Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Daming Lake, Daming Lake is big, and there are lotus flowers in Daming Lake."

"There are toads on the lotus flowers; poke them and they hop around."

Reading the Emperor's new work, "Ode to Ming Lake," Empress Zhou couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Your Majesty, your poem..."

"This poem is too narrow-minded!"

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would believe that you wrote it?"

Seeing the emperor write such a witty poem in such meticulous and elegant language, Empress Zhou couldn't help but laugh.

Zhu Youjian chuckled and said:

"It's a bit too straightforward, but do you think it's appropriate?"

"Some of the officials in this court are just hotheads."

"If you don't poke him, he'll play dead, like a big, motionless toad on a lotus flower."

Pointing to a toad on a lotus flower in Taiye Pond, Zhu Youjian said to his son whom he was holding in his arms:

"My son, don't you agree?"

"Look at that big toad, let's go poke it."

He took a bamboo pole and placed it in Zhu Cilang's hand. He wrapped his large hand around Zhu's small hand and poked a large toad.

The toad was poked by the bamboo pole and immediately jumped up, landing in the water and splashing up a spray.

Zhu Cilang laughed heartily, and Zhu Youjian also smiled and said:
"It really does bounce when you poke it!"

"My son, you must remember that some people can't be ignored."

“When they don’t want to move, you have to poke them with sticks or even whip them.”

With a smile, Zhu Youjian shared his experiences, expressing his genuine frustration with the inertia of the bureaucratic group.

He didn't want to strain his relationship with his ministers too much, but after delegating some power, he found that if he didn't push them, they were even lazier than him.

These people seem to lack the desire to take initiative; everything is done step by step.

Zhu Youjian could only nudge them occasionally to make them jump around.

Sometimes, he even wished he could emulate the Tsar and use a whip to drive them.

But he also knew it was impossible:

The Chinese tradition needs a benevolent ruler, not a loving yet stern father like the Tsar.

The Jiajing Emperor, who used corporal punishment to subdue officials, did not have a good reputation. Even now, Zhu Youjian is still paying the price for the fractured relationship between the emperor and his ministers.

At most, he can just nudge the bureaucracy into action.

In his view, Grand Secretary Han Kuang was the epitome of this type of official. Unless it concerned his own interests, Han Kuang would never take any action.

If possible, Zhu Youjian really wanted to replace him. However, considering the potential turmoil in the court that replacing the chief minister might cause, he could only continue to endure it.

I comforted myself inwardly:
Han Kuang at least has the ability to change his mind; some people are stubborn and will never change.

Xiong Mingyu is a typical example. Although he is inclined towards science, he is stubborn in his political views and opposes any changes he wants to make.

Zhu Youjian could no longer tolerate it and dismissed him from office.
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Zhu Youjian didn't want to talk about these troublesome matters in the court.

Zhu Cilang, who had just turned three, couldn't understand any of this.

However, Empress Zhou could discern the meaning in the poem and was also aware of what had happened at court. Therefore, she called the emperor's poem "mischievous," using such language to satirize the court officials.

Of course, she was still happy that the emperor was willing to teach her son.

When an emperor teaches his son how to subdue his ministers, it means he truly considers him the crown prince.

While secretly pleased, Empress Zhou changed the subject:

"You didn't go to this year's fashion festival, but there were a lot of new and interesting designs."

"Tailors from all over the country have come, and there are all kinds of clothes available."

Zhu Youjian said with great interest:
"Which works have won awards? And which ones have received the silk you wove yourself?"

"I want to take a closer look and understand the customs of the Ming Dynasty."

Empress Zhou clapped her hands lightly, and soon a group of models dressed in the new clothes walked over. Zhu Youjian looked up and frowned.

He found the clothes to be too bright, or rather, too luxurious.

Some of the clothing was adorned with gold and jade, and some even had kingfisher feathers on the sleeves, which was extremely extravagant.

Seeing that his expression was off, Empress Zhou whispered:
"Your Majesty, what is it that you are dissatisfied with?"

"Your Majesty, I will take back his award."

Zhu Youjian played with his son's little hand and said with a smile:
"Once an award is given out, there's no reason to take it back."

"However, these clothes are too luxurious. In the future, we should pay attention to selecting clothing for ordinary people so that they can afford to wear them."

He instructed the Empress to select clothing for commoners, and Zhu Youjian was generally satisfied with the clothing before him. This was because the clothing was constantly changing, demonstrating the evolution of Ming Dynasty fashion.

However, when a model wearing a traditional Chinese jacket approached, Zhu Youjian frowned and said:
"Who designed this? How do you use a centipede-shaped buckle?"

"It looks terrible, like a scar."

"Never again shall such an ugly thing appear before me."

The addition of centipede buttons to the front of the garment reminded him of unpleasant memories, and he loathed such things.

Empress Zhou hurriedly dismissed the man and summoned another man dressed in the robes of a top scholar, introducing him as follows:

"This set of imperial examination robes was specially designed for female top scholars. All the female top scholars in the play wear this kind of clothing."

"It is said that the girls' school will also use this kind of crown and robe as graduation attire. We hope Your Majesty will grant permission."

Zhu Youjian, seeing the solemn and festive imperial robes and the beautiful woman dressed in the scholar's attire, felt his mood improve. He said:
"Who is this guy?"

"Some top-scoring students have the air of someone who is well-read and knowledgeable."

“If all the girls in the girls’ school were like her, I would allow them to graduate wearing the official robes of a top scholar.”

Empress Zhou, with a smile in her eyes, said:

"She was Xu Fo's disciple, taught by Master Fang, and played the role of the female scholar in the drama troupe of the Royal Orchestra."

"To portray the female scholar convincingly, she even learned how to compose poetry. Would Your Majesty like to hear some?"

Xu Fo's disciple could also compose poetry. Zhu Youjian had already vaguely guessed who it was and said with great interest:

"Then let her sing a few lines, no need to make a big fuss."

Soon, the words "Who would have thought that the imperial examination would produce the top scholar!" echoed in the pavilion.

Zhu Youjian looked at Liu Rushi, whose voice was cheerful and whose demeanor was poised and generous, and felt quite pleased.

He knew that he had changed another woman's fate, allowing her to learn to write poetry without having to accompany that old man, Zhou Daodeng.

Her reforms to the Ming Dynasty have been effective, and in the future, more and more women will have places to study, just like she did.

Thinking this, Zhu Youjian seemed to be listening intently.

When Empress Zhou saw this, she felt both joy and a touch of sorrow.

She knew that the current emperor was fond of beautiful women, especially stunning beauties.

The most favored concubines in the palace, Consort Li and Consort Chen, were both exceptionally beautiful women.

Her appearance was relatively poor, so she had to find other women to keep her in the emperor's favor.

The woman before me, Liu Rushi, was also a stunning beauty and could write poetry.

Empress Zhou hesitated about whether to send her in, because she was worried that she would become another Consort Li.

However, with her pregnancy and the emperor's increased attention to the harem after neglecting state affairs, she finally made up her mind to bring this woman into the palace.

Now that she saw that the emperor indeed liked her, she felt a mix of emotions.

But no matter what, the emperor had seen her, and she couldn't go back on her word.

Soon, another concubine was added to Kunning Palace. In addition to Consort Liu, who could dance, there was now another Consort Liu who could sing opera and compose poetry.

Everyone in the palace knew that the Empress, relying on Shuangliu, remained highly favored even during her pregnancy.

The emperor's affection for them was no less than that for his two favorite concubines. (End of Chapter)