Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 203: A special gift that makes Wanli collapse! Goodbye Shen Shixing!

"What are these things..."

Looking at the whole box full of colorful, gaudy stuff, Zhu Yijun felt a chill on his scalp.

However, what made Zhu Yijun feel his scalp tingle was not the visual impact of these fancy colors, but a familiar object that caught his eye at first sight!
Seeing that the emperor was dumbfounded, Zhang Cheng on the side thought that the pampered emperor didn't know these things, so he hurriedly introduced them:

"Your Majesty, these are toys that children in the countryside play with when they are young. This red wooden frame is called a 'clang-clang car' and is used by little babies to learn to walk.

These fancy ones are called "mud whistles", also known as "baby whistles". After filling them with water, they can make sounds similar to bird calls.

This is a diabolo, also called a wind gourd. If you shake it well, it can fly..."

Zhang Cheng was still introducing the various toys in the box, but Zhu Yijun didn't hear a word he said. His mind was full of confusion, and his eyes were filled with only the wind gourd that was so familiar to him.

"What does he mean? How dare he send me such rubbish? Does he think this is a vegetable market?"

The Emperor's sudden roar abruptly interrupted Zhang Cheng's mumbling introduction.

Zhang Cheng was frightened and knelt on the ground without daring to look up.

At the same time, Zhang Cheng recalled something that happened not long ago...

At that time, he had clearly taken the initiative to tell His Majesty the Emperor that the big box of gifts sent by Zhang Chonghui was all "junk".

But who would have thought that His Majesty the Emperor would be so curious that he expressed his desire to see for himself how shabby these pieces of junk were.

Zhang Cheng had no choice but to have someone find just this one box from among the piles of valuable gifts and carry it up.

Now that it had been brought up, His Majesty the Emperor had also seen it, but after seeing it he was furious again. Zhang Cheng had no choice but to reply:
"Your Majesty, I remember Zhang Chonghui wrote on the congratulatory message that these toys... were prepared for you... for the little prince in Concubine He's belly..."

It would have been fine if Zhang Cheng hadn't said that. As soon as he said that, Zhu Yijun became even more anxious and cursed:

"When will it be my child's turn to prepare toys? Throw these junks out now!"

……

On this golden birthday, His Majesty the Emperor was inexplicably furious because of the box of fancy toys Zhang Chonghui sent him.

However, the "culprit" in this big box was not discarded in the end. Instead, it was intercepted by someone before it was carried out of the gate of the Qianqing Palace.

The person who intercepted the opportunity was none other than the Wanli Emperor's ten-year-old son, Prince Fu Zhu Changxun, who had come to pay his respects and celebrate his birthday.

"Father, what are these?"

Zhu Changxun tightened his fat belly and squatted next to the box with some difficulty. He looked at the box of new and strange things he had never seen before, with surprise on his fat face.

Emperor Wanli, who was still furious the moment before, fell silent after seeing that this big box of "junk" was so well-liked by his beloved son.

Zhu Changxun was so absorbed in the novelty of the box that he didn't notice that his old father looked unhappy.

The palace servants who were about to move the boxes were also in a dilemma and didn't know what to do. They all looked at Zhang Cheng and asked: "Is this lost... or not?"

Zhang Cheng quietly glanced at the emperor, who looked unhappy but remained silent, and he had an idea in his mind.

It seems that this box of junk does not need to be thrown away. Even if it is to be thrown away, we have to wait until the third prince gets tired of playing with it.

Soon, a strange "woo woo woo" sound echoed in the hall. It was Zhu Changxun blowing the "mud flute". The fat boy's face turned red from blowing, but he was still blowing very vigorously.

At the end, he did not forget to ask his old father Zhu Yijun: "Father, did I blow the flute loudly?"

At this time, Zhu Yijun's face had calmed down. He smiled and nodded, praising: "It's loud."

He would praise his baby son even if he farted loudly, let alone something like this.

Zhu Changxun was very happy, but the child, who was only interested in the game for a short time, quickly lost interest in such an easy-to-use toy after hearing his father's praise.

Zhu Changxun began to rummage through the box again. He shook the things he liked and threw the things he didn't like to the ground.

After a round of throwing and hitting, the originally good box of toys was basically broken into pieces by the naughty kids.

Zhu Yijun said nothing. He just stared at his son throwing things around.

The only thing that made Zhu Yijun feel strange was that his beloved son seemed to have no interest in the screw top that he saw at first sight. He had it at hand several times but he just brushed past it.

"Father, what is this?"

Zhu Changxun 'finally' picked up a wooden stick, with a rope tied to one end of the stick, and another end of the rope tied to another wooden stick.

Zhu Changxun picked up the stick and swung it, but the naughty boy didn't use enough strength and almost hit his old father Zhu Yijun in the face.

Zhang Cheng, who was standing by, was so frightened that he hurried forward to block it, and snatched the swinging stick away calmly, and explained with a smile:
"Your Highness, this is the handle of the wind gourd. Tie the rope in the middle to this wooden top and give it a couple of shakes and it will fly."

Zhang Cheng's words were very simple, but Zhu Changxun was confused. He pointed at the wind gourd with disdain, not wanting to touch it at all, and asked:

"This piece of broken wood can fly? How? Can you fly it for me to see?"

"This..." Zhang Cheng replied somewhat awkwardly: "Your Highness Prince Fu, the last time I played with this wind gourd was when I was only seven or eight years old. Since I entered the palace, I have not played with it for decades. Now I am afraid... I don't know how to play it very well..."

"What? You can't even play with a child's toy!" Zhu Changxun suddenly said angrily:
"It can fly! I think you are just lying to me! This piece of broken wood can't fly at all!"

Scolding Zhang Cheng was not enough. Zhu Changxun immediately turned to his old father and complained: "Father! He lied to me! Please punish him quickly!"

Zhu Changxun complained loudly, but his old father Zhu Yijun did not react at all.

Zhu Yijun just stared blankly at the ground, staring at the wooden lump that Zhu Changxun despised so much, as if he was thinking about something.

Seeing that his old father ignored him, the spoiled Zhu Changxun immediately whined unhappily, trying to attract Zhu Yijun's attention.

It turned out that humming was useful, and Zhu Yijun finally noticed his son's noise.

However, he did it for the first time and yelled at his son whom he had always treated like a baby:

"Alright! Be quiet!"

No one was expected by Zhu Yijun's roar, and Zhu Changxun was stunned for a long time!

Zhu Changxun could not bear the humiliation of his emperor father, who had always loved and indulged him, suddenly becoming so fierce. After he came to his senses, he immediately burst into tears and turned around and ran out of the hall, wailing!

Zhu Changxun ran away crying and shouting. Zhu Yijun realized that he shouldn't have been so cruel to his son and stood up to chase him, but his disabled legs made him regret it.

……

Emperor Wanli's 33rd birthday was a complete mess.

Everyone in the palace knew that it was the emperor's birthday, such a happy day. The reason why it became like this was all because of that big box of "broken" toys.

Everyone thought that His Majesty the Emperor would order severe punishment for the person who gave the gift.

However, Zhu Yijun said nothing, but asked people to pack up the things and throw them into the warehouse.

……

Ever since Zhu Changxun ran out of the Qianqing Palace crying, the fat boy who usually got out of breath after running a few steps, this time, in a fit of anger, he ran all the way to Concubine Zheng's palace.

“Mother! Father doesn’t want me anymore! He’s so mean to me! Wuuwuwu…”

Zhu Changxun came up and started crying loudly to his mother, not even noticing that his snot was running into his mouth.

Zheng Mengjing hurriedly picked up a handkerchief and wiped her son's dirty face. If it were in the past, she would have first blamed the palace maids and eunuchs who served Zhu Changxun personally.

However, things are different now. While wiping, she asked nervously, "What's going on? Why is your father so angry at you for no reason?"

Zhu Changxun started to make up stories and howled, "Father must have seen that Empress Li is pregnant with a new brother, so he must not want me anymore! Wuuuuu! Mother, father doesn't want us anymore!"

Children are naturally good at telling lies and can make something out of nothing. The key is that from the moment they tell a lie, they actually believe that what they say is true.

Zheng Mengjing knew that her son might be lying, but she still couldn't help but panic.

Even after carefully questioning the palace servants who served Zhu Changxun and learning the truth of the matter, Zheng Mengjing was still uneasy.

After comforting his son, Zheng Mengjing called his confidant Cui Wensheng. "Cui Wensheng, I remember... you have been in the imperial pharmacy, right? Do you have any... acquaintances there?" Zheng Mengjing asked.

Cui Wensheng knew the Imperial Concubine's true intention, and quickly replied truthfully: "My Imperial Concubine, I know a eunuch named Zhang Ming in the Imperial Pharmacy, and he can help us."

"Help us...what?" Although Zheng Mengjing knew it well, his hands were shaking.

Cui Wensheng was not embarrassed and said directly: "My Lady Imperial Concubine, now Concubine Jing's pregnancy is stable and she will give birth in a few months! But His Majesty attaches so much importance to this pregnancy that I heard he has even chosen a name for the prince! If this pregnancy is a prince, who knows what will happen in the future!"

"No!" Zheng Mengjing interrupted Cui Wensheng and said with a horrified look on his face: "You can't do anything to the child! The child is innocent..."

Cui Wensheng was also choked and thought: It has come to this, why are you still pretending to be a kind-hearted person?

It is worth mentioning that Zheng Mengjing was not pretending. I don’t know if it was because she had personally experienced the grief of losing two sons and two daughters, or for some other reason, but she always felt that the children were innocent.

However, Zheng Mengjing was not a kind-hearted person. She had never thought of hurting the child. She just wanted Concubine Li Jing to die!

……

On the other side, the flower pavilion.

The whole country celebrated the emperor's birthday, and even the brothels became lively.

Zhang Chonghui came here not to see Shi Niang this time, but to see another person.

"Sure enough, staying away from disputes is the way to keep healthy." Zhang Chonghui looked at the acquaintance he hadn't seen for many years and said jokingly with a smile:
"It's been many years since we last met. Not only have you not aged, but you've actually become a lot younger, Elder Shen."

Shen Shixing ignored Zhang Chonghui's teasing and said disdainfully, "Why did you choose to meet in such a place? It's really disrespectful."

"It's safe here." Zhang Chonghui answered without further explanation and then asked:

"Today is the emperor's birthday. You came to the capital specially to celebrate the emperor's birthday?"

"Happy birthday?" Shen Shixing finally smiled, but his smile was quite strange.
"The emperor is rich and powerful, how dare I, a lowly person, disturb him?"

"Are you still angry with the emperor?" Zhang Chonghui said with a deliberate smile:
"The emperor specifically invited you to come out, but you refused to even show your face. Mr. Shen is really so arrogant!"

Shen Shixing couldn't stand Zhang Chonghui's teasing anymore. He simply turned his head away from him and stopped talking about the emperor. He asked:
"Do you know how bad your reputation is in Suzhou now?"

"Ah?" Zhang Chonghui seemed very confused: "Why is it Suzhou? How ugly is it?"

"Still pretending?" Shen Shixing looked like he saw through her and exposed her:

"You've caused Wang Yuanyu so much harm that he's almost scolded you to death in the scholar circles back home in Suzhou."

"Scold me?" Zhang Chonghui asked, pointing at himself.

Shen Shixing paused for a moment before replying, "Yeah, I'll scold you."

"How does he know that it was me who tampered with the letter?" Zhang Chonghui simply stopped pretending.

"Perhaps you have done too many bad things, which makes people feel that no one else can do something except you." Shen Shixing said what was in his heart, and then said:

"But you are a little too much. Wang Yuanyu only asked the emperor to regard the officials' insults as 'the sound of birds', but you actually changed it to 'the sound of dogs and birds'. This is..."

"Is there any difference between a birdman and a dog?" Zhang Chonghui smiled calmly and said, "Anyway, whether it is a bird or a dog, Wang Yuanyu is destined not to come back."

Shen Shixing seemed to agree with this statement. After nodding and thinking for a moment, he asked the main business: "When will Yu Keyuan be able to join the cabinet?"

"Soon, by the end of next year at the latest," Zhang Chonghui replied.

Shen Shixing couldn't help but wonder: "Are Guo Zhengyu and his gang of Donglin Party members really willing to help you?"

"They are not helping me, they are helping themselves." Zhang Chonghui said:

"There is still Zhu Geng in the cabinet who is holding back, and the emperor is turning a deaf ear and dumb and not caring about it.

If this continues, as long as Zhu Geng can delay, there will be no chance of adding new people to the cabinet.

Yu Keyuan can wait, but Guo Zhengyu, Li Sancai and others can’t.”

Shen Shixing: "You mean..."

Zhang Chonghui smiled and said affirmatively: "Just wait, next year, the emperor will probably suffer!"

Shen Shixing also got the general idea. He did not ask for the details, but smiled and said:

"You are quite capable. Although the emperor did not give you... Zhang Taiyue a vindication, you still tricked him into reinstating Silang and Wulang.

"So what are you going to do next? Let Wulang and Liulang take the imperial examination? What about Erlang and Sanlang? And...what about yourself?"

Faced with this series of questions, Zhang Chonghui only selectively answered:
"Erlang and Sanlang are not suitable to come back to the court to serve as officials. They are doing well in their hometown of Jiangling. There is no need for them to come back to this cannibalistic place and mess around."

Seeing that Zhang Chonghui had no intention of answering further, Shen Shixing just smiled helplessly and said regretfully:

"What a pity, one of the brothers is the runner-up and the other is the top scholar."

"Are you feeling sorry for them or for yourself, Mr. Number One Scholar?" Zhang Chonghui asked the other person.

Shen Shixing remained silent in the end. Yes, was he feeling sorry for others or for himself?

"Forget it. It's fate. Be the top scholar or leave office. No matter how high the building rises or how low it falls, the decades of life are nothing but a dream."

Shen Shixing sighed, looking at Zhang Chonghui with a gradually heavy gaze. Finally, he sighed:

"It's the same with you. If some things can't be saved, just let them go. There's no need to be so persistent."

Zhang Chonghui did not answer. He just looked at the white hair on Shen Shixing's temples silently. His eyes were calm, as if he was regretting something.

Shen Shixing left. In his words, this might be the last time he would go to Beijing in his life.

Zhang Chonghui did not ask Shen Shixing why he came all the way to the capital.

Perhaps, Mr. Shen wanted to come and see his emperor student.

However, he 'once again' stopped outside the gate of the Forbidden City.

After hesitating for a long time, I still chose to pass by and not enter.

……

The 24th year of the Wanli reign was a relatively peaceful year, and perhaps it was so for the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun.

Although his Qianqing Palace was burned down by a fire, it was repaired at least. He also sent a large number of mine supervisors to various parts of the country to make money for himself.

The 24th year of Wanli was an extremely uneasy and turbulent year for the ministers of the previous dynasty.

The first prime minister of the cabinet left, the second prime minister also left, leaving only Zhu Geng, who cried at every turn, swaying in the cabinet.

His Majesty the Emperor, who was not very obedient to begin with, is now even more disobedient. Not only does he still not attend court or meet people, he is even so absurd as to send mining supervisors to all parts of the country to collect money.

It is difficult to deal with the fact that His Majesty the Emperor is amassing wealth and refusing to listen to advice.

What makes all the officials feel even more frustrated is that all the central departments of the imperial court and even the local government offices in provinces and counties are seriously short of staff.

However, His Majesty the Emperor neither approved the applications for new positions submitted by the six ministries of the Cabinet nor the resignations of some old officials.

Now those who want to leave can’t leave, and those who want to come can’t come.

All the officials were devastated, especially those who were eager to join the cabinet and show their talents.

The twenty-fourth year of Wanli has finally passed.

The twenty-fifth year of Wanli has arrived.

This is destined to be an unusual year.

For Emperor Wanli, and also for his increasingly corrupt Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)