compare with a son?
We are your biological sons, Father!
"..."
This chapter has 6K+ views, and today's update has views
Update time, I can’t adjust it today, I will adjust it tomorrow.
Before the adjustment, the update time was still one chapter at 12 noon and one chapter around 10 pm, and words were still updated every day, with no upper limit...
(End of this chapter)
