Forbidden City, outside the Cabinet.

Today is the day of the cabinet meeting, so the ministers are arriving a little earlier than usual.

Soon, five palanquins of different colors stopped outside the cabinet, and Yan Song, supported by the slaves, trembled down from the palanquin.

"Elder Yan Ge, it's early!"

As soon as Yan Song got down from the sedan chair, he heard Xu Jie's greeting from not far away.

"Oh, it's Old Xu Ge."

Yan Song looked at the source of the voice, but only saw an unusually vague figure.

I saw Xu Jie stepping forward quickly, holding Yan Song's hand, and the two walked straight in front as if they had been friends for many years, chatting and gossiping.

"Alas, when I'm older, my eyes are no longer good!"

Yan Song sighed and took the lead in speaking.

"Where, Yan Ge Lao, your body is still strong."

After hearing this, Xu Jie laughed loudly, and then supported Yan Song and stepped up the steps.

"By the way, Elder Xu Ge, you have been out of the limelight recently! The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty are talking about it, you, the deputy assistant of the dignified cabinet, will actually do the work of engineering supervision? ”

"I heard that this matter has been passed on to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty is full of praise for you!"

Yan Song did not rush up the steps, but turned around and said to Xu Jie.

"Wherever and wherever the plan for expanding the treasury was proposed, since I put forward it, then I am obliged to perfect it thoroughly! lest others gossip. ”

After listening to Yan Song's words, Xu Jie chuckled lightly, and then explained.

"Elder Xu Ge, you can be regarded as setting an excellent example in front of hundreds of officials this time, and I, the head of the cabinet, am also ashamed of myself!"

"Maybe later, Your Majesty will reward you for this matter!"

And Xu Jie didn't choose to pick up Yan Song's words, but turned his gaze to the steps under his feet, and diverted the topic: "Let's go in quickly, maybe we can take advantage of the time when Your Majesty didn't come, and deal with some sloppiness first." ”

"Well, that's what I said, let's hurry up and get in."

Yan Song nodded, and agreed to Xu Jie's proposal.

……

The Forbidden City, the Palace of Nourishing the Heart.

Early in the morning, Jiajing put on his robe under the clothes of a personal eunuch.

"Your Majesty, it's coming soon, it's time for us to go!"

Just when Jiajing was stunned, Lu Fang's figure appeared in front of him and reminded softly.

"Yes, I see."

Jiajing nodded, and then motioned for Lu Fang to lead the way in front.

"By the way, Lu Fang, tell me, what should I reward Xu Jie?"

"Your Majesty, the slave maid thinks that as long as it is something you reward, Elder Xu Ge will be willing to treat it as a treasure!"

When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's question, he immediately stopped and replied respectfully.

"Aren't you talking nonsense? Send someone to my inner nest and pick a vase at random! ”

Jiajing glanced at Lu Fang angrily, and then ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty! The slave and the maid obeyed. ”

Lu Fang quickly gave the order, and a moment later, a little eunuch hurriedly rushed to the Heart Cultivation Hall with a brocade box in his arms.

"Your Majesty, look!"

Lu Fang took the brocade box from the little eunuch's hand, opened it, and took it to Jiajing with great respect.

I saw a pair of jade-like cyan porcelain vases lying quietly in the brocade box.

"Well, that's it! I've long thought it was taking up space. ”

Jiajing was quite satisfied with the gift that Lu Fang had picked out and nodded.

"Your Majesty, we have to hurry, we are about to miss the hour."

"Well, I've got the vase for me, and if I smash it, I'll ask you."

Jiajing turned around and instructed Lu Fang on the side.

"Your Majesty, don't worry! The slave will never let anything wrong with this vase. ”

"Well, it's good that you know."

……

"It's strange, it's already time for the cabinet meeting, why hasn't Your Majesty come here yet?"

Xu Jie put down the notes in his hand that had been approved, and wondered.

"Wait a minute, Your Majesty may have been delayed by something on the road."

Yan Song drank the tea in the cup unhurriedly and spoke.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty has never been absent from a cabinet meeting in the past few days."

Seeing this, Gao Gong on the side also followed to comfort.

"Yes, yes! Now that His Majesty is diligent in government affairs, it is impossible for him to be absent from the cabinet meeting without any reason. ”

Yan Shifan glanced at Gao Gong silently, and then spoke.

Just when everyone was speculating, a shrill voice from outside made them instantly feel at ease.

"Your Majesty has arrived!"

"Ministers, see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

After seeing the familiar figure, everyone couldn't help but feel respectful, and then under the leadership of Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet, they knelt on the ground and said in unison.

"Well, let's all get up."

Jiajing glanced at the ministers kneeling on the ground and said loudly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Just as the ministers got up, they suddenly found that Lu Fang, who had been following Jiajing, was a little different today, holding a brocade box in his arms!

"What's in this box?"

Just as the thoughts of everyone present were flying, Jiajing, who was sitting behind the bead curtain, seemed to see what they were thinking and took the initiative to explain.

"This brocade box in Lu Fang's hand is the reason why I am late today."

Hearing Jiajing's words, everyone at the scene was even more curious about the things in the brocade box! What is it that can delay the Ming Emperor for so long?

"Actually, the contents of the brocade box are related to someone in your room, you might as well guess."

After Jiajing finished speaking, after looking around, he picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

Hearing Jiajing's words, the remaining few people in the cabinet also thought of what Yan Song had said before, and they all focused their eyes on Xu Jie.

And Xu Jie saw that everyone's eyes were focused on him, and he was also stunned at the beginning.

After a while, he suddenly remembered what Yan Song had said to him before, and those words were also constantly emerging in his mind at this time, and because he was too excited, Xu Jie's body began to tremble slightly.

"Your Majesty, please forgive Weichen for being brave, is the thing in the brocade box related to Weichen?"

Seeing that Jiajing did not plan to directly reveal the mystery, Xu Jie plucked up his courage and asked Jiajing.

"That's right, Elder Xu Ge is really smart and abnormal! The contents of this brocade box are what I have prepared for you. ”

"And it's because of this thing that I'm late!"

Jiajing seemed to be very surprised that Xu Jie was able to guess the answer to the riddle so quickly, and then raised his eyebrows and replied.

"It is precisely because of Weichen that His Majesty has delayed the hour, therefore, I implore Your Majesty to punish Weichen, otherwise, Weichen will toss and turn in the next few days, and it will be difficult to sleep and eat!"

When Xu Jie heard what Jiajing said, he knelt on the ground with a 'plop' and asked Jiajing for guilt.

"Elder Xu Ge misunderstood me, I don't mean to blame you! On the contrary, I want to reward you well. ”

"Lu Fang, let's show everyone the contents of the brocade box."

"The slave obeys."

After hearing Jiajing's instructions, Lu Fang immediately carefully placed the brocade box on the table and opened it.

And in the brocade box, a pair of jade-like cyan porcelain vases lie quietly.

"Your Majesty...... Your Majesty, this ...... This is! ”

After Xu Jie saw the contents of the brocade box clearly, perhaps because he was too surprised, he couldn't even speak clearly.

"Well, Elder Xu Ge, I am deeply pleased that you can put down the shelf of your cabinet as the second assistant and set such an example in front of hundreds of officials, this is what I reward you."

Jiajing took in the expression on Xu Jie's face, nodded, and said softly.

"Your Majesty, this is just the duty of Weichen as a courtier! This gift is too valuable......"

"Hmph, what I gave away, how can I take it back? I let you hold it, and you give it to me! ”

Jiajing, who was sitting behind the bead curtain, was a little impatient, and in one sentence, he blocked all the words that Xu Jie wanted to say next in his throat.

(End of chapter)