I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 223 The Happy Emperor Longqing
In the Kunning Palace of the Forbidden City, Emperor Longqing held a rare family dinner.

Emperor Longqing sat in the center of the upper seat, with Empress Chen sitting on his left.

Crown Prince Zhu Yijun sat slightly lower on the right.

Concubine Li held the third prince Zhu Yihao, and several princesses followed their mothers and sat around.

Then, a dozen concubines who were able to come on stage sat in positions lower down.

The eunuchs served the delicious dishes in a stream, while Hai Dafu, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen, stood by and directed the dishes personally.

Emperor Longqing was very satisfied looking at his children and concubines in front of him.

His current duty is to eat, drink and have fun, and try his best to reproduce offspring for the Zhu family. However, the effect is not very obvious at present, at least much worse than the results in Prince Yu's Mansion.

Maybe there were too many flowers in the Forbidden City, and his fertilizer was poured everywhere and spread too thinly, so they couldn't take root and sprout at all.

In front of the hall, a royal band is playing music, making a tinkling sound, and it’s quite lively. It may not be pleasant to listen to, but the atmosphere is what’s important.

Emperor Longqing nodded with satisfaction, turned to Zhu Yijun and asked, "Jun'er, I heard that you formed a Hechun Opera Troupe and sang in Chongqing Hall in the West Garden. It sounds great?"

Zhu Yijun turned sideways and replied, "Father, my mother has told me before that the concubines and empresses in the harem want to have some fun during the New Year.

It happened that when I was chatting with several lecturers in the Eastern Palace, I heard them mention that Shuimoqiang was popular in Kunshan area in the south of the Yangtze River, with beautiful singing and wonderful scripts. So I asked Yang Jinshui to invite three opera troupes there, select the best from the best, and form an all-female Hechun troupe.

I sang a few songs in Chongqing Hall, and the concubines and empresses all liked to listen to them."

Chen continued, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has really done a great thing. The Concubine Dowager and the other concubines go to watch it every day and are very satisfied with it. The Crown Prince also asked those talented people to write some more good scripts, and they are rehearsing them now."

Li couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, the Kunshan opera is really beautiful. The stories told are mostly about the cycle of justice and the retribution of good and evil. They are good stories."

The other concubines chattered about their love for the new opera, and two of them even sang it in a humming voice on purpose.

Emperor Longqing was very pleased.

Okay, pacify all the women in the harem, especially my concubines, and find something for them to do. Don't ask me to treat them equally every day. That would be a great thing.

I am not made of iron, and I don't need much rain or dew.

Emperor Longqing stroked his sparse beard and said to Zhu Yijun with a smile: "Prince, you not only handle court affairs with all your heart, but also help your mother to take care of the affairs in the palace. You have worked hard, really hard."

"Father, this is my filial duty."

"Haha, I know that the prince is a filial son."

Chen looked at Zhu Yijun with a face full of joy.

Li looked at Zhu Yijun with a happy face and a sparkle in her eyes. She couldn't help but hug Zhu Yihao tighter.

The rest of the concubines looked at Zhu Yijun, who was calm and steady as a mountain, with different expressions.

Halfway through the family dinner, another concubine and her maids started dancing in the front hall. The music, the dance, and the people were beautiful. The Emperor Longqing was moved and began to get excited.

The concubine who was good at dancing performed various difficult moves, such as bending, splitting in the air, and spinning, and then she turned around and looked at Emperor Longqing with a loving look in her eyes.

When Emperor Longqing received the message, his eyes darted around, and no one knew what he was thinking.

After dinner, the concubines, led by Chen, went to Chongqing Hall in Xiyuan to watch a play.

Zhu Yijun said goodbye to Emperor Longqing and Chen, and went straight back to Xi'an Gate of Xiyuan to deal with military and national affairs.

Emperor Longqing did not join in the fun. He walked out of Kunning Palace, got on a sedan chair, and walked in the alley accompanied by Teng Xiang and Meng Chong.

"Who was dancing just now?"

Emperor Longqing asked with great interest.

There are too many beauties in the harem, and he is face-blind, so he can't remember some of them.

Teng Xiang immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it was Ye Zhaoyi from Wanhua Palace. Ye Zhaoyi is not only good at singing and dancing, but she also specially learned two repertoires from the Hechun class.

If His Majesty wants to listen to Shuimoqiang, he doesn’t have to go to Xiyuan. Ye Zhaoyi can sing for him in Wanhua Palace.”

When Emperor Longqing heard this, his eyes lit up and he asked sideways, "What song can Ye Zhaoyi sing?"

"Ye Zhaoyi's best song is 'Thinking of Spring'."

Emperor Longqing smiled like a crabapple flower, "Thinking of spring is good, spring is in the air, thinking of it is like a flower."

After shaking his head and reciting a few lines of poetry, Emperor Longqing ordered: "Teng Xiang, go to Wanhua Palace and tell Ye Qing that I will go to her place right away. Tell her to prepare well. I want to hear her sing about spring."

"Yes." Teng Xiang replied happily, and disappeared in front of him at a rapid pace.

Emperor Longqing looked around and pointed to an open space at a bend ahead, "Stop there." After the sedan chair stopped, Emperor Longqing waved his hand and said, "All of you leave, Meng Chong stay."

Soon, the other eunuchs retreated far away, and only Meng Chong was left by Emperor Longqing's side.

Emperor Longqing looked around and found that there was no one nearby and no one was approaching from the front or back. He waved his hand and motioned Meng Chong to come closer.

"Are my things ready?"

Meng Chong was embarrassed and said, "Your Majesty, although the medicine is good, it must be used in moderation. Taoist Duan said that this medicine can only be used once every ten days, otherwise..."

"What would happen otherwise?" Emperor Longqing asked unhappily.

"It's not good for the dragon's body." Meng Chong replied hesitantly.

Emperor Longqing asked with squinting eyes: "Didn't Duan Chaoyong say that this is a tonic medicine made from natural materials and treasures? If it is a tonic, how can it be bad for my dragon body?"

Meng Chong bent his waist even deeper, "Your Majesty, medicine is three-quarters poisonous. This is what Li Imperial Doctor also said. He is the King of Medicine of the Ming Dynasty."

"Medicine is three-quarters toxic, so it needs to be prepared properly. Is it that Duan Chaoyong is not good at making medicine and is not preparing it properly?"

Meng Chong quickly replied, "Your Majesty, that's not the case. Taoist Duan's medicine was left by Ge Shenxian from the Jin Dynasty, and was later improved by Sun Yaowang from the Tang Dynasty, making it even more effective. It has been popular among the wealthy families in the southeast for hundreds of years, and I've never heard of any problems."

"That's it! Nothing has gone wrong for hundreds of years, so what are you afraid of? Meng Chong, do you still have it?"

Facing the question from Emperor Longqing, Meng Chong quickly replied: "Your Majesty, the materials needed for this medicine are rare and expensive, and the preparation is complicated and very difficult. I only have one pill in my hand."

"Give it to me."

Emperor Longqing extended his hand without hesitation.

Meng Chong hesitated for a while, looked around, took out a small wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to Emperor Longqing.

Emperor Longqing took it, opened the box and saw a pill inside, the size of a broad bean, all red. He was delighted and quickly closed the lid, stuffed it into his sleeve, and turned to Meng Chong and said.

"Ask Duan Chaoyong to continue making this medicine in secret."

"Your Majesty, this medicine is not easy to make"

"How could the Bureau of Coordination, with all its wealth and treasures, lack such little medicinal materials?"

"Your Majesty, the accounts of the Coordination Bureau are all in the hands of the prince. He is extremely shrewd and could easily become suspicious." Meng Chong squinted his eyes and bent over as he answered.

Emperor Longqing looked at Meng Chong's back, hesitated for a while, and said, "Aren't you also the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department? You can ask the Coordination Bureau for money in the name of the Imperial Household Department, and then transfer it to Duan Chaoyong. You must not let the prince get suspicious.

Old Meng, if the prince knew about this, even I wouldn't be able to protect you."

Meng Chong froze.

How did I meet such a master!
But his expression remained unchanged. He raised his head slightly and replied respectfully, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will do it perfectly!"

"Okay, tell them to come over and carry me to Wanhua Palace. I can't wait to hear Ye Qing sing Sichun."

"Yes!"

Meng Chong waved his hand, signaling all the eunuchs to come back, some to perform ceremonial guards, some to carry sedan chairs, and walk along the alley towards the depths of the Forbidden City.

The sedan chair was carried into the inner courtyard of Wanhua Palace. After Emperor Longqing got off, the eunuchs left quickly, leaving only Meng Chong to accompany Emperor Longqing.

"Where is Ye Qing?" Emperor Longqing asked impatiently.

"Your Majesty, Ye Zhaoyi has finished her makeup in the room and is ready to perform for you."

"Okay!" Emperor Longqing lifted his front and walked quickly into the house.

He lifted the thick curtain and walked into the warm outer room. Through a layer of curtains, he saw Ye Zhaoyi inside. She was wearing a dress as thin as gauze, and her snow-white skin and graceful figure were faintly visible.

Emperor Longqing swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva and said hurriedly, "Bring the tea."

Meng Chong quickly brought a bowl of warm tea.

"You all get out."

"Yes!"

Emperor Longqing took out a small box, took out a small red pill, swallowed it with hot tea, and then rushed into the curtain.

"My beauty, let's sing Sichun together."

Teng Xiang and Meng Chong stood opposite each other at the door, listening to the lewd music coming from the house. They looked at each other and revealed unfathomable smiles.

(End of this chapter)