I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 914 Meeting at the East Hall of Daming Gate

The next morning, Yu Qiaolian chose a formal dress with a jacket and skirt that was not so bright in color and had a more solemn style.

She then asked her maid to help comb her hair into a flat round bun, and decorated the top of the bun with a knot of gold and silver threads, and accessorized it with pearls, jade and emeralds, making it look radiant and dazzling.

This is called a peach heart bun.

Married women comb their hair more often, but unmarried women can also comb their hair.

The maid said with a smile: "Sister, you look so pretty. So dignified and elegant, someone who doesn't know you would think you are a concubine in the palace."

Yu Qiaolian's face darkened: "What are you talking about?"

The maid hurriedly apologized: "My dear sister, I said something wrong, please forgive me."

Yu Qiaolian was silent for a while, then waved her hand in a bleak manner, "It's okay, go ask Manager Dong first, is the carriage ready?"

"Yes." The maid lowered her head and retreated.

Yu Qiaolian looked at her bright and beautiful face in the mirror, her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow and confusion.

She was secretly summoned by the Imperial Household Department to perform in the Xiyuan Pear Garden. The sudden good news made the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe and Yu Qiaolian overjoyed.

There are several other ways to become famous in the capital, besides singing in the regular theaters of all sizes on Yuhuang Street.

First, I won an award at the art festival of the Nanyuan Amusement Fair during the Dragon Boat Festival and had the opportunity to participate in the annual selection meeting of the Chinese Opera Association and win the Plum Blossom Award.

However, the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe came to Beijing in July and missed the Wanshou Festival Art Festival, and could not get tickets for the selection conference in the tenth year of Wanli.

We can only wait until next year.

The second is to be invited by dignitaries to sing in a banquet. This opportunity is even slimmer and the risk is also higher.

I understand everything I understand.

There were indeed a few times when high-ranking officials and nobles sent people to invite the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe to perform at their homes. After careful consideration, Yu Qiaolian flatly refused.

This is the capital, under the feet of the emperor. The current emperor is shrewd, and high officials and nobles dare not play too much.

Besides, the Qingmeixi Opera Troupe was protected by officials from Anhui Province, and was not a rootless tree that could be bullied by others. Most of the officials from Anhui Province had great connections with Hu Zongxian.

A few years after his death, everyone in the court recognized his legacy.

So they decided not to go. While Yu Qiaolian, Dong Li and others were worried, the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe was safe and sound.

As a result, the Imperial Household Department sent people to invite Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Xue to invite the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe to perform in the Liyuan Garden in the Western Garden.

This honor is too great to be refused for any reason.

After singing two acts, even a blind person could see the posture of Empress Dowager Chen.

Fortunately, the emperor's attitude was unclear, so everyone pretended that it had not happened and it passed.

But this matter can't be let go like this.

Yu Qiaolian didn't want to enter Xiyuan.

After entering Xiyuan, she could no longer perform on stage and could only become a rich canary.

But Dong Li, Qing Meixi and other people in the troupe all wanted her to enter Xiyuan.

No one knows whether Yu Qiaolian will be happy once she enters the palace, but everyone will benefit greatly from it.

Sacrifice yourself to benefit a group of people.

Besides, you entered the palace to enjoy wealth and glory, not to go to jail.

Yu Qiaolian knew what everyone was thinking.

That's why I'm so worried.

This series of recent events all happened after I entered Xiyuan to perform.

The extortion by local thugs and harassment by the powerful, which were once considered serious troubles, are like dust in the face of the name Xiyuan, and are all blown away with a light breeze.

This is power!
The one who lives in Xiyuan has supreme power!
While I was daydreaming, Dong Li came in.

He wore a lining inside and a dark blue quilted straight coat outside, plus a woolen jacket, and a Tang scarf on his head, which was a modified version of the cornered futou.

It looks very elegant, similar to the attire of an orthodox scholar.

He said excitedly, "Alian, the carriage is ready."

Yu Qiaolian thought about it, took out a veil, tied it behind her head, covering most of her face and leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

It is said that this thing developed from the face clothing of the Western Han Dynasty and the Jianmao of the Western Tang Dynasty. In the past, officials who were demoted out of the capital wore this thing because they were too ashamed to see their old friends and relatives.

During the Wanli period, someone started to use it as a decoration to block wind and sun, especially women from wealthy families liked to wear it to cover their faces when going out.

Later, singing girls also modified it. The thin gauze made their faces vaguely visible, which added to its charm.

The veil Yu Qiaolian wore was a very formal one.
The two of them walked out of the courtyard and came to the entrance of the alley with the crowd seeing them off.

There was a black cab waiting.

A neighbor passing by saw the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe in full force and asked in surprise, "What are you doing? Where are Troupe Master Yu and Manager Dong going?"

Yu Qiaolian's personal maid replied proudly: "My class leader is going to the East Hall of Daming Gate for a meeting."

When the neighbors heard this, their eyes widened: "Damingmen Hall?"

"Exactly."

"Oh, Mr. Yu, you have made a big splash."

"It's incredible, it's incredible. I've said it before, the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe will definitely have a great future."

Yu Qiaolian nodded helplessly to her neighbors and got into the carriage.

There was a faint voice behind me.

"Actors can go to the Daming Gate Hall to hold meetings? This really disrupts the law."

"Yes, the world is going downhill, people's hearts are no longer the same as before!"

The carriage rattled away, and Yu Qiaolian sat in the carriage with her head lowered, silent.

Dong Li looked at her with mixed feelings in his heart, and advised her kindly: "Alian, how can prejudices that have been formed for thousands of years be changed overnight?"

"Uncle, if you don't change it today and you don't change it tomorrow, then when will you be able to change it?

We opera singers earn our livings by our own skills, just like the women workers in the spinning mills and the men in the ironworks. Why are we inferior to them?"

Yu Qiaolian raised her head and said, "In recent years, the emperor has been saying that we must break stereotypes and abandon bad habits. He also redefined us as literary and artistic workers, just like workers, farmers, merchants and scholars.
If we turn a blind eye to our own dignity, who will respect us?"

"We can't change everything, A-Lian. Things are much better now than before. We have to wait. We have waited for thousands of years, so eight or ten years won't make a difference." "Uncle, we can't change things, but we will go find people who can. Things are much better now than before, but we hope tomorrow will be much better than today, many times better."

Dong Li looked at Yu Qiaolian and understood what she meant.

"Alian, you have really decided."

Yu Qiaolian did not answer, but continued to speak her mind, "Uncle, I have not read any books except for memorizing the scripts. But I can feel that the emperor is creating a new world and an unprecedented era.

He wants to discard everything that shouldn't exist and establish a brand new, uh, rules, order, etc. That's about it.

Uncle, this is our great opportunity."

Dong Li leaned back in his chair and said quietly, "Alian, I have lived for more than 40 years and I know one thing: if you gain something, you will lose something."

The carriage drove along Zhengyangmen Street, passed through Zhengyangmen, and soon arrived at the South Gate of Daming.

Without a special pass, the carriage could not enter at all, so it walked west along Xijiang Street, then turned north to Shiyongdong Street, and walked east to West Chang'an Street.

After a big detour, we arrived at Daming North Gate, which was only separated from Chengtian Gate by Chang'an Avenue.

After Wu Dui took over as the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, he felt that it was improper for court officials to frequently hold meetings at Changyi Pavilion in Nanyuan.

After all, Nanyuan was designated as the entertainment and leisure area of ​​the capital. It was inappropriate for officials to go there for meetings and have fun.

So he went to the cabinet and the Rong government, persuaded Zhang Juzheng and Tan Lun, and persuaded Hai Rui. Then he drafted a memorial, hoping to expand a "central administrative district" with Daming Gate as the center.

The plan is to expand Xijiang Mixiang and Dongjiang Mixiang into two streets close to the inner city wall, with Zhengyangmen as the boundary to divide Xijiang Street and Dongjiang Street.

We acquired houses around the Rong government and cabinet office area to the north of Xijiangmi Lane and Dongjiangmi Lane, and started expansion and renovation with space available.

Two great halls, the East and West Halls, were built along Chang'an Avenue.

Two large administrative districts were built to the south, the East District and the West District.

The eastern district was the Cabinet and the Censorate.

The western district was home to the military government, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Xuanhuiyuan.

Reasonable planning, all designed and built according to new building style.

All office buildings are six-story high and are designed separately for ministries, temples, and governments. The office buildings of different departments are generally similar, but have obvious differences in appearance.

Why only build six floors?

Because the palace wall across Chang'an Street is twelve meters high, and the roof of the tower is twenty-seven and a half meters high.

No matter what, how can a minister’s office building be taller than the emperor’s palace?

The original design institute planned to design it to be ten meters long, but Zhu Yijun rejected it and changed it to eighteen meters.

At a distance of more than 100 meters, the 18-meter-high building is still shorter than the 12-meter-high city platform and the 27-meter-high city tower.

The administrative district plan of Daming Gate was submitted to Xiyuan and was quickly approved by Zhu Yijun, and construction began.

After the sixth year of Wanli, the Ming Dynasty seldom launched large-scale military operations against other countries, and most of its energy was focused on developing Genxunzhou and stabilizing the western front.

Military spending has been reduced by nearly half, so there is enough money to carry out this major project.

Wu Dui repaired it for two years and was then transferred to be the governor of Donghai, and Nangong Ye continued the repair.

The construction was gradually completed in the tenth year of Wanli.

They are all reinforced concrete frame buildings, and the decoration is mainly simple and practical, without the need to be as elaborate and luxurious as Xiyuan Changyi Pavilion.

The project is progressing rapidly.

The carriage arrived at the north gate of Daming, where there was a sentry post.

Yu Qiaolian and Dong Li got off the carriage and handed over their invitation letters and photos. The guard officers checked them carefully and then let them pass.

When you walk into the north gate, the first thing you see is a street paved with water-polished bluestone without a single crack in sight.

Daming Street.

Clean and tidy.

There is a magnificent building on each side.

East and West Hall.

The East Hall is a modern building with a facade in the shape of a Chinese character "山". The two wings are slightly lower and the middle is slightly higher. It has doors on all four sides and is surrounded by 128 circular columns.

The roof is flat, surrounded by platforms and with overhanging eaves at the four corners.

Walking across the 50-meter-long flat and wide square from Daming Street and reaching the steps, Yu Qiaolian and Dong Li felt as if they were standing at the foot of Mount Tai, gazing at the top of the mountain in the distance.

The mountains stand tall!

Walking up the twelve steps, you can see twelve huge white marble pillars, extending from the base to the roof. Each pillar is so large that two or three people cannot hug it.

The stone pillars are engraved with mythological stories, from Pangu creating the world to Nuwa mending the sky, from Kuafu chasing the sun to Houyi shooting the sun, from Jingwei filling the sea to Xingtian dancing with Ganqi.
Each pillar tells a story, vivid and shocking.

Behind the stone pillars is a long corridor that is empty all the way to the ceiling.

There are floor-to-ceiling windows in the corridor, from the roof to the base, divided into grids. The brown glass is crystal clear and looks like square ponds.

There are five large doors in the middle, each of which is three meters high. The middle one is the widest, the two on the left and right are slightly narrower, and the two outermost ones are the narrowest.

Standing on the corridor, looking up at the stone pillars and feeling their majestic grandeur, Yu Qiaolian felt a little dizzy, her legs were shaking, and her heart was beating wildly in her chest.

Dong Li, who was also shocked, reacted first. He saw many people walking up the stairs, and they seemed to be traveling together. He quickly pulled Yu Qiaolian.

"Alian, go in."

"it is good!"

Yu Qiaolian followed Dong Li in a daze and followed the crowd into the second door on the left. Once inside, she was shocked again.

The hall is more than ten meters high and looks very spacious.

There were two or three hundred people standing inside, scattered everywhere and not at all conspicuous, like hundreds of ants.

Yu Qiaolian looked around. There was a door in the front, and there were doors on the left and right sides.

Where to go?
Dong Li said, "Go ask. There is an information desk over there."

"it is good."

When she walked to the round counter at the information desk and hadn't opened her mouth yet, a figure jumped out from the side and suddenly jumped in front of her, giving Yu Qiaolian a big fright!

(End of this chapter)