Emperor Zhengde of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 145
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Forbidden City.

Yang Tinghe carefully arranged a meeting.

That Taoist Yuzhen is still wearing a dark blue Taoist robe today, looking like a fairy.

Yang Tinghe was glad that no severe punishment was used that day, otherwise the consequences would be really unimaginable.If he hadn't taken this Taoist priest from Cao Zhengchun that day, he would have been murdered by now.

"I'm here to ask you, can you really count?"

The Taoist just nodded slightly and said: "Pindao has only learned a little superficially, but I am confident that I can tell the basic trend."

Yang Tinghe sat on the side, at first he thought this Taoist priest was a liar, but he didn't think about it. From his perspective of analyzing the problem, this person is indeed a talent.

Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, Liang Chu, Li Suide and others also came to the meeting today. They all felt that the emperor paid too much attention to this person, and it was not worthy of them to do so.

The Yangquan temple in the eastern suburbs of the capital also heard the news, and the temple owner asked to participate, but Zhu Houzhao refused.

The Ming Dynasty had strict regulations, prohibiting those who practiced Zen and Taoism from participating in the government affairs of the court.But at a critical juncture, if the people who practice Zen and practice the Tao really benefit the emperor, it's another matter.

This precedent started with Yao Guangxiao in the reign of Emperor Yongle.

"You said that you calculated the exam questions I gave this time. Well, I will trust you for a while, and then I will ask you, what are the exam questions that will officially start in five days?"

"As long as you can figure it out, I will forgive you for your innocence, but if you can't, hehe, I can take your head at any time."

Because Yang Tinghe had praised Zhu Houzhao so much before, he was also thinking of himself, and he could boast as much as he could.

But that said, Zhu Houzhao had already thought a lot. He had never seen such a person in the palace. If there was such a person, it would be a good thing to stay in the palace and work for him.

The Taoist hesitated for a moment, then made a little calculation in his heart, put his hand on his chest and said: "Infinite Heavenly Venerable, the question that His Majesty gave to the scholars in the world this time is a kind of situational thing, and it is to solve the problem of internal kinetic energy of the machine. If Pindao guessed correctly, it should be a steam engine."

As soon as the voice fell, the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation became completely silent, and even a needle falling on the ground could be heard.

The remaining ministers all looked at Zhu Houzhao with dumbfounded eyes. This young emperor was the only one who controlled everyone's destiny, and also controlled the national destiny of the Ming Empire.

In this test, no one dared to make rash remarks. The previous question had been widely circulated, so we must be cautious this time.

However, there are thousands of difficulties. In this general examination, the emperor directly set the questions, and the examinees answered them face to face. If they answered correctly, they would enter the Imperial Academy.

This is the meaning of all candidates' lifelong struggle.

After the exam questions were leaked, Zhu Houzhao was very annoyed, but he had no choice but to rewrite the questions.

He racked his brains to think about it, and in the end, he just decided on the topic of this morning's government affairs, using the steam engine as the topic, and wanted to attract others, and wanted to find a few talents to come out.

Zhu Houzhao's jaw almost fell to the ground in shock.

This is the most powerful person he has seen since he took the throne.It seems that what Yang Tinghe said is not bad at all. This person knows astronomy and geography from the top, and he knows trivial details from the bottom. He is a rare talent.

"Well, yes, this is indeed my idea, but I really want to know, how did you figure it out?"

Zhu Houzhao stared at the Taoist in front of him with wide eyes, full of curiosity about him.

Daoist Yuzhen said: "Your Majesty, this is a heavenly secret. If you really want to know, it would be meaningless for the poor to tell you the truth. There must be a reason for this, and it won't be clear in a while."

Liang Chu took over the topic and said: "Dare to ask, how long will the current method of commercial tax rate reform that I am using in Ming Dynasty last?"

The Taoist priest raised his head and glanced at Liang Chudao: "My lord, your question is very specific. Pindao is not born in economics, so I can't give you a specific explanation. However, it is still the algorithm of Pindao. At present, this method can only last for three days. Five Tuan, unambiguous."

"Of course, the current method of the imperial court still has a certain blind spot. It is not an easy transition stage. After this stage, it will basically be able to operate for a period of time."

Liang Chu nodded secretly when he heard Taoist Yuzhen's words. This kind of economic operation disadvantage has occurred once before. Fortunately, it did not cause a large number of people to panic. If it caused people to panic, it must not be such a situation.

What this Taoist said is not unreasonable, but if he calculates three to five years, I am afraid that it is not enough.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Li Dongyang sitting aside sigh and say: "Taoist Priest, I know what you said. They are all things that have happened in the court recently and have spread to your ears. Not surprising.”

"However, I don't think it's enough to convince people. I can ask you a question that no one else knows. If you can answer all the questions correctly, I will be convinced."

Yu Zhenzi's eyelids twitched slightly and said: "Your Excellency's question is a private matter, and it is about His Majesty. Not many people know about this matter. I think it should be a matter of His Majesty's personal feelings?"

"You don't have to ask Pindao to remind His Majesty. Judging from His Majesty's appearance, this year is the year with the best luck, and the luck of the peach blossoms is also the most prosperous. Just southeast of the palace, there is a woman who belongs to the rabbit who is thinking about it day and night. Your Majesty, this woman will assist His Majesty in the future, and she will surely succeed."

"And this woman is quite appreciated by His Majesty. The relationship between the two is on the rise, and they will definitely get married in the future."

"However, this matter will also be blocked by the villain, please be prepared, Your Majesty."

Following every word the Taoist said, Zhu Houzhao and everyone present were so stunned that they couldn't say a word.

This is really a master of the world!

Zhu Houzhao unconsciously exclaimed. He never dreamed that the letter he sent privately would involve his future wife. This was never used by any emperor in history.

"A master! Master, Daoist, you are really a master of the world that I have ever seen. If you don't dislike it, you can stay in the palace and be a national teacher for me. How about it?"

Zhu Houzhao directly threw an olive branch to Yu Zhenzi.

His idea is very simple. Liu Ji helped Zhu Yuanzhang win the world back then, and Taoist Yuzhen can now help him govern the world.

That way, he can spend more time playing.

"Hahaha, thank you for your majesty's kindness. It is difficult to redeem the poor Daoist. When the poor Daoist comes out of the temple, he plans to travel around the world for a while, and has no intention of being in the secular world for the time being."

"Bold, how dare you say that my career in the Ming Empire is commonplace, aren't you afraid of being beheaded?" Xie Qian, who hadn't spoken for a long time, burst into a tantrum.

However, the Taoist ignored him at all, saluted Zhu Houzhao, turned around and walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Everyone present looked at each other in blank dismay.

(End of this chapter)