The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Yan Chengjin heard the officials around him discussing the fact that Wang Hua was defeated by his son Wang Shouren in the debate.

The officials were all smiling, what a loving father and filial son!

Wang Shouren made his father sick, and Wang Hua not only suffered a loss of reputation, but also was accused of being a bad parent.

Yan Chengjin thought they would sympathize with Wang Hua, but he was actually used as a joke in the morning court, and the ministers loved it.

Where the Zhang brothers stood, only Zhang Heling was there, and Zhang Yanling had not attended court for more than ten days.

Emperor Hongzhi walked into the hall, and the hall slowly quieted down.

"What were you talking about just now?"

The ministers were silent, and Li Dongyang bowed slightly and said, "It was the discussion between Wang Hua and his son yesterday."

"Wang Shouren does not know filial piety, and Lord Wang is heartbroken!" said Wang Qiong, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue.

Emperor Hongzhi had learned from the Jinyiwei that Wang Hua had lost the argument, and said, "Yan Qingjia was there yesterday, right?"

The prince was also there, but he did not want to mention the prince.

Yan Chengjin bowed slightly and said, "I think Wang Qing has a good upbringing. He is better than his master. The waves behind push the waves ahead. Wang Shouren is the wave behind."

Hearing this boy's words, I always feel that there is some truth.

Emperor Hongzhi looked at the three people in the cabinet and said, "Let's start the court discussion. What do you want to report?"

"Yang Yiqing sent back an urgent report, and more than 300 bandits were wiped out in the Yansui area of ​​the northwest." Liu Jian reported.

The northwest is vast and sparsely populated. The number of 300 people was amazing to Emperor Hongzhi and all the officials.

"There are so many bandits in the northwest?"

Liu Jian said, "I'm afraid there are more. The grain harvest in the northwest is extremely low. The hungry people are seeking survival everywhere and have no choice but to become bandits."

Yang Yiqing said in the memorial that there were not many foreign bandits caught. There were more soldiers and poor people who escaped from the guards.

The cost of collecting is not much. The bandits robbed the people's food. The people could not farm in peace and could only become bandits.

"It's better to open the Silk Road as soon as possible, so that merchants in the capital can go to the northwest to do business." Li Dongyang thought of Liangxiang, where Yan Chengjin resettled 30,000 refugees.

Although bandits are different from refugees, they are essentially the same, with no land and no livelihood.

Emperor Hongzhi nodded and said, "The Yang family recommended by Yan Qing's family is not bad, but the people in the northwest have suffered.

Ministry of War, when will the post stations and banknotes in the northwest be completed?"

Qin Hong bowed and said, "The Ministry of War has transferred 50,000 people from the refugees who built the Great Wall to build a total of 182 post stations and banknotes.

Now more than 120 have been built, and there are 60 left. It should be completed within ten days."

50,000 people built at the same time, which accelerated the progress of the project.

The Ministry of Households supplied sufficient money and grain, so banknotes and post stations were not a problem.

Yan Chengjin guessed that there were not many bandits outside the region now, but once the Silk Road was opened, bandits would swarm into the northwest like flies, so Yang Yiqing should move his family there.

"Your Majesty, the caravan can set off to the northwest Silk Road now. One month later, the snow will melt and spring will come." Liu Jian said solemnly.

The speed of the caravan is always several times slower than the spies at the post station.

The spies can travel 500 miles a day on a fast horse, while the caravan may only travel a hundred miles a day.

"What Liu Qing said is true. In ten days, the post station and the banknote gate in the northwest will be repaired." Emperor Hongzhi said.

Zhang Heling looked at Emperor Hongzhi eagerly, as if he had something to say, but swallowed it hard when it came to his lips.

...

Yan Chengjin ordered He Neng to prepare a small gift and send it to the palace.

It was not because of his friendship with Wang Hua.

The Qingliu people all sent it. If they didn't, the villains would seize the handle to impeach them.

But he couldn't send a gift that was too expensive. After thinking about it, he decided to let He Neng send a small gift.

Wang Mansion,

Wang Hua was reading in the study, and he was not bedridden as the outside world said.

He was sick, but he couldn't afford to lose face.

It didn't matter if he lost in a discussion with others. The key point was that this person was his son.

He was more than 20 years younger than him, and he taught him.

"Master, the Yan Mansion sent a gift." The servant came in to report.

Sent by Yan Chengjin?

This kid lives in the dilapidated Xicheng District. I heard that the mansion is about to collapse, and there is no money to repair it. What can he send?

Wang Hua ordered the servant to bring it into the main hall, opened it and took a few glances, but it was a book of psychology.

"This... this evil son, he published a book!"

He immediately thanked Yan Chengjin in his heart. If not for this, he would not have known that Wang Shouren had published a book.

Wang Shouren used his salary and the silver awarded by His Majesty to find Wang Bushui to publish a book.

But only one thousand copies were published, and there was no money left.

Yan Chengjin would not lend a hand in such a matter.

…

In early March, at Yan's house,

the kitchen cooked a pot of mutton hot pot, and Yan Chengjin and Zhu Houzhao sat beside the table.

A pepper tree grew twenty-one peppers.

All were picked by Yan Chengjin, chopped into the pot, and oil was heated and soy sauce was poured on it.

Zhu Houzhao kept swallowing his tongue and said pitifully: "Lao Gao, am I poisoned?"

"This thing fights poison with poison. If you eat too much, you won't feel it." Yan Chengjin looked at Zhu Houzhao and ate half a spoonful of rice pepper.

It was so spicy that his hands were like wings, flapping wildly around his mouth.

Zhu Houzhao blinked and said: "Really? Then I'll try it again."

As he said that, he scooped up half a spoonful of pepper and put it in his mouth.

Liu Jin cried and advised: "Your Highness, you can't eat anymore..."

Yan Chengjin, this bastard, is harming Your Highness. Your Highness, why are you so stupid? You just eat when he tells you to!

He had eaten this stuff in the Western Regions, and the more he ate, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Liu Jin didn't dare to look at Yan Chengjin, so he had to persuade Zhu Houzhao from the side.

"Hiss...hiss..." Zhu Houzhao took a deep breath rhythmically, tears streaming down his face from the spiciness, and jumped up and down holding his head.

"Lao Gao...didn't you say to fight poison with poison?"

Yan Chengjin said seriously: "Eat another spoonful, and it will be resolved."

He was telling the truth. If it was so spicy that he couldn't feel it, it would not be spicy.

"Why don't you eat it!"

Zhu Houzhao had picked up all the peppers, and Yan Chengjin just dipped a little sauce and put the mutton into his mouth.

The long-lost spicy taste made him nod contentedly and drink a sip of goat milk.

Li Zhaofan had taken the pepper seeds to the South China Sea, where the growth cycle of peppers would be shorter than in the greenhouse.

...

Emperor Hongzhi was in a very good mood. After finishing his meal, he returned to the Huagai Hall to review the memorials.

While he was not fully engaged in reviewing the memorials, Xiao Jing whispered, "Your Majesty, Mrs. Jin of Shouning Marquis's Mansion is ill."

Mrs. Jin was the birth mother of the Queen. Emperor Hongzhi was busy with government affairs, and Queen Zhang lived a hard life alone in the harem.

Thinking of this, Emperor Hongzhi also sympathized with her.

He allowed Mrs. Jin to enter the palace to accompany her.

"Does the Queen know?" Emperor Hongzhi asked unintentionally.

Xiao Jing hurriedly said, "I don't know yet. I heard that...Jianchang Bo has been missing for almost a month."

Emperor Hongzhi smacked his lips, somewhat unbelievable: "The Zhang brothers have always been arrogant in the capital. Who dares to arrest him?"

"I haven't found out yet, but the Queen doesn't know about this yet... Your Majesty, what do you think?" Xiao Jing tried to test.

"Order the imperial physician to take a look."

Emperor Hongzhi thought for a while and continued, "Could it be that Changning Bo arrested him?"

The Zhang family and the Zhou family often had disputes, but after the military order was issued, the situation was better.

Xiao Jing didn't dare to say anything. He didn't want to offend the Empress Dowager behind the Zhou family and the Empress behind the Zhang family.

"Order the Marquis of Shouning to come to me."

After a while, Zhang Heling knelt down in front of the imperial desk and said guiltily: "Your servant Zhang Heling..."

Before he could finish, Emperor Hongzhi asked sternly: "Where has Zhang Yanling been these days without attending court?"

Zhang Heling didn't dare to lie: "He was kidnapped by horse bandits... He was kidnapped by horse bandits!"