Zhao Wenhua did not hesitate and handed a jade ring to Yan Shifan as if he was presenting a treasure.
Yan Shifan was a very capable person and had seen countless rare treasures. When he saw that Zhao Wenhua only gave him a jade ring, he showed some displeasure on his face.
But he still patiently looked at it and played with it.
It was not a big deal to take a look at it, but Yan Shifan discovered that there was something else about this jade ring.
On the small jade ring, there are engraved the Bian River, Hongqiao, teahouses, wine shops, shoe shops, butcher shops, temples, and government offices, just like a miniature version of the Qingming Festival Along the River.
Even though Yan Shifan was knowledgeable and experienced, he couldn't help but gasp.
He looked at the signature again, but saw three small characters "Zigang Zhi" on the inside of the ring.
Carved by Lu Zigang?
Although Lu Zigang is still young, he is already famous all over the world.
After completing his apprenticeship in the 18th year of the Jiajing reign, Lu Zigang opened his own jade carving workshop in Suzhou.
Many celebrities in Suzhou have praised his sculptures.
Yan Shifan had also heard a little about this, but he always felt that it was exaggerated.
When he saw him today, he was amazed at Lu Zigang's craftsmanship.
"Young Lord, how about this ring?"
Zhao Wenhua asked with a smile on his face.
"Interesting. Umemura-san is truly a distinguished person."
Yan Shifan put on the jade ring directly and motioned Zhao Wenhua to come closer.
Zhao Wenhua didn't shy away and took a few steps forward and poked his head over.
He was so close that he could even smell the fragrance of makeup on Yan Shifan's concubines and he took a deep breath with great enjoyment.
"The old man said that Xia Yan must die."
Just a few words, but Zhao Wenhua was shocked.
Xia Yan is the former Prime Minister. Although he has been dismissed from his position, he may still have a chance to make a comeback.
This was certainly something Yan Song did not want to see. As the saying goes, to cut the grass at its roots, the best way was to kill Xia Yan.
In this way, even if the emperor regrets his decision in the future, he will have no place to buy medicine for his regret.
To kill Xia Yan, one naturally needs the help of the knife in the emperor's hand.
"Yan Maoqing, Ouyang Bijin, Lu Bing, and others will submit memorials to impeach Xia Yan, adding fuel to his fire. Brother Meicun just needs to suppress the memorials for now and gather them together before submitting them to the palace."
Yan Shifan said casually while turning his ring.
"If the memorials were submitted one by one, His Majesty might hesitate due to the old relationship. But if all the ministers submitted the memorials together, His Majesty would definitely be ruthless."
It has to be said that Yan Shifan had a strong ability to guess people's minds, and he figured out Emperor Jiajing's thoughts with just a little calculation.
Zhao Wenhua felt a chill down his spine at this moment and swallowed subconsciously.
"Why, Brother Umemura, is there a problem?"
Yan Shifan stared at Zhao Wenhua and asked in a gloomy voice.
"No, of course not..."
Zhao Wenhua quickly assured.
"That's it. Sooner or later, the position of Tongzhengshi will be yours."
Yan Shifan yawned and said lazily, "I'm a little tired too. I'll chat with Brother Meicun another day."
When Zhao Wenhua saw Yan Shifan seeing off the guests, he quickly bowed and said goodbye.
He breathed a sigh of relief only after leaving the house.
For some reason, Zhao Wenhua felt that getting along with Yan Shifan was more difficult than with his godfather, and he had to be careful in everything.
...
...
Western Garden, Wanshou Palace.
Zhu Houzhao, the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, sat on the throne wearing a purple Taoist robe embroidered with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, eight trigrams, pagodas, dragons and phoenixes, cranes, and unicorns. It was also called "Tianxian Cave Robe."
In the hall, many Taoists held magical instruments and danced while humming ancient tunes.
The huge Wanshou Palace has now become a place for fasting and offering sacrifices, and the center of this fasting and offering sacrifices is undoubtedly the 41-year-old Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
In order to prepare for this fasting and offering ceremony, Emperor Jiajing took a bath and changed his clothes, abstained from eating meat or drinking alcohol, and did not sleep in the inner chamber to show his piety.
The reason for the fasting and offering sacrifices was that there had been no rain in the capital since February.
Spring rain is as precious as oil. If God does not send rain, spring plowing cannot proceed smoothly.
If spring plowing is affected, the entire year's harvest will be in question.
As the Son of Heaven, Emperor Jiajing could not turn a blind eye to this, so he decided to hold a fast and hold a ceremony to pray to God for rain.
In his view, the emperor was the person closest to God. As long as his heart was sincere enough, God would be moved and send down rain.
Emperor Jiajing kept his eyes closed and looked as if he was asleep.
When everyone was caught off guard, Emperor Jiajing suddenly said, "Lord Yan, it's time to present your poem."
Yan Song, who was serving beside him, understood and immediately said in a loud voice: "This old minister obeys your order!"
Yan Song was born in the 16th year of Chenghua and is now 68 years old.
Even though he was nearly 70 years old, Yan Song still attached great importance to power.
Except for the time when he was on duty in the cabinet, he basically stayed by the side of Emperor Jiajing, fearing that someone would take advantage of the situation and take away his "favor".
Yan Song started out by writing Qingci, so he naturally knew that the emperor he served loved Qingci.
Recently, Xu Jie, Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang and others have written many poems to curry favor with the emperor.
Although Yan Song's position as Prime Minister was stable after Xia Yan's downfall, he did not take it lightly at all.
Yan Song had prepared for this fasting and offering ceremony at the Wanshou Palace for a long time. He racked his brains to write a poem that satisfied him and prepared to present it to the emperor.
He wanted to prove to the emperor that he, Yan Song, was not old yet and could not lose to these younger generations in writing Qingci!
After brewing some emotions, Yan Song cleared his throat and recited aloud:
"The Holy Son of Heaven has been on the throne for twenty-seven years. He has governed the country with wisdom and has brought harmony to the people. We respectfully observe that Your Majesty has always been a man of pure filial piety, and has initiated great rituals. Now is the time for us to take charge of affairs. He is in harmony with the will of Heaven, and his virtue is so bright and fragrant that his divine talismans are manifested in the world. He has emulated the teachings of Yu and Huang, and has reformed the Heluo culture..."
"The sky was clear and azure, and clouds of five colors embraced the sun, shining brilliantly and glittering like brocade. The people gazed and exclaimed for a long time. According to historical records, it was like smoke but not smoke, like clouds but not clouds, dense and swirling. This is called auspicious clouds, also called auspicious clouds, which means auspicious air..."
"The Queen of Light reigns in the heavens, majestically descending from the dome. Bright clouds hang down, their light shimmering and dazzling. At first, their radiance is hazy, then suddenly they flourish with splendor."
"The Emperor's Circular Mound hangs low, showering precious dew. How consistent is the order of precedence, how faithful and sincere the communication is. The song goes: 'The magnificent sight of clouds and dragons soaring, radiant and brilliant, illuminating the heavens. Heaven's favor is great, the saint is filial and well-disciplined, his virtue and influence are as great as clouds, illuminating the four directions, and dawning again and again for a thousand years.'"
Qingci was written for God to read, so it is very mysterious and most people cannot understand it at all.
However, Emperor Jiajing attached great importance to Qingci and often judged the loyalty of his subjects based on the quality of Qingci.
Among the many officials who rose to power through writing Qingci, Yan Song's Qingci was not the best, at best he could be considered above average. But he wrote a large number of them, winning by sheer quantity.
In comparison, Xia Yan became slack in writing Qingci in his later years, and gradually lost the favor of Emperor Jiajing.
It took a long time for Yan Song to finish reading the entire Qingci. Emperor Jiajing opened his mouth and said lightly, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Yan."
...
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com