Disbursement of Salaries

Author: Potato Sweet Potato Pie

Disbursement of Salaries

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and the weather became increasingly colder. The climate in the capital was already dry, let alone the Little Ice Age.

The wind was like a knife, causing people's faces to hurt. The New Year was getting closer and closer, and the eunuchs and maids in the palace began to carefully sweep the entire palace in preparation for the upcoming Zhengdan Festival.

The New Year is approaching, but almost no one's face is filled with the joy of welcoming the New Year. Everyone in the palace is not leaning against the master to see his face.

But the emperor, the number one master, has been in a bad mood these past few days, always making a face, as if someone owed him money.

The eunuchs and maids at the bottom of the palace secretly guessed that it must have something to do with this thief.

A eunuch was holding the ladder, and standing on the ladder was wiping the painted paintings under the eaves with a wet rag.

Maybe it was too cold, and my hands were already stiff from the cold. I was still holding the wet rag soaked in cold water, but the rag fell out of my hand and hit the eunuch who was holding the ladder in the face.

There was a snap, and the eunuch grimaced in pain, and was sucked in by the ice. He didn't know what expression to make for a moment.

After a few breaths, he remembered to take off the rag from his face and complained to the top: "Look more closely, I'm glad I didn't teach you to smash him to death."

The eunuch above took the opportunity to breathe in his hands and said, "You can't blame us. The weather is almost here. It's almost the Chinese New Year. It doesn't matter if it doesn't snow. It's so cold that my hands are frozen. Why don't you come up and hold that

Try a rag?"

The eunuch below was startled and said, "Shut that stinky mouth of yours! If it doesn't snow for God's sake, the emperor is in a bad mood because of this matter. If anyone hears it, you and I will inevitably get a beating."

"Okay, throw up the rag, why are you so afraid? What you are doing is all old history. When I went to deliver charcoal to Kunning Palace this morning, I heard from Xiao Chunzi that Her Royal Highness the Princess has returned to the palace, and the Emperor has appointed me to meet him.

Smile.”

Hearing this, the eunuch who was holding the ladder suddenly became calmer. He picked up the rag and threw it up, "Go on."

The rag drew a parabola, but the eunuch above did not catch it. Instead, he stared intently in the air. He saw a piece of goose feather-like snow.

Then there was another piece.

What followed immediately was countless films.

"Snow!" The eunuch's voice was already shrill, but he shouted it loudly, and it immediately spread far and wide.

Many eunuchs and maids around heard the shouting, and they all looked up to the sky, only to see heavy snow like goose feathers floating all over the sky.

"Snowing!"

Countless shouts of surprise rang out from different places almost simultaneously, spreading throughout the entire palace in an instant.

There was a charcoal fire burning in Kunning Palace, and the inch-long charcoal was burning vigorously in the copper furnaces in the shape of lotuses.

All the palace doors were closed tightly, and they were in the Dongnuan Pavilion of Kunning Palace. Countless shouts floated in faintly, but they could not hear clearly what they were shouting about.

Emperor Hongzhi, who was talking to his daughter, frowned and said, "What are these people in the palace shouting about?"

Queen Zhang said: "Mother Liu, go and take a look outside."

Aunt Liu responded, and before she left, Xiao Jing ran into the Dongnuan Pavilion from the outer hall. The old man's face was full of joy, and he fell to his knees as soon as he entered.

"My slave, congratulations to the emperor! Congratulations to the empress! Congratulations to your highness the princess! It's snowing, God has sent auspicious snow! What a big auspicious snow!"

Before he finished speaking, Emperor Hongzhi stood up abruptly, left his wife and daughter and walked outside. He walked to the outer hall, opened the door of the palace and walked out of the hall.

Outside Kunning Palace, countless goose-feather-like snow fell all over the sky. Xiao Jing, who chased after him, held a fox fur cloak in his hand and quickly put it on Emperor Hongzhi.

Zhu Youtang looked at the heavy snow in the sky, and the deep sorrow hidden in his brows finally dissipated a little, and he laughed happily.

Immediately, he turned around and looked back again, until he saw his daughter wearing a white fox shawl following the queen out of the palace, and then he waved happily, "Come on, Xiurong, come to the father."

"Father."

Emperor Hongzhi's face became more and more happy when he heard his father's soft call. He used his hands to straighten the fox fur shawl on his daughter's shoulders, and then he said cheerfully:

"Today when Xiurong returned to the palace, it snowed heavily. My daughter must have caused this heavy snow."

Empress Zhang looked up at the heavy snowfall in the sky and said with a smile: "The reason why this heavy snow is falling is because the warm and moist air flow that Ju Zheng mentioned a few days ago has arrived. What our Xiurong has attracted is not the snow, but this warm and moist air flow."

"What is warm and humid airflow?"

Zhu Xiurong looked stunned, and Queen Zhang asked: "He didn't tell you this?"

"No."

After hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi took another look at the curiosity and confusion on his daughter's little face, and said: "Xiao Banban, go and find that boy for me, and ask him to come over and tell Xiurong."

In the Ming Dynasty, there were seven warehouses for storing grain in the capital, each of which could store millions of kilograms of grain.

These are all warehouses for storing grain. As for the national treasury, they are Guangying warehouse, Changying warehouse and Fengying warehouse.

Among them, the Fengying Treasury is a place dedicated to paying the salaries of officials from all over the world. It has three gates, each gate is three feet high, two feet wide, and several feet thick.

There are three warehouse doors or two doors. Such a heavy door is naturally equipped with groove wheels. Whether it is opening or locking the warehouse, several people work together to pull the iron chain. Normally, the three warehouse doors are all closed, and the household department

When personnel count the deposits, they enter and exit through the small door on the left side of the main door.

There were many guards guarding Xunri, and no one dared to approach, but today Feng Yingcang was bustling with activity.

Because there was a notice from the Ministry of Household Affairs: all officials of the fourth rank and below in the capital came to collect the owed salary.

There are many officials in the capital, and their situations are all different. Those with high positions and powerful positions simply do not care about this little money.

However, some low-ranking officials have rich family fortunes and disdain the court's salary.

The people who came here were wearing winged hats and blue or green official uniforms. They were poor and poor officials. Most of them were young and from poor backgrounds. They finally became officials, but they had no authority and no chance to make money.

Living in the capital is not easy.

They live on this salary, and now they are three months in arrears with their salary, and the New Year is about to happen. Whether they can survive this year depends on today's salary.

Therefore, even though there was a heavy snowfall, it still could not resist the enthusiasm of these people and they looked forward to it eagerly.

The queue was noisy, filled with expectation and joy. From time to time, some people in the queue asked why the door was not open, and others called for friends.

"Brother Boyan, I will receive my salary later, and it is rare to catch the first snowfall this year. Why don't we wait for the luxury, buy some peanuts, wine and meat, and go to Yuquan Mountain to have a drink and enjoy the snow together?"

After all, he is a poor official in the capital. His so-called luxury is to buy some wine, meat and peanuts, and go to free tourist attractions such as Yuquan Mountain to watch the snow.

The man who was called Boyan, whose surname was Wu, and Boyan was his given name, thought for a moment after hearing this and said: "Just buy some peanuts and drinks, but there is no need for meat, otherwise I will get angry again and think I spend too much money."

silver."

"I didn't expect Brother Boyan to be henpecked."

Hearing this, the familiar people all laughed and looked at the still closed vermilion door, looking forward to it.

It's just that everyone in the queue doesn't know that after passing through this vermilion gate, they pass through the three warehouse gates.

At first glance, all four walls of the huge and abundant warehouse were empty, except for the cloth bags piled on the ground, and the strong smell of spices spread.
Chapter completed!