Around three o'clock in the morning, there is a long pavilion ten miles north of Jinling City. Mr. Liu bowed respectfully to the four elders, Mr. and Mrs. Liu Zhi'an and Mr. and Mrs. Qi Run.
“Old man, mother, father-in-law, and mother-in-law, please stay. It’s getting late, and we have to set off.”
Qi Yun and other stunning beauties also stood behind Young Master Liu in a dignified manner, and they also bowed in unison.
“The little girl sisters and others bid farewell to the four elders, and hope that the four elders will take good care of them.”
“Grandson and granddaughter bid farewell to grandparents and grandparents.”
Liu Zhi'an and the other four nodded sadly, looking at Young Master Liu and the other juniors, they raised their hands and waved.
“Go and take care of yourself along the way.”
“My children, Yunxin, Lingyun, they are still young, so I must ask them to wear more clothes to keep out the cold on their way back to Beijing.”
"The four of us are in good health. You don't have to worry about us all the time. Just pay more attention to your health."
“Slow down on the road, have a nice journey.”
After hearing all four elders say their parting words, Mr. Liu nodded heavily, got on his horse and waved to the wives, concubines and children beside him.
“Get in the car and set off back to Beijing.”
Qi Yun and the other sisters took their children and gave a final signal to the four elders Liu Zhi'an, then turned and walked towards the carriages and horses that had been prepared.
The group of people boarded the carriage one after another. The driver waved his whip, and the carriage slowly accelerated forward while crushing the snow on the official road.
Several children, both older and younger, under Young Master Liu's knees stuck their heads out of the car window and kept waving their little hands at Liu Zhi'an and the four of them.
“Grandpa, grandma, grandpa, grandma, we will miss you. When we have the opportunity in the future, we will come back to visit you together. You go back first!”
Amidst the shouts of a few little guys, the carriage gradually moved further and further away, until it left a fuzzy little black spot on the endless official road.
“Dear family, life is mostly a time of gathering and separation. We have to say goodbye today, but we will meet again someday. It’s time for us to go back.”
“Yes, my in-laws are right, it’s time to go back. In order to ease the pain of separation, why don’t I invite you to sit down with me?”
“That’s a good feeling, but today it’s my turn to treat you to your in-laws.
I have seven or eight old brothers whom I haven’t seen for many years. How about we go get together today?”
“If you are disrespectful, please invite your relatives.”
legous hand in arranging the request.
Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Qi looked blankly at the figures who were walking towards Jinling happily with their arms around each other, and looked at each other in confusion.
The children have just left and haven’t had time to burn any incense. You two go out to drink flower wine together, and you also claim to relieve the sorrow of separation. Is this really good?
On the twenty-sixth day of the first month in the spring of the sixth year of Dalong's reign, Liu Mingzhi and his family finally returned to the capital.
Compared with the rush of returning to Jinling's hometown, the family was much more leisurely on the way back to Beijing.
After all, we have three more days, and we can enjoy the breathtaking scenery on both sides of the road along the way.
"Yun'er, Yan'er... you take the children back to the mansion first. My husband has to go to the palace immediately and rush to the cabinet.
The court's period of rest has ended ten days ago. My husband must go to the cabinet now to see if there are any memorial documents that need to be approved by my husband during these ten days.
You go in first, you don’t have to wait for your husband to eat or something.”
After entering the capital, Young Master Liu didn't even have time to enter his home to rest. He got off his horse and handed the reins to Liu Song before rushing to the palace.
Qi Yun and her sisters also knew that their husband was worried about national affairs, so they nodded in agreement without hesitation.
“Hey, my sisters know it.”
“That’s all right, my husband will go to the palace first.”
After a few sticks of incense, Mr. Liu's figure appeared in the cabinet.
“My lords, you are all very busy!”
“Your Majesty?”
“Your Majesty is back.”
“I, your Majesty, may you all live long live, long live, long live, long live.”
“Without any courtesy, dear ladies, please continue to handle your official business.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Young Master Liu took the warm tea from the eunuch at the side, took a sip to moisten his throat, and then went directly to Xia Gongming who had just sat down.
“Sir, you have all worked hard. I returned to my hometown a few years ago and spent some time with my parents and the rest of my family. However, I was unable to return in time to attend court. Please don’t be sulky with me!”
Xia Gongming put down the ink pen in his hand with a wry smile, stood up and saluted Young Master Liu.
“Not to mention that I have long been used to His Majesty’s habit of appearing and disappearing. Moreover, even if I am really angry with Your Majesty, what can I do to Your Majesty?
Who makes His Majesty the king and I the minister? Even if the old minister is dissatisfied, he would not dare to do the following!"
“Hahaha... The old man is joking, the old man is joking.
Your Excellency, it has been more than ten days since the court meeting began. I wonder if there are any first-class memorials and documents that need my personal approval that have been accumulated and are waiting for my approval?"
“Back to Your Majesty, there are currently no first-class memorial documents in the court that require your majesty’s personal approval, but there are two second-class memorial documents that urgently require your majesty’s final approval.
Your Majesty, wait a moment, I will find it for you to review and approve."
After a while, Mr. Liu frowned and looked at the documents in his hand, sighing helplessly.
“You’ve co-authored two books and you’re here to ask me for money?”
Xia Gongming also exhaled with a sigh, bowed and picked up the ink pen he used to mark documents and handed it to Young Master Liu.
"There is no other way. It is a major matter related to the people's livelihood and the administration of officials. We can't do it without allocating funds. Please give your Majesty's instructions."
Young Master Liu took the ink pen from Xia Gongming with a stiff face. He hesitated for a long time and turned to look at Xia Gongming beside him bitterly.
“Sir, can’t your cabinet and household department be more streamlined and streamlined? I am spending millions of taels of silver on the national treasury, right?
The sixth year of Taiping has just begun and is less than a month old. The spring tax has not been collected into the national treasury, so we have to spend millions of taels of silver to build people's livelihood and civil service. Isn't this too much?
How about you and Jiang Aiqing discuss it again and see if we can streamline some unnecessary expenses."
“Your Majesty, this is the lowest limit for the reduction of senior ministers and other colleagues.
In order for Dalong Shengshi to continue to prosper, there is no need for Your Majesty to delay any longer, please approve."
Young Master Liu looked at Xia Gongming, who looked like an old minister who was really helpless. He carefully reviewed the contents of the two documents again, and wrote two words "quasi memorial" one after another.
Handing the ink pen to Xia Gongming, Mr. Liu took out his seal from the fish bag on his waist and stamped it on the two documents, and then returned the documents to Xia Gongming's hands.
“Oh, Sir, I am really exhausted mentally and physically as an emperor!”
“Hehehe... I can’t help it, who makes His Majesty the sage king?
Since ancient times, a sage king has been diligent in his administration and caring for his people, with the world as the top priority and the country, the country, and the country as his foundation.
How can your Majesty not work hard in his position and in planning his affairs?"
“What you said makes sense. Since you think I am a wise king, I want to ask you something. I think you won’t refuse, right?”
“I don’t dare to promise your majesty directly and easily. It’s better to ask your majesty to tell you what the matter is first.”
Young Master Liu rubbed his nose angrily and laughed slightly.
“Then what, since you have said that I am a sage king, my lord, are you going to slightly change the history books that you have ruined against me?
Since I became emperor, I have never done anything stupid. You think it is inappropriate for a great sage like me to leave such a little infamy in the history books!
How about you, sir, please continue your hard work and re-edit me and make a few changes in the history books? This will also save me from unnecessary infamy after a hundred years of success.
How about, sir, can you leave me with a nice name?"
Xia Gongming's face suddenly became serious. He picked up the teacup that Young Master Liu had just placed on the corner of the table and placed it in Young Master Liu's hand.
“Impossible, we can still discuss other matters, but it is absolutely impossible to ask the old minister to revise the history books.
Although I am already in my dying years and have only a few years left to live, in order to safeguard the fairness of history, I would rather die than revise the history books.
Your Majesty, don’t even mention a slight modification to a part of it, even if it’s just one word, I won’t change it!”
Young Master Liu looked at the unhappy Xia Gongming and shrugged helplessly.
“Yes, yes, if you don’t change it, you won’t change it. Sir, you can record it however you want, right?
I promised you when I asked you to assist me, Sir, that as long as your history is fair, Sir, I will never interfere in the slightest.
You should just take these words today as a joke, my lord!"
“Your Majesty is wise.”
“Okay, I just don’t want to compete with you.”
“My dear friends.”
“I’m waiting here.”
“Do you have any documents in your hands that need my approval? If so, please submit them as soon as possible.”
“Reply to Your Majesty, I have no foundation.”
“Forget it if you don’t have any qualifications, you can continue to do your own things.
Having been sleeping and sleeping all the way back to the capital from the south of the Yangtze River, I am somewhat exhausted. Since you have no more documents, I will go back and rest first."