After the officials of the Ministry of Revenue dispersed and returned home, only Xu Jin, the Minister of the Imperial Court, did not return home immediately.
　　He did not bring anyone with him, but sent someone to hand over a document to ask for respect, and waited alone to see Dong Lingjiu.
　　This was within Dong Lingjiu's expectations, and she did not let the other party wait in vain, and let Xu Jin meet him outside the curtain.
　　Not long after, the figure of Xu Shangshu stopped outside the curtain. He was nearly fifty years old, and his hair showed a little frost. He first looked through the pearl curtain from a distance, stared at the Empress Dowager Dong, and then knelt down to pay respects, and bowed: "Your Majesty, Xu Jin, pays respects to the Empress Dowager."
　　Because some time ago, when Concubine Xu was in the palace, the Xu family did some things that made people grit their teeth and were rampant and arrogant. But since Concubine Xu lost the dragon fetus and lived separately in the temporary palace, Xu Shangshu has restrained the family style and seemed to have "learned a lesson" quietly.
　　But it was too late for him to regain his "calmness" now. This was not the only crime he had committed with his power.
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "No need to be polite, Ruixue, serve tea to the Minister." The
　　gentler and calmer her tone was, the more polite she was. Minister Xu felt a chill on his back and sweat on his forehead. His people had been detained in the inner prison for too long, and all the ways he had in his hands could not pass the test of Xu Xiang. They were all foxes who had been around for thousands of years. He would certainly not hold on to the fluke guess that the Empress Dowager had not yet interrogated them.
　　Maybe one day, a book full of his crimes would hit his face with a bang, and the entire Xu family would be uprooted. As soon as the imperial pen and red comments fell, blood would flow. Minister
　　Xu did not dare to take the tea, and did not even sit down. He lowered his head and bowed his head and said, "Please punish me, Empress Dowager."
　　"Oh..." Dong Lingjiu asked, "What is the crime?"
　　Minister Xu paused for a moment and said, "I have no discipline and do not manage my family strictly, which allowed the side branches of my family to take advantage of the situation and commit corruption and abuse of power! It is really a big mistake!"
　　Dong Lingjiu held the teacup and sneered at this remark, but he did not get angry. He just asked again, "How do you know it is this crime?"
　　Minister Xu said, "I am a minister of the Great Yin, and I have been loyal to the emperor and the empress dowager all my life. Since the beginning of Xining, I have been working in the Ministry of Revenue for twenty-five years. Although I have no merit, I have been worried day and night, tossing and turning, and thinking about the affairs of the country. In consideration of this hard work, I ask the Empress Dowager to approve my resignation. I can also recommend the Empress Dowager to write a letter to express my heart."
　　As he spoke, he took out a memorial with a plain blue cover from his sleeve. On it was written in ink, "Respectfully presented by Minister Xu Jin of the Ministry of Revenue". The style was respectful, but the content was full of words of resignation.
　　Dong Lingjiu did not move him because of this point mentioned by this person. His qualifications and relationships in the Ministry of Revenue could not be replaced for the time being, and it was a time of trouble. But Minister Xu also understood this. He had to grasp the current situation and express his sincerity to the Queen Mother - he took the initiative to give up the position of the head of the world's finances, and was willing to let Dong Lingjiu's people take office.
　　But this kind of "sincerity" is unnecessary.
　　Dong Lingjiu would never make decisions that were harmful to the court and the world in order to control the government.
　　Ruixue delivered the memorial to Dong Lingjiu. She took it and held it in her palm, but did not open it to read. Instead, she asked: "Minister Xu, do you think that merits and faults can offset each other?"
　　The other party said: "I think that although merits and faults cannot be completely offset, they can be handled according to the situation."
　　Dong Lingjiu sighed: "Yes, no one is perfect."
　　Seeing that her tone seemed to be relaxed, Minister Xu went a step further and said: "Your Majesty, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish."
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded and thought for a while, and suddenly asked him: "When you first studied hard, was it for gold, silver and power? Or was it because of the world? All scholars are like this. They say that they are doing it for the sake of the people, for the sake of saints, for the sake of world peace, and for the sake of literary spirit. But in the officialdom, they may not change for one or two years, but in five or ten years, they will finally become for gold and silver, for official positions, and for greater power?"
　　Minister Xu was about to answer when he suddenly found that Dong Lingjiu was looking at him very seriously and with a deep gaze. He felt a chill on his back and said subconsciously as if he had received a blessing: "No!"
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "But from what I have seen, the number of officials just mentioned accounts for □□."
　　"There are still one or two percent of differences left." Minister Xu actually began to argue for this minority, whom he once thought were stubborn and inflexible, fearing that Dong Lingjiu would show a look of disappointment on his face. "Please understand, Queen Mother, it's just that most people like us have not been able to do it, and I am really ashamed."
　　He had a very strange and subtle premonition: if Dong Lingjiu was disappointed with this bureaucratic style and bureaucratic system, she would not hesitate to use the most cruel and brutal methods to reform it, and even kill some officials who were just "making a little mistake" in the eyes of everyone.
　　The Queen Mother was not cruel and incompetent, this was the consensus of the court officials. But it was precisely because she was not incompetent, but her tactics were ruthless, she was not cruel, but her heart was hard, she treated people harmoniously and gently, and often smiled, that made her awakening and change seem so terrifying.
　　To a certain extent, Xu Jin was not afraid of his future. He was afraid that when the farmers found that the crops they planted were not producing enough, they would simply uproot them and replace the seeds - no one knew whether Queen Mother Dong would do this.
　　But no one dared to say that she would not be able to do it.
　　As an exploiter and beneficiary of the current bureaucratic system and structure, even though Minister Xu had already resigned from his official position as a trade-off and test, he could not help but be deeply worried.
　　Dong Lingjiu finally opened the memorial and slowly read what he wrote. As she read, she asked softly, "Isn't the salary that Dayin gives to officials too low?"
　　Minister Xu said, "During the years of Xining, it was indeed limited. But after Your Majesty ascended the throne, the monthly salaries of officials in the first and second years were never in arrears and the amount was sufficient. Even for an eighth-rank clerk, it is not difficult to support the family and have surplus food at the end of the year."
　　"It's just that human greed is endless."
　　"Your Majesty is wise, that's right."
　　"Although the court has reorganized and taught the rules of rituals and music, it still cannot stop the desire to secretly break the rules and compare with others." She said, "Is it that human good and evil are limited, and when the good is used up, they will definitely become 'evil'? Is this the case, Minister Xu?"
　　"This old minister made a mistake for a moment, and I am unworthy of it."
　　Dong Lingjiu laughed. Not only did she not believe what he said, but she also didn't believe the punctuation in his article. She took a quick look at the long article, skipped over some purely flattering words, and lifted the memorial to the side of the candle on the table.
　　The flame of the candle licked a corner of the article.
　　Minister Xu looked at her silently.
　　The flame burned through the paper and turned into falling ash.
　　Dong Lingjiu loosened her hand to prevent the flames from rushing up and burning her fingertips. Ruixue poured half a cup of cold tea on the increasingly bright lampstand. The white mist jumped up and then quickly dissipated, mixed with the smell of burnt wicks and paper turning to ash.
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "You have been convicted and I have an important task for you."
　　"I will do my best to make amends and sacrifice my life for the country."
　　"Don't be in a hurry to swear an oath." Although Dong Lingjiu rejected his "sincerity" and some power exchanges, he brought up another matter, "General Logistics of the Northern Expedition, you will be the overall dispatcher of military rations."
　　Minister Xu opened his eyes slightly and paused for a moment, feeling an invisible, mountain-like weight pressing down on him.
　　"The merits will offset the crimes." Dong Lingjiu said, "Deal with it according to the circumstances, that's what the Shangshu said."
　　The "circumstances" here refer to the situation and the current situation, and have nothing to do with personal feelings. In the past, when Concubine Xu was here, Empress Dowager Dong never took the Xu family too seriously, let alone today?
　　The other party had to bury his head in agreement, and then asked, "This matter is really important. I am old and confused. If something goes wrong..."
　　"Mistake?" Dong Lingjiu raised his eyelids and glanced at him, and soon fell calmly, "Then according to the law, punish your whole family."
　　The other party's breathing was very obvious, and he didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he accepted the order and thanked the emperor.
　　...
　　The emperor attended the court for two days, and his temper became obviously irritable.
　　In contrast, after two large court meetings, Doctor Zheng returned to the Cining Palace refreshed.
　　His position generally disqualified him from participating in court discussions. He was either organizing affairs in the Ministry of Revenue, or running around to check this and audit that according to the arrangements of the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Revenue General Office. There were many things to do. As a result, after the two grand court meetings, Zheng Yuheng... no, the name Zheng Junzhi became famous. Not only did all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue look at him with suspicion and confusion, but the other new officials who used to bully him also changed their faces and honestly took their work back.
　　This was not to flatter him, but he was afraid that the blood would splash on him when the little emperor cut him. What if His Majesty was still angry and cut off all those who had given all the work to Zheng Junzhi?
　　Zheng Yuheng was too lazy to guess what they were thinking. Anyway, it was a good thing that the work was much lighter. He just avoided the questioning of Minister Wen and had time to return to the palace.
　　The medical officer did not attend the court, and even if Zheng Yuheng showed up casually in the deep palace, it would not affect Zheng Chengwu's glorious deeds of being dragged out and beheaded in the Golden Palace. When he became a medical officer again and put on the clothes with the herb pattern on the cuffs, he suddenly felt a special satisfaction and relaxation.
　　Day off. Zheng Yuheng had a faint scent of soapberry on his body, rolled up his sleeves and added ink, abandoned all complicated thoughts, completely emptied himself, and played the role of a virtuous "red sleeves adding fragrance".
　　He watched Dong Lingjiu reading case files, memorials, and books, and then reviewed the palace affairs. When he thought her eyes must be sore, he coughed softly.
　　Dong Lingjiu didn't hear it.
　　Zheng Yuheng raised his voice and coughed again.
　　Dong Lingjiu glanced at him hesitantly and said, "Are you feeling uncomfortable in your throat?"
　　Zheng Yuheng said, "No."
　　"No? It's still very cold at this time of year. You are young and wear thin clothes. How dare you run around in such windy weather?" Dong Lingjiu scolded him, "You didn't even say anything. You are so silly."
　　"When did I..." Zheng Yuheng said halfway and felt that she was bold enough to refute the Empress' words. She swallowed her words back and leaned over to her and said, "Your Majesty should rest."
　　Dong Lingjiu just read the words without looking at him, and said, "It's all your fault. There are too many case files and summaries submitted at once, otherwise I would have finished reading them long ago."
　　She turned her head, her breath was warm, and her nose almost touched his cheek.
　　Dong Lingjiu slowly blinked, licked his lips, and whispered: "Rest?"
　　Zheng Yuheng nodded, leaned close to her, and pecked her lips carefully: "Too tired, you will grow white hair."
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled: "How to rest, with you?"
　　Before Zheng Yuheng could speak, the parrot hanging in the palace because of the cold weather picked up the wooden stick and opened its mouth to imitate: "The queen is right, the queen is right--"
　　This was what Xuan Jingyun taught last time, and Zheng Yuheng did teach it, but this stupid parrot never learned to say it when it should.
　　Dong Lingjiu stretched out her hand to pull his wrist, and held his cheek with the other end, rubbing it on the soft and wet lips, rubbing it to show signs of redness and congestion, and whispered: "Why are you hiding? I will bite you again."
　　Speaking of this, Zheng Yuheng had something to say. He raised his hand and pressed his lower lip slightly, showing her the wound on the inside of the lip flesh-it was during the New Year, and it was bitten and bleeding, and now there is a shallow red mark.
　　Dong Lingjiu felt a little embarrassed for a moment.
　　When she felt a little guilty, the parrot said loudly again: "Your Majesty is right about everything, Your Majesty is right about everything."
　　Zheng Yuheng looked at her, then looked at the bird, and said pitifully: "I didn't teach you that either."
　　Xuan Jingyun was a flatterer. He only knew how to please the Queen Mother, and taught her this kind of words.
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled slightly and said, "Isn't that wrong?"
　　Zheng Yuheng said reservedly: "People in high positions should listen to more advice and less to slander. Honest words are unpleasant to the ears but beneficial to action, and good medicine is bitter but beneficial to the disease. This bird has learned only flattering slander."
　　"What about you?"
　　"I..." He was also a little embarrassed, and said shamefully, "Honest words and slander are their business, I blow the pillow wind."
　　The author has something to say:
　　I feel ashamed, but I can't tell what kind of shame it is.
　　A little reserved, but not too much.