Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 768 An Encounter After the Rain
"I am Gao Shiming, the branch manager of the Zhengyangmen branch of the Sun and Moon Bank." Gao Shiming, leaning uncomfortably against the roof of the car, stepped out and handed his waist badge to the officer in charge of the inspection. "I'm not going to the palace, is it really necessary to make things so complicated?"

"Eunuch Gao, please forgive me." The captain took Gao Shiming's waist tag and examined it carefully. "That's the rule. Anyone passing through here has to show their face for inspection. Please get out of here for a moment, I need to check the inside of your car again."

"Tsk!" Gao Shiming only showed up like this because he didn't want to get out of the car and get his shoes dirty. "Last time I came here in a sedan chair, they didn't tell me to get out."

"Perhaps the sedan chair you rode in last time was too small," the captain said with a smile as he returned the waist token to Gao Shiming.

"Oh ho!" Gao Shiming laughed in exasperation. "What are you talking about?" He half-snatched the waist token and stuffed it into his pocket, then pointed at the car: "There's only one person in this car, what's there to see?"

“Even if there’s nothing else, you have to get down first. Come, let me help you down.” The captain reached out his hand, leaning closer, then gestured towards the gatehouse at the back. “Eunuch Gao, it’s really not that I meant to make things difficult for you. Under normal circumstances, I would have just glanced inside and let you in. But today, the West Depot sent people to supervise us, and we have to follow the rules. Please don’t make things difficult for us, okay?”

"Alright then." Gao Shiming immediately deflated, sighed, and got down with the help of the flag officer's arm.

pat.

Gao Shiming was already very careful, but the moment he stepped on the ground, the clean soles of his shoes were still dirtied by the mud and dust that had been soaked by the rain.

The captain lifted the carriage curtain, peeked inside, pretended to look around, and loudly said, "No problem! You can go."

"Do you want to search me again?" Gao Shiming couldn't help but tease.

"Hehe, we don't need that here." The captain reached out and pulled Gao Shiming back.

"Let them through!" The captain turned around and waved his hand dramatically.

Several soldiers moved aside the crossed spears to make way, and the rolling wheels continued to roll through the wet mud in front of Dong'an Gate.

The downpour had just stopped, but the dark clouds hadn't yet dispersed. There weren't many people or cars on the streets, let alone any traffic jams, but the car carrying Gao Shiming was still stopped shortly after turning north, by an oncoming line of cars.

"Why did you stop again? Do we have to check the north gate again?" Gao Shiming's somewhat displeased voice came from behind the curtain.

“Master, a sedan chair is coming from the opposite direction and has blocked the entire road,” the driver said.

"Carrying a palanquin? Who are they? Such a large procession!" Gao Shiming lifted the curtain, turned to the side, and the words he was about to say were instantly stuck in his throat.

Gao Shiming's mind raced, his expression shifting several times, and he was no longer as hesitant as before. He jumped off the carriage, stepping directly onto the puddle-covered stone path, and ran like the wind towards the palanquin covered only by an oilcloth. "Don't block the way, quickly move the carriage to the wall," he told the driver before running away.

"Stop!" Gao Shiming ran as fast as he could, each step splashing through the water, but before he could reach the palanquin, he was blocked by the leading guards. "Who goes there?"

"No need to stop him, let him come over." Wang An, who was sitting in the palanquin, recognized the old man from the Directorate of Ceremonial as soon as Gao Shiming appeared.

"Yes." The guards leading the way quickly made way for Gao Shiming.

Gao Shiming took a few breaths to calm himself down, then quickly walked to the high palanquin, lifted the front of his robe, and knelt down. "This servant, Gao Shiming, pays respects to the Ancestor."

"Eunuch Gao, how have you been?" Wang An looked down at Gao Shiming, showing no intention of landing.

"It's been a long time since I've sent my greetings. I hope our ancestors will forgive me!" Gao Shiming bowed deeply, almost touching the ground with his hat.

“No need for such formalities, Eunuch Gao,” Wang An’s voice, like his posture, was steady and composed. “Get up quickly.”

"Thank you, Ancestor." Gao Shiming stood up, his front was already soaked, but fortunately the main roads in the imperial city were paved with stone slabs, so his clothes didn't get muddy.

"Is Eunuch Gao doing well now that he's working at Zhengyang Gate?" Wang An asked with a slight smile.

"Thanks to the Emperor's grace and the Ancestor's concern, everything is going well." Gao Shiming's heart was pounding, and his voice trembled slightly.

"That's good." Wang An continued with pleasantries: "Is Eunuch Gao going into town today, or to the main branch?"

"Yes." Gao Shiming explained, "This morning, at the invitation of Minister Wang, I went to the Ministry of Revenue to discuss matters related to the reform of tax invoices with Minister Wang and Prefect Shen. Afterwards, although I wrote a report, I was worried that I could not explain things clearly by writing alone, so I decided to come to the head office to report in detail."

"Hmm," Wang An nodded, and asked, "Do you still have Chengwen with you?"

"Of course!" Gao Shiming seized the opportunity and immediately took out the petition from his pocket, bowed, and tiptoed to present it to Wang An's knee. "Please, Your Majesty, take the time to review it."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, when Gao Shiming took out the petition, he also took out the proposal concerning the closure of Yuegang and hung it on his chest.

Wang An didn't say anything for a moment, but simply bowed slightly to accept the document.

The document was sealed with glue. Wang An lifted the seal and gently shook it twice. Once the document hit the bottom, he tore open the seal and threw it away.

Wang An extended two fingers, picked up the petition, and held it in his hand along with the envelope.

The petition was short, but it clearly stated everything that needed to be said. Wang An read the petition expressionlessly, stuffed it back into the envelope, handed it back to Gao Shiming, and asked, "Eunuch Gao, I just saw another envelope in your pocket. What was written on it?"

"Reporting to the Ancestor," Gao Shiming said respectfully as he accepted the document, his heart pounding as he carefully chose his words, "What is written on it are some of my humble opinions, which I was just about to take to the head office to discuss with Deputy Director Li."

"My humble opinion?" Wang An then asked, "What is it about?"

Upon hearing this question, Gao Shiming's hair stood on end. His body temperature rose rapidly, and his heart pounded as if it were touching his eardrums. "Your Majesty," Gao Shiming said, biting his tongue to calm himself, "I believe that if Yuegang is not closed, there will be no profit at Tianjin. If we want to supplement the national budget through Tianjin's maritime trade, we must close Yuegang and open trade through a single port."

Wang An's gaze towards Gao Shiming changed slightly. "Could I take a look?"

Gao Shiming's heart tightened, and he nervously pulled out the document he had already stuffed back in: "These are just my humble opinions, and I hope the ancestor can give me some guidance."

Wang An didn't respond. He took the envelope as before, tore open the seal, took out the letter, and quickly flipped through it.

"These things..." Wang An closed the letter, but didn't immediately put it back. "Were these all your own ideas?"

Gao Shiming lowered his head, suppressing all his emotions, and without even glancing at Wang An's expression, he replied with a single word: "Yes."

"Hmm! As expected of the head of the Inner Secretariat, truly insightful." Wang An nodded approvingly, then tucked the memorial into his robes. "Alright then. You don't need to go, come with me to see the Emperor."

"To see the Emperor! Now?" Gao Shiming trembled violently, a surge of emotions welling up within him. "You don't want to?" Wang An smiled.

"No, no!" Gao Shiming was so excited he almost fainted. He took a few deep breaths, gathered all his strength to calm himself, then lifted his shirt and knelt down again: "Thank you for your kindness, Ancestor!"

"Alright. Get up and come with me." Wang An nodded in satisfaction, then said to a eunuch attending him, "Go to Qianqing Gate and tell Chief Steward Shi to prepare a clean set of clothes for him."

"Yes." The eunuch glanced at Gao Shiming with a hint of envy, then left the group and ran away quickly.

--------

Wang An's old face was like a universal pass. He sat high on the palanquin, without saying a word, and led Gao Shiming and the entire entourage through the heavily guarded Dong'an Gate.

The procession swaggered past the cabinet, then through the Huiji Gate, the Huangji Gate, and the three main halls.

Rumble! Boom!
As the palanquin came to a stop in front of the Qianqing Gate, it seemed as if rolling thunder was heard again from the horizon.

Gao Shiming shuddered, as if the blood in his body was flowing backward. He stared tremblingly at Wang An as he stepped down from the palanquin, his face completely devoid of color.

"You don't need to be nervous. Master is very tolerant." Wang An smiled and patted Gao Shiming on the shoulder. "Just say what you have to say."

"Yes," Gao Shiming instinctively replied, still completely bewildered.

"Chief Steward Shi," Wang An turned and walked up to the Qianqing Gate, looking at Shi Fuming who came out to greet him, "Have you prepared all the clothes for Eunuch Gao to change into?"

“It’s ready.” Shi Fuming pointed to the right side room, then glanced at the eunuch Wang An had sent to deliver the message. “However, this lad stammered and didn’t explain things clearly. So I didn’t go in to inform the master.”

"Grand Ancestor, I..." The eunuch stiffened, instinctively trying to explain.

Wang An raised his hand to stop the eunuch and said to Shi Fuming, "I didn't explain it to him clearly, so naturally he can't explain it to you. I'll go in and tell the master myself later." After saying that, Wang An turned back to look at Gao Shiming and beckoned to him. "Eunuch Gao, why don't you go over there and change your clothes? You can't face the emperor while you're all wet."

"Yes," Gao Shiming said stiffly as he stepped into the Qianqing Gate.

Wang An withdrew his gaze, walked up to Shi Fuming, and opened his arms: "Come on."

Shi Fuming didn't stand on ceremony with Wang An. He chuckled twice, then rolled up his sleeves and began groping Wang An's body. "Who's that? I've never seen him before."

“Gao Shiming,” Wang An said, “He used to work at the Imperial Academy, but he was recently transferred to the bank.”

“Oh. I see,” Shi Fuming pressed down on Wang An’s armpit, then traced his hand down to his crotch. “No wonder you came back so late; you went to the bank.”

“No.” Wang An shook his head and said without any hesitation, “I went to the Eastern Depot and met him on the road. He was working at a branch outside. If I remember correctly, it was the Zhengyangmen branch. Yes! It was the Zhengyangmen branch. He filled the vacancy left by Hui Jingao.”

"You went to the Eastern Depot?" Shi Fuming's interest in Gao Shiming diminished considerably. He leaned close to Wang An's ear and whispered, "Was it for that matter?"

Wang An nodded. "The cabinet has become so chaotic that it can no longer be delayed."

"Oh," Shi Fuming nodded thoughtfully, watching the palanquin and its guards gradually disappear into the distance. "Alright, you may go in now."

"Not yet, there are still the boots." Wang An pointed downwards. "You haven't even touched my boots yet."

"Oh dear. Why be so rigid? You're not an outsider."

"Tsk!" Wang An glared at Shi Fuming and urged, "Hurry up."

"Yes, yes." Shi Fuming squatted down helplessly and felt Wang An's boots from toes to ankles. "Alright. Nothing else?"

"That's all." Wang An reached out and helped Shi Fuming up from the ground. "By the way, did you clean up that girl?"

"I don't know, I haven't asked yet, but the hot water has been in for a while, it should be ready soon even if it takes a long time." Shi Fuming chuckled, then leaned closer and said, "I heard you stumbled upon your master's good deed?"

"Do you think I wanted this?" Wang An frowned. "It's all because of that incident. Hey, I thought you'd changed your ways, why are you still so gossipy?"

"I...I was just saying what you said." Shi Fuming shrank his neck and said awkwardly, "Alright, just pretend I didn't say anything, okay?"

"Hmph." Wang An rolled his eyes at him and headed towards the half-closed vermilion gate without turning back.

Wang An strode to the South Study and was about to kneel when the Emperor's voice interrupted him from above: "Alright. Now that you're back, sit down."

"Yes," Wang An replied, but walked straight to the imperial desk, took out the document, bowed, and presented it to the emperor. "Your Majesty, there is something here. This servant feels it is necessary to present it to Your Majesty for review."

As soon as he said this, all the eunuchs present pricked up their ears.

Zhu Changluo put down his vermilion brush, glanced at Wang An's expression, and then took the document from his hand and slowly unfolded it.

A fleeting glint of surprise flashed in Zhu Changluo's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his usual calm: "You even went back to the Directorate of Ceremonial?"

“Your Majesty, I only went to the Eastern Depot and met him on my way back,” Wang An replied.

"Him?" Zhu Changluo put down the document and nodded slightly. "The 'him' you're talking about, is it Gao Shiming who wrote this?"

The name "Gao Shiming" seemed to be twisted into a rope, making Wei Chao's heart jump.

“Yes.” Wang An explained succinctly, “I was heading south back to the palace when he was heading north to the bank, and that’s how we bumped into each other.”

"What a coincidence," Zhu Changluo muttered.

"Yes. This morning, Minister Wang summoned him to the Ministry of Revenue to discuss the tax reform invoices. He went to the head office mainly to discuss this. The memorial was just a side issue." Wang An didn't think Gao Shiming could know his itinerary in advance, even though Wei Chao was currently sitting in the South Study.

"Wang Yingjiao," Zhu Changluo seemed to suddenly remember something, leaned over to pick up a memorial that had already been approved, and unfolded it to take a look. "Heh. This old man is quite busy."

(End of this chapter)