The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Xie Mengqian was relentless: "Lord Pan may not know about Dai Liang's existence, but I can't guarantee that Dai Liang didn't use his name to bully others and commit corruption and abuse of power."

"Thank you, sir. Since I was not aware of it, how can his corrupt behavior be blamed on me?" Pan Sheng asked angrily.

Xie Mengqian continued, "That's because Lord Pan didn't discipline his subordinates and didn't control his family members, allowing them to do whatever they wanted."

Immediately afterwards, someone in the court stood up to defend Pan Sheng, saying that the account should not be counted on him.

There were censors from the Censorate who came out to criticize Xie Mengqian, and there were also conservatives who opposed the reform who came out to attack Xie Mengqian.

The court was very lively for a while. Min Xi was a rookie censor, and he had little influence, so he could not get a word in. He could only observe the attitudes of the ministers in the court to see who supported Pan Sheng and who opposed him. Those who supported Pan Sheng were mostly from Zhang Juzheng's faction, and those who opposed him were the opposition party.

Of course, no matter how fiercely the ministers argued in the court, the most important thing was the emperor's attitude.

Min Xi looked at Wanli in the Golden Palace. He was sitting on the dragon throne at the moment, with an impatient expression on his face, and it was obvious that he was trying his best to endure it.

Wanli raised his hand, covered his mouth and yawned. He had seen this kind of dispute countless times. Everyone pointed fingers at each other, but in the end no conclusion could be reached, so he had to make the final decision.

Min Xi really wanted to know what Wanli was thinking and how he would deal with this matter, which represented his attitude towards Zhang Juzheng's faction. Once a bad signal was given, those who supported the reform would be suppressed or even persecuted.

Wanli heard the endless arguments below, which were even getting more lively, so he said, "Well, I already know about this matter, there is nothing to argue about. Since Lord Pan didn't know about it, then ignorance is not a crime. Shuntian Prefecture should punish Dai Liang in the same way. In the future, all the Lords should take this as a warning, try to persuade and restrain relatives, friends, and nephews, and don't abuse your power or commit corruption for personal gain."

When Pan Sheng heard this, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. I thank you for your grace."

Wanli went on to say, "Do you have anything else to report?" His tone was already a little impatient.

Everyone was already familiar with the emperor's temper, and when they heard his tone, they didn't dare to continue. If it wasn't an urgent matter, they would just put it aside and wait until next time.

Seeing that the officials did not say anything, Wanli said, "In that case, let's stop here today. Court is adjourned!" After that, he stood up and left, fearing that someone would force him to work overtime.

Min Xi and Yun Ji were called to stay and go to Wenyuan Pavilion to discuss the affairs of the Nanyang Continent. A eunuch came over to greet them: "His Majesty has given you two adults breakfast, please follow us."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Min Xi and Yun Ji hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

They got up at 4 a.m. to attend court, so it was impossible for them to have breakfast at home. They had breakfast after the court session. The emperor knew that they would discuss matters in Wenyuan Pavilion today, so he specially kept them for breakfast.

They were led to the Qianqing Palace, where the emperor was washing. This was the second time they saw the emperor washing after court was dismissed. It seemed that the emperor was a person who went to work without washing his face. When Zhang Juzheng was still alive, he might not have been so lazy. Now that Zhang Juzheng has retired to the second line and no one is giving him instructions, he can be a little lazy.

Min Xi didn't care. He understood the mental state of young people very well. Every office worker would feel tired.

After Wanli finished washing up, the palace servants had already prepared breakfast. The three of them ate separately. There were six bowls and plates on the table for Min Xi and Yun Ji. The staple food was rice, and the dishes were wind-fried chicken, cured duck, fresh bamboo shoots, and some soups.

The emperor had even more dishes. There were more than ten bowls and plates on his table. The dishes were extremely rich, but he couldn't eat much. He would be full after just two bites. It was actually very wasteful. But Min Xi and Yun Ji turned a blind eye. As the king of a country, the whole world belonged to him. He couldn't be expected to live like an ordinary citizen. Otherwise, how could he show the goodness of being an emperor?

Wanli picked up the chopsticks and took a bite, then called out to them, "My dear ministers, there is no need to be so polite. Eat now."

Min Xi and Yun Ji only dared to pick up their chopsticks after seeing the emperor pick up his chopsticks.

Wanli ate two bites and asked, "What do you two ministers think of what happened in the court today?"

Min Xi and Yun Ji looked at each other, and Min Xi asked, "Your Majesty, are you referring to the impeachment of Lord Pan?"

"Correct."

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "I think this is a test of your majesty's attitude towards the reform."

Wanli looked at him: "Tell me in detail."

Min Xi put down his chopsticks and said respectfully, "Lord Zhang has now retired to the second line. I heard that he recommended Lord Pan to be the Prime Minister. Someone tried to test your majesty's attitude by impeaching Lord Pan."

"The reform has been completed. Are they trying to overthrow it?" Wanli said unhappily. Thanks to the reform, the national treasury was filled. It was impossible for him to abolish the reform.

"If the law can be changed, nature can also be changed back. Some people are taking chances."