King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 797 Congratulations to our emperor, and wish him a happy and healthy Lantern Festival!
Feng Yuan and his group went to the lively area, and after finally squeezing through, they discovered that some people were arguing.

The two groups that got into the dispute were merchants from Guangdong and foreigners from overseas. The dispute started because one side accused the other of cutting in line.

There is no surveillance in this world nowadays, and everyone has their own reasons. In the end, the people from the Wucheng Bingmasi took both sides away.

After opening up the sea in recent years, the Ming Dynasty has had close exchanges with Western merchants, so it is not too uncommon to see foreigners nowadays.

Feng Yuan and his party all came from Jinling, which was the most prosperous place for maritime trade, so they were not surprised at all.

At this time, someone said: "Since the lifting of the maritime ban, these Western barbarians have been traveling to and from the Ming Dynasty at will, causing many troubles... It's really hateful!"

As traditional scholar-officials, they naturally had a bad attitude towards foreigners, so this statement attracted many people to agree.

Seeing that Feng Yuan didn't speak, Song Ziyu asked, "Brother Feng, what do you think about this?"

After thinking for a while, Feng Yuan replied: "The Western Barbarians do not know etiquette, but their national strength is strong and their territory is vast... they should not be underestimated!"

Song Ziyu nodded and said with a smile: "From the tone of Brother Feng's voice, you must know a lot about the Western Barbarians!"

"The current emperor pays special attention to the Western Yi, and especially admires their science and mathematics, so I have read more about them!"

Feng Yuan himself was not interested in these things, but in the process of "catering to their interests", after learning more about the West, he had to admit that these people were powerful and should not be underestimated as barbarians.

Thinking of this, Feng Yuan asked Song Ziyu, "Brother Song, what do you think of the Western Barbarians?"

"These people do have some abilities, but they are just fireflies after all. How can they compete with the Ming Dynasty?"

Bowing his hands to show respect, Song Ziyu continued, "Now that the emperor is on the throne, the country is at peace and the people are united. We are not afraid of any foreign enemies!"

Feng Yuan nodded, but didn't say anything more.

At this time in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Jinghong was meeting with the minister, the current Left Censor-in-Chief Yao Hongchang.

This man is already sixty-five years old. He had a serious illness this winter and has not yet recovered, so he looks very weak now.

This person was already an old minister, and most importantly, he was a relatively honest official. He had done a lot of practical work in the position of Chief Censor, so Zhu Jinghong treated him with special courtesy and ordered someone to bring a stool for him.

He was given a seat at the Qianqing Palace for audience, a treatment that even cabinet ministers did not have, which touched old man Yao deeply.

So before getting down to business, Yao Hongchang went back and forth for a while just to thank the emperor for his grace.

The main reason he came here today was actually to retire and return home.

On the one hand, Yao Hongchang was old and wanted to return to his roots, and on the other hand, he knew the times and took the initiative to make room for Wang Peian.

At Yao Hongchang's request, Zhu Jinghong intended to keep him symbolically, but the former kept asking for more balls.

"Alas, my dear minister, since you have made up your mind to leave, I will not force you to do anything!" Zhu Jinghong sighed.

"Your Majesty, I bow to thank you for your grace!" Yao Hongchang bowed again.

"Get up, get up, no need to be polite!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The emperor agreed to his request to retire, and Yao Hongchang felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

The emperor and his minister chatted for a while before Yao Hongchang took his leave. He then returned to the Inspectorate and went straight to find Wang Pei'an.

"Master General, what do you want?"

Wang Pei'an was very respectful to his seniors and superiors. When he saw them come in, he immediately stood up to greet them and personally poured tea for them.

Sitting in the guest seat, Yao Hongchang said calmly: "I came to see you and say a few words to you!"

Seeing that his visit today was not a simple matter, Wang Pei'an perked up and sat opposite his boss.

"Please give me some advice, sir!"

"You have integrity, know when to advance and when to retreat, and are capable. You are a loyal and capable minister. I am not as good as you!" Yao Hongchang said with emotion at the end.

"Your Excellency is overpraising me. I just want to do my best to keep my conscience clear. I will do as much as I can!"

Knowing what kind of person Wang Pei'an was, Yao Hongchang stopped his polite words and continued, "Just now I went to see His Majesty and begged to resign and return home. After His Majesty tried every means to keep me, he finally granted my request!"

Wang Pei'an was surprised to hear this, but he still listened to Yao Hongchang continue.

"The position of Chief Censor is not easy to hold. I know you are a man who knows when to advance and when to retreat, but if you sit in this position, you will eventually make enemies. You must be more cautious in the future!"

People like Wang Pei'an are rare, so Yao Hongchang would talk a few more words and speak these heartfelt words.

The handover between the old and the new was already taking place here, and Zhu Jinghong, who had finished his afternoon affairs, began to change his clothes under the service of officials.

Today, Daming Gate celebrates with the people. He will wear the twelve-chapter and twelve-group dragon robe. It took him more than ten minutes to put it on.

After the old emperor passed away, Zhu Jinghong, as the youngest son, began to grow a beard. Now he has a decent look and looks much more mature and stable than before.

When Xichun came over holding the Yishan crown and was about to put it on Zhu Jinghong, the latter simply waved his hand.

"No need, there's still a while, wear it later!"

"Yes!" Xichun replied, and then she retreated sensibly.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother sent someone to tell you that Your Majesty is invited to have dinner at Kunning Palace. The other queens are also here!" Yu Hai stepped forward to report.

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong responded.

Back at Kunning Palace, all the concubines had arrived, including their children.

The women were talking to each other in the hall, while the children were chasing each other, which made Kunning Palace look very lively.

Baochai was sitting in the east hall, with Daiyu, Yang Jingting, Xiangyun and Keqing on her left and right, while the others were talking in the main hall.

Keqing had long been submissive to Baochai, and Daiyu and Xiangyun were even more loyal to Baochai, so Yang Jingting was very tactful at this time and basically spoke in line with everyone.

In fact, since she was conferred the title, Yang Jingting has always been very sensible, acting in a low-key manner and being respectful to the queen, and her life has been stable.

At this moment, the content of their conversation was mainly about their respective family matters. Since Baochai and Daiyu were the main ones, they specifically talked about maritime trade.

After the Ming Dynasty lifted the maritime ban, not only did trade prosper and commercial taxes surge, but the changes also affected many aspects of the Ming Dynasty.

Both the Xue family and the Lin family are now focusing on maritime trade, and both are doing business under the emperor's orders, so they are the first to reap the dividends in the tide of the times.

Baochai and Daiyu had a deep conversation, and Xiangyun listened with great interest, asking more questions when she encountered something she didn't understand.

She just thought it was interesting. As a military hero, the Shi family did not get involved in these matters, so she could only listen for fun.

Not to mention Keqing, she just wants to live a stable life now and doesn't care about any trivial matters.

As for Yang Jingting, she was also deeply involved in the conversation, simply because the Yang family is now undergoing transformation and is planning to get a piece of the pie in maritime trade, so many things were asked of her.

Everyone was chatting animatedly when they heard the emperor arriving from outside, so everyone in the hall went out to greet him.

Because they had been notified in advance, Zhu Jinghong and his party arrived outside the palace gate only when everyone was lined up at Kunning Gate.

Everyone bowed deeply, except Baochai, who was pregnant and had difficulty in bowing, so she just knelt down to bow.

"father……"

"Daddy..."

When Zhu Jinghong said no need to formality, without waiting for the concubines to come forward to greet them, the princes and princesses rushed over and surrounded Zhu Jinghong.

Even though he was wearing imperial robes and it was not convenient for him to bend down to do things, Zhu Jinghong still held his two little daughters in his arms and at the same time turned his eyes to his eldest son Zhu Muzhen.

"Boss, can you study hard these days?"

Zhu Muzhen was already seven years old. At this moment, he acted like a little adult and answered seriously, "Of course I worked hard. The teacher in the Hanlin Academy even praised me!"

"Well, second brother...what about you?"

The second child that Zhu Jinghong mentioned is Zhu Muwu, the son of Yang Jingting, who is almost six years old now.

Although the five-year-old child was young, Zhu Jinghong sent him to school because he knew that the boy was noisy and reading could help to calm his temper.

"My son is studying hard. He has finished all the homework that the teacher assigned him!"

"Um!

As he was speaking, Zhu Jinghong had already walked into the palace gate, and then asked about his two older daughters in turn, who were born to Yinglian and Keqing respectively.

As for the two little daughters in his arms, they were born to Qiqige and Xiangyun respectively, and his youngest daughter was born to Nuomin, who could not walk yet and was taken care of by a wet nurse.

The children took Zhu Jinghong hostage, and the concubines could only hold back their magical powers, thinking about what to say next and how to please the emperor.

Although Tanchun followed Zhu Jinghong and was favored by him many times, her stomach still had no reaction.

Tanchun was anxious about having a baby, but Yingchun was completely different. She really calmed down, so she ate and drank as she should, and served the emperor in bed as she should. Everyone entered the main hall of Kunning Palace together. Zhu Jinghong put down his two little daughters and then sat in the main seat.

When the concubines entered the hall, they saw Yang Jingting, who was the most enthusiastic. She walked past everyone and came to Zhu Jinghong, carefully and considerately arranging his clothes.

The manner of wearing royal robes is very important. Zhu Jinghong messed it up just now because he was holding the child, which gave Yang Jingting an opportunity.

She was a noble concubine, yet she came to do such a thing in person and showed such enthusiasm, which really seemed too disrespectful.

"Your Majesty, you dote on the children too much. We are difficult to discipline on weekdays, and after you praised us just now... I'm afraid they will become even more bold in the future!"

While talking, Yang Jingting was adjusting Zhu Jinghong's collar. The two of them were almost face to face, and the disturbance of her fragrant breath made Zhu Jinghong feel a little agitated.

At this moment, Baochai sat on the other side of the main seat and watched everything with a smile on her face.

At this time, Xiangyun came closer and complained, "Yes... Your Majesty is a hands-off manager, but he handed the problem to us. Isn't this too much?"

Zhu Jinghong then said with a smile: "The Queen invited me to come over for dinner, and now the food is not even ready, but you guys are already making a fuss. I haven't eaten, but you guys are making me full!"

As they chatted and laughed, time passed quickly and it was time for dinner.

Tonight is the Lantern Festival, and the Emperor and Empress will go up to the tower to celebrate with the people. Members of the royal family and civil and military officials will all have to come to greet them, so they had dinner early and then went to the reserved location inside the Daming Gate to wait.

At 8:00 p.m., Zhu Jinghong, Baochai and a group of concubines went to the palace gate.

Normally, only the emperor and the empress would receive congratulations, but if the emperor gave special permission, the concubines were not prohibited from going up to the tower.

This year was the first Lantern Festival after the change of the reign title. In order to let his concubines share the glory, Zhu Jinghong allowed everyone to go up to the tower together.

Baochai's belly is big, so it's inconvenient for her to go upstairs. Normally, she can ask for leave, and Zhu Jinghong also means the same.

Baochai declined the suggestion. From the perspective of her duties as queen or of asserting her identity, she had to appear on the city wall tonight.

The empress was entitled to ride in a sedan chair. In order to show the emperor and empress their unity, Zhu Jinghong simply let her ride in the same sedan chair with himself.

As for other people, they also had sedan chairs, but they had to leave the inner court first, and then there would be extra sedan chairs arranged outside.

On the imperial carriage, Zhu Jinghong and Baochai sat side by side, each wearing their own formal dress.

Zhu Jinghong was fine, but the phoenix crown on Baochai's head weighed at least two or three pounds, and it was certainly not easy to carry it all the way.

An umbrella cleared the way in front, and guards followed on both sides. All the eunuchs, guards, and officials along the way knelt down, demonstrating the supremacy of the emperor.

The only ones who could enjoy this honor were the emperor and the empress on the imperial carriage.

Zhu Jinghong has gotten used to it recently, so his mentality is extremely peaceful, and he is even thinking about things in the court.

Baochai, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.

After all, she is only 25 years old, one year younger than Zhu Jinghong, and she has become the queen and the mother of the country. It is normal for her to be a little excited.

The sedan chair passed through Fengtian Gate, Wumen Gate, Duanmen Gate, Chengtian Gate in succession, and finally stopped at Daming Gate.

All the officials gathered here. As the emperor and empress descended from their sedan chairs, all the civil and military officials present, led by Chief Minister Zhao Yushan, bowed to the ground in unison.

"Your Majesty, I bow to you. Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live Long live Long live!"

There were at least three hundred members of the royal family and civil and military officials at the scene. The sound they made was like a huge wave, reaching outside the Daming Gate.

At this moment, outside the Daming Gate, a large number of soldiers were already on high alert, and the people were staying outside the outermost barricades, looking forward to the palace gate.

The composition of the so-called common people was extremely complex, including the people of the capital, merchants traveling back and forth, envoys from the inner vassal states, foreign envoys, students coming to the capital, and merchants from the Western countries...

Countless headlights have been lit on both sides of Tianjie, and with the bright moon tonight, the lighting conditions on site are good.

Inside the Daming Gate, Zhu Jinghong glanced at Baochai behind him, then smiled and stretched out his hand.

The queen was supposed to follow behind the emperor, but at this moment Zhu Jinghong wanted to go up the stairs hand in hand with her. There was no doubt that this was not in accordance with the rules.

These things that happened tonight are not a big deal, and going beyond that will not have much impact. Besides, the union of the emperor and empress is a good thing.

"Baochai, let's go!"

Baochai nodded slightly, smiled and stretched out her hand.

So the emperor and the empress walked together all the way to the palace gate, followed by a group of concubines.

Among the clan members in the rear, Zhu Yunsheng looked at his brother and sister-in-law's backs and unconsciously thought of his deceased parents.

The situation at this moment gave her the illusion that her parents were right in front of her.

Zhu Yunsheng had this idea, but other people at the scene had different ideas.
As the emperor and empress ascended the tower, drum sounds were heard from the Daming Gate, indicating that the emperor was about to appear.

The people waiting outside became more and more excited. After all, the emperor was about to appear, the father of hundreds of millions of people.

"Yes... Your Majesty... Your Majesty has arrived!"

Someone with sharp eyes noticed the situation on the palace gate and shouted loudly to the left and right, and then the crowd suddenly became agitated.

Nearly three thousand soldiers were stationed outside the Daming Gate alone, and five thousand were stationed inside the palace gate to ensure the absolute safety of the palace gate.

But even so, the commotion in the crowd still made the commanders and captains nervous, as they were afraid of even the slightest mistake.

Immediately afterwards, some people knelt down and kowtowed spontaneously, and the people around them followed suit, and then large groups of people knelt down.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

The people who come to pay respect to the emperor during the Lantern Festival have inquired about the rules in advance, which can also highlight their piety. It seems that such a wish is more likely to be fulfilled.

There was a constant roar of "Long live the emperor" at the scene, and Feng Yuan and others were also overwhelmed with emotion, their loyalty to their king and father was surging.

Loyalty to the emperor and father is an idea ingrained in the bones of the Ming people and the internal vassal states, so they can understand the fanaticism towards the people around them.

But for the foreign envoys and even the merchant envoys from European countries, the atmosphere on the scene made them shudder.

The difference between the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the emperor in their understanding was really too great.

If the Ming people were so united, it would be too difficult for the European powers to defeat and subdue them.

The frenzy continued for a few minutes before the story on the palace gate stopped. Everyone knew that the imperial edict was about to be read. This was the routine almost every year.

"The Grand Imperial Decree on the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the first year of Qiansheng..."

On the city wall, Lu Tong, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, shouted out the name of the imperial edict loudly. Under the city wall, hundreds of soldiers who had been trained in advance acted as human loudspeakers and shouted out Lu Tong's words in unison.

These soldiers were deployed from Daming Gate to Zhengyang. They had memorized the contents of the edict in advance and could read it out to everyone in the capital.

"The emperor is destined to be transported by heaven, and the edict says..."

"I have inherited the legacy of my ancestors, and I always wish to spread my benevolence and virtue throughout the world..."

The edict was lengthy and was an exquisite article written by the Hanlin Academy. Although it was well-written, Zhu Jinghong did not like it very much.

"The mountains and rivers will always be stable and auspicious, the four seas will be at peace, and we will enjoy good fortune every year!"

"Appreciate this!"

After the edict was read, the people under the city wall cheered, and there were shouts of "Thank you, Your Majesty" and "Long live the emperor."

On the city wall, Zhu Jinghong sat upright on the throne, feeling the roar of congratulations from the mountains and seas, yet he remained calm and reserved.

Feeling all things crawling at his feet, he once again felt truly and intuitively what it meant to be the supreme ruler of the nine provinces and the father of hundreds of millions of people.

Looking at Baochai who was sitting beside him, Zhu Jinghong smiled, and Baochai also smiled.

It was also at this moment that fireworks were released behind and on both sides of the Daming Gate. The bright lights seemed to shoot straight into the sky, and the gorgeous light spread to the world, reflecting the various lanterns on the street.

The fireworks continued, making the night as bright as day, and the atmosphere on the scene reached its climax.

"Congratulations to our emperor, and may you have a healthy and peaceful Lantern Festival!"

"Congratulations to our emperor, and may you have a healthy and peaceful Lantern Festival!"

"Congratulations to our emperor, and may you have a healthy and peaceful Lantern Festival!"

The people all expressed their congratulations, which was a response to the emperor's blessing and was also a routine procedure of the Lantern Festival.

Influenced by the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor, everyone shouted passionately, and their voices gradually became unified from being chaotic, and finally came together completely.

The voice is majestic and powerful, expressing the endless respect of the people of China for their emperor and father.

Everyone was shouting loudly, and the way they shouted at the top of their lungs frightened many foreigners.

(End of this chapter)