King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 809 Zhu Muzhen: We are of the same origin

As an emperor, Zhu Jinghong only needed to issue an edict and then order people to supervise its implementation.

To be honest, being an emperor is both difficult and simple.

As time passed, the topic of imperial examinations became less popular, and the new scholars began to enter politics.

Those who performed well in the exam were admitted to the Hanlin Academy, those who performed less well went to the six ministries to observe government affairs, and the last batch were assigned official positions and sent to various places to serve as county magistrates.

April 15th is another special day because Baochai gave birth.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on having another heir!"

In the main hall of Kunning Palace, all the concubines congratulated Zhu Jinghong, and the midwife had already brought the baby to him.

Zhu Jinghong took his son in his own hand and looked at the wrinkled little thing in the cradle, with an uncontrollable smile on his face.

"How is the Queen?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

The female official at the side replied, "Your Majesty, the Queen is fine, but she is too tired from giving birth and has fallen asleep."

After nodding, Zhu Jinghong asked everyone to leave, leaving only the two imperial concubines behind.

To be honest, Daiyu and Yang Jingting had nothing in common, but now they were chatting very harmoniously, talking about various things related to their children.

The baby in his arms fell asleep quickly. Zhu Jinghong was afraid of disturbing the little one's sleep, so he handed the baby to the female official beside him.

At this time, his other two legitimate sons, one big and one small, also followed their little brother to the side hall. It seemed that they were very happy.

However, when he saw the three children leaving, Zhu Jinghong felt a little worried in his heart, and then he sighed again.

"Why is your Majesty sighing?" Yang Jingting paid attention to the emperor's words and expressions, and asked immediately after noticing the situation.

"Childbirth is a matter of life and death. The Queen's childbirth is extremely dangerous, but I can't help at all. I feel ashamed when I think about it."

"Your Majesty, the Queen has made outstanding contributions, and you must reward her generously." Yang Jingting replied with a smile.

"All matters concerning the inner palace are in the hands of the Queen. How she rewards them... is entirely up to her. I don't know how to reward her."

Yang Jingting continued, "Your Highness is in charge of the inner court, but you are also in charge of it for His Majesty. If there is any gift, it should be given by His Majesty."

They talked like this, while Daiyu just drank tea quietly and only replied a few words when Zhu Jinghong asked her.

About half an hour later, upon learning that Baochai had woken up, Zhu Jinghong wanted to go in to check. Yang Jingting was about to go with him but was stopped by Daiyu.

"Sister Ting, the Queen is weak, and if we have too many people, she might get disturbed. Let's wait outside!"

"Uh, this..."

"Daiyu is right, you guys should not come in, it's not good to have too many people."

Even Zhu Jinghong said so, Yang Jingting quickly agreed, but she felt uncomfortable in her heart, but she always had a smile on her face.

After Zhu Jinghong left, Yang Jingting turned around with a smile and said self-deprecatingly: "Sister Lin, you are really considerate and thoughtful. A foolish person like me really doesn't know the importance of things."

"Sister Ting is also concerned about the Queen."

While the two people outside were talking again, Zhu Jinghong had already entered the bedroom. Baochai had woken up at this moment, but she looked extremely weak.

At this moment, she looked at the baby in her arms, her face full of smiles, as if this was her most precious thing.

"Your Majesty, you are here."

Zhu Jinghong sat down in front of the bed and signaled Baochai not to move. Then he thanked the Queen for her hard work.

"Your Majesty, what should the child be named?"

Zhu Jinghong had already thought of a name for the baby, and he had thought of two names, one for a boy and one for a girl.

"Dong...how about it?" As he spoke, Zhu Jinghong took out a piece of paper from his arms, on which the word "Dong" was written.

"Zhu Mu...Dong." Baochai said softly.

Is the word "Dong" good? Of course it is very good, as he was expected to be a pillar of the country and was the first among Zhu Jinghong's sons.

Simply put, Baochai thought this name was too good, and the prince with this name was destined to be extraordinary.

Refuse it? After thinking about it, Baochai felt that it was absolutely impossible. After all, there were only a few characters with the wood radical that were suitable for being a name. If she refused it, wouldn't it be giving it away to others?

Moreover, this is the first son born to His Majesty after he ascended the throne, and he is also an extremely noble legitimate son. No one else is worthy of him except my son...

Seeing Baochai in a trance for a long time, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Is it not good?"

"Your Majesty's suggestion is of course very good." Baochai replied with a smile.

"Just now they said outside that you have made great contributions to the country, and asked me how to reward you. How does the Queen think we should reward you?" Zhu Jinghong asked with a smile.

"This is my duty, and now my food, clothing and daily expenses are all of the best quality, so there is no need for rewards."

Just as she finished speaking, Baochai suddenly had an idea and said, "If Your Majesty really wants to reward me, I have a favor to ask."

"What's the matter?"

"The country is peaceful now, but Your Majesty has been on the throne for a long time and has not yet filled the harem... I, as the queen, have been negligent in my duties."

"Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to select a beauty for me. I hope Your Majesty will approve it."

Zhu Jinghong was indeed shocked when he heard Baochai's request.

You might say that he is not opposed to the talent show, but it happened so suddenly that he was a little overwhelmed.

"There is no rush for this matter. It won't be too late to discuss it again after the Queen recovers!"

"Then I will assume that Your Majesty agrees." Baochai responded with a smile.

The queen's childbirth was a major event, and Zhu Jinghong immediately announced the good news to the court and the public, and at the same time rewarded the eunuchs, palace maids, and guards in the palace.

This involved tens of thousands of people, and more than 100,000 taels of silver were thrown out at one time, but this silver was undoubtedly well spent.

After all, these people serve the royal family in terms of food, clothing, and daily life, and ensure the safety of the imperial city and palace, so naturally they should be rewarded and treated well.

In a blink of an eye, another month passed. When the baby was one month old, Zhu Jinghong gave a banquet to all the ministers in Wuying Hall. The palace was filled with a festive atmosphere that day.

Because Baochai's health improved, an imperial decree was issued on May 20th to select concubines from the five provinces of Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hubei.

So everyone in the court and the country praised the Queen's virtue, and naturally Baochai was in charge of all these matters.

Zhu Jinghong's current focus is on the situation in Annan, and for this he is eager to fly to the front line to command.

Of course, this was just his thought. After all, he had to deal with all the major issues in the world, and Annan was just a small part of it.

On the third day of June, the imperial physician confirmed that Yingchun was pregnant after taking her pulse. This made Zhu Jinghong even happier, so he went to Yijing Palace in person.

Zhu Jinghong felt guilty towards this quiet woman, so he was particularly kind to her.

Now that she is pregnant, she will have one more thing to care about in this world, and her future life will be more colorful.

Sitting in the hall, looking at Yingchun and Tanchun who were dressed simply, Zhu Jinghong suddenly realized that he was too selfish and took this selfishness for granted.

He likes different experiences, so he wants these two to meditate, practice Taoism, eat vegetarian food, and chant Buddhist scriptures, and they are not allowed to wear beautiful clothes. This is really too much.

"From now on... this Yijing Palace doesn't have to be so plain. After all, it is a royal palace, so it must be somewhat noble."

He spoke as if it was someone else's fault, so to be an emperor one must be thick-skinned so that one could remain calm like Zhu Jinghong.

Yingchun just nodded slightly, while Tanchun stood up and said, "I obey your order!"

"Don't just stay in the palace, go out and talk to other people from time to time!"

Zhu Jinghong started talking nonsense again, but for Yingchun and Tanchun, they would live much more comfortably from now on.

The three of them were talking when Yu Hai walked in from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, the British and French envoys have arrived in Beijing and have been placed in the post house by the Ministry of Rites!"

"Ok!"

He had received the news that Britain and France had sent envoys here two months ago, so it was not too late for these people to arrive in Beijing today.

"Let the Ministry of Rites handle it. Find out their intentions first, and then talk about other things!" "Your servant obeys your order!"

Inside the Ministry of Rites, there were more than twenty envoys from Britain and France, who were arranged in two adjacent courtyards.

The two envoys on this mission were the Marquis of York from England and the Marquis of Robert from France.

At this moment, the two men were talking with Jin Yongliang, the head of the Ministry of Rites, and both sides brought their own interpreters.

York had a big beard and spoke with great momentum: "We are here to meet your emperor. When can you let us meet him?"

Jin Yongliang looked calm and said slowly, "Why have you come all the way here to see His Majesty?"

"We are here for the friendship among our three countries!" Robert smiled and looked much kinder.

Seeing that the two guys were not telling the truth, Jin Yongliang also pretended to be polite and said, "Our Celestial Empire has always valued peace, so as long as your country does not provoke disputes, we can naturally get along in peace."

The three of them chatted about random things and ended the awkward conversation after a few minutes.

After Jin Yongliang left, the two envoys' faces changed, and there was dissatisfaction in their expressions.

Although they knew that the Ming Dynasty was a powerful country and they were accustomed to its superiority, they still felt uncomfortable being neglected like this.

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Of course, these people believe most in the law of the jungle. Whether it was the Northwest War a few years ago or the wars at sea, they all made them aware of the strength of the Ming Dynasty, so they appeared to be very upright on the surface.

If the Ming Dynasty could be forced to withdraw from Southeast Asia from the perspective of strength, they would definitely not take the initiative to send envoys to negotiate.

Those who fear power but do not cherish virtue are this kind of people.

At present, Britain and France have divided the Indian region, and their next plan was to expand into Southeast Asia, but the entry of the Ming court disrupted their plans.

Robert said: "Looking at their response attitude, I think the Emperor of Ming will not meet us. We may not be able to achieve our goal this time!"

York replied: "That's not good news."

Robert asked again: "What are you going to do next?"

"In the words of the Ming Dynasty, they want to intimidate us and overpower us with their momentum. These are just some tricks."

Hearing York's words, Robert couldn't help but raise his voice: "But if this drags on, the Ming army will march into Ayutthaya on a large scale."

"That's just right. A few years ago, we went to war in Junggar and were dragged down by the barbarians of Luosha, which led to our defeat."

"This time in the great city of Myanmar, we can fully demonstrate our strength and let the Ming people know how powerful we are!"

York was a warmonger. A few years ago, England sent troops to fight in Dzungaria, and his most valued son died there.

Robert was speechless for a moment. He found that this man was not suitable to be a diplomat, and would be more suitable to be a general leading troops.

"Duke of York, I need to remind you that your mission is to prevent the Ming army from entering the city, not to think about going to war with them!"

"If you don't work hard on this, I will report your actions to your governor and king truthfully!"

Hearing Robert's words, York looked extremely angry. After staring at him for a while, he changed his tone and said, "I was just talking casually, just complaining!"

"You are on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the country. I hope you won't be too casual!"

After saying this, Robert walked out of the room and parted ways with York unhappily.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed. The people from the Ministry of Rites continued to test the British and French delegations and dug up quite a few things.

In fact, there was no need to ask too much, Zhu Jinghong also knew why they came. After all, the disputes among the three countries were only in Southeast Asia.

Looking at Luo Guangde, the Minister of Rites, who was kneeling in front of the palace to ask for instructions, Zhu Jinghong said calmly: "Tell them that the Ming Dynasty does not provide free accommodation for a long time. If they don't make their intention clear, please find an inn to stay in by themselves!"

"Yes!"

Looking at the book in Luo Guangde's hand, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Anything else?"

Luo Guangde bent his waist and replied: "Your Majesty, this is the list of newly selected Shujishi, please take a look at it!"

Yu Hai took the memorial and presented it to Zhu Jinghong.

Looking at the list, Feng Yuan was naturally ranked first, and was granted the position of editor as per the rules.

Song Ziyu and Mu Xinrong are editors. Their articles all praise the new policies, otherwise they would not be among the top ten.

After reading the list, Zhu Jinghong said, "Go ahead and play according to the rules!"

"Yes!" Luo Guangde replied.

Even if this matter has been dealt with and the memorials submitted today have been read, I can arrange my afternoon time freely.

The so-called free arrangement is actually not very free. After all, he is confined to the palace walls, and the place where he can entertain himself is mainly in the harem.

"Summer is coming soon. Maybe we can stay in Xiyuan for a while, or go to a summer palace outside the city!"

Anyway, he was really tired of living in this palace. Even if the throne was a life sentence, he wanted to be imprisoned in a different prison.

As soon as he entered the inner palace, Zhu Jinghong happened to meet his eldest son, Zhu Muzhen, who had just returned from school.

"Meet Father!"

When Zhu Muzhen kowtowed, the eunuchs and palace maids accompanying him also knelt down.

"Get up...I'm back from school!"

After Zhu Muzhen stood up, he trotted over to his father and said, "Today's homework is done, the teacher will dismiss school early!"

Zhu Muzhen is already over seven years old and has been in school for nearly two years. He has learned a lot of rules and regulations and looks like a little adult.

Before Zhu Jinghong could ask more questions, his second son Zhu Muwu also came in from the palace gate. When he saw him, he ran towards him with joy on his face.

"father……"

The crisp cry and the swift steps coming towards him made Zhu Jinghong smile unconsciously.

"Hey!" Zhu Jinghong responded.

He just squatted down, held Zhu Muwu in his arms, and then asked him a few more questions.

Zhu Muwu is the son of Yang Jingting. He is almost seven years old now and studies at the Wenhua Palace School with Zhu Muzhen.

Holding Zhu Muwu in one hand and holding Zhu Muzhen in the other, the three of them, father and son, went to Kunning Palace together.

The scene that just happened was seen by the palace maids and eunuchs who were serving him and his two sons, as well as the palace maids and eunuchs who were on duty nearby, a total of nearly a hundred people.

The news soon spread to Xingde Palace, where Yang Jingting's bedroom was located.

Hearing her subordinates describe the scene just now, Yang Jingting was so happy in her heart, but her face remained calm. She said slowly: "This child is always so unruly!"

Let’s talk about Zhu Jinghong. When he brought his two sons into Kunning Palace, he learned that Baochai was practicing calligraphy in the study.

He sat in the main seat and had just put his second son down when his second legitimate son, the fourth son Zhu Muzhen, came over.

After the boy paid his respects, Zhu Jinghong held his two sons, one older and one younger, separately, and then looked at Zhu Muzhen who was standing beside him.

While calming his two restless sons, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Zhen'er, what new poems have you learned recently?"

Zhu Muzhen also wanted to have a sense of existence. Seeing his two younger brothers being so close to their father, he actually felt very aggrieved.

At this moment, he heard his father asking, so he hurriedly said: "Dad, your son will carry it for you!"

"Cook the beans and make soup, strain the beans to make juice; the firewood is burning under the pot, and the beans are crying in the pot..."

After hearing these two sentences, Zhu Jinghong was stunned for a moment, then he looked up at Haodaer.

At this time, Zhu Muzhen continued to recite: "We are of the same roots, why do we fight against each other..."

"Zhen'er!"

The scolding from the side hall interrupted Zhu Muzhen's recitation. Seeing his mother's angry face, Zhu Muzhen didn't know what he had done wrong.

Baochai has always been able to control her temper, but hearing Zhu Muzhen's taboo words really broke her defenses.

So at this moment, Baochai did not look at her son, but observed her husband's expression.

(End of this chapter)