"Why didn't you let your sister-in-law come with you? We didn't know the inside story when we met last time. I prepared a gift for your sister-in-law. I wanted her to come to Beijing with you this time so that I can fulfill my duty as your senior brother." Lu Jin picked up a bowl of porridge and spoke while eating.
Yu Qizhe picked up a pickled radish with chopsticks and ate it with porridge, and replied, "I haven't established myself in the capital yet, why should I bring her here to suffer with me?"
Although Lu Jin helped Yu Qizhe to check whether there had been any missing children in the Annan Marquis Mansion and Liu Cifu Mansion, he did not know that the story was related to Yu Jiao. He believed Yu Qizhe's words and teased, "Junior brother, are you really tempted by worldly desires?"
He took a sip of porridge and said with a smile, "When you were young, you followed your master and your personality was very dull. I once thought you would become a monk."
Lu Jin is not as calm as Yu Qizhe. When he was in the Fahua Temple, Yu Qizhe could sit cross-legged for a long time when meditating with his master. But Lu Jin was different. After all, he was young and loved to move around.
When the master was talking about Zen, he only understood half of it, but Yu Qizhe seemed to have a Buddhist affinity and wisdom, and he understood it very quickly.
But in the end, neither of them became a monk.
After breakfast, Lu Jin refused to leave. Yu Qizhe had been in the capital for several days already, and as his senior brother, he should take him around and treat him to a good meal at Xinglou.
It was just that Lu Jin was very sleepy after being on duty last night, so he asked Mrs. Song to clean up the room next door for him and then went back to sleep.
Yu Qizhe returned to his room and sat on the couch by the window, lowering his eyes and continuing to read.
Mrs. Song and the servants in the courtyard all knew that Master Yu had come to Beijing to take the imperial examination. These days, except at mealtime, they moved very lightly and seldom walked around in the courtyard, for fear of disturbing Yu Qizhe's studies.
Yu Qizhe had the habit of making annotations when reading. From time to time, he would pick up a pen and write a line of small words at the foot of the book. Occasionally, if he had some inspiration, he would write an article on paper.
In the blink of an eye, half a day passed. Yu Qizhe put down his pen and went to pour tea. He felt his hand lighten and realized that the teapot was empty. He called Mrs. Song and asked for another pot of tea.
After pondering for a while, he put the book aside, picked up a pen and wrote down the names of the three forces in the court: Cheng Ying, Shen Tian, and Liu Ci Fu. He then added the Annan Marquisate and all the officials, big and small, that he knew.
With a simple outline, several circles are connected into a network of relationships.
Cheng Ying, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, was a close eunuch to the emperor and had great power over the world. The fact that Emperor Mingzheng gave him his approval on memorials showed how much he favored this eunuch.
However, no matter how capable this man was, he was still a eunuch after all. He could only maintain his position by currying favor with Emperor Mingzheng. He was different from the court officials who could stand in the Fengtian Hall.
The relationships between the civil and military officials in the court were even more complicated. Some were relatives by marriage, some were disciples of the emperor, and they could always be connected in some way. Of course, they were ultimately related by interest.
As for Zhou Fang, he was just an inconspicuous hairy beard on the tangled old tree roots. He could be torn off and thrown away at will, and he had nothing to do with the main root at all.
Yu Qizhe's eyes returned to Cheng Ying's name again. Although this man was a eunuch, he should not be underestimated. He was able to approve memorials on behalf of Emperor Mingzheng. It was no exaggeration to say that he could govern the country on behalf of the emperor.
Otherwise, why would even the Prime Minister Shen Tian have to please him?
If Zhou Fang attached himself to Shen Tian's faction, as Lu Jin said, it was Cheng Ying who persuaded the emperor to clear the silt. If Shen Tian's faction took the government silver, it would be a slap in the face of Cheng Ying, and it would be difficult to justify it.
Yu Qizhe made a heavy mention of Cheng Ying's name, and the case of embezzlement of official silver was probably related to this person.
Emperor Mingzheng worshipped Taoism and planned to use the money from dredging the Si River to build Taoist temples. Cheng Ying was a close official of the emperor and was favored by him, so he naturally understood the emperor's intentions very well.
All the censors in the court were unable to persuade Emperor Mingzheng. If he were Cheng Ying, he would definitely not get involved in this muddy water. He was just a eunuch. Even if Emperor Mingzheng acted like a tyrant, it was the Censorate that was investigating the emperor's dereliction of duty, and it had nothing to do with him.
In order to favor and consolidate power, instead of giving advice, he would follow the Emperor Mingzheng's wishes and relieve his worries.
Unless the person in charge of the Imperial Household Department is a eunuch but has the people of the world in his heart, and would rather risk losing power and incurring the dislike of Emperor Mingzheng than dare to speak out and make suggestions.
But looking at Cheng Ying's past behavior, in order to please Emperor Mingzheng, he recruited Taoists from all over the country and sent them to the palace to make elixirs for the emperor. He also used the national treasury and personally supervised the construction of Fengtianzhai for Emperor Mingzheng, which had the same name as the Fengtian Hall where court officials met with the emperor. It can be seen that Cheng Ying was simply flattering his superior and was definitely not the latter.
Yu Qizhe closed his eyes. If this government silver was embezzled, then the current emperor was truly stupid and unjust!
After lighting the fire stick, Yu Qizhe set fire to the paper he had just written. Watching the names burn to ashes between his fingers, he slowly exhaled a breath.
In the evening, Lu Jin woke up and asked Yu Qizhe to go out with him.
"Xing Lou is the best of the sixty-three restaurants in Kyoto. As the saying goes, 'Xing Lou has singing and dancing, and fine wine is like a knife to relieve worries'!"
Lu Jin swallowed his saliva as he spoke, "The signature dish is the crystal pork shoulder, which is as juicy as crystal and tender; the deep-fried roasted bones are fragrant and crispy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; the sun-dried chicken breast is dry and fragrant without being woody, and very chewy; the roasted shad in fermented wine melts in your mouth, and the bones and spurs are fragrant; the fermented goose gizzards are fresh, crispy and tender, and the aroma of fermented wine is everywhere!"
After that, he pulled Yu Qizhe's sleeve and urged him, "Hurry up, hurry up, Senior Brother will take you to broaden your horizons!"
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