In the face of this reward and punishment decision made by the Ministry of War, the court did not have many doubts.

First, it is not an empty phrase that the Ming Dynasty is strong and weak, and it has long been a glorious tradition for civilian officials to make things difficult for military generals; Second, public opinion in the capital has turned, and Pingwei's exploits have been reduced to freezing point; Third, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou's backer Hu Zongxian fell, and no official in the capital would argue with Yang Bo, the dignified secretary of the military department, for these two generals.

Because the matter is linked to the "rise and fall of Hu Zongxian", the two outstanding military exploits were coldly treated by the imperial court, faintly passing through a taste of "the bird is hidden in the bow".

In this atmosphere of faint sadness, the time quietly came to March, a good time for flowers to bloom.

In the same year, the small gathering has already become a fixed theme of Jiajing Wuwu Branch.

After Lin Haoran became the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, his status naturally rose, and there was an endless stream of officials who came to visit, so that his recent meetings were always interrupted.

After much deliberation, he decided to avoid the officials and change the location of the meeting to a quiet place.

The city of Beijing is built by zoning land, there are a total of six lakes in the city, influenced by the Yuan Dynasty's name for the lake, and the people of the capital are also called Liuhaizi. Among them, Zhonghai, Nanhai and Beihai are all in Xiyuan, and these three lakes are occupied by Jiajing.

Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai are collectively referred to as Shichahai, which are occupied by the nobles and royal relatives of the capital. It's just that with the passage of time, the change of the special civil fort caused the fall of the nobles, and some of these mansions built by the lake also fell into the hands of the wealthy gentry or Ming merchants in the capital.

Lin Haoran quietly took a carriage to Houhai, located in the north of the city, and the curtain of the carriage was naturally lifted by the spring breeze blowing in the lake.

It is the time of March, the lake is already full of willow silk, spring waves are bright, a group of chirping swallows are frequently haunting the eaves or attic of the lake, and the lake is full of antique fragrance.

There were no municipal rules in this era, especially since the north of the city was already an old town, which made the roads and houses in this area feel like a labyrinth.

The carriage drove through the streets and alleys, and finally drove into a narrow alley, stopping in front of the innermost house.

In front of the house hangs a plaque that reads "Food is the sky". If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, I'm afraid no one would have imagined that in this place so difficult to find, in this place where every inch of land is golden, there will be a restaurant.

Of course, existence is reasonable. Naturally, this restaurant is not for ordinary people, and even ordinary people can't enter here, it must be a specific nobleman, rich or wealthy businessman to come here.

As Lin Fu knocked on the red-lacquered door, only a few people in costume inside opened the door, but they not only greeted the people, but also welcomed the carriage in.

The steps in front of the Gate of Heaven have long been removed, so that the carriage can enter and exit freely, which is not only convenient for customers, but also can maximize the confidentiality of customers' identities.

As the carriage entered, the door was closed again, and even those who found it would not easily enter here.

When Lin Haoran got off the carriage, he was already in front of a courtyard gate, and various chrysanthemums of the right season were placed in front of the courtyard gate, which added a bit of spring and festive atmosphere to this place.

"Lord Lin, the little one has been arranged, and your friends of the same year are all inside!" Li Yunbao, who was dressed in a foreign costume, appeared and greeted him respectfully.

Although this food is a restaurant, its nature is very similar to that of the clubhouse of later generations, and the main people served are the big people in the capital, and the gathering of the Guangdong business gang is scheduled to be held here.

Lin Haoran nodded lightly and walked into this courtyard. After passing through the house in front of him, he came directly to a nine-curved bridge, and when he looked up, he saw an attic built by the lake, on which were the figures of Yang Futian and others.

This lake is actually an artificial lake, which draws water from the Houhai Sea. There are a lot of lotus flowers planted in the lake, but the lotus flowers are just budding, and the best time may be a month to wait.

Yang Futian and his group came here first, and the environment here seemed to have passed the fresh period, and they had already started drinking and chatting here, and when they saw Lin Haoran, they beckoned him to sit down at the first table.

Before Lin Haoran sat down, he took the initiative to explain with his fists clenched: "I was going to go out early, but when I went out, I was called by our teacher!" ”

Xiao Jinian heard that it was the teacher who was looking for Lin Haoran, but he immediately asked curiously: "Why did the teacher look for you in the past?" Yang Futian and the others also looked at Lin Haoran curiously, and they all had a deep interest in their own teachers.

Lin Haoran sat down in the first seat, and said without concealment: "Isn't the teacher's birthday coming?" He asked me to ward a few of you, and you can come, but not too expensive! ”

This......

Yang Futian and the others looked at each other, but they didn't know what to do. They naturally remember the teacher's birthday, but this "not too precious" scale is not easy to grasp, and it is not sure whether the teacher has other hints.

Lin Haoran saw through their thoughts at a glance, and said directly: "Let's do what his old man wants!" I'll make a statement here, I'll send him a duanyan that day, don't compete with me for the limelight! ”

Yang Futian and the others listened to Lin Haoran say this, but they couldn't help but smile bitterly, this dignified son-in-law and chief disciple actually only sent one Duan Yan. However, their hearts are also settled, and they already have a bottom in their hearts about gift-giving.

With the arrival of Lin Haoran, the sumptuous wine and dishes were served, but there was no abalone and cucumber wings, but there was no shortage of all kinds of meat, including Cantonese-style barbecued pork.

At the beginning of each month, the group of them got together to talk about some of the things that happened in their respective yamen, in addition to catching up with each other.

Zhou Youqing in the Ministry of Officials talked about the changes in some important local officials, Sun Zhengang in the Ministry of Industry talked about the recent construction of the Changhong Palace project by the Ministry of Industry, and Yang Futian answered: "Let me tell you something, because of this Changhong Palace, we are afraid that the officials in the capital will have to delay again next month!" ”

"Because if you build this Changhong Palace, it won't be like this, right?" Xiao Jinian looked surprised.

Yang Futian immediately smiled coldly, and met everyone's curious gazes, and responded: "After years of repairing the altar and palace, the materials that can be used have already been exhausted!" The sandalwood, mahogany, marble, and granite had to be requisitioned from the provinces, and the farmers and craftsmen had to be fed and paid! Even if you save money, the budget is 300,000 taels! ”

"Senior brother rectified Huai salt last year, didn't he collect an extra 1.4 million taels of salt tax this year?" Xiao Jinian was not too surprised by this number, but was full of confusion.

Long Chi and the others saw that Yang Futian's face revealed a sneer, and his heart immediately sank.