The attitude of the young emperor was obviously biased towards General Geng. Loyal and dedicated people should not be bound by rules and regulations. He insisted on his own opinion, which made other officials who advised the chief censors feel relieved.
　　Finally, the matter was agreed to draft an edict, let the Zhongshumenxia stamp the official seal, and the prime ministers sign it, and then stamp it with the emperor's jade seal, fill in this set of procedures, and eliminate the general's worries in the local area.
　　Then it was time to talk about "the frequent harassment of the northern border".
　　In this matter, the two sides were clear-cut. Luo Ping, the Minister of War, advocated war and supported the expedition to the north to wipe out the frequent border robberies and turmoil in recent years, while most of the others disagreed.
　　Dong Lingjiu continued to nod and flip through the Buddhist scriptures, drinking tea quietly as usual.
　　"...That's because everyone standing here is just a scholar who doesn't know anything about military affairs!" Minister Luo argued with the crowd. When he got to the point of being heated, his face turned red. He turned to face Meng Cheng, bowed, and then pointed at the ground and cursed, "In the first year of Huining, when your majesty first ascended the throne, the sea pirates in Linhai were in chaos. The Minister of War personally went to quell the sea pirates. Marquis Taining and Marquis Jingwu died on the warships and died for their country! Why did they die for their country? Wasn't it because the sea pirates harassed the people and frequently made unusual movements? If you were able to send troops for this, why can't you send troops to the north tonight?!"
　　"We are discussing current affairs. Why do you have to bring up the past to discuss this year's topic?" said Qian Changji, the Minister of Works. "You hold the title of Privy Councilor. You are either in charge of military examinations or military affairs. You only know how to raise money for the military equipment under your command. When the troops are ready to go out, the silver you have allocated to the Shenwu Army will cost several million taels. If you really tell us about the past, last year you built warships, and 8 million taels of silver were invested. Dozens of warships were idle for a year after the war, and were parked on the canal. Our Ministry of Works The Ministry of War refused to use the ship, saying, "Oh, this is a war ship."
　　Qian Changji would usually play it safe and not comment on other matters, but when it came to the immediate interests of his department, he became sharp-tongued and said to Luo Ping confidently, "Repairing rivers and building bridges, controlling floods and opening canals, which of these is not a major national project that the Ministry of Works has worked hard to manage? Which of these will not benefit the people? Why are you so warlike!"
　　"Is this warmongering?" Luo Ping's eyes widened bigger than an ox's. "Get rid of the external enemies first, so that the wolves surrounding them will not dare to spy on you! Only then can you have a peaceful life--" "
　　Come on, if we allocate millions to you one by one, there will definitely be a deficit at the end of the year. Last time we asked for three million taels to set up an artillery battalion, and five years have passed, but there hasn't been a single shot so far!" Qian Changji turned his head and faced the emperor, not even looking at him. "Will you increase taxes if a war breaks out? How will you increase taxes? The ancestors reduced taxes in the southern states for three years, and now you want Your Majesty to increase them again? Where do you put Your Majesty?"
　　"Qian Changji, you--!"
　　Luo Ping rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. Minister Xu and Minister Gan beside him hurriedly stopped him, pulled him back, and whispered in his ear: "The Empress Dowager is listening, the Empress Dowager is listening..."
　　Minister Luo sat down on the chair in annoyance.
　　Qian Changji bowed to Meng Cheng again and said, "Your Majesty, I work for the country, and every word I say comes from my heart. If there are any inconsiderate things in my words, please bear with me. Since ancient times, resting with the people has been the right way, and you must not be misled by villains."
　　Luo Ping's anger, which had just subsided, rose again, and he pointed at his back and cursed, "Who do you say is a villain? Who is not working for the country? There is a trend of alliance in the north! We in the Great Yin can pacify one tribe in less than three months, and we can capture two tribes from spring to autumn. But the spies in the north reported that they have more than a dozen tribes that want to form an alliance, with three thousand or five thousand people, and together they have ninety or one hundred thousand people! All the people are soldiers. Do you have to wait until the Jurchen cavalry enters the imperial capital before you are willing to move?!"
　　"You are doing this to prove your worth! You want to be famous in history."
　　"I'm fighting for fame, but you're harming the country!" It's
　　not the first day that the six departments have been arguing like this. Whenever matters of great benefit were mentioned, quarrels were inevitable, but today the tempers seemed to be even greater than usual.
　　Dong Lingjiu stroked the lid of the cup and said to Xuan Jingyun, "You have the job of writing in front of the emperor. Have they always been arguing like this?"
　　Xuan knew it all: "Not always. It's just that after the disaster relief in Fuzhou, when each department settled the accounts at the end of the year, there were deficits. It's complicated to sort out. As long as it costs money, there will be quarrels."
　　Dong Lingjiu said again, "I see them often. How come I didn't notice it."
　　Xuan Jingyun said, "Oh, your majesty, you only see one of them, communicating face to face, one-on-one, and everyone is calm and obedient. But your majesty here..."
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded and said, "Except for Shang Kai, do you deserve more or Xu Xiang deserve more?"
　　"It's you," said Xuan Jingyun, "he has to report the official documents of the inner prison to your majesty. After the case is closed, it has to be sent to the Dali Temple for filing. There are not many shifts scheduled for him."
　　"Well."
　　Dong Lingjiu put down the Buddhist scriptures in his hand.
　　When the young emperor saw his mother put down the Buddhist scriptures, he thought Dong Lingjiu wanted to speak, and was looking forward to it. Unexpectedly, she just said: "Let's discuss this matter after General Geng comes back. Don't let this matter delay other important matters. Let's talk about the next thing."
　　Seeing this, the two ministers of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War, who were in charge of the title of assistant ministers, had to suppress their anger, bowed to the empress dowager, and then sat back in their original seats.
　　After sunset, several matters were generally agreed upon, but there was still a dispute over whether to send troops or not. Dong Lingjiu suppressed the dispute and sent the eunuchs of the Ministry of Rear to escort the ministers out of the palace. He also asked the young emperor in detail about his thoughts, and then he rested.
　　The lights were on in the hall. Zhao Qing helped the empress dowager wash and change clothes. Just after she changed out of her outer robe, she heard Zhao Qing say, "Please take the medicine, Your Majesty."
　　Dong Lingjiu said casually, "I thought if I found him something to do, he wouldn't have to see Doctor Zheng nagging him so hard. Why are you urging him so hard when he's not here?"
　　Zhao Qing said respectfully, "Master Zheng has given me many instructions, including when Your Majesty will eat, when she will take medicine, when the medicine room will start boiling, what she should eat and what she shouldn't eat, as well as all the daily trivial arrangements, all written down in a booklet and handed it to me."
　　She used too much modesty, so Dong Lingjiu looked at her and said, "You are a female official of a certain rank, it's enough for you to call yourself a concubine or me."
　　"Yes." Zhao Qing bowed again, reached out to untie the forbidden beads on her waist, and continued, "If I lose my temper at this time, not only will I fail to live up to the trust of Doctor Zheng, but I will also be embarrassed in front of the two aunts, not to mention that this is my job." After
　　removing the gorgeous clothes, Mrs. Zhao helped her drink the medicine.
　　Dong Lingjiu had just finished drinking the medicine when she heard the bead curtain fluttering and low conversations coming from the other side of the screen. Then - Zheng Yuheng, who had stayed in the Ministry of Revenue for two whole days, came in wearing ordinary clothes.
　　Doctor Zheng still kept those old clothes of Emperor Mingde, but he didn't wear them often. Instead, he made a few new ones in the style of those clothes, but there was no jade unicorn mark of Meng Zhen, but it was decorated with new bamboo, white cranes, and plum blossoms, which made the whole person look clear and transparent.
　　He entered the inner hall, gently took the medicine held by Lady Zhao, and said softly: "Let me do it, Lady Zhao, go and rest."
　　Zhao Qing glanced at Dong Lingjiu, and seeing that the Queen Mother did not say anything, he bowed silently and turned away.
　　Dong Lingjiu sat on the edge of the couch, watching him sniff the medicine, and then blew it carefully, scanning it up and down, and said with a smile: "It doesn't look like you are suffering much. How come you are returning to the Cining Palace now, just like returning to your own home?"
　　Zheng Yuheng did not answer at first, but bent down to serve her the medicine. Dong Lingjiu thought he was dawdling, so she reached out and grabbed his wrist, drank the medicine from the jade bowl, and then picked up the tea to rinse her mouth.
　　Zheng Yuheng sat and looked at her for a moment, and a trace of lovesickness emerged in his eyes. He suppressed it and whispered: "I can't go back to the Zheng family either. My father didn't want me a long time ago."
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "It's hard to say. The eldest son can't pass the inheritance. Even if he is heartless, the relatives in the Zheng family's ancestral temple and the people in the family tree will call you back."
　　Zheng Yuheng said: "I won't go back even if you call me."
　　He dusted the corners of his clothes. He was a little late because he changed his clothes and carefully removed the cold air on his body. Zheng Yuheng came over and tucked the other side of the quilt for Dong Lingjiu, whispering: "Are you cold? I saw that the fire in the stove was not strong just now, so I added more and more. If I don't add more, it will be cold in a while. I will keep watch for you."
　　Dong Lingjiu's eyes stopped at his profile, from the smooth and white forehead, to the lips and chin, and suddenly said: "I see you--"
　　She stretched out her hand to turn Zheng Yuheng's face, and gently stroked the bone line with her fingers, "You are more and more like a good wife and a good mother."
　　Zheng Yuheng was stunned for a moment, and her star-like eyes did not respond for a moment. The words in her throat were forgotten all of a sudden, and they were stuck on the spot.
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled and said: "But I couldn't be a 'good husband' who could go to the court and enter the palace. How can you? Come, sit closer."
　　Zheng Yuheng allowed her to touch him, and got permission, and moved closer to her arms, resting his head on the legs of the Queen Mother.
　　He was immersed in a ethereal and subtle fragrance. Whenever he was close to Dong Lingjiu, this fragrance would be expressed from the medicinal fragrance and sandalwood, breaking through all other smells and invading his mind and soul.
　　Zheng Yuheng stretched out his hand, gently placed it on her finger, and said, "Unfortunately, there are always some things that cannot be cured by the best medical skills. If medical skills alone can cure the queen, and can make you free from disturbance, less worries, and peaceful, I am willing to be a servant of the Cining Palace for the rest of my life, copying books and writing for you. This is my destiny and vision after I turn eighteen."
　　"What about your ambition?"
　　"I had ambitions before." Zheng Yuheng said softly, "but this time I entered the officialdom, not for ambitions. When I arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, I felt that I was arrogant and incompetent."
　　"Oh." Dong Lingjiu couldn't help laughing, "Did you say that two days ago? How come you have two different faces in just twenty-four hours?"
　　"What's wrong with having two faces?" Zheng Yuheng moved and looked up at her. "Who would have thought that a low-level green-clad clerk would serve the Empress Dowager of Great Yin at night. If I could rise from a clerk to a fifth-rank official, I would be able to meet His Majesty in the court."
　　Dong Lingjiu flicked his forehead and smiled, "You wishful thinking. Even if you are a deposed top scholar and a future prime minister, if you want to go to court on your own, you must first have accumulated qualifications and secondly, you must be able to make a name for yourself in the officialdom. Your classmates who are so handsome and elegant have noble positions, but you are a dirty clerk." A
　　dirty clerk refers to a low-ranking and busy position.
　　Zheng Yuheng lowered her eyes to receive the training, and stretched out her hand to massage her finger bones and tiger's mouth where she held the pen during the day.
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "Yiguo, although you are talented, you are too young and speak in such a loud tone."
　　Zheng Yuheng kissed her fingertips and said seriously, "I know I was wrong. But when I saw that you were depressed, I had to do something, I had to think about change, and I couldn't just sit there and wait for death, otherwise I would blame myself to death. Even if it is useless, even if I can't do it, but if I don't try, it would be a waste of your love for me."
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded at first, but when she heard the rest, she felt a little strange: "What kind of heart do I have for you?"
　　Zheng Yuheng started again: "A heart of love, cherishment, and deep affection."
　　"Love and cherishment are enough." Dong Lingjiu looked at him and asked, "What is deep affection?"
　　Zheng Yuheng said, "I made up the word deep affection. But if I say it a few more times in front of you, a hundred times, a thousand times, after a long time, you will believe it."
　　He said it with deep affection and certainty, then he got up, put his arms around Dong Lingjiu's shoulders, and kissed her soft lips. The two were so close that they could hear each other's breathing.
　　Zheng Yuheng licked her lips and whispered, "Are you tired?"
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "I'm not tired at first, but I get tired when you act so perverse."
　　Then he pulled the estrus kitten down coldly.
　　Zheng Yuheng was pulled down obediently, buried his head beside the pillow, digested it for a long time, and said in a muffled voice, "My queen, I'll go down and check the stove."
　　Before he got off the bed, Dong Lingjiu suddenly remembered what he said when he just came back, and called him, "Wait a minute, you said before that you feel incompetent? Although the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue are numerous, with your insights and wise judgments in the Cining Palace, it shouldn't be so difficult."
　　When this was mentioned, Zheng Yuheng became even more depressed. If he had a pair of ears and a tail on his head, they would probably have drooped limply.
　　He thought for a moment with a bitter face, and replied: "I just want to sort out the granaries of the two warehouses in the suburbs of Beijing, but there are actually horse politics, old military affairs, and accounts of various taxes that cannot be collected. After two days of sorting, I just barely figured it out yesterday."
　　Dong Lingjiu thought about it in confusion. Are the things that the low-level officials of the Ministry of Revenue have to deal with so complicated?
　　Zheng Yuheng continued: "Especially a large area of ​​school land in the suburbs of Beijing, where the annual tax revenue is provided to the academy. The original way is to educate children, but in the accounts, the correspondence between the upper and lower is unclear, and the names are messed up. Last year's silver in the name of school land was transferred to the royal account. It seems that the royal family took this silver as lamp oil money."
　　Dong Lingjiu stood in a too high position. The starting point was the daughter of Dong Taishi and the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, so he was not very familiar with the discrepancies in these particularly low-level accounts.
　　She pondered for a while. First, she felt that the account book was very strange, and even its authenticity was questionable. Second, she felt that...
　　Dong Lingjiu turned the jade bracelet on her wrist, supported her arm, half raised her body, looked at Zheng Yuheng's eyebrows, and asked softly: "My dear, you are a green-clothed clerk, and you have only been in charge for two days. Is this the account you should be in charge of? Did you get cheated by someone?"
　　Zheng Yuheng pondered for a moment and said sincerely: "It should be."
　　Dong Lingjiu raised his eyebrows: "Are they jealous that you have taken the eunuch's route?"
　　Zheng Yuheng thought about it and said carefully: "It shouldn't be. I think... they are jealous of my good looks."
　　Dong Lingjiu: "..."
　　Zheng Yuheng said again: "My queen, I've looked around outside the palace, and I haven't seen anyone more handsome than me. There's no one who can talk and take care of people than me. If you get tired of me and get bored of me, you may not be able to find the next one. "
　　Dong Lingjiu: "You..."
　　Zheng Yuheng helped her analyze, weighing the pros and cons, and said seriously: "And I will be more and more useful to you, helping you to master all the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue. When you encounter something of deceiving superiors and concealing the truth from subordinates, you don't have to send people to investigate."
　　Dong Lingjiu saw that he looked very sincere, and was speechless for a long time about this straightforward competition for favor, and then said: "You should go and check the fire."
　　"...Oh."