It's not a big deal, it's just that Emperor Jiajing asked him to go to the household department to ask if this year's summer tax has been allocated, and whether there is a budget for the emperor to repair the palace...... It is said that Yuxi Palace, Wanshou Palace and other palaces where the emperor has lived for more than ten years have been damaged since the earthquake in Layue last year, and they are still dilapidated houses.

Silently went to the household department, and after a few months, his face was already well known, so he went inside without any hindrance and found Fang Shangshu who was pulling his beard to settle accounts.

Fang Yu admired Shen Mo very much, and because he supported him, he also got the long-awaited title of prince and prince, and was promoted to the first grade, replacing the cheesy honeysuckle belt with the current jade belt.

So when he saw this offspring, Fang Shangshu was very enthusiastic, pulled him to ask for warmth, and took out the top cloud tea to entertain him.

The guest and the host chatted happily for a while, and silently threw out the emperor's question. Fang Dull's old face collapsed immediately, and said with a sad face: "This year, all the seven major tax-paying provinces have greatly reduced taxes, resulting in a sharp decline in the income of the imperial court. ”

This number had already been reported to the cabinet, and Shen Mo naturally knew it, so as soon as Fang Shangshu complained, he knew that the emperor's house was going to be mysterious. Sure enough, Fang Shangshu then talked about how serious the current economic crisis of the Ming Dynasty was, and that he should carry forward the glorious style of hard work and simplicity, and so on...... If it was an ordinary hairy boy, he would have fainted by him, but he didn't eat this set silently, and said with a wry smile: "My lord, I know everything you said, but the holy question always has to be replied, what do you think I should say?" ”

"How?" Fang Shangshu's face turned red and said, "Tell the truth." ”

"What truth?" Shen Mo asked.

"The household department has no money...... Fang Dull whispered: "Do you think you can tell Your Majesty, can you delay it for a little two years?" ”

"Isn't it okay to pay for the autumn tax?" Shen Mo asked softly.

"The autumn tax is also full." Fang Yu said with a wry smile on his face: "Let me tell you the truth, at the beginning, His Majesty generously said that the palace can not be repaired first, and I will arrange this budget until next year...... If there is money then. ”

Shen Mo smiled bitterly in his heart: "How can you take the emperor's face seriously? ’

"It's not that the old man doesn't know the temper of our majesty," Fang Duren was old and mature, naturally knew what he thought, and sighed bitterly: "You should also know that our imperial court has been eating grain for many years, and there has never been any silver in the treasury, and it is always used at any time, so that it can barely be maintained in normal times." But now that there is a big earthquake, it will be even more difficult to open the pot now......" said and began to calculate the bad debts for Shen Mo: "All provinces have to give disaster relief silver, and the report is more than one million taels, and the court has no money, so it can only send 500,000 taels first, so that the local government can buy seeds and farm tools, don't delay the people's agricultural time." There is also the silver for repairing the river embankment, at least two million taels, and there is no money, so I can only send half of it, and repair a few important places in the Yellow River, so as not to flood the big cities, as for the rural towns and villages, they can only sacrifice a little......"

Listening to Lao Shangshu's accounting, Shen Mo's face became more and more solemn, and he continued: "There is also the city wall of the capital, and it will take 400,000 taels to repair it......"

Shen Mo finally couldn't help but say: "Didn't the city wall be repaired last year?" Now it's just cracked, can it cost so much money? ”

"Hehe, how much the Ministry of Industry says, it's how much it is." Fang Yu said with disdain: "I don't know if you have seen it in the outer city, the bricks of that city are all chaff, and they will be broken with your hands." I don't know, if I knew, I would have smashed the wall open with a wooden stake. Saying that, he snorted fiercely regardless of decency: "Just the quality, it cost the imperial court a million taels of silver before and after, I don't know how much has flowed into the pockets of those people!" ”

The old man was highly respected, of course he dared to talk about the person in charge, but he didn't dare to be silent, he hurriedly said to the mud: "I took the silver this time, and I will definitely repair it well." ”

"!" Fang Yu said completely angrily: "I have inquired a long time ago, the money this time has not been misappropriated, most of the materials that can be purchased go to Shangshu Shilang's house, and he has built a house for Lord Zhao, and built a villa for that little pavilion elder in Xiangshan!" ”

Shen Mo's heart moved, but his face showed a helpless expression and said: "Boss, please forgive me, these things, the lower officials don't dare to reply." ”

The disappointment on Fang Blund's face flashed, and he sighed: "We are afraid of tigers even if we are old cows, and newborn calves are also afraid of tigers, but if Your Majesty is in a hurry, I can't care so much, I have to poke these things out!" ”

Of course, Shen Mo knew that he was talking angry, if he really wanted to stab him, he would have been stabbed a long time ago, and now it's not time to drive him crazy, what is there to stab? The reason why I said this to myself was because I wanted to let myself help say a few good words in front of the emperor, so as not to be unjust.

This old man is highly respected, and he will naturally not be offended by being silent, and patted his chest and promised: "This matter will be handed over to me, and the lower officials will definitely help the old man speak." ”

Fang Yu couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief when he saw him respond...... The old man has a wealth of experience in the rivers and lakes, and he knows that the king of Hades is better than the little ghost, and he is most afraid that a young man like Shen Mo does not know the severity of the matter, and his brain is hot and nonsense, which will bring him unwarranted disasters.

Fortunately, the silence was more superior, and the boss was relieved, but also reciprocated: "After that court meeting, did Your Majesty ask you about the city department again?" ”

"Nope." Shen Mo smiled bitterly: "I was excited for a while, and I smiled generously......"

Fang Dull waved his hand and said, "You are not momentarily excited, you are obviously thoughtful and have been planning for a long time. ”

"It's not a secret from the boss." Shen Mo's old face turned red and said: "But Your Majesty really didn't ask again, maybe what I wrote is not in line with the holy will." ”

Fang Yu shook his head and said: "No, Your Majesty is resolute and resolute, and will never change his ways, the holy will belonged to you at that time, and he still won't favor others now." He smiled and said: "Say something bold, just listen to it, but don't take it seriously." ”

"Don't worry, boss," said with a silent smile: "I have no other benefits as a person, that is, I have a strict mouth and never chew the root of my tongue." ”

"That's good, that's good." Fang Shangshu said with a smile: "Actually, in my opinion, Your Majesty has already made up his mind, and most of them are going to release you." ”

"Outside?" Shen Modeng's face turned pale and said, "Did I make any mistakes?" "For the promising Hanlin officials, they have always regarded the release as a daunting path, especially this kind of release when the examination is not completed, and has always been a manifestation of falling out of favor and being punished...... "Do you have to make mistakes to be released?" The old man laughed and said, "What if you are a prefect?" ”

Shen Mo shook his head and said: "This is even more impossible, have you heard of a new science and technology practitioner who can guard the pastoral side without completing the exam once?" "The assessment of officials in this dynasty is divided into inspection and examination, and the inspection is the external inspection that is now in full swing, and the Beijing inspection that will be held next year is specifically faulty; The examination is based on political performance, the first examination in three years, the examination in six years, and the examination in nine years, as long as there are results, they will be promoted to two levels, a big step.

Therefore, the Hanlin officials before Zhengde could only honestly stay in Beijing until the nine-year examination was completed before they were promoted. This is actually very good, because it helps to curb impetuousness and allows officials to step into the government.

But in the Zhengde period, Emperor Wuzong, the world's first unobtrusive emperor, destroyed this good tradition, and changed his post too frequently, not waiting for nine years at all. When an official arrives, his butt leaves before he gets hot, how can he understand the people's feelings? Down-to-earth? As a result, officials have no long-term plans when they are in office...... As long as you can be promoted as long as you have no faults, who wants to be troublesome? Therefore, they are all 'not civil urgent, advocating hypothetical, and planning to be moved'.

Those who say that they are as fanciful as Confucius and Mencius's rebirth and do not do practical affairs may rise faster and cause the social atmosphere to plummet. In the early years of Jiajing, when the emperor had not yet fallen and was working hard to govern the country, there was also a rule that officials must be transferred only after the expiration of the term, and "no change of adjustment for no reason" was allowed, but then the emperor was tired of politics and became the shopkeeper, and let the people below toss blindly, and it was back to the prototype of Zhengde.

However, the current gatekeeper is Li Mo, and Shen Meng thinks that he will definitely adhere to the principle, because the edict of 'no change of tone for no reason' was promulgated by Emperor Jiajing, although it has been almost thirty years, but if it is forced to be taken out, the emperor can't deny it, right?

"So, Your Majesty is not easy to do." Fang Yu said with a smile: "After all, this thing is not in accordance with the rules, and there is a lot of resistance!" ”

Hearing the word 'resistance', Shen Mo's first reaction was 'Li Mo', and only this official secretary could make the emperor's appointment resisted.

"But at this time, if there is someone who is quite weighty enough to help you speak, it will not be a problem." Fang Yu said with a smile.

Of course, Shen Mo knew that this old man had figured out the holy will, and he was pushing the boat down the river and giving himself a favor, but he was also very grateful...... He now dreams of leaving this capital that eats people and doesn't spit out bones, at least until he is full-fledged, this place is too dangerous!

The two sides repeatedly expressed their gratitude, the guest and the host were happy, and went back to recover in silence, and Fang Yu continued to count his bad debts.

On the way back, Shen Mo didn't think about it, because he was 'seduced' by Fang Dut's other words, he felt that it was necessary to go to Zhao Wenhua's house to have a look, thinking of this, he ordered: "Go to West Chang'an Street." ”

The Hubu Yamen is very close to the Heavenly Street, and the sedan chair will soon arrive on West Chang'an Street, silently open the sedan curtain and look out, but only see the high vermilion wall, and scold: 'Why build such a high wall?' Then he ordered the iron pillar outside: "It's noon, find a place to eat nearby." ”

Although Tie Zhu felt that the restaurants in this area were flashy and expensive, he had one advantage, that is, he never talked much, so he nodded and said: "The nearest Chang'an building is just across the street." "A qualified retinue should know the place where to eat, drink and play in the city where it is located, and it is clear that the iron pillar meets this requirement.

When he arrived at the Chang'an Restaurant, he looked at it silently, and the four-story one was taller than any building in Shaoxing City, but it was not very abrupt in the surrounding restaurants...... Because the restaurants in the capital, especially near Chang'an Street, because of the gathering of princes and nobles everywhere, they are naturally tall and magnificent. Compared with the scale, this four-story 'Chang'an Building' can only be regarded as average.

"Go up and see, are there any seats on the fourth floor?" Silent ordered.

"Oh," the pillar nodded, and he turned back with a man. The guy nodded and said: "The fourth floor is a big box, the starting price is five taels of silver, my lord, you see that we have few people, do you want a small bag on the third floor, that is very good." ”

"Are you afraid I don't have any money?" Silently said with a straight face: "Tiezhu, give him ten taels first." ”

A piece of kindness is treated as a donkey's liver and lungs, man. But for the sake of the silver, he still pretended to give himself a mouth and said, "The little one is too mouthy, please upstairs, adult." ”

Go up to the fourth floor, in the northernmost private room, the maid serves fragrant tea, orders food silently, and the iron pillar and the palanquin driver stand aside.

Every dish here is expensive, even expensive, silently endured the pain in his flesh, quietly ordered a table, and said to the song and Qin Ji who were about to sing: "Master Ben likes to be quiet when he eats, so you all go out." Tie Zhu stepped forward to give a reward, and blasted out the idle people.

The food was not served quickly, and Shen Mo was full before the table was filled, and he pointed to the dishes on the table that were almost untouched: "You can use it too, I'll go and rest." ”

Shen Mo took a purple clay pot and asked Tie Zhu to bring him a chair to the window, as if he was enjoying the beautiful scenery of Kyoto, but no one could see it, and there was a cold sneer on the corner of his mouth.

Looking down from the restaurant, Shen Mo saw someone's super mansion under construction.

When he came back from this errand, Shen Mo regained his calm, this time he didn't pretend, but he was really calm, and even though the storm set off by Li Mo was getting bigger and bigger, he no longer paid attention to it, but instead did the errand better and more steadily, winning the praise of the elders and the praise of His Majesty Jiajing.

But Xu Wei couldn't sit still, one day in July, everyone was resting again, and he finally found an opportunity to be alone with Shen Mo, and asked with a face: "Are you still doing that?" ”

"There's no hurry." He smiled silently.

"When is this time, not in a hurry?" Xu Wei whispered angrily.

"We have food in the tank, and we don't panic." Shen Mo said playfully: "Why don't you sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight?" ”

"The rest of the young tigers must have eaten you!" Xu Wei's face was completely ugly.

"No," Shen Mo shook his head and smiled, "If the tiger really wants to lose, we'll do it!" ”

"Why wait so long?" Xu Wei asked.

"Wen Chang, I've thought about it repeatedly for a while." Shen Mo looked at him deeply and said: "Although we look down on Yan Ge Lao, we have to admit that his old man's ability to form gangs and factions and fight against different parties can definitely rank among the top three in history." After 20 years of painstaking management, he has already placed himself in a protective net composed of countless officials, which is an extremely powerful force and an incomparably solid community of interests, and if he wants to completely destroy it, he will never be able to rely on conventional means alone. ”

"So what?" Xu Wei still asked reluctantly.

"Therefore, if Li Mo wants to kill the master with his fists, break through from the front, and attack with a bold attack, he will not be eliminated." Shen Mo pointed in the direction of Xiyuan and said, "Decades of tireless, meticulous and thoughtful service have made that old man who has long been inseparable from Yan Ge...... Although that one also knew that he wanted to be replaced, he wanted Yan Song to give full play to the last bit of residual heat and be eliminated naturally. ”

"It's no problem for Li Mo to cut Yan Song's henchmen, and even His Majesty is happy to see it." Shen Mo's eyes were clear, and he said, "Yan Song also saw this, so he has always tolerated him." But once Li Mo wants to touch the core of the Yan Party, Yan Song's father and son and his godsons, then Yan Song will definitely jump up, and the emperor will help him and protect him at that time. ”

Saying that, he smiled and said, "So I deduce that if Elder Yan Ge doesn't take countermeasures, the final result will be that the two sides will fight each other...... Oh no, maybe even the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. "There is a saying that dogs that bite people don't bark, and that quiet Xu Ge Lao is the most terrifying person in Shen Mo's eyes.

"It's just your speculation!" After listening to him for a long time, Xu Wei said unhappily.

"But I feel that even if I don't hit, it's not far away." Shen Mo shook his head and said.

He pretended to be funny, laughed at Xu Weidu, and scolded with a smile: "Then what did you do with me that night?" Doesn't this play people? ”

"I'm not afraid of 10,000, I'm afraid of what if." Shen Mo showed a wry smile and said: "If you do what we do, I am afraid that there is an enemy who can kill you, in case Yan Ge really falls, I will never recover." ”

"I see what you mean." Xu Wei said: "Are you saying that Li Mo really wants to kill Yan Song before using the method I said?" ”

"Definitely." Shen Mo shook his head and smiled: "And when I am about to be killed by Li Mo, I will also use it." ”

"Isn't that sooner or later?" Xu Wei rolled his eyes and said: "Anyway, no one knows that we did it, how good it would be to pull him off the horse as soon as possible, and you would be able to get rid of it as soon as possible." ”

"No," Shen Mo shook his head resolutely, "If people don't know, unless we don't do it, we can't wade into this troubled water unless we have to." ”

(To be continued)