Perhaps His Majesty has already seen through the purpose of his visit today.

Xue Ji was helpless in his heart, so he could only bite the bullet and say: "The Shen family has been in business for a hundred years, and they have never made a mistake for so many years, and only the Shen family can afford to trade with Nanjing."

Qin Xu sneered, "Never made a mistake? Didn't Xu Yan tell you everything?"

Xue Ji was shocked in his heart, and quickly reacted again, Xu Yan was Qin Xu's confidant, and he must know everything about him. "What the minister means is that the Shen family has never made a mistake in business...... Many years ago, Shen Changqing felt ashamed in his heart, if he could complete the matter of trade with Nanjing, it would be regarded as making up for it."

"Why should I use him? He did something to hide from me back then, and I protected him, and he said goodbye without saying goodbye. Prime Minister, you give me a reason to use him." Qin Xu said angrily.

If there is no old love to talk about, then you can only know and reason.

Xue Ji bowed his hand again and said, "Chang'an Liu's family will only do the business of officials, Chang'an Qi's winery caught fire not long ago, and the rumors of Xucheng Fang's shop bullying customers have long been known. Your Majesty, who else can be available besides the Jiangling Shen clan?"

I saw that Qin Xu was even more angry, and said angrily, "You mean, without Shen Changqing, I won't be able to trade with Nanjing, right?"

Xue Ji said, "Your Majesty is angry, this is the case."

Qin Xu's face was already sinking, and he was angry but calmed down, and said coldly: "I don't lack a Shen Changqing, if it is for the sake of the prime minister's face, I can divide him into a defense country, as for Nanjing, let him die."

In April, all the edicts of trade were issued, and the merchant families who had come from all over the world left Beijing one after another.

Three days later, it was time for Shen Changqing to return to Jiangling, and he finally found time to set up a table of wine and food on Xue Ji's mansion, and it was rare for his family to get together.

"Just a patriotic country?" Shen Changqing held the wine glass in his hand and raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Hmm."

"Something is better than nothing." Shen Changqing seemed to be comforting himself, and chuckled, with a relieved expression on his face. After changing the conversation, he asked again, "What about Nanjing? Who took it?"

When Xue Ji mentioned this, he couldn't help but clench his fists, and said hatefully, "The Chen family took it."

Shen Changqing got up suddenly, the wine in the cup spilled, and he said in disbelief, "Which Chen family? When did the Chen family send someone?"

Xue Jidao: "Jiangling Chen family, Chen Shao is in the middle of the court, have you forgotten?"

Shen Changqing froze for a moment, then slowly sat down and chuckled a little mockingly: "He Chen You's temples are gray, since Chen Shao has decided to drain the troubled waters of the imperial court, why fight for this business!" After a pause, he turned his head and asked, "The Chen family has long been uncharged, and it all depends on the people below to support them, who will do it when they rob Nanjing's business?"

Xue Ji sneered disdainfully, "Chen Shao wants to follow Chen Yu's example, and he doesn't want to see what he is."

"The criminal department is so idle?"

"Isn't there a mother."

Shen Changqing smiled angrily, slapped the table fiercely and said angrily, "She dares to be the head of the house even if she is a singer?"

Xue Ji also sighed lightly and said, "Who made the family give birth."

"I said earlier that you should fight for Nanjing in the name of the Xue family, you don't have to worry about this and that." Shen Changqing propped his forehead, his brows furrowed, obviously very unwilling: "Now letting Chen Shao take advantage of it is not a good thing for you and me."

"If I listen to you, Ming'er will spread the wind and rain all over the city that it is me Xue Ji who uses power for personal gain." Xue Ji said in a deep voice...

The early autumn of the thirteenth year of Changning

The autumn wind swept off the dead leaves on the branches and blew them on the ground in the courtyard of the Xue Mansion.

Xue Yi was approaching the age of cardamom, and it was the time when he was smart and lively, listening to the wind and running out of the house, chasing the black cat that came out of nowhere all over the yard.

Xue Ji saw this scene as soon as he came in from outside, and he almost didn't hit her, so he hurriedly grabbed her arm and reminded, "Slow down!"

"Daddy! Cat!" The little girl smiled sweetly, showed two small tiger teeth, and pointed to the old tree on the side.

Xue Ji rubbed her head soothingly and asked, "You see

Finish? What color?"

Xue Yi said loudly, gesturing with his hand: "Black, such a big one!"

Xuan cat, ward off evil and eliminate disasters, good things.

Xue Ji coaxed the little girl in front of him a little, and then asked his subordinates to lead her back to the house and entered the study by himself.

"What's wrong? When I come back, I have a straight face." Shen Yurong came in with soup, and seeing that his face was not good, he subconsciously paused.

Xue Jidao: "Next year is another big exam, and the officials below have stopped for a few years, and seeing that the Saint Dragon's body is getting weaker and weaker, they have begun to make waves again."

Shen Yurong was a little worried, "You are the host again?"

"yes, I can't hide from it." Xue Ji said helplessly.

"Won't you have to work for nearly three months?" Before the words fell, Shen Yurong couldn't help but sigh, since Xue Jibai came, he could be idle for a few days a year.

Xue Ji groaned: "If you want to carry the crown, you must bear its weight."

Within a few days, Qin Xu really summoned Xue Ji, Xu Yan and others to the imperial study to discuss matters, not to talk about anything else, just for the spring of the next year.

Xu Yan owed, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the autumn season in various places has ended, and the list will be released soon, and the roster must be sent to the capital within half a month."

"Hmm." Qin Xu leaned on the dragon chair and closed his eyes to recuperate, and he didn't intend to open his eyes when he heard this, so he only responded: "It's still the prime minister's main exam, and everything is the same as the spring of the eleventh year of Changning."

Several people claimed to be.

Qin Xu suddenly remembered something, opened his eyes suddenly, and looked at Xue Ji: "Prime Minister, I don't want to see those excerpts in the eleventh year of Changning."

It was just a beating, but it made Xue Ji's heart change.

I don't know when His Majesty no longer called him 'Qingzhi', but changed his voice to 'Prime Minister'".

This is a sign of growing alienation.

In just a few words, Xue Ji felt bad in his heart when he heard it, and replied without being humble or arrogant: "Your Majesty, rest assured, there is no second student in the minister."

The atmosphere in the imperial study room was already a little wrong, and the waiter of the Ministry of Rites and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Officials on the side did not say a word, and they all wanted to act as if they did not exist, at this time, only Xu Yan dared to step forward to ease up.

Xu Yan chuckled and rounded Xue Ji's words, and said, "Lord Xue has always acted frankly, even if there are students, he will definitely not shield and connive."

Qin Xu waved his hand impatiently: "Let's all stand down."

When I walked out of the study, it was a little gloomy. Xue Ji stopped for a moment, and then turned around and saw Xu Yan following. The two walked side by side on the palace road, gossiping a few words without a pair.

Xue Ji looked at the waiter of the Ministry of Rites who had already walked away, and suddenly asked, "Will you still go to the Ministry of Rites in the Spring Festival next year?"

The Ministry of Rites is still Cheng Bushu.

Since Lord Cheng left the Yushitai, he seems to have aged ten years old overnight, and now he is full of gray hair, staggering, and needs to be supported by someone to walk a few steps, and he insists on going to the Ministry of Rites every day, rain or shine, and no one will listen to him.

On the surface, this is very dedicated, and he should be a model for his courtiers. But it really fell into the mouth of the official of the Ministry of Rites, and he was eager to drown him with a mouthful of spit. Cheng Bujing has already reached the age of returning to his hometown, but he occupies the position of Shangshu and refuses to let him, and the officials below can't be promoted, so he hates him so much.

Xu Yan remembered that he happened to meet this old Shangshu through the Ministry of Rites two days ago, and it was the officials of the Ministry of Rites who coaxed him to invite him out and send him back to the house, and he didn't know what he was tossing when he was so old.

"It shouldn't be able to go, with the way he looks now, it's hard to blow the wind for a while, and he still patrols the exam?"

Xue Ji thought about it, snorted lightly, and reminded, "Then you can remember a little, don't bring him with you when appointing officials."

The two chatted a few words, and suddenly found that several palace maids on the side of the road hurriedly went to the direction of the imperial study, and their expressions were panicked, as if something had happened.

Xu Yan casually stopped a palace maid and asked suspiciously, "What's the matter, what's so anxious?"

The palace maid had never seen any officials, and when she was in the sky, she recognized that the two men in front of her had a lot of official positions, so she knelt down and kowtowed

head, crying, "Forgive me, two adults, concubine...... The concubine was hit by a brute while walking in the imperial garden, and she was angry, and the slave maid was in a hurry to ask His Majesty to come over."

Hearing this, Xue Ji and Xu Yan glanced at each other, and they both had more worries in their hearts.