After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Li Jinglong took out the iced watermelon, and the two of them ate the melon and chatted about life.
"By the way, I heard that Lan Yu was ill a few days ago. Is she feeling better?"
"It's just a small cold, and it has recovered." Li Qing smiled and said, "Since you care so much, why don't you go and see for yourself?"
Li Jinglong curled his lips and kept his venomous tongue, "I'm afraid that I'll make him angry when I go."
"..." Li Qing shook his head and laughed. These enemies were really...no one else.
He took a bite of the watermelon, enjoying the cold and sweet taste, and sighed: "Actually, I'm quite envious of you, brother. You don't have to work, and you can spend more on your pension alone."
This is true. Zhu Di was extremely grateful for Li Jinglong's release into the sea during the Battle of Jingnan, and rewarded him extraordinarily.
Cao Guogong's annual salary is arrogant among the others. No other Duke can compare with him. Even if Li Qing holds two positions, he cannot compare with this guy.
Of course, this does not include the gifts Li Qing has received over the years.
Li Qing was not corrupt, but he often accepted bribes. However, because he made great contributions and did not do anything with money, Zhu Di never said anything to him about this matter.
Counting the accumulation of the Hongwu Dynasty, Li Qing's small treasury was very full after so many years. Although he was not as rich as the wealthy gentry in Jiangnan, he was still richer than the average small landowner.
However, he still envied Li Jinglong, because this guy earned more than him even if he didn't work.
Li Jinglong smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Glory and wealth are endless, but... who doesn't want to do something great and leave a name in history?"
"Brother, you will definitely leave your name in history." Li Qing vowed.
"I'm afraid it's not a good reputation!" Li Jinglong said depressedly, "Historians love to criticize me. In order to show that the emperor is powerful, they have to write me down as a idiot."
You're right... Li Qing consoled him, "Why are you thinking so much? Living the present moment is the only thing that matters."
Then, he smiled evilly and said, "Would you like me to take care of your body so that I don't have to complain?"
"This..." Li Jinglong was moved. As we all know, for men, the stronger in this aspect, the better.
"Ahem...it's not impossible."
Li Qing scratched his head and said, "Since you think it can be done, then stop reading."
"I mean... it's not impossible to see." Li Jinglong's face was stern, and then he forcibly redeemed himself: "Of course, I'm not bad either."
Li Qing nodded with a smile, looked around and asked about it, and then wrote a specific prescription.
"There is nothing wrong with your body, just take it once a day."
"Don't you look down on people?" Li Jinglong said with a straight face, "I always spend a lot of time."
"...I said medicine, what are you talking about?"
Li Jinglong froze and said humbly, "You understand~"
…
After eating and drinking, they chatted for a while. Seeing that the sun was no longer harsh, Li Qing stood up and left.
On the way back, he stopped by Liang Guogong's Mansion.
Lan Yu is really old, his hair is almost completely white, and his burly figure has become rickety. He is almost seventy years old and has to use a cane to walk.
"Have you been drinking again?" Lan Yu said enviously, "Why are your bones so strong?"
"I'm younger than you." Li Qing said honestly.
These words were a bit heartbreaking, and Lan Yu's face turned dark, "Did you drink at the bar at Li Jinglong's house?"
"You know all this?"
"Otherwise, I wouldn't be so venomous." Lan Yu rolled her eyes, "After finishing the wine, you come to my place for tea again. You are really prudent."
"Ahaha... I'm not concerned about whether you are feeling well or not due to the cold." Li Qing knew that Lan Yu was a good drinker, so he said, "I'll make you a jar of medicated wine later. It can relieve your hangover addiction and nourish your body."
Hearing this, Lan Yu was overjoyed and opened her mouth: "Ten altars!"
"One jar a month." Li Qing said angrily, "I'll make it for you after you finish it. If you finish it in advance, you'll have to wait until next month."
"Then you make the jar a little bigger. It can hold fifty pounds."
You want to eat shit... Li Qing said: "Fifteen pounds, half a pound a day, three meals a day, one cup after a meal is just right."
"Okay!" Lan Yu nodded helplessly, knowing that Li Qing was doing it for his own good.
"Are you feeling particularly uncomfortable right now?" Li Qing asked.
Lan Yu sighed: "As I get older, I feel uncomfortable everywhere, but there is nothing particularly uncomfortable."
After a pause, he said, "Actually, I am quite contented. I am already a long life to live to such a long age, and my family can continue to enjoy the glory and wealth. Compared to my brothers who died in the battlefield, I am not so lucky."
"Yes." Li Qing nodded with a smile, "Calm down and live."
Worried, he took Lan Yu's pulse again and found nothing unusual, then stood up and left.
~
In the evening, after dinner, Li Qing took the three girls for a walk, but the weather was too hot, so they had to end it hastily.
It’s more comfortable than the ‘air-conditioned room’ at home.
After bathing, the three women sat in a row with a fragrant fragrance, silently inviting them.
Li Qing smiled evilly and pulled down the bed curtain.
…
…
Inside the light gauze tent, people smile and follow each other, but happiness and ease cannot be overcome by repeated setbacks;
Bai Mei's spring soul is in chaos, and all the bones collected in front of the three peaks are melting;
If you move the beads, the flowers will become redder;
The rooster crows at five o'clock...
~
The next day, Li Qing went to the morning court.
Zhu Di also went to the morning court, no longer letting the eldest son bear the burden alone. After the second son left, the relationship between father and son gradually warmed up.
Nowadays, Zhu Di has begun to gradually delegate power to his son, and he is also trying to let his son handle some important official affairs.
And his son did not disappoint him, handling both big and small matters appropriately.
Except that the eldest son is not tough enough, in all other aspects, he meets Zhu Di's expectations.
However, Zhu Di didn't force it anymore. Anyway, his eldest grandson took care of everything.
In a blink of an eye, more than a month passed.
On the eighth day of July, Zheng He returned with his treasure ship.
The civil and military forces of the entire dynasty were in high spirits!
Sanbao did not come back alone, he came back with huge wealth. When the treasury has money, it will not use treasure money to replace salary.
Nowadays, prices have risen, but their salaries have not. Folks can no longer buy one stone of rice with conventional banknotes, but the court still pays one stone of rice with conventional banknotes, which makes them miserable.
But things are different when the Three Treasures come back. Those rare items are worth their salary, so they can actually make a profit.
It can be said that all the civil and military officials in the dynasty were waiting for the Three Treasures to come back to rescue them.
With the expectations of the ministers, Sanbao finally returned.
In the Fengtian Temple Square, as soon as the court was over in the morning, Zhu Di had a banquet here, accompanied by all the ministers, and received the Three Treasures with a very high standard.
He also counted on the Three Treasures to ease the Ming Dynasty's finances.
Li Qing couldn't help but sigh: In the future, no eunuch will be able to match the Three Treasures. Even among all the eunuchs in the past dynasties, no one can compare with the Three Treasures.
To be honest, this is the end of what a eunuch can do for the Three Treasures.
A quarter of an hour later, Sanbao arrived at the square under the eyes of everyone who was looking forward to it.
Xiaopang stood up and came forward to greet him. Seeing this, the ministers also stood up one after another.
"I am here to see the prince Qiantai!"
"No courtesy." Before Sanbao bowed down, Xiaopang held him firmly and said softly: "Thank you for your hard work."
"Your Highness, please be polite. This is your duty."
After setting foot on his homeland again and seeing his old friend, Sanbao felt excited, and his dark and rough face became flushed.
Li Qing stepped forward, patted Sanbao on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Everyone is waiting for you to come back."
Sanbao smiled and nodded, suppressing his inner excitement, he cupped his hands and said, "I have met Marquis Yongqing!"
Then, civil servants and military generals came forward to exchange greetings.
Sanbao is a Western under the banner of promoting national prestige. Strictly speaking, what he does is the work of a civilian official. However, he goes to sea and brings tens of thousands of naval troops. From this aspect, he does the work of a military general.
The three treasures, civil and military, are universal.
However, Sanbao was more popular among generals because he also participated in the Jingnan Campaign and was familiar with many of the Jingnan heroes.
After exchanging pleasantries, the officials returned to their seats.
After a while, Zhu Di and Xu Miaoyun came hand in hand.
The ministers' buttocks were still hot from sitting, so they quickly stood up and saluted: "I will pay my respects to my emperor, long live the emperor, and may the queen live a thousand lives!"
"Everyone is at peace." Zhu Di waved his sleeves and led his wife to the main banquet and sat down.
Then, he waved to Sanbao, "Sanbao, come and sit."
Sanbao hesitated for a moment, responded with a respectful tone, and shyly came to the main table and sat down.
Seeing that all the main characters were in place, Xiaopang shouted at the top of his lungs: "Let's start the banquet!"
Not long after, the eunuchs and maids came up with dishes, and the flow continued.
Li Qing quietly moved his chair, farther away from Xiaopang and closer to Sanbao.
"Sambo, how are the profits this time?" Li Qing asked a question that everyone was concerned about.
Hearing this, Zhu Di and the ministers nearby all pricked up their ears and were full of expectations.
Although the policy of clearing landownership and dividing land into acres has been implemented continuously, no benefits can be seen in the short term, and Ming Dynasty is now almost unable to open the pot.
Sanbao cupped his hands towards Zhu Di and said with a warm smile: "Relying on the emperor's heaven-like virtues, the benefits this time are even greater. Compared with the last time I went to sea, it has increased by 30%!"
Phew~
Everyone was relieved, they had money, they finally had money.