Ming Dynasty: A mere unruly commoner is rebelling against the heaven?

Chapter 87 On October th, the concubines entered the palace!
Xu Pu quickly explained: "Your Majesty, compiling a book is a huge project, especially when it comes to books on law. We must be careful and pay attention at all times."

"I'm afraid this book repair will take three to five years to be completely completed."

Zhu Youtang picked up the hot tea on the table and took a sip: "In this case, why not just issue a temporary transitional regulation first?"

Xu Pu's eyes lit up and he kowtowed quickly to thank the emperor.

"Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty. I will live up to your trust and compile the temporary transitional regulations before the beginning of spring next year!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your permission!"

Liu Jian and the other two behind Xu Pu also breathed a sigh of relief and felt extremely excited.

They also did not expect that His Majesty would agree to the constitutional amendment so readily.

It seems that what Xu Pu said was right. His Majesty is indeed an aggressive and reformist monarch.

At this moment, Wang Zhi and Huai En walked into the Hongde Hall together.

After seeing this, Zhu Youtang waved to Xu Pu and the others and said, "Go down."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will take my leave."

After the four cabinet elders left, Huai'en walked up with a smile and couldn't wait to report the achievements of the East Factory to Zhu Youtang.

"Your Majesty, the East Factory has arrested a total of 1275 officials this time."

"Three of them will have their nine clans executed, and five will have their three clans exterminated."

"356 people were executed from their entire families."

"A total of 3314 family members were involved."

"There were 911 people whose homes were confiscated and whose heads were beheaded."

"3297 people were sent to the Jiaofangsi, and 6879 were sent to the army."

There were few people recruited into the Jiaofangsi because the Jiaofangsi did not accept everyone, only the young and beautiful ones.

Those who are old, ugly, or have ugly looks will mostly be sold to others to serve as maids.

Of course, there were also some wealthy families who would spend a large sum of money to buy young and beautiful officials from the Jiaofangsi.

Many criminals who were sent to the Jiaofangsi would be bought by others within two days of entering the institution.

Especially the female members who are already outstanding in appearance have been coveted by people early on.

Often, just after being sent to the Jiaofangsi, they would be bought by someone for money.

Bian Yujing and Li Xiangjun were descendants of officials. After their homes were confiscated, they were sent to the Jiaofangsi and then bought in by Zhang Wenshao, the governor of Yingtian.

The Jiaofangsi provided the Ming court with a considerable amount of pure silver income every year.

After stating the number of people, Huai En began to report the proceeds from the house search.

"Your Majesty, this time the East Factory seized a total of 6547 taels of gold, 621 million taels of silver, and 86 strings of Hongzhi treasure notes, all of which have been sent to the Imperial Treasury."

"There are more than 770,000 acres of farmland, all of which are the best farmland in the surrounding areas of Northern Zhili."

"There are 2187 house deeds in total, 1362 of which are in the capital."

"The jewelry and antiques, a total of 2698 boxes, have all been sent to the treasury."

"There are also 48 dan of rice, 17 dan of wheat, and 3 dan of tea..."

"There are also famous paintings and calligraphy, ornaments, and furniture..."

It was Huai En's first time handling such a big case, so he was inevitably a little excited.

All the items seized during the house search were recorded in great detail.

The confiscated silver and banknotes alone were equivalent to two years' tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty government.

"Okay, I understand."

Zhu Youtang interrupted Huai En's report, and Huai En could only shut up and step aside.

"Wang Zhi, you go ahead."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wang Zhi stepped forward and reported the situation of the Western Factory to Zhu Youtang.

"Your Majesty, the Western Factory has purged a total of 35 generals and 419 soldiers."

"These military commanders have close ties with the former cabinet, the former three judicial officials, and others."

"Those soldiers who were cleared out were also the personal soldiers of these generals."

Zhu Youtang nodded: "Yes, what about the Ministry of War?"

"Are there any movements from the garrison troops and border town soldiers?"

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has dealt with a batch of them before, and there is nothing unusual at the moment."

"The soldiers from the garrisons and border towns in various places are still stationed in their original places, and there is no mobilization of troops from various places."

"But during the investigation, I discovered a very serious problem of ghost employees."

"The Wucheng Bingma Division originally had a staff of 15,000, but only 11 were actually on duty."

"The number of people who are not paying for their salaries in the Beijing Guard Command is 14,000. The Five Military Commands and the Ministry of War are involved in this matter."

Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "Investigate, and whoever we find will be executed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Let's all go back."

"Yes, Wei Chen resigns!"

After Wang Zhi and Huai En left Hongde Hall, Zhu Youtang looked out the window.

I don't know when, but it started snowing in the capital.

Zhu Youtang looked at the white snow outside the window, which was slowly covering the eaves of the palace.

On a whim, I recited two lines of poetry.

"The scenery of the North is covered in ice for thousands of miles and snow drifting for thousands of miles."

"..."

"It's all over, let's count the famous people, let's look at the present!"

……

A few days later, it was October 13th.

On this day, the palace was unusually lively.

Five sedan chairs were parked at the gate of Chuxiu Palace early in the morning.

The one in the front is covered with red silk curtains on all sides, and is embroidered with auspicious designs such as rich flowers, phoenixes facing the rising sun, and a hundred children.

Not only is its style extraordinary, it is also larger than other sedan chairs.

The other sedan chairs were small ones carried by two people, but this one was a large one carried by four people.

"The auspicious time has arrived, ladies and gentlemen, please get into the sedan chair."

Fu Dahai, the eunuch in charge of the Jingshifang, stood in front of five sedan chairs and looked towards the Chuxiu Palace with a smile.

At this moment, there were many people standing on the steps in front of Chuxiu Palace.

There was Cui Gongzheng of Chuxiu Palace, the palace maids of Chuxiu Palace, and the eunuchs of Jingshifang.

But the most eye-catching were the five gorgeously dressed beauties.

After today, they will no longer be concubines, but Concubine Kang, Concubine Chen, Concubine Liu, Concubine Dong and Lady Gu.

"Empress Kang, let's go. If you don't leave, no one else will dare to leave."

Yicui, a palace maid selected by Zhang Wan'er, held Zhang Wan'er's hand and complimented her in a low voice.

After hearing this, Zhang Wan'er was overjoyed and a beautiful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

His Majesty selected five beautiful ladies and only appointed her as a concubine, allowing her to enjoy the position of the head of a palace.

Such an honor made Zhang Wan'er feel ecstatic.

"Yicui, you are the only one who can speak."

Zhang Wan'er was at the head of all the ladies, and naturally walked towards the largest and most gorgeous sedan chair.

Fu Dahai opened the curtain of the sedan chair for Zhang Wan'er attentively: "Empress Kang, please."

"Thank you, Eunuch Fu."

After Zhang Wan'er sat on the bridal sedan, the eunuchs carrying the sedan slowly lifted the sedan and walked towards the Xianfu Palace where Zhang Wan'er would soon move in.

After Zhang Wan'er left, Liu Rushi patted Chen Yuanyuan's hand.

"Sister, please go first. Once everything is settled, we will go together to pay our respects to the two Empress Dowagers."

"Okay, then I'll take the first step."

"Sister Xiangjun, Sister Hengbo, let's go."

Gu Hengbo took Chen Yuanyuan's hand and whispered, "My lady, please don't call me sister anymore. I can't bear it." "From now on, just call me by my name."

"The palace has its own rules. It's different from what we did in Yangzhou. We have to be careful with our words and actions, and don't let anyone catch us quarreling."

Chen Yuanyuan responded with a smile: "Okay, I'll listen to you, sister."

Gu Hengbo's eyes widened: "Still screaming."

Chen Yuanyuan lowered her head embarrassedly and got into the bridal sedan with the support of Gu Hengbo.

Li Xiangjun followed behind, along with several other maids.

The eunuch who had been preparing for a long time picked up the sedan chair and took Chen Yuanyuan to the Yuqing Tower in Jingren Palace where he would soon stay.

After Chen Yuanyuan left, Liu Rushi took Bian Yujing and Ma Xianglan, and Dong Xiaowan took Kou Baimen, and they got on the bridal sedans and went to their respective residences.

At the end, the only one left was the lady of the lowest rank, Gu.

"My Lord, let's go too."

A maid chosen by Gu reminded in a low voice.

Gu turned around and looked at Chuxiu Palace behind her, then walked up to Cui Gongzheng and bowed.

"Thank you Cui Gongzheng for taking care of me these days. I am grateful to you."

Cui Gongzheng hurriedly returned the gift, his tone full of emotion.

"My lord, please stop saying that. I am just doing my job."

"Your Majesty has chosen you, and you are destined to be very successful in the future. It is my honor to take care of you."

Gu smiled faintly: "Your Majesty chose me last to make up the number. In terms of looks and talent, I am no match for the other sisters."

"I don't ask for favor or success, I just hope that Your Majesty still remembers me."

"This……"

Cui Gongzheng frowned slightly and sighed softly.

Gu looked at the other palace maids in Chuxiu Palace again. Some of them were the girls who had participated in the beauty pageant with her before.

"Goodbye, sisters."

Gu took the initiative to salute them, which frightened them so much that they stepped back and hurriedly returned the salute.

"My lady, you are embarrassing me. I will send you off respectfully."

Gu took a deep breath and got on the last small sedan chair with the maid she had chosen.

The flower bridge slowly rose, carrying her to Chaolu Pavilion in Changchun Palace.

Along the way, the palace was decorated with lights and full of festive atmosphere.

Zhang Wan'er was the first to arrive at Xianfu Palace.

As soon as she entered the palace, Zhang Wan'er was stunned by the magnificent architecture and luxurious decoration of Xianfu Palace.

Xianfu Palace is divided into two halls, the front hall is where ceremonies are performed and the back hall is where the sleeping palace is.

The main entrance with yellow glazed tiles, the palace roof with yellow glazed tiles, the materials used in the construction of Xianfu Palace are extremely noble.

There are three side halls in the east and west in front, and each side hall has several side rooms.

The main hall in the backyard is named "Jiangyun Hall", with three side rooms on the east and west sides.

The Jiangyun Hall also has east and west side halls, and there is a well pavilion in the southeast of the hall.

Fu Dahai first took Zhang Wan'er to visit the front hall, then led her to the back hall, and came to the main hall in the backyard, the Jiangyun Hall.

"Empress Kang, this is your Xianfu Palace."

"You are the master of Xianfu Palace, the lord of the palace."

"All the eunuchs and maids in the Xianfu Palace are at your disposal."

Zhang Wan'er walked into the Crimson Cloud Palace and looked at the spacious main hall. The luxurious decorations made her feel like she was in a dream.

"Thank you, Eunuch Fu. Come and watch the reward."

"Yes, ma'am."

Weihong handed a small cloth bag full of silver to Fu Dahai. Fu Dahai weighed it and felt it was not heavy, not even as much as what his godsons had given him.

After all, Zhang Wan'er had just entered the palace and had not yet received her monthly salary.

What I carry with me now is the silver I took from home before entering the palace.

But Fu Dahai still looked ecstatic and kept thanking him.

"Thank you for your reward, Madam. May your Majesty be well."

Then, Fu Dahai looked at a eunuch in his thirties next to him and waved to him.

"Zhao Yun, come here quickly!"

"Yes, godfather!"

After Zhao Yun came over, he first knelt down to greet Zhang Wan'er.

"Your servant greets the Concubine Kang!"

Fu Dahai introduced: "Madam Kangpin, this Zhao Yun is the eunuch in charge of the Xianfu Palace, and he is also my godson."

"If there is anything, just tell him to do it."

Zhang Wan'er nodded, deliberately holding her head high and chest out: "I know."

"Then, Madam, I will take my leave first."

After Fu Dahai left, Zhang Wan'er also asked Zhao Yun to wait in the outer hall first.

When only Zhang Wan'er and her two personal maids, Weihong and Yicui, were left in the hall, Zhang Wan'er excitedly threw herself onto the soft couch.

"Weihong Yicui, did you guys see it just now?"

"I just said "this palace", is it really like that?"

Yicui walked forward with a smile and tidied up her dress that had just been messed up by Zhang Wan'er.

"More than a resemblance, your Majesty, you are the head of this Xianfu Palace, so you should be called this palace."

"It's just that your majesty is now of noble status, so you should be more prudent in your words and actions, and don't lose the royal etiquette."

Zhang Wan'er is only sixteen this year, at the age of youth and vitality.

She stuck out her tongue coquettishly: "Okay, I will pay attention next time."

Weihong reminded her, "Your Majesty, please take a rest first and have some refreshments. We will go to Renshou Palace and Ciqing Palace to pay our respects to the two Empress Dowagers later."

"understood."

Renshou Palace was the sleeping palace of Empress Dowager Wu, and Ciqing Palace was the sleeping palace of Empress Dowager Wang.

Zhu Youtang did not have a queen, so there was no wedding ceremony. They did not need to pay their respects to the queen, but instead paid their respects directly to the two empress dowagers.

Not long after Zhang Wan'er arrived at Xianfu Palace, Chen Yuanyuan, Liu Rushi, Dong Xiaowan and Gu also arrived at their own bedrooms.

Although the palace they lived in, like Xianfu Palace, was one of the twelve eastern and western palaces.

But they were not concubines and could only live in a side hall in the palace.

"In order to welcome the young lady, the flowers in this hall were just brought in this morning."

"It's just that the weather is too cold now, so there are only chrysanthemums and plum blossoms."

Zhong Yue, the eunuch in charge of Yuqing Tower, brought Chen Yuanyuan to a side hall to the east of Jingren Palace.

Chen Yuanyuan smiled slightly: "Eunuch Zhong is thoughtful. These flowers are very fragrant."

Zhong Yue stopped outside the palace and pointed at the plaque on the palace: "Chen Jieyu, this is Yuqing Tower."

Chen Yuanyuan, Li Xiangjun and Gu Hengbo walked into Yuqing Tower and were immediately attracted by its decoration.

Although they had lived in Zhang Wenshao's Suzhou Garden since childhood, the Suzhou garden was beautiful but it only had richness but no nobility.

Although the decorations in Yuqing Tower are not very complicated, they reveal the royal elegance everywhere.

"Chen Jieyu, is there anything you are not satisfied with here?"

"You are the only concubine living in Jingren Palace now. If you are not satisfied with anything, please tell me and I will ask someone to change it immediately."

After Zhong Yue finished speaking, he looked at Chen Yuanyuan with a smile.

Chen Yuanyuan smiled and shook her head: "I am very satisfied here, thank you, Eunuch Zhong."

Seeing that Chen Yuanyuan did not take any further action, Zhong Yue stopped trying to embarrass himself.

"Then I won't disturb you from resting. If you have anything to ask, please feel free to ask me."

Zhong Yue left Yuqing Tower and gave the space of Yuqing Tower to the three masters and servants.

　The first order has exceeded one thousand, and two more chapters will be added, Chapter 2!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)