I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 898 The female prince consort is good looking!
The Pear Garden in Xiyuan, Beijing.

The clear and melodious singing voice floated slowly and echoed in the Liyuan Theater.

"I left my home to save Li Lang, but unexpectedly I became the top scorer in the imperial examination.

The top scholar wears a red robe and a palace flower in his hat, which is so beautiful and fresh.

I have also been to the Qionglin Banquet, and I have also ridden a horse on the Imperial Street. "

An actress wearing a top scholar costume was singing with great joy on the stage in front, gesticulating with her hands and body, swinging her long sleeves from time to time, and doing various poses, sometimes happy, sometimes charming, sometimes shy, showing her charm.

The actress dressed up as a man and put on the official uniform of the top scholar, which was usually only worn by men. Compared with other female characters, she had a rare heroic spirit, which added to her charm.

The eldest princess Zhu Xuanni sat in the front row, supporting her chin with both hands, looking at the female prince consort on the stage with a bright look on her face.

Zhu Yijun, who was sitting in the middle, seemed to be concentrating on watching the actresses on the stage, but Queen Xue Baoqin, who was sitting next to him, knew that the emperor's mind had long since drifted away.

Kings of every dynasty had their own preferences.

Some like beauty, some like food, some like vocal music, some like playing, and some like mysterious cultivation.
What does the emperor like?
You should like authority the most.

Beauty, delicious food, vocal music, and entertainment are just embellishments in his life, allowing him to relax after exercising power and governing the country.

There has been unrest in the court recently.

In the tenth year of the Wanli reign, everyone in the government and the country knew that it was time to change the government and to discuss national policies for the next five to ten years.

The forces of various parties are surging undercurrents, and the situation in the court and the world is turbulent.

The emperor had to deal with all of this with great effort. These days, he had dark circles under his eyes and looked a little tired.

Xue Baoqin then borrowed the name of Empress Dowager Chen, accompanied by several concubines and princes and princesses, and dragged the emperor to watch the show.

"Your Majesty, this Huangmei Opera "The Female Prince Consort" has been very popular in the capital recently. Doesn't Your Majesty like to listen to it?"

"I like to listen to it. This Huangmei Opera is gentle and beautiful, completely different from the Anhui Opera, and also different from the Kunqu Opera. It has a unique flavor."

"Your Majesty seemed to be distracted. I thought you didn't like it, so I thought of changing the song."

"No need to change, it sounds good." Zhu Yijun twisted his body to make himself more comfortable in the chair.

"This Huangmei Opera was introduced to the capital by Zili Gong (Tan Lun) when he heard it in Anqing during his inspection of the Yangtze River defense in the south of the Yangtze River."

"Mr. Zili was an elegant man who loved opera. The rise of Haiyan Opera, Yiyang Opera and Yihuang Opera were all closely related to him. It seems that he and Mr. Fengzhou (Wang Shizhen) jointly recommended Hui Opera."

"Yes, but in the past two years, Lord Zili has also grown older. And Zhang Xiang and Lord Hai are also getting older. For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, they have worked so hard that their bodies have aged."

Xue Baoqin smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not make any comments on the affairs of the court. But I want to talk about the affairs of the harem."

"Queen, please speak."

"Duke Yi and Duke Wen have already held their coming-of-age ceremonies and moved out of the palace to set up residences. But according to ancestral custom, they should also be crowned kings.

No matter what, they are both the sons of the late Emperor Longqing and brothers of the Emperor."

Duke Yi is the third prince of Emperor Longqing, Zhu Yihao, also known as the real Zhu Yijun in history. He is seventeen years old this year.

Duke Wen is the fourth prince of Emperor Longqing, Zhu Yilian, who is fourteen years old this year.

"The Ministry of Rites has submitted a memorial mentioning this matter. My intention is to confer the title of Prince on them."

"Your Majesty, it seems inconsistent with the ancestral system to only confer the title of a prince."

"During the Longqing reign, I rectified the imperial clan, reduced the power of the princes and exiled the common people. At that time, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, I could have been ruthless. Now that it's my family's turn, it's understandable and I should show some leniency.

No.

I can’t do such a thing.”

Xue Baoqin asked again: "Is the title of a prince hereditary?"

"They are not dividing the expenses." Zhu Yijun waved his hand.

Xue Baoqin knew what was going on.

At that time, Taizu passed the throne to the lineage of Crown Prince Zhu Biao. Chengzu, as the emperor's uncle, led an army to quell the rebellion and seized the throne from his nephew, Emperor Jianwen.

In order to cover up, Chengzu weakened the actual power of the princes, and at the same time, in accordance with the "ancestral system", allowed other brothers to divide the family expenses and form their own lineage.

After the emperor ascended the throne, he reduced the number of more than 20 vassal kings to only ten.

In the seventh and eighth years of the Wanli reign, he seized the opportunity again and eliminated the four princes of Fan De, Yi, Lu and Su. Now there were only six princes left, all of whom were canonized by Taizu. The rest of the princes who were canonized by Renzong, Yingzong and Xianzong were all eliminated.

The emperor's attitude was also very clear. Starting from Emperor Chengzu, the throne was transferred from the eldest son's house, which had no descendants, to the fourth son's house.

The six princes who were left behind inherited the throne and worshipped the ancestral temples of various branches indicated that Emperor Taizu had seven branches of descendants, making it seem that the Zhu family was prosperous and had many branches.

Now the fourth house is the main line of the clan. Whoever becomes emperor will be the clan leader and also the chief clan leader of the Zhu clan.

So what is there to divide among the four rooms?

The princes who were conferred titles by the previous emperor on the three temples of Ren, Ying and Xian must be eliminated, and the four branches should just pass on the throne.

On the other hand, the fiefs granted by Emperor Taizu had been passed down for nearly ten generations and were too far away from each other. Even if they wanted to seize the suzerainty, they would not be able to convince the people and the threat was small.

Zhu Yihao and Zhu Yilian are the princes of the previous emperor and the brothers of the emperor. If they were to be enfeoffed as vassal kings according to the ancestral system and practice hereditary succession, it would be a clear move to divide the clan expenses and compete with the royal family for sovereignty!
The abacus beads in Zhu Yijun's heart were about to jump onto Xue Baoqin's face.

However, as the queen, Xue Baoqin definitely supported Zhu Yijun's move.

To fight for suzerainty means to fight for the throne!
A hundred years after Zhu Yijun's death, the throne should be passed to the fourth prince born to Xue Baoqin, Zhu Yijun's legitimate son.

Xue Baoqin was eager to eliminate the hidden danger for her son in advance.

Xue Baoqin mentioned the second thing. She tactfully reminded Zhu Yijun, "Your Majesty, when I was paying my respects to the Queen Mother yesterday, she mentioned that for more than a year, the concubines in the harem had not become pregnant, and there had been no cries of princes and princesses born.

As the mistress of the six palaces, I feel guilty towards the Empress Dowager and my ancestors. I ask the Emperor to issue an edict to select beautiful women to fill the harem."

Concubine Shun Wang gave birth to the eldest daughter Zhu Xuanni and the sixth son of the emperor. However, in the sixth year of Wanli, she suffered a dystocia during the birth of the sixth son, and both mother and child died.

Concubine Song gave birth to the eldest son Zhu Changhao and the third daughter Zhu Xuanchan.

Gongfei Xu gave birth to the second daughter Zhu Xuanwan and the fifth son Zhu Changxuan, but she became ill when giving birth to Zhu Changxuan and was bedridden for more than two years. She died in the winter of the eighth year of Wanli. Shufei Zeng gave birth to the second son Zhu Changhan, the seventh son, and the fifth daughter Zhu Xuanyan.

Concubine Ning Ge gave birth to the third son Zhu Changhan and the fourth daughter.

Concubine Kang Dong gave birth to the fifth son Zhu Changxun and the sixth daughter Zhu Xuanmiao.

Xue Baoqin gave birth to the fourth son Zhu Changyan, the eighth son Zhu Changhong, and the seventh daughter.

During this period, the seventh son, the fourth daughter and the seventh daughter also died.

In the winter of the eighth year of the Wanli reign, after Concubine Gong Xu passed away, it seemed as if God had pressed the pause button on the Western Garden. Until now, none of the five concubines had become pregnant again, and naturally no princes or princesses had been born.

He went to the Imperial Medical Office and the Imperial Hospital, where many famous doctors were organized to provide repeated diagnosis and treatment.

There is no problem with Your Majesty. He is twenty-six years old, full of vigor and vitality, like the rising sun.

The five concubines only had minor ailments and recovered after a little treatment.

If everything is normal, then we can only blame it on God's will.

Empress Dowager Chen was the most anxious person. In addition to continuing to chant sutras and praise Buddha's name, she also repeatedly hinted to Queen Xue Baoqin to take extraordinary measures.

What extraordinary measures?
That is to add new people to the Xiyuan harem.

The emperor is in good health and the seeds are fine, but they just don't germinate when they are planted. It may be that the soil has consumed too much fertility and cannot keep up, so it needs to rest for a few more years.

But Empress Dowager Chen did not want to wait. Since the soil of the old fields was moist and the view was vast, like a swan out of a cage, she decided to find fertile new fields for the emperor to cultivate.

Xue Baoqin felt bitter and must have resisted.

She agreed politely on the surface, but in fact she found all kinds of excuses to delay.

But as time flew by, it was the autumn and winter of the tenth year of Wanli. For nearly two years, none of the concubines were happy. Not only did Empress Dowager Chen's words become more ambiguous, but the court and the public were also talking about it, and the pressure on Xue Baoqin was increasing.

Today she found an excuse and told Zhu Yijun directly.

Zhu Yijun turned and looked at Xue Baoqin.

He knew that no children had been born in the harem in the past year, and she was the one who was under the greatest pressure.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait and see."

Xue Baoqin glanced at Empress Dowager Chen, who was concentrating on watching the play three meters to Zhu Yijun's left, and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. The Empress Dowager is anxious, and the government and the public are paying attention."

Zhu Yijun replied nonchalantly: "I will explain to the Queen Mother later. As for the government and the public, no one will pay attention to my harem affairs for the time being."

Xue Baoqin knew Zhu Yijun's temper, and knew that she could not convince him to change a decision without sufficient reasons.

She also knew that the court was in turmoil during this period and the emperor did not want to be distracted.

"The concubine knows."

Zhu Yijun pointed around again and said, "Shuntianfu Thermal Power Plant has been built, and Shuntian Yin Nangong Ye has submitted a petition requesting that electricity be transmitted to Xiyuan.

Electricity is a good thing, I agree. In half a month, the construction team may enter Xiyuan to start construction as planned.

The Imperial Horse Administration will take care of the security, and the Queen should take care of it and coordinate the various places to make sure there is no chaos."

"Yes, this is my duty. Your Majesty said that electricity is a good thing. Is it the same good thing as sewer pipes and tap water?"

Xiyuan began to undergo large-scale construction in the first year of the Wanli reign, laying sewer pipes, water pipelines, and other supporting facilities.

By the fifth year of the Wanli reign, it was basically completed.

Then Zhu Yijun and his concubines began to enjoy themselves.

There is a flush toilet, so you don't have to empty the chamber pot every morning. It is clean and odorless.

There is a boiler room, a "royal bathhouse", and an "artificial hot spring", with hot water available 24 hours a day. If you feel tired, you can take a hot bath, which is like being a living god.

If you are in the mood, you can also take a bath together to improve the quality of life.

In winter, heating is provided.

It was snowing heavily outside, but it was as warm as spring or summer inside.

At night, there are kerosene lamps. The new kerosene lamps are very bright, one light is equivalent to four or five candles in the past. Although there is a pungent smell, it is still bearable.

Days like these are what emperors enjoy.

After enjoying herself, Empress Dowager Chen found an excuse to be close to her grandchildren and take care of them nearby, so she stayed in the Western Garden and refused to return to the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City.

Zhu Yijun also took advantage of the situation and began to renovate the Forbidden City. However, the Forbidden City was larger in area and had more houses, so the renovation would take at least ten to eight years to complete.

Now there is another burst of electricity. Xue Baoqin is a little excited. What kind of fun thing is this?

"When the power lines are pulled into Xiyuan, it will be as bright as day at night. Also, in the summer, we can use electric fans to keep cool during the hot summer."

Xue Baoqin was surprised and asked, "So magical?"

"Electricity is a very magical thing. With it, we can create more miracles."

As they were talking, Feng Bao hurried in. Seeing Zhu Yijun and Xue Baoqin talking, he tactfully stood beside them with his head lowered.

Feng Bao had aged a lot, with more wrinkles on his face and age spots here and there. He looked more and more like Huang Jin back then.

He was born in the 1511th year of Zhengde () and is now almost sixty years old.

Zhu Yijun saw him and waved his hand: "What's the matter?"

Feng Bao stepped forward, respectfully crossed his arms and bowed to Zhu Yijun and Xue Baoqin, then smiled at Xue Baoqin after the salute.

Xue Baoqin immediately realized that it was an important political matter in the outer court, and she sat up straight and kept a distance from Zhu Yijun.

Feng Bao leaned close to Zhu Yijun's ear and whispered something.

Zhu Yijun's expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of fierceness in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)