I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 531 The Queen Also Wants to Establish Her Authority
In the Yaohua Palace in the Western Garden, Empress Xue Baoqin sat at the head of the main hall, listening to reports from the eunuch Wanfu, who was in charge of the inner palace, and Gong Fengxiang, the chief eunuch of the palace administration.

During the Longqing period, Zhu Yijun carried out a major reform of the inner court.

The twelve offices, four departments and eight bureaus of the eunuchs in the inner court, totaling 24 yamen, were merged into the Silijian, Yumajian, Neigongjian and Shaofujian.

The Sili supervises power, the Yuma supervises the soldiers, the Shaofu supervises money, and the Neigong supervises life.

However, Zhu Yijun did not touch the palace maid, and everything remained the same.

In December of the third year of Longqing, Zhu Yijun got married, and Xue Baoqin became the Crown Princess. Then she became the Queen the following year. Zhu Yijun handed over the management of the palace maids and female officials to her.

Zhu Yijun still retained many of the modern moral values ​​of a senior civil servant and was very disgusted with such a perverted and inhumane profession as eunuch.

Taking the opportunity of transferring the power of harem management to Xue Baoqin, he asked her to revise the female official system, and use more palace maids and fewer eunuchs to handle trivial matters in the harem in the future.

Xue Baoqin quickly came up with a plan to reform the female officials, merging the six bureaus and one department into one department and three bureaus.

Gongzhengsi is the general name of the organization that manages palace maids.

The Shanggong Bureau was similar to the Silijian, in charge of power, discipline among female officials and palace maids, the sending and receiving of correspondence, and the safekeeping of seals, tokens, and keys to each palace.

The Shangyi Bureau was responsible for the palace's etiquette, daily life, books and archives, and was in charge of the entry and exit security, etiquette and guidance of the women of the imperial court and concubines.

The Shangbao Bureau was responsible for the budget and accounting management of palace clothing, sewing, jewelry, as well as the expenses of palace maids, female officials, and concubines.

Xue Baoqin wore a double phoenix-winged dragon crown, adorned with green and blue mountains.

She wore a yellow gown, a dark blue shawl with gold-woven cloud and dragon patterns, a vermilion skirt with gold-woven colorful cloud and dragon patterns, and a red jade belt.

Sitting upright in the first seat in the main hall, his face was like the bright moon and he had a majestic demeanor.

Gong Fengxiang lowered his head and reported: "On the eighth day of the fourth month, the emperor returned to the capital from Tianshou Mountain. The palace ladies and eunuchs changed into gauze clothes according to the rules. The gauze clothes were all custom-made by the Shaofu Supervisor at the Taihu Silk Factory in Suzhou, and have been distributed to each palace according to the number.

According to the custom, the Empress Dowager and Empress were given cool-handled fans by the Emperor to the wives of officials in Beijing. The fans were bamboo-frame round fans custom-made by the Shaofu Supervisor at Chufengxing in Wuchang.

On the first day of May, the palace ladies and eunuchs wore the python robes with five poisonous wormwood and tiger patches as per the custom. The python robes were custom made by the Shaofu Supervisor at the Jinling Clothing Bureau in Nanjing. They have been distributed to each palace in accordance with the number.

At the gates of the palaces in the Western Garden of the Forbidden City, calamus and mugwort basins were placed, and hanging screens were hung on the doors. The Shaofu Supervisor purchased paintings in Yangliuqing, Linqing, and Jinan in Tianjin Prefecture, including portraits of heavenly masters, fairies, and fairies holding swords to subdue the five poisonous creatures. There were 16 kinds of paintings in total.

I took these paintings and asked Ciqing Palace to select them first, then asked the four imperial concubines to select them in the palace, and then asked the six concubines to select them in the palace and the Forbidden City, and the rest were taken to the Western Garden."

Xue Baoqin nodded, turned around and asked Wan Fu: "Eunuch Wan, on the eighth day of April, the palace changed the gauze clothes, and someone was making a fuss, saying that the gauze clothes given to them were all inferior?"

Wanfu was really troubled. Such bullshit happened in the palace.

It's nothing more than that some people rely on their seniority and want to take advantage of the fact that the queen is young and has just taken charge of the harem to show their power and seize the right to speak in the harem.

You are really tired of living like this, please give this couple a try.

"To answer your Majesty, this is what happened. I changed them four times before I gave up."

"Which palace?" Xue Baoqin asked indifferently.

Wanfu lowered his head even more, "To answer your Majesty, Yude Palace and Xianfu Palace."

"It's them again." Xue Baoqin showed a hint of sarcasm on her face, "On the second day of the second month, all palaces eat fumigated insects as per the custom. Yude Palace was shouting that there were bugs in the fumigated insects and someone wanted to harm them. In the end, it was found that they were just shouting nonsense.

Let’s forget about the national mourning period for now.

On the fourth day of the third lunar month, the palaces were required to change into silk clothes, plant willow trees, and set up swings. However, it was a period of national mourning, so they had to wear mourning clothes and were not allowed to have any entertainment. The palaces followed the rules, but the Xianfu Palace was clamoring to follow the old rules, and the Yude Palace was clamoring beside them.

On the eighth day of the fourth month, there is trouble again. Is there no order in the harem?"

The Yude Palace was occupied by a concubine of Emperor Jiajing, whose surname was An and who was in her forties. She was given the title of Grand Concubine Dowager. The Xianfu Palace was occupied by a favorite concubine of Emperor Longqing, named Wang, also known as Wang Jieyushi of Chunkou Palace, who was given the title of concubine because she gave birth to a prince.

After the death of Emperor Longqing, she was promoted to be the Queen Mother.

One, relying on her seniority, is a fussy and nosy woman; the other, relying on her status as the mother of a prince, is arrogant and domineering.

Wanfu and Gong Fengxiang lowered their heads and dared not say a word.

Gong Fengxiang was about 30 years old and had previously been a female official in Chonghua Palace. When the seven girls were temporarily staying there, she was responsible for Xue Baoqin's daily life.

Empress Dowager An and Concubine Dowager Wang would occasionally jump out to make trouble, just to test the Queen's ability and bottom line, and to see what methods the new owner of the harem had.

If they were young, ignorant, weak and could be bullied, they would take advantage of the situation and snatch some power from Xue Baoqin.

"Now that the emperor has ascended the throne, I have been canonized as the empress. The harem is complete. According to the rules, they have to move from the six east and west palaces to the five east and west palaces."

According to convention, the six palaces in the east and west were for the emperor's concubines to live in. Only the concubines of the late emperor and the emperor before that, who were honored as empress dowager and grand empress dowager, were qualified to live in Ciqiong Palace and Renshou Palace (not Renshou Hall in Xiyuan).

The rest of the concubines and grand concubines had to move to the five east and west residences.

It was cramped and simple there, and the living environment was definitely far inferior to the East and West Six Palaces.

Generally speaking, as long as the living quarters in the harem were not tight, the queen would turn a blind eye and let the concubines stay in the six western palaces.

After all, they are elders.

During the reign of Emperor Longqing, Empress Chen was kind-hearted. There were only a few concubines of Emperor Jiajing still alive, and there was no shortage of accommodation for them in the harem, so they were allowed to continue living in the six western palaces.

After Zhu Yijun ascended the throne, Chen became the empress dowager and the power of the harem was handed over to Xue Baoqin.

Because it was a period of national mourning, Xue Baoqin did not want to make trouble, so she did not make any adjustments. She and Song and others lived in Zhongcui Palace and Chengqian Palace in the East Six Palaces.

When the national mourning period was over, Xue Baoqin and seven others moved to the Western Garden in accordance with the empress dowager's order so that they could serve the emperor closely.

This gave An and Wang some kind of illusion that there was a power vacuum in the Forbidden City, and I could also fight for it!
Yude Palace and Xianfu Palace are adjacent to each other. The two men secretly formed an alliance and began to force the palace step by step.

"There is no order without rules! The rules of the palace are passed down by our ancestors, and we, the daughters-in-law of the Zhu family, dare not break the rules.

Start with Xianfu Palace and Yude Palace, and invite the Grand Empress Dowager and the Grand Concubine to live in Dongwusuo."

Wanfu couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is accompanied by the fourth prince of the late emperor."

"Then choose a more spacious place in East 5."

Xue Baoqin answered without hesitation.

Zhu Yijun stood outside the window, listening to these words quietly.

An and Wang wanted to show the new queen a warning, but Xue Baoqin took the opportunity to turn the tables and use them to establish her authority.

It can be seen that Xue Baoqin still has courage and means.

I chose her as the queen because of this point.

Managing a harem is not much different from managing a Fortune 500 company.

There are nearly ten concubines in the harem, which is equivalent to the company's senior management.

There were dozens or even hundreds of eunuchs and female officials, who were considered the middle level of the company. Thousands of palace maids and eunuchs were just ordinary cattle and horses of the company, well, employees.

The Empress Dowager, the mother-in-law in terms of etiquette and law, the supervisory unit. And myself, the real master of the harem, the chairman.

She needs to deal with all these people.

In addition, there are also the wives and ladies of clan members, nobles and close ministers who need to be won over by himself.

How could he be worse than the president of a Fortune 500 company, as he is good at networking and hardworking?

I want to choose a competent person to be the queen, so that the harem can be managed in a stable manner, or at least there won't be intrigue and chaos every day, which would make me uneasy.

Is it okay for a small family?

If you have not been exposed to such influence since childhood, you will be intimidated when you go up to others.

Is it okay to be good at singing and dancing?

That's just using beauty to please the king. You can't control people.

The advantages that Song Liuli showed to herself lacked a bit of interest.

Xue Baoqin showed herself her strengths.

Break the rules and quietly run to "encounter" yourself. People who dare to break the rules actually understand the nature of the rules very well and can play with the rules handy.

He is also good at riding and shooting.

I have also practiced riding and archery since I was young, and I know that without perseverance, I cannot practice well. In addition, people who are good at riding and archery are more courageous than those who are good at singing and dancing.

With so many advantages, of course I would choose her to be the queen.

Now it seems that I made the right choice.

"The fifth day of the fifth month is not only the Dragon Boat Festival, but also the Emperor's Birthday," Xue Baoqin continued, "It's just after the national mourning period, and the Emperor has instructed not to hold a big celebration and just celebrate with the people.

The dragon boat race in Nanyuan and the banquet held there will be arranged by Eunuch Yang and Prefect Liu.

I'll have to ask Eunuch Wan and Gong Shanggong to take care of the birthday banquet in the palace."

"To answer your Majesty, this is my duty as a servant. I dare not say it is hard work."

Zhu Yijun stood outside the window for a while, and seeing that Xue Baoqin was still explaining something, he thought for a moment and then tiptoed out of Yaohua Palace.

After talking for half an hour, Xue Baoqin arranged everything properly and called out, "Xiao Chunzi."

The eunuch guarding the door quickly appeared and knelt down: "Your Majesty, I am here."

"Just now, there was a shadow flashing in the window. Who has something to report?"

"To answer your Majesty, it was the Emperor just now."

"Ah."

"To answer your Majesty, it was the Emperor who told us not to make any noise."

Xue Baoqin's eyes drooped, "What did the emperor say?"

"To answer your Majesty's question, the Emperor left a message when he left Yaohua Palace, saying that he would come over for dinner today."

Xue Baoqin's face lit up with joy, and her beautiful eyes sparkled.

Zhu Yijun returned to Ziguang Pavilion, and Chen Ju and Li Chun arrived together.

"what's up?"

"Your Majesty, Datong Huodu has an urgent report saying that Bingtu Khan of the Tumed tribe died suddenly due to alcoholism. Sanniangzi, Bosihaer, and Tokto are willing to lead their tribes to submit to the Ming Dynasty and follow the example of the left wing. They also request to come to the capital to meet the emperor."

"Just as Darhanlab and Wusili turned from evil to good, they came over willingly? Well, that's a good thing."

Chen Ju, Li Chun, and the eunuchs including Qi Yan all knelt down and said in unison: "The right wing of Mongolia has surrendered, and the nine frontiers are no longer borders. Since the reigns of Hongwu and Yongle, the Ming Dynasty has finally eliminated the threat of the northern barbarians.

This achievement is unprecedented in history. We, the servants, congratulate the emperor! Congratulations to the Ming Dynasty!"

These eunuchs really have good eyesight and their flattery is just right and natural.

"Stand up." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, "Wait until the matter of the Mongolian right wing is officially settled, then reward the inner court."

"My slave, thank you, Your Majesty!"

"What else?"

"The Secretariat of the Advisory Bureau has drafted an imperial edict appointing Hai Rui, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, as the Governor of Jiangsu. Please review it and use your seal."

Zhu Yijun took the draft of the edict, read it twice, and found no problem. He took the red pen from Qi Yan and wrote four words at the end of the draft.

"Yes. Determined."

With Zhu Yijun's personal imperial approval, the Imperial Household Department dared to use the seal to officially approve it. After using the seal, the Secretariat of the Advisory Bureau officially drafted the edict and stamped it with the Dabao seal.

There are three copies, one for the Cabinet, one for the Council of State Affairs, and the remaining copy is sent to the Imperial Household Department for filing together with the draft of the imperial edict.

The cabinet received the imperial edict and announced it to the whole country, publishing it in the court newspaper and government gazette.

The Ministry of Personnel would issue the official document and Hai Rui could take up his post after receiving it.

However, according to the old system, he still had to submit a petition to the Emperor, requesting his resignation.

If Zhu Yijun had something to say or wanted to show his favor, he would choose a day to meet him.

If he did not want to see the emperor, he could leave the memorial of resignation in the palace, and Hai Rui could take advantage of the nearest morning court session to kowtow and bid farewell to the emperor. If he missed the session, he could kowtow and bid farewell to the emperor outside the Meridian Gate.

Zhu Yijun changed the system so that it wouldn't be so troublesome.

The Ministry of Personnel has issued a document stipulating the dates of leaving the capital and arriving at the post. You just need to write down clearly what you plan to do after taking office.

If I want to see you, I will meet you before I leave Beijing to take up my post.

If you don't want to see me, just kowtow at the Meridian Gate and leave.

Convenient for everyone.

However, everyone knew that given the emperor's respect for Lord Hai Rui, he would definitely meet him before leaving Beijing to take up his new post.

"The day after tomorrow, on the Dragon Boat Festival, I will go to Nanyuan to watch the dragon boat race and have fun with the people. Qi Yan, make an appointment with Hai Rui. I have something to say to him there.

After that, he left the capital to take up his new post. I know he was bored in the capital, and his desire to leave the capital was like a bird leaving its cage. "

"According to the order."

Zhu Yijun put the draft of the imperial edict on the table and said, "Mr. Hai is going to Jiangnan. This drama will definitely be exciting!"

(End of this chapter)