Yang Le was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Tian Fu is the eunuch Bingbi of the Supervisor of Ceremonies. The Dongchang Admiral in him is simply not comparable to him in the internal official system.
Seeing his eyes full of regret and his omniscient and omnipotent appearance, Yang Le could only sigh:
"I can hide nothing from you."
"Hahaha!" Tian Fu smiled heartily, patted his shoulder and said: "I don't want to argue with you, but I need to know and prepare in advance."
Yang Le had no choice but to reveal his plan in a grievance.
After a long while, Tian Fu stroked his beard and said: "No, you can't be too reckless in this matter, you have to go with the flow."
After saying this, he lowered his head and began to speak in detail.
When Yang Le heard this, he suddenly realized how wonderful it was and couldn't help clapping his hands.
In the Ministry of Ceremonies, the Spanish Ambassador Francis de Silva was wearing a serious tuxedo and told Akito about his request for an audience in a serious manner.
The chief official said seriously: "The emperor's dragon body is not in good condition, and the foreign ministers are temporarily unavailable. I hope you can forgive me."
Francis asked unhurriedly: "I wonder what illness the emperor has. Spain is a vast country with abundant resources. It is an empire on which the sun never sets. There are all kinds of doctors and there is no shortage of any medicine."
The interpreter on the side translated the report truthfully.
"Thank you very much for your concern, Your Majesty." The host swore secretly that he was being difficult to deal with, and then replied slowly: "The holy ministers have been at odds with each other for a long time, and there are often rumors. How come your Minister doesn't know what the reason is?"
Francis talked a lot to the interpreter, supplemented by gestures, as if he was explaining something.
After listening, the interpreter nodded and asked, "I wonder when your emperor's condition will be cured?"
"Besides, I heard that your emperor is going to the north to appease the Mongols. Has it delayed his condition?"
It is not convenient to talk nonsense, nor can it be excused by saying that we will inform you after we have found out the truth.
The principal's face changed, and he looked a bit angry.
However, when it comes to the emperor, I can only answer vaguely: "The emperor is in low spirits, has poor appetite, and has a restless night's sleep due to overwork."
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"So it is not advisable to see outsiders, lest they bump into the dragon's body, delay his energy, and worsen his condition."
However, the principal was indeed right. The emperor was indeed in a bad mood. He only had a few bites of lunch and then left. He lazily leaned on the soft seat and picked up a memorial to read.
The excerpt is from the Tianjin government, and the content is: "Spain proposed to build a church in Tianjin, broadcast the gospel of God, and persuade people to do good." The minister did not dare to take the liberty and asked for a decree to make a decision.
Although it was just a casual glance, Zhu Yixi immediately understood that this was a test of Daming.
After losing the Philippines in the Battle of Manila, the Spanish colonies in the east were scared. Before Madrid could convey the news, they hoped that you would get a stable reply.
To put it bluntly, by building churches, we were testing whether the Ming Dynasty was still hostile to Spain.
Zhu Yixi's usual practice is to stay in the middle but not send out any hair.
For now, it's better for the Spaniard to be a little more frightened.
"Sir, I heard that among the mountain temples nearby, there is a famous Buddhist temple and a good pavilion. It is a good place to go!"
Seeing that the emperor was unhappy, Yang Le couldn't help but recommend it.
When Liu Afu on the side saw this, he immediately felt dissatisfied. What kind of chaos was he making at this time?
However, the emperor was considerate of him and said with a smile: "That's okay, the waiting time is the most difficult, so let's go play for a while first."
In this way, Liu Afu prepared to arrange a manpower trip, but was blocked by the emperor.
Helplessly, just like a few days ago, I traveled incognito.
"This temple is called Chongfu Temple. The incense is quite effective. There is a laughing Maitreya Buddha in the back mountain, which is quite a sight."
"There are a lot of monkeys nearby. They seem to be bathed in Buddhist teachings. They are not afraid of strangers and even fight for food..."
Yang Le led the way and explained with a smile: "The most famous thing about this temple is monkey wine. Legend has it that it is brewed from mountain fruits used by monkeys in the mountains."
"But as far as I know, this is what the mountain people said under the guise of monkeys, but it is indeed a mountain fruit with a unique taste. You can try it..."
Soon, the group of people arrived at the foot of the mountain, which was halfway up the mountain.
Originally, the chair was ready, but the emperor was unwilling and stepped forward directly, climbing up the steps.
This time, the eunuchs suffered a lot. They could only catch up and hurry up, panting.
However, Zhu Yixi became more and more energetic as she ran.
He hadn't climbed a mountain in an unknown amount of time, and now this two- to three-hundred-meter-high mountain seemed like a warm-up.
After offering incense in the temple, he turned to the back mountain without any hesitation.
On both sides of the narrow mountain road, there are some hanging fruits. They must have been planted by monks or done by mountain people. The tangy fruit fragrance makes people admire them.
As the birds fly among the branches, they rise and fall with fruits in their mouths from time to time; the chirping monkeys are even more noisy, the sound of the winter spring is not far away, and several children are playing with their bare buttocks catching fish in the mountains and forests.
A different kind of concert was played.
He felt that his whole body and mind were about to be purified.
There is a hint of silence amidst the hustle and bustle, which is surprising.
"This trip was not in vain——"
While he was sighing, a monkey noise suddenly came, followed by a woman's call, delicate yet urgent.
It's just that these words don't sound like a dialect, but rather a foreign language.
Zhu Yixi was always willing to help others, not to mention that he had more than a dozen people with him. He immediately ran away in search of the sound and ran dozens of steps before reaching a mountain forest and seeing the scene of the eucalyptus discovery.
Two white girls in baroque dresses were surrounded by a group of monkeys. Their hair was scattered, their dresses were torn, and their watery blue-brown eyes were streaming with tears. They looked miserable and pitiful.
The two guards on the side were busy with themselves.
One was hung from a tree, the other fell into a trap, and kept shouting and wailing.
It was impossible to protect a girl surrounded by monkeys.
"go--"
In this scene, it is not the emperor's turn to take action personally, but who would dislike the hero saving the beauty?
So, a group of guards followed closely and drove away a group of noisy monkeys, while Zhu Yixi held the girl's tender little hand and ran quickly.
The heavy movement and the white and tender undulations are dizzying.
After running for a while, it was finally over when we reached the right path.
Zhu Yixi took a closer look and found that she was the Spanish ambassador's daughter whom she met on the street that day.
Why did they come here?
The two girls panicked and held his arms without letting go. They chattered a lot, nothing more than words of gratitude, which Zhu Yixi really couldn't understand.
However, the two rescued guards did have an interpretation: "The two ladies heard that there were monkeys here who could make wine, so they came with some fruits, but they fell into a trap..."
Hearing this, Zhu Yixi suddenly realized that he had entered a hunter's territory.
After a long time, the two women regained their composure and said their words of gratitude again.
But at this time, Zhu Yixi really saw the appearance of the two women clearly.
They are all about 1.6 meters tall, with beautiful blue-brown eyes, three-dimensional facial features with a hint of softness, bland red lips indicating adulthood, and long black hair telling their Mediterranean origins.
Of course, the most eye-catching thing under the slap face is the slender waist, which looks like a tight waist from small to large.
What this brings about is that the breasts are more straight and the buttocks are more rounded and lifted.
This is extremely rare among Oriental women.
It’s either a curvy butt or a tall butt. Those who have both can only be Westerners nowadays.
The delicate faces and well-shaped figures all clearly demonstrate the proud capital of the two women.
Zhu Yixi was appreciative of this.
However, after the two women thanked their savior and had someone give them a few silver coins, they left eagerly.
After all, this is reality, not a novel or a movie. It is inevitable for a hero to save a beauty, but it is difficult for a beauty to throw herself into his arms.
Due to the different aesthetics and the fact that they are in a foreign country, it is impossible for the two women to fall in love, just a slight affection.
Maybe they are face-blind and won't be able to recognize Zhu Yixi even if he stands in front of them next time.
Liu Afu was thoughtful, while Yang Le showed a smile.
After tasting some monkey wine, the emperor returned satisfied.
However, Liu Afu saw the emperor's satisfaction and couldn't help but ask: "Should it be included in the tribute?"
"It doesn't have to be like this." Zhu Yixi shook her head directly and refused: "Buy some and give them to a few cabinet ministers, and then give some to the concubines to try."
"yes!"
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, in addition to the transfer of taxes and taxes, local yamen also had some local characteristics and must pay tribute, thus reflecting that the emperor owned the world.
From textiles, such as Songjiang Dahongyun cloth and Gebu, to eating Datong yellow rat meat and yellow mutton; using pearls, white withered feathers, Huizhou "Qian Jin tribute ink", "Xuan Yuan Ling Qi" ink, etc., it covers everything.
These are called tugong.
The emperor enjoys the most precious things in the world, but in fact many people suffer.
Even for sacrifices and banquets, many of them are recruited from the people, such as chickens, eggs, pigs, ducks, etc.
They are all recruited for free, and I don’t know how many people have suffered.
So when the emperor built the palace, you thought it was a fair trade, with the emperor spending money and the merchants making money. In fact, it was the officials and eunuchs who divided the money and then requisitioned the merchants' goods for free.
Civilians worked for free, craftsmen also worked voluntarily, and materials were free. Therefore, in history, we often see officials opposing the emperor's extravagance.
Because paying tribute to the emperor is an obligation, in order to curry favor with the emperor, local governments will exploit the people to their heart's content, resulting in hardship for the people.
The most typical example is Hua Shi Gang in the Song Dynasty, who forced Fang La to rebel.
In fact, the emperor did not enjoy much of these tributes in the name of the emperor. They all benefited the officials and eunuchs who had passed them.
This is another typical case where the emperor is the pot, the officials are the enjoyers, and the common people are the sufferers.
Therefore, after the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a large number of local tributes were cancelled. Only some special things were retained, such as the brocade required for the emperor's dragon robe. Ninety-nine percent of the local tribute was exempted.
The expenditure of the imperial court naturally relied on procurement.
Too far away...
Here, Francis reluctantly returned to the rented house, once again feeling angry because he did not see the Ming Emperor.
Those businessmen would not save face for him. If he couldn't handle it well, the king would be in trouble.
Just as he was sighing, he suddenly saw his wife coming home with their two daughters.
"Oh, what's wrong honey?"
"Francis, your two daughters were scratched by monkeys when they were playing." The lady sighed: "I just took them to see a doctor."
"My God!" Francis was shocked: "Don't scratch your face."
"As long as it's okay——"
He was relieved when he saw that his two daughters were just frightened.
He quickly comforted them for a while and asked his wife to take them back to rest.
After a while, a servant suddenly reported that someone from the palace wanted to see him.
Francis was shocked, and hurriedly went out to greet him, and saw a middle-aged man with a beardless face and a serious smile.
Next to him was a translator: "This is Admiral Dongchang Yang."
When Francis heard this, the word intelligence chief immediately came to mind, and he panicked.
I don't know why the palace minister wanted to see him.
Yang Le didn't waste any time and said directly: "Your envoy wants to see His Majesty, but it will definitely not be possible in the past few days."
"But there are still opportunities."
Francis wisely handed over a hundred-dollar bill.
Yang Le's eyelids twitched. This was a small sum of money that he hadn't seen in many years...
He did not ignore Hu and accepted it directly: "In a few days, His Majesty will go to Chengde to pacify the Mongols. This is your opportunity."
Francis understood and nodded hurriedly.
Yang Le was afraid that he wouldn't understand, so he said emphatically: "I heard that the two young ladies from your mansion are good at riding. Why don't you go to Chengde and have some fun then? Wouldn't it be nice?"
At this point, Yang Le found it difficult to continue, so he left with the interpreter.
When Francis heard this, he didn't understand what it meant. His face turned red, and he sat down, sulking.
At this time, the lady came out and after asking about the reason, she sighed:
"This is the fate that we noble women cannot live without."
She suddenly said: "I heard that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty could directly marry his mistress, and the son he gave birth to would have the right to inherit?"
"That's right." Francis suddenly became energetic: "Although the chance is very slim, it is much better than being a pure mistress."
"Instead of marrying those down-and-out nobles, it is better to become the legal mistress of the Ming Emperor, live in a luxurious palace, and enjoy an extremely noble status."
The lady said calmly: "At that time, for the Silva family, having the Ming Dynasty as its backer will have an immeasurable role in doing business and developing in Spain."
"How can those businessmen dare to force you?"
"My dear, you are right." Francis shouted and jumped up: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Silva family."
"In the next few days, we must let our daughters learn to ride horses."
Yang Le returned to the palace and met Tian Fu.
"Your Majesty is very satisfied with the two women." Tian Fu said softly: "Does Xiyi understand?"