Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

March 28th is the Qianqiu Festival of Queen Zhou.

According to the provisions of the "Da Ming Huidian", a congratulatory ceremony for the married woman is held on this day. But usually, this ceremony is dispensed with.

Because Zhu Youjian wanted to show his respect for the queen and divert the attention of everyone in the government and the public, he did not skip the congratulations this time. Instead, he held a grand ceremony in accordance with the provisions of the "Daming Huidian".

The ceremony location was even changed from Renzhi Palace to Kunning Palace. And a banquet was prepared in Xiyuan, and they had a banquet after the congratulations.

Empress Zhang, Dowager Liu and other concubines who lived in the palace all participated in the ceremony.

At this time, it had been more than seven months since Emperor Tianqi passed away. The 100-day pause has long passed. The atmosphere in the palace gradually recovered, and there was laughter and laughter again.

Seeing Queen Zhou receiving the congratulations from her concubine with a dignified expression, Dowager Liu smiled and said to Queen Zhang:
"When you chose her as Princess Xin, you still thought she was weak."

"Now that I have grown up, I have become a queen."

Queen Zhang looked at the scene in front of her, wondering what she felt in her heart.

To be honest, when she chose Zhou as Princess Xin, she never thought that she would become the queen.

He never thought that Queen Zhou would live in Kunning Palace and take her place.

Thinking of the years when she was the queen, she never received congratulations from her destined wife in Kunning Palace. Queen Zhang couldn’t help but feel a little envious——

The current emperor really loves the queen very much.

Thinking about her own experience, Queen Zhang sighed and said:

"What's the use of these!"

"For those of us in the harem, the most important thing is to have children."

"The emperor has been with the queen these days, and there is no one else around."

"It will be hard to say if other concubines enter the palace in the future."

When Princess Liu heard this, she frowned slightly. When Queen Zhou became Princess Xin, she offered her help. It can be said that her biggest support for her respected status in the palace now is Queen Zhou.

Thinking that the emperor and Queen Zhou had been in the palace for so many years, but there was no news that they had any heirs. When other concubines enter the palace in the future, the chance of pregnancy will be even smaller.

So Concubine Liu was already thinking about whether to find the concubines who gave birth to children in the palace and let them teach Queen Zhou.

Contemplating this matter in her mind, Mrs. Liu said without missing a beat:

"Your Majesty and your concubine are still young, so there is no rush now."

"With your majesty's love for your empress, your empress will definitely have children in the future."

"The ancestral system of our Ming Dynasty is to have direct descendants."

"This is what Taizu made, and no one can violate it."

This was true, but after Queen Zhang heard it, she shook her head. Because she remembered that since Emperor Xuande, only Emperor Zhengde was the legitimate son. Even Emperor Yingzong only gained the status of his legitimate son after his mother became a queen.

It can be said that the possibility of the Ming Emperor being born as a legitimate son is very low. Such a low probability made her really not optimistic about the possibility of Queen Zhou giving birth to a legitimate son. She was even a little worried about what would happen to Queen Zhou in the future:
"Did the late emperor treat me badly back then?" 』

"No matter what Ke Wei said, my position as queen has not been abolished. In the end, he listened to me and passed on the throne to King Xin as emperor. 』

"But my son was killed, and he didn't care. 』

"What kind of heart does he have? He doesn't even care about his son!" 』

Empress Zhang really loved and hated Emperor Tianqi. I love how much he cares for me, and I hate that he dotes on Ke Wei——

So much so that during the reign of Tianqi, the harem was in chaos. Not only was his own son not saved, but none of the other concubines' sons were saved either.

As long as there is a son alive, no matter whether he is born to her or not, she can legitimately take the position of queen mother after the prince ascends to the throne. Instead of becoming an embarrassment in the harem like now.

It can be said that among those who hate Wei Zhongxian and the Hakka family the most in the world, Queen Zhang is definitely at the forefront.

Zhu Youjian knew her hatred and who helped him become emperor, so after he ascended to the throne, he executed Ke Wei mercilessly. Even Liu Zhixuan and Liang Menghuan, who had shaken the palace, were sentenced to death.

As for Queen Zhang's father, Zhang Guoji, he had already been restored to his original official position and returned to live in the capital. He even punished several people based on his report.

Empress Zhang also had a smile on her face when she thought of these things——

Regardless of whether she became the Queen Mother or not, at least the current emperor respected her. Instead of being rude to Emperor Zhengde's mother and wife like Emperor Jiajing.

Watching Queen Zhou accept the congratulations from her appointed wife, the wives of the officials delivered speeches one by one. Empress Zhang, Concubine Liu and others soon felt bored.

But no matter what, you have to persevere. The queen's first Qianqiu Festival must not lose its etiquette.

After finally waiting for the ceremony to end, Queen Zhou's face was already a little stiff. After resting for a while, she invited Queen Zhang, Dowager Liu and other concubines to go to Xiyuan. On the way, she quietly said to them:

"Now I know why the Qianqiu Festival was often skipped in the past."

"Such a complicated etiquette is really painful."

Empress Zhang had the experience of receiving congratulations and said with a smile:
"Just accept the congratulations once!"

"In the future, my sister can also let the married woman avoid the congratulations."

Quietly advise Queen Zhou on how to deal with these things.

Concubine Liu and other concubines beside her did not speak. Because they have never experienced it, they don't know what it feels like to receive congratulations. Some people even cursed in their hearts and wished they could suffer on behalf of the Queen.

Queen Zhou and Queen Zhang were chatting and joking, and they were very satisfied with this Qianqiu Festival. Because the emperor not only specially allowed her to receive congratulations at Kunning Palace, but also specially arranged a banquet in Xiyuan according to her preferences.

It can be said that she took care of this banquet. And she also heard that the emperor had prepared a surprise for her.

This made her look forward to it very much, not knowing what was waiting for her.

Li Yu has been busy for several days according to the emperor's instructions, just for today. After seeing the harem concubines and Chao He's wives arriving in Xiyuan, he immediately ordered people to play music and let the opera troupe prepare.

The dramas to be sung today have been decided for a long time. They are "The Romance of the West Chamber" and "The Story of the Hosta" that the Queen likes. There will be several performances of each, and they will be sung by the winner of the drama festival, the Agarwood Troupe.

This troupe is quite famous in Beijing. Especially when a drama festival was held a few days ago, many of the married women present went to listen to the opera and quietly commented on the agarwood class's performance:
"You sang well today, and it seems to have more charm than the previous few days."

"Didn't these actors work hard in the past few days?"

A lady nearby heard this, pursed her lips and said with a smile:

"I won first place without working hard, but what if I worked hard?"

"They are already number one in Beijing, no other team can compare with them!"

Many people laughed and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

A woman born in Suzhou said:

"It's not that they worked harder, it was people from Suzhou who gave me guidance, like those from Wuxian County, who also deliberately brought in some local accents." "Wuxian County is next to Kunshan, and the Kunqu opera singing there sounds more authentic than that in the capital. "

Someone was stunned after hearing this, glanced at the queen, and whispered:
"Your ancestral home is Wu County, right?"

"This is really thoughtful."

Just think about how happy Queen Zhou would be to see a drama from her hometown in the capital. These lucky ladies are also very envious of this.

But they didn't dare to talk nonsense about the queen. After a few whispered discussions, it was time to talk about other things.

After these people left the solemn Kunning Palace, they gradually broke away from the solemn atmosphere and enjoyed the banquet——

In any case, the opportunity to have a banquet in the palace is rare, especially when they have the opportunity to board Qionghua Island, which has become famous in the capital these days.

Just talking and laughing like this, a group of ladies were touring the Xiyuan under the guidance of the palace maid.

To make it easier for them today, Zhu Youjian did not come to Xiyuan, or even entered the harem, and stayed in the front hall.

Empress Zhang and other concubines in the harem had long been tired of watching Xiyuan, and they were more interested in listening to the opera. Even Queen Zhou is looking forward to the emperor's surprise, when it will appear:
“Are these operas the so-called surprises? 』

"When they sang, they also used Suzhou dialect. 』

As a native of Suzhou and familiar with Kun Opera, she can naturally recognize the singing of these people, and in some places they use the accent of her hometown.

This was Li Yu's training, because Li Yu, like Queen Zhou, was both from Wuxian County, Suzhou. It's just that Queen Zhou moved to Daxing with her father when she was young, and she had somewhat forgotten the drama in her hometown. When I heard it again, I felt very emotional.

Regardless of whether this was a so-called surprise or not, she was already satisfied that the emperor had prepared so carefully for this Qianqiu Festival.

However, Zhu Youjian's preparations were obviously more than that. In order not to divert the attention of the officials and people of the capital, and to show his love for Queen Zhou, he did not allow chaos in the harem and did not give the new concubines a chance to challenge the queen's status. Zhu Youjian held this Qianqiu Festival seriously, even using lyrics and music that would be heard by later generations.

Not long after, "The Romance of the West Chamber" ended, the music suddenly changed, and an actor came out from behind the scenes and sang:
Beside the broken bridge outside the post, loneliness has no owner.It's already dusk alone, but even more wind and rain.

Unintentional struggle for spring, Renqun Fang was jealous. Scattered into mud and dust, only fragrant.

Then another singer came out and sang:

The wind and rain sent the spring back, and the snow arrived. It is already a cliff of ice, and there are still beautiful flowers.

It's not pretty for the spring, just report the spring. When the mountains were full of flowers, she laughed in the bushes.

Two consecutive songs of "Bu Suanzi·Yong Mei" attracted everyone's attention:

"The first song is Lu You's lyrics. Whose is the second song?"

"I've never heard of it, have you all heard of it?"

Everyone shook their heads, expressing their ignorance.

As the wives of officials, most of these wives came from big families and were even called talented women. But for the second poem, I can’t tell where it comes from.

Only Empress Zhou, who had already guessed who the lyricist was, was so happy that she couldn't hide her smile and showed it on her face.

The concubines in the harem next to her, who guessed the truth of the matter, couldn't hide their envy of Queen Zhou, and were even a little jealous——

The emperor really doted on her and actually made such a speech that could be passed down from generation to generation!
Although at their level, they cannot tell whether the poem is good or bad. But the fact that the emperor wrote lyrics to express his love was enough for them to envy.

Even those who are more talented and learned, after comparing the two poems, found that the emperor's "Bu Suanzi: Yong Mei" is not only comparable to Lu You's, but even superior in artistic conception. This made them even more envious, knowing that with this poem alone, Queen Zhou's reputation could be passed down to future generations.

As these people discussed, the wives gradually came to know that this poem was written by the emperor for the queen. For a time, there were endless congratulations. The queen was even more happy than when she received the congratulations before.

That's not all. After the two lyrics were sung, a eunuch came out and reported:
"The previous poem was written by His Majesty for the Empress, wishing her eternal happiness."

"There is also a newly edited section of "Female Champion" to congratulate the empress and all the wives!"

A rather heroic female dancer walked out from behind the stage and sang:
"I left home to develop my talents and study, but who would have expected that I would be ranked number one on the imperial list."

"Winning the first prize, wearing a red robe, and wearing a palace flower in his hat is so good and fresh!"

"I have also been to the Qionglin Banquet, and I have also beaten horses in front of the street."

"Everyone compliments me on Pan An's appearance. It turns out that my gauze hat covers Chan Juan!"

The lyrics are clear and the melody is cheerful, giving people a different flavor from Kunqu Opera.

Everyone who had heard the play "The Female Champion" burst out laughing and found it very interesting.

Many people think this play is much better than Xu Wei's "The Number One Scholar", and some people can almost sing it after listening to it once.

Thinking that this was written by the emperor and specially sung at the Queen's Thousand Autumn Festival, they couldn't help but feel envious of the Queen:

"Your Majesty is so doting on the Queen!" 』

"I can even make up a play for her!" 』

Although dramas are created by many talented people, even Wang Shizhen, the former leader of the literary world, wrote plays.

But in the eyes of many people, it is still unrefined. The emperor wrote a special play for the queen, which made people really feel the emperor's love for the queen——

This is to make the queen happy, and she does not hesitate to be condescending!

It can be said that at this moment, Queen Zhou is envied by everyone.

Many married women even regretted why they did not let their daughters participate in the selection of concubines.

If the current queen is their daughter or a clan member, there is no need to worry about their family's status in the Chongzhen Dynasty.

Some people even think that it is not a good thing for the emperor to pamper the queen too much.

It can be said that today's banquet has made many people talk about it and realize the status of the current queen in the heart of the emperor.

Li Yu watched everyone's reactions backstage, feeling both happy and stressed.

I am happy that I lived up to the emperor's expectations and successfully sang the lyrics and opera.

The pressure is also there, that is, the emperor asked him to compose a new "Female Champion" based on the style of this libretto.

If he didn't make it well, not to mention the world would scold him, even he himself would find it unjustifiable——

After all, this is a drama written by the emperor, and it will definitely go down in history. If he makes a mistake, he won't even forgive himself.

But he really had no idea about this novel tune and tune. There is a huge difference between Kun Opera and this kind of opera.

A aria was okay, but he really had no idea how to compose a complete drama.

If not for this, I would not have sung only this part of the play during this Qianqiu Festival. (End of chapter)