Chapter 9 Oh no, His Majesty is going to give me the elixir! The master wants to reopen the Western Factory? For a moment, several thoughts flashed through Lu Fang's mind. I kept guessing what Jiajing meant. The Western Factory has never been used since it was completely abolished during the Zhengde period. After the master came to power, he increased the use of the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was responsible for tasks such as reconnaissance, arrest, and interrogation, while the East Factory was mainly responsible for monitoring officials and civilians. What does it mean to suddenly reopen the West Factory? Could it be that the master is dissatisfied with the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard? The East Factory was in charge of his godson Huang Jin, or it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was in charge of it. As for the Jinyiwei, although it was managed by Lu Bing, the master's confidant, Lu Bing's health has been gradually failing in recent years. The contact between the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang has become increasingly close, and he has turned a blind eye to it. For a moment, Lu Fang's heart began to be in ups and downs.
He never expected that this master who was only interested in cultivating the mystical world would suddenly start to govern the country. "Your Majesty, I am Lu Bing." A man about fifty years old, with a sturdy build, but with unsteady steps, a swollen face and obvious signs of illness, walked forward slowly to pay his respects, panting as he walked. "Please take a seat." Jiajing looked at his absolute confidant and childhood friend, with an inexplicable look in his eyes. "Wenfu, you are getting older." Jiajing said and sat down. Hearing this, Lu Bing smiled, nodded slightly to Lu Fang, sat on the stool, looked up at Jiajing and said: "I am indeed old." As he spoke, Lu Bing raised his lips into a wry smile. Then, he suddenly fixed his eyes slightly, looked at Jiajing and said: "Your Majesty is getting healthier." What he said was true. Jiajing was now a cultivator at the first level of Qi training. It may not mean much in the world of cultivating immortals, but in the mundane world of Daming, he is a living immortal! During the Qi Refining Stage, one can use talismans and spells. If this were used in the Ming Dynasty, countless people would definitely regard him as an immortal. These thoughts only flashed through Jiajing's mind for a moment. What he was thinking more about at this moment was whether or not to continue training Lu Bing. In fact, it is very simple to save Lu Bing. A common elixir in the world of immortal cultivation can remove all the lesions in his body. By then, Lu Bing will probably live another ten or twenty years. And I must solve the six major crises listed above within five years. Because in the 44th year of Jiajing, the Spaniards would establish a colony in the Philippines. After that, it was time to open a Pacific route from Manila, Philippines to Acapulco, Mexico.
The result of establishing this route will eventually lead to a large amount of silver from America flowing into the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming Dynasty, which was facing internal and external troubles, would suffer another heavy blow, and the most direct effect would be inflation. What he needed to do was to quickly stabilize the situation in the Ming Dynasty within five years, reform the currency, and re-establish a system based on silver as the standard, and even establish an institution similar to a bank. This will not only solve future crises, but also turn crises into an opportunity for the Ming Dynasty to develop and take off. Therefore, he is in urgent need of reliable and loyal people to work for him. After a quick thought, Jiajing finally made a decision. "Do you know why you were called here?" Jiajing did not respond to Lu Bing's words, but asked instead. "I don't know." Lu Bing shook his head slightly. "I want to expand the Jinyiwei." Jiajing said bluntly. Expanding the Jinyiwei? Lu Bing was stunned, and glanced at Lu Fang inconspicuously, but did not get any hint. Since Your Majesty began his retreat, a lot of expenses have been cut, all of which have been used to build palaces and temples, and many of the Jinyiwei have also been laid off. Suddenly they wanted to expand the Jinyiwei at this time... To be honest, Lu Bing didn't quite understand what it meant. "You are both my confidants, so I will tell you the truth." Jiajing glanced at Lu Fang and Lu Bing and said: "Corruption in the court is too serious. I have decided to rectify the administration and thoroughly investigate all officials from the cabinet to the local level." "And the Jinyiwei is the knife that confiscates property!" "Tomorrow's meeting in front of the palace will see me. I will order the Ministry of Works to stop all the palace and temple construction. The funds will be used for military supplies and the expansion of the Jinyiwei." There was an unprecedented sharpness in Jiajing's eyes. "Officials in the court must give back as much as they have embezzled." "It's fine if they cooperate, but if they don't, don't blame me for not considering the years of friendship between the monarch and his subjects." These words were spoken so bluntly that both Lu Bing and Lu Fang were startled. They are the elders around Jiajing and are also the absolute confidants who have grown up with this master since childhood. I am already very clear about the temperament of this master. It is because of this that they knew that he was serious this time. Moreover, looking at Jiajing at this moment, Lu Fang and Lu Bing were a little dazed. Familiar, so familiar! Your Majesty at this moment is so similar to the emperor who first ascended the throne and before the great ceremony. The same high-spirited spirit, the emperor's heart is optimistic! Could it be that the familiar master has returned? For a moment, both of them were filled with shock and doubt. "In today's Ming Dynasty, disasters occur frequently, local officials enrich themselves, oppress the people, and civil unrest continues." Jiajing said, raising his finger, looking at the sky outside the palace with snowflakes falling, and said: "For ordinary people, there is a place where they can settle down and make their living, and that is home." "But for me, home is the whole world."
"Now, there are evil slaves in my house who want to bully me. They want to make my house restless, so I can't just sit back and watch." Jiajing said in a low voice, looking at Lv Fang and Lu Bing, "And the ones I can rely on are you two!" "You are the only ones who belong to me!" Hearing this, Lu Bing and Lu Fang bowed their heads together and said: "I, Lu Bing (Lü Fang), will serve your majesty until my death!" Looking at the two people kneeling in front of him, Jiajing nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand and said, "Get up." After the two of them stood up, Jiajing took out a porcelain bottle. "This is the elixir that an immortal gave me in my dream when I was enlightened by the truth. After taking it, it can eliminate all diseases in the body and prolong life..." No, I'm going to suffer! Listen to the words and the sounds of the gongs and drums. This familiar rhythm, familiar words, Lu Bing and Lu Fang are very familiar with this combo. Normally, when the master wants to reward his meritorious officials with elixirs, this is the tone! Especially when they heard something about the immortal bestowing elixirs in dreams, Lu Bing and Lu Fang's hearts skipped a beat and their eyelids twitched. At this moment, the two of them felt as if they had just had a heart-to-heart talk with each other, and had just expressed their loyalty, but in the blink of an eye, they were stabbed in the back. We are devoted to the Lord, why does Your Majesty want to kill us? Especially Lu Fang, as a bystander, he knew very well what the so-called elixir was. Eating this stuff is like taking poison! Before, it was obvious that the skin all over this master's body was stained by the elixirs he took, but he was fooled by those Taoists and thought it was a test from God for his practice of Taoism. Has anyone tried this thing? Who in the court doesn’t know what this elixir is? How many meritorious officials were given elixirs on the same day, but they threw them away when they returned. As Jiajing's confidant, he was naturally given many elixirs. Afterwards, he swallowed it quietly and then spit it out to the maggots when he went to the toilet. But now, the master has bestowed the elixir privately. What if I am asked to eat it on the spot? Should I eat it or not? "..." (End of this chapter)