Zhu Shiji said: "It's really not good, after setting up a man, it's okay to accept some male concubines." There are a lot of wonderful people around the imperial brother who look at the younger brother, but unfortunately they can't be kept like flowing water, isn't there a half of them who can enter the eyes of the imperial brother?"

Zhu Shiyang sighed: "To be honest, it's actually all good, but I always feel that something is missing, and it doesn't have a long time with either." ”

Zhu Shiji secretly thought, isn't it love that you have less, but as an emperor, ruthlessness is always better than affection. couldn't say this clearly, Zhu Shiji had to sigh in his heart. But I heard Zhu Shiyang complain again: "That Gui Xi is also incompetent, seeing that I don't urge him, he has been lazy, and he doesn't recommend courtiers for me very much, so I am talking nonsense with you now." ”

Speaking of Guixi, both of them suddenly felt a little uncomfortable for some reason. Zhu Shiyang realized that he seemed to have mentioned a topic that should not be mentioned, and secretly regretted it in his heart, but it was not good to cover up the past, so he coughed lightly and said tentatively: "That incident back then...... Are you still weird?"

Zhu Shiji shook his head with a wry smile, and said softly: "How come, the imperial brother doesn't have to worry, it's all in the past." ”

Zhu Shiyang saw that he was smiling quite calmly, so he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, nodded slightly, and said, "Yes, let's call it the past." I'll treat Guixi well. ”

At this point, although both of them laughed, they were somewhat embarrassed. Zhu Shiji lowered his head to eat vegetables, and Zhu Shiyang also smiled dryly and accompanied a few chopsticks. After a long time, Zhu Shiji still had the intention to mediate the atmosphere, raised his eyes to look at Zhu Shiyang, and suddenly chuckled.

Zhu Shiyang was waiting for the steps to come down, and hurriedly leaned up and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Zhu Shiji said: "I laughed at the emperor's brother riding a donkey to find a donkey." There is a ready-made beauty billet in front of him, and he sends people everywhere to look for it. ”

Zhu Shiyang was amazed and asked, "Who is it, why didn't I find out?"

Zhu Shiji said: "Lord Lu Wenyuan, look at his appearance, figure, conduct, and talent, which one is not first-class?"

Zhu Shiyang nodded slightly after suddenly realizing it, but then shook his head again, and said sullenly: "Lu Wenyuan is indeed good, but it's a pity that his temperament is too old-fashioned. As he spoke, he laughed again and said: "Speaking of Lu Wenyuan, I met him because after he persuaded me to stand up, he really didn't open any pot, and I was so angry that I beat him with fifty court staffs, now think about it, hey, it's really interesting." ”

Zhu Shiji squinted at Zhu Shiyang, and saw that he was immersed in his memories, and he didn't notice the inconsistencies in what he said, so he laughed knowingly, and didn't wake him up, only widened his eyes and pretended to be garlic and said: "What about Master Fu Qianfu? The younger brother looks at him well, he looks dignified, and he reads poetry and books, which is very compatible with Lord Lu." ”

Zhu Shiyang said absentmindedly: "Fu Qian is good, but it's not my way." After saying that, he suddenly came back to his senses and said, "You say that he is ...... Lu Wenyuan?"

Zhu Shiji shook his hand and said, "Brother Chen didn't say that, he just guessed." However, there have always been rumors in the DPRK that Lord Lu lives in the Fu Mansion. ”

Zhu Shiyang was suspicious: "Is there such a thing?"

Zhu Shiji was noncommittal, picked up chopsticks and took a piece of vegetarian roast venison, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. Zhu Shiyang's face was gloomy.

Zhu Shiji looked at him, and said: "Why should the imperial brother worry about no one to accompany him during the New Year, today's court is no longer the old ministers who were in charge of the old days, and now the young officials, like Lu Wenyuan, Fu Qian, and Zhao Yongning, are not all about the same age as the emperor, and they will definitely be able to play with the emperor. ”

Zhu Shiyang's eyes lit up when he heard it, and he also said that it was a good idea. Seeing that it was still early, he hurriedly called the Hubu Shangshu and asked, "I want to have a banquet for the officials of the court and the central government in the palace, but there is no cash in my private treasury, if it comes out of the treasury, how much can I give?"

Hubu Shangshu wrenched his fingers and calculated: "The celebration banquet set up by the emperor last month, plus the cost of repairing the streets and the Temple of Heaven and Earth this time, is a total of 200,000 taels. There are still 1 million taels of silver in the treasury, minus the 200,000, there are only 800,000 left, and in March, there will be the nation's scholars and palace examinations, followed by the Grace Banquet, and then the Emperor's Birthday Festival, which will set aside at least 200,000 taels of silver, so that there will only be 600,000 taels left. And among the 600,000 taels, 500,000 taels are untouchable, even if the emperor asks for the minister's head, the minister can't obey his orders, so he can only allocate 100,000 taels to the emperor at most. ”

After hearing this, Zhu Shiyang frowned gloomily and said, "Why am I so poor?"

Hubu Shangshu said in fear: "The emperor sits on the world, it is unspeakably expensive, and now the treasury is empty, but it is actually because of the drought, and the taxes in the Central Plains cannot come up, and the treasury is naturally not fuller than in previous years." However, as soon as April arrives, the first batch of taxes of the year will be collected, and this situation will be greatly alleviated. ”

Zhu Shiyang said: "100,000 is 100,000, and I will quickly dial it to me." ”

The head of the household department retreated.

Zhu Shiyang got the money in hand, and immediately got busy, while sending people to the most famous master Zhang in the capital to customize fireworks and firecrackers, and at the same time directing the Shangshan supervisor to purchase the ingredients needed for the banquet, and when he was ordered one by one, it was dark and dark. Zhu Shiyang sat tiredly in front of the window, thinking that he would be able to spend the New Year with the DPRK and Chinese officials tomorrow, and his heart was much more stable, and even the night of Chinese New Year's Eve in front of him was not as poignant and difficult as in the past.

The next day, Zhu Shiyang got up early in the morning and put on court clothes to accept the New Year's Day greetings from hundreds of officials. The court was full of joy, and Zhu Shiyang was naturally even happier, and just waited for the end of the court meeting to announce that he would leave a member of the first rank and feast and drink together in the palace. Zhu Shiyang had already calculated, please ask for one product today, two products tomorrow, three products, and four products for one day each, and the prince of Jingzhong will choose another day, so intermittently, it is enough for him to be happy until the fifteenth day of the first month. Zhu Shiyang smiled happily, and when the hundred officials congratulated him, he asked as usual, "There is a quick play, there is nothing to retreat from the court", and he wanted to ask the eunuch to pass on his own message.

Who knew that before his eyes could be used, he listened to the next person in the hall: "Your Majesty, the minister has something to play." ”

Zhu Shiyang was a little surprised, and when he looked at it, this person was standing at the head of the hundred officials, but it was not Lu Wenyuan, so he had to ask him to play quickly.

It turned out that Lu Wenyuan had been relieved since he learned about the situation of the victims in Beijing yesterday, and he had a depressed year this year, just waiting for the emperor to make a statement to the emperor this morning. At that moment, he solemnly knelt down and admonished: "The minister found on the way to worship the heavens with the saint yesterday that the victims who were displaced in Beijing due to the drought last year have not been properly resettled. The minister even went to the outside of the city to see, and there were more people stranded there, freezing and starving, the situation was miserable, and the dead were not counted. The minister asked the emperor to allocate funds to build temporary shacks for the victims to spend the winter, and then send the officers and soldiers back to their hometowns in the early spring. ”

Zhu Shiyang felt a little disappointed, and only said that he would die as soon as he opened his mouth, which was very unlucky, but it was inconvenient to ignore it, so he had to look at the head of the household and said, "Lord Liu, is there still any surplus silver available in the treasury?"

Hubu Shangshu lowered his head and replied with a bitter face: "Back to the emperor, there is really no more." We have to wait for this year's taxes to come up before we can turn around a little. ”

Lu Wenyuan said: "Even if the treasury is empty, there will definitely be silver deposits, Lord Liu usually keeps saying that it will be used for emergency turnover, but now that human life is at stake, isn't it urgent? Why still refuse to take it out." ”

Hubu Shangshu was about to cry: "Lord Lu really wronged the minister, it's not that the minister doesn't want to take it out, it's really can't, even if the emperor asks for the minister's head, the minister will say so." ”

Zhu Shiyang knew that the household department was in a dilemma, so he took a step ahead of Lu Wenyuan and said: "Okay, I know, I will find another way." ”

The head of the household was included in the list, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Wenyuan had no choice but to say: "But please be sure to hurry up, a quarter of an hour earlier, more victims will be saved." ”

Zhu Shiyang said: "I know. Anything else?"

Lu Wenyuan said: "Back to the emperor, there is." ”