Xie Ming

Chapter 408: Cool Wind Under the Eaves
On the stone steps outside the Wuying Palace, under the eaves, avoiding the heavy rain, Wang Zhixin, the chief eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, had a conversation with Chou Weizhen, the chief minister of cabinet, and they happened to talk about the cough of Emperor Hongguang Zhu Cilang!
"Hey, Mr. Qiu, I'm just complaining to you!"

"Tell me, if this continues, how can it be good?!"

"Your Majesty, you have been panting heavily in the second half of the night recently!"

"I think it's dark, and the smell is making me sick!"

Wang Zhixin deliberately revealed the cause of the emperor's cough and told it to Qiu Weizheng, pretending to be open and frank.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Weizheng also understood what he meant, and hurriedly turned around to discuss the matter with Ma Shiying of the Ministry of Works.

"Hey!"

"Eunuch Wang is right!"

"Ma Shiying, did you hear that clearly?!"

"No matter what difficulties you have, the health of His Majesty will always be the most important matter for the court!"

"It won't matter if you save some money elsewhere in the short term!"

"But the Ministry of Industry's expenses cannot be saved or delayed!"

When it came to the Ministry of Works, Qiu Weizheng brought the difficulties to the surface in just a few words.

"Yes Yes!"

"That's what the elder said!"

"I will do my best!" Ma Shiying dared to respond.

"but.,"

"The budget for the construction of this new palace will be discussed later in the palace. I hope you can give me some advice!"

As expected, it involved his own matter of raising funds for the construction of the new palace, and Ma Shiying, the Minister of Works, hurriedly tried to persuade Wang to return the favor.

"Uh"

"Hehehe"

"Everything is for Your Majesty!" Eunuch Wang was slightly stunned, and just kept evading the question without saying anything more!
Seeing the situation, Qiu Weizheng decided it was not a good idea to keep it like that, so he changed the subject.

"Hey, may I ask you, father-in-law?"

"Today, haha, I wonder what the emperor's mood is like?!"

"The north sent us a victory report last night. I'm sure your Majesty is still very happy now, right?!"

There was a good news coming from the northern front, and the news had been passed to the cabinet. So, at this moment, it was only natural for Qiu Weizheng to use this to find out the purpose of the emperor's summons!
Hearing this, Wang Zhixin continued the conversation.

"Well, actually, when I saw the letter announcing the victory yesterday, I was very happy for a while!"

"My appetite improved after dinner, and I ate half a bowl of porridge!"

"But who would have thought of this?!"

"I looked at the memorial this morning and saw that after the civil uprising in Zhenjiang Prefecture, Changzhou and Danyang counties, there was a flood again in the past two days!"

"Hey, tell me, since the beginning of July, have there been a few days of peace and quiet?!"

"The collection of military supplies for the north has not been smooth, so how can Your Majesty not be anxious?"

"Look, he has been in a bad mood since he woke up this morning, and hasn't said a word for a long time!"

"I'm talking to you, Lord!"

"You, please take them in later, and try to find some happy things to report!"

"No matter what kind of discussion on food and wages this is, it's still about asking you to reward the soldiers based on the good news!"

"Try to pick something pleasant to say!"

"Your Majesty has been in poor health these days, and you seem to have lost a lot of weight!"

"I, your old slave, feel so sorry for you!"

Wang Zhixin made an excuse and turned the situation around.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Weizheng thought to himself, speaking of food and pay, isn't this directed directly at me, the Minister of Revenue!
After hearing this, his face showed a little embarrassment, and he agreed with a miserable smile.

Looking ahead, he saw the eunuch's verbal counterattack towards the king, and he could not argue much at the moment, so he had to swallow it all.

"Hehehe"

"Yes Yes!"

"Eunuch Wang is right!" "Your Majesty's health is the most important thing, your health is the most important thing!"

"I know my limits! Huh?!"

"Haha, I know my limits!" Qiu Weizheng responded briefly.

But at this moment!
At this moment, the two of them are talking to each other and are trying to strike up a conversation!
Suddenly, in the wind and rain behind them, Ni Yuanlu and Li Shichun also quickly finished the task at hand and rushed to the steps of Wuying Palace a step late!
A few moments!

Some also walked under the eaves!

“Roar, roar, Elder Ni!”

Seeing that it was someone coming, Wang Zhixin was quick-witted and hurriedly tilted his head, bowed, and extended his hand to greet the visitor.

"Hehehe!"

"Eunuch Wang, Elder Qiu!"

After seeing this, Ni Yuanlu hurriedly returned the greeting and looked at Qiu Weizheng who was beside him.

"Haha, Ruyu (Ni Yuanlu), you are so slow!"

"Don't look at my legs, they are full of cold problems!"

"But if he really runs away when something happens, he could be a tiger coming down from the mountain!"

"Small steps and quick movements, aren't you going to be in front of me, huh?! Hahahaha"

Qiu Weizheng teased Wang Zhixin intentionally in front of him, with hidden ulterior motives in his words.

"Haha, I'm ashamed, I'm really ashamed!"

"Mr. Qiu, you are still strong despite your old age. You are still as charming and energetic as ever!"

"I just had some urgent business, so I was delayed! I was delayed!"

Ni Yuanlu responded with a polite smile, but his mind quickly turned to the next thing and he changed the subject!
"Look, even the bricks in this palace are trying to trip me up!"

"Mr. Qiu, you didn't see it. It was raining just now, and the road was slippery. I don't know how, but in the middle of the road, a half-wrapped brick suddenly appeared!"

"I was running so fast that I almost fell down!"

"Master Qiu, you must be careful when you return to the pavilion!"

"If we fall down, none of us old bones can withstand it!" Ni Yuanlu retorted!
"Hehehe"

"Ruyu (Ni Yuanlu) is thoughtful!"

"No matter what you encounter, you always think of me!"

"It's okay!"

"No matter what, I have been the Minister of Finance in Nanjing for many years!"

"Every blade of grass, every brick and every stone in this palace has long been in my mind!"

"I can't fall! Huh?! Hahaha."

"It's you, Ruyu. I was just chatting with Eunuch Wang!"

"It is said that His Majesty has recently suffered from a coughing fit, and it may be caused by the continuous cloudy days in the south!"

"Too much humidity and enough rain, this is Jiangnan!"

"how?!"

"Ruyu, after all, you have been in Beijing for more than 20 years!"

"You're coming back to the south again. You're not feeling well enough to adapt, are you?!"

Qiu Weizheng is still unforgiving with his words!
It is said that sudden opportunities and high positions of power can bring spring back to life and have the effect of reversing aging!
In the past, when people heard about this, Ni Yuanlu was quite disdainful.

But in recent days, looking at myself and the other members of the cabinet, especially Qiu Weizhen who is right in front of me, I feel so ungrateful!
He thought about the anecdote he had heard before and suddenly felt dazed!
This is the original result!

Isn't this just false talk by the ancients?
"oh?!"

"Haha, two elders!"

"The two ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice are here too!"

"We are all here, so let's not talk any more. Please come in!"

"His Majesty is in the palace, waiting for you all!"

Wang Zhixin saw that all the cabinet members had arrived and had no intention of talking any more. He quickly interrupted the conversation and called everyone to go into the hall!
(End of this chapter)