Chapter 72: If you keep talking tough, it will get even hotter. If you keep talking tough, it will get even hotter.
The weather was fine for two or three days, and the ground finally became dry again.
As soon as Ye Jindian arrived at the Military Arsenal, he ran into Li Hu who was waiting at the door.
After exchanging greetings, Li Hu got straight to the point: "The Prime Minister said that since the weather is clear today, he would like to invite Engineer Ye to Dongshan to test the new crossbow together."
This matter should not be made public, so he took a few secret guards with him and planned to transport the things over quietly.
Ye Jindian reached out for the document and confirmed that it was signed with Zhang Min's seal.
After confirming that everything was correct, she led the person to the main hall, asked the supervisor to confirm the seal again, and stamped it with the seal of the Military Equipment Supervisor before taking the person to the wooden house. She took away a total of four crossbows and four square mounts.
but--
"Captain Li, do you know whether the Prime Minister is here?" she asked.
Li Hu: "Of course. This is a military treasure, and it's a matter of great importance. How could the Prime Minister let others do it?"
"Then can I go to the Prime Minister's residence first and give my husband some cakes and pastries, and then go to Dongshan with the Prime Minister?" Ye Jindian pointed at the food box she had placed beside her. "It won't take long."
Li Hu glanced at the secret guard hesitantly.
The secret guards all shook their heads.
Don't look at them, there's no point in looking.
Their job is to work like a donkey and get things delivered.
Ye Jindian couldn't reason with him, so she began to reason with him: "It's the 11th hour now, and the Military Equipment Bureau is under the jurisdiction of the Right Prime Minister. It's understandable that I should cooperate with him. But this matter came suddenly, and I must first sort out my own affairs before I can cooperate with him, right?"
Li Hu didn't dare to stop him, so he had to follow closely and try to cooperate with the Prime Minister.
His Majesty is not holding a court meeting today, so the Left Prime Minister might come to their residence.
The other party had a problem - he was unwilling to step into the Right Prime Minister's Mansion. Every time he came, he would only talk to their Prime Minister under the tree at the back door.
Even the row of slender willow trees by the river at the back door could not cover the broad shoulders of their prime minister.
now.
The back door of the prime minister's residence.
Zhang Min was still listening to Du Junze slowly.
"...From this, it can be seen that the old Sikong was indeed in collusion with the Minister of Revenue, and was involved in many water and soil projects such as dredging rivers, restoring land, and performing suburban sacrifices." Du Junze's eyebrows raised, and the ends of his eyebrows slashed like a knife. "A rough investigation shows that the money embezzled was quite a lot."
Zhang Min flipped through the account books he brought with him and smiled meaningfully. "Oh, our Majesty has only been on the throne for a few years, and his foundation is still unstable. Old ministers like the old Sikong and the old Shangshu cannot be easily touched without sufficient evidence to round them up."
If the old fox knew how much he had revealed, he would definitely cut off his tail with pain.
He raised his eyelids and glanced at Du Junze, who looked stern.
Du Junze put his hands behind his back and said, "I just want to promote etiquette and propriety, so that officials and people can follow the law and order, and restore peace and order to the country. I'm not an old-fashioned person who sticks to the old ways."
What to do and what not to do.
He knew what was going on.
Zhang Min raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "You don't stick to the rules? You're not old-fashioned?"
Who is so picky about his etiquette every day?
Du Jun glanced at him nonchalantly, "I'm just a Confucian scholar. I admire the conduct of gentlemen and follow their example. I don't care about other generals, but you are the Right Prime Minister. You should be a role model for all officials."
"Okay, let's not talk about this. Let's talk business." Zhang Min rubbed his forehead with his hand.
Du Junze's lips curled slightly, then straightened again: "I heard that you have always behaved well in front of your wife, with great grace and proper etiquette, why don't you behave in a positive way..."
Before he could finish his words, a loud shout came from the corner.
"Ah! Sister-in-law! Be careful with the stones!"
——It’s Li Hu.
The secret guard in charge of alert: "..."
The people of Mingwei are so fierce, why don't they give warnings?
Zhang Min: “!!”
Why didn't my lady leave the city with Li Hu, but instead came to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion?
He was now dressed in a brocade purple robe, and on his head was a jade crown inlaid with gold and gems, but his face was not covered with a golden mask.
Du Junze looked sideways: "It seems to be..."
As soon as he started to speak, Zhang Min threw the account book in his hand into his arms, pulled out a black glove from his chest and put it on, then hurriedly opened the two account books and covered his face on both sides.
The sound of footsteps changed from the "crunching" sound of sand and gravel to the "tapping" sound of bluestone slabs.
Zhang Min moved the account book, revealing a crack, and said to Du Junze, "Quick, scold me."
Du Junze: "..."
He slowly withdrew his gaze and stared at him without blinking.
Zhang Min raised his foot, leaving a dusty footprint on the hem of his clothes, and urged, "Hurry up."
Du Junze looked down, and his pure and indifferent expression almost collapsed on the spot.
Zhang, Zi, Mei.
He took a deep breath, lowered his head to brush off the dust, and his voice deepened twice: "Right Prime Minister, as a minister, I should speak to the officials in the office and to the government in the government. I should not speak privately about public affairs. When I act, I should be measured and honest. Only then can I avoid losing my footing, losing my dignity, and losing my people.
"I dare not say that the Right Prime Minister occupies his position without observing his words and deeds. However, the court officials should take the emperor and the prime minister as their role models. If the Right Prime Minister were to be inconsistent in his words and deeds, then a gentleman would be ashamed of it. Furthermore, why should he be the head of all officials?"
Zhang Min: “…”
After being scolded so harshly, Du Junze would definitely take revenge selfishly!
Ye Jindian also stopped when she heard this.
She had heard that the Left Prime Minister was very strict in enforcing the law and adhering to etiquette, but she had no idea that he was so strict.
First, he criticized the right prime minister for discussing official matters in private, not abiding by the law, and appearing to be untruthful, with inappropriate behavior, undignified appearance, and unprudent words.
He also said that although he was doing his job and had done what he was supposed to say and do, he had not controlled his own words and actions, so how could he be the head of all officials?
In a nutshell: cruel words, brave and fearless of death.
But she looked at the right prime minister——
The other party raised two books to cover himself, as if he was impatient to see the other party.
Others are like scholars who cannot explain themselves when they meet soldiers, but he is like a general who has to fight head-on when he meets a scholar.
How desolate.
Li Hu was a smart man. Although he was a step slow, he finally understood the intention of his prime minister. He quickly grabbed his sister-in-law and dragged her into the mansion.
"The Left Prime Minister is here, let's go in quickly. Don't let him catch us and delay our work."
Ye Jindian, who was about to step forward to rescue: "???"
She turned to look at Zhang Min: "But doesn't the Right Prime Minister also have to..."
At this moment, the breeze blew, bending the pages of the book, revealing a drooping, plump, jade-white ear.
“Clatter—”
Zhang Min stretched out his hand to suppress it, trapping the wind within the pages of the book.
The pages of the book are bulging.
Ye Jindian was stunned for a moment and was pulled in by Li Hu.
Their footsteps gradually faded away.
Zhang Min breathed a sigh of relief, put down the account book in his hand and threw it to Du Junze.
"According to Xuanshuan's investigation, the old minister seems to have a close connection with Chunxiaolou. In just five days, people from Chunxiaolou have secretly visited the old minister's residence twice. This is the bookshop that Li Wuji has discovered. They are printing banned books and transporting them to Chunxiaolou. You are to confiscate them." Zhang Min spoke quietly and quickly. He patted him on the shoulder and slipped the note down his collar. Then, he immediately stepped back three steps, bowed, and said loudly, "The left prime minister should behave appropriately, keep his words to himself, be impartial in public affairs, and keep his promises. A gentleman should not lose his footing, his dignity, or his character. He should be a role model for us, like a mirror."
Du Junze: "..."
"I appreciate your advice." Zhang Min took two steps back. "But I have something important to attend to, so I won't accompany you any longer. Goodbye."
"Bang--"
He closed the door as he went.
Du Junze: “…………”
Suddenly I realized——
The rumors of their discord were so prevalent that they were not without some truth.
Zhang Min covered his face with his sleeves and walked back to the inner room from the Military Generals' Court to find his mask. He instructed Fu Feng, who was sorting out the paperwork, "My wife came with Li Hu, carrying a lunch box, and she happened to see me talking to the old man."
Fu Feng understood immediately: "I'll go find my sister-in-law and tell her that the Prime Minister is afraid of being harassed by the Left Prime Minister and needs to escape quickly. And Zhang Baishi has been sent away by the Prime Minister to do some work and won't be back for a while, so let him go home tonight."
After he finished speaking, he stepped out of the corridor and headed towards the civil servants.
Zhang Min felt comforted.
After Fufeng returned, he felt comfortable everywhere.
He quickly grabbed the mask, jumped out the window and ran away, pretending that he had just gotten rid of Du Junze, and stood inside the main gate waiting for his horse.
Ye Jindian followed Fufeng through the corridor in the front yard and saw at a glance that a powerful official stretched out his hands to pick the pomegranates that had not yet grown in the front yard. He had pulled out all the green grass around it and was playing with the small pomegranates.
Fu Feng: "Ahem."
Zhang Min moved the green leaves aside and looked towards the bright place between the slanting branches, and happened to meet his wife's smiling peach blossom eyes.
Even though he was covered by the golden mask, he still couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed for being caught doing something bad.
He let go of the poor pomegranate, put his hands behind his back, stretched out his long legs, and used the side of his foot to sweep the scattered green leaves on the stone slab into the grass, then took two steps back.
"Engineer Ye is here." Zhang Min brushed the dust off his clothes and said with a smile, "The horses are ready. Let's go now."
He stretched out his hand and extended it——
There was no one outside the gate except for the palace soldiers guarding the gate and the doorman, Old Man Zhang, who was peeking in.
Below the steps, the sun was shining brightly, the strong light covered the ground, but there was no horse.
Ye Jindian glanced around, then turned back to look at Zhang Min and teased, "Brother, is this... a madman's fine cloth?"
Once upon a time, there was a madman who asked a weaver to weave the finest cloth in the world. But he was not satisfied until the weaver pointed to the void and said, "That is the finest cloth, so fine that even other skilled craftsmen cannot see it." Only then did the madman pay.
Zhang Min wanted to raise his hand to touch his earlobe, but his knuckles hit the golden mask.
He had no choice but to turn his head and touch the hair on the side of his head.
Ye Jindian looked at his right index finger that was flicking his hair in the opposite direction, then looked away.
Fortunately, Li Hu arrived soon with a group of palace soldiers and four horses and rescued their prime minister.
Four horses headed towards Dongshan.
Fu Feng and Li Hu tactfully lagged behind by three or five horse lengths so that they could talk without any worries, and when they were needed, they could rush over immediately by just kicking their horses' bellies, so as not to be separated by others.
Horse riders are not allowed to gallop or ride side by side on the road within the city.
They walked one after the other, in silence all the way.
After leaving the city, Zhang Min deliberately slowed down his horse's pace, waited for her to approach, and then headed towards the hilltop where he had agreed to meet with the secret guard.
The air along the mountain road was very cool, and dew still hung on the tips of the grass leaves on the roadside, looking golden in the sunlight.
Ye Jindian frowned, made a canopy with her palm, and looked around: "This road seems to have never been walked before. I wonder where it leads to?"
"Testing the crossbow is a matter of great importance, so we need to find a safe place," Zhang Min explained. "There's a farm south of Dongshan. It's all land granted by Your Majesty. We can test the eight to ten stone crossbows there."
After all, it has to support the windowsill and conceal the crossbow body, and it must not be seen through at a glance.
If Bashi's crossbow is too eye-catching, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to modify it.
Ye Jindian nodded.
The mask blocked her side vision, and she was half a horse's head behind him. If Zhang Min wanted to see her, he had to turn his head frequently.
Ye Jindian noticed and turned to look at him: "Is it the Right Prime Minister who wants to see me, or is it my brother who wants to see me?"
Zhang Min said, "If it's just that my brother is looking for you and wants to chat with you for a while, is that okay?"
"Of course." Ye Jindian looked at him in surprise, "Brother, how could you..."
She suddenly remembered that when she was picking peach blossoms in the back mountain of Dongshan Temple, she had said that she already had a husband she loved, and he would definitely find a wife he loved.
As for the social etiquette of grown-ups, this is a subtle way of telling them to reduce personal contact and forget about each other in the future.
She smiled softly, "What I said before didn't mean I was breaking up with you. If you want to reminisce, chat, or go horseback riding and archery, I won't bother you."
Zhang Min was excited: "Really? Then next time, you and I..."
Ye Jindian reminded: "It would be a good idea to take Luoying and Fufeng with you."
Zhang Min: “…”
It seems that even though the lady doubted his identity, she still preferred "that weak scholar" in her heart.
snort.
What's so good about being a scholar?
Passing by a banana grove, Ye Jindian reached out to break off a banana leaf that was about to fall.
Without hearing him speak, she said, "Since brother is not happy about it, then this matter will be..."
"Tiantian, you're worrying too much. How could I not be happy?" Zhang Min curled his lips, but his tone was normal, and there was nothing strange in his voice. "I was just thinking about where else in Beijing there are good places to go."
Ye Jindian didn't expose him, but tore the leaf and handed it to him.
"The sun is too strong, please give us some shade."
——If you continue to be stubborn, it will only get worse.
Zhang Min reached out and took it: "Then what do you use to keep cool?"
At this moment, he hated himself for not being able to use the identity of Zhang Baishi to take care of her in an open and aboveboard manner.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He used a banana leaf as a fan and fanned his neck.
"There are tall trees in the east that can shade part of the road." Ye Jindian reached out to pick up the banana leaves that were about to fall. "Once we get out of the tree-lined path, we'll have dealt with the banana leaves."
Zhang Min couldn't say anything, so he just let him do the work. He could only utter a dry word: "Oh."
But then he thought, as a grown man, how could he have the nerve to trouble a young lady to take care of him.
Besides, as an older brother, what's wrong with him taking care of his younger sister?
This shouldn't be considered a connection!
Then, he confidently reached out his hand again: "Tiantian, just give me the banana leaf, I'll cut it with a knife."
Ye Jindian was thinking about the two of them in her mind. When she heard these slightly gentle words, the gentle face of her handsome husband looking at her with a smile popped up in her mind.
She subconsciously handed the thing over and said, "Husband..."
Zhang Min stretched out his hand but hit nothing, and his upper body suddenly fell down.
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