After Yan Shifan finished reading the content of the confession, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, the content recorded above was consistent with what Lu Fang had just read, it was a confession from Li Xuan, the river supervisor, and Yang Jinshui, the chief eunuch of his godfather's Weaving Bureau, who were greedy for the money for the project.

"This Hu Zongxian is a kind person!" Yan Shifan couldn't help but think so.

After Yan Shifan read the confession, he circulated it to the other elders, and soon, the five elders read the confession.

"I've read it all, do you have anything to say?" Jiajing's tone was indifferent, his eyes looked around at the ministers, and asked softly.

"Your Majesty, the minister is guilty!" Yan Song took the lead in kneeling on the ground and tremblingly pleaded guilty to Jiajing.

"Your Majesty, the minister is also guilty!" After Yan Song knelt on the ground, Xu Jie also knelt on the ground.

As early as the moment when Lu Fang finished reciting the confession, Yan Song understood that the emperor knew everything!

Seeing that the first and second assistants of the cabinet knelt down, the remaining Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng also knelt down, leaving Yan Shifan still in the dark, looking dazed.

Yan Shifan looked around and quickly knelt down.

Yan Song knew very well in his heart that His Majesty should have found out the inside story of the damage to the Zhejiang embankment a long time ago! Previously, His Majesty also sent Jinyi Wei Zhu Qi and them to Zhejiang to investigate, with their means, it is not difficult to find out the truth, and now they don't deal with themselves, just because the change from rice to mulberry has not yet been implemented, and they still have some use, and they don't want to cause turmoil in the government and the opposition.

"Why are you like this? It's just a confession, and it scared you like this, I just wanted to ask you what to do next, why did you all kneel down and plead guilty? Jiajing's face was full of mockery, and he slowly spoke.

"Get up, I don't want a next time for something like today, understand?" Jiajing looked at the pavilion elders who were kneeling on the ground, trembling, and said coldly.

"Thank you for your grace, your ministers, thank you, long live my emperor, long live long live!"

After thanking the ministers, they got up from the ground one after another, but when Yan Song got up, he stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but fortunately, Yan Shifan on the side was quick and hurriedly stretched out his hand to support Yan Song, otherwise, Hu Zongxian's day of entering the cabinet would have been much earlier.

Everyone present understood that the emperor was holding a bombshell in his hand right now, and this bomb emperor could detonate it whenever he wanted! The emperor's righteousness is in hand, and no one can withstand this matter on the surface, even if he does not punish the nine clans, he will have to leave a mark in the history books in the future, and he will be infamous for 10,000 years.

"In a while, it will be the day of the salt tax, has your cabinet confirmed the candidate?" After everyone calmed down, Jiajing said lightly.

"Your Majesty, as for the candidate to collect the salt tax, Weichen would like to recommend one." Yan Song bowed to Jiajing before slowly speaking.

"Who?" Jiajing became interested in the person Yan Song wanted to recommend.

"Your Majesty, Weichen wants to recommend Yan Maoqing to be the person who collects the salt tax from the imperial court this time!"

"Yan Maoqing?" Jiajing thought for a moment, completely unimpressed.

"Your Majesty, Yan Maoqing is the left deputy capital imperial history." Lu Fang, who was beside Jiajing, reminded softly.

"Oh, in that case, I'm right! It's up to this Yan Maoqing to collect the salt tax. Jiajing waved his hand indifferently, agreeing to Yan Song's suggestion.

"It's just that since the Hongwu period, the salt tax collected by the imperial court has become less and less, and last year it was only collected to 1.2 million taels of silver, I hope this Yan Maoqing will not disappoint me......" Jiajing pretended to sigh, and then turned his gaze to Yan Song.

"Your Majesty, this person is quite talented, and he will be able to successfully complete the task of collecting the salt tax." Yan Song lowered his head, didn't dare to make any moves, and said in a deep voice.

"Well, well, I'll be waiting for your good news then."

Jiajing was very satisfied with Yan Song's performance, and then picked up the teacup on the side, took a few sips, and couldn't help but admire: "It's really good tea!" ”

Soon, Xu Jie also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the minister has a play!" ”

Jiajing looked at Xu Jie with interest and said softly, "Speak!" ”

"Your Majesty, the treasury is full at the moment, and the Wanshou Palace where Your Majesty lived before has not been repaired since it was destroyed by lightning and fire, for the sake of Your Majesty's dragon body, I implore Your Majesty to rebuild the Wanshou Palace."

After Xu Jie said that, he knelt on the ground, his head banging on the ground.

Yan Shifan on the side was shocked by Xu Jie's sudden operation, and for a while, he couldn't organize a complete language.

If it was according to the usual, as long as the emperor showed the slightest intention of wanting to repair the palace, he would be ruthlessly criticized by Xu Jie, and he would take out the old routine of empty treasury, quoting scriptures, and abstaining from luxury and rashness, so that the emperor would retreat in the face of difficulties.

At present, in order to curry favor with the emperor, Xu Jie actually offered to repair the Wanshou Palace for His Majesty.

"This Xu Jie, he is really a shameless villain!" Yan Shifan thought so in his heart, and moved a step to the side without a trace.

"Ahem, Xu Aiqing thinks about my dragon body, this is good! But don't repair the palace for the time being, I live very well in the Heart Cultivation Palace, and you shouldn't mention this matter again in the future. Jiajing coughed lightly twice and righteously rejected Xu Jie's suggestion.

"Now that the candidates for the salt tax have been settled, it is time to consider the candidates for the chief examiner of the imperial examination, do you have any recommendations?"

"Your Majesty, according to the usual practice, the chief examiner of the imperial examination in the past is from the Ministry of Rites, but this year, the Ministry of Rites is reluctant to send out any more." Xu Jie was the first to speak and responded.

"Your Majesty doesn't know that the chief examiner of this imperial examination is a chore!"

"Chen once served as the chief examiner once, and he had to make all possible countermeasures before the exam, and he had to prepare for the exam in advance, and there must be no mistakes in the whole process! And after the candidates complete the answer sheet, they will be copied by a special person, and then sent to the examiner for correction, which is an all-nighter, and only after the ranking comes out can they regain their freedom, and the whole process can be described as very laborious. ”

As Xu Jie spoke, he began to pour bitter water.

"Then according to you, who will be the examiner this year?" After listening to Xu Jie's complaints, Jiajing did not make an evaluation, but directly threw the problem back.

"Your Majesty...... Otherwise, the chief examiner of this year's imperial examination is still selected by the Ministry of Rites, after all, they have been out for so many years, and they are not bad once or twice. Yan Shifan hesitated for a moment and gave his own answer.

"No, this Ministry of Rites has already complained to me many times! Let's change the ministry this year, and you can't always let the Ministry of Rites come out. Xu Jie didn't think about it and categorically rejected Yan Shifan's proposal.

"For whom? The Ministry of Household and the Ministry of Officials are too busy, needless to say about the Ministry of Industry, and the Criminal Department has been busy verifying cases recently, and it is even more difficult to distinguish manpower...... "This question stumped all the elders, and they all pondered.

"Your Majesty, there is a candidate for Weichen!" After thinking for a long time, Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up, and he bowed to Jiajing.

"Who?"

"Li Chunfang, currently serving as Taichang Shaoqing, like the minister, is a Jinshi in the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing, he is the champion of that session, and the minister is only the ninth Jinshi in the second class."