The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

"My Lord, please honor me. I am truly unworthy of this honor!" Min Xi didn't dare to admit that he was the one who gave the advice.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said, "My friend, there is no need to be too modest. The authorities are often confused. You see things more clearly than I do. Now I am sick and old, and can no longer be used. I am worried about the country. Although the reform has initially shown results, the Ming Dynasty is still plagued by a serious illness, and it is only a temporary solution. My friend is a bystander, and you see things more clearly than I do. The country and the people of the Ming Dynasty still rely on young and promising pillars like you and Lord Yun."

When Min Xi heard this, he felt as if two mountains were pressing down on his shoulders: "Sir, I am a lowly official and I am afraid I cannot handle such an important task."

"Lord Min, please do not underestimate yourself. Do you know what is the most important quality for a ruler?"

Min Xi was stunned. What does this mean? He asked this question, it must not be ability. Min Xi thought for a while before answering: "I think the score depends on the situation. If it is a chaotic world, it must be the talent of civil and military strategy and the talent of governing the country. If it is a peaceful world, the most important qualities of a monarch are benevolence and broad-mindedness."

Zhang Juzheng nodded: "You are right. For a minister, the most important qualities of a monarch are benevolence and broad-mindedness. However, throughout history, there are only a handful of emperors who can be said to have benevolence and broad-mindedness. Our Majesty is young and energetic, which is a good thing for ambitious ministers. Fortunately, His Majesty trusts you. In the future, you will be needed to provide His Majesty with appropriate guidance and advice at the right time."

Two people were discussing their boss in private, and this boss was the emperor. If this was heard by someone with ulterior motives, it would be a capital crime punishable by death. Zhang Juzheng dared to secretly talk to Min Xi about Wanli, which also showed his extreme trust in him.

Min Xi heard that Zhang Juzheng wanted him to be the one who put the brakes on Wanli, pouring cold water on him when he got too excited and made a stupid move. To be honest, this task was more dangerous than being a capable minister. Throughout Chinese history, there were only a handful of emperors who could listen to advice, and Wanli was an emperor with a very bad reputation in history. If he made a mistake, he would lose his head.

"Your Excellency, I can only try my best to advise you. I am a lowly person with little influence, and I am afraid that Your Majesty will not listen." In fact, even if Zhang Juzheng did not ask for it, Min Xi would not ignore this matter. After all, he and Yun Ji chose the path of imperial examinations, which meant they were destined to be deeply tied to the Ming Dynasty. Wanli was the helmsman of the Ming Dynasty, and they certainly could not let the ship go its own way.

Zhang Juzheng heard his reply and nodded slightly: "There is a difference between the monarch and his subjects. The subjects just need to do their duty."

After Min Xi left, Zhang Juzheng took the geomancy map of the Nanyang continent that Min Xi brought him. After a long time, he tapped his fingers lightly on the map and said, "It would be great if I were twenty years younger!" He also wanted to include such a large territory in the governance of the Ming Dynasty.

When Min Xi returned home, Yun Ji had not come back yet. He did not come back until curfew. It turned out that he had invited his colleagues from the Ministry of Revenue to go to Yunxiang Restaurant for a drink.

Min Xi thought of his colleagues and couldn't help but slap his forehead. He actually forgot about this. Normally, he should treat everyone to a meal. After all, he got a promotion and returned safely, so he should at least treat them to a drink. It seems that he is still a little lacking in social etiquette.

"It's not a big deal. It will be the same if we invite everyone tomorrow." Yun Ji comforted him. "Did you see Lord Zhang today?"

"Yes. What did you find out from the Ministry of Revenue?"

"I heard that Lord Zhang had a dispute with His Majesty over the performance of Minister of Imperial Household Gan Yu. Lord Zhang became ill because of this and has never attended court since then."

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "Isn't the Guangluqing in charge of the palace's meals and sacrifices? To put it bluntly, it's a government office that spends money. What are they testing for? Is it to test how they spend money?"

Yun Ji nodded: "Yes, the accounts were not correct. The unit price of the bill far exceeded the market price. Elder Zhang enforced the law impartially and demanded severe punishment, but Gan Yu was a relative of the favorite concubine in the harem. His Majesty wanted to protect him, but Elder Zhang disagreed, so a dispute arose."

The post of Guanglu Qing is indeed a lucrative one. As long as one puts a little thought into it, money will flow into one's pocket like water. Generally speaking, as long as one does not go too far, no one will investigate the matter. Since he has been impeached, it means that he must have been too greedy.

"How much silver did he embezzle?" Min Xi asked.

"Last year alone, he embezzled tens of thousands of taels of silver."

"How much money does the harem spend in a year?"

"As far as I know, it's about 40 taels."

Min Xi clicked his tongue twice: "You are so greedy! You deserve to be punished!"

"Your Majesty believes that Lord Zhang himself is not innocent, so there is no need to dwell on this matter. This is probably because Lord Zhang is sick from anger." Yun Ji shook his head when he said this.

Min Xi suddenly understood the crux of Zhang Juzheng's problem. He was rectifying the administration of officials for the court, but the emperor was undermining him. But the emperor did not completely slander him. As the chief minister, he was in a high position and had great power. Although he refused to accept bribes on the surface, in fact, the extravagance he led was not affordable for his salary. Although the emperor and the empress dowager also gave him many rewards, he must have accepted many bribes in private.

The emperor and the empress dowager naturally knew about Zhang Juzheng's bribery. They had turned a blind eye to it in the past, pretending not to know. But now that the emperor has grown stronger and needs to remove the obstacles that prevent him from monopolizing power, he will no longer give face to Zhang Juzheng.

The empress dowager was in an awkward position. Her son had grown up and was no longer a little kid under her control. If she stood up to speak for Zhang Juzheng at this moment, it would be tantamount to standing against her son. She was a smart woman and would certainly not offend her son for a foreign official.

"No wonder I heard from Lord Zhang that he wanted to find a suitable time to retire and return home. It seems that he has indeed gotten into trouble and has no choice but to retire."

"Is this what Lord Zhang told you?"

"Yes. From what I saw from his expression, it seems that he planned to withdraw after seeing us return. He thinks that we can persuade His Majesty, and he asked us to persuade His Majesty more in the future."

When Yun Ji heard this, he said, "It seems that there will be another personnel change in the court."

"Lord Zhang should have arranged a successor, right? Who is it?" Min Xi asked.

"I heard it was the Minister of Rites, Lord Pan."

"How is Lord Pan as a human being?"

"Lord Pan has a gentle temperament and has a good relationship with the ministers in the court. Lord Zhang wants him to be a peacemaker and ease the conflicts caused by the reform. It can be regarded as a way out for himself."

Zhang Juzheng's reforms naturally offended a large group of people in the court, but he certainly had supporters, otherwise he alone would not have been able to carry out the reforms. However, once he fell, those people he had offended swarmed around him like flies seeing blood, and they wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. Naturally, those who supported the reforms would be impeached and liquidated.

So as soon as they came back, they had to face a storm.

Min Xi couldn't help but sigh: "It seems that the storm is coming. Do you think it's the right time for us to come back?"

Yun Ji shook his head gently: "I can't say for sure. But since Elder Zhang chose to withdraw only after we came back, it means that he is deeply bound to us and cannot withdraw even if he wants to."

"But we are insignificant, can we withstand the liquidation of those opponents? I am fine, the Honglu Temple has never been the center of the vortex, at most they said I was wasting money on the mission to Southeast Asia, but I also found a few gold mines for the Ming Dynasty, the merits and demerits can be offset, and they can't impeach me. Your Ministry of Revenue is the starting point of the reform, and the tax reform directly affects their interests. Those people probably want to eat your flesh and drink your blood."

Yun Ji was silent for a while: "That depends on your Majesty's attitude towards Lord Zhang and towards us."

Min Xi thought about it and thought that Wanli was targeting Zhang Juzheng mainly to seize power. Zhang Juzheng took the initiative to give up power, so Wanli should not kill them all. As for himself and Yun Ji, they should still be trusted by Wanli and would not be cleared out.

When Min Xi thought of this, he suddenly felt a little sad. In the feudal dynasty era, the imperial power was too great and there was no upper limit. The fate of an individual depended entirely on the emperor's personal preferences and conscience, rather than being decided according to laws and regulations.

After a while, Min Xi clapped his hands and cheered up: "There is no need to be so pessimistic. At most, we will be impeached, and at worst, we will be demoted and dismissed from office, but we will not be punished. If that is the case, we can come back to do business and make money, and then find a way to go out to sea, and stay in the South Sea Continent in the future to open up a new world."

Yun Ji was feeling a little down at first, but after hearing what Min Xi said, he suddenly felt clear-headed: "Yes, we are neither corrupt nor accept bribes, nor have we abused our power, so what problems can be found? Our official positions are too low, so I don't think they would bother to deal with us."