Now Zhao Ji is here, and everything is almost ready.

Zhao Ji didn't plan to wait any longer.

Three days later, word gradually spread among the people that if one could get a thousand gold coins, one could exchange them for an official position.

If one has three thousand gold, he can choose any official below the fifth rank.

These voices spread quickly among the people and gradually reached the ears of officials.

Some people were angry and guilty, some were shocked, and some had a premonition that a storm was coming and were just waiting there for the show.

The Minister of Personnel himself had also heard these rumors. He felt that something was amiss and that there seemed to be someone behind this.

However, Zhao Ji was watching closely and came to the Ministry of Personnel to investigate every day.

The Minister of Personnel was so busy dealing with Zhao Ji every day that he had no time to spare.

He could only warn his subordinates to be more restrained during this period.

Don't let others catch you and implicate too many people.

It happened that at this time, the emperor was preparing to travel incognito to worship Buddha at a Qingshan Temple outside the palace.

In the court, the prime minister advised: "Your Majesty is just getting better, now is not the best time to travel..."

Others also echoed.

It’s not that they are really worried about the emperor’s health, but because every time the emperor travels, he will bring some officials with him with great fanfare.

He would even ignore state affairs for several days in a row, resulting in many things being left undecided.

The prime minister was also annoyed by this situation, because he was always present with the emperor, and if the emperor left the palace, he would not be able to return for three to five days.

The former prime minister once tried to assassinate the emperor when he was out of the palace.

As a result, it was discovered every time that there seemed to be a mysterious force around the emperor, silently protecting him, and basically all assassinations ended in failure.

The Prime Minister's forces were almost implicated several times, so over time, the Prime Minister gave up the idea.

The prime minister naturally didn't want to do that since he couldn't kill the emperor and had to stay with him every day.

But this time the emperor was in high spirits: "My dear ministers, please stop trying to persuade me!"

"When I was seriously ill, I made a long-cherished wish that if I could recover, I would definitely go and donate incense to fulfill my vow!"

With just one sentence, the emperor hastily decided to travel incognito.

Unlike his previous trips, this time the emperor has to conceal his identity.

Therefore, these important officials in the court naturally cannot reveal their identities.

Zhao Ji and the Prime Minister, naturally, had to accompany them, one dressed as a young man from a wealthy family, and the other pretended to be a wealthy businessman.

With the addition of the Minister of Personnel and some other people, the traveling team is complete.

The emperor said that he went to Qinglong Temple to tour and burn incense, but in fact, the emperor has rarely visited the common people since he returned to the palace many years ago.

Naturally, it was impossible for the first stop to be Qinglong Temple, so we dragged everyone to the town near Qinglong Temple.

Everyone just thought that this gentleman was the apple of their eye, but only Zhao Ji knew the trick behind it.

I remember that Zhao Ji had reported to the emperor that someone was buying and selling official positions.

The emperor's first reaction was disbelief, but Zhao Ji told him that if he didn't believe it he could go and see for himself.

It just so happened that the emperor wanted to travel, so he made this trip.

Where to go this time was actually planned by Zhao Ji.

Why Qinglong Temple?

Because the nearest town near Qinglong Temple is Huaixiang Town.

It's ridiculous that the Minister of Personnel didn't realize anything was wrong when he entered Huaixiang Town.

But it’s no wonder. How could the Minister of Personnel remember a small ninth-rank official?

So at this time, the Minister of Personnel had no idea that the county magistrate of Huaixiang Town was that fool.

However, they were on a secret visit and did not alarm officials such as the county magistrate.

The emperor lived in the largest restaurant in Huaixiang Town.

Seeing that the emperor was in such high spirits, other officials could only sigh and play with him.

It is said to be the largest restaurant, but in fact it is not even as good as a restaurant in Kyoto.

The emperor stood on the top of the restaurant and looked down at Huaixiang Town. What he saw was a peaceful scene. The emperor was in a good mood. He said with his hands: "I heard that there will be a lantern fair tonight. It must be a night with bright lights and gorgeous scenery. Please accompany me for a walk!"

Zhao Ji quickly arranged guards and the trip was settled.

At dusk, the emperor walked in the night market with great interest, surrounded by the constant calls of vendors.

"This is truly a thriving scene!" The emperor couldn't help but sigh, and others echoed him.

As more and more people came to the street, the emperor's entourage walked slower and slower.

But the emperor didn't care. He carefully appreciated the scenery on both sides.

At this moment, someone was so bold as to bump into the emperor.

Zhao Ji noticed something was wrong and put his hand in front of the emperor. He didn't bump into the emperor, but due to inertia, he pushed the emperor to the edge of the team, causing him to stagger two steps.

The emperor was in a good mood today and didn't care about this matter at all. He waved his hand. When others saw this, they knew that the emperor didn't want to pursue the matter and didn't make a fuss about it.

After walking for a while, the emperor took a fancy to a sugar painting and reached out to take the purse at his waist. However, when he touched it, the thing was gone.

"Did I encounter a thief from the public? This is really strange!"

The emperor smiled heartily and didn't care. In the end, the prime minister stepped forward to pay.

The group then walked deeper into the alley, where there was a tavern.

A beautiful lady was sitting at the door, holding a wine spoon in her hand, scooping wine one spoonful after another. In an instant, the alley was filled with the aroma of wine.

"It is said that the aroma of wine spreads far and wide, and even in a deep alley, it cannot be hidden. Today I finally know that the wine from this young lady's house is really fragrant!"

The beautiful lady smiled seductively, her hands moving non-stop, and her mouth was quite powerful: "My Lord, it smells good, why don't you come in and taste it, is it possible that you are a weakling who can't drink much?"

All the emperor heard in the palace were the soft and gentle voices of the empresses and palace maids, and he had never heard such harsh words.

The others were about to scold the lady for her vulgar language, but were stopped by the emperor. The emperor waved his fan and walked over gracefully: "I want to taste how fragrant your wine is, is it intoxicating?"

Once you enter the tavern, you'll find the lobby is quite simple, with just a few wooden tables and chairs, and it's also a place to entertain people.

There were already one or two tables of guests sitting in the lobby, and each of them looked drunk, probably because they had drunk a lot of wine.

The emperor was in a good mood and asked for a pot of wine for each of the officials accompanying him.

I even ordered a few drinks and snacks.

The guards wanted to go forward to test the poison, but were stopped by the emperor: "We came here at will, and this man speaks according to his heart. Today I will act like an ordinary person and taste this wine and food!"

The emperor dares to say this, but no one else dares to do it.