Emperor Chongzhen, the imperial family, and all the ministers are gone. There are a number of officials from Guanglu Temple left in the Taimiao. The officials looked at Xu Liang of Guanglu Temple with sympathetic eyes.

Shen Congliang and Ji Zhong ran to Xu Liang and asked cautiously, "My lord, are you okay?" ”

Xu Liang shook his head gloomily. Regarding Emperor Chongzhen's punishment, Xu Liang didn't care at all. It's just that Sun Chengzong's bad attitude like a mad dog today made Xu Liang extremely uncomfortable. If it weren't for Xu Guangqi's persuasion at a critical time, the consequences would be really unpredictable.

With a long sigh of relief, Xu Liang instructed: "Let people pack up their things, let's go too." ”

Xu Liang did not go to the Yamen of Guanglu Temple, and went straight back to the Dongjiang Courtyard. After talking and laughing with Feng Suqin, Lou Xian'er and others in the house, calming down their emotions, they ordered Tietou to prepare a carriage and rush to the palace.

Although Emperor Chongzhen punished Xu Liang today, it was the net that was open. No matter what, Xu Liang has to enter the palace to face the saint once. Besides, it's always good to show up in front of the big boss when there's nothing to do.

Successfully entering the palace, Xu Liang was bowing his head and walking towards the Heart Cultivation Palace, when he suddenly heard someone shouting in front of him: "Lord Xu, please stay." ”

Xu Liang looked up and saw that it was Wang Chengen, the master of ceremonies, who was stopping outside the Heart Cultivation Palace, so he arched his hand and said, "It turned out to be the prince." Your Majesty can be in the Heart Cultivation Palace? The lower official asked to face the saint. ”

Wang Chengen walked down five or six steps, glanced at the palace of heart cultivation, and said, "It's really unfortunate that your majesty is here, right now Your Majesty is discussing with the adults in the cabinet." And depending on the situation, Your Majesty is not in a good mood, if you are not in a hurry about the affairs of adults, you should come back another day. ”

Xu Liang was taken aback and asked, "Your Majesty has just returned to the palace, has there been anything wrong?" ”

Wang Chengen stomped his feet and said, "Isn't it! Yang He, the governor of the three sides, is an old killer, and His Majesty believes in him so much. He actually dared to deceive His Majesty. His Majesty had always believed that Governor Yang had pacified the Northwest and that it was all fake. ”

Xu Liang said in surprise: "There is such a thing? ”

Wang Chengen shook his head and said: "We don't know much about the specific situation, but we can hear the movement in the Heart Cultivation Palace, and the things in the northwest." It's not small. ”

Xu Liang groaned and said, "Please also ask your father-in-law to give a message to the lower officials, and the lower officials still have to meet Your Majesty." ”

Wang Chengen looked at Xu Liang for a while, nodded, and said, "You wait." With that, he turned around and entered the Heart Cultivation Palace.

In the Heart Cultivation Palace, the six cabinet ministers knelt on the ground, and they didn't dare to come out, and there were two broken teacups scattered on the ground. Emperor Chongzhen stood behind the desk, his face distorted. is cursing angrily: "Idiot! Eater! Rubbish! Yang He, this old killer, I, I want to pick his skin!! ”

The six cabinet ministers bowed their heads in unison and said, "Your Majesty is angry! ”

Emperor Chongzhen looked at the six cabinet ministers below and smiled angrily: "Anger? Do you still have the face to be angry? Yang He didn't report such a big thing, and you cabinet ministers actually helped him hide it from me?! ”

"Wait for a capital offense!" The six pavilion elders bowed their heads again.

"You ......!" Emperor Chongzhen glared at the six cabinet ministers, so angry that he didn't know what to scold.

At this time, the eunuch Wang Chengen carefully bypassed the six cabinet ministers who were kneeling on the ground. Walking up to Emperor Chongzhen, he arched his hand and said, "Your Majesty." Xu Liang, the secretary of Guanglu Temple, asked to see him outside the hall. ”

Emperor Chongzhen was stunned when he heard this, glared at Wang Chengen, and said, "What is he doing here?" Then he said angrily: "Let him in!" After Wang Chengen carefully retreated, Emperor Chongzhen saw that the six cabinet ministers were still kneeling, so he snorted coldly, shook his hand and said, "Get up!" Let people see that my cabinet ministers are kneeling. What kind of system. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The six pavilion elders stood up tremblingly, and stood aside with their breath, Xu Guangqi was secretly shocked in his heart: What did Xu Liang do when he came in at this time?

After a while, Wang Chengen led Xu Liang into the Heart Cultivation Palace, and saw several pavilion elders standing aside. couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Xu Liang followed behind Wang Chengen, and when he walked forward, he actually saw the broken teacup scum on the ground, goodbye Zhou Yanru, Cheng Jiming, Sun Chengzong and other cabinet ministers all hung their heads, and they couldn't see the expressions on their faces clearly, but the knees of several people's official robes were more or less stained with some scum marks, obviously they had just knelt.

Xu Liang's heart was dark. When he arrived at the front, he pushed the golden mountain and poured the jade pillar, bowed down, and shouted: "Xu Liang, the minister of Guanglu Temple, see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!" ”

Emperor Chongzhen above said in a bad tone, and asked coldly, "Xu Liang, what are you doing?" ”

Xu Liang listened, and became more and more sure that the smell of gunpowder in the Fangcai Yangxin Hall must be very strong, and lowered his head, Xu Liang said: "Back to Your Majesty, tell about the Taimiao, the Ministry of Qi allocated 50,000 taels of silver to Guanglu Temple, and now it has cost 48,616 taels, and there are still 1,384 taels of savings. The minister has ordered the ambassador of the treasury in the temple to return the surplus to the household department, and he has come back to His Majesty. ”

Emperor Chongzhen couldn't laugh or cry when he heard it, and said, "It's just such a trivial matter, and it's worth it for you to go to the palace to report?" ”

Xu Liang said in a heavy tone: "Your Majesty, this matter may not be worth mentioning for Your Majesty and the court, but for the minister, it is a major matter of life. As he spoke, he glanced back at Sun Chengzong, who was staring at him with fierce eyes, and said, "Today, Elder Sun Ge has already reprimanded the minister for being extravagant and wasteful, and punished the minister for a year. If there is a surplus of silver, the minister is not in a hurry to return the household, and the minister is worried that he will be impeached by Sun Ge Lao again, and he will lose his life at that time! ”

Sun Chengzong suddenly blew his beard and glared, looking at Xu Liang as if he was about to kill.

However, the corners of Emperor Chongzhen's mouth raised when he heard this, and he scolded with a smile: "Xu Aiqing is too worried, Sun Ge is always a cabinet minister, and he is broad-minded, and he will never embarrass you because of this little thing." Okay, I know about it, so you can step down. ”

"Your Majesty said so, the minister was relieved, and the minister retired." Xu Liang bowed very obediently and retreated.

Sun Chengzong's gaze followed Xu Liang's pace until Xu Liang left the Heart Cultivation Palace.

Suddenly, Emperor Chongzhen stared at Sun Chengzong, and shouted coldly: "Sun Aiqing! ”

"The old minister is here." Hearing this, Sun Chengzong hurriedly withdrew his gaze and said.

"Let's talk about the Northwest!" Emperor Chongzhen shouted.

After leaving the palace and returning to the Dongjiang Courtyard, Sun Yuanhua, the squire of the military department, and Yu Dacheng, Langzhong, were waiting in the living room. Seeing Xu Liang coming back, Sun Yuanhua stepped forward, his eyes were full of enthusiasm, and said, "Brother Xu." Today, I'm the east, and a few of us will go to the guest house to get together. ”

Xu Liang was stunned when he heard this, and said with a smile: "What day is it today?" ”

Yu Dacheng said: "Brother Xu, don't hold on." You were fined for a year, brothers know. Today I propose that the three shareholders of our Xishan Coal Mine specially prepare wine to comfort you. Brother Wang Xian has already prepared wine and food in the guest house. ”

Xu Liang listened, and a warm current passed through his heart. Although Xu Liang and Yu Dacheng got acquainted with each other, most of them were due to interests. However, several people have been sincerely friends so far, and they have become real friends unconsciously. At this time, most of the officials who participated in the Taimiao sacrifice were well known, but Sun Yuanhua, Yu Dacheng, Wang Xian and others wanted to prepare a banquet to comfort themselves.

Xu Liang nodded and said, "Then I'll go to the inner courtyard and talk to the two ladies." ”

Not wanting to turn out Feng Suqin and Lou Xian'er from behind the screen, Feng Suqin said softly: "Xianggong should go." After a while, if it is inconvenient to come back after drinking too much, I will send someone back to say that I will arrange for a carriage to pick it up. ”

So Xu Liang and Sun Yuanhua became friends. Yu Dacheng and the two walked out of the Dongjiang Courtyard and rushed to the guest hotel on Xuanwumen Street. Wang Xian, who was in the private room, saw Xu Liang and the others entering the house, so he went out and went to the counter on the first floor and yelled at the food.

After the four of them said a few polite words and sat down, the guys who came to live in the guest began to serve the food at a low price.

Xu Liang picked up the first glass of wine, and said to Sun Yuanhua, Wang Xian, and Yu Dacheng with emotion: "Brother is in trouble today. It is rare that the three brothers specially prepared a banquet to comfort me. This first cup, Xu Liangjing's three brothers. ”

Sun Yuanhua and the others all drank it all.

Then Sun Yuanhua and the other three raised their glasses to Xu Liang one by one. The atmosphere of the banquet began to be lively.

Sun Yuanhua drank two full cups in a row, his face began to sweat, rolled up his sleeves a little, looked at Xu Liang, and said, "Actually, today, Sun Ge Lao attacked Brother Xu, and it was not all aimed at Brother Xu. ”

Xu Liang glared and shouted: "They all said that they would be dismissed and sent to prison." The words of severe punishment are coming, and they are not aimed at me? ”

Yu Dacheng said: "Brother Xu, I was not there when I sacrificed to the Taimiao, but when Brother Sun returned to the military department to analyze me like this, I also feel that the always stable Sun Ge is like this today." It is most likely that he has been angry for a long time, and Brother Xu just happened to catch up. ”

Xu Liang's heart moved, and when he saw Sun Yuanhua and Yu Dacheng of the military department explaining like this, he couldn't help but believe it, stopped the cup and put the chopsticks, sat up straight, and asked, "What's going on?" ”

Sun Yuanhua said slowly: "In fact, when Sun Ge returned to Beijing this time, in addition to participating in the sacrifice to the Taimiao, another important thing was to ask the household for silver. In last year's battle with the Tartars, the Liaodong soldiers were basically disabled, and after the elder took charge of Liaodong, in order to consolidate the Guanning defense line, he recruited troops and spent money like water. When I came back this time, I asked the court for money to buy grain and grass. ”

Xu Liang suddenly shouted: "Sun Ge Lao asked for money from the household department, what does it have to do with my little Guanglu Siqing?" ”

Sun Yuanhua said: "You listen to me." I've heard from the teacher that there really isn't much money left in the household. The only 100,000 taels were to be kept for the next month's silver distribution to Jingying and Jingguan, and they couldn't be moved easily. Alas, Sun Ge Lao touched a nail at Bi Ziyan, and returned to the yamen of the military department with a ball of anger, and he didn't know where he learned that the sacrifice to the Taimiao Temple actually cost nearly 100,000 taels of silver, and he was so angry that he slapped the table in the military department at that time! ”

Sun Yuanhua explained this, and Xu Liang finally understood. Dare to love Sun Ge is angry that the sacrificial ceremony has been spent too much, so that his grain and grass money is gone, so in a fit of anger, he took Xu Liang to open the knife.

Xu Liang nodded slowly, and then scolded again: "No, it's not just my Guanglu Temple who is in charge of this ceremony!" And what about the Ministry of Rites and Taijoji Temple? Sun Ge is always on fire, why didn't he send it to Li Tengfang? ”

Sun Yuanhua smiled and said: "Li Tengfang is an old minister of the Three Dynasties, and he is highly respected......

When Xu Liang heard this, he was annoyed for a while, and said to everyone: "Don't mention it, drink and drink!" ”

This night, Xu Liang returned drunk.

Although he was fined, he still had to go to the yamen. Shen Congliang, the young secretary of Guanglu Temple, and Ji Zhong, the ambassador of the silver treasury, followed Xu Liang into Xu Liang's office before and after.

Ambassador Ji closed the door tightly, spread out a brand-new account book in front of Xu Liang, his face was flushed with excitement, and said: "My lord, according to your orders, Xiaguan settled with Lord Shen last night, and this time we have withheld a total of 18,400 taels of silver, this is the account, please take a look." ”

Xu Liang flipped through it and asked casually, "Did you make two copies of the account?" ”

Ambassador Ji said: "Yes. In the other account, the entry and exit items are all signed, and there is no problem just by looking at the account book. As for the one in your hand, according to your instructions, the lower officials did not write the amount of silver, but recorded the honeycomb coal in and off, and a piece of honeycomb coal is equivalent to ten taels of silver, so literally, what you have in your hand is just a simple honeycomb coal purchase account. ”

Xu Liang nodded with satisfaction, and said to Shen Congliang and Ji Zhong: "The two adults did a good job. ”

Shen Congliang and Ji Zhong hurriedly arched their hands and said: "Where, everything has to rely on the adult's planning." ”

Shen Congliang took two steps forward and asked in a low voice, "My lord, what will happen to the intercepted silver next?" ”

Xu Liang pondered for a while, knocked his hand on the table, and said: "It's not easy for the people below to follow us, since we have money, then according to the method we agreed before, add some benefits to the big guy." There is just one point, the distribution of silver in the hands of the subordinates cannot have anything to do with Guanglu Temple! ”

Shen Congliang looked overjoyed, and excitedly assured: "Don't worry, my lord, the next official will definitely do it." ”

Ji Zhong, the ambassador of the silver treasury, thought of Ma Xiangyang, the temple who was sent to Nanjing, and asked, "My lord, what is the share of the horse temple?" ”

Xu Liang's face sank, snorted lightly, and said: "Ma Xiangyang, this person, is not enough to achieve, and there are more than failures!" This kind of thing must not be touched by him. The purpose of sending him to Nanjing this time was to teach him a lesson. ”

When Shen Congliang and Ji Zhong heard this, their hearts were awe-inspiring, and they only responded with a chatter.

After three or four days, the officials of the surrounding yamen were surprised to find that the entire Guanglu Temple swept away the lifeless appearance of the past, and all of them were beaming with joy on their faces, as if they were celebrating the New Year. The original dilapidated Guanglu Temple has been cleaned and dressed up to look brand new. Under the eaves of the main gate of the yamen, two brand-new red lanterns were newly hung, and with the ten sword-wielding guards specially recruited by Lord Xu of Guanglu Temple, no matter day or night, at a glance, you can see two red lanterns, one on the left and one on the right, two guards standing tall, this majesty, even compared with the six yamen, will not be much inferior.

Xu Liang retreated back, and the two guards at the door bowed to him very respectfully, and walked all the way to Siqing's office, and the subordinate officials of Guanglu Temple who met along the way all looked at the young Siqing with a respectful gaze, and took the initiative to retreat to the side of the road, bent down slightly, and called him respectfully: "Siqing." After Xu Liang walked over, he stood up straight and continued his own business.

This kind of situation made Wang Qinian, an old subordinate who had just arrived in the capital, very surprised, and followed Xu Liang all the way to the office, and Wang Qinian complimented him loudly: "My lord, it's amazing, it's amazing." (To be continued......)