Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"In December of the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign, I was in the capital."

After the snow cleared and the sky brightened, tourists flocked out. My friend and I, wrapped in fur coats with braziers burning, watched the snow at Taoranting Park.

Taoranting was built by Zhang Wenyu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and was named by His Majesty.

Once the pavilion was completed, the people of the capital were delighted by its secluded and spacious atmosphere, gathering there day and night. Some drank wine and recited poems, others laughed and chatted, all enjoying themselves immensely, as if they had transcended the mundane world and were wandering beyond its reach, finding joy and contentment in their drunken revelry!

As they read the article aloud, everyone praised it.

Wen Zhenheng, a court scholar of the Hanlin Academy, said:
"Great article! Great article!"

"Let's drink a big cup of wine!"

"I think this article by Tao An should be engraved in Taoranting Park."

Others echoed this sentiment, believing that Zhang Dai's "Record of Taoranting" was already worthy of being passed down through generations.

Zhang Dai raised his cup and laughed, looking quite pleased with himself.

Taoranting was named and built by the emperor to commemorate the completion of Taoranting Lake and the construction of the Taoranting community.

This lake and community were built in the southern part of the city when the emperor replanned the capital.

Previously scattered ponds and depressions in the southern part of the city have been concentrated in lakes such as Taoranting Lake and Longtan Lake.

Then, parks and communities were built around the lake to accommodate the relocation of residents from the southern part of the city.

It can be said that the Taoranting area is a model of the city's renovation. It was built under the emperor's guidance, with the concentrated resources of the imperial court.

It is said that after the construction was completed, the emperor intended to come and see it. However, he did not come because his ministers dissuaded him.

Even so, the emperor still bestowed the name "Taoran" upon him and ordered the scholars of the Hanlin Academy to write poems and essays in his memory.

Zhang Dai's "Record of Taoranting" was just completed and is hailed as the pinnacle of poetry and prose.

At this moment, Zhang Dai, flattered by the praise from the crowd, said:

"The old drunkard's heart is in the wine, and the joy of being carefree is in the vastness of the world."

"There are still too many tourists at Taoranting Park."

"If there were fewer people, it would feel even more leisurely."

They felt that the tourists in the surrounding area were too noisy and disturbed the tranquility of the place.

These words were somewhat displeasing to the emperor. Wen Zhenheng, as Wen Zhenmeng's younger brother, knew the emperor's intention in building this place. He raised his cup and said:

Tao An is a little drunk!

"Look at the tourists here, who doesn't seem relaxed?"

"Even a drunkard would be pleased by the constant flow of visitors, let alone a park open to the public?"

"If the Emperor's birthday celebrations are shared with the people, then Taoranting Park is not just for us."

"The Emperor ordered the Hanlin Academy to paint a picture of Taoran in the snow, so that the tourists could be depicted!"

As he spoke, he looked outside and at the tourists, pondering how to depict the scene he saw.

He knew that the emperor had always wanted to leave the palace to observe the lives of the capital's residents, but he was worried about disturbing the people and was being stopped by his ministers. So he hadn't set off yet and could only have them paint the scenes for the emperor to see.

In addition to assigning tasks to the Hanlin Academy, tasks were also assigned to Western painters such as Rembrandt and Franz who were affiliated with the Academy of Surgery.

If the drawing is not good enough, it will lose points with the emperor.

Wen Zhenheng attached great importance to this and hoped to create a good painting.

Reminded by him, Zhang Dai realized he had spoken out of turn, raised his cup, and said with a smile:
"The old drunkard's heart is not in the wine, but in the scenery of mountains and rivers."

"The joy of being carefree is not about being in a secluded place, but about sharing a drink with you and being carefree."

"A tranquil mind is true bliss!"

"Let's drink together! Let's drink together!"

We drank together with everyone and moved on from the topic.

Many Hanlin scholars and courtiers leisurely discussed poetry and painting in this Taoranting Pavilion.

As they were talking, a boy suddenly came and said urgently:

"My lord, Scholar Wen and Musician Li have sent letters inviting you to oversee the celebration." "Please reply as soon as possible, sir, so as not to delay."

Zhang Dai was startled upon hearing this and hurriedly wiped his face to sober up.

Despite the criticism Wen Tiren received from scholars for his sycophancy towards the emperor, Zhang Dai still dared not neglect his invitation.

In particular, Li Yu, one of Zhang Dai's friends in the capital, was also invited.

Before opening it, Zhang Dai asked the boy:
Who sent the invitation?

"What did they say?"

The boy said:
"This is an invitation from the celebration committee, requesting your guidance on the celebration."

"It is said that the Emperor learned that the Zhang family's opera troupe was doing well, and thought that my husband had a talent for guiding performances, so he specially created a director position for guiding performances."

"Li Sile was appointed as the general director of the celebration. Originally, the plan was to directly appoint my husband as the co-director."

"But the Emperor said that this was not an official position and that the celebration should not disturb the people. So the summons was changed to an invitation, and Scholar Wen and Musician Li sent out invitations on behalf of the celebration committee."

"They urged the Prime Minister to reply as soon as possible so that the celebration committee could appoint a co-director."

His words were well-organized and clearly conveyed a message on behalf of someone else.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was both surprised and delighted, and said:
"Does the Emperor also know of me, Zhang Dai?"

"You also know about the Zhang Family Opera Troupe?"

The boy could not answer, so his elder brother, Wen Zhenheng, who served the emperor, said:
"Of course the Emperor knows you, Zhang Dai!"

"They also said that it was a blessing for the Ming Dynasty to have Zhang Dai."

"Only in times of peace and prosperity can a wealthy and idle person like you be produced."

"Your appointment as a Hanlin scholar was personally selected by the Emperor."

"Now, a director position has been created specifically for you."

His words were filled with envy, and he marveled at how Zhang Dai could win the emperor's favor.
Wealthy idlers like Zhang Dai, who lived a leisurely life and did not serve in the government, were usually not favored by the emperor.

The current emperor, however, is extremely tolerant. He is delighted that such an idle person has appeared in the Ming Dynasty, and has specially created the position of Hanlin Academician to allow him to continue to be idle.

Now, because of Zhang Dai's expertise in directing performances, he has been appointed as a director.

Even though Wen Zhenheng was also a Hanlin Academy scholar, he couldn't help but feel envious.

Zhang Dai was quite flattered by his words.

He knew that someone like him wouldn't be of much use to the emperor in governing the country.

Even now, with the promotion of emigration and expansion, the existence of wealthy idlers seems somewhat out of place.

Many sons of officials and nobles were sent to military academies or even directly sent overseas.

His leisurely life in the capital made those people seem like a joke in comparison.
They laughed at them for not enjoying themselves and instead going to cultivate the wilderness.

Because of this, Zhang Dai was targeted by some people after he arrived in Beijing. Some even used him as a negative example, citing the Zhang family's current decline.

Zhang Dai felt pressured as a result and even considered whether to continue taking the imperial examinations to become an official.

Unexpectedly, the emperor said:
Only in times of peace and prosperity can there be wealthy and idle people.

They also created special positions for themselves in order to leverage their strengths.

This deeply moved him, making him believe that the current emperor truly understood him.

He solemnly accepted the invitation and said:
"How can a subject refuse to contribute to His Majesty's celebration?"

"I will write a reply immediately and accept the invitation to the celebration."

He quickly wrote a reply and asked the boy to send it over as soon as possible.

He then bid farewell to his friend, intending to go home to prepare.

Wen Zhenheng and others offered their congratulations and accepted the invitations upon receiving them.

The celebratory atmosphere in the capital city grew increasingly intense, drawing in even more people. (End of Chapter)